In Mumbai, the unusual vibrations (like earthquakes), coinciding with high-tide times, were the result of the relocation of tetrapods as part of the ongoing Coastal Road Project (MCRP).
What are tetrapods?
Tetra pod in Greek means four-legged.
These are four-legged concrete structures that are placed along coastlines to prevent erosion and water damage.
Tetrapods were first used in France in the late 1940s to protect the shore from the sea.
They are typically placed together to form an interlocking but porous barrier that dissipates the power of waves and currents.
These are large structures, sometimes weighing up to 10 tonnes, and interlocked tetra pods act as a barrier that remains stable against the rocks when buffeted by waves.
Tetrapods, each weighing about 2 tonnes, were placed along Marine Drive in the late 1990s to break and dissipate waves and maintain the reclaimed shoreline in South Mumbai.
How do we know that the removal of the tetrapods was responsible?
The BMC has provided vibration monitoring instruments at the site to study the impact of the phenomenon.
While the corporation has not officially stated that the removal of the tetrapods caused the vibrations, it has agreed to re-install the structures.
They would be put back over the next two-three days during low tide.
GS-1 Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India.
GS-2 Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.
GS-3 Indian Economy
GS-4 Aptitude and foundational values for Civil Service, integrity, impartiality and non-partisanship, objectivity, dedication to public service, empathy, tolerance and compassion towards the weaker sections.
HOW TO ATTEMPT ANSWERS IN DAILY ANSWER WRITING ENHANCEMENT(AWE)?
Daily 4 questions from General studies 1, 2, 3, and 4 will be provided to you.
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Upload the scanned answer in the comment section of the same question.
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“It takes roughly 10,000 hours to become good at something, or 28 days of doing the same thing again and again to build a habit. And to clear UPSC you have to learn 2000 topics. Now the choice is yours. The price of success lies on hard work and dedication to the goal in mind”- Civilsdaily
About Yaswant Kumar Reddy– His UPSC journey and hobbies
Name
Challapalle Yaswant Kumar Reddy
Age
Resident
Kurnool Dist. Andhra Pradesh
Exam
UPSC 2021
All India Rank
15
Attempts
3rd
Optional Subject
Anthropology
Hobbies
Watching web series on professional fiction
2. Family and Education
Father
Pulla Reddy, a headmaster in a govt. school
Mother
Amma Laksmidevi, a housewife
Elder Brother
Naga Dastgiri Reddy, an M. Tech
Yaswant Kumar hails from Madi, a village in Kalugotla, Chaglamarri Zone in Andhra Pradesh and has a family of four consisting of his parents, his elder brother.
Yaswant’s Educational Background:
Primary schooling from Mandala Parishad Primary school, in Kottala, Kadapa district. After that, he passed the 10th standard from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Rajampet.
He completed his computer science engineering graduation from JNTU Kakinada. And intern at Shri Chaitanya College, Vijayawada.
He was also selected in Indian Oil Corporation as an Information System Officer.
He worked as an Assistant Commissioner of State Tax in Govt. of Andhra Pradesh.
3. UPSC Strategy
He started his career at a young age with a job as an engineer in IOCL, with Rs. 90,000 per month, but he was not satisfied with that. He started preparing for the competitive examination and secured the third position in Group-A by APPSC. Later, he secured 93rd rank in Civil 2020. In UPSC Civil 2021, he topped with AIR 15 from Telugu state. He left his M.Tech & join the job because it would give him some time to prepare for UPSC CSE
These 3+ years’ experience and consistency helped him to formulate a better strategy.
For prelims he relied only on online materials
For mains he would regularly visit Sakhshieducation and some other websites for UPSC.
He started UPSC preparation by studying NCERTs.
Since current affairs are possibly the most significant part of the IAS exam he backed his preparation with day-to-day newspaper readings to give sufficient focus to the happenings nationally and internationally.
he joined a few online mock test series for Prelims and mains.
He was meticulous about study materials. he consolidated his study materials and revised them as many times as he could.
Be patient and stay focused all the time.
Always tried to improve his performance.
made his notes.
From the very starting, he carried his preparation under senior teachers and mentors.
He didn’t follow any super different strategy of planning. he executed the same strategy differently.
4. Yaswanth Kumar’s Notes & Booklist
Polity:
M. Laxmikant
Indian Economy:
Ramesh Singh
Modern Indian History:
A Brief History of Modern India
NCERTs class VI to XII (Old version)
Art & Culture:
Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania
NCERTs of class XI and XII
Ancient India:
RS Sharma
Ethics:
Ethics and integrity by Subba Rao and PN Rao Chaudhary
Geography:
Certificate Physical and human geography by GC Leong
Indian Geography by Majid Hussain
NCERTs Class IX to Class XII
Challenges to Internal Security of India by Ashok Kumar
Challapalle Jaswanth Kumar Reddy proved that if one relies on hard work towards the goal and moves ahead, one can achieve exceptional success.
His main aim to crack UPSC was to serve his society better he showed his gratitude to his teachers and mentors who were the real torch bearer all along the crooked path of UPSC.
Special Webinar for aspirants in Maharashtra: Timetable and Strategy for Integrated preparation for UPSC and MPSC (Maharashtra PSC) | 22nd July 2022, 3 pm Register and get MPSC Pre 2022 FLTs for FREE | LIVE from Fergusson college
This time we have our student and ‘Pride of Pune’ ranker Sayali Mhetre who secured an AIR 398, UPSC 2021.
A houseful seminar was conducted by CivilsDaily a few days back. The foundation stone for a balanced success in UPSC, along with MPSC has been successfully placed in Pune. Yes, Civilsdaily has reached Maharashtra (Pune).
Sajal sir addressing aspirants from Maharashtra
CivilsDaily is back with the promise of helping you meet rankers from Maharashtra. This time we have our student and ‘Pride of Pune’ ranker Sayali Mhetre who secured an AIR 398, UPSC 2021.
MPSC changes pattern: Aligned with UPSC, to be implemented from 2023
Maharashtra PSC has recently released a notification citing changes in the pattern. Now the main examination will be subjective/descriptive in nature (essay type answers) instead of objective (MCQ type) questions. Also, an Ethics paper has also been introduced, modern history will also be included.
From earlier 6 papers in MPSC Mains now we will have 9 papers, with total marks now standing at 1750 in Mains, closely resembling UPSC’s pattern.
Papers
Subjects
Marks
Nature of papers
Paper 1
Marathi
300
Descriptive (Qualifying)
Paper 2
English
300
Descriptive (Qualifying)
Paper 3
Essay (Marathi or English)
250
Descriptive
Paper 4
GS 1
250
Descriptive
Paper 5
GS 2
250
Descriptive
Paper 6
GS 3
250
Descriptive
Paper 6
GS 4
250
Descriptive
Paper 8
Optional Paper 1
250
Descriptive
Paper 9
Optional Paper 2
250
Descriptive
1750 Marks
Closely resembling the UPSC pattern
Implications of this change
It has certainly made MPSC mains more comprehensive, requiring a wide-based knowledge just like UPSC.
It will be easier for UPSC aspirants to prepare for MPSC and vice-versa.
It improves the percentage of Marathi candidates appearing and clearing UPSC as the paper pattern is almost the same.
It will give equal opportunity to those from rural as well as urban areas. Now every candidate must play on a level playing field.
For those UPSC aspirants who have exhausted their attempts, they would find it easier to appear and crack MPSC.
Aspirants who will reappear in 2023 will have to consider it as a fresh attempt as they have to study almost from scratch.
All these pose an opportunity as well as a challenge for aspirants but for sure it calls for a change in strategy.
CivilsDaily’s performance in UPSC 2021 and an overwhelming number of our Rankers from Maharashtra
UPSC 2021 results were released a few days back and it was a major validation of CivilsDaily’s student-centric approach, personalized mentorship, and commitment to your goal – cracking the UPSC IAS exam.
..amazing observation was the overwhelming number of rankers from Maharashtra.
This was evident from 200+ rankers, including 30+ in the top 50 in the UPSC 2021 exam. Another amazing observation was the overwhelming number of rankers from Maharashtra.
