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Year: 2016

  • 29 Sept 2016 | GS2 | PM Modi did not attend the recent NAM summit, only the second PM not to do so. Is NAM still important for India?

    GS2 (Global groupings and effects on India)

    PM Modi did not attend the recent NAM summit, only the second PM not to do so. Is NAM still important for India?

    Best answer

    Aman Chauhan wrote the best answer for this question and got a score of 4.5/10 (if the best answer is an image, it cannot be uploaded here, hence scroll down to see those). The answer is being reproduced below for everyone’s convenience. Of course these answers can always be improved. (Best answer  of a particular only involves those given on that day, later answers may not have been checked)

     Recently 17th non aligned summit was held in Venezuela and India was represented by our vice-president instead of our PrimeMinister.Interestingly enough it was Nehru who along with Naseer was instrumental in founding NAM .
    At that time back in 1960’s it was appreciated as –
    1.All the underdeveloped nation members to the forum had their own problems and didn’t want to side with US or USSR
    2.Gave India the time to focus more on agriculture and industrial development ,getting our impoverished economy back on track
    3.It essentially suited India as our freedom struggle was based on non-violent non-cooperation and we garnered international prestige as we were seen as leaders of newly independent world emerged out of colonialism
    But,alot has changed since those times which has made NAM less relevant-
    1.globalization has percolated to the roots of every country
    2.world was bipolar then but now equations have changed and is essentially multipolar with rising china and India seen as magnetic forces striving for dominance.
    3. Alignment now is based on interests of (geography ,economy and strategic) and not just ideological .for e.g.As CPEC is being constructed across POK India needs to be proactive and assertive of its interests
    4.No country is non aligned as of now in reality ,even North Korea has a certain level of alignment with china
    India is multi aligned now as can be seen in
    1.Signing of LEMAO with US
    2.defence acquisitions from France(Rafael) and US (Apache and chinook ) to secure our defence capabilities deterring notorious neighbours .
    3.Voicing its concerns on South China Sea in favour of ASEAN nations as our 50% trade is via that route
    4.various trade pacts like Mercosur and FTA , being a member of RCEP and increased integration with ASEAN serves our economic interests
    5.From look east we have now resolved to act east policy
    6..Inclusion of Japan in naval exercises like Malabar along with US (to counter China’s dominance in SCS)
    From non-aligned We are essentially multialigned but need of the hour is to balance this approach using (soft+hard power) ,to manouver actions of our old friends like Russia as it is inching towards Pakistan .

  • 29 Sept 2016 | GS1 | Socialism as given by Karl Marx has brought about a number of revolutions around the world. What are the most prominent examples of political, social and economic changes brought about by it across the world?

    GS1 (World history)

    Socialism as given by Karl Marx has brought about a number of revolutions around the world. What are the most prominent examples of political, social and economic changes brought about by it across the world?

    Best answer

    Rahul Jain wrote the best answer for this question and got a score of 4.5/10 (if the best answer is an image, it cannot be uploaded here, hence scroll down to see those). The answer is being reproduced below for everyone’s convenience. Of course these answers can always be improved. (Best answer  of a particular only involves those given on that day, later answers may not have been checked)

    Socialism, as given by Karl Marx, means the state ownership of the means of production.It gained prominence post the Great Depression and the WW II,and compared to Communism(which means complete state control),it is a milder form of governance.
    IMPACT:
    POLITICAL:
    1. Responsible for the rise of Trade Unions.
    2. Russian Revolution of 1917 was the biggest impact.
    3. Was politically against Capitalism and so socialistic countries were viewed as a threat by the capitalist Nations(e.g. COLD WAR,Cuba-US relations).

    SOCIAL:
    1.For the first time,gave voice to the workers’rights.
    2.Promoted the idea of equitable share of resources.

    ECONOMIC:
    1. Many initiatives like Collective Farming,State Cooperatives etc. were due to socialism.
    2. For the first time, “PUBLIC SECTOR” became an important player in the economy(e.g. can be seen in India and other newly independent countries post WWII, the idea of PLANNING etc.)

    Though today there are no completely socialistic(or capitalist) countries, the concept of the state’s role(particularly in economy) can be seen in Western Nations too which is a legacy of Socialism.

  • 29 Sept 2016 | Prelims Daily: CA Questions with Tikdams & Tidbits

    [Update] Explanations can be downloaded from here – Click for Solutions’ PDF. Ask doubts, if any on the topics covered in CA questions.

    Q.1) Recently, India plans to review Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to Pakistan.

    Consider the following statements with reference to MFN status.

