In the intro, mention that there has been a growing trend of making investment decisions on basis of social and environmental standards.
In the body mention how investment decisions are being made considering the impact of investment on climate change and the environment. In the next part, mention how corporates are adopting practices that reduce the environmental impact.
Conclude by mentioning that it is not excessively optimistic to view SRI as the beginning of a potentially powerful movement that could yet reform capitalism from within.
In the intro, mention the issue of fraudulent voting.
In the body, mention the objective of curbing electoral frauds and making it easy for migrants to exercise the right to vote. In the concerns mention that Aadhar is not the proof of nationality, it is also not the address proof, lack of audit report about the efficacy of Aadhar duplication, ECI has no control over UIDAI etc.
Conclude by mentioning the need to address these concerns.
Why has Civilsdaily Student and Aspiring UPSC 2022 Civil Servant, Ashish Renewed his Program for One More Year With Us?
“Unlike other students in my batch, Ashish has been a dedicated and hardworking UPSC aspirant even before joining us. Since he is unable to prepare for UPSC fulltime, he compensates by studying for 6-7 hours everyday after he completes his work as a bank officer. He is always able to complete the weekly targets assigned to him 2-3 days in advance.”, says Ashish’s Civilsdaily Mentor Pravin sir as he sets the tone of our interview. Pravin sir has been mentoring Ashish for more than a year. Satisfied with his guidance, Ashish has upgraded his program once again for 2022 prelims.
Ashish had started his UPSC-CSE preparation in March 2020. For 6 months, he prepared without comprehending what was written in the books. He followed random videos on Youtube for a topic he didn’t understand and read all the pages of many books recommended by different toppers. Ashish struggled to study a topic concisely. He did not know what was the relevant information he had to gather for a topic. Hence, though he studied hard he was unable to score well in test series. As a result of which, Ashish in his first Civilsdaily Mains Test was able to score only 50 marks out of 250 and 40 out of 200 marks in prelims.
Challenges of Ashish When He Studied Without Mentorship
By July 2020, Ashish decided he cannot waste anymore time and wanted a personal mentor for his UPSC-CSE preparation. He knew he had no time to attend coaching classes so he was particular about the kind of mentor he preferred. Ashish wanted a mentor who could help him minimize his study materials, guide him on how he could judiciously utilize the available time for preparation and set weekly targets for him. “I wanted to do the studying by myself, it’s not classes that I wanted. I wanted someone with whom I can develop micro and macro study plans, someone who evaluates test series frequently and assesses my performance. Someone who motivates me to stay focused when I feel like taking long breaks.” This on surface, might appear as trivial requirements, but let’s not forget that on a daily basis many aspirants grapple with motivation, consistency and time-management issues.
Ashish was unable to find the right mentor till he approached Civilsdaily. ” I was a regular reader of the current affairs compilation at Civilsdaily. That’s when I thought of enrolling in its mentorship program as well.” Under it’s mentorship program, Pravin sir has analyzed the previous year questions from year 1994 onwards for every topic in the syllabus. He will then suggest which book or online source Ashish can read for a particular topic. This way, Ashish is able to read about 2-3 books per subject, but not waste time by reading every page of those books.
Pravin Sir, Civilsdaily Mentor and Two-Time UPSC CSE Interview Aspirant
“To give an example, I asked Ashish to read Ramesh Singh for Fundamentals of Economy but for certain key concepts I asked him to read only from Shankar Ganesh.”, Pravin sir says and continues, “If there is any current affairs in Samachar Manthan that corresponds to what Ashish is reading this week, I will bring it to his notice.” Pravin sir conducts weekly counselling session where Ashish is free to discuss anything that bothers him personally even if it’s not related to his studies. Every aspirant has had those days when it’s been hard to just study. It happens to the best of us sometimes and for some of us, it happens more frequently. And it is understandable, Civil Service preparation is a long and often lonely process. Every aspirant, from toppers to those who have quit have been overwhelmed by this process at some point in time. Working alone is monotonous and that’s why regular counselling is required. “I believe that during this tough preparation phase, an aspirant is vulnerable to the smallest of the negative distractions. Counselling helps them stay on track and not react to anything going around them in an impulsive manner.” Pravin sir has also included all his students in the Habitat Club where he posts inspirational quotes and invites everyone for a weekly zoom session to conduct live answer writing practice sessions. “I conduct this zoom session right before and after the weekly prelims and mains test series. I feel its important for everyone in a group to discuss and debate on how they can improve an answer for a question. Over here, I also show the answer writing copies of other UPSC toppers”
When Ashish first wrote the test series, he had a problem of writing vague points which were not backed by relevant factual data. He also did not give current affairs examples of the points he discussed in his answers.
By November 2020, Ashish learnt how to improve the presentation of his answers by writing shorter points and backing it up with examples wherever necessary. He also highlighted sub-headings as boxes to get the attention of the examiner. However, while concluding, he still made vague points and did not offer solutions to the issues.
