Civilsdaily Team is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. *Don’t read every NCERT for UPSC, do only the important ones || by Shubham Nagargoje, IPS 2020*Date & Time: *May 26, 2022 @07:00 PM (Start Login by 06:45 PM) India*
That would be a severe mistake. NCERTs are essential and the best place to begin your UPSC preparation. They form a fundamental foundation and can help you understand basic and critical concepts more quickly. But, Are all NCERTs to be read? Finding reliable sources for this information can be extremely difficult.
If you have to command over UPSC exams, you hold command over NCERT books first. These books are the weakest point of UPSC, it must be your strong point. So, to know which NCERTs are a must & which are not, follow this topper’s footprint.
Attend this free live webinar conducted byCivilsdaily’s topper IPS Officer to get certain value-added insights on which NCERTs are heaven for Clearing UPSC-CSE.
Webinar Details:
Grasp the opportunity to get outstanding tipson ‘what are the best strategies to choose NCERTs ’, and ‘how to read & what to read from them’. This entire webinar is free. All aspirants are wholeheartedly welcome to attend.
Infallible ideas & Tips in This Free Live Webinar by Shubham Nagargoje!
Best, minimum NCERT materials for UPSC-CSE Preparation. Do’s & Don’t, Understanding the science behind how society works is important, so what are the best 3 to 5 NCERTs to read. Don’t forget NCERTs are even going to help you in your optional too.
For a foundational preparation for prelims and mains, students can start with NCERT history books, to begin with, their history preparation. What are those books that have proven to be extremely beneficial in the case of students that come from commerce or science backgrounds?
It is critical to understand Indian and global geography. Maps and information about different climatic regions provided in NCERT Geography books help in answering many questions about geography. How to learn & what maps/diagrams/footnotes are not to be ignored will also be discussed.
Political Science covers the country’s legal and fundamental aspects, which makes it an extremely important subject. How to & what to cover from NCERTs so that ‘Laxmikant’ becomes easier to read and revise.
The subject of the Indian Economy covers India’s current and past economic aspects, which makes it an important topic. Knowing its fundamentals is crucial for UPSC exams. So, What is to be learnt by heart & which NCERTs are fit for the economy will be comprehensively discussed.
What is the difference between ‘The Old Version NCERTs’ & ‘The New Version NCERTs’ & for which subjects, which versions of NCERTs you should focus on, will also be discussed thoroughly in this ask me anything session?
The untold secret of ‘how & from where UPSC asks direct questions from NCERTs. How to build command over NCERTs is going to be another crucial point of this awesome session.
UPSC2020Topper–IPSOfficerShubhamNagargoje lived by this saying during his entire UPSC and RBI Grade B preparation three years. Hence, failing to clear the UPSC Prelims twice didn’t deter him. He finally got appointment letters both as an RBI Grade B officer and an IPS officer.
UPSC IAS prelims 2022 will be held on June 5 in pen and paper mode. The IAS preparation is the interaction of important UPSC Syllabus topics. Check out the list of important topics for the UPSC prelims below and pave the way to score 110+.
Certain topics seem to be important for the UPSC prelims exam, but they are not asked in the exam. The UPSC primarily inquires about the context of current events. Ideally, UPSC asks about four aspects of a topic in one question with multiple options, with only one correct answer. Only those perplexing questions can be answered by the candidate who has a firm grasp on the subject. Candidates should balance their preparation in static General Studies topics and current affairs topics so that they can connect the two.
Prelims is an elimination round. Those who learn & analyze everything may get eliminated. It’s all about utilizing your subjective recognition rather than critically analyzing.
The syllabus for the prelims exam does not go into great detail about the topics. Candidates should understand the prelims’ demand by analyzing the UPSC syllabus and question papers concurrently. Overall preparation necessitates over a year of focused preparation in the right direction with the right strategy. Important Prelims exam topics are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the syllabus. Important topics guide will guide preparation in the right direction to sit for UPSC Mains 2022.
So, our highly experienced toppers’ teachers & mentors group has prepared the most trusted list of the most important topics.
Expect many questions in UPSC civil services Preliminary exam – 2022 (also in mains 2022). You need to prepare 4-5 points on each of these topics keeping in mind the nature of questions that were asked in Prelims 2020 & 2021.
Must Read Topics For Prelims 2022 (Static + Current Affairs & Combination of Both)
Polity
Electronic voting machine (EVM)
Balance of rights and duty
Recent amendments and Bills
One election- one nation- Amendments required
RPA 1951 and 1950
Office of the governor and discretionary powers
PESA Act, 1996
ETC.
Economy
Inflation (2 questions expected- conceptual)
Conceptual questions based on interlinking between fiscal policy, inflation, and monetary policy (2-3 questions)
– Geomorphology- landforms and major terminologies, origin and evolution of the earth, volcanism and earthquake, plate tectonics and continental drift theory – Oceanography – warm and cold currents, and rests other chapters.
Mapping
Indian Physical Map
Rivers: Pannchnad, Himalayan rivers(Ganga, Brahmaputra, Yamuna), Peninsular rivers(Damodar, Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Periyar)- Tributaries b. North to the south alignment of mountains in Eastern ghat and Western ghat c. Major Cities in India
World Physical Map as well of various places & regions according to Current Affairs.
Government Schemes
Recent schemes on Agriculture, Vulnerable sections, MSMEs, Banking, ETC.
Science & Technology
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
Electric Vehicles
Dark Genome
Biotechnology
Assistant reproductive technique
Emerging technologies (5G, AI, Machine learning) & ETC.
Social Issues
Digital education issues
New acts and amendments (1-2 question)
ETC.
Environment
India State Forest Report (ISFR) 2021
Red sanders
Zero Budget Natural Farming
Heat Dome
Net Zero Producers Forum
Glasgow summit
National parks and wildlife sanctuaries, tiger reserves and wetlands (mapping)
Reports and indices (1 question)
Development induced displacement
Pollution related current affairs & Many other hot topics.
Security Issues
Reverse Engineering
Top defense dealers and importers
India’s missile program
Recent amendments in NIA, UAPA acts etc.
We have covered all these issues in both test series and current affairs. But if you can give special focus on these topics, you will definitely reap extra benefits.
Talk to our mentors for a Roadmap to 2023 Attempt. Click Here
1. Passive Funds:
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) recently issued a circular on passive funds covering matters related to transparency, liquidity and operational aspects of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and index funds.
What are Passive Funds?
A passive fund is an investment vehicle that tracks a market index, or a specific market segment, to determine what to invest in.
Unlike with an active fund, the fund manager does not decide what securities the fund takes on.
This normally makes passive funds cheaper to invest in than active funds, which require the fund manager to spend time researching and analyzing opportunities to invest in.
Tracker funds, such as ETFs (exchange traded funds) and index funds fall under the banner of passive funds.
2. Initial Public Offer:
Last year IPO was making huge attention in India after Paytm and Zomato IPOs were open.
What is an IPO?
Every company needs money to grow and expand.
They do this by borrowing or by issuing shares.
If the company decides to opt for the second route of issuing shares, it must invite public investors to buy its shares.
This is its first public invitation in the stock market and is called the Initial Public Offering (IPO).
How does an IPO work?
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) regulates the entire process of investment via an IPO in India.
A company intending to issue shares through IPOs first registers with SEBI.
SEBI scrutinizes the documents submitted, and only then approves them.
Who can hold IPOs?
It could be a new, young company or an old company that decides to be listed on an exchange and hence goes public.
3. Derivatives:
A derivative is a contract between two parties which derives its value/price from an underlying asset.
The value of the underlying asset is bound to change as the value of the underlying assets keep changing continuously.
Generally, stocks, bonds, currency, commodities and interest rates form the underlying asset.
Types of Derivatives
The most common types of derivatives are futures, options, forwards and swaps:
(1) Futures
Futures are standardized contracts that allow the holder to buy/sell the asset at an agreed price at the specified date.
The parties to the futures contract are under an obligation to perform the contract. These contracts are traded on the stock exchange.
The value of future contracts is marked to market every day.
It means that the contract value is adjusted according to market movements till the expiration date.
(2) Options
Options are derivative contracts that give the buyer a right to buy/sell the underlying asset at the specified price during a certain period of time.
The buyer is not under any obligation to exercise the option.
The option seller is known as the option writer. The specified price is known as the strike price.
(3) Forwards
Forwards are like futures contracts wherein the holder is under an obligation to perform the contract.
But forwards are unstandardized and not traded on stock exchanges.
These are available over-the-counter and are not marked-to-market.
These can be customized to suit the requirements of the parties to the contract.
(4) Swaps
Swaps are derivative contracts wherein two parties exchange their financial obligations.
The cash flows are based on a notional principal amount agreed between both parties without the exchange of principal.
The amount of cash flows is based on a rate of interest.
One cash flow is generally fixed and the other changes on the basis of a benchmark interest rate.
Swaps are not traded on stock exchanges and are over-the-counter contracts between businesses or financial institutions.
4. What are Agri-Futures?
Like equity, currency or interest rate futures, they allows to buy or sell an underlier at a preset price on a future date. All agri contracts end in compulsory delivery.
Agri products available for trade include wheat, sugar, chana, soyabean, castor, chilli , jeera futures, etc. Edible oil seeds and oils, spices and items like guar are among the more liquid contracts.
An objective of futures trading is gains reaching farmers, by establishing an efficient price-discovery platform.
This has been achieved to a large extent on NCDEX, in products such as castor, chana, soy complex, mustard, guar, cumin, etc.
Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has issued an order suspending futures trading in paddy (non-basmati), wheat, Bengal gram (chana dal), mustard seeds and its derivatives, soyabean and its derivatives, crude palm oil and green gram (moong dal) for a year.
5. Infrastructure Investments Trusts:
The National Highway Authority of India’s first infrastructure investment trust has raised more than Rs 5,000 crore, informed the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways of India.
What are InvITs?
InvITs are like a mutual fund, which enables direct investment of small amounts of money from possible individual/institutional investors in infrastructure to earn a small portion of the income as return.
They work like mutual funds or real estate investment trusts (REITs) in features.
They can be treated as the modified version of REITs designed to suit the specific circumstances of the infrastructure sector.
How are they notified in India?
SEBI notified the Sebi (Infrastructure Investment Trusts) Regulations, 2014 on September 26, 2014, providing for registration and regulation of InvITs in India.
The objective of InvITs is to facilitate investment in the infrastructure sector.
Their structure
InvITS are like mutual funds in structure. InvITs can be established as a trust and registered with Sebi. An InvIT consists of four elements:
Trustee: He inspects the performance of an InvIT is certified by Sebi and he cannot be an associate of the sponsor or manager.
Sponsor(s): They are people who promote and refer to any organisation or a corporate entity with a capital of Rs 100 crore, which establishes the InvIT and is designated as such at the time of the application made to SEBI, and in case of PPP projects, base developer.
Investment Manager: It is an entity or limited liability partnership (LLP) or organisation that supervises assets and investments of the InvIT and guarantees activities of the InvIT.
