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  • Nikaalo Prelims Free Open Test on March 4th – Time to Pull Up Your Socks! || All Participants Stand a Chance to Gain Free Mentorship from After Test|| Hurry Up & Enroll Now

    REGISTER HERE FOR NIKAALO PRELIMS OPEN TEST
    REGISTER HERE IF YOU WANT 1-1 MENTORSHIP AFTER THE OPEN PRELIMS TEST SERIES

    Before taking the prelims exam, it’s always better to try the mock tests of various institutes to evaluate your level of understanding and knowledge. Once you know the weak spots, you can spend the rest of the 90 days in revising them

    What Must a Quality Prelims Test Have?

    A quality mock test wiill highlight your shortcomings in all the areas.

    We at Civilsdaily understand the nuances of setting a paper. Through five cases explaining five questions, we’ll try to give you an idea about the varied difficulty level of prelims questions.

    These questions have been taken from the first test of Nikaalo Prelims All India Open Mock Test 2020 about Government Schemes and Policies.   

    REGISTER HERE FOR NIKAALO PRELIMS OPEN TEST
    REGISTER HERE IF YOU WANT 1-1 MENTORSHIP AFTER THE OPEN PRELIMS TEST SERIES

    (First test to go live on 4th March 2022 @ 9:30 a.m.)

    CASE 1 – The oldest trick in the book. 

    Deliberately changing names to confuse you. Be it schemes or concepts. UPSC is well known to flip names of similar-sounding schemes and concepts. Look at this question. 

    Ques. Which of the following are the result areas of  STRIVE

    1. Improved performance of ITI.
    2. Improved and Broadened Apprenticeship Training.
    3. India International Skill Centers 

    Select the  correct answer from the  codes given below:

    a. 1 and 2 only

    b. 2 and 3 only

    c. 1 and 3 only

    d. 1 only

    Correct answer- 1 and 2 only

    In the above question, STRIVE has been used for SANKALP.  Both of them were announced at the same time for boosting Skill India Mission. It is very easy to get confused mark a wrong answer.

    CASE 2: Misleading names

    A lot of times especially in match the following type of questions misleading names are used.

    Ques. Consider the following pairs:

       Schemes                          Objectives

    1. NIDHI: nurturing ideas and innovations into successful startups.
    2. SATYAM: rejuvenate research in yoga and meditation.
    3. MANAK: to help build a critical human resource pool for strengthening and increasing the research & development base.

    Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

    a. 1 and 2 only

    b. 2 and 3 only

    c. 1 and 2 only

    d. 1, 2 and 3

    Correct answer: 1, 2 and 3

    Misleading yet important names of initiatives under Ministry of Science and Technology have been used here. All pairs are correctly matched but it is very easy to get confused. 

    CASE 3: Are you rooted in society?

    UPSC has been playing with the expenditure figures and other such facts. It is done not only for the sole reason of checking your rote memory, but the ability to think in-depth about the issues faced by various sections. 

    Ques. With reference to ‘Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (KUSUM) Scheme’, consider the following statements:

    1. The scheme provides for the installation of grid-connected solar power plants each of capacity up to 2 MW in the rural areas.
    2. The farmers will have to spend 50% of the total expenditure to acquire and install solar pumps.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    a. 1 only

    b. 2 only

    c. Both 1 and 2

    d. Neither 1 nor 2

    Correct answer: 1 only

    A very important scheme. The farmers have to tolerate only 10% of the total expenditure to acquire and install solar pumps. The Central Govt. will provide 60% cost while the remaining 30% will be taken care of by bank as credit. One must understand the inability of Indian farmers to spend 50% on solar pumps. This would have helped in eliminating options also.

    CASE 4: Going international.

    International collaboration and aid in our schemes and policies are relevant. If you ever read about them, know that the issue is of critical importance for the government and society.

    Ques. With reference to Atal Bhujal Yojana, consider the following statements:

    1. It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with funding pattern of 50:50 between Government of India and states.
    2. This scheme is approved by the World Bank.

