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  • HOW TO WRITE PERFECT ANSWERS IN UPSC MAINS?

    HOW TO WRITE PERFECT ANSWERS IN UPSC MAINS?

    Click here to register and get a free handout on Important tips for Mains answer writing

    One of the greatest student in Indian History is Arjuna. His dedication and hard work to improve his skill of archery are unmatched.

    Guru Dronacharya had instructed the cook at the ashram to not serve his students food at night. One day, however, the dinner got delayed. While everyone was eating at night, suddenly, the lights went off. As Arjuna ate in the dark, he realized that there was automatic coordination between his hands and mouth. He did not require vision to put his hand into his mouth. This was an amazing discovery for him. This meant that he could orient himself to shoot the target even in the night, through his other senses. He immediately took up his bow and arrow to practice in the dark. And from then on, the entire month, he would practice day and night!

    Day and night- just practice.

    If you want to ace your mains answer writing, then PRACTICE is your only option. Arjuna had practiced for decades before his real test in the Mahabharata war. Even you need to start your answer writing from day one and not leave it for “after the prelims” approach.

    Be Arjuna of Answer writing!

    Why Answer writing from Day 1 is necessary?

    Let me first develop enough knowledge to write answers: This is the biggest lie we tell ourselves. There is no such thing as “ENOUGH” in UPSC preparation. It is better to train ourselves from Day 1 – How to apply the knowledge that I have?

    Your knowledge is tested through your answers: If you have not learned the art to articulate your thoughts on paper, then that’s a disaster waiting to happen. Studying and writing answers is a symbiotic relationship and one reinforces the other.

    Prelims Magic: We all want quick results, we want our answers to be brilliant within a week after we clear prelims. Hence, the common excuse – I will deal with answer writing after prelims. Sorry to break it to you but magic is limited to Harry Potter books.

    Advantages of starting writing answer early:
    • Helps you retain concepts, facts, and figures.
    • Learning the trick to formulate the structure of the answer.
    • Helps to revise things and learn new things not covered by conventional books.
    • Improves your writing speed, and handwriting.

    Click here to register and get a free handout on Important tips for Mains answer writing

    Some common mistakes students make in answer writing

    • Not understanding the demand of the Question: Words like ‘Examine’, ‘Comment’, or ‘Discuss’ are used for a reason in the questions. Why would UPSC use different words if it wants the same structure from each question?
    • Structure a Mental Framework: If you lack the practice then, you are not able to create a mental framework. This leads to poor answers- you write points as you remember in a haphazard manner. This completely compromises your presentation.
    • Introduction, body, and conclusion: This is the ideal structure for the mains answer. One very common mistake is that students have a tendency to generalize the introduction and conclusion. Along with this, the scope of dimensions in the body is limited.
    • Low hanging fruits: Some elements in your answer like a diagram, reports/commissions, and supreme court judgments can uplift the quality of your answers. Students have a tendency to skip them.

    These are just a few mistakes, in the initial phase of answer writing, students make a lot of such mistakes which can cost them marks. The real Smart study is to overcome such silly mistakes in your answer writing from the very start.

    Click here to register and get a free handout on Important tips for Mains answer writing

    This Handout is drafted by SAJAL SIR himself which deals with 20 key points for Mains answer writing. This handbook can give you a new insight into what mistakes you are making while writing answers.

    This is absolutely free. So, go register yourself NOW! and GET the handbook in your email WITHIN 72 HOURS.

    Also, you will get a FREE MAINS MENTOR call post-registration.

    About the Author

    Sajal Singh

    Sajal sir is known to make Economics and IR as easy as a cakewalk. He scored one of the highest marks in GS in the 2017 UPSC exam. Under his guidance, more than 80 percent of Students qualified for UPSC interview 2020 in Smash mains Program.

    Sajal sir’s marks in UPSC 2017 GS Mains paper were:

    • GS Paper 1 – 132
    • GS Paper 2 – 125
    • GS Paper 3 – 130

  • HOW TO WRITE PERFECT ANSWERS IN UPSC MAINS?

    HOW TO WRITE PERFECT ANSWERS IN UPSC MAINS?

    Click here to register and get a free handout on Important tips for Mains answer writing

    One of the greatest student in Indian History is Arjuna. His dedication and hard work to improve his skill of archery are unmatched.

    Guru Dronacharya had instructed the cook at the ashram to not serve his students food at night. One day, however, the dinner got delayed. While everyone was eating at night, suddenly, the lights went off. As Arjuna ate in the dark, he realized that there was automatic coordination between his hands and mouth. He did not require vision to put his hand into his mouth. This was an amazing discovery for him. This meant that he could orient himself to shoot the target even in the night, through his other senses. He immediately took up his bow and arrow to practice in the dark. And from then on, the entire month, he would practice day and night!

    Day and night- just practice.

    If you want to ace your mains answer writing, then PRACTICE is your only option. Arjuna had practiced for decades before his real test in the Mahabharata war. Even you need to start your answer writing from day one and not leave it for “after the prelims” approach.

    Be Arjuna of Answer writing!

    Why Answer writing from Day 1 is necessary?

    Let me first develop enough knowledge to write answers: This is the biggest lie we tell ourselves. There is no such thing as “ENOUGH” in UPSC preparation. It is better to train ourselves from Day 1 – How to apply the knowledge that I have?

    Your knowledge is tested through your answers: If you have not learned the art to articulate your thoughts on paper, then that’s a disaster waiting to happen. Studying and writing answers is a symbiotic relationship and one reinforces the other.

    Prelims Magic: We all want quick results, we want our answers to be brilliant within a week after we clear prelims. Hence, the common excuse – I will deal with answer writing after prelims. Sorry to break it to you but magic is limited to Harry Potter books.

