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Prelims 2022: How to Reduce Errors and Increase Efficiency || Learn from 120+ scorer in Prelims || Vikas Palwe(IPoS, CSE 2020)|| Register for Free Webinar

Register here to attend the webinar of Vikas Palwe(IPoS, CSE 2020)

With Less than 60 days remaining for UPSC 2022 Prelims, your preparation must revolve around revision and attempting tests. At this stage, aspirants become more stressed and anxious than when they first started their preparation. Having a foolproof strategy for the last few days can work wonders — especially for those falling on the borderline, scoring between 80-90 marks in the mock test series. Now is the time to focus on improving your performance and boosting your scores.

While many of you, would have felt easier following a timetable for an entire year, you might not be sure how to revise every topic in the syllabus along with test series and current affairs of 1.5 years in last few days.

Open to all, Free Live Webinar by IPoS Officer Vikas Palwe (CSE 2020)

Vikas Palwe has a special command over UPSC Prelims. In all his 5 attempts, He scored 120+ marks consistently. Now, with prelims coming up in few days, he would be happy to share his mantras and techniques to scoring high in prelims with future aspirants.

Register here to attend the webinar of Vikas Palwe(IPoS, CSE 2020)

If you are attempting this year’s prelims then do not miss this opportunity. Attend the webinar to gain topper’s insights on prelims and clear your personal queries with him.

Webinar Details

This Ask me Anything session is free for all aspirants to attend but is perfect for anyone looking for a refreshing break from their grueling studies. Only limited slots are available, so register ASAP.

Date: 15th April, 2022 (Friday)

Time: 5 to 6:30 PM

Register here to attend the webinar of Vikas Palwe(IPoS, CSE 2020)

What will you Learn in This Free Live Webinar by Vikas Palwe(IPoS CSE 2020)?

1. What changes should you make in your prelims preparation if you don’t score well?
2. What are the current revision materials, both online and offline?
3. How should I take notes right now from a Prelims perspective?
4. What are the study techniques you must employ in the final 50 days of the Prelims, and which should you avoid?
5. How do you revise a subject in a week?
6. What are the CSAT topics with the highest weightage that will earn you the most points?
7. What are the techniques for recalling information while reading a difficult question in an exam hall? (With an actual demonstration)

Learn from the experts before it is too late!!

Register here to attend the webinar of Vikas Palwe(IPoS, CSE 2020)

April 14, 2022
[Prelims Spotlight] Budget and Eco Survey
Now Free Tikdam Sessions on our Space

Dear Aspirants,

This Spotlight is a part of our Mission Nikaalo Prelims-2022

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Prelims Spotlight: Budget and Economic Survey

14th Apr 2022

The Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs has presented the Economic Survey 2021-22 in Parliament.