In the recent test series conducted on December 9 2021, Ashish improved his answer writing in terms of presentation, valid specific points and solutions, examples and statistics. However, he missed on giving an introduction that could have fetched him 1-2 marks extra by mentioning about the recent cryptocurrency bill.
Right now, Ashish is able to score 105 in advanced prelims test series, 120 in basic prelims test series and 100 out of 250 in advanced mains test series. “I feel reassured when I get timely support from Pravin sir and always look forward to our weekly interactions when I can inform him I completed the modules of the week.” When asked about one particular instance of mentorship that he cherishes, Ashish says, “I did not understand parliamentary committee topic once. Pravin sir was on call with me for half an hour and explained the whole topic till I understood. I really appreciate that from his end.” Ashish told us that Pravin sir directs him to the right videos and sources when he is unable to get conceptual clarity. “This often happens to me when I am reading any topic in international relations. Because of Pravin sir’s support, I am able to understand a topic in lesser time.” Due to the weekly topic wise prelims and mains test series, Ashish has improved his speed and accuracy to a large extent. “While before, I used to take 15-20 minutes to write an answer, now I am able to do so within 10 minutes.”
Get Your First 30 Min Counselling session By a Mentor for Free
At the core of Samanvaya lies the fact that each one of you will have a unique journey while preparing for the exam. Some will get through on the first attempt without much effort while others will take both more time and more effort.
We want to understand you better to help you optimize your journey so you can focus on the right things and not waste time on the wrong ones. We are asking you to tap into the valuable experiences of mentors who underwent the same grind and realize the pitfalls and understand the shortcuts to make it.
In the first counselling session, we will understand your weaknesses. Over 80% of students who claimed to have revised NCERTs twice were unable to answer basic questions. Many were not comfortable with at least 1 GS subject and Optional. Many struggled with ‘What went wrong’ after 2-3 years of hard work. Our mentors will provide free preliminary assignments so that we can assess your preparedness and suggest accurate strategies. We then help you to stick to one plan or strategy throughout your preparation.
Samanvaya Code of Conduct to be followed
However, before you fill the form and get your first 30 minute counselling with us for free, please keep in mind the following —
Be honest with your mentors about your preparation levels and stage.
Follow their advice and participate in tests and assignments that they set for you
Stay active in the telegram groups, ask doubts, don’t hold yourself back.
Don’t expect spoonfeeding. You have to drive the initiative.
Amid opposition, the Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021, was introduced in the Assembly.
What is the Bill about?
The Bill envisages stringent provisions for forced or induced conversions.
The government wants to prohibit conversion by:
Misrepresentation
Force
Allurement
Fraudulent means
Marriage
Coercion and undue influence
Key features of the Bill
(1) Filing of Complaints
Complaints of conversions can be filed by family members of a person who is getting converted, or any other person who is related to the person who is getting converted, or any person associated with the person getting converted.
(2) Punishment and fines
The offense of conversion is cognisable and non-bailable and will attract a jail term of three to five years and a fine of ₹25,000 for people found violating the law.
There is a jail term of three to 10 years, and a fine of ₹50,000 for people converting minors, women and persons from the SC and ST communities.
The Bill also envisages a compensation of ₹5 lakh to victims of forced conversions.
Do you know?
Odisha was the first State to enact anti-conversion legislation, the Orissa Freedom of Religion Act, 1967. Madhya Pradesh enacted the same the following year.
What about willful conversion?
Prior information: After the law comes into force, any person intending to convert to another religion will have to inform the district magistrate at least thirty days in advance.
Due inquiry of purpose: The person executing the conversion must also give a notice one month in advance, following which an inquiry will be conducted by the district magistrate through the police to establish the real intent of conversion.
Defying the conversion: Not informing the district magistrate will lead to the conversion being declared null and void.
Impact of non-conformance
Not informing authorities will carry a prison term of six months to three years for persons who are converted and one year to five years for the persons carrying out the conversions.
After getting converted, the person has to again inform the district magistrate within 30 days after conversion and must appear before the district magistrate to confirm his/her identity.
What happens once the Conversion is held valid?
Post conversion, the district magistrate has to inform revenue authorities, the social welfare, minority, backward classes and other departments of the conversion.
These authorities will, in turn, take steps with respect to the entitlements of the person in terms of reservations and other benefits.
How many states have enacted the legislation?
Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand have laws restricting religious conversion.
Penalties for breaching the laws can range from monetary fines to imprisonment, with punishments ranging from one to three years of imprisonment and fines from ₹5,000 to ₹50,000.
Some of the laws provide for stiffer penalties if women, children, or members of Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) are being converted.
Some other States, including Manipur, are reportedly “considering similar laws.”
How has Parliament handled anti-conversion bills?
After independence, Parliament introduced a number of anti-conversion bills which were not enacted for want of majority approval.
In post-Independent India, the first Indian Conversion (Regulation and Registration) Bill,1954, which sought to enforce “licensing of missionaries and the registration of conversion.”
