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  • Registrations Closing in 3 Hours, Webinar @ 7PM ||Environment for UPSC-CSE Prelims & Mains|| Free Live Webinar Environment for UPSC-CSE Prelims & Mains|| Discussion on Important Treaties, Policies, Conventions, Acts related to Environment & Ecology || Ask me Anything Session with Indian Forest Officer Aniket Wanve|| Limited Slots, Register Now

    Registrations Closing in 3 Hours, Webinar @ 7PM ||Environment for UPSC-CSE Prelims & Mains|| Free Live Webinar Environment for UPSC-CSE Prelims & Mains|| Discussion on Important Treaties, Policies, Conventions, Acts related to Environment & Ecology || Ask me Anything Session with Indian Forest Officer Aniket Wanve|| Limited Slots, Register Now

    REGISTER HERE FOR INDIAN FOREST OFFICER ANIKET WANVE’S ASK ME ANYTHING SESSION

    If there was one visible change in UPSC CSE 2021, then its the high weightage of questions from Enviornment and Ecology. Most of the current affairs questions from Environment and Ecology are not from the last one year and one had to know about conventions and conferences held long time back. About 25-30% of the questions in GS Paper 3 in UPSC Mains are from this subject.

    Many aspirants make the mistake of assuming that Enviornment and Ecology is an easy subject as it tends to overlap with Geography and Science. Post 2013, with the introduction of separate Indian Forest Service Exams, the weightage for this subject has increased as well. Topics such as Biodiversity, Wildlife conservation, Pollution, Sustainable Development, Climate Change and International Organisations have the maximum questions asked.

    Free Open for All Webinar by Retired Indian Forest Officer Aniket Wanve

    If as a UPSC aspirant, you also want to appear for Indian Forest Exams and score better in Prelims and GS Paper 3, then this webinar is for you.

    Ankit Wanve IFoS is a two time UPSC-CSE interview candidate. He however cleared the Indian Forest Exam in his first attempt with an AIR 66 in 2018. He was able to do this, thanks to his strong engineering background. This goes to show that if not UPSC-CSE, there are other overlapping government examinations one can give a try.

    REGISTER HERE FOR INDIAN FOREST OFFICER ANIKET WANVE’S ASK ME ANYTHING SESSION

    What will you learn from IFoS Aniket Wanve in this webinar?

    1. How is IFoS as an alternative career choice to Civil Services. What are the roles, responsibilities, perks and benefits Ankit of an IFoS officer?

    2. Forest and administration. Important conventions and clauses from exam point of view will be discussed.

    3. Issues of Climate Change. What are the important protocols passed by International Organisations?

    4. Current Affairs of Past One year related to Environment. What is happening in India with respect to this?

    5. How to prepare for Environment and Ecology for Prelims and Mains. How to connect concepts of Geography with Environment?

    6. Maximize your score in the Interview round. As a two-time interview what are Ankit Wanve’s suggestions?

    This live webinar for all students will also be interactive in nature with a Q&A session.

    Webinar Details

    Don’t miss the chance to get value addition inputs to score better in the examination! This webinar is absolutely free. All aspirants are welcome to attend.

    Date – 27th December 2021 (Monday)

    Time – 7 PM

    Limited slots are available. So please register ASAP.

    REGISTER HERE FOR indian forest officer aniket wanve’s ask me anything session

  • 27th December 2021| Daily Answer Writing Enhancement(AWE)

    Topics for Today’s questions:

    GS-1     Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism and secularism

    GS-2    Issues related to Health and Education

    GS-3    Indian Economy, Application of Science and Technology in everyday life

    GS-4    Probity in Governance: Information sharing and_ transparency in government, Right to Information, Codes of Ethics, Codes of Conduct, Citizen’s Charters, Work culture, Quality of service delivery, Utilization of public funds, challenges of corruption

    Question 1)

     

    Q.1 Regional aspirations in the North East have been dominated by demands for autonomy, movements for secession, and opposition to ‘outsiders’. Discuss with relevant examples. (15 Marks)

     

    Question 2)

    Q.2 Over the past two decades, initiatives announced to extend health care coverage to the indigent sections have come under criticism due to their near-exclusive focus on hospitalisation (inpatient, IP) care and exclusion of outpatient health care. In light of this, examine the reasons for extending the coverage to inpatient care and challenges in doing so. (10 Marks)

    Question 3)

    Q.3 In India, the need of the times is thoughtful legislation and rigorous regulation of cryptocurrencies and crypto-assets that are already here and being used. In the context of this, examine the practices or legislative models that have been adopted by the other countries to regulate the cryptocurrencies and how can India adopt them. (10 Marks)

    Question 4)  

    Q.4 What do you understand by code of conduct? Discuss how it defers from code of ethics? (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  October is uploaded on 11th October 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 October is uploaded on 13th October, 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

  • All you need to know about the New  Labour Codes

    India is likely to implement four new labour codes on wages, social security, industrial relations, and occupational safety by the next fiscal year beginning 2022.

