💥Mains Ready By December. Smash Mains & Smash PYQ Admissions Open

Category: Ranker Webinars

  • [REMINDER] Last 2 Days to go for Mission Ekalavya  – SCHOLARSHIP TEST for UPSC 2023 Foundation Course|| Register Now & Attend the Free Test || LINK INSIDE

    [REMINDER] Last 2 Days to go for Mission Ekalavya – SCHOLARSHIP TEST for UPSC 2023 Foundation Course|| Register Now & Attend the Free Test || LINK INSIDE

    https://youtu.be/iweLHEs55GY

    Ultimate Assessment Program and Foundation Program includes – 

    • Mentorship (1:1, throughout the preparation till Interview stage)
    • Masterclasses (complete GS syllabus covered, Only provided in Foundation course)
    • Samachar Manthan (Current affairs Programme)
    • Decimate Prelims (Prelims Crash course)
    • Mains Answer Writing Initiative (On a weekly basis)
    • Smash Mains (upon Qualifying prelims 2023)
    • Essay Guidance Program (To score above 120+ in Essay Mains Paper)
    • Interview Guidance Program (more than 1 mock interview will be conducted with a panel)
    • Civilsdaily IAS Community for Peer to Peer Interaction
    Get all the Civilsdaily courses under Smash Foundation Course for 60% off after you attend our scholarship test and score above the cut-off marks!

    Are you a beginner who has no idea about UPSC, but want to check if you have the aptitude for the same? Do you want to assess your performance and interest in UPSC before targetting 2023 preparation?

    Then, we have got the perfect opporunity for you. Presenting, Civilsdaily’s UPSC CS 2023, Free-To-Register National Scholarship on 13th & 20th March 2022 . 

    Last year’s scholarship test by Civilsdaily has seen a phenomenal response and pan India interest for the test. Many toppers have emerged out of the test to be subsequently mentored in the Civilsdaily Foundation Program. So aspirants, ensure you don’t miss out on the benefits of the test.

    Check Unherd, Topper’s Talk Series for Our Foundation Course Toppers

    https://youtu.be/DSwO38weHAA

    How is the Civilsdaily Flagship Foundational Course A One Stop Solution for UPSC Coaching?

    An average aspirant, pays for Prelims Course, Mains Program, Interview Guidance, Test Series & Study Materials all separately. The fees then comes up to 2-3 Lakhs for one attempt alone.

    Identifying this issue, Civilsdaily has designed the Flagship Foundation Course for 2023 aspirants. This course covers the entire 3-stage journey of a UPSC aspirant. From Prelims to Interview -1:1 Mentorship, Weekly Test Series, Classes & Study Materials will be provided.

    Another benefit of the program is that it’s an umbrella course wherein an aspirant can access other paid courses of Civilsdaily for FREE.

    The main objective of the program is to identify and nurture serious aspirants to become future UPSC toppers. And that’s why we have designed a scholarship test.

    Our foundation course will be intensive yet personalised. You will be getting individual coaching on how to conquer the basics, develop analytical skills, inculcate conceptual clarity and acquire the necessary knowledge to face the unpredictable and dynamic UPSC.

    Apart from conducting subject-wise classes that covers all the Prelims-Mains syllabus from scratch, aspirants will follow a customised timetable and will complete their revision on a daily basis to attempt our weekly prelims and mains tests. Once the test is over, they will get a strategy call from a mentor, who will clear their doubts and tell them how to improve their performance from next test onwards.

    Simply put, like Ekalavya you will be getting a unique coaching experience that eludes other UPSC aspirants. Even aspects like Essay, Ethics and CSAT which is ignored in other normal coaching programs, will be covered over here with tests, mentorship, classes and notes.

    If you take the upcoming free UPSC national scholarship test and come out with flying colours, you will get about 60% scholarship on the Civilsdaily Flagship Foundation Course.

    Details of the Civilsdaily Free National Scholarship Test

    Date – 13th March & 20th March, 2022.

    Please Click on Submit after finishing the Test.

    • Mode: Online
    • Registration Fee – Free
    • Language: English
    • Time: 2 Hrs
    • Syllabus: GS Paper 1 (Preliminary exam)
    • No. of Questions: 100
    • Date: 13th March & 20th March
    • Time: 10 AM
    • Result: 27/03/2022

    Why should you take the CD’s Scholarship Test? 

    1. Test your preparation on UPSC-CSE grade questions, at national level.

    2. Chance to compete against the best. See where you stand.

    3. Identify your subjectwise strengths, weak points, and problem areas before you start preparation.

    4. Mentors will provide personalised counselling based on your performance in the scholarship test. 

    5. A detailed discussion will help you navigate through the challenges during the preparation.

    6. Achieve up to 60% scholarship in our exclusive umbrella foundation course.

    As the program is rigorous and involves individual attention, we can take only limited enrollments. Hence, we are conducting a Scholarship Exam to identify serious UPSC aspirants on 13th and 20th of March. Depending on your relative score, you can get up to a 60% scholarship.

    We are looking for

    1. Serious and hardworking aspirants.

    2. Ready to dedicate a minimum of 5-8 hours daily.

    3. Can complete assigned targets and tests without fail.

    4. Only 1 thought in mind and that is – to clear UPSC Civil Services 2023.

    5. Willing to take constructive feedback from mentors after each test.

    Trusted by Rank 1 & 2:

  • A Successful UPSC 2023 Depends on your Preparation Today|| Everyday you Waste is an Opportunity Lost || Fill Samanvaya Free 1-on-1 Mentorship Form to Stay Focused, Consistent & Ahead of Your Competition in UPSC Preparation

    A sneak peek into our 1-1 mentoring session for Prelims

    Civilsdaily helped 100+ aspirants get ranks in UPSC 2020. We helped 30 students secure ranks in the Top 100. After speaking with them personally on our UNHERD platform, we understood that there was one thing that was common between all the rankers!

    All the rankers committed themselves and NEVER postponed their preparation. They did not waste a single day but started preparing immediately. We also asked them WHY did they start immediately and did not wait?

    This is what the rankers told us

    You will fall into a vicious cycle – Our toppers said that if aspirants do not start preparing immediately, they often fall into a vicious cycle of doubt and confusion. They wait for the right moment to start preparing but keep delaying it for numerous reasons like work, college, not-ready, etc. The more time they waste, the more confused they get, and the syllabus starts piling up. The toppers told us that the best thing they did was to start immediately and it helped them succeed!

    Lack of self-analysis can cost you 3-4 years – The toppers revealed that self-analysis is one of the most important things for an aspirant. You need to know the syllabus, the previous year questions for every topic, your strengths, your weaknesses, your learning speed, the best time to study, how to plan the study, etc. Most aspirants who fail the exam do not do self-analysis and just keep reading. This does not help as it wastes a lot of their time. In fact, if you are not sure about your strengths and weaknesses, it could easily cost you 3-4 years in preparation. The toppers also told us that they asked mentors for assessments when they felt confused. Self-analysis helped them focus on their weaknesses and improve them. And finally, they were able to crack the exam.

    UPSC is the biggest killer of self-belief – Our toppers told us that the UPSC exam is so tough and vast that it often kills an aspirant’s self-confidence. It becomes extremely difficult for them to remain consistent and motivated for the entire year. The rankers revealed that when they faced inconsistency and lacked self-confidence, they often spoke with their mentors who guided them. They found help in the mentors who understood their concerns and kept them motivated, especially when they felt down and depressed. This helped the rankers become consistent and prepare with the same energy every day!

