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  • (IAS 2021-22) Are you preparing in the right direction?| Let us optimize your preparation |Samanvaya: free 1-to-1 mentorship (get free Tikdams e-book)

    (IAS 2021-22) Are you preparing in the right direction?| Let us optimize your preparation |Samanvaya: free 1-to-1 mentorship (get free Tikdams e-book)

    Talk to senior mentors from Civilsdaily: Fill Samanvaya form for IAS 2021 and IAS 2022. We’ll call you within 24 hours for a detailed in-depth discussion.

    (Free Tikdam e-book and Civilsdaily’s IAS starter material will be emailed to you post form submission.)

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    How to prepare for upsc 2021? Strategy for upsc 2021? Answer writing for 2020 Abhishek Saraf rank 8 Civilsdaily
    Abhishek has benefited from Civilsdaily’s approach, so did 70+ candidates who cleared UPSC IAS 2019

    IAS exam, by design, is such that it should take just one attempt to clear it. Any further attempt, if you’re taking, should only be to improve your rank.

    More than 10.5 lakh applied, but only 796 are going to clear UPSC IAS 2020. It is going to be much more challenging in 2021 and 2022.

    Civilsdaily’s Hall of Fame.

    But why most of the aspirants can’t clear the exam, even after taking multiple attempts, covering the full syllabus, or taking tests?

    Last month we had a discussion with around 2500 students who were not able to clear prelims even after more than 2 attempts. Many were stuck on mains.

    Lack of direction, no guidance, inability to make required necessary changes in their preparation, and an absence of a well-defined strategy were issues common to all. (What issues are you facing? tell us)

    CLICK HERE FOR A FREE 1-ON-1 MENTORSHIP SESSION: Samanvaya

    UPSC IAS preparation is not just about memorizing and information gathering.

    Did you have a look at Prelims 2020 paper? In many ways, it has highlighted the changing nature of UPSC, and to be successful you need to adapt to the expectations of UPSC and adopt a new approach.

    For 2021 aspirants, your preparation should be highly outcome-oriented (enabling you to fetch more marks). Every action of yours must be very objectively defined, every step as a part of your strategy. Whatever you are learning must be utilizable in the exam (both pre and mains). Your preparation should have an element of measurability.

    Moreover, you need to balance both Prelims and Mains on one hand and current-static-optional on the other. Fill Samanvaya form to know how it should be done.

    It’s about how ‘you’ should be doing it instead of how someone else did it. That is the ‘elephant in the room’.

    All this stands true for 2022 aspirants as well. This is the right time to start preparation.

    Fill Samanvaya form given at the bottom of this post.

    Broadly, six factors determine your success in cracking this prestigious IAS exam and the most important being understanding the expectations of UPSC and according to that planning and strategizing; other being, Learning – Knowledge and information; Analyzing – making linkages, connections, etc.; Executing and utilizing information; and Constant course correction – because mistakes are inevitable, need to rectify them asap.

    These are the areas where most of the aspirants fail to create a balance. Where are you facing an issue?

    Integrate them in your preparation. We’ll tell you how to do it

    To address the problems in your preparation, guidance and mentorship are the first steps. And here comes our three tiered mentorship.

    CLICK HERE FOR A FREE 1-ON-1 MENTORSHIP SESSION: Samanvaya

    Our 3 tier mentoring:

    1. First step starts with this Samanvaya call: Once you fill in the form, our senior mentors will have a 1-to-1 detailed discussion (on-call) with you to understand your prep level, working/ study constraints, current strategies, and create a step by step plan for next week, next month and so on.

    2. You are given access to our invite-only chat platform, Habitat where you can connect with mentors, ask your daily doubts, discuss your test-prep questions and have real-time live sessions on news and op-eds, and find your optional groups.

    How to prepare for upsc 2021? Strategy for upsc 2021? Answer writing for 2020
    Daily target monitoring.

    3. The third and the most personalized tier is the dedicated 1 on 1 mentor allotment who stays with you through the course of your UPSC preparation – always-on chat and on scheduled calls to help you assess, evaluate, and chart the next milestone of your IAS 2021/2022 journey.

