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

Civilsdaily

Search results for: “”

  • Highlights of the Union Budget 2023-24

    Highlights of the Union Budget 2023-24

    The Union Finance Minister has presented the Union Budget 2023-24 in Parliament today. The highlights of the Budget are as follows:

    Major achievements discussed

    • Per capita income: PCI has more than doubled to ₹1.97 lakh in around nine years.
    • 5th largest economy tag: Indian economy has increased in size from being 10th to 5th largest in the world in the past nine years.
    • Formalized employment: EPFO membership has more than doubled to 27 crore.
    • Direct Benefit Transfer: Cash transfer of ₹2.2 lakh crore to over 11.4 crore farmers under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi.
    • Digital transactions: 7,400 crore digital payments of ₹126 lakh crore has taken place through UPI in 2022.
    • Household toilets: 11.7 crore toilets constructed under Swachh Bharat Mission.
    • Insurance cover:  For 44.6 crore persons under PM Suraksha Bima and PM Jeevan Jyoti Yojana.
    • Others: 9.6 crore LPG connections provided under Ujjwala; 220 crore covid vaccination of 102 crore persons; 47.8 crore PM Jan Dhan bank accounts.

    Part A: Major Announcements

    (1) Seven priorities of the budget ‘Saptarishi’

    • These include inclusive development, reaching the last mile, infrastructure and investment, unleashing the potential, green growth, youth power and financial sector.

    (2) Welfare

    • Housing for all: Outlay for PM Awas Yojana is being enhanced by 66% to over Rs. 79,000 crore.
    • Silver Economy: The maximum deposit limit for Senior Citizen Savings Scheme to be enhanced from Rs 15 lakh to Rs 30 lakh.
    • Mahila Samman Savings Certificate: To commemorate Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, a one-time new small savings scheme, Mahila Samman Savings Certificate to be launched. It will offer deposit facility upto Rs 2 lakh in the name of women or girls for tenure of 2 years (up to March 2025) at fixed interest rate of 7.5 per cent with partial withdrawal option.

    (3) Industrial sector boost

    • Entity DigiLocker: Entity DigiLocker will be setup for use by MSMEs, large business and charitable trusts to store and share documents online securely.
    • PAN as business identifier: FM has said the Permanent Account Number (PAN) will be made as a single business identifier for all digital systems of all specified departments of the government.
    • Credit facilitation for MSMEs: Revamped credit guarantee scheme for MSMEs to take effect from 1st April 2023 through infusion of Rs 9,000 crore in the corpus. This scheme would enable additional collateral-free guaranteed credit of Rs 2 lakh crore and also reduce the cost of the credit by about 1 per cent.
    • Central Processing Centre: This is to be setup for faster response to companies through centralized handling of various forms filed with field offices under the Companies Act.
    • Diamond Industry: R & D grant for Lab Grown Diamonds (LGD) sector to encourage indigenous production of LGD seeds and machines and to reduce import dependency.
    • Unity Mall: States to be encouraged to set up a Unity Mall for promotion and sale of their own and also all others states’ ODOPs (One District, One Product), GI products and handicrafts.

    (4) Infrastructure push

    • New Infrastructure Finance Secretariat: It will be established to enhance opportunities for private investment in infrastructure.
    • Massive outlays: Investment of Rs. 75,000 crore, including Rs. 15,000 crore from private sources, for one hundred critical transport infrastructure projects, for last and first mile connectivity for ports, coal, steel, fertilizer, and food grains sectors.
    • Highest ever outlay for Railways: Capital outlay of Rs. 2.40 lakh crore has been provided for the Railways, which is the highest ever outlay and about nine times the outlay made in 2013-14.
    • Urban Infrastructure Development Fund (UIDF): It will be established through use of priority Sector Lending shortfall, which will be managed by the national Housing Bank, and will be used by public agencies to create urban infrastructure in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.

    (5) Agricultural boost

    • Agriculture Accelerator Fund: It will be set-up to encourage agri-startups by young entrepreneurs in rural areas.
    • Millet boost: To make India a global hub for ‘Shree Anna’, the Indian Institute of Millet Research, Hyderabad will be supported as the Centre of Excellence for sharing best practices, research and technologies at the international level.
    • PRANAM Scheme: “PM Programme for Restoration, Awareness, Nourishment and Amelioration of Mother Earth” (PM-PRANAM) to be launched to incentivize States and Union Territories to promote alternative fertilizers and balanced use of chemical fertilizers.
    • Animal husbandry: ₹20 lakh crore agricultural credit targeted at animal husbandry, dairy and fisheries A new sub-scheme of PM Matsya Sampada Yojana with targeted investment of ₹6,000 crore to be launched to further enable activities of fishermen, fish vendors, and micro & small enterprises, improve value chain efficiencies, and expand the market.
    • Digital public infrastructure for agriculture: It will be built as an open source, open standard and inter operable public good to enable inclusive farmer centric solutions and support for growth of agri-tech industry and start-ups.
    • APMC Storage: Massive decentralised storage capacity to be set up to help farmers store their produce and realize remunerative prices through sale at appropriate times.
    • Atmanirbhar Clean Plant Program: This has been given an outlay of ₹2200 crore to be launched to boost availability of disease-free, quality planting material for high value horticultural crops.
    • Bio-Input Resource Centres: Centre to facilitate one crore farmers to adopt natural farming over the next three years. For this, 10,000 Bio-Input Resource Centres to be set-up, creating a national-level distributed micro-fertilizer and pesticide manufacturing network.

    (6) Health sector boost

    • Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission: FM announced a mission to eliminate sickle cell anemia by 2047, which will include universal screening of seven crore persons between the ages of 0 and 40 years in affected tribal areas.
    • Medical research: Joint public and Private Medical research to be encouraged via select ICMR labs for encouraging collaborative research and innovation. New Programme to promote research in Pharmaceuticals to be launched.
    • More nursing colleges: 157 new nursing colleges to be established in co-location with the existing 157 medical colleges established since 2014.

    (7) Rural Development

    • Aspirational Blocks Programme covering 500 blocks: Launched for saturation of essential government services across multiple domains such as health, nutrition, education, agriculture, water resources, financial inclusion, skill development, and basic infrastructure.
    • PVTG Development mission: FM announced the launch of a national mission for vulnerable tribes with an outlay of Rs 15,000 crore.  The mission aims to provide support to India’s vulnerable tribes in areas of health, clean water and sanitation, basic infrastructure, and sustainable livelihood opportunities, among others. 

    (8) Higher Education  

    • District Institutes of Education and Training to be developed as vibrant institutes of excellence for Teachers’ Training.
    • National Digital Library for Children and Adolescents to be set-up for facilitating availability of quality books across geographies, languages, genres and levels, and device agnostic accessibility.
    •  ‘Bharat Shared Repository of Inscriptions’ to be set up in a digital epigraphy museum, with digitization of one lakh ancient inscriptions in the first stage.

    (9) Finance Sector

    • ‘Effective Capital Expenditure’ of Centre: Rs. 13.7 lakh crore
    • Continuation of 50-year interest free loan: Such loans for state governments for one more year to spur investment in infrastructure and to incentivize them for complementary policy actions.
    • National Financial Information Registry: To be set up to serve as the central repository of financial and ancillary information for facilitating efficient flow of credit, promoting financial inclusion, and fostering financial stability. A new legislative framework to be designed in consultation with RBI to govern this credit public infrastructure.

    (10) Urban development

    • Sustainable cities of tomorrow: Encouragement to states and cities to undertake urban planning reforms and actions to transform our cities into ‘sustainable cities of tomorrow’.
    • Mechanized sanitation work: Transition from manhole to machine-hole mode by enabling all cities and towns to undertake 100 percent mechanical desludging of septic tanks and sewers.

    (11) Skill development

    • iGOT Karmayogi: An integrated online training platform, launched to provide continuous learning opportunities for lakhs of government employees to upgrade their skills and facilitate people-centric approach.
    • Unified Skill India Digital platform: To be launched for enabling demand-based formal skilling, linking with employers including MSMEs, and facilitating access to entrepreneurship schemes.
    • National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme: Direct Benefit Transfer under a pan-India National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme to be rolled out to provide stipend support to 47 lakh youth in three years.
    • Tribal education: Centre to recruit 38,800 teachers and support staff for the 740 Eklavya Model Residential Schools, serving 3.5 lakh tribal students over the next three years.
    • Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 4.0: It will be launched to skill lakhs of youth within the next three years covering new age courses for Industry 4.0 like coding, AI, robotics, mechatronics, IOT, 3D printing, drones, and soft skills.  30 Skill India International Centres to be set up across different States to skill youth for international opportunities.

    (12) Ease of Doing Business

    • Jan Vishwas Bill: To amend 42 Central Acts have been introduced to further trust-based governance.
    • Decriminalization of certain compliances: More than 39,000 compliances reduced and more than 3,400 legal provisions decriminalized to enhance Ease of Doing Business.

    (13) IT push

    • National Data Governance Policy: To be brought out to unleash innovation and research by start-ups and academia.
    • AI push: Three centres of excellence for Artificial Intelligence to be set-up in top educational institutions to realise the vision of “Make AI in India and Make AI work for India”.
    • 5G rollout: 100 labs to be setup for 5G services based application development to realize a new range of opportunities, business models, and employment potential. 
    • Infra push for E-Courts: Phase-3 of the E-Courts project to be launched with an outlay of Rs. 7,000 crore for efficient administration of justice.

    (14)  Energy

    • Mandatory Compress Biogas blend of 5%: 5 per cent compressed biogas mandate to be introduced for all organizations marketing natural and bio gas.
    • Green hydrogen: Annual production of 5 MMT under Green Hydrogen Mission to be targeted by 2030 to facilitate transition of the economy to low carbon intensity and to reduce dependence on fossil fuel imports.
    • Battery storage: The government will support setting up of battery storage capacity of 4,000 MWH in India with viability gap funding.
    • RE pus in Ladakh: 20,700 crore outlay provided for renewable energy grid integration and evacuation from Ladakh.

