[WpProQuiz 914]
[WpProQuiz_toplist 914]
UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)
Search results for: “”
-
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
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.
(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
- Improved performance of ITI.
- Improved and Broadened Apprenticeship Training.
- 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
- NIDHI: nurturing ideas and innovations into successful startups.
- SATYAM: rejuvenate research in yoga and meditation.
- 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:
- The scheme provides for the installation of grid-connected solar power plants each of capacity up to 2 MW in the rural areas.
- 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:
- It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with funding pattern of 50:50 between Government of India and states.
- 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)?
- National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS)
- Annapurna.
- 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.
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)
-
Doubts over Defence Supplies to India
With tensions escalating between Russia and the West over the Ukraine crisis, India, which has major defence cooperation with Moscow and Kyiv, faces uncertainty over timely deliveries of the S-400.
About S-400
- The S-400 is known as Russia’s most advanced long-range surface-to-air missile defence system, capable of destroying hostile strategic bombers, jets, missiles and drones at a range of 380-km.
US reservations against S-400 purchase
- The US has made it clear that the delivery of the five S-400 systems is considered a “significant transaction”.
- Such deals are considered under its Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) of 2017.
- It could trigger sanctions against Indian officials and the Government.
About CAATSA
- The CAATSA is designed to ensure that no country is able to increase military engagement with Iran, North Korea and Russia without facing deterrent punitive action from the US.
- The sanctions are unilateral, and not part of any United Nations decision, and therefore no country is bound to accept them.
- Section 231 says the President shall impose no fewer than five different sanctions on any Government that enters into a significant defence or intelligence deal with Russia.
- Section 235 lists 12 options, including stopping credit lines from US and international banks such as the IMF, blocking sales of licensed goods and technology, banning banks, manufacturers and suppliers, property transactions and even financial and visa sanctions on specific officials.
- However, the law also empowers the President to waiver sanctions or delay them if the waiver is in the US’s “vital national security interests”.
Has the US used CAATSA before for S-400 sales?
- The US has already placed sanctions on China and Turkey for purchase of the S-400.
- The sanctions included denial of export licences, ban on foreign exchange transactions, blocking of all property and interests in property within the US jurisdiction and a visa ban.
Types of sanctions laid
- In 2020, the US sanctioned its NATO partner Turkey, which it had warned about CAATSA sanctions for years, besides cancelling a deal to sell Ankara F-35 jets.
- The sanctions on Turkey’s main defence procurement agency, also included a ban on licences and loans, and blocking of credit and visas to related officials.
Likely impacts after India’s purchase
- The Biden administration has no firm indication on where it leans on India’s case.
- However, several senators (US parliamentarians) have called upon the Biden administration to consider a special waiver for India.
- This is on account of India’s importance as a defence partner, and as a strategic partner on US concerns over China and in the Quad.
- Other US leaders thinks that giving a waiver to India would be the wrong signal for others seeking to go ahead with similar deals.
India’s dependence on Russia
- While Russia has been a traditional military supplier sharing platforms and technologies that others would not, the cooperation has further deepened in recent years.
- The defence trade between the two countries has crossed $15 billion since 2018.
- Even today, over 60% of Indian military inventory is of Russian origin, especially with respect to fighter jets, tanks, helicopters and submarines among others, while several deals are in the pipeline.
Why is the S-400 deal so important to India?
- Security paradigm: S-400 is very important for India’s national security considerations due to the threats from China, Pakistan and now Afghanistan.
- Air defence capability: The system will also offset the air defence capability gaps due to the IAF’s dwindling fighter squadron strength.
- Russian legacy: Integrating the S-400 will be much easier as India has a large number of legacy Russian air defence systems.
- Strategic autonomy: For both political as well as operational reasons, the deal is at a point of no return.
Conclusion
- The deal is a way for the Government to assert its strategic autonomy.
- India had earlier agreed to stop buying Iranian oil over the threat of sanctions in 2019, a move that caused India both financial and reputational damage.
- Not giving in to the US’s unilateral sanctions would be one way to restore some of that.
UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)
-
GST revenues cross 1.3 lakh crore in Feb
The Gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenue in February was 26% higher than the pre-pandemic levels at ₹1,33,026 crore.
What is GST?
- GST is an indirect tax that has replaced many indirect taxes in India such as excise duty, VAT, services tax, etc.