    Daily target monitoring on Habitat
    Samanvaya: CLICK HERE FOR A FREE 1-ON-1 MENTORSHIP SESSION

    Who are you?

    1. Working Junta? If you are preparing for IAS 2021/2022 and working simultaneously, we can help you strategize and decipher the IAS exam and design a timetable that fits right in your hectic schedule.
    2. First-time prep? If you are in the last year of college or thinking of dropping a year and preparing for IAS 2021/2022 full time, we’ll help you pick the right books and craft a practical & personal strategy.
    3. Have appeared before? and weren’t successful. We’ll help you identify your mistakes, rectify them for the necessary course correction. Let this be your final and successful attempt.

    You just have to take 5 minutes out and fill this form: Samanvaya For IAS 2021/2022

    Talk to senior mentors from Civilsdaily: Fill Samanvaya form for IAS 2021 and IAS 2022. Once done, we will call you within 24 hours or so.

    Fill up the following details in Samanvaya form given below to schedule a free one-on-one mentorship session with senior mentors from Civilsdaily. We’ll call you within 24 hours.
    Samanvaya: click here for a free 1-on-1 mentorship session

  • Lessons from past for the new financial institutions

    The article explains the factors that resulted in the failure of several financial institutions created by the government.

    Establishment of Development Finance Institution

    • As promised in the Budget, the Lok Sabha recently passed The National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NBFID) Bill, 2021.
    • The Bill seeks to establish a development finance institution (DFI) to fund infrastructure.

    Providing finance to NBFID

    • The government will initially own 100% of the proposed NBFID’s ₹20,000-crore share capital.
    • The government’s stake will be reduced later to 26%.
    • The government will also support NBFID in raising cheap, long-term finance.
    • Apart from the initial share capital, the government will also provide a ₹5,000-crore grant at the end of its first financial year, presumably to defray initial costs.
    • The government has also committed to guarantee NBFID’s borrowings and bond issuances in the domestic and overseas markets.
    • In addition, the government will underwrite NBFID’s foreign exchange hedging costs.

    Concerns and lessons from the past

    • Studying the performance of IL&FS Ltd and IDFC Ltd, two infrastructure financing institutions, set up in the public sector, will be instructive.
    • IL&FS had borrowed short-term loans to finance long-term infrastructure assets.
    • Sustaining this became difficult when a slowing economy and political interference forced infrastructure borrowers to stop repaying loans.
    • Also, it had grown unwieldy, was mismanaged, and escaped scrutiny for too long by handing out plum postings to select bureaucrats.
    • Similarly, 1996 budget speech announced the setting up of IDFC to address the lack of long-term infrastructure financing.
    • In 2004, interference by the bureaucrats to tackle slow growth of loan led to the resignation of several senior executives in IDFC.
    • IDFC, created originally to finance infrastructure projects, has since then wound down its project finance book.
    • 2021-22 Budget speech also mentioned the creation of another institution that will acquire the banking sector’s stressed assets.
    • On the similar lines, Industrial Reconstruction Corporation of India was create in 1971.
    • Mandated with nursing sick and weak companies, it collapsed under this onerous burden.
    • The institution was eventually shut down in 2012.

    Consider the question “Examine the role the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development will play in the infrastructure development in the country. Also, examine the factors that led to the failure of development finance institutions in the past.”

    Conclusion

    The short lesson is this: Fix the distorted demand side before increasing supply. Any number of institutions can be launched, but cannot be expected to work miracles in a corroded system.

  • Couldn’t clear mains? Let us prepare to Smash Mains 2021: Batch 2 starting from 3rd April | Invite only program (only 50 seats)| Enroll here

    Couldn’t clear mains? Let us prepare to Smash Mains 2021: Batch 2 starting from 3rd April | Invite only program (only 50 seats)| Enroll here

    The 2nd Batch of Smash Mains Program will start from 3rd April. This is an invite-only program and has a success rate of more than 80%. To enroll click here.

