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  • Only Limited Seats || Last 2 Hrs Left || Scoring 90+ in Prelims? Begin your Mains preparation strategically || Attend our FREE webinar & speak with our mentors in an open discussion post webinar

    Only Limited Seats || Last 2 Hrs Left || Scoring 90+ in Prelims? Begin your Mains preparation strategically || Attend our FREE webinar & speak with our mentors in an open discussion post webinar

    Dear aspirant,

    Prelims is over and it’s time to gear up for Mains; and if you have scored 90+ in UPSC Prelims 2021, you should start your Mains preparation immediately!!!

    In UPSC 2020, Civilsdaily helped 80+ students secure ranks in their exams and 30 students of Civilsdaily have secured ranks in the Top 100. The same team that helped aspirants become rankers last year is back again to help you also.

    register here for free webinar for mains

    Sukanya ma’am (Mains Program Head) and Birendra sir (Mains Program Coordinator) will be speaking with students at a FREE webinar to discuss the strategies for your Mains.

    These are what you’ll get in the webinar:

    1. When to start practicing answers if you are appearing for Mains?
    2. What to study and what not to study. Smart hacks to complete and revise your syllabus in minimum time.
    3. Debunking myths associated with answer writing.
    4. What are the best practices in answer writing ?
    5. Topper’s answer discussed and analysed live (Why did they score high marks).
    6. X-factor required in your answers to score above 100 marks in GS.
    7. Ideal strategy till Mains 2021.
    8. How to allocate your time between GS and Optional?
    9. Importance of Structure and Presentation in getting high marks in UPSC GS mains.
    10. Open Q&A session with Participants.

    Date: 13/10/2021

    Time: 07:00 p.m. onwards

    If you have scored 90+ in Prelims this year, then this webinar is meant for you. Register now.

    REGISTER HERE FOR FREE WEBINAR FOR MAINS

    About Sukanya Ma’am:

    Sukanya ma’am has firsthand experience of 4 mains and 2 interviews of UPSC. She has also appeared in the State PCS interview. Before she has worked as an officer in a public sector bank and now as a Mentor at Civilsdaily, she aims to guide future aspirants in finding success.

    About Birendra Sir:

    Birendra Sir has been part of Mentoring team at Civilsdaily for more than 2 years now. He has a rich experience of guiding 200+ students. Presently, he is working as Mains Coordinator at Civilsdaily.

  • PSIR Optional UPSC 2023 Value Enhancement with Soham, IRS | Lectures, Tests, Notes, and 1-1 Mentorship | Starts on 3rd Nov

    PSIR Optional UPSC 2023 Value Enhancement with Soham, IRS | Lectures, Tests, Notes, and 1-1 Mentorship | Starts on 3rd Nov

    Get PSIR-related doubts resolved (FREE)
    Enroll here

    If there’s one-stop, single-source reading material for PSIR, it is CD’s PSIR Optional Program for UPSC 2023. It is a Value Enhancement Program

    AIR 267, Soham (IRS) will be heading the PSIR program and he will be taking lectures and mentorship sessions. Soham has scored one of the highest marks in the Optional and has a great base in the PSIR subject.

    A Brief Overview Of CD’s PSIR Program

    • It is a 60 days program 
    • Value addition lectures and notes by Soham Mandhare, AIR 267, UPSC 2021 IRS
    • Test series including 6 tests, Model answers 
    • Test discussion with Soham sir
    • 1-1 Post-test evaluation mentorship call by senior PSIR optional mentor

    At the end of each session, you will get a LIVE Doubt-Clearing session with our faculty to get all your doubts cleared. We are working hard to make the program more featureful, highlight the best answers, and show the competency levels of students. So what are you waiting for? Enroll & get the feel of a real exam.

    Get PSIR-related doubts resolved (FREE)
    Enroll here

    Since optional constitutes 500/2025 towards the merit list, it is important to outperform in it to get into the service of your choice.

    It is a little more than 7 months to go for UPSC-CSE 2023. So, Guys, this is high time to make sure that the foundation for your ‘Optional’ Answer writing skills is strong. Our ‘Political Science & International Strategy’ (PSIR) Program is a handy opportunity to sharpen your Answer writing skills. 

