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  • Registration Window Closing Soon|| Webinar @ 7 PM Today|| Q&A Session with IAS Officer Vaibhav Rawat (AIR 25, UPSC 2020) What are the Memory Techniques to Follow While Studying for UPSC CSE?

    Registration Window Closing Soon|| Webinar @ 7 PM Today|| Q&A Session with IAS Officer Vaibhav Rawat (AIR 25, UPSC 2020) What are the Memory Techniques to Follow While Studying for UPSC CSE?

    REGISTER FOR FREE Q&A WEBINAR WITH IAS OFFICER VAIBHAV RAWAT (AIR 17, UPSC 2020)

    “Prelims, Mains and Interview are 3 stages of pilgrimages and I found all of them equally challenging”, says Vaibhav Rawat IAS after securing All India Rank 25 in UPSC 2020 Exam.

    He started his preparation in 2018 without any idea of what was civil services or the challenging syllabus of UPSC. Fresh out of his job in Samsung R&D, Vaibhav initially faced umpteen difficulties in understanding or remembering what he had read. However, with daily studies there was an improvement and he was slowly able to master the topics. In his first attempt, Vaibhav reached till interview stage but missed out on the final ranking by a whisker. After this, he took the mentorship of Sajal Sir to score high marks in Mains and Interview. Vaibhav proves the saying that, successful people are not gifted but they work hard.

    Upon finding his name in the final pdf, Vaibhav asserts that his parents are more happier than him. For Vaibhav, there is only relief as he doesn’t have to start the exhausting cycle of UPSC preparation all over again.

    Open to All, Free to Attend—Ask me Anything Session with Vaibhav Rawat IAS

    Vaibhav Rawat is geared up for an Ask me Anything Session with all Civilsdaily UPSC aspirants. For anyone wanting tips on certain topics, preparing for UPSC Mains in the last 3 months or suggestions on improving their marks, this session will be useful. Your questions will be Vaibhav’s answers which are drawn from his own experiences. Just register yourself with us as soon as possible to confirm your presence.

    Key Takeaways of Vaibhav Rawat’s Webinar

    1. Importance of having a role model. Who was Vaibhav Rawat’s idol and how did that help him stay calm and focused towards his goals?

    2. Unpredictability of UPSC . What to study when you are not sure of the type of questions which would come in the exam?

    3. The art of answer writing in Mains. What are few of the common practices Vaibhav followed in the Mains exam?

    4. Memory techniques followed by Vaibhav Rawat. What did he do to recall important dates, names, statistics, conventions for the exam?

    5. First Attempt v/s Second Attempt. How did Vaibhav approach prelims, mains and interview preparation?

    6. Tips for beginners. Why is it better to work for a year or two before preparing for UPSC?

    A major part of the session would be interactive and in Q&A format. This will surely benefit any aspirant who are in midway of their preparation.

    Webinar Details

    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 this free webinar by IAS officer Vaibhav Rawat.

    Date: 22 November 2021 (Monday)

    Time: 7 P.M

    REGISTER FOR FREE Q&A WEBINAR WITH IAS OFFICER vaibhav rawat (air 17, upsc 2020)

  • 22nd November 2021 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions

    [WpProQuiz 840]

    [WpProQuiz_toplist 840]

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  • 22nd November 2021| Daily Answer Writing Enhancement(AWE)

    Topics for Today’s questions:

    GS-1     Social Empowerment, Communalism, Regionalism & Secularism.

    GS-2     Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings and Agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

    GS-3     Indian Economy

    GS-4     Public/Civil Service Values and Ethics in Public Administration: Status and Problems; Ethical Concerns and Dilemmas in Government and Private Institutions; Laws, Rules, Regulations and Conscience as Sources of Ethical Guidance; Accountability and Ethical Governance; Strengthening of Ethical and Moral Values in Governance; Ethical Issues in International Relations and Funding; Corporate Governance.

    Questions:

    Question 1)

     

    Q.1 What do you understand by communalism? Deliberate upon the causes and impact of communalism on Indian society. (15 Marks)

     

    Question 2)

    Q. 2 Collaboration between the US, Israel, UAE and India on technology is termed as the emergence of the ‘new Quad’. In this context, examine the scope of collaboration for these countries in various areas and its implications. (10 Marks)

    Question 3)

    Q.3 How informal sector was disproportionately affected by the pandemic? What are the challenges in formalisation? (10 Marks)

    Question 4)  

    Q.4 What is meant by ‘crisis of conscience’ ? How does it manifest itself in the public domain? (10 Marks)

     

    HOW TO ATTEMPT ANSWERS IN DAILY ANSWER WRITING ENHANCEMENT(AWE)?

