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-2 to check your progress.

India and Nigeria share a long history of diplomatic and economic ties. Discuss the key areas of cooperation between the two countries and the significance of strengthening bilateral relations.

Discuss the key findings of the G20 Climate Action Report and evaluate the effectiveness of the G20’s climate commitments in addressing the global climate crisis.

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: India and Nigeria share a long history of diplomatic and economic ties. Discuss the key areas of cooperation between the two countries and the significance of strengthening bilateral relations.

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

Introduction:

— India and Nigeria are huge, developing, and democratic countries with diverse religious, ethnic, and linguistic communities.

— The relationship between the two countries dates back more than 60 years, when India established its Diplomatic House in Lagos in 1958, two years before Nigeria gained independence from British colonial authority in 1960.

— From the 1960s to the 1980s, Indian instructors and medics played an important role in Nigeria’s early years of independence. India also established the National Defence Academy in Kaduna and the Naval War College in Port Harcourt. The 60,000-strong Indian expatriate population, the largest in West Africa today, strengthens the long-standing bilateral relationship.

Body:

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

Key areas of cooperation and significance of bilateral relations

— There is also a significant economic dimension to the ties, with over 200 Indian companies investing around $27 billion in Nigeria’s manufacturing industries and being the second largest employers behind the federal government.

— India has also emerged as a development partner on two fronts, providing development assistance through concessional loans ($100 million) and capacity-building training programmes.

— Nigeria’s economy is the fastest expanding in Africa, with the third-largest manufacturing sector. Its economy is the continent’s fourth-biggest, and its population is the largest, earning it the moniker “Giant of Africa”.

— India is Nigeria’s greatest trading partner, whereas Nigeria is India’s top trading partner in Africa. The entire bilateral trade between India and Nigeria in 2021-22 was USD 14.95 billion, compared to USD 8.81 billion in 2020-21.

— India is the top importer of Nigerian petroleum products. Crude oil contributed for USD 10.03 billion of India’s total imports from Nigeria, which totalled USD 10.29 billion.

— Nigeria is an ideal location for a wide range of industrial activity due to its abundance of natural resources, low labour costs, and vast market. Its manufacturing sector is reviving, owing largely to the improved performance of the consumer and household goods industries.

Conclusion:

— India and Nigeria share a devotion to democratic principles as well as a celebration of variety and demographics.

— Nigeria and India have agreed to strengthen cooperation in maritime security, intelligence, and counterterrorism. With increased dangers in the Gulf of Guinea and the Indian Ocean, the two governments decided to take concerted measures to protect maritime trade routes and combat piracy.

(Source: Explained: A brief history of India-Nigeria ties, with PM Modi’s visit by Divya A, cgilagos.gov.in, Nigeria and India agree deeper ties in maritime security, counter-terrorism)

Points to Ponder

India-Nigeria Bilateral Trade

Recent developments

India’s investment in Nigeria (Countering China’s footstep in Africa)

Related Previous Year Questions

‘India is an age-old friend of Sri Lanka.’ Discuss India’s role in the recent crisis in Sri Lanka in light of the preceding statement. (2022)

“If the last few decades were Asia’s growth story, the next few are expected to be Africa’s.” In light of this statement, examine India’s influence in Africa in recent years. (2021)

QUESTION 2: Discuss the key findings of the G20 Climate Action Report and evaluate the effectiveness of the G20’s climate commitments in addressing the global climate crisis.

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

Introduction:

— The majority of G20 members, including the United States, Australia, Canada, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, need to dramatically increase climate action, according to a new research by the Council on Energy, Environment, and Water (CEEW).

— CEEW developed the climate accountability matrix (CAM) to assess countries’ climate actions and identify areas for improvement.

— According to CEEW, CAM is a first-of-its-kind evaluation instrument from the Global South that can evaluate a country’s success in climate elements other than mitigation, such as adaptation and implementation. The tool assessed G20 members on five key “themes — international cooperation, national measures, sectoral robustness, enablers, and climate adaptation efforts — and 42 indicators.”

— Each indicator had equal weight and was scored on a scale of 0 to 1. These were averaged and used to calculate an overall score for each country. The performance was split into four categories: leader (0.90-1), reasonable effort (0.75-0.90), limited effort (0.60-0.75), and need for improvement (0.60).

Body:

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

Findings of the report

— According to the research, none of the G20 members are currently qualified for leadership positions. All countries lie somewhere between reasonable and limited attempts; India is in the reasonable effort category.

— India and South Africa have done the most in terms of climate action in the Global South by “actively participating in key agreements, undertaking reasonable efforts domestically, and adhering to their obligations,” according to the report.

— While South Africa demonstrates strong domestic climate governance and climate disclosures, Brazil and India outperform other developing countries in the renewables sector.

— Major fossil fuel-dependent. Saudi Arabia and Turkey are among the G20 members with low effort or room for improvement across all subjects.

— Six out of eleven rich countries, including the United States and Canada, have demonstrated inconsistent engagement in important climate agreements, and low ambitions persist.

— According to the research, developed economies such as the United Kingdom, France, Japan, and Germany have made significant contributions, particularly through international cooperation and the creation of comprehensive climate governance frameworks.

— The report recommended that developed countries accelerate their transition to net-zero emissions, improve the quantity and quality of climate finance, and consistently participate in and adhere to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) obligations, among other things.

Conclusion:

— In a statement, CEEW said, “We hope that outcomes of the CAM will help provide critical inputs and recommendations for upcoming climate summits, inform the next round of nationally determined contributions (NDCs) in 2025 and the subsequent Global Stocktake (GST) where countries and non-party stakeholders will deliberate on the implementation and ambitions of global climate efforts.”

(Source: Most G20 members need to step up climate action: What a new report says by Alind Chauhan)

Points to Ponder

G20 members

Recent G20 summit and its outcomes

What is troika?

Related Previous Year Questions

Virus of Conflict is affecting the functioning of the SCO’ In the light of the above statement, point out the role of India in mitigating the problems. (2023)

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)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 75)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 76)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 76)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 77)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 78)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 77)

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