    We are launching an advanced 60 days PSIR Optional Program. Rest assured, we have got you covered with all the conceptual clarity on important topics. For maximum retention and greater recall value in the exam hall, CD’S Exam Prep program has curated an exclusive series to help you strengthen the basics for UPSC Optional answer writing. 

    Also, you will get a lot of pointers to polish your written and interview skills for UPSC-CSE 2023, 24. 

    Click here to JOIN the PSIR OPTIONAL PROGRAM.

    Trends In PSIR Optional Paper

    For concept/idea-based questions:

    • For concept/idea-based questions:
    • Who theorized it and what inspirations behind it if any
    • Core points explaining the idea, include a diagram/flowchart (rare, only if it helps)
    • Arguments for and against the idea, citing scholars
    • Relevance in present times / critical analysis

    For current affairs-based questions:

    • A generic opening surrounding the event/news, a quote if I could remember one
    • Core points explaining the situation
    • Explain and against arguments, citing scholars
    • Critical analysis / pragmatic opinion or solution, citing scholars if needed

    WHAT THE PROGRAM INCLUDES:

    Value addition Lectures by AIR 267, Soham + Test series + Evaluation of Questions + Doubt Clearing Session + 1-to-1 mentorship + Notes

    • 60 days value addition program
    • Value addition lectures and notes by Soham sir (over Zoom/Google meet)
    • Mentorship-overall schedule preparation
    • 6 test detailed evaluations within 48 hours of submission and One-on-One (on-call) discussion for each test
    • Value addition material by Soham sir
    • Access to Community administered by Soham sir and PSIR faculty
    • Doubt sessions on-demand for conceptual clarity, interlinking aspects
    • Strategy mentorship session with Soham sir (weekly)
    • Focusing on answer writing analysis, model answers, and test discussion by Soham sir. Maintaining the flow of answers, use of keywords, use of scholars’ quotes, coverage of dimensions, etc

    Course Fee: Rs 10,000 + GST = Rs. 11,800 Rs 8260 (Early bird offer)

    Get PSIR-related doubts resolved (FREE)
    Enroll here

    ABOUT THE MENTOR:

    Soham Mandhare Sir

    Soham secured AIR 267 in UPSC 2021 exam. He scored more than 290 in his last two attempts in the PSIR optional.

    What The Hindu mentioned about Civilsdaily Mentorship

    Get PSIR-related doubts resolved (FREE)
    Enroll here

  • Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for Plastic Waste Collection

    The Environment Ministry has issued draft rules that mandate producers of plastic packaging material to collect all of their produce by 2024 and ensure that a minimum percentage of it be recycled as well as used in subsequent supply.

    What is EPR?

    • Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) means the responsibility of a producer for the environmentally sound management of the product (plastic packaging) until the end of its life.
    • India had first introduced EPR in 2011 under the Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011 and E-Waste Management and Handling Rules, 2011.

    What are the new EPR rules for Plastic Waste?

    (A) Plastic packaging

    • The new EPR guidelines covers three categories of plastic packaging including:
    1. Rigid plastic
    2. Flexible plastic packaging of single layer or multilayer (more than one layer with different types of plastic), plastic sheets and covers made of plastic sheet, carry bags (including carry bags made of compostable plastics), plastic sachet or pouches
    3. Multi-layered plastic packaging which has at least one layer of plastic and at least one layer of material other than plastic.
    • It has also specified a system whereby makers and users of plastic packaging can collect certificates — called Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) certificates — and trade in them.

    (B) Ineligible plastics for EPR

    • Only a fraction of plastic that cannot be recycled will be eligible to be sent for end-of-life disposal such as road construction, waste to energy, waste to oil and cement kilns.
    • Only methods prescribed by the Central Pollution Control Board will be permitted for their disposal.

    Targets for recycling

    • In 2024, a minimum 50% of their rigid plastic (category 1) will have to be recycled as will 30% of their category 2 and 3 plastic.
    • Every year will see progressively higher targets and after 2026-27, 80% of their category 1 and 60% of the other two categories will need to be recycled.
    • If entities cannot fulfil their obligations, they will on a “case by case basis” be permitted to buy certificates making up for their shortfall.

    Effects on non-compliance

    • Non-compliance, however, will not invite a traditional fine.
    • Instead, an “environmental compensation” will be levied, though the rules do not specify how much this compensation will be.

