UPSC Mains Answer Practice GS 1: higher education system in India and role of Aravalli ranges | Week 137

QUESTION 2

Discuss how the Aravalli ranges act as a natural barrier against desertification, contribute to groundwater recharge and influence air quality in northern India.

QUESTION 1: Discuss the role of trust between the state and educational institutions in achieving a high-quality higher education system in India.

Relevance:This question links social development (education) with governance and institutional reforms, a recurring GS-I theme. It allows candidates to analyse NEP 2020, regulatory autonomy, public-private collaboration, and how trust-based governance improves quality, innovation, and global competitiveness of India’s higher education system.

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

Introduction:

— Trust between the Indian government and educational institutions is critical to increasing the quality of higher education. Instead of exercising excessive control, a trust-based and autonomy-driven strategy enables institutions to innovate, accept responsibility, and strive for excellence. When universities are trusted, they can serve as centres of knowledge and research, rather than just degree-granting institutions.

— This promotes improved governance, increased research output, and the development of a competent workforce, all of which contribute to India’s overall development goals, as outlined in the National Education Policy (NEP 2020).

Body:

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

— While more than 1.25 million Indian students study abroad (MEA), stricter visa policies and geopolitical realities necessitate high-quality indigenous options. Higher education is increasingly globalising in both directions: foreign universities are entering India, while Indian institutions are expanding outside.

— India has moved past the era of narrow specialisations. The necessities of today’s skills and economy necessitate larger installations. Technology, management, science, and liberal education institutions require space to interact across boundaries; regulatory consolidation and standard benchmarking will facilitate this coordination. With private institutions accounting for two-thirds of the student population, a strong, unified system of accreditation and public disclosure is required to communicate quality to both students and parents.

— Artificial intelligence is increasingly being integrated into how students learn, teachers construct classrooms, and institutions manage resources and administration. India’s distinct mix of learner types, institutional histories, and learning paradigms (formal, informal, and alternative) allows it to lead the global conversation on context-sensitive AI. This is more than just implementing technology; it is about defining its application in a localised, high-impact manner.

— While supporting scientific talent is critical to groundbreaking innovation, major gaps in exposure still exist. Science education should be more hands-on and immersive. We will build the high-calibre talent pool required for a competitive deep-tech ecosystem by leveraging university makerspaces, increasing institutional engagement with start-ups and industry for skilling and practice, and ensuring that tools and resources are accessible and robust.

Conclusion:

— India is making significant strides in massifying education. Meeting the goal of a 50 per cent gross enrolment ratio by 2035 will require sustained prioritisation of higher education as national infrastructure, as well as the encouragement of new thinking.

— India has a massive chance to leverage its expanding digital and internet landscape to scale imparting learning. By integrating technology and digital delivery models into institutional frameworks, we can move beyond the constraints of physical capacity to reach every aspiring student.

(Source: High-quality education needs trust between state and institutions, public and private)

Points to Ponder

Read more about higher education in India

Read about National Education Policy (NEP)

Related Previous Year Questions

Discuss the main objectives of Population Education and point out the measures to achieve them in India in detail. (2021)

How have digital initiatives in India contributed to the functioning of the education system in the country? Elaborate your answer. (2019)

QUESTION 2: Discuss how the Aravalli ranges act as a natural barrier against desertification, contribute to groundwater recharge and influence air quality in northern India.

Relevance:This question is directly relevant to GS-I Physical Geography and Environment, integrating landforms, climate, groundwater, and air pollution. It helps assess understanding of how physical features influence ecological stability, desertification control, and urban environmental health (Delhi-NCR), a frequent interdisciplinary focus in mains answers.

(Photo: Wikimedia Commons).

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

Introduction:

— At over a billion years old, the Aravallis are one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world, formed during the Precambrian Era due to the collision of tectonic plates of the earth’s crust. The 700-odd-km range stretches across four states (Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi) and 37 districts, with 560 km lying in Rajasthan.

— The present-day range, however, is much eroded compared to what the Aravallis were at their birth. Their degradation is due to both natural factors and human activities.

Body:

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

— The Aravallis provide priceless ecological services. If the Western Ghats are considered the water tower and climate regulator of peninsular India, the Aravalli range is an ecological shield for the plains of Northwest and North India.

— The range acts as a shield for the northern plains against the incursion of sand from the Thar desert in the west. This also protects air quality in the North. Any rising incursion of sand would be disastrous for the Delhi-NCR Region, which is already struggling to contain local sources of pollution.

— The hills also bring in a healthy amount of rainfall, which is essential for agriculture and drinking water needs of settlements that are located around them. As per studies, deforestation, quarrying and erosion has already led to 12 major gaps in the Aravallis.

— Although the Aravallis’ significance on water drainage and recharge is underappreciated, the hills’ rocky formations are critical for replenishing aquifers and groundwater levels, as well as supporting seasonal rivers in Rajasthan and Gujarat.

— The Aravalli landscape restoration action plan developed by the Centre highlights the critical role that the Aravalli hills play in this regard. The Aravalli range is one of the key watersheds, separating the drainage of the Bay of Bengal through rivers such as the Chambal and other tributaries of the Yamuna from that of the Arabian Sea through the Mahi, Sabarmati, Luni, and other rivers,” according to the action plan. The action plan also mentions notable lakes and wetlands in the region, such as Sambhar, Sultanpur, Pushkar, Fateh Sagar, and Jaisamand.

— The rocks in Aravallis are highly fractured, weathered and porous, allowing rainwater to percolate deep into the ground instead of running off the surface. “This vast but invisible reserve is crucial for the water security of rapidly growing towns and cities such as Faridabad and Gurugram.

— On the biodiversity and wildlife front, the ranges provide a unique dry, deciduous, and semi-arid landscape for a host of flora and fauna to flourish. The range is home to 22 wildlife sanctuaries, including 16 in Rajasthan, three of which — Ranthambore, Sariska, and Mukundra — are tiger reserves.

Conclusion:

— The new definition of the Aravallis, proposed by the Centre on October 13 and accepted by the Supreme Court on November 20, effectively excludes almost 90% of the range from protections against mining and other development activities, as per an internal assessment of the Forest Survey of India.

— The smaller Aravalli hillocks, if opened for mining, would shrink the wildlife corridors. The ecological richness (of Aravallis) is rapidly declining, and now restricted to fragmented forest patches and protected areas, due to an increase in human pressure and forest loss. The Aravallis also sustain local livelihoods, and communities depend on fuelwood, fodder, fruits, vegetables, and medicinal plants.

(Source: Why the Aravallis matter for the climate, air, and water of north India plains)

Points to Ponder

Read more about Aravalli

Read about other ranges – western and eastern ghats

Related Previous Year Questions

Briefly mention the alignment of major mountain ranges of the world and explain their impact on local weather conditions, with examples. (2021)

Differentiate the causes of landslides in the Himalayan region and Western Ghats. (2021)

Previous Mains Answer Practice

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 136)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 137)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 136)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 137)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 136)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 135)

Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week.