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  • Why the Russia-Ukraine crisis may lead to a shortage in Semiconductors?

    The global supply of semiconductors is now being threatened once again by the Ukraine crisis on account of supply of two key raw materials — neon and palladium — that are at a risk of being constrained.

    What are Semiconductors?

    • A semiconductor sits between a conductor and an insulator and is commonly used in the development of electronic chips, computing components, and devices.
    • It’s generally created using silicon, germanium, and other pure elements.
    • Semiconductors are created by adding impurities to the element.

    Why are neon and palladium important for chipmaking?

    (a) Neon

    • Neon gas is used in the photolithography process that is the most common method for fabricating integrated circuits.
    • Specifically, the neon gas is used in the laser machines that carve the integrated circuits.
    • But for use of neon gas in the semiconductor industry, the gas has to reach 99.99% purity levels — which makes it a rarity.
    • More than half of semiconductor-grade neon comes from Ukrainian companies Incas and Cryoin.

    (b) Palladium

    • It is used for multiple purposes in semiconductor and electronic manufacturing.
    • It is used to coat electrodes that help control flow of electricity.
    • It is also used in plating of microprocessors and printed circuit boards — which is an essential process of chip making.
    • Russia accounts for nearly half the global supplies of palladium and the multiple trade sanctions on Moscow threaten to constrain the availability of the element.

    Why was there a shortage in semiconductors?

    • The trigger point was the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns across the world that forced chip-making facilities to shut in countries like Japan, South Korea, China and the US.
    • A key feature in a chip shortage is that it almost always causes cascading effects, given that the first one creates pent-up demand that becomes the cause for the follow-up famine.

    How is the Russia-Ukraine crisis protracting this shortage?

    • Palladium and neon are two resources that are key to the production of semiconductor chips.
    • Russia supplies over 40 per cent of world’s palladium and Ukraine produces 70 per cent of neon.

    How long will the semiconductor shortage last?

    • The answer to that question is a function of two variables:
    1. Existing stockpiles of these raw materials with chip manufacturers
    2. Time for which the crisis in Ukraine prevails
    • If a deal is not brokered in the coming months, expect the chip shortage to get worse and for industries highly dependent on them to be similarly affected.
    • This means significant risks are ahead for many automakers, electronic device manufacturers, phone makers, and many other sectors that are increasingly reliant on chips for their products to work.

     

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  • Prelims Spotlight: Important Seas and Mountain Ranges of the World

    Dear Aspirants,

    This Spotlight is a part of our Mission Nikaalo Prelims-2022.

    You can check the broad timetable of Nikaalo Prelims here

    Session Details

    Morning 12 PM  – Prelims Spotlight Session

    Evening 06:30  PM  – TIKDAM/MCQs Session

    Evening 08 PM  – Tests on Alternate Days

    Join our Official telegram channel for Study material and Daily Sessions Here

    23rd Mar 2022

    Tasman Sea

    The Tasman Sea is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) across and about 2,800 kilometres (1,700 mi) from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, who was the first recorded European to encounter New Zealand and Tasmania. The British explorer Captain James Cook later extensively navigated the Tasman Sea in the 1770s as part of his first voyage of exploration.

    Persian Gulf

    This inland sea of some 251,000 square kilometres (96,912 sq mi) is connected to the Gulf of Oman in the east by the Strait of Hormuz; and its western end is marked by the major river delta of the Shatt al-Arab, which carries the waters of the Euphrates and the Tigris. Its length is 989 kilometres (615 miles), with Iran covering most of the northern coast and Saudi Arabia most of the southern coast. The Persian Gulf is about 56 km (35 mi) wide at its narrowest, in the Strait of Hormuz. The waters are overall very shallow, with a maximum depth of 90 metres (295 feet) and an average depth of 50 metres (164 feet).

    Countries with a coastline on the Persian Gulf are (clockwise, from the north): Iran; Oman’s exclave Musandam; the United Arab Emirates; Saudi Arabia; Qatar, on a peninsula off the Saudi coast; Bahrain, on an island; Kuwait; and Iraq in the northwest. Various small islands also lie within the Persian Gulf, some of which are the subject of territorial disputes between the states of the region.

    Mediterranean Sea
    The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant. The sea is sometimes considered a part of the Atlantic Ocean, although it is usually identified as a separate body of water.

    The countries with coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea are

    1. Albania
    2. Algeria
    3. Bosnia and Herzegovina
    4. Croatia
    5. Cyprus
    6. Egypt
    7. France
    8. Greece
    9. Israel
    10. Italy
    11. Lebanon
    12. Libya
    13. Malta
    14. Morocco
    15. Monaco
    16. Montenegro
    17. Slovenia
    18. Spain
    19. Syria
    20. Tunisia
    21. Tukey

    In addition, the Gaza Strip (“Palestine” has been associated with the geographical area that currently covers the State of Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip) and the British Overseas Territories of Gibraltar and Akrotiri and Dhekelia have coastlines on the sea.

    Black Sea

    The Black Sea is a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean. It has an area of 436,400 km2 (168,500 sq mi) (not including the Sea of Azov). The roughly oval-shaped Black Sea occupies a large basin strategically situated at the southeastern extremity of Europe but connected to the distant waters of the Atlantic Ocean by the Bosporus (which emerges from the sea’s southwestern corner), the Sea of Marmara, the Dardanelles, the Aegean Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea.

    Countries bordering the Black Sea are-

    1. Ukraine
    2. Russia
    3. Georgia
    4. Turkey
    5. Bulgaria
    6. Romania

     

    Caspian Sea

    The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed inland body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world’s largest lake or a full-fledged sea. It is in an endorheic basin (a basin without outflows) located between Europe and Asia.

    The Caspian Sea is bordered on the northwest by Russia, on the northeast by Kazakhstan, on the west by Azerbaijan, on the southeast by Turkmenistan, and on the south by Iran. It is classified as both a sea and a lake, and it is the largest enclosed inland body of water in the world.

    1. Azerbaijan
    2. Iran
    3. Kazakhstan
    4. Russia
    5. Turkmenistan

     

    Red Sea

    The Red Sea (also the Erythraean Sea) is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. To the north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez (leading to the Suez Canal). The sea is underlain by the Red Sea Rift which is part of the Great Rift Valley.

    The salinity of the Red Sea is greater than the world average, approximately 4 percent. This is due to several factors:

    • Lack of significant rivers or streams draining into the sea.
    • Limited connection with the Indian Ocean, which has lower water salinity.
    • High rate of evaporation and very little precipitation.

    The six countries bordering the Red Sea proper are:

     

    Eastern shore:

    • Saudi Arabia
    • Yemen
    • Western shore:
      • Egypt
      • Sudan
      • Eritrea
      • Djibouti

    Aral Sea

    The Aral Sea was an endorheic lake lying between Kazakhstan (Aktobe and Kyzylorda Regions) in the north and Uzbekistan (Karakalpakstan autonomous region) in the south. The name roughly translates as “Sea of Islands”, referring to over 1,100 islands that once dotted its waters; in the Turkic languages aral means “island, archipelago”.

     

    South China Sea

    The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Karimata and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around 3,500,000 square kilometres (1,400,000 sq mi). The area’s importance largely results from one-third of the world’s shipping sailing through its waters and that it is believed to hold huge oil and gas reserves beneath its seabed.