    Challenges in mandatory EPR

    There are several challenges faced by both producers and bulk consumers that hinder proactive participation.

    • Consumer awareness: Waste segregation has been the greatest challenge in India owing to lack of consumer awareness.
    • Lack of compliance: The plastic producers do not wish to engage in the process holistically and take the effort to build awareness.
    • Large scale involvement: The EPR doesn’t take into account the formalization of informal waste pickers, aggregators and dismantlers.
    • Lack of recycle infrastructure: These challenges range from lack of handling capacity to illegitimate facilities in the forms of multiple accounting of waste, selling to aggregators and leakages.

    Way forward

    • Tracking mechanism: What India needs is to develop tracking mechanisms and provide oversight of waste compliance, in order to ensure that the mechanism of waste disposal is streamlined.
    • Strict enforcement: While enforcement strictness is of paramount importance, it is also vital to build an incentive structure around this to ensure better complicity by the producers.
    • Innovation: The time is ripe for innovators to come up with an alternative for plastics and the strong will of the Government to rid the toxic waste in a sustainable and safe manner.

    Try answering this PYQ:

    Q.In India, ‘extended producer responsibility’ was introduced as an important feature in which of the following?

    (a) The Bio-medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1998

    (b) The Recycled Plastic (Manufacturing and Usage) Rules, 1999

    (c) The e-Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011

    (d) The Food Safety and Standard Regulations, 2011

     

    Post your answers here.

     

    Also read:

    [Burning Issue] Ban on Single Use Plastics

     

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

  • Amendments to the Forest Conservation Act, 1980

    The Ministry for Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has published proposed amendments to the Forest Conservation Act, 1980.

    The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980

    The FCA is the principal legislation that regulates deforestation in the country.

    • It prohibits the felling of forests for any “non-forestry” use without prior clearance by the central government.
    • The clearance process includes seeking consent from local forest rights-holders and from wildlife authorities.
    • The Centre is empowered to reject such requests or allow it with legally binding conditions.
    • In a landmark decision in 1996, the Supreme Court had expanded the coverage of FCA to all areas that satisfied the dictionary definition of a forest; earlier, only lands specifically notified as forests were protected by the enforcement of the FCA.

    The FCA is brief legislation with only five sections of which-

    • Section 1 defines the extent of coverage of the law,
    • Section 2 restrictions of activities in forest areas and the rest deals with the creation of advisory committees, powers of rule-making and penalties.

    Why is the Act being amended now?

    • The current definition of forests has locked land across the country; even private owners cannot utilise their own property for non-forestry purposes.
    • The pressure for forest land diversion has been coming from — Ministries such as Rail and Roads.
    • Under the Act, any diversion of any forest land for any purpose, including assignment of leases, needs prior approval of the Centre.

    What defines ‘Forest’ under this act?

    • Previously, the Act had applied largely to reserve forests and national parks.
    • In 1996, ruling in T N Godavarman Thirumulpad v Union of India Case, the Supreme Court had expanded the definition and scope of forest land.
    • It would thus include all areas recorded as forest in any government record, irrespective of ownership, recognition and classification.
    • The court also expanded the definition of forests to encompass the “dictionary meaning of forests”.
    • This would mean that a forested patch would automatically become a “deemed forest” even if it is not notified as protected, and irrespective of ownership.
    • The Act would also be applicable over plantations in non-forest land.

    What are the proposed amendments?

    (A) Exemptions for Road and Railways

    • The MoEFCC has proposed that all land acquired by the Railways and Roads Ministries prior to 1980 be exempted from the Act.
    • Once the lands had been acquired for expansion, but subsequently, forests have grown in these areas, and the government is no longer able to use the land for expansion.
    • The Ministries will no longer need clearance for their projects, nor pay compensatory levies to build there.

    (B) Relaxation

    • It distinguishes individuals whose lands fall within a state-specific Private Forests Act or comes within the dictionary meaning of forest as specified in the 1996 Supreme Court order.
    • The government proposes to allow the “construction of structures for bona fide purposes’’ including residential units up to 250 sq m as a one-time relaxation.

    (C) Defense and other projects

    • Defence projects near international borders will be exempted from forest clearance.
    • Oil and natural gas extraction from forested lands will be permitted, but only if technologies such as Extended Reach Drilling are used.
    • Strip plantations alongside roads that would fall under the Act will be exempted.

