[WpProQuiz 1108]
[WpProQuiz_toplist 1108]
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What is a Windfall Tax?
Finance Minister has defended the windfall tax imposed by the Centre on domestic crude oil producers, saying that it was not an ad hoc move but was done after full consultation with the industry.
What is a Windfall Tax?
- Windfall taxes are designed to tax the profits a company derives from an external, sometimes unprecedented event — for instance, the energy price-rise as a result of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
- These are profits that cannot be attributed to something the firm actively did, like an investment strategy or an expansion of business.
- The US Congressional Research Service (CRS) defines a windfall as an “unearned, unanticipated gain in income through no additional effort or expense”.
- One area where such taxes have routinely been discussed is oil markets, where price fluctuation leads to volatile or erratic profits for the industry.
When did India introduce this?
- In July this year, India announced a windfall tax on domestic crude oil producers who it believed were reaping the benefits of the high oil prices.
- It also imposed an additional excise levy on diesel, petrol and air turbine fuel (ATF) exports.
- Also, India’s case was different from other countries, as it was still importing discounted Russian oil.
How is it levied?
- Governments typically levy this as a one-off tax retrospectively over and above the normal rates of tax.
- The Central government has introduced a windfall profit tax of ₹23,250 per tonne on domestic crude oil production, which was subsequently revised fortnightly four times so far.
- The latest revision was on August 31, when it was hiked to ₹13,300 per tonne from ₹13,000.
Why govt. introduced windfall tax?
- There have been varying rationales for governments worldwide to introduce windfall taxes like:
- Redistribution of unexpected gains when high prices benefit producers at the expense of consumers,
- Funding social welfare schemes, and
- Supplementary revenue stream for the government
Why are countries levying windfall taxes now?
- Prices of oil, gas, and coal have seen sharp increases since last year and in the first two quarters of the current year, although they have reduced recently.
- Pandemic recovery and supply issues resulting from the Russia-Ukraine conflict shored up energy demands, which in turn have driven up global prices.
- The rising prices meant huge and record profits for energy companies while resulting in hefty gas and electricity bills for households in major and smaller economies.
- Since the gains stemmed partly from external change, multiple analysts have called them windfall profits.
Issues with imposing such taxes
- Companies are confident in investing in a sector if there is certainty and stability in a tax regime.
- Since windfall taxes are imposed retrospectively and are often influenced by unexpected events, they can brew uncertainty in the market about future taxes.
- IMF says that taxes in response to price surges may suffer from design problems—given their expedient and political nature.
- It added that introducing a temporary windfall profit tax reduces future investment because prospective investors will internalise the likelihood of potential taxes when making investment decisions.
- There is another argument about what exactly constitutes true windfall profits; how can it be determined and what level of profit is normal or excessive.
- Another issue is who should be taxed — only the big companies responsible for the bulk of high-priced sales or smaller companies as well— raising the question of whether producers with revenues or profits below a certain threshold should be exempt.
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Fighting anaemia
Context - The recent National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) data shows anaemia rates increased from 53 per cent to 57 per cent in women and 58 per cent to 67 per cent in children in 2019-21.
Definition of anaemia
- The WHO defines anaemia as a condition where the number of red blood cells or the haemoglobin concentration within them is lower than normal. This compromises immunity and impedes cognitive development.
Why anaemia is a concern?
- Adverse effects of anaemia affect all age groups lower physical and cognitive growth and alertness among children and adolescents, and lesser capacity to learn and play, directly impacting their future potential as productive citizens.
- Anaemia among adolescent girls (59.1 per cent) advances to maternal anaemiaand is a major cause of maternal and infant mortality and general morbidity and ill health in a community.
What causes anaemia?
- Imbalanced diet: Cereal-centric diets, with relatively less consumption of iron-rich food groups like meat, fish, eggs, and dark green leafy vegetables (DGLF), can be associated with higher levels of anaemia.
- Underlying factors: High levels of anaemia are also often associated with underlying factors like poor water quality and sanitation conditions that can adversely impact iron absorption in the body.
- Iron deficiency is major cause: A diet that does not contain enough iron, folic acid, or vitamin B12 is a common cause of anaemia.
- Some other conditions: That may lead to anaemia include pregnancy, heavy periods, blood disorders or cancer, inherited disorders, and infectious diseases.
