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  • CD’s Guide to IAS Prep: From Aspirant to IAS Officer

    Yoda’s most memorable quote, bar none, and one of the greatest in all of Star Wars holds quite true for all civil service aspirants (irrespective of their stage of preparation). And it goes something like this –

    LUKE SKYWALKER: Master, moving stones around is one thing. This is totally different!
    YODA (irritated): No! No different! Only different in your mind. You must unlearn what you have learned.
    LUKE (focusing, quietly): All right, I’ll give it a try.

     

    If you are doing it, DO IT. Don’t pretend doing it.

    Civil Services Preparation (IAS/ UPSC Prep) has been veritably described as a ‘life changing process’, ‘a journey of transformation’, ‘a quest of excellence’ and what not!

    But truth be told, preparing for Civil Services can only mean 2 things:

    1. A wholehearted effort to become a Civil Servant or
    2. An equally wholehearted effort to waste best years of one’s life.

    So, If you are doing it, DO IT, don’t pretend doing it. Fair Enough? Let’s jump onto the roadmap then!

    The 3 Kinds of IAS Aspirants

    It is important to understand your stage in the Life Cycle of an IAS Aspirant so that you plan your onward strategy accordingly. Let’s take a closer look:

     

    #1. The Idealists/ College goers

     

    There is something about these idealists that is very disconcerting for the aam aadmi students. They are the benchmarks of the societies – the sharmaji ke bachche who constitute the bedrock of the society (in your parents’ eyes). They grew up reading Dominique Lapierre’s Freedom At Midnight and devoured Hindu for breakfast!

    If you identify yourself with this category, you have got a few of things correct. You need to meticulously build your base and play on your strong points.

    If you are in college, do not sweat it out in vain. No point joining any regular classes or diving into the subject books as of now. Just be more aware. Read these few articles to get a flavor of what lies ahead –

     

     

    1. Be a regular at the Civilsdaily’s Android App: It’s FREE, FOREVER and we take due care with summarising UPSC relevant news articles for you. Everyday.
    2. A Beginner’s Guide on How to Clear IAS: These 5 commandments will do well to get you started with the IAS Prep
    3. 3 Key Points on How to Read Newspapers for IAS Prep: Newspapers hold an important significance – more so in the changing times
    4. Understanding the IAS Prelims Syllabus: Start reading with what UPSC expects of you in the Prelims Exams
    5. Need Motivation? Read these posts on some Amazingly Badass Civil Servants:
    6. Recommended Memoirs of Famous Bureaucrats: To keep your spirits high among other things!

     

    #2. The Wildcard Entrants

    Remember TVF’s Pitchers?

    “Is desh ke graduates apni 9-5 jobs se bore hone lagte hain toh bahar nikalne ke liye keval 3 raste dikhte hain: MBA, IAS & Start-up.”
    (“When graduates of this country get bored of their 9-5 jobs, they look up to only 3 options : MBA, IAS & Start-up.”)

    Since you are joining the party late, you have a lot of lost opportunities (and syllabus) to cover! If you are juggling IAS preparation along with job, you might be biting a lot more than you can chew! In that case, these few articles can come in handy before you make up your mind and scale up your efforts to take an extended sabbatical from your corporate life –

    1. Along with CD’s Android App updates, be a regular at one national daily – Hindu or Indian Express. Live Mint is very good for its article on Economics and Business Standard may be referred for some heavy gyan (but it is avoidable).
    2. Know Thy Syllabus:
    3. Choose your Optional Wisely: We do not have authoritative articles on how to go about that but we will be inviting UPSC Rankers to share their strategies.
    4. Coaching: To do or not to do? – Read the pros and cons of self study/ coaching
    5. Importance of Writing Practice? Everything you need to know about answer writing for IAS Mains
    6. Test Series for Pre & Mains? [to be published]
    7. Analyse the Previous Year UPSC Prelims:
    8. Analyse Previous Year UPSC Mains Examination [to be published]

     

    #3. The Nirvana Seekers

     

    They have weathered all storms, seen one too many pattern changes, possibly even attended a few LIVE interview and are still sticking it out for that magical double digit rank. For them,

    Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.

