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  • Top IAS books | Skip at your own risk

    “An IAS aspirant must always be careful of right selection of books and what is inside them, for words have the power to make us an IAS”- Civilsdaily

    click:- attend online live workshop with senior ias mentor on ias preparation strategy

    Hi Guys, 

    We hope you read about ‘How to utilize Previous Years’ Question Papers’ through the entire journey of becoming IAS. But, only PYQs are not enough to have a grip on the UPSC preparation. After analyzing those question papers comprehensively, the next immediate step is to have some important text books for IAS preparation. 

    Frankly speaking, the previous year’s question papers are not complete without reading the textbooks, similarly, the work will be useless if you read the textbooks without having a grip on previous years’ question papers. 

    After mentoring 5000+ IAS aspirants, the Civilsdaily senior IAS mentors team has made a list of those Basic and Advanced reference books that are considered the best, and UPSC, itself prefers to make questions from them. So, let’s have a look:

    Table of Content:

    History: 

     1. A Brief History of Modern India – Spectrum 

     2. Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania

     3. Our Past – NCERT series (Ancient & Medieval)

     4. Themes in Indian History Series (NCERT)

    Geography:

     5. NCERT – 11 & 12

     6. Certificate Physical Geography – G C Leong

     7. PMFIAS notes

     8. Atlas – Oxford School Atlas (India) and Orient Black Swan (World)

    Environment:

     9. PMFIAS 

     10. 12th Biology NCERT (Last 4 topics)

    Polity:

     11. 11th and 12th NCERT 

     12. Indian Polity – M Laxmikanth

     13. Contemporary World Politics (NCERT)

    14. PM Bakshi: the constitution of India (for articles)

    Economy:

     1. Macroeconomy (NCERT)

     2. Indian Economic Development (NCERT)

     3. Indian Economy – Nitin Singhania

    Additional Material for Mains – 

    GS 1 – 

    1. India’s Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra

     1. India After Independence by Bipan Chandra

     2. Ancient India by RS Sharma

     3. History of Medieval India by Satish Chandra

     4. From Plassey To Partition And After by Sekhar Bandyopadhyay

     5. Introduction to Indian Art for Class XI (NCERT)

    GS 2 –

     6. Governance – Current affairs from SM and M. Laxmikanth

     7. India’s Foreign Policy by Rajiv Sikri

    GS 3 – 

     8. Economy – Mrunal handouts 

     9. Environment and Disaster Management – Tata McGraw Hill

     10. Challenges to Internal Security of India – Ashok Kumar

    GS 4 – 

    1. DK Balaji – Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude
    2. 2nd ARC: 4th ethics in governance

    Get a personalized IAS mentors and let them make plan, strategy and booklist for you

    Guys, though we have provided above the most comprehensive booklist for your IAS preparation, we would like to recommend you to have a selective reading from these books and not cover to cover.

    Getting confused? connect with us. We will help you to make out.

    click:- attend online live workshop with senior ias mentor on ias preparation strategy

  • Does Tropical Ozone Hole exist?

    A new ozone hole has been detected over the tropics, at latitudes of 30 degrees South to 30 degrees North, a recent study claimed. But some experts are divided over this.

    Do you know?

    The Antarctic ozone hole — one of the deepest, largest gap in the ozone layer in the last 40 years — has closed, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

    What is Ozone and Ozone Layer?

    • An ozone molecule consists of three oxygen atoms instead of the usual two (the oxygen we breathe, O2, makes up 21% of the atmosphere).
    • It only exists in the atmosphere in trace quantities (less than 0.001%), but its effects are very important.
    • Ozone molecules are created by the interaction of ultra-violet (UV) radiation from the Sun with O2 molecules.
    • Because UV radiation is more intense at higher altitudes where the air is thinner, it is in the stratosphere where most of the ozone is produced, giving rise to what is called the ‘ozone layer’.
    • The ozone layer, containing over 90% of all atmospheric ozone, extends between about 10 and 40km altitude, peaking at about 25km in Stratosphere.

    Why need Ozone Layer?

    • The ozone layer is very important for life on Earth because it has the property of absorbing the most damaging form of UV radiation, UV-B radiation which has a wavelength of between 280 and 315 nanometres.
    • As UV radiation is absorbed by ozone in the stratosphere, it heats up the surrounding air to produce the stratospheric temperature inversion.