    How Smash Mains 2021 will progress?

    Dear Students,

    The mains results are out and congratulation to those who made it to the next level. It is also a time for introspection and reflection for those who worked so hard and weren’t able to make it.

    We understand what it feels like to get so close to clearing the exam but eventually not making it. The feeling is dreadful. But don’t be shattered by failures, don’t let them slow you down. Team Civilsdaily will ensure that your LBSNAA dream is fulfilled.

    We are announcing the start of the second batch of Smash Mains 2021. Sajal sir has explained it in the video below. More details are given below.

    Read more reviews here

    https://youtu.be/zoPP12S4dIk

    The result of Smash Mains 2020 has been exceptional. Out of 50 students enrolled in the first batch. 40 Gave the Mains exam and out of them, 32 qualified for the interview round. Thus the success rate of Smash mains 2020 was 80%. Thus the chances of getting through the mains stage increase by 4 times for students enrolled in Smash Mains Program.

    About Smash Mains 2021

    Smash mains is a highly personalized and intensive handholding program for the crème-de-la-crème (veterans) amongst UPSC aspirants (the intake is 50 students).

    Note: The Entry Restricted to those who have given mains in the past 2 years and have failed to score high marks.

    It’s a three-phased program under personalized guidance by Sajal sir. The focus is on identifying and highlighting the issues with your preparation (information / analysis / utilization). According to your strength and weaknesses, a tailor-made strategy is developed. And it is worked on under Sajal sir’s strict monitoring, aiming for incremental improvements every day, after every session with Sajal sir.

    Sajal sir’s marks in UPSC 2017 GS Mains paper were:

    • GS Paper 1 – 132
    • GS Paper 2 – 125
    • GS Paper 3 – 130

    Program inclusion:

    1. One-to-One mentorship by Sajal sir.
    2. Mains Test Series – 4 sectional and 12 FLTs
    3. Samachar Manthan – For holistic and comprehensive coverage of Current Affairs (without answer writing)
    4. Decimate Prelims Crash Course
    5. Prelims Full-Length Tests – To prepare you for prelims (8 FLTs and 10 Current affairs)
    6. Exclusive membership to Smash Mains group in Civilsdaily’s Habitat.

    The fact that you have been missing the cut-off with a small margin (repeatedly) tells that there are some fundamental issues with your approach. The answers to which you might or might not have. For bringing the change you have to work upon its execution as well. (Realization is not enough). And bringing that to fruition is not possible in isolation. Now onwards, it should be a guided process under a meticulously designed plan.

    It is all about redesigning the machinery which is unable to convert your knowledge and analysis into marks in Mains. And you know it – Fewer marks in mains, very low chances of seeing your name in the final list.

    What makes Smash Mains unique?

    Individual attention and approachability are the USPs of this program.

    Not putting Penguins among the Fowls – You already know how to write an average answer (you’re missing it by a few marks actually). You want to know how to increase your score from 90 to 110-115. The approach followed by other institutes in their Test series is the same for a veteran and a complete newbie and here lies the problem. Without personalized one-to-one interaction with someone like Sajal sir (who has scored these awesome marks), it will be difficult for you to rectify these minute yet very important shortcomings.

    Evaluation is a strength of this program and we put it on a high priority. Sajal sir himself is involved in the process, unlike other institutes where evaluation is outsourced to those who themselves might not have appeared for mains (It’s bizarre). It shouldn’t be based on ‘model answers’ as there are 3-4 ways of approaching an answer. Only a seasoned player will be able to go beyond these model answers and be able to appreciate your approach (If it’s innovative) even if it differs from the model answers provided.

    Test copies get checked in a time-bound manner. The questions, answers and material provided are of the highest quality.

    Always on time and insightful discussions end with a reality check and motivation to perform better in the next test.

    Emphasis on execution and utilization of knowledge – Mains is not only about knowledge but the way you express the relevant knowledge in the most optimum manner.

    Sajal sir’s interventions are highly specific and not generalized. Sitting right in front of you he walks you through each and every question. Always there, he will not let you lose your focus.

