💥UPSC 2026, 2027, 2028 UAP Mentorship (March Batch) + Access XFactor Notes & Microthemes PDF
Talk to mentor

Civilsdaily

Login

Search results for: “”

  • 8 Oct 2016 | GS3 | In economic debates people have an uncritical faith in the market or are completely averse to it. But there is a deep complementarity between market efficiency and state action. Comment on this w.r.t the current Indian economy.

    GS3 (Indian economy)

    In economic debates people have an uncritical faith in the market or are completely averse to it. But there is a deep complementarity between market efficiency and state action. Comment on this w.r.t the current Indian economy.

    Best answer

    Heracles Apollo wrote the best answer for this question and got a score of 4/10 (if the best answer is an image, it cannot be uploaded here, hence scroll down to see those). The answer is being reproduced below for everyone’s convenience. Of course these answers can always be improved. (Best answer  of a particular only involves those given on that day, later answers may not have been checked)

    Uncritical faith in the market could result in a situation like the 2008 global economic crisis when the US markets operated almost unregulated. Being completely averse to market as was reminiscent of India’s pre-1991 days also is unhealthy as it creates economic stagnation.

    India discovered the complementary balance between the two after the LPG reforms of 1991.
    1) Under SEBI’s regulation the Indian stock market is the largest in the world in terms of the number of listen companies.

    2) Competition Commission’s anti-monopoly action has led to healthy competition which improves consumer choice and creates a fair playing field for business.

    3) By placing strategic FDI limits for different sectors all the stakeholders are mutually benefitted. Allowing 100 FDI in defence only when critical technology is brought in creates competitive investment .

    4) In the absence of the newly passed Bankruptcy code disputes would have dragged on interminably.

    5)By allowing full current account convertibility and only partial Capital account convertibility economic volatility is prevented.

    Market forces act in favour of profit and state action tempers the drive for profit with meeting public purpose and overall stability as has been amply illustrated in India through the years.

  • 8 Oct 2016 | GS2 | Discuss the strategic, political and economic implications of India’s membership of the BRICS.

    GS2 (Global groupings)

    Discuss the strategic, political and economic implications of India’s membership of the BRICS.

    Best answer

    Ayushi Singh wrote the best answer for this question and got a score of 4/10 (if the best answer is an image, it cannot be uploaded here, hence scroll down to see those). The answer is being reproduced below for everyone’s convenience. Of course these answers can always be improved. (Best answer  of a particular only involves those given on that day, later answers may not have been checked)

    BRICS has emerged as an important force in a multipolar world order.The forum went much beyond being a mere catchy acronym when the New Development Bank was established to signal discontent with hierarchical global governance structures and era of non western financial institutions.
    Positive Implications.
    Political
    -Despite the 2016 IMF quota reforms the vote share of BRICS is about 14% and falls short of 15% required for the body to exercise collective veto.This is when their share in world GDP is 22%(nominal) and US dominance at IMF persists.
    -BRICS has two members of UNSC and two members of G-4(Brazil and India).Ideal mix of ‘outsiders’ and ‘insiders’ to rally for reforms.Each BRICS nation enjoys rising economic profile and considerable regional influence which can be harnessed to build consensus.
    -Push for not diluting WTO’s Doha development round
    -For a for mutual learning for ex China s experience in infrastructure export and Brazil’s in clean fuel generation

    Economic
    – To enhance trade between countries not part of the Trans pacific partnership
    – Recently operationalised contingency reserve arrangement to provide support through additional liquidity support.
    – NDB to avoid IMF-WB ‘s conditionality and neoliberal paradigm in lending and include new concerns like environment
    – Voice views on developing world specific experiences like the Fortaleza declaration(2014) praised role of state run enterprises.
    Strategic
    -BRICS with 46% of world’s population has enormous demographic and geographic influence which can be used to highlight west’s dual standards on areas like human rights violations(Israel) and terrorism etc
    -for India it can be key to enhancing engagement with central Asia and Latin America,two areas we have limited presence currently.
    Some concerns.
    Internal dissensions within BRICS is going to a major challenged.Apart from India-China’s border issues etc Brazil was said to oppose India’s NSG bid recently. Secondly major political and economic trouble in Brazil and economic slowdown of Russia and China can be a drag.
    BRICS potential is critically dependent on the ability to build consensus and identify maximum areas of convergence.