    1. Daily 4 questions from General studies 1, 2, 3, and 4 will be provided to you.

    2. A Mentor’s Comment will be available for all answers. This can be used as a guidance tool but we encourage you to write original answers.

    3. You can write your answer on an A4 sheet and scan/click pictures of the same.

    4.  Upload the scanned answer in the comment section of the same question.

    5. Along with the scanned answer, please share your Razor payment ID, so that paid members are given priority.

    6. If you upload the answer on the same day like the answer of 11th  October is uploaded on 11th October then your answer will be checked within 72 hours. Also, reviews will be in the order of submission- First come first serve basis

    7. If you are writing answers late, for example, 11th October is uploaded on 13th October, then these answers will be evaluated as per the mentor’s schedule.

    8. We encourage you to write answers on the same day. However, if you are uploading an answer late then tag the mentor like @Staff so that the mentor is notified about your answer.

    *In case your answer is not reviewed, reply to your answer saying *NOT CHECKED*. 

    For the philosophy of AWE and payment: 

    CLICK HERE To join Daily AWE

  • Why are Judicial Transfers riddled by controversies?

    The transfer of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee from the Madras High Court to the Meghalaya High Court has given rise to a controversy over the question of whether judicial transfers are made only for administrative reasons or have any element of ‘punishment’ behind them.

    Transfer of judges and the Constitution

    • Article 222 of the Constitution provides for the transfer of High Court judges, including the Chief Justice.
    • It says the President, after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, may transfer a judge from one High Court to any other High Court.
    • It also provides for a compensatory allowance to the transferred judge.
    • This means that the executive could transfer a judge, but only after consulting the Chief Justice of India.
    • From time to time, there have been proposals that one-third of the composition of every High Court should have judges from other States.

    What is the Supreme Court’s view on the issue?

    Union of India vs. Sankalchand Himatlal Sheth (1977)

    • The Supreme Court rejected the idea that High Court judges can be transferred only with their consent.
    • It reasoned that the transfer of power can be exercised only in public interest.
    • It held that the President is under an obligation to consult the CJI, which meant that all relevant facts must be placed before the CJI.
    • It ruled CJI had the right and duty to elicit and ascertain further facts from the judge concerned or others.

    S.P. Gupta vs. President of India, 1981 (First Judges Case)

    • It considered the validity of the transfer Judges as well as a circular from the Law Ministry.
    • The Ministry had put that additional judge in all High Courts may be asked for their consent to be appointed as permanent judges in any other High Court, and to name three preferences.
    • The Minister’s reasoning was that such transfers would promote national integration and help avoid parochial tendencies bred by caste, kinship and other local links and affiliations.
    • The majority ruled that consultation with the CJI did not mean ‘concurrence’ with respect to appointments.

    SCARA Vs Union of India, 1993 (Second Judges Case)  

    • In effect, it emphasized the primacy of the executive in the matter of appointments and transfers.
    • However, this position was overruled in the ‘Second Judges Case’ (1993).
    • The opinion of the CJI, formed after taking into account the views of senior-most judges, was to have primacy.
    • Since then, appointments are being made by the Collegium.

    Current procedure for transfers

    • As one of the points made by the ‘Second Judges Case’ was that the opinion of the CJI ought to mean the views of a plurality of judges, the concept of a ‘Collegium of Judges’ came into being.
    • In the collegium era, the proposal for transferring a High Court judge, including a Chief Justice, should be initiated by the Chief Justice of India, “whose opinion in this regard is determinative”.
    • The consent of the judge is not required.
    • All transfers are to be made in public interest, i.e. for promoting better administration of justice throughout the country.
    • For transferring a judge other than the Chief Justice, the CJI should take the views of the CJ of the court concerned, as well as the CJ of the court to which the transfer is taking place.
    • The CJI should also take into account the views of one or more Supreme Court judges who are in a position to offer their views.
    • In the case of transfer of a Chief Justice, only the views of one or more knowledgeable Supreme Court judges need to be taken into account.

    Provision for Written Recommendation

    • The views should all be expressed in writing, and they should be considered by the CJI and four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court, which means, the full Collegium of five.
    • The recommendation is sent to the Union Law Minister who should submit the relevant papers to the Prime Minister.
    • The PM then advises the President on approving the transfer.

    What makes transfers controversial?

    • Punitive intent: Transfer orders become controversial when the Bar or sections of the public feel that there is a punitive element behind the decision to move a judge from one High Court to another.
    • No disclosure of reasons: As a matter of practice, the Supreme Court and the government do not disclose the reason for a transfer.
    • Adverse opinions behind: For, if the reason is because of some adverse opinion on a judge’s functioning, disclosure would impinge on the judge’s performance and independence in the court to which he is transferred.