    Advantages of starting writing answer early:
    • Helps you retain concepts, facts, and figures.
    • Learning the trick to formulate the structure of the answer.
    • Helps to revise things and learn new things not covered by conventional books.
    • Improves your writing speed, and handwriting.

    Click here to register and get a free handout on Important tips for Mains answer writing

    Some common mistakes students make in answer writing

    • Not understanding the demand of the Question: Words like ‘Examine’, ‘Comment’, or ‘Discuss’ are used for a reason in the questions. Why would UPSC use different words if it wants the same structure from each question?
    • Structure a Mental Framework: If you lack the practice then, you are not able to create a mental framework. This leads to poor answers- you write points as you remember in a haphazard manner. This completely compromises your presentation.
    • Introduction, body, and conclusion: This is the ideal structure for the mains answer. One very common mistake is that students have a tendency to generalize the introduction and conclusion. Along with this, the scope of dimensions in the body is limited.
    • Low hanging fruits: Some elements in your answer like a diagram, reports/commissions, and supreme court judgments can uplift the quality of your answers. Students have a tendency to skip them.

    These are just a few mistakes, in the initial phase of answer writing, students make a lot of such mistakes which can cost them marks. The real Smart study is to overcome such silly mistakes in your answer writing from the very start.

    Click here to register and get a free handout on Important tips for Mains answer writing

    This Handout is drafted by SAJAL SIR himself which deals with 20 key points for Mains answer writing. This handbook can give you a new insight into what mistakes you are making while writing answers.

    This is absolutely free. So, go register yourself NOW! and GET the handbook in your email WITHIN 72 HOURS.

    Also, you will get a FREE MAINS MENTOR call post-registration.

    About the Author

    Sajal Singh

    Sajal sir is known to make Economics and IR as easy as a cakewalk. He scored one of the highest marks in GS in the 2017 UPSC exam. Under his guidance, more than 80 percent of Students qualified for UPSC interview 2020 in Smash mains Program.

    Sajal sir’s marks in UPSC 2017 GS Mains paper were:

    • GS Paper 1 – 132
    • GS Paper 2 – 125
    • GS Paper 3 – 130

  • HOW TO WRITE PERFECT ANSWERS IN UPSC MAINS?

    HOW TO WRITE PERFECT ANSWERS IN UPSC MAINS?

    Click here to register and get a free handout on Important tips for Mains answer writing

    One of the greatest student in Indian History is Arjuna. His dedication and hard work to improve his skill of archery are unmatched.

    Guru Dronacharya had instructed the cook at the ashram to not serve his students food at night. One day, however, the dinner got delayed. While everyone was eating at night, suddenly, the lights went off. As Arjuna ate in the dark, he realized that there was automatic coordination between his hands and mouth. He did not require vision to put his hand into his mouth. This was an amazing discovery for him. This meant that he could orient himself to shoot the target even in the night, through his other senses. He immediately took up his bow and arrow to practice in the dark. And from then on, the entire month, he would practice day and night!

    Day and night- just practice.

    If you want to ace your mains answer writing, then PRACTICE is your only option. Arjuna had practiced for decades before his real test in the Mahabharata war. Even you need to start your answer writing from day one and not leave it for “after the prelims” approach.

    Be Arjuna of Answer writing!

    Why Answer writing from Day 1 is necessary?

    Let me first develop enough knowledge to write answers: This is the biggest lie we tell ourselves. There is no such thing as “ENOUGH” in UPSC preparation. It is better to train ourselves from Day 1 – How to apply the knowledge that I have?

    Your knowledge is tested through your answers: If you have not learned the art to articulate your thoughts on paper, then that’s a disaster waiting to happen. Studying and writing answers is a symbiotic relationship and one reinforces the other.

    Prelims Magic: We all want quick results, we want our answers to be brilliant within a week after we clear prelims. Hence, the common excuse – I will deal with answer writing after prelims. Sorry to break it to you but magic is limited to Harry Potter books.

    Advantages of starting writing answer early:
    • Helps you retain concepts, facts, and figures.
    • Learning the trick to formulate the structure of the answer.
    • Helps to revise things and learn new things not covered by conventional books.
    • Improves your writing speed, and handwriting.

    Click here to register and get a free handout on Important tips for Mains answer writing

    Some common mistakes students make in answer writing

    • Not understanding the demand of the Question: Words like ‘Examine’, ‘Comment’, or ‘Discuss’ are used for a reason in the questions. Why would UPSC use different words if it wants the same structure from each question?
    • Structure a Mental Framework: If you lack the practice then, you are not able to create a mental framework. This leads to poor answers- you write points as you remember in a haphazard manner. This completely compromises your presentation.
    • Introduction, body, and conclusion: This is the ideal structure for the mains answer. One very common mistake is that students have a tendency to generalize the introduction and conclusion. Along with this, the scope of dimensions in the body is limited.
    • Low hanging fruits: Some elements in your answer like a diagram, reports/commissions, and supreme court judgments can uplift the quality of your answers. Students have a tendency to skip them.

    These are just a few mistakes, in the initial phase of answer writing, students make a lot of such mistakes which can cost them marks. The real Smart study is to overcome such silly mistakes in your answer writing from the very start.

    Click here to register and get a free handout on Important tips for Mains answer writing

    This Handout is drafted by SAJAL SIR himself which deals with 20 key points for Mains answer writing. This handbook can give you a new insight into what mistakes you are making while writing answers.

    This is absolutely free. So, go register yourself NOW! and GET the handbook in your email WITHIN 72 HOURS.

    Also, you will get a FREE MAINS MENTOR call post-registration.

