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

Civilsdaily

Login

Search results for: “”

  • Register for Live Webinar || How to Score 130+ with 90 days Complete plan || UPSC 2021 Prelims Preparation under the Mentorship of an in-Service Officer

    |

    Register for a Live Webinar with Me – Date: 04 July 2021, Time: 3 PM

    Click here to register for the webinar

    In the great war of Mahabharata between Kaurava and Pandava, both wanted Krishna on their side. He gave both of them the choice of either his entire army, or himself as charioteer on a condition that he would neither fight nor hold any weapon. Duryodhana happily chose his army while Arjuna his guidance by choosing him as his charioteer.  

    There was a reason why Arjun chose Krishna, he was the person who provided the intelligence,the guidance, and knew the strength and weakness of Arjuna. We know the result of the Kurushetra war, which was won by Ajruna under his guidance. He guided Arjuna to avoid mistakes and strive for his best towards the victory.

     

    Similarly, for UPSC aspirants those who have right guidance to clear Prelims, while others often commit mistakes that cost them success even at the first level i.e. the UPSC prelims. Around 95% fail at this level only. 

    There are Three mistakes of UPSC preparation- the mistakes which cost attempts and dreams:

    #Mistake No-1: Relying on short cuts and long cuts:

    #Mistake No- 2: Not developing conceptual understanding and interlinking: 

    #Mistake-No 3. Poor Assessment of own preparation i.e. Practice tests

    It is said that Insanity is doing the same thing again and again and expecting different results. Let’s do that differently this time.

    Understanding those mistakes and rectifying it helped me to score 145.34 and 142 in UPSC prelims GS paper when the cutoffs were 102 and 98 respectively and always above 120 plus in all attempts. 

    Fortunately, there is still around 100 days before you sit in Prelims- 2021. All you need is a mentor and a guide who understands your preparation as Krishna and helps you hit only the TARGET nothing else. Someone who himself has scored 120 plus always Prelims and understands part and parcel of the exam process.

    If you are willing to give your 110%, I will be available to ensure in the next 90 days  that you will come out of the examination hall with confidence and not with borderline cases, who waste next month in anticipation of prelims results, which could utilised for mains.

    So if you are determined and willing to work hard, then only you are welcome to webinar on this Sunday (04.07.2021) at 3PM. 

    Click here to register for the webinar

    In this webinar, you can expect to learn about:

    # 90 days concrete plan for Prelims-2021

    #Changed pattern of prelims- overall change and subject wise change

    #Subject specific focus : Polity, economy, ecology, history, geography, art and culture, S&T and IR: resources, methods, scope and utility in pre and mains

    #Current affairs: Learn keywords approach

    #How to revise effectively and not merely review?

    #Time Management skills and optimal utilisation of resources

    # Maximum benefit from Test series: Learn 3 fold approach to solve questions 

    #An interactive Q&A session with Santosh Gupta sir. 

    #Important Civilsdaily softcopies takeaway for exam preparation.

    -Not only ideas, but a concrete 90 days plan of execution.

    See you soon!

    A quick bit about Santosh Gupta:

    Santosh Gupta sir has scored above 140 twice in UPSC prelims and always 120 plus in all 6 attempts. He wrote all 6 mains and appeared for Interview 3 times. He has qualified UPSC EPFO and BPSC 56-59th also. He is presently working as Assistant Commissioner in Commercial Tax Department in Government of Bihar. He has been teaching and mentoring UPSC aspirants for the last 5 years with tremendous interest in environment and ecology and Polity.

    Click here to register for the webinar

  • Transform Your Ethics Answers To Score More | Join The FREE Parakram Session by Rohit sir Today! 9:00 pm

    Transform Your Ethics Answers To Score More | Join The FREE Parakram Session by Rohit sir Today! 9:00 pm

    Transform the way you write your Ethics answers and start writing in a way that helps you get more marks. Join the Parakram sessions with Rohit sir for absolutely FREE and start practicing today!

    Parakram session by Rohit sir – Habitat general discussion

    The session will take place in the General club. Click on the blue box in the club to enter the discussion.

    Benefits of joining the club:

    1. Learn the best answer writing practice through conversations.
    2. Get instant feedback and evaluation by our expert mentor.
    3. Frame better answers through peer-based discussions.
    4. Learn about the common mistakes students make and avoid them.
    5. Save your time with smart answer writing practices.
    6. Save money by joining the sessions for FREE

    The session starts at 9.00 p.m. today.

