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  • A story of perseverance: Jasmeet Sandhu, Rank 3

     

    My success mantra is ‘hardwork is the key to success‘, says the 28- year-old Jasmeet Sindhu who secured 3rd position.

    He is an IRS officer & is already working as Assistant Commissioner.

    A story of perseverance:

    An engineering graduate from IIT-Roorkee, Jasmeet started his preparations for civil services in 2010. But he was not able to clear it on his first two attempts, and got into the IRS on his third attempt. And now in 4th attempt, he stands before us as one of the toppers. Ecstatic with the result, Jasmeet’s mother Surinder Sandhu, attributed his success to his consistent hardwork.

    Friends & Family support:

    Jasmeet says his family and friends had more faith in him than him that he will not only just clear the exam but also with flying colors. He also says that he never felt a pressure for having an alternative career because of his family support and this was the Main reason he could clearly focus on The IAS.

    About coaching: Jasmeet only took coaching for a month. He prepared for the exam on his own.

    He took Psychology as his optional.

    Why IAS?

    He chooses IAS because he feels that this service has the capability to allow the individual to have a balance in the work life as well as work for the people.

    What else?

    • Other than studying Jasmeet has many other hobbies and likings. One of them is football & he loves playing football in his free time
    • Jasmeet also likes to post on QUORA and help people as much as he can he provides them with his preparation tips so that an individual can study from his home and need not go out for any coaching and spend money and time

    Advice for Aspirants:

    • Only study when your heart says and choose topic you know that you are good at. Just follow this
    • There is no fixed thing as if you do this you will crack IAS, be patient and don’t quit
    Published with inputs from Swapnil

  • Athar Aamir-ul-Shafi Khan: The J&K kid who cracked UPSC twice

    What do we do when we fall? We rise again to fight.

     

    23-year-old Khan made it to the coveted Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in his second attempt. In his first attempt, he got through the Indian Railway Traffic Services (IRTS) but this time he cracked the code.

    • The son of a school teacher, Athar lives near Srinagar in the Devipora-Mattan village in Anantnag district. The boy always dreamed of joining the Civil Services, especially after Shah Faesal topped the exams in 2009
    • Athar’s focused dedication coupled with his voracious reading helped him realise his dream.

    Civil services give us the opportunity to work very closely for the people. Civil services has a distinction that you can not only work for the grassroots and the people but also with them,” he said.

    • Despite being the science student, he chose Philosophy as optional subject for civil services

    Last time my optional subject was Philosophy and I continued with this subject in my second attempt too. In my first attempt I started studying seven months before the preliminary exams. And by the grace of God and blessing of my parents I cracked it.

    • His views on coaching? I did not have a great exposure to coaching classes but I was confident that I can do it. Extensive reading and complete dedication made me realise my dream,” he said.

  • Tina Dabi: Catch up on the strategies of UPSC 2015 topper

    22-year-old Tina Dabi from Delhi has topped the prestigious Civil Services Examination 2015, conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). This was her very first attempt at UPSC and it’s a big feat achieved.

     

    • A political science student, she graduated from Lady Shri Ram College in 2014. no points for guessing that her optional for the CSE 2015 was Political Science.
    • The topper has chosen Haryana as her prefered cadre. She said that she always wanted to work in a challenging state – one of the main reasons behind her choosing Haryana.

    “We all know the sex ratio of girl and boy child is quite less and that is why I would like to contribute my efforts for the empowerment of women there.”

     

    “I opted for Haryana because it presents such an interesting example, where you have a lot of economic progress but when it comes to social indicators you are lagging behind, and that is a very big paradox.”

    • Both her parents are Indian Engineering Service (IES) officers. She completed her schooling from the Convent of Jesus and Mary, opting for humanities in Class XI, by which time she had also started seriously considering attempting the civil services examination

    “You feel lonely and you feel depressed because this is such a difficult exam. Other parts of your life become almost non-existent, so patience I think is also key.”

  • UPSC 2015 results are out – Guess who at CD made into the list?

    Hello,

    Click here to download the complete list from UPSC. Here are the Top 30 and you would be delighted to know that one of our most loved member got through with #swag.

     You get one chance to guess who 😉

    PS: If you happen to be one of the rankers who aced the CSE this year, do write back to us at hello@civilsdaily.com and drop in with your name and rank. We would love to listen to your story and put it up on the next edition of CivilsDigest [with infographics] 🙂

     

  • IAS Prelims 2016 Alert: 5 (Do’s) + 2 (Don’ts) = 7 Tips for 7th August

    Here are few tips that you can follow through the coming days to make the best out of them!

    The 5 DOs:

    #1. Read the NCERTs and the basic books again. Believe it or not many trap questions are framed from such books

    For example, remember this seemingly innocuous question?

    Q4. Steppes are dry lands principally because of

    (a) presence of mountain barriers across the paths of the prevailing winds

    (b) subsiding air masses of the sub-tropical anticyclones

    (c) their location in the deep interior of the large land masses

    (d) desiccating effect of cold oceanic currents

    While providing the solution I mentioned a paragraph from where the question was picked. The paragraph in fact mentions option (a), (b) and (c) in different contexts while adding that option (c) is the primary reason. The ones who have just read the NCERT in a cursory fashion would have tripped at this or gotten confused. So read these books again. They are VERY IMPORTANT.

    #2. Practice Last year question papers. UPSC sometimes picks up information from last year MCQs to frame new MCQs. Solving these MCQs also acts like a confidence booster

    While attempting MCQs identify the areas from where more questions are asked or where you make more mistakes. Revise those portions again.

    #3. Keep reading the newspaper. Revise the current affairs at least from August 2015 onwards.

    Do not fret over if you should read newspaper till June or July. Anyway you cannot miss it as the Mains shall be soon approaching. If you want a compilation of Civilsdaily’s news in a rich and easy to read .pdf – buy your e-copy from this link.

    Use your travelling time productively! Read and revise news from Civilsdaily

    #4. Make a study group of serious aspirants. Discuss topics, clarify doubts, ask questions especially from current affairs.

    You would see that the forum has quite a healthy participation of aspirants who are helping each other out to the best of their abilities. The more you help, the more you revise and retain!

    #5. Keep practicing the MCQs posted on the forum or from the quality test series you might have joined. Click here to access them

     

    The 2 Don’ts

    #1. Stay clear of the BSc (Bakar-Sutta-Chai) friends. Join them on 7th evening. You may feel otherwise but they won’t abandon you if you avoid them till the exam. Another type to avoid is the PDs (Perpetual Daydreamers). Those types who suddenly exclaim , “Bhai ek baar IAS ban gaya, teri kasam bhai, dot dot dot…………..”

     

    #2. Refrain from studying new books whose study is inescapable to clear Prelims suggested by just any senior /junior /chaiwala /rikshawala /paanwala…………..

    We hope these nifty tips will keep you on good stead for your run up to the PRELIMS Prep! Whether you have been writing test series elsewhere or not, tell us your expectations on a good test schedule.

    • Should we go for book wise tests OR subject wise?
    • Should we push more questions which are current affairs focussed?
    • Should we grill and make you revisit the factoids which have been important this year?

    Please pour in your suggestions as they will help us fine tune the strategy for IAS Prelims 2016.

     

    Published with inputs from Unbounded Wisdom.

  • Review Needed: MCQ Maze Series

    Hello,

    At the behest of the organiser of the 12 part MCQ Maze series, we have some questions to ask. We have been running this series on the FORUM section of the website for quite sometime now.

    It’s a bit disheartening to see a lack of participation among the users despite the efforts and pains taken to structure the questions for your IAS Prelims preparation.

    It would help us to know the reasons for such low participation and help us decide the fate of this endeavour. Of, course we cannot force you to do something which you find little/ no value in but we see no point in continuing with a series which is not exciting enough for our aspirants’ community either.

