The article explains the link between the disasters in the Uttarakhand and the construction of dams.
How dams exacerbate disasters
The use of explosives has repeatedly been questioned for dam construction, and the construction of other infrastructure projects, such as roads, in the fragile Himalayan State.
Other than this, deforestation takes place when dams are constructed.
The construction material that is supposed to be dumped on separate land is often dumped into the rivers.
The Chopra Committee report after Kedarnath flood
The Chopra Committee report of 2014 brings more clarity on how dams exacerbate a disaster such as floods.
Its report mentions how dams exacerbated the 2013 deluge, mainly as riverbeds were already raised from the disposed muck at the dam construction sites.
The report presents evidence to prove that dams are not only damaged in floods, they also cause immense damage in downstream areas.
This is because as floodwaters damage a barrage, they increase the destructive capacity of the water that flows downstream of the barrage.
In an affidavit submitted on December 5, 2014 in the Supreme Court, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change acknowledged the adverse impact of dams in the 2013 floods.
Impact of climate change and threat of earthquakes
Himalayan glaciers are receding and disintegrating as a result of climate change, and the snow cover in the Himalayas is also thinning.
Research shows an increase in number and volume of glacial lakes as a result of of increased temperatures.
For dams, this means rapid increase or decrease in the reservoir water level.
It also means that the projections on the life of a dam reservoir may not stand due to erratic events, such as floods, that could rapidly fill a reservoir with muck and boulders brought along with the floods.
In terms of earthquake risk, Uttarakhand lies in Seismic Zone-IV (severe intensity) and Seismic Zone-V (very severe intensity).
Ignoring this, many dams have been constructed in zones that are under high risk of witnessing severe earthquakes.
Consider the question “Examine the role played by the dams in exacerbating the disasters in the Himalayan states”
Conclusion
It is clear that dams worsen disasters, and for this to be ignored by the State authorities is unfortunate.
This newscard is an excerpt from the original article published in the Indian Express.
What are Flash floods?
A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions.
It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, tropical storm, or meltwater from ice or snow flowing over ice sheets or snowfields.
Take a glimpse of the series of disasters in Uttarakhand
Chamoli example
Flash flood incident in Uttarakhand is another warning of the dangers that a Himalayan state like Uttarakhand faces from natural processes like landslides, snow avalanches cloudbursts or lake bursts.
As we saw in 2013 in the same state, such processes can trigger much bigger disasters and cause massive destruction.
But it is possible to work towards minimising the threat of such incidents and reduce their impact.
Role of glacial lakes
There are over 1,000 glaciers in Uttarakhand. Almost all of them are receding. Most of the glaciers also have debris cover.
When glaciers retreat due to rising temperatures, the snow melts but the debris remains. This debris aids in the formation of lakes.
Cause: Retreat of glaciers
Glaciers have reduced considerably in mass and surface area since the little ice age period.
This has led to the formation of a large number of glacial lakes all across the Himalayas.
Many of these high-altitude lakes are potentially dangerous, because of their potential to cause flash floods in the event of a breach.
How big is the threat?
Over the years, the frequency of formation of these lakes has increased.
But despite that, there are not many GLOF (glacial lake outburst flood) events happening in Uttarakhand.
Not as many as in Sikkim, for example. This is because Uttarakhand has very steep slopes, and the water manages to find a way out.
What should be done?
(a) Coherent research
There are a lot more glaciologists and others who are working in the area and generating data.
Multiple scientific groups and institutions are involved. But there is no coherent output. Lots of data are being generated but not being put to good use.
There has to be one agency dedicated to the job.
(b) Monitoring
The first step in tackling the threat from these glacial lakes is to start monitoring them and the glaciers more actively and regularly.
There is a need to monitor every glacier. Glaciers in one basin do not have remarkably different properties.
Relying only on satellites and remote sensing is not going to be enough.
What is required is a consolidated state of glaciers in India, with the ability to zoom in on any of them and track the changes happening year by year.
