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  • What is Pollution-Under-Control (PUC) Certificate?

    Delhi govt will soon make PUC certificate mandatory for fuel at filling stations.

    What is PUC Certificate?

    • The PUC certificate is a document that any person driving a motor vehicle can be asked to produce by a police officer in uniform authorized by the state government.
    • These issue certificates if a vehicle is found complying with the prescribed emission norms.
    • Since the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019 came into force, PUC certificate has been made mandatory.
    • A PUC certificate contains information such as the vehicle’s license plate number, PUC test reading, date on which the PUC test was conducted and the expiry date.

    How is a pollution control check carried out?

    • The computerized model for pollution check was developed by the Society of Indian Automobile manufacturers.
    • A gas analyzer is connected to a computer, to which a camera and a printer are attached.
    • The gas analyzer records the emission value and sends it to the computer directly, while the camera captures the license plate of the vehicle.
    • Subsequently, a certificate may be issued if the emission values are within the limits.

    Fines for non-compliance

    • The test costs between Rs 60 and Rs 100.
    • The validity of the test is one year for BS IV vehicles and three months for others.
    • The fine for PUC violations has now gone up to Rs 10,000; it used to be Rs 1,000 for the first offence and Rs 2,000 for subsequent violations before the amendments came into force.

     

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  • NeoCov Coronavirus found in Bats

    NeoCov coronavirus found in bats may pose threat to humans in the future, scientists caution.

    Coronavirus: A quick backgrounder

    • Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are known to infect animals and humans.
    • They are largely categorized into four genera — alpha, beta, gamma, and delta.
    • Broadly speaking, alpha and beta coronaviruses commonly infect mammals such as bats and humans, while Gamma and Delta mainly infect birds.

    Infecting humans: Through ‘Zoonotic Spillover’

    • While animals, including bats, are generally considered as the reservoirs of coronaviruses, rarely spillover events could occur.
    • It is possible for viruses that infect animals to jump to humans, a process which is known as zoonotic spillover.
    • Many major infectious diseases, including COVID-19, is widely thought to be a result of spillover.

    COVID-19 Pandemic

    • SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, belongs to the genus of beta coronavirus.
    • It is in fact the 7th type of coronavirus known to infect and cause severe disease in humans.

    How does it affect humans?

    • How a coronavirus latches onto special receptors on host cells depends on a key part of the virus known as its receptor-binding domain.
    • The differences in the receptor-binding domain of coronaviruses are therefore what determine the type of host receptor the virus will use and thus the host that it will be able to infect.
    • There are currently 4 well-characterized receptors for coronaviruses, including ACE2, which is used by SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, and DPP4 used by MERS-CoV.

    What is NeoCoV?

    • NeoCoV is a bat coronavirus that was first identified in 2011.
    • It was identified in a species of bats known as Neoromicia, which is where the name NeoCoV was derived from.
    • Commonly known as aloe bats, this species is distributed in the Afro-Malagasy region.
    • NeoCoV shares an 85% similarity to MERS-CoV in the genome sequence, making it the closest known relative of MERS-CoV.

    Does NeoCoV infect humans and cause high mortality?

    • It is important to note that inherently, NeoCoV cannot interact with human receptors, implying that in its current form the virus cannot infect humans.
    • NeoCoV does not infect humans yet and has thus not caused any deaths.

    What does the preprint say and why is it important?

    • The study reports that despite their similarity, MERS-CoV and NeoCoV use different receptors to infect cells.
    • The bat coronavirus NeoCoV was found to use bat ACE2 receptors for efficiently entering cells.
    • The interaction between NeoCoV and bat ACE2 receptors is different from what is seen in other coronaviruses that utilize ACE2.
    • However, specific mutations artificially created in the receptor-binding domain of NeoCoV can enhance its efficiency to interact with human ACE2 receptors.
    • These mutations have not yet been seen in NeoCov isolates from natural settings.

    Conclusion

    • SARS-CoV-2 is not the first coronavirus to infect humans and cause large disease outbreaks, nor is it likely to be the last.
    • The study highlights that through further adaptation, coronaviruses like NeoCoV or other related viruses could potentially gain the ability to infect humans.

    Way forward

    • To prevent future outbreaks, it will thus be important to monitor this family of viruses for potential zoonosis while continuing research efforts on understanding the complex receptor usage of different coronaviruses.
    • Genomic surveillance of human and animal viruses is, therefore, the key to understanding the spectrum of viruses, and possibly provides early warning to potential spillover events.

