Category: Ranker Webinars

Topics for Today’s questions:

GS-1       The Freedom Struggle — its various stages and important contributors/contributions from different parts of the country.

GS-2       Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests

GS-3        Indian Economy

GS-4        Case Studies

Question 1)

Q.1 How did the Moderates and Extremists differ in their ideology, methods and goals during the Indian National Movement? (10 Marks)

Question 2)

Q.2 Taiwan finds itself caught in a crossfire between the US and China. What are the implications of the rising tension for India? What should be India’s approach? (10 Marks)

Question 3)

Q.3 India is getting a demographic dividend that will last nearly 30 years. How it handles this windfall will determine if it will rise to the top of the economic league table by the end of this century. In context of this examine the various factors that are in India’s favour when compared with the China of the 1970s when it embarked on economic reforms. (10 Marks)

Question 4)  

Q.4 An Indian company is active in the telecom sector and is the majority owner of a telecom company based in other geographies across the world. At one of its European headquarters, there emerged whistleblowing allegations that a local executive was bribing local government officials in order to obtain telecom cabling and construction contracts from the local government. The kickbacks were allegedly paid through a third-party consultant. More specifically, there were allegations that the executive, the third party, and a government official had some sort of business interest in common, possibly shareholdings in a limited company or the joint ownership of an undisclosed asset. The company is thought to be particularly close to the ruling dispensation in India and the news has now raised pressure to put its business operations in India under scanner as well. In this context, answer the following questions: (a) What are the ethical challenges in the given case? (b) Identify the different stakeholders and their interests. (c) As the CEO of the firm, how would you respond to the given situation? (20 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: 

Topics for Today’s questions:

GS-1        Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present – significant events, personalities, issues.

GS-2       Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests

GS-3        Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

GS-4        Probity in Governance: Concept of public service; Philosophical basis of governance and probity

Question 1)

Q.1 Governance, during the British rule, was a means of exploitation of India rather than a vehicle of public welfare. Discuss. (15 Marks)

Question 2)

Q.2 China’s growing influence in the Pacific region, including in the Indo-Pacific, and further strengthened by the entente with Russia, may hardly be a by-product of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, but it has induced fresh energy into the region. Comment. (10 Marks)

Question 3)

Q.3 Coal, oil and gas are not going anywhere in the developed world; they are, in fact, making a comeback. In context of this examine the factors responsible for downgrading of climate commitment and suggest the way forward for the developing countries. (10 Marks)

Question 4)  

Q.4 Corruption endangers not only the quality of governance but also threatens the very foundation of our society. Elucidate. (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: 

UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

Context

• The culture and diversities of indigenous people in India are remarkable.
• Regions such as Northeast India, Rajasthan, Odisha and West Bengal have large concentrations of such indigenous communities.
• The traditional knowledge, cultural expression, knowledge about local flora and fauna, medicine, agriculture, textile, and food of the indigenous people is immense.

According to a World Bank report, “Indigenous Peoples own, occupy, or use a quarter of the world’s surface area, they safeguard 80 percent of the world’s remaining biodiversity.  They hold vital ancestral knowledge and expertise on how to adapt, mitigate, and reduce climate and disaster risks.”

[1] Adis of Arunachal Pradesh

• The literal meaning of “adi” is mountain top or hill.
• Adis are known to have migrated from further north and have settled in various districts of Arunachal Pradesh. They speak the Sino-Tibetan language.
• They are traditionally nature worshippers and follow the faith of Donyi-Polo.
• Adis are hence dependent on nature and are fully self-sufficient in their livelihood and lifestyle and all their resources come from the forests.
• Adis are famous for their age-old house-making skills, and they take just one or two days to build a house.
• Adi men are good craftsmen and have a unique way of building houses using different types of plant materials.
• The traditional houses are constructed with different types of bamboo, wood, canes, leaves, etc., and no nails are used in their construction.
• These are also collected based on the phase of the moon and the materials collected just before the new moon are free from insects, and last long.
• Once a house is complete, the Adis celebrate it with their traditional rice beer.

[2] Tangsas of Arunachal Pradesh

• The Tangsa community inhabits the Changlang district of eastern Arunachal Pradesh, located in the Patkai hills.
• The Tangsas have a rich cultural heritage and are well known for their traditional knowledge and skills of natural food processing and preservation, sustainable cooking, weaving, architecture and basketry.
• However, they are most famous for their indigenous bamboo tea-making.
• The Tangsas, along with the Singphos, are believed to be the original tea-makers in India, much before the British introduced it commercially.
• Tangsas process tea leaves following their traditional methodology which provides for the natural preservation of the roasted dry tea for many years.
• Tangsas believe that their indigenous tea has medicinal values.
• The staple diet and cuisine of Tangsas, consisting of rice, meat, and fish, are all cooked using bamboo.