    What is Ozone Hole?

    • Each year for the past few decades during the Southern Hemisphere spring, chemical reactions involving chlorine and bromine cause ozone in the southern polar region to be destroyed rapidly and severely.
    • The Dobson Unit (DU) is the unit of measure for total ozone.
    • The chemicals involved ozone depletion are chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs for short), halons, and carbon tetrachloride.
    • They are used for a wide range of applications, including refrigeration, air conditioning, foam packaging, and making aerosol spray cans.
    • The ozone-depleted region is known as the “ozone hole”.

    Tropical Ozone Hole

    • According to the study, the ozone hole is located at altitudes of 10-25 km over the tropics.
    • This hole is about seven times larger than Antarctica, the study suggested.
    • It also appears across all seasons, unlike that of Antarctica, which is visible only in the spring.
    • The hole has become significant since the 1980s. But it was not discovered until this study.

    What caused an ozone hole in the tropics?

    • Studies suggested another mechanism of ozone depletion: Cosmic rays.
    • Chlorofluorocarbon’s (CFC) role in depleting the ozone layer is well-documented.
    • The tropical stratosphere recorded a low temperature of 190-200 Kelvin (K).
    • This can explain why the tropical ozone hole is constantly formed over the seasons.

    Significance of the finding

    • The tropical ozone hole, which makes up 50 percent of Earth’s surface, could cause a global concern due to the risks associated with it.
    • It is likely to cause skin cancer, cataracts and other negative effects on the health and ecosystems in tropical regions.

    Back2Basics: Antarctic Ozone Hole

    • The Antarctic “ozone hole” was discovered by British Antarctic Survey scientists Farman, Gardiner and Shanklin in 1985.
    • It was caused by the chemical reactions on polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) in the cold Antarctic stratosphere caused a massive.
    • Though localized and seasonal, an increase in the amount of chlorine present in active, ozone-destroying forms.

    Role of PSCs

    • The polar stratospheric clouds in Antarctica are only formed when there are very low temperatures, as low as −80 °C, and early spring conditions.
    • In such conditions, the ice crystals of the cloud provide a suitable surface for the conversion of unreactive chlorine compounds into reactive chlorine compounds, which can deplete ozone easily.

     

    Try this PYQ

    Q.Consider the following statements:

    Chlorofluorocarbons, known as ozone-depleting substances are used:

    1. In the production of plastic foams
    2. In the production of tubeless tyres
    3. In cleaning certain electronic components
    4. As pressurizing agents in aerosol cans

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    (a) 1, 2 and 3 only

    (b) 4 only

    (c) 1, 3 and 4 only

    (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

     

    Post your answers here.

     

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

  • Iran, Belarus to be newest SCO Members

    Iran and Belarus are likely to be the two newest additions to the China and Russia-backed Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) grouping.

    What is SCO?

    Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO): a Formidable Alliance and its Significance for India - Olive Greens Institute Blog- Olive Greens Institute SSB | NDA | CDS

    • After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the then security and economic architecture in the Eurasian region dissolved and new structures had to come up.
    • The original Shanghai Five were China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan.
    • The SCO was formed in 2001, with Uzbekistan included. It expanded in 2017 to include India and Pakistan.
    • Since its formation, the SCO has focused on regional non-traditional security, with counter-terrorism as a priority.
    • The fight against the “three evils” of terrorism, separatism and extremism has become its mantra. Today, areas of cooperation include themes such as economics and culture.

    India’s entry to the SCO

    • India and Pakistan both were observer countries.
    • While Central Asian countries and China were not in favor of expansion initially, the main supporter — of India’s entry in particular — was Russia.
    • A widely held view is that Russia’s growing unease about an increasingly powerful China prompted it to push for its expansion.
    • From 2009 onwards, Russia officially supported India’s ambition to join the SCO in 2017.
    • China then asked for its all-weather friend Pakistan’s entry.

    Why expand now?

    • China and Russia are looking to frame the grouping as a counter to the West — particularly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
    • China wishes to draw a sharp contrast between the SCO and NATO.

    Changing narrative of SCO

    • There has been discussion in the international arena that the trend of non-alignment is back.
    • NATO is based on Cold War thinking.
    • The logic of NATO is creating new enemies to sustain its own existence.
    • However, SCO is a cooperative organisation based on non-alignment and not targeting a third party.