    What are the concerns?

    • Legalizing private ownership of forests: The rules will facilitate corporate ownership.
    • Deforestation: The exemption of forests on private land will lead to the disappearance of large tracts of forests.
    • Fragmentation: Exemption for private residences on private forest will lead to fragmentation of forests, and open areas such as the Aravalli mountains to real estate.
    • Tribal concerns: The amendments do not address what will happen to tribals and forest-dwelling communities over the cleared lands.
    • Threat to wildlife: Exemption for roads and railways on forest land acquired prior to 1980 will be detrimental to forests as well as wildlife – especially elephants, tigers and leopards.

    Positives with the amendment

    • It has proposed making forest laws more stringent for notified forests, making offences non-bailable with increased penalties including imprisonment of up to one year.
    • It has disallowed any kind of diversion in certain forests.
    • It has attempt to define and identify forests once and for all — something that has been often ambiguous.

     

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  • James Webb: The most powerful space telescope

    On Dec 18, 2021, after years of delays, the James Webb Space Telescope is scheduled to launch into orbit and usher in the next era of astronomy.

    James Webb Space Telescope

    • JWST is a joint NASA–ESA–CSA space telescope that is planned to succeed the Hubble Space Telescope as NASA’s flagship astrophysics mission
    • It is the most powerful space telescope ever built.
    • It will enable a broad range of investigations across the fields of astronomy and cosmology, including observing some of the most distant events and objects in the universe,
    • It would help understand events such as the formation of the first galaxies, and detailed atmospheric characterization of potentially habitable exoplanets.

    Its significance

    • Some have called JSWT the “telescope that ate astronomy.”
    • It is said to look back in time to the Dark Ages of the universe.

    What does the ‘Dark Ages’ of the universe mean?

    • Evidence shows that the universe started with an event called the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago, which left it in an ultra-hot, ultra-dense state.
    • The universe immediately began expanding and cooling after the Big Bang.
    • One second after the Big Bang, the universe was a hundred trillion miles across with an average temperature of an incredible 18 billion F (10 billion C).
    • Around 400,000 years after the Big Bang, the universe was 10 million light-years across and the temperature had cooled to 5,500 F (3,000 C).
    • Throughout this time, space was filled with a smooth soup of high-energy particles, radiation, hydrogen and helium.
    • There was no structure. As the expanding universe became bigger and colder, the soup thinned out and everything faded to black.

    This was the start of what astronomers call the Dark Ages of the universe.

    How will JWST study this?

    Ans. Looking for the first light

    • The Dark Ages ended when gravity formed the first stars and galaxies that eventually began to emit the first light.
    • Astronomers aim to study this fascinating and important era of the universe, but detecting first light is incredibly challenging.
    • Compared to massive, bright galaxies of today, the first objects were very small and due to the constant expansion of the universe, they’re now tens of billions of light years away from Earth.
    • Also, the earliest stars were surrounded by gas left over from their formation and this gas acted like fog that absorbed most of the light.
    • It took several hundred million years for radiation to blast away the fog. This early light is very faint by the time it gets to Earth.

    Try this PYQ:

    Consider the following phenomena:

    1. Light is affected by gravity.
    2. The Universe is constantly expanding.
    3. Matter warps its surrounding space-time.

    Which of the above is/are the predictions of Albert Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity, often discussed in media?

    (a) 1 and 2 only

    (b) 3 only

    (c) 1 and 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

     

    Post your answers here.

     

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

  • [pib] Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) for P&K Fertilizers

    The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the proposal of the Department of Fertilizers for fixation of Nutrient Based Subsidy Rates for P&K Fertilizers for the year last quarter of the year 2021-22.

    An aspirant from rural agrarian background is quite habitual to hear about NPK 10-26-26, 20-20-0-13 & 12-32-16. They often get to find the plastic gunny bags mentioning this!

    Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS)

    • The NBS Scheme for fertilizer was initiated in the year 2010 and is being implemented by the Department of Fertilizers.
    • Under the scheme, a fixed amount of subsidy decided on an annual basis is provided on each grade of subsidized P&K fertilizers, except for Urea based on the nutrient content present in them.
    • It is largely for secondary nutrients like N, P, S and K and micronutrients which are very important for crop growth and development.
    • In India, urea is the only controlled fertilizer and is sold at a statutory notified uniform sale price.

