“When I decided to prepare for UPSC-CSE, I knew I was not in a position to quit my private job. The work load was high at my present company, I was left with doubt if I could clear UPSC-CSE or not. That’s when I decided I needed a highly experienced personal mentor who will not only provide me study materials or evaluate test-series and mock interviews, but also won’t hesitate to motivate me whenever I felt uneasy or anxious. I found that in Civilsdaily mentor, Pravin sir. He was my go to mentor for Mains and Interview. I always made it a point to visit him weekly once and vent my feelings to him. After speaking to him, the clouds of negativity drifted away. I became confident to complete my studies for the day. It took me 3 attempts to fulfill not only my dream but my family’s dream.”
Harvinder Singh’s life was filled with many hardships. Not because of UPSC-CSE preparation, but due to the unpredictable turn of events. When he was a three year old kid, his hand accidently fell into a pan of boiling hot oil in the kitchen. Due to this, three of his fingers have been severely impaired. As a 12th standard student, Harvinder studiously prepared for both AIEEE and NDA exams. Though he successfully, cleared the former exam, he failed the medical round of NDA (due to his fingers). Dejected that he missed an opportunity to serve the nation, Harvinder thought he cannot overlook supporting his family. His dad worked both as a farmer and truck driver to make ends meet. However, as a graduate in J&K, he found it extremely difficult to find a job.
In 2013, he started his work as an engineer for a private company in Allahabad. Well settled, Harvinder thought of fulfilling his dream of serving the nation. If he couldn’t do it through Army, he could through civil services. After failing the prelims in first attempt, mains in second attempt, he finally cleared the exams in his third attempt to be an IAS officer. “I feared that in my third attempt, I will fail the personality round”, Harvinder jokes. Despite back to back failures, Harvinder always looked forward to his next attempt like it was his final attempt.
Free to Attend (with mandatory registration) Ask me Anything Session with Harvinder Singh IAS
As a result of which, the same lad who once suffered unemployment and other issues in J&K, is working to bring changes to J&K for the poor, needy, vulnerable and youth.
This Thursday, Harvinder IAS is going to take some time off his busy schedule to address Civilsdaily aspirants. He will not only be talking about the specifics of UPSC-CSE journey, but also answering all your questions. If you are getting stuck due to any comprehension or consistency issue, it’s time to take Harvinder IAS sir’s help to solve them. And the good news is webinar is absolutely free for all to attend!
Key Takeways of Ask me Anything Session with Harvinder Singh IAS
1. Complete study booklist of Harvinder Singh IAS. For Prelims & Mains. Do you want to check if the current booklist you have are the right sources to prepare for UPSC-CSE?
2. Complete timeline of UPSC-CSE Preparation as a working professional. When did Harvinder IAS prepare for Prelims, Mains and Interview?
3. The art of making notes. What topics require notes and what topics don’t.
4. Harvinder Singh IAS during Mains examination. What kind of questions came and how did he answer it?
5. Hardwork in right direction vs Hardwork in wrong direction. Can only studying hard make you successful?
6. Normal, standard and frequent revision techniques. What are they?
If you are studying hard but are unsure that you are studying right, then its time to get some assurance from the topper himself! Register for thisfree webinar by IAS officer Harvinder Singh.
Nepal has once again raked up the border issue in Pithoragarh district by claiming three villages in the Kalapani area, raking up an issue that reared its head last year when Kathmandu published a new map showing India’s Lipulekh, Kalapani, and Limipiyadhura as part of its territory. The move comes in the context of the country’s ongoing census.
Let us learn about the India-Nepal relations in detail.
Nepal: India‘s immediate Himalayan neighbor
Nepal and India share an open border of about 1,880 km (1,168 miles).
The two countries have finalised maps covering 98% of the boundary, but the Lipulekh pass, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura in western Nepal are among the areas that remain contested.
Various outstanding issues
[I] Issue of Simultaneous floods in Bihar and Nepal
Some of Nepal’s biggest river systems originate in the Himalayan glaciers which then flow into India through Bihar.
During the monsoons, these river systems flood causing many problems for Bihar.
It is a necessity that there is process-driven coordination between the Centre and the Government of Bihar to handle the flooding in Nepal’s Terai and North Bihar (largely the Mithilanchal region).
Which are those flooding rivers?
Nepal’s three biggest river systems—Kosi, Gandaki and Karnali—originate in the high mountain glaciers, flow through the country and then enter India through the state of Bihar.
During the monsoon season, these river systems often get flooded due to heavy rains/landslides in Nepal which create floods in India’s most flood prone state—Bihar.