    We deliver what we promise.

    Progression of Smash Mains 2021:

    Phase 1: April

    Identifying the fundamental flaws in your Answers. Working on them with Sajal sir.

    Phase 2: May-June

    Prelims- This is the first hurdle. Decimate Prelims course will be provided here. We’ll work on strategy and the way to attempt a prelims paper here. Detailed scrutiny of your prelims papers will be done via 1-1 personalized settings – Are you risk-averse or risk-taker, whether you are using (Tikdams), silly mistakes made, whether you are getting the factual questions wrong.

    Phase 3: July -Sept

    After Prelims- Mains Test series each followed by one-to-one detailed and in-depth interaction with Sajal sir. Final refinements are done in this phase. Value addition material, as well as pointers, will be provided here. We will work with you to ensure you have enough material for value addition. Our focus will be on providing tips that add the missing X factor to your answers.

    How to enroll in Smash Mains 2021?

    As it’s a limited intake program a sieving process has been put in place by us. Please do the following:

    1. Send your last Mains scorecard to sajal@civilsdaily.com .
    2. We’ll send you one Civilsdaily’s GS Mains test, write it, submit it. It’ll be followed by an evaluation and an on-call discussion with Sajal sir.
    3. Or send your already attempted and evaluated test copies (at least 2) to sajal@civilsdaily.com
    4. Call at 89299 87787

    What our students have to say about Smash Mains?

    Read this answer here. Other answers here

  • Suez Shows Civilization Is More Vulnerable Than We Think

    The recent closure of the Suez Canal highlights the inherent flaw in the global supply chains. Choking of one of the many such points leads to disruption in the global trade.

    Points of vulnerability

    • Suez Canal was blocked this week by a container ship named Ever Given when a gust of wind moved the ship out of the course and grounded it.
    • Egypt has expanded parts of the canal to enable two-way traffic and accommodate larger carriers.
    • The Ever Given ship went off course and got stuck in a part of the waterway that’s still narrow.
    • But it’s also a reminder that even an advanced civilization like ours has points of acute vulnerability. 

    Avoiding single points of failures

    • Systems designers strive to avoid these single points of failure, so that transport, energy and communication networks are able to withstand attacks or unexpected calamities.
    • Technological advances and globalization were also supposed to make us less susceptible to this type of problem.
    • The internet, for example, was conceived as a decentralized system that’s pretty difficult to break, as was Bitcoin.
    • But global infrastructure, defined broadly, still has a surprising number of pinch points.
    • These can be difficult to remedy, as creating back-up options is expensive and counteracts economies of scale.
    • In some cases, the problem is even getting worse:
    • Industries are becoming more concentrated due to corporate takeovers.
    • Big chunks of our lives are now mediated by a just handful of technology companies.
    • The governments are now more cognizant of the political and economic power held by those who control choke points.

    How canal can disrupt the global trade

    • The Panama Canal, the Suez Canal and the Strait of Hormuz are places where container ships and oil tankers are forced to navigate narrow passages.
    • The alternative is a long detour or more expensive air freight.
    • For decades these waterways have been recognized as areas of huge strategic importance and as being susceptible to military or terror attacks.
    • Various back-up routes have been mooted but most haven’t materialized.

    Vulnerabilities in economic sphere

    • In seeking to rid itself of one pinch point — pipelines that traverse Ukraine provides gas to Europ — Germany has created another: the twin Nord Stream gas pipelines that connect Russia and Germany under the Baltic Sea.
    • The U.S. worries these will weaken eastern Europe and increase Germany’s dependence on Russia.
    • In the realm of finance, trillions of dollars of financial instruments are tied to the London interbank offered rate.
    • This rate was easy to manipulate until they were exposed in the years following the 2008 financial crisis.
    • Libor is now being replaced.
    • Similarly, Europe has long relied on the Swift payments system and the U.S. dollar, but that dependence came into question in 2018 as it disagreed with the U.S. over Iran sanctions.
    • In technology, people have warned for years that the U.S. needs a back-up for the Global Positioning System.
    • The system can be spoofed or otherwise disrupted.
    • Semiconductors are where the clearest pinch points are emerging.
    • A global computer chip shortage during Covid has forced auto manufacturers to tear up production plans.
    • Very few companies are able to produce the most advanced chips, due to the technical challenges and vast cost of constructing foundries.
    • The most important of these, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., is based on an island that’s under constant threat of invasion by Beijing.
    • ASML Holding NV of the Netherlands has a monopoly on the machines needed to fabricate the best chips.
    • Now China’s inability to buy the most cutting edge gear from ASML is holding back its own semiconductor ambitions.