(c) Planning
Construction-related activities in the state might not have a direct link to Chamoli incident, but these are not entirely benign.
The Himalayas are very young mountain systems, and extremely fragile and a minor change in orientation of the rocks can be enough to trigger landslides.
It is important to include glaciers in any environment impact assessment for major projects such as the construction of dams.
The entire catchment areas should be made part of the impact assessment.
(d) Mitigation
If we monitor the glaciers regularly, it would enable us to identify the lakes that need mitigation solutions.
Several structural and geotechnical measures can be applied, and there are successful examples where the threat from these lakes has been reduced.
It is possible to construct channels for the gradual and regulated discharge of water from these lakes, which will reduce the pressure on them, and minimise the chances of a breach.
At the same time, it also reduces the volume of water that goes into the flash flood. Also, alarm systems can be set up at the lakes that will warn the community downstream whenever an overflow happens.
Way forward
It is not possible to completely prevent these kinds of incidents. But their potential to cause destruction can certainly be minimized.
Scientists can find a way to let the lake waters slowly drain at the nearby river at a regulated rate so that there is no flooding, and the pressure on the lake does not become unbearable.
Such solutions can be applied in Uttarakhand, and some work is being done.
The flash flood that claimed several lives in Chamoli has caused Uttarakhand’s hydroelectric projects (HEPs) to be scrutinized closely.
Q.How do hydropower projects pose geological and topographical threats to the ecosystem? (150W)
Why Hydropower in Uttarakhand?
Uttarakhand has a tricky relationship with electricity.
With a landscape that’s inhospitable to thermal power grid lines and with people too poor to pay for electricity, micro and mini hydro-electric power projects were seen as the answer.
Between the government’s long-standing ‘power for all’ objective, and environmentalists pushing for a cleaner, renewable energy, setting up dozens of hydel power plants seemed ideal.
Impacts of HEPs
Limitless quarrying, deforestation, stopping the flow of rivers, and mushrooming of hydropower projects have made the Himalayas unstable.
Existing and under-construction hydro-power projects in Uttarakhand have led to several deleterious environmental impacts (Char Dham Committee).
Among the significant impacts are on the river ecosystem, forest and terrestrial biodiversity, geological environment and social infrastructure.
More than seven years later, some experts believe that over-exploitation of rivers and rampant damming for hydroelectric projects (HEPs) could be one of the big factors responsible for the Chamoli disaster.
The ‘river-bed profile’ across the major HEPs of Uttarakhand has changed significantly, suggesting the possibility of disasters in future.
The Kedarnath floods
Between June 13 and 17, 2013, Uttarakhand had received an unusual amount of rainfall.
This led to the melting of the Chorabari glacier and the eruption of the Mandakini river.
The floods affected large parts of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Western Nepal.
The heavy rainfall caused massive flash floods and landslides resulting in the death of residents and tourists as well as extensive damage to property.
Over 5,000 people were killed in the floods
Construction still persists
Neglecting all warnings of the experts, rampant construction was carried out in the sensitive zones even after the 2013 Kedarnath deluge.
Notably, two dozen hydropower plants of Uttarakhand were rejected by the Supreme Court after the expert panel report.
HEPs in Uttarakhand
The rivers and basins in the state are dotted with 43 micro hydel projects. Some of them are:
Alarms have been raised earlier
The Kedarnath expert committee had warned about the excessive exploitation of vulnerable regions and the need to re-study and re-evaluate the HEPs of Uttarakhand.
The report also objected to HEPs at an altitude of over 2000 metres.
The report pointed out that the potential threat of landslide, cloudburst, subsidence, flash floods has increased tremendously in the past few years and many critical zones need immediate attention.
The study also mentioned that a lot of anthropogenic pressure due to different activities related to HEPs was alarming and needed checks.