    Please take out 3 minutes and fill up this (very short) survey. Just 3 questions.

    Click to fill the survey. As always, we value your feedback.

  • Review Needed: MCQ Maze Series

    Hello,

    At the behest of the organiser of the 12 part MCQ Maze series, we have some questions to ask. We have been running this series on the FORUM section of the website for quite sometime now.

    FLASHNEWS:

    To those who do not know where MCQ Maze are being held, please go on the homepage and scroll down to see the FORUM. You will find a string of threads and posts relevant to MCQs for Prelims Prep.

    It’s a bit disheartening to see a lack of participation among the users despite the efforts and pains taken to structure the questions for your IAS Prelims preparation.

    It would help us to know the reasons for such low participation and help us decide the fate of this endeavour. Of, course we cannot force you to do something which you find little/ no value in but we see no point in continuing with a series which is not exciting enough for our aspirants’ community either.

    Please take out 3 minutes and fill up this (very short) survey. Just 3 questions.

    Click to fill the survey. As always, we value your feedback.

  • CD is limiting its email subscribers base to 5,000 only

    Hello,

    We are revising our newsletter audience. No mass emails to 1Lakh + database now – only select 5,000 will be reached out with important details on an alternate day basis.

    Sign up if you want to gain access for FREE while you still can. Click here.

    If you are on facebook, connect with us over there by liking this page.

    As always, your privacy is of utmost value to us and your mail details are not shared with any third party.

  • What do we mean by a drought and what are the relief measures taken?

    Various parts of the country are reeling under a severe drought. Various ministries of the Government of India have initiated relief measures in drought prone areas. But when is a drought declared in any part of the country? What are the different parameters that are taken into account?

     

    What is Drought?

    There is no universally accepted standard definition of drought because of its varying characteristics and impacts across different regions. According to the ‘Drought Management Manual’ released by the Ministry of Agriculture, drought is a recurrent feature of climate and occurs in all climatic regimes. Conditions of drought appear when the rainfall is deficient in comparison to the statistical multi-year average for a region, over an extended period of a season or year, or even more.
    Unlike other natural disasters, drought is different in the sense that
    • It is difficult to determine the beginning and end of the event
    • Duration may range from months to years
    • No single indicator or index can identify precisely the onset and severity and its potential impacts
    • Multiple indicators are usually more effective
    • Spatial extent is usually much greater than that for other natural hazards
    • Impacts are generally non-structural and difficult to quantify
    • Impacts are cumulative and the effects magnify when events continue from one season to the next

    Impacts of Drought

    There are many adverse direct and indirect impacts of drought. The impacts could be broadly categorized into Economic, Environmental & Social.
    Economic: Economic impacts of drought include production losses in agriculture and other related sectors. It causes loss of income resulting in reduction of purchasing power especially among those dependent on agriculture and living in the rural areas. It also has a multiplier effect on other sectors dependent on agriculture for raw material.
    Environmental: Decreased water levels in reservoirs, canals, ponds are the primary environmental impacts. This will lead to decreased availability of drinking water and water for other needs. It will also cause loss of forest cover etc.
    Social: Migration of population is the top most social impact resulting out of lack of income. Decrease of income also leads to people withdrawing children from schools, postponement of marriages, sale of assets etc. It will also lead to inadequate food leading to malnutrition and other health hazards.

    When is a drought declared?