    About the Author

    Sajal Singh

    Sajal sir is known to make Economics and IR as easy as a cakewalk. He scored one of the highest marks in GS in the 2017 UPSC exam. Under his guidance, more than 80 percent of Students qualified for UPSC interview 2020 in Smash mains Program.

    Sajal sir’s marks in UPSC 2017 GS Mains paper were:

    • GS Paper 1 – 132
    • GS Paper 2 – 125
    • GS Paper 3 – 130

  • Why Consistency Matters? : Swati Sharma (AIR 17 UPSC 2019) || JOIN WEBINAR NOW

    Why Consistency Matters? : Swati Sharma (AIR 17 UPSC 2019) || JOIN WEBINAR NOW

    What makes Swati Sharma a winner? Did she also fail? How did she manage herself between her failures? How did she manage to clear all the Prelims she appeared in?

    Join Swati in a Live Webinar as she takes you through her UPSC journey.

    Click on the link below to join the live session:

    https://zoom.us/j/95119172668?pwd=TWZhekY5eGFjZ0JCOFB6WjZmTnR1UT09

    From this webinar, you can expect:

    • Swati’s own success story and guidance tips/conversations.
    • An interactive Q&A session
    • Important Civilsdaily softcopies takeaway for exam preparation.
    • Civilsdaily Joining Bonus ( Only for Saturday – Sunday registrations )

    See ya all !!

  • [Yojana Archive] One Nation-One Election

    May 2021

    Have you been hearing the words ‘simultaneous elections’ often these days? That’s because there is a proposal to conduct the elections to the Lok Sabha and a State assemblies at the same time.

    What are simultaneous polls?

    • Currently, elections to the state assemblies and the Lok Sabha are held separately — that is whenever the incumbent government’s five-year term ends or whenever it is dissolved due to various reasons.
    • This applies to both the state legislatures and the Lok Sabha. The terms of Legislative Assemblies and the Lok Sabha may not synchronize with one another.
    • For instance, Rajasthan faced elections in late 2018, whereas Tamil Nadu will go to elections only in 2021.
    • But the idea of “One Nation, One Election” envisages a system where elections to all states and the Lok Sabha will have to be held simultaneously.

    Simultaneous polls in India

    • India had concurrent elections for the first two decades.
    • Starting from the first general elections of free India in 1951 and the next three cycles of elections, the country witnessed concurrent Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
    • Exceptions to these were a few states like Kerala where a mid-term election was held in 1960 on the premature dissolution of the Assembly.
    • In Nagaland and Pondicherry where the Legislative Assembly was created only after the 1962 general elections.

    End of the era

    • The fourth Lok Sabha constituted in 1967 was dissolved prematurely in 1971 ahead of its normal term resulting in a mid-term Lok Sabha election.
    • This was the beginning of the end of simultaneous elections in India.
    • Extension of the term of Lok Sabha during the National Emergency declared in 1975 and the dissolution of Assemblies of some States after the 1977 Lok Sabha election further disturbed this cycle.
    • Currently, there are at least two rounds of Assembly general elections every year.

    Making simultaneous elections a reality

    • Sections 14 and 15 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, empower the Election Commission to notify elections any time during the last six months of the term of the House and not earlier than that.
    • Therefore, if the terms of the Houses are expiring within a window of three to four months, it would be legally possible to hold elections simultaneously to constitute the new Houses.
    • In other words, to contemplate simultaneous elections, we need, as a starting point, a situation where the Lok Sabha and the Legislative Assemblies of all States and UTs have their terms ending together.

    Synchronizing the terms of the Houses

    • Both the Lok Sabha and Legislative Assemblies (ordinarily) have a term of five years.
    • Article 83 of the Constitution provides for the tenure of Lok Sabha. Identical provisions are present in Article 172(1) regarding the term of the Legislative Assemblies.

    There is no duplication of work in preparing the electoral rolls for the two elections and hence no extra labor or expenditure is involved on this count.

    What is required?

    • This necessarily calls for either extending the terms of several of the Houses or curtailing of terms or a combination of both, that too by two to three years in some cases.
    • For enabling such curtailing or extension of the term, the relevant Articles of the Constitution mentioned above will have to be suitably amended.

    Why Simultaneous Elections?

    Two seemingly relevant factors in favor of simultaneous elections as opposed to separate elections are:

    1. Effort saving: Simultaneous elections reduce labour, time and expenditure in the conduct of elections; and
    2. Instances of pause in governance are addressed if elections are conducted in one go instead of staggered elections.

    [1] How is effort saving possible?

    • Electoral roll: Polling stations for Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly elections are the same. So is the electoral roll.
    • Labour: There is no duplication of work in preparing the electoral rolls for the two elections and hence no extra labour or expenditure is involved on this count.
    • Logistics: In the conduct of elections, all logistic arrangements are replicated for the two elections when the same drill can cater to both the elections if held together.
    • Security: This will also mean saving in terms of human resources. Another area of saving in simultaneous elections would be in the deployment of the Central Police Force.

    [2] Governance pause can be avoided

    • Instances of pause in governance is due to the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).
    • MCC is a set of behavior guidelines for candidates and political parties that comes into operation from the date election is announced by the Election Commission.
    • A crucial part of the MCC is the restrictions on the party in power.  If all elections are held together, the restrictions under MCC will be through in one go.

    [3] Help reduce campaign expenses

    • Simultaneous elections can bring considerable savings in the election propaganda campaign expenditure for the political parties.
    • Given that political funding is a major factor in the increasing menace of corruption, the move to reduce campaign expenditure is a welcome initiative.

    [4] Voter turnout

    • A nationwide election could push up the voter turnout since a once-in-five-years event is bound to attract more enthusiastic participation across all sections.
    • Frequent elections can bring in the election-fatigue factor at least among some sections of electors.
    • The simultaneous elections help address the fatigue element and the usually observed urban apathy in voting. Better electors’ participation will further add to the credibility of the election.