    (15) Climate change mitigation

    • GOBARdhan Boost: 500 new ‘waste to wealth’ plants under GOBARdhan (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan) scheme to be established for promoting circular economy at total investment of Rs 10,000 crore.
    • ‘Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes’, MISHTI: To be taken up for mangrove plantation along the coastline and on salt pan lands, through convergence between MGNREGS, CAMPA Fund and other sources.
    • Green Credit Programme to be notified under the Environment (Protection) Act to incentivize and mobilize additional resources for environmentally sustainable and responsive actions.
    • Amrit Dharohar scheme to be implemented over the next three years to encourage optimal use of wetlands, enhance bio-diversity, carbon stock, eco-tourism opportunities and income generation for local communities.
    • Net zero commitments: ₹35000 crore outlay for energy security, energy transition and net zero objectives.
    • Green credit programme: FM also says a green credit programme will be notified under the Environment Protection Act.

    (16) Tourism Boost

    • Model destinations: At least 50 destinations will be selected through challenge mode — physical, virtual connectivity, tourism security, guides, would be made available on an app to enhance tourist experience.
    • Sector specific skilling and entrepreneurship development: To be dovetailed to achieve the objectives of the ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ initiative.
    • Vibrant Villages Programme: Border tourism infrastructure and amenities to be facilitated in border villages.

    (17) Others

    ISFC reforms: To enhance business activities in GIFT IFSC, the following measures to be taken- 

    1. Delegating powers under the SEZ Act to IFSCA to avoid dual regulation.
    2. Setting up a single window IT system for registration and approval from IFSCA, SEZ authorities, GSTN, RBI, SEBI and IRDAI.
    3. Permitting acquisition financing by IFSC Banking Units of foreign bank.
    4. Establishing a subsidiary of EXIM Bank for trade re-financing.
    5. Amending IFSCA Act for statutory provisions for arbitration, ancillary services, and avoiding dual regulation under SEZ Act
    6. Recognizing offshore derivative instruments as valid contracts.

    Part B: Estimates

    Revised Estimates 2022-23

    • The total receipts other than borrowings is Rs 24.3 lakh crore, of which the net tax receipts are Rs 20.9 lakh crore.
    • The total expenditure is Rs 41.9 lakh crore, of which the capital expenditure is about Rs 7.3 lakh crore.
    • The fiscal deficit is 6.4 per cent of GDP, adhering to the Budget Estimate.

    Budget Estimates 2023-24

    • The total receipts other than borrowings is estimated at Rs 27.2 lakh crore and the total expenditure is estimated at Rs 45 lakh crore.
    • The net tax receipts are estimated at Rs 23.3 lakh crore.
    • The fiscal deficit is estimated to be 5.9 per cent of GDP.
    • To finance the fiscal deficit in 2023-24, the net market borrowings from dated securities are estimated at Rs 11.8 lakh crore.
    • The gross market borrowings are estimated at Rs 15.4 lakh crore.

    Part C: Direct Taxes

    • Increased Rebate limit of Personal Income Tax: To be increased to Rs. 7 lakh from the current Rs. 5 lakh in the new tax regime. Thus, persons in the new tax regime, with income up to Rs. 7 lakh to not pay any tax.
    • Tax slabs: Tax structure in new personal income tax regime, introduced in 2020 with six income slabs, to change by reducing the number of slabs to five and increasing the tax exemption limit to Rs. 3 lakh.
    New Tax Regime (current)Tax Rates under the 2020 regime
    Rs 0 to Rs 3 lakh – Exempt
    Rs 3 to 6 lakh – 5%
    Rs 6 to 9 lakh – 10%
    Rs 9 to 12 lakh – 15%
    Rs 12 to 15 lakh – 20% 
    Above Rs 15 lakhs – 30%    		Income till Rs 2.5 lakh – Exempt
    Rs 2.5 to Rs 5 lakh – 5% 
    Rs 5 lakh to Rs 7.5 lakh – 15% 
    Rs 7.5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh – 20%
    Above Rs 10 lakh – 30%
    • Agniveer Fund to be provided EEE status: The payment received from the Agniveer Corpus Fund by the Agniveers enrolled in Agnipath Scheme, 2022 proposed to be exempt from taxes. Deduction in the computation of total income is proposed to be allowed to the Agniveer on the contribution made by him or the Central Government to his Seva Nidhi account.

    Part D: Direct Taxes

    • EV push: Customs Duty on specified capital goods/machinery for manufacture of lithium-ion cell for use in battery of electrically operated vehicle (EVs) extended to 31.03.2024

    Electronics manufacturing push

    • Customs duty on camera lens and its inputs/parts for use in manufacture of camera module of cellular mobile phone reduced to zero and concessional duty on lithium-ion cells for batteries extended for another year.
    • Basic customs duty reduced on parts of open cells of TV panels to 2.5 per cent.
    • Basic customs duty on electric kitchen chimney increased to 15 per cent from 7.5 per cent.
    • Basic customs duty on heat coil for manufacture of electric kitchen chimneys reduced to 15 per cent from 20 per cent.

    Legislative Changes in Customs Laws

    • Customs Act, 1962: To be amended to specify a time limit of nine months from date of filing application for passing final order by Settlement Commission.
    • Customs Tariff Act: To be amended to clarify the intent and scope of provisions relating to Anti-Dumping Duty (ADD), Countervailing Duty (CVD), and Safeguard Measures.

    CGST Act to be amended

    1. to raise the minimum threshold of tax amount for launching prosecution under GST from one crore to two crore;
    2. to reduce the compounding amount from the present range of 50 to 150 per cent of tax amount to the range of 25 to 100 per cent;
    3. decriminalise certain offences;
    4. to restrict filing of returns/statements to a maximum period of three years from the due date of filing of the relevant return/statement; and
    5. to enable unregistered suppliers and composition taxpayers to make intra-state supply of goods through E-Commerce Operators (ECOs).

    Crack Prelims 2023! Talk to our Rankers

    (Click) FREE 1-to-1 on-call Mentorship by IAS-IPS officers | Discuss doubts, strategy, sources, and more

  • 2nd Feb 23 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions

    2nd Feb 23 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions

    [WpProQuiz 1230]

    [WpProQuiz_toplist 1230]

    UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

  • Is Judicial Majoritarianism justified?

    As the recent majority judgment of the Supreme Court on demonetization comes under criticism, the minority judgment by J. Nagarathna is being hailed for its challenge to the RBI’s institutional acquiescence (reluctant acceptance) to the Central government.

    What is Judicial Majoritarianism?

    • Numerical majorities are of particular importance to cases which involve a substantial interpretation of constitutional provisions.
    • The requirement for a majority consensus flows from Article 145(5) of the Constitution which states that no judgment in such cases can be delivered except with the concurrence of a majority.
    • It also provides for judges to freely deliver dissenting judgments or opinions.
    • In important cases, Constitutional Benches, consisting of five or more judges, are set up in consonance with Article 145(3) of the Constitution.
    • Such Benches usually consist of five, seven, nine, 11 or even 13 judges.

    Why in news?

    • Blind acceptance: This situation raises questions with respsect to our blind acceptance of numerical majority judgements.
    • Disregard for dissent: This flags issues in judicial decision-making and the constitutional disregard of analysis and appreciation of arguments and evidence in dissenting judgments.
    • Merits of dissent: Analysts now seek to challenge the weightage given to numerical majorities in judicial decisions by our Constitutional Courts as opposed to the merits in their reasoning.

    CASE STUDY: “Why Do Bare Majorities Rule on Courts?”

    • Jeremy Waldron has dealt with this concept at length in his work titled ‘Five to Four: Why Do Bare Majorities Rule on Courts?’.
    • He proffers that the arguments which are made in defense of judicial majoritarianism cannot explain or justify our adherence to majority decisions –

    1.      Efficiency through ease of decision-making;

    2.      Epistemic objectivity through majority adherence; and

    3.      Equality through fairness,

    • He questions why is it that the judges too have to resort to head counting in order to resolve disagreements amongst judges.

     

    Heart of the debate: Why do experts need to resort to ‘majority’?

    • Defiance of merit: A meritorious minority decision, irrespective of the impeccability of its reasoning receives little weightage in terms of its outcomes.
    • Complex situations: All judges on a particular Bench give their rulings on the same set of facts, laws, arguments and written submissions.
    • Nature of bias: Judicial hunches may be an outcome of subjective experiences, outlooks, perceptions, prejudices and biases.

    Narrow margin: Some meritorious dissents in India

    Our Constitutional history is replete with such meritorious dissents-

    • The dissenting opinion of Justice H.R. Khanna in A.D.M. Jabalpur v. Shivkant Shukla (1976) upholding the right to life and personal liberty even during situations of constitutional exceptionalism is a prime example.
    • Another example is the dissenting opinion of Justice Subba Rao in the Kharak Singh v. State of U.P. (1962) case upholding the right to privacy which received the judicial stamp of approval in the K.S. Puttaswamy v. UOI (2017) case.
    Do you know?

    The Kesavananda Bharati verdict (1973) was divided 7–6 majority. And 4 other judges to bench refused to sign the Judgment! It is almost like the Basic Structure Doctrine was rejected. It should have had an overwhelming majority.

     

    Way forward

    • Weightage-based assent in judgments: Ronald Dworkin proffers a system that may either give more weightage to the vote of senior judges given that they have more experience or to the junior judges as they may represent popular opinion better.
    • Doing away with headcounts: Such alternatives, however, can only be explored once we identify and question the premises and rationales which underlie head-counting in judicial decision-making.
    • Imbibe critical discourse: The absence of a critical discourse on judicial majoritarianism represents one of the most fundamental gaps in our existing knowledge regarding the functioning of our Supreme Court.
    • Cases to expert benches: As pending Constitutional Bench matters are listed for hearing and judgments are reserved, we must reflect upon the arguments of judicial majoritarianism on the basis of which these cases are to be decided.

    Conclusion

    • There is a need to reflect upon the concept of judicial majoritarianism.
    • The academic discourse on this aspect is still nascent and developing.

     

    Crack Prelims 2023! Talk to our Rankers

    (Click) FREE 1-to-1 on-call Mentorship by IAS-IPS officers | Discuss doubts, strategy, sources, and more

  • Who is a Puisne Judge, and what does the term mean?

    While recommending two names for appointment as judges of the Supreme Court, the Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud said that the collegium had taken into “consideration the seniority of Chief Justices and senior puisne Judges…”

    Who are Puisne Judge?

