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-1 to check your progress.

Discuss the socio-economic effects of the introduction of railways in the Himalayas and North Eastern Region of India.

The average global temperature on Earth has increased by at least 1.1 degree Celsius since 1850. Discuss how climate change impacts extreme weather events.

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 the socio-economic effects of the introduction of railways in the Himalayas and North Eastern Region of India.

Introduction:

— Mountain Railways of India includes three railways, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, and the Kalka Shimla Railway.

— They were built between 1881 and 1908, they used audacious and creative engineering techniques to solve the challenge of creating a functional train connection over breathtakingly beautiful mountainous scenery.

— The Mountain Railways of India are exceptional examples of a technological ensemble that represents several stages of development in high mountain terrain. India’s Mountain Railways are exceptional examples of how access has been provided to the Indian mountain plains and plateaus.

Body:

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

Socio-economic effects

— The train will bring down the travel time between Srinagar and Jammu.

— The train will benefit the people of Kashmir by facilitating hassle-free transport of goods such as apples, dry fruits, pashmina shawls, handicrafts etc., to other parts of the country in the shortest possible time and at lesser cost.

— The cost of transporting items of daily use to the Valley from elsewhere in the country is expected to go down significantly.

— It will provide connectivity to far flung and inaccessible areas leading to socio-economic development of the region.

Railway development in North Eastern India

— Rail connection initiatives in India’s northeast aim to connect the region to East Asia and ASEAN. Guwahati is known as the Gateway to the Northeast.

— There are five major rail projects which have been identified for providing rail connectivity to North Eastern region which will improve their socio-economic development

(i) Dimapur-Kohima Railway Project

(ii) Teteliya-Byrnihat Railway Project

(iii) Sivok-Rangpo Railway Project

(iv) Jiribam-Imphal Railway Project

(v) Bairabi-Sairang Railway Project

Conclusion:

— The longest transportation tunnel of the country on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) was opened by Prime Minister, as he flagged off the first electrified trains of the Kashmir valley.

— According to the Northern Railway (NR), trains can now run from Baramulla to Sangaldan via Banihal, which used to be the last or originating station earlier.

— All safety measures have been taken inside the tunnel for emergency situations. An escape tunnel has been constructed parallel to T-50 to evacuate passengers in case of any emergency.

(Source: indianrailways.gov.in, whc.unesco.org, India’s longest transportation tunnel opens in Jammu on Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramula Rail Link, PM Modi flags off railway project in Jammu and Kashmir: Route, challenges, benefits by Arun Sharma)

Points to Ponder

Challenges

Chenab Bridge

Anji Bridge

Jammu-Baramulla Railway link

Related Previous Year Questions

Bring out the socio-economic effects of the introduction of railways in different countries of the world. (2023)

QUESTION 2: The average global temperature on Earth has increased by at least 1.1 degree Celsius since 1850. Discuss how climate change impacts extreme weather events.

Body:

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

— Since 1850, the average global temperature has risen by at least 1.1 degrees Celsius, owing mostly to human activities that have emitted unprecedented volumes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

— The spike in the temperatures has resulted in more frequent and more intense extreme weather events across the world. These events include heat waves, droughts, floods, hurricanes, and wildfires.

— It is quite challenging to link any specific extreme weather occurrence to climate change. This is because, according to Climatic Change: Evidence and Causes, a joint publication of The US National Academy of Sciences and The Royal Society, several variables, including patterns of natural climatic variability, such as El Niño and La Niña, contribute to such catastrophes.

— For instance, a study published after a 2019 heat wave that killed 2,500 people in Western Europe found that climate change made the heat five times more likely than in a world that hadn’t become so warm. In India, the duration of heat waves has increased by about 2.5 days between 1961 and 2021 due to global warming, according to a 2023 report by the India Meteorological Department.

— Climate models show that heat waves might become about 12 times more frequent by 2040s due to climate change.

— Similarly, rising temperatures have worsened droughts. Take the example of what’s happening in some parts of East Africa. Between 2020 and 2022, the region witnessed five failed seasons, leading to its worst drought in at least 40 years.

— A 2023 report by World Weather Attribution (WWA) showed that climate change made a drought of such intensity at least 100 times more likely in the region.

— Extreme heat also makes conditions more prone to wildfire and extends the wildfire season by draining more moisture from the land. According to a second WWA analysis from 2023, climate change has more than increased the chance of intense “fire weather” conditions in Eastern Canada.

— Higher temperatures increase evaporation of water from both land and oceans, implying that a warmer atmosphere contains more moisture. Experts estimate that for every 1 degree Celsius increase in average temperature, the atmosphere can contain approximately 7% extra moisture. This makes storms more dangerous since they increase precipitation intensity, duration, and/or frequency, potentially resulting in severe flooding.

— In recent years, the seas have absorbed 90% of the excess heat caused by greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, the global mean sea surface temperature has risen by over 0.9 degrees Celsius since 1850, and by around 0.6 degrees Celsius in the previous four decades.

(Source: Warming up to climate change: How does climate change impact extreme weather events? by Alind Chauhan)

Points to Ponder

Droughts

Water scarcity

Wildfires

Rising sea levels

Related Previous Year Questions

Discuss the consequence of Climate change on the food security in tropical countries. (2023)

How do the melting of the Arctic ice and glaciers of the Antarctic differently affect the weather patterns and human activities on the Earth? Explain. (2021)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 39)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 38)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 39)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 40)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 39)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 40)

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