     

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  • Process for Repealing a Law

    PM after repealing the farm laws has said that the process of repealing the laws — which are currently stayed by the Supreme Court — will take place in the upcoming Winter Session of Parliament.

    Repealing a Law

    • Repealing a law is one of the ways to nullify a law.
    • A law is reversed when Parliament thinks there is no longer a need for the law to exist.
    • Legislation can also have a “sunset” clause, a particular date after which they cease to exist.
    • For example, the anti-terror legislation Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act 1987, commonly known as TADA, had a sunset clause, and was allowed to lapse in 1995.
    • For laws that do not have a sunset clause, Parliament has to pass another legislation to repeal the law.

    (Sunset Clause: A law shall cease to have effect after a specific date, unless further legislative action is taken to extend the law.)

    How can the government repeal a law?

    • Article 245 of the Constitution gives Parliament the power to make laws for the whole or any part of India, and state legislatures the power to make laws for the state.
    • Parliament draws its power to repeal a law from the same provision.
    • A law can be repealed either in its entirety, in part, or even just to the extent that it is in contravention of other laws.

    What is the process for repealing a law?

    • Laws can be repealed in two ways — either through an ordinance, or through legislation.
    • In case an ordinance is used, it would need to be replaced by a law passed by Parliament within six months.
    • If the ordinance lapses because it is not approved by Parliament, the repealed law can be revived.
    • The government can also bring legislation to repeal the farm laws.
    • It will have to be passed by both Houses of Parliament, and receive the President’s assent before it comes into effect.

    Legislations required

    • All three farm laws can be repealed through a single legislation.
    • Usually, Bills titled Repealing and Amendment are introduced for this purpose.

     

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  • HomoSEP: Robot for cleaning Septic Tanks

    IIT Madras has developed a robot that can, if deployed extensively, put an end to this practice of sending people into septic tanks.

    HomoSEP

    • HomoSEP stands for “homogenizer of septic tanks”.
    • It has a shaft attached to blades that can open like an inverted umbrella when introduced into a septic tank.
    • This is helpful as the openings of the septic tanks are small and the tank interiors are bigger.
    • The sludge inside a septic tank contains faecal matter that has thickened like hard clay and settled at the bottom.
    • This needs to be shredded and homogenized so that it can be sucked out and the septic tank cleaned. The whirring blades of the robot achieve precisely this.

    Manual scavenging deaths in India

    • A statement by the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry conveyed that in the five years till December 31, 2020, there have been 340 deaths due to manual scavenging.
    • Uttar Pradesh (52), Tamil Nadu (43) and Delhi (36) leads in the list. Maharashtra had 34 and Gujarat and Haryana had 31 each.
    • This is despite bans and prohibitory orders.

    Various policy initiatives

    • Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation (Amendment) Bill, 2020: It proposes to completely mechanise sewer cleaning, introduce ways for ‘on-site’ protection and provide compensation to manual scavengers in case of sewer deaths.
    • Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013: Superseding the 1993 Act, the 2013 Act goes beyond prohibitions on dry latrines, and outlaws all manual excrement cleaning of insanitary latrines, open drains, or pits.
    • Rashtriya Garima Abhiyan: It started national wide march “Maila Mukti Yatra” for total eradication of manual scavenging from 30th November 2012 from Bhopal.
    • Prevention of Atrocities Act: In 1989, the Prevention of Atrocities Act became an integrated guard for sanitation workers since majority of the manual scavengers belonged to the Scheduled Caste.
    • Judicial intervention: In 2014, a Supreme Court order made it mandatory for the government to identify all those who died in sewage work since 1993 and provide Rs. 10 lakh each as compensation to their families.

     

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  • Health Care Equity in Urban India

    The report on ‘Health Care Equity in Urban India’ exploring health vulnerabilities and inequalities in cities in India was recently released.

    About the report

    • The report is released recently by Azim Premji University in collaboration with 17 regional NGOs across India.
    • It notes that a third of India’s people now live in urban areas, with this segment seeing rapid growth from about 18% (1960) to 28.53% (2001) to 34% (in 2019).
    • The study draws insights from data collected through detailed interactions with civil society organizations in major cities and towns.
    • This also included an analysis of the National Family and Health Surveys (NHFS), the Census of India, and inputs from State-level health officials on the provision of health care.
    • It also looks at the availability, accessibility, and cost of healthcare facilities, and possibilities in future-proofing services in the next decade.

    Key highlights of the report

    • Urban poverty on rise: Close to 30% of people living in urban areas are poor.
    • Declining life expectancy: Life expectancy among the poorest is lower by 9.1 years and 6.2 years among men and women, respectively, compared to the richest in urban areas.
    • Chaotic health governance: The report, besides finding disproportionate disease burden on the poor, also pointed to a chaotic urban health governance.
    • Multiplicity and non-coordination: The multiplicity of healthcare providers both within and outside the government without coordination challenges to urban health governance.
    • Lack of political attention: Urban healthcare has received relatively less research and policy attention.