    Exceptions to this debate: Local Bodies’ Elections

    • The local bodies’ elections have not been considered for the analysis here.
    • This is for the reason that the elections to local bodies cannot be clubbed with the proposed simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha.

    Why?

    • The elections to local bodies are conducted under the superintendence, direction, and control of a different constitutional authority, namely, the respective State Election Commission.
    • Holding local bodies’ elections along with the other elections will require the team of the same polling officials to report to and take instructions from two different authorities simultaneously.
    • There is a distinct set of polling stations too for local bodies’ elections.
    • Further, the litigation forum before which these elections can be challenged is different.

    Challenges in ensuring simultaneous elections in India:

    [1] Synchronizing the Houses

    • Bringing the terms of all the Houses to sync with one another necessarily calls for either extending the terms of several of the Houses or curtailing of terms or a combination of both.
    • This may be by two to three years in some cases.
    • For this, relevant Articles of the Constitution will have to be suitably amended.

    [2] Midterm dissolution cannot be controlled

    • Even if the terms of the Houses are in sync as a one-time measure, we will still need an adequate legal safeguard in place to avoid mid-term dissolution and protect the simultaneous elections cycle.
    • This can be a tough task in conventionally fragile states with smaller assemblies with coalitions.

    [3] EVM related expenses

    • One aspect that could offset the savings would be the doubling of expenses on electronic voting machines (EVMs).
    • Considering that the incidental recurring expense in the storage and security of the EVMs will also be a considerable amount.
    • The overall expenditure in holding elections may not see any substantial dip on account of simultaneous elections.

    Arguments against the idea

    • National and state issues are different, and holding simultaneous elections is likely to affect the judgment of voters.
    • Since elections will be held once in five years, it will reduce the government’s accountability to the people. Repeated elections keep legislators on their toes and increases accountability.
    • When an election in a State is postponed until the synchronized phase, President’s rule will have to be imposed in the interim period in that state.
    • This will be a blow to democracy and federalism.

    Way forward

    • We need an adequate legal safeguarding place to avoid mid-term dissolution and protect the simultaneous elections cycle.
    • For maintaining the electoral cycle, some countries have legal provisions to the effect that for a ‘no-confidence motion’.
    • Their proposed resolution also contains a constructive ‘vote of confidence in an alternative government to continue with the tenure.

  • Important International Economic Organizations

    11th June 2021

    Bank for International Settlements (BIS)

    • Bank for International Settlements (BIS) – is an intergovernmental organization of central banks which “fosters international monetary and financial cooperation and serves as a bank for central banks.”
    • It is not accountable to any national government.
    • The mission of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) is to serve central banks in their pursuit of monetary and financial stability, to foster international cooperation in those areas and to act as a bank for central banks.
    • The Basel Committee for Banking Supervision (BCBS), while technically separate from the BIS, is a closely associated international forum for financial regulation that is housed in the BIS’ offices in Basel, Switzerland
    • The BCBS is responsible for the Basel Accords, which recommend capital requirements and other banking regulations that are widely implemented by national governments.
    • The BIS also conducts research on economic issues and publishes reports.

    European Central Bank (ECB)

    • The European Central Bank (ECB) is the central bank responsible for monetary policy of those European Union (EU) member countries which have adopted the euro currency.
    • This region is known as the eurozone and currently comprises 19 members.
      The principal goal of the ECB is to maintain price stability in the euro area, thus helping preserve the purchasing power of the euro.
    • The European Central Bank (ECB) is headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It has been responsible for monetary policy in the Euro area since January 1, 1999.

    KEY TAKEAWAYS

    • The European Central Bank (ECB) is the central bank of the combined Eurozone.
    • The ECB coordinates EU monetary policy, including setting the region’s target interest rates and controlling the supply of the Euro common currency.
    • The ECB’s primary mandate is to achieve price stability through low inflation.

    International Monetary Fund (IMF)

    • The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is the inter-governmental organisation established to stabilize the exchange rate in the international trade.
    • It helps the member countries to improve their Balance of Payment (BOP) condition thorough the adequate liquidity in the international market, promote the growth of global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade.
    • It is one of the Bretton woods twins, which came into existence in 1945, is governed by and accountable to the 189 countries that make up its near-global membership.

    Objectives of IMF:

    • To promote international monetary co-operation.
    • To ensure balanced international trade
    • To ensure exchange rate stability
    • To eliminate or to minimize exchange restrictions by promoting the system of multilateral payments.
    • To grant economic assistance to members countries for eliminating the adverse balance of payment
    • To minimize the imbalances in quantum and duration of international trade.

    IMF Quota & Voting Rights

    • Quotas was assigned to member countries reflecting their relative economic power & credit deposit to IMF
    • Subscription was to be paid 25% in gold or currency convertible into gold (effectively the dollar, which was the only currency then, still directly gold convertible for central banks) and 75% in the member’s own currency
    • Members were provided voting rights in proportion to their quota, hence member countries with higher quota have a higher say at IMF

    Special Drawing Rights

    • Special drawing rights (SDRs) are supplementary foreign exchange reserve assets defined and maintained by the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
    • SDR is not a currency, instead represents a claim to currency held by IMF member countries for which they may be exchanged.
    • The value of an SDR is defined by a weighted currency basket of four major currencies: the US dollar, the euro, the British pound, the Chinese Yuan and the Japanese yen
    • The central bank of member countries held SDR with IMF which can be used by them to access funds from IMF in case of financial crises in their domestic market

    Reverse Tansche

    • A certain proportion of a member country’s quota is specified as its reserve tranche.
    • The member country can access its reserve tranche funds at its discretion and is not under an immediate obligation to repay those funds to the IMF.
    • Member nation reserve tranches are typically 25% of the member’s quota.

    Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)

    • Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an inter-governmental organization founded in 1961 to accelerate economic progress and world trade.
    • It is a very unique organization where 34 Democracies work together with market economies and 70 non-member economies promote economic growth, prosperity, and sustainable development.
    • The setting of the OECD reflects the peripheral discussion forum based on the policy research and analysis that helps governments in order to shape their policies that may lead to a formal agreement among member governments or be acted on in domestic or other international stages.
    • Most OECD members are high-income economies with a very high Human Development Index (HDI) and are regarded as developed countries.
    • The OECD headquarters at Paris, France. The OECD is funded by contributions from member states.

    United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

    • The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) was established in 1964. It is an intergovernmental body of the United Nations Generally Assembly for promoting the development-friendly integration of developing countries into the world economy.
    • UNCTAD grew from the view that existing institutions like GATT (now WTO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and World Bank were not properly organized to handle the particular problems of developing countries.

    Functions of UNCTAD

    • UNCTAD Objective is to maximize the trade, investment and development opportunities of developing countries and assist them in their efforts to integrate into the world economy on an equitable basis.
    • It functions as a forum for intergovernmental deliberations, supported by discussions with experts and exchanges of experience, aimed at consensus building.
    • It undertakes research, policy analysis and data collection for the debates of government representatives and experts.
    • It provides technical assistance tailored to the specific requirements of developing countries, with special attention to the needs of the least developed countries and of economies in transition.

    United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)

    • The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) serves as the United Nations’ regional hub promoting cooperation among countries to achieve inclusive and sustainable development.
    • Established in 1947 with its headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand.
    • The largest regional intergovernmental platform with 53 Member States and 9 associate members, ESCAP has emerged as a strong regional think-tank offering countries sound analytical products that shed insight into the evolving economic, social and environmental dynamics of the region.
    • The Commission’s strategic focus is to deliver on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which is reinforced and deepened by promoting regional cooperation and integration to advance responses to shared vulnerabilities, connectivity, financial cooperation and market integration.
    • ESCAP’s research and analysis coupled with its policy advisory services, capacity building and technical assistance to governments aims to support countries’ sustainable and inclusive development ambitions

    UN-ESCAP providing results-oriented projects, technical assistance and capacity building to member States in the following areas:

    • Macroeconomic Policy, Poverty Reduction and Financing for Development
    • Trade, Investment and Innovation
    • Transport
    • Environment and Development
    • Information and Communications Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction
    • Social Development
    • Statistics
    • Subregional activities for development
    • Energy

    United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)

    • United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) was established by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations (UN) in 1958 as one of the UN’s five regional commissions, ECA’s mandate is to promote the economic and social development of its member States, foster intra-regional integration, and promote international cooperation for Africa’s development.
    • Made up of 54 member States, and playing a dual role as a regional arm of the UN and as a key component of the African institutional landscape, ECA is well-positioned to make unique contributions to address the Continent’s development challenges.
    • ECA’s strength derives from its role as the only UN agency mandated to operate at the regional and subregional levels to harness resources and bring them to bear on Africa’s priorities. T
    • o enhance its impact, ECA places a special focus on collecting up to date and original regional statistics in order to ground its policy research and advocacy on clear objective evidence; promoting policy consensus; providing meaningful capacity development; and providing advisory services in key thematic fields.

    ECA’s thematic areas of focus are as follows:

    Macroeconomic Policy
    Regional Integration and Trade
    Social Development
    Natural Resources
    Innovation and Technology
    Gender
    Governance
    Statistic

    United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)

    • The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) was set up in 1947 by ECOSOC. It is one of five regional commissions of the United Nations.
    • UNECE’s major aim is to promote pan-European economic integration. UNECE includes 56 member States in Europe, North America and Asia. However, all interested United Nations member States may participate in the work of UNECE. Over 70 international professional organizations and other non-governmental organizations take part in UNECE activities.
    • Providing legal frameworks and assistance activities through instruments like the UNECE Multilateral Environmental Agreements.
    • Developing expertise and policy solutions in areas such as resource efficiency, environmental performance, environmental democracy, sustainable transport, sustainable energy, sustainable housing, green real estate markets, and sustainable forest products.
    • Measuring sustainable development and improving capacities for environmental monitoring and assessment.
    • Encouraging eco-innovations and green investment.
    • Raising awareness to change behavioral patterns towards sustainable consumption and production, for example through the UNECE Strategy for
    • Education for Sustainable Development.
    • Developing green standards, for example the standards for cleaner and smarter vehicles developed by the World Forum for the Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations.
    • The Customs Convention on International Transport of Goods under Cover of TIR Carnets, 1975 (TIR Convention) is an international customs transit system under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
    • India has become the 71st nation to join the United Nations TIR (Transports Internationaux Routiers) Convention.

    World Bank Group

    • The World Bank Group (WBG) is a family of five international organizations that make leveraged loans to developing countries.
    • It is the largest and most famous development bank in the world and is an observer at the United Nations Development Group.
    • Its five organizations are the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).

    The World Bank (IBRD)

    • IBRD provides loans and other assistance primarily to middle income and poor but creditworthy countries at interest rates slightly lower than that offered by other financial institutions but with long term maturity<countries which have the capacity to repay the loan amount with interest>

    Origins: IBRD, as the name suggests, was created in 1944 to help Europe reconstruct/ rebuild after World War II. To be a member of IBRD, a country has t join IMF first.