     

    Try this question from CSP 2021:

    Q. The term ACE2′ is talked about in the context of:

    (a) genes introduced in the genetically modified plants

    (b) development of India’s own satellite navigation system

    (c) radio collars for wildlife tracking

    (d) spread of viral diseases

     

    Post your answers here.

     

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  • Red-Zone, Orange-Zone & Green-Zone of UPSC Prelims Preparation: Where do you Stand Right Now?|| How to Prepare According to Your Prelims Mock Test Series Performance?|| Free Live Webinar by Civilsdaily Mentor & UPSC-CSE 2017 Topper Megha Gupta|| Limited Slots, Register Now

    Red-Zone, Orange-Zone & Green-Zone of UPSC Prelims Preparation: Where do you Stand Right Now?|| How to Prepare According to Your Prelims Mock Test Series Performance?|| Free Live Webinar by Civilsdaily Mentor & UPSC-CSE 2017 Topper Megha Gupta|| Limited Slots, Register Now

    register for upsc topper & civilsdaily mentor megha ma’am’s free live prelims orientation

    In UPSC prelims, it is not the number of questions that you attempt but the number of mistakes you make decides whether you will score above 120 plus or even qualify at all. 

    Based on attempts in practice tests and number of mistakes in tests, you fall into these categories:

    1. Red Zone category: 25 mistakes and above
    2. Orange zone category: 15 to 25 mistakes
    3. Green zone category: Less than 15 mistakes.

    What should you do if you fall under the Red and Orange Zone categories?

    REGISTER FOR UPSC TOPPER & CIVILSDAILY MENTOR MEGHA MA’AM’S FREE LIVE PRELIMS ORIENTATION

    A. RED ZONE CATEGORY: You need to have clarity in topics and have enhanced understanding. Once you have revised the content multiple times through keywords and notes, you can increase the number of attempts. There is no space for elimination and guesswork.

    B. ORANGE ZONE CATEGORY: This category aspirants need to bring mistakes below 15. Complete short keyword notes for all subjects by February 20th. Avoid guess work and learn and practice the question solving techniques such as FCE (Factual Conceptual and Elimination) approach.

    Way Forward for All UPSC Prelims 2022 Aspirants for the next 4 Months

    REGISTER FOR UPSC TOPPER & CIVILSDAILY MENTOR MEGHA MA’AM’S FREE LIVE PRELIMS ORIENTATION

    There are no mistakes such as silly mistakes because either you are not reading properly or don’t remember them. Also, it happens when you are under confident or overconfident. Only intelligent elimination should be opted and that also can work if you have clarity of topics and study a topic holistically. Revision should be holistic. If you have not done an in-depth study of Polity, History and Environment even once, then it is high time.

    This Saturday, Civilsdaily Mentor and UPSC 2017 AIR 674 Topper Megha Gupta Ma’am will be highlighting the different kinds of preparation strategies for red-zone, green-zone and orange-zone aspirants. From her own failures and successes, Megha Ma’am will be sharing the foolproof and easy methods to revise and recollect important prelims static + current affairs topics for 2022.

    Key takeaways of Megha Gupta Ma’am Free Live Webinar on Prelims Preparation

    1. Make a plan for the day. Day-to-day time management.

    2. Dealing with negative emotions such as despair and stress. How did Megha Gupta stay confident when she was feeling down?

    3. Her sources for current events, particularly from a prelims perspective. How did she retain daily current affairs knowledge through mental maps?

    4. Making the UPSC CSE Prelims preparation process easier. Did Megha Ma’am read new sources while revising?

    5. How can aspirants make use of Civilsdaily’s Free Group Study initiative on the Telegram Channel ? Megha Gupta responds.

    6. What practices did Megha completely avoid that were popular among other aspirants? When should you develop your strategy and when should you follow toppers to clear UPSC?

    Webinar Details

    Study hard, break your limits. Then, get used to it. That’s how you prepare for UPSC-CSE. We hope this webinar will help all 2022 aspirants implement the suggestions of Megha Gupta Ma’am.