Project Manager: It is the person who acts as the project manager and whose duty is to attain the execution of the project and in case of PPP projects.
6. Important Points from RBIs FAQs Page:
What is a Bond?
A bond is a debt instrument in which an investor loans money to an entity (typically corporate or government) which borrows the funds for a defined period of time at a variable or fixed interest rate. Bonds are used by companies, municipalities, states and sovereign governments to raise money to finance a variety of projects and activities. Owners of bonds are debt holders, or creditors, of the issuer.
What is Government Security (G-Sec)?
A Government Security (G-Sec) is a tradable instrument issued by the Central Government or the State Governments. Such securities are short term (usually called treasury bills, with original maturities of less than one year) or long term (usually called Government bonds or dated securities with original maturity of one year or more). In India, the Central Government issues both, treasury bills and bonds or dated securities while the State Governments issue only bonds or dated securities, which are called the State Development Loans (SDLs). G-Secs carry practically no risk of default and, hence, are called risk-free gilt-edged instruments.
Treasury Bills (T-bills): Treasury bills or T-bills, which are money market instruments, are short term debt instruments issued by the Government of India and are presently issued in three tenors, namely, 91 day, 182 day and 364 day. Treasury bills are zero coupon securities and pay no interest. Instead, they are issued at a discount and redeemed at the face value at maturity.
Cash Management Bills (CMBs): In 2010, Government of India, in consultation with RBI introduced a new short-term instrument, known as Cash Management Bills (CMBs), to meet the temporary mismatches in the cash flow of the Government of India. The CMBs have the generic character of T-bills but are issued for maturities less than 91 days.
Dated G Secs: Dated G-Secs are securities which carry a fixed or floating coupon (interest rate) which is paid on the face value, on a half-yearly basis. Generally, the tenor of dated securities ranges from 5 years to 40 years.
The Public Debt Office: The Public Debt Office (PDO) of the Reserve Bank of India acts as the registry / depository of G-Secs and deals with the issue, interest payment and repayment of principal at maturity. Most of the dated securities are fixed coupon securities.
Fixed Rate Bonds – These are bonds on which the coupon rate is fixed for the entire life (i.e. till maturity) of the bond. Most Government bonds in India are issued as fixed rate bonds.
Floating Rate Bonds (FRB) – FRBs are securities which do not have a fixed coupon rate. Instead it has a variable coupon rate which is re-set at pre-announced intervals (say, every six months or one year).
Capital Indexed Bonds – These are bonds, the principal of which is linked to an accepted index of inflation with a view to protecting the Principal amount of the investors from inflation.
Inflation Indexed Bonds (IIBs) – IIBs are bonds wherein both coupon flows and Principal amounts are protected against inflation. The inflation index used in IIBs may be Wholesale Price Index (WPI) or Consumer Price Index (CPI). Globally, IIBs were first issued in 1981 in the UK. In India, the Government of India through RBI issued IIBs (linked to WPI) in June 2013.
Special Securities – Under the market borrowing program, the Government of India also issues, from time to time, special securities to entities like Oil Marketing Companies, Fertilizer Companies, the Food Corporation of India, etc. (popularly called oil bonds, fertiliser bonds and food bonds respectively) as compensation to these companies in lieu of cash subsidies These securities are usually long dated securities and carry a marginally higher coupon over the yield of the dated securities of comparable maturity. These securities are, however, not eligible as SLR securities but are eligible as collateral for market repo transactions.
STRIPS – Separate Trading of Registered Interest and Principal of Securities. – STRIPS are the securities created by way of separating the cash flows associated with a regular G-Sec i.e. each semi-annual coupon payment and the final principal payment to be received from the issuer, into separate securities. They are essentially Zero Coupon Bonds (ZCBs). Being G-Secs, STRIPS are eligible for SLR. All fixed coupon securities issued by Government of India, irrespective of the year of maturity, are eligible for Stripping/Reconstitution, provided that the securities are reckoned as eligible investment for the purpose of Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) and the securities are transferable.
State Development Loans: :State Governments also raise loans from the market which are called SDLs. SDLs are dated securities issued through normal auction similar to the auctions conducted for dated securities issued by the Central Government. Interest is serviced at half-yearly intervals and the principal is repaid on the maturity date.
Under the amended RBI Act, the monetary policy making is as under:
The MPC is required to meet at least four times in a year.
The quorum for the meeting of the MPC is four members.
Each member of the MPC has one vote, and in the event of an equality of votes, the Governor has a second or casting vote.
The resolution adopted by the MPC is published after the conclusion of every meeting of the MPC in according to the provisions of Chapter III F of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
On the 14th day, the minutes of the proceedings of the MPC are published which include:
a. the resolution adopted by the MPC;
b. the vote of each member on the resolution, ascribed to such member; and
c. the statement of each member on the resolution adopted.
Once in every six months, the Reserve Bank is required to publish a document called the Monetary Policy Report to explain:
a. the sources of inflation; and
b. the forecast of inflation for 6-18 months ahead.
Civil Services Preliminary Exam is the first phase of the Civil Services Exam but not necessarily the simplest. There is a wide difference between the syllabi of the Preliminary and Main Exam, the nature of questions, and consequently, the preparation strategy needs to be well thought out.
Despite the churnings happening around us, few fundamentals couldn’t be questioned at least about the UPSC exam. Much coveted UPSC civil service has always attracted the best talents from across India. Hence on the flip side heightens the competition. So, you have to strive hard. As a result, a focused and measured approach is always needed, and that too throughout the year.
Those who have already faced the exam would know it themselves. The importance & contribution of the Test series in fine-tuning the prep process.
-Civilsdaily’s majestic mentorship program. The Hindu Newspaper has acknowledged…
Presenting you a few highlights about our Prime Prelims Program 2023
Target UPSC 2023 (Prelims): There are no shortcuts. Only smart work with the most probable questions works for you. Expect many questions in UPSC civil services Preliminary exam – 2023 directly from our Prime Prelims Test Series. You need to revise the solved points provided with each of these tests keeping in mind the nature of questions that were asked in Prelims 2021 & 2022.
Students Views: How Santosh Sir’s Mentorship Leads to Success in Prelims
Our Students’ Testimonials.
WHAT ARE MAKING OUR PRIME PRELIMS TS-2023 DIFFERENT FROM OTHERS
1. Complete course revision with Test Paper-based time-plan
The complete course has 44 Test papers, to enhance the exam worthiness of an aspirant. Especially those who have their house (concepts) in order about the course/syllabus. The idea of solving tests or mock papers is with the intent to find out the gaps in our preparation. Sometimes they are also helpful for the mains or subjective type questions.
2. A holistic mix of Static – cum- Dynamic Test series
Course completion is what we care to establish with each finishing module. And this incorporates the aspect of Current affairs and Associated statics as well. Hence an aspirant gets a holistic mix of Static cum Dynamic elements featured in this course.
3. Mentor & Discussion help for 1-1
Civilsdaily Mentorship with tests is going to help an aspirant keep a track of the syllabus, which was earlier either glossed over or paid little attention to. Our Senior Mentors will be the person who would have the responsibility to ensure you end up with all the papers. Also, imparting valuable advice to stay rational and mindful.
Detailed Orientation session
Year-long mentorship till prelims and beyond
Mentor call after every 4 tests or one call/month
Bi-Weekly zoom sessions for doubts and discussions
24*7 Habitat group mentors support
Civilsdaily’s mentors are highly qualified, with at least 3+ years of mentorship experience and two UPSC-CSE Interviews under their belts. They are well-versed in the many stages of preparation. These mentors will assist you in developing both a comprehensive and micro schedule. They’ll put together a weekly program for you, complete with mentorship calls. This schedule will be created based on a thorough examination of the importance of subjects as well as the interconnection of topics to make it easier for students to grasp the material.
Our highly experienced mentors will guide you with the all-round strategy
of How to deal with unfamiliar MCQs by using TIKDAM (Intelligent Guessing)
How many questions you should attempt.
When to start coding on OMR sheet
How to focus on strong areas
4. All India Rankings
All India ranking factors are here to help you deal with the moments of truth vis-à-vis your preparation level. They give you the necessary nudge to focus back on evaluating the current state of preparation. Your mentor would have a lot more to focus on wrt the rankings you achieve.
5. Performance-based Aspirant Cohorts on Civilsdaily Habitat
At Civilsdaily, you would get a community always ready to deal with unexpected roadblocks. We aim to create a like-minded and similarly placed aspirant cohort. For a better discussion of tasks and problem-solving capabilities. So as a member of any Cohort, chat (responsibly) with other learners.
If you have a question, chances are, you’re not alone. Reach out in the discussion forum to ask for help from other learners taking this program.
6. CivilsDaily Habitat Sessions – Ask Anything
Were your queries about courses/syllabus / basic doubts would be addressed to keep you always on the move.
Throughout this course, you will learn about the techniques of time management, and the ability to find a static–dynamic convergence. Also, peace of mind about course completion under the guidance of a mentor.
The mentor would also provide a lot of reading material from time to time. But sometimes, you may need to look things up on your own for extra learning. Things change fast in our dynamic socio-political setup, so it is critical to do your own research so you can stay up-to-date on what is new.
What is there on Habitat?
An ecosystem for co-learning and active learning.
A highly motivated community to bring flexibility and consistency to your preparation.
After enrolling, you will receive a confirmation email with links to the tests and materials. These links are also available in the curriculum section of this course.
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This is what our students have to say about our mock tests…
Four spherical metal balls fell from the sky in some villages of Gujarat over the past few days.
Some experts say they are most likely the debris of a Chinese rocket Chang Zheng 3B or fuel storage tanks of space launch vehicles.
With more & more space launches and events like space tourism kicking off, the space above Earth is overcrowded – calling for urgent attention from countries to declutter it.
What is Space Junk?
Space junk, or space debris, is any piece of machinery or debris left by humans in space.
It can refer to big objects such as dead satellites that have failed or been left in orbit at the end of their mission.
It can also refer to smaller things, like bits of debris or paint flecks that have fallen off a rocket.
Space debris encompasses both natural meteoroid and artificial (human-made) orbital debris.
Meteoroids are in orbit about the sun, while most artificial debris is in orbit about the Earth (hence the term “orbital” debris).
How are they generated?
All space junk is the result of us launching objects from Earth, and it remains in orbit until it re-enters the atmosphere.
Some objects in lower orbits of a few hundred kilometres can return quickly.
They often re-enter the atmosphere after a few years and, for the most part, they’ll burn up – so they don’t reach the ground.
But debris or satellites left at higher altitudes of 36,000 kilometres – where communications and weather satellites are often placed in geostationary orbits – can continue to circle Earth for hundreds or even thousands of years.
Some space junk results from collisions or anti-satellite tests in orbit.
How much space junk is there?
While there are about 2,000 active satellites orbiting Earth at the moment, there are also 3,000 dead ones littering space.