Moreover, we have thousands of CivilsDaily students from the state.
On the insistence of CivilsDaily’s alumni (ex-rankers) and our students from the state, opened our first center in Maharashtra, in Pune.
How is the Pune center going to help UPSC and Civil Services Aspirants from Maharashtra?
Saves you from the trauma of relocation
Aspirants have to leave their home state to Delhi, Karol Bagh for UPSC prep. It seriously dismantles their mental peace and continuity in preparation.
Now you no longer have to leave your state and come to Delhi for UPSC preparation.
Financially
Financially, by saving huge expenditure incurred in Karol Bagh on renting and tuition fees.
Now prepare for both: UPSC and MPSC
Recently the notification for MPSC was released and since the pattern is similar to UPSC now, we will be helping you prepare for MPSC as well.
Live lectures, Offline 1:1 Mentorship, Testing centre in Pune
We will be providing the best classroom lectures; UPSC-relevant tests and study material; experienced mentors and dedicated faculty.
CivilsDaily will always remain committed to a personalized and student-centric approach and will live for its vision of making UPSC and government service exam preparation simpler, effective, result-oriented, and affordable to every aspiring student.
Rupee hits the all-time low of 80 against US dollar recently. The enormity of the challenges can be gauged by these numbers: Since the beginning of war, foreign exchange reserves have declined by $51-billion, total portfolio outflows have been $23 billion, and the current account deficit is now certain to breach $100 billion.
Is depreciation of rupee sign of weak domestic fundamentals?
In case of strong domestic fundamentals: In an ideal world, if domestic economic fundamentals are strong, the depreciation of the rupee should be accompanied by an appreciation of the Dollar Index (DXY) along similar lines.
In case of weak fundamentals: Between January 2008 and February 2012 and October 2012 and May 2014, on a cumulative basis, the rupee had lost a whopping 48.7 per cent against the USD, even as the DXY had appreciated by a modest 5.2 per cent.
This indicates that much of the decline in rupee value then was purely because of weak domestic macro fundamentals.
Current scenario: The rupee has depreciated by a modest 5.6 per cent since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, though the DXY has appreciated by 11.3 per cent.
Thus, the recent decline in the rupee has been more because of the strengthening of the dollar and not because of weak fundamentals at home.
Reasons for the dominance of dollar
In principle, Bretton Woods ensured that the dollar would be a “trust” currency.
The US sits at the centre of an international financial system where its assets have been in high demand.
For instance, frantically growing Asian economies whose penchant for US government securities have also made them susceptible to sudden changes in expectations and economic sentiments sweeping the globe.
The recent disturbances in the global supply chain and volatile commodity prices have only made the job more difficult.
What explains the recent strengthening of dollar
High interest rates in the US: The recent gains in the dollar have come along expectations of aggressive monetary policy by the US Fed compared to other major jurisdictions, particularly, the Eurozone and Japan.
Markets expect the Fed to continue on its path of interest rate normalisation with multiple rate hikes.
Low interest rates in the Eurozone: The European Central Bank (ECB) appears behind the curve, its communication with markets is as uncertain as the political and climatic hot winds criss-crossing the Eurozone.
Low interest rates in Japan: The Bank of Japan has taken a completely divergent path, continuing its accommodative monetary policy despite the hammering of the yen.
This has augured well for the dollar, obscuring the question of how the Fed failed to anticipate the surge in inflation.
Measures by the RBI and the government
As currencies reel under the weight of an unrelenting dollar, questions on the rupee’s performance and future are a natural corollary, more so in the wake of hitting the psychological mark of Rs 80/dollar.
In 2013, when the rupee was in a free fall, stability was finally restored but it came at a cost — a debt buildup of $34.5 FCNR(B).
This time, the RBI and government have taken a long-term view of bolstering dollar inflows, which is perfectly justified.
The RBI, in close tandem with the government, has been supportive of the rupee, and is also now embarking on an unprecedented journey to internationalise the currency.
Conclusion
A direct casualty of the Ukraine war is that the Indian rupee has now depreciated by 5.6 per cent against the dollar. In terms of relative performance, however, the rupee has done quite well compared to most of its counterparts.
Back2Basics: US Dollar Index
The U.S. dollar index (USDX) is a measure of the value of the U.S. dollar relative to a basket of foreign currencies.
The USDX was established by the U.S. Federal Reserve in 1973 after the dissolution of the Bretton Woods Agreement.
It is now maintained by ICE Data Indices, a subsidiary of the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE).
The six currencies included in the USDX are often referred to as America’s most significant trading partners, but the index has only been updated once: in 1999 when the euro replaced the German mark, French franc, Italian lira, Dutch guilder, and Belgian franc.
Consequently, the index does not accurately reflect present-day U.S. trade.
Bretton Woods Agreement and Systems
The Bretton Woods Agreement was negotiated in July 1944 by delegates from 44 countries at the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference held in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire.
Thus, the name “Bretton Woods Agreement.
Under the Bretton Woods System, gold was the basis for the U.S. dollar and other currencies were pegged to the U.S. dollar’s value.
The Bretton Woods System effectively came to an end in the early 1970s when President Richard M. Nixon announced that the U.S. would no longer exchange gold for U.S. currency.
FCNR(B)
An FCNR ( Foreign Currency Non-resident) account is a type of term deposit that NRIs can hold in India in a foreign currency.
FCNR (A) was introduced in 1975 to encourage NRI deposits.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guaranteed the exchange rate prevalent at the time of a deposit to eliminate risk to depositors.
In 1993, the apex bank introduced FCNR (B), without exchange rate guarantee, to replace FCNR (A).
About Ravi Kumar Sihag– His UPSC journey and hobbies
Name
Ravi Kumar Sihag
Age
30
Resident
Ganganagar, Rajasthan
Exam
UPSC 2021
All India Rank
18
Attempts
4th
Optional Subject
Hindi Literature
Hobbies
–
2. Family and Education
Father
Ram Kumar Sihag. He is a farmer.
Mother
Housewife
Elder Brother
—
Elder sister
Married
Ravi Kumar hails from Ganganagar in Rajasthan and has a family of five consisting of his parents, his elder brother, and elder sister.
Ravi’s Educational Background:
Early schooling from New hope school, Shri Vijay Nagar. After that, he passed the 12th standard from the same school
He completed his graduation.
He was also selected in Indian Defence Accounts Services (Rajasthan)
3. UPSC Strategy
He started his preparation in 2016 and in 2018 he secured all India rank 337. In his 2nd attempt in 2019, he secured all India rank 317. In 2020, he couldn’t even clear prelims.
These 3 years’ experience and consistency helped him to formulate a better strategy.
For prelims he practiced 10 years of PYQs along with test series.
For mains he regularly gave some effort to make answer structure better.
He started UPSC preparation 4 years ago by studying NCERTs.
Since current affairs are possibly the most significant part of the IAS exam he backed his preparation with day-to-day newspaper readings to give sufficient focus to the happenings nationally and internationally.
he joined a few online mock test series for Prelims and mains.
He was meticulous about study materials. he consolidated his study materials and revised them as many times as he could.
Be patient and stay focused all the time.
Always tried to improve his performance.
made his notes.
From the very starting, he carried his preparation under senior teachers and mentors.
He didn’t follow any super different strategy of planning. he executed the same strategy differently.
4. Ravi’s Notes & Booklist
Polity:
M. Laxmikant
Indian Economy:
Nitin Singhania
Ramesh Singh
Modern Indian History:
Indian struggles for Independence by Bipin Chandra
NCERTs class VI to XII (Old version)
Art & Culture:
Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania
NCERTs of class XI and XII
Ancient India:
RS Sharma
Ethics:
Ethics and integrity by Subba Rao and PN Rao Chaudhary
Geography:
Certificate Physical and human geography by GC Leong
Indian Geography by Majid Hussain
NCERTs Class IX to Class XII
Challenges to Internal Security of India by Ashok Kumar
ETC.
5. Motivation and inspiration
Even being a part of a farmer family, Ravi proved what a dedicated and confident person can do in life. Ravi didn’t lose hope or give up in front of many challenges. Before starting UPSC preparation in 2016 he had to manage money for his elder sister’s marriage. Zeal for UPSC was in his blood, and that’s why even after getting posted in IDAS(P), he didn’t stop pursuing IAS.
His main aim to crack UPSC was to serve his society better he showed his gratitude to his teachers and mentors who were the real torch bearer all along the crooked path of UPSC.
‘It’s never about breaking records or beating someone but doing your best to improve yourself.’-Civilsdaily
1. About Mantri Mourya Bhardwaj- His UPSC journey and hobbies
Name
Mantri Mourya Bhardwaj
Age
28
Resident
Anakapalle, Andhra Pradesh
Exam
UPSC 2021
All India Rank
28
Attempts
6th
Optional Subject
Anthropology
Hobbies
—
He was an active student of CivilsDaily’s Mentorship program and took guidance in all stages of preparation. He thanked CD’s senior mentors and faculties for his top rank on UPSC 2021 merit list.
Satya Prasad, a headmaster in a local government school.
Mother
Radha Kumar, a pharmacist in a government hospital.
Mantri’s Educational Background:
He completed his graduation in Electrical and Communication Engineering from NIT Warangal in 2014
Later he joined MNC in Hyderabad as Electrical Engineer
3. UPSC Strategy
He resigned from his job and started preparing for the UPSC exam. But success did not come so easily. After failing to make it to the Civils in the first three attempts, he returned to his software profession for his livelihood. But, he did not give up, with the encouragement from my parents, he made it finally.
He, in a candid conversation with his mentor Sukanya Ma’am, shared his thought.
For prelims he joined our Smash Prelims.
For mains he regularly gave some effort to make answer structure better.
He started UPSC preparation 4 years ago by studying NCERTs.
Since current affairs are possibly the most significant part of the IAS exam he backed his preparation with day-to-day newspaper readings to give sufficient focus to the happenings nationally and internationally.
he joined a few online mock test series for Prelims and mains.
He was meticulous about study materials. he consolidated his study materials and revised them as many times as he could.
Be patient and stay focused all the time.
Always tried to improve his performance.
made his own notes.
From the very starting, he carried his preparation under senior teachers and mentors.
He didn’t follow any super different strategy of planning. he executed the same strategy differently.
4. Mantri Mourya’s Notes & Booklist
Polity:
M. Laxmikant
Indian Economy:
Nitin Singhania
Modern Indian History:
Indian struggles for Independence by Bipin Chandra
Spectrum
Etc.
Art & Culture:
Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania
Ancient India:
RS Sharma
Ethics:
Ethics and integrity by Subba Rao and PN Rao Chaudhary
Sukanya Rana’s notes
Geography:
Certificate Physical and human geography by GC Leong
Indian Geography by Majid Hussain
Challenges to Internal Security of India by Ashok Kumar
5. Motivation and inspiration
Maurya Bharadwaj said that patience and perseverance are very important to crack the UPSC Civil Services Exam. He said that his childhood dream has been fulfilled for the fifth time after failing in four exams. Maurya, who dreamed of becoming an IAS officer since childhood, expressed joy at making his family proud. He says that his aim now is to make the entire country proud by working as an IAS officer in health and education fields. His main aim to crack UPSC was to serve his society better he showed his gratitude to his teachers and mentors who were the real torch bearer all along the crooked path of UPSC.
Civilsdaily heartily congratulated him on his grand success and wish the brightness of his determination will light up the path to his future.
As the fallout of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ripples across the globe, the response of some nations to the growing energy crisis has been to double down on fossil fuels, pouring billions more dollars into the coal, oil and gas that are deepening the climate emergency.
Need for transition to renewable energy
Fossil fuels are the cause of the climate crisis.
Renewable energy can limit climate disruption and boost energy security. Renewables are the peace plan of the 21st century.
But the battle for a rapid and just energy transition is not being fought on a level field.
Investors are still backing fossil fuels, and governments still hand out billions in subsidies for coal, oil and gas — about $11 million every minute.