    It is located

    • south of China;
    • east of Vietnam and Cambodia;
    • northwest of the Philippines;
    • east of the Malay peninsula and Sumatra, up to the Strait of Malacca in the western, and
    • north of the Bangka–Belitung Islands and Borneo

    Ross sea

    The Ross Sea is a deep bay of the Southern Ocean in Antarctica, between Victoria Land and Marie Byrd Land. It derives its name from the British explorer James Ross who visited this area in 1841. To the west of the sea lies Ross Island and to the east Roosevelt Island, while the southernmost part is covered by the Ross Ice Shelf, and is about 200 miles (320 km) from the South Pole.

    Weddel sea

    The Weddell Sea is part of the Southern Ocean and contains the Weddell Gyre. Its land boundaries are defined by the bay formed from the coasts of Coats Land and the Antarctic Peninsula. The easternmost point is Cape Norvegia at Princess Martha Coast, Queen Maud Land. To the east of Cape Norvegia is the King Haakon VII Sea. Much of the southern part of the sea is covered by a permanent, massive ice shelf field, the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf .
    The sea is named after the Scottish sailor James Weddell, who entered the sea in 1823 and originally named it after King George IV; it was renamed in Weddell’s honour in 1900.

     

    Mountain Ranges

    Sr. No. Mountain Range Important/Highest Peaks Location Description
    1 Rocky Mountains Mt. Elbert (highest peak in the Rockies) North America It is one of the longest fold mountains in the world and extends from Canada to Western US (New Mexico State)
    2 Appalachian Mountains Mt. Mitchell, North Carolina, US (highest peak of Appalachian Mountains) North America It is a fold mountain with rich in mineral resources
    3 Alps Mont Blanc (French –Italian border) Europe It is a folded mountain and source for rivers like Danube, Rhine, etc.
    4 Sierra Nevada Mt. Whitney California, USA Habitat for many Red Indian tribes
    5 Alaska Range Mt. McKinley North America Mt. McKinley highest peak in North America
    6 Altai Mountains Belukha mountain Central Asia Young folded mountain which extends from Kazakhstan to northern China.
    7 Andes Mountains Mt. Aconcagua South America Longest mountain chain in the world
    8 Atlas Mountains Mt. Toubkal Northwestern Africa Young fold mountain spreading over Morocco and Tunisia.
    9 Drakensberg Mountains Mt. Lesotho South Africa Young folded mountain
    10. Caucasus Mountain Mt. Elbrus Europe Located between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea
    11. Ural Mountains Mt. Narodnaya Russia This mountain range act as a boundary between Europe and Asia.
    12. Hindukush Mountains Mt. Trich Mir Pakistan and Afghanistan Folded mountain with rugged topography which makes it difficult for transportation.
    13. Himalayas Mt. Everest Asia Young fold mountains in Asia which separates Indian sub-continent from Asian plains
    14. Arakan Yoma Mt. Kennedy peak Myanmar It extends from north to south direction. Shifting cultivation is practised.
    15. Kunlun Mountains Mt. Muztag North of Tibetan plateau and western China It is one of the young folded mountains.
    16. Vosges Mt. Grand Ballon Eastern France, Europe Famous for the cultivation of grapes and manufacture of wines.
    17. Great Dividing Range Mt. Kosciuszko Australia This range is the source for the rivers Darling and Murray.

    Mountains-in-the-world

  • How is the President of India Elected?

    The presidential polls are expected to be held in July to decide on the successor of President Ram Nath Kovind, who will complete his term on July 24, 2022.

    The President of India

    • The President of India is recognised as the first citizen of the country and the head of the state.
    • The elected President of India is a part of the Union Executive along with several other members of the parliament including the Prime Minister, Attorney-General of India and the Vice – president.

    Electing the President

    • The provisions of the election of the President are laid down in Article 54 of the Constitution of India.
    • The Presidential and Vice-Presidential Election Act 1952 led to the establishment of this Constitutional provision.

    Qualifications to become the President of India

    The qualification of be the President of India are given below:

    • He/ She must be an Indian citizen
    • A person must have completed the age of 35.
    • A person must be qualified for election as a member of the House of the People.
    • Must not hold a government (central or state) office of profit
    • A person is eligible for election as President if he/she is holding the office of President or Vice-President.

    Actual course of election

    • The President of India is elected indirectly by an Electoral College following the system of proportional representation utilizing a single transferable vote system and secret ballots.
    • MPs and MLAs vote based on parity and uniformity values.

    Electoral College composition-

    (1) Legislative Assemblies of the States:

    • According to the provision of Article 333, every state’s Legislative Assembly must consist of not less than 60 members but not more than 500 members.

    (2) Council of States:

    • 12 members are nominated by the President of India based on skills or knowledge in literature, arts, science, and social service to act as the members of the Council of States.
    • In total, 238 represent act as representatives from both the States and Union Territories.

    (2) House of the People:

    • The composition of the House of People consists of 530 members (no exceeding) from the state territorial constituencies.
    • They are elected through direct election.
    • The President further elects 20 more members (no exceeding) from the Union Territories.

    Uniformity in the scale of representation of states

    To maintain the proportionality between the values of the votes, the following formula is used:

    Value of vote of an MLA= total no. of the population of the particular state/ number of elected MLAs of that state divided by 1000.

    Single vote system

    • During the presidential election, one voter can cast only one vote.
    • While the MLAs vote may vary state to state, the MPs vote always remain constant.

    MPs and MLAs vote balance

    • The number of the total value of the MPs votes must equal the total value of the MLAs to maintain the State and the Union balance.

    Quotas:

    • The candidate reaching the winning quota or exceeding it is the winner.
    • The formula sued is ‘Winning quota total number of poll/ no.of seats + 1’.

    Voters’ preference:

    • During the presidential election, the voter casts his vote in favor of his first preferred candidate.
    • However, in case the first preference candidate does not touch the winning quota, the vote automatically goes to the second preference.
    • The first preferred candidate with the lowest vote is eliminated and the votes in his/her favor are transferred to the remaining candidates.

    Why need Proportional representation?

    • The President of India is elected through proportional representation using the means of the single transferable vote (Article 55(3)).
    • It allows the independent candidates and minority parties to have the chance of representation.
    • It allows the practice of coalition with many voters under one government.
    • This system ensures that candidates who are elected don’t represent the majority of the electorate’s opinion.

    Why is President indirectly elected?

    If Presidents were to be elected directly, it would become very complicated.

    • It would, in fact, be a disaster because the public doesn’t have the absolute clarity of how the president-ship runs or if the candidate fits the profile of a president.
    • Another reason why the direct election system isn’t favorable is that the candidate running for the president’s profile will have to campaign around the country with the aid of a political party.
    • And, this will result in a massive political instability.
    • Moreover, it would be difficult and impossible for the government to hand out election machinery (given the vast population of India).
    • This will cost the government financially, and may end up affecting the economy as well.
    • The indirect election system is a respectable system for the First Man of India (rightly deserving).
    • The system/method of indirect electing of the president also allows the states to maintain neutrality and minimize hostility.

     

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  • National Land Monetisation Corporation (NLMC)

    The Union Cabinet has approved the creation of the National Land Monetisation Corporation (NLMC), the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) announced in the Union Budget 2021-22 to carry out monetisation of government and surplus land holdings of public sector undertakings (PSU).

     What is the NLMC?