    Self-study with no guidance doesn’t help – The rankers of 2020 told us that preparing for UPSC is like walking on a desert. You will be lost without a guide. They said that even when they were self-studying, they kept asking for guidance from mentors. What to study, what not to study, how to improve their answers, which areas to focus on, etc. The toppers stayed constantly in touch with mentors who helped them at every step. They did the hard work themselves but it would have been a waste if the hard work was not in the right direction.

    Always overachieve your daily target by 25% – The toppers said that they had a study plan with targets for every day! But that was not all. They always tried to overachieve the targets by at least 25%. Every time they overachieved, it gave them the confidence to do the same every day. And by the end of their preparation, they had a clear advantage over other aspirants because they studied 25% more than everyone, every single day!

    The toppers of 2020 told us that their handwork, right guidance, and smart planning at an early stage helped them succeed. They said that they did not want to postpone their preparation even by a single day as it would cost them ranks. And they were right! They started preparing immediately and are now rank-holders in UPSC!

    While UPSC 2023 may seem like a year away from now, looking at the syllabus one can say it’s just about the right time away. As Prelims 2022 approaches in June, more and more aspirants will realising how close they are to 2023 and begin preparing immediately. But it may just be too late by then!

    If you are reading this today, you are in luck. You have the opportunity to realise the urgency immediately. March has just begun and you can have an advantage of at least siix months over other aspirants if you start preparing today. And even with a year in your hand, it would take a high level of extremely focused study to crack the exam in June 2023. 

    The fact is this: You CANNOT waste a single day in experimenting, hunting for resources, trying to collect reading material, etc. Every day from today is more valuable than anything you can imagine, and this is the time to focus with every bit of concentration you have.

    Given the time constraint and the urgency of the situation, you need to be practical. Speak with our mentors and get your preparation organised. Our mentors can help you streamline your preparation within 24 hours and will help you save precious time. Right now, nothing is more valuable than your time and if you wish to use it effectively, all it would take is a call with our mentors.

    The urgency is real, you can calculate yourself. And every moment you waste is an opportunity wasted. All you need to do is fill this form and our senior mentors will get in touch with you, with a solution designed especially for you! Speak with us, now as it’s a free 1-on-1 mentorship session with 40 minutes dedicated only for you.

    Get Motivated to Maintain Overall Consistency for UPSC

    It’s understandable we are humans and not programmable robots who can maintain the same level of interest everyday. However, maintaining an overall consistency throughout our preparation is neccessary to clear this competitive and vast exam.

    Our philosophy behind MENTORSHIP is to get you out of this Snooze cycle. This ensures that you are the BEST VERSION of yourself in this journey. If you are under the impression that mentorship is weekly calls you attend, then you are mistaken, my friend. Trust us, your mentor will be your ‘FRIEND, PHILOSOPHER AND GUIDE’.

    TO EACH THEIR OWN – Every aspirant is different. Their strengths and weaknesses are different. Their time availability is also different. Identifying this is important so you don’t end up making unrealistic targets and lose momentum. Your mentor will make sure you start slow but remain consistent to build your confidence. Making your schedule structured based on our experience of working with 2500+ students is our first priority. 

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is WhatsApp-Image-2021-05-05-at-10.14.09-AM.jpeg

    TRACK YOUR PROGRESS – When you see yourself grow, it becomes easier to motivate yourself to push boundaries. Tracking your progress can happen in many ways like mentorship calls or chat sessions or by regular tests. The idea is to ensure that you don’t go off track in your preparation, and even if you do, we have your back.

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is WhatsApp-Image-2021-05-05-at-10.14.09-AM-4-576x1024.jpeg

    EVOLUTION – A constant guidance is important to bring consistency to your UPSC preparation. Guidance is not about clearing your doubts or asking you to study when you don’t. It is also about the evolution of your preparation. This is where you and your mentor work as a team. A constant effort to PLAN AND BUILD UP YOUR ABILITY to learn in a faster and more efficient way.

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is WhatsApp-Image-2021-05-05-at-10.14.09-AM-6.jpeg

    TALK IT OUT – The biggest hurdle in achieving your highest level of consistency is the emotional part. Every now and then, you. surround yourself with negative thoughts, you feel scared and depressed. Instead of resolving these emotional issues, you avoid them as it seems like a waste of your precious time. You have to understand that ignoring emotional troubles does not solve them. What your doing is building an emotional time bomb that may burst a week before your mains or prelims! This is where your MENTOR AS A FRIEND comes in. All our mentors have been through this journey. We understand your fears and anxieties. So, TALK IT OUT.

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is WhatsApp-Image-2021-05-05-at-10.14.09-AM-3.jpeg

    Don’t let inconsistency keep you away from your dreams.

    Fill up the SAMANVAYA form given below. Let us know your problems and we will find a solution to it, just like our students say ” TOGETHER WE CAN AND WE WILL”. BOOK YOUR SLOT FOR YOUR FREE 1-0N-1 COUNSELLING SESSION IN THE NEXT 24 HOURS

    How has Civilsdaily Mentorship, helped Aspirants become Toppers?

    The most difficult challenge faced by EVERY candidate is inconsistency. Be it inconsistency in studies, answer-writing practice, covering the syllabus, or revision, every candidate finds it difficult to cope with. But how do successful candidates manage to FIGHT Inconsistency so consistently?

    In UPSC 2020, Civilsdaily helped 80+ students secure ranks in their exams. In the top 100, every 3rd ranker was a Civilsdaily student.

     A very recent success story would be Vishwa Shah, student of Civilsdaily Mentor, Sukanya Ma’am. Vishwa has cleared the GPSC exam to become the Deputy Superintendent of Police in Gujarat. He has penned a thank-you note yesterday. Heartiest Congratulations to Vishwa!

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is WhatsApp-Image-2021-12-27-at-18.49.53-727x1024.jpeg

    One of our other Civilsdaily Student, Shubham Nagargoje cleared the exams in 2020 to become an IPS Officer. Shubham was gracious enough to let us know how he felt about Civilsdaily Samanvaya Guidance under Parth sir.

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-1.png
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is WhatsApp-Image-2022-01-11-at-19.37.54-461x1024.jpeg

    To know how all of them cleared the exam with our mentorship, visit the Unherd Podcast.

    Now that results are announced for UPSC 2021 Prelims, out of 15 out of 25 students of Santhosh Gupta sir have been recommended to Mains. One such student, Rahul expresses his gratitude and extends his appreciation.

    Most of our Mentors like Sudhanshu sir, Sajal sir, Santhosh sir, Pravin sir, Parth Verma sir and Sukanya Ma’am were UPSC aspirants themselves and have attended UPSC Mains more than five times and UPSC Interview more than twice. Hence their mentorship is always a blend of the best test series, comprehensive notes and current affairs knowledge.

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 29d33a91-62aa-45e9-a906-327fbaad5180-1024x814.jpg
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 50f70a4d-c239-44a5-b49b-9b93617a378f-461x1024.jpg

    All of them dedicate their time weekly to give 1-on-1 mentorship to every student where they discuss last week’s performance and next week’s approach.