    Main function:

    • Long-term capital assistance to its member-countries for their reconstruction and development
    • It works closely with the rest of the World Bank Group to help developing countries reduce poverty, promote economic growth, and build prosperity.

    Other functions of IBRD Bank –

    • Supports long-term human and social development that private creditors do not finance.
    • Preserves borrowers’ financial strength by providing support in times of crisis, when poor people are most adversely affected
    • Promotes policy and institutional reforms (such as safety net or anti-corruption reforms)
    • Creates a favourable investment climate to catalyze the provision of private capital
    • Facilitates access to financial markets often at more favorable terms than members can achieve on their own
    • Resources of the Bank consist of the capital and borrowings.

     

    International Development Association

    • The International Development Association (IDA) is the part of the World Bank group that helps the world’s poorest countries.
    • Overseen by 173 shareholder nations, IDA aims to reduce poverty by providing loans (called “credits”) and grants for programs that boost economic growth, reduce inequalities, and improve people’s living conditions.
    • IDA complements the World Bank’s original lending arm—the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). IBRD was established to function as a self-sustaining business and provides loans and advice to middle-income and credit-worthy poor countries.
    • IBRD and IDA share the same staff and headquarters and evaluate projects with the same rigorous standards.
    • IDA is one of the largest sources of assistance for the world’s 771 poorest countries, 39 of which are in Africa, and is the single largest source of donor funds for basic social services in these countries.
    • IDA lends money on concessional terms. This means that IDA credits have a zero or very low-interest charge and repayments are stretched over 25 to 40 years, including a 5- to 10-year grace period. IDA also provides grants to countries at risk of debt distress.
    • In addition to concessional loans and grants, IDA provides significant levels of debt relief through the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative and the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI).
    • IDA’s work covers primary education, basic health services, clean water and sanitation, agriculture, business climate improvements, infrastructure, and institutional reforms.

    IFC

    Largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector in developing countries established in 1956

    Objectives of the IFC

    • To further economic development by encouraging the growth of private enterprise in member-countries
    • Invests in private enterprise in member-countries in association with private investors and without a Government guarantee, in cases where sufficient private capital is not available on reasonable terms
    • Seeks to bring together investment opportunities, private capital of both foreign and domestic origin, and experienced management
    • Stimulates conditions conducive to the flow of private capital – domestic and foreign – into productive investments in member-countries
    • IFC investment normally does not exceed 40% of the total investment of the enterprise.
    • In case of its investment by equity participation, it does not exceed 25% of the share capital.

    IFC and India

    • IFC makes strategic investments and advisory interventions to promote inclusive growth, help address climate change impacts, and encourage global and regional integration
    • In India, IFC is sharpening its focus on increasing access to energy, finance and healthcare; providing the sustainable infrastructure; and boosting regional linkages

    Focus Areas –

    Building infrastructure
    Facilitating renewable energy generation
    Promoting cleaner production, energy and water efficiency
    Supporting agriculture for improved food security
    Creating growth opportunities for small businesses
    Helping reform investment climate

    The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)

    • It is an international financial institution which offers political risk insurance and credit enhancement guarantees. Such guarantees help investors protect foreign direct investments against political and non-commercial risks in developing countries.
    • MIGA is a member of the World Bank Group and is headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States. It was established in 1988 as an investment insurance facility to encourage confident investment in developing countries.
    • MIGA’s stated mission is “to promote foreign direct investment into developing countries to support economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve people’s lives”. It targets projects that endeavour to create new jobs, develop infrastructure, generate new tax revenues, and take advantage of natural resources through sustainable policies and programs.
    • MIGA is owned and governed by its member states, but has its own executive leadership and staff which carry out its daily operations. Its shareholders are member governments which provide paid-in capital and have the right to vote on its matters.
    • It ensures long-term debt and equity investments as well as other assets and contracts with long-term periods. The agency is assessed by the World Bank’s Independent Evaluation Group each year.

    International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID)

    • It encourages the flow of foreign investment to develop countries through arbitration and conciliation facilities
    • Except for ICSID, India is a member of the other four groups <We don’t like external interference such as arbitration in our decision-making process, hence not the member of ICSID>

    Let’s revise World Bank in brief

    Name Main Function Comment
    IBRD (WB) Infrastructure loan to poor middle income but credit worthy countries at just below market rates India founder member, largest recipient of loan
    IDA Soft loan at virtually zero rate for poverty eradication to poorest countries India founder largest recipient, has crossed the per capita threshold for funding but will continue to receive IDA funds
    IFC Private sector arm of WB group, supports private enterprises in developing countries India founder, IFC launched India’s offshore masala bond
    MIGA Provide a guarantee to investors against non-commercial political risk India not a founding member
    ICSID Resolve disputes through arbitration and conciliation India not a member

    World Trade Organization (WTO)

    • The WTO is an intergovernmental organization that is concerned with the regulation of international trade between nations.
    • The WTO officially commenced on 1 January 1995 under the Marrakesh Agreement, signed by 123 nations on 15 April 1994.
    • It replaced the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which commenced in 1948.
    • It is the largest international economic organization in the world.

    Functions of WTO

    • The WTO deals with regulation of trade in goods, services and intellectual property between participating countries.
    • It provides a framework for negotiating trade agreements and a dispute resolution process aimed at enforcing participants’ adherence to WTO agreements, which are signed by representatives of member governments and ratified by their parliaments.
     
     

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  • 11th June 2021| Daily Answer Writing Enhancement(AWE)

    Topics for Today’s questions:

    GS-1 History of the world will include events from 18th century such as industrial revolution.

    GS-2 Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure

    GS-3 Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.
    Government Budgeting.

    GS-4 Attitude: content, structure, function; its influence and relation with thought and behaviour;
    moral and political attitudes; social influence and persuasion.

