The Crime Branch in Pune and seized 550 grams of ambergris, also known as ‘floating gold’.
What is Ambergris?
Ambergris, which means gray amber in French, is a waxy substance that originates from the digestive system of the protected sperm whales.
It is incorrectly referred to as ‘whale vomit’.
It is produced in the gastrointestinal tract of some of the sperm whales for the passage of hard, sharp objects that are ingested when the whale eats large quantities of marine animals.
Why is it so expensive?
Investigating agencies from across India who have seized ambergris in the recent past estimate its value to be somewhere between Rs 1 to 2 crores per kilogram, depending on the purity and quality.
Being extremely rare contributes to its high demand and high price in the international market.
Its uses
Traditionally, ambergris is used to produce perfumes that have notes of musk.
While there are records of it being used to flavor food, alcoholic beverages and tobacco in some cultures in the past, it is rarely used for these purposes presently.
Legalities and recent cases of seizure in India
While there is a ban on possession and trade of ambergris in countries like the USA, Australia and India, in several other countries it is a tradable commodity.
In the Indian context, the sperm whales are a protected species under Schedule 2 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and possession or trade of any of its by-products, including Ambergris is illegal.
It has been observed that the gangs smuggling the ambergris procure it from coastal areas and ship it to destination countries via some other countries with whom India has comparatively less stringent sea trade.
Program starting from the second week of December.
UPSC CSE Mains 2021 will be conducted on January 2022 and is hardly a month away. It’s time to practice a lot of test series and revise the topics.
We, at Civilsdaily rose to the occasion and have prepared consolidated notes of the 250 most important topics of Mains 2021. Each topic will have 2-3 pages of notes of material from the standard books and current affairs. They will also have relevant factual data and statistics highlighted in bold for every topic that will help you provide a solid introduction and conclusion.
And the best news is…. all of this is absolutely free for all Mains selected candidates! Just fill the form right now to request the QEP material and we will get in touch with you with ASAP.
How Quality Assessment Program be useful right now?
You might be wondering, with just a month away is it wise to register for any program right now, even for free? You don’t have to worry. The Quality Assessment Program is not new information. It’s consolidated revision notes from the standard books and current affairs of UPSC-CSE Mains.
Our initiative last year of compiling issues and topics that had a high probability of being asked in Mains 2020was a thumping success– our toppers said they greatly benefitted from it. One such topper, Lakshay Chowdhary was gracious enough to give us a video testimonial.
Questions in 2020 Mains came from topics we covered like Pala period, Circum-Pacific zone, Online Education in India, Criminalization in Politics, 16 years of RTI, Microfinance etc.
Coverage of topics in QEP will have one and only one purpose – to enable you to write great answers for any question from a particular topic. To be able to write a convincing 250 words answer for a topic, you need to know atleast 1-2 pages of content for it.
At this point in time studying everything is not desirable neither is it feasible. You don’t have time to read everything, segregate what is important and what’s not, make notes, cover different dimensions, and then find a way to utilize that. What you need at this point in time is efficient and organized coverage of the most relevant topics for the IAS mains exam. With QEP we aim to help you achieve all this.
QEP or Quality Enrichment Program is an intensive and holistic program for IAS Mains 2021 GS papers. We aim to cover 250+ most relevant issues with a 360-degree view, covering all dimensions of each and every topic. Not only you’ll learn and analyze these issues but will also understand how to utilize them via Daily Answer Writing and Mains Test Series.
Topic-Wise Current Affairs From An Issue Perspective
Current affairs in the IAS mains exam must be covered from an ‘issue perspective’ and almost all of them have multiple dimensions to it, various stakeholders involved, have interconnectedness, and can be solved with a multipronged approach only. This should reflect in your answers.
QEP will help you enrich your pre-existing coverage and will add quality to it. With tests and mentorship, you will get an evaluation and necessary course correction. And we will provide daily answer writing to help you sharpen your answer writing skills and knowledge with our daily initiatives on Habitat.
Excluding your optional subject, we will be providing topic-wise notes from all the other GS papers for free. This includes Ethics case studies as well!
What are some of the topics that will be covered in Quality Assessment Program?
Unlike Prelims, Mains examinations are lesser dynamic. That’s why we have QEP for Mains and not Prelims. We are not like other dubious institutes who claimed to have figured out the exact paper pattern of Mains 2021. But if you put 2 &2 together, you will know that every paper has nearly 40 topics and we are covering 35 of the most important topics from every paper for Free! (Optional Subjects and Language papers are not included)
Here are 10 of the most important topics we will be covering
1. Scrapping of ease of doing Business ranking
2. Retrospective taxation in India :Issues and Challenges
Lord Mayo’s Resolution of 1870 on financial decentralisation visualised the development of local self-government institutions.
Lord Ripon’s Resolution of 1882 has been hailed as the ‘Magna Carta’ of local self-government. He is called as the father of local-self government in India.
Establishment of Panchayats
DPSP: The Part IV of the Constitution of India contains Directive Principles of the State Policy in which Article 40 is provisioned for organisation of village panchayats.