    Date: 29 January 2022 (Saturday)

    Time: 7 P.M

    REGISTER FOR UPSC TOPPER & CIVILSDAILY MENTOR MEGHA MA’AM’S FREE LIVE PRELIMS ORIENTATION

  • [Burning Issue] Supreme Court Guidelines for Quotas in Promotions

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

    Context

    The Supreme Court refused to lay down the “yardstick” for determining the inadequacy of representation for granting reservation in promotions for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe candidates in government jobs.

    The court’s judgement came in a batch of petitions from across the country seeking further clarity on the modalities for granting reservation in promotion.

    Current Scenario of Reservations in Promotions for SC/ST

    • The 2006 verdict on Nagaraj vs Union of India brought in a creamy layer filter for promotions for SC/ST employees.
    • Also, the judgement ruled that the state had to collect ‘quantifiable data on backwardness’ of the SC/ST class if it wished to provide reservation in promotions.
    • The judgement finally held that when it comes to promotion of SC/ST employees, the creamy layer concept does apply.
    • So now, only in direct recruitment of the SC/STs, the creamy layer concept does not apply.

    What does the Supreme Court rule?

    Cadre for Collecting Data

    • It held ‘cadre’ and not class, group or the entire service as the unit for the purpose of collection of quantifiable data for giving promotion quotas.
    • It said otherwise the entire exercise of reservation in promotions would be rendered meaningless if data pertaining to the representation of SCs and STs was done with reference to the entire service.

    No Yardstick

    • The question of adequate representation of an SC/ST community ought to be left to the respective States to determine and it cannot lay down any yardstick for determining the inadequacy of representation.

    Set Aside the Judgement in B.K. Pavithra Case (2019)

    • With the recognition of ‘cadre’ as the unit for collection of quantifiable data, the court set aside its earlier judgement in the B.K. Pavithra case.
    • SC held that the conclusion of this court approving the collection of data on the basis of groups and not cadres is contrary to the law laid down by the SC in Nagaraj and Jarnail Singh judgments.
    • The court held that the Nagaraj judgement would have “prospective effect.”

    Review Ordered

    • The SC ordered that a review had to be conducted regarding the data for the purpose of determining the inadequacy of representation in promotions.
    • However, the court left it to the Union government to fix a “reasonable” time for the States to conduct the review.

    What does the Constitution say on reservations?

    • Article 14 of the Constitution guarantees equality before the law and equal protection of laws to everyone.
    • Similarly, Article 16(1) and 16(2) assure citizens equality of opportunity in employment or appointment to any government office. 
    • Article 15(1) generally prohibits any discrimination against any citizen on the grounds of religion, caste, sex or place of birth. 
    • However, Articles 15(4) and 16(4) state that these equality provisions do not prevent the government from making special provisions in matters of admission to educational institutions or jobs in favor of backward classes, particularly the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and the Scheduled Tribes (STs).
    • Article 16(4A) allows reservations to SCs and STs in promotions, as long as the government believes that they are not adequately represented in government services.

    What do the precedents say?

    (1) Reservation in Promotions

    • The Central and the State Government since the 1950s have been following a policy of reserving seats in promotions in favours of SC and ST communities on the ground that they are not adequately represented at the decision making level of public services.

    (2) Mandal judgment/ Indra Sawhney case 1992

    • The Supreme Court’s Indra Sawhney vs Union of India(1992) has been hailed as a landmark judgment as it upheld reservations for Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
    • However, this judgment also held that reservations in appointments, under Article 16(4) of the constitution, don’t apply to promotions.
    • The Supreme Court upheld the Mandal Commission’s 27% quota for backward classes, as well as the principle that the combined SC, ST and backward-class beneficiaries should not exceed 50% of cap.
    • The court also struck down the government notification reserving 10% government jobs for economically backward classes among the higher castes in 1992.
    • It held that, backward classes of the citizens of in Article 16(4) can be identified on the basis of caste and not only on the economic basis.
    • Reservation shall not exceed 50%. The court said that this rule should be applied every year. However, it may be relaxed in favour of people from far-flung and remote areas because of their peculiar conditions.
    • Carry forward rule is valid but it is subject to 50%. There should be NO reservation in the Promotions.

    (3) 77th and 85th Constitutional Amendment Acts

    • The Constitution (77th Amendment) Act, 1995
      • According to this Act, the Government has decided to continue the existing policy of reservation in promotion for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. 
      • It inserted Article 16(4A) which allows the State to provide reservations to SCs/STs in matters of promotion, as long as the State believes that this category of the marginalized populations –the SCs and STs – aren’t adequately represented.
    • The Constitution (85th Amendment) Act, 2001 provided for consequential seniority in the case of promotion by the virtue of rule of reservation for the government servants belonging to the SCs and STs with retrospective effect from June 1995.