[1] State of the Economy
- Economic growth: Indian economy estimated to grow by 9.2 percent in real terms in 2021-22 (as per first advanced estimates) subsequent to a contraction of 7.3 percent in 2020-21.
- GDP growth: GDP projected to grow by 8- 8.5 percent in real terms in 2022-23.
- Agriculture and allied sectors: In line with the longer term trend, the area sown in the Kharif cycle of 2021-22 was again higher than in the previous year. In contrast to the steady performance of the primary sector, the industrial sector went through a big swing by first contracting by 7 per cent in 2020-21 and then expanding by 11.8 per cent in this financial year.
[2] Fiscal Developments
- Revenue receipts: These have gone up by 67.2 percent (YoY) as against an expected growth of 9.6 percent in the 2021-22 Budget Estimates.
- Gross Tax Revenue: It registered a growth of over 50 percent during April to November, 2021 in YoY terms.
- Borrowings: With the enhanced borrowings on account of COVID-19, the Central Government debt has gone up from 49.1 percent of GDP in 2019-20 to 59.3 percent of GDP in 2020-21.
[3] External Sectors
- India’s merchandise exports and imports rebounded strongly and surpassed pre-COVID levels during the current financial year.
- Net capital flows: These were higher at US$ 65.6 billion in the first half of 2021-22, on account of continued inflow of foreign investment, revival in net external commercial borrowings, higher banking capital and additional special drawing rights (SDR) allocation.
- India’s external debt: It rose to US $ 593.1 billion at end-September 2021, from US $ 556.8 billion a year earlier, reflecting additional SDR allocation by IMF, coupled with higher commercial borrowings.
- Foreign Exchange Reserves: It touched US $ 633.6 billion in Dec 2021 making India the fourth largest forex reserves holder in the world after China, Japan and Switzerland.
[4] Monetary Management and Financial Intermediation
- Repo was maintained: The liquidity in the system remained in surplus. Repo rate was maintained at 4 per cent in 2021-22.
- GSAP: RBI undertook various measures such as G-Sec Acquisition Programme and Special Long-Term Repo Operations to provide further liquidity.
- NPAs declined: The Gross Non-Performing Advances ratio of Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) declined from 11.2 per cent at the end of 2017-18 to 6.9 per cent at the end of September, 2021.
[5] Prices and Inflation
- Control over food inflation: The decline in retail inflation was led by easing of food inflation. Proactive measures were taken to contain the price rise in pulses and edible oils.
- Supply constraints eased: Effective supply-side management kept prices of most essential commodities under control during the year.
- Fuel price reduction: Reduction in central excise and subsequent cuts in Value Added Tax by most States helped ease petrol and diesel prices.
[6] Sustainable Development and Climate Change
- Sustainable development: India’s overall score on the NITI Aayog SDG India Index and Dashboard improved to 66 in 2020-21 from 60 in 2019-20 and 57 in 2018-19.
- Rise in forest cover: India has the tenth largest forest area in the world. In 2020, India ranked third globally in increasing its forest area during 2010 to 2020. In 2020, the forests covered 24% of India’s total geographical, accounting for 2% of the world’s total forest area.
- Plastic waste management (PWM): In August 2021, the PWM Amendment Rules, 2021, was notified which is aimed at phasing out single use plastic by 2022.
- Extended Producer Responsibility for plastic: Draft rules for plastic packaging was notified.
- Pledge on Net-Zero Emissions: The PM participated at COP-26 in Glasgow. He announced ambitious targets to achieve net-zero by 2070.
[7] Agriculture and Food Management
- - Minimum Support Price (MSP) policy: It is being used to promote crop diversification.
  - Allied sector growth: Allied sectors including animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries are steadily emerging to be high growth sectors and major drivers of overall growth in agriculture sector.
  - Food security: Government has further extended the coverage of food security network through schemes like PM Gareeb Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY).
  - Income Support: Timely release of PM-KISAN Funds.
[8] Industry and Infrastructure:
- Index of Industrial Production (IIP): It grew at 17.4 percent (YoY) during April-November 2021 as compared to -15.3 percent in April-November 2020.
- Extent of road construction per day: This has increased substantially in 2020-21 to 36.5 Kms per day from 28 Kms per day in 2019-20 – a rise of 30.4 percent.
- Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme: It gave a major boost to infrastructure-both physical as well as digital.
- In contrast to the steady performance of the primary sector, the industrial sector went through a big swing by first contracting by 7 per cent in 2020-21 and then expanding by 11.8 per cent in this financial year.
[9] Services Sector
- Growth despite pandemic: Overall service Sector GVA is expected to grow by 8.2 percent in 2021-22.
- Opening up of space sector to private players: Major government reform.
- India becomes start-up hub: India has become 3^rd largest start-up ecosystem in the world after US and China.
- Unicorns in India: 44 Indian start-ups have achieved unicorn status in 2021 taking overall tally of unicorns to 83, most of which are in services sector.
[10] Social Infrastructure and Employment
- Universal vaccination: 157.94 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered (as on 16^th January 2022).
- Employment recovery: As per the quarterly Periodic Labour Force Survey (PFLS) data up to March 2021, employment in urban sector affected by pandemic has recovered almost to the pre-pandemic level.
- Expenditure on social services (health, education and others): This expenditure by Centre and States as a proportion of GDP increased from 6.2 % in 2014-15 to 8.6% in 2021-22.
- National Family Health Survey-5:
1. Total Fertility Rate (TFR) came down to 2 in 2019-21 from 2.2 in 2015-16
2. Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), under-five mortality rate and institutional births have improved in 2019-21 over year 2015-16
3. Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM): Under this, 83 districts have become ‘Har Ghar Jal’ districts.
4. Continuance of MGNREGS: Increased allotment of funds to Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) to provide buffer for unorganized labour in rural areas during the pandemic.
[11] Investment: Gross Fixed Capital Formation
- Statistically it measures the value of acquisitions of new or existing fixed assets by the business sector, governments and “pure” households (excluding their unincorporated enterprises) less disposals of fixed assets. GFCF is a component of the expenditure on gross domestic product (GDP), and thus shows something about how much of the new value added in the economy is invested rather than consumed. GFCF is called “gross” because the measure does not make any adjustments to deduct the consumption of fixed capital (depreciation of fixed assets) from the investment figures.
- Investment, as measured by Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) is expected to see strong growth of 15 per cent in 2021-22 and achieve full recovery of pre-pandemic level. Government’s policy thrust on quickening virtuous cycles of growth via capex and infrastructure spending has increased capital formation in the economy, lifting the investment to GDP ratio to about 29.6 per cent in 2021-22, the highest in seven years.
  BARBELL STRATEGY, SAFETY NETS & AGILE RESPONSE:
- “Barbell Strategy”: It combined a bouquet of safety-nets to cushion the impact on vulnerable sections of society/business, with a flexible policy response based on a Bayesian updating of information. This is a common strategy used in financial markets to deal with extreme uncertainty.
- The Agile approach is a well-established intellectual framework that is increasingly used in fields like project management and technology development. In an uncertain environment, the Agile framework responds by assessing outcomes in short iterations and constantly adjusting incrementally.
- The Waterfall approach entails a detailed, initial assessment of the problem followed by a rigid up-front plan for implementation. This methodology works on the premise that all requirements can be understood at the beginning and therefore pre-commits to a certain path of action. This is the thinking reflected in five-year economic plans, and rigid urban master-plans.
April 14, 2022
[Yojana Archive] Strengthening Federalism
Context
- Cooperation and competition are the two sides of the same coin— ‘Federalism’. Both are essential to take the ‘New India’ march forward economically and socially.
- While on the one hand the States need to be assisted with resources and sound policy advice, on the other they need to be encouraged to improve their performance.
- The Budget 2022-23 is a continuation of a series of reforms, policies and measures that have strengthened India’s federal system.
Cooperative Federalism
- Governing Council of NITI Aayoga – NITI’s Governing Council, chaired by the Prime Minister, comprises of all the Chief Ministers and LGs of UTs as equal members and a selected Government of India ministers. The Governing Councilmeets annually to evolve a shared vision of country’s economic development.
- India @75 document – One of NITI Aayog’s major initiative since its inception has been formulating the Strategy document in 2017 (India@75), its preparation followed an extremely participative approach.
- Other steps indicative of cooperative federalism – These steps are showcased in-
  1. Development blueprints prepared jointly with Governments of Uttar Pradesh, Tripura, and Madhya Pradesh.
  2. Regular sharing of best practices; policy support and capacity development of State/UT functionaries, etc., are other areas where NITI partners with State governments.
  3. The 17 goals and 169 targets under the SDGs are interdependent and inter-connected, and require concerted and coordinated action within the various departments.
  4. This inherent nature of the goals has forced States to dissolve silo-based functioning prevalent in government institutions.
Various moves for Competitive Federalism