73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992: It has inserted the Part IX in the Constitution, that enjoins the States to establish panchayats.
PESA Act: A separate legislation “Provisions for Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act” (PESA) was passed in 1996 to extend Part IX of the Constitution to the areas listed under the Fifth Schedule, subject to certain exceptions and modifications.
Why need PRIs?
India is predominantly a rural nation, wherein about 65 per cent of people and 70 per cent of the workforce lives in rural areas that contribute to about 46 per cent of the economy.
In view of the increasing rural population, the number of administrative units- PRIs has been increasing over time.
Expansion of rural residential areas, creation of new districts, Tehsils, blocks, etc., are other contributing factors.
Landmark feat: 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act
This Amendment paved the way for reform in local governance in the country.
It provided for setting up of three tiers of panchayats (only two tiers in case of States or Union Territories (UTs) having population less than 20 lakhs) ,
It contains provision for:
Devolution of powers and responsibilities to panchayats for both preparation of plans for economic development and social justice, utilising resources available with them (Article 243G)
Implementation of the schemes and programmes related to twenty-nine subjects listed in the ‘Eleventh Schedule’ of the Constitution
Women’s reservation
Establishment of a separate Ministry
Subsequently, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) was established on 27 May 2004.
The primary objective to overseethe implementation of Part IX of the Constitution and PESA Act 1996.
‘Panchayats’ being a State subject, their functioning is guided by respective State/U’T Panchayati Raj Acts.
Women empowerment and PRIs
Reservation for women in PRIs and subsequent increase in the quota by States has brought an unprecedented and huge number of women in the governance arena in India.
21 states have made provisions of 50% reservationin PRIs in their respective State Panchayati Raj Acts.
E-Governance Mechanism in Panchayats
Rural Local Bodies (RLBs) serve around 65% of the country’s population.
Improving functions of PRIs for better delivery of services is essential for the well-being of rural people.
Now the applications for these services have been unified in a single and simplified portal called eGramSwaraj.
Bottom-up Planning
Provision of basic infrastructures: Emphasis on e-governance, capacity building of PRIs, focused information, education, and communication (lEC) campaign are some of the main activities.
These are prerequisites for effective planning by PRIs in consultation with local people organized by the Gram Sabhas.
Backward Regions Grant Funds (BRGF) Scheme: This was implemented (2006-2015) to bridge critical gaps in local infrastructure and other developmental requirements along with the capacity building of PRIs.
Preparation of the district plan: This was an important part of BRGF.
Capacity Building of PRIs
Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA): It was launched for implementation to develop and strengthen the capacities of PRIs to become more responsive towards local development needs.
Training: It is conducted on various themes such as constitutional and statutory provisions on the functioning of PRIs, e-Governance, financial management, commitments on SDGs, and livelihood troubles, and so on.
Participatory plans: This helps PRIs in preparing participatory plans that leverage technology, efficient and optimum utilisation of available resources, for realising solutions to local problems linked to SDGs.
Incentivization: Further, panchayats are also being incentivized through awards and financial incentives in recognition of their good work for improving planning and delivery of services.
Devolution of Funds, Functions, and Functionaries (3Fs)
MoPR has been working to realize the aspirations of constitutional provisions on various aspects of devolution of 29 subjects listed in the Eleventh Schedule.
The progress made by the States is quite varied in terms of the devolution of subjects.
Various studies have highlighted that in some States the extent of devolution is robust; in others still, it is a work in progress.
Other works: Land records management through ‘SVAMITVA’
Ensuring the property rights of rural inhabitants is essential for and inclusive social and economic development of the country.
The Ministry has launched a scheme named ‘SVAMITVA’ to prepare property records of rural people of their houses using drone surveying technology.
The goal is to cover most of the more than six lakh villages in the next five years.
Outcomes: Structural change in rural economy
Employment opportunities are shifting from the agriculture sector to construction, manufacturing, and service sectors.
Also, there is a huge potential for Agro-processing industries and MSMEs in rural areas.
Panchayats need to appropriately include these in their planning and work with relevant agencies and stakeholders for their implementation.
An emphasis on skilling of rural population and promotion of rural entrepreneurship is needed in these sectors.
As per a report, there is huge untapped potential for the growth of financial services such as credit, insurance, and digital payment facilities in rural areas.
Way forward
Flagship progam of Central and State Governments should clearly lay out the role of panchayats in their guidelines.
A lot of Panchayats are now equipped with the basic infrastructure but gaps still remain across the States.
In order to fill the gaps, the saturation approach needs to be adopted as announced by the Prime Minister on 75th Independence Day.
Representation of women in PRIs has substantially increased but effective participation requires appropriate training and exposure visits of these elected representatives.
Conclusion
Panchayats have also strengthened and are now equipped to handle disasters/ natural calamities.
They have played an active role in mitigation and management of Covid-19, which is reflected in the dashboard created by the Ministry to monitor real-time activities in this direction.
Panchayats need to be empowered to levy and collect taxes, tolls, fees, user charges, etc., along with other activities to enhance their Own Source of Revenue.
Panchayat also need to consider climate action as an integral part of planning and harnessing renewable energy.