    What do we have for you? 

    1. Go through our neatly curated News Stories in full: Since you already have a good understanding of current affairs in general – you will be able to appreciate and gain from our connected news stories.
    2. Run through our CD Explains at the CD Hub: Revise and build upon your basics as we try our best to break down complex news for you.
    3. Importance of Writing Practice? [to be published]
    4. Test Series for Pre & Mains? [to be published]
    5. What beyond UPSC? In a rare case that you run out of time or attempts – what should you do to prepare yourself for the bumps ahead? [to be published]

    This page will be frequently updated. Share this among your friends and relatives who might benefit from this.

  • Roads, Highways, Cargo, Air-Cargo and Logistics infrastructure – Bharatmala, LEEP, SetuBharatam, etc.

    Challenges, opportunities & criticism of the Real Estate Regulatory Bill 2016

    The Real Estate Regulatory Bill, 2016 is being hailed as a much-needed step to reform the real estate sector. It will help regulate the sector and bring in clarity for both buyers and developers.

    What was the need for regulation in the real estate?

    • The real estate sector has some issues such as a lengthy process for project approvals, lack of clear land titles, and prevalence of black money
    • There wasn’t complete transparency as far as govt approvals were concerned
    • There were also instances when projects were sold without adequate clearances
    • The delayed projects, sometimes by up to 6 years and arbitrary changes in layout plans are rampant in the sector

    How does the Bill seeks to regulate the sector?

    The basic thrust of this Bill is to regulate the delivery of projects to home buyers. It provides them a legal safeguard for their investment, and seeks to address timely delivery of houses. It seeks to enforce the contract between the developer and buyer and act as a fast track mechanism to settle disputes

    • It establishes state level regulatory authorities called Real Estate Regulatory Authorities (RERA)
    • The Bill establishes state level tribunals called Real Estate Appellate Tribunals.  Decisions of RERAs can be appealed in these tribunals
    • It makes mandatory the disclosure of all information for registered projects like details of promoters, layout plan, land status, schedule of execution and status of various approvals
    • The Bill prohibits a developer from changing the plan in a project unless two-thirds of the allottees have agreed for such a change
    • It says that builders must specify the time-frame for completion of projects and stick to it, or be ready to pay penalties
    • The Bill mandates that 70% of the amount collected from buyers of a project be used only for construction of that project < This provision will effectively allow developers to continue their practice of diverting funds collected for a project towards land acquisition or other projects, and will work in their favour by also allowing them to grow their land and/or project portfolio>

    How will the Real Estate Regulatory Authorities help improve the sector?

    • Residential real estate projects need to be registered with RERAs, except few
    • Promoters cannot book or offer these projects for sale without registering them
    • Real estate agents dealing in these projects also need to register with RERAs
    • On registration, the promoter need to provide details of the project to the RERA

    Challenges ahead

    • The Bill will make life difficult for builders, as they would face more red-tapeism now, especially in procuring relevant approvals.
    • This Bill does not address the developers demand of a single-window clearance from the govt
    • The implementation of the Bill is up to the states, it leaves builders with greater chances of being harassed

    Impact

    • Timely completion of projects would lead to a steady increase in supply of homes
    • It is expected that these measures will eventually bring down home prices and increase demand
    • It will be good for the overall economy too, as the housing sector has strong backward (cement, steel and other building material industries) and forward (furniture and furnishings, interior decoration, electrical and electronics) linkages with other industries
    • More number of job creation in the economy

    Criticism

    • The builder lobbies argued that the bill should have a time-frame for municipal and other authorities to give timely approvals, because the delay in approvals lead to delays in handing over possession of apartments
    • In terms of pricing, which is governed by circle rates, it will be difficult to monitor

    Future

    • The states’ support for faster clearances to projects will be required to make this Bill successful
    • Govt is also trying to bring in a National Urban Rental Housing Policy, which would take into account the requirements of tenancy hassles in modern days

    Published with inputs from Pushpendra

     

    Sagarmala Project: Smart ports for Blue Revolution in India

    The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Modi, on March,2015 gave its ‘in-principle’ approval for the concept and institutional framework of Sagarmala Project. Let’s take a glance on it.