This was followed by the introduction of the Backward Communities (Religious Protection) Bill, 1960, “which aimed at checking conversion of Hindus to ‘non-Indian religions’ .
Non-India religions included Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism,.
The Freedom of Religion Bill in 1979, which sought “official curbs on inter-religious conversion.”
Religious conversion: A Constitutionality check
Indian Constitution aspires toward tolerance of all religions and guaranteed that each person was “equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice and propagate religion” (Article 25).
This formulation did not come without dispute; the word “propagate” was one of the most contested in the whole of Indian Constitution.
Core issue: Prevalence of Inter-faith Marriage
India has the Special Marriage Act, 1954, which can be used by inter-faith/inter-community couples to get married.
The Act, however, requires an advance notice of 30 days to the magistrate before a couple is able to register their marriage.
When the parties are from different faiths, communities or castes, such a public notice can be, and has been, a great source of danger and harm from their family/community members.
Consequently, the only option exercised by the inter-faith couples is for one of them to convert to the religion of the other and get married.
Issues with such laws
The anti-conversion laws have been challenged on the ground that innocent persons were being booked under these Acts.
Patriarchal dominance: It is widely presumed that such conversions involve ‘coercion’ or ‘deceit’, and hence, Hindu women ought to be ‘protected’ from the danger of conversion.
Targeting minorities: These laws target Muslims and quoted instances of such inter-faith couples having been harassed by militant activists and state government authorities.
Freedom of Conscience: Women, it is clear, are being treated in a paternalistic way which assumes that they need protection at the cost of their right to make reasoned decisions about changing faith or choosing a friend or life partner.
What about Incentivised Conversions?
There are many cases of incentivized conversions for the poor sections of society in exchange for a dignified social life.
For them, the solution lies in addressing the root issues:
Ending discrimination
Providing high quality and free education to the poor and disenfranchised
Improving access and quality of free health facilities and medicines
Improving nourishment and
Providing adequate employment opportunities to all
Conclusion
Clearly, anti-conversion laws amount to discrimination and a violation of the right to equality.
However, inter-faith marriages should not be pre-conditioned with religious conversion. This certainly raises concerns for the majority of society.
Instead of pursuing this disastrous course, the government could work towards removing impediments to inter-faith marriages and eradicating the social stigma attached to such marriages.
The couples who wish to enter into an inter-faith alliance are enabled and protected.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed to replace existing approaches for measuring minimum operational risk capital requirements of banks with a new Basel-III standardized approach.
What are Capital Requirements of a Bank?
Capital requirements are standardized regulations in place for banks and other depository institutions that determine how much liquid capital must be held of a certain level of their assets.
They are set to ensure that banks and depository institutions’ holdings are not dominated by investments that increase the risk of default.
They also ensure that banks and depository institutions have enough capital to sustain operating losses (OL) while still honoring withdrawals.
Why need such a requirement?
An angry public and uneasy investment climate usually prove to be the catalysts for capital requirements provisions.
This is essential when irresponsible financial behavior by large institutions is seen as the culprit behind a financial crisis, market crash, or recession.
What are the risks for a Bank?
There are many types of risks that banks face.
Credit risk
Market risk
Operational risk
Liquidity risk
Business risk
Reputational risk
Systemic risk
Moral hazard
What is Operational Risk?
‘Operational risk’ refers to the risk of loss resulting from inadequate or failed internal processes, people and systems or from external events.
This has been defined by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision I as the risk of loss resulting from inadequate or failed internal processes, people and systems or from external events.
This definition includes legal risk, but excludes strategic and reputational risk.
Pros of Capital Requirements
Ensure banks stay solvent, avoid default
Ensure depositors have access to funds
Set industry standards
Provide way to compare, evaluate institutions
Unwanted consequences of such move
Raise costs for banks and eventually consumers
Inhibit banks’ ability to invest
Reduce availability of credit, loans
Back2Basics: Basel Accords
They refer to the banking supervision Accords (recommendations on banking regulations)—Basel I, Basel II and Basel III—issued by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS).
They are called the Basel Accords as the BCBS maintains its secretariat at the Bank for International Settlements in Basel, Switzerland and the committee normally meets there.
These are a set of recommendations for regulations in the banking industry.
India has accepted Basel accords for the banking system.
Let’s revise them:
[1] Basel I
In 1988, BCBS introduced capital measurement system called Basel capital accord, also called as Basel 1.
It focused almost entirely on credit risk. It defined capital and structure of risk weights for banks.
The minimum capital requirement was fixed at 8% of risk-weighted assets (RWA).
RWA means assets with different risk profiles.
For example, an asset backed by collateral would carry lesser risks as compared to personal loans, which have no collateral. India adopted Basel 1 guidelines in 1999.
[2] Basel II
In June ’04, Basel II guidelines were published by BCBS, which were considered to be the refined and reformed versions of Basel I accord.
The guidelines were based on three parameters, which the committee calls it as pillars:
Capital Adequacy Requirements: Banks should maintain a minimum capital adequacy requirement of 8% of risk assets.
