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  • Not clearing prelims is tough BUT don’t let that stop you from chasing your dream

    Not clearing prelims is tough BUT don’t let that stop you from chasing your dream

    Prelims is the most brutal stage of the UPSC Examination. Lakhs of students out of the race in one go. Lakhs of dreams shattered in one go!!

    Not clearing prelims can be tough. A whole one year of preparation suddenly seems like a waste. The worst is when you start questioning your own capability – What good I am when I could not clear even the first stage of the UPSC exam? Should I start considering option B? What am I doing wrong?……

    CLICK HERE FOR FREE MENTOR CALL TO DISCUSS FUTURE STRATEGY

    STOP Get out of this Loop FAST
    Questioning your abilities is never the solution to any problem, let alone not clearing prelims. Even ranker holders like Swati Sharma AIR 17(2019) consider Prelims to be scary because let’s face it – it is a dicey game.


    So, don’t get into this philosophical loop like what will I do with my life now that I have failed prelims. “Just buckle up, and deal with it. Prepare harder and prepare better”. Seems like tough love advice but we are here to help you out.

    Pranav Vijay AIR 65(2020) didn’t get disheartened after not clearing prelims 2 times in a row. He identified his issues, prepared smarter, and excelled with flying colors.

    CHECK YOUR ISSUES:

    Revise the paper: Go through the prelims 2021 paper again, you can’t chart out your future strategy without knowing where you messed up in the first place. While you do this, gather data on how many were careless mistakes, random guesses, or wrong because you did not properly revise.
    Identify your weakness/strengths: Mark the subjects where you feel you don’t have a proper holdover. Weakness can be even in strategy, time management, or lack of revisions. In order to improve knowing your weakness is important. Strength can be a subject or the art of intelligent guessing in prelims, you have to make sure you retain that for the next prelims.
    Start preparing comprehensively: The ultimate aim is not just clearing prelims but getting your name in that final pdf. In order to achieve that you have to make sure that you start both your prelims and mains preparation together.

    CLICK HERE FOR FREE MENTOR CALL TO DISCUSS FUTURE STRATEGY

    WHAT CAN CIVILSDAILY DO FOR YOU?

    Make your preparation more structured and rational: Clearing prelims and mains are completely different skills. Toppers like Tina Dabi were great at the mains stage but barely passed the prelims examination. This is where your mentor comes into play who can ensure your preparation is a balanced approach to fulfill the requirements of both examinations.

    CLICK HERE FOR FREE MENTOR CALL TO DISCUSS FUTURE STRATEGY

    Retrospect on your previous preparation to prepare the future plan: If you are a beginner then your strategy would be different from a person who has written mains 2 times. Personalize attention is necessary to cater to the demands of each and every student. Our mentors are up for any challenge that students face in their preparation journey.

    CLICK HERE FOR FREE MENTOR CALL TO DISCUSS FUTURE STRATEGY

    Mentor at every step: At Civilsdaily, we believe that one bad result is not the real judge of your abilities. The very first thing that our mentors do is building up your confidence and your faith in yourself. Mentors here will be your friend, philosopher, and guide in the real sense.

    Prelims is over but this does not have to be the end to your dream. Connect with us and let us help you out in planning a better and efficient strategy for the future.

    CLICK HERE FOR FREE MENTOR CALL TO DISCUSS FUTURE STRATEGY
  • How Civilsdaily Mentorship helped UPSC 2020 AIR 237 Dilpreet Singh || Unherd Shorts || Civilsdaily Mentorship Program: Toppers Testimonials (Link Inside)

    How Civilsdaily Mentorship helped UPSC 2020 AIR 237 Dilpreet Singh || Unherd Shorts || Civilsdaily Mentorship Program: Toppers Testimonials (Link Inside)

    https://youtu.be/6WA8nhi9g8I

    Talk to Dilpreet’s UPSC Mentors:- https://forms.gle/5ApBTRHTFNJ5UDED6

    Enroll into our new Samachar Manthan Program with this link:- https://www.civilsdaily.com/course/samachar-manthan-yearly-2022-batch-2/

    Check out Dilpreet’s excerpt on how he cleared UPSC 2020:-

    During his second year of college, Dilpreet started to spare time for civil services. He followed the current affairs from CivilsDaily website and prepared his own small notes. It was only his dedication that made him to also seek institutional guidance from CivilsDaily.