    Be it Telegram, Whatsapp or Habitiat channels, they are always available and clear student’s doubts in a turnaround time of 24 Hours.

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-9-6.jpg
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is WhatsApp-Image-2021-12-18-at-13.22.45-576x1024.jpeg
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is WhatsApp-Image-2021-12-18-at-13.22.45-1-576x1024.jpeg
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is WhatsApp-Image-2021-12-18-at-13.22.46-576x1024.jpeg
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is WhatsApp-Image-2021-12-18-at-13.22.46-1-576x1024.jpeg
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is WhatsApp-Image-2021-12-18-at-13.22.46-2-576x1024.jpeg
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is WhatsApp-Image-2021-12-18-at-13.22.47-576x1024.jpeg
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-9-5.jpg
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-8.png

    Why Civilsdaily Mentors are the GPS for Your UPSC-CSE Preparation

    Remember there is always light at the end of the tunnel and if you want to get out of the tunnel you have to follow the direction of the light! Our mentors’ give you direction which is divided into daily modules. All you have to do is study and complete them on time.

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is WhatsApp-Image-2021-11-29-at-21.47.49-1024x527.jpeg
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is IMG-20211030-WA0003-461x1024.jpg
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is IMG-20211029-WA0002-1-461x1024.jpg
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is IMG-20211029-WA0001-1-461x1024.jpg
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is IMG-20211029-WA0019-461x1024.jpg
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is IMG-20211029-WA0018-461x1024.jpg
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is WhatsApp-Image-2021-05-19-at-6.12.52-PM-576x1024.jpeg
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is WhatsApp-Image-2021-05-05-at-10.14.09-AM-3.jpeg
    See the source image
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is WhatsApp-Image-2021-05-19-at-6.12.52-PM-1.jpeg

    As every year passes by, we don’t get confident by the previous years’ performance and become laidback. Instead, we become more hungry to convert all our students into toppers.REGISTER HERE TO SCHEDULE YOUR FIRST FREE SAMANVAYA COUNSELLING SESSION IN NEXT 24 HOURS

    How are Current Civilsdaily Students Gearing up for UPSC-CSE 2022?

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 5_6161088602806683010.jpg

    Initially, our Civilsdaily student Smriti wasn’t confident about Prelims when she began her preparation. Though she had joined Civilsdaily in 2020, she started studying for UPSC-CSE back in 2019. At that time, Smriti had enrolled in multiple institutes. Though, most of these institutes had promised a personal mentor, she was unable to get in touch with them on a daily basis. Also those mentors never scheduled test-series on a weekly basis. Hence, despite preparing for a year, Smriti had scored only 35 marks out of 200 in her first test series by Civilsdaily.

    She then started writing 20-25 test series over the course of UAP 2021 and in her last test, her scores have drastically improved. She now scores in the range of 130-135 marks in prelims’ and 110+ in mains’ papers.

    In Smriti’s own words she describes her Samanvaya Mentorship Experience to be —

    “Our parents provide us financial and emotional support, friends provide us moral support and the right mentor gives you logistic and logical support for UPSC. There are days when I felt I won’t be able to compete against lakhs of aspirants. That’s when my mentor, Ravi sir reminded me of my improvement and encouraged me that I can crack it with the same consistency. We need someone, who tells us we are performing well especially when we cannot see that ourselves. The mentorship at Civilsdaily helped me become mentally stronger as a person. In other institutes, mentors are allotted only for doubt resolution. But at Civilsdaily, I am getting end-to-end mentorship via value added notes, classes, test series and detailed evaluation.”

    Similarly our another Civilsdaily student, Ashish sums up his Samanvaya experience with Civilsdaily mentor, Pravin Sir, “Because of Pravin sir’s support, I am able to understand a topic in lesser time.”

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is ashish-anand-testimonial-1-461x1024.jpg
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 69f7a70f-c53d-44b4-8e59-f297401650b5-1-461x1024.jpg
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is ashish.jpg

    This is how Pravin sir evaluates Ashish’s Mains Test Series every week. After every test series evaluation, Pravin sir schedules a 1 hour call to discuss how Ashish can improve his marks and the sources he can refer for key topics.

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is test-461x1024.jpg

    It’s Your Turn Get the Free 40 Min Counselling Session By a CD Mentor

    Civilsdaily mentors are so dedicated, consistent and focused for your UPSC goal, that you will eventually become focused into turning your dreams to reality.

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is a2d57403-4c49-462b-8459-b15e690ea928-1-461x1024.jpg

    At the core of Civilsdaily UPSC mentorship, lies the fact that each one of you will have a unique journey while preparing for the exam. Some will get through on the first attempt without much effort while others will take both more time and more effort.

    We want to understand you better to help you optimize your journey so you can focus on the right things and not waste time on the wrong ones. We are asking you to tap into the valuable experiences of mentors who underwent the same grind and realize the pitfalls and understand the shortcuts to make it.

    In the first counselling session, we will understand your weaknesses. We then help you to stick to one plan or strategy throughout your preparation. We will then follow up with you on a daily basis to check if you are right on track. TALK TO OUR MENTORS & CLARIFY YOUR DOUBTS NOW

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is photo1627364370-1024x1024.jpeg
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is AAJ-.jpeg
  • Join Nikaalo Prelims, the Free Study Initiative on Telegram || Here’s How Students Have Benefitted From Nikaalo Prelims So Far|| Get Prelims Spotlight Notes, Follow Daily Timetable, Solve Subject-Wise MCQs & Clarify your Doubts with Mentors|| LINK INSIDE

    Dear 2022 UPSC Aspirants,

    Phase A of Nikaalo Prelims just concluded, and we are happy that it has had a positive impact on many students. Those who joined our free telegram channel experienced a community of like-minded UPSC aspirants who were mentored by Varsha Ma’am. Varsha Ma’am was able to get regularity lacking in their preparation with her morning and evening sessions.

    As a result of which, students felt their scores improving, found a renewed interest to follow the timetable and study, took inspiration from their peers on the group and also got access to sources that simplified concepts for them.

    Join Nikaalo Prelims and get prelims spotlight notes, follow daily timetable, solve subject-wise mcqs & clarify your doubts with mentors.

    Toppers who have cleared UPSC, have always said that even if they at the outset prepared casually, they streamlined their timetable in the last two months. You need a different approach than what you have been following all these days — an approach that pushes your limits for a very uncertain exam with increasing competition and decreasing vacancies.

    What is Nikaalo Prelims

    Nikaalo Prelims is a free initiative of Civilsdaily IAS to help aspirants to streamline their preparation during the peak months of prelims preparation. Our mentors work day and night to ensure that our aspirants get the best out of it.

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-9-5.jpg
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-9-4.jpg
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-9-2.jpg

    What is covered in Nikaalo Prelims?

    1. Detailed daily time table

    2. Daily sessions on specific topics

    3. Daily mcqs

    4. Notes 

    5. All India open test

    What is new in Nikaalo Prelims 4.0?

    1. This time the program is divided into 3 parts.

    2. Part-A: It will continue till February 28, 2022. Under part A, we will cover the Syllabus along with conceptual understanding and better subject wise clarity. There will be daily MCQ based sessions along with Doubt Clearing Sessions.

    3. Part-B: It will start from March 1, 2022. Part B includes- daily sessions, daily Prelims Intensive spotlights notes, daily MCQs based quiz, All India test, Doubt Sessions.