    What’s the prime objective of Sagarmala?

    The prime objective of the Sagarmala project is to promote port-led direct and indirect development and to provide infrastructure to transport goods to and from ports quickly, efficiently and cost-effectively.

    What’s the current issue and background of ports in India?

    • At present there are around 200 ports (small and big) in the country, of these, only 12 are major ports which are government owned ports, which handle about 58% of sea-borne traffic.
    • These major ports operate as Trusts under the Major Ports Trust Act, 1963, except for the Port of Ennore, which is a company under the Companies Act.
    • There are legacy issues with these govt owned major ports, they do not keep pace with emerging technology, requirements of international trade, emerging trends in containerisation, flexible rules, size of ships etc.

    Which are the 12 Major Ports ?

    These are Kolkata (including Dock Complex at Haldia), Visakhapatnam, Chennai, V.O. Chidambaranar (Tuticorin), Cochin, New Mangalore, Mormugao, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), Mumbai, Kandla and Ennore.

    Just, Look back into the history?

    In 2003, then PM Vajpayee proposed Project Sagarmala with following features:

    • Setup Sagarmala Development Authority (Similar to National highway authority of India).
    • It will get money via Maritime development cess. (5 paise per kg on cargo).
    • It will improve ports, shipping industry, inland water transport, coastal shipping.
    • PPP and FDI to gather more investment.

    Then, which are the Key pillars to achieve Smart-development ?

    • Supporting and enabling Port-led Development through appropriate policy and institutional interventions.
    • Providing for an institutional framework for ensuring inter-agency and states’ collaboration for integrated development.
    • Port Infrastructure Enhancement, including modernization and setting up of new ports.
    • Efficient Evacuation to and from hinterland.

    What are some of the measures to make Smart Ports?

    • Ports should be registered as Companies under Companies Act.
    • The port administration should only look after the provisions of infrastructure and safety and not day-to-day running of the port
    • There is still no regulation to control the trade practices.
    • Hence, there is a dire need to introduce a regulatory architecture that takes care of ex-ante declaration of rates of services.

    Then, what’s the plan to implement such a vast initiative?

    • For a comprehensive and integrated planning for “Sagarmala”, a National Perspective Plan (NPP) for the entire coastline shall be prepared within six months.
    • It will identify potential geographical regions to be called Coastal Economic Zones (CEZ).
    • While preparing the NPP, synergy and integration with planned Industrial Corridors, Dedicated Freight Corridors, National Highway Development Programme, Industrial Clusters and SEZs would be ensured.

    What are the suggestions for effective mechanism at state level?

    • Set up State Sagarmala Committee to be headed by CM / Minister in Charge of Ports.
    • Sagarmala Coordination and Steering Committee (SCSC) shall be constituted under the chairmanship of the Cabinet Secretary and others.
    • This Committee will provide coordination between ministries, state governments and agencies connected with implementation and review the progress of implementation of the National Perspective Plan.

    How does it ensure the sustainable development in CEZ?

    • This would be done by synergising and coordinating with State Governments and line Ministries of Central Government through their existing programmes.
    • Such as those related to community and rural development, tribal development and employment generation, fisheries, skill development, tourism promotion etc.
    • In order to provide funding for such projects and activities that may be covered by departmental schemes a separate fund by the name ‘Community Development Fund’ would be created.

    What’s the role of Institutional Framework ?