- The Goods and Service Tax Act was passed in Parliament on 29th March 2017 and came into effect on 1st July 2017. It is a single domestic indirect tax law for the entire country.
- It is a comprehensive, multi-stage, destination-based tax that is levied on every value addition.
- Under the GST regime, the tax is levied at every point of sale. In the case of intra-state sales, Central GST and State GST are charged. All the inter-state sales are chargeable to the Integrated GST.
Answer this PYQ in the comment box:
Q.All revenues received by the Union. Government by way of taxes and other receipts for the conduct of Government business are credited to the (CSP 2015):
(a) Contingency Fund of India
(b) Public Account
(c) Consolidated Fund of India
(d) Deposits and Advances Fund
Post your answers here.
What are the components of GST?
There are three taxes applicable under this system:
- CGST: It is the tax collected by the Central Government on an intra-state sale (e.g., a transaction happening within Maharashtra)
- SGST: It is the tax collected by the state government on an intra-state sale (e.g., a transaction happening within Maharashtra)
- IGST: It is a tax collected by the Central Government for an inter-state sale (e.g., Maharashtra to Tamil Nadu)
Advantages Of GST
- GST has mainly removed the cascading effect on the sale of goods and services.
- Removal of the cascading effect has impacted the cost of goods.
- Since the GST regime eliminates the tax on tax, the cost of goods decreases.
- Also, GST is mainly technologically driven.
- All the activities like registration, return filing, application for refund and response to notice needs to be done online on the GST portal, which accelerates the processes.
Issues with GST
- High operational cost
- GST has given rise to complexity for many business owners across the nation.
- GST has received criticism for being called a ‘Disability Tax’ as it now taxes articles such as braille paper, wheelchairs, hearing aid etc.
- Petrol is not under GST, which goes against the ideals of the unification of commodities.
Take a look at the share of GST in government earnings for the previous fiscal:
UPSC can ask about the majority component of the Revenue Receipts of the govt. See how Corporate tax is nearing the GST revenues.
Do you think it will surpass GST revenue when the economy is fully recovered?
UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)
-
In news: Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB)
Political parties in Punjab are up in arms over the Centre’s decision to amend the rules regarding appointments to two key positions on the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB).
What is BBMB?
(a) Origin
- The genesis of BBMB lies in the Indus Water Treaty signed between India and Pakistan in 1960.
- Under this, waters of three eastern rivers— Ravi, Beas and Sutlej — were allotted to India for exclusive use while Indus, Chenab and Jhelum rivers were allocated to Pakistan.
- In India, a master plan was drawn to harness the potential of these rivers for providing assured irrigation, power generation and flood control.
- Bhakra and Beas projects form a major part of this plan and were established as a joint venture of the then undivided Punjab and Rajasthan.
(b) Establishment
- Following the reorganization of Punjab on November 1, 1966, and the creation of the state of Haryana, the BBMB was constituted under Section 79 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966.
- The administration, maintenance and operation of Bhakra Nangal Dam project was handed over to Bhakra Management on October 1, 1967.
- On May 15, 1976, when the Beas Projects Works were completed and handed over, the Bhakra Management Board was renamed as Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB).
- Since then, BBMB regulates supply of water and power to Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Chandigarh.
What is the constitution of the BBMB management?
- The BBMB management includes a chairperson and two whole time members who are from the partner states of Punjab and Haryana.
- They are designated as Member (Power) and Member (Irrigation) from Punjab and Haryana, respectively.
- There is representation from each member state including Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh as nominated by the respective state governments.
- The total strength of BBMB is about 12,000 employees and out of these 696 are Group A officers and are posted from the partner states.
What changes have been made to the BBMB rules?
- The GoI issued a notification on February 23, 2022 to amend the BBMB Rules 1974, thereby changing the criteria for the selection of whole-time members of the Board.
- New rules specify technical qualifications for the appointments and pave for the appointment of the members from across India and NOT ONLY from Punjab and Haryana.
What has been the objection to the new rules?
- The opposition to the new rules has come from within the engineers’ fraternity, farmers as well as the political parties of Punjab.
- It is being labeled as an attack on the federal structure of the country.
- The engineers have pointed out that hardly any engineer would qualify for appointment as per the new specifications.
Back2Basics: Indus Waters Treaty, 1960
- The Indus Waters Treaty is a water-distribution treaty between India and Pakistan, brokered by the World Bank signed in Karachi in 1960.