Smriti Chetna is a student of Civilsdaily mentor Ravi sir. She joined the Ultimate Assessment Program (UAP) on 18 August 2020. As she is happy with Civilsdaily, she has now upgraded to UAP 2022.
You can also get your first free counselling session (30-40 minutes) from Civilsdaily by filling the formnow. An expert mentor will reach out to you in the next 24 hours.
Initially, Smriti wasn’t confident about Prelims when she began her preparation but found Mains to be manageable. Though she had joined Civilsdaily in 2020, she started studying for UPSC-CSE 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 70 marks out of 250 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.
Smriti Chetna: “Believe in yourself, Believe in your dream and Surround yourself with those who Believe you can achieve your dream“.
We had a chance to catch up with Civilsdaily student and aspiring civil servant, Smriti. In between her college studies and UPSC CSE preparation, we were able to have a quick 15 minute chat with her.
Smriti, what has motivated you to prepare for UPSC as a college student?
My father is a government officer and we have discussions (sometimes, even debates) over dinner on how we can improve systemic changes that impede the growth of our country. From this, I have realized that as a country we do have the laws, money, resources and manpower for high growth. What’s lacking is the right execution. Only government and civil servants can do this. Though my dad is not an IAS officer, I have seen him bring changes in whatever capacity he is allowed. When I was in school, our chief guests on annual days were IAS or IPS officers. Their inspiring speeches and my dad’s work has what interested me to prepare for UPSC.
Why do you think mentorship is very important for your UPSC-CSE preparation?
I think its important for every aspirant to be in the right company when they are preparing for this unpredictable and tedious exam. They need to believe in your preparation as much as you do. Our parents provide us financial and emotional support, friends provide us moral support and the right mentor gives you logistic and logical support. There are days when I felt I won’t be able to compete against lakhs of aspirants, that’s when 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.
You found prelims to be difficult initially, why so? How has Ravi sir mentored you for prelims?
I was not good at remembering the exact factual data. I have done UPSC-CSE prelims paper analysis from 2018-2021. I must say, the Civilsdaily prelims test series are at the same level and some of them are even tougher than the actual UPSC-CSE paper. I have also personally checked if the subject-wise test series covers all the topics in the syllabus. There are 4-5 questions even from topics that aspirants consider to have lesser weightage. Under Ravi sir’s mentorship, I learnt to pay attention to stats and figures for prelims. He also helped me with the different elimination techniques I can use to get the right answer. Samachar Manthan is my favorite aspect of the Ultimate Assessment Program. The current affairs is neatly consolidated topic-wise from The Hindu, Indian Express, PIB, RSTV, Yojana and Kurukshetra. It’s a good material to revise your current affairs 3-4 months before the exam. The more tests I take, the lesser fears and anxiety I have about the upcoming UPSC-CSE exam. I get value-added materials, coaching notes and online classes from Civilsdaily as well.
How was your preparation 1-2 weeks into UAP and how is it now?
When I started out, I used to take 2-3 months to complete a standard book. However, I would still not have my concepts clear. Right now in my third revision, I am able to complete the entire Laxmikanth book in one week. With respect to mains answer writing, I never used to answer all the keywords of the questions. Now, I am able to organise an answer in my mind as I answer it. After evaluating my answers, Ravi sir would give me a call where he would discuss where I could have included diagrams or flowcharts and the other sources I can refer for better answers on a topic.
I always feel as a beginner, you have to be easy on yourself. Don’t write off UPSC CSE, just because you did not understand the concepts on Day 01.
What’s more important for a UPSC Aspirant — Intelligence or Consistency?
Few of my friends who started at the same time as me, performed much better in tests and had more knowledge on a topic than I did. But now, they are not interested in preparing for the examination anymore. I would definitely rank consistency over intelligence.
I can give another example from my own preparation. As I am pursuing a BA degree in History, I find the UPSC history subject to be easy. However, Geography was a subject I grappled with in the initial few months. After a solid two years of preparation, I am scoring equal marks in Geography and History. This is only due to consistency.
Are group studies detrimental or useful for your UPSC preparation?
Group studies online, especially the way Civilsdaily has structured it, removes the cons generally associated with group studies. When we study with our friends, we generally do for an hour or so before hanging out at a joint and chit-chatting. That does not happen over here. We explain concepts that we are not clear about to each other, sometimes share links of important reading material. When you are able to make another person understand a concept, you feel more positive about yourself.
Any final advice you would like to give to beginners?
Always go through the videos oftoppers who have given multiple attempts before clearing the exams. Because, what has worked for others might not work for you, but what has not worked for others will also not work for you. I understood how important it was to study for your optional subject everyday after watching these videos.
What is Ravi sir’s mentorship all about which boosted Smriti’s confidence & marks nearly 2x times?Let’s hear him talk about it.
Smriti used to consult multiple mentors in other institutes but now she only prefers the mentorship of Civilsdaily. What’s unique about the mentorship of Civilsdaily?