    Which of the following statements given above is/are correct?

    a. 1 only

    b. 2 only

    c. Both 1 and 2

    d. Neither 1 nor 2

    Correct answer: 2 only

    Here the Government of India’s collaboration with World Bank makes it important. Half of the financial contribution is from the World Bank in this initiative.

    Students must not ignore the contribution of international institutions especially if it is of such overwhelming nature.

    CASE 5: Core of the core

    You should be able to remember the bare minimum. There is no other way in such questions. You either know them or you don’t.

    Ques. Which of the following are the components of the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP)?

    1. National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS) 
    2. Annapurna.
    3. Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS)

    Select the correct answer from the codes given below:

    a. 1 and 3

    b. 2 and 3

    c. 3 only

    d. 1, 2, and 3

    Correct answer: 1, 2 and 3

    The National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) which came into effect from 15th August 1995, represents a significant step towards the fulfilment of the Directive Principles in Article 41 of the Constitution.

    It is a very important scheme under Ministry of Rural Development. Students are supposed to do flagship schemes of various ministries.

    REGISTER HERE FOR NIKAALO PRELIMS OPEN TEST
    REGISTER HERE IF YOU WANT 1-1 MENTORSHIP AFTER THE OPEN PRELIMS TEST SERIES

    Get ready to challenge yourself on 4th March 2022. Register for the second edition of Nikaalo Prelims Open Mock Test now.

    After the exam, CD Mentors will discuss the solutions of the questions on the Nikaalo Prelims telegram group(click to join)

  • Issue of handing down the death sentence in a cursory manner

    Context

    Last week, a little over 13 years after the blasts in 2008 (in July) in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, the designated court to conduct a speedy trial decided the fate of 78 of the accused people. Within a week, the court sentenced 38 of 49 people to death.

    The debate on the death sentence

    • The death sentence grants the state the monopoly of violence.
    • This monopoly is justified by claiming that such a step prevents crime or that it is a measure of long-due justice.
    • Use in ‘rarest of rare’ case: Fundamentally, ‘rarest of rare’ is a standard that allows a court of law to use public sentiment as a judicially reliable standard in handing out the death sentence.
    • Proportionality test: India’s carceral criminal jurisprudence requires a court to calculate proportionality between crime and punishment.
    • But a death sentence is a sentence that goes beyond the confines of these calculations to deprive a person of their life — committing an act whose central value itself is immeasurable.
    • The impossibility of reform, the heinous nature of the crime, the shock to the public conscience, none of these things sufficiently justify the right of a fallible institution to take someone’s life.

    Mitigating arguments

    • After the verdict is delivered in any criminal trial, lawyers make what are called ‘mitigating arguments’ — essentially to contextualise the convict as an individual and not as the accused.
    • Unlike other trial stages where a court adjudicates between competing legal identities of an accused, the complainant, etc., in mitigation, the court hears evidence of a person’s humanity. 
    • Hearing mitigating circumstances requires — however temporarily — for the trappings of distance and formality to be stripped away so that a court may see a person instead of a convict.

    The issue in the above case

    • In this case, first, the court orally convicted ‘en masse’ several of the accused instead of declaring the charges proved against them separately.
    • The prosecution argued that the defendants should argue for mitigation before it would even disclose which convicts it intended to seek the death sentence.
    • The role attributed to each of the accused was different.
    • By equating them for mitigation purposes (individual circumstances were unaccounted for and context and circumstances were considered to be the same) and handing down a mass death sentence, the court has only opened the door for greater misuse of a questionable power to end a life without any oversight.

    Conclusion

    A permanent sentence requires us to assume that our institutions are infallible and user-proof. To cast this as a simple ‘penalty’ ignores what it truly does — and did in this case; it negates the individual for the final time.