  • 8 Oct 2016 | GS1 | Recently the ozone hole has started healing, after decades of international efforts. What is the ozone hole? How has the world tried to heal it?

    GS1 (Geography)

    Recently the ozone hole has started healing, after decades of international efforts. What is the ozone hole? How has the world tried to heal it?

    Best answer

    Udyan Sharma wrote the best answer for this question and got a score of 4.5/10 (if the best answer is an image, it cannot be uploaded here, hence scroll down to see those). The answer is being reproduced below for everyone’s convenience. Of course these answers can always be improved. (Best answer  of a particular only involves those given on that day, later answers may not have been checked)

    When ultraviolet light waves (UV) strike Chlorofluorocarbons CFC* (CFCl3) molecules in the upper atmosphere, a carbon-chlorine bond breaks, producing a chlorine (Cl) atom. The chlorine atom then reacts with an ozone (O3) molecule breaking it apart and so destroying the ozone.
    The ozone layer above the Antarctic has been particularly impacted by pollution since the mid-1980s. This region’s low temperatures speed up the conversion of CFCs to chlorine. In the southern spring and summer, when the sun shines for long periods of the day, chlorine reacts with ultraviolet rays, destroying ozone on a massive scale, up to 65 percent. This is what some people erroneously refer to as the “ozone hole.” In other regions, the ozone layer has deteriorated by about 20 percent.
    Through the 1970s and the 1980s, the international community became increasingly concerned that ozone-depleting substances(ODS)would harm the ozone layer. In 1985, the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer formalized international cooperation on this issue.The Vienna Convention is the precursor to the Montreal Protocol which signed in 1987, was the first step in international efforts to protect stratospheric ozone. Under the original Montreal Protocol agreement (1987), developed countries were required to begin phasing out CFCs in 1993 and achieve a 20% reduction relative to 1986 consumption levels by 1994 and a 50% reduction by 1998. Additionally, developed countries were required to freeze their production and consumption of halons relative to their 1986 levels. After the Montreal Protocol was signed, new data showed worse-than-expected damage to the ozone layer. In 1992, the Parties to the Protocol decided to alter the terms of the 1987 agreement to end production of halons by 1994 and CFCs by 1996 in developed countries.Because of measures taken under the Montreal Protocol, emissions of ODS are falling and the ozone layer is expected to be fully healed near the middle of the 21st century.

  • 8 Oct 2016 | Prelims Daily: CA Questions with Tikdams & Tidbits

    Dear students,

    When you submit your answer, if possible, give some reasoning & more info. along with the ABACAA format. Elaborate on what you know. This helps the whole community to know more and learn more!

    Q.1) Consider following statements about Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

    1. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infects cells of the immune system, destroying or impairing their function.

    2. Anti-retroviral drugs are used in the treatment and prevention of HIV infection.

    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

     

    Q.2) Recently, administration and management of Haj pilgrimage transferred to which of the following authority?

    a) Ministry of External Affairs

    b) Ministry of Minority Affairs

    c) Ministry of Finance

    d) Prime Minister’s Office (PMO)

     

    Q.3) Consider the following statement about ‘e-NAM’ (National Agriculture Market)?

    1. It is a pan-India electronic trading portal which networks the existing APMC mandis to create a unified national market for agricultural commodities

    2. Its objective is to reduce the transaction cost, provide a single licence valid across all markets.

    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

     

    Q.4) Consider following statement about Non-Alignment Movement(NAM)

    1. Every African country except the South Sudan is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement.

    2. Recently, 17th NAM summit held at Venezuela.

    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

     

    Q.5) Consider following statements about Asian Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction.

    1. Japan is hosting the Asian Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction in collaboration with the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.

    2. This is the first conference after the advent of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

    Which of the statements given above is/are incorrect?  

    a) 1 only

    b) 2 only

    c) Both 1 and 2

    d) Neither 1 nor 2

    IMPORTANT STUFF: 

    1. These questions are mostly derived from our daily newscards. Reading daily news from Civilsdaily’s App (click here) or website + solving these questions will help you reinforce the basics.