    • According to the dictionary, the word puisne has French origins, which means “later born” or younger.
    • It is pronounced / “puny”, the English word that means small or undersized.
    • Puisne is almost always used in the context of judges, and essentially denotes seniority of rank.
    • The term puisne judge is used in common law countries to refer to judges who are ranked lower in seniority, i.e., any judge other than the Chief Justice of that court.

    Now again, what is common law?

    • Common law is the body of law that is created by judges through their written opinions, rather than through statutes or constitutions (statutory law).
    • Common law, which is used interchangeably with ‘case law’, is based on judicial precedent.
    • The United Kingdom (UK) and the Commonwealth countries, including India, are common law countries.

    Legal reference to Puisne Judges

    In the Third Judges Case ruling in 1998, one of the two cases that led to the evolution of the collegium system, the Supreme Court clarified that-

    • The CJI must make a recommendation to appoint a Judge of the Supreme Court and to transfer a Chief Justice or puisne Judge of a High Court in consultation with the four seniormost puisne Judges of the Supreme Court.

    Is a “puisne judge” in India the same as in the UK?

    • In the UK, puisne judges are judges other than those holding distinct titles.
    • The Supreme Court of Judicature Act, 1877 defined a “puisne judge” as any judge of the High Court besides the Lord Chancellor, the Lord Chief Justice of England, and the Master of the Rolls.
    • In India, all judges have the same judicial powers.
    • As the seniormost judge of a court, the Chief Justice has an additional administrative role.
    • In India, there is a reference to a puisne judge only while considering the order of seniority for appointments, elevations to High Courts, etc., but it does not have a bearing on the exercise of a judge’s judicial power.

    What is the recent context?

    • The Supreme Court collegium recommended current Chief Justices of the Allahabad and Gujarat High Courts respectively, for appointment as judges of the Supreme Court.
    • While giving reasons for its recommendation, the collegium said that the decision was made taking “into consideration the seniority of Chief Justices and senior puisne Judges in their respective parent High Courts.
    • This was done because seniority is one of the several criteria that are considered while making appointments to the higher judiciary.

     

    Crack Prelims 2023! Talk to our Rankers

    (Click) FREE 1-to-1 on-call Mentorship by IAS-IPS officers | Discuss doubts, strategy, sources, and more

  • Who are the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs)?

    The Union Budget 2023-24 has provided to launch the Pradhan Mantri PVTG (Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group) Development Mission in order to saturate the PVTG families and habitations with basic facilities.

    What is the budgetary announcement about?

    • The Pradhan Mantri PVTG Mission will be launched as part of ‘Reaching The Last Mile’, one of the seven Saptarishi priorities enlisted in this year’s Budget.
    • More details are awaited for this new.

    Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs)

    • There are certain tribal communities who have declining or stagnant population, low level of literacy, pre-agricultural level of technology and are economically backward.
    • They generally inhabit remote localities having poor infrastructure and administrative support.
    • These groups are among the most vulnerable section of our society as they are few in numbers, have not attained any significant level of social and economic development.
    • 75 such groups have been identified and categorized as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).

    Origin of the concept

    • The Dhebar Commission (1960-1961) stated that within Scheduled Tribes there existed an inequality in the rate of development.
    • During the fourth Five Year Plan a sub-category was created within Scheduled Tribes to identify groups that considered to be at a lower level of development.
    • This was created based on the Dhebar Commission report and other studies.
    • This sub-category was named “Primitive tribal group”.

    Features of PVTGs

    • The features of such a group include a:
    1. Pre-agricultural system of existence
    2. Practice of hunting and gathering
    3. Zero or negative population growth
    4. Extremely low level of literacy in comparison with other tribal groups
    • Groups that satisfied any one of the criterion were considered as PTG.
    • In 2006 the government of India proposed to rename “Primitive tribal group” as Particularly vulnerable tribal group”.

     

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Consider the following statements about Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in India:

    1. PVTGs reside in 18 States and one Union Territory.
    2. A stagnant or declining population is one of the criteria for determining PVTG status.
    3. There are 95 PVTGs officially notified in the country so far.
    4. Irular and Konda Reddi tribes are included in the list of PVTGs.

    Which of the statements given above are correct? (CSP 2019)

    (a) 1, 2 and 3

    (b) 2, 3 and 4

    (c) 1, 2 and 4

    (d) 1, 3 and 4

     

    Post your answers here.

     

    Crack Prelims 2023! Talk to our Rankers

    (Click) FREE 1-to-1 on-call Mentorship by IAS-IPS officers | Discuss doubts, strategy, sources, and more

  • Budget 2023:Push for Digitisation and Green Growth

    Budget

    Context

    • The Union Budget speech by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday highlighted the government’s continuous efforts to push for digitisation in the country. Also the Finance Minister listed ‘Green Growth’ as one of the seven priorities of her Budget.

    Crack Prelims 2023! Talk to our Rankers

    Budget

    Push for digitisation in the country: key highlights

    • Digital Public Infrastructure for Agriculture: It will be an open source, open standard and interoperable public good. The platform will offer inclusive, farmer-centric solutions through relevant information services for crop planning and health, improved access to farm inputs, credit, and insurance, help for crop estimation, market intelligence, and support for the growth of the agri-tech industry and start-ups.
    • National Digital Library for Children and Adolescents: This will be established for facilitating the availability of quality books in different languages, genres and at different levels. The government will also try to inculcate a culture of reading by collaborating with NGOs, which will provide age-appropriate reading material to everyone.
    • Centres of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence: There is a proposal for setting up three centres of excellence for Artificial Intelligence in top educational institutions. These centres, in partnership with leading players in the industry, will conduct interdisciplinary research and develop cutting-edge applications and scalable problem solutions in the areas of agriculture, health, and sustainable cities.
    • National Data Governance Policy: Government will formulate a data governance policy to enable access to anonymised data for innovation and research by start-ups and academia.
    • 5G Services: A hundred labs will be established in engineering institutions for developing applications using 5G services to realise a new range of opportunities, business models, and employment potential.
    • E-Courts: Government will roll out phase three of the E-Courts project to ensure the efficient administration of justice.
    • Bharat Shared Repository of Inscriptions (Bharat SHRI): A digital epigraphy museum will be established and one lakh ancient inscriptions will be digitised in the first stage.
    • Skill India Digital Platform: The digital ecosystem for skilling will be further expanded by launching a unified Skill India Digital platform for enabling demand-based formal skilling, linking with employers including MSMEs and facilitating access to entrepreneurship schemes.

    Budget

    Elements of the Budget’s Green Growth push

    • Green Hydrogen Mission: The recently launched National Green Hydrogen Mission, with an outlay of Rs 19,700 crores, will facilitate transition of the economy to low carbon intensity, reduce dependence on fossil fuel imports, and make the country assume technology and market leadership in this sunrise sector. India aims to reach a target of an annual production of 5 MMT of green hydrogen by 2030.
    • Energy Transition: The Budget has provided Rs 35,000 crore for priority capital investments towards energy transition and net zero objectives, and energy security by Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas.
    • Energy Storage Projects: To steer the economy on the sustainable development path, Battery Energy Storage Systems with capacity of 4,000 MWH will be supported with Viability Gap Funding. A detailed framework for Pumped Storage Projects will also be formulated.
    • Renewable Energy Evacuation: The Inter-state transmission system for evacuation and grid integration of 13 GW renewable energy from Ladakh will be constructed.
    • Green Credit Programme: For encouraging behavioural change, a Green Credit Programme will be notified under the Environment (Protection) Act. This will incentivize environmentally sustainable and responsive actions by companies, individuals and local bodies, and help mobilize additional resources for such activities.
    • PM-PRANAM: A new PM Programme for Restoration, Awareness, Nourishment and Amelioration of Mother Earth will be launched to incentivize States and Union Territories to promote alternative fertilizers and balanced use of chemical fertilizers.
    • GOBARdhan (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan) scheme: 500 new waste to wealth plants under GOBARdhan scheme will be established for promoting circular economy.
    • Bhartiya Prakritik Kheti Bio-Input Resource Centres: Proposal to facilitate over the next three years 1 crore farmers to adopt natural farming. For this, 10,000 Bio-Input Resource Centres will be set-up, creating a national-level distributed micro-fertilizer and pesticide manufacturing network.
    • MISHTI: Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes, MISHTI, will be taken up for mangrove plantation along the coastline and on salt pan lands, wherever feasible, through convergence between MGNREGS, CAMPA Fund and other sources.
    • Amrit Dharohar: The government will promote their unique conservation values through Amrit Dharohar, a scheme that will be implemented over the next three years to encourage optimal use of wetlands, and enhance bio-diversity, carbon stock, eco-tourism opportunities and income generation for local communities.
    • Coastal Shipping: Coastal shipping will be promoted as the energy efficient and lower cost mode of transport, both for passengers and freight, through PPP mode with viability gap funding.
    • Vehicle Replacement: Replacing old polluting vehicles is an important part of greening our economy. In furtherance of the vehicle scrapping policy states will also be supported in replacing old vehicles and ambulances.

    Budget

    Conclusion

    • The Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman outlines the government’s push for digitization and green growth in India. Key highlights suggests that the budget lays the foundation for a more digitally connected and environmentally sustainable India.

    Mains question

    Q. Recently Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented Union Budget 2023. many suggests that the budget lays the foundation for a more digitally connected and environmentally sustainable India. Discuss.

    (Click) FREE 1-to-1 on-call Mentorship by IAS-IPS officers | Discuss doubts, strategy, sources, and more

  • (New batch) Smash Prelims February Edition for UPSC Prelims 2023 – Revamped and more effective | Dual mentorship by Zeeshan sir and Santosh sir | Enrollment Open

    (New batch) Smash Prelims February Edition for UPSC Prelims 2023 – Revamped and more effective | Dual mentorship by Zeeshan sir and Santosh sir | Enrollment Open

    Two best UPSC Mentors coming together for UPSC Prelims 2023

    February Edition of Smash Prelims 2023 will have 1-1 mentorship by Prelims guru Zeeshan sir and his Destroy Prelims module as the game changer. Read more below

    Enroll now for Smash Prelims: Get mentored by Zeeshan sir
    Have a query? Click and get a FREE mentorship session

    With less than 4 months to go for UPSC Prelims 2023, you stand at a decisive crossroads in your prelims preparation journey.

    At this moment it is not just about covering the syllabus or just attempting the mock tests. You have to integrate every element in your preparation to ensure your success in UPSC Prelims 2023.