    4. CSAT: There will be one session dedicated to CSAT.

    How to Join Civilsdaily Telegram Channel?

    Join via the below link or scan the QR Code: https://t.me/+Ue3sJymgwXDQq1fj

  • Prelims Spotlight: Panchayati Raj- Local governance

    Dear Aspirants,

    This Spotlight is a part of our Mission Nikaalo Prelims-2022.

    You can check the broad timetable of Nikaalo Prelims here

    Session Details

    Morning 12 PM  – Prelims Spotlight Session

    Evening 06:30  PM  – TIKDAM/MCQs Session

    Evening 08 PM  – Tests on Alternate Days

    Join our Official telegram channel for Study material and Daily Sessions Here


    17th Mar 2022

    Local self-government: various committees

    Urban Local Government: Composition and  Functions

    74th Constitutional Amendment

    This act added a new part IX-A to the Constitution entitled as ‘The Municipalities’ and a new Twelfth Schedule containing 18 functional items for municipalities. The main provisions of this Act can be grouped under two categories–compulsory and voluntary. Some of the compulsory provisions which are binding on all States are:

    1. Constitution of Nagar panchayats, municipal councils and municipal corporations in transitional areas (areas in transition from a rural area to urban area), smaller urban areas and larger urban areas respectively;
    2. Reservation of seats in urban local bodies for Scheduled Castes / Scheduled Tribes roughly in proportion to their population;
    3. Reservation of seats for women up to one-third seats;
    4. The State Election Commission, constituted in order to conduct elections in the panchayati raj bodies (see 73rd Amendment) will also conduct elections to the urban local self- governing bodies;
    5. The State Finance Commission, constituted to deal with financial affairs of the Panchayati Raj bodies will also look into the financial affairs of the local urban self governing bodies;
    6. Tenure of urban local self-governing bodies is fixed at five years and in case of earlier dissolution fresh elections are to be held within six months;

    Some of the voluntary provisions which are not binding, but are expected to be observed by the States are:

    1. Giving representation to members of the Union and State Legislatures in these bodies;
    2. Providing reservation for backward classes;
    3. Giving financial powers in relation to taxes, duties, tolls and fees etc;
    4. Making the municipal bodies autonomous and devolution of powers to these bodies to perform some or all of the functions enumerated in the Twelfth Schedule added to the Constitution through this Act and/or to prepare plans for economic development.

    In accordance with the 74th Amendment, municipal corporations and municipalities (municipal boards or municipal committees) are now regulated in a fairly uniform manner in all the States. However, one must remember that local self-government continues to be a subject in the State List.

    Thus, the 73rd and 74th amendments provide a framework for the States in respect of local government. Thus, each State has its own Election Commission which conducts elections to all local bodies after regular intervals of five years.

    Each State has its Finance Commission to regulate finances of the local bodies. Seats are reserved in the corporations and municipalities for Scheduled Castes and Tribes. One-third seats are reserved for women in all local bodies – urban and rural.

    Composition

    The Municipal bodies are constituted of persons chosen by direct election from the territorial constituencies (known as wards) in the municipal area.

    However, the Legislature of a State may, by law, provide for the representation in a municipal body of persons having special knowledge or experience of municipal administration, the members of Rajya Sabha, Lok Sabha and the members of Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly of the State, representing constituencies, which comprise wholly or partly the Municipal Area.The state legislature may also provide the manner of the election of the Chairpersons of a municipality.

    The state legislature may also provide the manner of the election of the Chairpersons of a municipality.

    Empowerment of weaker sections of society and women by reserving seats for such groups is one of the important constitutional provisions of the Constitutional Amendment.

    The offices of chairperson are also reserved for SC/ST and women. Thus, at least one year, out of five year duration of Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the office of Mayor is reserved for a woman, and for one year is reserved for a Councillor of Scheduled Caste. It gives a term of five years to the municipalities and if any of them is to be dissolved, it must be given an opportunity of being heard.

    Functions of Urban Local Bodies

    It is a common practice to divide the organisation of a corporation or a municipality into two parts:

    (a) deliberative and (b) executive part

    The corporation, council or municipal board or council consisting of the elected representatives of the people constitutes the deliberative part. It acts like a legislature.

    It discusses and debates on general municipal policies and performance, passes the budget of the urban local body, frames broad policies relating to taxation, resources raising, pricing of services and other aspects of municipal administration.

    It keeps an eye on municipal administration and holds the executive accountable for what is done or not done. For instance, if water supply is not being properly managed, or there is an outbreak of an epidemic, the deliberative wing criticises the role of the administration and suggests measures for improvement.

    The executive part of municipal administration is looked after by the municipal officers and other permanent employees. In the corporations, the Municipal Commissioner is the executive head, and all other departmental officers like engineers, finance officers, health officers etc. function under his/her control and supervision.

    In a large corporation, such as Delhi or Mumbai Municipal Corporation, the Commissioner is usually a senior IAS officer. In municipalities, the executive officer holds a similar position and looks after the overall administration of a municipality.

    Municipal functions are generally classified into obligatory and discretionary types.

    The obligatory (compulsory) functions are those that the municipal body must perform. In this category fall such functions as water supply; construction and maintenance of roads, streets, bridges, subways and other public works, street lighting; drainage and sewerage; garbage collection and disposal; prevention and control of epidemics.

    Some other obligatory functions are public vaccination and inoculation; maintenance of hospitals and dispensaries including maternity and child welfare centres; checking food adulteration; removal of slums; supply of electricity; maintenance of cremation and burial grounds; and town planning. In some States some of these functions may be taken over by State Government.

    The discretionary functions are those that a municipal body may take up if funds permit. These are given less priority. Some of the discretionary functions are construction and maintenance of rescue homes and orphanages, housing for low income groups, organising public receptions, provision of treatment facilities, etc.

    Type of urban governments

    There are eight types of urban governments in India.

    1. Municipal Corporation: Municipal corporations are created for the administration of big cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and others. A Municipal Corporation has three authorities namely, the council (legislative wing of the corporation), the standing committee (to facilitate the working of the council) and the commissioner (chief executive authority of the corporation).The council consist of councillors directly elected by people and is headed by a Mayor while the Commissioner is appointed by state government and is generally an IAS officer.
    2. Municipality: The municipalities are established for the administration of towns and smaller cities. They are known by various other names like municipal council, municipal committee, municipal board, borough municipality, city municipality and others. In composition they are quite similar to municipal corporations except that head of council is called President /chairman and in place of commissioner they have a chief executive officer/chief municipal officer.
    3. Notified Area Committee: A notified area committee is created for the administration of two types of areas- a fast developing town due to industrialisation, and a town which does not yet fulfill all the conditions necessary for the constitution of a municipality, but which otherwise is considered important by the state government. It is called so because it is created by a notification and unlike the municipality it is an entirely nominated body, i.e. all members, including the Chairman, are nominated by the state government. Thus, it is neither a statutory body (created by law) nor an elected body.
    4. Town Area Committee: It is set up by a separate act of state legislature for the administration of a small town. It is a semi-municipal authority entrusted with limited number of civic functions. It may be wholly elected or wholly nominated or partly elected and partly nominated as provided by state government.
    5. Cantonment Board: It is established for municipal administration for civilian population in the cantonment areas (area where military forces and troops are permanently stationed). It is set up under the provisions of the Cantonment Act, 2006 by central government and works under Defence ministry of central government. It is partly elected and partly nominated body having the Military officer commanding the station as its ex-officio President. Vice president is elected amongst by the elected members of board. The executive officer of the cantonment board is appointed by the President of India.,
    6. Township: It is established by large public enterprises to provide civic amenities to its staff and workers, who live in the housing colonies built near the plant. It is not an elected body and all members, including the town administrator, is appointed by the enterprise itself.
    7. Port Trust: The port trusts are established in the port areas like Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and so on for two purposes: (a) to manage and protect the ports; (b) to provide civic amenities. It is created by an Act of Parliament and it consists of both elected and nominated members.
    8. Special Purpose Agency: The states have set up certain agencies to undertake designated activities or specific functions that legitimately belong to the domain of municipal corporations, municipalities or other local urban governments. In other words, these are function based, not area based. They are known as ‘single purpose’, ‘uni-purpose’ or ‘special purpose’ or ‘functional local bodies’ like town improvement trust, housing boards, pollution control boars etc. They are established as statutory bodies by an act of state legislature or as departments by an executive resolution. They function as an autonomous body and are not subordinate agencies to local municipal bodies.