    Parakram session by Rohit sir – Habitat general discussion

    What do you have to do?

    1. Join the club by registering now.
    2. Read the discussion going on in the club.
    3. Participate, ask questions, clear your doubts instantly.
    4. Interact with your mentor and start writing.

    More than a thousand student have already enrolled and have benefited through the sessions. Join now and watch your answers writing evolve. 

    Write better, Score more!

    Parakram session by Rohit sir – Habitat general discussion

  • Investors should not be tempted to ignore macroeconomic factors

    Despite gloom in the economy, financial markets are scaling new highs. The situations calls for diligence on the part of individual investors. The deals with this issue.

    What influences investors’ decision

    • Investors may not necessarily be always sensible or even capable of perceiving the larger picture.
    • Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman argues that humans usually use the ‘first system’ of ‘fast thinking’ to hurriedly act and perceive their environment.
    • Consequently, they are susceptible to the ‘priming effect’, ‘framing bias’, ‘anchoring effect’, ‘overconfidence bias’ and ‘availability heuristic’.
    • These phenomena, thus, play their part in pervading optimistic market conditions.
    • As a result, investors often end up ignoring or overlooking uncertainties and risks involved in their decision.
    • At the same time, investors’ decision choices could be significantly influenced by ‘nudging’.
    • It is a deliberate tactics and method of behaviour modification by which it is the ‘choice architect’ that decides who does what and who does so, as argued by the Nobel laureate, Richard H. Thaler.
    • The present surge in the Indian stock market is indeed nudging individual investors to trade more.

    What makes individual investors vulnerable

    • National Stock Exchange data indicate following trends:
    • The share of the non-institutional individual investors in equity trading volume has risen to one half of the total turnover. in 2021.
    • It was around a third in 2016.
    • In contrast, the share of Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) in the total trading volume has shrunk to just about a tenth, it used to be one fifth in 2016.
    • Trading in the stock market, the sudden rise, the intraday moves, etc., are, thus, attributable largely to individual traders now. 
    • However, despite their large trading volumes, individual investors have actually contracted their holding of the market capitalisation.
    • The FIIs currently own around half of the free float of all Indian companies.
    • Apparently, the retail investors have constantly sold their stake to end up holding less than 20% shares now.
    • Trading, thus, seems to be the mainstay of retail investors and this is what makes them more vulnerable to the vagaries of the market.

    Market is ignoring macroeconomic factors

    • Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy Pvt. Ltd. data of the listed companies reveal a rise in their profit, due to rationalisation and cost-cutting.
    • Investors might be tempted to ignore macroeconomic factors and invest in such stock believing that it is the profit that impels the stock prices.
    •  In reality, however, share price is expected to ascend if a company declares to cut its wage bill.
    • This probably explains why stock markets around the world have been on the rise amidst the novel coronavirus pandemic; demand may have declined but profits have been least impacted.
    • At the larger economic level, however, real wages have plunged.
    • Clearly, the market has not entirely decoupled itself from the economic indicators.
    • Established wisdom suggests that corporates cannot sustain contraction in the economy for long.
    • Sustained decline in demand caused by waning disposable household income would catch them soon.
    • Robert J. Shiller attributes this phenomenon of creating a possible bubble to irrational exuberance.
    • When bubbles burst, they cause a kind of financial earthquake, in turn destabilising public trust in the integrity of the financial system.
    • Critically, as the past portrays, individual investors, with all their vulnerabilities, suffer the most devastating consequences.
    • Retail investors are as well susceptible to overreaction when negative news hits the market.

    Consider the question “What are the factors driving the financial markets up despite the weak macroeconomic foundations? What are the risks involved in such situation for the individual investors?”

    Conlcusion

    History of financial markets is replete with bubbles and bursts. Most affected in such burst are the individual investors. Informed decisions based on information and risks involved should form the basis of investment by individual investors.

  • Rule of Law vs Rule by Law

    What makes the Rule of Law different from the Rule by Law? It is the idea of justice and equity that separates the two. The article explains the principles that emerge as the basis of the Rule of law and the role of the judiciary in ensuring their constitutionality.