Measures: Joint flood management program
As part of the long-term measures to address the problem of massive and recurrent floods in Bihar, the Joint Project Office (JPO), Biratnagar, was established in Nepal in August 2004.
It aimed to prepare a detailed project report to construct a high dam on the Nepal side (on the Kosi, Kamla and Bagmati rivers).
Despite the best efforts made by the Government of Bihar, the task remains unaccomplished even after 17 years.
The Central Water Commission (CWC) has convened several meetings with Nepali Authorities.
However, what is evident is Nepal’s lack of prompt reciprocation. India has long-standing water sharing issues with Nepal.
[II] India-Nepal Border Issue
Construction of an 80-km-long road through the Lipulekh Pass got the 2 Himalayan neighbors into the fighting arena. The road was constructed with the purpose to reduce the travel time for Indian pilgrims visiting the religious shrine at Kailash-Mansarovar in Tibet. Nepal claims it to be a violation of its borders.
So, what is the issue?
The inauguration of the “new road to Mansarovar” by India has strained the relations between Nepal and India.
While India argues that Kalapani is a part of Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district, Nepal claims it falls in its Darchula district.
The 1816 Sugauli Treaty between Nepal and British India placed all the territories east of the Kali (Mahakali) river, including Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipu Lekh at the northwestern front of Nepal, on its side.
Lipu Lekh pass is 4 km northwest and Limpiyadhura 53 km west of Tinker pass. The borders of Nepal, India and China intersect in this area.
Given the situation in 1961, Nepal and China fixed pillar number one at Tinker pass with the understanding that pillar number zero (the tri-junction of Nepal, India, and China) would be fixed later.
Why is Lipulekh important for India?
For India, the Lipulekh pass has security implications.
After its disastrous 1962 border war with China, it was concerned about a possible Chinese intrusion through the pass and has been keen to hold on to the strategic Himalayan route to guard against any future incursions.
The link road via Lipulekh Himalayan Pass is also considered one of the shortest and most feasible trade routes between India and China.
The Nepalese reaction would probably have triggered in response to Chinese assertion.
Various facets of India-Nepal ties
1. Cultural ties
While enjoying their own peculiarities, both India and Nepal share a common culture and ways of life.
Religion is perhaps the most important factor and plays a predominant role in shaping the cultural relations between these two countries, marked by a cross country pilgrimage on Char Dham Yatra, Pashupatinath Temple and some Buddhist sites.
A considerable section of Nepalese comprises of Madhesi population which has familial & ethnic ties with states of Bihar, UP.
2. Strategic ties
Nepal is a buffer state between India and China.
Several Nepali Citizens are also deployed in Indian defence forces as well.
3. Political ties
Constitutional turmoil is not new in Nepal. India has played a vital role in the democratic transition in Nepal against the monarch King Gyanendra.
Nepali Congress (NC) is one of the country’s oldest parties which supports relations with India, but the communist parties show a tilt towards China.
4. Economic ties
Nepal is an important export market for India.
Himalayan rivers flowing through Nepal can be used for Hydroelectric power projects which will benefit border states of UP, Bihar and other adjacent areas.
There are three major water deals between Nepal and India, namely the Kosi Agreement, the Gandak Treaty and the Mahakali Treaty. India also exports Power to Nepal.
Also, Nepal is the largest borrower of Indian Currency in South Asia.
India’s importance to Nepal
India is the nearest foreign employer to Nepali Citizens, which provides various avenues of work and ease in assimilation into a foreign culture.
Nepal’s reluctance to Mandarin has overturned several Nepali students into Indian universities.
India is the only potential neighbour who could harness Nepal’s hydropower.
Moreover, Indian tourists are the major movers of Nepal’s tourism sector.
Major Irritants in bilateral ties
1) Nepali nationalism and Anti-India sentiments
Anti-India Sentiment in Nepal is largely politically motivated as it is wrongly perceived as India’s backing to Monarchy.
The widening gap in understanding each other’s concerns has helped feed Nepali nationalism and create a dense cloud of distrust and suspicion between the two countries.
The gap widened after India chose to impose an economic blockade in response to Nepal’s sovereign decision to promulgate a democratic constitution.
2) China factor
Increasing Chinese presence in Nepal is one of the major concern for India. China’s move to extend the rail link to its border with Nepal can reduce its dependence on India.
Fundamentally these Chinese agencies are building up anti-India sentiments in Nepal.
Nepal’s assent for “One Belt One Region” (OBOR) initiative of China is viewed by India with suspicion.
Nepal has been slowly fallen prey to China’s inroad debt trap policy.
3) India has ignored the changing political narrative for long
The reality is that India has ignored the changing political narrative in Nepal for far too long.