    • It has to provide for a coordinating role for the Central Government.
    • It should provide a platform for central, state governments and local authorities to work in tandem and coordination under the established principles of cooperative federalism.

    What’s the role of NSAC?

    A National Sagarmala Apex Committee (NSAC) is envisaged for overall policy guidance and high level coordination, and to review various aspects of planning and implementation of the plan and projects.

    So, Is it Good to have smart ports on the line of Smart Cities?

    Can you answer some questions?

    #1. Can you examine the bottlenecks in Indian port infrastructure and list the initiative taken in recent times to address this issue?

    #Q.2 Indian port infrastructure can be revamped by Sagarmala project by effective management? critically comment.

    Published with inputs from Arun

  • OBOR Initiative

  • [Registration Starts] Campus Ambassadors for Civilsdaily

    We are following up on our week old post on *How to Help Civilsdaily Grow*

    1. This initiative is strictly for college going students who have completed the first year.
    2. We do not require you to send in your CVs/ Resume. We have built a very short, cool application form and we would like you to fill just that for us! Fill it up for us, please!

  • Electoral Reforms In India

    Time and again, many electoral reforms have been proposed by various committees, Law Commission and ECI itself. A discussion on these crops up during every election. We’ve tried to comprehensively list the proposed reforms under various sub-headings. A brute-force memorization of all this information is not required. Go through this list so that you have a background while reading news items on Electoral Reforms and ECI.
    I.Amendment to the Constitution of India
    1. Constitutional protection for all members of the Commission.
    2. Budget of the Commission to be ‘charged’ on the CFI.
    3. Independent Secretariat for the Commission.
    II.Electoral Roll Matters
    While Army personnel are allowed to vote, Navy and Airforce are not.
    There are no provisions for overseas electors to vote despite being eligible to do so. Amendments proposed provide the option of proxy voting or postal ballot voting.
    At present, the Electoral Rolls prepared by the Election Commission are not used by the State Election Commissions leading to duplication of effort and errors costing both in terms of time and money. Common Electoral Rolls to be used in local elections was a recommendation endorsed by the Law Commission.
    III.Election Management Issues
    At present, filing false declarations about the background of the candidate attracts penalty under Section 125A of The Representation of the People Act, 1951. The offence is punishable by up to 6 months, or with fine, or with both.
    The Commission has proposed that the punishment under section 125A should be increased to 2 years’ imprisonment without the alternative clause of  fine, and also that the offence should be included in the list of offences listed in sub-section (1) of section 8 which would attract disqualification on conviction irrespective of the term if sentence. The Commission also proposed that furnishing of false affidavit or suspension of material information in the affidavit should also be specified as ground for challenging the election under section 100 (1) of The Representation of the People Act, 1951.
    In S. Subramaniam Balaji vs Govt. Of T.Nadu & Ors, the SC observed that “although, the law is obvious that the promises in the election manifesto cannot be construed as ‘corrupt practice’ under section 123 of The Representation of the People Act, the reality cannot be ruled out that distribution of freebies of any kind, undoubtedly, influences all people. It shakes the root of free and fair elections to a large degree. In this regard the EC has proposed an amendment to RPA, 1951 allowing Adjournment of poll or countermanding of elections on ground of bribery.
    IV.Election Officials and Logistics
    Use of Totalizer Machines
    EVM totalizer can count votes of multiple Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) simultaneously. This way the results of votes in a group of EVMs can be taken without ascertaining the result in individual EVM corresponding to polling booth.
    As per the present provisions in The Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, votes in the EVMs are to be counted polling station wise, which leads to situations where voting pattern in various localities/pockets become known to everyone. There is a view that this can result in victimization and/or discrimination and intimidation of electors of particular localities. This issue can be addressed by use of totalizer that can be used for taking out the results of voting in a group of 14 EVMs without revealing the votes in individual EVMs.
    V.Nomination of Candidates
    Contesting the elections from 2 seats  – At present as per RPA 1951, a person is allowed to contest from 2 seats. However it is imperative that he has to vacate one of the two seats should he win both. This leads to holding by-elections which causes inconvenience to voters and financial expenditure. The amendment to RPA 1951 calls for removal of this provision of contesting from 2 seats.
    VI.De- Criminalization of politics
    2. Misuse of religion for electoral gain
    3. Making bribery in elections a cognizable offence
    VII.Reforms relating to Political Parties
    1. De-registration of political parties
    2. Tax Relief for Political Parties
    3. Compulsory Maintenance of Accounts by Political Parties
    4. Accounting and Auditing Report of Political Parties
    5. Form 24A under Rule 85B of The Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961
    6. Prohibition on Anonymous Donations
    7. Sale of Coupons
    8. Maintenance of separate bank accounts by each contesting candidate for poll expenses
    9. Cap on Expenditure by Political Party on a Candidate for election campaign
    10. Ceiling of campaign expenditure by political parties
    11. Limit the Number of Star Campaigners
    12. Time period for maintaining books of account under section 77 of The Representation of the People Act, 1951
    VIII.Election campaign and advertisements
    1. Ban on exit polls and opinion polls
    2. Ban on Government Sponsored Advertisement before elections
    3. Section 126 of The Representation of the People Act, 1951
    4. Paid news in connection with elections
    5. Section 125A of The Representation of the People Act, 1951
    IX.Election Expenses and Election Petitions
    1. Ceiling on Election Expenditure to legislature from Local Authorities’, Graduates’ and Teachers’ Constituencies
    2. Election expenditure in case of adjournment of poll under section 52 of The Representation of the People Act, 1951
    3. Appointment of additional judges in the High Courts
    PDF for proposed electoral reforms –  PROPOSED ELECTORAL REFORMS