    Way forward

    • None of these choke-point problems are easy to resolve.
    • Not only are there geopolitical ambitions at work here but there are also usually trade-offs between building greater resilience and efficiency.
    • But because redundancy offers protection and is therefore a public good, there’s an argument that governments should play a role in providing it.
    • Antitrust polies can be used to challenge monopolies and foster more competition.

    Consider the question “What are the threat emanating from the various forms of choke points to the global trade? Suggest the ways to deal with it.”

    Conclusion

    Having a back-up is a good idea. We learn that when the roof falls in, or when a ship called the Ever Given snarls up the Suez Canal.

  • Need for technological solutions to use water for agriculture more sustainably

    The article examine the use of water for sugarcane and rice cultivation in India and its impact. 

    Water availability and usage in India

    • As per the Central Water Commission’s reassessment of water availability, India receives a mean annual precipitation of about 3,880 billion cubic meters (BCM) but utilises only 699 BCM (18 percent) of this; the rest is lost to evaporation and other factors.
    • The demand for water is likely to be 843 BCM in 2025 and 1,180 BCM by 2050.
    • As per the UN’s report on Sustainable Development Goal-6 (SDG-6) on “Clean water and sanitation for all by 2030”, India achieved only 56.6 per cent of the target by 2019.
    • Further, as per the Niti Aayog’s Composite Water Management Index (2019), 75 per cent households in India do not have access to drinking water on their premises.
    • India ranks 120th amongst 122 countries in the water quality index.
    • India is identified as a water-stressed country with its per capita water availability declining from 5,178 cubic metre (m3)/year in 1951 to 1,544 m3 in 2011 — this is likely to go down further to 1,140 cubic metre by 2050.

    How free or highly subsidised electricity skews water use pattern

    • Despite decades of large public and private investments in irrigation, only about half of India’s gross cropped area:198 million hectares is irrigated.
    • Groundwater contributes about 64 per cent, canals 23 per cent, tanks 2 per cent and other sources 11 per cent to irrigation.
    • This results primarily from incentive policy of free or highly subsidised power, particularly in the country’s north-west, the site of the erstwhile Green Revolution.
    • Overexploitation of groundwater has made this region amongst the three highest water risk hotspots.
    • Overall, about 1,592 blocks in 256 districts in India are either critical or overexploited.

    Need to focus on rice and sugarcane

    • Agriculture uses about 78 per cent of fresh water resources.
    • As per a NABARD-ICRIER study on Water Productivity Mapping, these crops alone consume almost 60 per cent of India’s irrigation water.
    • We need a paradigm shift to increase land productivity measured as tonnes per hectare (t/ha), and to maximise applied irrigation productivity measured as kilogrammes, or Rs, per cubic metre of water (kg/m3).
    • Figure 1 shows applied irrigation water productivity against land productivity for rice and sugarcane in important growing states.
    • Note that while Punjab scores high on land productivity of rice, it is at the bottom with respect to applied irrigation water productivity.
    • In the case of sugarcane, irrigation water productivity in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu is only 1/3rd of that in Bihar and UP (Figure 2).
    • There is, thus, a need to realign cropping patterns based on per unit of applied irrigation water productivity.

    Use of technology

    • There are technologies to produce the same output of rice and sugarcane with almost half the irrigation water.
    • Jain Irrigation, for instance, has set up drip irrigation pilots for paddy and sugarcane.
    • The results of these pilots indicate while it takes 3,065 litres of water to produce 1 kg of paddy grain (yield level 7.75 t/ha) under traditional flood irrigation, under drip, it can be reduced to just 842 litres.
    • The benefit cost ratio of drip with fertigation in case of sugarcane in Karnataka is observed to be 2.64.
    • An extension to this is the “Family Drip System” innovated by Israel-based — Netafim.
    • The company has also launched its largest demonstration project in Asia at Ramthal, Karnataka.
    • Technologies like Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) and System of Rice Intensification (SRI) can also save 25-30 per cent of water compared to traditional flood irrigation.

    Need for right pricing policies

    • Technological solutions cannot make much headway unless pricing policies of agri-inputs are put on the right track and farmers are incentivised for saving water.
    • The Punjab government, along with the World Bank and J-PAL, has started some pilots with an innovative policy of “Paani Bachao Paise Kamao” to encourage rational use of water among farmers.

    Consider the question “Examine the impact of rice and sugarcane cultivation on the groundwater table in India. How technological solutions can help use water more sustainably for agriculture?”

    Conclusion

    Overall, it seems it is time to switch from the highly subsidised price policy of water/power (and even fertilisers) to direct income support on a per hectare basis, and investment policies that help with newer technologies and innovations.

  • The Afghan Endgame and the US

    As the May 1 deadline for pulling out all American troops from Afghanistan nears, US President Joe Biden faces some difficult decisions.

    Key tasks for the US before they exit

    • The U.S. could abide by the promise made in the U.S.-Taliban agreement signed in February 2020 to withdraw the last of the around 2,500 American Marines stationed in Afghanistan.
    • However, Mr Biden has said it would be tough given the levels of violence there.
    • The US could negotiate with the Taliban for an extension of the agreement, offering other incentives like the release of more prisoners and the delisting of sanctioned Taliban terrorists.
    • The other option is to scrap the 2020 agreement and back the Ashraf Ghani government to continue towards a negotiated settlement, even as US troops remain in Afghanistan to stabilize the security situation.

    What is the US likely to do?

    • The US exit plan is still underway and that no decision on the length of stay or troop numbers have been made to this point, cleared the US Secy of Defence.
    • No U.S. troops have been targeted by Taliban militants in the past year, but violence against Afghan civilians, particularly women, journalists, students and activists has gone up manifold despite the peace agreement.
    • More than 3,000 civilians were killed in 2020.
    • The US has shown some impatience with the Ghani government as well, believing that it is dragging its feet on intra-Afghan negotiations that began last year in Doha but have stalled for the moment.

    Plans for Ashraf Ghani

    • A US plan proposes that Mr Ghani step up negotiations with the Taliban for “power-sharing”, discuss principles of future governance and step aside eventually for a “more inclusive” or interim government. The
    • The tone of the letter seems to make it clear that the US is not in favour of completely scrapping the 2020 agreement.
    • Therefore, it is most likely to pursue the option of negotiating for an extension of the agreement, according to experts, as it builds other dialogue platforms.

    Try this question from our AWE Initiative:

    What is President Ghani’s plan?

    • Ghani has proposed his own peace plan.
    • It would involve a full ceasefire, inviting the Taliban to participate in early elections in Afghanistan, and then for Mr Ghani to hand over power to the elected government.
    • He also said no regional talks could be successful if they did not include India, which is a development partner and a stakeholder.

    Where does India stand?

    • India’s position has been to back an “Afghan-owned, Afghan-led, Afghan-controlled” peace process, backing the elected government in Kabul, and it has not yet held talks with the Taliban directly.
    • As a result, its option remains to stand with the Ghani government and support the constitution that guarantees a democratic process and rights of women and minorities, over any plans the Taliban might have if they come to power.
    • At the same time, India has not foreclosed on the option of talking to the Taliban if it does join the government in Afghanistan.
    • India too has made it clear that it seeks to be an integral part of the process, as the outcomes will have a deep impact on India’s security matrix as well.

  • Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN) Scheme

    The Centre plans to roll out the Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN) Scheme.