In a bid to ease travel restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic, countries like Denmark, Estonia, Israel, Chile, UK have announced a new ‘immunity passport.’
Try this question form mains:
Q.Discuss various ethical issues evolved during the outbreaks of pandemics (of the scale of COVID-19).
Immunity Passport
They are the recovery or release certificate or a document attesting that its bearer is immune to a contagious disease.
The concept has drawn much attention during the COVID-19 pandemic as a potential way to contain the pandemic and permit faster economic recovery.
The can be used as a legal document granted by a testing authority following a serology test demonstrating that the bearer has antibodies making them immune to a disease.
Ethical issues involved
Issuing ‘immunity certificates’ to people who have recovered can be an ethical minefield.
Doctors do not generally prefer immunity to be induced by natural infection compared with vaccines. It seems logical, but there are multiple challenges.
There might be long-term health complications in those who had COVID-19, whereas the vaccine will have minimal or no adverse health consequences.
There is a danger that similar arguments will be made for other vaccine-preventable diseases for which we have a universal immunisation programme.
Public health risk
People whose livelihood has have been affected would be encouraged to adopt risky behaviour so as to get infected rather than taking precautions to stay protected from the virus.
This would lead to a sharp increase in cases across the country with huge numbers requiring hospitalization.
Such a situation would lead to testing capabilities getting overwhelmed, crumbling of the health-care systems and increased deaths.
Threats over malpractices
Immunity certification will include a system for identification and monitoring, thus compromising privacy.
Other contentious issues would be profiteering by private labs performing tests, and the menace of fake certificates which we have already seen in some Indian states.
In the end, an immunity passport will further divide the society with different ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’.
Way forward
We need to look at COVID-19 with a sense of balance and not hysteria.
Terms such as immunity passports may not have relevance as we do not know anything about specific kinds of immune responses and the duration of protection in people.
There is currently not enough evidence about the effectiveness of antibody-mediated immunity to guarantee the accuracy of an ‘immunity passport’ or ‘risk-free certificate’.
The permission to travel or work should be decided on a case by case basis, according to the principles of ethics while dealing with a pandemic.
Researchers have found the first-ever fossil in India of a Dickinsonia —the Earth’s ‘oldest animal’, dating back 570 million years — on the roof of what’s called the ‘Auditorium Cave’ at Bhimbetka.
Dickinsonia
Dickinsonia is an extinct genus of basal animal that lived during the late Ediacaran period in what is now Australia, Russia and Ukraine.
The individual Dickinsonia typically resembles a bilaterally symmetrical ribbed oval.
Its affinities are presently unknown; its mode of growth is consistent with a stem-group bilaterian affinity, though some have suggested that it belongs to the fungi or even an “extinct kingdom”.
The discovery of cholesterol molecules in fossils of Dickinsonia lends support to the idea that Dickinsonia was an animal.
What are the new findings?
Like the awe-inspiring rock shelters themselves, this fossil was discovered by chance.
Dickinsonia fossils have shown that they could exceed four feet in length but the one found in Bhimbetka is 17 inches long.
Eleven feet above the ground, almost blending with the rock and easily mistaken by laymen for prehistoric rock art, they found imprints of the Dickinsonia.
It is believed to be one of the key links between the early, simple organisms and the explosion of life in the Cambrian Period, about 541 million years ago.
Cambrian Explosion and Dickinsonia
The ‘Cambrian Explosion’ is the term given to the period of time in history when complex animals and other macroscopic organisms such as molluscs, worms, arthropods and sponges began to dominate the fossil record.
Researchers from Australian found the Dickinsonia fossil since its tissue contained molecules of cholesterol a type of fat that is the hallmark of animal life.
Do you know?
Cosmogenic nuclide dating is deployed to determine time of earliest human culture. India’s oldest stone-age tools, up to 1.5 million years old, are at a prehistoric site near Chennai.
About Bhimbetka
The Bhimbetka rock shelters are an archaeological site in central India that spans the prehistoric Paleolithic and Mesolithic periods, as well as the historic period.