What’s more, there are around 34,000 pieces of space junk bigger than 10 centimetres in size and millions of smaller pieces that could nonetheless prove disastrous if they hit something else.
What risks does space junk pose to space exploration?
Fortunately, at the moment, space junk doesn’t pose a huge risk to our exploration efforts.
Collisions: Collisions could cause significant damage to the space properties of the countries. Upon collision, the debris disables the satellites’ onboard electronics and may disrupt the services provided by the space assets.
Collateral damage: The biggest danger it poses is to other satellites in orbit. These satellites have to move out of the way of all this incoming space junk to make sure they don’t get hit and potentially damaged or destroyed.
High momentum strikes: As these debris travel at high speeds in the low earth orbit, they risk colliding with functional satellites or even the space station. Given that these particles travel at speeds of 8 metres per second, even a 100g object could create an impact comparable to a 30-kg stone travelling at 100kmph.
Usability of space: This debris orbit the earth several times a day. As the mass of space junk continues to grow, parts of the space may become unusable.
Kessler Syndrome: It refers to a theoretical scenario in which the amount of space debris becomes so high that a single collision or destruction event could lead to a snowballing cascade of space debris- like a domino effect.
India and Space Debris
India had 103 spacecraft, including active and defunct satellites, and 114 space debris objects, including spent rocket bodies orbiting the earth.
So, the country has a total of 217 space objects orbiting the earth.
Presently, the ISRO has taken up research activities to study the feasibility and technologies required to undertake active debris removal (ADR).
ADR was one of the active methods suggested by the Space Debris Research Community to contain the growth of space debris objects.
Mechanism against damage
Space is beyond national jurisdiction and falls under the ambit of international law:
Under the Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects, countries can claim compensation from other countries for damages incurred from space debris.
The Outer Space Treaty, 1967 and the like outline the guidelines for the countries’ activities in space.
All space objects, including the defunct space debris, are under the jurisdiction of the ‘State of Registry’.
If something goes wrong during such manoeuvres, a liability regime under the applicable international law applies to not only the launching country but also other countries involved in the launch.
The UN Committee on the Peaceful Use of Outer Space (COPUOS) is tasked with space governance and there are already accepted guidelines for space debris mitigation and sustainability of space activities.
Efforts for space debris removal
There are four techniques that can move debris from heavily trafficked orbits:
Deorbiting (the deliberate, forced re-entry of a space object into the Earth’s atmosphere by application of a retarding force, usually via a propulsion system)
Orbital lifetime reduction (accelerating the natural decay of spacecraft and other space objects to reduce the time that they remain in orbit)
Disposal orbits– Moving objects into less populated “disposal” orbits at the end of their functional lifetime
Active removal of debris from orbit
Global efforts
NASA undertakes DAMs or Debris Avoidance Manoeuvres, which are navigation manoeuvres that take the space station away from its normal trajectory to avoid collisions, are undertaken based on the probability of collision.
NORAD, or the North American Aerospace DefenceCommand, is an initiative of the U.S. and Canada that shares selective debris data with many countries.
Clearspace-1(of European Space Agency), which is scheduled to launch in 2025, will be the first space mission to eliminate debris from orbit.
India’s efforts: Project NETRA
NETRA stands for Network for Space Objects Tracking and Analysis (NETRA) project.
Project NETRA is an early warning system in space to detect debris and other hazards to Indian satellites.
In this pursuit, space debris tracking radar with a range of 1,500 km and an optical telescope will be inducted as part of establishing an effective surveillance and tracking network under NETRA.
Way forward
Space junk is no one country’s responsibility, but the responsibility of every spacefaring country.
Spacefaring nations must minimize the risks to people and property on Earth of re-entries of space objects and maximize transparency regarding those operations.
High-accuracy assessment and prediction tools are essential for reducing risk to current systems and future launches.
Space traffic management is a crucial area that requires attention since the satellites in orbit can come in the way of each other.
Talk to our mentors for a Roadmap to 2023 Attempt. Click Here
Important Rebellions and Peasant Movements
Causative Factors for People’s Uprisings
Colonial land revenue settlements, heavy burden of new taxes, eviction of peasants from their lands, and encroachments on tribal lands.
Exploitation in rural society and growth of intermediary revenue collectors, tenants and moneylenders.
Expansion of revenue administration over tribal lands leading to their loss of hold over agricultural and forest land.
Promotion of British manufactured goods, heavy duties on Indian industries, especially export duties, leading to devastation of Indian handloom and handicraft industries.
Important Civil Uprisings
(1) Sanyasi Revolt (1763-1800)
Cause: The disastrous famine of 1770 and the harsh economic order of the British and the restrictions imposed on the pilgrims visiting the holy places.
Sanyasis were joined by a large number of dispossessed small zamindars, disbanded soldiers and rural poor. They raided Company factories and the treasuries, and fought the Company’s forces.
Curtailed by: Warren Hastings
Also referred to as the Fakir Rebellion.
Important leaders: Majnum Shah, Chirag Ali, Musa Shah, Bhawani Pathak and Debi Chaudhurani
Anandamath, a semi-historical novel by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, is based on the Sanyasi Revolt.
(2) Revolt in Midnapore and Dhalbhum (1766-74)
Cause: Introduction of new land revenue system by the English in 1772.
The zamindars of Midnapore sided with the ryots in case of conflict between the ryots and the English revenue collecting officials.
Important leaders: Damodar Singh and Jagannath Dhal.
(3) Revolt of Moamarias (1769-99)
It was a potent challenge to the authority of Ahom kings of Assam.
The Moamarias were low-caste peasants who followed the teachings of Aniruddhadeva (1553-1624).
To crush these revolts, the Ahom ruler had to request for British help. The revolt weakened kingdom and it fell to a Burmese invasion and finally came under British rule.
(4) Revolt of Raja of Vizianagaram (1794)
In 1758, a treaty was made between the English and Ananda Gajapatiraju, the ruler of Vizianagaram, to jointly oust the French from the Northern Circars. In this mission they were successful.
English refused to honour the terms of the treaty. Anand Raju died before he could seriously tackle the English.
The East India Company demanded a tribute of three lakh rupees from Vizayaramaraju and asked him to disband his troops. This angered the raja as there were no dues to be paid to the Company.
The raja supported by his subjects rose up in revolt. The raja died in a battle at Padmanabham.
(5) Resistance of Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja (1797; 1800-05)
Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja, popularly known as Kerala Simham (Lion of Kerala) or ‘Pyche raja’, was the de facto head of Kottayam (Cotiote) in Malabar region.
Cause: The Third Anglo-Mysore War (1790-92), extended English paramountcy over Kottayam in violation of an earlier agreement of 1790 which had recognized the independence of Kottayam.
The Poligars of Dindigal and Malabar rose up against the oppressive land revenue system under the British during 1801-06.
In September 1799, in the first Polygar War, the poligars of Tirunelveli District rose up in open rebellion.
Kattabomma Nayak of Panchalamkurichi was considered as the main leader of the rebellion. Though he managed to escape initially, he was later captured in Pudukottai, and publicly hanged in front of other Polygars as a warning.
The Second Polygar war of 1800-01, given the magnitude of participation, is also known as the ‘South Indian Rebellion’.
The suppression was followed by signing of the Carnatic Treaty on July 31, 1801, whereby the British assumed direct control over Tamil Nadu.
(7) Diwan Velu Thampi’s Revolt (1808-1809)
The East India Company’s harsh conditions imposed on the state of Travancore, after both of them agreed to a subsidiary alliance arrangement under Wellesley in 1805, caused deep resentment in the region.
Prime Minister Velu Thampi rise against the Company and assisted by the Nair troops. Velu Thampi addressed a gathering in Kundara and was later known as the ‘Kundara Proclamation’.
The Maharaja of Travancore had not wholly supported the rebellion and defected to the side of the Company. Velu Thampi killed himself to avoid capture. The rebellion petered out.
(8) Kutch or Cutch Rebellion (1816-1832)
There was a treaty between the British and Maharaja Bharamal II of Kutch in 1816, by which power was vested in the throne.
The British interfered in the internal feuds of the Kutch and, in 1819, Raja Bharmal II raised Arab and African troops with the firm intention of removing the British from his territory.
A British resident governed the areas as the de facto ruler with the help of a regency council.
(9) Rising at Bareilly (1816)
Immediate cause: The imposition of the police tax which aroused the burning indignation of the citizens.
Several armed Muslims from Pilibhit, Shahjahanpur and Rampur rose in rebellion for the defense of the faith and the Mufti.
(10) Upsurge in Hathras (1817)
Cause: Progressive increase in high revenues, talukdar Dayaram constantly failed to pay arrears and even committed many acts of hostility by giving harbour to government fugitives.
So, the Company with a large army attacked Hathras in February 1817.
Rebels involved: Bhagwant Singh, Raja of Mursan
(11) Paika Rebellion (1817)
The Paiks of Odisha were the traditional landed militia and enjoyed rent free land tenures for their military service and policing functions on a hereditary basis.
Cause: British conquest of Odisha in 1803, and the dethronement of the Raja of Khurda had greatly reduced the power and prestige of the Paiks. Further, the extortionist land revenue policy of the Company caused resentment among zamindars and peasants.
Bakshi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar had been the military chief of the forces of the Raja of Khurda. In 1814, Jagabandhu’s ancestral estate of Killa Rorang was taken over by the Company, reducing him to penury.
The spark was lighted by the arrival of a body of Khonds into the Khurda territory in March 1817.
With active support of Mukunda Deva, the last Raja of Khurda, and other zamindars of the region, Bakshi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar led a sundry army of Paikas forcing the East India Company forces to retreat for a time.
The rebellion came to be known as the Paika Bidroh (rebellion). The rebellion was brutally repressed by 1818. In 1825 Jagabandhu surrendered under negotiated terms.
The Paik Rebellion succeeded in getting large remissions of arrears, reductions in assessments, suspension of the sale of the estates of defaulters at discretion, a new settlement on fixed tenures and other adjuncts of liberal governance.
(12) Ahom Revolt (1828)
Cause: Defying on the pledge to withdraw from Assam after the First Burma War (1824-26), the British attempted to incorporate the Ahoms’ territories in the Company’s dominion. This sparked off a rebellion in 1828 under the leadership of Gomdhar Konwar, an Ahom prince along with compatriots.
Finally, the Company decided to follow a conciliatory policy and handed over Upper Assam to Maharaja Purandar Singh Narendra and part of the kingdom was restored to the Assamese king.
(13) Surat Salt Agitations (1840s)
Cause: The government’s step to raise the salt duty from 50 paise to one rupee.
The government withdrew the additional salt levy and its measure to introduce Bengal Standard Weights and Measures in face of people’s determined bid to resort to boycott and passive resistance.
(14)Kolhapur and Savantvadi Revolts
The Gadkaris were a hereditary military class which was garrisoned in the Maratha forts.
These garrisons were disbanded during an administrative reorganization in Kolhapur state after 1844. The Gadkaris rose in revolt and occupied the Samangarh and Bhudargarh forts.