    Major recommendations

    The report calls for:

    • Strengthening community participation and governance
    • Building a comprehensive and dynamic database on the health and nutrition status, including co-morbidities of the diverse, vulnerable populations
    • Strengthening healthcare provisioning through the National Urban Health Mission, especially for primary healthcare services
    • Putting in place policy measures to reduce the financial burden of the poor
    • A better mechanism for coordinated public healthcare services and better governed private healthcare institutions

    Conclusion

    • As urbanization is happening rapidly, the number of the urban poor is only expected to increase.
    • A well-functioning, better coordinated, and governed health care system is crucial at this point.
    • The pandemic has brought to attention the need for a robust and resourced healthcare system.
    • Addressing this will benefit the most vulnerable and offer critical services to city dwellers across income groups.

     

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  • Semiconductor Shortage and the tech industry

    Chips or processors power every possible product on the market from high-end cars to washing machines. There is a worldwide shortage of semiconductor chips.

    What are Semiconductors?

    • A semiconductor sits between a conductor and an insulator and is commonly used in the development of electronic chips, computing components, and devices.
    • It’s generally created using silicon, germanium, or other pure elements.
    • Semiconductors are created by adding impurities to the element.

    Giants of global chip industry

    • Semiconductor manufacturing is now dominated by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) in Taiwan and Samsung Electronics in South Korea.
    • American chipmaker Intel now plans to spend $20 billion to build two new chip factories in Chandler, Arizona.
    • These new fabs will also manufacture chips designed by Amazon, Qualcomm, and other customers.

    Why is there a semiconductor shortage?

    • During the pandemic, manufacturing came to a standstill impacting the supply chains of products that need one or more of these.
    • As the automotive sector almost shut down last year, chip makers shifted capacity to cater to increased demand for electronics items such as cell phones and laptops.
    • Since orders for advanced chips are placed well in advance, manufacturers have not yet been able to come back to pre-pandemic production schedules to cater to all sectors.
    • The automotive chips are of medium-level complexity, compared to the really small and extremely complicated ones on smartphones and personal computers.
    • Building something this small, featuring billions of transistors is an expensive process.

    Has India missed the bus in setting up chip factories?

    • There is a lot of risks involved in setting up a chip plant.
    • Past initiatives to set up chip manufacturing units in the country never took off due to lack of long-term vision, lack of government incentives, and poor planning.
    • Now the government is keen to promote manufacturing and has even proposed tax incentives under Production Linked Incentive Scheme.
    • Things are progressing slowly, but the recent announcement of Tata Group entering semiconductor manufacturing is being seen positively.

    How is the chip crisis playing out in geopolitics?

    • The global chip crisis and geopolitical tensions with China have shifted focus back on semiconductors.
    • The US, which was once a leader in chip manufacturing, wants the crown back.
    • The protectionist US is looking to bring manufacturing back to America and reduce its dependency on a handful of chipmakers mostly concentrated in Taiwan and South Korea.
    • China’s renewed aggression on Taiwan is also being seen in light of the chip crisis.

    Impact

    • The crisis is expected to cost the global automotive industry $210 billion in revenue in 2021.
    • The global semiconductor shortage has affected many industries for more than a year and because of that, they are either forced to pay more for products or being asked to wait a little more.
    • The consumption of integrated circuits in products is ever increasing and a large manufacturing sector for these kinds of integrated circuits are a part of the supply chain.
    • The shortage has affected smartphones, personal computers, game consoles, automobiles, and medical devices.

     

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  • Places in news: Majuli River Island

    Soil erosion, coupled with changing climatic conditions, has been writing a cruel destiny for the inhabitants of Majuli in Assam, the largest river island in the world.

    About Majuli Island

    • Majuli is a riverine island in the Brahmaputra River, Assam and in 2016 it became the first island to be made a district in India.
    • Majuli has shrunk as the river surrounding it has grown.
    • It had an area of 880 square kilometers (340 sq mi) at the beginning of the 20th century but having lost significantly to erosion it covers 553 square kilometers as at 2014.
    • It is the abode of the Assamese neo-Vaishnavite culture.

    Its formation

    • The island is formed by the Brahmaputra River in the south and the Kherkutia Xuti, an anabranch of the Brahmaputra, joined by the Subansiri River in the north.
    • It was formed due to course changes by the river Brahmaputra and its tributaries, mainly the Lohit.

     

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  • 20th November 2021 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions

    [WpProQuiz 839]

    [WpProQuiz_toplist 839]

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