Why is anaemia so high in the country?- Low vitamin intake: Iron-deficiency and vitamin B12-deficiency anaemia are the two common types of anaemia in India.
- High population and nutrition deprivation: Among women, iron deficiency prevalence is higher than men due to menstrual iron losses and the high iron demands of a growing foetus during pregnancies.
- Overemphasis on cereals: Lack of millets in the diet due to overdependence on rice and wheat, insufficient consumption of green and leafy vegetables could be the reasons behind the high prevalence of anaemia in India.
What is Iron fortification?
- Iron fortification of food is a methodology utilized worldwide to address iron deficiency. Iron fortification programs usually involve mandatory, centralized mass fortification of staple foods, such as wheat flour.
Why need iron fortification?- Iron deficiency anaemia is due to insufficient iron.
- Without enough iron, the body can’t produce enough of a substance in red blood cells that enables them to carry oxygen (haemoglobin).
- Severe anaemia during pregnancy increases risk of premature birth, having a low birth weight baby and postpartum depression. Some studies also show an increased risk of infant death immediately before or after birth.
Success story / value addition- Nepal’s success story to improve maternal anaemia by national action plan .
Anaemia Mukt Bharat
- The scheme aims to reduce the prevalence of anaemia in India.
- It provides bi weekly iron Folic acid supplementation to all under five children through Asha workers.
- Also, it provides biannual Deworming for children and adolescents. The scheme also establishes institutional mechanisms for advanced research in anaemia.
- It also focuses on non-nutritional causes of anaemia.
We need to focus on the following interventions
- Prophylactic Iron and Folic Acid supplementation.
- Intensified year-round Behaviour Change Communication Campaign (Solid Body, Smart Mind).
- Appropriate infant and young child feeding practices.
- Increase in intake of iron-rich food through diet diversity/quantity/frequency and/or fortified foods with focus on harnessing locally available resources.
- Testing and treatment of anaemia, using digital methods and point of care treatment, with special focus on pregnant women and school-going adolescents
- Mandatory provision of Iron and Folic Acid fortified foods in government-funded public health programmes
Way forward
- India’s nutrition programmes must undergo a periodic review.
- The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), which is perceived as the guardian of the nation’s nutritional well-being must reassess itself and address critical intervention gaps, both conceptually and programmatically, and produce rapid outcomes.
- The nutritional deficit which ought to be considered an indicator of great concern is generally ignored by policymakers and experts. Unless this is addressed, rapid improvement in nutritional indicators cannot happen.
Conclusion
- When a person is anaemic, the capacity of his blood cells to carry oxygen decreases. This reduces the productivity of the person which in turn affects the economy of the country. Therefore, it is highly important to cover Anaemia under National Health Mission.
Mains question
Q. “Every second adolescent girl has anaemia. Every second woman of reproductive age is anaemic”. In this context do you think Women’s empowerment will not have any meaning without tackling anaemia? Discuss.
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Patents in India
Context - Increasing the efficiency of processing patent applications and wider academia-industry collaboration are crucial steps for patent system.
What is patent system?
- A patent system is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention.
Why are patents important?
- A patent is important because it can help safeguard our invention. It can protect any product, design or process that meets certain specifications according to its originality, practicality, suitability, and utility. In most cases, a patent can protect an invention for up to 20 years.
How to get patent? - To get a patent, technical information about the invention must be disclosed to the public in a patent application.
- The patent owner may give permission to, or license, other parties to use the invention on mutually agreed terms.
- The owner may also sell the right to the invention to someone else, who will then become the new owner of the patent.
- Once a patent expires, the protection ends, and an invention enters the public domain; that is, anyone can commercially exploit the invention without infringing the patent.
Terms of Patent
- Patents may be granted for inventions in any field of technology, from an everyday kitchen utensil to a nanotechnology chip.
- An invention can be a product – such as a chemical compound, or a process, for example – or a process for producing a specific chemical compound.
- Patent protection is granted for a limited period, generally 20 years from the filing date of the application.
- Patents are territorial rights. In general, the exclusive rights are only applicable in the country or region in which a patent has been filed and granted, in accordance with the law of that country or region.