Supervisory Review: According to this, banks were needed to develop and use better risk management techniques in monitoring and managing all the three types of risks that a bank faces, viz. credit, market and operational risks.
Market Discipline: This need increased disclosure requirements. Banks need to mandatorily disclose their CAR, risk exposure, etc to the central bank. Basel II norms in India and overseas are yet to be fully implemented.
[3] Basel III
In 2010, Basel III guidelines were released. These guidelines were introduced in response to the financial crisis of 2008.
A need was felt to further strengthen the system as banks in the developed economies were under-capitalized, over-leveraged and had a greater reliance on short-term funding.
Also the quantity and quality of capital under Basel II were deemed insufficient to contain any further risk.
Basel III norms aim at making most banking activities such as their trading book activities more capital-intensive.
The guidelines aim to promote a more resilient banking system by focusing on four vital banking parameters viz. capital, leverage, funding and liquidity.
The first batch of next-generation indigenously designed Armoured Engineer Reconnaissance Vehicles (AERV) was inducted by the Indian Army.
About AERV
AERV is indigenously designed and developed by DRDO and manufactured by the Pune unit of Bharat Electronics Limited.
It has more than 90% indigenous content.
It is a versatile BMP-IIK amphibious Infantry Combat Vehicle (ICV) fitted with instruments for water reconnaissance, land reconnaissance, navigation, and data backup.
Unique capabilities of AERV
AERV is capable of measuring soil bearing capacity on riverbanks.
It works to determine if they are motorable for military vehicles on Go-No Go basis (critical parameters for bridge laying), dry and wet gaps in day and night conditions, slopes and height of river banks or canals.”
AERVs can navigate terrain using Military Grid Coordinate System, measure and plot underwater beds and water currents of rivers or canals.
They can store data from various instruments on Control Console for further analysis and decision-making.
Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh was all prepped to welcome the African cheetahs — a project that has been a decade in the making — this year. The project has now been postponed, as the new coronavirus variant of concern omicron prompted travel restrictions.
Confused over Leopard and Cheetah?
The most common difference between these two animals is the patterns on their coat. At first glance, it may look like they both have spots, but in actual fact, a leopard has rosettes which are rose-like markings, and cheetahs have a solid round or oval spot shape.
About Asiatic Cheetah
Cheetah, the world’s fastest land animal was declared extinct in India in 1952.
The Asiatic cheetah is classified as a “critically endangered” species by the IUCN Red List, and is believed to survive only in Iran.
It was expected to be re-introduced into the country after the Supreme Court lifted curbs for its re-introduction.
From 400 in the 1990s, their numbers are estimated to have reached to 50-70 today, because of poaching, hunting of their main prey (gazelles) and encroachment on their habitat.
Why reintroduce Cheetahs?
Reintroductions of large carnivores have increasingly been recognized as a strategy to conserve threatened species and restore ecosystem functions.
The cheetah is the only large carnivore that has been extirpated, mainly by over-hunting in India in historical times.
India now has the economic ability to consider restoring its lost natural heritage for ethical as well as ecological reasons.
Why was the project halted?
The court was worried whether the African cheetahs would find the sanctuary a favorable climate as far as the abundance of prey is concerned.
Those who challenged the plan argued that the habitat of cheetahs needed to support a genetically viable population.
If there’s one aspect of UPSC-CSE preparation that all aspirants struggle equally, then it’s the vast syllabus. There’s no other qualifying exam in India where you would be asked questions from all the subjects (From Science to Ethics, From Polity to Geography) like UPSC-CSE.
Many aspirants get confused when they see many toppers and institutes recommend different books for the same subject. They end up reading all of them. And before they know, there’s only 3 more months for the exam while they have only completed 3 subjects.
Open to All, Free to Attend Live Webinar with Pravin sir & Ravi sir
Do you know that there is a difference between referring a book for a few topics v/s reading the entire book?
And that’s why it appears as if toppers are superhumans who can read nearly 3000-4000 pages for a subject within a month. The reality is however far from true. There are certain books like Pax Indica and Norman Lowe’s World History where only 200-300 pages are meant to be read for UPSC-CSE. An aspirant who doesn’t know this will end up reading the entire 1000 pages!
This coming Thursday, our Civilsdaily mentorsPravin sir & Ravi sir will take time off their busy schedule to share the all encompassing booklist for Prelims and Mains. This booklist has been curated keeping in mind a span of one year with 6-7 hours of studies per day. They will also suggest the best approach to study and understand a particular topic and additional sources to refer (apart from your standard books). They also highlight the PYQs of this topic.
In UPSC-CSE 2020 prelims exam, every 3rd ranker in the top 100 was a Civilsdaily student. Our toppers have time and again mentioned that they found our consolidated booklist useful for preparation.