    (4) Nagraj Case

    • In this case applying the creamy layer concept in SC/ST reservation in promotions, the SC reversed its earlier stance in the Indra Sawhney case (1992), in which it had excluded the creamy layer concept on SCs/STs (that was applicable on OBCs).
    • The SC had upheld the Constitutional amendments by which Articles 16 (4A) and 16 (4B) were inserted, saying they flow from Article 16 (4) and do not alter its structure.
    • It also laid down three conditions for promotion of SCs and STs in public employment.
      • The SC and ST community should be socially and educationally backward.
      • The SC and ST communities are not adequately represented in Public employment.
      • Such a reservation policy shall not affect the overall efficiency in the administration.
    • The court held that the government cannot introduce a quota in promotion for its SC/ST employees unless it proves that the particular community was backward, inadequately represented and providing reservation in promotion would not affect the overall efficiency of public administration.
    • The opinion of the government should be based on quantifiable data.

    (5) Jarnail Singh Case 2018

    • Later in 2018, in the Jarnail Singh case, SC modified the Nagaraj judgement to the extent that State need not produce quantifiable data to prove the “backwardness” of a Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe community in order to provide quota in promotion in public employment.
    • The court had given a huge fillip to the government’s efforts to provide “accelerated promotion with consequential seniority” for Scheduled Castes/ Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) members in government services.

    (6) Karnataka’s Extension of Consequential Seniority to Government servants Promoted on the Basis of Reservation act 2017

    • It was passed by the Karnataka Government to protect thousands of SC/ST employees who faced demotion in view of the 2017 judgment.
    • It allows the reservation in promotion for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes with consequential seniority(Consequential seniority is seniority given to employees from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities in government jobs as a consequence of reservation. It provides reservation in the first promotion as well as subsequent ones. This is not the case for general category employees).
    • It gives the state government to make rules to carry out the purpose of this act.
    • The repeals the Karnataka Determination of Seniority of the Government Servants Promoted on the basis of Reservation (to the posts in the civil services of the State) Act, 2002

    Arguments against Quota in Promotions

    • Not a Fundamental Right: The Supreme Court reiterated in a judgment that reservation in promotion in public posts cannot be claimed as a fundamental right.
    • Impact on Efficiency: Promotions to SCs and STs during appointments to services and promotions may make it difficult to maintain the efficiency of administration.
    • Redundancy of Reservation: The SCs and STs are getting the benefits of reservation in the appointments to various servicers. Therefore, it is undesirable and inefficient to provide quota in promotions for key posts.
    • Not a Compulsion for Government: The Constitution empowers the State to make reservation in matters of appointment and promotion in favour of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes only “if in the opinion of the State they are not adequately represented in the services of the State”.

    Need for Quota in Promotions

    • Representation in Higher Echelons: The main reason for giving promotions in promotions is that there are very few SC/ST candidates in the higher echelons of government.
    • Proper Access to Opportunity: Centuries of discrimination and prejudice suffered by the SCs and STs in a feudal, caste-oriented societal structure poses real barriers of access to opportunity.
    • Constitutional Mandate: Constitution mandates realisation of substantive equality in the engagement of the fundamental rights with the directive principles
    • Special Measures Needed: Unless special measures are adopted for the SCs and STs in promotions also, the mandate of the Constitution for the consideration of their claim to appointment will remain illusory.
    • False Notion of Efficiency: The Constitution does not define what the framers meant by the phrase efficiency of administration. It is a stereotypical assumption that the promotees drawn from the SCs and STs are not efficient or that efficiency is reduced by appointing them.

    Why does reservation matter for equality?

    • Reservation is no more seen by the Supreme Court as an exception to the equality rule; rather, it is a facet of equality.
    • The terms “proportionate equality” and “substantive equality” have been used to show that the equality norm acquires completion only when the marginalized are given a legal leg-up.

     Substantive Equality under question

    • Formal equality is about treating all people alike and distributing resources equally among them.
    • However, someone at a disadvantage needs support to a greater extent than someone who is comfortably placed. Substantive equality recognizes this qualitative difference.
    • Unlike formal equality, it classifies the prospective beneficiaries on the basis of their need and the likely scope of benefit to them.
    • It takes into account people’s location along an axis of advantages and disadvantages. If substantive equality is part of our right to equality, it is untenable to insist that reservation is not a right.
    • While a limited interpretation of fundamental rights may be technically correct, it will not make for sound policy.