- According to this agreement, control over the water flowing in three “eastern” rivers of India — the Beas, the Ravi and the Sutlej was given to India.
- The control over the water flowing in three “western” rivers of India — the Indus, the Chenab and the Jhelum was given to Pakistan.
- The treaty allowed India to use western rivers water for limited irrigation use and unrestricted use for power generation, domestic, industrial and non-consumptive uses such as navigation, floating of property, fish culture, etc. while laying down precise regulations for India to build projects.
- India has also been given the right to generate hydroelectricity through the run of the river (RoR) projects on the Western Rivers which, subject to specific criteria for design and operation is unrestricted.
UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)
-
Kuki Insurgency in Manipur
Just before the first of the two phases of the Assembly Elections went underway in Manipur, all insurgent groups associated with the Kuki tribes in Manipur said they will vote for a particular political party.
Who are the Kukis?
- The Kukis are an ethnic group including multiple tribes originally inhabiting the North-Eastern states of India such as Manipur, Mizoram and Assam; parts of Burma (now Myanmar), and Sylhet district and Chittagong hill tracts of Bangladesh.
- While Kuki is not a term coined by the ethnic group itself, the tribes associated with it came to be generically called Kuki under colonial rule.
- In Manipur, the various Kuki tribes, living mainly in the hills, currently make up 30% of the total 28.5 lakh population of the State.
- While Churachandpur is their main stronghold, they also have a sizable population in Chandel, Kangpokpi, Tengnoupal and Senapati districts.
Their ethnicity
- The rest of the population of Manipur is made up mainly of two other ethnic groups — the Meiteis or non-tribal, Vaishnavite Hindus who live in the valley region of Manipur, and the Naga tribes, historically at loggerheads with the Kukis, also living in the hilly areas of the State.
- Of the 60 seats in the Manipur Assembly, 40 are held by Meiteis and the rest 20 seats are held by Kukis and Nagas.
What led to the Kuki insurgencies in Manipur?
- The Kuki insurgent groups have been under Suspension of Operation (SoO) since 2005, when they signed an agreement for the same with the Indian Army.
- Later, in 2008, the groups entered a tripartite agreement with the State government and the UPA led Central government to temporarily suspend their operations and give political dialogue a chance.
- Manipur, formerly a princely state including parts of Burma, made the accession into India after Independence, but was only made a full-fledged State in 1972.
- The resentment over the “forceful” inclusion into India and delay in granting statehood led to the rise of various insurgent movements.
Roots of the insurgency
- The roots of Kuki militancy lie in conflicts of ethnic identity.
- First was the demand for self-determination solely for groups belonging to their ethnic fabric, meaning the dream to form a Kukiland.
- The second reason for insurgency lies in the inter-community conflicts between the Kukis and the Nagas in Manipur.
- The Kuki-Naga conflict was started over securing identity and land as some Kuki inhabited areas coincided with Naga inhabited areas.
- Wanting to dominate trade and cultural activities in those areas the two communities often engaged in violent standoffs, with villages being torched, civilians killed and so on.
UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)
-
[Yojana Archive] Swadeshi Entrepreneurship
UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)
Inception of the idea
- The idea of ‘economic swadeshi’ emerged by the second half of the 19th century.
- Thanks to the writings of R C Dutt, Dadabhai Naoroji, and M G Ranade, the new western-educated middle class was well aware of the colonial economic exploitation.
- Gopal Hari Deshmukh was one of the firsts to advocate economic swadeshi in 1849.
- But the credit for translating it to a call to action goes to the ‘college faction’ of the Arya Samajists in Punjab.
Pre-Swadeshi movement
- A group of middle-class, western-educated Punjabis– prominent among them were Lala Lajpat Rai, Lala Harkishan Lal, and Sir Dayal Singh Majithia came together to found the Punjab National Bank (1894). This was the first major Indian-owned bank.
- Lala Harkishan Lal, who soon emerged as the moving force behind this venture, went on to found a series of joint-stock companies.
- In Bombay, a Parsi lawyer Ardeshir Burjorji Sorabji Godrej (1868-1936) came to realise the importance of indigenous manufacturing. After failing in a series of ventures, he tasted business success with mechanised locks and founded Godrej & Boyce in 1897.
- Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray (1861-1944), a pioneering chemist, founder of Bengal Chemicals (India’s first pharmaceuticals company), and a devoted nationalist spent his entire life in promoting education and scientific research.
Swadeshi Enterprises
The announcement of the Partition of Bengal (1905) unleashed a surge of nationalism and rekindled the Bengali entrepreneurial spirit.
(1) Textiles
- Bengal’s leading landlords, businessmen, and political leaders came together to launch the most high-profile swadeshi venture – Banga Luxmi Cotton Mill (1906).
- Two years later, Mohinimohan Chakraborti, landlord and retired Deputy Magistrate, launched a smaller Mohini Mill in East Bengal to challenge the monopoly of the only British cotton mill in Bengal.
- The biggest beneficiary of the boycott of Manchester cloths turned out to be Bombay and Ahmedabad, where 39 mills came up between 1904 and 1910 to cater to swadeshi demands.
(2) Promotion on Science and Tech
- One of the great contributions of the swadeshi period was the promotion of science. Meritorious students were sent to Japan, Germany, and the USA for technical education.
- Some of them came back to set up successful businesses like Calcutta Chemicals, Calcutta Potteries, and Bengal Waterproof.
- The National Education Movement (1905-1938) helped set up colleges and schools, and one of the institutions associated with it metamorphosed into Jadavpur University.
- In Madras, firebrand nationalist leader V O Chidambaram Pillai launched his Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company from Tuticorin (1906), to challenge the British monopolies but had a short life.
(3) Emergence of modern banking
- Indian Bank: In Madras, a group of eminent citizens and businessmen came together under the leadership of a lawyer (later on, High Court judge), V Krishnaswamy Iyer, to set up the Indian Bank in 1907.
- Canara Bank: Among the other smaller ventures in the Madras Presidency were the Canara Banking Corporation of Udupi (later Corporation Bank) and the Canara Hindu Permanent Fund (later Canara Bank).
- Central Bank of India: Similar groups in Bombay founded two major banks – the Bank of India (1907) and the Central Bank of India (1911, the first Chairman was Sir Pherozeshah Mehta).
- Bank of Baroda: In Baroda, Maharaja Sayajirao II led the way to set up the first major bank in a princely state – Bank of Baroda (1908).
- Punjab and Sindh Bank: Business elites in Punjab set up the Punjab and Sind Bank in the same year.
Swadeshi and decline of consumerism
- Boycott of foreign goods and the use of India-made products– the trend that started in Bengal in 1905, spread to the rest of the country with Mahatma Gandhi and his advocacy of khadi.
- With rising nationalism, there was a definite change in consumer culture too.
- Irrespective of whether they were actively participating in political movements or not, people wanted to use India-made/local products as a badge of their patriotism.
Establishment of National Planning Commission
- In 1938, Congress President Subhas Chandra Bose set up a National Planning Commission under the chairmanship of Jawaharlal Nehru.
- This Commission had prominent industrialists like Purushottamdas Thakurdas, Walchand Hirachand, A D Shroff, and Ambalal Sarabhai as members, along with technocrat M Visvesvaraya and scientist Meghnad Saha.
- In 1944-45, eight leading industrialists – J R D Tata, G D Birla, Ardeshir Dalal, Lala Shri Ram, Kasturbhai Lalbhai, A D Shroff, Purushottamdas Thakurdas, and John Matthai came out with a blueprint for independent India’s economic development.
The Bombay Plan
- This ‘Bombay Plan’ outlined the strategy for doubling of the agricultural output and five- fold increase in the industrial sector within 15 years.
- They accepted that without State support this would not be possible.
- Though it was never officially accepted but the post-independence economic planning did follow the same path of State interventions and a mixed economy with large-scale public sector.
UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)
-
Anti defection: Related issues
Context
In its verdict in the Goa MLAs case, Bombay High Court has misread the 10th schedule of the Constitution, which was meant to prevent horse trading among legislators.
Understanding the Paragraph (4) of Tenth Schedule
- Paragraph (4) is an exception to the Tenth Schedule’s main provisions.
- It operates only when the defectors’ original political party has merged with the party to which they have defected and two-thirds of the members of the legislature belonging to that party have agreed to the merger.
- Under this provision, the merger of the original political party has to take place first, followed by two-thirds of the MLAs agreeing to that merger.
- The basic premise of the February 25 judgment is that sub-paragraph (2) is distinct from the parent paragraph, and a factual merger of the original political party is not necessary.