    1. The MFN status was accorded in 1996 under the WTO’s General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).

    2. India and Pakistan are not signatories to the GATT agreement.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?  

    a) 1 only

    b) 2 only

    c) Both 1 and 2

    d) Neither 1 nor 2

    Q.2) An advanced Indian mega space launcher is likely to power ISRO’s launchers by around 2018.

    Consider following statements with regard to ISRO’s mega space launcher.

    1. It can deliver ten-tonne and heavier communication satellites to space and using a semi-cryogenic engine.

    2. Semi-cryogenic engine will use space-grade kerosene as fuel and solid hydrogen as oxidiser

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?  

    a) 1 only

    b) 2 only

    c) Both 1 and 2

    d) Neither 1 nor 2

    Q.3) Consider following statements with regard to Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), which was frequently in news.

    1. The GSLV is designed mainly to deliver the communication-satellites to the highly elliptical Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).

    2. The satellites in these orbits appear to remain permanently fixed in the same position in the sky.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?  

    a) 1 only

    b) 2 only

    c) Both 1 and 2

    d) Neither 1 nor 2

    Q.4) Recently, India decided not to attend the SAARC Summit. Consider the following statements with reference to it.

    1. The SAARC Summit cannot be held even if only one country pulls out.

    2. The 19th SAARC summit will be held in Islamabad.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?  

    a) 1 only

    b) 2 only

    c) Both 1 and 2

    d) Neither 1 nor 2

    Q.5) Recently, More evidence of possible water plumes erupting from the surface of Europa found. Europa is one of the moon of

    a) Saturn

    b) Jupiter

    c) Venus

    d) Mars

    NOTE: These questions are mostly derived from our daily newscards. Reading daily news from Civilsdaily’s App (click here) or website + solving these questions will help you reinforce the basics.

    For a comprehensive preparation of IAS Prelims 2017 – consider joining our more comprehensive Prelims Modules – prelims.civilsdaily.com

  • Ts2 and Ts 3 solutions

    Sir,
    When will be the solution for ts2 and ts3 be uploaded in pdf format as it is very much necessary for last time revision. @discuss sir @cdroot

  • 28 Sept 2016 | GS4 | Emotions can play havoc with our judgement, and can lead us to make bad decisions. What is emotional intelligence and why is it important?

    GS4 (Emotional Intelligence)

    Emotions can play havoc with our judgement, and can lead us to make bad decisions. What is emotional intelligence and why is it important?

    Best answer

    Simran Bains wrote the best answer for this question and got a score of 5/10 (if the best answer is an image, it cannot be uploaded here, hence scroll down to see those). The answer is being reproduced below for everyone’s convenience. Of course these answers can always be improved. (Best answer  of a particular only involves those given on that day, later answers may not have been checked)

    Why EMOTIONS can play havoc?
    Emotions may lead to biased decisions. Professionalism and especially public administration needs NEUTRALITY.
    A decision taken in emotional upheaval may turn out to be CATASTROPHIC. Recent tension between Indo-Pak. War like conditions have developed. People demand for war. Declaring war under pressure and without giving a DEEP THOUGHT, would do no good.
    -Here comes the role of EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE!
    It is that state of RATIONALITY where a person doesnot get carried away with his emotions. It is certainly not being zero on compassion and empathy towards others. But, using rational attitude towards everyone. Understanding the requirements of the MARGINALISED SECTIONS and taking RATIONAL decisions, then only the objective of PUBLIC WELFARE will be achieved in its true sense.
    Emotional intelligence is when Sardar Patel got the heart shattering news of his wife’s demise. But he did not let this news deviate him from the court’s hearing. He used his EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE in that very moment and defended an innocent person.
    -Emotional intelligence broadens a person’s VIEWS, he utilises his ENERGY in the RIGHT DIRECTION and works for the upliftment of the downtrodden by taking ethical and rational decisions.

  • 28 Sept 2016 | GS3 | Should India make special efforts to develop its manufacturing sector? What are the issues with the current sector wise share of agriculture, industry and service in the Indian economy?

    GS3 (Indian economy)

    Should India make special efforts to develop its manufacturing sector? What are the issues with the current sector wise share of agriculture, industry and service in the Indian economy?