    India and SCO: Present status

    • India will host the SCO summit next year, and Varanasi has been selected as the SCO region’s first “Tourism and Cultural Capital”.
    • India will also be chairing the summit.

    Try this PYQ now:

    In the context of the affairs of which of the following is the phrase “Special Safeguard Mechanisms” mentioned in the news frequently?

     

    (a) United Nations Environment Programme

    (b) World Trade Organization

    (c) ASEAN- India Free Trade Agreement

    (d) G-20 Summits

     

    Post your answers here.

     

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

  • Public Capex Plan key to long-term growth: FM

    Finance Minister said India’s long-term growth prospects were embedded in public capital expenditure programs.

    What is the news?

    • FM has raised capital expenditure (capex) by 35.4% for the financial year 2022-23 to ₹7.5 lakh crore to continue the public investment-led recovery of the pandemic-battered economy.
    • The capex last year was ₹5.5 lakh crore.

    What is Capital Expenditure (Capex)?

    • The government’s expenditure is categorized into two:
    1. The one which results in asset development or acquisition known as CAPEX,
    2. Another is utilized to cover operating costs and obligations but does not result in asset creation known as Revenue expenditure.
    • Capex is defined the as money spent on the acquisition of assets such as land, buildings, machinery, and equipment, as well as stock investments.

    What attributes to capex?

    • The portion of government payments that goes toward the construction of assets such as schools, colleges, hospitals, roads, bridges, dams, railway lines, airports, and seaports amounts to capex.
    • The acquisition of new weaponry and weapon systems, such as missiles, tanks, fighter planes, and submarines, necessitates a significant financial outlay.
    • The defense sector receives over a third of the central government’s capital spending, primarily for armament acquisitions.
    • Despite the fact that defense spending is classified as a capital expenditure, it does not result in the development of infrastructure to support economic growth.
    • Also includes investments that will produce earnings or dividends in the future.

    Significance of Capex

    • Economic recovery: This action is crucial in light of the economic slowdown induced by the Covid-19 epidemic, as well as a dip in the employment ratio.
    • Value creation: Capital asset formation provides future cash flows for the economy and contributes to value creation.
    • Multiplier Effect: Capex is expected to have a Multiplier Effect (a change in rupee value of output with respect to a change in rupee value of expenditure).
    • Increased employment: Capital spending creates jobs and improves labor productivity as a result of the multiplier effect.
    • Macroeconomic Stabilizer: Capital Expenditure serves as a macroeconomic stabilizer and is an excellent instrument for countercyclical fiscal policy.

     

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  • Beating all challenges as a working professional, achieved the IAS goal. | Prakhar Chandrakar, AIR 102, UPSC 2021 | A student of CD’s Mentorship Program | Talk to his mentor

     

    Prakhar was also not satisfied with the railway job. He had to fulfill his dream by becoming an IAS. After a failure in the first attempt, he increased his hard work under the personalized mentorship of Civilsdaily, accepted all challenges as a working professional, and went ahead. The result of which was seen this time and he secured the 102nd rank.

    Prakhar Chandrakar, AIR 102, UPSC 2021. Civilsdaily Mentorship Student

    CLICK: BOOK YOUR SLOT WITH AIR 102, Prakhar’S MENTORS AND GET HIS NOTES | FREE REGISTRATION

    Prakhar Chandrakar was a mentorship student under Sajal sir, Sukanya ma’am, and other mentors under the Smash Mains FLT program. He was relentless about improving himself in order to serve the country he loves dearly. He improved GS marks 120+ drastically in this 2021 Mains.

    He, in a candid conversation with CD mentor Sidhdhart Singh, Prakhar shared his thought.

    Prakhar Chandrakar, AIR 102, UPSC 2021. Civilsdaily Mentorship Student

    Prakhar Chandrakar, a resident of Panchavati Colony, secured 102nd rank. He has done B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from NIT College Raipur. After completing B.Tech, Prakhar was posted as an engineer in NTPC for 2 years. During this time, he was selected for the post of Assistant Engineer in Railways at Sambalpur, Odisha. He chose Electrical Engineering in Mains. His mother Champa Chandrakar is a major reader.