(A) Indicators and transparent rankings
- NITI Aayog stimulates healthy competition among States through developing indicator frameworks and transparent rankings in various sectors.
- States are ranked through various indices measuring ease of doing business to Sustainable Development Goals.
- Some of the indices launched by NITI Aayog are Composite Water Management Index, India Innovation Index, Export Competitiveness Index, School Education Quality Index, State Health Index and Sustainable Development Goals Index.
(B) Aspirational Districts Programme
- NITI Aayog also releases rankings in the monthly changes in the performance of Aspirational Districts.
- The Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) of NITI Aayog focuses on 112 of India’s most developmentally challenged districts across sectors such as health and nutrition; education; agriculture and water resources; basic infrastructure; and financial inclusion and skill development.
- Districts are challenged and encouraged first to catch up with the best district in their State, and then aspire to become one of the best in the nation, by competing and learning from others in the competitive and cooperative spirit of federalism.
- Top ranked aspirational district gets Rs 10 crore, second best receives Rs 5 crore and sector wise best gets Rs 3 crore each.
(C) Localization of SDGs
- Starting in 2018, NITI defined the contours of the national progress monitoring on SDGs based on key national development Priorities in its first ever framework for monitoring the country’s progress on the SDGs – SDG India Index and Dashboard.
- Now, it has been institutionalized and established as the country’s principal and official policy tool on benchmarking national and sub-national Progress.
- Most recently, as a part of its localization efforts, NITI published the first regional index — The North-Eastern Region District SDG Index.
- Taking the successful SDG localization model further to the level of urban areas, NITI Aayog developed and released the SDG Urban Index & Dashboard (2021-22).
- This interactive tool is aimed at strengthening SDG localization at the city level.
- NITI Aayog has created strong partnership with States to achieve SDG-oriented development agenda. This enables it to foster cooperative federalism.
Strengthening Fiscal Federalism
- Devolution of finances: The successive Finance Commissions have raised the share of States in tax revenues from 29.5% between 2000 and 2005 to 42% currently.
- Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSCs): In line with Finance Commission recommendations, 130 Centrally Sponsored Schemes have been revamped and restructured into 65, enabling greater flexibility and impact.
- Increased borrowing limits: Among the key fiscal support measures by Centre to States to fight Covid-19, the Centre increased the borrowing limits of States from 3.0% of GSDP to 5.0% for 2020-21.
- GST Collection: GST has been a landmark reform of independent India showcasing the spirit of cooperative federalism. Despite the surge in Covid-19 cases, gross GST collections for the month of January 2022 were recorded at Rs 1,40,986 crore, which is the highest since the inception of GST.
- Special assistance: In her Budget speech, the finance minister pointed out that the ‘Scheme for Financial Assistance to States for Capital Investment’ has been extremely well received by the States.
April 14, 2022
Prelims 2022: How to Reduce Errors and Increase Efficiency || Learn from 120+ scorer in Prelims || Vikas Palwe(IPoS, CSE 2020)|| Register for Free Webinar