How patents can support inventors and improve lives- Recognize and reward: Patents recognize and reward inventors for their commercially-successful inventions. As such they serve as an incentive for inventors to invent. With a patent, an inventor or small business knows there is a good chance that they will get a return on the time, effort and money they invested in developing a technology. In sum, it means they can earn a living from their work.
- Economic opportunity: When a new technology comes onto the market, society as a whole stands to benefit – both directly, because it may enable us to do something that was previously not possible, and indirectly in terms of the economic opportunities (business development and employment) that can flow from it.
- Research and development (R&D): The revenues generated from commercially successful patent-protected technologies make it possible to finance further technological research and development (R&D), thereby improving the chances of even better technology becoming available in the future.
- Opportunities for business growth: A patent effectively turns an inventor’s know-how into a commercially tradeable asset, opening up opportunities for business growth and job creation through licensing and joint ventures, for example.
- Commercialization of a technology: Holding a patent also makes a small business more attractive to investors who play a key role in enabling the commercialization of a technology.
- Spark new ideas: The technical information and business intelligence generated by the patenting process can spark new ideas and promote new inventions from which we can all benefit and which may, in turn, qualify for patent protection.
- No freebies: A patent can help stop unscrupulous third parties from free riding on the efforts of the inventor.
What is KAPILA Initiative?
- Full form: KAPILA is an acronym for Kalam Program for IP (Intellectual Property) Literacy and Awareness.
- Guidelines for patent Filing: Under this campaign, students pursuing education in higher educational institutions will get information about the correct system of the application process for patenting their invention and they will be aware of their rights.
- Encouragement to students: The program will facilitate the colleges and institutions to encourage more and more students to file patents.
Thing to remember
Remember one thing, ‘KAPILA’ Program is related to IP awareness. It sounds much like an animal husbandry related initiative.
Way ahead
- As the patent system is a critical aspect of the national innovation ecosystem, investing in the patent ecosystem will help in strengthening the innovation capability of India.
- The right interventions should be made for the promotion of the quality of patent applications and collaboration between academia and industry.
Mains question
Q. A patent can help stop unscrupulous third parties from free riding on the efforts of the inventor. Discuss this statement in context of protection of innovative ecosystem in India.
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Who was Arattupuzha Velayudha Panicker?
A recently-released Malayalam film Pathonpatham Noottandu (‘Nineteenth Century’) is based on the life of Arattupuzha Velayudha Panicker, a social reformer from the Ezhava community in Kerala who lived in the 19th century.
Who was Arattupuzha Velayudha Panicker?
- Born into a well-off family of merchants in Kerala’s Alappuzha district, Panicker was one of the most influential figures in the reformation movement in the state.
- He challenged the domination of upper castes or ‘Savarnas’ and brought about changes in the lives of both men and women.
- The social reform movement in Kerala in the 19th century led to the large-scale subversion of the existing caste hierarchy and social order in the state.
- Panicker was murdered by a group of upper-caste men in 1874 at the age of 49. This makes him the ‘first martyr’ of the Kerala renaissance.
What was Panicker’s role in initiating social reforms?
- Panicker is credited with building two temples dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, in which members of all castes and religions were allowed entry.
- One was built in his own village Arattupuzha in 1852, and one in Thanneermukkom in 1854, another village in the Alappuzha district.
- Some of his most significant contributions were in protesting for the rights of women belonging to Kerala’s backward communities.
- In 1858, he led the Achippudava Samaram strike at Kayamkulam in Alappuzha.
- This strike aimed to earn women belonging to oppressed groups the right to wear a lower garment that extended beyond the knees.
- In 1859, this was extended into the Ethappu Samaram, the struggle for the right to wear an upper body cloth by women belonging to backward castes.
- In 1860, he led the Mukkuthi Samaram at Pandalam in the Pathanamthitta district, for the rights of lower-caste women to wear ‘mukkuthi’ or nose-ring, and other gold ornaments.
- These struggles played an important role in challenging the social order and in raising the dignity of women belonging to the lower strata of society in public life.
Other work
- Apart from issues related to women, Panicker also led the first-ever strike by agricultural labourers in Kerala, the Karshaka Thozhilali Samaram, which was successful.
- He also established the first Kathakali Yogam for the Ezhava community in 1861, which led to a Kathakali performance by Ezhavas and other backward communities, another first for them.