After talking to other students, I learnt that the mentors in other institutes are egoistic and have a ‘know-it-all’ attitude. They often demotivate students for what they call as ‘silly mistakes’. They even go to the extent of predicting if a student is likely to clear UPSC or not. But in Civilsdaily, mentors believe in working like a GPS. We understand what direction the student is in right now and tell them the closest route they can take to complete the syllabus and score marks in their tests. We are nobody to judge a learner. That’s why aspirants like Smriti prefer Civilsdaily mentorship.
Smriti is a very passionate and hardworking student, but I noticed that she would take study breaks that lasted more than a month or two. This didn’t deter me from putting across reminders to her. I believe that a mentor shouldn’t stop encouraging an aspirant in the initial months even if they don’t show the inclination to prepare. The syllabus is vast and overwhelming and it’s understandable that a beginner can get demotivated.
Due to this, Smriti gradually opened up to me about her issues. I understood that she gets panic attacks and it would take her nearly 2-3 weeks to recover. I decided that as a mentor, I had to be empathetic and sensitive to her issues and not brush them aside. Smriti often felt guilty about her study breaks and I assured her that it was okay to take a break as she deserved one. I asked her to hang out with her friends and family more often and go on a walk in the park with them. Over a period of time, Smriti could recover from a panic attack in 2-3 days instead of 2-3 weeks.
I then started giving her weekly targets to achieve and congratulated her upon successful completion in the study group. I would assign her a topic to read and ask her to explain the same to me. I would let her teach me those topics. When she missed out points, I would immediately tell her why adding a certain point will help her in the exam. After this, I even asked her to conduct few sessions on Habitat for other learners. This made her confident to continue her preparation.
Let’s get into the specifics, what are other methods you used to mentor Smriti on a day-to-day basis?
All of my test-series, whether prelims or mains are conducted on Zoom with the camera on so that I can monitor the students. This will discourage a student from taking unnecessary breaks and they will only utilize the three hours to answer questions.
When she had taken the Mains test series of other institutes, Smriti would take 5-6 hours to complete all questions. Over here, she finishes a test-series within the stipulated time of 3 hours.
Besides this, when a student starts studying I will ask them to say ‘Hi’ . When they are taking a break they need to say ‘Bye’ and when they resume their studies they need to say ‘Hi’ once again. At the end of the day, I would calculate the number of hours they spent studying and let them know the same. I never used to judge them for studying less. It’s like how a fitness tracker works. Whoever is interested in completing 1000 steps in a day will compensate for the next day if they are unable to achieve today’s target. This pushed Smriti to study for long hours.
While initially, she could not study for more than two hours everyday, now she studies for 8 hours without a break (12 hours with breaks). This is something she does by her own interest without me insisting her to follow it.
We have heard about the virtual library in your mentorship. What is that?
Virtual library is a practice wherein the student gets their study materials, logs in to a zoom session with other aspirants. All of them study silently. On the go, I share any extra reports or current affairs articles they have to read along with their standard books. While studying, if any student has a doubt they can ask in the session and it will be resolved.
Sometimes, our virtual library will be divided into small study group of 3-4 members who will all study the same topic together and discuss the aspects of the topic to each other. This is to prevent the aspirant from feeling lonely in their long preparation journey. Many students have reacted positively to this initiative as well, they get a sense of companionship and competitiveness when they are studying as a group.
What are few of the topics which students find difficult?
Economy is a subject where most of the students grapple with. I get a lot of doubts on topics like RBI, security market and bonds.
We have asked Smriti as well, but we want your take on this. What do you think of Smriti’s performance in the past 10 months?
She is a consistent performer. Though, initially she had scored only 30 out of 250 marks in GS Essay, now she is scoring above 100+ in all the mains test series. I am confident if she maintains the same consistency she can clear the exam in 2022.
That being said, I feel she can score better in mains. While evaluating her papers, I understood she is not including relevant factual data to back up her answers. I will be providing her committee reports and recommendations and mentor her in this direction from now on.
Get your first free counselling session (30-40 minutes) from Civilsdaily by filling the form below —
The National Health Accounts (NHA) report for 2017-18 is being celebrated widely as it shows that total public spending on health as a percentage of GDP has increased to a historic high of 1.35% of GDP.
India’s total public spending on health
One of the lowest in the world: India’s total public spending on health as a percentage of GDP or in per capita terms has been one of the lowest in the world.
Majority spent by the States: The Union government traditionally spends around a third of the total government spending whereas the majority is borne by the States.
There has been a policy consensus for more than a decade now that public spending has to increase to at least 2.5% of GDP.
However, there has not been any significant increase so far.
Despite several pronouncements, it has continued to hover around 1%-1.2% of GDP.
Why NHA report is being celebrated?
The National Health Accounts (NHA) report capture spending on health by various sources, and track the schemes through which these funds are channelised to various providers in a given time period for a given geography.
The National Health Accounts (NHA) report for 2017-18 is being celebrated widely as it shows that total public spending on health as a percentage of GDP has increased to a historic high of 1.35% of GDP.
The increase shown in NHA 2017-18 is largely due to increase in Union government expenditure.
Increase in Centre’s share: For 2017-18, the Centre’s share in total public spending on health has jumped to 40.8%.