[3] Kalbelias of Rajasthan

• Kalbelia is a unique nomadic community of snake-charmers and is also referred to as “ghoomantar”.
• In their language, Kal means ‘snake’ and Belia means ‘friendship’.
• Kalbelias are known for their “Kalbelia dance”.
• The knowledge of their cultural forms and practices is passed down through generations orally.
• The Kalbelia tradition is rich in indigenous music, songs, dance and handicrafts (embroidery and ethnic jewellery) all combined together to create a vibrant and colourful folk form.
• The men play music with their main instrument being the wind instrument called Pungi that is accompanied by percussion instruments, Dafli and to the beats and tunes of which the Kalbelia women dance.
• Kalbelia is inscribed in the UNESCO 2003 Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

[4] Rajbongshis of West Bengal

• Rajbongshi is an indigenous community residing in West Bengal, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and other Northeast regions.
• The word Rajbongshi literally means “royal community” and is believed to have hailed from the ancient Koch kingdom.
• Rajbongshis are well known for art forms such as Bamboo and Dhokra crafts, performing arts like Gomira Dance (Mukha Nach) and the satirical folk drama, Khon.
• Gomira Dance locally known as Mukha Nacli, is a form of ritualistic dance practised by this community by putting on Gomira wooden masks of different forms of deities.
• Instruments include drums, dhak, shehnai and metal gong.
• Gomira mask makers reside in the Kushmandi block in Dakshin Dinajpur and Kaliagani block in Uttar Dinajpur.
• The Gomira dance festival is organised usually during the months of Chaitra and Ashad (April- July).
• Dhokra crafts or mat weaving is an indigenous tradition practised by the Rajbongshi women.
• Weaving is done on home-based back strap looms.
• Jute, which is grown locally, is hand processed and hand-woven to produce the natural fibre products, making the products highly sustainable.

Conclusion

• The indigenous communities have nurtured oral cultural traditions of songs, theatre, dance, and social customs to help them survive the test of time with faith and hope.
• When the world is struggling for solutions and success in reaching the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, there are hundreds of indigenous communities across the country which do not have any carbon footprint of their traditional ways of living and are mostly self-sufficient.

Topics for Today’s questions:

GS-1        Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.

GS-2       Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, 

GS-3        Indian Economy

GS-4        Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: Status and problems; strengthening of ethical and moral values in governance; ethical issues in international relations and funding; corporate governance.

Question 1)

Q.1 Central Asian contacts had a profound political and cultural impact on India in ancient times. Discuss. (10 Marks)

Question 2)

Q.2 What are the issues with the various provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2002? Suggest the way forward. (10 Marks)

Question 3)

Q.3 What is the significance of foreign exchange reserves for a developing country and what are the reasons for the recent decline in India’s foreign exchange reserves? (10 Marks)

Question 4)  

Q.4 Corporate governance and business ethics are key factors influencing investment decisions and determining the flow of capital worldwide. In this context, discuss the inter-relationship between corporate governance and business ethics. (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: 

UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

Context

• Work from Home – which became a common feature for almost everyone during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, is here to stay.
• The Department of Commerce has notified an amendment to the 2006 Special Economic Zone rules, allowing up to 50 percent of total employees of IT and IT-enabled Services to work from home.

Why did the Centre intervene for WFH?

• The new rules came after there were calls from the industry to make a provision for a countrywide uniform WFH policy for all SEZs.
• Incidentally, the work from home rules come shortly after the Netherlands passed a law to establish home working as a legal right, in the process becoming one of the first countries to enshrine such flexibility in the law.

So what do the new rules say? Why is work from home in demand? And is it going to be the future? Let’s find:

What is Work from Home (WFH)?

• Employees work from home by using a dedicated laptop/PC connected to the internet and business applications to collaborate and communicate with their team members.
• While some employees work primarily from their homes, others work occasionally from home and travel to their office half of the time.
• WFH means employees can set up their workspace in their homes and manage their entire work right from inside their houses, without the need to necessarily go to the office.

What are the new guidelines?

• The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has released new guidelines under Rule 43A for work from home (WFH) for employees. 
• According to the notice issued by the Commerce Ministry, there is flexibility granted to the Development Commissioner (DC) of SEZs to approve a higher number of employees (more than 50%) for any bona-fide reason to be recorded in writing.
• Furthermore, this fresh rule provides a transition period of 90 days to SEZ units to seek approval, whose employees are already working from home.

Who all are covered under the new rule? 