Similarly, the simmering discontent caused a revolt in Savantvadi areas. A number of Sawantwadi rebels were tried for treason and sentenced to various terms of imprisonment.
Ultimately, after the imposition of martial law and meting out brutal punishment to the rebels, the order could be restored in Sawantwadi region.to bring the region under control.
(15) Wahabi Movement
It was essentially an Islamic revivalist movement founded by Syed Ahmed of Rai Bareilly who was inspired by the teachings of Abdul Wahab (1703-87) of Saudi Arabia and Shah Waliullah of Delhi.
Syed Ahmed condemned the western influence on Islam and advocated a return to pure Islam and society. Syed Ahmed was acclaimed as the desired leader (Imam).
A countrywide organization with an elaborate secret code for its working under spiritual vice-regents (Khalifas) was set up, and Sithana in the north-western tribal belt was chosen as a base for operations.
Since Dar-ul-Harb (territory of War or Chaos) was to be converted into Darul-Islam (the land of Islam), a jihad was declared against the Sikh kingdom of Punjab.
After the defeat of the Sikh ruler and incorporation of Punjab into the East India Company’s dominion in 1849, the English dominion in India became the sole target of the Wahabis’ attacks.
The Wahabis played an important role in spreading anti-British sentiments. A series of military operations by the British in the 1860s weakened the Wahabi resistance.
(16) Kuka Movement
Founded in 1840 by Bhagat Jawahar Mal (also called Sian Saheb) in western Punjab. A major leader of the movement after him was Baba Ram Singh (founded the Namdhari Sikh sect).
Its basic tenets were abolition of caste and similar discriminations among Sikhs, discouraging the consumption of meat and alcohol and drugs, permission for intermarriages, widow remarriage, and encouraging women to step out of seclusion.
On the political side, the Kukas wanted to remove the British and restore Sikh rule over Punjab; they advocated wearing hand-woven clothes and boycott of English laws and education and products.
So, the concepts of Swadeshi and non-cooperation were propagated by the Kukas, much before they became part of the Indian national movement in the early twentieth century.
As the movement gained in popularity, the British took several steps to crush it in the period between 1863 and 1872. In 1872, Ram Singh was deported to Rangoon.
Peasant Movements
(1) Narkelberia Uprising
Mir Nithar Ali (1782-1831) or Titu Mir inspired the Muslim tenants in WestBengal to rise against landlords, mainly Hindu, who imposed a beard-tax on the Faraizis, and British indigo planters.
Often considered the first armed peasant uprising against the British, this revolt soon took on a religious hue. The revolt later merged into the Wahabi movement.
(2) The Pagal Panthis
The Pagal Panthi, a semi-religious group mainly constituting the Hajong and Garo tribes was founded by Karam Shah.
But the tribal peasants organized themselves under Karam Shah’s son, Tipu, to fight the oppression of the zamindars.
They refused to pay rent above a certain limit and attacked the houses of zamindars. The government introduced an equitable arrangement to protect these peasants, but the movement was violently suppressed.
(3) Faraizi Revolt
The Faraizis were the followers of a Muslim sect founded by Haji Shariat-Allah of Faridpur in Eastern Bengal. They advocated radical religious, social and political changes.
Shariat-Allah son of Dadu Mian (1819-60) organized his followers with an aim to expel the English intruders from Bengal. The sect also supported the cause of the tenants against the zamindars.
Most of the Faraizis joined the Wahabi ranks.
(4) Moplah Uprisings
Cause: Hike in revenue demand and reduction of field size, coupled with the oppression of officials, resulted in widespread peasant unrest among the Moplahs of Malabar.
The second Moplah uprising occurred after the Moplahs came to be organised by the Congress and the Khilafat supporters during the Non-cooperation Movement.
Tribal Revolts
Causes for Tribal Revolts
The land settlements of the British affected the joint ownership tradition
As agriculture was extended in a settled form by the Company government, the tribals lost their land, Shifting cultivation in forests was curbed and this added to the tribals’ problems.
Exploitation by the police, traders and money-lenders.
Christian missionaries came to these regions and their efforts interfered with the traditional customs of the tribals. Some general laws were also abhorred for their intrusive nature.
Characteristics of Tribal Revolts
Tribal identity or ethnic ties lay behind the solidarity shown by these groups.
The resentment against the imposition of laws by the ‘foreign government’ that was seen as an effort at destroying the tribals’ traditional socioeconomic framework.
Many uprisings were led by messiah-like figures who encouraged their people to revolt.
The tribal uprisings were doomed from the beginning, given the outdated arms.
(1) Pahariyas’ Rebellion
The British expansion on their territory led to an uprising by the martial Pahariyas of the Raj Mahal Hills in 1778.
The British were forced to usher in peace by declaring their territory as damni-kol area.
(2) Chuar Uprising
Cause: Famine, enhanced land revenue demands and economic distress goaded the Chuar aboriginal tribesmen of the Jungle Mahal of Midnapore district and Bankura district (in Bengal) to take up arms.
The most significant uprising was under Durjan (or Durjol) Singh in 1798. Other leaders were Madhab Singh, Raja Mohan Singh.
The uprising lasted from 1766 to 1772 and then, again surfaced between 1795 and 1816.
(3) Kol Mutiny (1831)
Cause: Large-scale transfers of land from Kol headmen to outsiders like Hindu, Sikh and Muslim farmers and money-lenders who were oppressive and demanded heavy taxes. Besides, the British judicial and revenue policies badly affected the traditional social conditions of the Kols (inhabitants of Chhotanagpur).
The Kols resented this and in 1831, under the leadership of Buddho Bhagat, the Kol rebels killed or burnt about a thousand outsiders. Only after large-scale military operations could order be restored.
(4) Ho and Munda Uprisings (1820-1837)
The Raja of Parahat organized his Ho tribals to revolt against the occupation of Singhbhum. The revolt continued till 1827 when the Ho tribals were forced to submit.
However, later in 1831, they again organized a rebellion, joined by the Mundas of Chotanagpur, to protest against the newly introduced farming revenue policy and the entry of Bengalis into their region.
Though the revolt was extinguished in 1832, the Ho operations continued till 1837.
(5) Santhal Rebellion
Cause: The Santhals of Rajmahal Hills resented the oppression by revenue officials, police, money-lenders, landlords—in general, by the “outsiders’ (whom they called diku).
The Santhals under Sido and Kanhu rose up against their oppressors, declared the end of the Company’s rule and asserted themselves independent in 1854.
It was only in 1856 after extensive military operations that the situation was brought under control. Sido died in 1855, while Kanhu was arrested in 1866.
A separate district of Santhal Parganas was created by the Government to pacify the Santhals.
(6) Khond Uprising
The Khonds lived in vast hill tracts stretching from Tamil Nadu to Bengal, covering central provinces, and in virtual independence due to the inaccessible mountainous terrain.
Their uprisings from 1837 to 1856 were directed against the British, in which the tribals of Ghumsar, china-ki-medi, Kalahandi and Patna actively participated.
The movement was led by Chakra Bisoi in the name of the young Raja.
The main issue was the attempt by the government to suppress human sacrifice (Mariah), the introduction of new taxes by the British and the influx of Zamindars and money-lenders.
The British formed a Maria agency, against which the Khonds fought with Tangi, a king of battle-axe, bows-arrows and even swords.
Latter Savaras and some local militia clans also joined in, led by Radha Krishna Dand Sena. Chakra Bisoi disappeared in 1855 after which the movement petered out.
(7) Early Munda Uprising (1789-1832)
In the period of 1789-1832, the Munda rose up in rebellion seven times against the landlords, dikhus, money-lenders and the British, who instead of protesting them sided with the oppressors.
In the post-1857 period with a hope of a better future, many Mundas turned to the Evangelical Lutheran mission, which was overseeing mission work in Chhotanagpur.
However, many apostates became more militant and broke away, spearheading the cause of seeking redressal of their grievances once they realized that the missionaries could not provide the solution to them.
Their movement identified as ‘sardariladai’ or ‘war of the leaders’ was fought with the aim of expelling dikhus; and restoration of the Munda domination over their homeland.
The tribal chiefs rose up against the erosion of Khuntkatti System or Joint tenures.
While it failed it did not peter out but remained dormant and in need of a charismatic leader. It was given a new life by Birsa Munda in 1899.
(8) Bhils and Kolis Uprisings
Cause: The Bhils were concentrated in the hill ranges of Khandesh in the previous Maratha territory. The British occupation in 1818 brought in the outsiders and accompanying dislocations in their community life.
A general Bhil insurrection in 1817-19 was crushed by the British Military forces and though some conciliatory measures were taken to pacify them, they again revolted under the leadership of Seva Ram in 1825 and the situation remained unsettled until 1831 when the Ramosi Leader Umaji Raje of Purandhar was finally captured and executed.
Minor revolts again took place in 1836 and 1846 as well.
The Bhils’ local rivals for power, the Kolis of Ahmednagar district, also challenged the British in 1829 but were quickly subdued by a large army contingent.
The seeds of rebellion, however, persisted, to erupt again in 1844-46, when a local Koli leader successfully defied the British government for two years.
(9) Ramosi Risings
The Ramosis, the hill tribes of the Western Ghats, had not reconciled to British rule and the British pattern of administration.
They rose under Chittur Singh in 1822 and plundered the country around Satara.
(10) Khasi Uprising
The Khasis, Garos, Khamptis and the Singphos organized themselves under Tirath Singh to drive away the strangers from the Brahmaputra Valley.
The uprising developed into a popular revolt against British rule in the area.
Mass Movements
The Non-Cooperation Movement- 1920-22
Following events acted as the catalysts which finally resulted in the launch of the Non-Cooperation Movement by Gandhiji on August 1, 1920.
Backdrop
The Rowlatt Act (February 1919), the Jallianwala Bagh massacre (13 April 1919) and martial law in Punjab had belied all the generous wartime promises of the British.
The Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms satisfied few.
The treatment meted out to Turkey after the World War-I incensed had incensed the Indian Muslim, which led to the launch of Khilafat movement.
What were the aspects of Non-Cooperation Movement?
The program of the non-cooperation included within its ambit-
Surrender of titles and honours.
Boycott of government-affiliated schools and colleges, law courts, foreign cloths and could be included to resignation from government service.
Mass civil disobedience.
Non-payment of taxes.
On the other hand, it also included-
Establishing national schools and colleges.
Establishing panchayats to settle the disputes.
Encouraging hand spinning and weaving.
Maintaining Hindu-Muslim unity.
Observing strict non-violence.
Several changes were made in Congress’ creed and organisation, which include-
The goal of the Congress was changed from attainment of self-government to attainment of Swaraj by peaceful and legitimate means.
The Congress was now to have Working Committee of fifteen members to look after its day-to-day affairs (the same proposal made by Tilak in 1916 was not accepted!).
The provincial Congress Committees were now to be organized on linguistic basis.
Congress was to use Hindi as far as possible.
