💥UPSC 2027,2028 Mentorship (April Batch) + Access XFactor Notes & Microthemes PDF
Talk to mentor

Civilsdaily

Login

Search results for: “”

  • excelreader

  • Streak Daily Compilation of Questions & Videos – Sep 24, 2021

    Maintaining consistency is one of the biggest issues faced by IAS Aspirants. Streak’s initiative is to help Aspirants in their day-to-day preparation. You can follow the monthly, weekly, and daily timetables and continue this streak until you find yourself on the final list.

    Please register for Streak Initiative (free) through this link:- https://www.civilsdaily.com/course/streak-daily-initiative/

    You will get following study material:-

    1. Questions (PDF).
    2. RSTV/Yojana monthly notes (PDF).
    3. Burning issue (PDF).
    4. Subject specific (PDF).
    5. Mentor’s phone call for support & encouragement.

    _____________________________________________

    Daily Study Plan with Answer Writing Challenge || STREAK FREE INITIATIVE FOR UPSC IAS – by Ravi Ranjan

    UPSC PRELIMS-2021 || Current Affairs Based Most Probable Questions on Geography – by Sukanya Rana

    Q1) Consider the following statements with respective to Arabian Sea Cyclones

    1. The cyclones originating in the Arabian Sea are weaker than those originating from the Bay of Bengal.
    2. The formation of weak cyclones in the Arabian Sea reasons back to the presence of cold water in the sea.

    Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
    a. 1 only
    b. 2 only
    c. Both 1 and 2
    d. Neither 1 nor 2

    Q2) Consider the following statements with respective to Black Carbon

    1. It is a short-lived pollutant that is the second-largest contributor to warming the planet behind carbon dioxide (CO2).
    2. It is quickly washed out and can be eliminated from the atmosphere if emissions stop.
    3. Black carbon (BC) deposits produced by human activity accelerate the pace of glacier and snow melt in the Himalayan region.

    Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
    a. 1 and 2 only
    b. 1 and 3 only
    c. 2 and 3 only
    d. 1, 2 and 3

    Q3) Which of the following statements is incorrect with respect to Favourable conditions for Heat Waves?

    a. Absence of moisture in the upper atmosphere
    b. Practically cloudless sky for maximum insulation
    c. Large amplitude anticyclonic flow over the area
    d. Closer Proximity to Coastal area

    Q4) Consider the following statements with respective to Great Barrier Reef

    1. It is the world‟s most extensive and spectacular coral reef ecosystem composed of over 900 islands.
    2. UNESCO has removed the Great Barrier Reef from the list of “endangered” World Heritage Sites.

    Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
    a. 1 only
    b. 2 only
    c. Both 1 and 2
    d. Neither 1 nor 2

  • Civilsdaily Hall of Fame 2020| 78 rankers in the final list and still counting!

    Civilsdaily Hall of Fame 2020| 78 rankers in the final list and still counting!

    Congratulations, YOU did it!

    We, at Civilsdaily, are extremely proud to announce the incredible success of our students who have made their dreams come true. Today, we celebrate the hard work, commitment, and dedication with which they prepared for this exam, and succeeded! They are the heroes of today and leaders of tomorrow, and we are extremely glad to have been a part of their journey.

    We are also happy to announce that 78 Civilsdaily students (and counting) are now rank holders in UPSC. Our success rate has increased by 77% from last year in terms of rank holders. Civilsdaily is proud to say that 25 of our students are in the top 100 ranks. And this is a phenomenal 25% increase in our success rate for the top 100 positions since last year.

    Watch out this space for interviews of our rankers

    And finally, we are extremely proud of our mentors whose tireless efforts helped our students become officers today. Their daily guidance, skilled mentorship, round-the-clock support, and dedication to work with the students day-in and day-out has led to this wonderful occasion where we celebrate the success of our students together!

    Here’s a list of our rankers!