    Syllabus coverage + Mock Tests + Paper attempting skills + Intelligent Elimination Techniques + Revision + Mentorship = UPSC Prelims 2023 success

    Launching Smash Prelims February Edition

    This Smash Prelims February Edition program is not just about learning, but about balancing syllabus completion with the application of that knowledge, so you can maximize your score and achieve your goal of becoming an IAS in 2023.

    Zeeshan Hashmi sir will be the personal mentor for Smash Prelims February edition

    Smash Prelims integrates every element required to help you get in the 1% who will clear UPSC Prelims 2023.

    Enrollments are open for Smash Prelims 2023 February Edition

    Course completion (GS+Current Affairs) Lectures, Test Series, Destroy Prelims module, 1-to-1 Mentorship by Zeeshan sir, Weekly zoom sessions by Santosh sir, daily quiz on Telegram group, and PDF Notes

    Read about our 7 pillared approach

    Table of Content:

    1. About Smash Prelims 2023- February batch
    2. Why Smash Prelims February Batch for UPSC Prelims 2023?
    3. Smash Prelims Test Timetable
    4. Smash Prelims Lecture Timetable
    5. Program details
    6. What do our students have to say?

    Smash Prelims 2023

    Smash Prelims February batch is exactly what you need at this moment for UPSC Prelims 2023 success.

    The focus of this program will be on:

    1. Syllabus completion through LIVE lectures – both GS and Current affairs for 1.5 yrs
      • Most important and probable topics will be covered in a timely manner leaving ample time for multiple revisions.
      • Special classes on topics including Polity, History, Economics, Geography, Sessions to cover Environment innovatively, Science & Technology and more. (check timetable for lectures here)
      • To be done through LIVE lectures, Notes will be shared.
      • Comprehensive and exhaustive notes covering everything that is important.
    2. Dual Mentorship for Time management and result-oriented preparation
      • Personalized 1-1 mentorship by Zeeshan sir
      • Strategy and plan- both micro and macro. This will ensure syllabus completion and rigorous practice through the test series.
      • Santosh sir’s personal guidance through weekly Zoom sessions
    3. Smash Prelims Test series – Evidence-based questions based on the UPSC’s current trends
      • To keep your preparation relevant to UPSC 2023 pattern
      • Bringing efficiency to your preparation. Leaving out what is not important.
    4. Constant and gradual improvement through
      • One-to-one mentorship sessions with Zeeshan sir
      • Weekly Zoom sessions with Santosh sir
      • Daily quiz on Telegram group
      • Sessions with UPSC rankers
    5. Destroy Prelims module by Zeeshan sir: Imparting skills to attempt and solve Prelims paper
      • Targeting an accuracy rate of 90% and attempting maximum questions.
      • Logical and intelligent question-solving techniques and Practical hacks by Zeeshan sir .
    6. Evolving your personal approach for attempting UPSC prelims paper
      • Accuracy vs a high number of attempts. Accuracy improvement sessions.
      • Attempting from question 1 or go section-wise.
    7. Collaborative learning under Zeeshan sir’s supervision
      • Telegram group membership administered by Zeeshan sir
      • Daily quiz session on hot topics for UPSC Prelims

    February Edition of Smash Prelims 2023 will have 1-1 mentorship by Prelims guru Zeeshan sir and his Destroy Prelims module as the game changer.

    Enroll now for Smash Prelims: Get mentored by Zeeshan sir
    Have a query? Click and get a FREE mentorship session

    What makes Smash Prelims the best program for UPSC Prelims 2023?

    1-1 Dedicated Mentorship by Zeeshan sir, Prelims guru who mentored AIR 65, AIR 117, and many more

    AIR 117 on Zeeshan sir’s mentorship
    Tavishi failed thrice in the Prelims before but after joining Smash Prelims program and clearing Prelim 2022 in her 4th attempt.

    Smash Prelims 2023: Program inclusion

    1. One-to-One mentorship for UPSC Prelims 2023 by Zeeshan sir
    2. Evidence-based and UPSC level test series: 60 Tests
      • 44 tests (14 basics + 8 Advanced + 10 FLT + 6 CSAT + 6 CA ) for back to back intensive revision
      • 16 Tests for Practice
      • Mandatory mentorship and doubt resolution call after every test
    3. Smash Value LIVE lectures: Most important and probable GS and Current Affairs topics for Prelims 2023. Lectures will be recorded and PDF notes will be share
    4. Weekly LIVE Zoom sessions with Santosh Sir for strategy, doubt clearance, and QnA
    5. Destroy Prelims module by Zeeshan sir- Imparting skills to attempt and solve UPSC MCQs
      • LIVE MCQs solving session
      • Intelligent Elimination techniques and practical hacks for a sure score of 120+ marks
    6. 1.5 yrs worth of complete current affairs topics (LIVE) covered by the core CD faculty in featured classes with a LIVE discussion + PDF notes
    7. CA magazine + budget and economic survey will be provided for free
    8. Telegram group membership for collaborative learning

    Enroll now for Smash Prelims: Get mentored by Zeeshan sir
    Have a query? Click and get a FREE mentorship session

    Smash Prelims 2023 Lecture Timetable

    Smash-Prelims-Lecture-timetable-FebDownload

    Smash Prelims 2023 Test Timetable

    Smash-Prelims-February-EditionDownload

    Other Details:

    Test start date: 4th Feb 2023

    Lecture ongoing

    Course fee: Rs 25,000 Rs. 20,000 + GST

    You are 8 times more likely to clear Prelims 2023 with Zeeshan sir’s mentorship under the Smash Prelims program

    Enroll now for Smash Prelims: Get mentored by Zeeshan sir
    Have a query? Click and get a FREE mentorship session

    What CivilsDaily’s Smash Prelims students have to say?

    Smash Prelims, a crucial part of the first prelims success for Rahul

    A miracle for Debarpita, Smash Prelims 2022 student

    Schedule a free mentorship call for prelims 2023 | click and fill up the form

    Other messages showering gratitude for Zeeshan sir and Smash Prelims team

    February Edition of Smash Prelims 2023 will have 1-1 mentorship by Prelims guru Zeeshan sir and his Destroy Prelims module as the game changer.

    Enroll now for Smash Prelims: Get mentored by Zeeshan sir
    Have a query? Click and get a FREE mentorship session

  • Opportunity to unlock the full Potential of MSMEs

    MSMEs

    Context

    • India overtook the UK as the world’s fifth-largest economy in 2022, and is on track to achieving PM Narendra Modi’s vision of a $5 trillion economy by 2026-27. Despite concerns of a looming global recession, supply disruptions and the Russia-Ukraine war, India has stood out as a bright spot, growing faster than most major emerging markets. The government’s budget for 2023 presents an opportunity to make the Indian MSMEs competitive and self-reliant.

    Crack Prelims 2023! Talk to our Rankers

    MSMEs

    What are MSMEs? How are they defined?

    • Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (MSMED) Act, 2006 which was notified on October 2, 2006, deals with the definition of MSMEs. The MSMED Act, 2006 defines the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises based on:
    1. The investment in plant and machinery for those engaged in manufacturing or production, processing or preservation of and
    2. The investment in equipment for enterprises engaged in providing or rendering of services.

    MSMEs in India at present

    • The 6.3 crore micro, small and medium enterprises which account for 30 per cent of GDP and employ nearly 11 crore people have demonstrated this spirit of resilience.
    • With sales in several industries across the MSME sector reaching 90 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, India’s small businesses are scripting a turnaround.

    MSMEs

    Union budget 2023: An opportunity to make MSMEs more competitive and self-reliant

    • Streamlining input tax credit for e-commerce suppliers: Currently, suppliers selling on e-commerce platforms need to procure input services like logistics, which are taxed at 18 per cent. This leads to precious working capital getting blocked without any visibility of future realisation, potentially discouraging suppliers from adopting e-marketplaces.
    • Adequate working capital for small businesses: From meeting fixed expenses such as electricity, rent and employee wages to investing in future growth, adequate working capital is a must for small businesses.
    • Lowering GST rates on input services: By lowering GST rates on input services availed by online sellers, the government will not only shore up their finances but also give a leg-up to their digitisation journey. Further, refunds of accumulated input tax credit will improve their cash flow situation.
    • Expedited GST relaxation for small online businesses: There is also a need to expedite GST relaxation for small online businesses. In a landmark move last year, the GST Council announced a relaxation of rules for small businesses looking to go online.
    • GST relaxation measures for small online vendors: Among other measures, mandatory GST registration was waived for small online vendors with a turnover of less than Rs 40 lakh and Rs 20 lakh for goods and services, respectively.
    • Unlocking the potential of MSMEs through Digitization: With just 10 per cent of our MSMEs currently online, expeditious implementation of these new norms is key to unlocking their full potential. Millions of small businesses are waiting in the wings, hoping to reap the benefits of digitisation such as a much bigger addressable market, increased efficiencies and easier access to capital.
    • The National Logistics Policy (NLP) can also be leveraged to make MSMEs competitive: The NLP aims to bring down logistics costs as a percentage of the GDP from 13-14 per cent to 8 per cent, on par with developed nations. While lower costs will encourage more MSMEs to use tech-powered logistics services, they will need support to tap rising e-commerce demand from smaller towns and semi-rural areas.
    • Indian post and railways can be utilized for cost effective last mile delivery: The government could rope in India Post as a tech-enabled last-mile delivery partner that can facilitate cash-on-delivery transactions at competitive prices. Similarly, the unparalleled reach of Indian Railways can be synergised to ship wares to the remotest parts of the country quickly and cost-effectively.

    MSMEs

    Why the MSME sector is important especially for India?

    • Employment: The Indian MSME sector provides maximum opportunities for both self-employment and wage-employment outside the agricultural sector.
    • Help building inclusive and sustainable society: It contributes to building an inclusive and sustainable society in innumerable ways through the creation of non-farm livelihood at low cost, balanced regional development, gender and social balance, environmentally sustainable development, etc.
    • For example: Khadi and Village industries require low per capita investment and employs a large number of women in rural areas.
    • Contribution to GDP: With around 36.1 million units throughout the geographical expanse of the country, MSMEs contribute around 6.11% of the manufacturing GDP and 24.63% of the GDP from service activities.
    • Exports: It contributes around 45% of the overall exports from India.