    Way forward

    • Meanwhile, calls for reform and ret­hinking reservation policies get louder; one question is whether there’s a need to continue with reservation and if benefits have reached targets.
    • The challenge for India is that while many sections of the society remain disadvantaged, political action has resulted in the relative discrimination within reserved groups.
    • As the reservation pie grows larger, in effect, it becomes a method of exclusion rather than inclusion.
    • It is time that India has to make a critical assessment of its affirmative action programs.
    • Simplification, legislative sunsets, and periodic reviews should be important principles in the redesign.

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

  • 28th January 2022 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions

    [WpProQuiz 886]

    [WpProQuiz_toplist 886]

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

  • Red-Zone, Orange-Zone & Green-Zone of UPSC Prelims Preparation: Where do you Stand Right Now?|| How to Prepare According to Your Prelims Mock Test Series Performance?|| Free Live Webinar by Civilsdaily Mentor & UPSC-CSE 2017 Topper Megha Gupta|| Limited Slots, Register Now

    Red-Zone, Orange-Zone & Green-Zone of UPSC Prelims Preparation: Where do you Stand Right Now?|| How to Prepare According to Your Prelims Mock Test Series Performance?|| Free Live Webinar by Civilsdaily Mentor & UPSC-CSE 2017 Topper Megha Gupta|| Limited Slots, Register Now

    register for upsc topper & civilsdaily mentor megha ma’am’s free live prelims orientation

    In UPSC prelims, it is not the number of questions that you attempt but the number of mistakes you make decides whether you will score above 120 plus or even qualify at all. 

    Based on attempts in practice tests and number of mistakes in tests, you fall into these categories:

    1. Red Zone category: 25 mistakes and above
    2. Orange zone category: 15 to 25 mistakes
    3. Green zone category: Less than 15 mistakes.

    What should you do if you fall under the Red and Orange Zone categories?

    REGISTER FOR UPSC TOPPER & CIVILSDAILY MENTOR MEGHA MA’AM’S FREE LIVE PRELIMS ORIENTATION

    A. RED ZONE CATEGORY: You need to have clarity in topics and have enhanced understanding. Once you have revised the content multiple times through keywords and notes, you can increase the number of attempts. There is no space for elimination and guesswork.

    B. ORANGE ZONE CATEGORY: This category aspirants need to bring mistakes below 15. Complete short keyword notes for all subjects by February 20th. Avoid guess work and learn and practice the question solving techniques such as FCE (Factual Conceptual and Elimination) approach.

    Way Forward for All UPSC Prelims 2022 Aspirants for the next 4 Months

    REGISTER FOR UPSC TOPPER & CIVILSDAILY MENTOR MEGHA MA’AM’S FREE LIVE PRELIMS ORIENTATION

    There are no mistakes such as silly mistakes because either you are not reading properly or don’t remember them. Also, it happens when you are under confident or overconfident. Only intelligent elimination should be opted and that also can work if you have clarity of topics and study a topic holistically. Revision should be holistic. If you have not done an in-depth study of Polity, History and Environment even once, then it is high time.

    This Saturday, Civilsdaily Mentor and UPSC 2017 AIR 674 Topper Megha Gupta Ma’am will be highlighting the different kinds of preparation strategies for red-zone, green-zone and orange-zone aspirants. From her own failures and successes, Megha Ma’am will be sharing the foolproof and easy methods to revise and recollect important prelims static + current affairs topics for 2022.

    Key takeaways of Megha Gupta Ma’am Free Live Webinar on Prelims Preparation

    1. Make a plan for the day. Day-to-day time management.

    2. Dealing with negative emotions such as despair and stress. How did Megha Gupta stay confident when she was feeling down?

    3. Her sources for current events, particularly from a prelims perspective. How did she retain daily current affairs knowledge through mental maps?

    4. Making the UPSC CSE Prelims preparation process easier. Did Megha Ma’am read new sources while revising?

    5. How can aspirants make use of Civilsdaily’s Free Group Study initiative on the Telegram Channel ? Megha Gupta responds.