    NameRank
    KARISHMANAIR14
    ARTHJAIN16
    SARTHAKAGRAWAL17
    PSRIJA20
    VAIBHAVRAWAT25
    DIVYAMISHRA28
    DIVYANSHUCHOUDHARY30
    ASWATHYJIJI41
    DIVYANSHUNIGAM44
    JUBIN MOHAPATRA46
    ABHISHEK SHUKLA50
    PRANAVVIJAYVERGIYA65
    APURVA TRIPATHI68
    LAXMAN TIWARI71
    RAVIKUMAR84
    RICKEY AGGARWAL87
    CHALLAPALLEYASWANTHKUMARREDDY93
    MAHAMUNIVINAYAKPRAKASHRAO95
    DIVYAAKHAURI101
    RISHABHKUMARREWAR104
    NISHA117
    BADDELICHANDRAKANTHREDDY120
    LAKSHAYKUMARCHOWDHURY132
    SUCHITERSHARMA146
    ADARSHKANTSHUKLA149
    SHREYSHASHANK151
    R AKESHKUMAR152
    MAYURIMUKHERJEE159
    ABHILASHASHARMA178
    NAMANKUMAR197
    NITISHASANJAYJAGTAP199
    KAJAL202
    SHANTANUKUMARJHA212
    NIRJAANISHSHAH213
    PRATIBHADAHIYA214
    KANKANALARAHULREDDY218
    DILPREETSINGH237
    SHOBHIKAPATHAK248
    ANIRUDHRGANGAVARAM252
    AJESHSINGHSENGAR254
    NITISHRAJORA268
    ARUNBALGOTRA280
    NIDHI286
    ABHISHEKSAINI327
    VISPUTESHRIKANTYASHVANT335
    ARPITRPARAKH342
    GOKULS357
    MHASKEANILRAMDAS361
    RICHARATHI365
    ADITYACHANDRABHANJIWANE399
    DIVYANSHSINGH425
    AMRITPALKAUR435
    RAVIKUMARMEENA438
    JADHAVSHUBHAMPANDURANG445
    RISHABH454
    TENZINSEMKYIOGEN458
    DEEPANSHUGEED490
    SURAPATIPRASANTHKUMAR498
    PRAKHARPANDEY507
    RIYASINGH510
    ARJITMAHAJAN521
    KISHLAYKUSHWAHA526
    R ATANJANA548
    VIKASHKUMAR582
    KOTEANILKUMAR584
    PALWEVIKASBALASAHEB587
    MOHAMEDRISWIN589
    SWATHIKARP593
    DAMINIDIWAKAR594
    AMANPRAKASHMEENA596
    CHINTHNIDHI K599
    RAVINDRA KUMAR MEENA628
    KUNAL UTTAM SHROTE640
    KAMAL SHARMA659
    R PRABHU689
    ARYENDRA PAL SINGH690
    NELLI HARIKA700
    SHIVANSU KUMAR723
    MADKE PIYUSH SUDHAKAR732

    We wish our successful students all the very best in their journey ahead while our mentors gear up to help the next batch of aspirants succeed with the same focused guidance that brought us this success!

    Cheers!

    Speak with our mentors now and start your own journey to success like our toppers! (click here)

  • Disease surveillance system

    Context

    A well-functioning system can reduce the impact of diseases and outbreaks.

    Importance of disease surveillance system

    • Successful tackling of cholera in 1854 in London by use of the health statistics and death registration data from the General Registrar Office (GRO) started the beginning of a new era in epidemiology.
    • Importance of data: The application of principles of epidemiology is possible through systematic collection and timely analysis, and dissemination of data on the diseases.
    • This is to initiate action to either prevent or stop further spread, a process termed as disease surveillance.
    • Subsequently, the high-income countries invested in disease surveillance systems but low- and middle-income countries used limited resources for medical care.
    • Then, in the second half of the Twentieth century, as part of the global efforts for smallpox eradication and then to tackle many emerging and re-emerging diseases, many countries recognised the importance and started to invest in and strengthen the diseases surveillance system.
    • These efforts received a further boost with the emergence of Avian flu in 1997 and the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2002-04.

    Surveillance in India

    • The Government of India launched the National Surveillance Programme for Communicable Diseases in 1997.
    • However, this initiative remained rudimentary.
    • In wake of the SARS outbreak, in 2004, India launched the Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP).
    • The focus under the IDSP was to increase government funding for disease surveillance, strengthen laboratory capacity, train the health workforce and have at least one trained epidemiologist in every district of India.

    Issues with surveillance: Interstate variation

    • Variation among states: The disease surveillance system and health data recording and reporting systems are key tools in epidemiology.
    • In the fourth round of serosurvey, Kerala and Maharashtra States could identify one in every six and 12 infections, respectively; while in States such as Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, only one in every 100 COVID-19 infections could be detected.
    • This points towards a weak disease surveillance system.
    • In a well-functioning disease surveillance system, an increase in cases of any illness would be identified very quickly.
    • While Kerala is picking the maximum COVID-19 cases; it could pick the first case of the Nipah virus in early September 2021. 
    • On the contrary, cases of dengue, malaria, leptospirosis and scrub typhus received attention only when more than three dozen deaths were reported and health facilities in multiple districts of Uttar Pradesh, began to be overwhelmed.