    Conclusion

    • With a visionary government charting out the nation’s growth path, it is anticipated that the budget would certainly deliver on the challenges for MSMEs and take us closer to the dream of an Atmanirbhar Bharat.

    Mains question

    Q. Highlight the significance of MSME’s for India. What more efforts can be taken to make MSMEs more competitive and self-reliant?

    (Click) FREE 1-to-1 on-call Mentorship by IAS-IPS officers | Discuss doubts, strategy, sources, and more

  • UPSC Notification for Civil Services 2023 and IFoS 2023 released | Only 20 days remain for you to apply for the exam | Number of vacancies 1105 Download it

    Civil Services Examination UPSC 2023 NOTIFICATION is out now! Only 20 days remain for you to apply for the exam.

    Download the notification inside and fill Samanvaya form to discuss the strategy and approach you should be following. Zeeshan sir will be taking a LIVE webinar for 4 months on strategy for UPSC prelims 2023.

    SAMANVAYA: FREE 1-on-1 Mentorship Session | Zeeshan sir’s webinar
    • Exam: UPSC-CSE 2023
    • Number of Vacancies: 1105
    • Last Date of Application: 21st February 2023
    • Date of Prelims: 28th May 2023

    With only 116 days till the UPSC preliminary exam, having a structured, organized study plan is crucial and necessary. We advise you to rely on reliable sources, adhere to them, and revise as frequently as you can.

    Dear students, UPSC has just now released the notification for Civil Services Exam 2023 and the Indian Forest Services 2023 Exam. You can download the notifications here (Link at the bottom)

    Notif-CSP-23-engl-010223Download
    SAMANVAYA: FREE 1-on-1 Mentorship Session | Zeeshan sir’s webinar

    Approximately 1105 vacancies are going to be there for UPSC Civil Services. The number for CSE has increased when compared to 2022 (Vacancies were 1011). But the competition isn’t going to be less tough.

    The last date to apply for the UPSC CSE (Prelims) 2023 is 21st February, 6 pm. The UPSC CSE Prelims 2023 will be conducted on May 28th.

    We’ll share a detailed analysis very soon.

    Gear up for UPSC prelims now. Get a 4 months strategy by Zeeshan sir now.

    SAMANVAYA: FREE 1-on-1 Mentorship Session | Zeeshan sir’s webinar

    What The Hindu opined about Civilsdaily Mentorship

    best coaching for upsc in delhi

    SAMANVAYA: FREE 1-on-1 Mentorship Session | Zeeshan sir’s webinar

  • Drugs in the valley: Pakistan’s new weapon to finance terrorism

    valley

    Context

    • With arms and terror infiltration becoming difficult, Pakistan has now resorted to peddling drugs to degenerate the youth of Jammu and Kashmir. Narcotics, Pakistan’s new weapon to finance terrorism within the Valley, has been dubbed the biggest challenge confronting Jammu and Kashmir by Police Chief Dilbag Singh.

    Crack Prelims 2023! Talk to our Rankers

    Background: Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and its impact

    • The culture of violence implemented through constant financial and strategic support to the insurgency in the Kashmir Valley by Pakistan by training and infiltrating weapons and militants impacted society in many ways.
    • Pakistan-backed terrorism destroyed the centuries-old socioeconomic and sociocultural fabric of society.
    • The deaths, mass exodus of Pandits, and increased unemployment eroded the composite way of life and increased boredom, depression, and anxiety among the masses.

    How Pakistan’s designs are failing?

    • Pakistan-sponsored terrorism is at an all-time low in Jammu and Kashmir, three years after the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A.
    • The number of active militants has fallen from 250 by the end of 2019 to just over 100 by January 2023.
    • Security agencies have tried hard to achieve zero terror activities within the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and busted 146 terror modules created by Pakistan in 2022.
    • As a result, Pakistan’s design to create a culture of violence in the Valley endorsed by self-serving and incestuous political elite under the guise of autonomy for the last 30 years is failing.

    valley

    Drug strategy of Pakistan in Kashmir

    • Strategy serves dual purpose for Pakistan: Now, with the people of Kashmir increasingly relinquishing terrorism and a culture of violence, the drug strategy serves dual purposes for Islamabad. One, to attack the core of the social well-being, and two, to finance terrorism within the Valley.
    • Constant infiltration of drugs in the valley: There is a constant infiltration of drugs by Pakistan via the Valley’s Kupwara and Baramulla districts, less-used other drugs such as brown sugar, cocaine, and marijuana are also readily available within the Valley and even in parts of Jammu.

    valley

    Drug addiction in Kashmir

    • Valley is slowly becoming a drug hub: The Kashmir Valley is slowly becoming a drug hub in Northern India, having more than 67,000 drug abusers, of which 90 percent are heroin addicts, using more than 33,000 syringes daily.
    • Emerged as country’s top drug affected region: With 2.5 percent of the population using drugs, Kashmir has emerged as the country’s top-drug-affected region, ahead of Punjab, where 1.2 percent of the population is reportedly addicted to drug abuse.
    • Residents affected: In November 2022, the state-level narcotic coordination committee meeting chaired by the Chief Sectary revealed that at least six lakh residents were affected by drug-related issues in Jammu and Kashmir.
    • Increasing crime rate: Increasing on average, INR 88,000 are spent by a drug abuser in the Valley yearly, increasing Kashmir’s crime rate.

    Reasons for this situation

    • Collapse of age-old social discipline: A significant reason for such an alarming situation is the near-total collapse of the Valley’s age-old informal social discipline and control mechanisms enforced by village elders.
    • Attack on cultural core: Pakistan’s nefarious attack on the Valley’s cultural core has rendered this traditional mechanism of social control ineffective.
    • Few contributes in social degradation: The village elders have also often worked hand-in-glove with Pakistan’s evil designs by remaining silent and endorsing the societal degradation.

    valley

    Jammu and Kashmir police and war against drugs

    • Security agencies have trained their focus on drug peddlers: Security agencies in Jammu and Kashmir are known for anti-terror operations. They have successfully created a synergy with the local administration to sabotage Pakistan’s activities and allied forces within the Valley. With Pakistan-sponsored insurgency receding, the security agencies have trained their focus on drug peddlers.
    • Security agencies in action: In 2022, under Narcotic Drugs Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the police registered 1,021 cases and arrested 1700 drug peddlers, including 138 notorious peddlers. During the same time, the security agencies seized enormous quantities of contraband, including 212 kilograms of charas, 56 kilograms of heroin, 13 kilograms of brown sugar, 4.355 tonnes of poppy straw and 1.567 tonnes of fukki.
    • Busted narco terror modules: The security agencies also busted many narco-terror modules and arrested 36 persons with huge catches of drugs, arms, ammunition, and money.
    • Investigation revealed drugs smuggled from Pakistan: In December 2022, police busted a Pakistan-based narcotics module and arrested 17 persons, including five police officials and some political activists. Investigations revealed that over five kilograms of narcotics valued at INR 5 crore were smuggled from Pakistan in three months.
    • Launched Nasha-Mukt Bharat Abhiyan: The local administration has also launched the Nasha-Mukt Bharat Abhiyan an initiative started by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment on 15 August 2020 to eradicate the menace of drug addiction in 272 districts across India. This programme has conducted large-scale awareness programmes in colleges, universities, and within communities.

    Way ahead

    • The Kashmiri society needs to have an internal interlocution and take a serious look at Pakistan’s policies to foment trouble, especially through narco-terrorism.
    • Kashmir’s elders and religious leaders through mosques need to get involved in the war against drugs and guide the youth to engage meaningfully with the spate of developmental activities undertaken by the national and Union territory government following the abrogation of Article 370.
    • The government should also initiate and enable public-private partnerships, where local police, military, paramilitary, and citizen bodies act in harmony to make Kashmir free of narco-terror and Pakistan-implemented culture of violence.

    Conclusion

    • With arms and terror infiltration becoming difficult, Pakistan has now resorted to drug trafficking to destroy Kashmir’s youth. Creating a working synergy between Kashmir’s traditional and formal social control system can go a long way in addressing the drug menace.

    Mains question

    Q. With arms and terror infiltration becoming difficult, Pakistan has now resorted to drug trafficking to destroy Kashmir’s youth. Discuss.

    (Click) FREE 1-to-1 on-call Mentorship by IAS-IPS officers | Discuss doubts, strategy, sources, and more

  • 1st Feb 23 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions

    1st Feb 23 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions

    [WpProQuiz 1229]

    [WpProQuiz_toplist 1229]

    UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

  • (WATCH Live: Zoom link inside) Very Important Webinar🎯UPSC-CSE 2023 notification out | How to utilize the last 120 days for UPSC Prelims 2023? 4 months master timetable by Senior IAS Mentor, Zeeshan sir | Limited entry

    (WATCH Live: Zoom link inside) Very Important Webinar🎯UPSC-CSE 2023 notification out | How to utilize the last 120 days for UPSC Prelims 2023? 4 months master timetable by Senior IAS Mentor, Zeeshan sir | Limited entry

    Join Zoom Meeting

    https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87081718414?pwd=T1lZek5UbTdDUnh4Zk1ZOG0wQW8wUT09

    Meeting ID: 870 8171 8414
    Passcode: 671631

    Get Free Prelims Notes on Registration. UPSC-CSE 2023 Notification is out.

    (Click) Register FREE Webinar | Post webinar get Timetable and FREE Jan month current affairs magazine

    1st February (Wednesday) at 7:30 PM | UPSC webinar on How to utilize the last 4 months (120 Days) before UPSC Prelims 2023 by Zeeshan sir | Get Free Prelims Notes on Registration

    Last 120 Days’ Preparation will decide if you are writing UPSC Mains 2023 or not.

    The UPSC Prelims 2023 is just knocking at the door because UPSC-CSE 2023 notification is out. The majority of candidates are about to finish their syllabus, which includes reading books and newspapers, taking notes, attending classes, taking practice exams, and—most importantly—psychologically preparing for the exam.

    But, these are not enough to clear UPSC Prelims in 2023.

    Zeeshan sir, a senior IAS mentor who helped many to crack UPSC Prelims with 120+ marks often says, “When time is limited, you must maintain more balance between learning and execution.”