Register here to attend the webinar of Vikas Palwe(IPoS, CSE 2020)

With Less than 60 days remaining for UPSC 2022 Prelims, your preparation must revolve around revision and attempting tests. At this stage, aspirants become more stressed and anxious than when they first started their preparation. Having a foolproof strategy for the last few days can work wonders — especially for those falling on the borderline, scoring between 80-90 marks in the mock test series. Now is the time to focus on improving your performance and boosting your scores.

While many of you, would have felt easier following a timetable for an entire year, you might not be sure how to revise every topic in the syllabus along with test series and current affairs of 1.5 years in last few days.

Open to all, Free Live Webinar by IPoS Officer Vikas Palwe (CSE 2020)

Vikas Palwe has a special command over UPSC Prelims. In all his 5 attempts, He scored 120+ marks consistently. Now, with prelims coming up in few days, he would be happy to share his mantras and techniques to scoring high in prelims with future aspirants.

Register here to attend the webinar of Vikas Palwe(IPoS, CSE 2020)

If you are attempting this year’s prelims then do not miss this opportunity. Attend the webinar to gain topper’s insights on prelims and clear your personal queries with him.

Webinar Details

This Ask me Anything session is free for all aspirants to attend but is perfect for anyone looking for a refreshing break from their grueling studies. Only limited slots are available, so register ASAP.

Date: 15th April, 2022 (Friday)

Time: 5 to 6:30 PM

Register here to attend the webinar of Vikas Palwe(IPoS, CSE 2020)

What will you Learn in This Free Live Webinar by Vikas Palwe(IPoS CSE 2020)?

1. What changes should you make in your prelims preparation if you don’t score well?
2. What are the current revision materials, both online and offline?
3. How should I take notes right now from a Prelims perspective?
4. What are the study techniques you must employ in the final 50 days of the Prelims, and which should you avoid?
5. How do you revise a subject in a week?
6. What are the CSAT topics with the highest weightage that will earn you the most points?
7. What are the techniques for recalling information while reading a difficult question in an exam hall? (With an actual demonstration)

Learn from the experts before it is too late!!

Register here to attend the webinar of Vikas Palwe(IPoS, CSE 2020)

April 13, 2022
The impact of the CUET is likely to be harsher on disadvantaged sections
Context

The introduction of the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) can be seen as a step in the direction of aligning India with international standards.