    He attributed his success to Civilsdaily’s Mentorship

    • For prelims he joined our CD’s Smash Prelims.
    • For mains he regularly gave some effort to make answer structure better under the guidance of mentors.
    • He followed Civilsdaily from the very inception of his UPSC journey, especially for daily current affairs.
    • In his 1st attempt, he joined CD’s interview program and scored very well in the interview. Still, he couldn’t become an IAS because of his fewer marks in GS papers.
    • In his 2nd attempt, he joined Sajal Sir’s Smash Mains Program + Interview program. Now he improved his GS marks by 150+ And in Essay, he improved by 20+.  this time he secured All India Rank 102.
    • He joined Civilsdaily’s FLT online mock test series for mains.
    • He was meticulous about study materials. he consolidated his study materials and revised them as many times as he could.
    • He always gets hand-holding mentorship support to improve his performance.
    • He learned to make his own notes.
    • From the very starting, he wished he would carry his preparation under CD’s senior teachers and mentors.

    Before getting into CD’s Mentorship Program under Sajal Sir, though he had reached an interview, he couldn’t come on the final merit list. He said that he couldn’t figure out the necessary things which were highly required to work on. For ultimate success what matters is an ecosystem for co-learning and active learning together learning, doubt clearing, notes, references, mentors, and a focussed community. You’re going to learn and discuss like never before. 

    CLICK: BOOK YOUR SLOT WITH AIR 102, PRAKHAR’S MENTORS, AND GET HIS NOTES | FREE REGISTRATION

    About Prakhar Chandrakar- His UPSC journey and hobbies

    NamePrakhar Chandrakar
    Age26
    ResidentPanchavati Colony, Chhattisgarh
    ExamUPSC 2021
    All India Rank102
    Attempts2nd 
    OptionalElectrical Engineering

    He was an active student of CivilsDaily’s Mentorship program and took guidance in all stages of preparation. He thanked CD’s senior mentors and faculties for his top rank on UPSC 2021 merit list.

    CLICK: BOOK YOUR SLOT WITH AIR 102, Prakhar’S MENTORS AND GET HIS NOTES | FREE REGISTRATION

    He improved his marks drastically in this 2021 Mains. In a candid conversation with Civilsdaily, Prakhar shared his journey, motivations, up and downs, lessons learned, and his secret of what kept him going.

    It is yet another validation of CivilsDaily’s vision and approach to personalized mentorship.

    CLICK- SAMACHAR MANTHAN FREE COPY AND MENTORSHIP CALL

  • Rise in Unvaccinated Children in India

    The number of children in India who were unvaccinated or missed their first dose of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) combined vaccine doubled due to the pandemic, rising from 1.4 million in 2019 to 2.7 million in 2021, according to official data published by the WHO and UNICEF.

    Why in news?

    • This data signifies that the world recorded the largest sustained decline in childhood vaccinations in approximately 30 years.
    • There was an increase in zero dose.
    • This is the first time ever there has been a decline in evaluated coverage in immunisation for India as a whole.

    Vaccination measures in India

    • Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 4.0: India started IMI 4.0 from February 2022, which is expected to further reduce the number of unvaccinated children.
    • India’s Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP): It provide free vaccines to all children across the country to protect them against Tuberculosis, Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Polio, Hepatitis B, Pneumonia and Meningitis due to Haemophilus Influenzae type b (Hib), Measles, Rubella, Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and Rotavirus diarrhoea. (Rubella, JE and Rotavirus vaccine in select states and districts).

    About Intensified Mission Indhradhanush (IMI) 4.0

    • IMI 4.0 aims to fill gaps in the routine immunisation coverage of infants and pregnant women hit by the Covid-19 pandemic and also aims to make lasting gains towards Universal Immunization.
    • It will have three rounds and will be conducted in 416 districts across 33 states.
    • Unlike the past, each round under IMI 4.0 will be conducted for seven days, including Routine Immunization (RI) days, Sundays, and public holidays.

    Mission Indradhanush (MI)

    • Mission Indradhanush (MI) was launched in 2014 with the goal to ensure full immunization with all available vaccines under Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) for children up to two years of age and pregnant women.
    • It targets achieving 90% full immunization coverage in all districts.
    • Under MI, all vaccines under the Universal Immunization Program (UIP) are provided as per National Immunization Schedule.
    • UIP provides free vaccines against 12 life-threatening diseases, mentioned above.

