Important Announcement:  Topics to be covered on 8th December

GS-1 Role of women and women’s organization

GS-4 Case Studies.

Question 1)

Language is the lifeline of a civilization, it denotes the identity, culture and traditions of the people. It plays an important role in preserving music, dance, customs, festivals, traditional knowledge and heritage. In the backdrop of the statement analyse the linguistic diversity and richness in the country. 10 marks

Question 2)

Results of the elections in India have always been accepted by political parties without questioning the legitimacy of the results. In light of this, discuss the role of Election Commission of India in conducting elections in India and what are the factors that enable it to perform that role. 10 marks

Question 3)

Declining benefits accrued from the Green Revolution to Punjab and the surrounding area have created problems of their own which have led to the agitation by the farmers of this region on various issues. In light of this, discuss the challenges faced by the farmers in the region of the Green Revolution and suggest the ways to deal with it. 10 marks

Question 4)  

Mobota is a small and very poor country in Africa. A major epidemic of a new disease breaks out in Mobota. The only medicine in the market for this disease is a drug made in India by a new pharmaceutical company called Biomed. Since the drug has been developed at heavy cost and Biomed is partly owned by a major international company, the medicine is priced very high. Mobota cannot not afford to pay the price for the large quantities it needs to control the outbreak. What are the different options for Mobota’s health minister to deal with this situation? What according to you would be the best option & why ? 10 marks

Reviews will be provided in a week. (In the order of submission- First come first serve basis). In case the answer is submitted late the review period may get extended to two weeks.

*In case your answer is not reviewed in a week, reply to your answer saying *NOT CHECKED*. If Parth Sir’s tag is available then tag him.

For the philosophy of AWE and payment, check  here: Click2Join

Important Announcement:  Topics to be covered on 7th December

GS-1 Indian Society and Diversity of India.

GS-4 Case Studies.

Question 1)

The share of the elderly in the population is expected to increase to 20 per cent of the population by 2050. Thus to ensure a life of dignity, social security and safety, enabling them to actively participate in economic development and the process of nation building is an absolute necessity. Discuss. 10 marks

Question 2)

The Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020 seeks to prevent illegal religious conversions. However, several provisions of the ordinance have raised concerns. What are the concerns with the ordinance? 10 marks

Question 3)

In terms of connections to the rest of the world, it is less clear what the right policy mix should be. Do you agree with the view that focus on simultaneously managing the exchange rate and domestic inflation while maintaining an open capital account would help in the revival of India’s economic growth? 10 marks

Question 4)  

The success of persuasion depends on three factors: source, message and target. Comment. 10 marks

Reviews will be provided in a week. (In the order of submission- First come first serve basis). In case the answer is submitted late the review period may get extended to two weeks.

*In case your answer is not reviewed in a week, reply to your answer saying *NOT CHECKED*. If Parth Sir’s tag is available then tag him.

For the philosophy of AWE and payment, check  here: Click2Join

Click here for Ethics group on Habitat

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Hello Students,

It’s often mentioned by IAS Toppers that a good score in the ethics paper can shoot up your rank and can also determine the service that you might get. This year’s marks in GS-4 is proof.

But, wait! what is the best approach to cover Ethics for the UPSC exam? How much time and effort should I give for paper 4? Well, can’t say about the best but we’re redefining the way Ethics has to be prepared. We learn from each other. We learn from other’s mistakes, from their experience, their wisdom. It makes it easier for us to come to better decisions.

Teaching is Learning, this is our motto for the month. So, do join us for very different learning experiences and yet enriching where your peers will put up the teaching hat. The idea is to boost peer to peer discussions.

• 

Also, since it is the month leading to your mains examination, we will take up 2018 and 2019 previous year paper’s answer writing and discussion in our daily activities.

It is our immense pleasure to announce the commencement of the Batch(03) from 5th December 2020 on habitat. It is our ardent belief that students will find these discussions as useful as the previous one.

Watch Sukanya ma’am discuss Ethics topics on Habitat

For complete detailed syllabus wise coverage, you can join the Ethics masterclass course. This course consists of lecture series covering the whole syllabus along with a mini test series to practice answer writing.