    He opted for Prelims test series and Samachar Manthan for detailed current affairs guidance cum strategy. What he specifically admires about the program was the personal guidance he received from Sajal sir, who himself was the topper in GS 2017 papers.

    In addition to his moments of success, Dilpreet also attempts to address some of the most common and sought after questions by many aspirants. Lets hear him out in our “Unheard” Toppers Talk series for UPSC 2020.

    Heartiest congratulations to Dilpreet Singh
    AIR 237
    UPSC Civil Services 2020

  • How Civilsdaily Mentorship helped AIR 84 Ravi Kumar || Unherd Shorts || Civilsdaily Mentorship Program: Toppers Testimonials (Link Inside)

    How Civilsdaily Mentorship helped AIR 84 Ravi Kumar || Unherd Shorts || Civilsdaily Mentorship Program: Toppers Testimonials (Link Inside)

    Talk to Ravi’s UPSC Mentors:- https://bit.ly/Free_One_to_One_Mentorship

    Check out Ravi’s excerpt on how he cleared UPSC 2020:-

    Ravi Kumar is from a small place in Alwar, Rajasthan. He is young and dynamic. Fresh out of IIT Roorkee, he successively cleared two UPSC Civil Services Exams. On the first attempt he managed to obtain AIR 770 and in the second one he finally got himself the coveted job of an IAS officer (AIR 84 ).

    He was inspired to become a civil servant right from his college days and started investing a significant amount of time towards preparation, ignoring what many of his classmates were doing at that time.

    During this interaction, Ravi speaks about his inspiration, hard work, distractions, managing stress and his evolution over the last couple of years.

    His optional is Geography, we will also try to explore the areas many aspirants find it difficult to get over. Whereas he leverages all his previous knowledge and skill to get more marks.

    Let’s see some of the key points of this interaction and how Civilsdaily helped Ravi in his journey.

    Heartiest congratulations to Ravi Kumar
    AIR 84
    UPSC Civil Services 2020

  • Improving livestock breeding

    Context

    The revised version of the Rashtriya Gokul Mission and National Livestock Mission (NLM) proposes to bring focus on entrepreneurship development and breed improvement in cattle, buffalo, poultry, sheep, goat, and piggery.

    Livestock breeding and challenges

    • Unorganised in nature: Livestock breeding in India has been largely unorganised.
    • Lack of linkages: Because of this unorganised nature there have been gaps in forward and backward integration across the value chain.
    • Impact on quality: The above scenario impacts the quality of livestock that is produced and in turn negatively impacts the return on investment for livestock farmers.
    • Roughly 80% bovines in the country are low on productivity and are reared by small and marginal farmers.

    Entrepreneurship development through NLM and Rashtriya Gokul Mission

    • The revised version of the Rashtriya Gokul Mission and National Livestock Mission (NLM) proposes to bring focus on entrepreneurship development.
    • Breed improvement infrastructure: It seeks to provide incentives to individual entrepreneurs, farmer producer organisations, farmer cooperatives, joint liability groups, self-help groups, Section 8 companies for entrepreneurship development and State governments for breed improvement infrastructure.
    • The breed multiplication farm component of the Rashtriya Gokul Mission is going to provide for capital subsidy up to ₹200 lakh for setting up breeding farm with at least 200 milch cows/ buffalo using latest breeding technology. 
    •  Moreover, the strategy of incentivising breed multiplication farm will result in the employment of 1 lakh farmers.
    • The grassroots initiatives in this sphere will be further amplified by web applications like e-Gopala that provide real-time information to livestock farmers.
    • Poultry: The poultry entrepreneurship programme of the NLM will provide for capital subsidy up to ₹25 lakh for the setting up of a parent farm with a capacity to rear 1,000 chicks.
    • Under this model, the rural entrepreneur running the hatchery will be supplying chicks to the farmers.
    • This is expected to provide employment to at least 14 lakh people.
    • Sheep and goat entrepreneurship: In the context of sheep and goat entrepreneurship, there is a provision of capital subsidy of 50% up to 50 lakh.
    • An entrepreneur under this model shall set up a breeder farm, develop the whole chain will eventually sell the animals to the farmers or in the open market.
    • This model is projected to generate a net profit of more than ₹33 lakh for the entrepreneur per year.
    • Piggery: For piggery, the NLM will provide 50% capital subsidy of up to ₹30 lakh.
    •  Each entrepreneur will be aided with establishment of breeder farms with 100 sows and 10 boars, expected to produce 2,400 piglets in a year.
    • This model is expected to generate a profit of ₹1.37 crore after 16 months and 1.5 lakh jobs.

