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  • Traffic jam in the Suez Canal

    A massive cargo ship has turned sideways in Egypt’s Suez Canal, blocking traffic in a crucial East-West waterway for global shipping.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Between India and East Asia, the navigation time and distance can be greatly reduced by which of the following?

    1. Deepening the Malacca straits between Malaysia and Indonesia.
    2. Opening a new canal across the Kra isthmus between the Gulf of Siam and Andaman sea.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 only

    (c) Both 1 and 2

    (d) Neither 1 nor 2

    Suez Canal

    • The Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez; and dividing Africa and Asia.
    • Constructed by the Suez Canal Company between 1859 and 1869, it officially opened on 17 November 1869.
    • The canal was earlier controlled by British and French interests in its initial years but was nationalized in 1956 by Egypt’s then leader Gamal Abdel Nasser.
    • It extends from the northern terminus of Port Said to the southern terminus of Port Tewfik at the city of Suez.
    • Its length is 193.30 km including its northern and southern access channels.

    Its significance

    • The Suez Canal provides a crucial link for oil, natural gas and cargo being shipping from East to West.
    • It provides a major shortcut for ships moving between Europe and Asia, who before its construction had to sail around Africa to complete the same journey.
    • Around 10 % of the world’s trade flows through the waterway and it remains one of Egypt’s top foreign currency earners.
    • As per a report, the canal is a major source of income for Egypt’s economy, with the African country earning $5.61 billion in revenues from it last year.
  • Places in news: Zabarwan Mountains

    Prime Minister has asked tourists to visit the tulip garden, located at the foothills of the Zabarwan range in Jammu and Kashmir.

    Try this PYQ from CSP 2020:

    Q.Siachen Glacier is situated to the

    (a) East of Aksai Chin

    (b) East of Leh

    (c)North of Gilgit

    (d) North of Nubra Valley

    Zabarwan Mountains

    • The Zabarwan Range is a short sub-mountain range between Pir Panjal and the Great Himalayan Range in the central part of the Kashmir Valley.
    • Specifically, the range is known to be what overlooks the Dal Lake and holds the Mughal gardens of Srinagar.
    • The Shankaracharya Temple is built on the edge of the central part of the Zabarwan Range.
    • The highest peak of this range is Mahadev Peak at 13,013 feet (3,966 m), which forms the distant background of the eastern mountain wall.
    • On the northern slopes of the central part of the range, there are three Mughal gardens built by Emperor Shah Jahan.
    • These include Chashma Shahi, Nishat Bagh and Shalimar Garden alongside the Pari Mahal (the fairy palace).
    • The Dachigam National Park is the main feature of the range which holds the last viable population of Kashmir stag (Hangul) and the largest population of black bear in Asia.
  • Shigmo Festival of Goa

    The Shigmo or the Goan Carnival celebrations may be terminated this year due to rising covid cases.

    Try this PYQ from CSP 2017:

    Q.Consider the following pairs:

    Traditions                                            Communities

    1. Chaliha Sahib Festival              —          Sindhis
    2. Nanda Raj Jaat Yatra                —          Gonds
    3. Wari-Warkari                            —          Santhals

    Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 and 3 only

    (c) 1 and 3 only

    (d) None of the above

    What is Shigmo or Shigmotsav?

    • Shigmo is the celebration of a ‘rich, golden harvest of paddy’ by the tribal communities of Goa.
    • Agricultural communities including the Kunbis, Gawdas and Velips celebrate the festival that also marks the onset of spring.
    • Shigmo celebrations last over a fortnight in the months of Phalgun-Chaitra months of the Hindu calendar that correspond with March-April every year.