The only true path to energy security, stable power prices, prosperity and a livable planet lies in abandoning polluting fossil fuels and accelerating the renewables-based energy transition.
We must reduce emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions by mid-century.
But current national commitments will lead to an increase of almost 14 per cent this decade.
Reducing cost: The cost of solar energy and batteries has plummeted 85 per cent over the past decade.
The cost of wind power fell by 55 per cent. And investment in renewables creates three times more jobs than fossil fuels.
Nature-based solutions: Of course, renewables are not the only answer to the climate crisis.
Nature-based solutions, such as reversing deforestation and land degradation, are essential.
So too are efforts to promote energy efficiency.
But a rapid renewable energy transition must be our ambition.
Five point plan to boost renewable
1] Renewable energy technology as global good: We must make renewable energy technology a global public good, including removing intellectual property barriers to technology transfer.
2] Improve global access: We must improve global access to supply chains for renewable energy technologies, components and raw materials.
In 2020, the world installed five gigawatts of battery storage.
We need 600 gigawatts of storage capacity by 2030.
Shipping bottlenecks and supply-chain constraints, as well as higher costs for lithium and other battery metals, are hurting the deployment of such technologies and materials.
3] Fast-tracking : We must cut the red tape that holds up solar and wind projects.
We need fast-track approvals and more effort to modernise electricity grids.
4] Shifting energy subsidies: The world must shift energy subsidies from fossil fuels to protect vulnerable people from energy shocks and invest in a just transition to a sustainable future.
Increase investment in renewables: We need to triple investments in renewables.
This includes multilateral development banks and development finance institutions, as well as commercial banks.
Conclusion
When energy prices rise, so do the costs of food and all the goods we rely on. So, let us all agree that a rapid renewables revolution is necessary and stop fiddling while our future burns.
The ousting of Boris Johnson as leader of the British Conservative Party is the latest in a series of coups periodically mounted by the party’s MPs. What is instructive about this whole process, however, is how much power ordinary MPs have over the Prime Minister.
Lack of inner-party democracy in India
A Prime Minister in UK has to be able to maintain the confidence of his own backbencher MPs at all times or risk political oblivion.
If there is a sense that the leader is no longer acceptable to the country, then a well-oiled machine springs into action to protect the party’s electoral gains by providing fresh leadership.
In India, PM exercises absolute authority over party MPs, whose ability to even diverge slightly from the official government line on routine policy matters is almost non-existent.
Impact of anti-defection law: The Prime Minister’s power is strengthened by India’s unique anti-defection set-up, where recalcitrant MPs who do not manage to carry two-thirds of their colleagues with them can always be disqualified.
Lack of autonomy: In effect, MPs do not enjoy any autonomy at all to question and challenge their party leadership.
Prime Ministers or Chief Ministers at the State level are chosen by party high command, and then submitted to MPs/MLAs to be rubber stamped.
Way forward
Strengthening local constituency party: It is time for India to seriously consider empowering its elected representatives, to ensure accountability for party leadership.
MPs in the U.K. are able to act boldly because they do not owe their nomination to the party leader, but are selected by the local constituency party.
In India, however, it is the party leadership that decides candidates, with an informal consultation with the local party.
Amending anti-defection law: Neither do MPs in the U.K. stand a risk of disqualification if they speak out against the leader, a threat perpetuated in India through the anti-defection law.
These factors are the biggest stumbling blocks towards ensuring inner-party democracy in India.
System on the lines of 1922 Committee in UK: In U.K. where individual Conservative MPs write to the 1922 Committee (which comprises backbench MPs, and looks out for their interests) expressing that they have “no confidence” in their leader.
If a numerical or percentage threshold (15% of the party’s MPs in the U.K.) is breached, an automatic leadership vote is triggered, with the party leader forced to seek a fresh mandate from the parliamentary party.
Of course, the only way such a model would work is if an exception is made to the anti-defection law.
Conclusion
Inner-party democracy is a essential for keeping the spirit of democracy alive. Westminster model dictates that control over candidates must shift from central party leaders to local party members.