  • A Primer on India – Sri Lanka Foreign Relations

     

    The Broad Sketch of our bilateral relationship

    • India and Sri Lanka hold important position in the Asian continent based on location, people, ethnicity, culture.
    • The relationship between the two countries were good since their  independence until the Sri Lankan Civil War, with the Indian intervention through Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF).
    • The key issues which are important for India are  fishermen issue, Kachchatheevu, 13th amendment and the Chinese influence in Sri Lanka.

    Historical issues and their recurrence

    • Sri Lanka is very much close to India and so the Indian fishermen tend to move away into the Sri Lankan waters very often. This is a recurring issue when we follow the news everyday. But the issue arises due to the maritime demarcation between India and Sri Lanka.
    • In 1974, the Indian government recognized Kachchatheevu as a Sri Lankan territory on a conditional agreement with few provisions for the Indian fishermen.

    What are the key provisions?

    • The Indian government wanted the Sri Lankan government to allow the fishermen from India to use the Kachchatheevu Island for their fishing purposes and also to allow Indians to participate in the St.Antony’s Catholic Church festival which is held yearly once.
    • The island was given to Sri Lanka without the ratification of the Indian Parliament.
    • The provisions were included due to political agitations in Tamil Nadu.

    Ethnic conflicts and the LTTE

    It is important to understand the issue which led India into Sri Lanka

    • Sinhalas are the majority in Sri Lanka with 70% of the population.
    • The Sri Lankan Tamils, Indian Tamils and Moors are the remaining part of the population.
    • The conflict between the Tamils and Sinhalas started due to the suppressive Sinhala only Act which recognised only the Sinhalas as the citizens of Sri Lanka and it did not recognise the other ethnic minority communities.
    • This led to the Sri Lankan Civil War which began on 23rd July 1983 and lasted till 18th May 2009.
    • Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a militant organisation was formed in 1976 to fight against Sri Lankan government and also to create a nation for the Tamils.
    • LTTE gained momentum in 1983 with the attacks against the Sri Lankan officials.
    • They occupied the northern and north eastern parts of the Sri Lanka. LTTE is one of the militant organisation in the world, believed to have been destroyed completely.