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

  • Nikaalo Prelims Free Open Test on March 4th – Time to Pull Up Your Socks! || All Participants Stand a Chance to Gain Free Mentorship from After Test|| Hurry Up & Enroll Now

    REGISTER HERE FOR NIKAALO PRELIMS OPEN TEST
    REGISTER HERE IF YOU WANT 1-1 MENTORSHIP AFTER THE OPEN PRELIMS TEST SERIES

    Before taking the prelims exam, it’s always better to try the mock tests of various institutes to evaluate your level of understanding and knowledge. Once you know the weak spots, you can spend the rest of the 90 days in revising them

    What Must a Quality Prelims Test Have?

    A quality mock test wiill highlight your shortcomings in all the areas.

    We at Civilsdaily understand the nuances of setting a paper. Through five cases explaining five questions, we’ll try to give you an idea about the varied difficulty level of prelims questions.

    These questions have been taken from the first test of Nikaalo Prelims All India Open Mock Test 2020 about Government Schemes and Policies.   

    REGISTER HERE FOR NIKAALO PRELIMS OPEN TEST
    REGISTER HERE IF YOU WANT 1-1 MENTORSHIP AFTER THE OPEN PRELIMS TEST SERIES

    (First test to go live on 4th March 2022 @ 9:30 a.m.)

    CASE 1 – The oldest trick in the book. 

    Deliberately changing names to confuse you. Be it schemes or concepts. UPSC is well known to flip names of similar-sounding schemes and concepts. Look at this question. 

    Ques. Which of the following are the result areas of  STRIVE

    1. Improved performance of ITI.
    2. Improved and Broadened Apprenticeship Training.
    3. India International Skill Centers 

    Select the  correct answer from the  codes given below:

    a. 1 and 2 only

    b. 2 and 3 only

    c. 1 and 3 only

    d. 1 only

    Correct answer- 1 and 2 only

    In the above question, STRIVE has been used for SANKALP.  Both of them were announced at the same time for boosting Skill India Mission. It is very easy to get confused mark a wrong answer.

    CASE 2: Misleading names

    A lot of times especially in match the following type of questions misleading names are used.

    Ques. Consider the following pairs:

       Schemes                          Objectives

    1. NIDHI: nurturing ideas and innovations into successful startups.
    2. SATYAM: rejuvenate research in yoga and meditation.
    3. MANAK: to help build a critical human resource pool for strengthening and increasing the research & development base.

    Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

    a. 1 and 2 only

    b. 2 and 3 only

    c. 1 and 2 only

    d. 1, 2 and 3

    Correct answer: 1, 2 and 3

    Misleading yet important names of initiatives under Ministry of Science and Technology have been used here. All pairs are correctly matched but it is very easy to get confused. 

    CASE 3: Are you rooted in society?

    UPSC has been playing with the expenditure figures and other such facts. It is done not only for the sole reason of checking your rote memory, but the ability to think in-depth about the issues faced by various sections. 

    Ques. With reference to ‘Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (KUSUM) Scheme’, consider the following statements:

    1. The scheme provides for the installation of grid-connected solar power plants each of capacity up to 2 MW in the rural areas.
    2. The farmers will have to spend 50% of the total expenditure to acquire and install solar pumps.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    a. 1 only

    b. 2 only

    c. Both 1 and 2

    d. Neither 1 nor 2

    Correct answer: 1 only

    A very important scheme. The farmers have to tolerate only 10% of the total expenditure to acquire and install solar pumps. The Central Govt. will provide 60% cost while the remaining 30% will be taken care of by bank as credit. One must understand the inability of Indian farmers to spend 50% on solar pumps. This would have helped in eliminating options also.

    CASE 4: Going international.

    International collaboration and aid in our schemes and policies are relevant. If you ever read about them, know that the issue is of critical importance for the government and society.

    Ques. With reference to Atal Bhujal Yojana, consider the following statements:

    1. It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with funding pattern of 50:50 between Government of India and states.
    2. This scheme is approved by the World Bank.