    Back2Basics: Universal Immunisation Programme

    • The Expanded Programme on Immunization was launched in 1978.
    • It was renamed as UIP in 1985 when its reach was expanded beyond urban areas.
    • UIP is one of the largest public health programmes targeting close to 2.67 crore newborns and 2.9 crore pregnant women annually.
    • Under UIP, Immunization is provided free of cost against 12 vaccine-preventable diseases.
    • The two major milestones of UIP have been the elimination of polio in 2014 and maternal and neonatal tetanus elimination in 2015.
    • To speed up the coverage, Mission Indradhanush was planned and implemented to rapidly increase the full coverage to 90%.

     

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  • Political tussle over Podu Cultivation and Forest Lands in Telangana

    Activists have taken up the issue of Podu cultivation of adivasis and tribals in forest areas in Telangana.

    What one means by Podu?

    • Podu is a traditional system of cultivation used by tribes in India, whereby different areas of jungle forest are cleared by burning each year to provide land for crops.
    • It is a form of shifting agriculture using slash-and-burn methods. The word comes from the Telugu language.
    • Traditionally used on the hill-slopes of Andhra Pradesh, it is similar to the jhum method found in north-east India and the bewar system of Madhya Pradesh.

    What is the ‘Podu’ Land Issue?

    • The Telangana government had decided in 2021 to move landless, non-tribal farmers engaged in shifting cultivation inside forests to peripheral areas in an effort to combat deforestation.
    • It ensured that all steps would be taken to ensure that forest land was not encroached upon.
    • It is observed that podu progressively degrades large areas of the forest.

    Shifting cultivation in India

    • In this type of agriculture, first of all a piece of forest land is cleared by felling trees and burning of trunks and branches.
    • After the land is cleared, crops are grown for two to three years and then the land is abandoned as the fertility of the soil decreases.
    • The farmers then move to new areas and the process is repeated.
    • Dry paddy, maize, millets and vegetables are the crops commonly grown in this type of farming.

    This practice is known by different names in different regions of India:

    1. Jhum in Assam,

    2. Ponam in Kerala,

    3. Podu in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha and

    4. Bewar masha penda and Bera in various parts of Madhya Pradesh.

     

    What TS has to offer as alternative to Podu?

    • To stop this deforestation, the government wants to move out cultivators from deep inside forests to the periphery by allotting them land for cultivation.
    • Tribal farmers who have been traditionally cultivating for decades would not be affected by this drive against illegal encroachers.
    • The land ownership titles have been given to tribals and more than 3 lakh acres have been allocated to tribal farmers state-wide.

    And what about non-tribal farmers?

    • These farmers can apply to the state government to allocate them land outside the forests.
    • Those who are moved out of the forests would be given land ownership certificates, power and water supplies and Rythu Bandhu benefits.

    Back2Basics: Rythu Bandhu

    • Rythu Bandhu is a scheme under which the state government extends financial support to land-owning farmers at the beginning of the crop season through direct benefit transfer.
    • The scheme aims to take care of the initial investment needs and do not fall into a debt trap.
    • This in turn instills confidence in farmers, enhances productivity and income, and breaks the cycle of rural indebtedness.

    DBT under the Scheme

    • Each farmer gets Rs 5,000 per acre per crop season without any ceiling on the number of acres held.
    • So, a farmer who owns two acres of land would receive Rs 20,000 a year, whereas a farmer who owns 10 acres would receive Rs 1 lakh a year from the government.
    • The grant helps them cover the expenses on input requirements such as seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and labor.

     

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

  • UPSC Previous Years Question Papers

    What are PYQs?

    Previous years’ question papers are those sets of questions that went before in time and order. Like all other exams, there are copies of UPSC-CSE PYQs exist. You can download PDFs of PYQs from us. And analyze what types of questions are asked in Civil Service Examination.

    Why are PYQs so important?

    From toppers to Mentors, none can deny the importance of the previous year’s question papers. They are important from different angles. Let’s see:

    • Every exam is unique in itself. So, the exam patterns also differ from one another. To know the Ques. pattern, the role of PYQs is undeniable.
    • They help us know the difficulty level of the questions. And in how much depth we should maintain while preparing the subjects.
    • Previous Years’ questions let us know those pet topics of the exams. 
    • To know the dynamic trends, PYQs are incomparable.
    • PYQs work as the pieces of equipment for a fence. You can have a grip on the entire syllabus following them.

    How to do them!