• 

Enroll for Ethics MasterClass 2021 (Click here)

Click here for Ethics group on Habitat

Instructions for joining Habitat

1. Click here: Link for Habitat.
2. Click on ‘Register a new account’ and enter your details.
3. Choose a username.
4. That is it. Welcome to Habitat.

For access through the Mobile app:

1. Install the Mobile application (click here) from your Appstore.
2. Use the same email id and password as you used above.

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Should you encounter any issue in this process or you have a query, reach out to us at +91 89299 87787 or hello@civilsdaily.com

Important Announcement:  Topics to be covered on 4th December

GS-1 Political philosophies like communism, capitalism,
socialism, etc.- their forms and effect on the society

GS-4 Work culture, Quality of service delivery.

Question 1)

Who was Tanaaji Malusare? Discuss the significant role played by him in the Battle of Singhagad? 10 marks

Question 2)

What are the legal provisions and policy initiatives in India for the welfare of persons with disabilities? What are the challenges faced by persons with disabilities in India? 10 marks

Question 3)

Being the largest consumer of antibiotics in the world, India faces a grave threat from growing anti-microbial resistance. What are the factors responsible for it? Suggest the ways to deal with it. 10 marks

Question 4)  

The world has not responded responsibly to international refugees’ crisis. Does it show failure of ethics in international relations? Discuss. 10 marks

Reviews will be provided in a week. (In the order of submission- First come first serve basis). In case the answer is submitted late the review period may get extended to two weeks.

*In case your answer is not reviewed in a week, reply to your answer saying *NOT CHECKED*. If Parth Sir’s tag is available then tag him.

For the philosophy of AWE and payment, check  here: Click2Join

Dear students

IAS exam is changing and so should the way you learn. On Habitat, we’re constantly innovating and making learning effortless for you. Continuing that tradition, we want to introduce Anjum Sharma sir to you all. He’ll be conducting daily discussion sessions on current affairs and related issues followed by crisp podcast summaries and explanations on Habitat.

This is the introductory podcast by Anjum sir. Join today’s session at 6 pm on Habitat.

https://youtu.be/jGyIpwBDtsk

About Anjum Sharma

He is a mentor, writer, editor, and podcaster. His columns have been published in major Hindi daily like Jansatta, Navbharat Times, Hindustan, Dainik Jagran, etc. He has good experience of mentoring UPSC aspirants.
He was also invited by LBSNAA for Hindi interactive session in 2019.

Anjum has been associated as an editor with one of the leading publishing houses and has got 14 Civil Services books under his editorship.
His podcasts are quite popular on platforms like Aaj Tak Radio, NBT Gold, etc.

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Habitat is a new way of experiencing learning. It brings all your activities like discussions, doubt-solving, strategic tips, notes sharing, assessments, videos, etc. in one place.

Instructions for joining Habitat

1. Click here: Link for Habitat.
2. Choose Web Application. (Mandatory)
3. Click on ‘Register a new account’ and enter your details.
4. Choose a username.
5. That is it. Welcome to Habitat.

For access through Mobile app:

1. Install the Mobile application (click here) from your Appstore.
2. Use the same email id and password as you used above.

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Should you encounter any issue in this process or you have a query, reach out to us at +91 89299 87787 or hello@civilsdaily.com

Important Announcement:  Topics to be covered on 3rd December

GS-1 Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country.

GS-4 Codes of Ethics, Codes of Conduct, Citizen’s Charters.

Question 1)

The protests erupting across India since the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) are a testament to the centrality of secularism as the foundational principle that binds the country together and holds the key to India’s survival as a nation. Analyse . 10 marks

Question 2)

Changing geopolitical realities in the Middle East has major consequences for Indian subcontinent countries. What are the challenges India along with other countries in the subcontinent faces as a fallout of the changing circumstances in the Middle East? 10 marks

Question 3)

What are the advantages and challenges in the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act? 10 marks

Question 4)  

What is ethical climate? Why is ethical climate important? Discuss with relevant examples. 10 marks

Reviews will be provided in a week. (In the order of submission- First come first serve basis). In case the answer is submitted late the review period may get extended to two weeks.

*In case your answer is not reviewed in a week, reply to your answer saying *NOT CHECKED*. If Parth Sir’s tag is available then tag him.