    Various activities in celebrations

    • The festival begins with ‘Naman’ that is the invocation of the local folk deities on the village ‘maand’ or the village stage.
    • It is held to the beats of percussion instruments like the Ghumat, Dhol, Mhadle and Tashe by the male folk.
    • This is called the ‘romta mell’ that moves from one village to another.
    • The celebration is replete with traditional, colourful costumes, mythological installations, painted faces and costumes of various hues.
    • Folk dances like Ghodemodini (a dance of equestrian warriors), Gopha and Phugadi are among the many dances performed by the participating communities.
  • 25th March 2021| Daily Answer Writing Enhancement

    Important Announcement:  Topics to be covered on 26th March-

    GS-1  Urbanization, their problems and their remedies. 

    GS-4 Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration.

    Question 1)

    While, the First World War had many far-reaching impacts on the Western Europe and USA, but affected India too. Elaborate on the impact of First World War on India. 10 marks

     

    Question 2)

    Though mutual efforts between Delhi and Taipei have enabled a range of bilateral agreements, the time has come to recalibrate India-Taiwan relations. In light of this, identify the areas in which the two countries need to step up effort to take their relationship to next level. 10 marks

    Question 3)

    How financing goverment spending by selling public sector asset differs in their effect on inequality from financing government spending by taxation? 10 marks

    Question 4)  

    Sense of morality must begin from the door of the leader who preaches it, Discuss the statement in the backdrop of principle of governance – “Yatha Raja Tatha Praja”. 10 marks

    Reviews will be provided in a week. (In the order of submission- First come first serve basis). In case the answer is submitted late the review period may get extended to two weeks.

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  • (IAS 2021-22) What issues are you facing in your preparation? Discuss with us |Fill Samanvaya: 1-to-1 mentorship (get free Tikdams e-book)

    (IAS 2021-22) What issues are you facing in your preparation? Discuss with us |Fill Samanvaya: 1-to-1 mentorship (get free Tikdams e-book)

    Let us discuss the issues with your IAS preparation. Fill Samanvaya form for IAS 2021 and IAS 2022. A senior mentor from Civilsdaily will call you within 24 hours for a detailed in-depth discussion.

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    How to prepare for upsc 2021? Strategy for upsc 2021?
Answer writing for 2020
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    Abhishek has benefited from Civilsdaily’s approach, so did 70+ candidates who cleared UPSC IAS 2019

    IAS exam, by design, is such that it should take just one attempt to clear it. Any further attempt, if you’re taking, should only be to improve your rank.

    More than 10.5 lakh applied, but only 796 are going to clear UPSC IAS 2020. It is going to be much more challenging in 2021 and 2022.

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    But why most of the aspirants can’t clear the exam, even after taking multiple attempts, covering the full syllabus, or taking tests?

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    Lack of direction, no guidance, inability to make required necessary changes in their preparation, and an absence of a well-defined strategy were issues common to all. (What issues are you facing? tell us)

    UPSC IAS preparation is not just about memorizing and information gathering.

    Did you have a look at Prelims 2020 paper? In many ways, it has highlighted the changing nature of UPSC, and to be successful you need to adapt to the expectations of UPSC and adopt a new approach.

    For 2021 aspirants, your preparation should be highly outcome-oriented (enabling you to fetch more marks). Every action of yours must be very objectively defined, every step as a part of your strategy. Whatever you are learning must be utilizable in the exam (both pre and mains). Your preparation should have an element of measurability.

    Moreover, you need to balance both Prelims and Mains on one hand and current-static-optional on the other. Fill Samanvaya form to know how it should be done.

    It’s about how ‘you’ should be doing it instead of how someone else did it. That is the ‘elephant in the room’.

    All this stands true for 2022 aspirants as well. This is the right time to start preparation.

    Fill Samanvaya form given at the bottom of this post.

    Broadly, six factors determine your success in cracking this prestigious IAS exam and the most important being understanding the expectations of UPSC and according to that planning and strategizing; other being, Learning – Knowledge and information; Analyzing – making linkages, connections, etc.; Executing and utilizing information; and Constant course correction – because mistakes are inevitable, need to rectify them asap.

    These are the areas where most of the aspirants fail to create a balance. Where are you facing an issue?