  • [Sansad TV] Perspective: Surgical Strikes

    UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

    Context

    • February 26th marked the third anniversary of the Balakot airstrike which was conducted by Indian Air Force targeting the terrorist camps operating in Balakot town of Pakistan.
    • It was done in response to a suicidal attack on convoy of vehicles carrying CRPF personnel plotted by Jaish-e-Mohammed in Pulwama district of Jammu.
    • This surgical strike marked a major shift in India’s response to Pakistani sponsored cross border terror activities.

    In this article, we will discuss and analyse all aspects of Balakot Air Strike (Surgical Strike), its impact and the way forward against the threat of terror.

    What is a Surgical Strike?

    • Surgical Strike is a military attack that is carried out to damage military targets, minimal collateral damage to the surrounding and the general public infrastructure.
    • The aim is to eliminate the target without causing collateral damage to nearby areas and civilians.
    • Surgical strikes require not just detailed and exhaustive planning but need to be carried out with absolute precision to achieve the objective of taking down targets with either no or minimal collateral damage.

    Try this question from CS Mains:

    Q.The terms ‘Hot Pursuit’ and ‘Surgical Strikes’ are often used in connection with armed action against terrorist attacks. Discuss the strategic impact of such actions. (UPSC CSE 2016)

    Reasons for conducting such strikes

    • Public outrage: Indian policymakers and military planners knew that only a military response would calm the enraged minds of their fellow citizens.
    • Political backing: Unlike the present instance, however, India’s special operations in Pakistan were kept secret and never revealed to the public.

    Significance of the strike

    • Offensive retaliation: The public announcement of the strike marked a change in India’s policy towards such attacks.
    • Demonstration of capability: It had become clear that India would at some stage be forced to act. And India acts in full capacity.
    • Perception change: The acknowledgment came amid scepticism and disputing accounts of the attack.
    • Paradigm shift in defence policy: Therefore this marked a paradigm shift in India’s response to terror attacks adding a new essence to the defence policy of India. 
    • Risk-taking: The decision to exploit the space below the ceiling of a full blown war to launch a sub-conventional operation seems to have been a well calculated risk.

    Beneficial outcome

    • Reduction in infiltration: It led to a considerable reduction in infiltrations from across the border bringing down the cases of terror attacks. 
    • Support for independent actions:  In earlier instances, we would hold ourselves back owing to the ramifications any such act would have internationally. Many countries endorsed India’s move.
    • Demoralised terrorist organisations: The pro-activeness in taking down infiltrators on their home-ground had a huge impact on demoralising the forces planning India’s destruction.
    • High morale of public and the economy: The strikes proved to be an important element for maintaining the morale of the people of India and the armed forces.
    • Demise of terror outfits: Dreaded terror groups like the Islamic State and al Qaeda have failed in their persistent attempts to target India and the country’s interests. (Though they now have emerged as TRF-the resistance front.)
    • Change of narrative: Pakistan’s ‘high effect low cost war’ becomes a ‘low effect high cost war’ and that is exactly what the surgical strikes have achieved.

    Various steps undertaken

    A number of steps have been taken to structurally enhance India’s defence capabilities and preparedness:

    • Defence Procurement Policy: It brought out in 2020 provides for a vision to turn India from an arms importer to an exporter.
    • Make in India and Atmanirbharta: A huge emphasis has been laid on new initiatives such as Make in India which call for greater indigenisation and relaxed FDI norms in the defence sector to encourage investment in defence production.
    • Defence collaborations: The government has also entered into a number of agreements with different countries for the modernisation of defence equipment and weapons.  
    • iDEX programme: The government is also tapping the start-up ecosystem through its flagship Innovations in Defence Excellence (iDEX) programme.

    Issues with such strikes

    • Populist measures: Cross-border strikes by a state must not be seen as mocking the authority and political resolve of another government.
    • No alternative to diplomacy: Such an approach leaves neither side with any room for diplomatic manoeuvre, working severely to the detriment of a political solution.
    • Army going populist: What surprised many this time was the very public nature of the announcement about the counter strike and claims of heavy casualties inflicted.
    • Overt Politicization: There has been too much politicking, with the army needlessly dragged into this controversy.  
    • Burden of proof: Even after years, many political factions are seeking more objective proofs from the government and army of the actual operations.

    Way forward

    • There is a necessity to strengthen India’s strategic intent in order to convey to the adversaries that India is militarily capable of averting the terror threats to which the actions like Balakot airstrike stands significant.
    • This approach shall continue with consistency. 
    • It has been suggested by an expert that the revision of plans and policies pertaining to national security, should be based on the situation involving a thorough assessment. 
    • The strategy of preparedness towards escalation as an immediate response to any terror attack needs to continue. 
    • Beyond the employment of the defence forces, India can also extend its diplomatic influence as a preventive measure to spread the fear of economic sanctions for its major adversary Pakistan. 
  • Register for Free Scholarship Test & Stand a Chance to Get flat 60% off on our UPSC 2023  Smash Foundation Course || Mission Eklavya 2023 Now Live – India’s Best Scholarship program for UPSC Civil Services||  Test on March 13th & 20th, 2022

    Register for Free Scholarship Test & Stand a Chance to Get flat 60% off on our UPSC 2023 Smash Foundation Course || Mission Eklavya 2023 Now Live – India’s Best Scholarship program for UPSC Civil Services|| Test on March 13th & 20th, 2022

    https://youtu.be/iweLHEs55GY

    Ultimate Assessment Program and Foundation Program includes – 

    • Mentorship (1:1, throughout the preparation till Interview stage)
    • Masterclasses (complete GS syllabus covered, Only provided in Foundation course)
    • Samachar Manthan (Current affairs Programme)
    • Decimate Prelims (Prelims Crash course)
    • Mains Answer Writing Initiative (On a weekly basis)
    • Smash Mains (upon Qualifying prelims 2023)
    • Essay Guidance Program (To score above 120+ in Essay Mains Paper)
    • Interview Guidance Program (more than 1 mock interview will be conducted with a panel)
    • Civilsdaily IAS Community for Peer to Peer Interaction
    Get all the Civilsdaily courses under Smash Foundation Course for 60% off after you attend our scholarship test and score above the cut-off marks!