How the movement unfolded?
Gandhiji, along with Ali Brothers (who were the foremost Khilafat leaders) undertook nationwide tour during which he addressed hundreds of meetings and met a large number of students.
R. Das played a major role in promoting the movement and Subhas Bose became the principal of the National College in Calcutta.
The spirit of unrest and defiance of authority engendered by the Non-Cooperation Movement contributed to rise of many local movements in the different parts of the country.
In May 1921, the British Government tried through Gandhi-Reading talks to persuade Gandhiji to ask Ali brothers to withdraw from their speeches those passages that contained suggestions of violence.
This was an attempt to drive the wedge between the Khilafat leaders and Gandhiji.
By December 1921, the Government had changed the policy and started repression of the movement.
Public meeting and assemblies were banned, newspapers gagged, and midnight raids on Congress and Khilafat movement became common.
In response, Gandhiji declared mass civil disobedience movement would begin in Bardoli taluqa of Surat district.
But before the launch of the mass civil disobedience, the Chauri Chaura incident on February 5, 1922, resulted in the withdrawal of the movement by Gandhiji.
The Civil Disobedience Movement 1930-31
On 2 March 1930 Gandhiji addressed his historic letter to the Viceroy Irwin in which he first explained at great length why he regarded British rule as a curse. He then informed the Viceroy his plan of action. When Gandhiji reached the Dandi on 6 April 1930 by picking up a handful of salt he inaugurated the Civil Disobedience Movement.
Backdrop
An announcement on 8 November 1927 of an all-White Simon Commission to recommend whether India was ready for further constitutional progress and on which lines.
The response in India was immediate. That no Indian should be thought fit to serve on a body that claimed the right to decide the political future of India was an insult no Indian of even the most moderate political opinion was willing to swallow.
The Congress resolved on the boycott of the commission at its annual session in Madras in December 1927.
How the movement unfolded?
Once the way was cleared by Gandhiji’s ritual beginning at Dandi, the defiance of salt laws started all over the country.
The Government’s failure to arrest Gandhiji for breaking the salt law was used by the local level leaders to impress upon the people that ‘the Government is afraid of persons like ourselves’.
In Tamil Nadu, C. Rajagopalachari led a salt march from Trichinopoly to Vedaranniyam on the Tanjore coast.
On 23 April, the arrest of Congress leaders in the North-West Frontier Province led to the mass demonstration of unprecedented magnitude in Peshawar.
In Peshawar, the atmosphere created by the Khudai Khidmatgars contributed to the mass upsurge in Peshawar during which the city was virtually in the hands of non-violent revolutionaries.
It was increasingly becoming clear that the Government’s gamble of non-interference with the movement would result in its spending itself out.
On May 4, the Viceroy finally ordered Gandhiji’s arrest.
Gandhiji’s announcement that he would now proceed to continue his defiance of the salt laws by leading a raid on the Dharasana Salt Works had forced the Government to act.
Coming as it did at a high point in the movement, it only acted as a further spur to activity, and caused endless trouble for the government.
Dharsana Satyagraha carried out in the absence of Gandhiji with Sarojini Naidu in the lead, in which Satyagrahis were beaten with the lathis till they fell down.
This form of Satyagraha was adopted by the people who soon made it a mass affair.
But the salt Satyagraha was only the catalyst and the beginning, for a rich variety of forms of defiance that it brought in its wake.
Eastern India became the scene of a new kind of no-tax campaign-refusal to pay the chowkidara tax levied specifically on the villagers.
In Gujarat, in Kheda district, in Bardoli taluqa in Surat district, and Jambusar in Broach district a determined no-tax movement was in progress.
P. was setting up another kind of movement- a no-revenue no-rent campaign.
On January 5, 1931, the Viceroy announced the unconditional release of Gandhiji and all other members of the Congress working committee.
On March 5, 1931 the fortnight-long discussion culminated in Gandhi-Irwin Pact which was variously described as a truce and a provisional settlement and ended the Non-Cooperation Movement.
The Quit India Movement
‘Quit India’, this powerful slogan launched the legendary struggle which also became famous by the name of the ‘August Revolution’.
Backdrop
The failure of the Cripps Mission in April 1942 made it clear that Britain was unwilling to offer an honourable settlement and real constitutional advance during the war.
The empty gesture of the Cripps offer convinced even those Congressmen like Nehru and Gandhiji, who did not want to do anything to hamper the anti-fascist War efforts.
Other factors that made a struggle both inevitable and necessary were-
Popular discontent product of rising prices and war-time shortages.
The growing feeling of an eminent British collapse.
The manner in which British evacuated from Malaya and Burma leaving the people there to their fate
How the movement unfolded?
A fortnight after Cripps’ departure Gandhiji drafted a resolution for the Congress Working Committee, calling for Britain’s withdrawal and the adoption of non-violent non-cooperation against any Japanese invasion.
Congress edged towards Quit India while Britain moved towards arming itself with special powers to meet the threat.
The historic August meeting at Gowalia Tank in Bombay marked the beginning of the movement. The meeting was unprecedented in the popular enthusiasm it generated.
The Government, however, was in no mood to either negotiate with the Congress or wait for the movement to be formally launched.
In the early hours of 9 August, in a single sweep, all the top leaders of the Congress were arrested and taken to an unknown destination.
The sudden attack by the government produced an instantaneous reaction among the people.
As soon as the news of the arrest spread lakhs of people flocked to Gowalia Tank where a mass meeting had been scheduled.
There were similar disturbances on 9 August in Ahmedabad and Poona.
On the 10th, Delhi and many towns in U.P. and Bihar, including Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, and Patna followed the suit with hartals, public demonstrations and processions in defiance of the law.
Meanwhile, many provincial and local level leaders who had evaded arrest returned to their homes through devious routes set about organising resistance.
As the news spread in the rural areas, the villagers joined the townsmen in recording their protest.
For the first six or seven weeks after 9 August, there was a tremendous mass upsurge all over the country.
The brutal and all-out repression succeeded within a period of six or seven weeks in bringing about a cessation of the mass phase of the struggle.
But in the meantime, underground networks were being consolidated in various parts of the country.
This leadership saw the role of the underground movement as being that of keeping up the popular morale by continuing to provide the line of command and a source of guidance and leadership to the activists all over the country.
Every year, a huge number of aspirants sit for the UPSC-CSE exam. Because the age limit is so relaxed, there have been multiple instances where working persons or people who already have a job also apply for the IAS ordeals.
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Since the IAS examination is one of the most insisting exams in India, it necessitates a full-time commitment in terms of hard work and study. However, there are working professionals who are occupied with their professions during the day and find it impossible to prepare for the IAS examination due to a lack of study time. Above are some UPSC preparation ideas for working people who want to follow their dream of passing the IAS exam, which may help them find time to study despite their hectic schedules.
Shubham had been aware of UPSC examinations from a young age. Shubham spent the starting 4 years of his school studies in his village and then moved to Patna for further studies. Shubham completed his B.Tech in civil engineering in 2014 from IIT Bombay. During his time at IIT Bombay, he was a very active student and used to play various sports. He was also the cultural secretary of his hostel. It was in the same institute that he finally, objectively decided to join Civil Services.
Path to Success
It took him 3 attempts to secure AIR 1 in UPSC examinations. What kept him going through the failures was the love & support of his family and friends.
Advice to Aspirants
Shubham urged aspirants to maintain a good friend’s circle, which would work as a great center for support & motivation.
Stay away from social media as much as possible, as it creates a lot of distractions.
During UPSC preparation proper time management is the only most important thing.
Strategy
In his 2019’s attempt, he took as many as 70-75 mock tests, and in 2020 prelims, he took 40-45 mock tests.
During his mains preparation, he used to take 1-hour mock tests daily and a full-length 3-hour mock test every third day. He says mock tests are a great way for analyzing strong and weak areas and work on them.
Speed is very crucial for cracking UPSC Mains Exam. You have approximately 10-11 mins for each question. Try to find which pen is comfortable for you.
Try to keep your answers on point and very precise. Focus on conveying your ideas other than just filling pages. Talking about his subjects, he told he had Anthropology as his optional subject in Mains.
His Vision
He wants to work for the holistic upliftment of Rural India, and improve the overall education & financial level of the people from such areas. He also wants to come up with a solution to manage the flood situation in Bihar.
Rank: 2
Mains
PI
Total
Jagruti Awasthi
859
193
1052
Background
IAS Jagriti Awasthi’s age is 24 years as of 2021. Her marital status is unmarried. She is a confident and dedicated person. Jagriti Awasthi’s education has been completed at Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (MANIT), Bhopal. She was working in Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) before starting her UPSC preparation.
Path to success
It took her 2 attempts to secure AIR 2 in UPSC examinations.
Strategy
Initially, she studied for 8 to 10 hours. Eventually, she increased it to 10 to 12 hours, and about two months before the exam, she further pushed it to 12 to 14 hours.
She has managed to work positively on the study plan and has succeeded in it.
She prepared online study material and read the newspapers daily. She emphasized the optional subject which is sociology to gain maximum knowledge and high scores.
Rank: 3
Mains
PI
Total
Ankita Jain
839
212
1051
Background
Ankita Jain was born and brought up in Delhi. She did her B. Tech in Computer Science from Delhi Technological University. After completing her studies, she worked in Qualcomm Private Limited, Bangalore for 14 months. Later, she joined Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) as a scientist through her GATE score. Afterward, Ankita Jain was posted at one of the prestigious posts of UPSC, Audit and Accounts Services in Mumbai, after securing a rank in the second attempt. She is married to Abhinav Tyagi who is an IPS officer. Her sister Vaishali Jain has also scored AIR 21 in the civil services examination 2020.
Path to success
Ankita’s success came in the fourth attempt. On the second attempt, she passed the exam. However, she didn’t get the desired rank. She joined the Indian Account Service and continued to prepare for the UPSC exam.
Advice to aspirants
Ankita says that before appearing for the exam, it’s crucial that one is familiar with the syllabus and has the basics clear. Ankita said that the failed attempts had helped her in understanding the exam pattern better.
Strategy
Her optional subject was philosophy.
She consistently studied at least 6 hours a day and studying NCERTs books till the 12th standard helped her in building the base knowledge.
She prepared with her sister, Vaishali Jain who scored AIR 21. Both the sisters claim to have shared notes and helped each other stay motivated throughout their journey.
Rank: 4
Mains
PI
Total
Yash Jaluka
851
195
1046
Background
Born in 1995 in Jharia, Jharkhand, Yash Jaluka at the age of 26 years cracked the civil services exam in the first attempt. He completed his initial schooling until class 8th from Jharia, and then shifted to Odisha, where he studied until the completion of class 10th. Yash did his 11th and 12th from Delhi Public School, Bokaro, Jharkhand. He then moved to Delhi and completed his bachelor’s in Economics from Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi, and got his Master’s degree from the Delhi School of Economics. Yash started his UPSC preparation right after completing his Masters’ course in 2019 and did not join any coaching. He took Economics optional for the UPSC CSE Main
Path to success
Juluka at the age of 26 years cracked the civil services exam on the first attempt.