    Integrate them in your preparation. We’ll tell you how to do it

    To address the problems in your preparation, guidance and mentorship are the first steps. And here comes our three tiered mentorship.

    Our 3 tier mentoring:

    1. First step starts with this Samanvaya call: Once you fill in the form, our senior mentors will have a 1-to-1 detailed discussion (on-call) with you to understand your prep level, working/ study constraints, current strategies, and create a step by step plan for next week, next month and so on.

    2. You are given access to our invite-only chat platform, Habitat where you can connect with mentors, ask your daily doubts, discuss your test-prep questions and have real-time live sessions on news and op-eds, and find your optional groups.

    How to prepare for upsc 2021? Strategy for upsc 2021?
Answer writing for 2020
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    3. The third and the most personalized tier is the dedicated 1 on 1 mentor allotment who stays with you through the course of your UPSC preparation – always-on chat and on scheduled calls to help you assess, evaluate, and chart the next milestone of your IAS 2021/2022 journey.

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  • Recalibrating India-Taiwan ties

    25 years of friendship

    • India and Taiwan are celebrating 25 years of their partnership.
    • Mutual efforts between Delhi and Taipei have enabled a range of bilateral agreements covering agriculture, investment, customs cooperation, civil aviation, industrial cooperation and other areas.
    • This growing relationship indicates that the time has come to recalibrate India-Taiwan relations.

    Recalibrating relationship

    1) Creating political framework

    • Both partners have increasingly deepened mutual respect underpinned by openness, with democracy and diversity as the key principles for collective growth.
    • To make this relationship more meaningful, both sides can create a group of empowered persons or a task force to chart out a road map in a given time frame.

    2) Cooperation in healthcare

    • Taiwan’s handling of the pandemic and its support to many other countries underlines the need to deepen healthcare cooperation.
    • India and Taiwan already collaborate in the area of traditional medicine.
    • The time is ripe to expand cooperation in the field of healthcare.

    3) Bio-friendly technologies

    • Stubble burning and an associated decline in air quality has become a challenge for Indian government.
    • Taiwan could be a valuable partner in dealing with this challenge through its bio-friendly technologies.
    • Such technologies convert agricultural waste into value-added and environmentally beneficial renewable energy or biochemicals.
    • This will be a win-win situation as it will help in dealing with air pollution and also enhance farmers’ income.
    • Further, New Delhi and Taipei can also undertake joint research and development initiatives in the field of organic farming.

    4) Cultural exchange

    • India and Taiwan need to deepen people-to-people connect.
    • Cultural exchange is the cornerstone of any civilisational exchange.
    • However, Taiwanese tourists in India are a very small number.
    • The Buddhist pilgrimage tour needs better connectivity and visibility, in addition to showcasing incredible India’s diversity. .
    • With the Taiwan Tourism Bureau partnering with Mumbai Metro, Taiwan is trying to raise awareness about the country and increase the inflow of Indian tourists.

    5) Deepening economic ties

    • India’s huge market provides Taiwan with investment opportunities.
    • The signing of a bilateral trade agreement in 2018 was an important milestone.
    • Taiwan’s reputation as the world leader in semiconductor and electronics complements India’s leadership in ITES (Information Technology-Enabled Services).
    • This convergence of interests will help create new opportunities.
    • Despite the huge potential, Taiwan investments have been paltry in India.
    • Taiwanese firms find the regulatory and labour regime daunting.

    Consider the question “Though mutual efforts between Delhi and Taipei have enabled a range of bilateral agreements, the time has come to recalibrate India-Taiwan relations” In light of this, discuss the ways in which the two countries can deepen bilateral relations and increase cooperation.

    Conclusion

    The two countries have much to cooperate and build the relationship on. What is needed is the political will to recalibrate the relationship.

  • Why the MTP Bill is not progressive enough

    The article highlights key changes the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2021 seeks to make in the 1971 Act and also deals with the issues with some of these changes.