Try this PYQ:
Q. The Shri Narayan Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP) Movement(1902-03) was related to which of the following community?
a) Mopilla Community
b) South Indian Tea Planters
c) Ezhava Community in Kerala
d) North Eastern Tea Planters
Post your answers here.
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[Sansad TV] Perspective: Russia’s Far East- Opportunities for India
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Context
- PM Modi recently attended the Eastern Economic Forum, being held in the Russian city of Vladivostok. It was also attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
- PM Modi recalled his participation at the forum summit physically in 2019, saying India had announced its “Act Far-East” policy at that time.
- India iterated its keenness to strengthen its partnership with Russia on Arctic subjects and there is immense scope for cooperation in newer areas, particularly in the field of energy.
Russia’s Far East and India
- At the fifth summit of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in 2019 at Vladivostok, PM Modi pledged a $1 billion Line of Credit for development of the Russian Far East.
- This pledge has now become a key pillar of the ‘Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership’ between India and Russia.
Russian Far-East Region: The geography
- The Russian Far East is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asian continent; and is administered as part of the Far Eastern Federal District.
- It is located between Lake Baikal in eastern Siberia and the Pacific Ocean.
- The region’s largest city is Khabarovsk, followed by Vladivostok.
- The region shares land borders with the countries of Mongolia, China, and North Korea to its south, as well as maritime boundaries with Japan to its southeast, and with the United States along the Bering Strait to its northeast.
Why is the region under India’s consideration?
- Although it is rich in natural resources including minerals, hydrocarbons, timber and fish, it is an economically underdeveloped region.
- The region faces several challenges, including a:
- Harsh climate
- Sparse population
- Increasing outmigration
- Poor infrastructure and
- Lacking connectivity
Why focus on the Far East?
- While the region is labor-scarce, it is resource rich.
- The Russian Far East needs capital, technology and markets.
- Meanwhile, India is a country with a labor-surplus and a resource-deficit, in need of energy, mineral resources and farming land.
- Russia is in a position to meet Indian requirements and vice-versa.
Economic significance of Far-East Region
- Natural resources: The region occupying 40 per cent of Russia’s total territory is rich in natural resources, particularly diamonds, gold, oil, natural gas, coal, timber, silver, platinum, tin, lead, and zinc. It also has rich fishing grounds.
- Agriculture: Indian interest has been focussed mainly on its need to tap into the region’s natural resources, including arable land. A recent Indian study identifies oil and natural gas, iron ore, copper, diamonds and gold, fresh water, timber and fish stocks as the resources of the region that would find an Indian market.
- Blue Economy: It is in this context that the Chennai-Vladivostok sea route development has been proposed. This link would facilitate cargo transfers between the two eastern ports of the two countries in 24 days compared to 40 days that it now takes for ships that sail via Europe.
- Employment opportunities: A lack of manpower is one of the main problems faced by the Far East and Indian professionals like doctors, engineers and teachers can help in the region’s development. Presence of Indian manpower will also help in balancing Russian concerns over Chinese migration into the region.
- Energy Security: The area is rich hydrocarbon reserves in the region throw up immense opportunities for Indian companies. ONGC Videsh has already invested in the Sakhalin-1 project and its terminal is acknowledged as the best in Russia. India is set to get gas from Gazprom that will probably be liquefied at a plant near Vladivostok.
- Scope for Small scale industries: For India, there is immense potential for mid-sized and small businesses who should be assisted to overcome language and cultural barriers so that they successfully adopt local business practices. The large diamond reserves in the region should be a magnet for the Indian diamond cutting and polishing industry, which is already facing tough competition in Africa from the Chinese.
- Export destination for key sectors: Infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture development are also areas of opportunity for Indian business and labour. Tele-medicine and long distance education are other areas where Indian companies can make a mark. It would also help in increasing India’s exports.
Strategic importance
- Opening to Indo-Pacific: The Russian Far East is at the forefront of geopolitics centred on the Indo-Pacific and is key in pivot to Asia.
- Direct gateway to Japan: India’s ties with the Russian Far East could help cement Indo-Russian relations as well as bolster its ties with Central Asia and East Asia. It would connect India to East Asia especially Japan.