    Are you a beginner who has no idea about UPSC, but want to check if you have the aptitude for the same? Do you want to assess your performance and interest in UPSC before targetting 2023 preparation?

    Then, we have got the perfect opporunity for you. Presenting, Civilsdaily’s UPSC CS 2023, Free-To-Register National Scholarship on 13th & 20th March 2022 . 

    Last year’s scholarship test by Civilsdaily has seen a phenomenal response and pan India interest for the test. Many toppers have emerged out of the test to be subsequently mentored in the Civilsdaily Foundation Program. So aspirants, ensure you don’t miss out on the benefits of the test.

    Check Unherd, Topper’s Talk Series for Our Foundation Course Toppers

    https://youtu.be/DSwO38weHAA

    How is the Civilsdaily Flagship Foundational Course A One Stop Solution for UPSC Coaching?

    An average aspirant, pays for Prelims Course, Mains Program, Interview Guidance, Test Series & Study Materials all separately. The fees then comes up to 2-3 Lakhs for one attempt alone.

    Identifying this issue, Civilsdaily has designed the Flagship Foundation Course for 2023 aspirants. This course covers the entire 3-stage journey of a UPSC aspirant. From Prelims to Interview -1:1 Mentorship, Weekly Test Series, Classes & Study Materials will be provided.

    Another benefit of the program is that it’s an umbrella course wherein an aspirant can access other paid courses of Civilsdaily for FREE.

    The main objective of the program is to identify and nurture serious aspirants to become future UPSC toppers. And that’s why we have designed a scholarship test.

    Our foundation course will be intensive yet personalised. You will be getting individual coaching on how to conquer the basics, develop analytical skills, inculcate conceptual clarity and acquire the necessary knowledge to face the unpredictable and dynamic UPSC.

    Apart from conducting subject-wise classes that covers all the Prelims-Mains syllabus from scratch, aspirants will follow a customised timetable and will complete their revision on a daily basis to attempt our weekly prelims and mains tests. Once the test is over, they will get a strategy call from a mentor, who will clear their doubts and tell them how to improve their performance from next test onwards.

    Simply put, like Ekalavya you will be getting a unique coaching experience that eludes other UPSC aspirants. Even aspects like Essay, Ethics and CSAT which is ignored in other normal coaching programs, will be covered over here with tests, mentorship, classes and notes.

    If you take the upcoming free UPSC national scholarship test and come out with flying colours, you will get about 60% scholarship on the Civilsdaily Flagship Foundation Course.

    Details of the Civilsdaily Free National Scholarship Test

    Date – 13th March & 20th March, 2022.

    Please Click on Submit after finishing the Test.

    • Mode: Online
    • Registration Fee – Free
    • Language: English
    • Time: 2 Hrs
    • Syllabus: GS Paper 1 (Preliminary exam)
    • No. of Questions: 100
    • Date: 13th March & 20th March
    • Time: 10 AM
    • Result: 27/03/2022

    Why should you take the CD’s Scholarship Test? 

    1. Test your preparation on UPSC-CSE grade questions, at national level.

    2. Chance to compete against the best. See where you stand.

    3. Identify your subjectwise strengths, weak points, and problem areas before you start preparation.

    4. Mentors will provide personalised counselling based on your performance in the scholarship test. 

    5. A detailed discussion will help you navigate through the challenges during the preparation.

    6. Achieve up to 60% scholarship in our exclusive umbrella foundation course.

    As the program is rigorous and involves individual attention, we can take only limited enrollments. Hence, we are conducting a Scholarship Exam to identify serious UPSC aspirants on 13th and 20th of March. Depending on your relative score, you can get up to a 60% scholarship.

    We are looking for

    1. Serious and hardworking aspirants.

    2. Ready to dedicate a minimum of 5-8 hours daily.

    3. Can complete assigned targets and tests without fail.

    4. Only 1 thought in mind and that is – to clear UPSC Civil Services 2023.

    5. Willing to take constructive feedback from mentors after each test.

    Trusted by Rank 1 & 2:

  • 16th March 2022| Daily Answer Writing Enhancement(AWE)

    Topics for Today’s questions:

    GS-1       Urbanization, their problems and their remedies.

    GS-2        India and its neighbourhood- relations

    GS-3        Indian Economy

    GS-4       Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and the world.

    Question 1)

     

    Q.1 What is an urban forest? Highlight its benefits and steps taken by the government to promote urban forestry in India. (10 Marks)

     

    Question 2)

    Q.2 The incident of the accidental firing of a missile by India highlights the issues with the strategic stability regime in South Asia. Discuss the issues and suggest the measures needed? (10 Marks)

    Question 3)

    Q.3 What are the special situation funds (SSFs)? How will SSF’s full participation across the entire spectrum of the secondary market for corporate debt help deal with the issue of bad debt? (10 Marks)

    Question 4)  

    Q.4 To educate a person in the mind but not in morals is to educate a menace to society. ― Theodore Roosevelt. Explain. (10 Marks)

     

    HOW TO ATTEMPT ANSWERS IN DAILY ANSWER WRITING ENHANCEMENT(AWE)?

    1. Daily 4 questions from General studies 1, 2, 3, and 4 will be provided to you.

    2. A Mentor’s Comment will be available for all answers. This can be used as a guidance tool but we encourage you to write original answers.

    3. You can write your answer on an A4 sheet and scan/click pictures of the same.

    4.  Upload the scanned answer in the comment section of the same question.

    5. Along with the scanned answer, please share your Razor payment ID, so that paid members are given priority.

    6. If you upload the answer on the same day like the answer of 11th  February is uploaded on 11th February then your answer will be checked within 72 hours. Also, reviews will be in the order of submission- First come first serve basis

    7. If you are writing answers late, for example, 11th February is uploaded on 13th February , then these answers will be evaluated as per the mentor’s schedule.

    8. We encourage you to write answers on the same day. However, if you are uploading an answer late then tag the mentor like @Staff so that the mentor is notified about your answer.

    *In case your answer is not reviewed, reply to your answer saying *NOT CHECKED*. 

    1. For the philosophy of AWE and payment: 

  • Prelims Spotlight: Constitutional and Statutory bodies.

    Dear Aspirants,

    This Spotlight is a part of our Mission Nikaalo Prelims-2022.