    Conclusion

    The revised scheme of NLM coupled with the Rashtriya Gokul Mission and the Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund has the potential to dramatically enhance the productivity and traceability standards of our livestock.

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  • 19th October 2021| Daily Answer Writing Enhancement(AWE)

    Topics for Today’s questions:

    GS-1    Population and associated issues, poverty, and developmental issues

    GS-2    Issues relating to Poverty and Hunger.

    GS-3   Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.

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

    Questions:

    Question 1)

     

    Q.1 ‘A young and vibrant India today will be an aged India tomorrow.’ What will be the challenges facing an ageing population in the future? How far do you think India today is ready for this India of tomorrow? (10 Marks)

     

    Question 2)

    Q.2 Explain the methodology used for the Global Hunger Index and the issues with it. In this context, suggest the way forward for tackling the issue of wasting and stunting in children. (10 Marks)

    Question 3)

    Q.3 Examine the factors responsible for the coal shortage leading to the crisis in the power sector. Also examine the role of Coal India Ltd. (CIL) in mitigating the crisis. (10 Marks)

    Question 4)  

    Q.4 “While corruption is never good, not all forms of corruption are equally bad for the economy, nor do they cause the same kind of harm.” Critically analyse the statement in the context of India. (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

  • Indo-Abrahamic Accord: A new QUAD

     

    The first-ever meeting between the foreign ministers of India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States is being widely perceived as a new QUAD group.

    What is Abraham Accord?

    • The Israel–UAE normalization agreement is officially called the Abraham Accords Peace Agreement.
    • It was initially agreed to in a joint statement by the United States, Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on August 13, 2020.
    • The UAE thus became the third Arab country, after Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994, to agree to formally normalize its relationship with Israel as well as the first Persian Gulf country to do so.
    • Concurrently, Israel agreed to suspend plans for annexing parts of the West Bank.
    • The agreement normalized what had long been informal but robust foreign relations between the two countries.

    The idea of the Indo-Abrahamic Accord

    • The idea of an accord between India, the UAE and Israel was first suggested by Mohammed Soliman, an Egyptian scholar based in Washington.
    • The focus, then, was on India taking full advantage of the normalisation of relations between Israel and the Arabs.

    Prospects of India joining the accord

    • Adding “Indo” to the Abrahamic Accords — from think tank level to the policy domain underlines the extraordinary churn in the geopolitics of the Middle East.
    • It also points to new openings for India in the region and ever-widening possibilities for Delhi’s strategic cooperation with Washington.

    Significance for India

    The new minilateral consultation with the US, Israel and the UAE should started breaking that political taboo by:

    (1) Creating a minilateral in the Middle-East:

    • Such events mark an important turning point in Delhi’s engagement with the Middle East.
    • It suggests India is now ready to move from bilateral relations conducted in separate silos towards an integrated regional policy.
    • As in the Indo-Pacific, so in the Middle East, regional coalitions are bound to widen Delhi’s reach and deepen its impact.

    (2) India bridging the Arab-Israeli rift:

    • Often the Arab nations and Israel are divided over Palestine.
    • The simultaneous expansion of Delhi’s cooperation with Israel and the Arab world was considered impossible.
    • However, India’s new foreign policy broke from that assessment and demonstrated the feasibility of a non-ideological engagement with the Middle East.
    • This diplomatic pragmatism allows Delhi to reimagine its policies towards the Middle East.

    (3) Extension of cooperation with the US:

    • Thinking of the US as a partner in the Middle East is part of the reimagination.
    • For long, India defined the US, and more broadly the West, as part of the problem in the Middle East.
    • As a result, Delhi kept a reasonable political distance from the US in the region.

    (4) Miscellaneous:

    • India’s scale with Israeli innovation and Emirati capital could produce immense benefits to all three countries.
    • Add American strategic support and you would see a powerful dynamic unfolding in the region.

    Is it a new Quad in making?