It exhibits the earliest traces of human life in India and evidence of Stone Age starting at the site in Acheulian times.
It is located in the Raisen District in Madhya Pradesh about 45 kilometres (28 mi) south-east of Bhopal.
It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that consists of seven hills and over 750 rock shelters distributed over 10 km (6.2 mi).
At least some of the shelters were inhabited more than 100,000 years ago.
Some of the Bhimbetka rock shelters feature prehistoric cave paintings and the earliest are about 10,000 years old (c. 8,000 BCE), corresponding to the Indian Mesolithic.
These cave paintings show themes such as animals, early evidence of dance and hunting.
The Bhimbetka rock shelters were found by V S Wakankar 64 years ago. Since then, thousands of researchers have visited the site, but this rare fossil went undetected.
Attempting MCQs is the best way to learn concepts, explore different aspects of a topic, establish linkages, understanding the relevance of a topic for pre, and tackle unpredictability in the exam hall. And this is exactly why after first reading of the syllabus, you must integrate second reading and revision with attempting MCQs.
With IAS Prelims 2021 fast approaching, ‘Prelims- 1000’ is the need of the hour.
What is Prelims-1000 by Amit sir?
With 1000 MCQs in 40 days, we’re going to cover and revise Current affairs + related static parts for IAS Prelims 2021.
On an exclusive Habitat club, we’re going to have five days a week sessions. These chat-based sessions under the guidance of Amit sir will be enriched by insights from peers as well. It’ll ensure that learning is active, collaborative, and effective.
What are we going to cover?
1.5 yrs of IAS Prelims 2021 worthy current affairs
Related static revision from NCERTs and Standard books
All the discussions and sessions will be held on Habitat. It is our innovative chat-based learning platform. You’ll be assigned to an exclusive club Prelims-1000 that is administered by Amit sir.
As per a timetable (to be shared in the group) Amit sir will take daily sessions. Every question will be dealt with in its entirety covering both the depth as well as the breadth (interlinkages).
Where to find Prelims-1000 Habitat club link?
After you have enrolled for the program you will receive an email with the Habitat link for Prelims-1000 club.
You can also find the link in the curriculum section of this course.
Below is a rough breakdown of the 8 weeks and course we are going to cover. It is going to be comprehensive and intensive.
Program inclusion:
Membership to an exclusive group on Habitat. (Link will be emailed to you. You can also find that in the curriculum section of this program)
5 days a week Habitat chat-based discussion sessions. (2-3 hours minimum)
1000 MCQs (PDF + Habitat discussion)
Mentorship by Amit sir
Note: After enrollment, please check your email inbox and visit the curriculum section of Prelims-1000 Club by Amit sir for further instructions and Habitat links.
It’s not just the MCQs but the process that makes Prelims-1000 essential.
The questions shall be sourced from a multitude of sources, standard plus a few more, to ensure that the candidate experiences a wide variety of questions and gets acclimatized with the kind of questions that appear in the actual examination i.e. combining multiple concepts and current events together to frame a question.
Consider the following questions that are more a test of the application of what a candidate has learned instead of relying on the candidate’s eidetic memory:
Ques. Narmada River does not have many tributaries primarily because: 1. It flows through the region of scanty rainfall. 2. The hard rock surface and non-alluvial nature of the peninsular plateau permits little scope for the development of tributaries. 3. It flows through a narrow valley confined by precipitous hills.
Choose the correct alternative using the codes given below.
(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Ques. Apart from poaching, which of the following is/are among the reasons for the decline of the bird population in India? 1. Extension in tea gardens and plantations 2. Colonization by invasive plant species 3. Decline in insect population Select the correct answer using the codes given below.
(a) 2 and 3 only
(b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
However, even the chaos should have some semblance of order. And therefore, we have tied the program to the following salient features that will help you gauge the final outcome of the course.