    You can check the broad timetable of Nikaalo Prelims here

    Session Details

    Morning 12 PM  – Prelims Spotlight Session

    Evening 06 PM  – TIKDAM/MCQs Session

    Evening 08 PM  – Tests on Alternate Days

    Join our Official telegram channel for Study material and Daily Sessions Here


    16th Mar 2022

    Constitutional bodies

      Appointment Tenure Removal Process of removal Eligibility for reappointment w/i govt
    Attorney general (Advocate general) President (governor) Pleasure of President (governor) President (governor) No reason needs to be mentioned Yes
    Election Commission (SEC) President (governor) 6 years/ 65 President CEC and SEC by a special majority

     

    Other ECs on the recommendation of CEC

    Yes
    Finance commission (SFC) President (governor) Specified by president NA NA Yes
    UPSC (SPSC) President (governor) 6 years/ 65 President After enquiry by supreme court Members can become Chair, state members can become chair or member or chair of UPSC
    CAG President 6 years/ 65 President Special majority No

    Statutory bodies

      Appointment Committee members Other members Tenure Removal
    NHRC (SHRC) President (Governor) 6 (PM + LOP Lok Sabha) Speaker, Deputy CP RS, LOP RS, home minister 3 years*/ 70 President after Supreme Court inquiry
    CIC (SIC) President (Governor) 3 ((PM + LOP Lok Sabha) Cabinet Minister nominated by PM As prescribed by the Central Govt*./ 65 President (governor for SIC) after supreme court inquiry
    CVC President (governor) 3 ((PM + LOP lok sabha) Home minister 4 years/ 65 President after Supreme court inquiry
    Lokpal President 5 (PM + LOP lok sabha Speaker, CJI, eminent jurist 5 years/ 70 Like a Supreme Court judge

    *  After amendments in the respective acts in 2019.

    In the news: 

    1. Amendment to the RTI Act (July 2019)

    • Section 13 of the original Act sets the term of the central Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners at five years (or until the age of 65, whichever is earlier). The amendment was made that the appointment will be “for such term as may be prescribed by the Central Government”.
    • The amendment was made that the salaries, allowances and other terms of service of the Chief Information Commissioner and the Information Commissioners “shall be such as may be prescribed by the Central Government” which was earlier at par with Chief Election Commissioner.

    2. Amendment to Protection of Human Rights Act (July 2019)

    • It reduced the term of the Chairperson and Members of the Commission and the State Commissions from five to three years and shall be eligible for re-appointment.
    • Provision was added which says a person who has been a Judge of the Supreme Court is also eligible to be appointed as Chairperson of the Commission in addition to the person who has been the Chief Justice of India.
    • The amendment made provision that a person who has been a Judge of a High Court is also made eligible to be appointed as Chairperson of the State Commission in addition to the person who has been the Chief Justice of the High Court.
    • It conferred upon State Commissions, the functions relating to human rights being discharged by the Union territories, other than the Union territory of Delhi, which will be dealt with by the Commission.

  • [Yojana Archive] Samagra Shiksha: Skilling Youth for Future

    UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

    February 2022

    Context

    • Historically, vocational education in schools has been accorded high priority since National Policy on Education, 1986, and Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) of Vocationalization of Secondary Education was launched in 1988.
    • Currently, the scheme is being implemented as part of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme ‘Samagra Shiksha’ and has been aligned with the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF).
    • The vocational subjects are introduced as an additional subject at the Secondary level and as a compulsory elective subject at Senior Secondary level.

    Need for Vocational Education in India

    • Demographic Dividend: India is a young country with an average age of just 28 years. In fact, more than 60% of the population in the country is in the working age (15-64 years).  
    • Demographic Disaster: However, due to low availability of adequate skill, the energy of youth is not being harnessed properly. Therefore, the youth is venting out their frustration in illegal activities. If the situation continues to persist, the demographic dividend may eventually turn into demographic disaster.
    • Increasing the employability: India is experiencing an enhancement in the literacy levels due to sustained efforts in the last few decades. However, increasing literacy is much more related to disseminating the basic numeracy and knowledge of language. It does not prepare an individual for the employment of the new age. Instead, it is skill upgradation which is critical to ensure the employability of individuals.
    • Demand-Supply Mismatch: The paradoxical problem India faces today is the huge availability of manpower and contradictory shortage of skilled personnel in the industry. Thus, the need of the hour is to update the curriculum as per the needs of the industry so that the imparted skills are useful in finding employment in the current scenario.
    • Decreasing the Pressure on Academic Higher Education: At the same time, it needs to be understood that scant resources are prioritized towards individuals who can use them in a more efficient manner. For e.g., an athlete, who has no interest in theoretical academics, may not be forced to complete a language course out of pure academic necessity.

    Features of Samagra Shiksha

    • The CSS of Vocationalization of Secondary Education was finally integrated as a part of Samagra Shiksha, which is also a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
    • The scheme has been implemented in government schools and government-aided schools.
    • It provides for an additional subject at the secondary level and a compulsory elective in senior secondary level.
    • The scheme provides for creation of a trade specific laboratory setup within the school which is used to impart hands-on training to the students.

    Underlying principles

    • Age-appropriate education: The scheme seeks to provide age-appropriate education to the students so that they are able to achieve the required outcomes.
    • Informed choice on interests: Students choose their area of interest before secondary and senior secondary levels. However, before offering the choices, it is important that the students are able to out of the available collection.
    • Activity Based Learning: The aim of vocational education is to apply the knowledge gained till today to the real world. Therefore, the course seeks to decrease the distinction between the theoretical knowledge and its applications in the outer world. At the same time, the children will learn a new skill and also, take a conscious decision about their future path.
    • Sense of contribution: It is felt that the society does not perceive manual labour in the same manner as it perceives the high-paying, managerial jobs. Such jobs are looked down upon in the society. The scheme seeks to end this distinction by inculcating a sense of respect for the manual labour at the foundational age of a child.
    • Development of Soft Skills: Again, the scheme teaches the importance of values like teamwork, cooperation, aesthetics, quality consciousness and sustainability in the form of judicious use of raw materials. Such qualities are desirable in a student aspiring to play a bigger role in the society in the later stages of life.
    • Simulated training: Samagra Shiksha is unique in the sense that it provides real life experience to the students in the form of internship/On-the-Job Training. In fact, the State governments have already been advised to treat the vocational subjects taught in Samagra Shiksha at par with other academic subjects.
    • Value Addition: Apart from the knowledge of vocational subject, Samagra Shiksha also provides for imparting other skills like Communication, Entrepreneurship, Green skills, Self-management and IT Skills to the students, so that their employability is enhanced to a higher extent.
    • Career transition: The problem which the students pursuing vocational education face is related to transfer or migration from one place to another in pursuit of better opportunities and facilities. However, the scheme seeks to resolve the issue by providing for a credit-based education.  
    • Credit-based academics: The new system targets a specific number of credits to be achieved in a particular session or semester in a course. It is immaterial whether the credits are accumulated in a single institution or multiple institutions. This will facilitate transfer and movement of students to a new location even in the middle of a semester.
    • Hub and Spoke Model: To fulfil the gap created by lack of adequate infrastructure, hub and spoke model is being used in the country. In this model, schools in surrounding areas provide vocational education by sending their students to a nearby school having the infrastructure. This is being followed till all the schools have not been provided with adequate infrastructure.
    • Technology-based Solutions: It is critical to ensure that all learners benefit from the scheme, without any discrimination based on learning capabilities. Therefore, under the scheme, new technologies like Artificial Intelligence are being used to create curated courses for learners according to their present levels and speed of learning.

    Success of the scheme

    • Already 14.435 schools have been approved to impart education based on the Samagra Shiksha scheme.
    • There are 62 skill courses available in 20 sectors such as Agriculture, Electronics, Healthcare, IT/ITes, Plumbing, Retail, Tourism, Hospitality etc.
    • The scheme covers 1.5 million students currently being trained by trained instructors. The number increases to about 3.5 million, if CBSE schools are included.