    2. For a comprehensive preparation of IAS Prelims 2017 – consider joining one of the three Prelims Modules by CD – prelims.civilsdaily.com

    3. Solutions will be uploaded at 8 p.m. Click here for solutions

    4. For attempting previous Prelims Daily Questions – Click here

    5. How to apply Tikdams? Read this, this and this

  • 8 Oct 2016 | Debate | Are protests for reservation weakening the Indian identity?

    Recently many communities thought to be prosperous have been asking for reservations, e.g. the Marathas, Patels, Jats, Kapus etc. Many people comment that these communities are simply using their numbers for cornering more benefits from the state. These communities say they have suffered a lot due to poor job growth and need help like that given to backward communities. For their view see this link –

    http://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2016/10/why-marathas-want-reservations/

    All these demands are leading to a situation where Indians are identifying themselves increasingly by their castes/communities. After all it is membership of a caste/communities which is rewarded. An ordinary Indian without a caste/communities will not receive any benefits.

    Famous IPS officer Prakash Singh once said that every decade India witnesses the rise of a new internal security issue.

    The debate is whether we are witnessing the rise of a new internal security issue in the form of a stronger caste identity appearing, and the weakening of the Indian identity. Also open to debate is the issue of how to help the aspirational new generation (which includes you), without resorting to caste/communities based reservations.

    (For those interested, we are starting a new series on internal security issues in India. Extremely important from Mains perspective. Gurleen has written the first blog Go here to read it.)

  • Prelim flagship course

    I want to join prelim flagship course.
    Can I attempt the exam papers that I have missed ?
    And what about payment?

  • When will september month's magazine will release?

    Please ??

  • CD Explains compilation for the year 2015-16 released

    Hello,

    Last month, at the request of a CD Flagship Student, we sought to compile the CD explains that we have been writing on our website (the important ones!) into one single pdf.

    The resultant pdf is now being released for everyone: 

    Here is the table of contents:

    Enjoy the rich compilation of important issues with nice, catchy graphics to help you retain the interest (& information). If you like reading from the web, you might want to skip this purchase but if you want to avoid searching for these articles, then at just Rs. 197 you get to have a handy pdf of the articles mentioned in the images.

    Note for the Flagship and Advance students, by now you have the following documents put in your “Documents” tab of the exam portal – 

    1. CivilsDigest – Monthly magazine from June till date (this month’s issue is pending. We got our designer to work on the CD Explains compilation instead)
    2. Economic Survey by Dr. V (AIR 20, CSE 2015)
    3. CD Explains compilation (New Release)
    4. Time Table of your respective TS

  • Internal Security Issues 101 – Cross Border Terrorism | Part 1

    India has suffered tremendously from terrorism and violence within its borders due to various reasons. This Internal Security and Related Issues series will analyse what are the various factors involved. We begin with cross border terrorism.

    What does cross-border terrorism mean?

    Terrorism is the organized use of violence for political ends and is directed primarily at innocent people, or soft targets.

    Terrorism that has its roots in one country and it operates with the support of the country of its origin, but uses violence to create terror in another country, is described as cross-border terrorism.

    Cross-border terrorism in the world:

    With the rise of radical organisations such as ISIS and Al Qaeda, other countries besides India are also now suffering from cross-border terrorism. In total, more than 1,200 people outside of Iraq and Syria have been killed in attacks inspired or coordinated by the Islamic State, according to a New York Times analysis. Nearly half of the victims were killed in attacks that targeted Westerners. The others have been civilians in Arab and other non-western countries, killed in mosques, government offices and other targets. See other details here.

    Source of image: New York Times

     

    Source of image: New York Times

    The extent of cross border terrorism being fueled by ISIS can be gauged from the following picture:

    Source of image: New York Times

    Cross-border terrorism in India:

    The problem of cross border terrorism over the last fifty years in India has occurred in three regions – Punjab, Kashmir and the North–East, where people are on the social and physical fringes of India.

    Language, religion and the feeling of alienation set these people apart from the people of the heartland of the country.

    All the three are concentrated at the outer limits of India adjoining a neighbouring country that has the desire and the ability to create problems in India’s internal security.