However, if we study the spending pattern of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of AYUSH, we see that expenditure increased to 0.32% of GDP from 0.27% in 2016-17 — insufficient to explain the overall jump.
Issues with NHA report
Expenditure of DMS included: Much of this increase has actually happened on account of a tripling of expenditure of the Defence Medical Services (DMS).
Compared to an expenditure of ₹10,485 in 2016-17, it increased to ₹32,118 crore.
Though the increasing spending for the health of defence personnel is a good thing, such spending does not benefit the general population.
Within government expenditure, the share of current health expenditure has come down to 71.9% compared to 77.9% a year ago.
Capital expenditure included: This essentially means, capital expenditure has increased, and specifically in defence.
There is a problem in accounting capital expenditure within the NHA framework.
Why capital expenditure needs to be left out: Equipment brought or a hospital that is built serves people for many years, so the expenditure incurred is used for the lifetime of the capital created and use does not get limited to that particular year in which expenditure is incurred.
The World Health Organization proposes to leave out capital expenditure from health accounts estimates, instead focus on current health expenditure.
Incomparable to other countries: In NHA estimates in India, in order to show higher public investment, capital expenditure is included; thus, Indian estimates become incomparable to other countries.
The NHA estimate also shows that out-of-pocket expenditure as a share of GDP has reduced to less than half of the total health expenditure.
NSSO 2017-18 data suggest that during this time period, utilisation of hospitalisation care has declined compared to 2014 NSSO estimates for almost all States and for various sections of society.
Sign of distress: The decline in out-of-pocket expenditure is essentially due to a decline in utilisation of care rather than greater financial protection.
Actually, the NSSO survey happened just after six months of demonetisation and almost at the same time when the Goods and Services Tax was introduced.
The disastrous consequences of the dual blow of demonetisation and GST on the purchasing power of people are quite well documented.
Another plausible explanation is linked to limitations in NSSO estimates. The NSSO fails to capture the spending pattern of the richest 5% of the population (who incur a large part of the health expenditure).
Thus, out-of-pocket expenditure measured from the NSSO could be an under-estimate as it fails to take into account the expenditure of the richest sections.
Conclusion
The reduction of out-of-pocket expenditure is a sign of distress and a result of methodological limitations of the NSSO, rather than a sign of increased financial protection.
Every October and November, parts of north India are engulfed by a dense fog. Farmers resort to the practice due to the limited time they have between the harvesting of kharif paddy and sowing of the rabi wheat.
Government initiatives to stop the stubble burning
Policy measures: In 2014, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare developed a National Policy for the Management of Crop Residue.
Ban by NGT: In 2015, the National Green Tribunal banned stubble burning in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana and Punjab.
Weak enforcement: The enforcement of the ban has, however, been weak, largely due to inadequate political will.
Legal measures: Stubble burning was considered an offence under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code and in the Air and Pollution Control Act, 1981.
However, it has now been decriminalised as per a recent government announcement.
The Central Scheme on Promotion of Agricultural Mechanisation for In-Situ Management of Crop Residue was introduced in 2018-19.
Over 1.5 lakh crop residue management machineries have been supplied to farmers and custom hiring centres between 2018-19 to 2020-21.
How successful were the measures?
As a result of these efforts, the number of crop residue burning events declined from 2016 to 2019.
This year satellite data did show an almost 50 per cent decline in the number of stubble burning events in Punjab, Haryana and UP in October.
However, after including burning events till November 21, the decline reduced to about 8 per cent.
Experts suggest that the respite in October was temporary as the initial decline can be attributed to the delayed withdrawal of monsoon.
It is thus evident that despite various government initiatives, substantial stubble burning continues in several states.
Suggestions
Subsidise operational cost for crop residue management: To ease farmers’ financial burden, the government could consider subsidising operational costs along with providing farmers capital subsidy on crop residue management equipment.
Ex-situ management of crop residue: Ex-situ management of crop residue can also be explored under the schemes covering products such as bales and pellets for biomass power generation and supplementary feedstock in coal-fired power plants.
Awareness generation: Awareness generation and trust building exercises should be undertaken with the support of local civil society organisations.
Adopt targeted and cluster-based approach: Stubble burning is fairly concentrated in regions within states.
A targeted and cluster-based approach can be undertaken by identifying districts with a higher number of stubble burning incidents.
Central and state government interventions can then be concentrated in these districts.
Monitoring system at local level: To make these interventions effective, there is a requirement for formulating a robust monitoring system at the local level to track the progress of different activities.
Consider the question “Stubble burning by farmers of the adjacent states contributes significantly to the air pollution in Delhi. In this context, examine the initiatives taken by the government to deal with the problem and suggest the way forward.”
Conclusion
Dealing with the practice of stubble burning requires efforts on multiple levels. A combination of these measures can complement the existing initiatives to encourage farmers to adopt zero stubble burning practices.
Smriti Chetna is a student of Civilsdaily mentor Ravi sir. She joined the Ultimate Assessment Program (UAP) on 18 August 2020. As she is happy with Civilsdaily, she has now upgraded to UAP 2022.