Key-Takeaways of Free Live Webinar by Pravin sir & Ravi sir
1. What is the best book to refer for a topic in a subject? Based on 6 year paper analysis of UPSC-CSE.
2. What are the common books for both Prelims & Mains. And what are the prelims-specific and mains-specific sources?
3. Ancient & Medieval History is becoming tougher every year. What is the best book you can refer for both?
4. Online sources for UPSC-CSE. What are the subject-wise committee reports you need to read for the exam?
5. Only two consolidated sources for Current Affairs. What are they?
Webinar Details
If you want to get the nuances of UPSC-CSE preparation right in the first go, then this free webinar is for you! Just fill the form and let us know the question you want to ask Pravin and Ravi sir in the one hour long session on Thursday.
One of the vital factors in land resources-led economic growth is the ownership of the properties, especially in rural areas.
It is observed that ownership of land in rural areas is based on physical possession of the property and lacks sufficient documentary evidence of ownership.
To remove this disparity, SVAMITVA Scheme was launched in April, 2020.
What is SVAMITVA Scheme?
SVAMITVA stands for Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas.
Under the scheme, the latest surveying technology such as drones will be used for measuring the inhabited land in villages and rural areas.
The mapping and survey will be conducted in collaboration with the Survey of India, State Revenue Department and State Panchayati Raj Department under the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
The drones will draw the digital map of every property falling in the geographical limit of each Indian village.
Property Cards will be prepared and given to the respective owners.
Broad Objectives
Leveraging property as a financial asset by the citizens of rural India
Creation of accurate land records for rural planning
Provide an integrated property validation solution for rural India
Serve as a means of reduction in property-related disputes Facilitate with the determination of property tax
Creation of survey infrastructure and GIS (Geographic Information System) maps that can be used by any department or agency
Features of the Scheme
Accurate survey: SVAMITVA Scheme uses the combination of Survey Grade Drones and CORS network (Continuously Operated Reference Stations) to accurately survey large areas in a very short span of time.
High resolution: The 1:500 scale maps generated through the drone survey are of very high accuracy i.e., 3-5 cms, which the conventional methodology does not provide.
Geo-tagging: Moreover, editable and geo-tagged maps are produced at a fraction of the cost without the need for line-of-sight.
Permanent records: These maps facilitate the creation of the most durable record of property holdings in areas with no legacy revenue records.
Need for digitized land records
Land as a finite resource: Land is an essential resource for most economic activities aimed at the creation of economic growth in the world.
Asset to Economy: The management of land resources, therefore, is considered an important component of the economic policies of any country.
Ambiguous ownership: In the absence of a legal document, the owner of the property in the rural areas is not able to leverage it as a financial asset.
Credit liabilities: Ambigous records are not accepted by the banks to provide loans and other financial assistance. These residents are left with no other option but to avail loans from non-institutional creditors.
Debt-trapping: Lack of awareness among the uninformed rural populace leads them into a spiralling debt trap, leaving them at the mercy of the moneylenders.
Significance of Svamitva Scheme
Villagers can utilize their property as a financial asset to take out loans and other financial benefits under the Svamitva plan.
People in rural regions would gain from the plan because they will be able to utilise their property as a financial asset to obtain loans and other financial benefits.
It will also result in the compilation of accurate land records for rural planning and property tax calculation.
Drone technology will also be used to assess land parcels in rural inhabited areas under the initiative.
It will save them from the land mafia’s loot of land and help resolve other property-related disputes with the title deeds allotted as well.
Implementation flow
Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS): It is a network of reference stations that will provide a virtual base station and allow access to long-ranging and high accuracy network Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) corrections. It helps in the process of georeferencing, ground-truthing, and land demarcation.
Large Scale Mapping (LSM) using drone: A drone survey will be used for mapping the Abadi area by SOI. It will produce high-resolution and accurate maps. Based on this data, ownership rights will be conferred and property cards will be issued to the rural household owners.
Information, Education, and Communication (IEC): It will include running campaigns, circulation of good practices, and other campaigns on the national level through social media platforms. It is upon the state government to develop a comprehensive communication strategy to sensitize the local population.
Enhancement of Spatial Planning Application “Gram Manchitra”: In order to support the preparation of the Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP), the digital spatial data created using the drone survey shall be leveraged.
Online Monitoring System: It is important to monitor the activities and their progress for which reporting dashboards and online monitoring systems will be used.
Program Management Unit: It has two units namely the National Programme Management Unit (NPMU) and the State Programme Management Unit (SPMU). These will assist the departmental mechanism in the implementation of the scheme.
Way forward
Better planning: The creation of accurate land records and GIS maps will support Panchayats in the preparation of a better-quality Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP).
Land revenue management: With this, Gram Panchayats can better streamline their property tax determination and collections in States:
Revenue generation: This will lead to the generation of their own sources of revenue which could’ be gainfully utilized for various developmental works.
Boost to drone industry: The Scheme has also given an impetus to the drone ecosystem in the country.
Conclusion
Thus, SVAMITVA Scheme aims for holistic development of Gram Panchayat through the empowerment of villages and their residents which will eventually make rural India Atmanirbhar.