    Factors responsible for Cross-border terrorism in India:

    1. Geographical factors:

    a) Length of borders: India has 14818 kilometers of land borders and a coast line of 7516.6 kilometers. All states except Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Telangana, Delhi and Haryana have an international border or a coast line.

    b) Extreme geography: Also, borders are quite complex and almost every type of extreme geography is present at different borders viz. Mountains, deserts, fertile lands, swampy marshes or tropical evergreen jungles. Lack of proper security in inhospitable areas further aids cross border terrorism.

    c) Shifting courses of rivers located near boundaries further compound the problem of border management e.g. Padma and Brahmaputra in the east and Ravi in the north.

    2. India’s economic and military rise:

    India is emerging as an economically and military strong nation in both continental Asia as well as the Indian Ocean region. Pakistan views India’s rise as a threat to its own ambitions. It is thus resorting to cross border terrorism tactics to keep India engaged in proxy wars and divert its resources from other developmental issues. It aims to degrade India’s conventional superiority through a process of strategic fatigue.

    3. India’s neighbourhood challenge:

    India is like island of democracy between seas of anarchical or instable states. Probably, no other neighbouring country has experienced uninterrupted democratic regime for more than 15 years.

    Additionally, in some countries there is cultural radicalism targeted at India, and terrorists and mafia groups are patronized by some of India’s neighbouring states.

    4. Territorial Ambitions of Pakistan

    Pakistan having failed to grab Kashmir despite fighting conventional wars has resorted to the strategy of terrorism. Conventional wars are expensive and the chances of achieving political objectives through wars have diminished due to the development of nuclear weapons and the possible international reaction.

    In such a case, proxy war is a low- cost and no- case option but best suited to promote Pakistan’s geo political, diplomatic and military interest, not only to wrest Kashmir but also to gain forward strategic depth.

    5. Boundary disputes

    Unsolved border disputed with Pakistan in the area of Sir Creek in Gujarat, the LOC in J&K, AGPL portion in Siachin and with China in Aksai Chin, Arunachal Pradesh and Transk-Karakoram tract further compound the problem.

    Indian Concerns:

    1. State sponsored terrorism: The links between top army personnel, bureaucrats and political leaders, on the one hand, and terrorists and drug barons, on the other, have acquired a measure of legitimacy under the banner of Islam and jihad in Pakistan.

    2. Pakistan’s failure to act against terror outfits: Despite being handed over evidence of Pakistan based terrorists’ involvement in Pathankot terror attacks, and the Pakistan JIT team being allowed access to the terror site, Pakistan has not taken any steps that indicate its intent to act tough on terror.

    3. The China-Pakistan nexus has given rise to external concerns such as covert assistance in Pakistan’s nuclear and missile program. Also, China continues to block India’s bid to get Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar (accused in the Parliament terror attack case and, more recently, the Pathankot attack) listed as a terrorist by the United Nations. China has also previously blocked India’s demand for taking action under the Security Council’s anti-terrorism resolutions against Pakistan for releasing Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Zaki-ur Lakhvi—the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

    3. Recent joint military exercises between Pakistan and Russia (traditionally seen as India’s close ally) despite ongoing India-Pakistan hostilities also paint a picture of concern.

    4. India has also become the target in the global jihadi plan of outfits such as ISIS and Al Qaeda which are not only instigating violence through sleeping modules, but also attract educated urban youths to spread terror agenda on social media and to fight in alien lands. There are over hundred Indian youths who are estimated to be fighting for ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Also, the radicalization and recruitment of youth for such terror organisations has become more sophisticated, thanks to the internet.

    5. Pakistan’s funding, arming, training and diplomatic support to varied terrorist groups active in Kashmir has emboldened the terrorists all over the world.

    Thats it for this part!

    The next part in this series will analyse India’s counter-terrorism set-up and the issues with it (click here for Part 2). This is supposed to be one of the most comprehensive series in Internal Security related Issues. Your feedback is welcome 🙂

  • Suggestions for Improvements on discussion forums

    1) better formatting options. maybe the use of <tags> that get rendered after posting. </tags> for bold, italic, quotes.
    2) the ability to respond inline . Just like you would in an email. This has some benefits as the context in which the person replies is very clear. This is very beneficial where most people are commenting on something the other person has written.
    3) The ability to PM other people,without it being a public post.
    4) I still can’t figure how to upload and edit my profile picture. ( using Version 52.0.2743.116 Built on Ubuntu , running on Ubuntu 14.04 (64-bit))
    @discuss
    @root

More posts