    Indian intervention in the Sri Lankan Civil War

    • The Indian intervention is one of the key issues which had its impact on Indian government.
    • The Indian military forces were deployed in Sri Lankan territories to ensure peace and security. They were named as Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF).
    • The deployment of  IPKF followed the Indo-Sri Lankan Accord signed in 1987 with an aim to end the Sri Lankan Civil War.
    • However the IPKF and LTTE involved in serious battle for two years till 1989, complete withdrawal of the IPKF happened in 1990.

    What is the 13th amendment?

    • The amendment aims at creating provincial councils in Sri lanka and enable Sinhalese and Tamil as national languages while preserving English as the link language.
    • Devolution of power to the provinces.
    • Merger of the northern and eastern provinces  and official status for the Tamil language.

    Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi

    • In 1991, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by suicide bombing by the LTTE cadre.
    • This led to a major setback in the relationship between the two countries.

    What about the commercial ties?

    • The two nations are members of SAARC , South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme, South Asian Economic Union, and BIMSTEC which helps to improve the cultural and commerce between them.
    • They signed a bilateral Free Trade Agreement in 2000 which provided huge benefits for both the sides through trading activities.
    • India and Sri Lanka are signatories of South Asia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA).
    • NTPC India will provide assistance to setup a Thermal Power Plant in Sri Lanka which is a key development in the relationship between the two nations.

    China’s influence in Sri Lanka

    • The Chinese provided all the needs of Sri Lanka with the construction of a huge port in Hambantota.
    • China- Sri Lanka ties are closely monitored by India as the Island nation is the most important player in the Indian Ocean.
    • China has built up a good relationship with an aim to control the economic activities in the South Asian region.
    • But the influence of Chinese in Sri Lanka has given a setback in the country with no development in economy.
    • Chinese utilize them for naval activities as well.

    Government Change. What Next?

    • The change in government in India is a key factor in the relations between India- Sri Lanka.
    • With election of Maithripala Sirisena as President of Sri Lanka earlier this year and the election of Ranil Wickramasinghe as Prime Minister last month, their visits to India is of strategically important.
    • The implementation of 13th Amendment, fishermen issue, Chinese influence in the Island nation are the important issues at the moment for India with them.

     

  • Foreign Policy Watch: India – Germany

  • The Concept of Currency Devaluation & The Chinese Move: Part #2

    This theme has been covered in 2 parts. Read the Part #1, here.

     

    Before, we proceed to understand the current move, let’s put some light on the background:

    During 1997, most of East Asian countries witnessed financial crisis. This led China to devalue its currency in order to encourage its exports.

    During 2005-06, China had come back to market-determined exchange rates , but later shifted to managed exchange rates.

    Now, let’s take a look at how the recent events unfolded

    Currently, Chinese economy is witnessing slowdown, due to dip in exports.
    Do keep in mind, that China is export-oriented economy, unlike US which is more of consumption-based economy.

    Now, let’s explore the Chinese move.

    Technically, it is depreciation because China has allowed market forces to operate in determining the exchange rates. This is the reason, you may find at times, newspaper writing depreciation.

    Now, the obvious question, why is it called devaluation ?

    Because, Central Bank of China determines when the market forces will play their role.

    Basically, before the this move, Chinese currency was a managed exchange rates, i.e. Central Bank decided the exchange rates.

    As China knew that its currency will depreciate due to economic slowdown, so it allowed market forces to operate, i.e. China withdrew from currency exchange market.

    Now, let’s dive deep into the issue.

    Few questions, which may surface into your mind, that China could have simply devalued its currency. Why does it want market forces to play a role in determining the exchange rate.

    What are the intentions behind such a move ?

    Since Chinese economy is heavily dependent on exports, therefore China wanted to make its exports cheaper & thereby boost its exports.