- This does not square with the content, context and thrust of paragraph (4), which contemplates the factual merger of the original political party — in this case, the INC.
- The court’s view — the merger of the 10 MLAs of the Congress Legislative Party with the BJP should be regarded as the Congress itself merging with the BJP — goes against the letter and spirit of the Tenth Schedule, paragraph (4) in particular.
Process for the merger: 2 conditions need to be satisfied
- 1] Merger alone is not enough: The opening words of sub-paragraph (2) — “for the purposes of sub-paragraph (1) of this paragraph” — clearly mean that to exempt a member from disqualification on account of defection, and for considering this member’s claim that he has become a member of the party with which the merger has taken place, a merger of two political parties alone is not enough.
- 2] Not less than 2/3 members should also agree: Not less than two-thirds of the members should also agree to such a merger.
- The lawmakers made it tough for potential defectors to defect.
- The words “such merger” make it clear beyond any shadow of doubt that the merger of the original political party has to take place before two-thirds of the members agree to such a merger.
- The members of the legislature cannot agree among themselves to merge as the court has said, but they can agree to a merger after it takes place.
Conclusion
The anti-defection law was designed to eliminate political defection. However, the judgment of the Bombay HC seems to assume that paragraph (4) of the 10th schedule is meant to facilitate defection. This judgment is likely to open the flood gates to defection. The Supreme Court must intervene quickly.
UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)
-
Super-25: 90 days Strategic Study Plan for 25 Chosen Students Appearing in Prelims 2022 ||Aim Everyday for 100+ in Prelims with 2 Veteran UPSC Mentors Giving You 1-1 Guidance|| Popular Prelims Program with 70% Success Rate,Over 100 Tests, Weekly Value Added Notes, 1.5 years of Current Affairs Coverage through Live Classes
Smash Prelims Super-25 Program is back after a thumping success in Prelims 2021. Out of 25 students Santosh sir has mentored, 15 have cleared prelims this time. Our students were kind enough to take time out of their hectic Mains preparation and let us know how Santosh sir’s mentorship benefitted them in the exams. We wish them all the very best for the upcoming Mains exam from 7th January onwards!
Why Your Focus for Next 3 Months Must be About Scoring Above Cut-Off Marks in UPSC-CSE Prelims? Isn’t the last 1 Month Enough for This?
Every year, the competition for UPSC-CSE is increasing while vacancies are decreasing drastically. This year there are only 712 vacancies as against 2019 which had 927 vacancies. However, atleast 10 lakh students will attempt the prelims exam. This is why right now, it’s important to start having an Olympic Athlete mindset. You need to daily focus on scoring above the cut-off marks in your test series.
Civilsdaily Student and 2019 UPSC-CSE AIR 8 Topper Abhishek Saraf had practiced nearly 6000+ MCQs under us to clear prelims!
What makes prelims tough? It’s because the paper is unpredictable. If this year, science questions are a breeze then the next year you will have to answer advanced concept-based questions. Unlike Mains, Prelims has negative markings.
Toppers like Pranav Vijayvergiya (AIR 65) and Swati Sharma (AIR 17) have found Prelims to be tougher than Mains. In fact, Pranav failed to clear Prelims thrice. But, in his fourth attempt he took Civilsdaily mentorship and cleared Prelims, Mains and Interview in one shot!
Are you feeling low that you are unable to get the required cut-off marks in your test series. Worry not, for about 65% of the UPSC toppers have said that they scored below cut-off marks till December. But by June, they were able to boost their marks to get through the prelims hurdle. It’s time to be like them now.
One has to be good at elimination methods to choose the right option amongst two similar ones. Our Smash Prelims Super-25 Program started as a pilot project last year with an aim to introduce step-wise improvement in our chosen 25 aspirants. Over a period of 2 months, Santhosh sir inculcated confidence in aspirants who were either newbies or gave too many attempts. This year, we achieved a remarkable 60% success ratio. Next year, we have set our eyes on 100%. Yes, we are ambitious and aspirational just like any other UPSC aspirant.
How will Super-25 Program be structured?
We have neither diluted the criteria for selecting aspirants nor the core strategy. Infact, this year Super-25 will be a more effective version of last year.
Four Pillars of Super- 25 Program
- It is mentorship led test series and value addition program over 90 days.