You can also get your first free counselling session (30-40 minutes) from Civilsdaily by filling the formnow. An expert mentor will reach out to you in the next 24 hours.
Initially, Smriti wasn’t confident about Prelims when she began her preparation but found Mains to be manageable. Though she had joined Civilsdaily in 2020, she started studying for UPSC-CSE 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 70 marks out of 250 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.
Smriti Chetna: “Believe in yourself, Believe in your dream and Surround yourself with those who Believe you can achieve your dream“.
We had a chance to catch up with Civilsdaily student and aspiring civil servant, Smriti. In between her college studies and UPSC CSE preparation, we were able to have a quick 15 minute chat with her.
Smriti, what has motivated you to prepare for UPSC as a college student?
My father is a government officer and we have discussions (sometimes, even debates) over dinner on how we can improve systemic changes that impede the growth of our country. From this, I have realized that as a country we do have the laws, money, resources and manpower for high growth. What’s lacking is the right execution. Only government and civil servants can do this. Though my dad is not an IAS officer, I have seen him bring changes in whatever capacity he is allowed. When I was in school, our chief guests on annual days were IAS or IPS officers. Their inspiring speeches and my dad’s work has what interested me to prepare for UPSC.
Why do you think mentorship is very important for your UPSC-CSE preparation?
I think its important for every aspirant to be in the right company when they are preparing for this unpredictable and tedious exam. They need to believe in your preparation as much as you do. Our parents provide us financial and emotional support, friends provide us moral support and the right mentor gives you logistic and logical support. There are days when I felt I won’t be able to compete against lakhs of aspirants, that’s when 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.
You found prelims to be difficult initially, why so? How has Ravi sir mentored you for prelims?
I was not good at remembering the exact factual data. I have done UPSC-CSE prelims paper analysis from 2018-2021. I must say, the Civilsdaily prelims test series are at the same level and some of them are even tougher than the actual UPSC-CSE paper. I have also personally checked if the subject-wise test series covers all the topics in the syllabus. There are 4-5 questions even from topics that aspirants consider to have lesser weightage. Under Ravi sir’s mentorship, I learnt to pay attention to stats and figures for prelims. He also helped me with the different elimination techniques I can use to get the right answer. Samachar Manthan is my favorite aspect of the Ultimate Assessment Program. The current affairs is neatly consolidated topic-wise from The Hindu, Indian Express, PIB, RSTV, Yojana and Kurukshetra. It’s a good material to revise your current affairs 3-4 months before the exam. The more tests I take, the lesser fears and anxiety I have about the upcoming UPSC-CSE exam. I get value-added materials, coaching notes and online classes from Civilsdaily as well.
How was your preparation 1-2 weeks into UAP and how is it now?
When I started out, I used to take 2-3 months to complete a standard book. However, I would still not have my concepts clear. Right now in my third revision, I am able to complete the entire Laxmikanth book in one week. With respect to mains answer writing, I never used to answer all the keywords of the questions. Now, I am able to organise an answer in my mind as I answer it. After evaluating my answers, Ravi sir would give me a call where he would discuss where I could have included diagrams or flowcharts and the other sources I can refer for better answers on a topic.
I always feel as a beginner, you have to be easy on yourself. Don’t write off UPSC CSE, just because you did not understand the concepts on Day 01.
What’s more important for a UPSC Aspirant — Intelligence or Consistency?
Few of my friends who started at the same time as me, performed much better in tests and had more knowledge on a topic than I did. But now, they are not interested in preparing for the examination anymore. I would definitely rank consistency over intelligence.
I can give another example from my own preparation. As I am pursuing a BA degree in History, I find the UPSC history subject to be easy. However, Geography was a subject I grappled with in the initial few months. After a solid two years of preparation, I am scoring equal marks in Geography and History. This is only due to consistency.
Are group studies detrimental or useful for your UPSC preparation?
Group studies online, especially the way Civilsdaily has structured it, removes the cons generally associated with group studies. When we study with our friends, we generally do for an hour or so before hanging out at a joint and chit-chatting. That does not happen over here. We explain concepts that we are not clear about to each other, sometimes share links of important reading material. When you are able to make another person understand a concept, you feel more positive about yourself.
Any final advice you would like to give to beginners?
Always go through the videos oftoppers who have given multiple attempts before clearing the exams. Because, what has worked for others might not work for you, but what has not worked for others will also not work for you. I understood how important it was to study for your optional subject everyday after watching these videos.
What is Ravi sir’s mentorship all about which boosted Smriti’s confidence & marks nearly 2x times?Let’s hear him talk about it.
Smriti used to consult multiple mentors in other institutes but now she only prefers the mentorship of Civilsdaily. What’s unique about the mentorship of Civilsdaily?
After talking to other students, I learnt that the mentors in other institutes are egoistic and have a ‘know-it-all’ attitude. They often demotivate students for what they call as ‘silly mistakes’. They even go to the extent of predicting if a student is likely to clear UPSC or not. But in Civilsdaily, mentors believe in working like a GPS. We understand what direction the student is in right now and tell them the closest route they can take to complete the syllabus and score marks in their tests. We are nobody to judge a learner. That’s why aspirants like Smriti prefer Civilsdaily mentorship.
