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Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Mains answer practice — GS 3 : Questions on setting up tiger safaris and Left Wing Extremism (Week 105)
UPSC Essentials brings to you its initiative for the practice of Mains answer writing. It covers essential topics of static and dynamic parts of the UPSC Civil Services syllabus covered under various GS papers. This answer-writing practice is designed to help you as a value addition to your UPSC CSE Mains. Attempt today's answer writing on questions related to topics of GS-3 to check your progress. 🚨 Click Here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for May 2025. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at Discuss how the 'National Policy and Action Plan to Address Left Wing Extremism' (2015) has reduced LWE-related violence in India. How has it contributed to the reduction in incidents? Critically examine the potential benefits and challenges of setting up tiger safaris in buffer zones of tiger reserves. Suggest measures to ensure that setting up tiger safaris balances wildlife conservation objectives with sustainable tourism and community welfare. 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. — Underlining keywords gives you an edge over other candidates and enhances presentation of the answer. — Using flowcharts/tree-diagram in the answers saves much time and boosts your score. However, it should be used logically and only where it is required. Way forward/ conclusion — The ending of the answer should be on a positive note and it should have a forward-looking approach. However, if you feel that an important problem must be highlighted, you may add it in your conclusion. Try not to repeat any point from body or introduction. — You may use the findings of reports or surveys conducted at national and international levels, quotes etc. in your answers. Self Evaluation — It is the most important part of our Mains answer writing practice. UPSC Essentials will provide some guiding points or ideas as a thought process that will help you to evaluate your answers. QUESTION 1: Discuss how the 'National Policy and Action Plan to Address Left Wing Extremism' (2015) has reduced LWE-related violence in India. How has it contributed to the reduction in incidents? Note: This is not a model answer. It only provides you with thought process which you may incorporate into the answers. Introduction: — The Centre said incidents of violence by Left Wing Extremism (LWE) have reduced to 374 in 2024 from its highest level of 1936 in 2010. While the incidents of violence by LWE saw a reduction of 81 per cent, 'the total number of deaths, including civilians and security forces, has also reduced by 85 per cent — from 1005 deaths in 2010 to 150 in 2024.' — Along with zero tolerance towards violence, the country also focused on a massive push toward infrastructure and social empowerment to bring a positive change in the lives of the poor people in these regions. Body: You may incorporate some of the following points in your answer: — To address the LWE problem holistically, a 'National Policy and Action Plan to address LWE' was approved in 2015. It envisages a multi-pronged strategy involving security related measures, development interventions, ensuring rights and entitlements of local communities etc. — While on security front, the GoI assists the LWE affected State Government by providing Central Armed Police Forces battalions, training, funds for modernization of State police forces, equipment & arms, sharing of intelligence, construction of Fortified Police Stations etc; on development side, apart from flagship schemes, Government of India (GoI) has taken several specific initiatives in LWE affected States, with special thrust on expansion of road network, improving telecommunication connectivity, skilling and financial inclusion. — Since 2015, the Union Home Ministry has been working on a 'National Policy and Action Plan' to address the threat of left-wing extremism. The policy promotes zero tolerance for violence. — The Central Government aids states in modernising and training their police personnel. This includes cash for unique infrastructure, planning, and security-related costs. Similarly, the Centre has begun numerous development projects, including the approval of 17,600-kilometer roads in areas prone to Left-Wing extremism. — In addition, the states are furnished with helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for regular monitoring. CAPF battalions are also deployed at the request of states to strengthen their security networks and capacities. Conclusion: — In recent years, India's multimodal counter-LWE approach, which combines security enforcement, inclusive development, and community participation, has been a huge success. — The Indian government is committed to completely eliminating Naxalism by March 31, 2026, because Naxalism is viewed as the most significant impediment to the development of remote areas and tribal villages, preventing education, healthcare, connectivity, banking, and postal services from reaching these communities. (Source: Incidents of LWE-led violence down from 1,936 to 374 in 15 years: Centre, Points to Ponder Read more about Naxalism – its history, background Read about the regions which are engulfed in Naxalism Related Previous Year Questions Explain how narco-terrorism has emerged as a serious threat across the country. Suggest suitable measures to counter narco-terrorism. (2024) Naxalism is a social, economic and developmental issue manifesting as a violent internal security threat. In this context, discuss the emerging issues and suggest a multilayered strategy to tackle the menace of Naxalism. (2022) QUESTION 2: Critically examine the potential benefits and challenges of setting up tiger safaris in buffer zones of tiger reserves. Suggest measures to ensure that setting up tiger safaris balances wildlife conservation objectives with sustainable tourism and community welfare. Note: This is not a model answer. It only provides you with thought process which you may incorporate into the answers. Introduction: — Tiger safari is not defined in the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972, which states that 'no construction of commercial tourist lodges, hotels, zoos, and safari parks shall be undertaken inside a sanctuary except with the prior approval of the National Board' [for Wildlife] established under the Act. — The concept was first envisioned in the National Tiger Conservation Authority's (NTCA) Guidelines for Tourism, which provided for such establishments in buffer areas of tiger reserves 'which experience immense tourist influx in the core/critical tiger habitat for viewing tigers' in 2012. Body: You may incorporate some of the following points in your answer: — The concept was to create an enclosure within tiger reserves where animal sightings are not left to chance, as opposed to traditional wild safaris, such as those conducted in Jim Corbett National Park. This would be accomplished by putting the animals in vast naturalistic enclosures within a tiger reserve. — In 2016, the NTCA released instructions for constructing tiger safaris in the buffer and periphery areas of tiger reserves for rescued, conflict-prone, or orphaned tigers, with the explicit condition that no zoo-bred animals be brought. — Three years later, the NTCA adopted an amendment allowing tigers from zoos to be housed in safari parks. The Central Zoo ability (CZA) was given the ability to identify and authorise such zoo species, as well as oversee animal welfare, enclosure design, and zoo standard compliance in safari projects. — In March 2024, the Supreme Court ordered that tiger safaris be constructed beyond the core and buffer areas of tiger reserves. It stated that such activities should not disrupt natural habitats or jeopardise conservation efforts. Potential benefits — The Jharkhand government intends to establish the safari in the outskirts of the Barwadih Western Forest Range. The facility will not showcase any wild creatures; instead, it will contain conflict, injured, or orphaned animals rescued from India's tiger reserves and zoos. — The safari will not only boost tourism but also provide direct jobs for at least 200 locals in the tourism industry. People would be needed for the positions of guides, support workers, and maintenance crew. Challenges — It tends to ignore the presence and contributions of forest-dwelling populations, characterising them as threats rather than guardians of biodiversity. As a result, such projects frequently cause the displacement of local native communities. — Relocation or Displacement — Tiger safaris also threaten to undermine local businesses. (Source: Jharkhand to set up its first tiger safari: The plan and concerns around it) Points to Ponder Read about latest notified tiger safaris and their location Read about Project Tiger Related Previous Year Question What role do environmental NGOs and activists play in influencing Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) outcomes for major projects in India? Cite four examples with all important details. (2024) UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 104) UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 103) UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 104) UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 105) UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 104) UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 103) Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X.