    6. What practices did Megha completely avoid that were popular among other aspirants? When should you develop your strategy and when should you follow toppers to clear UPSC?

    Webinar Details

    Study hard, break your limits. Then, get used to it. That’s how you prepare for UPSC-CSE. We hope this webinar will help all 2022 aspirants implement the suggestions of Megha Gupta Ma’am.

    Date: 29 January 2022 (Saturday)

    Time: 7 P.M

    REGISTER FOR UPSC TOPPER & CIVILSDAILY MENTOR MEGHA MA’AM’S FREE LIVE PRELIMS ORIENTATION

  • [Sansad TV] Perspective: Candidates with Criminal Record

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

    Context

    • Political parties in 5 states are pulling out the stops in their quest for winning candidates.
    • Most are even overlooking criminal backgrounds of candidates.
    • It is also a heated issue in some states like UP where contesting candidates have been accused of serious causing Riots, Communal Tensions and even Lynchings.

    Criminalization of politics: Indian Case

    • The criminalization of politics has become a headache for the Indian democracy and it is a harsh reality now.
    • Criminalization of politics in India includes political control of the police, state money, corruption, weak laws, lack of ethics, values, vote bank politics and loopholes in the function of the election commission.
    • Deep down, it’s a large nexus of police, money, corrupt bureaucracy, casteism, religion and the drawbacks of functioning in the election commission.

    Why are tainted candidates inducted by political parties?

    • Innocent until proven guilty maxim: The other reason offered by political parties is summarised by the maxim of Indian law, which is that any accused is innocent until proven guilty.
    • Popularity: Such candidates with serious records seem to do well despite their public image, largely due to their ability to finance their own elections and bring substantive resources to their respective parties.
    • Prospected victory: The logic of a candidate with criminal charges doing better for the cause of people of is another flawed argument.
    • Destabilizing other electors: Others do not seek to punish these candidates in instances where they are in contest with other candidates with similar records.
    • Vested interests: Some voters tend to view such candidates through a narrow prism: of being able to represent their interests by hook or by crook.

    A harsh reality of Political Asylum

    • The NN Vohra committee’s report on the criminalization of politics discussed how criminal gangs flourish under the care and protection of politicians.
    • Many times the candidates themselves are the gang leaders.
    • This protection is paid back to them during elections through capital investment in election spending and voter support.

    Issues with Criminals in Politics

    • Morality of the process: It is extremely important that the people who enter the field of politics have a clear image and high moral character.
    • No rule of law: A leader with criminal character undoubtedly tends to undermine the rule of law.
    • Violation of right to equality: There were 4.78 lakh prisoners (as of December 2019) of whom 3.30 lakh were under trial, i.e. not yet proven guilty.
    • Problem of undertrial: An “innocent” undertrial cannot vote, but a man chargesheeted for murder can even contest election from jail.

    Supreme Courts guidelines in this regard

    The Supreme Court earlier in Feb 2020 had ordered political parties to publish the entire criminal history of their candidates for Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.

    • Reasons for nomination: It has also asked for the reasons that goaded them to field suspected criminals over decent people.
    • Publication of records: The information should be published in a local as well as a national newspaper as well as the parties’ social media handles.
    • 48hr time frame: It should mandatorily be published either within 48 hours of the selection of candidates or less than two weeks before the first date for filing of nominations, whichever is earlier.
    • Contempt for non-compliance: It also ordered political parties to submit compliance reports with the Election Commission of India within 72 hours or risk contempt of court action.
    • No escape: The judgment is applicable to parties both at Central and State levels.

    Immediate Reason for Judicial Action

    • The immediate provocation is the finding that 46% of MPs have criminal records.
    • The number might be inflated as many politicians tend to be charged with relatively minor offences —“unlawful assembly” and “defamation”.
    • The real worry is that the current cohort of Lok Sabha MPs has the highest (29%) proportion of those with serious declared criminal cases compared to its recent predecessors.

    Way forward

    (1) ECI suggestion on vendetta politics

    The ECI has suggested some safeguards against vendetta politics.

    • First, only offences that carry an imprisonment of at least 5 years are to be considered.
    • The case against the candidate should have been filed at least six months before the scheduled elections for it to be considered.
    • And finally, a competent court must have framed the charges.

    (2) Speedy trials

    • An alternative solution would be to try cases against political candidates in fast-track courts.
    • The SC had sent a directive in 2014, directing that cases against political candidates must be completed within a year, failing which the matter should be reported to the CJs.

