Mentor’s Comments:
1. Brief on the state of relationship/ recent visits
2. What makes the relationship a necessity for both nations?
3. What are the mutual advantages of each of the two countries?
4. Brief the challenges and highlight the road ahead.
Answer:
PM Modi’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia was seen as a watershed moment in boosting defense and security cooperation. Apart from these two broad themes, it appeared that India and Saudi Arabia are trying to move beyond energy relationships.
Importance of India to Saudi Arabia:
- Enhanced ties with India is important for Saudi Arabia as well. The kingdom is facing economic strain in the wake of persistently weak oil prices.
- The U.S. is no longer as dependent on the region for energy as it used to be, thanks to the shale boom.
- Demand from China is also receding in the wake of a slowdown. Besides, competition in the oil market is expected to tighten with a sanctions-free Iran entering the global economic mainstream without any bars.
- In this context, India is a vital market for Saudi Arabia. There is believed to be friction between Islamabad and Riyadh over the former warming up to Tehran and their growing energy cooperation.
- Pakistan also refused to join Saudi Arabia’s war coalition that has been bombing Yemen for the past year in the name of fighting the Iran-backed Shia rebels.
Importance of Saudi for India
- It is currently India’s second-largest supplier of crude oil – providing about 18 % of its energy needs. It also has a major role in India’s Strategic Petroleum Reserves (SPRs).
- It is India’s 4th largest trade partner. In 2018-19, the India-Saudi bilateral trade was the US $ 34.03 billion.
- Expansion of trade and investment: Saudi has shown interest in expanding trade and investment in India and collaboration in the energy sector. India could likely absorb $100 billion in Saudi investment.
- Ratnagiri refinery and petrochemicals complex joint venture: Saudi Aramco is set to partner with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company in developing an integrated refinery and petrochemicals complex at Ratnagiri in Maharashtra, a $44 billion joint venture with Indian public sector involvement.
- Largest supplier of oil: Saudi Arabia is already one of the three largest suppliers of oil to India.
- Strategic Partnership Council: Both the countries have a strong independent strategic partnership and it will be further strengthened with the launching of the Strategic Partnership Council.
- People-to-people relations: There were announcements of the release of 850 Indians from Saudi jails, a hike in the quota for Indians making the Haj pilgrimage and an annual upscaling of airline seats to and fro.
- Comprehensive security dialogue and counter-terrorism: A comprehensive security dialogue between the national security advisers of the two nations has been announced, besides a joint working group on terrorism.
- Inaugural joint naval exercises soon: Both agreed to hold their inaugural joint naval exercises at the earliest.
Challenges
- Pakistan is far too important to Saudi Arabia for internal security reasons for Riyadh to sacrifice its stake in Islamabad in order to appease New Delhi.
- The Pakistan Army has more than once acted as the Saudi rulers’ praetorian guard and given the uncertain hold of MBS on his country, despite impressions to the contrary, he may need the services of Pakistani mercenaries in the near future.
- Afghanistan has been a point of strategic convergence for Pakistan and Saudi Arabia going back to the 1980s when the Saudis used Pakistan as a conduit for material assistance to the Islamist forces fighting the Soviet Union and its proxy government in Kabul.
- With U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the consequent expansion of Taliban influence very much on the cards, Pakistan’s strategic value as the Taliban’s patron has grown exponentially.
- Saudi Arabia is interested in curbing Iranian influence in Afghanistan and needs Pakistan to contain Tehran’s ability to influence events in that country after the American withdrawal through its Tajik and Hazara allies.
- There have been reports that Saudi Arabia is planning to get its own nuclear deterrent. If that is the case, then Pakistan is the most logical source for technical expertise.
Way forward
Saudi Arabia is transforming and that the opportunities for partnership and growth are unlimited. Saudi Arabia is a G-20 economy that is opening up to foreign investors at an unprecedented rate.
Vision 2030 of Saudi Arabia has created a roadmap for social and economic transformation and enabling the private sector is at the heart of it.
The economic partnerships between Saudi Arabia and India are moving from strength to strength as our nations undergo significant periods of positive change in order to realize the ambitious goals of Saudi Vision 2030 and New India @75.
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Hi Sanu
Do not write the introduction or conclusion subheading.
Keep the intro on a shorter length.
Keep your points short in bullet style and work on your language,
Points are decent, but divide them into two segments: Why India needs SA and Why SA needs India.
Discuss challenges with more points. Read the model answer.
.
Please review.
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Hi Yash
One of the most important point you missed in the main body is the importance of diaspora. Their safety and the remittances they send back to India are important themes for SA-India relations.
The rest of the answer is decent.
The structure is good and the presentation is apt.
Good language.
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Hi Khus
Please underline the imp points in your answers.
Points are decent, but divide them into two segments: Why India needs SA and Why SA needs India.
That will give your content clarity.
The second part is general in nature and points are placed in a haphazard manner.
There should be some coherency in your points.
The way forward discussed in the end is vague and needs clarity.