    Key changes

    • The 1971 Act had moral biases against sexual relationships outside marriage, adopts an ableist approach and carries a strong eugenic emphasis.
    • In addition to preventing danger to the life or risk to physical or mental health of the woman, “eugenic grounds” were recognised as a specific category for legally permissible abortions.
    • To deal with these issues the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was passed by the parliament.
    • The bill is being hailed for two reasons:
    • First, the bill replaces “any married woman or her husband” with “any woman or her partner” while contemplating termination of pregnancies resulting from contraception failures, thus ostensibly destigmatising pregnancies outside marriage.
    • Second, the time limit within which pregnancies are legally terminable is increased.

    Issues with the Bill

    1) Scope for executive overreach

    • The bill raises the upper gestational limits for the two categories of permissible abortions envisioned in Section 3(2) of the 1971 Act.
    • Limit for the first category in which pregnancies are terminable subject to the opinion of one medical practitioner is raised from 12 weeks to 20 weeks.
    • The limit for the second category in which pregnancies are terminable subject to the opinion of two medical practitioners is raised to include those exceeding 20 but not exceeding 24 weeks, instead of the present category of cases exceeding 12 but not exceeding 20 weeks.
    • However, the second category is left ambiguous and open to potential executive overreach insofar as it may be further narrowed down by rules made by the executive.

    2) Rejection of the bodily autonomy of women

    • Pregnancies are allowed to be terminated only where:
    • 1) Continuance of the pregnancy would “prejudice the life of the pregnant woman.
    • 2) Or cause grave injury to her mental or physical health
    • 3) Or “if the child were born it would suffer from any serious physical or mental abnormality.”
    • As such, the bill seeks to cater to women “who need to terminate pregnancy” as against “women who want to terminate pregnancy.”
    •  By not accounting for the right to abortion at will the Bill effectively cripples women’s bodily autonomy.

    3) Ableist approach

    • A woman’s right to terminate the pregnancy of a child likely to suffer from physical or mental anomalies or one diagnosed with foetal abnormalities, on socio-economic grounds or otherwise, merits recognition.
    • However, in treating “physical or mental disability” or “foetal abnormalities” as separate categories amounting to heightened circumstances for termination of pregnancies, the bill reveals its ableist approach.
    • This evidences a presumption that certain people are by default societally unproductive, undesirable and somehow more justifiably eliminable than others.
    • This ableism becomes stark when the said 24-week limit, which is purportedly dictated by scientific and legislative wisdom, is completely lifted where the termination of a pregnancy involves “substantial foetal abnormalities”.

    4) Dichotomy in allowing termination beyond 24 weeks

    • When read together with Section 3(2B) of the bill, a strange dichotomy emerges:
    • 1) It is either the case that medical advancement is such that a safe abortion is possible at any point in the term of pregnancy, and hence, the bill allows it in case of “substantial foetal abnormalities” .
    • Or that, a 24-week ceiling is scientifically essential and abortions beyond the said limit would pose risks to the health of the pregnant woman or the foetus.
    • If it is the former, then allowing termination only in cases of “substantial foetal abnormalities” is a fictitious and moralistic classification.
    • If it is the latter, then the secondary status of women’s safety and the dominant eugenic tenor of the bill once again becomes evident.

    Need to sensitise healthcare provider

    • Access to abortion facilities is limited not just by legislative barriers but also the fear of judgment from medical practitioners.
    • It is imperative that healthcare providers be sensitised towards being scientific, objective and compassionate in their approach to abortions notwithstanding the woman’s marital status.

    Consider the question “What are the changes the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2021 seeks to make in the 1971 Act. Discuss the issues with the changed provision in the Act.

    Conclusion

    In KS Puttaswamy v Union of India, the Supreme Court recognised women’s constitutional right to “abstain from procreating” was read into the right to privacy, dignity and bodily autonomy. The MTPA Bill falls short of meeting this constitutional standard and its own stated objectives.