    • The NLMC will be a firm, fully owned by the government, to carry out the monetisation of government and public sector assets in the form of surplus, unused or underused land assets.
    • It will fall under the administrative jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance and will be set up with an initial authorised share capital of ₹5,000 crore and a paid-up capital of ₹150 crore.
    • Apart from monetising underutilised or unused land parcels of Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs), the Corporation will also facilitate the monetisation of assets belonging to PSUs that have ceased operations or are in line for a strategic disinvestment.
    • The surplus land and building assets of such enterprises are expected to be transferred to the NLMC, which will then hold, manage and monetise them.

    What will it do?

    • The setting of the NLMC will speed up the closure process of the CPSEs and smoothen the strategic disinvestment process.
    • It will also enable productive utilisation of these under-utilised assets by setting in motion private sector investments.
    • It will boost new economic activities such as industrialisation, boosting the local economy by generating employment and generating financial resources for potential economic and social infrastructure.
    • Besides managing and monetising, the NLMC will act as an advisory body and support other government entities and CPSEs in identifying their surplus non-core assets.
    • It will help monetising them in an efficient and professional manner, maximising the scope of value realisation.

    What does monetization mean?

    • When the government monetises its assets, it essentially means that it is transferring the revenue rights of the asset (could be idle land, infrastructure, PSU) to a private player for a specified period of time.
    • In such a transaction, the government gets in return an upfront payment from the private entity, regular share of the revenue generated from the asset, a promise of steady investment into the asset, and the title rights to the monetised asset.
    • There are multiple ways to monetise government assets; in the case of land monetisation of certain spaces like offices, it can be done through a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT).

    What are REITs?

    Ans: REITs a company that owns and operates a land asset and sometimes, funds income-producing real estate. Assets of the government can also be monetised through the Public Private Partnerships (PPP) model.

    Why need monetization?

    • There are different reasons why the government monetises its assets.
    • One of them is to create new sources of revenue.
    • The economy has already been hit due to the coronavirus pandemic and revenues are essential to fulfil the Modi government’s target of achieving a $5 trillion economy.
    • Monetisation is also done to unlock the potential of unused or underused assets by involving institutional investors or private players.
    • Thirdly, it is also done to generate resources or capital for future asset creation, such as using the money generated from monetisation to create new infrastructure projects.

    How will the NLMC function?

    • The firm will hire professionals from the private sector with a merit based approach, similar to other specialised government companies like the National investment and infrastructure Fund (NIIF) and Invest India.
    • This is because asset monetisation of real estate requires expertise in valuation of property, market research, investment banking, land management, legal diligence and other related skill sets.
    • The NLMC will undertake monetisation as an agency function and is expected to act as a directory of best practices in land monetisation.

    How much land is currently available for monetisation?

    • According to the Economic Survey 2021-2022, as of now, CPSEs have put nearly 3,400 acres of land on the table for potential monetisation.
    • They have referred this land to the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM).
    • As per the survey, monetisation of non-core assets of PSUs such as MTNL, BSNL, BPCL, B&R, BEML, HMT Ltd, Instrumentation Ltd etc are at different stages.

    What are the possible challenges for NLMC?

    (a) Volatile market situation

    • The performance and productivity of the NLMC will also depend on the government’s performance on its disinvestment targets.
    • In FY 2021-22, the government has hardly been able to raise expected amounts through various forms of disinvestment.
    • For example, the Life Insurance Corporation IPO, which was supposed to raise ₹60,000 crore is now shrouded in uncertainty owing to the Russia-Ukraine crisis making stock markets volatile.
    • If the IPO does not hit the markets by the end of March, the government would be missing its disinvestment targets by a wide margin.

    (b) Issues with transfer of rights

    • The process of asset monetisation does not end when the government transfers revenue rights to private players.
    • Identifying profitable revenue streams for the monetised land assets, ensuring adequate investment by the private player and setting up a dispute-resolution mechanism are also important tasks.

    (c) Unattractiveness of PPP Model

    • Posing as another potential challenge would be the use of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) as a monetisation model.
    • For instance, the results of the Centre’s PPP initiative launched in 2020 for the Railways were not encouraging.
    • It had invited private parties to run 150 trains of the Indian Railways but when bids were thrown open, nine clusters of trains saw no bidders.

     

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  • Virtual Digital Assets

    The government has clarified that investors won’t be allowed to offset losses in one crypto asset against gains in another, and that crypto mining infrastructure costs will not be included in the cost of acquisition to be claimed as a deduction.

    How are crypto investments taxed?

    • The Union Budget 2022-23 in February proposed that gains from virtual digital assets or crypto assets would be taxed at 30% irrespective of the individual’s income tax slab.
    • In addition, a 1% tax deducted at source or TDS was introduced on the transfer of such assets.
    • The government did not say if crypto assets are to be treated as currency, commodity, or security, and a clarification is expected in due course via separate legislation.
    • Gifting of crypto assets to non-relatives is also taxed in the hands of the recipient if the value exceeds ₹50,000 in a year.

    How does crypto tax differ from others?

    • If listed shares are sold within 12 months of purchase, short-term capital gains (STCG) tax is applied on the gains, while beyond one year, long-term capital gains (LTCG) tax is levied.
    • STCG is levied at 15.6%, including cess, while LTCG for gains over ₹1 lakh is 10.4%, including cess.
    • There is no provision of long-term or short-term crypto assets, while gains are taxed at a flat rate of 30%.
    • Investors in equities can offset the loss in one stock against another, while they can carry forward both short-term and long-term loss for eight assessment years.
    • This has not been allowed in crypto.

    How will crypto tax impact investors?

    • In a fiscal year, if an investor had made gains in bitcoin and losses in ether, he or she will have to pay tax at 30% on gains in bitcoin.
    • Further, the absence of loss set-off provision would cause a double whammy —paying taxes on gains and no offset of losses.
    • Tax experts believe that in certain cases, the effective rate of taxation can even cross 100% on crypto investments.

    How will miners be affected?

    • The government has clarified that mining infrastructure will also not be eligible to be deducted as the cost of acquisition.
    • So far, it was understood by some that crypto generated during the ‘mining’ process is taxable only on the profits, after accounting for mining expenses such as electricity.
    • But with the latest explanation, a 30% tax plus cess and surcharges will be levied on such transactions.
    • Experts believe that crypto mining operations would become non-profitable under the current announcement.

    Will crypto tax trigger an investor exodus?

    • The crypto industry has been unequivocal in criticizing the tax proposals.
    • Thanks to the tearing rally in crypto assets over the past two years, it is estimated by some that more than 20 million Indian investors have poured more than ₹1 trillion into cryptos.
    • However, the industry leaders fear that the lack of provision to offset losses will drive away users from KYC-compliant exchanges and platforms to the underground peer-to-peer grey market, which would defeat the purpose of regulation.

     

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  • [Sansad TV] Perspective: Nuclear Angle of the Russia-Ukraine Conflict

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    Context

    • The battle between Russia and Ukraine continues for the 22nd day after Russia launched its offensive against its neighbor.
    • Russia has put its nuclear forces on alert, calling it a special regime of combat duty; these include the Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) that have a range of 5,000 plus and are designed to use nuclear weapons.
    • While the Russian announcement might just be a deterrent as such weapons always maintain a high-level of readiness, the mention of the word ‘nuclear’ cannot be ignored.