India Today
21-04-2025
- Politics
- India Today
How Andhra led the war against Maoists from the front
Two decades after Left Wing Extremism (LWE) groups across states forged unity as the Communist Party of India (Maoist) and the government declared the entity as the single-biggest challenge to India's internal security, the insurgency appears to be on the brink of collapse across the board. This has been enabled by concerted counterinsurgency measures as well as the depletion of Maoist ranks, both in terms of cadre and geographical spread of LWE violence has contracted substantially with the fall of LWE-affected districts from 126 across 10 states in 2013 to only 38 in nine states last year. The number of police stations reporting LWE-related violence has significantly reduced from 465 in 2010 to 171 in 2023 while the decline in incidents in the same period is by a significant 73 per cent. Deaths, of security forces and civilians, dropped sharply from 1,005 in 2010 to 138 in 2023. What's more, since early 2024, security forces have pushed the LWE from the defensive to a virtual interstate initiatives to tackle LWE evolved in the early 2000s after the dreaded People's War Group (PWG), then active in Andhra Pradesh, merged with the Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) present in pockets in several northern and eastern states. Post-merger, the CPI (Maoist) grew along a 'Red Corridor'—mineral-rich areas running through forest and backward tracts of several states, beginning from Andhra Pradesh in the is in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh that the PWG gained considerable currency after the first stirrings in Naxalbari in West Bengal in 1967, and then spread as the CPI (Marxist-Leninist) through distinct geographical areas over the next 40 years. The Maoists expanded steadily into Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkand and West Bengal. However, containing their growth and area domination became possible through a multi-pronged strategy, which evolved from the experiences in undivided Andhra Pradesh. Many learnings in counterinsurgency and best practices of weaning youth away from the path of violence have emerged and been adopted from what Andhra Pradesh did since the 1980s. At first, Andhra set up an exclusive intelligence-gathering mechanism to collate information on 'underground' militants and front organisations and their activists propagating Maoist the state police raised an elite commando force, the Greyhounds, in 1989 and trained them in guerrilla warfare to take on Maoists in the forests. The Maoists would retreat to the forests after daring attacks, which included gunning down public representatives, police personnel and those suspected to be police informers. Ironically, in 2023, K.S. Vyas, the IPS officer credited with founding and development of the Greyhounds force, was shot dead while out for an evening jog in Greyhounds, trained in guerrilla and jungle warfare, were often deployed in small groups to prevent identification or becoming easy targets. The special force soon became instrumental in containing Maoist activity in Andhra. To ensure that Greyhounds troopers remained battle-effective, those turning 35 years were posted out to routine policing jobs until retirement. As its track-record showed impressive results, other states followed the Andhra model to raise similar anti-Maoist on the Andhra experience has continued as its exclusive intelligence-gathering network garnered information more effectively given that the Maoist leadership was dominated by those originally from the state. This has continued even after the state's reorganisation and the creation of Telangana in 2014. In this, LWE cadre who have surrendered are also being tapped for intelligence gathering and to issue alerts when ageing Maoist members come for medical treatment to towns and, at times, to Pradesh also focused on the need to boost development initiatives in backward regions to prevent Maoists and their sympathisers from using the socio-economic inequities to build a covert groundswell of support. Maoists, across states, have managed to draw the support of local people, especially tribal communities, who believe they have been exploited and left untouched by the country's economic disaffection largely sprang from the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, which prohibits tribes that rely on forest resources for livelihood from even harvesting the bark of trees. Another trigger that made tribes support Maoists was the implementation of development projects, including mining, which led to significant displacement of tribal populations. Those vulnerable became susceptible to supporting the Maoists in various ways, such as providing logistics and the tribal cohorts and improving their education and healthcare helped stifle the growth of Maoist influence. Following the Andhra example, states affected by LWE put in place a policy that merges police action with economic development to breach Maoist both the surrenders and desertions from rank and file have crippled Maoists' capabilities and capacities. With recruitment down, their armed formations reduced and ammunition in short supply, the LWE cadre are thought to be at the end of a losing battle. LWE analysts also point to a lack of ideological clarity within the Maoist ranks. As one of them put it, 'The Maoists have been overwhelmed by strong action of the security forces, and what they do to sustain themselves until the forces are withdrawn will determine their future.'advertisementSubscribe to India Today MagazineTune InMust Watch