    If you wish to start UPSC Preparation without coaching, make previous years’ question papers your mentor.

    Read and analyze the previous years’ question papers in the following ways so that it means a lot to you.

    Previous Years’ Question Papers (UPSC Prelims)

    • Previous 10 Years Question papers of GS-1
    • Previous 5 Years Question Papers of GS-2 (CSAT – A qualifying paper)

    Now, start investing 30 days to 45 days to analyze them fully and comprehensively. 

    • Take a note of the weightage of the topic and subject-wise questions.
    • Try to comprehend how UPSC connected current affairs with static.
    • In CSAT, start solving papers one by one from the second day.
    • Try to find out offbeat questions. And the way how UPSC designed such questions.
    • Every question has its unique demand. Identify them.
    • Take a note of whether the trend of a question from a particular chapter has been going towards an easier level or a more difficult level. 
    • Always do the pet chapters in 360 degrees.

    UPSC Online Workshop:

    You are doing previous years’ question papers. And that’s appreciated. But, have you ever thought that all the aspirants are also doing the same? Then how our ‘Hall of Fame’ toppers distinguished themselves on the final merit list!

    To gain more accuracy, speed, and performance and To save time, money & energy, they used to attend Online workshops on IAS prep strategy with senior IAS mentors.

  • How to prepare Ethics for UPSC-CSE | Ethics Books for UPSC

    “Ethics is a inner perception of the difference between What you have a right to do and what is right to do”-CD

    click:- attend online workshop on upsc cse strategy with senior ias mentor

    Table of Content:

    What is Ethics?

    Definition & Nature: Ethics is the philosophical study of morality that is the set of beliefs concerning right or wrong, good or bad, justice or injustice, etc. These beliefs can be our individual judgments or governance centric and upheld values or principles. These guide our actions, define our values and give us reasons for being the persons we are. Famous philosophers say:

    • Ethics is a set of moral principles on “How ought to live!”- Socrates.
    • “Ethics is the study of what is good or right in conduct.”- Mackenzie.
    • “Ethics is a normative science of the conduct of human beings living in societies which judge this conduct to be right or wrong, good and bad”- W. Lillie

    Moral reasonings are the very essence of Ethics, which are possible because we can act against our nature, based on our conscience. And these moral reasonings stop us from simply describing what is likely to happen, and allow us to make judgments about what should happen. Of all the ways you might act, which is the best? Of all possibilities, which one should bring into reality? These are the questions, ethics seek to answer.

    Ethics in UPSC-CSE Preparation

    UPSC-CSE exam consists of two successive phases.

    • Prelims
    • Mains (Written & Interview)

    In the mains, there are 4 General Studies Papers apart from Qualifying Papers, Essay, and Optional Subject papers.

    And GS-4 consists of Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude. (250 marks)

    A civil servant is empowered with a certain official authority and legal power. So, how the civil servant makes use of such powers is important for our society as well as our government. So, besides other subjects, his ‘Ethical Competence’ is also tested.

    How to prepare for Ethics

    An ethics paper is designed to evaluate ethical competence and not mere knowledge about Ethics. It is a matter of application. 

    In 10 effective ways you can prepare ‘Ethics’ for Civil Service Examination:

    • Know the syllabus, know the UPSC demands
    • Read limited books. Mark important lines. And make notes.
    • Develop a healthy habit of writing answers, consisting of keywords.
    • Read PYQs. Under a mentor.
    • Learn drawing diagrams.
    • Relate your logic with personal experience.
    • Mention what social reformers’ points
    • Try to write a robust but short summarized introduction and conclusion
    • To understand the ideas behind the subject, always start with very basic books like NCERTs.
    • Ethics is a very scoring subject. You can easily score 110+. So, as not to lose the opportunity, prepare under the guidance of a senior mentor. 