    This article analyses all aspects of this conflict including the nuclear angle.

    Russia-Ukraine Conflict: A quick recap

    • The Russian premier said the Russian military action aims to ensure a “demilitarization and denazification” of Ukraine.
    • At the core of the current Ukraine crisis is Russia’s disapproval of the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization – NATO in its neighbourhood.
    • Russia feels threatened by the rapid expansion of NATO since the late 1990s in the region.
    • NATO and the former USSR were engaged in what was called the Cold War for about 45 years in the game of geostrategic one-upmanship.

    Will there be a nuclear war?

    • Neither country would deliberately launch a “bolt-out-of-the-blue” nuclear attack. 
    • The crisis has now become a war of endurance.
    • At all times, Russia and the US are assumed to keep their land-based and submarine-based nuclear missiles in high readiness.
    • While they carefully select which instruments of coercion to use, they have both established “integrated deterrence” doctrines during the last decade.

    Nuclear capability of Russia

    • Russia has the world’s largest nuclear arsenal, with over 6,000 warheads.
    • Most of those warheads were in reserve when Russia invaded Ukraine, with just roughly 1,600 deployed as land, sea, and air-based weapons, such as missiles in silos or bombs dropped by planes.
    • Nuclear weapons were left on Ukrainian land when the USSR came apart at the conclusion of the Cold War, but Ukraine returned them to Russia.

    US and the Nuclear Umbrella

    • Without recognizing America’s role as a nuclear umbrella, the European countries cannot avert a nuclear attack with military means.
    • The “umbrella” is based on the assumption that the adversaries of NATO will refrain from using nuclear weapons because of the fear of a counterattack.
    • There lies a distinct psychology of deterrence with NATO’s nuclear powers.
    • However, the US President is the first to decide on the use of the US nuclear weapons stored in Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.

    What is the Deterrence Theory?

    • A nuclear deterrent acts as a reminder of the consequences a country can face if they choose to attack another country or state.
    • The ideology dates back to the Cold War and was used to prevent any nuclear aggression.
    • As the US and then-Soviet Union each raced toward the creation and building of nuclear weapons, the US adopted a strategy of nuclear deterrence
    • The concept of nuclear deterrence follows the rationale of the ‘first user’ principle.
    • States reserve the right to use nuclear weapons in self-defense against an armed attack threatening their vital security interests.

    Is Nuclear War eminent?

    • In the light of legality, the use of any nuclear weapon, considering the massive impact it has on civilians, infringes international humanitarian law.
    • Already there is a mass migration of people from Ukraine to Poland and some are seeking shelter in Hungary, Romania, Moldova and Slovakia.
    • A prominent nuclear threat would add to the humanitarian crisis.
    • However, threats of nuclear use impose intimidatory tactics on the sovereignty of a country.

    Issues with Nuclear War

    • Catastrophic destruction: Nuclear weapons wreak devastation and have long-term radiation effects that affect future generations.
    • Environmental degradation: The radioactive fallout from nuclear processes is detrimental to environment and affects nations across borders.
    • Humanitarian Crisis: The very nature of destruction emanating from the use of nuclear weapons is against the very spirit of humanity. 
    • Ethical Crisis: Nuclear weapons do not discriminate between armed personals and civilians. Unleashing nuclear weapons will lead to large scale loss of innocent lives and non-combatants.
    • Huge Proliferation risk: Proliferation is the risk that states that have nuclear weapons increase their weapon stockpiles or that new states become nuclear-armed to match their enemies.
    • Nuclear Terrorism: Large stockpiles of nuclear weapons can be misused by terrorists or some rouge elements to compel the governments to give in to their demands.
    • Domino effect resulting in Proxy Wars: There is a possibility that during times of escalating bilateral disputes, some country may use military operations covertly. Ex. Pakistan.
    India’s No First Use Doctrine

    Minimum Credible Deterrence: Building and maintaining credible minimum deterrence.

    No First use: Nuclear weapons will only be used in retaliation against a nuclear attack on Indian territory or on Indian forces anywhere.

    Non-use against non-nuclear states: Non-use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states. However, in the event of a major attack against India, or Indian forces anywhere, by biological or chemical weapons, India will retain the option of retaliating with nuclear weapons.

    Massive Retaliation: Nuclear retaliation to a first strike will be massive and designed to inflict unacceptable damage.

    Nuclear Command Authority: Nuclear retaliatory attacks can only be authorized by the civilian political leadership through the Nuclear Command Authority.


    Challenges posed to India

    • Declining empathy for Russia: Keeping the prominence of the ongoing crisis intact, there is an emerging trend of Russia losing grounds of empathy and friendship from the international communities.
    • Neutrality put to question: As a result, it creates a massive dilemma for Russia’s old friends like India to retain its neutrality when the majority of the world is unidirectional (against Russia) at this moment.
    • Peer pressure on rise: India has age-old friendship with Russia. It is in true sense India’s all weather and time-tested friend.

    India’s general position on nukes

    • Complete Disarmament:  India has always been an ardent supporter of multilateral nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation efforts.
    • Phased elimination: In 1996, India, one amongst the “Group of 21”, submitted a Programme of Action calling for “phased elimination of nuclear weapons” to the Conference of Disarmament.
    • Non-discriminatory elimination: India reiterated its commitment to a Nuclear Weapons Convention calling for a verifiable and non-discriminatory elimination of all nuclear weapons.

    Way Forward

    • The entire world is at the confluence of confusion and complexities and an anticipation of the severity of the nuclear threat from Russia.
    • Nuclear weapons – for as long as they continue to exist – should serve defensive purposes, deter aggression, and prevent war.
    • Since Russian concerns are genuine, it needs to create a security environment more conducive to progress on dialogue and diplomacy.
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    After beating lakhs of aspirants to be among the top two thousand UPSC candidiates, you might think the final round would be a breezer and requires no prior preparation. For someone who has prepared current affairs intensively for a year, they feel that they can answer the questions in the interview rounds impromptu.

    However, let’s not forget that though the amount of competition decreases substantially in the interview round so much that you have 50% chances of clearing it, the quality of competition increases. You are set up against those aspirants whose average score in Mains is between 900-1000 marks. Most of the candidates fall in this marks bracket. The only way you can create a difference, is by performing exceeding well in the interview.

    To understand how seriously Civilsdaily conducts its UPSC mock interviews, watch this video.

    Why Mock Interviews Are a Better Way to Practice Than By Yourself or With Your Friends?

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    So, how can you practice for Interview round before you attend it? Does it have to be with friends or in front of the mirror? Remember, the most effective option is the one where you are simulating an actual UPSC interview enviornment. .

    Casual DAF-II filling can cost you a UPSC attempt and thus, you must start your preparation with DAF II curation. The aspirants who have cleared UPSC Mains 2021 can register for our interview support program without any fee (FREE).

    The purpose of mock interviews is to refine your approach, attitude and aptitude to excel in UPSC’s personality test. Mock interviews must support your quest at excelling in the final interview. You must be ready to tackle unexpected questions with your knowledge. You must have a solid opinion backed by data and facts for any issue.

    That’s why Civilsdaily has brought the free mock interview initiative for all Mains-Qualified aspirants. You can practice as many times you would like before you are perfect. If you want to analyse your performance, we will share the video for your reference.