    Must read:

    [Burning Issue] New Labour Laws

    New Labour Codes

    The four codes likely to be implemented in FY23 are:

    1. Code on Wages
    2. Industrial Relations Code
    3. Social Security Code, and
    4. Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code

    Objectives of the Labour Code

    • The new labor codes are aimed at facilitating ease of doing business in the country and seek to replace 29 cumbersome laws.
    • The objective is to encompass over 500 million organized and unorganized sector workers—90% of the workforce which has been outside labour laws.
    • The idea is to ensure that they receive wage security, social security and health security, gender equality in terms of remuneration, a minimum floor wage, make the lives of inter-state migrant workers easier.

    What is the current status of the codes?

    • The central government has completed the process of finalizing the draft rules, state governments are in the process of drafting the same.
    • With labor being a concurrent subject, states are in the process of pre-publishing draft rules for these reforms.

    How many labour laws do Indian states have?

    • The simplification of 29 labour laws into the four labour codes is expected be a watershed moment for labour reforms.
    • India currently has a web of multiple labour legislations, over 40 central laws and 100 state laws involving labour.
    • The Second National Commission on Labour (2002) recommended simplification to bring about transparency and uniformity.

    What are the major goals in these codes?

    • Social security benefits: With organized sector workers being approximately 10% of the total workforce, the new codes may ensure that social security benefits are for all.
    • Take-home salary: As per the proposed labour codes, total allowances such as house rent, leave, travel etc. are to be capped at 50% of the salary, while basic pay should account for the remaining 50%.
    • Four days work: There could also be a permissible four-day work week of 12 hours per day.

    How will it affect ease of doing business?

    • Labour productivity: It is likely to improve with both employees and employers developing a sense of being partners in wealth creation.
    • Labour reform: A transparent environment in terms of workers’ compensation, clear definition of employee rights and employer duties.
    • Compliance un-burdening: Simplified labour codes making compliance easier are likely to attract investments.
    • Formalization of the economy: With more workers in the organized sector, leakage in terms of direct as well as indirect taxes may be plugged.

     

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  • Trincomalee Oil Farms Deal

    After a year of negotiations, Sri Lanka will ink the deal with India to jointly develop the Trincomalee oil tank farms — a coveted project that has remained controversial for decades.

    About Trincomalee oil field

    • The facility, built by the British around World War II as a refueling station, has 99 storage tanks that look like giant wells.
    • They have a capacity of 12,000 kilolitres each.
    • Eighty-four of those are in the 800-acre Upper Tank Farm (UTF). For a good part of a century now, these tanks have remained unused, shrouded in a forest.
    • The Lower Tank Farm (LTF) has 16 tanks, spread across 50 acres.

    Historical background

    • Trincomalee harbor is the second deepest natural harbor in the world.
    • The British who were in control of the island decided to make this as their primary logistics station in the east after World War I.
    • It is also a lesser-known but important logistic station during World War II.
    • British started the oil storage project in 1924 and completed in late 1930s.
    • After that it was abandoned by the British in 1948 when Sri Lanka gained independence.
    • In 2002, the development of this tank farm was revived by an Indian company Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).

    History of India’s interest in Trincomalee

    • The development of the Trincomalee Oil Tank farm has been a recurring talking point in Indo-Lanka relations since 1987.
    • It was first mentioned in the Indo- Lanka Accord signed by PM Rajiv Gandhi and President Jayewardene.
    • Despite that, nothing really took off until 2003, when Indian Oil Corporation set up Lanka IOC, its Sri Lankan subsidiary.
    • The agreement remained dormant for years, until the Sirisena- Wickremesinghe administration tried revisiting it through the 2017 MoU.

    Significance of Trincomalee

    • Demography: Trincomalee is home to 3.7 lakh Muslim, Tamil and Sinhala people and Trincomalee, in Sri Lanka’s post-war years.
    • Tourism: It has emerged as a favorite destination for surfers from around the world, gradually transforming with plush resorts and restaurants dotting its coast.
    • Important sea route: Trincomalee remains in spotlight as a potential transit point for international trade routes, particularly drawing India which has known strategic interests there.
    • Balancing China: From India’s geostrategic viewpoint, Trincomalee is an important counterbalance to the southern Hambantota Port backed substantially by China.

    Hurdles to the Project

    • Public resistance: India-backed projects in Sri Lanka tend to draw way more public resistance from nationalists among the majority Sinhalese constituency than projects with Chinese or American involvement.
    • Anti-India sentiments: Observers in Sri Lanka attribute this to the “baggage” that Indian diplomacy carries, years after its intervention during different stages of Sri Lanka’s civil war.