For the philosophy of AWE and payment, check  here: Click2Join

Important Announcement:  Topics to be covered on 2nd December

GS-1 Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country.

GS-4 Information sharing and transparency in government, Right to Information.

Question 1)

Discuss how the pre-congress political organisations evolved in 19th century. 10 marks

Question 2)

The unchanging perspective of each other in both countries calls for the recalibration of India-Nepal ties. Examine the factors that India should consider while having a relook at its ties with Nepal. 10 marks

Question 3)

The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020 (FPTC Act) has been enacted with a view to improve the issues faced by farmers in selling their produce. In light of this, examine the challenges faced by the farmers in marketing their produce also mention the shortcomings in the Act and suggest the measures to address these issues. 10 marks

Question 4)  

Discuss the skills that are required to become emotionally intelligent while highlighting the advantages of developing emotional intelligence for administration. 10 marks

Reviews will be provided in a week. (In the order of submission- First come first serve basis). In case the answer is submitted late the review period may get extended to two weeks.

*In case your answer is not reviewed in a week, reply to your answer saying *NOT CHECKED*. If Parth Sir’s tag is available then tag him.

For the philosophy of AWE and payment, check  here: Click2Join

In the cut-throat competition of civil services, each mark counts. “How can I make my answers different from the lot?”  is every aspirant’s constant worry. One way to do so is by quoting EXAMPLES in your answer. So, scroll down and find a list of contemporary best practices in various social sectors. Use these practices as examples in your mains papers to get that extra edge

[I] HEALTH AND NUTRITION

1) Arogya Kunji (Chatra Dist. Jharkhand)

Arogya Kunji initiative is an endeavor to ensure accessibility and availability of healthcare facilities in the district. It aims to extend the outreach and efficacy of timely medical aid and healthcare services in rural areas of this district through medical kits.

2) Centralised Kitchens for Better Nutrition (Nandurbar Dist. Maharashtra) 

In order to tackle deep-rooted problems of Malnourishment and Anaemia in the tribal-dominated district, the District Administration has established a Centralised Kitchen to provide hot and nutritious meals to children in residential schools, also known as Ashram Shalas.

3) Model Anganwadi Centres (Ramgarh Dist. Jharkhand)

The District Administration has established Model Anganwadi Centres across blocks to encourage best practices in management and improve learning outcomes.

These Anganwadis host regular outreach and awareness campaigns in the community to promote better health and hygiene, such as VHSNDs (Village, Health, Sanitation & Nutrition Days) that have been benefiting families across blocks. The Model Anganwadis include an upgraded in-house kitchen where nutritious meals are prepared for children to ensure a balanced diet.

4) ‘Hamar Swasthya’ App (Rajnandangaon in Chhattisgarh)

It helps for early detection of Non-Communicable diseases (NCDs) and registers the medical record of patients so that doctors and health workers have access to the medical history of patients and initiate timely treatment and subsequent follow-ups.

5) Hostels for pregnant tribal women (Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh)

The District Administration has constructed Hostels for pregnant women of these villages. Pregnant women are brought to the Hostel one month prior to the Expected Delivery Date (EDD). There, they are provided with home-like care and support along with nutritional food and intensive medical care, under the close observation of gynaecologists.

6) Kanya Taru Yojana (Hailakandi in Assam)

For encouraging Hospital Delivery parents of girl children born in any of the Government Hospitals are gifted with 5 saplings (Coconut, Litchi, Assam Lemon, Guava & Amla).

Parents are asked to take care of the saplings like their daughters. The fruits of the trees can be used to feed the child to develop her immunity through Vitamin C in Amla, fight malnutrition by Coconut and the profits earned from the sales could be redirected to investing in the girl’s education and improving green cover of the district.

[II] EDUCATION

1) Aakar Residential School for differently-abled (Sukma in Chhattisgarh)

To ensure inclusion of differently-abled students and to reduce their dropout rates, the District has started Aakar Residential School. The School undertakes other special activities catering to the overall need of these children including therapies for their cognitive development.