Smriti is a very passionate and hardworking student, but I noticed that she would take study breaks that lasted more than a month or two. This didn’t deter me from putting across reminders to her. I believe that a mentor shouldn’t stop encouraging an aspirant in the initial months even if they don’t show the inclination to prepare. The syllabus is vast and overwhelming and it’s understandable that a beginner can get demotivated.
Due to this, Smriti gradually opened up to me about her issues. I understood that she gets panic attacks and it would take her nearly 2-3 weeks to recover. I decided that as a mentor, I had to be empathetic and sensitive to her issues and not brush them aside. Smriti often felt guilty about her study breaks and I assured her that it was okay to take a break as she deserved one. I asked her to hang out with her friends and family more often and go on a walk in the park with them. Over a period of time, Smriti could recover from a panic attack in 2-3 days instead of 2-3 weeks.
I then started giving her weekly targets to achieve and congratulated her upon successful completion in the study group. I would assign her a topic to read and ask her to explain the same to me. I would let her teach me those topics. When she missed out points, I would immediately tell her why adding a certain point will help her in the exam. After this, I even asked her to conduct few sessions on Habitat for other learners. This made her confident to continue her preparation.
Let’s get into the specifics, what are other methods you used to mentor Smriti on a day-to-day basis?
All of my test-series, whether prelims or mains are conducted on Zoom with the camera on so that I can monitor the students. This will discourage a student from taking unnecessary breaks and they will only utilize the three hours to answer questions.
When she had taken the Mains test series of other institutes, Smriti would take 5-6 hours to complete all questions. Over here, she finishes a test-series within the stipulated time of 3 hours.
Besides this, when a student starts studying I will ask them to say ‘Hi’ . When they are taking a break they need to say ‘Bye’ and when they resume their studies they need to say ‘Hi’ once again. At the end of the day, I would calculate the number of hours they spent studying and let them know the same. I never used to judge them for studying less. It’s like how a fitness tracker works. Whoever is interested in completing 1000 steps in a day will compensate for the next day if they are unable to achieve today’s target. This pushed Smriti to study for long hours.
While initially, she could not study for more than two hours everyday, now she studies for 8 hours without a break (12 hours with breaks). This is something she does by her own interest without me insisting her to follow it.
We have heard about the virtual library in your mentorship. What is that?
Virtual library is a practice wherein the student gets their study materials, logs in to a zoom session with other aspirants. All of them study silently. On the go, I share any extra reports or current affairs articles they have to read along with their standard books. While studying, if any student has a doubt they can ask in the session and it will be resolved.
Sometimes, our virtual library will be divided into small study group of 3-4 members who will all study the same topic together and discuss the aspects of the topic to each other. This is to prevent the aspirant from feeling lonely in their long preparation journey. Many students have reacted positively to this initiative as well, they get a sense of companionship and competitiveness when they are studying as a group.
What are few of the topics which students find difficult?
Economy is a subject where most of the students grapple with. I get a lot of doubts on topics like RBI, security market and bonds.
We have asked Smriti as well, but we want your take on this. What do you think of Smriti’s performance in the past 10 months?
She is a consistent performer. Though, initially she had scored only 30 out of 250 marks in GS Essay, now she is scoring above 100+ in all the mains test series. I am confident if she maintains the same consistency she can clear the exam in 2022.
That being said, I feel she can score better in mains. While evaluating her papers, I understood she is not including relevant factual data to back up her answers. I will be providing her committee reports and recommendations and mentor her in this direction from now on.
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India and Russia are set to ink the RELOS logistics exchange pact during the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin for the Indo-Russia summit.
What are Logistics Agreements, in general?
Logistical exchange agreements are designed so that partner countries can enjoy ease of access to use each other’s military facilities like ports, bases, and military installations.
Such agreements save enormous time and also frees up the need for constant paperwork when one military obtains assistance on matters like refuelling, berthing, use of aviation infrastructure, etc.
RELOS Agreement with Russia
RELOS agreement with Russia would grant “access to Russian naval port facilities in the Arctic”, thus enhancing “Indian Navy’s reach and operational experience in Polar waters”.
Need for RELOS
Despite growing engagement with the US on military hardware and tech, Russia remains a partner with whom India has shared traditionally deep defence ties.
Russia’s growing proximity to China and Pakistan has of late been seen as casting a shadow on the Moscow-New Delhi engagement.
To that extent, RELOS will be an important step forward in the military sphere as it aims at fostering interoperability and sharing of logistics.
The “long overdue” agreement was to have come up for signing in 2019 but that was put off pending finalisation of its terms.
Strategic significance of RELOS Agreement
Naval Cooperation: It is usually the Indian Navy, the most outgoing force of the three services, that stands to benefit the most from a logistical exchange agreement.
Interoperability: These impart enhanced operational turnaround and strengthened interoperability on the high seas.
Military enhancements: Given the percentage of Russian military hardware in the Indian armed forces, the two sides can take advantage, through RELOS, of increased interoperability “in any hostile situation in the future”.