  • 24th March 2021| Daily Answer Writing Enhancement

    Important Announcement:  Topics to be covered on 25th March-

    GS-1  History of the world will include events from 18th century such as industrial revolution, world wars, redrawal of national boundaries, colonization, decolonization.

    GS-4 Aptitude and foundational values for Civil Service.

    Question 1)

    Critically examine the motives behind British efforts towards the expansion of modern education system. 10 marks

     

    Question 2)

    Discuss the changes made by the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2021. Do you with the view that the amended act takes into account women’s bodily autonomy? 10 marks

    Question 3)

    Discuss the factors responsible for the poor performance of the Public Sector Banks in comparison to the private banks. What can be done at the tactical and strategic levels to boost business metrics? 10 marks

    Question 4)  

    “Ethics are less a goal than a pathway, less a destination than a trip, less an inoculation than a process.” Analyse. 10 marks

    Reviews will be provided in a week. (In the order of submission- First come first serve basis). In case the answer is submitted late the review period may get extended to two weeks.

    *In case your answer is not reviewed in a week, reply to your answer saying *NOT CHECKED*. If Parth Sir’s tag is available then tag him.

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  • Applying the policy of self-reliance to health, infrastructure and green technologies

    The article highlights how Atmanirbhar Bharat policies can play important role in India’s post-pandemic recovery.

    Decline of trade-led catch-up growth

    • The Asian Development Bank identifies India as an outlier, with the country’s GDP growth likely to range between eight and 10 per cent — as against 7.7 per cent for China and seven per cent for the Asian region.
    • The convergence between the rich and poor countries in the 1990s and 2000s was founded on high relative growth rates driven by globalisation and export-led growth.
    • The World Bank and many international think tanks are now projecting a process of de-globalisation, reduction in exports, and reduced service exports from the tourism, travel and hospitality sector in response to COVID.
    • So, the phenomenon of trade-led catch-up growth is declining.

    How Atmanirbhar Bharat is different from past strategies

    • India’s import substituting growth strategy of the 1960s did not succeed because the high protective customs barriers led to the growth of non-competitive industries.
    • The current Atmanirbhar Bharat project is different because tariffs are low and public investment is focused on non-tradable infrastructure rather than commodity production.

    1) Atmanirbhar in heath: Atmirbhar Swasth Bharat

    • Atmanirbhar Swasth Bharat is a domestic non-trade dependent initiative which will invest over Rs 64,000 crore in setting up 17,800 rural and 11,000 urban health and wellness centres and 602 critical care hospitals in the country’s districts.
    • Today India has 29 health workers per 10,000 population, while we need 60 such professionals per 10,000 people, as per WHO norms.
    • Creating such a cadre will mean nearly four million new jobs, which can be self-paying.

    2) Infrastructure

    • China and emerging markets like Russia and Brazil have a fairly advanced transport and energy infrastructure.
    • India has a huge potential to renew its railways and highways and shift to solar energy from its current dependence on coal.
    • In fact, the country’s long-neglected fourth largest rail network in the world is undergoing rapid transformation.
    • While rail track coverage expanded by 5,000 km during 2010 to 2014-15, nearly 7,000 km of tracks were added between 2015 and 2020.
    • The Railways now aim to lay 9.5 km of track daily and have raised adequate capital for the same by leveraging domestic insurance funds.
    • Railways are also aiming for 100 per cent electrification and zero carbon footprint by 2024.
    • Electrified track has doubled from 20,000 km in 2012/13 to nearly 40,000 km in 2020.
    • The Centre’s decision to invest heavily in urban mass transit systems since 2014 has led to the rapid expansion of such services.
    • The resolution of financial problems of blocked PPP projects and smooth land acquisition process has increased the pace of construction of national highways.
    • Pace of construction of the national highway increased from 3,330 km per year during 2009-20014 to nearly 9,450 km in 2020-21.