    Which of the following statements given above is/are correct?

    a. 1 only

    b. 2 only

    c. Both 1 and 2

    d. Neither 1 nor 2

    Correct answer: 2 only

    Here the Government of India’s collaboration with World Bank makes it important. Half of the financial contribution is from the World Bank in this initiative.

    Students must not ignore the contribution of international institutions especially if it is of such overwhelming nature.

    CASE 5: Core of the core

    You should be able to remember the bare minimum. There is no other way in such questions. You either know them or you don’t.

    Ques. Which of the following are the components of the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP)?

    1. National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS) 
    2. Annapurna.
    3. Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS)

    Select the correct answer from the codes given below:

    a. 1 and 3

    b. 2 and 3

    c. 3 only

    d. 1, 2, and 3

    Correct answer: 1, 2 and 3

    The National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) which came into effect from 15th August 1995, represents a significant step towards the fulfilment of the Directive Principles in Article 41 of the Constitution.

    It is a very important scheme under Ministry of Rural Development. Students are supposed to do flagship schemes of various ministries.

    REGISTER HERE FOR NIKAALO PRELIMS OPEN TEST
    REGISTER HERE IF YOU WANT 1-1 MENTORSHIP AFTER THE OPEN PRELIMS TEST SERIES

    Get ready to challenge yourself on 4th March 2022. Register for the second edition of Nikaalo Prelims Open Mock Test now.

    After the exam, CD Mentors will discuss the solutions of the questions on the Nikaalo Prelims telegram group(click to join)

  • 3rd March 2022| Daily Answer Writing Enhancement(AWE)

    Topics for Today’s questions:

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

    GS-2      Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

    GS-3      Indian Economy, External state and Non-state actors

    GS-4        Human Values – lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and administrators; role of family society and educational institutions in inculcating values.

    Question 1)

     

    Q.1 The policy of ‘Subsidiary Alliance’ helped in establishing British control over internal affairs of Indian states without incurring any direct imperial liability. Discuss. (15 Marks)

     

    Question 2)

    Q.2 Discuss the global impact of anti-microbial resistance. Suggest the way forward to deal with the challenge in India. (10 Marks)

    Question 3)

    Q.3 What is SWIFT for electronic fund transfer? What would the impact on India be after Russia’s removal from the system? (10Marks)

    Question 4)  

    Q.4 What are the important learnings from the life and teachings of Sri Adi Shankaracharya that can help public servants in their personal and professional lives. (10 Marks)

     

    HOW TO ATTEMPT ANSWERS IN DAILY ANSWER WRITING ENHANCEMENT(AWE)?

    1. Daily 4 questions from General studies 1, 2, 3, and 4 will be provided to you.

    2. A Mentor’s Comment will be available for all answers. This can be used as a guidance tool but we encourage you to write original answers.

    3. You can write your answer on an A4 sheet and scan/click pictures of the same.

    4.  Upload the scanned answer in the comment section of the same question.

    5. Along with the scanned answer, please share your Razor payment ID, so that paid members are given priority.

    6. If you upload the answer on the same day like the answer of 11th  February is uploaded on 11th February then your answer will be checked within 72 hours. Also, reviews will be in the order of submission- First come first serve basis

    7. If you are writing answers late, for example, 11th February is uploaded on 13th February , then these answers will be evaluated as per the mentor’s schedule.

    8. We encourage you to write answers on the same day. However, if you are uploading an answer late then tag the mentor like @Staff so that the mentor is notified about your answer.

    *In case your answer is not reviewed, reply to your answer saying *NOT CHECKED*. 

    For the philosophy of AWE and payment: 

    CLICK HERE To join Daily AWE

  • 3rd March 2022 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions

    [WpProQuiz 916]

    [WpProQuiz_toplist 916]

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

  • Anti-microbial resistance needs urgent attention

    Context

    Ever since the pandemic struck, concerns have been raised about the improper use of antimicrobials amongst Covid-19 patients.