- Two-Tier Mentorship: You will have one dedicated mentor during the entire journey, while Santosh Gupta sir will be strategic mentor. Santosh sir will take strategic mentoring calls twice in a week. It would ensure that you do not fall back at any cost and benefit from the experience of two mentors who have cleared the exam 6 times. We will ensure that you achieve not your weekly targets but the target of clearing prelims.
- Number of tests: 60 practice tests (50 questions) + 40 Full length tests ( 12 Basic + 6 advanced + 10 Current affairs test + 8 FLTs+ 4 CSATs) . It means everyday you can give a test. With this, we will ensure that you revise your syllabus 3 times in three months at least.
- Current affairs: Entire Current affairs of 1.5 years ( Jan 2021 – April 2022) will be covered by Core faculty, comprising of Santosh sir, Sajal sir, Sudhanshu sir, Birendra sir and Sukanya Ma’am. You will learn how to link current affairs with static topics on the go.
- Strategic Value Addition Sessions: They say that a woodcutter sharpens his axe for 8 hours to cut 1 tree. This is the most popular session aroun taken by Santosh Gupta sir to enrich your knowledge base and analytical ability.
Approach of Super-25
1. Keyword approach to revise syllabus of 1 subject in 2-3 hours.
2. Focus on FCE approach ( Factual, Conceptual and Elimination ) to enhance your score.
3. Critical gap filling sessions and notes, learning to link static with current affairs and vice versa.
4. Evidence based questions to ensure 360 degree testing.
5. Weekly monitoring of targets by dedicated mentor and your strategic mentor Santosh Gupta.
How Super- 25 will help you
1. Setting a clear strategy for the next 90 days to get 120+ score in Prelims.
2. Revising the whole syllabus in an effective manner.
2. Filling critical gaps in preparation.
4. Practice tests to enhance your chances of qualifying prelims.
5. Covering the entire current affairs from a prelims perspective.
Who can be part of Super-25?
1. Only those who are struck in the range of 80-90 marks in last 2-3 attempts and are desperate to write mains.
2. Those who have given prelims at least once.
3. Those willing to give 100% or nothing less.
There are no secrets to success, it is a result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure. Are you willing to learn from failures? Let’s start together.
Self Preparation with Mentorship: What do Civilsdaily Students think of Santosh Sir’s Mentorship for UPSC-CSE Prelims?
Santhosh Sir, Core Civilsdaily Mentor. He has attended Interview Thrice & Cleared Prelims 6/6 times with above 145 marks. We asked Santosh sir’s students about their opinion on mentorship — if it was something that saved their time or wasted their time in studies and this is what they had to say:
Kamini: “If I can say in one word, then Santosh sir’s mentorship is unique. Before I joined his program, I used to score 90 marks in Full Length Test Series. Santhosh sir had done in depth analysis of my test papers and suggested ways to reduce the negatives. Right now I am able to score 100+ in advanced test series of not only Civilsdaily but other institutes. He is always available to clear my doubts and solve my issues on call or phone. No issue is too big enough for Santosh sir. He has always told me after you finish a test series, read the same topics again and take another test series the same day to see if your marks improve. From Santosh sir’s polity and economic survey notes, we got questions in 2021 Prelims. I always feel its better to do self studies with mentorship than join coaching institutes and get spoon fed with information.”
Sweetie Raj: “I am a banking professional, living with a joint family. Attending coaching classes is out of question because I won’t have time to read the books myself. Santosh sir helps me self-study by providing me mentorship daily. I study daily from 9PM to 3AM. Santosh sir has been available for 1 hour strategy calls even during this time. No other teacher would have wanted me to succeed as much as he wants me to. I can understand concepts by myself and don’t need help in that. I want someone who pushes me to complete the target modules, checks if I did my mains answer writing for the day and analyses the previous year question papers with me. Because of Santosh sir, I understood that its just not enough reading one book but at the same time I dont have to waste time reading many books. He tells me the topic-wise sources to refer. Also he has designed a study plan for me that I can follow every week. Once, I told Santhosh sir I was missing test series discussion classes as it was conducted at 7PM. Immediately, he provided me recorded videos and kept the session at 8.30PM.”
Samples From Smash Super-25 Program
Sample 1-on-1 Mentorship for Smash Prelims
Sample 1-on-1 Test Discussion on Google Meet
Sample Notes
Sample Test Series
Sample classes on CSAT & Topic Wise Analysis
Sample Notes & Handout Material
Toppers’ Speak: How Civilsdaily Mentorship Helped Me Clear UPSC?