    3) Renewable energy

    • Today over 55 per cent of India’s energy comes from coal but the share of renewable has been steadly increasing.
    • Starting with only 10 MW of solar power in 2010, India has installed nearly 35 GW of solar power by 2020.
    • This has been propelled by economic reforms which drove solar power prices down from Rs 17 per unit in 2010 to Rs 2.44 per unit in 2020.
    • The target of reaching 100 GW by 2022 can drive growth further.
    • Currently nearly 25 per cent of India’s electricity is used for pumping underground water for irrigation.
    • Providing irrigation energy from decentralised solar grids — solar power can be generated at the points on consumption.
    • This will reduce huge transmission losses and the associated carbon footprint of non-renewable energy sources.

    4) Privatising public sector outfits

    • The Centre’s shift towards privatising public sector outfits including banks, insurance companies and other PSUs can fund the growth of rail, road and energy infrastructure.
    • This will also foster efficiency in India’s credit system.
    • China achieved supernormal growth in infrastructure without access to international financing in the initial decades.
    • Recent studies have revealed that China’s financial decentralisation and commercial exploitation of state-owned lands was critical for the success.
    • In India, too, regional development authorities like the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority and Maharashtra Industries Development Corporation have financed the metro, trans-harbour links and industrial infrastructure through a similar commercial land allocation model.
    • This model can be extended throughout the country to finance infrastructure expansion.

    Consider the question “How Atmanirbhar Bharat policies differ from the past import-substituting growth strategy? Examine the role Atmanirbhar Bharat can play in the post-pandemic recovery?” 

    Conclusion

    In such a way, Atmanirbharta with its various facets will pave the road of post-pandemic recovery.

  • Sanctions on China over Uighurs: Cause & Effect

    In a coordinated move, many countries imposed sanctions on Chinese officials for human rights abuses against Uighurs and other minorities in Xinjiang province.

    The Uighurs

    • Xinjiang has a large number of Uighurs, Muslims of Turkic descent.
    • Over the past few decades, more and more Han Chinese has settled in Xinjiang, which saw violent clashes between them and the Uighurs.

    The sanctions have come after a meeting between the US and Chinese officials in Alaska last week, in what Washington described as “tough and direct talks”.

    This was a “Tu-Tu, Mai-Mai” conservation if you had seen the news!

    Sanctions on China

    • The European Union, the US, Britain, and Canada imposed sanctions on Chinese Officials.
    • Australia and New Zealand issued a joint statement welcoming the Western action, adding they were concerned about reports of abuses from Xinjiang.
    • China on the other hand has consistently denied all reports of atrocities against Uighurs, maintaining it is only “deradicalising” elements of its population in the interests of security.

    Retaliation by China

    • Those sanctioned by China include five Members of the European Parliament and the Political and Security Committee, the EU’s main foreign policy decision-making body, among others.
    • China also summoned the EU ambassador and the UK ambassador to lodge “solemn protests”.

    Why these sanctions are crucial?

    • This is the first time the EU has imposed sanctions on China since an arms embargo after the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. That is still in place.
    • Although the EU sanctions are not very damaging, they show a hardening of stance against its largest trading partner.
    • Also significant is that the Western powers moved together, in what is being seen as a result of the US push to deal with China along with its allies.

    Nations that claim to be defenders of the faith or self-proclaimed Caliphates are silent on the persecution of Uighurs! They perceived the abrogation of Art. 370 as a doomsday event! This is height of hypocrisy!

    Reasons behind: Crackdown on Uighurs

    • China is accused of putting over a million people in internment camps to “de-Muslimise” them and make them integrate better in the Communist country.
    • Allegations are that these people have been forced to leave behind their occupations, properties and families, to stay at the camps.
    • Survivors, human rights organisations, and governments of other countries have alleged physical, psychological and sexual torture.
    • People can be sent to the camps for showing any signs of “extremism” — sporting beards, fasting during Ramzan, dressing differently from the majority, sending Eid greetings, praying “too often” etc.

    The idea of the sacred is quite simply one of the most conservative notions in any culture because it seeks to turn other ideas – uncertainty, progress, change – into crimes.