    Concern over anti-microbial resistance

    • The “Global burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance in 204 countries and territories in 2019 (GRAM)” report, released last month, 4.95 million people died from drug-resistant bacterial infections in 2019, with 3,89,000 deaths in South Asia alone.
    • AMR directly caused at least 1.27 million of those deaths.
    • Lower respiratory infections accounted for more than 1.5 million deaths associated with resistance in 2019, making it the most burdensome infectious syndrome.
    • Amongst pathogens, E coli was responsible for the most deaths in 2019, followed by K pneumoniae, S aureus, A baumannii, S pneumoniae, and M tuberculosis.

    Concern for India

    • As per the yearly trends reported by the Indian Council of Medical Research since 2015, India reports a high level of resistance in all these pathogens, especially E coli and K pneumoniae.
    • Only a fraction of the Indian data, available through the WHO-GLASS portal, has been included in the GRAM report.
    • India has been reporting high levels of resistance to fluoroquinolones, cephalosporins and carbapenems across the Gram-negative pathogens that cause almost 70 per cent of infections in communities and hospitals.
    • Therefore, the Indian data on the AMR burden may not look very different from the estimates published in the report.
    • Now that we know that AMR’s burden surpasses that of TB and HIV, a sense of urgency in containing such resistance is called for.
    • With no new drugs in the pipeline for drug-resistant infections, time is running out for patients.

    Addressing AMR through a multipronged and multisectoral approach

    • Use existing antimicrobials judiciously: The urgency to develop new drugs should not discourage us from instituting measures to use the existing antimicrobials judiciously.
    • Improved infection control in communities and hospitals, availability and utilisation of quality diagnostics and laboratories and educating people about antimicrobials have proved effective in reducing antimicrobial pressure — a precursor to resistance.
    • The National Action Plan for AMR, approved in 2017, completes its official duration this year. The progress under the plan has been far from satisfactory.
    • There is enough evidence that interventions like infection control, improved diagnosis and antimicrobial stewardship are effective in the containment of AMR.

    Conclusion

    The GRAM report has underlined that postponing action could prove costly.

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

  • Target 2023: How to Balance Prelims and Mains Preparation In The Beginning Itself?|| How to Squeeze in Time for Mains if You are a UPSC 2022 Aspirant?|| Free Live Webinar by Civilsdaily Mains Guidance Head Sukanya Rana Ma’am|| Limited Slots Available, Register Now

    Target 2023: How to Balance Prelims and Mains Preparation In The Beginning Itself?|| How to Squeeze in Time for Mains if You are a UPSC 2022 Aspirant?|| Free Live Webinar by Civilsdaily Mains Guidance Head Sukanya Rana Ma’am|| Limited Slots Available, Register Now

    register for free live webinar by sukanya rana ma’am

    Many of you right now are planning to start prelims preparation from a clean slate. But as you pick a book and complete a chapter, you are bothered by a confusion — should I study for Mains or Prelims right now?

    Since, Prelims is the first exam of UPSC, logically it should be given the first preference. However, the marks you get in prelims are only qualifying by nature and will not be considered for your final ranking by default. At the same time, Prelims exam is known to have trickier questions than Mains or Interview. Hence one cannot postpone this preparation at a later stage.

    UPSC Mains on the other hand is conducted 3 months after Prelims results are announced. If you qualify the Mains exam in 2023, you cannot prepare the vast syllabus of 9 papers in just 3 months. Marks obtained in the Optional Subject rescues you if you happen to score low in other GS Papers or in the personality round. This is why you need to prepare for your Optional Subject from the first month itself.

    75% of UPSC Toppers in 2020 have attributed a Prelims-Mains integrated approach of study as the reason for their success

    The best solution would be to study for both Prelims and Mains at the outset. But the nagging question is — HOW?