For too long India has invoked a “special relationship”, based on shared culture, language and religion, to anchor its ties with Nepal.
The 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship which was sought by the Nepali authorities in 1949 is viewed as a sign of an unequal relationship, and an Indian imposition.
4) Open borders
The issue of open borders has also been a point of debate in Nepal in recent years- Nepalese people argue that India is benefiting more from it than Nepal.
It has an open border with India which leads to problems such as illegal migrants, counterfeit currency entry, drug and human trafficking.
5) Madhesis Issue
Madhesis share extensive cross-border ethnic and linguistic links with India. India’s involvement in Nepali politics and the upsurge in Madhesi have deep roots in history and unless resolved.
Madhesis protest and India’s blockade soured the relations for the worst.
Way Forward
In the best spirit of friendship, Nepal and India should restart the water dialogue and come up with policies to safeguard the interests of all those who have been affected on both sides of the border.
It is time the two friendly countries come together and assess the factors that are causing unimaginable losses through flooding every year.
The onus is on India to rethink on a long-term basis how to recalibrate its relationship with Nepal provided Nepal should not ignore its relations with India.
Broader engagement from both sides is essential towards finding a solution that satisfies both sides.
There are many possible modalities. Maybe it could include joint military deployment, special access rights for Nepali citizens or even a free-trade zone with China.
The India-Nepal border issues appear more easily solvable, so long as there is political goodwill and statecraft exercised on both sides.
The way to move forward is to formally approve the strip maps, resolve the two remaining disputes, demarcate the entire India-Nepal boundary, and speedily execute the work of boundary maintenance.
Conclusion
Water cooperation should drive the next big India-Nepal dialogue, and despite the challenges, wisdom should prevail to turn the crisis into an opportunity, for the sake of development and environmental protection.
The Indian road was not built overnight and the Nepal government was surely aware and monitoring the situation in Kalapani over the preceding months and years.
As both countries are laying claim to the same piece of land, the time has come for both countries to sit for talks to solve this issue.
India may continue to defuse the crisis through back channels but this is no longer sustainable as the dispute had become a “permanent irritant” after Nepal’s new map.
Recently, the Chief Justice of India, in his own mild way, protested against the attack on judges. One can understand his pain and agony, but he too knows that judges do not, and should not live in ivory towers.
Questioning and analysing actions of the judiciary
As the judiciary is one of the pillars of democracy, and the Constitution entrusts judges with the task of protecting the constitutional rights of the people, especially the right to life and liberty, the consumer of justice has every right, and would be fully justified in critically examining, and commenting upon each and every word of the judges spoken or written, howsoever unpalatable it may be.
It appears that it is in the above spirit that MP Shashi Tharoor, speaking in Parliament on the High Court and Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Amendment Bill said that the judiciary had failed to stem the tide of militant majoritarianism.
He alleged that the “judiciary’s inaction almost always favours those in power”.
He has raised pertinent questions, and has brought out the glaring failings of the judiciary in matters concerning the protection of the constitutional rights of citizens.
Pendency of important cases such as the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution, the Citizenship Amendment Act, electoral bonds, and many petitions under the preventive detention laws highlights this issue.
Issues in functioning of collegium system
As regards the functioning of the collegium system, judges are transferred without any seeming justification, and in some cases re-transferred, justifying neither their initial transfer nor the re-transfer.
Some elevations of judges raise eyebrows, while some are ignored.
Should the collegium not be more transparent than it has been in the past in the matter of the elevation and transfers of judges?
Conclusion
Judges cannot be shielded from citizens’ questions. After all, as a consumer of justice, the citizen has a right to know.
They say, when the going gets tough, the tough gets going. For UPSC aspirants, there is a small tweak. When your preparation gets tough we’ll be there for you.
How Successful has Civilsdaily been in Mentoring Aspirants?
In UPSC 2020, Civilsdaily helped 80+ students secure ranks in their exams. In the top 100, every 3rd ranker was a Civilsdaily student. To know how all of them cleared the exam with our mentorship, visit the UnherdPodcast.
Now that results are announced for UPSC 2021 Prelims, out of 15 out of 25 students of Santhosh Gupta sir have been recommended to Mains. One such student, Rahul expresses his gratitude and extends his appreciation —
Most of our Mentors like Sudhanshu sir, Sajal sir, Santhosh sir, Pravin sir, Parth Verma sir and Sukanya Ma’am were UPSC aspirants themselves and have attended UPSC Mains more than five times and UPSC Interview more than twice. Hence their mentorship is always a blend of the best test series, comprehensive notes and current affairs knowledge.
All of them dedicate their time weekly to give 1-on-1 mentorship to every student where they discuss last week’s performance and next week’s approach.