Strategy
The preparation strategy followed by Yash allowed him to indulge in a minimum of 8 hours of preparation every day.
As a part of his strategy, he spent approximately 3-4 hours reading the newspaper diligently and ensuring that every single part of daily news was covered and notes based on the same were made instantly.
He also maintained proper notes on each topic, along with its historical background, and referred to one book for each subject.
Apart from this, the journals and monthly editorials in newspapers and current affairs magazines are the key sources that he considered during the course of his preparation.
Given below is a list of a few important UPSC books and sources that Yash referred to for prelims and mains preparation.
R.S Sharma’s Old NCERT for Ancient History
Class XI & XII NCERT
History of Medival India by Satish Chandra
A.L Basham – The Wonder that was India (for Buddhism and Jainism)
Indian Polity by Laxmikanth
How India sees the World by Shyam Saran (for static International Relations information)
Rank: 5
Mains
PI
Total
Mamta Yadav
855
187
1042
Background
Mamta Yadav was born in Basai, India, in 1996. She is an Indian Administrative Service officer by profession. She completed her education in a local Delhi school before enrolling at Delhi University’s Hindu College.
Path to success
This was her second attempt at UPSC Civil Services Examination. She took this exam for the first time in 2020 and received a Rank of 556. She began training for the Indian Railway Personnel Service after being selected.
Advice to aspirants
The most important thing would be that your optional subject should be something you love reading. If the subject does not appeal to you, it will be tough to maintain your excitement across numerous efforts. Because you’ve already spent 3 or 4 years studying it, choosing an optional from your graduation stream can assist.
Strategy
Mamta opted for Physics as the optional subject as she did her BSc in Physics Honours. She did self-study for the optional paper.
Learn to debunk all of the Civil Service preparation myths and misconceptions.
Not just gaining conceptual clarity but also being able to link it with the present scene is becoming increasingly important.
Begin with devising a comprehensive and integrated plan for the UPSC civil services prelims and mains examinations. Divide the year into 12 months by designating months to subjects that have a clear strategy.
Lastly, figure out how the test questions are phrased. This procedure necessitates a thorough examination of all prior years’ questions, with a keen eye on what has been asked and why.
Attempt as many questions as possible, then evaluate why your questions were incorrect and how you may have done better.
Meera completed her B Tech in Mechanical Engineering from Government Engineering College, Thrissur in 2016.She got a job in Bengaluru through campus selection. However, she had an inclination towards public service. She gave her first attempt in UPSC Civil Services Examination in 2017 without much preparation. The result was as expected – didn’t qualify. She quit her well-paying job and went back to Kerala to start her UPSC journey.
Path to success
In her second attempt, she qualified Prelims and Mains. Still, luck was not completely on her side. She missed the final selection by a narrow margin of 12 marks. Bad luck continued her in the third attempt too. This time she missed Prelims by just one mark. In her fourth attempt, she qualified Prelims, Mains, and Interview and landed as a UPSC Topper by securing All-India Rank 6!
Advice to aspirants
Meera says, “don’t blindly follow or copy any strategy. Know your strengths and weakness and prepare your own personalized study plan”.
Strategy
Meera believes in the importance of self-notes for success in the UPSC Civil Services Examination.
For each topic mentioned in UPSC Syllabus, Meera prepared her own notes using pen and paper.
Rank: 7
Mains
PI
Total
Praveen Kumar
848
193
1041
Background
He hails from Jamui in Bihar and belongs to a simple middle-class family. Praveen studied from Jamui in Bihar and wished to qualify for the Engineering Entrance Exam and become an engineer. He cleared JEE Main and went on to study in IIT Kanpur. However after he completed his B.Tech from such a prestigious institution, he did not wish to sit for job interviews but study for Civil Services Exam.
Path to success
He succeeded in his third attempt at UPSC which was in 2020.
Advice to aspirants
He found the problem in the first two attempts to be him following the strategy set by someone else. It was not working for him. He suggests that everyone should follow their own strategy depending on own capabilities and mental caliber.
Strategy
He followed a few books but read them thoroughly and made a separate strategy for Prelims, Mains and Interview.
He emphasizes reading newspapers and magazines to get connected with the entire globe at the same time.
He also suggests the candidates prepare separately for Prelims, Mains & Personality Test of UPSC CSE.
Rank: 8
Mains
PI
Total
Jivani Kartik Nagjibhai
858
182
1040
Background
After completing Class 12, Kartik cracked the JEE examination and landed admission in the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mumbai in the Mechanical Engineering field. In his fourth year in college, Kartik Jivani decided to pursue a career as a civil servant and started preparing for the UPSC exam in 2016.
Path to success
He failed in his first attempt in 2017. However, after grinding it out for three years, Kartik was successfully able to crack the UPSC exam in his second attempt. He obtained a rank of AIR 94, thereby securing selection as an IPS officer. He reappeared the next year and climbed ten places to AIR 84.
Advice to Aspirants
He mentioned that reading for many sources won’t help you. You should pick one newspaper and one current affair from a coaching institute.
Strategy
To crack his exam, Kartik Jivani a 10-hour study regimen and did most of his UPSC preparation during at night.
Kartik has stated in the past that he chose smart work over hard work. He took guidance from several places and books.
He took Geography as his optional subject. He summarized his entire notes in around 50 pages.
Practice the elimination technique in the exam hall. To get better in this technique, solve a lot of mock tests before the exam day.
Rank: 9
Mains
PI
Total
Apala Mishra
816
215
1031
Background
Apala Mishra was born in the Uttar Pradesh district of Ghaziabad. Mishra attended school in Dehradun until the tenth grade, then moved to Delhi for grades eleven and twelve. She then graduated from the Army College of Dental Sciences in Hyderabad with a bachelor’s degree in dental surgery and went on to work as a dentist. Apala claimed that by the time she was in her final year of dentistry, she was leaning toward civil service because it provides a lot of work opportunities. Anthropology was her optional subject. She intends to work in the field of health, with a focus on women’s health.
Path to success
This was her third attempt at UPSC Examination. She could not clear prelims in her first two attempts.
Advice to Aspirants
She then devised a study schedule of 7-8 hours per day. She believes that coaching centres can help them, but they must study by themselves at the end of the date. “Balance your emotional and mental health because this exam will put your patience to the test. Have faith in yourself that you can succeed,” she says.
Strategy
She says that one should revise the basic books as many times as possible.
Practice a lot of MCQs & PYQs, and write as many mock exams as possible. When you don’t get a question, then make the answer a part of your notes, so that you don’t forget it.
One should go beyond the static portion, in the mains examination.
She studied for 7 to 8 hours every day and used a timer to keep track of how much time she spent on each topic.
She used the basic books as well during her preparation. Apart from that, she used Google and Youtube to find online study materials to help her understand topics that were not covered in the basic books.
Rank: 10
Mains
PI
Total
Satyam Gandhi
827
201
1028
Background
Satyam Gandhi was born in 1999 in the Samastipur district of Bihar. He completed his schooling at Kendriya Vidyalaya. He was an intelligent student from childhood. He was even topper in his 10th and 12th with a science background. Then for his graduation, he moved to Delhi. There he pursued Political Science at Dayal Singh College, Delhi University. In the third year of his graduation, he started his UPSC preparation. He worked on his subject and hence took Political Science International Relations as his optional subject.
Path to success
In the very first attempt, he secured 10th rank all over India.
Advice for aspirants
Satyam Gandhi does not believe in any single or set plan to clear UPSC. He believes that everyone should follow his or her plan. But before making a plan they should analyze the pattern for UPSC well. Remember to make shorter goals to accomplish.
Strategy
He emphasizes the importance of Economics, Polity, and Economics for the prelims preparation.
He took regular mock tests and test series to track your performance and amend your strategy.
He planned his time well. He divided his time into months, weeks, and daily targets to accomplish goals.
Moreover, he prepared a concise list of books for UPSC preparation. He evaluated his strengths and weaknesses.
He gave more time to weaker subjects like History and Ethics. He spends hours memorizing dates and events of historical background.
Rank: 11
Mains
PI
Total
Devyani Yadav
842
182
1024
Background
In 2014, Devyani graduated in Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering from the Goa Campus of BITS Pilani. Thereafter she took up a job in the private sector.
Path to success
Devyani Yadav, who secured an All India Rank (AIR) of 11 in 2020, attempted the exam four times before she was successful. She attempted the UPSC CSE for the first time in 2015 and again in 2016, however in both these attempts she was unable to clear the prelims. In 2017, she made progress and reached the interview stage but did not find her name in the final list. In 2018, her fourth attempt, she secured an AIR of 222 and was allotted to the Central Audit Department.
Advice to aspirants
“Being 100 percent honest with yourself while preparing is very important. No matter how many attempts you have given, approach each exam with a clear mindset. Overconfidence and under confidence should both be kept away from you,” says Devyani.
Strategy
Focus on limited resources while ensuring that you spend maximum time in revision.
Mock tests are a great way of self-evaluation. Devyani recommends solving a minimum of 40 tests before attempting the exam.
Striking a good balance between answering questions you are unsure about and completely unaware of is an important aspect. “I would attempt between 85 to 90 questions”, she says.
Various online portals are useful for aspirants.
Pick the last 10 years’ prelims paper and ensure that you go through them with a fine-tooth comb.
As much as content is important, remember that presentation is also a key aspect.
Make comprehensive notes in your own words. Optional paper requires extensive reading and making notes for that is prudent. However, content for general studies is readily available in note format, so you can skip it,” says Devyani.
Rank: 12
Mains
PI
Total
Mithun Premraj
845
179215
1024
Background
Mithun Premraj was a diligent student since childhood. After class 12, he studied medicine at the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research (JIPMER) in Puducherry. He then received a diploma in public health from the Indian Institute of Public Health, New Delhi.
Path to success
He took the exam for the first time in 2016 after a year of preparation, but he failed. Three times, he also advanced to the interview round but failed. Finally, in the fifth attempt, he succeeded in 2020 and became an IAS officer by securing All India Rank 12.
Advice to aspirants
He says, “be confident, calm, and positive. If you find the topics difficult to understand you should join coaching.”
Strategy
He created a certain interest in the subject of Geography and thought of opting for it as an optional subject.
He motivated himself so that he doesn’t lack motivation in the middle of the preparation.
It is important to be in a stable position during the exam as when you rush in you make mistakes.
He Started from easy topics and gradually proceeded towards harder topics, made notes after completing each topic for understanding better, and revised and took practice tests to check his preparation.
He was born and brought up in Churu, Rajasthan. He completed his high school in the small district of Rajasthan, Churu. Later on, he went to college at BHU where completed his graduation in Mining Engineering and after that, he completed his Master’s in Sociology. He secured All India Rank 80 in the GATE exam. Gaurav Budania’s medium was Hindi. He gave his written exam in English and during the interview, he chose the option of Hindi language to answer.