    Toppers and Mentors suggested Ethics Books

    You can start yourself at your home with 2 basic books

    • NCERT-Class-11 Psychology
    • NCERT-Class-12 Psychology

    Some Advanced books are there. You can also boost your preparation with them:

    • Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude by Subba Rao and PN Rao Chaudhury
    • Lexicon for Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude for IAS general studies paper IV by Niraj Kumar
    • Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude – M. Karthikeyan
    • Ethics in Governance- Innovation, Issues, and Instrumentalities – Ramesh K Arora.
    • Yojana

    Apart from the above, try to read the summary of ARC reports:

    • ARC 4th Report
    • Citizen-Centric Administration – ARC report

    Biographies and Other Books

    • Mahatma Gandhi: Experiment with Truth
    • Varghese Kurien Auto biography
    • Swami Vivekananda – Karmayoga and his biography
    • BBC Websites

    Attend a free online workshop with our Senior Ethics Mentor, Sukanya Rana Ma’am

    Sukanya ma’am has firsthand experience of 4 mains and 2 interviews of UPSC. She has also appeared in the State PCS interview. Before she worked as an officer in a public sector bank and now as a Mentor at Civilsdaily, she aims to guide future aspirants in finding success. Sukanya Ma’am has scored consistently 100+ marks in ethics and in 2019 her marks were 140 in GS 4. In 2020, under her mentorship, many smash mains students were able to secure 110+ marks.

    click:- attend online workshop on upsc cse strategy with senior ias mentor


  • [Burning Issues] Crumbling States Finances: A Risk Analysis

    Context

    • The RBI recently released a very important document about the economy of the States of India.
    • Some of our Indian states have been managing their finances so bad that these states could be heading towards the same state as Sri Lanka’s economy!
    • And we all know what’s happening in Sri Lanka right now!
    • The worst part is that if this continues for a long time, the entire country of India will lose money and could face another economic crisis!

    Questions raised:

    • Why is this RBI document comparing Indian states to the economic crisis in Sri Lanka?
    • How are these states doing the same mistakes as the Sri Lankan government?
    • And most importantly as citizens of India what are pointers that you need to keep eye on before you cast your vote for the so-called leaders of India?

    Crumbling state finances:

    How can we arrive at this conclusion?

    (1) Debt-GSDP Ratio

    • Punjab, Rajasthan, Kerala, West Bengal, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana turn out to be the states with the highest debt burden.
    • Highest debt-GSDP ratio in FY22 are Punjab (53.3%), Rajasthan (39.8%), West Bengal (38.8%), Kerala (38.3%) and Andhra Pradesh (37.6%).
    • All these states receive revenue deficit grants from the Centre.
    • What exacerbated the debt-GSDP ratio was that while numerator (liabilities) rose sharply, the denominator (nominal GDP) fell sharply.

    (2) Fiscal Deficit

    • The Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act, 2005 prescribes the ceiling for debt to GSDP ratio at 25 per cent.
    • Eight out of the 15 states studied here, exceed the prescribed limit in FY22.
    • Odisha was a clear outlier with a 15.79 per cent Debt-GSDP ratio.
    • States like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka were marginally higher than the mandated limit. 

    (3) Fiscal deficit to GSDP

    • Large borrowing by some States is due to the sharp expansion in their fiscal deficits, much beyond the mandated level.
    • Bihar recorded highest fiscal deficit to GSDP ratio at 11.30 per cent as per FY22 revised estimates followed by Rajasthan (5.2 per cent), Punjab (4.60 per cent) and Uttar Pradesh (4.27 per cent).

    (4) Interest cover

    • High borrowings or fiscal deficit-GDP ratio is not something to be worried about as long as the States have adequate revenue surplus to fund them.
    • This can be gauged by looking at the interest cover as measured by the revenue receipts of the State divided by its interest payment.
    • For instance, Bihar had the highest fiscal deficit as a percentage of GSDP, however, the state has adequate revenue receipts to cover its interest burden, with interest cover of 11.3.
    • Odisha topped the list with highest interest coverage ratio since it has been diligently lowering its borrowing as well as the resultant interest burden.
    • Punjab, Haryana, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala appear weak going by this metric with interest cover under 6 times. 

    (5) Increase in Market Borrowings

    • Most States increased their market borrowing during the pandemic as their fiscal deficits expanded.
    • Tamil Nadu topped the list of states with highest gross market borrowings in both FY21 and FY22.
    • But not all states were on a borrowing spree.
    • Odisha stayed away from market borrowing through state development loans (SDLs) in FY22.

    (6) Revenue buoyancy

    • Revenue buoyancy of States has already been affected since the Goods and Services Tax (GST) came in and states’ ability to raise taxes has come down.
    • Interest payments, salaries and pensions fall under the committed expenditure of State governments.
    • This committed expenditure of Kerala and Tamil Nadu accounts for 71 per cent and 67 per cent of their budgeted revenue receipts respectively in FY23. 
    • A larger proportion of the budget allocated for committed expenditure items limits the state’s flexibility to decide on other expenditure priorities such as developmental schemes and capital outlay.