    Challenges in implementation

    • Perceived Social Status Hierarchy: In India, vocational education is not looked upon as a career of choice. It is considered something which is taken up due to a lack of alternatives or as a formality to fulfil eligibility conditions for government jobs. This discourages pupils from taking up vocational education courses and creates a gap in availability of technically-trained workers.
    • Lack of Vertical Mobility: At the same time, students coming out of vocational courses are not perceived as good managers. Candidates having a management background are preferred for such high-paying jobs. This leads to a lack of promotional avenues and opportunities for future growth of a child pursuing a career in vocational education.
    • Integration with Mainstream Education: To encourage students to take up vocational education as a preferred career choice, there is a need to integrate vocational education with academics, even at the higher levels. The focus needs to shift towards application-based learning and solving practical real-life issues. This is also helpful in understanding the challenges faced by entry-level workers and coming up with feasible solutions for the same.
    • Rapidly Emerging Trends: The scheme needs frequent updates in the curriculum to make it aligned with the needs of the evolving world. It is also important to understand that technology based sectors need faster revision of curriculum than the other sectors, due to the rapid changes in the sectors. Therefore, a policy of differential updates can also be developed for the different sectors as per their requirement.

    Various supporting initiatives

    The Government of India has prioritized vocational education through various policy initiatives such as:

    • National Policy on Education, 1986: Vocational education was prioritized as a part of the National Policy on Education, 1986.
    • CSS of Vocationalization of Secondary Education, 1988: Vocationalization was launched as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme in the year 1988. The scheme was subsequently revised in 2011 and 2014.
    • National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF): It is a series of courses, organized in levels to achieve competency in the workforce. NSQF emphasizes on the acquisition of these skills for better employability, as a part of formal training or informal training.

    Conclusion

    • Various predictions suggest that the demographic dividend currently being enjoyed by India will wane by the end of 2050s. After that, the country will face issues related to the care of the elderly as the bulge will shift towards higher age groups.
    • In such a context, it is critical to ensure that India maximizes its growth during the demographic dividend so that it can create better facilities in the future for the needy. The need is to ensure better implementation of the Samagra Shiksha scheme to develop vocational education sector in the country.
  • Register for Free Scholarship Test & Stand a Chance to Get flat 60% off on our UPSC 2023  Smash Foundation Course || Mission Eklavya 2023 Now Live – India’s Best Scholarship program for UPSC Civil Services||  Test on March 13th & 20th, 2022

    Register for Free Scholarship Test & Stand a Chance to Get flat 60% off on our UPSC 2023 Smash Foundation Course || Mission Eklavya 2023 Now Live – India’s Best Scholarship program for UPSC Civil Services|| Test on March 13th & 20th, 2022

    https://youtu.be/aANKfbU0cy4

    Ultimate Assessment Program and Foundation Program includes – 

    • Mentorship (1:1, throughout the preparation till Interview stage)
    • Masterclasses (complete GS syllabus covered, Only provided in Foundation course)
    • Samachar Manthan (Current affairs Programme)
    • Decimate Prelims (Prelims Crash course)
    • Mains Answer Writing Initiative (On a weekly basis)
    • Smash Mains (upon Qualifying prelims 2023)
    • Essay Guidance Program (To score above 120+ in Essay Mains Paper)
    • Interview Guidance Program (more than 1 mock interview will be conducted with a panel)
    • Civilsdaily IAS Community for Peer to Peer Interaction
    Get all the Civilsdaily courses under Smash Foundation Course for 60% off after you attend our scholarship test and score above the cut-off marks!

    Are you a beginner who has no idea about UPSC, but want to check if you have the aptitude for the same? Do you want to assess your performance and interest in UPSC before targetting 2023 preparation?

    Then, we have got the perfect opporunity for you. Presenting, Civilsdaily’s UPSC CS 2023, Free-To-Register National Scholarship on 13th & 20th March 2022 . 

    Last year’s scholarship test by Civilsdaily has seen a phenomenal response and pan India interest for the test. Many toppers have emerged out of the test to be subsequently mentored in the Civilsdaily Foundation Program. So aspirants, ensure you don’t miss out on the benefits of the test.

    Check Unherd, Topper’s Talk Series for Our Foundation Course Toppers

    https://youtu.be/DSwO38weHAA

    How is the Civilsdaily Flagship Foundational Course A One Stop Solution for UPSC Coaching?

    An average aspirant, pays for Prelims Course, Mains Program, Interview Guidance, Test Series & Study Materials all separately. The fees then comes up to 2-3 Lakhs for one attempt alone.

    Identifying this issue, Civilsdaily has designed the Flagship Foundation Course for 2023 aspirants. This course covers the entire 3-stage journey of a UPSC aspirant. From Prelims to Interview -1:1 Mentorship, Weekly Test Series, Classes & Study Materials will be provided.

    Another benefit of the program is that it’s an umbrella course wherein an aspirant can access other paid courses of Civilsdaily for FREE.

    The main objective of the program is to identify and nurture serious aspirants to become future UPSC toppers. And that’s why we have designed a scholarship test.

    Our foundation course will be intensive yet personalised. You will be getting individual coaching on how to conquer the basics, develop analytical skills, inculcate conceptual clarity and acquire the necessary knowledge to face the unpredictable and dynamic UPSC.

    Apart from conducting subject-wise classes that covers all the Prelims-Mains syllabus from scratch, aspirants will follow a customised timetable and will complete their revision on a daily basis to attempt our weekly prelims and mains tests. Once the test is over, they will get a strategy call from a mentor, who will clear their doubts and tell them how to improve their performance from next test onwards.

    Simply put, like Ekalavya you will be getting a unique coaching experience that eludes other UPSC aspirants. Even aspects like Essay, Ethics and CSAT which is ignored in other normal coaching programs, will be covered over here with tests, mentorship, classes and notes.

    If you take the upcoming free UPSC national scholarship test and come out with flying colours, you will get about 60% scholarship on the Civilsdaily Flagship Foundation Course.

    Details of the Civilsdaily Free National Scholarship Test

    Date – 13th March & 20th March, 2022.

    Please Click on Submit after finishing the Test.

    • Mode: Online
    • Registration Fee – Free
    • Language: English
    • Time: 2 Hrs
    • Syllabus: GS Paper 1 (Preliminary exam)
    • No. of Questions: 100
    • Date: 13th March & 20th March
    • Time: 10 AM
    • Result: 27/03/2022

    Why should you take the CD’s Scholarship Test? 

    1. Test your preparation on UPSC-CSE grade questions, at national level.

    2. Chance to compete against the best. See where you stand.

    3. Identify your subjectwise strengths, weak points, and problem areas before you start preparation.

    4. Mentors will provide personalised counselling based on your performance in the scholarship test. 

    5. A detailed discussion will help you navigate through the challenges during the preparation.

    6. Achieve up to 60% scholarship in our exclusive umbrella foundation course.

    As the program is rigorous and involves individual attention, we can take only limited enrollments. Hence, we are conducting a Scholarship Exam to identify serious UPSC aspirants on 13th and 20th of March. Depending on your relative score, you can get up to a 60% scholarship.

    We are looking for

    1. Serious and hardworking aspirants.

    2. Ready to dedicate a minimum of 5-8 hours daily.

    3. Can complete assigned targets and tests without fail.

    4. Only 1 thought in mind and that is – to clear UPSC Civil Services 2023.

    5. Willing to take constructive feedback from mentors after each test.

    Trusted by Rank 1 & 2: