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  • After failing 4 times, how did Rohan Kadam clear UPSC 2021 with flying colours? | Role of tireless mentorship of Sajal Sir | Register to talk to Rohan’s Mentor

    Rohan Kadam Civilsdaily Samsh Mains (Sajal Sir’s) Mentorship Student
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    Rohan Kadam was one of the mentorship students under Sajal sir, Sukanya ma’am, and other CD mentors under the *Smash Mains program. After failing in the first 4 attempts, he realized that If you have to clear UPSC, only studying is not enough. It needs a Guru. He became an active member of Civilsdaily’s ‘Smash Mains’ & ‘Smash Ethics’ Programs. 

    In his interview, Rohan elaborated on 5 ways how he got massive help from CD Mentorship programs.

    • The collective effort of Sajal Sir & Sukanya Ma’am made him pick loopholes in his preparation.
    • Sajal Sir’s tireless mentorship helped him a lot. He even connected for 2 hrs over the phone. And this evaluation brought many micro-level success-oriented suggestions.
    • Those Model Answers shared in Smash Programs, are extremely needful to understand UPSC’s demand.
    • Other Toppers’ copies are shared so that anyone can enhance writing acumen.
    •  Resource consolidation on Mains’ Preparation.

    Rohan hails from Maharashtra and has been exceptional in his studies all through school and college. He is an economics graduate by education.

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    In a candid conversation with Siddhart sir, Rohan shared his journey, motivations, up and downs, lessons learned, and his secret of what kept him going. Listen to his story.

    Rohan has given us inspiration and we wish him all the best. He’s going to be an administrator of great integrity!

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  • Bail Law and Supreme Court call for Reform

    The Supreme Court underlined the pressing need for reform in the law related to bail and called on the government to consider framing a special legislation on the lines of the law in the United Kingdom.

    What is Bail?

    • Bail is the conditional release of a defendant with the promise to appear in court when required.
    • The term also means the security that is deposited in order to secure the release of the accused.

    Types of Bail in India

    • Depending upon the sage of the criminal matter, there are commonly three types of bail in India:
    1. Regular bail: A regular bail is generally granted to a person who has been arrested or is in police custody. A bail application can be filed for the regular bail under section 437 and 439 of CrPC.
    2. Interim bail: This type of bail is granted for a short period of time and it is granted before the hearing for the grant of regular bail or anticipatory bail.
    3. Anticipatory bail: Anticipatory bail is granted under section 438 of CrPC either by session court or High Court. An application for the grant of anticipatory bail can be filed by the person who discerns that he may be arrested by the police for a non-bailable offense.

    Conditions for Grant of Bail in Bailable Offences

    • Section 436 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, lays down that a person accused of a bailable offense under IPC can be granted bail if:
    1. There are sufficient reasons to believe that the accused has not committed the offence.
    2. There is sufficient reason to conduct a further inquiry in the matter.
    3. The person is not accused of any offence punishable with death, life imprisonment or imprisonment up to 10 years.

    Conditions for Grant of Bail in Non-Bailable Offences

    • Section 437 of Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 lays down that the accused does not have the right to apply for bail in non-bailable offences.
    • It is discretion of the court to grant bail in case of non-bailable offences if:
    1. The accused is a woman or a child, bail can be granted in a non-bailable offence.
    2. There is a lack of evidence then bail in non-Bailable offenses can be granted.
    3. There is a delay in lodging FIR by the complainant, bail may be granted.
    4. The accused is gravely sick.

    What is the recent ruling about?

    • The Supreme Court underlined that arrest is a draconian measure that needs to be used sparingly.
    • The ruling is essentially a reiteration of several crucial principles of criminal procedure.

    Why bail needs reform?

    • Huge pendency of undertrials: Referring to the state of jails in the country, where over two-thirds lodged are undertrials,
    • Indiscriminate arrests: Of this category of prisoners, majority may not even be required to be arrested despite registration of a cognizable offense, being charged with offenses punishable for seven years or less.
    • Disadvantageous for some sections: They are not only poor and illiterate but also would include women. Thus, there is a culture of offense being inherited by many of them.
    • Colonial legacy: Theoretically, the court also linked the idea of indiscriminate arrests to magistrates ignoring the rule of “bail, not jail” to a colonial mindset.

    What is the law on bail?

    • The CrPC does not define the word bail but only categories offences under the Indian Penal Code as ‘bailable’ and ‘non-bailable’.
    • The CrPC empowers magistrates to grant bail for bailable offences as a matter of right.
    • This would involve release on furnishing a bail bond, without or without security.

    And what is the UK law?

    • The Bail Act of the United Kingdom, 1976, prescribes the procedure for granting bail.
    • A key feature is that one of the aims of the legislation is “reducing the size of the inmate population”.
    • The law also has provisions for ensuring legal aid for defendants.
    • The Act recognises a “general right” to be granted bail.

    What has the Supreme Court held on reforms?

    The court’s ruling is in the form of guidelines, and it also draws the line on certain procedural issues for the police and judiciary:

    • Separate law on Bail: The court underlined that the CrPC, despite amendments since Independence, largely retains its original structure as drafted by a colonial power over its subjects.
    • Uniform exercise of discretionary powers: It also highlighted that magistrates do not necessarily
    • Avoid indiscriminate arrests: The SC also directed all state governments and Union Territories to facilitate standing orders to comply with the orders and avoid indiscriminate arrests.

     

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  • 13th July 2022 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions

    13th July 2022 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions

    [WpProQuiz 1059]

    [WpProQuiz_toplist 1059]

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  • Child labour in India

    The Centre does not have any data on child labour in the country and a reason for this is the drying up of budgetary provisions meant for the National Child Labour Project (NCLP).

    What is Child Labour?

    • The term “child labour” is often defined as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development.
    • It refers to work that:
    1. is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children; and/or
    2. interferes with their schooling by: depriving them of the opportunity to attend school; obliging them to leave school prematurely; or requiring them to attempt to combine school attendance with excessively long and heavy work.

    National Child Labour Project (NCLP)

    • The NCLP Scheme is a Central Sector Scheme under the Ministry of Labour.
    • Under this Scheme the District Project Societies (DPS) are set up at the district level under the Chairmanship of the Collector/District Magistrate to oversee the implementation of the project.
    • Under this Scheme, the children in the age group of 9-14 years are withdrawn from work and put into NCLP Special Training Centres.
    • They are provided with bridge education, vocational training, mid-day meal, stipend, health care etc. before being mainstreamed into formal education system.
    • The children in the age group of 5-8 years are directly linked to the formal education system through a close coordination with the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.
    • A dedicated online portal named PENCiL (Platform for Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour) is developed for better monitoring and implementation.

    Why in news now?

    • No ministry had any data regarding the status of child labour in our country.
    • The NCLP’s schools for child labourers work for three to four years and they have also more or less stopped functioning due to scarcity of funds.
    • Education Ministry also does not have a mechanism to find out the number of children engaged in child labour.

    Grave concerns of the issue

    • This is a serious situation.
    • It is for the first time that a parliamentary panel is engaged in a detailed examination of the national policy on child labour.
    • Though we have legislation, the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, since 1986 the menace of child labour is continue unchecked.

    Various provisions against Child Labour

    • Article 23 of the Indian Constitution states that any type of forced labour is prohibited.
    • Article 24 states that a child under 14 years cannot be employed to perform any hazardous work.
    • Article 39 states that “the health and strength of workers, men and women, and the tender age of children are not abused”.
    • The Child Labour Act (Prohibition and Regulation) 1986 prohibits children under the age of 14 years to be working in hazardous industries and processes.

     

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  • In news: National Emblem of India

    A day after the National Emblem cast on top of the under-construction Parliament unveiled, controversy has erupted over its aggressive posture.

    National Emblem of India

    • On 26 January 1950, a representation of the Lion Capital of Ashoka placed above the motto, Satyameva Jayate, was adopted as the State Emblem of India.
    • The emblem is an adaptation of the Lion Capital of Ashoka, an ancient sculpture dating back to 280 BCE during the reign of the Maurya Empire.
    • It was originally made of Chunar sandstone.
    • The statue is a three-dimensional emblem showing four lions.

    Features of the emblem

    • The actual Sarnath capital features four Asiatic lions standing back to back, symbolizing power, courage, confidence, and pride, mounted on a circular base.
    • At the bottom is a horse and a bull, and at its center is a Dharma chakra.
    • The abacus is girded with a frieze of sculptures in high relief of The Lion of the North,
    • The Horse of the West, The Bull of the South, and The Elephant of the East, separated by intervening wheels, over a lotus in full bloom, exemplify the fountainhead of life and creative inspiration.
    • Carved from a single block of sandstone, the polished capital is crowned by the Wheel of the Law.

    Historical significance

    • One of the Buddha’s names is ‘Shakya Simha’, meaning ‘Lion of the Shakyas’.
    • The Buddha’s first sermon at Sarnath was known as the ‘Simhanada’ (Lion roar) of the Buddha.

     

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  • James Webb Space Telescope

    NASA has unveiled images from the James Webb Space Telescope, the largest and most powerful orbital observatory ever launched.

    What is the image about?

    • NASA released a deep field photo of a distant galaxy cluster, SMACS 0723, revealing the most detailed glimpse of the early universe recorded to date.
    • The collection also included fresh images of another galaxy cluster known as Stephan’s Quintet, first discovered in 1877.

    James Webb Space Telescope

    • JWST is a joint NASA–ESA–CSA space telescope that is planned to succeed the Hubble Space Telescope as NASA’s flagship astrophysics mission
    • It is the most powerful space telescope ever built.
    • It will enable a broad range of investigations across the fields of astronomy and cosmology, including observing some of the most distant events and objects in the universe,
    • It would help understand events such as the formation of the first galaxies, and detailed atmospheric characterization of potentially habitable exoplanets.

    Its significance

    • Some have called JSWT the “telescope that ate astronomy.”
    • It is said to look back in time to the Dark Ages of the universe.

    What does the ‘Dark Ages’ of the universe mean?

    • Evidence shows that the universe started with an event called the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago, which left it in an ultra-hot, ultra-dense state.
    • The universe immediately began expanding and cooling after the Big Bang.
    • One second after the Big Bang, the universe was a hundred trillion miles across with an average temperature of an incredible 18 billion F (10 billion C).
    • Around 400,000 years after the Big Bang, the universe was 10 million light-years across and the temperature had cooled to 5,500 F (3,000 C).
    • Throughout this time, space was filled with a smooth soup of high-energy particles, radiation, hydrogen and helium.
    • There was no structure. As the expanding universe became bigger and colder, the soup thinned out and everything faded to black.

    This was the start of what astronomers call the Dark Ages of the universe.

    How will JWST study this?

    Ans. Looking for the first light

    • The Dark Ages ended when gravity formed the first stars and galaxies that eventually began to emit the first light.
    • Astronomers aim to study this fascinating and important era of the universe, but detecting first light is incredibly challenging.
    • Compared to massive, bright galaxies of today, the first objects were very small and due to the constant expansion of the universe, they’re now tens of billions of light years away from Earth.
    • Also, the earliest stars were surrounded by gas left over from their formation and this gas acted like fog that absorbed most of the light.
    • It took several hundred million years for radiation to blast away the fog. This early light is very faint by the time it gets to Earth.

     

     

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  • Species in news: Kannimara Teak

    The legendary Kannimara teak of the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve is still growing in height and girth.

    What is the news?

    • Over the last five years, the centuries-old teak has grown by 1.85 metres in height and 9 cm in girth.
    • This might be one of the largest and oldest teak tree in the world.

    Kannimara teak

    • Worshipped by the tribes of Parambikulam, the Kannimara teak remains a flagship of the tiger reserve offering a spectacular view to visitors.
    • For the tribespeople of Parambikulam, it is still a ‘virgin tree’.
    • That was why they named it Kannimara (meaning virgin tree).
    • The tribal legend has it that the tree had bled when people tried to cut it.
    • So they protected it and started worshipping the tree by offering annual pujas.
    • The Kannimara tree had won the Union government’s Mahavriksha Puraskar in its first year of introduction in 1994.

     

     

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  • [Sansad TV] Perspective: Online Gaming- Landscape & Regulation

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    Context

    • Last month, the government announced setting up of a committee to regulate online gaming and to identify a ministry to oversee it.
    • In this article, we will discuss about the growing landscape of the online gaming industry in India and the need for regulation.

    Why in news?

    • During the Budget session of Parliament, The Online Gaming (Regulation) Bill, 2022 was introduced in Lok Sabha a member from Kerala as a Private Member’s Bill.
    • The Bill sought to maintain integrity in online gaming and introduce a regulatory regime for online gaming.

    Online gaming sector in India

    • In the past few years, India’s nascent online gaming industry witnessed an unprecedented rise, catapulting it to the top five mobile gaming markets in the world.
    • Registering a growth rate of 38%, online gaming is the next sunrise industry.
    • Currently, there are more than 400 gaming companies in India, and it is home to 420 million online gamers, second only to China, according to an analysis by KPMG.

    Types of gaming

    • The types of online gaming include:
    1. E-sports (well-organized electronic sports which include professional players) ex. Chess
    2. Fantasy sports (choosing real-life sports players and winning points based on players’ performance) ex. MPL cricket
    3. Skill-based (mental skill) ex. Archery
    4. Gamble (based on random activity) ex. Playing Cards, Rummy

    Why is the gaming industry booming in India?

    1. Digital India boom in the gaming industry
    2. Narrowing of the digital divide
    3. IT boom

    Other factors promoting the boom

    1. Growing younger population
    2. Higher disposable income
    3. Inexpensive internet data
    4. Introduction of new gaming genres, and
    5. Increasing number of smartphone and tablet users

    Prospects of online gaming

    • State List Subject:  The state legislators are, vide Entry No. 34 of List II (State List) of the Seventh Schedule, given exclusive power to make laws relating to betting and gambling.
    • Distinction in laws: Most Indian states regulate gaming on the basis of a distinction in law between ‘games of skill’ and ‘games of chance’.
    • Classification on dominant element: As such, a ‘dominant element’ test is utilized to determine whether chance or skill is the dominating element in determining the result of the game.
    • Linked economic activity: Staking money or property on the outcome of a ‘game of chance’ is prohibited and subjects the guilty parties to criminal sanctions.
    • ‘Game of Skill’ debate: Placing any stakes on the outcome of a ‘game of skill’ is not illegal per se and may be permissible. It is important to note that the Supreme Court recognized that no game is purely a ‘game of skill’ and almost all games have an element of chance.

    Need for regulation

    • No comprehensive regulation:  India currently has no comprehensive legislation with regards to the legality of online gaming or boundaries that specify applicable tax rates within the betting and gambling industry.
    • Ambiguity of the sector: The gaming sector is nascent and is still evolving, and many states are bringing about legislation seeking to bring about some order in the online gaming sector.
    • State list subject: Online gaming in India is allowed in most parts of the country. However, different states have their own legislation with regards to whether online gaming is permitted.
    • Economic advantage: Well-regulated online gaming has its own advantages, such as economic growth and employment benefits.

    Issues with online gaming

    • Gaming addiction: Numerous people are developing an addiction to online gaming. This is destroying lives and devastating families.  
    • Compulsive gaming: Gaming by children is affecting their performance in schools and impacting their social lives & relationships with family members. Ex. PUBG
    • Impact on psychological health: Online games like PUBG and the Blue Whale Challenge were banned after incidents of violence and suicide.  
    • Threat to Data privacy: Inadvertent sharing of personal information can lead to cases of cheating, privacy violations, abuse, and bullying.
    • Betting and gambling: Online games based on the traditional ludo, arguably the most popular online game in India, have run into controversy, and allegations of betting and gambling.

    Why hasn’t a comprehensive law yet materialized?

    • Earlier, states like Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka also passed laws banning online games.
    • However, they were quashed by state High Courts on grounds that an outright ban was unfair to games of skill:
    1. Violation of fundamental rights of trade and commerce, liberty and privacy, speech and expression;
    2. Law being manifestly arbitrary and irrational insofar as it did not distinguish between two different categories of games, i.e. games of skill and chance;
    3. Lack of legislative Competence of State legislatures to enact laws on online skill-based games.

    Way forward

    • Censoring: Minors should be allowed to proceed only with the consent of their parents — OTP verification on Aadhaar could resolve this.
    • Awareness: Gaming companies should proactively educate users about potential risks and how to identify likely situations of cheating and abuse.
    • Regulating mechanism: A Gaming Authority in the central government should be created.
    • Accountability of the gaming company: It could be made responsible for the online gaming industry, monitoring its operations, preventing societal issues, suitably classifying games of skill or chance, overseeing consumer protection, and combatting illegality and crime.
    • All-encompassing legislation: the Centre should formulate an overarching regulatory framework for online games of skill. India must move beyond skill-versus-chance debates to keep up with the global gaming industry.

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  • NCERT Books for UPSC

    ‘If You Love UPSC, Love NCERTS’- Civilsdaily.

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    Table of Content:

    Hello Students,

    Are you preparing for UPSC Civil Service Exam? Then you must start your preparation as soon as possible because only a graduate degree is enough to become an IAS officer. Let’s explore why NCERTs are the part and parcel of the UPSC journey!

    UPSC-CSE exam is fair and just for all the aspirants of the country. So, the Commission follows the Universal and best sources which are easily accessible to every single student. And that’s why NCERTs books are highly recommendable to start with before Advanced Books. But, at the same time, we shouldn’t cover all the NCERT books from cover to cover. Very selective studies are needful. 

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    NCERTs Books for Prelims & Mains:

    History: 

    For a basic preparation for the prelims and mains, students can start with the NCERT history book to begin their history preparation. These books have proven to be extremely useful for students coming from business or science backgrounds.

    For History, you have to follow old NCERTs

    • Ancient India (Class XII) by RS Sharma: This covers the ancient Indian history syllabus completely.
    • Medieval India (Class XI) by Satish Chandra
    • Modern India (Class XII) by Bipin Chandra: Best book for UPSC Medieval History.

    And the questions from Art & Culture are asked from ancient and medieval history so, you have to read overlapping with History

    Art & Culture Books: 

    • Class-11: an introduction to Indian Art.
    • Class-11: living Craft Traditions of India  (Chapters 9 and 10)
    • Class-12: Crafts Traditions of India

    Geography:

    Knowing Indian and world geography is very important. The maps and information provided about the different climatic zones in the NCERT Geography book help to give many answers about geography.

    If you’re a science background student, you should start from very basic.

    • Class 6: The Earth: Our Habitat
    • Class 7: Our Environment
    • Class 8: Resources and Development
    • Class 9: Contemporary India-I
    • Class 10: Contemporary India-II

    If you’re an arts background student, just read the above NCERTs 1 or 2 times.

    The Geography NCERTs all of you read, revise and take notes:

    • Class 11: Fundamentals of Physical Geography
    • Class 11: India- Physical Environment
    • Class 12: Fundamentals of Human Geography
    • Class 12: People and Economy

    Polity: 

    Political science covers the legal and fundamental aspects of the country, which makes it a very important subject. 

    • Class 9: Demographic Politics I
    • Class 10: Demographic politics II
    • Class 11: Indian Constitution at work
    • Class 11: Political Theories
    • Class 12: Contemporary World Politics
    • Class 12: Politics in India since Independence

    Economics: 

    The subject of the Indian economy covers the present and past economic aspects of India, which makes it an important subject. It is very important to know the basics of the UPSC exam. 

    • Class 9: Economics
    • Class 10: Understanding Economic Development
    • Class 11: Indian Economic Development
    • Class 12: Introductory Microeconomics
    • Class 12: Introductory macroeconomics

    Indian Society: 

    Understanding the science behind the activities of society is very important especially when you are aspiring to be a government employee. Download the NCERT Sociology book from here.

    • Indian Society: NCERT Class VI- Social Science; Social & Political Life I
    • Indian Society: NCERT Class VII- Social Science; Social & Political Life II
    • Indian Society: NCERT Class VIII- Social Science; Social & Political Life III
    • Indian Society: NCERT Class XI- Sociology: Understanding Society
    • Indian Society: NCERT Class XII- Indian Society
    • Indian Society: NCERT Class XII- Social Changes and Development in India

    Science and Technology:

    It is important to have adequate knowledge of general science in UPSC. To be able to answer science and technology-related questions you must look at NCERT science books because they cover a lot of information.

    If you’re a non-science background student, start from Class VI NCERTs.

    Final Lines: There is no doubt that NCERT books are a bundle of information, although created for school students, they also cover relevant topics that are a vital part of the UPSC curriculum. Helps UPSC candidates to learn significant subjects, they are among the most renowned books that must be read for UPSC preparation. From biodiversity to geography and thousands of years of history to current politics, NCERT authors have compiled everything important in their books.

    But, whenever selective studies are concerned, you will need a hand-holding support of a personalized mentor.

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  • Reasons for splits and switches in political parties

    Context

    In Maharashtra, recently, and in Madhya Pradesh, a while ago, splits in the ruling party and a subsequent realignment of legislators inaugurated new governments.

    Challenges to the effectiveness of anti-defection law

    • Splits and switches are commonplace in legislatures across the globe, and India has witnessed at least three distinct waves.
    • The first wave occurred towards the latter half of the 1960s when challengers to the Congress attempted to displace it in the States.
    • An attempt to end defections: The next phase was inaugurated with an attempt to end the free movement and regulate the behaviour of legislators through the anti-defection law.
    • Law incentivise collective defection: While the law discouraged individual movement, it incentivised a collective movement of legislators since it laid down specific numbers to legitimise and validate party switches.
    • Defeating the purpose: When legislators switch in groups, the costs are shared, and the move also appears less opportunistic, which in many ways defeats the purpose of the legislation.
    • The third phase was inaugurated in 2014 when already-dominant parties began to use splits and switches to weaken and destroy their competitors.
    • Therefore, the current phase is bizarre when compared to the past because dominant parties appear to be actively cheering splits and shifts and having no respect for the basic rules of the game.
    • The anti-defection law and control of institutions are now weaponised by dominant parties to intervene in the internal working of Opposition parties, and sometimes make and break them.
    • Furthermore, legislators are switching support even if it does not count to the making or maintenance of governments.

    Argument against the split

    • Violation of trust: Switchers violate the trust relationship with their constituents as voters get something other than what they bargained for.
    • Difficulty in ensuring accountability: Assuming voters vote for parties and not candidates, the argument is that uncohesive parties make it difficult for voters to draw definitive lines of responsibility.
    • Consequently, it is difficult for voters to hold party governments accountable for their actions during elections.

    Why do legislators split and switch parties?

    • Changes and transformation in parties: While we keep track of party system change, we ignore the point that the component parts, parties which make up the system, too change and transform.
    • Parties constantly adapt new modes to sustain and find success for themselves.
    • Our popular image of a party is that of the classical mass party, which rises from societal movements and is essentially internally democratic.
    • This is what even the Election Commission of India imagines a party should be since many of its guidelines lay stress on the ‘democratic spirit’ and the need for transparency and participation in internal decision-making.
    • Centralised structure: Today’s parties are centralised vote-getting machines which primarily work to ensure the return of political leaders to office.
    • Focus on getting votes: Mass inputs and ideas do not matter, and it is the central leadership that counts. All party activities begin and end with elections.
    • Since parties are mainly concerned with electoral success, anyone who enjoys the confidence of the top leadership and can help increase the seat share is likely to get a ticket.
    • Dominance of financial power: Moreover, we now know that parties prefer candidates who bring in their own money, fund other candidates and raise resources for the party. All this puts the party on the ground in the shade.
    • Closeness of parties to state: the most significant change is that parties are more closely aligned with the state rather than civil society.
    • Parties as a source of services: Parties exchange material and psychological rewards, and goods and services the state provides for electoral advantage.
    • Voters also see parties as a supplier of services.
    • This connection pushes legislators and parties to be in government or at least close to the government.
    • On the supply side, the party on the ground no longer calls the shots; parties are election vehicles and a supplier of services. The party bond exists only as long as it ensures success for the legislator
    •  On the demand side, the voter does not appear to have any problem, as long as “services” are available.

    Conclusion

    Splits and switches are not seen as objectionable by legislators and are not punished by voters as well. Legislators will, therefore, be willing to do anything if the benefits exceed the costs.

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