    Way forward

    • A review of the IDSP in 2015, conducted jointly by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Government of India and World Health Organization India had made a few concrete recommendations to strengthen disease surveillance systems.
    • These included increasing financial resource allocation, ensuring an adequate number of trained human resources, strengthening laboratories, and zoonosis, influenza and vaccine-preventable diseases surveillance.
    • Increase allocation: The government resources allocated to preventive and promotive health services and disease surveillance need to be increased by the Union and State governments.
    • Trained workforce: The workforce in the primary healthcare system in both rural and urban areas needs to be retrained in disease surveillance and public health actions.
    • The vacancies of surveillance staff at all levels need to be urgently filled in.
    • Capacity increase: The laboratory capacity for COVID-19 needs to be planned and repurposed to increase the ability to conduct testing for other public health challenges and infections.
    • The interconnectedness of human and animal health: The emerging outbreaks of zoonotic diseases, be it the Nipah virus in Kerala or avian flu in other States as well as scrub typhus in Uttar Pradesh, are a reminder of the interconnectedness of human and animal health.
    • The ‘One Health’ approach has to be promoted beyond policy discourses and made functional on the ground.
    • Strengthening registration system: There has to be a dedicated focus on strengthening the civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) systems and medical certification of cause of death (MCCD).
    • Coordination: It is also time to ensure coordinated actions between the State government and municipal corporation to develop joint action plans and assume responsibility for public health and disease surveillance.
    • The allocation made by the 15th Finance Commission to corporations for health should be used to activate this process.

    Consider the question “Examine the measure for disease surveillance in India? How it can help reduce the impact of the diseases?”

    Conclusion

    We cannot prevent every single outbreak but with a well-functioning disease surveillance system and with the application of principles of epidemiology, we can reduce their impact.

    UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

  • Learn the intricacies of Modern History with Asif sir, a serving officer | Free webinar for UPSC aspirants

    Learn the intricacies of Modern History with Asif sir, a serving officer | Free webinar for UPSC aspirants

    Dear aspirants,

    Almost every year UPSC is consistently asking for quite a significant number of questions from Modern History – Preliminary and Main Exam. Modern History is a very complicated subject and there is a lot of confusion as to how this subject is to be prepared. This Webinar has very clear objectives to streamline your preparation in this subject if you have just started it and to give you the direction if you are going to start it now.

    Register here for the free webinar with Asif sir

    It is extremely important to cover modern history as more than 17 questions can come from this subject.

    Webinar offers:

    The contour of the syllabus: Which sections of the syllabus need to be read intensively and which part requires summary reading.

    Source: It includes what to read and in what sequencing as without that one may continue reading history without any significant increment in the output.

    Process Orientation: Methodology to study for prelims and what kind of approach is required for mains.

    Answer Writing: Outlining the importance and approach of answer writing, especially in the mains. 

    The webinar will also have a Q&A session for specific queries.

    register here for free webinar with asif sir

    This live webinar is going to be one of the best ways to start or rejuvenate your preparation in this subject. 

    Overall this is the first step to rationalize your preparation and maximize the probability of cracking UPSC CSE.

    The webinar is absolutely free. 

    Date: 26/9/2021 (Sunday)

    Time: 7 P.M.

    register here for free webinar with asif sir

    About the mentor:

    Asif sir is a serving officer and cleared the UP PSC exam.

  • How Civilsdaily Mentorship helped UPSC 2020 AIR 159 Mayuri Mukharjee || Unherd Shorts | Civilsdaily Mentorship Program: Toppers Testimonials (Link Inside)

    How Civilsdaily Mentorship helped UPSC 2020 AIR 159 Mayuri Mukharjee || Unherd Shorts | Civilsdaily Mentorship Program: Toppers Testimonials (Link Inside)

    Talk to Mayuri’s UPSC Mentors:- https://bit.ly/3wntYCM

    Check out Mayuri’s excerpt on how he cleared UPSC 2020

    Mayuri Mukherjee hails from West Bengal. UPSC examination was not something that she had played on giving from an early age. In fact, it came as a Plan B to her.

    Her story tells us about her struggle with 2 failed prelims and how aright attitude kept her sane. Covid era came as a blessing in disguise for her as she got time to prepare better.

    Preparing for UPSC with Ph.D. can be difficult and like every working professional, time constraints were her biggest problem. Yet she kept her sources limited and focused on the maximin approach.