    (3) Legislative reforms

    • We must have a law which debars persons with serious criminal cases from entering the assemblies and the Parliament.
    • There must be stringent criteria in Representation of Peoples Act as well.

    (4) Revamping Criminal Justice System

    • The criminal justice system must be revamped as recommended by the Malimath Committee.
    • An institution comprising representatives of the police/CBI/NIA, IB, IT department, Revenue Intelligence and Enforcement Directorate should be set up to monitor the activities of the mafia and criminal syndicates in the country.
  • Red-Zone, Orange-Zone & Green-Zone of UPSC Prelims Preparation: Where do you Stand Right Now?|| How to Prepare According to Your Prelims Mock Test Series Performance?|| Free Live Webinar by Civilsdaily Mentor & UPSC-CSE 2017 Topper Megha Gupta|| Limited Slots, Register Now

    Red-Zone, Orange-Zone & Green-Zone of UPSC Prelims Preparation: Where do you Stand Right Now?|| How to Prepare According to Your Prelims Mock Test Series Performance?|| Free Live Webinar by Civilsdaily Mentor & UPSC-CSE 2017 Topper Megha Gupta|| Limited Slots, Register Now

    register for upsc topper & civilsdaily mentor megha ma’am’s free live prelims orientation

    In UPSC prelims, it is not the number of questions that you attempt but the number of mistakes you make decides whether you will score above 120 plus or even qualify at all. 

    Based on attempts in practice tests and number of mistakes in tests, you fall into these categories:

    1. Red Zone category: 25 mistakes and above
    2. Orange zone category: 15 to 25 mistakes
    3. Green zone category: Less than 15 mistakes.

    What should you do if you fall under the Red and Orange Zone categories?

    REGISTER FOR UPSC TOPPER & CIVILSDAILY MENTOR MEGHA MA’AM’S FREE LIVE PRELIMS ORIENTATION

    A. RED ZONE CATEGORY: You need to have clarity in topics and have enhanced understanding. Once you have revised the content multiple times through keywords and notes, you can increase the number of attempts. There is no space for elimination and guesswork.

    B. ORANGE ZONE CATEGORY: This category aspirants need to bring mistakes below 15. Complete short keyword notes for all subjects by February 20th. Avoid guess work and learn and practice the question solving techniques such as FCE (Factual Conceptual and Elimination) approach.

    Way Forward for All UPSC Prelims 2022 Aspirants for the next 4 Months

    REGISTER FOR UPSC TOPPER & CIVILSDAILY MENTOR MEGHA MA’AM’S FREE LIVE PRELIMS ORIENTATION

    There are no mistakes such as silly mistakes because either you are not reading properly or don’t remember them. Also, it happens when you are under confident or overconfident. Only intelligent elimination should be opted and that also can work if you have clarity of topics and study a topic holistically. Revision should be holistic. If you have not done an in-depth study of Polity, History and Environment even once, then it is high time.

    This Saturday, Civilsdaily Mentor and UPSC 2017 AIR 674 Topper Megha Gupta Ma’am will be highlighting the different kinds of preparation strategies for red-zone, green-zone and orange-zone aspirants. From her own failures and successes, Megha Ma’am will be sharing the foolproof and easy methods to revise and recollect important prelims static + current affairs topics for 2022.

    Key takeaways of Megha Gupta Ma’am Free Live Webinar on Prelims Preparation

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    Webinar Details

    Study hard, break your limits. Then, get used to it. That’s how you prepare for UPSC-CSE. We hope this webinar will help all 2022 aspirants implement the suggestions of Megha Gupta Ma’am.

    Date: 29 January 2022 (Saturday)

    Time: 7 P.M

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  • 28th January 2022| Daily Answer Writing Enhancement(AWE)

    Topics for Today’s questions:

    GS-1    Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc, geographical features and their location-changes in critical geographical features (including water-bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes

    GS-2     Role of civil services in a democracy; Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure

    GS-3     Indian Economy; Inclusive Growth and issues arising from it

    GS-4     Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: Status and problems; ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions

    Question 1)

     

    Q.1 Briefly mention the alignment of major mountain ranges of the world and explain their impact on local weather conditions, with examples. (15 Marks)

     

    Question 2)

    Q.2 What are the reasons for the Government of India’s proposed move to amend the IAS service rules and why some State governments are concerned with it? Suggest the way forward. (10 Marks)

    Question 3)

    Q.3 Despite efforts at formalisation, the challenge of informality looms large for India. Examine the reasons for persistent informality and suggest the way forward. (10 Marks)

    Question 4)  

    Q.4 Identify ten essential values that are needed to be an effective public servant. Describe the ways and means to prevent non-ethical behavior in the public servants. (10 Marks)

     

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  • India’s economy and the challenge of informality

    Context

    Despite efforts by the government, formalisation of economy still eludes us.