About CUET
- The UGC’s rationale for introducing the test is to address the disparity in the allocation of marks by different examination boards, and provide a “level playing field” to students from different sections of society and diverse regions.
- The CUET has been envisaged as a corrective.
- Of the 48 central universities, 45 seem to have the requirements to institute the test.
- The CUET is going to decide the fate of approximately 1.3 crore students for roughly 5.4 lakh undergraduate seats in 45 central universities.
Issues with the CUET
- Students to contend with two examinations: The marks obtained in the board examination will remain vital for admission to state and private universities as well as job applications.
- The students will now have to contend with two examinations.
- Impetus to coaching classes: Many educationists argue that the new examination is likely to give an impetus to coaching classes.
- Coaching and private tuition will flourish without much concern for quality in the preparation of the study material.
- Not all State Boards prescribe NCERT textbooks: The CUET syllabus will be based on NCERT (under the Ministry of Education) textbooks even though not all state boards prescribe these books.
- The coaching industry stands to take advantage of this situation and students will have a hard time navigating two sets of textbooks.
- The impact is likely to be harsher on disadvantaged sections of the society for whom access to higher education is seen as the only route to upward mobility.
Way forward
- The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) is constantly increasing for higher secondary education (51.4 per cent according to UDISE, 2019-20) and higher education (27.1 per cent to AISHE, 2019-20).
- The figures indicate that higher education has acquired a mass base in the country.
- This has important implications for a knowledge-based economy and society.
- Maintaining the momentum of GER would require more teachers, schools and higher education institutions of quality and slow down the rush for a few but highly sought after universities and colleges.
Conclusion

The new examination would put additional pressure on both students and teachers at a time when they are trying to overcome the exactions of the pandemic. It appears to diverge from the objective of the National Education Policy-2020 — equitable access to good quality higher education for all students.

UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)
April 13, 2022
How Civilsdaily Mentorship helped UPSC 2020 AIR 20 P. Srija ?

Talk directly with Srija’s UPSC Mentors

P Srija, AIR 20, UPSC 2020, in conversation with Birendra sir shared her mindset and thought process that helped her crack IAS exam. Srija also gave valuable advice to aspirants for prelims as well as mains.

Srija, is an MBBS graduate and secured rank 20 in her first attempt in UPSC 2020 examination. In this series, she has talked about how a hardwork and a true mentor can change the journey of the aspirants.

After got to know from Anudeep Durishetty Rank 1 in 2017, it is clearly mentioned that she started preparing current affairs from Samachar Manthan where there is a discussion and written test every week on the various important issues. Not only the test series but also Sukanya Mam who is among the core mentor in Civilsdaily has helped her to evolve with the art of answer writing and motivated her at every stage of the preperation.

In Civilsdaily, we have a team of such dedicated mentors helping aspirants at every stage of the preparation to understand their weaknesses and approach to overcome them.

Talk directly with Srija’s UPSC Mentors

April 13, 2022
Big Tech’s privacy promise could be good news and also bad news
Context

In February, Facebook stated that its revenue in 2022 is anticipated to reduce by $10 billion due to steps undertaken by Apple to enhance user privacy on its mobile operating system.

Move towards more privacy-preserving options
- Apple introduced AppTrackingTransparency feature that requires apps to request permission from users before tracking them across other apps and websites or sharing their information with and from third parties.
- Through this change, Apple effectively shut the door on “permissionless” internet tracking and has given consumers more control over how their data is used.
- Privacy experts have welcomed this move because it is predicted to enhance awareness and nudge other actors to move towards more privacy-preserving options, leading to a market for “Privacy Enhancing Technologies”.
- Google’s Privacy Sandbox project is a case in point, though it remains to be seen whether it will be truly privacy-preserving.
Big Tech dominance and issues related to it
- Privacy and acquisitions: One standout feature of the Big Tech dominance has been the non-price factors such as quality of service (QoS) in general and privacy and acquisitions in particular.
- Acquisitions to kill competition: Acquisitions by Big Tech are regular and eat up big bucks, not always to promote efficiency but to eliminate potential competition, described evocatively as “kill zone” by specialists.
- According to a report released by the Federal Trade Commission, between 2010 and 2019, Big Tech made 616 acquisitions.
- In the absence of a modern framework, competition law continues to rely on Bork’s theory of consumer welfare which postulated that the sole normative objective of antitrust should be to maximise consumer welfare, best pursued through promoting economic efficiency.
- Market structure thus became irrelevant and conduct became the sole criterion for judgement.
- Conduct now predominantly revolves around QoS which, like much else surrounding digital platforms, is pushing competition authorities to fortify their existing regulatory toolkits.
Privacy as a metric of quality
- Companies such as Apple and DuckDuckGo (with its slogan “the search engine that doesn’t track you”) are employing enhanced user privacy as a competitive metric.
- It has been shown that “websites which do not face strong competition are significantly more likely to ask for more personal information than other services provided for free”.
- In 2018, OECD accepted that privacy is a relevant dimension of quality despite the low quality that may be prevalent due to lack of market development.
- Regulators across the globe are recognising privacy as a serious metric of quality.
- For instance, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) in 2021 took suo moto cognisance of changes to WhatsApp’s “take-it” or “leave-it” privacy policy that made it mandatory for every user to share data with Facebook.
- In its prima facie order, the CCI inter alia observed that this amounts to degradation of privacy and therefore quality.
Way forward
- Privacy and competition have overlapping boundaries.
- If privacy becomes a competitive constraint, then companies will have the incentive to create privacy-preserving and enhancing technologies.
- Barriers for new entrants: On the other hand, care must be taken so that Big Tech, aka the gatekeepers in the EU’s Digital Markets Act, do not misuse privacy to create barriers for newer entrants.
- Restricting third-party tracking is not novel and other browsers such as Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft’s Edge have already done so.
- But Google, which owns 65 per cent of the global browser market, is different.
- By disabling third parties from tracking but continuing to use that data in its own ad tech stack, Google harms competition.
- The use of privacy as a tool for market development, therefore, has to tread this tightrope between enabling and stifling competition.
Conclusion