    Understanding law

    • Law, in its most general sense, is a tool of social control that is backed by the sovereign.
    • However, such a definition of law can be used not only to render justice, it can also be used to justify oppression.
    • Therefore it is argued that a law cannot really be classified as a “law” unless it imbibes within itself the ideals of justice and equity.
    • So, any law backed by a sovereign must be tempered by certain ideals or tenets of justice.
    • Only a state that is governed by such law, can be said to have the Rule of Law.
    • The British colonial power used the law as a tool of political repression, enforcing it unequally on the parties, with a different set of rules for the British and for the Indians.
    •  It was an enterprise famous for “Rule by Law”, rather than “Rule of Law.

    Four principles of rule of law

    • Clarity and accessibility: Laws must be clear and accessible, the people at least ought to know what the laws are.
    • Another implication of this principle is that they should be worded in simple, unambiguous language.
    • Equality: An important aspect of equality before law is having equal access to justice.
    • This guarantee of equal justice will be rendered meaningless if the vulnerable sections are unable to enjoy their rights because of their poverty or illiteracy or any other kind of weakness.
    • Another aspect is the issue of “gender equality”.
    • Participation of people: The third principle, the “right to participate in the creation and refinement of laws”.
    • The very essence of a democracy is that its citizenry has a role to play, directly or indirectly, in the laws that govern them.
    • In India, it is done through elections.
    • The idea that people are the ultimate sovereign is also to be found in notions of human dignity and autonomy
    • Strong independent judiciary: The fourth principle stemsp from the idea that the judiciary is the “guardian” of the Constitution.
    • The judiciary is the primary organ which is tasked with ensuring that the laws that are enacted are in line with the Constitution.

    Independent judiciary and role of media

    • The judiciary cannot be controlled, directly or indirectly, by the legislature or the executive, or else the Rule of Law would become illusory.
    • At the same time, judges should not be swayed by the emotional pitch of public opinion either, which is getting amplified through social media platforms.
    • Judges have to be mindful of the fact that the noise thus amplified is not necessarily reflective of what is right and what the majority believes in.
    • Therefore, media trials cannot be a guiding factor in deciding cases.
    • It is, therefore, extremely vital to function independently and withstand all external aids and pressures.
    • While there is a lot of discussion about the pressure from the executive, it is also imperative to start a discourse as to how social media trends can affect the institutions.

    Conclusion

    The importance of the judiciary shouldn’t blind us to the fact that the responsibility of safeguarding constitutionalism lies not just with the courts. All the three organs of the state, i.e., the executive, legislature and the judiciary, are equal repositories of constitutional trust.

  • Register for Live Webinar || How to Score 130+ with 90 days Complete plan || UPSC 2021 Prelims Preparation under the Mentorship of an in-Service Officer||Zoom Link inside

    Zoom Link : https://zoom.us/j/94446878902?pwd=L3pSaUNCcDM0ZWJLSGRPVjlLVXE1QT09

    Register for a Live Webinar with Me – Date: 04 July 2021, Time: 3 PM

    Click here to register for the webinar

    In the great war of Mahabharata between Kaurava and Pandava, both wanted Krishna on their side. He gave both of them the choice of either his entire army, or himself as charioteer on a condition that he would neither fight nor hold any weapon. Duryodhana happily chose his army while Arjuna his guidance by choosing him as his charioteer.  

    There was a reason why Arjun chose Krishna, he was the person who provided the intelligence, the guidance, and knew the strength and weaknesses of Arjuna. We know the result of the Kurushetra war, which was won by Arjuna under his guidance. He guided Arjuna to avoid mistakes and strive for his best towards victory.

    Similarly, for UPSC aspirants those who have right guidance to clear Prelims, while others often commit mistakes that cost them success even at the first level i.e. the UPSC prelims. Around 95% fail at this level only. 

    There are Three mistakes of UPSC preparation- the mistakes which cost attempts and dreams:

    #Mistake No-1: Relying on short cuts and long cuts:

    #Mistake No- 2: Not developing conceptual understanding and interlinking: 

    #Mistake-No 3. Poor Assessment of own preparation i.e. Practice tests

    It is said that Insanity is doing the same thing again and again and expecting different results. Let’s do that differently this time.

    Understanding those mistakes and rectifying it helped me to score 145.34 and 142 in UPSC prelims GS paper when the cutoffs were 102 and 98 respectively and always above 120 plus in all attempts. 