    Prevalence of informality in India

    • Despite witnessing rapid economic growth over the last two decades, 90% of workers in India have remained informally employed, producing about half of GDP. 
    • Combining the International Labour Organization’s widely agreed upon template of definitions with India’s official definition (of formal jobs as those providing at least one social security benefit — such as EPF), the share of formal workers in India stood at 9.7% (47.5 million).
    • The prevalence of informal employment is also widespread in the non-agriculture sector.
    • About half of informal workers are engaged in non-agriculture sectors which spread across urban and rural areas.
    • Industries thriving without paying taxes are only the tip of the informal sector’s iceberg.
    • What remains hidden are the large swathes of low productivity informal establishments working as household and self-employment units which represent “petty production”.
    • To conflate the two distinct segments of the informal sector would be a serious conceptual error.

    Fiscal perspective of formalisation

    • Efforts to encourage formalisation: Currency demonetisation, introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), digitalisation of financial transactions and enrolment of informal sector workers on numerous government Internet portals are all meant to encourage the formalisation of the economy.
    • The formal sector is more productive than the informal sector, and formal workers have access to social security benefits.
    • The above-mentioned efforts are based on the “fiscal perspective” of formalisation.
    • This perspective appears to draw from a strand of thought advanced by some international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund, which foregrounds the persistence of the informal sector to excessive state regulation of enterprises and labour which drives genuine economic activity outside the regulatory ambit.
    • Hence, it is believed that simplifying registration processes, easing rules for business conduct, and lowering the standards of protection of formal sector workers will bring informal enterprises and their workers into the fold of formality.

    Issues with fiscal perspective

    •  Early on, in an attempt to promote employment, India protected small enterprises engaged in labour intensive manufacturing by providing them with fiscal concessions and regulating large-scale industry by licensing.
    • Such measures led to many labour-intensive industries getting diffused into the informal/unorganised sectors.
    • Further, they led to the formation of dense output and labour market inter-linkages between the informal and formal sectors via sub-contracting and outsourcing arrangements (quite like in labour abundant Asian economies).
    • While such policy initiatives may have encouraged employment, bringing the enterprises which benefited from the policy into the tax net has been a challenge.
    • Political and economic reasons operating at the regional/local level in a competitive electoral democracy are responsible for this phenomenon, too.

    Role of underdevelopment

    • Global evidence suggests that the view that legal and regulatory hurdles alone are mainly responsible for holding back formalisation does not hold much water.
    • A well-regarded study, ‘Informality and Development’ argues that the persistence of informality is, in fact, a sign of underdevelopment.
    • The finding suggests that informality decreases with economic growth, albeit slowly.
    •  A similar association is also evident across major States in India, based on official PLFS data.
    • Hence, the persistence of a high share of informal employment in total employment seems nothing but a lack of adequate growth or continuation of underdevelopment.

    Impact of pandemic

    • Research by the State Bank of India recently reported the economy formalised rapidly during the pandemic year of 2020-21, with the informal sector’s GDP share shrinking to less than 20%, from about 50% a few years ago — close to the figure for developed countries.
    • These findings of a sharp contraction of the informal sector during the pandemic year (2020-21) do not represent a sustained structural transformation.
    • They are a temporary (and unfortunate) outcome of the pandemic and severe lockdowns imposed in 2020 and 2021.

    Way forward

    • Policy efforts directed at bringing the informal sector into the fold of formality fail to appreciate that the bulk of the informal units and their workers are essentially petty producers eking their subsistence out of minimal resources.
    •  The economy will get formalised when informal enterprises become more productive through greater capital investment and increased education and skills are imparted to its workers.

    Consider the question “What are the reasons for persistent informality in India? Suggest the way to ensure the smooth transition to the formality.”

    Conclusion

    Policy efforts to formalise the economy will have limited results as the bulk of informal units are petty producers.

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