An approach that balances user autonomy, consumer protection, innovation, and market competition in digital markets is a real win-win and worth investing in.

UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)
April 13, 2022
How did Arth Jain (AIR 16, IAS) respond to an interview question he didn’t know the answer to?| Schedule your Mock (Limited seats)
Book your slot for UPSC Mock interviews (paneled by ex UPSC members) and get a dedicated mentor, on-call DAF analysis, DAF-based personalized questionnaire, and Situational questionnaire (FREE)

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You are bound to get such bouncers of questions from UPSC panelists in the interview. Tackling them is both a matter of skill and practice. Should you attempt to answer such questions or respectfully accept your ignorance? Discuss 1-1 with our CD panelists and mentors.

Moreover, we will prepare a personalized DAF-based questionnaire to keep you prepared for such questions.

As a part of Transcend Interview Guidance Program for UPSC 2021 we’ve also prepared and compiled a high-quality comprehensive questionnaire.

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Upcoming Mock interview and session

This week’s mock interview dates have been fixed.
- Mock interview this week 14th April onwards – (Book your slot)
- Time: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
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Interview slots will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Panelists for Mock Interviews:
1. Shri Shankar Aggarwal, IAS (retd.), former Secretary
2. Dr. Noor Mohammad, IAS (retd.), former EC
3. Dr. P.K. Agrawal, IAS (Retd.), former Ch. Secy
4. Shri T. N. Thakur, IAAS (retd.), former Dy CAG
5. Shri V. P. Singh, IRPS
6. Mrs.Aditi Gupta, Corporate Leadership Specialist
7. Prof. U.M. Amin, Jamia Milia University
8. Mr. S. D. Singh, IFoS (Retd.)
9. Mr. Kunal Aggarwal, IRS
10. Mr. Debraj Das, IPS
Tentative: Shri Harsh V. Pant (Observer Research Foundation), Shri SN Tripathi, IAS (Director IIPA), Shri Yogesh Narain (Retd. Defence Secretary), Shri Dipankar Gupta (Indian Sociologist), and others.

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Transcend Interview Guidance 2021: Program inclusion
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April 13, 2022
IRMS
Context

A recent Gazette notification regarding the creation of the Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS) marks a paradigm shift in the management of one of the world’s largest rail networks.

About the merger and IRMS
- A nearly 8,000 strong cadre of the erstwhile eight services is now merged into one.
- Eight out of 10 Group-A Indian Railway services have been merged to create the IRMS.
- The merged services are: Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS), Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS), Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS), Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers (IRSEE), Indian Railway Service of Signal Engineers (IRSS), Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME), Indian Railway Service of Civil Engineers (IRSE) and Indian Railway Stores Service (IRSS).
- Aims of the restructuring: Besides removing silos, this restructuring also aims at rationalising the top-heavy bureaucracy of the Indian Railways.
Way forward: Training
- Training the future leaders of India’s public transporter in the rapidly evolving logistics sector of the country is the most important task ahead.
- The UPSC will recruit a few hundred IRMS officers each year from now, they will remain much less in number when compared to already serving officers for a long time to come.
- Training of the existing cadre of officers: The fact remains that even after the creation of the IRMS, the 8,000 strong (already serving) officers of the Indian Railways will need to work in coordination and not in silos, as they will be serving in the organisation for decades to come.
- This highlights the importance of training of the existing cadre of officers as they will have to deliver on the ambitious Gati-Shakti projects.
- The task of training such a dynamic talent pool assumes importance in view of India’s aspirations of becoming a $5 trillion economy.
- All this will require a massive revamp of the capacity building ecosystem of the Indian Railways.
- Redesign the training: The merger of services provides an opportunity to redesign the training for newly recruited IRMS officers to make them future-ready. Initial training along with mid-career training programmes may be reoriented.
- The IRMS training needs to be designed based on the competencies required for different leadership roles.
- Mission Karmayogi of the Government of India provides for competencies based postings of officers.
- The Integrated Government Online Training (iGOT) programme of the Government of India will be instrumental in shaping the career progression of IRMS officers.
Conclusion