     

    Following are the questions:

    Question 1)

     

    Q.1) How Japanese revolution was markedly different from its Western Counterparts? In your opinion, what are the lessons that India can draw from Japanese revolution. (15 marks)

     

    Question 2)

    Q.2) What was the objective of the creation of All-India Services by the makers of our Constitution? But there are inherent issues in the All-India Services where the officers are formally appointed by the Union but work in the State cadres under the control of the respective State. (15 marks)

    Question 3)

    Q.3) What are the issues with the argument for special treatment of the states with higher contribution to the GST pool? (10 marks)

    Question 4)  

    Q.4) What are the functions of attitude? Illustrate their importance for civil servants with suitable examples. (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 1st June is uploaded on 1st June 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, 1st June is uploaded on 3rd June, 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 @Swatantra so that the mentor is notified about your answer.

    *In case your answer is not reviewed, reply to your answer saying *NOT CHECKED*. Swatantra Sir’s tag is available, tag him.

    For the philosophy of AWE and payment: 

    CLICK HERE To join Daily AWE

  • Various Defence Exercises in News

    10th June 2021

    Various Defence Exercises in News

    The defence is a major part of any country. Thus, every country tries and devotes half of its budget in defence. So, there are joint military exercises happening which benefits both the participating nations. Thus, in this article, we will discuss some of the important joint exercises in India like Indra and Maitree. Also, these exercises are important from learning as well as the strategic point of view for both the nations.

    India + XYZ Army Navy Air Force
    ASEAN + Force 18    
    Australia AUSTRA HIND AUSINDEX / KAKADU  
    Bangladesh Sampriti CORPAT  
    China Hand in hand   Chang Thang
    France Shakti Varuna GARUDA
    Indonesia GARUDA SHAKTI IND-INDO CORPAT

     

    And

    Samudra Shakti

    		  
    Japan Dharma Guardian Malabar (India, Japan, and the USA), Sahyog-Kaijin SHINYUU MAITRI
    Kazakhstan Prabal Dostyk and KAZIND    
    Kyrgyzstan Khanjar    
    Maldives Ekuverin    
    Mongolia Nomadic Elephant / KHAN QUEST    
    Nepal Surya Kiran (BIANNUAL)    
    Oman AL NAGAH (SUCCESS) Naseem Al Bahr Eastern Bridge-IV
    Russia Indra INDRA NAVY AVIAINDRA-14
    Seychelles LAMITYE    
    Singapore Ex AGNI WARRIOR and Ex BOLD KURUKSHETRA SIMBEX JOINT MILITARY TRAINING
    South Africa, Brazil   IBSAMAR  
    Sri Lanka Mitra Shakti SLINEX  
    Thailand Maitree /  COBRA GOLD (Observer Plus) INDO-THAI CORPAT (Bi-annual) SIAM BHARAT
    UAE     Desert Eagle-II
    UK Ajeya Warrior Konkan IndraDhanush -IV
    or “Rainbow”.
    USA YudhAbhyas/ Cope/

     

    Tiger Triumph

    VAJRA PRAHAR

    		 Malabar RIMPAC (Multilateral) Red Flag
    Brunei   ADMM+ Exercise (Multilateral)  
    Malaysia MAITREE ARF DIREx  
    Myanmar IMBEX IMCOR  
    Qatar Za’ir-Al-Bahr (Roar of the Sea)    
    Uzbekistan Dustlik    

     

    Other Important Exercise

    Exercise TSENTR 2019 China, Tajikistan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan Russia(Host)

     

     

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  • HOW TO WRITE PERFECT ANSWERS IN UPSC MAINS?

    HOW TO WRITE PERFECT ANSWERS IN UPSC MAINS?

    Click here to register and get a free handout on Important tips for Mains answer writing

    One of the greatest student in Indian History is Arjuna. His dedication and hard work to improve his skill of archery are unmatched.

    Guru Dronacharya had instructed the cook at the ashram to not serve his students food at night. One day, however, the dinner got delayed. While everyone was eating at night, suddenly, the lights went off. As Arjuna ate in the dark, he realized that there was automatic coordination between his hands and mouth. He did not require vision to put his hand into his mouth. This was an amazing discovery for him. This meant that he could orient himself to shoot the target even in the night, through his other senses. He immediately took up his bow and arrow to practice in the dark. And from then on, the entire month, he would practice day and night!

    Day and night- just practice.

    If you want to ace your mains answer writing, then PRACTICE is your only option. Arjuna had practiced for decades before his real test in the Mahabharata war. Even you need to start your answer writing from day one and not leave it for “after the prelims” approach.

    Be Arjuna of Answer writing!

    Why Answer writing from Day 1 is necessary?

    Let me first develop enough knowledge to write answers: This is the biggest lie we tell ourselves. There is no such thing as “ENOUGH” in UPSC preparation. It is better to train ourselves from Day 1 – How to apply the knowledge that I have?

    Your knowledge is tested through your answers: If you have not learned the art to articulate your thoughts on paper, then that’s a disaster waiting to happen. Studying and writing answers is a symbiotic relationship and one reinforces the other.

    Prelims Magic: We all want quick results, we want our answers to be brilliant within a week after we clear prelims. Hence, the common excuse – I will deal with answer writing after prelims. Sorry to break it to you but magic is limited to Harry Potter books.

    Advantages of starting writing answer early:
    • Helps you retain concepts, facts, and figures.
    • Learning the trick to formulate the structure of the answer.
    • Helps to revise things and learn new things not covered by conventional books.
    • Improves your writing speed, and handwriting.