Remember there is always light at the end of the tunnel and if you want to get out of the tunnel you have to follow the direction of the light! Our mentors’ give you direction which is divided into daily modules. All you have to do is study and complete them on time.
As every year passes by, we don’t get confident by the previous years’ performance and become laidback. Instead, we become more hungry to convert all our students into toppers.
How are Current Civilsdaily Students Gearing up for UPSC-CSE 2022?
Initially, our Civilsdaily student Smriti wasn’t confident about Prelims when she began her preparation. Though she had joined Civilsdaily in 2020, she started studying for UPSC-CSE back in 2019. At that time, Smriti had enrolled in multiple institutes. Though, most of these institutes had promised a personal mentor, she was unable to get in touch with them on a daily basis. Also those mentors never scheduled test-series on a weekly basis. Hence, despite preparing for a year, Smriti had scored only 35 marks out of 200 in her first test series by Civilsdaily.
She then started writing 20-25 test series over the course of UAP 2021 and in her last test, her scores have drastically improved. She now scores in the range of 130-135 marks in prelims’ and 110+ in mains’ papers.
In Smriti’s own words she describes her Samanvaya Mentorship Experience to be —
“Our parents provide us financial and emotional support, friends provide us moral support and the right mentor gives you logistic and logical support for UPSC. There are days when I felt I won’t be able to compete against lakhs of aspirants. That’s when my mentor, Ravi sir reminded me of my improvement and encouraged me that I can crack it with the same consistency. We need someone, who tells us we are performing well especially when we cannot see that ourselves. The mentorship at Civilsdaily helped me become mentally stronger as a person. In other institutes, mentors are allotted only for doubt resolution. But at Civilsdaily, I am getting end-to-end support, be it value added notes, classes, test series and detailed evaluation.“
Why Do You Require Mentorship?
Preparing for the UPSC exam is a race against time. You have to complete an answer within 8 minutes, complete Prelims mock test within 2 hours and most importantly complete the syllabus in a span of 8 months. The syllabus is so vast that most students feel overwhelmed within just a few weeks of starting their preparation.
We confirmed this last month, in our Samanvaya Mentorship program by counselling over 3500 students. The 2 biggest problems students said they face while preparing for this exam are:
Syllabus Management
Time Management
As an aspirant, you can either spend a lot of time and effort trying to figure out how to cope with your syllabus and manage time or you can simply speak with our mentors and get the right study plan and timetable custom-made for you!
Every aspirant needs a different strategy than the other. One might be struggling in prelims, other in mains. One might find history a piece of cake and geography a tough nut to crack and for the other it will be vice-versa. For an aspirant preparing full-time, they might get demotivated on a regular basis as they have no Plan B to fall back on. A working professional might be too exhausted to study by the end of the day. There is no one-size fits all solution.
That’s why you need to register for Samanvaya free 1-on-1 counselling session to understand what study plan and study materials work best for you! Samanvaya 1-on-1 Free mentorship will help you stick to one approach of studying rather than switching plans through trial and error.
Still you want a general idea how to manage time and your syllabus? Here’s what you can do!
Syllabus Management—
Go through the entire syllabus thoroughly.
Mark the topics you feel comfortable with and those you aren’t familiar with.
Break down the syllabus into small parts and prioritize them in order.
Gather the relevant study material for the syllabus and start studying them in order.
Figure out where you need guidance – Is it with the subject matter? Do you need help with organizing your syllabus? Or you just aren’t sure how to begin?
. Time Management—
Prioritize your study material
Complete the easier topics first.
Allocate at least one hour to answer-writing
Allocate at least one hour to MCQ practice
Make notes on Current Affairs while reading the newspaper
Allocate at least 2 hours for your optional.
A Popular Time Management Technique—
The Pomodoro Technique is followed by toppers like Srusti Jayant Deshmukh (UPSC 2019 AIR 5), Manoj Madhav S (UPSC 2019 AIR 105) and Namita Sharma (UPSC 2018, AIR 108)
Developed by consultant Francesco Cirillo, the Pomodoro Technique is a time management tool that breaks work into 25-minute sessions to help you stay focused and get more done.
Step 1
Choose a task
Step 2
Set a timer for 25 minutes
Step 3
Work on the task until the timer goes off
Step 4
Once the timer goes off. Check off the item on a piece of paper
Step 5
Take a short break
Step 6
Every four Pomodoros, take a longer break
How is Samanvaya 1-on-1 Guidance Program Structured?
Our guidance program is designed as solutions to your challenges. We speak with students personally and understand their concerns on a one-on-one basis. Our mentors spend time understanding the individual requirements of our students and teach students how to break down the syllabus and create a plan they can stick to. Our mentors don’t advise you with run of the mill stories, they help in scripting your story!