If there’s one aspect of UPSC-CSE preparation that all aspirants struggle equally, then it’s the vast syllabus. There’s no other qualifying exam in India where you would be asked questions from all the subjects (From Science to Ethics, From Polity to Geography) like UPSC-CSE.
Many aspirants get confused when they see many toppers and institutes recommend different books for the same subject. They end up reading all of them. And before they know, there’s only 3 more months for the exam while they have only completed 3 subjects.
Open to All, Free to Attend Live Webinar with Pravin sir & Ravi sir
Do you know that there is a difference between referring a book for a few topics v/s reading the entire book?
And that’s why it appears as if toppers are superhumans who can read nearly 3000-4000 pages for a subject within a month. The reality is however far from true. There are certain books like Pax Indica and Norman Lowe’s World History where only 200-300 pages are meant to be read for UPSC-CSE. An aspirant who doesn’t know this will end up reading the entire 1000 pages!
This coming Thursday, our Civilsdaily mentorsPravin sir & Ravi sir will take time off their busy schedule to share the all encompassing booklist for Prelims and Mains. This booklist has been curated keeping in mind a span of one year with 6-7 hours of studies per day. They will also suggest the best approach to study and understand a particular topic and additional sources to refer (apart from your standard books). They also highlight the PYQs of this topic.
In UPSC-CSE 2020 prelims exam, every 3rd ranker in the top 100 was a Civilsdaily student. Our toppers have time and again mentioned that they found our consolidated booklist useful for preparation.
Key-Takeaways of Free Live Webinar by Pravin sir & Ravi sir
1. What is the best book to refer for a topic in a subject? Based on 6 year paper analysis of UPSC-CSE.
2. What are the common books for both Prelims & Mains. And what are the prelims-specific and mains-specific sources?
3. Ancient & Medieval History is becoming tougher every year. What is the best book you can refer for both?
4. Online sources for UPSC-CSE. What are the subject-wise committee reports you need to read for the exam?
5. Only two consolidated sources for Current Affairs. What are they?
Webinar Details
If you want to get the nuances of UPSC-CSE preparation right in the first go, then this free webinar is for you! Just fill the form and let us know the question you want to ask Pravin and Ravi sir in the one hour long session on Thursday.
The article deal with the impact of the passage of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act of 2019 on Ladakh’s autonomy or participatory democracy.
What has changed?
Hill Councils: The Autonomous Hill Development Councils of Leh and Kargil read along with the framework of J&K’s special status and its bicameral legislative system gave Ladakh autonomy and participatory democracy.
The Hill Councils had the powers over land in Ladakh while the majority of the bigger concerns regarding land remained protected under Article 370 and J&K’s robust land protection laws.
Power to recruit the officers: Gazetted officers were recruited through the State Public Service Commission.
The District Service Selection Board made recruitments at the district level.
But today, there is no Public Service Commission in Ladakh and the Hill Councils’ power to make recruitments at the district level has also been affected by the Lieutenant Governor (LG)’s presence.
No law to protect the jobs: Technically, there also exists no law in Ladakh now that protects the land or even the jobs.
Loss of representation: the Reorganisation Act has taken away the six seats of the Members of Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council and wakened the functioning of the Hill Councils.
The only elected representation from Ladakh outside of Ladakh is a lone MP.
Conclusion
Steps need to be taken to address the issues related to the lack of representation in Ladakh in the wake of the passage of the Reorganisation Act of 2019.
The government is inviting the leaders of the five Central Asian countries — Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan — as guests for Republic Day on January 26.
Significance of Central Asian region for India
Return of Taliban in Afghanistan: The Taliban takeover in Afghanistan has made Central Asia a region where great contestations for influence are unfolding.
There is a growing awareness that for leveraging influence in Kabul and harvesting that influence in the form of material gains, a firm footing in Central Asia is a prerequisite.
Economic dimension: Given the vast untapped mineral wealth of the region encompassing the five Central Asian countries and Afghanistan — estimated to be worth a few trillion dollars — there is a significant economic dimension to the unfolding saga.
Geopolitical angle: Washington hopes to create in Central Asia a vector of its Indo-Pacific strategy to contain China and Russia. At the same time, governments in Moscow and Beijing are circling the wagons.
Suggestions for India
India needs to work on an intricate network of relationships with the regional states while remaining mindful of the “big picture”.
Delhi’s non-aligned mindset needs to be turned into a strategic asset to navigate its long-term interests.
India’s membership of the BRICS and SCO will help.
Cooperation of Russia and China: The deepening of the traditional Indo-Russian mutual understanding has injected dynamism into Delhi’s regional strategy on the whole.
It is bound to have a calming effect on India’s tensions with China.
Delhi cannot have an effective Central Asia strategy without the cooperation of these two big powers.
Regional connectivity: India can use the card of regional connectivity to stimulate partnerships.
The time may have come to reopen the files on the TAPI and IPI gas pipeline projects. Both involve Pakistan.