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

    Heartiest congratulations to Mayuri Mukherjee
    AIR 159
    UPSC Civil Services 2020

  • A climate change narrative that India can steer

    A recent report by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) reveals that India has warmed up 0.7° C during 1901-2018.

    What was the report?

    Title: Assessment of Climate Change over the Indian Region (by MoES)

    (a) Climate severity

    • The 2010-2019 decade was the hottest with a mean temperature of 0.36° C higher than average.
    • Heatwaves continued to increase with no signs of diminishing greenhouse gas emissions despite lower activity since the novel coronavirus pandemic.
    • India may experience a 4.4° C rise by the end of this century.
    • Within 2050, rainfall is expected to rise by 6% and temperature by 1.6° C.
    • India’s Deccan plateau has seen eight out of 17 severe droughts since 1876 in the 21st century (2000-2003; 2015-2018).

    (b) Land degradation

    • To make things worse, India lost about 235 square kilometres to coastal erosion due to climate change-induced sea-level rise, land erosion and natural disasters such as tropical cyclones between 1990-2016.

    (c) Rising Internal Displacement

    • According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, India’s Internally Displaced Populations (IDPs) are rising due to damaging climate events.
    • Uttarakhand residents began deserting their homes after the Kedarnath floods in 2013 due to heavy precipitation that increases every year.
    • Recent figures are more alarming with 3.9 million displaced in 2020 alone, mostly due to Cyclone Amphan.

    India’s commitment to Climate Mitigation

    • India held the top 10 position for the second year in a row in 2020’s Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI).
    • The country received credit under all of the CCPI’s performance fields except renewable energy where India performed medium.
    • India vowed to work with COP21 by signing the Paris Agreement to limit global warming and submitted the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
    • It set a goal of reducing emissions intensity of GDP by 33%-35% and increasing green energy resources (non-fossil-oil based) to 40% of installed electric power capacity by 2030.
    • India cofounded with France at COP21, in 2015, the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

    Core concern

    (a) Good policies, weak practices

    • The question is, are these global alliances and world-leading policies being practised or are merely big promises with little implementation?
    • Despite leading ISA, India performed the least in renewable energy according to the CCPI’s performance of India.

    (b) Low compliance

    • India is not fully compliant with the Paris Agreement’s long-term temperature goal of the NDCs and there are still risks of falling short of the 2° C goal.
    • According to India’s carbon emission trajectory, the country is en route to achieve barely half of the pledged carbon sink by 2030.
    • To achieve the Paris Agreement’s NDC target, India needs to produce 25 million-30 million hectares of forest cover by 2030 — a third of current Indian forestation and trees.
    • Going by the facts, it seems India has overpromised on policies and goals as it becomes difficult to deliver on the same.

    Why COP26 matters

    • The Glasgow COP26 offers India a great opportunity to reflect on the years since the Paris Agreement and update NDCs to successfully meet the set targets.
    • India is expected to be the most populated country by 2027, overtaking China, contributing significantly to the global climate through its consumption pattern.
    • India is in a rather unique position to have a significant influence on global climate impact in the new decade.

    Conclusion

    • India believes that climate actions must be nationally determined.
    • However, the Paris Agreement for developing countries should be at the core of decision-making.
    • India has the ability to improve its global positioning by leading a favourable climate goal aspiration for the world to follow.
    • The country has the opportunity to not only save itself from further climate disasters but also be a leader in the path to climate change prevention.

    Back2Basics: COP26, Glasgow

    • The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, is the 26th United Nations Climate Change conference.
    • It is scheduled to be held in the city of Glasgow, Scotland between 31 October and 12 November 2021, under the presidency of the United Kingdom.
    • This conference is the first time that Parties are expected to commit to enhanced ambition since COP21.
    • Parties are required to carry out every five years, as outlined in the Paris Agreement, a process colloquially known as the ‘ratchet mechanism’.

    UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

  • Caste census of Backward Classes difficult: Centre

    The government has made it clear in the Supreme Court that a caste census of the Backward Classes is “administratively difficult and cumbersome”.

    About Socio-Economic and Caste Census

    • The SECC 2011 was conducted for the 2011 Census of India.
    • Then government approved the Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011 to be carried out after discussion in both houses of Parliament in 2010.
    • The SECC 2011 was conducted in all states and union territories of India and the first findings were revealed in July 2015.
    • SECC 2011 is also the first paperless census in India conducted on hand-held electronic devices by the government in 640 districts.
    • SECC 2011 was the first caste-based census since 1931 Census of India and it was launched on 29 June 2011 from the Sankhola village of Hazemara block in West Tripura district.