Each question shall be followed by a discussion about the theory and the current event, if any, that motivated the question.
The static portion and current affairs to be covered shall be informed in advance to enable the students to prepare for the week ahead.
The weekends have been kept free to ensure the candidates are not overwhelmed but the weekends can still be utilized for discussing the important issues on a need-basis.
And now let us answer the most pertinent question, i.e., how will the course help you in your preparation? To enumerate the benefits, at the conclusion of the course, you would have:
Practiced more than 1000 MCQs.
Attempted important MCQs sourced from Previous Year Papers.
Revised NCERTs and other reference books.
Covered current affairs for the past one and a half years.
Shared with- and assimilated knowledge shared by your peers.
Gotten a fair idea of the competition that lies ahead.
Discussed, argued, and counter-argued various dimensions of important topics.
Covered a healthy amount of interesting trivia.
Clarified all your doubts.
Put to rest any misgivings you might have about the exam and your preparation.
Acclimatized yourself to the exam-like conditions.
Attuned yourself to answering questions in a time-bound manner.
Perfected the art of making intelligent guesses.
Shared the methods you have mastered to solve the MCQs and learnt the same from your peers.
Transformed into a confident candidate set to take the Prelims head-on.
The article highlights the issues with India’s approach in achieving universal health care and issues with it.
Learning from the experience of Thailand
About 20 years ago, Thailand rolled out universal health coverage at a per capita GDP similar to today’s India.
What made this possible was a three decade-long tradition of investing gradually but steadily in public health infrastructure and manpower.
This meant that alongside the availability of funds, there also existed robust institutional capacity to assimilate those funds.
This is important because enough evidence exists on weak fund-absorbing capacities particularly in the backward States in India.
Budgetary allocations for health
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare budget for 2021-22, viz. ₹73,932 crore, saw a 10.2% increase over the Budget estimate (BE) of 2020-21.
Also, a corpus of ₹64,180 crore over six years has been set aside under the PM Atma Nirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana,(PMANSBY).
₹13,192 crore has been allocated as a Finance Commission grant.
These allocations could make the first steps towards sustainable universal health coverage through incremental strengthening of grass-root-level institutions and processes.
Two important and prominent arms of universal health coverage in India merit discussion here
1) Insurance route for achieving universal health coverage and issues with it
The Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) has stagnated at ₹6,400 crores for the current and a preceding couple of years.
Large expenditure projections and time constraints involved in the input-based strengthening of public health care have inspired the shift to the insurance route.
However, insurance does not provide a magic formula for expanding health care with low levels of public spending.
Another related issue is the persistent and large discrepancies between official coverage figures and survey figures (for e.g. the National Sample Surveys, or NSS, and National Family Health Survey) across Indian States.
Such discrepancies indicate that official public health insurance coverage fails to translate into actual coverage on the ground.
Robust research into the implementational issues responsible for such discrepancies and addressing them is warranted.
Without the same, the PM-JAY’s quest for universal health coverage is likely to be precarious.
Finally, even high actual coverage should not be equated with effective financial protection.
For example, Andhra Pradesh has among the highest public health insurance coverage scores (71.36%, NSS 75), but still has an out-of-pocket spending share much above the national average.
2) Comprehensive primary care
Health and Wellness Centres — 1,50,202 of them — offering a comprehensive range of primary health-care services are to be operationalised until December 2022.
Of these, 1,19,628 would be upgraded sub health centres and the remaining would be primary health centres and urban primary health centres.
Initially, most States prioritised primary health centres/urban primary health centres for upgradation over sub health centres, since the former required fewer additional investments.
Till February 2, 58,155 health and wellness centres were operational, of which 34,733 were sub health centres and 23,422 were primary health centres/urban primary health centres.
This means that of the remaining 92,047 health and wellness centres to be operationalised by December 2022, 84,895 will be sub health centres.
This offers huge cost projections.