    In this case, 2 different rock-steady strategies are the only things that are required for… 

    • GS Paper
    • CSAT Paper

    And in such a situation even a veteran fails to manage time for both papers. On the other hand, you can’t value your time without a workable strategy. 

    You can neither afford to fail UPSC Prelims 2023 nor regret it later. Don’t miss the super important session by Zeeshan sir

    Know how to utilize the last 120 days before UPSC Prelims 2023 and get a Master Timetable with strategy

    (Click) Register FREE Webinar | Post webinar get Timetable and FREE Jan month current affairs magazine

    Webinar DETAILS:

    Topic: 4 months’ rock-steady strategy for UPSC Prelims 2023.

    Date and Time: 1st February (Wednesday) at 7:30 PM

    Link: Zoom link will be shared on email post registration

    Key takeaways: How to make a timetable for UPSC?

    • What should be your approach for the next 4 months even if you have not covered the entire syllabus for the preparation for UPSC 2023? Strategy for the next 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, and the last 30 days will be shared with you.
    • How to divide your time for both GS and CSAT papers?
    • How to cover uncovered and revise segment-wise?
    • How to cover the UPSC syllabus? The syllabus, and not the books, must be completed. Focussing on the essentials first.
    • Time management: You just need to invest 5 to 6 hours per day effectively for UPSC’s success. How to effectively manage preparation time? Update your timetable and set new revision targets.
    • Managing UPSC preparation with a serious time crunch; job – working professionals, college students, and family (especially for homemaker aspirants)
    • He made a UPSC trend analysis and based on that decoded the expectations and pattern of UPSC 2023. Zeeshan sir will share 10 essential themes for the upcoming exams that one must not ignore whether it’s UPSC Prelims 2023.
    • Short-time smart Revision techniques that are common, standard, and used frequently. What exactly are they?
    • How to take full advantage of the FREE CivilsDaily’s Preparatory Package and personalized mentorship session

    You can neither afford to fail UPSC Prelims 2023 nor regret it later. Don’t miss the super important session.

    (Click) Register FREE Webinar | Post webinar get Timetable and FREE Jan month current affairs magazine
    Feedback on Zeeshan sir’s mentorship by AIR 65, Pranav (from Quora: https://qr.ae/pvH4yA)

    CivilsDaily’s FREE Webinar package

    Post-webinar we will share important PDFs, timetable framework, and notes.

    Other than this a strategy package will be emailed to you.

    What The Hindu mentioned about Civilsdaily Mentorship

    (Click) Register FREE Webinar | Post webinar get Timetable and FREE Jan month current affairs magazine

  • History, Significance of President’s Address

    president

    President Droupadi Murmu addressed the joint sitting of Parliament for the first time after assuming the position.

    Mains PYQ: The President’s address is one of the most solemn occasions in the Parliamentary calendar. Discuss. Highlight its importance in Parliamentary Democracy. (250W)

    President’s Address: What is the history?

    • United Kingdom: The tradition of the monarch addressing the Parliament began in the 16th century.
    • United States: President Gorge Washington addressed Congress for the first time in 1790.

    President’s Address in India

    (A) Colonial period

    • GoI Act, 1919: In India, the practice of the President addressing Parliament was established after the promulgation of the Government of India Act in 1919.
    • Governor General’s address: This law gave the GG the right of addressing the Legislative Assembly and the Council of State.
    • No joint address: The law did not have a provision for a joint address but the Governor-General did address the Assembly and the Council together on multiple occasions.
    • During constituent assembly: Between 1947 and 1950, there was NO address to the Constituent Assembly (Legislative).

    (B) After the enactment of Constitution

    • After the Constitution came into force, President Rajendra Prasad (after taking over from Dr Sachchidananda Sinha) addressed members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha for the first time on January 31, 1950.
    • When the Constitution came into force, the President was required to address each session of Parliament. The Constitution gave the President and the Governor the power to address a sitting of the legislature.
    1. Article 87: It provides two special occasions on which the President addresses a joint sitting. The first is to address the opening session of a new legislature after a general election. The second is to address the first sitting of Parliament each year. A session of a new or continuing legislature cannot begin without fulfilling this requirement.
    2. Making it an annual affair: So during the provisional Parliament in 1950, President Prasad gave an address before every session. In 1951, the First Amendment to the Constitution changed this and made the President’s address an annual affair.

    What is the procedure and tradition?

    • Motion of Thanks: After the President’s address, the two Houses move a motion to thank the President for her speech.
    • Debate on the speech: This is an occasion for MPs in the two Houses to have a broad debate on governance in the country.
    • PM addresses the questions: The issues raised by MPs are then addressed by the Prime Minister, who also replies to the motion of thanks.
    • Unanimous voting: The motion is then put to vote and MPs can express their disagreement by moving amendments to the motion.
    • Scope for Amendment: Opposition MPs have been successful in getting amendments passed to the motion of thanks in Rajya Sabha on five occasions, including in 1980, 1989, 2001, 2015 and 2016.
    Do you know?

    The Motion of Thanks must be passed in Parliament. Otherwise, it amounts to the defeat of the government. It is one of the ways through which the Lok Sabha can also express a lack of confidence in the government.

    Content of the address

    • There is no set format for the President’s or Governor’s speech.
    • During the making of the Constitution, Prof K T Shah wanted the President’s address to be more specific.
    • He suggested that the language be changed to specify that the President shall inform Parliament “on the general state of the Union including financial proposals, and other particular issues of policy he deems suitable for such address”.
    • His proposal took inspiration from the US Constitution.
    • But the Constituent Assembly didn’t accept Prof Shah’s amendment.

    What is the government’s role?

    • Written by the government: The President’s speech is essentially the govt. viewpoint and is also written by the government itself.
    • Inputs from various ministries: Usually, in December, the Prime Minister’s Office asks the various ministries to start sending in their inputs for the speech.
    • Collation of information: The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs sends a message, asking ministries to give information about any legislative proposals that need to be included in the President’s address. All this information is collated and shaped into a speech, which is then delivered to the President.
    • Role of Lok Sabha Secretariat: The address is an event, associated with ceremony and protocol, and the Lok Sabha Secretariat makes extensive arrangements for it.

    Significance of the address

    • Policy announcements: The President’s address serves as a platform for the government to make policy and legislative announcements.
    • Report card of the government: It highlights the government’s accomplishments from the previous year and sets the broad governance agenda for the coming year.

    What if the President disagrees with the text of the speech?

    Ans. It is CONSTITUTIONAL OBLIGATION on the President.

    • The President or Governor cannot refuse to perform the constitutional duty of delivering an address to the legislature.
    • But there can be situations when they deviate from the text of the speech prepared by the government.
    • So far, there have been no instances of a President doing so.

    Recent instances of defiance

    Ans. States vs. Governors

    • There have been occasions when a Governor skipped or changed a portion of the address to the Assembly.
    • Most recently, Tamil Nadu’s Governor made changes to the prepared speech he read out in the Assembly.
    • TN Chief Minister had to step in and move a resolution, which demanded that only the original speech given to the Governor be put in records.
    • In 2020, Kerala Governor, during his address to the Assembly, stopped before reading out his speech’s paragraph 18, which related to the Kerala government’s opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Bill.

    Why it is so cherished in democracy?

    • Parliament as a unit: The President’s address is one of the most solemn occasions in the Parliamentary calendar. It is the only occasion in the year when the entire Parliament, i.e. the President, Lok Sabha, and Rajya Sabha come together.
    • Ceremonial event: The event is associated with ceremony and protocol. The Lok Sabha Secretariat prepares extensively for this annual event.
    • Grandeur: In the past, it used to get 150 yards of red baize cloth from the President’s house for the ceremonial procession.

     

    Crack Prelims 2023! Talk to our Rankers

    (Click) FREE 1-to-1 on-call Mentorship by IAS-IPS officers | Discuss doubts, strategy, sources, and more

  • Vishakhapatnam is Andhra Pradesh’s new Capital

    vishakha

    Visakhapatnam will be the new capital of Andhra Pradesh, announced the Chief Minister.

    AP’s move for three capitals

    • AP had introduced a ‘Three Capitals Act’ titled Andhra Pradesh Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Act, 2020.
    • Thus, it was decided that:
    1. Amaravati was to be the Legislative capital
    2. Visakhapatnam the Executive capital and
    3. Kurnool the Judicial capital
    • However, the Andhra Pradesh High Court repealed this Act citing that the legislature has no competence to enact any law for shifting the three organs of the capital.

    Concerns raised by AP government

    • AP contended that the judgement was in violation of the basic structure of the Constitution as the HC cannot hold that the State does not have the powers to decide on its capital.
    • The judgement was against the doctrine of separation of powers as it sought to preempt the legislature from taking up the issue (of three capitals).
    • Further, it is argued that under the federal structure of the Constitution, every State has an inherent right to determine where it should carry out its capital functions from.

    Reasons for AP’s consideration

    (1) Viable option of Visakhapatnam

    • Vizag always had been the biggest city, after Hyderabad, even in the combined State.
    • It has all the settings to become a good living space.

    (2) Sri Krishna panel recommendations

    • The advantages and qualities of Visakhapatnam to become the capital was elaborately deliberated by the Sri Krishna Committee to study the alternatives for a new capital for the State of Andhra Pradesh.
    • Coming to suggestion for the alternative capital, the Committee primarily took up three things for consideration — creation of single city or super city in greenfield location, expanding existing cities and distributed development.

    (3) Decentralisation

    • This idea was elaborately described in the Sri Bagh pact.
    • The pact clearly defined decentralisation, for the benefit of all three main regions such as Coastal AP, Godavari and Krishna districts and Rayalaseema.

    Major practical problems

    • Continuum of work: The government argues that the Assembly meets only after gaps of several months, and government Ministers, officers, and staff can simply go to Amaravati when required.
    • Logistics nightmare: coordinating between seats of legislature and executive in separate cities will be easier said than done.
    • Time and costs of travel: The distances in Andhra Pradesh are not inconsiderable. Executive capital Visakhapatnam is 700 km from judicial capital Kurnool, and 400 km from legislative capital Amaravati.

    Examples of multi-capital states in India

    • Among Indian states, Maharashtra has two capitals– Mumbai and Nagpur (which holds the winter session of the state assembly).
    • Himachal Pradesh has capitals at Shimla and Dharamshala (winter).
    • The former state of Jammu & Kashmir had Srinagar and Jammu (winter) as capitals where Darbar Move is carried out.