    China has been demanding from long time, that its currency Yuan, be made a global reserve currency at IMF.

    Now, why would IMF reject such a demand?

    Actually, IMF is a vocal supporter of free market economy, but, Chinese currency was managed by its Central Bank. Therefore, IMF rejected the demand to include Yuan in SDR.

    This was the reason Chinese central bank allowed market forces to play their role.

    Lets understand, Why would China want Yuan to be included in IMF.

    1. When a currency becomes part of SDR, then every country’s Central Bank would hold those currencies as part of their FOREX.
    2. This makes a Yuan a hard currency.
    3. Politically, a country has a major role to play in IMF, once its currency becomes part of SDR.

    Now let’s come to India, the biggest question, what will be the impact on India.

    • We are losing out in export markets with respect to China, as some common exports on which we are competing with China such as textile are facing the heat.
    • As Chinese products will become cheaper in India too, the industries aligned to domestic markets, will also face the pressure.
    • The indirect impact is that many FPI’s are moving out of India, to China and US.
    Published with inputs from Pushpendra

  • Nepal’s Constitution & Emerging Developments

  • UPSC Syllabus | GS Paper 3 | IAS Prep

    UPSC Syllabus for GS Paper 3 with Infographics [250 marks]

     

    Read the IAS Mains - GS Paper 1 Syllabus already? Click Here.
    Read the IAS Mains - GS Paper 2 Syllabus already? Click Here.

    The Civil Services Main examination is designed to test the academic talent of the aspirant, also his/her ability to present his/ her knowledge in a clear and coherent manner.

    The Main Examination is intended to assess the overall intellectual traits and depth of understanding of candidates rather than merely the range of their information and memory.

    Economics & Enviro are the mainstay of this GS Paper 3. While we can say that Economics will be an interesting read, not much can be said about Environment & Biodiversity. The other 3 topics form a relatively small segment of this paper and are mostly covered at the end of time (which is a euphemism for last month of IAS Mains).

    #1. Indian Economy

     

    1. Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment.
    2. Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.  
    3. Government Budgeting.
    4. Major cropping patterns in various parts of the country, different types of irrigation and irrigation systems  storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers.
    5. Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices; Public Distribution System– objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping;  issues of buffer stocks and food security; Technology missions;  economics of animal-rearing.
    6. Food processing and related industries in India– scope and significance, location, upstream and downstream requirements, supply chain management.
    7. Land reforms in India.
    8. Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth.
    9. Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads,  Airports, Railways  etc.
    10. Investment models

    Civilsdaily.com focuses on Current Economics News here – Stories @Economics

    #2. Environment & Biodiversity

     

    #3. Science & Tech

    1. Science and  Technology – developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.
    2. Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology.
    3. Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights.

      #4. Disaster Management

    It forms an integral part of Environment & BioD. So, beyond policy and institutional maneuvers (by Center and State), you won’t have to focus on anything separately.

    #5. Internal Security 

    1. Linkages between development and spread of extremism.
    2. Role of external state and nonstate actors in creating challenges to internal security.
    3. Challenges to internal security through communication networks, role of media and social networking sites in internal security challenges, basics of cyber security; money-laundering and its prevention.
    4. Security challenges and their management in border areas;linkages of organized crime with terrorism.
    5. Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate.

     

    What’s with all the hashtags?

    1. We are thinking of adding sub categories to news and explainers which we put forth.
    2. What that will do is bring more focus to your preparation and give you more context on current affairs.
    3. While we do make efforts to make current affairs easy and approachable – that still leaves a LOT and LOT of current affairs to be covered! Hence, in our continued efforts on making “complex news, easy” – we will try out this experiment.
    4. The Civilsdaily’s Android App however will still carry the same old broad categories. Don’t want to create a clutter of categories everywhere!

    Anything that you would love to share? or Propose?

    PS: We will be sharing the pdfs of these infographics in a short while.

     

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