    Fortunately, there is still around 100 days before you sit in Prelims- 2021. All you need is a mentor and a guide who understands your preparation as Krishna and helps you hit only the TARGET nothing else. Someone who himself has scored 120 plus always Prelims and understands part and parcel of the exam process.

    If you are willing to give your 110%, I will be available to ensure in the next 90 days  that you will come out of the examination hall with confidence and not with borderline cases, who waste next month in anticipation of prelims results, which could utilised for mains.

    So if you are determined and willing to work hard, then only you are welcome to webinar on this Sunday (04.07.2021) at 3PM. 

    Click here to register for the webinar

    In this webinar, you can expect to learn about:

    # 90 days concrete plan for Prelims-2021

    #Changed pattern of prelims- overall change and subject wise change

    #Subject specific focus : Polity, economy, ecology, history, geography, art and culture, S&T and IR: resources, methods, scope and utility in pre and mains

    #Current affairs: Learn keywords approach

    #How to revise effectively and not merely review?

    #Time Management skills and optimal utilisation of resources

    # Maximum benefit from Test series: Learn 3 fold approach to solve questions 

    #An interactive Q&A session with Santosh Gupta sir. 

    #Important Civilsdaily softcopies takeaway for exam preparation.

    -Not only ideas, but a concrete 90 days plan of execution.

    See you soon!

    A quick bit about Santosh Gupta:

    Santosh Gupta sir has scored above 140 twice in UPSC prelims and always 120 plus in all 6 attempts. He wrote all 6 mains and appeared for Interview 3 times. He has qualified UPSC EPFO and BPSC 56-59th also. He is presently working as Assistant Commissioner in Commercial Tax Department in Government of Bihar. He has been teaching and mentoring UPSC aspirants for the last 5 years with tremendous interest in environment and ecology and Polity.

    Click here to register for the webinar

  • 2nd July 2021| Daily Answer Writing Enhancement(AWE)

    Topics for Today’s questions:

    GS-1  Factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world (including India).

    GS-2  Indian Constitution—historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure

    GS-3  Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment
     assessment 

    GS-4  Case Study

     

    Questions:

    Question 1)

     

    Q.1) Discuss factors of location for present distribution of the cement industry in India. Enumerate the challenges being faced by the industry lately. (10 Marks)

     

    Question 2)

    Q.2) Ensuring the protection and welfare of all of our people is inherent in the Rule of Law. In light of this, elaborate on the principle that forms the basis of the Rule of Law. (10 Marks)

    Question 3)

    Q.3) What are the factors driving up the equity markets despite the macroeconomic gloom in the economy. What are the risks involved in such situations for individual investors? (10 Marks)

    Question 4)  

    Q.4) You are the Superintendent of Police (SP) of a district. There are different complaints of corruption and tempering of evidence against an Inspector of Police who is your subordinate. When asked, he initially denies but in the end accepts all these charges against him. Also, with evidence he proves that, he takes bribe and uses that to support poor and needy. He gives donation to a local orphanage. Also, he takes bribe only from rich law-breakers who have money power to come out clean if complaint is filed against them. Without registering cases, he helps victims by bringing justice to them outside law, because the perpetrators use money and muscle power to evade the cases. (a). What are the Ethical issues involved in the case? (b). How will you respond to the charges against him? Give arguments supporting your response. (20 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 1st June is uploaded on 1st June 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, 1st June is uploaded on 3rd June, 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 @Swatantra so that the mentor is notified about your answer.

    *In case your answer is not reviewed, reply to your answer saying *NOT CHECKED*. Swatantra Sir’s tag is available, tag him.

    For the philosophy of AWE and payment: 

    CLICK HERE To join Daily AWE

  • What is the ‘Heat Dome’ causing record temperatures in USA?

    A US city has recorded the highest temperatures as high as 46-degree Celsius part due to the historic heatwave that lasted as a result of a phenomenon referred to as a “heat dome”.

    What is a Heat Dome?

    • To understand what causes a heat dome, one should liken the Pacific Ocean to a large swimming pool in which the heater is turned on.
    • Once the heater is on, the portions of the pool close to the heating jets will warm up faster and therefore, the temperature in that area will be higher.
    • In the same way, the western Pacific ocean’s temperatures have increased in the past few decades and are relatively more than the temperature in the eastern Pacific.
    • This strong change in ocean temperature from the west to the east is what a team of scientists believe is the reason for the heat dome.
    • This occurs when the atmosphere traps heat at the surface, which encourages the formation of a heatwave.
    • To compare, the reason that the planet Venus is the hottest in the Solar System is that its thick, dense cloud cover traps the heat at the surface, leading to temperatures as high as 471 degrees Celsius.