     

    Crack Prelims 2023! Talk to our Rankers

    (Click) FREE 1-to-1 on-call Mentorship by IAS-IPS officers | Discuss doubts, strategy, sources, and more

  • Artform in news: Shumang Leela

    shumang leela

    This newscard is an excerpt from the original article published in TH.

    Shumang Leela

    • Shumang Leela is a unique traditional form of theatre in Manipur.
    • The tradition is believed to be descended from Lai Haraoba, a ritual of the Meitei community of Manipur.

    Types of this dance

    Shumang Leela is of two types:

    1. Nupa Shumang Leela: It performed only by men. Here the roles of women are all played by men, called Nupi Shabis.
    2. Nupi Shumang Leela: It performed only by women and the roles of men are played by women.

    Performance details

    • The plays serve as a medium to spread awareness among people of social, political and economic issues. Shumang Leelas may also discuss moral values, unity and integrity.
    • This theatre form has for long been trying to strengthen the bond of brotherhood and friendship among various communities in the State.

    Significance of the art

    • In a society marked by heteronormativity, the gender-bending nature of Shumang Leela makes it a unique art form that is fraught with complexity.
    • The men who take up female roles or vice versa are highly appreciated and laughed at.
    • The traditional theatre form has preserved its original form, and its aim to inform and entertain has remained unchanged.

     

    Crack Prelims 2023! Talk to our Rankers

    (Click) FREE 1-to-1 on-call Mentorship by IAS-IPS officers | Discuss doubts, strategy, sources, and more

  • Project ELLORA to preserve ‘rare’ Indian languages with AI

    Microsoft’s Project ELLORA is helping small languages like Gondi, Mundari become eloquent for the digital world.

    Project ELLORA

    • To bring ‘rare’ Indian languages online, Microsoft launched the Project ELLORA or Enabling Low Resource Languages in 2015.
    • Under the project, researchers are building digital resources of the languages.
    • They say that their purpose is to preserve a language for posterity so that users of these languages “can participate and interact in the digital world.”

    How is ELLORA creating a language dataset?

    • The researchers are mapping out resources, including printed literature, to create a dataset to train their AI model.
    • The team is also working with these communities on the project.
    • By involving the community in the data collection process, researchers hope to create a dataset that is both accurate and culturally relevant.

     

    Crack Prelims 2023! Talk to our Rankers

    (Click) FREE 1-to-1 on-call Mentorship by IAS-IPS officers | Discuss doubts, strategy, sources, and more

  • Possibility of global recession?

    recession

    Context

    • There have recently been growing concerns about the global economy slipping into recession. These concerns were primarily triggered by the contraction of the US economy, observed in the first half of 2022. Negative growth in two consecutive quarters is commonly but not officially used as an indication of recession.

    Crack Prelims 2023! Talk to our Rankers

    Background: Status of the US economy

    • First and second quarter of 2022: As reported by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), the US real Gross Domestic Product (GDP adjusted for inflation) decreased at an annual rate of 1.6 per cent and 0.6 per cent in the first and second quarters of 2022, respectively.
    • Third quarter: In the third quarter, however, the US economy grew by 3.2 per cent, signalling a significant recovery.
    • Fourth quarter: The latest BEA advance estimates show that the US real GDP increased at an annual rate of 2.9 per cent in the fourth quarter.
    • Expansion of US economy a positive sign: Despite the slight decrease from the third quarter, the continued expansion of the US economy at the end of 2022 marks a positive sign, soothing concerns about a recession in 2023.

    recession

    Economic recovery of the US economy

    • Positive growth in fourth quarter: The positive growth in the fourth quarter can primarily be attributed to consumer spending, which increased by an annualised rate of 2.1 per cent, and private inventory investment that showed an upturn in 2022. Although a significant decline from the 5.9 per cent increase in 2021, the difference accounts for the enthused post-Covid economic recovery in 2021.
    • The US labour market continues to remain robust: The unemployment rate was recorded at a low of 3.5 per cent in December 2022, matching the pre-pandemic levels. Also, the total non-farm payroll employment increased by 2,23,000 in December, exceeding the Dow Jones estimate of 2,00,000.
    • Inflation has eased: While the labour market remains tight, US inflation has eased in the last few months. Consumer prices fell 0.1 per cent in December the largest month-over-month decrease since April 2020, due to reductions in motor vehicle and gasoline prices.
    • Layoffs not yet translated into rise in jobless claims: Although not a perfect association, the decline in jobless claims in January shows that the mass layoffs in recent weeks, particularly in the tech sector, have not yet translated into a rise in claims, suggesting the possibility of finding new jobs.
    • The reopening of China’s borders can have positive implications for the global economy: As China resumes its economic activities to pre-Covid levels by boosting growth, domestic consumption is expected to increase significantly. With the ease of trans-border movement and eventual increase in exports of consumer and industrial goods, global trade is expected to strengthen as well.

    recession

    What is Recession?

    • A recession is a significant decline in economic activity that lasts for months or even years.
    • Experts declare a recession when a nation’s economy experiences negative GDP, rising levels of unemployment, falling retail sales, and contracting measures of income and manufacturing for an extended period of time.
    • Recessions are considered an unavoidable part of the business cycle or the regular cadence of expansion and contraction that occurs in a nation’s economy.

    Possibility of a global recession

    • Elevated inflation continues to be a cause for global concern: Despite the fall in consumer prices, the headline CPI for the US showed an annual increase of 6.5 per cent in December 2022. In spite of the slow-paced increase in headline CPI, persistent elevation in core inflation excluding food and energy continues to be a major issue across economies.
    • Interest Rate Hikes on the Horizon: Consequently, the central banks are expected to continue with interest rate hikes in the coming months. On an annualised level, the CPI inflation in Australia also jumped to 7.8 per cent in the 2022 fourth quarter, increasing the likelihood of respective interest rate hikes as well.
    • China’s Impact on Commodity Prices: Moreover, an increase in China’s demand for goods post-reopening could drive up commodity prices, thereby creating an inflationary impact. For instance, China’s increased demand for natural gas would mean more competition with the European market, leading to higher commodity prices that can put further inflationary pressures on Europeans already dealing with high energy bills.
    • Higher borrowing costs: Rising interest rates would incur even higher borrowing costs that could dampen consumer spending. While sectors sensitive to high borrowing costs such as housing and construction have slowed down significantly.

    recession

    Conclusion

    • Among the positive signs are the continued expansion of the US economy and the reopening of China’s borders. Rising inflation remains a cause for global concern. However, prevalence of mixed signals suggests that the onset and depth of a global recession in 2023 are not certain.

    Mains question

    Q. Highlight the current situation of global economies. Discuss if there’s a global recession in 2023?

    (Click) FREE 1-to-1 on-call Mentorship by IAS-IPS officers | Discuss doubts, strategy, sources, and more

  • Its high time to focus on Mental Health

    Mental

    Context

    • Suicides rates in India are amongst the highest when compared to other countries at the same socio-economic level. According to WHO, India’s suicide rate in 2019, at 12.9/1,00,000, was higher than the regional average of 10.2 and the global average of 9.0. Suicide has become the leading cause of death among those aged 15–29 in India.

    Crack Prelims 2023! Talk to our Rankers

    Background: Mental Health

    • While every precious life lost through suicide is one too many, it represents only the tip of the mental health iceberg in the country, particularly among young adults. Women tend to suffer more.
    • Across the world, the prevalence of some mental health disorders is consistently higher among women as compared to men.

    Mental

    Prevalence of Mental ill-health

    • The pandemic has further exacerbated the problem: Globally, it might have increased the prevalence of depression by 28 per cent and anxiety by 26 per cent in just one year between 2020 and 2021, according to a study published in Lancet.
    • Increased among younger age groups: Again, the large increases have been noted among younger age groups, stemming from uncertainty and fear about the virus, financial and job losses, grief, increased childcare burdens, in addition to school closures and social isolation.
    • Use of social media exacerbating the stress: Increased use of certain kinds of social media is also exacerbating stress for young people. Social media detracts from face-to-face relationships, which are healthier, and reduces investment in meaningful activities. More importantly, it erodes self-esteem through unfavourable social comparison.

    Mental

    Socio-economic implications of Mental ill-health

    • People living in poverty are at greater risks: Mental ill health is a leading cause of disability globally and is closely linked to poverty in a vicious cycle of disadvantage. People living in poverty are at greater risk of experiencing such conditions.
    • People experiencing mental health problems likely to fall in poverty: On the other hand, people experiencing severe mental health conditions are more likely to fall into poverty through loss of employment and increased health expenditure.
    • Stigma and discrimination: Stigma and discrimination often further undermine their social support structures. This reinforces the vicious cycle of poverty and mental ill-health.
    • Higher income inequality has high prevalence of ill mental ill health: Not surprisingly, countries with greater income inequalities and social polarization have been found to have a higher prevalence.

    Mental

    Approach to protect, promote and care for the mental health of people?

    • Killing the deep stigma surrounding mental health issues: The first step should be killing the deep stigma which prevents patients from seeking timely treatment and makes them feel shameful, isolated and weak. Stigma festers in the dark and scatters in the light. We need a mission to cut through this darkness and shine a light.
    • Making Mental health an integral part of public health programme: There is need to make mental health an integral part of the public health programme to reduce stress, promote a healthy lifestyle, screen and identify high-risk groups and strengthen interventions like counselling services. Special emphasis will need to be given to schools.
    • Paying attention to highly vulnerable: In addition, we should pay special attention to groups that are highly vulnerable because of the issues such as victims of domestic or sexual violence, unemployed youth, marginal farmers, armed forces personnel and personnel working under difficult conditions.
    • Creating a strong infrastructure for mental health care and treatment: Lack of effective treatment and stigma feed into each other. Currently, only 20-30 per cent of people with such disorders receive adequate treatment.
    • Mental health services should be made affordable for all: Improved coverage without corresponding financial protection will lead to inequitable service uptake and outcomes. All government health assurance schemes, including Ayushman Bharat, should cover the widest possible range.

    Why is the wide treatment gap?