We will discuss the important ways in which you can crack this exam through the following methods:
Personalized study plan – Make a list of the tasks that you need to accomplish that day, and note in upcoming meetings or deadlines as you become aware of them. As you complete your list, make sure to tick off the tasks you have completed.
3. Tracking your progress – The key to time management success is to know your deadlines and set reminders. We suggest setting a reminder 15 minutes before a meeting or event so you can prepare and gather your things.
4. Investing in topics with good ROI – First and foremost, turn off your email notification. Set 30-minute blocks to check your email every couple hours instead of checking it every 15 minutes. Make sure you minimize non-work distractions such as your cell phone, social media, or your favorite online store.
5. Focusing on smart study – On your daily list of things to do, pen in how much time you think each task will take you. If you don’t finish, stop when the time you allotted ends, and come back to it later. Sometimes moving on to different responsibilities and then coming back gives your mind a fresh start and a new perspective.
So, get all your UPSC demands addressed by a seasoned mentor, get one point source study materials, have regular engagement via calls and WhatsApp, adapt to course-correction strategies and follow a syllabus completion-cum-revision plan every month.
The government has decided to introduce a bill that seeks to prohibit all private cryptocurrencies in India.
Background of the bill
In 2018, the three-judge bench of the Supreme Court set aside the RBI circular that prevented crypto exchanges from dealing with the formal financial system on grounds of proportionality.
Purpose of the bill: The current bill now attempts to define the rules of the game so that the RBI, tax authorities, SEBI and other agencies have much better legal guidance in deciding the course of action with respect to VCs in their respective domains.
The rules can, therefore, range from a ban to controlled interaction with the formal financial system.
Issues involving cryptos
Issues involving cryptos can be seen at three levels, each of which is equally important.
The first is its impact on sovereignty.
The second is its interaction with financial markets.
Third is the value proposition that the entire concept of crypto brings to the economic debate.
Incorporation of price stability mechanism: Some of the variants of cryptos such as the stable coin clearly indicate that these are attempts to create systems of money that incorporate features of price stability that imply a parallel monetary system.
Diluting the sovereign function of money creation: Unrestricted co-opting of VC clearly dilutes the sovereign function of money creation,clearly impacting the revenues of RBI.
Concerns pertaining to money laundering, terrorist threats and narco-trading also come under this category given the high value and anonymity offered by cryptocurrencies.
Challenges in cryptocurrencies interaction with the formal system
As of now cryptos have been recognised as assets or commodities and as a medium of exchange. Their role as units of account or legal tender is rather limited.
They may offer a store of value given their short supply. From a banking point of view, certain issues do arise.
Since VCs are not legal tenders, they cannot be used in the discharge of debt.
Thus, banks cannot accept VCs to close a loan account.
Second, can banks lend in fiat by accepting VCs as collateral assuming the VC is an asset?
Incompatible with the fractional system of banking: At a deeper level, the very idea of VCs and the way they are designed are incompatible with the fractional system of banking.
The fluctuations in interbank liquidity require that money supply adjusts to system requirements.
If money supply undergoes compositional change in favour of VCs, this ability will be curtailed thus accentuating the crisis.
In financial markets, crypto such as ICOs bring another set of issues.
The ICO is a creature that disrupts the very concept of limited liability in corporate finance.
ICOs are, at times, designed in such a way that the beneficial owner identity is concealed.
SEBI is yet to convey a position on various issues surrounding this idea.
Issues with making VCs medium of exchange: VCs have emerged as a medium of exchange and many countries have permitted VC ATMs.
But how does this proposition fare given that considerable advances have been made in the payment systems domain in India.
Is it worthwhile that additional competition is introduced in a market that is hyper-competitive?
It will have impact on existing investments in mobile payment and UPI technology.
Impact on poor states: It is well known that the Indian population exhibits significant behavioural divergences in their savings and credit behaviour across regions.
Such wide behavioural changes have profound implications on bank strategies and product designs.
In the past, there have been several instances of states having low per capita income being more prone to chit fund investments that have negatively impacted the savings of many poor households.
The issue of consumer protection needs to be addressed and the current laws may have to be reviewed considering this innovation.
Conclusion
The bill must meet many important objectives. While there are obvious concerns of money laundering and benami transactions, there are equal concerns with respect to company laws, payment systems and banking, securities and other commercial laws.
Stablecoins bridge the worlds of cryptocurrency and everyday fiat currency because their prices are pegged to a reserve asset like the U.S. dollar or gold.
This dramatically reduces volatility compared to something like Bitcoin and results in a form of digital money that is better suited to everything from day-to-day commerce to making transfers between exchanges.
What is ICO?
ICO stands for “initial coin offering,” and refers to a formerly popular method of fundraising capital for early-stage cryptocurrency projects.
In an ICO, a blockchain-based startup mints a certain quantity of its own native digital token and offers them to early investors, normally in exchange for other cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin or ether.
They say, when the going gets tough, the tough gets going. For UPSC aspirants, there is a small tweak. When your preparation gets tough we’ll be there for you.
How Successful has Civilsdaily been in Mentoring Aspirants?
In UPSC 2020, Civilsdaily helped 80+ students secure ranks in their exams. In the top 100, every 3rd ranker was a Civilsdaily student. To know how all of them cleared the exam with our mentorship, visit the UnherdPodcast.
Now that results are announced for UPSC 2021 Prelims, out of 15 out of 25 students of Santhosh Gupta sir have been recommended to Mains. One such student, Rahul expresses his gratitude and extends his appreciation —
Most of our Mentors like Sudhanshu sir, Sajal sir, Santhosh sir, Pravin sir, Parth Verma sir and Sukanya Ma’am were UPSC aspirants themselves and have attended UPSC Mains more than five times and UPSC Interview more than twice. Hence their mentorship is always a blend of the best test series, comprehensive notes and current affairs knowledge.
All of them dedicate their time weekly to give 1-on-1 mentorship to every student where they discuss last week’s performance and next week’s approach.
Remember there is always light at the end of the tunnel and if you want to get out of the tunnel you have to follow the direction of the light! Our mentors’ give you direction which is divided into daily modules. All you have to do is study and complete them on time.
As every year passes by, we don’t get confident by the previous years’ performance and become laidback. Instead, we become more hungry to convert all our students into toppers.
How are Current Civilsdaily Students Gearing up for UPSC-CSE 2022?
Initially, our Civilsdaily student Smriti wasn’t confident about Prelims when she began her preparation. Though she had joined Civilsdaily in 2020, she started studying for UPSC-CSE back in 2019. At that time, Smriti had enrolled in multiple institutes. Though, most of these institutes had promised a personal mentor, she was unable to get in touch with them on a daily basis. Also those mentors never scheduled test-series on a weekly basis. Hence, despite preparing for a year, Smriti had scored only 35 marks out of 200 in her first test series by Civilsdaily.
She then started writing 20-25 test series over the course of UAP 2021 and in her last test, her scores have drastically improved. She now scores in the range of 130-135 marks in prelims’ and 110+ in mains’ papers.
In Smriti’s own words she describes her Samanvaya Mentorship Experience to be —
“Our parents provide us financial and emotional support, friends provide us moral support and the right mentor gives you logistic and logical support for UPSC. There are days when I felt I won’t be able to compete against lakhs of aspirants. That’s when my mentor, Ravi sir reminded me of my improvement and encouraged me that I can crack it with the same consistency. We need someone, who tells us we are performing well especially when we cannot see that ourselves. The mentorship at Civilsdaily helped me become mentally stronger as a person. In other institutes, mentors are allotted only for doubt resolution. But at Civilsdaily, I am getting end-to-end support, be it value added notes, classes, test series and detailed evaluation.“
Why Do You Require Mentorship?
Preparing for the UPSC exam is a race against time. You have to complete an answer within 8 minutes, complete Prelims mock test within 2 hours and most importantly complete the syllabus in a span of 8 months. The syllabus is so vast that most students feel overwhelmed within just a few weeks of starting their preparation.
We confirmed this last month, in our Samanvaya Mentorship program by counselling over 3500 students. The 2 biggest problems students said they face while preparing for this exam are:
Syllabus Management
Time Management
As an aspirant, you can either spend a lot of time and effort trying to figure out how to cope with your syllabus and manage time or you can simply speak with our mentors and get the right study plan and timetable custom-made for you!
Every aspirant needs a different strategy than the other. One might be struggling in prelims, other in mains. One might find history a piece of cake and geography a tough nut to crack and for the other it will be vice-versa. For an aspirant preparing full-time, they might get demotivated on a regular basis as they have no Plan B to fall back on. A working professional might be too exhausted to study by the end of the day. There is no one-size fits all solution.
That’s why you need to register for Samanvaya free 1-on-1 counselling session to understand what study plan and study materials work best for you! Samanvaya 1-on-1 Free mentorship will help you stick to one approach of studying rather than switching plans through trial and error.
Still you want a general idea how to manage time and your syllabus? Here’s what you can do!
Syllabus Management—
Go through the entire syllabus thoroughly.
Mark the topics you feel comfortable with and those you aren’t familiar with.