Normalisation of India-Russia ties: Russia is well-placed to act as guarantor and help build both these pipelines, while China too will see advantages in the normalisation of India-Pakistan ties.
New geoeconomic partnership
Recently concluded third meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue in Delhi served a purpose to sensitise the Central Asian interlocutors that it attaches primacy to geoeconomics.
But India will have a challenge on its hands to flesh out the “4Cs” concept that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar presented at the event — commerce, capacity enhancement, connectivity, and contact being the four pillars of a new geoeconomic partnership.
The key areas are transit and transport, logistics network, regional and international transport corridors, free trade agreements, manufacturing industry and job creation.
They ought to be front-loaded into India’s Central Asian strategy.
Certainly, the EAEU integration processes must be speeded up.
Consider the question “With changing geopolitical scenario, India’s stake in Central Asia has drastically increased. In the context of this, examine India’s outreach efforts toward the region and the challenges it faces in it.”
Conclusion
A host of new possibilities open up if India’s initiative on Central Asia runs on a parallel track with an improvement in relations with China.
Why has Civilsdaily Student and Aspiring UPSC 2022 Civil Servant, Ashish Renewed his Program for One More Year With Us?
“Unlike other students in my batch, Ashish has been a dedicated and hardworking UPSC aspirant even before joining us. Since he is unable to prepare for UPSC fulltime, he compensates by studying for 6-7 hours everyday after he completes his work as a bank officer. He is always able to complete the weekly targets assigned to him 2-3 days in advance.”, says Ashish’s Civilsdaily Mentor Pravin sir as he sets the tone of our interview. Pravin sir has been mentoring Ashish for more than a year. Satisfied with his guidance, Ashish has upgraded his program once again for 2022 prelims.
Ashish had started his UPSC-CSE preparation in March 2020. For 6 months, he prepared without comprehending what was written in the books. He followed random videos on Youtube for a topic he didn’t understand and read all the pages of many books recommended by different toppers. Ashish struggled to study a topic concisely. He did not know what was the relevant information he had to gather for a topic. Hence, though he studied hard he was unable to score well in test series. As a result of which, Ashish in his first Civilsdaily Mains Test was able to score only 50 marks out of 250 and 40 out of 200 marks in prelims.
Challenges of Ashish When He Studied Without Mentorship
By July 2020, Ashish decided he cannot waste anymore time and wanted a personal mentor for his UPSC-CSE preparation. He knew he had no time to attend coaching classes so he was particular about the kind of mentor he preferred. Ashish wanted a mentor who could help him minimize his study materials, guide him on how he could judiciously utilize the available time for preparation and set weekly targets for him. “I wanted to do the studying by myself, it’s not classes that I wanted. I wanted someone with whom I can develop micro and macro study plans, someone who evaluates test series frequently and assesses my performance. Someone who motivates me to stay focused when I feel like taking long breaks.” This on surface, might appear as trivial requirements, but let’s not forget that on a daily basis many aspirants grapple with motivation, consistency and time-management issues.
Ashish was unable to find the right mentor till he approached Civilsdaily. ” I was a regular reader of the current affairs compilation at Civilsdaily. That’s when I thought of enrolling in its mentorship program as well.” Under it’s mentorship program, Pravin sir has analyzed the previous year questions from year 1994 onwards for every topic in the syllabus. He will then suggest which book or online source Ashish can read for a particular topic. This way, Ashish is able to read about 2-3 books per subject, but not waste time by reading every page of those books.
Pravin Sir, Civilsdaily Mentor and Two-Time UPSC CSE Interview Aspirant
“To give an example, I asked Ashish to read Ramesh Singh for Fundamentals of Economy but for certain key concepts I asked him to read only from Shankar Ganesh.”, Pravin sir says and continues, “If there is any current affairs in Samachar Manthan that corresponds to what Ashish is reading this week, I will bring it to his notice.” Pravin sir conducts weekly counselling session where Ashish is free to discuss anything that bothers him personally even if it’s not related to his studies. Every aspirant has had those days when it’s been hard to just study. It happens to the best of us sometimes and for some of us, it happens more frequently. And it is understandable, Civil Service preparation is a long and often lonely process. Every aspirant, from toppers to those who have quit have been overwhelmed by this process at some point in time. Working alone is monotonous and that’s why regular counselling is required. “I believe that during this tough preparation phase, an aspirant is vulnerable to the smallest of the negative distractions. Counselling helps them stay on track and not react to anything going around them in an impulsive manner.” Pravin sir has also included all his students in the Habitat Club where he posts inspirational quotes and invites everyone for a weekly zoom session to conduct live answer writing practice sessions. “I conduct this zoom session right before and after the weekly prelims and mains test series. I feel its important for everyone in a group to discuss and debate on how they can improve an answer for a question. Over here, I also show the answer writing copies of other UPSC toppers”
When Ashish first wrote the test series, he had a problem of writing vague points which were not backed by relevant factual data. He also did not give current affairs examples of the points he discussed in his answers.