    What is NPK?

    • So now that you know what the numbers on fertilizer mean, you need to know why NPK is important to your plants.
    • All plants need nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to grow. Without enough of any one of these nutrients, a plant will fail.
    1. Nitrogen (N): It is largely responsible for the growth of leaves on the plant.
    2. Phosphorus (P): It is largely responsible for root growth and flower and fruit development.
    3. Potassium (K): It is a nutrient that helps the overall functions of the plant perform correctly.
    • Knowing the NPK values of fertilizer can help you select one that is appropriate for the type of plant you are growing.

    What NBS provides?

    • Fixing MRP of NPK fertilizers: The scheme allows the manufacturers, marketers, and importers to fix the MRP of the Phosphatic and Potash fertilizers at reasonable levels.
    • Maintaining stock level: The MRP will be decided considering the domestic and international prices of P&K fertilizers, inventory level in the country and the exchange rates.
    • Inflation control: The NBS ensures that an adequate quantity of P&K is made available to the farmers at a statutory controlled price.

    Issues with NBS

    • Leaves urea: Urea which the most widely used, is left-out in the scheme and hence it remains under price control as NBS has been implemented only in other fertilizers.
    • Cost on exchequer: Fertilizer subsidy is the second-biggest subsidy after food subsidy.
    • Costs on Economy and Environment: The NBS policy is not only damaging the fiscal health of the economy but also proving detrimental to the soil health of the country.
    • Black marketing: Subsidised fertilizers is getting diverted to bulk buyers/traders or even non-agricultural users such as plywood and animal feed makers.

    Back2Basics: Soil Health Card (SHC)

    • Soil Health Card (SHC) scheme is promoted by the Department of Agriculture & Co-operation under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.
    • An SHC is meant to give each farmer soil nutrient status of his/her holding and advice him/her on the dosage of fertilizers and also the needed soil amendments, that s/he should apply to maintain soil health in the long run.
    • SHC is a printed report that a farmer will be handed over for each of his holdings.
    • It will be made available once in a cycle of 2 years, which will indicate the status of soil health of a farmer’s holding for that particular period.
    • The SHC given in the next cycle of 2 years will be able to record the changes in the soil health for that subsequent period.

    Parameters of SHC:

    • N, P, K (Macro-nutrients)
    • Sulfur (S) (Secondary- nutrient)
    • Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn, Bo (Micronutrients)
    • pH, EC (Electrical conductivity) , OC (Organic content)

    Try this PYQ:

    The nation-wide ‘Soil Health Card Scheme’ aims at:

    1. expanding the cultivable area under irrigation.
    2. enabling the banks to assess the quantum of loans to be granted to farmers on the basis of soil quality.
    3. checking the overuse of fertilizers in farmlands.

    Which of the above statements is/are correct?

    (a) 1 and 2 only

    (b) 3 only

    (c) 2 and 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

     

    Post your answers here.

     

     

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

  • 13th October 2021| Daily Answer Writing Enhancement(AWE)

    Topics for Today’s questions:

    GS-1     Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India

    GS-2     Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings and Agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

     GS-3     Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.

    GS-4     Emotional intelligence-concepts, and their utilities and application in administration and governance

    Questions:

    Question 1)

     

    Q.1 The recent pandemic reinforces that a good urbanization is the most powerful technology for poverty reduction. Explain. (15 Marks)

     

    Question 2)

    Q.2 Examine the implications of the CAATSA sanctions against India for India-US ties. Give argument in support of waiver for India. (10 Marks)

    Question 3)

    Q.3 Financial woes of the Discoms continue unabated despite various schemes. In this context, examine the various aspects of the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme and it seeks to improve the financial status of Discoms? (10 Marks)

    Question 4)  

    Q.4 Emotional intelligence in recent times has become the buzzword for determining the success of a person. Do you agree? If yes, mention the steps you have taken in your life to develop emotional intelligence. (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  October is uploaded on 11th October 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 October is uploaded on 13th October, 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*. 