Break down the syllabus into small parts and prioritize them in order.
Gather the relevant study material for the syllabus and start studying them in order.
Figure out where you need guidance – Is it with the subject matter? Do you need help with organizing your syllabus? Or you just aren’t sure how to begin?
. Time Management—
Prioritize your study material
Complete the easier topics first.
Allocate at least one hour to answer-writing
Allocate at least one hour to MCQ practice
Make notes on Current Affairs while reading the newspaper
Allocate at least 2 hours for your optional.
A Popular Time Management Technique—
The Pomodoro Technique is followed by toppers like Srusti Jayant Deshmukh (UPSC 2019 AIR 5), Manoj Madhav S (UPSC 2019 AIR 105) and Namita Sharma (UPSC 2018, AIR 108)
Developed by consultant Francesco Cirillo, the Pomodoro Technique is a time management tool that breaks work into 25-minute sessions to help you stay focused and get more done.
Step 1
Choose a task
Step 2
Set a timer for 25 minutes
Step 3
Work on the task until the timer goes off
Step 4
Once the timer goes off. Check off the item on a piece of paper
Step 5
Take a short break
Step 6
Every four Pomodoros, take a longer break
How is Samanvaya 1-on-1 Guidance Program Structured?
Our guidance program is designed as solutions to your challenges. We speak with students personally and understand their concerns on a one-on-one basis. Our mentors spend time understanding the individual requirements of our students and teach students how to break down the syllabus and create a plan they can stick to. Our mentors don’t advise you with run of the mill stories, they help in scripting your story!
We will discuss the important ways in which you can crack this exam through the following methods:
Personalized study plan – Make a list of the tasks that you need to accomplish that day, and note in upcoming meetings or deadlines as you become aware of them. As you complete your list, make sure to tick off the tasks you have completed.
3. Tracking your progress – The key to time management success is to know your deadlines and set reminders. We suggest setting a reminder 15 minutes before a meeting or event so you can prepare and gather your things.
4. Investing in topics with good ROI – First and foremost, turn off your email notification. Set 30-minute blocks to check your email every couple hours instead of checking it every 15 minutes. Make sure you minimize non-work distractions such as your cell phone, social media, or your favorite online store.
5. Focusing on smart study – On your daily list of things to do, pen in how much time you think each task will take you. If you don’t finish, stop when the time you allotted ends, and come back to it later. Sometimes moving on to different responsibilities and then coming back gives your mind a fresh start and a new perspective.
So, get all your UPSC demands addressed by a seasoned mentor, get one point source study materials, have regular engagement via calls and WhatsApp, adapt to course-correction strategies and follow a syllabus completion-cum-revision plan every month.
GS-1 Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of art forms, literature and architecture from ancient to modern times
GS-2 Parliament and State legislatures—structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these.
GS-3 Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices; Public Distribution System- objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping; issues of buffer stocks and food security; Technology missions; economics of animal-rearing.
GS-4 Human Values – lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and administrators; role of family, society and educational institutions in inculcating values.
HOW TO ATTEMPT ANSWERS IN DAILY ANSWER WRITING ENHANCEMENT(AWE)?
Daily 4 questions from General studies 1, 2, 3, and 4 will be provided to you.
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.
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Upload the scanned answer in the comment section of the same question.
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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.
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Law Minister has informed the Parliament that there is no proposal to scrap sedition from the IPC despite severe remarks by the Supreme Court about the chilling effect of the “colonial law” which suppresses the freedoms of ordinary people.
What does Section 124A of the IPC say?
The section deals with the offence of sedition, a term that covers speech or writing, or any form of visible representation, which brings the government into hatred or contempt, or excites disaffection towards the government, or attempts to do so.
It is punishable with three years in prison or a life term.
“Disaffection”, it says, includes disloyalty and feelings of enmity.
However, it also says expressing disapproval of government measures or actions, with a view to getting them changed by lawful means, without promoting hatred or disaffection or contempt towards the government will not come under this section.
What is its origin?
Colonial past: Sedition was introduced in the penal code in 1870, a decade after the Indian Penal Code came into force.
It was a colonial law directed against strong criticism of the British administration.
Putting curb on Freedom fighters: Its most famous victims included Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Mahatma Gandhi.
Gandhiji called it “the prince among the political sections of the IPC designed to suppress the liberty of the citizen”.
Is it constitutionally valid?
Violative of FRs: Two high courts had found it unconstitutional after Independence, as it violated the freedom of speech and expression.
Reasonable restrictions: The Constitution was amended to include ‘public order’ as one of the ‘reasonable restrictions’ on which free speech could be abridged by law.