- Confidence building with Russia: In the wake of the Ukraine crisis, the US-EU campaign to isolate Russia has gathered momentum. India’s simply cannot risk missing this opportunity to show its affinity for Russia. Although Russia needs Chinese investment it is uneasy with Chinese projects as they often use only Chinese workers.
Countering China:
- China’s emergence as a major economic power in Asia, as a source of investment, a market for exports and, above all, the source of mass labour migration have altered both the ground situation.
- At present, China is the leading investor in the region. Chinese investments account for nearly two-thirds of the total Foreign Direct Investment of $33 billion that has come to Russia’s Far East (RFE) in the last four years.
- A larger footprint in the Russian Far East enhances India’s presence and influence in China’s immediate neighborhood.
Various steps taken by India
- While 2019 is the first time that India has participated in the EEF, it is not new to the Russian Far East.
- India opened a consulate in Vladivostok in 1992, the first country in the world to do so.
- In the decades since, its interest in the Far East region, especially its oil and gas reserves, has grown.
- Indeed, back in 2001 India’s ONGC acquired a 20 percent stake in the Sakhalin reserves and over the last couple of years Indian companies have started announcing investments in the Russian Far East.
- In December 2017, for instance, Tata Power announced that it had secured a $4.7-million mining license for a thermal coal mine in the Kamchatka peninsula.
Note: Indian leadership was visionary even before the NDA-II regime!
Way forward
- A necessary pre-condition for increased trade and investment relations between India and the Russian Far East would be the development of necessary infrastructure aimed at improved connectivity between the two regions.
- India and Russia should put in place a free trade agreement, easier visa norms and improved travel facilities. Connectivity is key to development in the modern world.
- While land connectivity is impaired by several geopolitical and security constraints, developing sea connectivity is possible.
- To maintain the momentum of this engagement, both governments must ensure that their respective private sector firms participate, going beyond oil and gas into manufacturing and agriculture.
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What is National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM)?
The latest National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) released September 13, 2022 by the Union health ministry added 34 new medicines and dropped 26 old ones from the previous list.
What is NLEM?
- As per the World Health Organisation (WHO), Essential Medicines are those that satisfy the priority health care needs of the population.
- Ministry of Health and Family Welfare hence prepared and released the first National List of Essential Medicines of India in 1996 consisting of 279 medicines.
- The list is made with consideration to disease prevalence, efficacy, safety and comparative cost-effectiveness of the medicines.
- Such medicines are intended to be available in adequate amounts, in appropriate dosage forms and strengths with assured quality.
- They should be available in such a way that an individual or community can afford.
NLEM in India
- Drugs listed under NLEM — also known as scheduled drugs — will be cheaper because the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) caps medicine prices and changes only based on wholesale price index-based inflation.
- The list includes anti-infectives medicines to treat diabetes such as insulin — HIV, tuberculosis, cancer, contraceptives, hormonal medicines and anaesthetics.
- They account for 17-18 per cent of the estimated Rs 1.6-trillion domestic pharmaceutical market.
- Companies selling non-scheduled drugs can hike prices by up to 10 per cent every year.
- Typically, once NLEM is released, the department of pharmaceuticals under the ministry of chemicals and fertilisers adds them in the Drug Price Control Order, after which NPPA fixes the price.
Significance of EML
- Drawing an essential medicines list (EML) is expected to result in better quality of medical care, better management of medicines and cost-effective use of health care resources.
- This is especially important for a resource limited country like India.
- The list of essential medicines is intended to have a positive impact on the availability and rational use of medicines.
Also read
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GST Council
The Union Finance Minister has heaped praises on Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council.
Why in news?
- FM was reacting to a case made by Fifteenth Finance Commission chief N.K. Singh to set up a Fiscal Council with the Centre and States.
- This is another such recommended body to act as a bridge between the GST Council and the Finance Commission.
What is the GST Council?
- The GST regime came into force after the 101st Constitutional Amendment was passed by both Houses of Parliament in 2016.
- The GST Council – a joint forum of the Centre and the states — was set up by the President as per Article 279A (1) of the amended Constitution.
- The members of the Council include the Union Finance Minister (chairperson), the Union Minister of State (Finance) from the Centre.