     

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  • Every third informal worker is now registered on E-Shram Portal

    Every third informal sector worker in India is now registered on the e-Shram portal with registration on the portal crossing the 14 crore mark in four months.

    About E-Shram Portal

    • The Ministry of Labour and Employment has launched the E-Shram Portal for creating a National Database of Unorganized Workers (NDUW) this year.
    • The E-Shram portal will cover all unorganised workers of the nation and help link them to social security schemes of the Government of India.
    • Aadhaar with mobile number linked is mandatory for the registration.

    Category of unorganized workers covered:

    1. Construction Worker
    2. Migrant Worker
    3. Gig & Platform Worker
    4. Street Vendor Worker
    5. Agriculture Worker
    6. Others

    Broad objectives of this portal

    • Creation of a centralized database of all unorganized workers (UWs)
    • To improve the implementation efficiency of the social security services for the unorganized workers
    • Integration of Social Security Schemes meant for UWs being administered by MoLE and subsequently, those run by other ministries as well
    • Portability of the social security and welfare benefits to the migrant and construction workers
    • Providing a comprehensive database to Central and State Governments for tackling any National Crises like COVID-19 in future

    Benefits of registration

    • Under the scheme, Rs 2.0 Lakh Accidental Insurance cover will be provided to every registered (on E-Shram portal) unorganized worker.
    • Every registered unorganized worker shall be issued an E- Shram card with a unique Universal Account Number (UAN).
    • He/She will be able to access the benefits of the various social security schemes through this Card anywhere anytime.

    Who can register on this Portal?

    Any individual satisfying the following conditions can register on the portal:

    • An unorganized worker (UW).
    • Age should be between 16-59 years.
    • Not a member of EPFO/ESIC or NPS (Govt. funded)

    What is required for registration?

    Following is required to register on the portal:

    • Aadhaar Number
    • Mobile number linked with Aadhaar.
    • Savings Bank Account Number with IFSC code

    Registrations done so far

    • The latest data of the portal shows that the top five States in terms of number of registrations on e-Shram are U.P., West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand.
    • Gender analysis of the data shows that 52.56% are female while 47.44% are male.
    • The data show that 42.64% of the registered workers are other backward classes (OBC) followed by 26.45% from general category, 22.54% from the scheduled caste and 8.38% from the Scheduled Tribe.
    • It also show that over 94% registered workers’ income is ₹10,000 per month or below while over 4% have income in the rage of ₹10,000 to ₹15,000 per month.
    • About 51% workers are farm laborers, 11% in construction, 10% in domestic and household work and 6.5% in the apparel segment.

     

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  • [pib] Good Governance Index 2021

    The Centre has released the Good Governance Index 2021 prepared by DARPG (Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances) on Good Governance Day.

    Try this question from CS Mains 2016:

     

    Q. What do you understand by the terms ‘governance’, ‘good governance’ and ‘ethical governance’?

    What do you mean by Good Governance?

    • It is the process of measuring how public institution conduct public affairs and manage public resources and guarantee the realization of human rights in a manner essentially free of abuse and corruption and with due regard for the rule of law.

    12 Principles of Good Governance:

    1. Participation, Representation, Fair Conduct of Elections
    2. Responsiveness
    3. Efficiency and Effectiveness
    4. Openness and Transparency
    5. Rule of Law
    6. Ethical Conduct
    7. Competence and Capacity
    8. Innovation and Openness to Change
    9. Sustainability and Long-term Orientation
    10. Sound Financial Management
    11. Human rights, Cultural Diversity and Social Cohesion
    12. Accountability

    About Good Governance Index (GGI)

    • The GGI is a uniform tool across States to assess the Status of Governance and the impact of various interventions taken up by the State Government and UTs.
    • The objectives are:
    1. To provide quantifiable data to compare the state of governance in all states and UTs, enable states and UTs
    2. To formulate and implement suitable strategies for improving governance and shift to result-oriented approaches and administration

    Components of GGI

    • GGI 2021 Framework covered ten sectors and 58 indicators.
    • These ten Governance Sectors are measured on total 50 indicators:
    1. Agriculture and Allied Sectors
    2. Commerce & Industries
    3. Human Resource Development
    4. Public Health
    5. Public Infrastructure & Utilities
    6. Economic Governance
    7. Social Welfare & Development
    8. Judicial & Public Security
    9. Environment
    10. Citizen-Centric Governance

    Categorization of States and UTs

    The GGI 2020-21 categorizes States and UTs into four categories, i.e.