    • One major reason for a wide treatment gap is the problem of inadequate resources.
    • Less than two per cent of the government health budget, which itself is the lowest among all G20 countries, is devoted to mental health issues.
    • There is a severe shortage of professionals, with the number of psychiatrists in the country being less than those in New York City, according to one estimate.
    • Substantial investments will be needed to address the gaps in the health infrastructure and human resources.
    • Currently, most private health insurance covers only a restricted number of mental health conditions. Similarly, the list of essential medicines includes only a limited number of WHO-prescribed medications.

    Mental

    Conclusion

    • We need an urgent and well-resourced whole of society approach to protecting, promoting and caring for the mental health of our people, like we did for the Covid pandemic. Brock Chisholm, the first Director General of WHO, famously said, “there is no health without mental health”.

    (Click) FREE 1-to-1 on-call Mentorship by IAS-IPS officers | Discuss doubts, strategy, sources, and more

  • 31st Jan 2023 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions

    31st Jan 2023 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions

    [WpProQuiz 1228]

    [WpProQuiz_toplist 1228]

    UPSC 2023 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

  • [Burning issue] 4th Industrial Revolution

    industrial revolution

    Context

    • The World Economic Forum (WEF, as announced earlier, chose Hyderabad as the location for its Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR), which will focus on healthcare and life sciences.
    • In this context, this edition of the burning issue will talk about C4IR, the 4th industrial revolution and India’s readiness to embrace it.

    Objective of setting the ‘Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution’ (C4IR)

    • The C4IR Hyderabad will be an autonomous, non-profit organization and the only such World Economic Forum in India with a thematic focus on healthcare and life sciences.
    • The C4IR Hyderabad will facilitate, advance and accelerate the development and adoption of newer technologies including genomics, personalized medicine and healthcare manufacturing, with a focus on the interplay between life sciences and technology in the region and globally.
    • It will be the 18th center to join WEF’s Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) network that spans four continents.

    What is industrial revolution 4.0?

    • According to the Executive Chairman of WEF, Klaus Schwab, “the fourth industrial revolution is a technological revolution that will fundamentally alter the way we live, work and relate to one another”.
    • It is the information-intensive transformation of manufacturing and related industries into smart factories.
    • It involves the integration of some of the key emerging technologies and trends such as the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI).

    Four integral design principles of Industry 4.0

    • Technical assistance: The ability of the system to assist humans in decision-making, problem-solving, and helping humans with difficult or unsafe tasks.
    • Information transparency: Sharing immense amounts of data and information among the components, to instantly adjust and optimize for higher efficiency.
    • Decentralized decisions: The ability of cyber-physical systems to make decisions on their own and to perform their tasks as autonomously as possible.
    • Interconnection: The ability of devices and people to connect and communicate with each other through the Internet of things.

    The Previous three industrial revolutions

    • 1st industrial revolution: The first Industrial Revolution began in Britain in the last quarter of the 18th century with the mechanization of the textile industry, the harnessing of steam power, and the birth of the modern factory.
    • 2nd industrial revolution: The Second Industrial Revolution, from the last third of the nineteenth century to the outbreak of World War I, was powered by developments in electricity, transportation, chemicals, steel, and mass production and consumption. Industrialization spread even further – to Japan after the Meiji Restoration and deep into Russia, which was booming at the outset of World War I. During this era, factories could produce countless numbers of identical products quickly and cheaply.
    • 3rd industrial revolution: The third industrial revolution, beginning c. 1970, was digital — and applied electronics and information technology to processes of production. Mass customization and additive manufacturing — the so-called ‘3D printing’ — are its key concepts, and its applications, yet to be imagined fully, are quite mind-boggling.

    How different will be the 4th industrial revolution?

    There are three reasons why today’s transformations represent not merely a prolongation of the Third Industrial Revolution but rather the arrival of a Fourth and distinct one: velocity, scope, and systems impact.

    • The speed aspect: The speed of current breakthroughs has no historical precedent. When compared with previous industrial revolutions, the Fourth is evolving at an exponential rather than a linear pace.
    • The scope aspect: it is disrupting almost every industry in every country. And the breadth and depth of these changes herald the transformation of entire systems of production, management, and governance.
    • The system aspect: The 4th revolution will be characterized by the advent of cyber-physical systems which, while being reliant on the technologies and infrastructure of the third industrial revolution, represent entirely new ways in which technology becomes embedded within societies and even our human bodies. Examples include genome editing, new forms of machine intelligence, and breakthrough approaches to governance that rely on cryptographic methods such as blockchain.
    • Hence, it can be said that the 4th industrial revolution is conceptualized as an upgrade on the third revolution and is marked by a fusion of technologies straddling the physical, digital and biological worlds.

    Benefits of Industrial Revolution 4.0

    • Improve the quality of life: Like the revolutions that preceded it, the Fourth Industrial Revolution has the potential to raise global income levels and improve the quality of life for populations around the world.
    • Enhance productivity: Industry 4.0 technologies enable can lead to optimizing resource allocation, reducing downtime and improving production rates, which makes the manufacturing processes more cost-effective and efficient.
    • Cost efficiency: Transportation and communication costs will drop, logistics and global supply chains will become more effective, and the cost of trade will diminish, all of which will open new markets and drive economic growth.
    • Knowledge Sharing and Collaborative Working: Industry 4.0 technologies allow your production lines, business processes, and departments to communicate regardless of location, time zone, platform, or any other factor. Hence, it will facilitate smoother integration of India into the global supply chain. Faster communication and cheaper production technologies can ensure smoother integration of India into the global supply chain. India’s automotive manufacturing sector is a leading user of IR 4.0 technologies.
    • Employment generation: Though the fear of job loss due to Industry 4.0 is widespread, various research points out that is baseless. The Future of Jobs Report 2018 by the World Economic Forum (WEF) predicts the loss of 75 million employments by 2022 worldwide and the production of 133 million occupations over a similar period.

    Challenges to 4IR

    • Cybersecurity issues may increase: In IR 4.0, People, products and equipment will be increasingly connected to the internet. Although this gives us greater access to data via the cloud, it opens up opportunities for hackers to access networks.
    • Reduce the number of low-skill jobs:  Manufacturing, and industry as a whole, continues to rely on humans to enable production. However, the move to digitally connected systems may unintentionally reduce the need for low-skill labor.
    • Industry and Market Disruption: With the new technologies of 4IR, industries that are not able to move with the change will not be unable to survive what Industry 4.0 brings to market.
    • The rise in social inequalities: With this revolution will give rise to a job market increasingly segregated into low-skill/low-pay and high-skill/high-pay segments, which in turn will lead to an increase in social tensions. In India, where digital literacy is dismal, a revolution of this sort can lead to a sharp rise in inequalities.

    Challenges specific to India

    • Deficiency of Infrastructure & internet Connectivity: Besides digital infrastructure, the country lacks some basic infrastructure such as 24×7 power, high-speed internet (especially in rural areas) and a workforce with the necessary skill set.
    • Quality of data: Due to a lack of established data collection standards and a large informal sector, India is unreliable when it comes to the quality of data collected
    • Limited focus on Research and Development: Though India has emerged as the choice location for cutting-edge Research and Development (R&D) projects for global companies, the overall spending on it remains dismal.

    Steps taken by Government

    • SAMARTH Udyog Bharat 4.0: Smart Advanced Manufacturing and Rapid Transformation Hub (SAMARTH) Udyog Bharat 4.0 is an Industry 4.0 initiative of the Department of Heavy Industry, Ministry of Heavy Industry & Public Enterprises. It seeks to facilitate and create an ecosystem for the propagation of Industry 4.0 set of technologies in every Indian manufacturing by 2025, be it MNC, large, medium, or small-scale Indian company.
    • Centre of Excellence (CoE) on IT for Industry 4.0: This CoE would act as a knowledge center for entrepreneurs and startups, propagating the concept of IT and its application in IR 4.0.
    • Centre for Fourth Industrial Revolution: World Economic Forum has opened its 4th center for Fourth Industrial Revolution in Mumbai. It is the fourth in the world after San Francisco, Tokyo and Beijing. It will work in collaboration with NITI Aayog in India to co-design new policies and protocols for emerging technologies. The initial focus of India will be on Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain and drones.
    • National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS):  Launched by the Union government in 2018, it was implemented by the Department of Science &Technology.The Mission addresses the ever-increasing technological requirements of society and takes into account the international trends and road maps of leading countries for the next generation of technologies.
    • National Strategy on Artificial Intelligence: Under the strategy, NITI Aayog has adopted a three-pronged approach – undertaking exploratory proof-of-concept AI projects in various areas, crafting a national strategy for building a vibrant AI ecosystem in India and collaborating with various experts and stakeholders.

    What is The Global Lighthouse Network?

    • The World Economic Forum, in collaboration with McKinsey, launched the Global Lighthouse Network (GLN) in 2018 to identify organizations and technologies in the vanguard of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
    • A lighthouse (in this context) is a manufacturing site that has successfully implemented 4IR technologies at scale, with a significant operational impact.
    • Today, 103 lighthouses—such as Tata Steel’s plant in Kalinganagar, India, and select Henkel Laundry & Home Care production sites—have been identified around the world.

    Way Forward

    • Go for international collaboration: India needs a collaborative effort. It will have to create a long-term ecosystem that trains and educates professionals. India could collaborate with the US, Germany, and the EU. The central government can consider a joint platform between ministries, state governments and industry bodies to create a mission for making the most of the Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies.
    • Promote industry-academia collaboration: There is an urgent need for more industry-academia collaboration and to develop requisite skills in technology. Introduction of a compulsory apprenticeship program to encourage hands-on experience in technology as early as higher secondary level.
    • Increase investments: to fortify quality, prioritize investments in innovation and R&D and invest in life-long learning for employees. He urged the industry to think big and think globally.
    • Focus on improving productivity: To effectively embrace digitalization, the industry has to foster competitive advantage across their value chains, focus on productivity and fill productivity gaps to compete globally.

    Conclusion

    • Fourth Industrial Revolution is about more than just technology-driven change; it is an opportunity to help everyone, including leaders, policy-makers and people from all income groups and nations, to harness converging technologies to create an inclusive, human-centered future.
    • The real opportunity is to look beyond technology and find ways to give the greatest number of people the ability to positively impact their families, organizations and communities

    Crack Prelims 2023! Talk to our Rankers

    (Click) FREE 1-to-1 on-call Mentorship by IAS-IPS officers | Discuss doubts, strategy, sources, and more

More posts