UPSC Essentials | Mains answer practice — GS 2 : Questions on Significance of BRICS for India and Schedule 6 of the Indian Constitution (Week 74)

QUESTION 2

What is Schedule 6 of the Indian Constitution? Discuss how the demand for Schedule 6 for Ladakh aligns with the aspirations of the local population and its potential impact on governance and development in the region.

General points on the structure of the answers

Introduction

— The introduction of the answer is essential and should be restricted to 3-5 lines. Remember, a one-liner is not a standard introduction.

— It may consist of basic information by giving some definitions from the trusted source and authentic facts.

Body

— It is the central part of the answer and one should understand the demand of the question to provide rich content.

— The answer must be preferably written as a mix of points and short paragraphs rather than using long paragraphs or just points.

— Using facts from authentic government sources makes your answer more comprehensive. Analysis is important based on the demand of the question, but do not over analyse.

QUESTION 1: Discuss the significance of BRICS for India in the context of global economic governance and international relations.

Note: This is not a model answer. It only provides you with thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.

Introduction:

— BRICS is an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, the initial five members with large, non-Western economies.

— BRICS welcomed four new members on January 1 of this year: Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates. The organisation today accounts for about half of the world’s population and nearly one-quarter of the global economy.

— BRICS was envisioned as a gathering of non-Western countries that could operate as a counterweight to Global North-dominated institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in the body of your answer:

Significance of BRICS for India

— The BRICS membership aligns with India’s multilateralist stance and seeks to give the Global South a bigger voice.

— India values close cooperation within the BRICS, which has emerged as an important platform for dialogue and discussion on issues such as the global development agenda, reformed multilateralism, climate change, economic cooperation, building resilient supply chains, and promoting cultural and people-to-people connections, among others.

— As Russia faces heightened Western criticism, the meetings highlight New Delhi’s commitment to traditionally strong India-Russia relations.

— “The expansion of BRICS with the addition of new members last year has increased its inclusivity and agenda for the global good,” PM Modi said in a statement before leaving for Russia.

— The BRICS summits aim to promote commercial, security, economic, and climate cooperation.

— The Ministers reaffirmed that India, Brazil, and South Africa’s consecutive G20 presidency in 2023-2025 will establish the groundwork for resolving global economic inequities, imbalances, and deficiencies.

Conclusion:

— The inaugural BRIC Summit took place in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009. South Africa was invited to the BRIC Foreign Ministers’ conference in New York in 2010, and as a result, it attended the third BRICS Summit in Sanya, China in 2011.

— The next wave of expansion occurred following the summit in South Africa last year. Invitations were made to Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. While four of the above joined in January of this year, Saudi Arabia accepted the invitation but delayed formal membership. Argentina, whose new President Javier Milei favours the West, declined.

(Source: PM Modi attends BRICS Summit in Russia: What is the group, its significance for India, http://www.mea.gov.in)

Points to Ponder

What are the challenges and opportunities for India at BRICS?

How many times has the BRICS summit been held in India?

New members of BRICS

Related Previous Year Questions

Do you think that BIMSTEC is a parallel organisation like the SAARC? What are the similarities and dissimilarities between the two? How are Indian foreign policy objectives realised by forming this new organisation? (2022)

Critically examine the aims and objectives of SCO. What importance does it hold for India? (2021)

QUESTION 2: What is Schedule 6 of the Indian Constitution? Discuss how the demand for Schedule 6 for Ladakh aligns with the aspirations of the local population and its potential impact on governance and development in the region.

Note: This is not a model answer. It only provides you with thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.

Introduction:

— The Sixth Schedule under Article 244 of the Indian Constitution provides for the formation of tribal administrative regions called Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) and Autonomous Regional Councils (ARCs).

— ADCs have up to 30 members with a term of five years and can make laws, rules and regulations on land, forest, water, agriculture, village councils, health, sanitation, village- and town-level policing, etc. Currently, there are 10 ADCs in the Northeast, with three each in Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram, and one in Tripura.

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in the body of your answer:

Demand for Schedule 6 for Ladakh

— A majority of the population in Ladakh belongs to Scheduled Tribes. The people of Ladakh have demanded the decentralisation of power as they believe that “lower levels of bureaucracy” may have been “influenced by industrial powers and business houses”, who wanted “mining to take place in every valley here”.

— Wangchuk and other activists began marching from Ladakh to Delhi in September to discuss demands for greater autonomy in Ladakh’s administration with the Central government. Specifically, they wanted Schedule 6 of the Indian Constitution to be made applicable to Ladakh.

Impact of Schedule 6 on governance and development

— The schedule includes the power to make laws on subjects such as forest management, agriculture, administration of villages and towns, inheritance, marriage, divorce and social customs.

— The Schedule also gives ARCs and ADCs the power to collect land revenue, impose taxes, regulate money lending and trading, collect royalties from licences or leases for the extraction of minerals in their areas, and establish public facilities such as schools, markets, and roads.

— The ADCs and ARCs may also form village councils or tribunals to resolve conflicts between Scheduled Tribes members, as well as select personnel to oversee the implementation of the laws they pass. In circumstances where the offences are punishable by death or more than five years in jail, the Governor of the state may grant the ADCs and ARCs the authority to trial them under the country’s criminal and civil laws.

Conclusion:

— The latest ‘Delhi Chalo Padyatra’ was organised by the ALB, with a four-point agenda for the support of Ladakh’s statehood, extension of the Sixth Schedule, early recruitment process along with a public service commission for Ladakh and separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil districts.

(Source: Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk ends fast: What is Schedule 6 of the Indian Constitution?, Ladakh, Article 371, and the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution)

Points to Ponder

What is Article 371 and its sub-parts?

What are the benefits for a state or U.T. when included in the sixth schedule?

States/U.T. which are already included in the sixth schedule.

Related Previous Year Questions

Explain the constitutional provisions under which Legislative Councils are established. Review the working and current status of Legislative Councils with suitable illustrations. (2021)

Whether National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) can enforce the implementation of constitutional reservation for the Scheduled Castes in religious minority institutions. Examine. (2018)

Previous Mains Answer Practice

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 73)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 72)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 73)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 72)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 74)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 73)

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