Future defence purchases: India has acquired advanced defence systems from Russia, including fighter jets, and is looking to again obtain a nuclear-powered attack submarine on a long-term lease from Moscow.
Fulfilling Arctic aspirations of India
Navigation: From a geostrategic point of view, it would give Indian Navy better access to northern sea routes and Russian ports in the Arctic, where India is looking to set up an Arctic station.
Energy cooperation: Russia and India are also exploring enhanced energy cooperation in the Arctic region.
Competing China: India’s presence in Arctic will act as a strategic counterweight to China’s strategic posturing with Beijing and Moscow sharing “synergy” in the Arctic.
Does India have similar arrangements with other Countries?
India has logistical exchange agreements with six other countries, including Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, partners US (LEMOA), Japan and Australia.
Singapore, France and South Korea are the other countries with which similar arrangements have been effected.
India has become more comfortable in concluding such arrangements with other countries and is currently pursuing one with the UK while exploring arrangement with other partners like Vietnam.
Other defence trade between the two countries
Russia continues to be among India’s biggest defence suppliers.
The two sides are now looking to move from licence manufacture to joint research and co-development of defence equipment.
Both nations have agreed for the manufacture of over six lakh AK-203 assault rifles by a Joint Venture, Indo-Russian Rifles Private Ltd, at Korwa, Amethi, in UP.
Russia has started deliveries of the S-400 Triumf long-range air defence systems to India. The first division will be delivered by the end of 2021.
There are several other big such as procurement of 21 Mig-29s and 12 Su-30MKI fighters, Igla-S short-range air defence systems and the manufacture of 200 K-226T utility helicopters.
Future trajectory of the defence cooperation
Timely supply of spares and support to the large inventory of Russian hardware in service with Indian military has been a major issue from India.
To address this, Russia has made legislative changes allowing its companies to set up joint ventures in India to address it following an Inter-Governmental Agreement signed in 2019.
This is in the process of being implemented.
With increased competition from the U.S., France, Israel and others who have bagged major deals in recent years, Russia is also focusing on timely deliveries and lifetime support.
Conclusion
Russia will remain a key defence partner for India for decades to come.
In line with India’s quest for self-sufficiency, such partnerships help curb the reliance of India over other countries.
This will thereby curb India’s dependency in near future.
Thousands of Russian troops have been deployed to stations along Ukraine’s border, sparking fears among Western leaders and Ukraine itself that Moscow is planning an invasion
Roots of the Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Ans. USSR disintegration
Ukraine was a part of the Russian empire for centuries before becoming a Soviet republic.
It won independence as the USSR broke up in 1991.
Since then, it has moved to shed its Russian imperial legacy and is in increasingly close ties with the West.
After the Crimean annexation, both nations have signed ceasefire agreements at Minsk in 2014 and 2015.
The beginning
Ans. Separatist insurgency in Ukraine’s East (by Russian speaking population)
In 2014, then Russian-leaning Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych rejected an association agreement with the European Union in favor of closer ties with Moscow.
This sparked mass protests that led to his ouster in 2014.
Russia responded by annexing Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and throwing its weight behind a separatist insurgency that broke out in Ukraine’s east.
Beginning of armed conflict
More than 14,000 people have died in the fighting that devastated Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland known as Donbas.
Ukraine and the West accused Russia of sending its troops and weapons to back the rebels.
Moscow denied that, charging that Russians who joined the separatists were volunteers.
Earlier this year, a spike in cease-fire violations in the east and a Russian troop concentration near Ukraine fueled war fears.
Why is Russia resented over Ukraine?
Cultural ties defying the conflict: The Russian president has repeatedly described Russians and Ukrainians as “one people” and claims that Ukraine has unfairly received historic Russian lands during Soviet times.
Influence of the ‘West’: The Kremlin has accused Ukraine of failing to honor the 2015 peace deal and criticized the West for failing to encourage Ukrainian compliance.
Asylum to rebels: The agreement was a diplomatic coup for Moscow, requiring Ukraine to grant broad autonomy to the rebel regions and offer a sweeping amnesty to the rebels.
Affinity with the US and NATO: Ukraine’s aspirations to join NATO represent a red line for Moscow.
American concern over Russian build-up
Buffer state with Russia: Ukraine is a crucial buffer between Russia and the West.
Heavy troop deployment: Russia hasn’t provided any details about its troop numbers and locations, saying that their deployment on its own territory shouldn’t concern anyone.
Invasion: Russia is planning to deploy an estimated 175,000 troops and almost half of them are already stationed along various points near Ukraine’s border in preparation for a possible invasion.
Protection of its ally: Ukraine has been a close ally of the US. Hence, NATO has placed its military infrastructure closer to Russia.
Recent developments
As it moves a large number of troops towards the border, Russia seeks assurances from the US that Ukraine will not be inducted into NATO.
However, US President Joe Biden has made it clear that he is not prepared to give any such assurance.
This has left the countries in a stand-off, with tens of thousands of Russian troops ready to invade Ukraine at short notice, and the West not budging on Russia’s demands.
Experts believe that Russia is keeping the tensions high at the Ukraine border in order to get sanctions relief and other concessions from the West.