Path to success
Gaurav is one of the lucky candidates who cleared the UPSC exam in the first attempt.
Advice for aspirants
According to him, hard work, the right strategy, maximum revision, making notes, practice answer writing, and a positive attitude are very important for success. Gaurav says that always keep the sources of your preparation limited and follow the strategy completely.
Strategy
Budania chose Anthropology as his optional subject.
He shared a special tip on how to choose the best optional subject, you just need to pay attention to your strengths and weaknesses, in that way you will be able to find out which subject you are good at.
According to Gaurav, he first saw the syllabus and then decided to go ahead with limited books.
For Mains, make notes and revise as many as you can.
According to him, by working hard in the right direction, you can get success in this exam on the very first attempt.
Rank: 14
Mains
PI
Total
Karishma Nair
834
187
1021
Background
Karishma Nair hails from the Palakkad district of Kerala. She has lived in Mumbai for the past 20 years, where she finished her education. She earned a B.Sc. in forensic science and spent a year in Delhi studying for the UPSC.
Path to success
This was her second attempt. She had made it to the interview round in her first attempt but couldn’t make it to the final list.
Advice to aspirants
Karishma believes in hard work, proper strategy, limited books, maximum revision, answer writing practice, and a positive attitude to clear the UPSC CSE exam. And do not stick to NCERT only, visit government websites also, and do value addition to your preparation,” she advised.
Strategy
She focused on reading newspapers daily, watched TV news channels, and studied the syllabus pattern thoroughly.
Karishma’s optional subject was Public Administration. According to her, one must choose their optional subject after analyzing their strengths and weaknesses.
She had a separate notebook in which she jotted down the significant themes from the sample papers that were vital for the examination and concentrated on them.
She advises that the final 2 months before the examination be spent taking as many fake exams as possible in order to assess one’s own performance.
Too many exams should not be taken before you are well-prepared, as low scores might lead to a loss of confidence.
Rank: 15
Mains
PI
Total
Ria Dabi
859
162
1021
Background
Ria Dabi who resides in Delhi has completed her Graduation in Political Science from Lady Sri Ram College, New Delhi.
Path to success
She cracked the UPSC Civil Service Exam 2020 in her first attempt and secured an all-India rank of 15.
Advice to aspirants
Ria Added that most aspirants make the mistake of collecting too many resources for the study which makes their preparation more confusing. So it’s always better to stick to the syllabus.
Strategy
She admits that she used to devote 10 hours per day and she started preparing for this exam just after she completed her graduation.
According to Ria, the key to success in the UPSC Exam is consistency in studies. The other things that are required for UPSC IAS Exam preparation are discipline, dedication, and patience.
Ria said she used to study fiction and do a painting to lower her stress.
She started her day by reading the newspaper. She took approx. 1.5 hours to read it. Special attention needs to be given to the editorial as this offers great material while writing the essay answers at a later stage.
If there is news about a specific event or occurrence, she tries to make a note of it and tries to find relevant information related to that event and collect them in her folder. This helps her in retaining information about that news.
And most importantly, she revisits the notes every few days so that it remains fresh in her mind.
The news articles that Ria usually cut and pastes in her folder are articles that include Newly launched government schemes, information about any summit or conference being held, articles about the environmental condition in the country and international relations, etc.
Rank: 16
Mains
PI
Total
Arth Jain
853
168
1021
Background
His hometown is Jabalpur where he was born and raised. He currently resides in the capital city, Delhi. Arth Jain completed his schooling at Sanskriti School, New Delhi. After this, he did Mechanical Engineering from IIT-Delhi. In the second year of his graduation, he decided to prepare for UPSC. He kept his optional subject mathematics.
Path to success
In 2019, he gave his first attempt at CSE. In this attempt, he was not even able to clear prelims. Rather than getting disappointed, he reflects on where he went wrong.
Advice to aspirants
“On exam day you should relax and have faith in yourself. You should not be busy revising your notes. Rather you should smile and say clearly yes I can do it”, he says.
Strategy
Arth Jain emphasizes the importance of revision. He says that everyone should at least revise each book three times rather than reading nine books at one time.
Every candidate should read the syllabus at least three times and then divide their time accordingly. They should give more importance to weaker subjects. Moreover, special importance should be given to optional subjects. One should give at least 50% of his time to his optional subject preparation.
According to Arth Jain, candidates should opt for the subject that is more scoring and which they find interesting.
Arth Jian divided the syllabus into different smaller goals. He set his daily and weekly targets. This gave him a clear roadmap.
You should also read answer sheets of previous year’s successful candidates. This will give you a clear idea of how to structure your answers
According to Arth Jain, everyone should give attention to this scoring subject. They should practice writing one to two essays daily.
For the interview, candidates should be ready for questions related to their DAF.
Rank: 17
Mains
PI
Total
Sarthak Agrawal
822
195
1017
Background
Sarthak was born in Old Delhi and after spending a few years, moved to Gurugram, Haryana. He completed his schooling at Delhi Public School, Vasant Kunj, and had scored 99.6% marks in class XII, and emerged as the CBSE topper for that year. He did BA (Hons) Economics from Sri Ram College of College (SRCC) Sarthak completed his master’s and did M Phil in Economics from Oxford University. At the time of his selection for UPSC, he was working at the World Bank as a Researcher in the Poverty and Equity Global Unit.
Path to success
He cracked the exam in his very first attempt with barely 5-6 months of preparation.
Advice to aspirants
“The strategy worked for me, but it may not for someone else. The idea should be to absorb insights from a variety of sources and use them to arrive at what makes the most sense for you”, he says. Finally, he would suggest not going with any preconceived notions in the ethics paper. It is one of the easiest papers to write, but the hardest to prepare. “Instead, if one spends plenty of time thinking deeply about the ethical issues that confront civil servants in India and develops an independent and innovative perspective on them, they should do well”, he says.
Strategy
He did not enroll in any coaching classes but referred to the study material that was available online on various reliable portals.
His strategy did not comprise making too many notes as that could have been a time taking procedure for him. He rather relied on reading things again and again to get a better understanding of them.
For prelims, he focused on reading newspapers more than reading any particular book. As for mains, he worked on his answer writing skills.
For prelims, he used a combination of common-sense, elimination, and intelligent guessing.
He consulted some free resources regularly — Live History India, Down to Earth, IndiaSpend, The Diplomat, PRS Legislative Research, and ORF publications.
Sarthak took many mock interviews to get a better understanding of how to present oneself and answer questions in front of the esteemed panelists.
He enrolled in a General Studies and essay test series 40 days before the Mains and ended up writing over 25 full-length exams. I received good feedback, some of which I incorporated.
He believes his approach to his optional subject Economics was different from those of others. He looked over undergraduate textbooks because he only had three months to study for the mains and a lot to cover. For his second Economics paper, he read academic literature on the economy and what is going on in various sectors.
Rank: 18
Mains
PI
Total
Radhika Gupta
838
179
1017
Background
She is a resident of Alirajpur, in Madhya Pradesh. Radhika completed her schooling in her hometown only and did B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from GSITS, Indore. After the completion of her graduation, she started working with Honda Motors for a year. Later, she decided to quit her job in order to prepare for UPSC. She wants to work for the upliftment of tribal and women’s education.
Path to success
In the year 2019, Radhika appeared in the Civil Service exam for the first time. She got selected for the IRPS services. This was her second attempt.
Advice to aspirants
She stated, “If we rigorously study for 8 to 10 hours each day, that preparation is as fruitful as spending 14-15 hours. I have an interest in sports, hence I shell out a fixed amount of time to play table tennis every day. It helped me keep my mind rejuvenated during the preparation and also killed the monotony.”
Strategy
Radhika used to study for 9-10 hours and follow a timetable. She made sure she had time for her hobbies. However, she kept herself away from social media sites.
Radhika followed general books including Laxmikant for Indian Polity, Spectrum for Indian History, NCERTs for all subjects, and some online platforms.
For other main subjects, she relied on self-study. She chose Anthropology as an optional subject.
Shashwat Tripurari from Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, secured an all-India rank of 19 in UPSC Civil Services Examination 2020. Shashwat is an alumnus of IIT Delhi and passed out from the institute in 2018. He immediately started his preparation.
Path to success
This was his second attempt at UPSC Examination. Previously, he had cracked UPSC Civil Services 2019 in his very first attempt with an all-India rank of 78.
Advice to aspirants
He insists every aspirant should read the news daily, instead of just relying on monthly magazines.
Strategy
When Shashwat initially started his preparation, he started with the previous year’s question papers. This gave him a clear idea of which angles of a topic he must pay more attention to.
He followed this up by looking through the syllabus thoroughly. This allowed him to only study topics that UPSC mentions in its syllabus, instead of getting lost in a vast array of information. Stick to standard books only and keep your sources as limited as possible.
Initially, Shashwat had joined a coaching institute, but he soon realized self-study was the way to go for him. Since his initial year’s rank was quite good, he realized his strategy was favorable and made tweaks to his original plan to improve on the few areas where his marks could improve.
The first step he took was to work harder on his Anthropology Optional, which helped him pull his rank up.
Shashwat puts a lot of emphasis on reading the daily newspaper as the UPSC Civil Services Examination has gradually become very dynamic, including in the Preliminary Stage.
Rank: 20
Mains
PI
Total
P Srija
831
184
1015
Background
P Srija is a resident of Hyderabad who originally hails from Warangal. She is a graduate of the Osmania Medical College. As a medical professional, she had selected medical sciences as her optional.
Path to success
She cleared the exam on her first attempt.
Advice to aspirants
Her advice to aspirants is “don’t be too hard on yourself. Be practical and have a plan B”.
Strategy
She began by deciding on short-term and long-term timelines for her preparation. She started with her optional preparation first as the weightage is very high.
Along with her optional, she completed ethics too as the rest of the subjects are common to prelims and mains.
She emphasized the importance of economics and polity for prelims and mains both. These subjects also help us understand current issues better.
After she completed the main subjects including history and geography, she prepared the other minor ones.
She started practicing mocks four months before prelims by writing 1 mock every three to four days. Not just this, analyzing the scores on these tests is also very important.
For mains, answering writing can be started once we complete half of the syllabus. She also wrote answers to mains questions once in three to four days and timed herself.
For current affairs, she combined newspapers with insights IAS daily current affairs and monthly current affairs magazine.
Rank: 21
Mains
PI
Total
Vaishali Jain
835 6
177
1012
Background
Vaishali Jain has pursued her B. Tech from Delhi Technological University. There she was a gold medalist. She did her post-graduation in M. Tech from IIT Delhi. She was again a gold medalist there. Her optional was mechanical engineering.
Path to success
After M. Tech, she started preparing for UPSC. In 2019 she gave her first attempt. Unfortunately, she was not able to clear even prelims back then. This was her second attempt.
Advice to aspirants
“Your environment affects your thought process. If you live in an inspiring and motivating environment you can think and work better”, she says.
