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  • What is Khazan Farming System?

    The Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary in low-lying floodplains of Goa is characterized by an estuarine agricultural system called Khazan farming.

    Try this question from our AWE initiative:

    How far is the Integrated Farming System (IFS) helpful in sustaining agricultural production? (10 Marks)

    Khazan Farming

    • The low-lying floodplains of Goa host an estuarine agricultural system called Khazan farming.
    • This system is a carefully designed topo-hydro-engineered agro-aquacultural ecosystem mainly based on the regulation salinity and tides.

    How does it work?

    • Centuries ago, people in this region reclaimed low-lying brackish coastal floodplains and mangrove forests.
    • They constructed bunds using locally available material to prevent the ingress of saltwater, which killed the halophilic mangroves.
    • To control the flow of tidal waters, they built openings in bunds fitted with one-way gates.
    • These channels would fill in with the oncoming tide and bring with them fish, crab and shrimp, and the gates would automatically shut when the water level was equal on both sides.
    • This prevented the water from overflowing into the fields used to grow paddy and which has a low tolerance to salt.
    • When the tide receded, these gates would open outwards automatically, allowing the water to drain out.
    • During this time, a bag net was set at the gate to catch fish that had entered in earlier.

    Benefits of Khazan

    • Every bit of space was precious and used efficiently — the bunds were used to grow a variety of vegetables.
    • The Khazan system allowed for the farmer and the fisher to harmoniously coexist and was the key to sustaining what is considered Goa’s staple — fish, curry and rice.

    Why is it neglected these days?

    • Today, for various reasons, but primarily due to post-independence agrarian reforms of 1961, these lands largely lie fallow and are in a state of decay.
    • Lack of cultivation and maintenance of the bunds and sluice gates is leading to their breaching and the natural reclamation of these fallow lands by mangroves.
    • Moreover, mangroves are protected by law and it is illegal to cut them.
    • Areas that have these trees growing on them also come under the purview of the coastal regulation zone (CRZ); according to the 2011 notification, the mangrove areas are classified as CRZ I and cannot be developed upon.

    Back2Basics: Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary

    • The Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary is Goa’s smallest protected area — it comprises barely two square kilometres of lush mangrove forests.
    • The sanctuary is located on Chorão, one of Goa’s estuarine islands in the Mandovi river approximately five kilometres from capital Panaji.
    • The sanctuary and its surrounds are home to marsh crocodiles, smooth-coated otter, the unique glossy-marsh snake that feeds on crabs, mud lobsters, sap-sucking sea slugs, among others.

  • In news: National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)

    India’s premier organisation mandated to collect data about diseases, the NCDC is failing in its task as the spread of COVID-19 continues unabated.

    Practice question for mains:

    Q. Health infrastructure in India is hardly capable of handling any pandemic. Critically comment.

    About the National Centre for Disease Control

    • The NCDC carries out nationwide disease surveillance through its Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP).
    • It is a vertical programme under Directorate General of Health Services.

    Its formation

    • This programme has been present in the country in different avatars since 1997 when the National Surveillance Programme for Communicable Diseases was set up.
    • This was upscaled to the Integrated Disease Surveillance Project in 2004, with assistance from the World Bank, to address the demands of the WHO’s International Health Regulations, 2005.
    • Under this, each country had to assess public health emergencies of international concern within 48 hours and report them to WHO within the next 24 hours.
    • It was then included in the 12th Plan (2012-17) under the Union Health Ministry and renamed IDSP.

    Mandate of the NCDC

    To aid the process of an investigation, NCDC has put down 10 steps that need to be followed for each outbreak:

    • Determine the existence of an outbreak
    • Confirm the diagnosis
    • Define a case
    • Search for cases
    • Generate hypothesis using descriptive findings
    • Test hypothesis with the analytical study
    • Draw conclusions
    • Compare hypothesis with established facts
    • Communication of findings
    • Execute preventive measures

    Why did NCDC fail?

    • IDSP’s manual says weekly and monthly updates are mandatory for each State and UTs even if no outbreaks are reported.
    • But this has never been observed to date.
    • There is an overlap between the diseases being followed by IDSP and other agencies like the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme
    • The fact that IDSP does not collect mortality data was also a concern. Moreover, the IDSP was not investigating zoonotic diseases.

  • [pib] Kumhar Sashaktikaran Yojana (KSY)

    The Centre has distributed 100 electric potter wheels to 100 trained artisans under the KSY.

    Try this question from CSP 2018:

    Q. Consider the following provisions under the Directive Principles of State Policy as enshrined in the Constitution of India:

    1. Securing for citizens of India a uniform civil code.
    2. Organising village panchayats.
    3. Promoting cottage industries in rural areas.
    4. Securing for all the workers reasonable leisure and Cultural opportunities.

    Which of the above are the Gandhian Principles that are reflected in the DPSP?

    (a) 1, 2 and 4

    (b) 2 and 3

    (c) 1, 3 and 4

    (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

    Kumhar Sashaktikaran Yojana

    • KSY is an initiative of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) for the empowerment of potters’ community in the remotest of locations in the country.
    • It reaches out to the potters in U.P., M.P., Maharashtra, J&K, Haryana, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Assam, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Telangana and Bihar.

    Benefits provided

    This program provides the following support to potters.

    • Training for advanced pottery products
    • Latest, new technology pottery equipment like the electric Chaak
    • Market linkages and visibility through KVIC exhibitions

    Back2Basics: KVIC

    • The KVIC is a statutory body formed in April 1957 under the ‘Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act of 1956’.
    • It is an apex organisation under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, with regard to khadi and village industries within India.
    • It seeks to plan, promote, facilitate, organise and assist in the establishment and development of khadi and village industries in the rural areas.
    • Its head office is in Mumbai, whereas its six zonal offices in Delhi, Bhopal, Bangalore, Kolkata, Mumbai and Guwahati.

  • Rosalind Franklin: the unsung heroine of DNA

    The famous British scientist and virologist Rosalind Franklin is remembered across the world on her birth centenary who worked to construct the double-helix structure of DNA.

    Try this PYQ from CSP 2019:

    DNA/RNA has been an all-time favourite of UPSC!

    Q.‘RNA interference (RNAi)’ technology has gained popularity in the last few years. Why?

    1. It is used in developing gene-silencing therapies.
    2. It can be used in developing therapies for the treatment of cancer.
    3. It can be used to develop hormone replacement therapies.
    4. It can be used to produce crop plants that are resistant to viral pathogens.

    Select the correct answer using the code given below:

    (a) 1, 2 and 4

    (b) 2 and 3

    (c) 1 and 3

    (d) 1 and 4 only

    Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958)

    • She was an English chemist and X-ray crystallographer whose work was central to the understanding of the molecular structures of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), RNA (ribonucleic acid), viruses, coal, and graphite.
    • Although her works on coal and viruses were appreciated in her lifetime, her contributions to the discovery of the structure of DNA were largely recognised posthumously.

    DNA breakthrough

    • In 1952, Raymond Gosling, a graduate student at King’s College London, took a historic X-ray photograph under Franklin’s supervision.
    • Photo 51, as it is called, demonstrates the now-familiar, double-helix structure of DNA.

    Why is she remembered now?

    • The world is currently gripped in a pandemic, and her pioneering research in virology provided a crucial early step in the search for cures, vaccinations and tests.
    • During the Second World War, Franklin carried out research into coal and graphite that proved important for gas-masks, the PPE of that time.
    • It is because of Franklin, her collaborators and successors, that today’s researchers are able to use tools such as DNA sequencing and X-ray crystallography to investigate viruses such as COVID-10.

    Back2Basics: DNA/RNA 

    • Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and Ribonucleic acid (RNA) are perhaps the most important molecules in cell biology, responsible for the storage and reading of genetic information that underpins all life.
    • They are both linear polymers, consisting of sugars, phosphates and bases, but there are some key differences which separate the two.
    • These distinctions enable the two molecules to work together and fulfil their essential roles.
    • DNA encodes all genetic information and is the blueprint from which all biological life is created. And that’s only in the short-term.
    • In the long-term, DNA is a storage device, a biological flash drive that allows the blueprint of life to be passed between generations.
    • RNA functions as the reader that decodes this flash drive. This reading process is multi-step and there are specialized RNAs for each of these steps.

    Three types of RNA

    • Messenger RNA (mRNA) copies portions of genetic code; a process called transcription and transports these copies to ribosomes, which are the cellular factories that facilitate the production of proteins from this code.
    • Transfer RNA (tRNA) is responsible for bringing amino acids, basic protein building blocks, to these protein factories, in response to the coded instructions introduced by the mRNA. This protein-building process is called translation.
    • Finally, Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) is a component of the ribosome factory itself without which protein production would not occur.

  • [Burning Issue] Police Brutalities and the Need for their Sensitization

    “The police uniform evokes various emotions. There is a fear of oppression and cruelty, as well as a perception of security. This perception shapes into expression from our daily observance. These days, people face a predicament whether to approach the police or not. They are scared whenever they see a policeman approaching them. Instead of feeling secure in their presence, the popular feeling is that of insecurity.”

    Fake encounters, custodial deaths, lathi charge, abductions and third-degree torture — everyday episodes of sensational brutality by the policemen has shaken the nation’s trust in its police system. The horrific downturn in UP; alleged thrashing of a Dalit couple in MP and the murder of Jayaraj and Bennix at the hands of the local Tamil Nadu police has provoked a wide-spread national outrage.

    Police Misconduct: A norm in India?

    Police brutalities can be broadly observed as:

    1) Torture and extrajudicial killings

    • Police use torture and another mistreatment to elicit confessions to the charges they fabricate.
    • While the practice is not the norm in most of India, fake encounter killings occur frequently.
    • Between April 2017 and February 2018, India recorded a staggering 1,674 custodial deaths, a rate of five custodial deaths per day, according to statistics placed by the Home Ministry.
    • UP topped the list, with 374 deaths reported in this period of under a year.

    2) Prejudice and selective persecution

    • The Status of Policing in India Report 2019 reveals disturbing trends on police prejudice.
    • It indicates a significant bias against Minorities. Similar prejudices existed across certain states against Tribals, Dalits, transgenders and migrants from other states.

    3) Professional misconduct

    • Police misconduct refers to inappropriate conduct and illegal actions taken by police officers in connection with their official duties.
    • Types of misconduct include coerced false confession, intimidation, false arrest, falsification of evidence, spoliation of evidence, witness tampering, racial profiling, unwarranted surveillance, searches, and seizure of property.

    4) Corruption

    • A report by Transparency International, show that in India, Police organization is seen as most corrupt by the people.
    • At present, corruption is pervasive among the senior and junior ranks in the form of bribery.
    • Police allegedly buy and sell appointments to positions in the areas most lucrative for extorting money from local businesses and embezzling police funds.

    “Violence now runs in the veins of Gandhi’s nation. It demands police to lynch those who eat beef and do duty only for festive Bandobast and elections.”

    Various Recourse Available to Citizens

    Keeping the above circumstances in mind, it is imperative to understand the framework for pursuing grievances against police excesses.

    • Judicial remedy: Remedies, including compensation, can be sought before the High Courts and the Supreme Court under the violations of fundamental rights.
    • HR sanctions: Relief can also be sought before the National and the State Human Rights Commissions set up under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, but their recommendations are not binding on the respective governments.
    • Criminal cases: Criminal complaints can be filed against the concerned officers for offences under the IPC, 1860, but there is no mechanism for an independent investigation.
    • Disciplining: Since the police is a state subject under the Constitution, disciplinary proceedings and punishment for errant police officers such as suspension, removal or deduction of salary are provided under respective state enactments.

    Why the Indian Police underperform: A Dangerous State of Disrepair

    The police force has always faced its own set of problems that remain hidden and impede its smooth functioning and performance.

    1) Inefficient Deployment and Workload

    • Policemen in India, on an average, work for a minimum of 12 hours a day, with no weekly off, no leaves, no overtime pay and no social life.
    • The police-population ratio, currently 192 policemen per lakh population, is less than what is recommended by UN i.e. 222 policemen per lakh population.

    2) Infrastructure

    • The deteriorating state of the police is most visible at police stations.
    • Decaying, colonial-era police stations and posts across India are stocked with antiquated equipment and lack sufficient police vehicles, phones, computers, and even stationery.
    • Many lacked basic equipment needed for investigating crimes, preserving evidence, and keeping minimally adequate records.

    3) Organizational discrepancies

    • The police structure in India is based on the archaic colonial laws that did not provide the lower ranks, with operational authority or advanced professional training.

    4) Lack of proper training

    • Police training has not seen any modifications since decades. It is severely underfunded. Training is of poor quality because instructors are poor.
    • For lower ranks, pre-induction training of six to nine months are military in style and are dominated merely by physical fitness: “foot drills,” “platoon drill,” and ceremonial parades. That’s it.

    5) Political interference

    • In a culture of sifarish —politically motivated refusal to register complaints, arbitrary detention, and torture and killings sometimes perpetrated by police at the behest of national and state politicians—have resulted in an unprecedented level of public distrust and fear of the police.
    • State and local politicians routinely tell police officers to drop investigations against people with political connections, including known criminals, and to harass or file false charges against political opponents.

    6) Psycho-social alienation

    • Since the onset of the lockdown, Policemen are the most exposed beings to their severity. These days, their work conditions are physically and mentally taxing, and lower-ranking personnel are grossly frustrated over that.
    • The biggest problem they face is that there is a lack of social and family life. The apathy and brutalities these days are somewhat manifestations of these saturating conditions.

    “We have no time to think, no time to sleep. I tell my men that a victim will only come to the police station because we can give him justice, so we should not beat him with a stick. But often the men are tired and irritable and grave mistakes take place out of overt frustrations.”

    The long waited Reforms

    Parliamentary Research Services (PRS) in 2017 put out a report on police reforms in India.

    • They articulated six areas where considerable work was still needed—police accountability; the need to separate law and order from the investigation; poor working conditions and an overburdened police force; constabulary related issues; police infrastructure; and public-police relations.

    Till now, six committees, including the National Police Commission, have been set up by the government. These committees made recommendations in favour of major police reforms. These include the Gore Committee on Police Training (1971-73), the Ribeiro Committee on Police Reforms (1998), the Padmanabhaiah Committee on Police Reforms (2000), the Group of Ministers on National Security (2000-01), and the Malimath Committee on Reforms of Criminal Justice System (2001-03).

    In what is popularly referred to as the Prakash Singh Case of 2006, the Supreme Court ordered that reform must take place. It made seven-point directives to the Center and State governments.

    The seven directives are:

    1) Limit political control
    Constitute a State Security Commission to:

    • Ensure that the state government does not exercise unwarranted influence or pressure on the police.
    • Lay down broad policy guidelines.
    • Evaluate the performance of the state police.

    2) Appoint based on merit
    Ensure that the Director-General of Police is appointed through a merit–based, transparent process, and secures a minimum tenure of 2 years.

    3) Fix minimum tenure
    Ensure that other police officers on operational duties (Including Superintendents of Police in charge of a district and Station House Officers in charge of a police station) are also provided with a minimum tenure of 2 years.

    4) Separate police functions
    Separate the functions of investigation and maintaining law and order.

    5) Set up fair and transparent systems
    Set up a Police Establishment Board to decide and make recommendations on transfers, postings, promotions and other service-related matters of police officers of and below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police.

    6) Establish a Police Complaints Authority in each state
    At the state level, there should be a Police Complaints Authority to look into public complaints against police officers of and above the rank of Superintendent of Police in cases of serious misconduct, including custodial death, grievous hurt or rape in police custody. At the district level, the Police Complaints Authority should be set up to inquire into public complaints against the police personnel of and up to the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police in cases of serious misconduct.

    7) Set up a selection commission
    A National Security Commission needs to be set up at the union level to prepare a panel for selection and placement of chiefs of the Central Police Organizations with a minimum tenure of 2 years.

    “It has become obvious that the police cannot be neutral. Either you comply with every order from the political masters, or you have some strong backing of a leader who protects you. That is how policing is being done in our country .”

    Reforms: Largely on Papers

    • The directions of the Supreme Court, as usual, have fallen on deaf ears.
    • The Justice Thomas Committee appointed by the Supreme Court for monitoring compliance with the Prakash Singh judgement expressed dismay in its 2010 report over the total indifference exhibited by the states.
    • In 2013, the Justice Verma Committee constituted after the Nirbhaya gangrape also noted such non-compliance in its report and urged all states to fully comply with the top court’s directives to tackle systemic problems in policing.