- Each state can nominate a minister in-charge of finance or taxation or any other minister as a member.
Why was the Council set up?
- The Council, according to Article 279, is meant to “make recommendations to the Union and the states on important issues related to GST, like the goods and services that may be subjected or exempted from GST, model GST Laws”.
- It also decides on various rate slabs of GST.
- For instance, an interim report by a panel of ministers has suggested imposing 28 per cent GST on casinos, online gaming and horse racing.
- A decision on this will be taken at the Council meeting.
Recent reforms
- The ongoing meeting is the first since a decision of the Supreme Court in May this year, which stated recommendations of the GST Council are not binding.
- The court said Article 246A of the Constitution gives both Parliament and state legislatures “simultaneous” power to legislate on GST .
- Recommendations of the Council are the product of a collaborative dialogue involving the Union and States.
- This was hailed by some states, such as Kerala and Tamil Nadu, who believe states can be more flexible in accepting the recommendations as suited to them.
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How is ‘Personal Mentorship’ a new, key tool for UPSC-CSE preparation strategy?’ | The Indian Express explained CD’s approach | Get your personal IAS mentor
CivilsDaily’s personalized and student-centric approach, due to its proven effectiveness and extraordinary result in the previous UPSC CSE exams, is attracting a lot of eyeballs. Every day we are flooded with hundreds of mentorship requests.
Still, many aspirants lack clarity on what UPSC Mentorship actually stands for. They have a lot of doubts and queries about it. The Indian Express invited us to bring clarity on Mentorship for UPSC and Zeeshan Hashmi, senior UPSC Mentor at CivilsDaily gave an interview to the newspaper. Below are given excerpts from the interview. You can read the full interview here.
What is Personal Mentorship for UPSC CSE?
Interviewer: “Zeeshan, a new trend is being noticed that UPSC aspirants are opting for ‘personal mentors’ to crack their Civil services exams. What is ‘Personal Mentorship’?“
Mentorship is a gradual process that takes the preparation level of each student into consideration. The core philosophy in a mentorship program is that ‘every student is a distinct batch’. Each aspirant has his or her own strengths and weakness and stands at different levels of preparation.
Taking all those into consideration, a mentorship program devises a proper strategy and plan tailor-made for a particular candidate.
In simple terms, the mentorship process is like a Google map, that suggests one of the best possible routes reach the destination depending on the position of the user.
Similarly, a mentor guides an aspirant to the best possible route to attain success depending on his level of preparedness, strengths, and weaknesses. etc.
Which one are you?
Every student is a batch
Core philosophy of CD MentorshipHow is mentorship different from teaching?
Interviewer: If a UPSC mentor is providing guidance to an aspirant, how he or she is different from a teacher/instructor?
Students sometimes are confused between a teacher and a mentor. A teacher teaches topics, concepts, and ideas from the syllabus, textbooks or from some established scholarly works.
A mentor is someone who guides an aspirant based on his own experience, learning, and insights. He has walked that path either as a senior aspirant or a selected candidate.
Mourya had a personalized timetable, targets, and UPSC study plan as per his constraints like time availability and job Students should know that a mentor’s job is not to teach and complete the syllabus of static subjects. That is a job of a teacher. However, a mentor guides an aspirant by suggesting the best strategies that will suit the aspirant and cater to his or her problem. That strategy is not one size suit all approach.
Parameters to choose a mentor?
Interviewer: There are many coaching institutes providing mentorship programs. What parameters should an aspirant look into while choosing a mentor?
Zeeshan sir answered that the two general parameters an aspirant should look at while deciding a mentor are:
- Statistics: How many students got selected through a mentor’s specific personalized mentorship program?
- Human element: This involves building up trust. One way to find out the trust factor is through webinars/videos which are available for free. During these webinars, a mentor answers many doubts and queries. If any aspirant as a viewer finds that a similar doubt, resonating with his or her is addressed, trust is developed.
- It is after these two factors, aspirants should approach a mentor, interact and select the program as per his or her requirements.
Is it true that mentorship also involves counselling?
It is true to some extent. many times a mentor receives calls from aspirants who have emotional outbursts and they are apprehensive of their preparedness. We must understand that UPSC aspirants come from diverse backgrounds and the preparation can take more than a few years. It can be frustrating. A mentor should be prepared to empathize with the anxieties of an aspirant and provide him or her with practical insights.