    Issues with SECC

    Ans. Data NOT available

    • The SECC data is stored in the Office of the Registrar General and had not been made official.
    • It cannot be used as a source of information for population data in any official document.

    What did the Centre say?

    • The Centre reasoned that even when the census of castes were taken in the pre-Independence period, the data suffered in respect of “completeness and accuracy”.
    • It said the caste data enumerated in the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) of 2011 is “unusable” for official purposes as they are “replete with technical flaws”.
    • The infirmities of the SECC 2011 data makes it unusable for any official purposes and cannot be mentioned as a source of information for population data in any official document.
    • Besides, the Centre said, it was too late now to enumerate caste into the Census 2021.

    Why not OBCs?

    • Unlike the constitutional mandate for collection of census data on SCs and STs, there is no obligation to provide the census figures of OBCs.
    • The census data on SCs and STs are used for delimitation of electoral constituencies as well as for reservation of seats, as mandated under the Constitution.

    Reason: Official discouragement of Caste

    • The center was replying to a writ petition filed by the State of Maharashtra to gather Backward Classes’ caste data in the State while conducting Census 2021.
    • The Centre clarified that exclusion of information regarding any other caste — other than SCs and STs — from the purview of the census is a “conscious policy decision”.
    • The government said caste-wise enumeration in the Census was given up as a matter of policy from 1951.
    • It said there was a policy of “official discouragement of caste”.

    What is the plea about?

    • To Maharashtra’s plea to reveal the SECC 2011 “raw caste data” of Other Backward Classes (OBC), the Centre said the 2011 Census was not an “OBC survey”.
    • It was, on the other hand, a comprehensive exercise to enumerate the caste status of all households in the country in order to use their socio-economic data to identify poor households.

    Why is the Centre reluctant?

    • The Centre explained that a population census was not the “ideal instrument” for the collection of details on caste.
    • There is a “grave danger” that the “basic integrity” of census data would be compromised.
    • Even the fundamental population count may get “distorted”.

    UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

  • Why Brazil always speaks first at the UN General Assembly

    Every year since the 10th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 1995, Brazil has been the first to address the delegation, followed by the United States.

    About UNGA

    • The UNGA is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN.
    • Its powers, composition, functions, and procedures are set out in Chapter IV of the United Nations Charter.
    • It also establishes numerous subsidiary organs to advance or assist in its broad mandate.
    • The UNGA is the only UN organ wherein all member states have equal representation.

    Why does Brazil always get to speak first?

    • Brazil has been the first speaker at the UNGA annual general debate for over six decades now.
    • While some assume that the order is determined alphabetically, this is not the case.
    • This tradition dates back to the early years of the United Nations, following its formation soon after the end of World War II.
    • In those days, most countries were reluctant to be the first to address the chamber.
    • Brazil, at the time, was the only country that volunteered to speak first.

    So, why does the US go next?

    • In the list of speakers, the United States always goes second after Brazil as it is the host nation.
    • US President Joe Biden addressed the chamber on Tuesday, detailing his vision for a new era of diplomacy in his first-ever UNGA speech.

    How is the order of the remaining speakers determined?

    • After the US and Brazil, the order of speakers depends on a number of factors.
    • Generally the order is determined by the rank of the representative — heads of state, heads of government, crown princes, and foreign ministers would be amongst the initial speakers, followed by deputies and ambassadors.
    • Other criteria like geographic balance also play a role in determining the order.

    UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

  • SC introduces FASTER system to send records

    The Supreme Court has given its nod for e-transfer of orders to jails through the FASTER system for quick prisoner release.

    What is the FASTER system?

    • FASTER is an acronym form Fast and Secured Transmission of Electronic Records.
    • The system is meant to ensure that undertrials are not made to wait for days on end behind bars to be released because the certified hard copies of their bail orders took time to reach the prison.
    • It is conceived for delivery of orders to concerned prisons, District Courts, High Courts, as the case may be, for instantaneous delivery of orders passed by apex court through a secure communication channel.
    • The process to develop the FASTER system began with the CJI’s observations in court on July 16 this year.

    Benefits offered

    • With FASTER, crucial decisions, including orders on bail and stay of arrest, can be communicated electronically to prison authorities and investigating agencies through a secure channel.
    • The system would also prevent unnecessary arrests and custody of people even after the court had already granted them its protection.
    • It may even communicate a stay on an execution ordered by the final court on time.

    UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

More posts