The current allocation of ₹1,900 crore, an increase of ₹300 crore from previous year, is a paltry sum in comparison.
Since 2018-19, when the health and wellness centre initiative began, allocations have not kept pace with the rising targets each year.
Additional funding under the PMANSBY and Finance Commission grants is reassuring, but a greater focus on rural health and wellness centres would be warranted.
Two untoward implications could result from under-investing and spreading funds too thinly.
Continuing the expansion of health and wellness centres without enough funding would mean that the full range of promised services will not be available, thus rendering the mission to be more of a re-branding exercise.
Second, under-funding would waste an opportunity for the health and wellness centre initiative to at least partially redress the traditional rural-urban dichotomy by bolstering curative primary care in rural areas.
Consider the question “What are the challenges in adopting the insurance model in achieving the universal health coverage in India?”
Conclusion
COVID-19 has prodded us to make a somewhat stout beginning in terms of investing in health. The key, and the most difficult part, would be to keep the momentum going unswervingly.
Tweets by international celebrities in support of farmers’ protests and the government’s response to it have brought focus the issue of international scrutiny of India’s policies. The article analyses this issue.
Issue of external criticism of India
Recently, India has been at the receiving end of international criticism over its dealing with the farmers’ protests against recently passed farm laws.
But neither the negative international scrutiny nor the Indian nationalist rejection of it are new.
Mobilising nationalist sentiment and evoking territorial sovereignty in fending off external criticism have been consistent themes in the conduct of independent India’s foreign policy.
The intensity of international scrutiny has varied over time and space, but they are unlikely to ever disappear.
As India becomes more connected to the world, there will be more global interest in its internal dynamics.
At the same time, like all rising powers, India will push back against demands that it must always measure up to external expectations.
Why the Western criticism matters
Western power to turn sensible sentiments on democracy and human rights into consistent policies is rather limited.
Also, the issue of human rights has never been the sole factor shaping US foreign policy towards other nations.
But there is no denying that the Western power to create problems is real.
There are also implications of needless political arguments with the US over your domestic politics.
Asian realists also know that it is not difficult to neutralise Western liberal critics by emphasising engagement with others that might have commercial and security interests.
Dealing with the criticism in the U.S. Congress
In the early 1990s, passing resolutions against India on Punjab and Kashmir in the US Congress was routine.
But once Delhi began to engage with US Congress and explained the complexity of the issues involved, the tide began to turn.
The Indian diaspora helped by reaching out to their representatives and pressing them to reconsider their positions.
Within a decade, supporters of separatism in Punjab and Kashmir could not even move the resolutions in the US Congress.
Domestic polarisation and role of diaspora in international criticism
India’s problem is not with external criticism, India’s real challenge is the deepening domestic political divide.
India’s internal conflicts have inevitably enveloped the diaspora.
Sections of the diaspora that are opposed to Indian policies are actively mobilising the political class in their adopted countries to raise the voice against India.
They are also building wider coalitions to put the Indian government on the mat.
If the diaspora in the past helped India overcome some difficult problems with the US, it is the counter mobilisation of the diaspora that is shaping the western criticism of India.
Way forward
The government’s ability to overcome external criticism depends on rebuilding the national consensus on key policies and healing the multiple social rifts.
Without a visible and sincere political effort to promote unity at home, internal divisions will get worse and make India more vulnerable to external meddling.
Consider the question “Recently, India has been at the receiving end of the international criticism for its internal issues. What are the reasons for such criticism? Suggest the strategy to deal with such criticisms.”
Conclusion
India’s own experience with Sri Lanka and Nepal underlines how hard it is to persuade other societies to accept Delhi’s preferences on the rights of minorities and federalism. In the end, democracy and pluralism can never be foreigner’s gifts. The struggle to construct and preserve democracies remains an internal one.
UPSC by design is an exam that should take just one attempt to crack it. Any further attempt after that must be just to improve your rank. And to accomplish this feat you must perform extremely well in GS mains papers.