    ULPIN Scheme

    • The ULPIN scheme has been launched in ten States this year and will be rolled out across the country by March 2022, the Department of Land Resources told the Standing Committee on Rural Development.
    • It would allot a 14-digit identification number to every plot of land in the country within a year’s time.
    • It will subsequently integrate its land records database with revenue court records and bank records, as well as Aadhaar numbers on a voluntary basis.
    • The scheme will enhance the service deliveries to the citizen of the country and will also function as inputs to the schemes of the other sectors like Agriculture, Finance Disaster Management etc.

    “Aadhaar number” for Land

    • Officials described it as “the Aadhaar for land”, a number that would uniquely identify every surveyed parcel of land and prevent land fraud, especially in the hinterlands of rural India, where land records are outdated and often disputed.
    • The identification will be based on the longitude and latitude coordinates of the land parcel and is dependent on detailed surveys and geo-referenced cadastral maps, according to a presentation the Department made to States in September 2020.
    • This is the next step in the Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP), which began in 2008 and has been extended several times as its scope grew.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Consider the following statements:

    1. Aadhaar card can be used as proof of citizenship or domicile.
    2. Once issued, the Aadhaar number cannot be deactivated or omitted by the Issuing Authority.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 only

    (c) Both 1 and 2

    (d) Neither 1 nor 2

    A cost-effective approach

    • Linking Aadhaar with land records through ULPIN would cost ₹3 per record while seeding and authentication of landowner Aadhaar data would cost ₹5 each.
    • It added that the integration of the Aadhaar numbers with the land record database would be done on a voluntary basis.

  • Election Commission’s new rule for polling agents

    The Election Commission’s recent decision to change the rules for appointing polling agents has sparked off a debate in West Bengal.

    Who is a Polling Agent?

    • A polling agent is a person appointed as a representative of a political party as it is not possible for a candidate to be physically present at every polling booth on the day of the elections.
    • Therefore, the Election Commission allows a candidate to appoint a polling agent who keeps an eye on the voting process.

    What is his/her role?

    • As per the EC’s rules, a polling agent should be familiar with the rules and procedures to conduct elections using EVMs and VVPATs, and with the working of these machines.
    • Towards this end, a polling agent attends the demonstrations arranged by the Returning Officer, where the functioning and operation of these machines are explained.

    How were they appointed earlier?

    • As per the earlier practice, polling agents had to be voters of the same polling stations or at least the neighbouring polling stations of the booth where she has been posted at.

    Try this PYQ from CSP 2017:

    Q.Consider the following statements:

    1. The Election Commission of India is a five member body.
    2. Union Ministry of Home Affairs decides the election schedule for the conduct of both general elections and bye-elections.
    3. Election Commission resolves the disputes relating to splits/mergers of recognized political parties.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    (a) 1 and 2 only

    (b) 2 only

    (c) 2 and 3 only

    (d) 3 only

    Answer: D

    What does the new rule say?

    • The ECI, revising the rule, has allowed a party to nominate a polling agent for any booth within the assembly segment where the person is an electorate of.
    • So, any voter from within an Assembly constituency can be a polling agent of any booth within that constituency.

    Issues with the rule

    • The political parties are opposing the change in rules, calling it “arbitrary, motivated and biased”.
    • They have also written to the Election Commission seeking withdrawal of the order.

    What is the EC’s stand?

    • The poll body has defended the change in a rule saying that the new norms have been formulated so that every political party gets to appoint polling agents.
    • It is difficult to convince people to sit at the booths amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

    Back2Basics: Election Commission of India (ECI)

    • ECI is an autonomous and permanent constitutional authority responsible for administering election processes in India at national and state level.
    • The body administers elections to the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies, State Legislative Councils and the offices of the President and Vice President of the country.
    • It operates under the authority of the Constitution per Article 324 and subsequently enacted the Representation of the People Act.
    • The commission has the powers under the Constitution, to act in an appropriate manner when the enacted laws make insufficient provisions to deal with a given situation in the conduct of an election.
    • Being a constitutional authority, Election Commission is amongst the few institutions which function with both autonomy and freedom, along with the country’s higher judiciary, the UPSC and the CAG.