    Open to All, Free Live Webinar by Sukanya Rana Ma’am on Prelims-Mains Preparation

    Adopting an integrated study approach for prelims and mains is easier said than done for aspirants who are studying without any coaching. Mains have extra topics for the same subject you study for prelims. Focus on current affairs sees a sea change when you shift from Prelims to Mains.

    register for free live webinar by sukanya rana ma’am

    This is why you need a veteran mentor to take you through every step of the preparation, while clearing your doubts. Sukanya Rana Ma’am will exactly do this coming Saturday in her free live webinar.

    Sukanya ma’am has the experience of 4 mains and 2 interviews in UPSC. She has also appeared in the State PCS interview. Before being a mentor at Civilsdaily, she worked as an officer in a public sector bank. Sukanya Rana Ma’am is passionate about guiding future officers in finding success.

    As an aspirant, she consistently scored 100+ marks in Ethics paper. Notably, in 2019 her marks were 140 in GS 4. Under her mentorship, many Smash Mains 2020 students were able to secure 110+ marks.

    Now, as a mentor she is garnering positive reviews from our Civilsdaily students. Students have always felt she helped them score above 100+ marks in Mains exams. Below are certain testimonials from them —

    What Will You Learn in This Free Live Webinar by Sukanya Rana Ma’am?

    1. What are the different approaches in Prelims and Mains Preparation? Start studying the priority focus topics of Prelims and Mains as a 2023 aspirant.

    2. How should UPSC 2022 aspirants focus on mains answer writing when prelims is just 90 days away? Managing time without feeling the stress.

    3. What should the timetable of UPSC 2023 aspirant look like? 3 different strategies for working professionals, college students and full timers.

    4. How many months should be dedicated to prelims? How much time should be given to the optional subjects?

    5. How to revise previous day’s topics and make time for new topics? Sukanya Ma’am answers from her personal experience.

    Webinar Details

    All aspirants are welcome to interact with Sukanya Ma’am and clear their doubts and get their preparation mistakes corrected in the Q&A session. This webinar is absolutely free and only requires prior registration.

    Date: 5 th February (Saturday)

    Time: 7 P.M

    register here for free live webinar by sukanya rana ma’am

  • What is WHO’s Pandemic Treaty?

    Members of the World Health Organisation (WHO) held the first round of negotiations towards the pandemic treaty on February 24, 2022.

    What is the Pandemic Treaty?

    • In December 2021, the World Health Assembly agreed to start a global process to draft the pandemic treaty.
    • The need for an updated set of rules was felt after the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the shortcomings of global health systems.
    • The Health Assembly adopted a decision titled “The World Together” at its second special session since it was founded in 1948.
    • Under the decision, the health organization established an intergovernmental negotiating body (INB) to draft and negotiate the contents of the pandemic treaty in compliance with Article 19 of the WHO Constitution.

    What is it likely to entail?

    • The pandemic treaty is expected to cover aspects like data sharing and genome sequencing of emerging viruses and equitable distribution of vaccines and drugs and related research.
    • Solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic have seen an inequitable distribution of vaccines so far, with poorer countries at the mercy of others to receive preventive medication.

    Why need such treaty?

    • Most countries have followed the “me-first” approach which is not an effective way to deal with a global pandemic.
    • A widely-accepted theory points that the novel coronavirus may have jumped from animals to humans in a wildlife market of China.
    • Many nations want a ban on wildlife markets.

    Issues in negotiations

    • While the EU wants the treaty to be legally binding, the U.S., Brazil and India have expressed reservations about the same.
    • The legal nature of the treaty is yet to be defined.

     What is Article 19 of the WHO Constitution?

    • Article 19 of the WHO Constitution gives the World Health Assembly the authority to adopt conventions or agreements on matters of health.
    • A two-third majority is needed to adopt such conventions or agreements.
    • The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control was set up under Article 19 and it came into force in 2005.

     

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

  • New Rules for Deputation of DIGs

    After its proposal to amend the All India Service Rules that would allow it to call any IAS, IPS or IFoS officer on central deputation with or without the state’s consent, the Centre has issued another order on central deputation of Deputy Inspector General-level IPS officers.