Kedar Nath Case: Thereafter, the Supreme Court, in Kedar Nath Singh v. State of Bihar (1962) upheld its validity.
Why the controversy now?
Frequent use: In recent times, the resort to this section is seen as disturbingly frequent.
Curbing dissent: Activists, cartoonists and intellectuals have been arrested under this section, drawing criticism from liberals that it is being used to suppress dissent and silence critics.
Misuse for propaganda: Authorities and the police who invoke this section defend the measure as a necessary step to prevent public disorder and anti-national activities.
Irrelevance: Many of them have also been detained under the National Security Act and UAPA.
What is being debated about it?
Liberals and rights activists have been demanding the scrapping of Section 124A.
It is argued that the provision is “overbroad”, i.e., it defines the offence in wide terms threatening the liberty of citizens.
The Law Commission has also called for a reconsideration of the section.
It has pointed that Britain abolished it more than a decade ago and raised the question of whether a provision introduced by the British to put down the freedom struggle should continue to be law in India.
Some argue that a presumption of constitutionality does not apply to pre-constitutional laws as those laws have been made by foreign legislature or bodies.
What has the apex court observed?
Justice D.Y. Chandrachud had flagged the indiscriminate use of the sedition law against people who aired their grievances about the government’s COVID management.
People have been charged even for seeking help to gain medical access, equipment, drugs and oxygen cylinders, especially during the second wave of the pandemic.
Justice U.U. Lalit, in his recent judgment, quashed a sedition case against a person for his alleged remarks about the PM and the Union Government.
Way forward
The time is long past when the mere criticism of governments was sufficient to constitute sedition.
The right to utter honest and reasonable criticism is a source of strength to a community rather than a weakness, the CJI has recorded.
Try answering this PYQ:
Q.With reference to Rowlatt Satyagraha, which of the following statements is/are correct?
The Rowlatt Act was based on the recommendations of the ‘Sedition Committee’.
In Rowlatt Satyagraha, Gandhiji tried to utilize the Home Rule League.
Demonstrations against the arrival of Simon Commission coincided with Rowlatt Satyagraha.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
The PM has addressed depositors during a programme titled ‘Depositors First: Guaranteed Time-bound Deposit Insurance Payment up to ₹5 Lakh’.
Deposit Insurance Programme
The bank savings are insured under the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC) Act providing full coverage to around 98 per cent of bank accounts.
Earlier, account holders had to wait for years till the liquidation or restructuring of a distressed lender to get their deposits that are insured against default.
Last year, the government raised the insurance amount to Rs 5 lakh from Rs 1 lakh.
Prior to that, the DICGC had revised the deposit insurance cover to Rs 1 lakh on May 1, 1993 — raising it from Rs 30,000, which had been the cover from 1980 onward.
What are new changes?
Earlier, out of the amount deposited in the bank, only Rs 50,000 was guaranteed, which was then raised to Rs 1 lakh.
Understanding the concern of the poor, understanding the concern of the middle class, we increased this amount to Rs 5 lakh.
If a bank is weak or is even about to go bankrupt, depositors will get their money of up to Rs five lakhs within 90 days.
Significance of the scheme
Earlier account holders could not access their own money for up to 8-10 years after financial stress at banks.
The new changes would give confidence to depositors and strengthen the banking and financial system.
Now, depositors can get insurance money within 90 days, without waiting for the eventual liquidation of the distressed banks.
A controversy has erupted in Kerala over the reappointment of a person as the Vice-Chancellor of Kannur University, with Governor saying he approved the decision against his “better judgment” as Chancellor.
Role of Governors in State Universities
In most cases, the Governor of the state is the ex-officio chancellor of the universities in that state.
Its powers and functions as the Chancellor are laid out in the statutes that govern the universities under a particular state government.
Their role in appointing the Vice-Chancellors has often triggered disputes with the political executive.
A disputed case
In Kerala’s case, the Governor’s official portal asserts that while as Governor he functions with the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers.
While acting as Chancellor he acts independently of the Council of Ministers and takes his own decisions on all University matters.
In marked contrast, the website of Rajasthan’s Raj Bhawan states that the “Governor appoints the Vice-Chancellor on the advice/ in consultation with the State Government”.
What about Central Universities?
Under the Central Universities Act, 2009, and other statutes, the President of India shall be the Visitor of a central university.
With their role limited to presiding over convocations, Chancellors in central universities are titular heads, who are appointed by the President in his capacity as Visitor.
The VCs too are appointed by the Visitor from panels of names picked by search and selection committees formed by the Union government.
The Act adds that the President, as Visitor, shall have the right to authorize inspections of academic and non-academic aspects of the universities and also to institute inquiries.