    Click here to register and get a free handout on Important tips for Mains answer writing

    Some common mistakes students make in answer writing

    • Not understanding the demand of the Question: Words like ‘Examine’, ‘Comment’, or ‘Discuss’ are used for a reason in the questions. Why would UPSC use different words if it wants the same structure from each question?
    • Structure a Mental Framework: If you lack the practice then, you are not able to create a mental framework. This leads to poor answers- you write points as you remember in a haphazard manner. This completely compromises your presentation.
    • Introduction, body, and conclusion: This is the ideal structure for the mains answer. One very common mistake is that students have a tendency to generalize the introduction and conclusion. Along with this, the scope of dimensions in the body is limited.
    • Low hanging fruits: Some elements in your answer like a diagram, reports/commissions, and supreme court judgments can uplift the quality of your answers. Students have a tendency to skip them.

    These are just a few mistakes, in the initial phase of answer writing, students make a lot of such mistakes which can cost them marks. The real Smart study is to overcome such silly mistakes in your answer writing from the very start.

    Click here to register and get a free handout on Important tips for Mains answer writing

    This Handout is drafted by SAJAL SIR himself which deals with 20 key points for Mains answer writing. This handbook can give you a new insight into what mistakes you are making while writing answers.

    This is absolutely free. So, go register yourself NOW! and GET the handbook in your email WITHIN 72 HOURS.

    Also, you will get a FREE MAINS MENTOR call post-registration.

    About the Author

    Sajal Singh

    Sajal sir is known to make Economics and IR as easy as a cakewalk. He scored one of the highest marks in GS in the 2017 UPSC exam. Under his guidance, more than 80 percent of Students qualified for UPSC interview 2020 in Smash mains Program.

    Sajal sir’s marks in UPSC 2017 GS Mains paper were:

    • GS Paper 1 – 132
    • GS Paper 2 – 125
    • GS Paper 3 – 130

  • HOW TO WRITE PERFECT ANSWERS IN UPSC MAINS?

    HOW TO WRITE PERFECT ANSWERS IN UPSC MAINS?

    Click to register and get a free handout on Important tips for Mains answer writing

    One of the greatest student in Indian History is Arjuna. His dedication and hard work to improve his skill of archery are unmatched.

    Guru Dronacharya had instructed the cook at the ashram to not serve his students food at night. One day, however, the dinner got delayed. While everyone was eating at night, suddenly, the lights went off. As Arjuna ate in the dark, he realized that there was automatic coordination between his hands and mouth. He did not require vision to put his hand into his mouth. This was an amazing discovery for him. This meant that he could orient himself to shoot the target even in the night, through his other senses. He immediately took up his bow and arrow to practice in the dark. And from then on, the entire month, he would practice day and night!

    Day and night- just practice.

    If you want to ace your mains answer writing, then PRACTICE is your only option. Arjuna had practiced for decades before his real test in the Mahabharata war. Even you need to start your answer writing from day one and not leave it for “after the prelims” approach.

    Be Arjuna of Answer writing!

    Why Answer writing from Day 1 is necessary?

    Let me first develop enough knowledge to write answers: This is the biggest lie we tell ourselves. There is no such thing as “ENOUGH” in UPSC preparation. It is better to train ourselves from Day 1 – How to apply the knowledge that I have?

    Your knowledge is tested through your answers: If you have not learned the art to articulate your thoughts on paper, then that’s a disaster waiting to happen. Studying and writing answers is a symbiotic relationship and one reinforces the other.

    Prelims Magic: We all want quick results, we want our answers to be brilliant within a week after we clear prelims. Hence, the common excuse – I will deal with answer writing after prelims. Sorry to break it to you but magic is limited to Harry Potter books.

    Advantages of starting writing answer early:
    • Helps you retain concepts, facts, and figures.
    • Learning the trick to formulate the structure of the answer.
    • Helps to revise things and learn new things not covered by conventional books.
    • Improves your writing speed, and handwriting.

    Click to register and get a free handout on Important tips for Mains answer writing

    Some common mistakes students make in answer writing

    • Not understanding the demand of the Question: Words like ‘Examine’, ‘Comment’, or ‘Discuss’ are used for a reason in the questions. Why would UPSC use different words if it wants the same structure from each question?
    • Structure a Mental Framework: If you lack the practice then, you are not able to create a mental framework. This leads to poor answers- you write points as you remember in a haphazard manner. This completely compromises your presentation.
    • Introduction, body, and conclusion: This is the ideal structure for the mains answer. One very common mistake is that students have a tendency to generalize the introduction and conclusion. Along with this, the scope of dimensions in the body is limited.
    • Low hanging fruits: Some elements in your answer like a diagram, reports/commissions, and supreme court judgments can uplift the quality of your answers. Students have a tendency to skip them.

    These are just a few mistakes, in the initial phase of answer writing, students make a lot of such mistakes which can cost them marks. The real Smart study is to overcome such silly mistakes in your answer writing from the very start.

    Click to register and get a free handout on Important tips for Mains answer writing

    This Handout is drafted by SAJAL SIR himself which deals with 20 key points for Mains answer writing. This handbook can give you a new insight into what mistakes you are making while writing answers.

    This is absolutely free. So, go register yourself NOW! and GET the handbook in your email WITHIN 72 HOURS.

    Also, you will get a FREE MAINS MENTOR call post-registration.

    About the Author

    Sajal Singh

    Sajal sir is known to make Economics and IR as easy as a cakewalk. He scored one of the highest marks in GS in the 2017 UPSC exam. Under his guidance, more than 80 percent of Students qualified for UPSC interview 2020 in Smash mains Program.

    Sajal sir’s marks in UPSC 2017 GS Mains paper were:

    • GS Paper 1 – 132
    • GS Paper 2 – 125
    • GS Paper 3 – 130