    1. Other States – Group A
    2. Other States – Group B
    3. North-East and Hill States and
    4. Union Territories

    Top performers in 2021

    • Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa top the composite rank score covering 10 sectors.
    • GGI 2021 says that Gujarat registered 12.3 percent increase and Goa registered 24.7 percent increase over GGI 2019 indicators.
    • Rajasthan has topped the Other States (Group B) category in Judiciary and Public Safety, Environment & Citizen Centric Governance.
    • GGI 2021 says that in the North-East and Hill States category, Mizoram and Jammu and Kashmir have registered an overall increase of 10.4% and 3.7% respectively over GGI 2019.
    • In the UTs category, Delhi tops the composite rank registering a 14 percent increase over the GGI 2019 indicators.

     

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  • Study of distant Magnetar reveals facets of the Exotic Star

    An international group of researchers has succeeded in measuring for the first time the characteristics of a flare on a distant magnetar.

    What is a Magnetar?

    • Magnetars are the most magnetic stars in the universe.
    • It is a rare compact type of neutron star teeming with energy and magnetism.
    • It is an exotic type of neutron star, its defining feature that it has an ultra-powerful magnetic field.
    • The field is about 1,000 times stronger than a normal neutron star and about a trillion times stronger than the Earth’s.
    • Magnetars are relatively rare objects, with only about thirty having been spotted within the Milky Way so far.

    What is the recent study?

    • The studied magnetar is about 13 million light years away, in the direction of the NGC 253, a prominent galaxy in the Sculptor group of galaxies.
    • Its flare spewed within a few tenths of a second as much energy as the Sun would shed in 100,000 years.
    • It was captured accidentally on April 15, 2020, by the Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor instrument (ASIM) of the International Space Station.
    • This is the first study to characterize such a flare from so distant a magnetar.

    How do magnetars form?

    • During the course of their evolution, massive stars – with masses around 10-25 times the mass of the Sun – eventually collapse and shrink to form very compact objects called neutron stars.
    • A subset of these neutron stars is the so-called magnetars which possess intense magnetic fields.
    • These are highly dense and have breathtakingly high rotation speeds – they have rotational periods that can be just 0.3 to 12.0 seconds.

    What characterizes Magnetars?

    (1) Violent flares

    • The observed giant flare lasted approximately 160 milliseconds and during this time 1039 joules of energy was released.
    • The flare spewed as much energy in a tenth of a second that our Sun will radiate in 100,000 years.

    (2) Starquakes

    • Eruptions in magnetars are believed to be due to instabilities in their magnetosphere, or “starquakes” produced in their crust – a rigid, elastic layer about one kilometer thick.
    • This causes waves in the magnetosphere, and interaction between these waves causes dissipation of energy.

     

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  • Who was Archbishop Desmond Tutu?

    Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and veteran of South Africa’s struggle against white minority rule has died on December 26 at the age of 90.

    Try this question from CS Mains 2016:

     

    Q. The anti-colonial struggles in West Africa were led by the new elite of Western-educated Africans. Examine.

    Desmond Tutu (1931- 2021)

    • Tutu was a South African Anglican cleric who in 1984 received the Nobel Prize for Peace for his role in the opposition to apartheid in South Africa.
    • A decade later, he witnessed the ends of that regime and he chaired a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, set up to unearth atrocities committed during those dark days.
    • He was considered the nation’s conscience by both, the black majority and the white minority, an enduring testament to his faith and spirit of reconciliation in a divided nation.

    His notable works

    • During South Africa’s moves toward democracy in the early 1990s, Tutu propagated the idea of South Africa as “the Rainbow Nation”.
    • The term was intended to encapsulate the unity of multi-culturalism and the coming together of people of many different nations, in a country once identified with the strict division of white and black under the Apartheid regime.
    • In 1995 South African Pres. Nelson Mandela appointed Tutu head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which investigated allegations of human rights abuses during the apartheid era.

     

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  • In news: Tai Khamti Rebellion

    The Arunachal Pradesh Deputy CM urged the Centre to recognize the Tai Khamti-British war as India’s first for independence.

    Tai Khamti Rebellion

    • The Tai Khamti Rebellion is the first such war took place in 1839 between the Tai Khamti people and the British.
    • The theatre of this war was some 2,400 km east of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh where the mutiny began.
    • Tai Khamtis resisted colonization by the British. Some 80 British soldiers, including Col. Adam White, were killed in the resultant conflict.

    Who are the Tai Khamti people?

    • The Tai Khamti people, who follow Theravada Buddhism, number a little more than 1,00,000 today and live in areas straddling Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.

    Other revolts in Arunachal

    • Arunachal Deputy CM also batted for recognition of battles between other communities of Arunachal Pradesh and the British.
    • They include a series of Anglo-Abor wars from 1858 to 1911 and the Wancho-British war in Tirap district’s Ninu in 1875.
    • The Abors, now called Adis, inhabit central Arunachal Pradesh, while the Wanchos live in the southern part of the State.

     

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  • 27th December 2021 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions

    [WpProQuiz 868]

    [WpProQuiz_toplist 868]

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