2) BALA- Building as Learning Aid (Shrawasti in Uttar Pradesh)

It is an innovative concept for teaching through child-friendly, learning and fun-based physical environment by building new infrastructure or refurbishing the existing School and Anganwadi buildings. The concept was originally developed by Vinyas, Centre for Agricultural Research and Design with the support of UNICEF. BALA includes the development of the entire physical environment of the School – indoor, outdoor and semi-open spaces.

3) Shiksha Saarthi Yojna (Singrauli in Madhya Pradesh)

Shortage of teachers in schools of rural areas is a major reason for poor learning outcomes. The main reason for the shortage is that teachers from urban areas are unwilling to move to rural areas due to lack of infrastructural facilities. To address this issue and ensure the availability of teachers in primary schools, Shiksha Saarthi Yojna was launched.

After the appointment of Shiksha Saarthis, student enrolments, attendance and proficiency level in all subjects have risen.

[III] AGRICULTURE AND WATER RESOURCES

1) Agriculture Entrepreneur Scheme (Ramgarh in Jharkhand)

It is a promising example of coordination between District Administration, CSOs and local citizens to develop a sustainable and scalable model of Agricultural development. The scheme involves imparting training to selected ‘Agri-Entrepreneurs’ for the incorporation of best practices in farming for a cost-effective and profitable model of Agricultural development.

2) Horticulture Price Agreement Initiative (Chhatarpur in Madhya Pradesh)

To make farming a profitable venture, this initiative was launched. The initiative has forward and backward linkages and guarantees procurement at maximum price & partnership in local microprocessing units for farmers, while generating employment for the local youth. The target groups in this Scheme are small and marginal farmers, families with female heads, families with specially challenged people as head of the family and farmers of deprived castes.

3) Sarvajal Project (Udham Singh Nagar in Uttarakhand)

The project involves the installation of customised and decentralized drinking water solutions.

It leverages technology to bring community-level safe drinking water to the underserved. The solar-powered, cloud-connected water dispensing kiosks installed under the project have enabled citizens residing in remote areas, accessibility to clean palatable water.

4) ‘Taanka’ technique for rainwater harvesting and water conservation (Sonbhadra in Uttar Pradesh)

Taankas are underground rainwater storage tanks up to the capacity of 25,000 litres. This initiative follows the standard rainwater harvesting technique wherein rainwater from rooftops is collected through gutters and then made to pass through a sieve before being stored. Use of taankas has helped the district save enough water for lean summer months when the water demand is at its peak and supply invariably falls short.

[IV] FINANCIAL INCLUSION AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT

1) Solar MAMAs (Gumla in Jharkhand)

In the remote district, few hamlets have not yet been electrified due to scattered settlements, difficult topography and challenges of inaccessibility. To mitigate this challenge, the District Administration had organised local women in SHGs and trained them with skills needed for fabrication of solar panels, lights and photovoltaic circuits. These women are fondly addressed as Solar Mamas.

2) Khawa cluster concept (Osmanabad in Maharashtra)

In order to keep themselves afloat during severe droughts, farmers, within a Khawa cluster have come together, as an alternative to selling only milk. Khoya or Khawa (reduced dry milk) as a product has more demand and shelf life than milk and every farmer makes a profit for every litre. Farmers have organised themselves in cooperatives and are pooling their cattle for making Khawa (milk solids) from their daily milk production.

[V] BASIC INFRASTRUCTURE

1) Green technologies in Road Construction (Goalpara in Assam)

Depleting natural resources and closure of stone quarries had gravely hampered the progress of all-weather road construction. Despite this challenge, in order to provide all-weather connectivity to citizens, the district adopted various Green technologies for the construction of roads. Through this measure, apart from reducing dependence on natural resources and recycling waste plastic, the district has also been able to bring down the cost of construction and maintenance.

The technologies deployed by the district for construction of roads are-  Waste Plastic Technology, Cell Filled Concrete Technology, Geogrid Technology (Tenax 3D Grids), Cold Mix Technology and Interlocking Concrete Pavement Block (ICBP).

2) ‘Liter of Light’ Portable Lights (Ranchi in Jharkhand)

Here, women of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) are being trained to lighten the lives of villagers in the district by producing portable room lights, designed and developed by the students of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mumbai.