    Best answer

    Rahul Jain wrote the best answer for this question and got a score of 5/10 (if the best answer is an image, it cannot be uploaded here, hence scroll down to see those). The answer is being reproduced below for everyone’s convenience. Of course these answers can always be improved. (Best answer  of a particular only involves those given on that day, later answers may not have been checked)

    India is a major economic powerhouse but the share of all sectors in the economy is different:
    1. Share of agriculture in GDP is around 16% but it is still a major employment provider.
    2. Service sector has a major share in GDP but not provides very less employment opportunities.
    3. Unlike in major economies, the manufacturing sector has not developed much in India.
    This type of growth is also known as the “JOBLESS GROWTH”.
    Indeed the govt has taken steps to tackle this situation via measures like MAKE IN INDIA, policies for improving ease of doing business,SKILL INDIA,START-UP INDIA etc.
    Benefits of developing manufacturing sector:
    1. Employment pressure on agriculture will reduce.
    2. Might lead to a favourable balance of trade(imports decreasing and exports increasing)
    3. Manufacturing has an upward linkage with the primary sector and thus would boost the rural economy.

    CHALLENGES:
    1. Infrastructure bottlenecks(power,connectivity etc.) still exist
    2. Land and labour reforms
    3. Skill development of the human dividend.

    WAY FORWARD:
    1.Stakeholder approach on land and labour reforms
    2. Incentives to manufacturing based START-UPs too

    Given that India is set to have the largest demographic dividend by the next decade, it is imperative that the manufacturing sector should take the lead in using this dividend. Govt. initiatives taken in this regard are a good start in that direction.

  • 28 Sept 2016 | GS2 | Discuss the evolution of the procedure by which Supreme Court judges have been appointed since independence.

    GS2 (Appointments to various constitutional posts etc)

    Discuss the evolution of the procedure by which Supreme Court judges have been appointed since independence.

    Best answer

    Kunal Aggarwal wrote the best answer for this question and got a score of 4/10 (if the best answer is an image, it cannot be uploaded here, hence scroll down to see those). The answer is being reproduced below for everyone’s convenience. Of course these answers can always be improved. (Best answer  of a particular only involves those given on that day, later answers may not have been checked)

    There have been tussle between centre and the SC judges on appointment of Judges to higher posts. This is not a new battle and these have been discussed over time.

    – Art. 124 of the constitution, Supreme court judges are to appointed by President in consultation CJI and with other judges of SC as he may seem necessary. This clearly made it a discretion of the President to appoint judges.
    – In the First Judges case, SC concluded that consultation was not same as concurrence and President has full authority to appoint Judges without agreeing with any consultation.
    – However, in second Judges Case, it was changed. SC declared the “primacy” of CJI to uphold the independence of Judiciary and created a collegium of two judges of SC.
    – In Third Judges Case, the collegium was increased to four and restrictions were put on CJI to recommend names based on collegium’s recommendations.

    This had made the appointment system opaque and fraught with nepotism. The legislature took note and enacted National Judicial Appointments Commission Act to remove collegium and develop an institutional framework. However, it was truck down by SC and centre was asked to come up with Memorandum for procedure.

    In recent draft of MoP, SC had raised concerns regarding involvement of executive and attorney general in appointments. It has also object to provisions to reject names based on national security. It is yet to be finalised due to these objections.

  • 28 Sept 2016 | GS1 | The 2008 financial crisis has been called the greatest challenge to the world economy since the 1930 Great Depression. What was the Great Depression? What were its effects on the world, politically, socially, economically?

    GS1 (World History)

    The 2008 financial crisis has been called the greatest challenge to the world economy since the 1930 Great Depression. What was the Great Depression? What were its effects on the world, politically, socially, economically?

    Best answer

    Rahul Jain wrote the best answer for this question and got a score of 4/10 (if the best answer is an image, it cannot be uploaded here, hence scroll down to see those). The answer is being reproduced below for everyone’s convenience. Of course these answers can always be improved. (Best answer  of a particular only involves those given on that day, later answers may not have been checked)

    The Great Depression of 1930 was a major event that changed the entire landscape of the world.
    The major reasons were:
    1. Excessive dependency of the European countries on Germany for debt repayments to US(Treaty of Versallies).So when Germany crashed, domino effect spread to all the European countries and the US.
    2. Slowdown in the big economies like Russia.
    3. Negligible govt. control on the economy
    IMPACT:
    POLITICAL:
    1.Increased conflicts between the European countries- a leading cause of WWII
    2.Mutual distrust crept in among nations
    3.League of Nations broke down
    ECONOMIC:
    1. Increased govt. control over the economy(KEYNSIAN ECONOMICS)
    2. Stoppage of US aid to Europe.
    3. High inflation.
    4. Stock markets crashed worldwide.