    What is the order?

    • The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has said that IPS officers coming to the Centre at DIG level would no longer be required to be empanelled at that level with the Union Government.
    • According to existing rules, a DIG-ranked IPS officer with a minimum experience of 14 years could only be deputed to the Centre if the Police Establishment Board empanelled them as DIGs at the Centre.
    • The board chooses the panel on the basis of officers’ career and vigilance records.
    • Only Superintendent of Police-level officers do not require empanelment at the Centre.
    • The new order makes the entire pool of DIG-level officers in a state eligible for central deputation.

    Why has it been issued?

    Ans. Huge Vacancies

    • The move is aimed at increasing the pool of DIG-level IPS officers for central deputation in the backdrop of massive vacancies in central police organisations (CPOs) and the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs).
    • Out of 252 posts reserved for IPS officers at DIG level at the Centre, 118 (almost half) are vacant.
    • IPS officers have a quota of 40% in CPOs and CAPFs.

    How will the move help?

    • The idea is to ease up the process of central deputation as verification of records takes a long time.
    • Also, it increases the size of the pool of officers available to the Centre.

    So why would states have a problem?

    Ans. Relieving the Officers

    • States would have to be willing to relieve these officers.
    • The new order may be seen by many states as the Centre’s attempt at pushing the envelope further on increasing its powers over officers serving in the states.
    • With these orders, the Centre would have powers to demand, within a stipulated time frame, a certain quota of officers from the state for central deputation.
    • It may also call any IAS officer on central deputation in “public interest”.
    • In case the state failed to relieve the officer, he/she would be deemed relieved following the date fixed.

    Why don’t states relieve officers?

    Ans. Vacancy in states

    • There is a serious paucity of officers in the states too.
    • In a cost-cutting move during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee regime, the size of IPS batches among other government staff was reduced even though sizeable vacancies existed even then.
    • From 80-90 officers each, IPS batches were cut to 35-40 officers (in 1999-2002, the average was 36).
    • The average attrition rate of IPS officers due to superannuation is 85 per year.
    • The strength of IAS officers too had been impacted due to low intake during the 1990s.

    How has this impacted the services?

    • The anomaly in IPS recruitment adversely affected cadre management over the years.
    • At some levels, there are fewer officers than sanctioned posts, while at others there is a glut. For example, UP has a shortage of DIGs and IGs, but too many officers at the level of ADGs.

     

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

  • Egypt hikes Suez Canal transit fees for ship

    Cash-strapped Egypt increased transit fees for ships passing through the Suez Canal, one of the world’s most crucial waterways, with hikes of up to 10%.

    Suez Canal

    • The Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez; and dividing Africa and Asia.
    • Constructed by the Suez Canal Company between 1859 and 1869, it officially opened on 17 November 1869.
    • The canal was earlier controlled by British and French interests in its initial years but was nationalized in 1956 by Egypt’s then leader Gamal Abdel Nasser.
    • It extends from the northern terminus of Port Said to the southern terminus of Port Tewfik at the city of Suez.
    • Its length is 193.30 km including its northern and southern access channels.

    Its significance

    • The Suez Canal provides a crucial link for oil, natural gas and cargo being shipping from East to West.
    • About 10% of global trade, including 7% of the world’s oil, flows through the Suez Canal.
    • It provides a major shortcut for ships moving between Europe and Asia, who before its construction had to sail around Africa to complete the same journey.
    • As per a report, the canal is a major source of income for Egypt’s economy, with the African country earning $5.61 billion in revenues from it last year.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Between India and East Asia, the navigation time and distance can be greatly reduced by which of the following?

    1. Deepening the Malacca straits between Malaysia and Indonesia.
    2. Opening a new canal across the Kra isthmus between the Gulf of Siam and Andaman sea.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 only

    (c) Both 1 and 2

    (d) Neither 1 nor 2

     

    Post your answers here.

     

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