    • It is perhaps too early to call the new minilateral with the US, UAE and Israel the “new Quad” for the Middle East.
    • It will be a while before this grouping will find its feet and evolve.
    • After all, it took quite some effort to build the Quad in the east with Australia, India, Japan and the United States.

    What is the kind of agenda that this group can develop?

    Economic Cooperation: Like the eastern Quad, it would make sense for the new Middle Eastern minilateral to focus on non-military issues like trade, energy, and environment and focus on promoting public goods.

    Technology cooperation: Beyond trade, there is potential for India, UAE and Israel to collaborate on many areas — from semiconductor design and fabrication to space technology.

    A new geopolitical entity: The new “Quad” in the Middle East is likely to be India’s only new coalition in the region. It provides a thrust to new regionalism to the west involving India.

    ‘Extended’ neighborhood: This engagement will open the door for extending the collaboration with other common regional partners like Egypt (better call it Suez Canal), who will lend great strategic depth to the Indo-Abrahamic accords.

    Conclusion

    • This engagement has thus opened up a new opportunity for India to go for deeper engagement with Israel without risking its relations with the other Arab states of the Persian Gulf.
    • In the evolving scenario, there seems much scope for a profitable trilateral synergy, but India cannot take its preponderance as a given.
    • There is much to be done in realizing the full potential of the “Indo-Abrahamic Accords”.

     

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  • What is International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL)?

    The Tamil Nadu police have issued an alert on the possibility of an attack on fishermen crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) for fishing in Sri Lankan waters.

    About International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL)

    • A maritime boundary is a conceptual division of the Earth’s water surface areas using physiographic or geopolitical criteria.
    • As such, it usually bounds areas of exclusive national rights over mineral and biological resources, encompassing maritime features, limits and zones.
    • Generally, a maritime boundary is delineated at a particular distance from a jurisdiction’s coastline.
    • Although in some countries the term maritime boundary represents borders of a maritime nation that are recognized by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
    • The terminology does not encompass lake or river boundaries, which are considered within the context of land boundaries.

    The delineation of maritime boundaries has strategic, economic, and environmental implications.

    Classification

    Maritime spaces can be divided into the following groups based on their legal status:

    1. Under the sovereignty and authority (exercising power) of a coastal State: internal waters, territorial sea, and archipelagic waters,
    2. With mixed legal regime, which fall under both the jurisdiction of the coastal State and under the international law: contiguous zone, the continental shelf and the exclusive economic zone, and
    3. That can be used by all States (including land-locked ones) on an equal basis: high seas.

    Note: While many maritime spaces can be classified as belonging to the same group, this does not imply that they all have the same legal regime. International straits and canals have their own legal status as well.

    Zones

    The zones of maritime boundaries are expressed in concentric limits surrounding coastal and feature baselines.

    1. Inland waters—the zone inside the baseline.
    2. Territorial sea—the zone extending 12 nm. from the baseline
    3. Contiguous zone—the area extending 24 nm. from the baseline
    4. Exclusive Economic Zone—the area extending 200 nm from the baseline except when the space between two countries is less than 400 nm

    Back2Basics: India-Sri Lanka Fisherman Issue

    • There have been several alleged incidents of Sri Lankan Navy personnel firing on Indian fishermen fishing in the Palk Strait, where India and Sri Lanka are only separated by 12 nautical miles.
    • The issue started because of Indian fishermen having used mechanized trawlers, which deprived the Sri Lankan fishermen (including Tamils) of their catch and damaged their fishing boats.
    • The Sri Lankan government wants India to ban use of mechanized trawlers in the Palk Strait region, and negotiations on this subject are undergoing.
    • So far, no concrete agreement has been reached since India favours regulating these trawlers instead of banning them altogether.
    • It has been often a sensitive political issue in Tamil Nadu in the past decade.

    About Katchatheevu Island

    • Katchatheevu, an uninhibited off-shore island in the Palk Strait, is administered by Sri Lanka.
    • Though the island was jointly managed by India and Sri Lanka allowing the fishermen of both countries to dry their nets there, it was ceded to Sri Lanka in 1974.
    • Since then, Katchatheevu has remained an issue with some political parties in Tamil Nadu demanding that the island be returned to benefit the fishermen of India.

     

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  • Russia breaks diplomatic ties with NATO

    Russia has decided that it would halt the activities of its diplomatic mission to NATO after it expelled eight Russian diplomats in a row over spying.