The new rule 43A provides work from home for the following category of employees of a unit in SEZ:

1. Employees of IT/ITeS SEZ units
2. Employees, who are temporarily incapacitated
3. Employees, who are traveling
4. Employees, who are working offsite

Major challenges of working from home

[A] For employers

• Remote collaboration: Collaboration is one of the biggest work-from-home challenges for companies as employees no longer work from the same physical office space.
• Employees working from different locations and time zones: The big downside of this perk is that companies end up with a completely distributed workforce with employees working from different locations and time zones.
• Building and maintaining trust: When employees don’t have face-to-face interactions, there are some obvious trust issues that can arise because of it. Continuous mistrust from team members can often end up demotivating employees and making them feel left out.

[B] For employees

• Working too much:   With no excessive breaks or long commutes to the office, remote employees are 20-25 percent more productive than their office counterparts.  
• Loneliness and depression: With no informal social interactions with colleagues, employees can feel isolated and even develop communication issues with the rest of the team.
• A lack of community: When you only have face-to-face interactions with your team members on weekly or monthly video calls only, it can be rather challenging to create a sense of camaraderie and bonding within the team.

WFH benefits both employers and employees

Here is some work-from-home benefits for both employees and employers:

• Cost savings: When there are fewer employees coming to the office than usual, organizations need fewer equipment, desks, and space to accommodate them which will directly lead to lowered infrastructure and rental costs.  For employees too, working from home can lead to a lot of cost savings. No morning commute means no extra costs to travel to the office every day. Also, employees no longer need to pay high rents just to stay close to their offices.
• Flexible schedule and more freedom: When employees work from home, they get the freedom to create their own schedule, according to their productivity levels and personal commitments. They can work in the early mornings or through the nights if that’s when they feel most productive.
• Hire and retain global talent: Retaining talent becomes easier when companies offer work-from-home perks. For 83 percent of employees, the ability to work from home is a big deciding factor when they consider a new job offer. For companies, that means, allowing employees to work from home can make it easier for them to hire and retain top talent without any kind of location limitations.
• Better work-life balance: When employees work from home, they no longer have to spend hours driving in the traffic every day, chatting with coworkers near the watercooler, or organizing dinner parties with team members which directly saves them a lot of time that they can in turn use to spend with their friends, family, or just to do things that they like. With more downtime, enough rest, and better work-life balance, employees are able to better focus on the work which leads to higher efficiency and productivity.
• Positive employee experience: With more flexibility, no everyday bumper-to-bumper commute traffic, and better work-life balance, work from home ends up improving the overall employee experience within the organization. This in turn creates a company culture of high performance where employees want to perform at their best and continuously improve at work.
• Increase in productivity: When employees get the freedom to create their own work schedule and workspace, they feel more positive and productive. Moreover, with no excessive breaks or disruptions from co-workers, work-from-home employees end up being more productive than their in-office counterparts as well.

Conclusion

• Work from home is truly the future of work and it is here to stay.
• Even though there are some challenges to it, the pros of working from home easily outweigh the cons.
• Of course, incorporating a work-from-home strategy for the first time can be difficult, but it’s not impossible.

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

Topics for Today’s questions:

GS-1        Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone. etc., geographical features and their location-changes in critical geographical features (including water-bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes. 

GS-2       Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests

GS-3        Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices

GS-4        Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: Status and problems; ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions; laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance

Question 1)

Q.1 What do you understand by tsunamigenic zones? Giving an account of their global distribution, explain the propagation of tsunamis. (10 Marks)

Question 2)

Q.2 What is the significance of the launch of the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC) for India and the region? (10 Marks)

Question 3)

Q.3 What are the World Trade Organisation’s rules over public stockholding of food? What are India’s concerns about it? (10 Marks)

Question 4)  

Q.4 Examine the issue of foreign aid in global politics from an ethical perspective. (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: 

Topics for Today’s questions:

GS-1        Distribution of key natural resources across the world (including South Asia and the Indian sub-continent)

GS-2        Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability

GS-3        Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.

GS-4        Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: Status and problems; ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions

Question 1)

Q.1 What are polymetallic nodules? Highlight their geographical distribution and state their significance. (10 Marks)

Question 2)

Q.2 How whistleblowers contribute to participatory democracy by use of RTI? Suggest the measures to ensure the protection of whistleblowers. (10 Marks)

Question 3)

Q.3 What are the factors responsible for the deterioration of the financial position of the state-owned power distribution companies? Is bailout by the government a solution? (10 Marks)

Question 4)  

Q.4 There is a need for an effective climate governance structure within the broad framework of corporate governance. Discuss. (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: