💥Join UPSC 2027,2028 Mentorship (July Batch) + XFactor Notes & Microthemes PDF
Talk to Mentor

Civilsdaily

Login

Search results for: “”

  • Samachar Manthan Yearly 2022 Batch 2

    From 1st October 2021 till 1st October 2022

    Here is how we will guide you till Mains 2022

    Note- There are two variants of Samachar Manthan – Till Prelims and Till Mains

    https://youtu.be/6WA8nhi9g8I

    Current affairs are indispensable for every stage of the UPSC exam. Understanding the importance of current affairs is just one part of the UPSC puzzle. For solving the whole puzzle, we have Samachar Manthan.

    Importance in Interview

    In Personality Tests often your opinions are asked on various issues. Current Affairs make you aware of the surroundings and allow you to give practical answers to the problems faced by the country.

    What is Samachar Manthan?

    Samachar Manthan is our flagship program designed to help you develop a solid command on your newspaper reading and current affairs analyzing skills. We’re are also going to focus on imparting skills required to utilize current affairs. Since it builds your core, it is important for both Prelims and Mains. 

    Program inclusion

    1. Weekly 3+ hours video lecture

    2. High-quality Notes and reference material

    3. Membership to Samachar Manthan Habitat club – doubts,  discussion, and mentorship session.

    4. Weekly Current Affairs based Mains Test (10 Questions) and Evaluation

    5. Current Affairs Monthly Prelims Test package

    6. Marathon Revision sessions on Habitat before Prelims and Mains

    7. Frequent Google meet Sessions to check on Student’s Preparation status

    8. Micro notes to help you make your notes.

    Duration of the program:

    This program will continue till UPSC Mains 2022

    About the faculty leading this program:

    Sajal Singh

    Sajal sir is known to make Economics and IR as easy as a cakewalk. He scored one of the highest marks in GS in the 2017 UPSC exam. Under his guidance, more than 80 percent of Students qualified for UPSC interview 2020 in Smash mains Program.

    Sudhanshu Mishra

    Sudhanshu sir has firsthand experience of 3 mains and two interviews of UPSC. He has served in the defense ministry for 10 years with keen interests in regional and global geopolitics and has ample experience of various other competitive exams as well.

    Why Samachar Manthan?

    5 stage structure of Lecture-Notes-Testing-Review-Mentoring

    Our unique five-stage methodology helps ensure maximum retention and rock-solid preparation. Each component has been meticulously crafted which repeated every week creates a virtuous cycle.

    Diversified and Comprehensive coverage

    We let news develop over a week, and a team under Sajal Sir daily covers it from various sources which include newspapers (The Hindu, The Indian Express, LiveMint, etc.), magazines (Yojana, Kurukshetra, EPW, Down to Earth), important websites (PIB, PRS, govt ministries, IDSA, etc.).

    UPSC is a generalist exam. It’s important to cover more issues than to cover a few, in more depth. Samachar Manthan ensures a fine balance of comprehensive news coverage and detailed discussion on the most important topics.

    Videos and Notes

    Carefully selected relevant news is analyzed and delivered in a weekly lecture spanning over 3 hours.

    You will be getting high-quality, well-designed notes. They are detailed with proper categorization of news into the Mains and Prelims category.

    Our focus is on conceptual clarity, simplicity, relevance, and making interlinkages between current affairs and basic/static part of the syllabus.

    Samachar Manthan Civilsdaily IAS Current Affairs UPSC

    Samachar Manthan Weekly Notes (Click to download)

    Samachar Manthan Micro-notes (click to download)

    Samachar Manthan will also help you understand how to utilize current affairs in all your Prelims and Mains papers. A part of which is done by tests.

    Weekly Mains Test and Evaluation

    Because learning is not enough, you must apply. Every week a 10 question UPSC level current affairs test follows with video and notes. The focus here is on Mains answer writing skills and practice.

    It’s a skill that is learned, honed, and perfected gradually. And this is why it should be done regularly. Our team of subject experts evaluates your answers and provides you with feedback. Answer enhancement is one of the objectives of this exercise.

    Samachar Manthan Civilsdaily IAS Current Affairs UPSC

    Evaluated answer sheet – 1 (Click to download)

    Evaluated answer sheet – 2 (Click to download)

    Current Affairs Monthly Prelims Test package

    This was a feedback that we had received from our students. Now every month we provide a Current Affairs prelims test package.

    All this completes a study loop and enhances your retention.

    Civilsdaily Handholding and mentoring: 

    Our team led by Sajal sir is there to provide handholding support all through your UPSC journey. Increased interaction with the faculty and teachers from Civilsdaily will help you align your preparation and make it more relevant. You can reach out to Sajal sir and other teachers on Habitat.

    Google meet sessions

    Another important component we have added this year is Google meet sessions. These sessions will be conducted on a regular basis with the aspirants.

    Samachar Manthan 2022 -Habitat club 

    Habitat is where everything comes together learning, doubt clearing, notes, references, mentors, and a focussed community. You’re going to learn and discuss like never before. 

    How will your queries be resolved?

    • The moment you have a query, you post it in the group. At 11PM, 3AM, doesn’t matter. No need to schedule a call, or drop an email. Just drop a chat. Once our team is up, it will be resolved.
    • More often than not, your peers will take part in your doubt discussions adding a lot of value.

    Besides doubts, what else is there on Habitat?

    • #DDS sessions – We have dedicated sessions every day to resolve doubts in real-time. Never keep a doubt to yourself. 
    • An ecosystem for co-learning and active learning.
    • A highly motivated community to bring flexibility and consistency to your preparation.

    Marathon revision sessions before Prelims and Mains

    To consolidate your coverage and revision we take revision sessions on Habitat.

    This is what our students have to say about Samachar Manthan and Sajal Sir.

    Samachar Manthan Civilsdaily IAS Current Affairs UPSC
    Feedback from our students.
    Samachar Manthan Civilsdaily IAS Current Affairs UPSC
    From answers posted in Quora. Read more here.

    MODE OF PAYMENT

    PAY VIA CARD/UPI

    14,000+GST = 16,520/-

    ASK FOR A PAYMENT LINK FROM OUR TEAM/ PING US ON WHATSAPP

    DIRECT BANK DEPOSIT

    A/C NAME: APEIROGON TECHNOLOGIES PVT. LTD

    A/C NO: 50200016012695

    IFSC CODE: HDFC0000922

    GSTIN: 07AAOCA0521B1ZA

    WALK-IN & PAY

    VISIT OUR OFFICE AN SWIPE CARD/ DEPOSIT CASH & GET A RECEIPT

    GET IN TOUCH

    LOCATION: 1 LGF, Apsara Arcade, Next to Karol Bagh Metro Stn. (Gate #7), Delhi 110060

    CONTACT: hello@civilsdaily.com OR +91 8929987787

    ₹14,000.00 +taxes

    BUY THIS COURSE

  • What the low rank on the Global Hunger Index means for India

    Context

    This year’s Global Hunger Index (GHI) ranks India 101 out of 116 countries for which reliable and comparable data exist.

    Government’s stand

    • Is India’s performance on hunger as dismal as denoted by the index or is it partly a statistical artefact?
    • This question assumes immediacy, especially since the government has questioned the methodology and claimed that the ranking does not represent the ground reality.
    • This calls for careful scrutiny of the methodology, especially of the GHI’s components.

    Understanding the GHI methodology

    • The GHI has four components.
    • The first — insufficient calorie intake — is applicable for all age groups.
    • The data on deficiency in calorie intake, accorded 33% weight, is sourced from the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Suite of Food Security Indicators (2021).
    • The remaining three — wasting (low weight for height), stunting (low height for age) and mortality — are confined to children under five years.
    • The data on child wasting and stunting (2016-2020), each accounting for 16.6% of weight, are from the World Health Organization, UNICEF and World Bank, complemented with the latest data from the Demographic and Health Surveys.
    • Under-five mortality data are for 2019 from the UN Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation.

    Issues with GHI

    • The GHI is largely children-oriented with a higher emphasis on undernutrition than on hunger and its hidden forms, including micronutrient deficiencies.
    • The first component — calorie insufficiency — is problematic for many reasons.
    • The lower calorie intake, which does not necessarily mean deficiency, may also stem from reduced physical activity, better social infrastructure (road, transport and healthcare) and access to energy-saving appliances at home, among others.
    • For a vast and diverse country like India, using a uniform calorie norm to arrive at deficiency prevalence means failing to recognise the huge regional imbalances in factors that may lead to differentiated calorie requirements at the State level.

    Understanding the connection between stunting and wasting and ways to tackling them

    • India’s wasting prevalence (17.3%) is one among the highest in the world.
    •  Its performance in stunting, when compared to wasting, is not that dismal, though.
    • Child stunting in India declined from 54.2% in 1998–2002 to 34.7% in 2016-2020, whereas child wasting remains around 17% throughout the two decades of the 21st century.
    • Stunting is a chronic, long-term measure of undernutrition, while wasting is an acute, short-term measure.
    • Quite possibly, several episodes of wasting without much time to recoup can translate into stunting.
    • Effectively countering episodes of wasting resulting from such sporadic adversities is key to making sustained and quick progress in child nutrition.
    • Way forward: If India can tackle wasting by effectively monitoring regions that are more vulnerable to socioeconomic and environmental crises, it can possibly improve wasting and stunting simultaneously.

    Low child mortality

    • India’s relatively better performance in the other component of GHI — child mortality — merits a mention.
    • Studies suggest that child undernutrition and mortality are usually closely related, as child undernutrition plays an important facilitating role in child mortality.
    • However, India appears to be an exception in this regard.
    • This implies that though India was not able to ensure better nutritional security for all children under five years, it was able to save many lives due to the availability of and access to better health facilities.

    Conclusion

    The low ranking does not mean that India fares uniformly poor in every aspect. This ranking should prompt us to look at our policy focus and interventions and ensure that they can effectively address the concerns raised by the GHI, especially against pandemic-induced nutrition insecurity.

    UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

  • 18th October 2021| Daily Answer Writing Enhancement(AWE)

    Topics for Today’s questions:

    GS-1    Population and associated issues, poverty, and developmental issues

    GS-2    Statutory, Regulatory and various Quasi-judicial Bodies.

    GS-3    Money laundering and its prevention

    GS-4    Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers
    from India and world.

    Questions:

    Question 1)

     

    Q.1 Tribal population has fared poorly in various health indicators at the national level. In this context, highlighting various reasons for poor health of tribals and suggest suitable steps that need to be taken to address the same. (10 Marks)

     

    Question 2)

    Q.2 What are the issues with the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) being the sole and mandatory requirement for medical admission? Suggest the way forward to deal with the issues. (10 Marks)

    Question 3)

    Q.3 What are the consequences of illicit financial flows to the economies? What are the challenges in curbing illicit financial flows? (10 Marks)

    Question 4)  

    Q.4 “Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value”- Albert Einstein. Bring out what this statement means to you in the present context. (10 Marks)

     

    HOW TO ATTEMPT ANSWERS IN DAILY ANSWER WRITING ENHANCEMENT(AWE)?

    1. Daily 4 questions from General studies 1, 2, 3, and 4 will be provided to you.

    2. A Mentor’s Comment will be available for all answers. This can be used as a guidance tool but we encourage you to write original answers.

    3. You can write your answer on an A4 sheet and scan/click pictures of the same.

    4.  Upload the scanned answer in the comment section of the same question.

    5. Along with the scanned answer, please share your Razor payment ID, so that paid members are given priority.

    6. If you upload the answer on the same day like the answer of 11th  October is uploaded on 11th October then your answer will be checked within 72 hours. Also, reviews will be in the order of submission- First come first serve basis

    7. If you are writing answers late, for example, 11th October is uploaded on 13th October, then these answers will be evaluated as per the mentor’s schedule.

    8. We encourage you to write answers on the same day. However, if you are uploading an answer late then tag the mentor like @Staff so that the mentor is notified about your answer.

    *In case your answer is not reviewed, reply to your answer saying *NOT CHECKED*. 

    For the philosophy of AWE and payment: 

    CLICK HERE To join Daily AWE

  • Only 1 in 100 Aspirants clear Prelims||Not clearing prelims is tough BUT don’t let that stop you from chasing your dream

    Only 1 in 100 Aspirants clear Prelims||Not clearing prelims is tough BUT don’t let that stop you from chasing your dream

    Prelims is the most brutal stage of the UPSC Examination. Lakhs of students out of the race in one go. Lakhs of dreams shattered in one go!!

    Not clearing prelims can be tough. A whole one year of preparation suddenly seems like a waste. The worst is when you start questioning your own capability – What good I am when I could not clear even the first stage of the UPSC exam? Should I start considering option B? What am I doing wrong?……

    CLICK HERE FOR FREE MENTOR CALL TO DISCUSS FUTURE STRATEGY

    STOP Get out of this Loop FAST
    Questioning your abilities is never the solution to any problem, let alone not clearing prelims. Even ranker holders like Swati Sharma AIR 17(2019) consider Prelims to be scary because let’s face it – it is a dicey game.


    So, don’t get into this philosophical loop like what will I do with my life now that I have failed prelims. “Just buckle up, and deal with it. Prepare harder and prepare better”. Seems like tough love advice but we are here to help you out.

    Pranav Vijay AIR 65(2020) didn’t get disheartened after not clearing prelims 2 times in a row. He identified his issues, prepared smarter, and excelled with flying colors.

    CHECK YOUR ISSUES:

    Revise the paper: Go through the prelims 2021 paper again, you can’t chart out your future strategy without knowing where you messed up in the first place. While you do this, gather data on how many were careless mistakes, random guesses, or wrong because you did not properly revise.
    Identify your weakness/strengths: Mark the subjects where you feel you don’t have a proper holdover. Weakness can be even in strategy, time management, or lack of revisions. In order to improve knowing your weakness is important. Strength can be a subject or the art of intelligent guessing in prelims, you have to make sure you retain that for the next prelims.
    Start preparing comprehensively: The ultimate aim is not just clearing prelims but getting your name in that final pdf. In order to achieve that you have to make sure that you start both your prelims and mains preparation together.

    CLICK HERE FOR FREE MENTOR CALL TO DISCUSS FUTURE STRATEGY

    WHAT CAN CIVILSDAILY DO FOR YOU?

    Make your preparation more structured and rational: Clearing prelims and mains are completely different skills. Toppers like Tina Dabi were great at the mains stage but barely passed the prelims examination. This is where your mentor comes into play who can ensure your preparation is a balanced approach to fulfill the requirements of both examinations.

    CLICK HERE FOR FREE MENTOR CALL TO DISCUSS FUTURE STRATEGY

    Retrospect on your previous preparation to prepare the future plan: If you are a beginner then your strategy would be different from a person who has written mains 2 times. Personalize attention is necessary to cater to the demands of each and every student. Our mentors are up for any challenge that students face in their preparation journey.

    CLICK HERE FOR FREE MENTOR CALL TO DISCUSS FUTURE STRATEGY

    Mentor at every step: At Civilsdaily, we believe that one bad result is not the real judge of your abilities. The very first thing that our mentors do is building up your confidence and your faith in yourself. Mentors here will be your friend, philosopher, and guide in the real sense.

    Prelims is over but this does not have to be the end to your dream. Connect with us and let us help you out in planning a better and efficient strategy for the future.

    CLICK HERE FOR FREE MENTOR CALL TO DISCUSS FUTURE STRATEGY

  • Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2020

    Context

    Most discoms are deep into the red as high aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses are chipping into their revenues. Against this backdrop, the Electricity (Amendment) Bill of 2020 is a game-changing reform.

    Why the Electricity (Amendment) Bill of 2020 is a game-changing reform

    • De-licensing power distribution: This will provide the consumers with an option of choosing the service provider, switch their power supplier and enable the entry of private companies in distribution, thereby resulting in increased competition.
    • In fact, privatisation of discoms in Delhi has reduced AT&C losses significantly from 55% in 2002 to 9% in 2020.
    • Open access for purchasing power: Open access for purchasing power from the open market should be implemented across States and barriers in the form of cross-subsidy surcharge, additional surcharge and electricity duty being applied by States should be reviewed.
    • Issue of tariff revision: The question of tariffs needs to be revisited if the power sector is to be strengthened.
    • Tariffs ought to be reflective of the average cost of supply to begin with and eventually move to customer category-wise cost of supply in a defined time frame.
    • This will facilitate a reduction in cross-subsidies.
    • Inclusion in GST: Electrical energy should be covered under GST, with a lower rate of GST, as this will make it possible for power generator/transmission/distribution utilities to get a refund of input credit, which in turn will reduce the cost of power.
    • Use of smart meters: Technology solutions such as installation of smart meters and smart grids which will reduce AT&C losses and restore financial viability of the sector.
    • The impetus to renewable energy: The impetus to renewable energy, which will help us mitigate the impact of climate change, is much needed.
    • Despite its inherent benefits, the segment has shown relatively slow progress with an estimated installed capacity of 5-6 GW as on date, well short of the 2022 target.
    • The Bill also underpins the importance of green energy by proposing a penalty for non-compliance with the renewable energy purchase obligations which mandate States and power distribution companies to purchase a specified quantity of electricity from renewable and hydro sources
    • Strengthening the regulatory architecture: This will be done by appointing a member with a legal background in every electricity regulatory commission and strengthening the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity.
    • This will ensure faster resolution of long-pending issues and reduce legal hassles.
    • Authority for contractual obligation: Provision in the Bill such as the creation of an Electricity Contract Enforcement Authority to supervise the fulfillment of contractual obligations under power purchase agreement, cost reflective tariffs and provision of subsidy through DBT are commendable.

    Conclusion

    Early passage of the Bill is critical as it will help unleash a path-breaking reform for bringing efficiency and profitability to the distribution sector.

    UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

  • Bhutan-China Border Agreement

    In a step towards resolving their boundary disputes, Bhutan and China signed an agreement on a three-Step roadmap to help speed up talks to “break the deadlock” in negotiations.

    Bhutan-China Border Issues

    Bhutan shares an over 400-km-long border with China.

    • Doklam: China wants to exchange the valleys to the north of Bhutan with the pasture land to the west (including Doklam), totalling 269 square kilometres.
    • Jakarlung and Pasamlung valleys: located near Tibet to Bhutan’s North, which measure 495 sq. kms.
    • Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary Project: China claims this area (near to Arunachal Pradesh) in eastern Bhutan as its own.

    What is the recent agreement?

    • The roadmap “for Expediting the Bhutan-China Boundary Negotiations”, is expected to progress on the boundary talks process that has been delayed for five years.
    • It was stalled due to the Doklam standoff in 2017, and then by the Covid Pandemic.
    • Although China and Bhutan do not have official diplomatic relations they have engaged in 24 rounds of ministerial-level talks to resolve their border dispute.

    Implications for India

    The boundary issue between China and Bhutan is special because it not only relates to Bhutan but also has become a negative factor for China-India ties.

    • China control much of the Doklam: Since the 2017 stand-off with India, Beijing has already strengthened its de facto control over much of the Doklam plateau, located strategically along the India-China-Bhutan trijunction.
    • Bhutan supports it: This agreement has been equally endorsed and appreciated by Bhutan and China.
    • Deadlock at LAC talks: Its timing is particularly significant New, given India-China border talks on their 17-month-old standoff at the Line of Actual Control appear to have hit an deadlock.
    • India’s strategic risks: This has big implications for India, since the Doklam swap would have given China access to the strategically sensitive “chicken neck” of the Siliguri corridor.

    India’s interest

    (a) Doklam

    • The Doklam plateau remains hugely critical for India due to the Siliguri Corridor that lies to the south of Doklam.
    • The corridor, also known as the ‘Chicken’s Neck’, is a 22-km wide major arterial road connecting mainland India with its northeastern states and thus it is a highly sensitive area for China.

    (b) Sakteng: the hotspot

    • The Sakteng sanctuary adjoins West Kameng district and Tawang disticts in India’s Arunachal Pradesh state.
    • Its strategic value lies in its proximity to Arunachal Pradesh, where China claims around 90,000 sq km of Indian territory.
    • Tawang, the major bone of contention between India and China in the eastern sector of their border dispute, lies to the northeast of the Sakteng.

    Conclusion

    • Bhutan has to balance its ties with India as well as China.
    • We need to explore channels that India can activate with Bhutan when it comes to the highly sensitive matter of settling the boundary dispute between them and China.

     

    UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

  • COP26 Climate Conference and Why it is important

    The UK will host the COP 26 UN Climate Change Conference from October 31 to November 12.

    Conference of Parties (CoP): A Backgrounder

    • The CoP comes under the United Nations Climate Change Framework Convention (UNFCCC) which was formed in 1994.
    • The UNFCCC was established to work towards “stabilisation of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere.”
    • It laid out a list of responsibilities for the member states which included:
    1. Formulating measures to mitigate climate change
    2. Cooperating in preparing for adaptation to the impact of climate change
    3. Promoting education, training and public awareness related to climate change
    • The UNFCCC has 198 parties including India, China and the USA. COP members have been meeting every year since 1995.

    COP1 to COP25: Key takeaways

    COP1: The first conference was held in 1995 in Berlin.

    COP3: It was held in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997, the famous Kyoto Protocol (w.e.f. 2005) was adopted. It commits the member states to pursue limitation or reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

    COP8: India hosted the eighth COP in 2002 in New Delhi. It laid out several measures including, ‘strengthening of technology transfer… in all relevant sectors, including energy, transport and R&D,  and the strengthening of institutions for sustainable development.

    COP21: it is one of the most important that took place in 2015, in Paris, France. Here countries agreed to work together to ‘limit global warming to well below 2, preferably at 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.’

    Significance of COP26

    • The event will see leaders from more than 190 countries, thousands of negotiators, researchers and citizens coming together to strengthen a global response to the threat of climate change.
    • It is a pivotal movement for the world to come together and accelerate the climate action plan after the COVID pandemic.

    COP26 goals

    According to the UNFCCC, COP26 will work towards four goals:

    1. Secure global net-zero by mid-century and keep 1.5 degrees within reach
    • The UNFCCC recommends that countries ‘accelerate the phase-out of coal, curtail deforestation, speed up the switch to electric vehicles and encourage investment in renewables’ to meet this goal.
    1. Adapt to protect communities and natural habitats
    • Countries will work together to ‘protect and restore ecosystems and build defences, warning systems and resilient infrastructure and agriculture to avoid loss of homes, livelihoods and even lives.’
    1. Mobilise finance
    • To deliver on first two goals, developed countries must make good on their promise to mobilise at least $100bn in climate finance per year by 2020.
    1. Work together to deliver
    • Another important task at the COP26 is to ‘finalise the Paris Rulebook’. Leaders will work together to frame a list of detailed rules that will help fulfil the Paris Agreement.

    What India could do to reach its targets?

    • Update NDCs: It is time for India to update its Nationally Determined Contributions or NDCs. (NDCs detail the various efforts taken by each country to reduce the national emissions)
    • Effective planning: Sector by sector plans are needed to bring about development. We need to decarbonise the electricity, transport sector and start looking at carbon per passenger mile.
    • Energy transition: Aggressively figure out how to transition our coal sector
    • Robust legal framework: India also needs to ramp up the legal and institutional framework of climate change.

    Try answering this PYQ:

    With reference to the Agreement at the UNFCCC Meeting in Paris in 2015, which of the following statements is/are correct?

    1. The Agreement was signed by all the member countries of the UN and it will go into effect in 2017.
    2. The Agreement aims to limit the greenhouse gas emissions so that the rise in average global temperature by the end of this century does not exceed 2 degree Centigrade or even 5 degree Centigrade above pre-industrial levels.
    3. Developed countries acknowledged their historical responsibility in global warming and committed to donate dollar 1000 billion a year from 2020 to help developing countries to cope with climate change.

    Select the correct answer using the code given below:

    (a) 1 and 3 only

    (b) 2 only

    (c) 2 and 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

     

    [wpdiscuz-feedback id=”lammbvm82h” question=”Please leave a feedback on this” opened=”1″]Post your answers here.[/wpdiscuz-feedback]

     

     

    UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

  • Zeolite Oxygen Concentrators: Chemistry in 3-D

    To meet the demand of oxygen supply in the country during the peak of pandemic, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) had chartered the Air India to import ‘Zeolite’ from different countries.

    What are Zeolites?

    • Zeolites are highly porous, 3-dimensional meshes of silica and alumina.
    • In nature, they occur where volcanic outflows have met water.
    • Synthetic zeolites have proven to be a big and low-cost boon.

    Uses in Oxygen Concentrator

    • One biomedical device that has entered our lexicon during the pandemic is the oxygen concentrator.
    • This device has brought down the scale of oxygen purification from industrial-size plants to the volumes needed for a single person.
    • At the heart of this technology are synthetic frameworks of silica and alumina with nanometer-sized pores that are rigid and inflexible.
    • Beads of one such material, zeolite 13X, about a millimeter in diameter, are packed into two cylindrical columns in an oxygen concentrator.

    How does it work?

    • Zeolite performs the chemistry of separating oxygen from nitrogen in air.
    • Being highly porous, zeolite beads have a surface area of about 500 square meters per gram.
    • At high pressures in the column, nitrogen is in a tight embrace, chemically speaking, with the zeolite.
    • Interaction between the negatively charged zeolite and the asymmetric nucleus (quadrupole moment) of nitrogen causes it to be preferentially adsorbed on the surface of the zeolite.
    • Oxygen remains free, and is thus enriched.
    • Once nitrogen is captured, what flows out from the column is 90%-plus oxygen.
    • After this, lowering the pressure in the column releases the nitrogen, which is flushed out, and the cycle is repeated with fresh air.

     

    UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

  • Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2021

    The 17th edition of the India-U.S. bilateral exercise, Yudh Abhyas 2021, got underway in mountainous terrain and cold climate conditions of Alaska, US.

    Yudh Abhyas 2021

    • Exercise Yudh Abhyas is the largest running joint military training and defence cooperation endeavour between India and USA.
    • The exercise aims at enhancing understanding, cooperation and interoperability between the two armies.

    Why it is significant?

    • Interestingly, this is the only India-U.S. service exercise continuing in bilateral format.
    • The India-U.S. Malabar naval exercise became trilateral with the addition of Japan in 2015 and further brought in all the Quad partners together with the inclusion of Australia in 2020.
    • Similarly, Japan joined the India-U.S. bilateral air exercise, Cope India, as an Observer in 2018 and the plan is to make it trilateral in phases.
    • Other than the Malabar, Japan had sent observers for the first time during Cope India 2018 as an Observer in 2018. s

     

    UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

  • 18th October 2021 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions

    UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

    [WpProQuiz 812]

    [WpProQuiz_toplist 812]

More posts