About Santosh Gupta Sir
Santosh sir has scored above 140 twice in UPSC prelims and 120 plus in all 6 attempts. He has written all 6 mains and has appeared for Interviews 3 times. He has qualified UPSC EPFO and BPSC 56-59th also. As the Prelims coordinator at Civilsdaily, he has helped 15 out of 25 students clear the prelims examination this year.
-
How to clear UPSC CSE 2022 after doubtful 2021 performance?| Fill Samanvaya for free 1-1 mentorship
Half-way through your preparation for UPSC-CSE 2022 and feel stressed? After attending UPSC CSE 2021, do you feel the exam is highly unpredictable ? Of course, not! If you want to know what UPSC expects from its candidates every year, then continue reading.
In 2020 alone, Civilsdaily helped 80+ students secure ranks in the exam. Over 25 Civilsdaily students secured ranks in the top 100. Many of these aspirants were also struggling to clear the exam in one attempt. With our guidance, they became more confident and focused to see their LSBNAA dream come true.
Listen to all their stories and strategies on our toppers talk series, Unherd.
Do you want to know how we planned their daily timetable till the interview stage? Fill up our mentorship form now to get a detailed 1-on-1 counselling session within the next 24 hours! We combine your hard-work with our guidance to derive the right formula for success!
Dear Students,
Many say that the Prelims 2021 paper was harder than Prelims 2020, a close analysis however reveals that there are more similarities than differences. Though one did not expect questions from sports this year, we all can agree that both the papers tested the application of current affairs knowledge to all the subjects.
Trends from the last five years tell us that UPSC is keener on testing conceptual clarity of topics from the syllabus. So, it’s no longer about reading GS, Optionals and Current Affairs in isolation. If you are reading a plethora of books or watching random videos, it’s time to reconsider your way of preparation.
Avoid Common Preparation Mistakes Early On
Unlike other exams, UPSC decides your fate based on what you have studied for the last 12-15 months over 1 month before the exam. Hence, rectifying preparation mistakes at the eleventh hour will not help you.
AIR 148 UPSC 2020 topper and our Civilsdaily student Ponmani explains why answer writing with mentorship for Mains is necessary.
Last month we mentored around 3500 IAS aspirants, some of whom were beginners and others who had an experience of few attempts.
We resolved common doubts related to right sources for various topics, answer writing for mains and how to crack the personality round. We found out that almost all of these aspirants struggled in one area or the other.
If someone was excellent in scoring at prelims test series, they were not confident about mains. If someone was good at history, they were not sure about science and technology. If someone had time to revise their GS portions, they did not have time for Optionals.
But is it wise to neglect your weak areas? Toppers manage to maintain slightly above average scores in all the subjects.
How Do Our Mentors Guide You
This is where you require a mentor. A mentor helps you understand where your preparation stands as of now and what more needs to be done to fulfill the expectations of UPSC. A mentor will help you maintain your focus even when the pressure is high, instead of succumbing to it.
This is how Civilsdaily mentorship helped Pranav Vijayvergiya clear the exam after 2 failed prelims attempts.
Samanvaya is a mentoring program with 3 phases
Watch what our Civilsdaily student and UPSC 2020 topper (AIR 42) Shreya feels about our mentoring program.
1. 30 minute counselling session: Once you fill the form, our senior mentors get on a 30-40 minute call with you to understand your preparation level, study constraints, your strategy for the last 6 months, and create measurable targets for next week, next month and so on.
2. Access to our invite-only chat platform, Habitat: This is where you can post your daily doubts, discuss your test questions and have real-time, live discussions on news and op-eds, and connect with other aspirants in your optional groups.
.3. 1 on 1 mentor allotment: The mentor will be available on scheduled calls with you throughout all the stages of your UPSC preparation and will daily assess, evaluate, and plan the next module according to the available time.
Who are you?
Working Professional? Working and studying for UPSC though is not impossible, it certainly gets hectic. Your mentors will go through the entire syllabus of UPSC with you and plan a workable timetable.
Full time preparation? If you are allocating a year to prepare for IAS 2022, we will help you pick the right books and design practical & personal strategies that you can follow everyday
Once you have filled the form, we will call you within 24 hours.