Future IRMS officers should be ready to face the challenges of working in an organisation that is involved in round the clock and round the year operations, has substantial social obligations to meet and, at the same time, which must earn for itself.

UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)
April 13, 2022
What is the ‘2+2’ format of dialogue between India and the US?
The fourth ‘2+2’ dialogue between India and the United States is underway in Washington DC.

2+2 talks between India and allies
- The 2+2 dialogue is a format of meeting of the foreign and defence ministers of India and its allies on strategic and security issues.
- A 2+2 ministerial dialogue enables the partners to better understand and appreciate each other’s strategic concerns and sensitivities taking into account political factors on both sides.
- This helps to build a stronger, more integrated strategic relationship in a rapidly changing global environment.
- India has 2+2 dialogues with four key strategic partners: US, Australia, Japan, and RUSSIA.
Inception of the idea
- The inaugural 2+2 dialogue with Australia was held in September 2021 when Jaishankar and Singh met with their counterparts Marise Payne and Peter Dutton in New Delhi.
- India held its first 2+2 dialogue with Russia in December last year, when Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu visited India.
- The first India-Japan talks in the 2+2 format were held on November 30, 2019 in New Delhi.
Dialogue with the US
- The US is India’s oldest and most important 2+2 talks partner.
- The first 2+2 dialogue between the two countries was held during the Trump Administration.
- It hosted then-Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and then-Secretary of Defence James Mattis and the late Sushma Swaraj and then Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi in September 2018.
- The second and third editions of the 2+2 dialogues were held in Washington DC and New Delhi in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
Defence and strategic agreements
- Over the years, the strategic bilateral relationship with its partners, including the dialogues held in the 2+2 format, have produced tangible and far-reaching results for India.
- India and the US have signed a troika of “foundational pacts” for deep military cooperation, beginning with the:
1. Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in 2016
2. Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) after the first 2+2 dialogue in 2018, and
3. Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) in 2020
Deterrents in ties ahead of the meet
- There is little doubt as to how beneficial this mechanism has been.
- On one side, the ‘two plus dialogue’ is expected to abate, if not resolve, highly problematic issues such as Chinese aggression.
- Even though there is a tonne of expectations from this mutual dialogue between the two countries, the dialogue is also the source of some worry.
- This time, the US is sceptical of India’s mammoth oil import from Russia.
- Another problematic pointer is India’s voluminous weaponry sanctions from Russia.
Why a 2+2 with Russia?
- Russia is one of those countries with which a 2+2 format talk “fits perfectly” in India’s foreign policy.
- India and Russia have shared a strategic relationship since October 2000, which later got upgraded to ‘Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership’ in December 2010.
- To be sure, the India-Russia 2+2 does have a particularly strong signalling component when seen against the backdrop of the S400 controversy.
- Holding the 2+2 talks with Russia is much needed. This gives out a strong message to the world that India sees everyone to be on the same level.
- This is visible messaging that India cannot be compelled to choose partners. India pursues an independent foreign policy serving its national and non-allied interests.
- Having a 2+2 with Russia also means that India is “not in anyone’s camp” and that bilateral ties between Moscow and New Delhi are “traditional and comprehensive”.
Way forward
- India and the US don’t set ‘red lines’ and are pushing for “an honest dialogue”, the ongoing 2+2 dialogue is an opportunity for both India and the US.
- The US also understands that India is one of the few countries that could leverage its relationship with Russia to bring the two warring parties to the negotiating table through a ceasefire and diplomatic resolution.
- For Delhi, it is a season for careful and adroit diplomacy.
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April 13, 2022

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