    SOCIAL:
    1.Mass migration to USA
    2.High unemployment
    3.Hunger and Poverty increased
    4.Xenophobic tendencies increased among people(e.g.NAZISM in Germany)

    Immediate consequences of the Great depression set the stage for WWII- the largest man-made destruction in the human history.
    Nevertheless, corrective steps taken in the aftermath ensured that the Economic depression,should it occur again,could be better dealt with,as seen in ’08 crisis.

  • 28 Sept 2016 | Prelims Daily: CA Questions with Tikdams & Tidbits

    [Update] Explanations can be downloaded from here – Click for Solutions’ PDF. Ask doubts, if any on the topics covered in CA questions.

    Q.1) Recently, Senkaku island was in the news. Where is it located?

    a) South China Sea

    b) Indian Ocean

    c) East China sea

    d) Red sea

    Q.2) Which of the following correctly describes about “FAST”, which was in the news.

    a) NASA’s first fastest supercomputer

    b) World’s largest radio telescope

    c) World’s largest solar power project

    d) None of the above

    Q.3) Recently, African Elephant Status Report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reported declined in numbers. What is status of African elephant given by IUCN Red list?

    a) Vulnerable

    b) Least concern

    c) Endangered

    d) Critically endangered

    Q.4) There are rising number of reported deaths due to of Scrub Typhus disease. consider following statements with regard to this disease.

    1. It is an acute illness caused by a bacteria.

    2. It is transmitted by the bite of an infected mite larva present in the soil having scrub vegetation.

    3. Uttar Pradesh is an endemic region as it has a large scrub vegetation.

    Which of the pairs given  above are correctly matched?

    a) 1 and 2 only

    b) 2 only

    c) 2 and 3 only

    d) 1, 2 and 3 only

    Q.5) United Nations World Tourism Organization has celebrated World Tourism Day on September 27. What was the theme for 2016 World tourism day?

    a) Tourism for All – promoting universal accessibility

    b) Celebrating tourism and community development

    c) Tourism for Environment – promoting sustainable development

    d) Tourism 2016 – for Medical tourism

    NOTE: These questions are mostly derived from our daily newscards. Reading daily news from Civilsdaily’s App (click here) or website + solving these questions will help you reinforce the basics.

    For a comprehensive preparation of IAS Prelims 2017 – consider joining our more comprehensive Prelims Modules – prelims.civilsdaily.com

  • 27 Sept 2016 | Prelims Daily: CA Questions with Tikdams & Tidbits

    [Update] Explanations can be downloaded from here – Click for Solutions’ PDF. Ask doubts, if any on the topics covered in CA questions.

    Q.1) Recently, Indian Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) was in the news.

    Consider the following statements with regard to ROV.

    1. It is developed by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai, with the help of NASA.

    2. It is useful for studying the coral reefs of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which are facing survival threats due to global warming.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    a) 1 only

    b) 2 only

    c) Both 1 and 2

    d) Neither 1 nor 2

    Q.2) Consider the following pairs:

    Satellite Application

    1. SCATSAT-1 : For Weather studies

    2. PISAT          :   To explore remote sensing applications

    3. PRATHAM  :  For Commercial high resolution imaging

    Which of the pairs given  above are correctly matched?

    a) 1 and 2 only

    b) 2 only

    c) 2 and 3 only

    d) 1, 2 and 3 only

    Q.3) Recently, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched a series of satellites, consider following statements with regard to this launch.

    1. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)’s PSLV C-34 rocket launched a total of ten satellites.

    2. This was first mission of PSLV in which it had launched its payloads into two different orbits.

    3. This PSLV mission was the longest of the PSLV missions conducted till date.

    Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

    a) 1 and 2

    b) 2 only

    c) 2 and 3

    d) 1,2 and 3 only

    Q.4) Which of the following are geo-engineering methods –

    1. Using mirrors in space to deflect sunlight from earth

    2. Using sequestration or carbon capture to remove carbon from the atmosphere

     

    a) 1 only

    b) 2 only

    c) Both 1 and 2

    d) Neither

    Q.5)

    What are the objectives of the Namami  Gange programme –

    1. To involve local governance bodies such as Panchayats

    2. To involve the people living on the banks of the river

     

    a) 1 only

    b) 2 only

    c) Both 1 and 2

    d) Neither

    NOTE: These questions are mostly derived from our daily newscards. Reading daily news from Civilsdaily’s App (click here) or website + solving these questions will help you reinforce the basics.

    For a comprehensive preparation of IAS Prelims 2017 – consider joining our more comprehensive Prelims Modules – prelims.civilsdaily.com