    The four indicators viz., rainfall deficiency, the extent of area sown, normalized difference vegetation index and moisture adequacy index are usually applied in combination for drought declaration. The information on these indicators is available at the level of Taluka / Tehsil / Block. Drought may be declared by the State Government at these levels.
    Rainfall Deficiency: Rainfall is the most important indicator of drought. A departure in rainfall from its long-term averages is taken as the basis for drought declaration. The departure could be either measured for specific months or an entire season. Rainfall data are easily available and simple to apply. The rainfall data can be applied in two ways
    • The State Government could consider declaring a drought if the total rainfall received during the months of June and July is less than 50% of the average rainfall for these two months and there is an adverse impact on vegetation and soil moisture
    • The State Government could consider declaring a drought if the total rainfall for the entire duration of the rainy season of the state, from June to September (the south-west monsoon) and/or from December to March (north-east monsoon), is less than 75% of the average rainfall for the season and there is an adverse impact on vegetation and soil moisture
    Area under Sowing: Sowing is another important indicator of the spread and severity of drought. Drought conditions could be said to exist if along with the other indicators, the total area sown by the end of July/August is less than 50% of the total cultivable area. In case of Rabi crops, the declaration of drought could be linked to the area of sowing being less than 50% of the total cultivable area by the end of November/December along with the other indicators.
    Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI): The National Agricultural Drought Assessment and Monitoring System (NADAMS), instituted by the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), issues a bi-weekly drought bulletin and monthly reports on detailed crop and seasonal condition during the kharif season. These present the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Normalized Difference Wetness Index (NDWI). These reports provide quantitative information on sowings, surface water spread and District / Tehsil / Taluk /Block level crop condition assessment along with spatial variation in terms of maps. At present, 12 agriculturally important and drought-vulnerable States of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh are covered through these reports.
    Moisture Adequacy Index (MAI): Moisture Adequacy Index (MAI) is based on a calculation of weekly water balance, is equal to the ratio (expressed as a percentage) of Actual Evapo Transpiration (AET) to the Potential Evapo Transpiration (PET) following a soil–water balancing approach during a cropping season.
    Certain other factors are also taken into consideration before declaration of drought.

    15 drought years in India since Independence

    Since independence, there have been 15 drought years, from 1951 to 2002, in 1951, 1952, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1979, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1987 and 2002. The frequency of droughts has varied with 2 drought years in the 1950s and four in the 1960s. The 1970s and 1980s also had four drought years each. The 1990s did not see a single drought year. The next drought again was in 2002.
    The 1987 drought was the worst drought after independence affecting 59–60% of the crop area and a population of 285 million. In 2002 too, over 300 million people spread over 18 States were affected by drought in varying degrees. Around 150 million cattle were affected due to lack of fodder and water. Food grains production registered the steepest fall of 29 million tonnes. No other drought in the past had caused reduction in food grain production to this extent.

    What are the Relief Measures taken?

    Various ministries of the Government of India viz., Agriculture, Rural Development, Drinking Water, Animal Husbandry, Food & Public Distribution, Water Resources, Home Affairs, Finance and Railways are involved in planning and implementing the relief measures.The state governments submit reports on drought condition with all the relevant information and the government of India extends support based on these reports. The various relief measures include financial assistance to states, contingency crop planning, relief employment, food security and initiatives to mitigate the impacts.
    This article originally appeared at Saddahaq

  • Social Media and the Whatsapp Encryption Challenge

    source

    Encryption is the new challenge facing law enforcement not just in India but around the world. Social media apps such as Whatsapp and Viber have gone ahead and provided end-to-end encryption (E2EE) communications to users.

    When WhatsApp started, the messages that one user sent would be saved in plain text without encryption in the servers which made it possible for a third party to intercept the communication. Ever since 2013, WhatsApp has been encrypting data for its communications now culminating in a strong end-to-end encryption.

    In social media apps, using E2EE encryption means that only the sender and receiver can read the encrypted data because the key to decrypt the data lies only with the end user. No other entities including the service provider has the capacity to decrypt the data even though the data travels through their servers.

    Not all social media platforms use end-2-end encryption. There are some apps like Facebook Messenger where encryption applies only to the data in transit.2 Other apps encrypt the data but store the decryption keys thereby creating the possibility for inspection by law enforcement agencies. Apps like Snapchat encrypt only data in transit but the messages are deleted from the server once the recipient reads it.