    Why these reforms are yet unimplemented?

    • What has perhaps stalled the implementation of these reforms is the lack of political will, which in turn could be linked to the growing criminalization of politics.
    • When lawmakers increasingly feature serious criminal charges in their resume, they have very little incentive to professionalize the police force.
    • Growing criminality of politics may be hindering both police performance and the impetus for police reform.

    “Whatever the hiccups are, the clear bottom line is that the police are entrusted with the undeniable duty of protection. They need to inspire confidence amongst the citizen toward them, as nobody else can do better on their behalf.”

    Way Forward

    Efforts to end abuses will not succeed unless made part of a comprehensive overhaul. The following recommendations to both improve the functioning of the police and curtail abuses are drawn from multiple committees:

    1) Overhaul police structures and improve working conditions

    • Improve working conditions: Minimum standards for housing and work hours should be developed, for instance, a requirement that station house officers announce and adhere to a monthly work schedule with maximum hours of work and provide for the mandatory leave.
    • Improve training and equipment: A scarcity of trained personnel can contribute to the likelihood of abusive behaviour, such as the “short-cuts” of refusing to register crime complaints to reduce caseloads and building cases on coerced confessions rather than a collection of evidence. The investigation curriculum at police academies must be bolstered.
    • Training on human rights and professional conduct: Frustrated officers with nothing to lose are more likely to engage in abusive behaviour. To change this environment, HR training must be provided for better police behaviour.

    2) Enforce the law

    • Investigating police abuse and misconduct: The complaints against police officers and their investigation should be done by independent bodies which have no political as well as police interference only the crime against innocent citizens would reduce.
    • Preventing Torture: Strong domestic laws are critical to signalling police that torture is never a permissible means to extract confessions or other information from criminal suspects.
    • Repeal laws that encourage impunity: Section 197 of the Criminal Procedure Code continues to effectively shield many abusive police officials from prosecution for actions taken on “official duty”.  That needs to be amended.

    3) Ensure accountability and discipline

    • Establish an independent internal affairs or “professional responsibility” unit at the state level to promptly and impartially investigated.
    • Internal investigations should be triggered by allegations made to external government agencies such as the NHRC or other relevant agencies.

    4) Legislative intervention

    To implement the police reforms in letter and spirit, the Indian Parliament must-

    • Amend or replace the Police Act of 1861 with legislation conforming to the requirements of the Supreme Court in Prakash Singh judgement.
    • Amend the CrPC about FIR registration. To ensure prompt police aid to crime victims, amend Section 154 to explicitly state that a police station must register an FIR regardless of jurisdiction. Adopt the 2005 Police Act Drafting Committee’s recommendation to make failure to register an FIR a criminal offence.
    • Ratify the Convention against Torture (UNCAT) and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.
    • Specifically, define Torture and enforced disappearances as criminal offences in the IPC.
    • Amend the Evidence Act to make inadmissible any evidence obtained based on a police interrogation that involved the use of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or other illegal coercion.
    • Amend Section 36 of the Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Act, 2006 to permit the NHRC/SHRC to inquire into violations pending before other commissions.
    • Empower the NHRC/SHRC (the so-called toothless tigers) to issue binding orders, rather than non-binding recommendations to the state governments and police.

    The ‘police’ and ‘public order’ being in the State List of Seventh Schedule, police reforms are large to be undertaken by state governments.

    Conclusion

    With movements like Black lives matter, one can easily conclude that police brutality is a global phenomenon. The mentality of being brute with citizens needs to go.

    Training in modern concepts of justice and human rights is the need of the hour. The sensitization programmes for the field officers need to be conducted regularly. Zero tolerance for HR violations must be the mission.

    There has to be promptness of action and decency of behaviour. It is time to transforms it from ‘Ruler’s Police’ to ‘People’s Police.’

     

     

    References

    https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/india-news-opinion-india-must-adopt-zero-tolerance-policy-for-torture-and-death-in-police-custody/303405

    https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/why-india-needs-urgent-police-reforms-46003/

    https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/police-reform-and-the-crucial-judicial-actor/article31965573.ece

    https://scroll.in/article/966999/thoothukudi-isnt-an-exception-brutal-police-violence-has-always-been-the-norm-in-india

    https://www.tatatrusts.org/upload/pdf/spir-2018-common-cause.pdf

    https://www.hrw.org/report/2009/08/04/broken-system/dysfunction-abuse-and-impunity-indian-police#

  • Deepening ties with South Korea

    South Korea’s technological advancement and manufacturing capabilities can be helpful in India’s economic growth and human resource development. Seoul’s successful development story of the last few decades can complement Modi’s vision of making a “New India” by 2022.

  • Get ready For Upcoming Current Affairs Prelims Test Covering June on 25th July *You Get The Additional Coverage Of The Month Of May As Well In This Test!!!*

    Click here to enrol for the Prime Prelims TS

    The importance of Current Affairs in CSE examinations is immense. This is the most critical part of CSE Prelims as well as CSE Mains Exam. Aspirants should study in-depth to understand the significance of current affairs for UPSC. In fact, around 1/3rd questions in CSE exams are drafted around current affairs.

    Sometimes, UPSC usually does not ask direct and static questions from current affairs in Prelims Examination. Questions are focused on combining current affairs with conventional knowledge. One interesting reason behind this type of strategy is to check the ability of correlation a candidate has.

    Success in UPSC Prelims and UPSC Mains Exam is mainly subjected to how well an aspirant is aware of the important current affairs. Preparation of current affairs for UPSC is the key to unlock the exam. It requires practice and revision in a well-connected manner. Team Civilsdaily helps you conquer this frontier with its Prime Test Series.

    There are certain ways for current affairs preparation in order to become the master of this field. Here are some of the important tips described for reference.

    • Read the newspaper – This is the most effective and traditional way to prepare current affairs for UPSC Civil Services Examinations. Aspirants need to be updated with the trending topics happening across the globe. Reading a newspaper on a daily basis fills your mind with facts and viewpoints and this will improve your skills to write essay papers in exams. But if you are a working aspirant or staying in a place where availability of the hard copy of reading resources is not available, then also do not worry. You should refer to CIVILSDAILY WEBSITE for daily current affairs which are curated keeping active learning, resourceful preparation and the demand of UPSC Civil Services Preparation, in mind.
    • Check Time Allocation: You must read only the relevant news articles thoroughly. However, while doing so, make sure you are not spending more than an hour reading newspapers. You should finish reading daily current affairs within 90 minutes. Freshers may take a bit longer in the beginning. However, make sure you limit the time to one and a half hour per day during the weekdays. During the weekend, make sure you revise your notes at least once! And then, at the end of the month, go through the monthly compilation of Civilsdaily for a quick revision.
    • Organize your preparation – From the first day of current affairs preparation, start making short notes and divide the notes topic-wise in small modules. One can prepare either handwritten notes or opt for the digital format. These notes will help you to channelize your study on different topics. The curation of daily news at CIVILSDAILY is done keeping these sub-topics in mind and we have more than 200 stories to link the current affairs with demands of UPSC. You can check one example here.
    • Join Prime Test Series – The best part with current affairs questions asked in UPSC exams is that they can be solved without wasting time. One can score maximum marks in less time in this section of the exam. Current affairs preparation for UPSC Civil Services Examination keeps the aspirant updated and helps in having a balanced view about different issues.

    Our Prime Prelims Test Series which shall enrich you to acquaint yourself with the pattern of CSE-2021, assess your abilities, rectify your mistakes and make you confident to appear on the examination day.

    Our Prime Prelims Test Series follows the same approach as that adopted by UPSC. Our team of experts is quite enriched with the UPSC pattern and focal point of the questions and hence creates more chances for the aspirants to crack civil service examination by appearing our Test Series.