    Is this heat wave a result of climate change?

    • It cannot be said for sure if the heatwave is a direct result of global warming.
    • Scientists are usually wary of linking climate change to any contemporary event mainly because of the difficulty in completely ruling out the possibility of the event having been caused by some other reason.
    • Similarly, scientists who have been studying the climate tend to agree that the heat waves occurring today are more likely to be a result of climate change for which humans are responsible.

    Answer this PYQ in the comment box:

    Q.Consider the following statements:

    1. Jet streams occur in the Northern Hemisphere only.
    2. Only some cyclones develop an eye.
    3. The temperature inside the eye of a cyclone is nearly 100C lesser than that of the surroundings.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 and 3 only

    (c) 2 only

    (d) 1 and 3 only

  • 2nd July 2021 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions

    [WpProQuiz 692]

    [WpProQuiz_toplist 692]

  • What is the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI)?

    India’s manufacturing industry has slid back to a decline in June, as per the IHS Markit Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI).

    Purchasing Managers’ Index

    • PMI is an indicator of business activity — both in the manufacturing and services sectors.
    • It is a survey-based measure that asks the respondents about changes in their perception of some key business variables from the month before.
    • It is calculated separately for the manufacturing and services sectors and then a composite index is constructed.
    • The PMI is compiled by IHS Markit based on responses to questionnaires sent to purchasing managers in a panel of around 400 manufacturers.

    How is the PMI derived?

    • The PMI is derived from a series of qualitative questions.
    • Executives from a reasonably big sample, running into hundreds of firms, are asked whether key indicators such as output, new orders, business expectations and employment were stronger than the month before and are asked to rate them.

    How does one read the PMI?

    • A figure above 50 denotes expansion in business activity. Anything below 50 denotes contraction.
    • Higher the difference from this mid-point greater the expansion or contraction. The rate of expansion can also be judged by comparing the PMI with that of the previous month data.
    • If the figure is higher than the previous month’s then the economy is expanding at a faster rate. If it is lower than the previous month then it is growing at a lower rate.

    What are its implications for the economy?

    • The PMI is usually released at the start of the month, much before most of the official data on industrial output, manufacturing and GDP growth becomes available.
    • It is, therefore, considered a good leading indicator of economic activity.
    • Economists consider the manufacturing growth measured by the PMI as a good indicator of industrial output, for which official statistics are released later.
    • Central banks of many countries also use the index to help make decisions on interest rates.

  • Global Cybersecurity Index 2020

    India has made it to the top 10 in Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) 2020 by ITU, moving up 37 places to rank as the tenth best country in the world on key cybersafety parameters.

    Global Cybersecurity Index

    • GCI assessment is done on the basis of performance on five parameters of cybersecurity including legal measures, technical measures, organizational measures, capacity development, and cooperation.
    • The performance is then aggregated into an overall score.
    • For each of the five aspects, all the countries’ performance and commitment are assessed through a question-based online survey, which further allowed for the collection of the supporting evidence.

    India’s progress

    • As per the ranking, India has moved up by 37 places to rank as the tenth best country in the world.
    • The US topped the chart, followed by the UK and Saudi Arabia tied on the second position, while Estonia was ranked third in the index.
    • India has also secured the fourth position in the Asia Pacific region, underlining its commitment to cybersecurity.

    Its significance

    • The affirmation by the UN body of India’s efforts on cybersecurity comes just ahead of the sixth anniversary of Digital India on July 1.
    • India is emerging as a global IT superpower, asserting its digital sovereignty with firm measures to safeguard data privacy and online rights of citizens.

    Back2Basics: International Telecommunication Union

    • ITU is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies – ICTs.
    • Founded in 1865 to facilitate international connectivity in communications networks. It is Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
    • It allocates global radio spectrum and satellite orbits, develops the technical standards that ensure networks and technologies seamlessly interconnect, and strives to improve access to ICTs to underserved communities worldwide.
    • Recently, India got elected as a member of ITU Council for another 4-year term – from 2019 to 2022. India has remained a regular member since 1952.

More posts