  • Sabarmati Riverfront Development Project

    The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, in its draft budget for 2021-22, has set aside Rs 1050 crore for the Sabarmati River Front Development phase 2, work on which is to begin soon.

    Rs 1050 crore fund! See how rich even the Municipal Corporations in India are!

    Sabarmati Riverfront Development Project

    • The SRDP is an environmental improvement, social uplift and urban rejuvenation project that will renew Ahmedabad.
    • The project is being developed by the Sabarmati Riverfront Development Corporation Ltd. (SRFDCL), a company wholly owned by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation.
    • The project will reclaim approximately 200 hectares of land from the riverbed.
    • To reclaim the land, protect low lying developments from floods, and prevent erosion of the river banks, retaining walls have been built on both sides of the river.
    • Since Sabarmati is a seasonal river, water is channelled into the river from the Narmada canal, which intersects the river upstream from Ahmedabad and is retained in the river using the Vasna Barrage which is located downstream.

    Significance of the project

    • The reclaimed land will make Ahmadabad’s riverfront, a public asset.
    • The project will provide Ahmedabad with 11.5 km long pedestrian promenades at the water’s edge along both the banks of the river.
    • In addition, many new public facilities will be built on the reclaimed land: cultural centres, museums, sports facilities, trade fair grounds and open-air markets.
    • A small portion of the reclaimed land will be sold for private commercial and residential developments.
    • The project has won Prime Minister’s National Award for Excellence in Urban Planning and Design in the year of 2003.

    Also, revise the concept of Water Divide from your NCERTS or refer to this link: https://www.ncert.nic.in/ncerts/l/iess103.pdf

    Back2Basics: Sabarmati River

    • Sabarmati is one of the major west-flowing rivers in India. Being a rain-fed river it runs dry most of the year.
    • It originates in the Aravalli Range of the Udaipur District of Rajasthan and meets the Gulf of Khambhat of the Arabian Sea after travelling 371 km in a south-westerly direction across Rajasthan and Gujarat.
    • 48 km of the river length is in Rajasthan, while 323 km is in Gujarat.
    • There are several reservoirs on Sabarmati and its tributaries. The Dharoi dam is located on the main river. Hathmati dam, Harnav dam and Guhai dam are located on the tributaries.

  • What is the 2008 Lehman Crisis?

    The fire sale of about $20 billion of Archegos assets, comprising Chinese and US stocks, has sent jitters in the global financial markets, raising worries that the event could be a possible “Lehman moment”.

    What is the Lehman Crisis?

    • The bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers on September 15, 2008, was the climax of the subprime mortgage crisis.
    • After the financial services firm was notified of a pending credit downgrade due to its heavy position in subprime mortgages, the Federal Reserve summoned several banks to negotiate to finance for its reorganization.
    • These discussions failed, and Lehman filed a petition that remains the largest bankruptcy filing in US history, involving more than US$600 billion in assets.

    Note: The subprime mortgage crisis occurred when the real estate market collapsed and homeowners defaulted on their loans.

    What defines the moment?

    • It signalled a limit to the government’s ability to manage the crisis and prompted a general financial panic.
    • Money market mutual funds, a key source of credit, saw mass withdrawal demands to avoid losses, and the interbank lending market tightened, threatening banks with imminent failure.
    • The government and the Federal Reserve system responded with several emergency measures to contain the panic.

    Other terminologies:

    Margin Call

    • Typically, a margin call occurs when the value of an investor’s margin account falls below the broker’s required amount during a market correction or sell-off.
    • As the margin account contains securities bought with borrowed money, a margin call occurs when lenders demand that an investor deposit additional money or securities into the account so that it is brought up to the minimum value.
    • A margin call is usually an indicator that the securities held in the margin account have decreased in value.
    • When a margin call occurs, the investor must choose to either deposit more money in the account or sell some of the assets held in their account.
    • If the investor fails to pay up the margin amount, the lender will resort to the sale of assets lying in the investor’s account.

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