    Here Are the Distinguished Panellists of Civilsdaily Mock Interview 2022

    One of the major advantages of attending the free mock interviews of Civilsdaily is that you will gain exposure to some of the finest bureaucrats retired as well as working, subject matter experts, psychoanalysts and faculty members. Our panellists have direct experience in recruitment and personality analysis.

    CHECK OUT HOW WE DID DAF ANALYSIS FOR UPSC 2020 AIR 16 TOPPER, ARTH JAIN

    1. Mr. Shankar Agarwal (Chairman)– Retired IAS Officer, 1980 Batch, Uttar Pradesh Cadre. Last held position: Joint Secretary for the Government of India.

    2. Dr. SD Singh – Retired IFoS Officer, 1984 Batch, Uttarkhand Cadre

    3. Mr. Virendra Pratap Singh – Serving IRPS Officer of 2008 Batch, IIT Kharagpur Alumni

    4. Dr. Kulbir Singh – Retired Indian Postal Service Officer, 1981 Batch

    5. Mr. Amin Usta – Professor at Jamia Milia Islamia University.

    6. Mr. Noor Mohammed – Electoral Management Expert at Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM)

    What Will You Learn From the Eminent Panellists?

    1. Understand interviewer’s psychology.

    2. Improve your answering style and body language.

    3. Current Affairs update by experts.

    4. Boost your social quotient and emotional quotient.

    5. A video recorded session for critical self-assessment.

    6. Personal discussion with experts after UPSC Interview Guidance Programme for a critical assessment of his/her performance.

    7. Scientific evaluation of strengths and weaknesses of the candidate by experts.

    8. Individual DAF analysis and summary of UPSC interview questions.

    9. Overall balanced feedback by experts on how one can ace the questions asked in UPSC Interview.

    For more details, Contact Pravin, Mentor Head of Civilsdaily.

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  • Deepening investments in Australia-India strategic, economic, and community ties

    Context

    On March 21, Prime Ministers of India and Australia held their Virtual Summit and took stock of the pace of implementing the Australia-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

    India-Australia relations

    • Since we elevated our relationship in 2020, we have advanced practical actions on cyber and critical technologies, maritime affairs, defence ties, economic and business links and Quadrilateral cooperation.
    • The two Prime Ministers announced a range of tangible and practical initiatives spanning the breadth of our shared economic, strategic, and regional interests.

    Areas of cooperation

    • Energy partnership: Both countries are working on a new and renewable energy partnership, to support the development of technologies such as green hydrogen and ultra-low cost solar.
    • We are also supporting research and investment to unlock Australian critical minerals for Indian advanced manufacturing.
    • We will boost collaboration on innovation, science and entrepreneurship, to scale up ideas that address global challenges.
    • Space sector: We are also increasing investments into our countries’ rapidly growing space sectors.
    • We are establishing the Australia-India Centre of Excellence for Critical and Emerging Technology Policy — and a Consulate-General — in Bengaluru.
    • Australians value highly the Indian diaspora and student contributions to its community — whether economic, social, or cultural.
    • Australia and India are also working to ensure a peaceful and stable region.
    • Both countries are committed to a free and open Indo-Pacific.
    • In our defence relationship, there is an enhancement in information sharing and operational cooperation.
    • Such arrangements also help continue delivering quality humanitarian support to the region, seen recently when India helped Australia’s Pacific family, Tonga and Kiribati.

    Conclusion

    These investments in strategic, economic, and community ties show what we can achieve when two multicultural democracies join in a spirit of trust and understanding.

    UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

  • Russia’s offer of cheaper oil is tempting, but India must be cautious

    Context

    With oil above $100, the government now has to spend twice as much to import oil as it did earlier. Russia has offered to sell oil at lower prices to India. It is a hard temptation for India to resist. But one that comes with profound and long-lasting consequences.

    Issues in buying oil from Russia

    1] Impact on India’s export due to threat of the secondary sanction by the US

    • The demise of the Soviet Union made it easier for India to abandon the Soviet-influenced ideology of a planned economy and veer towards the American version of a market economy.
    • Now, in the reverse ideological direction, Russia’s offer of cheaper oil has hidden and direct costs that India will have to deliberate upon.
    • Whenever global crude oil prices have risen above $100 in the past, India was able to cushion that shock primarily through growth in exports.
    • When oil prices were similarly high, exports rose to nearly 25 per cent of nominal GDP, which helped India withstand the shock.
    • However, exports now have fallen dramatically to 18 per cent of GDP, which must be revived.
    • The US is India’s biggest export market.
    • The US has already cautioned India about abetting Russia by buying Russian oil.
    • It remains to be seen if the US will impose secondary sanctions against India for buying discounted Russian oil, but that threat looms large.

    2] Cascading de-dollarisation

    • With US sanctions against Russia, it will insist on payment in rubles.
    • If India is forced to accept trading in rubles with Russia, then it is very likely that China, which is India’s second-largest trading partner, may also insist on payments in Chinese yuan.
    • Saudi Arabia may also insist on trading in a currency other than the US dollar.
    • This cascading “de-dollarisation” phenomenon will further irk and antagonise the US, since it weakens the dollar’s status as the world’s reserve currency.
    • If India is forced to purchase Russian oil in rubles and potentially trade in yuan with China and others, it can catapult India into the centre of a geo-economic war that it can ill afford.

    Opportunity for India

    • The Russia-Ukraine conflict can be an opportunity for India to step up and capture global market share in goods and services.
    • There is already talk of India capitalising on wheat exports, albeit a tiny share of India’s overall exports, as a fallout of global sanctions against Russian wheat.

    Conclusion

    Exports remain India’s biggest hope for a long-term sustainable economic recovery with ample job creation. India cannot risk being isolated in future global trade for near-term discounted oil deals with Russia.

    UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

  • Unable to Score Geography Questions Correctly in your Prelims Mock Test Series? || Then, Attend This Free Live Webinar By CD Mentor Purnima Ma’am|| How to Change Your Preparation Approach for Geography in the Last 60 Days?|| Limited Slots Available, Register Now

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    Aspirants who generally have no problem with subjects like History, Polity, Art and Culture and Current Affairs, falter when it comes to Geography. This is because, Geography is a technical subject and one gets confused on what to read and what to give a miss.

    It’s quite amusing but the reality is that there are more facts you might have to remember for geography than, maybe history or polity. This could range from water-bodies, ports, straits, important physical features, natural resources etc.

    Barring a year or two, the number of geography questions that appeared in prelims have averaged in the range of 12-25. Scoring well in this area is important for those who are in the 80-90s range in their test series.

    Geography Questions in UPSC Prelims [2013-2021] | Download Solution PDFs

    Free Open to All, Webinar by CD Geography Mentor Purnima Ma’am

    REGISTER FOR PRELIMS FREE LIVE WEBINAR BY PURNIMA MA’AM

    We understood the UPSC aspirants need of preparing for Geography in a less time consuming manner while understanding the relevant information for the exam.

    That’s why on Thursday we are coming up with a free live webinar by Purnima Ma’am who will give all aspirants the right guidance on how to study for this subject for Prelims 2022. The webinar will be truly focused on Geography for Prelims 2022. By the end of the webinar, students will gain confidence and interest to open their atlas and textbooks and study the subject all over again.

    Purnima Ma’am has completed BA in Geography from Miranda House and MA in Geography from Jawaharlal Nehru University. She is currently pursuing PhD in Geography on Net-JRF scholarship.