    Why such move?

    • NATO had set up a prohibitive regime for Russian diplomats in Brussels by banning them from its headquarters building.
    • Relations between Moscow and the West have been strained for years, but the immediate impetus for the Russian move was a spy scandal.
    • Military tensions have also escalated in recent years, including last spring when Russian troops massed along Ukraine’s border (probably for invasion).

    Significance of the move

    • The decision will end a post-Cold War experiment, never very successful, in building trust between Russia and the Western alliance.
    • It was established decades ago to contain the Soviet Union, which officials in Moscow accused of later encroaching on former Soviet territory.

    About North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

    • NATO is a military alliance established by the North Atlantic Treaty (also called the Washington Treaty) of April 4, 1949.
    • It sought to create a counterweight to Soviet armies stationed in Central and Eastern Europe after World War II.
    • Its original members were Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
    • NATO has spread a web of partners, namely Egypt, Israel, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland and Finland.

    Why was it founded?

    Ans. Communist sweep in Europe post-WWII and rise of Soviet dominance

    • After World War II in 1945, Western Europe was economically exhausted and militarily weak, and newly powerful communist parties had arisen in France and Italy.
    • By contrast, the Soviet Union had emerged from the war with its armies dominating all the states of central and Eastern Europe.
    • By 1948 communists under Moscow’s sponsorship had consolidated their control of the governments of those countries and suppressed all non-communist political activity.
    • What became known as the Iron Curtain, a term popularized by Winston Churchill, had descended over central and Eastern Europe.

    Ideology of NATO

    • NATO ensures that the security of its European member countries is inseparably linked to that of its North American member countries.
    • It commits the Allies to democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law, as well as to the peaceful resolution of disputes.
    • It also provides a unique forum for dialogue and cooperation across the Atlantic.

    The Article 5

    • The heart of NATO is expressed in Article 5, in which the signatory members agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all.

    Why in news now?

    • The relationship between NATO and Russia is at its lowest point since the end of the Cold War.
    • The NATO (rather US) sees their aggressive actions, not least against Ukraine, but also the significant military buildup and violations of important arms control agreements.
    • NATO suspended practical cooperation with Russia in 2014 after it annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula.

     

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  • Species in news: Bengal Florican

    Environmentalists have recently written to the Assam government on the urgent need to prevent land-use changes at Kokilabari Seed Farm in the state to protect Bengal floricans and other species.

    Bengal Florican

    • The Bengal florican also called Bengal bustard, is a bustard species native to the Indian subcontinent, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
    • Fewer than 1,000 individuals were estimated to be alive as of 2017.
    • It has two disjunct populations, one in the Indian subcontinent, another in Southeast Asia.
    • The former occurs from Uttar Pradesh (India) through the Terai of Nepal to Assam (where it is called ulu mora) and Arunachal Pradesh in India, and historically to Bangladesh.
    • It has a very small, rapidly declining population largely as a result of the widespread loss of its grassland habitat.

    Conservation status

    • IUCN Red List Status: Critically Endangered
    • CITES: Appendix I
    • Wildlife Protection Act of India, 1972: Schedule I

  • [pib] Geospatial Energy Map of India

    The NITI Aayog has launched the Geospatial Energy Map of India.

    What is the GIS Energy Map?

    • NITI Aayog in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has developed a comprehensive Geographic Information System (GIS) Energy Map of India.
    • The GIS map provides a holistic picture of all energy resources of the country.
    • It enables visualization of energy installations such as conventional power plants, oil and gas wells, petroleum refineries, coal fields and coal blocks.
    • It also provides district-wise data on renewable energy power plants and renewable energy resource potential, etc through 27 thematic layers.

    Significance of the map

    • The map attempts to identify and locate all primary and secondary sources of energy and their transportation/transmission networks.
    • It is a unique effort aimed at integrating energy data scattered across multiple organizations and presenting it in a consolidated, visually appealing graphical manner.
    • It leverages the latest advancements in web-GIS technology and open-source software to make it interactive and user-friendly.

    Benefits offered

    • The map would provide a comprehensive view of energy production and distribution in a country.
    • It will be useful in planning and making investment decisions.
    • It will also aid in disaster management using available energy assets.
    • This may also help in resource and environmental conservation measures, inter-state coordination on infrastructure planning including different corridors of energy and road transport highways.

     

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