    For the philosophy of AWE and payment: 

    CLICK HERE To join Daily AWE

  • Q.4 Emotional intelligence in recent times has become the buzzword for determining the success of a person. Do you agree? If yes, mention the steps you have taken in your life to develop emotional intelligence. (10 Marks)

    Mentor’s Comments-

    • Elaborate concept of emotional intelligence and its relevance in today’s life.
    • Discuss in what way good emotional intelligence can directly be related to the success of a person.
    • Also, mention some steps taken to develop Emotional Intelligence in your life.
    • Conclude appropriately.

  • Q.3 Financial woes of the Discoms continue unabated despite various schemes. In this context, examine the various aspects of the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme and it seeks to improve the financial status of Discoms? (10 Marks)

    Mentor’s comment-

  • Q.2 Examine the implications of the CAATSA sanctions against India for India-US ties. Give argument in support of waiver for India. (10 Marks)

    Mentor’s comment-

  • Q.1 The recent pandemic reinforces that a good urbanization is the most powerful technology for poverty reduction. Explain. (15 Marks)

    Mentor’s Comments-

    • Explain Good Urbanization in the introduction.
    • In the body, mention some challenges associated with the current trends of urbanization.
    • Bring out the linkage between unplanned urbanization and the pandemic.
    • Mention few points regarding role of urbanization in poverty reduction.
    • Write a brief way forward.
    • Conclude appropriately.

  • 13th October 2021 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions

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

    [WpProQuiz 808]

    [WpProQuiz_toplist 808]

  • Scoring 90+ in Prelims? Begin your Mains preparation strategically || attend our FREE webinar & speak with our mentors in an open discussion post webinar.

    Scoring 90+ in Prelims? Begin your Mains preparation strategically || attend our FREE webinar & speak with our mentors in an open discussion post webinar.

    Dear aspirant,

    Prelims is over and it’s time to gear up for Mains; and if you have scored 90+ in UPSC Prelims 2021, you should start your Mains preparation immediately!!!

    In UPSC 2020, Civilsdaily helped 80+ students secure ranks in their exams and 30 students of Civilsdaily have secured ranks in the Top 100. The same team that helped aspirants become rankers last year is back again to help you also.

    register here for free webinar for mains

    Sukanya ma’am (Mains Program Head) and Birendra sir (Mains Program Coordinator) will be speaking with students at a FREE webinar to discuss the strategies for your Mains.

    These are what you’ll get in the webinar:

    1. When to start practicing answers if you are appearing for Mains?
    2. What to study and what not to study. Smart hacks to complete and revise your syllabus in minimum time.
    3. Debunking myths associated with answer writing.
    4. What are the best practices in answer writing ?
    5. Topper’s answer discussed and analysed live (Why did they score high marks).
    6. X-factor required in your answers to score above 100 marks in GS.
    7. Ideal strategy till Mains 2021.
    8. How to allocate your time between GS and Optional?
    9. Importance of Structure and Presentation in getting high marks in UPSC GS mains.
    10. Open Q&A session with Participants.

    Date: 13/10/2021

    Time: 07:00 p.m. onwards

    If you have scored 90+ in Prelims this year, then this webinar is meant for you. Register now.

    REGISTER HERE FOR FREE WEBINAR FOR MAINS

    About Sukanya Ma’am:

    Sukanya ma’am has firsthand experience of 4 mains and 2 interviews of UPSC. She has also appeared in the State PCS interview. Before she has worked as an officer in a public sector bank and now as a Mentor at Civilsdaily, she aims to guide future aspirants in finding success.

    About Birendra Sir:

    Birendra Sir has been part of Mentoring team at Civilsdaily for more than 2 years now. He has a rich experience of guiding 200+ students. Presently, he is working as Mains Coordinator at Civilsdaily.

  • [SansadTV] Silver Economy: Challenges & Opportunities

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

    Context

    • India’s elderly population is on the rise.
    • As per surveys, the share of elders, as a percentage of the total population in the country, is expected to increase from around 8.6% in 2011 to almost 12.5% by 2026, and surpass 19.5% by 2050.
    • Given this sharp rise there is an urgent need to create a more robust eldercare ecosystem in India, especially in the post-COVID phase.
    • The government is exploring various ways to promote the idea of silver economy.