    What Will You Learn From This Free Live Webinar?

    1. Which NCERT books to cover? Purnima Ma’am will explain the chapters to read for Geography prelims in NCERT 6-12th books.

    2. Topic wise importance for UPSC Prelims 2022. From Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Fundamentals of Human Geography, India, People and Economy.

    3. What are the online sources to refer for topics not covered in NCERT? Purnima Ma’am will highlight the specific and limited literature which is available online for free.

    4. Live demonstration of Previous Year Question Papers. The direct questions that from NCERT textbooks from Prelims 2016-2021.

    5. How to do weekly revision for maps? Everything from straits, ports, geographic location that will be covered.

    6. Current affair topics of 5 years for Indian and World Geography. How to do a final revision on these topics?

    7. How to allocate time for Geography Revision on a daily basis if that’s the reason you are scoring less?

    8. Certain Mnemonics to remember important facts in Geography. Popular memory techniques used by toppers to ace Geography.

    upsc aspirant preparation moments | Geography lessons, Social studies worksheets, General knowledge book

    Webinar Details

    Start from where you are, use what you have and still score well in Geography prelims for UPSC-CSE 2022! Clear your doubts with Purnima Ma’am in the upcoming session.

    Date: 24th March, 2022

    Time: 7 PM

    REGISTER FOR PRELIMS FREE LIVE WEBINAR BY PURNIMA MA’AM

  • 22nd March 2022| Daily Answer Writing Enhancement(AWE)

    Topics for Today’s questions:

    GS-1        Distribution of key natural resources across the world (including South Asia and the Indian sub-continent); factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world (including India)

    GS-2        International Relations

    GS-3        Indian Economy, Impact of Liberalization, Industrial Growth

    GS-4      Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: Status and problems; ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions; laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance; accountability and ethical governance

    Question 1)

     

    Q.1 State the geographical and economic importance of Hindukush-Himalayan region. How are the critical geographical features of this region changing and what possible consequences will it have? (15 Marks)

     

    Question 2)

    Q.2 Investments in our strategic, economic, and community ties show what we can achieve when two multicultural democracies join in a spirit of trust and understanding. In the context of this, discuss the factors that are making India-Australia relations stronger than ever and the potential for them to extend the cooperation in various areas. (10 Marks)

    Question 3)

    Q.3 What is a real effective exchange rate (REER)? What are the biases involved in REER? (10 Marks)

    Question 4)  

    Q.4 Discuss how effective corporate governance can ensure the equitable treatment of all stakeholders. (10 Marks)

     

    HOW TO ATTEMPT ANSWERS IN DAILY ANSWER WRITING ENHANCEMENT(AWE)?

    1. Daily 4 questions from General studies 1, 2, 3, and 4 will be provided to you.

    2. A Mentor’s Comment will be available for all answers. This can be used as a guidance tool but we encourage you to write original answers.

    3. You can write your answer on an A4 sheet and scan/click pictures of the same.

    4.  Upload the scanned answer in the comment section of the same question.

    5. Along with the scanned answer, please share your Razor payment ID, so that paid members are given priority.

    6. If you upload the answer on the same day like the answer of 11th  February is uploaded on 11th February then your answer will be checked within 72 hours. Also, reviews will be in the order of submission- First come first serve basis

    7. If you are writing answers late, for example, 11th February is uploaded on 13th February , then these answers will be evaluated as per the mentor’s schedule.

    8. We encourage you to write answers on the same day. However, if you are uploading an answer late then tag the mentor like @Staff so that the mentor is notified about your answer.

    *In case your answer is not reviewed, reply to your answer saying *NOT CHECKED*. 

    1. For the philosophy of AWE and payment: 
    CLICK HERE To join Daily AWE

  • Q.4 Discuss how effective corporate governance can ensure the equitable treatment of all stakeholders. (10 Marks)

    Mentor’s Comments-

    • Briefly, write about corporate governance. Also, highlight the various stakeholders and their interests in a company.
    • Provide arguments to bring out the way effective corporate governance can ensure the equitable treatment of all stakeholders.
    • Conclude suitably.

  • Q.3 What is a real effective exchange rate (REER)? What are the biases involved in REER? (10 Marks)

    Mentor’s Comments-

  • Q.2 Investments in our strategic, economic, and community ties show what we can achieve when two multicultural democracies join in a spirit of trust and understanding. In the context of this, discuss the factors that are making India-Australia relations stronger than ever and the potential for them to extend the cooperation in various areas. (10 Marks)

    Mentor’s comment-

  • Q.1 State the geographical and economic importance of Hindukush-Himalayan region. How are the critical geographical features of this region changing and what possible consequences will it have? (15 Marks)

    Mentor’s Comments-

    • Give a brief overview of the Hindukush-Himalaya region.
    • Mention the geographical and economic importance of the region.
    • Discuss the changing geographical features of the region.
    • Mention its consequences.
    • Conclude with brief suggestions.

  • On South Asia, US must reorient itself

    Context

    On the external front, Russia’s Ukraine war and the Sino-Russian alliance are setting the stage for a reordering of South Asia’s great power relations.

    Opportunity for the US in South Asia

    • If it looks beyond the region’s immediate response to the war in Ukraine, Washington can seize the current opportunity to elevate the US’s salience for the Subcontinent in partnership with India.
    • The Indo-Pacific strategy offers new pathways for the US to limit the traditional economic and military weight of China and Russia in the Subcontinent.

    Three regional trends in South Asia

    1] Decline of Pakistan’s influence

    • In the wake of the missile accident, Islamabad moved to seek international intervention, including from the UN Secretary-General.
    • But there were few takers for this old South Asian formula, except in Beijing.
    • Underlining the peremptory dismissal of Islamabad’s concerns is a deeper trend — the relative decline of Pakistan’s international standing.
    • Since his election, US President Joe Biden has refused to call Imran Khan, who runs a “major non-NATO ally”; high-level visitors from Washington now skip Pakistan during South Asia visits.
    • Chinese and Russian official visitors are among the few to combine trips to Delhi and Islamabad.
    • Islamabad’s decline after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan is likely to accelerate amidst Pakistan’s deepening domestic political chaos.
    • With an economy that is smaller than that of Bangladesh and limited prospects for rapid growth in the coming years, Pakistan will find it hard to match its traditional claim for “strategic parity” with India.

    2] Declining interest in China’s Belt and Road Initiative in South Asia

    •  Just a couple of years ago, China’s commercial march into South Asia seemed unstoppable. Not any longer.
    • Troubles in Pakistan and Sri Lanka: Pakistan and Sri Lanka, which embraced the BRI with great gusto, are South Asia’s two worst-performing economies.
    • The deepening economic crises are compelling the elites of Pakistan and Sri Lanka to focus on non-Chinese financial sources to stabilise their economies.
    • Sri Lanka, which ostentatiously refused to accept $480 million developmental assistance from the US in 2020, is now desperately looking for hard currency support for its sinking economic fortunes.
    •  In Nepal, the dominant communists had made political opposition to US infrastructure assistance of $500 million as a life and death issue for a decade.
    • At the end of last month, Nepal’s parliament ratified the US loan that will facilitate Nepal’s infrastructure development and its economic integration with the Subcontinent.