Let me take the example of my former student Soham Mandhare who was suffering from stress and anxiety attacks and was advised by the doctors to quit the exam. But he decided to approach a personalized mentorship program and benefited from it. Sohum Mandhare, finally secured AIR 267 in UPSC-CSE 2021.
However, a mentor should be careful and advise an aspirant to consult a qualified doctor when the situation of a candidate is serious and needs medical help.
Which combination is more favorable for aspirants- coaching guidance + Mentorship or self-study + Mentorship?
Depends upon where the student stands in his preparation.
Coaching guidance + Mentorship: freshers find it important. It gives aspirants an apt environment, peer group preparation, etc.
Self-study + Mentorship: Beneficial for aspirants who have financial constraints, housewives and professionals, selected candidates who want to improve ranks, and those who can not leave their homes due to personal circumstances.
Tools and Strategies used by UPSC Mentors
What are some of the tools used by a mentor which make the mentorship more personalized or most tailor-made for individual aspirants?
- Customized Timetable: Depending on how much time an aspirant can devote to the preparation due to the personal or professional conditions of an individual, a mentor helps to prepare a personalized timetable.
- Regular micro tests: Addressing personal apprehensions regarding the preparedness for exams, micro-tests a regular basis are designed, evaluated, and discussed. It involves going deep and understanding the thought process behind the candidates’ answers.
- Calls on demand: Listening patiently to aspirants’ queries and doubts, one on one, is an important element of the mentorship program.
“Never take any results as a barometer for your success. Take results sportingly. only then one will be able to improvise and perform better in the next opportunity or attempt”.
Zeeshan Hashmi
It is not that UPSC-CSE preparation can not be done by self-study. Yet, a mentor is required at various tiers of this exam, whether an aspirant is going to regular coaching or not.
For the last 4 years, the most challenging exam of our country has been witnessing an inspirational transition in preparation strategy. ‘Personal Mentorship Program (PMP) is becoming increasingly popular among UPSC-CSE aspirants.
Why do IAS aspirants prefer a mentor? The simple answer is that only an IAS mentor can understand the anxieties of a candidate. And he remains prepared to empathize and provides practical insights.
Senior IAS CD mentor/faculty Zeeshan Hashmi sir’s core philosophy ‘every student is a distinct batch’ has gained currency in Indian Express.
Read his exceptional interview:
The Hindu has acknowledged the 80% success rate of Civilsdaily’s mentorship Program All the aspirants now are all aware of the benefits that come with mentorship. In fact, some of the wretchedly failure-sufferers have changed their lives by clearing UPSC. To demonstrate such impact India’s top branded news giants repeatedly echoed ‘Civilsdaily’s One Branded Mentorship Program’
Civilsdaily’s Mentorship is clearly one brand which sets us apart
Civilsdaily mentorship toolkit helps you in 6 key components of your UPSC-CSE preparation
- Direction– Civilsdaily’s mentors are highly qualified, with at least one year of mentorship experience and two UPSC CSE Interviews under their belts. They are well-versed in the many stages of preparation. These mentors will assist you in developing both a comprehensive and micro schedule. They’ll put together a weekly programme for you, complete with mentorship calls. This schedule will be created based on a thorough examination of the importance of subjects as well as the interconnection of topics to make it easier for students to grasp the material.
- Discipline– The student will be held accountable to the mentor since he or she will be required to complete a weekly target set by the mentor.
- Consistency– Students can retain consistency in their preparation by having their mentor monitor them constantly and giving them regular tests. Furthermore, rational scheduling aids pupils in adopting an integrated approach to preparation..
- Value addition– Mentors also assist students with their questions and resources. Students become perplexed as to which resources to follow due to the abundance of content available on the market. Mentors can assist you in locating and referring to the most appropriate materials. This aids students in consolidating their resources and avoiding content overload. Mentors will also offer video assistance. Remember- the mantra to clear UPSC is MINIMUM RESOURCES, MAXIMUM REVISIONS.