Recycled plastic bottles filled with water and a bit of bleach are fitted into the roof to provide lighting during the day, while at night, the same is upgraded with an LED bulb, micro-solar panels and a battery to provide a low-cost night lighting system.

3) Patsendri: A model colony under PMAY (Mahasamund in Chhattisgarh)

A Model Colony has been developed under the PM Awas Yojana (PMAY), with convergence between various physical work-related schemes and social sector schemes. Further expanding on this initiative, the District Administration has initiated convergence of various social sector schemes in Patsendri, and created a self-sustainable model for capacity building, employment generation, development & positive use of social capital, with a focus on the Patsendri Community.

Firstly, the convergence of schemes has led to the development of a Model Colony, wherein the houses, community hall, drainage, CC road have been built under PMAY, toilets are built under NREGA, electricity connection is provided under the Saubhagya Yojana, transformers, poles, etc. are provided under the Mukhya Mantri Majra-Tola Vidyutikaran Yojana, & water supply is provided under the Nal-Jal Yojana by the Public Health Department.

4) Swajal Water Testing (Barpeta, Assam)

The greatest threat to public health from Arsenic originates from contaminated groundwater. High levels of inorganic Arsenic is naturally present in the groundwater of the Aspirational District of Barpeta in Assam. Contaminated water used for the purpose of food preparation and drinking poses a great threat to the public. With community ownership and through participative planning, villagers, especially women in Barpeta, were sensitized about safe water practices and trained to use Field Testing Kits to ascertain the quality of drinking water.

[VI] GOVERNANCE

1) BDO Scorecards (Hazaribagh in Jharkhand)

To motivate the Block Development Officers (BDOs) who are the true foot soldiers of rural development in our country, here the District Administration has taken a first-of-its-kind initiative by devising a ‘BDO Scorecard’ to assess the performance of the BDOs in a transparent manner while taking into account the officers’ self-assessment.

Civil Servants are the first point of contact for citizens with the Government, and a motivated civil service is the best instrument to achieve outcomes desired by the State and society.

2) Lok Sewak App (Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh)

This district has established a new dimension in the direction of good governance by using the Lok Sewak App; an e-attendance and field monitoring tool that uses Geo-tagging technology. Through this App, the district has ensured the presence of Government officials at workplace thereby leading to significant improvement in the quantum and quality of work and facilitating their accessibility to the public.

The App has also ensured the availability of ASHA, Anganwadi workers, teachers and other key frontline workers involved in the implementation of various programmes.

3) Infrastructure Snapshot App (Goalpara in Assam)

Infrastructure Snapshot App, an innovative Android-based mobile application is a one-of-its-kind application developed specifically for the monitoring of Public Institutions like Government Offices, Schools, Health Centres and effective implementation of Government Schemes.

The App has smart features like GPS location-based service to capture current location in both online and offline modes with data sync facility, filing grievances for issues pertaining to infrastructure, recording absence of Government personnel like doctors, teachers, Anganwadi workers, etc. along with pictorial evidence.

The objective of the App is to reduce the gap between the public and the Administration and provide stepping stones for good governance through harnessing ICT.

The App has led to an increment in the resolution of public grievances and fast service delivery to the public. The App has also multiplied the community’s involvement in uplifting and ameliorating the District Infrastructure.

4) Maha Land Bank System (Washim in Maharashtra)

This district has created a unique repository of Government Land on a Portal, as a part of a State-wide programme in Maharashtra. The Land Bank serves as a repository of information for taking policy decisions on the allocation of Government Land such as the provision of Affordable Housing, Irrigation, Public Supply, Self-supplied Industries, Aquaculture, Mining, Tree Plantation, etc.

5) Meekosam Meal Scheme (Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh)

Labourers and daily wage workers coming to file their grievances and attend proceedings of the grievance cell, from places as far as 100 km will henceforth not have to return empty stomach.

For a meal worth ` 28/-, ` 10/- is collected from the petitioner and balance ` 18 is directly paid to the owner of the canteen. This initiative has resulted in a sharp rise in the number of petitioners attending grievance cell meetings.

For more insights into other best practices, you can refer to the document below. But the list above is also comprehensive and sufficient for mains exams.

With inputs from:

NITI Aayog Report on Best Practices in Aspirational Districts