Sajal sir here in this video will help you analyze the UPSC Mains 2020 GS paper 3, explain the changing trend and discuss the strategy for UPSC Mains 2021.
He also talked about Smash Mains 2021 in the video. Below are the details of the program.
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
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.
Program inclusion:
1. One-to-One mentorship by Sajal sir. 2. Mains Test Series 3. Samachar Manthan – For holistic and comprehensive coverage of Current Affairs. 4. Decimate Prelims Crash Course 5. Prelims Full-Length Tests – To prepare you for prelims. 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 issueswith 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 personalizedone-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.
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.
Phase 1: Identifying the fundamental flaws in your Answers. Working on them with Sajal sir.
Phase 2: 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.
Phase 3: 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.
What you have to do?
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 evaluation and an on-call discussion with Sajal sir. 3. Or send your already attempted and evaluated test copies (at least 3) to sajal@civilsdaily.com
The coup in Myanmar poses several challenges for India. For one, it poses a dilemma in India’s dealing with Myanmar’s military. Also, it has implications for the Rohingya issue and containing the insurgency in north-east India.
Implications of the coup in Myanmar
1) Political realignment and role of Aung San Suu Kyi
Threat of sanctions from the United States and the West in the wake of the recent coup could lead to unique political realignments in Myanmar.
As a result, the international community may not have any alternatives than Aung San Suu Kyi when it comes to pursuing the restoration of democracy in the country.
The democratic credentials of Aung San Suu Kyi, remain deeply diminished today due to her justification of the ill-treatment meted out to the Rohingya,
Yet the recent events have brought her right back into the centre of the international community’s political calculations in Myanmar.
2) Implications for Rohingya issus
International community will have to condone the government’s past actions against the Rohingya in order to highlight Suu Kyi as an anchor of democracy in Myanmar.
The case against Myanmar’s conduct during her government’s tenure at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will most likely be put on the backburner.
Increasing global support for Ms. Suu Kyi could potentially negative consequences for the persecuted Rohingya.
3) China factor
In the short run, the coup stands to hurt the interests of China, India and even the rest of the international community, all of whom were able to do business with Myanmar in their own unique ways.
For China, the coup has complicated its larger regional economic plans in Myanmar.
However, the international community’s sharp reactions will likely force the Tatmadaw (Myanmar’s military) to turn to China.
International sanctions are unlikely to have a major impact on the country’s largely inward-looking junta and its Generals.
However, it Generals would still expect Beijing to give them
For China, the coup has complicated its larger regional economic plans in Myanmar.
On the positive side for Beijing, decisive western sanctions will force the military to get closer to China.
To that extent, China will be its biggest beneficiary of the February coup by default.
India’s dilemma
India faces the most challenging dilemma on how to respond to the military coup in Myanmar.
The dual power centres of the military and the civilian government that existed in Naypyitaw until recently, suited India.
While India’s national interests clearly lie in dealing with whoever is in power in Myanmar, India would find it difficult to openly support the junta given the strong western and American stance.
On the other hand, it can ill-afford to offend the junta by actively seeking a restoration of democracy there.
While Ms. Suu Kyi was getting cozy with Beijing, it was the Myanmar military that had been more circumspect.
India’s concerns
While a friendless Myanmar junta getting closer to China is a real worry for New Delhi, there are other concerns too.
For one, Myanmar’s military played a helpful role in helping India contain the north-eastern insurgencies.
Equally important is the issue of providing succour to the Rohingya in the wake of the military coup in Myanmar.
Consider the question “Developments in Myanmar have several implications for the regional geopolitics. In light of this, examine the challenges India faces from the development in Myanmar.”
Conclusion
India is left with very few clear policy options. And yet, it must continue to maintain relations with the government in power in Myanmar while discreetly pushing for political reconciliation in the country. In the meantime, the focus must be on improving trade, connectivity, and security links between the two sides.
