Topic wise analysis of Public Administration Mains Paper II - (2010)

v Overall Topic wise analysis: Paper II:

PSU	20
Rural	20
Urban	20
Planning	30
Evolution	50
Civil services	50
Reforms	60
Issues in Administration	60
Finance	70
Polity	100

1.       Evolution of Indian Administration:

·         rule of kings depend primarily on written orders….. “ why did kautilya favor codification of laws?	20
·         it is said that the British made a significant contribution towards modernizing the Indian administrative system on rational-legal basis. Justify the assessment with reference to the period from 1830-1865	30

 

2.       Polity:

·         does the emergence of an empowered group of ministers at the central level impair the doctrine of cabinet responsibility?	20
·         in an era of hung parliaments the power of the president expands, more so when the incumbent decides to be assertive. Comment on the statement with reference to the situation in India during the last two decades.	30
·         judges & courts have creatively reinterpreted this statutory authority & expanded their own power & enhanced their standing vis-à-vis the legislature & executive critically examine this assessment	30
·         public interest litigation (PIL) has undergone several changes since its inception in 1980s.	20

3.       PSU:

·         is it correct to state that one of the major reasons for the failure of many……public sector undertakings was due to departures from the original concept of autonomy?

20

 

4.       Civil services:

·         more developed an administrative system because the grater the likelihood that it would that it would have development effects.	15
·         thrust of development administration failed to energies the Indian bureaucracy	15
·         civil service neutrality is a fiction. How many thinking person can be neutral?	20

 

5.       Administrative reforms (प्रशासनिक सुधार):

Ø  with reference to India , discuss the assertion that administrative reforms are multi-dimensional & need to be substantiated by reforms in other related areas of state action.	30
Ø  the 2nd Administrative Reforms Commission in its 10th report, observes that the common perception is that the incentive structure in government is too weak & inadequate to motivate better performance	30

 

6.       Financial  Management:

Ø  prevalence of multiple channels for transfer of resources from the center to the states is stated to have compounded the problems of federal fiscal arrangements. Discuss	30
Ø  states with record of good governance, it is argued by spokesperson of some states, lost their earlier share from the finance commissioner’s award.	20
Ø  optimism expressed by proponents of the financial responsibility & budget management act 2003, in ensuring fiscal discipline appears to be unwanted	20

 

7.       Plans and Priorities:

Ø  planning commission is an armchair advisor	15
Ø  planning commission should reinvent itself a systems reforms commission in the backdrop of changed global domestic scenario.	15

 

8.       Rural Development:         

Ø  non-government organizations play a catalytic role in enabling communities to define their own priorities.	20

 

9.       Urban Local Government: 

Ø  Jawaharlal National Urban Renewal Mission (JNURM) is one of the biggest reforms-linked develop programmes taken upt by the government.	20

10.   Significant issues in Indian Administration:

Ø  it is argued that the Bhopal gas disaster & the response pattern to it reflect multiple vulnerabilities relating to system of corporate social responsibility, governance at local state & central levels, legal safeguards liabilities. Comment on this assessment. (you can put this in disaster  Management as well)	30
Ø  creation of new regulatory agencies in the wake of liberalization, overlapping jurisdiction & conflicts became the new trend. Is there need for the creation of a super-regulator/unified regulator?	30

Ø  Section wise Breakup (Paper-2):

Section	Question
A	1	Polity, PSU,Kautilya	Compulsory
	2	British Administration + Civil services today
	3	Reform + Finance
	4	Polity only (that too, only static part!)	Relief!
B	5	Mixed bag : Polity, Finance and Civil services	Compulsory
	6	Planning Commission + 2nd ARC
	7	Mixed bag: Rural, Urban and Financial
	8	Disaster + Administrative Adjudication

v  Conclusion : Paper II: 

1.       No question on Law and Order (the whole Naxal issue ignored)

2.       Routine questions Panchayati Raj (73^rd and 74^th) are ignored

3.       Routine questions from PSU and planning Commission are asked.

4.       Static part from polity worth 100 marks

5.       Judicial activism and PIL: alone total 50 marks.

6.       Financial Management portion, (which was ignored in paper-1) gets good treatment here.

7.       State, central and district Administration: ignored.

8.       Overall, the paper was more issue and latest current affairs related

a.       Manmohan Singh’s comment on Judicial activism

b.      New CJI’s approach over PILs

c.       ‘Arm-chair advisor’ comment by Kamal Nath.

d.      Disaster  Management

e.      JNNRUM

9.       If you count above 5 current affairs topics: totally about 130+  Marks (=almost 50%) was from current affairs related questions. Rest paper from (relatively) static portion.

For Paper I analysis click here ......