    Technicalities of Encryption

    In general, there are two kinds of encryption. In Symmetric Encryption or Secret Key encryption, the same key called the secret key is used to encrypt and decrypt the data or message. It is a very simple method of encryption but the challenge is to preserve the secret key from unintended recipients. If A wants to send a message to B, A encrypts the data using a secret key and shares the key with B to decrypt and read the message.

    In Asymmetric Encryption or Public Key Encryption, different keys are used to encrypt and decrypt the data or message. It is a complex but efficient method of encryption. A public key known to all is used to encrypt the message and a private key, only available with the recipient, is used to decrypt the message. Public key is like finding a telephone number in a directory where each person has his own public key. If A wants to send a message to B, A encrypts the message with B’s public key which is available in the public domain. The recipient of the message, B, uses his/her private key to decrypt the message. In a similar way, B uses A’s public key to encrypt and send a message to A. A decrypts that by using his/her private key. In this case, A and B have different public and private keys.

    WhatsApp uses a more complex version of Asymmetric encryption where the private key varies for each message that is sent.3 All this encryption happens without any need for intervention from the user. WhatsApp uses three public keys named Identity Key, Signed Pre Key and a bunch of One-Time Pre Keys. During the registration of the user, all these keys are generated and sent to the WhatsApp server where it is stored.

    Thus, each WhatsApp user sends these keys to the server where it is stored in a directory.

    Modus Operandi

    If A wants to communicate to B, s/he requests the public keys of B from the server. A then receives three public keys of B. Since there are a bunch of One-Time Pre Keys, a single One-Time Pre Key is allocated to A and, after allocation, gets deleted from the server. In case C wants to communicate with A, s/he will receive a different One-Time Pre Key. Using the 3 public keys of B and A’s Identity Key, a Master Secret Key is generated. Using the Master Secret Key, a Root Key is generated. Using the Master Secret Key and the Root Key, a bunch of Chain Keys are generated. A Message Key is generated based on Chain Key and varies for each message sent. The sender, A, encrypts the message to B using this Message Key. The receiver, B, decrypts the message using his/her private key and public key. The private key is generated at the user end and is not stored even in the server of WhatsApp. In a similar way, B generates a Master Secret Key using A’s three public key and his/her Identity key. Root Key and Chain Keys are derived from the Master Secret Key. Message Key derived out of the Chain Key finally gets used to encrypt the message to A. It is evident that the number of keys generated adds complexity to the encryption thus making it near impossible to break in.

    What it means for India

    Section 84A of the IT Act 2008 calls for encryption to keep the electronic medium secure, and also mentions that the Central Government would prescribe the methods of encryption. The telecom sector is limited to the encryption of 40 bits.4 Section 69 of IT Act 2008 gives power to both Central and State Governments to intercept data taking into account the security of the State. The agency facilitating the transfer of data could also be mandated to decrypt the data.

    WhatsApp, which is one of the Over The Top (OTT) messaging and calling service, uses encryption that is far more sophisticated than that of the telecom sector. There is also no clarity on whether WhatsApp could be requested to decrypt data according to law. Now, after the transition to E2EE, there is no way for WhatsApp to provide decrypted information even when legally bound to do so.

    In a recent move, the Ministry of Home Affairs asked companies like WhatsApp, Facebook, and Google to maintain servers in India. With companies moving to E2EE, locating servers in India would not serve the cause. The 2015 draft encryption policy recommended the use of 256 bit key for encryption and promoting the use of digital signatures thereby envisioning a secure cyberspace. However, certain contradictions in the provisions regulating encryption that mandated users and companies to preserve the plain text and companies providing encryption to enter into an agreement with the Government were harshly criticized and led to the withdrawal of the policy.6

    Therein lies the crux of the issue. On the one hand, a strong policy of regulation would hamper innovation in encryption technology, and, on the other, unregulated encryption would favour miscreants to use the technology for their activities. The need of the moment is a policy that does not come in the way of innovation but at the same time reduces undue opportunities for criminal and terrorist activities.

    Originally published at IDSA