Strategy
According to Vaishali Jain, time management is crucial for your preparation. She gave her preparation an engineering thinking, she writes down how many hours is the demand and what is the supply for it.
She gave around 11-12 hours daily for preparation. According to her, if she set a higher time limit she would easily study for at least 9 hours efficiently.
According to Vaishali Jain, she has solved different papers to understand the exam pattern and question type nicely.
She said that she divided her syllabus into smaller targets. Hence she was able to achieve those small goals that combined and gave her big success.
She also emphasized the importance of exercise and yoga.
Rank: 22
Mains
PI
Total
Nitesh Kumar Jain
805
206
1011
Background
Nitish Kumar Jain belongs to Bihar. He holds a B.COM degree from the University of Calcutta, West Bengal. He had opted for commerce and accountancy as an optional subject in CSE 2019.
Path to success
He started his preparation in 2019. This was his second attempt.
Advice to aspirants
The key to success in this examination is to have faith in yourself and maintaining a positive attitude.
Strategy
He emphasized the importance of current affairs and reading newspapers.
He kept his sources limited and revised them multiple times.
He formed his preparation strategy around the UPSC syllabus and referred to it again and again.
Answer writing plays a crucial role in the Mains exam so he emphasized practicing mocks.
It is very important to remain conscious of your physical and mental health. He recommends spending some time with family and friends to reduce stress and regular exercise for maintaining health.
Rank: 23
Mains
PI
Total
Sadaf Choudhary
804
206
1010
Background
Sadaf, a native of Joya, a small town in the district along the National Highway, graduated from LSA Amroha with an Intermediate diploma. With a 10 CGPA on the board high school examination CBSE year 2010, she was the district’s top student. In 2012, she received a 91 percent on the CBSE Board Intermediate Exam. Following that, she passed the JEE Mains exam. She was accepted into NIT Jalandhar. From here, she earned her bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering. In 2016, she started working for an American bank and remained in Delhi until 2018. In the year 2018, she left her job. She began her preparation for the IAS on her own, without any coaching.
Path to success
She cleared the UPSC exam on her second attempt.
Advice to aspirants
She advises the candidates to also pick the subject of their own interests, which will add them a benefit. She asks aspirants to Remove all negative thoughts from their minds and focus on the task at hand.
Strategy
Sadaf’s optional subject was Political Science. She was always interested in the subject and that was a game-changer for her.
Separate files or notebooks can be kept for different subjects. Many people prefer files because they make it easier to add notes to a topic. This is especially useful when adding current-events-related news to a specific topic.
She admits when taking an exam as difficult as the UPSC, revision formed a crucial strategy of her preparation.
Rank: 24
Mains
PI
Total
Krishan Kumar Singh
801
209
1010
Background
IPS Krishan Former Manager in Reserve Bank of India, RBI. He graduated in Computer engineering. He has studied at Netaji Subhash Institute of Technology. Krishan belongs to Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh.
Path to success
He cracked the UPSC CSE examination initially in 2018 with AIR 181 and then in 2020.
Advice to aspirants
He says, “If you have the potential and trust towards something, don’t quit even after failing, rather put more effort and prove your dedication and skills”.
Strategy
He chose Public administration & IR as his optional. The reasons being, “my comfort and compatibility with the subject, easy availability of material, and its scoring nature.”
Mr. Krishan said that the answer-writing is the most important section. The candidates must practice answer-writing for their Mains exam.
According to him, the 10 markers can be prepared at the end but the 15 and 20 markets require a lot of analysis and proper structure, so these should be prepared properly by giving adequate time.
He said that while writing the answers, one should write in paragraphs where each paragraph should represent a different cause, argument, or motive. It helps define the topic concisely and precisely.
You should include theoretical aspects in the applied papers i.e. section B of both the question papers. It balances your answer well.
Rank: 25
Mains
PI
Total
Vaibhav Rawat
814
195
1009
Background
Vaibhav Rawat is a native of Rajasthan and a graduate of the Institute of Technology – BHU (IT-BHU). He held the 7th rank in the All India Science Olympiad. He worked at Samsung R&D before attempting the UPSC Exams.
Path to success
This was his second attempt where he acquired the 25th rank.
Vaibhav Rawat opted for the Indian Foreign Services (IFS) as it was a passion to represent India on the world stage.
Advice to aspirants
Along with being well prepared for the exam, one must also focus on their own attitude. It is not enough to be well prepared with the subject knowledge at hand but also to be mentally prepared for the UPSC exams which will help immensely in the final interview.
Strategy
Understanding the requirements of the UPSC Syllabus is a key step. That way candidates can have an idea of what they can expect in the exams themselves.
In the UPSC Mains, mastering the art of answer writing is crucial as some of your characteristics will be assessed on the quality of the answers you will write.
It is highly recommended not to wait for the UPSC Prelims results in order to start preparing for the mains because the time gap between the two stages is not enough to practice answer writing. One must practice the same at the very beginning of the UPSC preparation.
One must remain motivated despite any setback that may come about, by giving their best no matter what. This way the candidates will be clear-headed and focused on their goals and that will help them immensely.
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Arunachal Pradesh:
Pakke Tiger reserve – The Pakke TR has a lowland semi-evergreen, evergreen forest and Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests. This park got an award for conservation of Hornbill nesting protection.
Mouling NP– Transition b/w tarai and alpine. The Mouling National Park and the Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary are located fully or partly within Dihang-Dibang Biosphere Reserve.
Namdapha NP: It is only park in which you find all types of vegetation from tropical evergreen to alpine.
2. Manipur:
Sirohi NP: Exotic Shirui lily-only in the world.
3. Meghalaya:
Nokrek NP: It forms the core area of Nokrek Biosphere Reserve and it is located in the West Garo Hills district of Meghalaya (Nokrek Highest Peak of Garo Hills).
National Citrus Gene Sanctuary-cum-Biosphere Reserve
Balpakhram NP- tigers: ” land of eternal wind’
4. Nagaland:
Intanki NP: Hornbill, hoolock gibbon (only ape in india)
5. West Bengal:
Neora valley NP: Near Darjeeling. Neora Valley NP offers a unique ecosystem where tropical, subtropical, sub-temperate, and temperate vegetation occurs.
Buxa NP/TR: In Tarai Region, recently a Tiger was spotted.
Padmaja Naidu NP: largest high altitude zoo in country (Darjeeling)- red panda conservation.
6. Madhya Pradesh:
Kanha National Park: Barasingha/Swamp deer imp, tiger, deciduous fores.
7. Odisha:
Nalabana WLS- Chilika lake: Nalabana disappears in rains and re-emerges post monsoon. Chilika is popular for Irrawaddy Dolphin.
Simlipal Biosphere Reserve: Similipal, which derives its name from the ‘Simul’ (silk cotton) tree, is a national park and a tiger reserve situated in the northern part of Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district. In news due to Forest fires.
Satkosia Tiger Reserve: The Satkosia Tiger Reserve spreads across four districts. According to NTCA, Satkosia falls under reserves where “there is a potential for increasing tiger populations”. In news due to Tiger relocation.
Civilsdaily Team is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. *Top 10 Important Points on How to Make Notes for UPSC in General || by Pravin Sir, Mentor of Senior IAS Toppers*Date & Time: *May 22, 2022 @04:00 PM (Start loggin in by 03:45 PM) India* Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82603823273?pwd=UWg4S0duNU1ZdlcvTlF4aWlFajExUT09 Meeting ID: 826 0382 3273
Passcode: 686422
Do You Know? what is making the webinar very special!1) Live Demo Notes 2) Most Authentic & Handy Source of Current Affairs.
Given the voluminous nature of the UPSC exam syllabus, it is almost impossible for a candidate preparing for UPSC to expect a complete revision of all textbooks and the entire syllabus right before the examination; however, revision is critical to scoring well and passing the examination. As a result, most aspirants rely on self-made notes for quick revision during exam days to overcome this challenge.
Making notes is an important part of UPSC preparation because it is part of active learning. One cannot expect to pass the UPSC examination unless he prepares his notes and regularly revises them. Take any UPSC topper from any year, and you will find that almost all of them used note-taking as part of their UPSC preparation strategy.
To assemble self-trust and confidence to yield the positive results sooner, join this free live webinar conducted by Civilsdaily’s Senior IAS toppers’ mentor to get certain value-added insights on ‘Effectively Note-Making’ spontaneously.
Webinar Details:
Grasp the opportunity to get exceptionaltips on ‘what is the best strategy for note-making from current affairs’, and ‘how to write fantastic or above-average answers by presenting with a clear structure stuffed with the most relevant current affairs. This entire webinar is free. All aspirants are wholeheartedly welcome to attend to enhance their current affairs notes.
Strategies & Approaches of note-making, in This Free Live Webinar by Pravin Sir!
Notes making is quite often confused with writing everything down on paper or digital devices. So, ‘How to make effective notes from current affairs’, ‘How our mentees make notes’, ‘How our mentorship program helps thousands of toppers’, will be the main point of this webinar, with live note-making examples.
Best, authentic, minimum source of current Affairs for UPSC-CSE prelims &Mains Preparation. Do’s & Dont’s, How to remake ‘Recognition of information’ into ‘recall, analyze & express’. Will also be discussed thoroughly.
Whether your answers ought to reflect the editorial standards of The Hindu! What should be the foolproof strategy of note-making from current affairs? What points ought to be included in your notes!
How toppers prioritize momentum mover content and content over structure. ‘How to fix your static answer writing structure, improved with the current affairs’-is going to display here.
How to create a basic conceptual framework of the current affairs answer before committing anything to paper. Implications of overstretching your imagination.
How to fetch maximum score in the ‘Essay’ paper linking current affairs examples to enhance your marks in total.
What is the difference between ‘Opinion-based current affairs’ & ‘Current issues with Fact-based’ questions will also be discussedthoroughly in this webinar?
How & where to link the answer, replete with current affairs charts/maps/diagrams, etc., will help to get extra 0.25-0.5 marks across 80 questions of GS papers.
If the question is in two parts,sticking to the word limit, how to address the demand of each part & understand current affairs demands. What is the way to enclose also any critical analysis you should have within the subheading?
How to enhance writing patterns, where to take mock regularly, how many mock tests are fit, and Why our on-demand ‘Samachar Manthan’ online program is getting enrolled as a hot cake Etc. will be discussed in this live webinar.
Many Other untold secrets of coverage of the current affairs syllabus for Prelims & mains with 1-1 mentorship program’, is that the syllabus can be covered 100%. The most brilliant of candidates will testify that even their coverage of the syllabus was not completely 100% without the proper guidance of CD’s senior IAS mentors when it’s time to deal with current affairs notes-making.
About Pravin Sir:
Pravin sir is a mentor with CivilsDaily for nearly 4+ years and is now Working as a Mentor Head in Civilsdaily Mains Guidance Program. He has done with 6 attempts of UPSC CSE with, written multiple mains and two UPSC interviews, PSIR as an optional, CAPF Interview 2017.
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