    (7) Dependency on Centre

    • Own tax revenue of Haryana, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh constitutes about half of their total revenue collections.
    • The major source of revenue of other States is Central transfers.
    • Within own tax revenue, States’ goods and services tax (SGST), States’ excise duties and sales tax are the major sources of revenue

    (8) Poor capital outlay

    • High revenue expenditure results in poor spending quality, as reflected in their high revenue spending to capital outlay ratios.
    • Capital outlay is the money spent on acquiring assets while revenue expenditure indicates daily operations expenses like salaries and pensions.

    What factors led to the financial vulnerabilities of Indian states?

    (1) Pandemic

    • The prolonged COVID crisis has worsened fiscal positions of governments around the world as reflected in mounting debt levels.
    • The sustainability of public debt at national and sub-national levels has again assumed centre-stage as the dominant fiscal risk.
    • In particular, the pandemic has taken a heavy toll on finances of states in India.

    (2) Freebie Politics

    (3) DISCOM sector distress and payment crisis

    • The power sector accounts for much of the financial burden of state governments in India, both in terms of subsidies and contingent liabilities.
    • Illustratively, many state governments provide subsidies, artificially depressing the cost of electricity for the farm sector and a section of the household sector.
    • Despite various financial restructuring measures17, the performance of the DISCOMs has remained weak, with their losses surpassing the pre-UDAY level of 0.4 per cent of GDP.

    (4) Pension expenditure

    • The government’s fiscal burden in providing a safety net to the elderly could rise to as much as 4.1% of the GDP by 2030 from 2.2% at present, a report by global analytical company Crisil has said.
    • Currently, the central government spends 3-3.4% of GDP on education and just over 1% of GDP on medical and public health, water supply and sanitation.
    • This is an ever-increasing challenge, as the old live longer, and demographic transitions reduce the number of young to pay for the old.
    • Many states are opting out of New Pension Scheme (NPS) to the old pension scheme which is a huge burden on the exchequer.

    A rational analysis

    (1) Certain necessary expenditures cannot be avoided

    • States often try and provide some kind of relief to voters.
    • We can certainly be in favour of expanding, for example, the MGNREGA type of spending and subsidy in the form of food ration schemes.
    • These go a long way in increasing the productive capacity of the population. So, they’re not just freebies.
    • They build a healthier and a stronger workforce, which is a necessary part of any growth strategy.
    • That is similar to a State spending on education or health.

    (2) Certain election promises create dysfunctions

    • There are obviously cases where State governments have gone astray and have gone into providing all sorts of freebies or gifts.
    • But when it comes to simply giving away loan waivers, we cannot go in favour of these because they have undesired consequences such as destroying the whole credit culture.
    • It blurs the very basic question as to why is it that a large majority of the farming community is getting into a debt trap repeatedly.

    (3) Non-essentiality of welfare expenditure

    • We know about free electricity that is being given in various States to rural communities.
    • This has sometimes led to disastrous consequences in terms of the declining water table, wastage of electricity and various other things.
    • There are nuances to the issue, and one will have to get into those nuances to take a final call on whether a certain welfare spending is necessary or not.

    (4) Necessary expenditures/ merit freebies

    • Some people have been questioning subsidies going into education, such as for laptops and other things.
    • Some of them have now become necessities for increasing productivity, knowledge, skills, and various other things.
    • So, we need a more nuanced understanding of the issue.

    Way forward

    • Fiscal discipline: The state governments must restrict their revenue expenses by cutting down expenditure on non-merit goods in the near term.
    • Stabilize debt levels: In the medium term, these states need to put efforts toward stabilising debt levels.
    • Power sector reforms: Further, large-scale reforms in the power distribution sector would enable the DISCOMs to reduce losses and make them financially sustainable and operationally efficient.
    • Focus on capital creation: In the long term, increasing the share of capital outlays in the total expenditure will help create long-term assets, generate revenue and boost operational efficiency.
    • Risk testing: State governments need to conduct fiscal risk analyses and stress test their debt profiles regularly to be able to put in place provisioning to manage fiscal risks efficiently.

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