- Evaluation– The UAP/foundation curriculum also contains a prelims and mains test series, as well as weekly 10 mains questions from Samachar Manthan (SM). Your mentor will go through each test with you and help you figure out your strengths and shortcomings. So, if you devote yourself to this programme, you will receive one-on-one assistance for more than 40 mains tests (including SM) and more than 30 prelims tests. Furthermore, each test will be examined twice by professional evaluators, with a mentor evaluating the results later.
- Motivation– When you’re feeling down or don’t feel like studying, you can reach out to your mentor, have a conversation, get motivated, and restart your studies. Mentor-recommended relaxation techniques can assist you in learning more effectively.
How does Samanvaya Mentorship work? Introducing 3 layers of mentorship: Get IAS or UPSC ranker as your mentor
1. 1st step starts with this Samanvaya call: Once you fill in the form, we get on a 30-40 minute call with you to understand your prep level, working/ study constraints, and current strategies and create a step-by-step plan for the next week, next month and so on.
2. You are directed and given access to relevant resources and invite-only platform, Habitat where you can ask your daily doubts, discuss your test-prep questions and have real-time, live sessions on news and op-eds, and find your optional groups.
Daily target monitoring. 3. The third and the most personalized tier is the 1 on 1 mentor allotment who stays with you through the course of your UPSC preparation – always-on chat and on scheduled calls to help you assess, evaluate, and chart the next milestone of your IAS 2023-23 journey.
We will also connect you to a UPSC ranker or IAS, who will mentor you in this journey.
Layer 1: You will be assigned a dedicated in-house mentor who will keep track of our progress from start till your final interview.
Layer 2: Sajal Singh sir and the team will be constantly with you through various programs like Samachar Manthan, Prelims, Essay, etc.
Layer 3: A UPSC IAS ranker (one who has cleared this exam) will be supervising your progress as your super mentor.
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Scientists remain sceptical about how Liquid Nano Urea benefits crops
Liquid Nano Urea, a fertilizer patented and sold by the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Ltd. (IFFCO), has been approved by the government for commercial use because of its potential to substantially reduce the import bill, but several experts have questioned the science underlying its efficacy.
What is Liquid Nano Urea (LNU)?
- Urea is chemical nitrogen fertiliser, white in colour, which artificially provides nitrogen, a major nutrient required by plants.
- LNU is essentially urea in the form of a nanoparticle.
- It is sprayed directly on the leaves and gets absorbed by the plant.
- Fertilisers in nano form provide a targeted supply of nutrients to crops, as they are absorbed by the stomata, pores found on the epidermis of leaves.
- According to IFFCO, liquid nano urea contains 4 per cent total nitrogen (w/v) evenly dispersed in water.
- The size of a nano nitrogen particle varies from 20-50 nm. (A nanometre is equal to a billionth of a metre.)
Using LNU
- The liquid nano urea produced by IFFCO Limited comes in a half-litre bottle priced at Rs 240, and carries no burden of subsidy currently.
- By contrast, a farmer pays around Rs 300 for a 50-kg bag of heavily subsidised urea.
- According to IFFCO, a bottle of the nano urea can effectively replace at least one bag of urea.
How efficient is LNU?
- While conventional urea has an efficiency of about 25 per cent, the efficiency of liquid nano urea can be as high as 85-90 per cent.
- Conventional urea fails to have the desired impact on crops as it is often applied incorrectly, and the nitrogen in it is vaporized or lost as a gas.
- A lot of nitrogen is also washed away during irrigation.
- Liquid nano urea has a shelf life of a year, and farmers need not be worried about “caking” when it comes in contact with moisture.
Significance of LNU
- This patented product is expected to not only substitute imported urea, but to also produce better results in farms.
- Apart from reducing the country’s subsidy bill, it is aimed at reducing the unbalanced and indiscriminate use of conventional urea.
- It will help increase crop productivity, and reduce soil, water, and air pollution.
Why in news now?
- Plants need nitrogen to make protein and they source almost all of it from soil bacteria which live in a plant’s roots and have the ability to break down atmospheric nitrogen, or that from chemicals such as urea into a form usable by plants.
- Chemically packaged urea is 46% nitrogen, which means a 45-kg sack contains about 20 kg of nitrogen.
- Contrastingly, nano urea sold in 500-ml bottles has only 4% nitrogen (or around 20 g).
- How this can compensate for the kilograms of nitrogen normally required puzzles scientists.
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