    3] The growing possibilities for US security cooperation with the Subcontinent

    • During the Cold War, the US military engagement was limited to Pakistan.
    • In the 21st century, there has been a steady expansion of US defence cooperation with India.
    • The current focus on the Indo-Pacific is getting Washington to modernise the defence partnerships with the smaller countries of the region.
    • The Trump Administration discarded the traditional obsession with Pakistan and began to recognise the strategic significance of the smaller South Asian states for its Indo-Pacific strategy.
    • The visit of US Undersecretary of State to Bangladesh over the weekend saw progress towards signing the so-called GSOMIA (General Security of Military Information Agreement) that codifies the commitment to protect classified military information.

    Conclusion

    Reversing that must necessarily involve deeper security cooperation with the region and developing alternatives to military dependence on Beijing and Moscow. This is best done in partnership with Delhi.

    UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

  • Unable to Score Geography Questions Correctly in your Prelims Mock Test Series? || Then, Attend This Free Live Webinar By CD Mentor Purnima Ma’am|| How to Change Your Preparation Approach for Geography in the Last 60 Days?|| Limited Slots Available, Register Now

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    Aspirants who generally have no problem with subjects like History, Polity, Art and Culture and Current Affairs, falter when it comes to Geography. This is because, Geography is a technical subject and one gets confused on what to read and what to give a miss.

    It’s quite amusing but the reality is that there are more facts you might have to remember for geography than, maybe history or polity. This could range from water-bodies, ports, straits, important physical features, natural resources etc.

    Barring a year or two, the number of geography questions that appeared in prelims have averaged in the range of 12-25. Scoring well in this area is important for those who are in the 80-90s range in their test series.

    Geography Questions in UPSC Prelims [2013-2021] | Download Solution PDFs

    Free Open to All, Webinar by CD Geography Mentor Purnima Ma’am

    REGISTER FOR PRELIMS FREE LIVE WEBINAR BY PURNIMA MA’AM

    We understood the UPSC aspirants need of preparing for Geography in a less time consuming manner while understanding the relevant information for the exam.

    That’s why on Thursday we are coming up with a free live webinar by Purnima Ma’am who will give all aspirants the right guidance on how to study for this subject for Prelims 2022. The webinar will be truly focused on Geography for Prelims 2022. By the end of the webinar, students will gain confidence and interest to open their atlas and textbooks and study the subject all over again.

    Purnima Ma’am has completed BA in Geography from Miranda House and MA in Geography from Jawaharlal Nehru University. She is currently pursuing PhD in Geography on Net-JRF scholarship.

    What Will You Learn From This Free Live Webinar?

    1. Which NCERT books to cover? Purnima Ma’am will explain the chapters to read for Geography prelims in NCERT 6-12th books.

    2. Topic wise importance for UPSC Prelims 2022. From Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Fundamentals of Human Geography, India, People and Economy.

    3. What are the online sources to refer for topics not covered in NCERT? Purnima Ma’am will highlight the specific and limited literature which is available online for free.

    4. Live demonstration of Previous Year Question Papers. The direct questions that from NCERT textbooks from Prelims 2016-2021.

    5. How to do weekly revision for maps? Everything from straits, ports, geographic location that will be covered.

    6. Current affair topics of 5 years for Indian and World Geography. How to do a final revision on these topics?

    7. How to allocate time for Geography Revision on a daily basis if that’s the reason you are scoring less?

    8. Certain Mnemonics to remember important facts in Geography. Popular memory techniques used by toppers to ace Geography.

    upsc aspirant preparation moments | Geography lessons, Social studies worksheets, General knowledge book

    Webinar Details

    Start from where you are, use what you have and still score well in Geography prelims for UPSC-CSE 2022! Clear your doubts with Purnima Ma’am in the upcoming session.

    Date: 24th March, 2022

    Time: 7 PM

    REGISTER FOR PRELIMS FREE LIVE WEBINAR BY PURNIMA MA’AM
  • Unable to Score Geography Questions Correctly in your Prelims Mock Test Series? || Then, Attend This Free Live Webinar By CD Mentor Purnima Ma’am|| How to Change Your Preparation Approach for Geography in the Last 60 Days?|| Limited Slots Available, Register Now

    Unable to Score Geography Questions Correctly in your Prelims Mock Test Series? || Then, Attend This Free Live Webinar By CD Mentor Purnima Ma’am|| How to Change Your Preparation Approach for Geography in the Last 60 Days?|| Limited Slots Available, Register Now

    register for prelims free live webinar by purnima ma’am

    Aspirants who generally have no problem with subjects like History, Polity, Art and Culture and Current Affairs, falter when it comes to Geography. This is because, Geography is a technical subject and one gets confused on what to read and what to give a miss.

    It’s quite amusing but the reality is that there are more facts you might have to remember for geography than, maybe history or polity. This could range from water-bodies, ports, straits, important physical features, natural resources etc.

    Barring a year or two, the number of geography questions that appeared in prelims have averaged in the range of 12-25. Scoring well in this area is important for those who are in the 80-90s range in their test series.

    Geography Questions in UPSC Prelims [2013-2021] | Download Solution PDFs

    Free Open to All, Webinar by CD Geography Mentor Purnima Ma’am

    REGISTER FOR PRELIMS FREE LIVE WEBINAR BY PURNIMA MA’AM

    We understood the UPSC aspirants need of preparing for Geography in a less time consuming manner while understanding the relevant information for the exam.

    That’s why on Thursday we are coming up with a free live webinar by Purnima Ma’am who will give all aspirants the right guidance on how to study for this subject for Prelims 2022. The webinar will be truly focused on Geography for Prelims 2022. By the end of the webinar, students will gain confidence and interest to open their atlas and textbooks and study the subject all over again.

    Purnima Ma’am has completed BA in Geography from Miranda House and MA in Geography from Jawaharlal Nehru University. She is currently pursuing PhD in Geography on Net-JRF scholarship.

    What Will You Learn From This Free Live Webinar?

    1. Which NCERT books to cover? Purnima Ma’am will explain the chapters to read for Geography prelims in NCERT 6-12th books.

    2. Topic wise importance for UPSC Prelims 2022. From Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Fundamentals of Human Geography, India, People and Economy.

    3. What are the online sources to refer for topics not covered in NCERT? Purnima Ma’am will highlight the specific and limited literature which is available online for free.

    4. Live demonstration of Previous Year Question Papers. The direct questions that from NCERT textbooks from Prelims 2016-2021.

    5. How to do weekly revision for maps? Everything from straits, ports, geographic location that will be covered.

    6. Current affair topics of 5 years for Indian and World Geography. How to do a final revision on these topics?

    7. How to allocate time for Geography Revision on a daily basis if that’s the reason you are scoring less?

    8. Certain Mnemonics to remember important facts in Geography. Popular memory techniques used by toppers to ace Geography.

    upsc aspirant preparation moments | Geography lessons, Social studies worksheets, General knowledge book

    Webinar Details

    Start from where you are, use what you have and still score well in Geography prelims for UPSC-CSE 2022! Clear your doubts with Purnima Ma’am in the upcoming session.

    Date: 24th March, 2022

    Time: 7 PM

    REGISTER FOR PRELIMS FREE LIVE WEBINAR BY PURNIMA MA’AM

  • SC backs Centre’s OROP scheme

    The Supreme Court has upheld the Centre’s one rank, one pension (OROP) scheme for the armed forces.

    What is the news?