    This is the time where many of you must have started UPSC CSP preparation with all the josh. Thus, what better exercise would you need than the Current Affair Mock Test. This is the 1st among the many current affairs Tests covering the whole month and we have curated it as per the trend of previous 5 years of UPSC CSP.  You see, since 2015, this has been the general weightage of various subjects in UPSC CSP:

    Subjects Question Distribution in the year 2019 Question Distribution in the year 2018 Question Distribution in the year 2017 Question Distribution in the year 2016 Question Distribution in the year 2015
    Current Affair

    (Including IR)

    		 22 28 34 27 29
    Economics 14 16 8 8 13
    History, Modern India, Indian National Movements, Art and Culture 17 15 14   15 14
    Geography 14 8 7   7 14
    Polity 15 13 22   7 13
    Science & Technology 7 7   4   8 7
    Environment 11 13   11   18 10

    Hence, almost 33% of the questions in Civil Services Prelims were related to Current Affairs section.

    The key philosophy of our prelims TS is Evidence-based question making: The 3600 questions you face in our mocks have their relevance established in UPSC’s trend analysis. We focus on themes that are important as per UPSC so that we maximize your chances of questions overlap with the actual UPSC Prelims.

    Noone but only you can assess how it will help you in being the top percentile of aspirants. You have to practice ruthlessly and civils Daily provides you with a platform to hone your skills.

    Click here to enrol for the Prime Prelims TS

  • 24th July 2020 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions

    [WpProQuiz 489]

    [WpProQuiz_toplist 488]

  • 23rd July 2020 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions

    [WpProQuiz 488]

    [WpProQuiz_toplist 487]

  • Gold and forex reserves cannot finance stimulus

    The article analyses the issues with suggestions like printing of currency and using forex reserves to finance the stimulus. They also lead to an increase in government debts.

    Context

    • Prime Minister announced a stimulus package of ₹20 trillion to fight the economic fallout of the covid pandemic.
    • Since then, several unorthodox ideas have been floated to raise funds for it without straining government finances.
    • Among the suggestions are the printing of currency, and using foreign exchange reserves or household gold.

    Let’s look at entries in the RBI’s balance sheets

    • On the liabilities side of it is the currency in circulation, commercial bank reserves  and government reserves.
    • On the asset side of it is forex reserves, government securities and gold.
    • The balancing item represents the central bank’s equity and accumulated surplus.

    Let’s look at 3 options suggested above and issues with them-

    1) Printing currency

    • Doing this would increase the liabilities of the RBI under “currency in circulation”.
    • But it first needs to acquire assets to offset this increase in liability.
    • These assets could be government securities, forex reserves or gold.
    • Thus, one way for the government to finance its expenditure would be to issue government bonds and ask RBI to print currency with which to subscribe to such bonds.
    • This is known as deficit monetization.
    •  It is important to note that for the central bank to print money, the government would have to issue bonds to it.
    • It will increase government debt.

    2) Monetisation of gold held by household

    • This would first involve the government buying gold from households in exchange for its bonds.
    • Then, the accumulated gold would be bought by RBI from the government with newly printed currency.
    •  In this case, instead of creating new money to acquire government bonds, RBI would be doing the same to acquire gold.
    • This too involves the Centre taking on additional debt.
    •  Moreover, gold monetization schemes in the past have yielded only mild success.

    3) Using RBI’s forex reserves

    • Against every dollar of forex reserves shown by RBI on the asset side, an equivalent rupee amount has already been created on the liability side.
    • This is because whenever RBI acquires foreign currency, it pays for it using the Indian rupee.
    • Thus, no additional currency can be printed against such already-acquired reserves.
    • The only way our forex reserves can be used for generating additional resources is by pledging them to a third party.
    • The pledging of RBI’s assets to raise funds is done only under extreme circumstances, for instance, during the 1991 balance of payments crisis.
    • We are certainly not in a situation that warrants a repeat of an exercise where RBI’s assets, be it gold or forex reserves, have to be mortgaged.

    So, what is the way out?

    • There are only three ways to finance government expenditure: taxes, debt and asset sales.
    • Taxes and asset sales can pitch in a bit towards the stimulus bill.

    Consider the question “Examine the ways in which government can raise the funds to finance the stimulus package and also discuss the issues with each move.”

    Conclusion

    There is no escaping the fact that we are staring at a higher build-up of government debt in the future. When we stop harbouring the notion that we can pay the stimulus bill without any deterioration in government finances, we will be able to see the bitter truth: There is no such thing as a free lunch.

    Read more about the issue here:

    India’s rising Forex Reserves

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