By November 2020, Ashish learnt how to improve the presentation of his answers by writing shorter points and backing it up with examples wherever necessary. He also highlighted sub-headings as boxes to get the attention of the examiner. However, while concluding, he still made vague points and did not offer solutions to the issues.
In the recent test series conducted on December 9 2021, Ashish improved his answer writing in terms of presentation, valid specific points and solutions, examples and statistics. However, he missed on giving an introduction that could have fetched him 1-2 marks extra by mentioning about the recent cryptocurrency bill.
Right now, Ashish is able to score 105 in advanced prelims test series, 120 in basic prelims test series and 100 out of 250 in advanced mains test series. “I feel reassured when I get timely support from Pravin sir and always look forward to our weekly interactions when I can inform him I completed the modules of the week.” When asked about one particular instance of mentorship that he cherishes, Ashish says, “I did not understand parliamentary committee topic once. Pravin sir was on call with me for half an hour and explained the whole topic till I understood. I really appreciate that from his end.” Ashish told us that Pravin sir directs him to the right videos and sources when he is unable to get conceptual clarity. “This often happens to me when I am reading any topic in international relations. Because of Pravin sir’s support, I am able to understand a topic in lesser time.” Due to the weekly topic wise prelims and mains test series, Ashish has improved his speed and accuracy to a large extent. “While before, I used to take 15-20 minutes to write an answer, now I am able to do so within 10 minutes.”
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In the aftermath of Covid-19 pandemic, evaluating the state of inequality serves as an eye-opener on the income/wealth divides prevailing across regions.
Income and wealth inequality in the world
The top 10% of the global population share 52% of the total income, while the bottom half survives with a mere 8.5% of it.
This leaves the 40% in the middle with 40% of the income.
This distribution shows the tendency of a rising middle class with lower disparity in income, but it also shows that the status of the poor is worsening day by day.
Inequality of wealth: In terms of wealth, the top 10% of the global population own 76% of the total wealth, while the bottom 50% share a mere 2%.
Some additional features of this exposition of inequality also relate to imbalance of women’s share in income as well as the ecological inequities indicated by the differential carbon emission levels.
Factors responsible for rising inequality
[1] Absence of effective measures of redistribution
Inequality varies across regions. It is moderate in Europe and sharp in Africa.
The top 10% have an income share of 36% in Europe vis-à-vis the top 10% with a share of 58% of the total income in West Asia and North Africa.
Measures for redistribution: This disparity shows that worsening inequalities are avoidable with appropriate measures in place.
[2] The absence of measures discouraging undue accumulation
Kuznet’s curve not follower everywhere: While there is an argument in literature that inequalities are a manifestation of the average level of income, as explained by the Kuznets’ theory, the prevailing pattern across countries does not follow the same.
Average income level is poor predictor of inequality: The average income levels seem to be poor predictors of the levels of inequality, with high-income countries such as the U.S. having higher levels of inequality as against countries such as Sweden, which have moderate levels of inequality.
Similar contradictions are also seen when we contrast middle-income nations such as Brazil, India and China as against Malaysia and Uruguay.
Hence, emerging inequalities are not necessarily an outcome of rising levels of income in the post-liberalisation era, but a depiction of poor redistributive policies towards discouragement of accumulation by governments with due sensitivity towards inequalities.
How inequality hurts government finances
This prevailing pattern of wealth concentration and differential levels of income around the world has also resulted in rich nations having poor governments.
Such a situation has two underpinnings: one, governments have a limited capacity to act on inequality aversion measures and two, private interests overshadow the distributional fairness of wealth.
Way forward
Focus also needs to be placed on reducing disparities in capability domains like education and differential endowments (tangible and intangible) that have the potential to sustain inequalities.
Consider the question “How rising income and wealth inequality could harm us in various ways? What are the factors responsible for the rising inequality? Suggest the way forward.”
Conclusion
The rising levels of income and wealth need to be addresses by policy measures and reducing disparity in capacity domains.
GS-1 Population and associated issues, poverty, and developmental issues
GS-2 Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora.
GS-3 Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment; Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.
GS-4 Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: Accountability and ethical governance; strengthening of ethical and moral values in governance; ethical issues in international relations and funding; corporate governance.
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In the intro mention the World Inequality Report 2022 mentioning India among one of the most unequal countries.
In the body, mention concentration of wealth and income in few hands its implications for government finances and ultimately resulting in lack of resources for welfare measures.
Conclude by mentioning the measures to curb the rising inequality by policy measures such as tax reforms.
In the intro, mention the current tensions between the West and Russia over the Ukraine issue.
In the body mention how Russia has always influenced modern India’s worldview from the impact of1917 Revolution to following the elements of Soviet model of economic development to deep security ties. In the next part, mention Russia’s tumultuous relationship with the West before and even after 1991 and its impact on India’s foreign policy. In the current context mention rising tension between West but the accommodative stance of the US in the view of China challenge.
Conclude by mentioning that India can’t influence the new effort to build a mutually acceptable security order in Europe, but it can welcome and support it.