    • The Supreme Court has ruled that there was “no constitutional infirmity” in the way the government had introduced ‘one rank, one pension’ (OROP) among ex-service personnel.
    • The scheme, notified by the Defence Ministry on November 7, 2015, was challenged by Indian Ex-Service Movement, an association of retired defence personnel.

    What is OROP Scheme?

    • OROP means that any two military personnel retiring at the same rank, with the same years of service, must get an equal pension.
    • While this might appear almost obvious, there are several reasons why two military personnel who may have retired at the same rank with the same years of service, may get different pensions.

    Need for the scheme

    Military personnel across the three services fall under two categories, the officers and the other ranks.

    • Early age of retirement: The other ranks, which are soldiers, usually retire at age 35.
    • No benefits from pay commissions: Unlike government employees who retire close to 60, soldiers can thus miss out on the benefits from subsequent pay commissions.
    • Salary based pension: And since pensions are based on the last drawn salary, pensions too are impacted adversely.
    • Ranks based discrimination: The age when officers in the military retire depends upon their ranks. The lower the rank, the earlier they superannuate.
    • Liability against the sacrifice: It was argued that early retirement should not become an adverse element for what a soldier earns as pension, compared with those who retire later.

    Earlier pension mechanism

    • From 1950 to 1973, there was a concept known as the Standard Rate of Pension, which was similar to OROP.
    • In 1974, when the 3rd Pay Commission came into force, certain changes were effected in terms of weightage, additional years of notion service, etc., with regard to pensions.
    • In 1986, the 4th Pay Commission’s report brought further changes.
    • What ultimately happened was that the benefits of the successive pay commissions were not passed to servicemen who had retired earlier.
    • Pensions differed for those who had retired at the same rank, with the same years of service, but years apart.

    Demand for OROP

    • Ex-servicemen demanded OROP to correct the discrepancy.
    • Over the decades, several committees looked into it.
    • The Brig K P Singh Deo committee in 1983 recommended a system similar to Standard Rate of Pension, as did Parliament’s standing committees on defence.
    • The Narendra Modi government notified the current OROP scheme in November 2015, and it was made applicable from July 1, 2014.

    Issues with OROP

    • During the OROP protests of 2013-15, it was argued repeatedly that meeting the demand would be financially unsustainable.
    • Because soldiers retire early and remain eligible for pension for much longer than other employees, the Defence Ministry’s pension budget is very large, impacting capital expenditure.
    • The total defence pensioners are 32.9 lakh, but that includes 6.14 lakh defence civilian pensioners.
    • The actual expenditure of the Defence Ministry on pensions was Rs 1.18 lakh crore in 2019-2020.
    • The Defence Ministry’s pension-to-budget ratio is the highest among all ministries, and pensions are more than one-fifth of the total defence budget.
    • When the late Manohar Parrikar was Defence Minister, it was estimated that a one-time payout of Rs 83,000 crore would be needed to clear all past issues.

    Challenge to OROP

    • The petitioners contended that the principle of OROP had been replaced by ‘one rank multiple pensions’ for persons with the same length of service.
    • They submitted that the government had altered the initial definition of OROP and, instead of an automatic revision of the rates of pension.
    • Under this, any future raising of pension rates would be passed on to past pensioners — the revision would now take place at periodic intervals.
    • According to the petitioners, this was arbitrary and unconstitutional under Articles 14 and 21.

    What has the SC ruled now?

    • The court did not agree with the argument that the government’s 2015 policy communication contradicted the original decision to implement OROP.
    • It said that “while a decision to implement OROP was taken in principle, the modalities for implementation were yet to be chalked out.
    • The court also said that while the Koshyari Committee report furnishes the historical background of the demand, and its own view on it, it cannot be construed as embodying a statement of governmental policy.
    • It held that the OROP policy “may only be challenged on the ground that it is manifestly arbitrary or capricious”.

     

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  • Sri Lanka’s aggravating Economic Crisis

    Sri Lanka’s economic crisis is aggravating rapidly, putting citizens through enormous hardship.

    Reasons for the Crisis

    The first wave of the pandemic in 2020 offered early and sure signs of distress.

    • In-migration: Thousands of Sri Lankan labourers in West Asian countries were left stranded and returned jobless.
    • Shut-down: Garment factories and tea estates could not function, as infections raged in clusters. Tourism sector to saw a big dip.
    • Domestic job losses: Thousands of youth lost their jobs in cities as establishments abruptly sacked them or shut down.
    • Forex decline: It meant that all key foreign exchange earning sectors, such as exports and remittances, along with tourism, were brutally hit.

    Policy failures of Lankan govt

    • No strategy: The lack of a comprehensive strategy to respond to the crisis then was coupled with certain policy decisions last year.
    • Ill-advised policies: It included the government’s abrupt switch to organic farming —widely deemed “ill-advised”, further aggravated the problem.
    • Food hoarding: The government declared emergency regulations for the distribution of essential food items. It put wide import restrictions to save dollars which in turn led to consequent market irregularities and reported hoarding.
    • Continuous borrowing: Fears of a sovereign default rose by the end of 2021, with the country’s foreign reserves plummeting to $1.6 billion, and deadlines for repaying external loans looming.

    What is happening on the ground?

    • At the macro-economic level, all indicators are worrisome.
    • The Sri Lankan rupee, which authorities floated this month, has fallen to nearly 265 against the U.S. dollar. Consumer Price inflation is at 16.8% and foreign reserves stood at $2.31 billion at the end of February.
    • Sri Lanka must repay foreign debt totalling nearly $7 billion this year and continue importing essentials from its dwindling dollar account.
    • Sri Lanka will incur an import bill of $22 billion this year, resulting in a trade deficit of $10 billion.

    Implications on Public

    • For citizens, this means long waits in queues for fuel, a shortage of cooking gas, contending with prolonged power cuts in many localities and struggles to find medicines for patients.
    • In families of working people, the crisis is translating to cutting down on milk for children, eating fewer meals, or going to bed hungry.

    How is India helping?

    • Acting in the Neighbourhood’s first policy, India stands with Sri Lanka.
    • $1 billion credit line signed for supply of essential commodities. Key element of the package of support extended by India.
    • Beginning January 2022, India has extended assistance totalling $ 2.4 billion — including an $400 million RBI currency swap and a $500 million loan deferment.

    Chinese lure of aid

    • China is considering Sri Lanka’s recent request for further $2.5 billion assistance, in addition to the $2.8 billion Beijing has extended since the outbreak of the pandemic.

    How is India’s assistance being viewed in Sri Lanka?

    • Sacking key infra projects: The leadership has thanked India for the timely assistance, but there is growing scepticism in Sri Lankan media and some sections, over Indian assistance “being tied” to New Delhi inking key infrastructure projects.
    • Deep incursion: They mainly include the strategic Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm project; the National Thermal Power Corporation’s recent agreement with Ceylon Electricity Board to set up a solar power plant in Sampur, with investment from India’s Adani Group.
    • Diplomatic blackmail: SL media accuses New Delhi was resorting to “diplomatic blackmail”. The political opposition has accused the Adani Group of entering Sri Lanka through the “back door”, avoiding competitive bids and due process.

    Options available for SL

    • Sri Lanka is hoping for a Rapid Finance Instrument (RFI) facility as well as a larger Extended Fund Facility (EFF) from the IMF to deal with its foreign currency shortages.
    • IMF had assured to help the country with an amount of $300 million to $600 million.

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