'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.
Approach · directive: “point out”
What it asks · Identify the conflicts that hamper the SCO and describe what India does, and can do, to ease them.
The question has 2 parts — answer each
- Explain the 'virus of conflict': the rivalries that hamper the SCO's functioning
- Point out India's role in mitigating these problems, and its limits
Open with · India became a full SCO member in 2017; the grouping seeks security, economic and people-to-people cooperation, but member rivalries and the war in Ukraine strain consensus.
Cover
- Conflicts: India-China border tensions, India-Pakistan hostility, Russia-West confrontation over Ukraine, and China's weight in a consensus-based body.
- Counter-terrorism: India presses for firm action against cross-border terrorism and active work through the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS).
- Connectivity: India stresses respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and has declined to endorse Belt and Road paragraphs; it promotes Chabahar and the International North-South Transport Corridor.
- SECURE vision: at the 2018 Qingdao summit India set out Security, Economic development, Connectivity, Unity, Respect for sovereignty and Environment as guiding themes.
- Chairmanship 2022-23: India hosted the July 2023 summit (held virtually) and added areas such as startups and innovation, traditional medicine, youth empowerment, digital inclusion and shared Buddhist heritage.
- Limits: bilateral disputes with China and Pakistan restrict India's ability to mediate, and it balances SCO membership with the Quad and BRICS.
Close with · India can best ease the conflicts by keeping the SCO focused on shared goals such as terrorism, connectivity and trade, while defending its core interests.
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2023, GS Paper II — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer · 225 words (UPSC limit 150) · Minimalist IAS
The SCO was built for security and economic cooperation across Eurasia, but members carry their quarrels into it: India-China border tensions, India-Pakistan hostility, and Russia's confrontation with the West over Ukraine. Under consensus rules, each rivalry can stall decisions.
The virus of conflict
- China's economic weight, and a consensus rule in a body that keeps bilateral disputes off its agenda, compound the problem.
India's mitigating role
- Counter-terrorism as common ground: presses for firm, non-selective action against cross-border terrorism and works actively through the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS).
- Principled connectivity: insists on sovereignty and territorial integrity, declines to endorse the Belt and Road paragraphs, and offers alternatives in Chabahar and the International North-South Transport Corridor.
- Agenda-setting: the SECURE framework at Qingdao (2018), covering security, economy, connectivity, unity, sovereignty and environment, gives members a shared vocabulary.
- Chairmanship 2022-23: hosted the July 2023 summit and added low-conflict pillars: startups and innovation, traditional medicine, youth, digital inclusion and shared Buddhist heritage.
- Keeps dialogue open with every member and balances SCO with the Quad and BRICS, refusing to treat it as an anti-Western bloc.
Limits
- India's own disputes with China and Pakistan restrict its ability to mediate, and the SCO cannot resolve bilateral issues.
India can best contain the virus by anchoring the SCO to shared goals, terrorism, connectivity and trade, while defending its core interests without paralysing the body.
Written by Minimalist IAS from facts checked at source (how we verify) — a little fuller than exam length, so every part of the question is covered; in the hall, keep the structure and trim the detail. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.