Never end your answer with a diagram. That is not the right structure. Use diagrams and flowcharts in the middle or at the starting of your answers.
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Hi Kautilya
Keep your intro short and simple. Do not discuss everything there. Just introduce the topic in your intro and the rest of the history of SA-India relation in another subheading post intro.
The overall direction of the answer is very good but the presentation style is rendering them weak. Work on this aspect.
Avoid paragraph styled bullet points, as you did in the main body of the answer. They are a big no in UPSC Mains answers. They make your answer bulky as well as they take space and time. Bullet points should have ideally only a couple of statements. That way, your content will be crisp and informative.
The bullet points written in the model answer is the ideal way.
In order to break the monotonicity of your points and answers, use flowchart, diagrams or boxes. With the current handwriting, it is important that you bring some X-factor in your answers otherwise it will be a linear mode of writing with points after points.
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Hi Dipanshu
Please avoid writing on lined pages. Use plain paper.
Your intro is very lengthy.
Do not discuss everything there. Just introduce the topic in your intro and the rest of the history of SA-India relation in another subheading post intro.
Also, do not do this much cutting in your answers. That shows indecisiveness in your part. Hence, think clearly before writing.
The presentation style is very poor.
There is no demarcation when points are ending and a new point is being started. Plus there is no clear subheading in your answer.
The overall presentation is quite a hodge podge and placed in a haphazard manner.
Highlight your subheadings prominently and underline the important points in your bullet points.
Leave some space after changing a discussion.
Content is OK but without better structuring or presentation it is ineffective.
Work on it.
See the answers of Sahithya to understand the importance of structure and presentation.
Sir next 7-8 answers are on lined sheets too..but i will change it afterwards.
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Hi Amit
Underline your subheadings.
The 1st part of the answer is decent with good enough points.
But in the 2nd part, do discuss the challenges that India and SA will face while making sure that their relationship grows stronger.
Read the model answer.
Better way forwards are needed.
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How are we supposed read image which is upside down!!! Please avoid such uploads.
After intro, briefly discuss the recent happenings in SA-India relations (Recent bilateral visits)
The main body of the answer is well discussed.
But the answer ends abruptly without discussing the challenges that SA-India relationship faces and way forward to overcome it.
Read the model answer for these points.
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Hi Swetha
Structuring needs rework. Divide your 1st part of the main body into two parts:
1. Why SA Needs India
2. Why India needs SA
Divide your content of the answer in these headings.
The last part of the answer is missing.
The answer ends abruptly without discussing the challenges that SA-India relationship faces and way forward to overcome it.
Read the model answer for these points.
The content discussed in the main body is decent.
They are short and crisp.
Always follow the advice of mentors’ comments for structuring of the answer.
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Very good intro.
The overall content of the answer is very.
But the answer ends abruptly without discussing the way forward.
Nice presentation and structuring of the answer.
The language is short and perfect.
The points are informative yet explained with crispness.
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please review
Please underline the imp points in your answers.
In the main body of the answer, the points are decent.
But divide them into two segments: Why India needs SA and Why SA needs India.
The 2nd part is very good.
But way forward is missing.
Please avoid writing on lined pages. Use plain paper.
MOJO9b03K00A07920521
Good intro
One of the most important point you missed in the main body is the importance of diaspora. Their safety and the remittances they send back to India are important themes for SA-India relations.
The rest of the main body is decent.
But the answer ends abruptly without discussing the challenges that SA-India relationship faces and way forward to overcome it.
Read the model answer for these points.
The language is very good
MOJO9b04S00N25297271. Please review
Very good intro.
The main body of the answer has been handled with great apt.
The content is very good and its explanation is excellent.
The use of the flowchart in the 1st part is nice.
But the answer ends abruptly without discussing the challenges that SA-India relationship faces and way forward to overcome it.
Read the model answer for these points.
The content is rich and informative.
ofcourse writing challenges in breif can be done in this question but if anyone writing answer in more than 10 min, then he/she may be out of the race!! pls guide on time managemet for this question.. thanks for your valuable feedbacks
@Parth Verma
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Good intro.
Points are decent, but divide them into two segments: Why India needs SA and Why SA needs India.
The answer lacks the discussion on the challenges that SA-India relationship faces and way forward to overcome it.
Good conclusion.
Good presentation
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Thank you.
Very good main body of the answer.
The discussion is in-depth and the coverage provided is decent.
Good use of tabular form of presentation.
Decent points in the challenges
But give way forward to overcome it.
Good conclusion
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Please review.
Near perfect answer.
You have covered all the necessary aspects of the question with great depth.
The content is informative yet not over-explained.
The only scope of improvement is that you should underline important points in the answer.
Good structure of the answer.
The flow is decent and points are well placed.
MOJO9a05K00A19952476
The intro is very good.
The 1st part of the main body of the answer has been handled with great apt.
The content is very good and its explanation is excellent.
But the 2nd part of the main body of the answer ends abruptly without discussing the challenges that SA-India relationship faces and way forward to overcome it.
Read the model answer for these points.
The content is rich and informative.