    Silver Economy: An Explainer

    • The Silver Economy is dedicated to the elderly in our societies.
    • It is the system of production, distribution and consumption of goods and services aimed at using the purchasing potential of older and ageing people.
    • It seeks to satisfy their consumption, living and health needs.
    • It impacts every market and industry, such as: home accommodation, transport, food industry, insurance, robotics, health and e-health, communications, internet, sports and leisure.

    Why focus on senior citizens?

    • Drivers of economy: Older people are no longer at the periphery of the economy. Seniors are now significant players in the economy and their role will get even bigger.
    • High income/savings: Since older people tend to have both high incomes compared to younger populations and high needs, they are major consumers.
    • High population: There are currently 750 million seniors in the world, and that figure will cross the 1 billion marks by 2030.
    • Wealth accumulation: Seniors are the wealthiest age cohort in the world, together with older professionals (45-64 years).

    Issues

    • Many of the world’s “new seniors” will be in Asia and less wealthy than the current average.
    • Burden of diseases
    • Still, because they are relatively richer and relatively older, Western economies will remain the top “silver economies” into the next decade.

    Issues in India

    India is a young country with elaborate socio-cultural intricacies and an aging population.

    • Dependency: A large section of the senior population in India is still dependent on the joint family set up for their senior care and post-retirement needs, with financial planning for retirement taking a back seat.
    • High population: An increase in the number of seniors in India will reduce the percentage of India’s human resource capital and its ability to drive economic growth.
    • Increased retirement age: Many seniors in India expects to work beyond retirement age to raising the retirement age in India as longevity, expanded social benefits, increased homeownership, etc.
    • Second-life income: In developed economies a major share of the retirement income comes from social security. While in emerging markets like India, people rely on their personal savings as a primary source.
    • Low insurance penetration: This highlights the inadequacy and underscores the critical need to streamline retirement planning schemes and strengthen the pension programs in the country. There is a lacks of social security framework.

    Key initiatives

    As the senior population grows in size, India will need to look at them both as an important consumer segment as well as an essential part of its ambitious growth plan.

    An understanding of their needs, preferences, and lifestyles will be critical in unlocking the economic potential of this segment.

    [1] National Policy for Senior Citizens

    • The government of India has already taken steps in this direction with the introduction of the Draft National Policy for Senior Citizens 2020.
    • The Draft NPSC seeks to create a strong silver economy that caters to the new and evolving needs of seniors in the country.

    [2] SAGE Project

    • A scheme has been launched to promote private enterprises that bring out innovation in products and processes for the benefit of the elders.
    • This project is known as Senior Aging Growth Engine or SAGE.
    • It will identify, evaluate, verify and aggregate the needs of elder persons to deliver products, solutions and services.

    [3] SACRED Portal

    • Another portal SACRED- Senior Able Citizens for Re-Employment in Dignity, recently launched will connect the senior citizens with job providers in the private sector.

    Way forward

    (1) Universal pension program:

    • Income security in later years stems from multiple sources such as pensions, insurances (medical and life), investments.
    • This provides an opportunity for India to create a universal pension program for its 1.3 billion people.

    (2) Financial incentives:

    • There is a pressing need to promote and facilitate fiscal planning in the early years and supplement it with senior-friendly tax structures and integrated insurance products.
    • Such measures can help provide multiple income options to seniors to help them embrace a lifestyle of their choice.

    (3) Regulatory mechanism:

    • Income generated from savings is the go-to for most elders.
    • A regulatory mechanism will set a viable base rate for the interest accrued on senior citizen deposits and ensure market dips don’t affect retirement income and senior-specific saving plans.

    Conclusion

    • As the demography undergoes changes of such massive proportions, we need to figure out ways to supplement the impending deficit.
    • Seniors can help elevate the economy by being active participants in both the income generation and income expenditure side of the market.
    • Keeping senior citizens meaningfully engaged, will also help them lead fuller lives and help achieve a healthy work-life balance.
    • This necessitates robust policy support to implement programs that encourage and simplify the process for seniors to opt for post-retirement employment.
  • Unable to crack prelims means you were unable to understand what UPSC expects from you | Don’t repeat the mistake in 2022 | Learn how

    Unable to crack prelims means you were unable to understand what UPSC expects from you | Don’t repeat the mistake in 2022 | Learn how

    Do you know what UPSC expects from an aspirant? Have you had a look at Pre 2021 paper? It can be taken as a watershed moment. If you feel you’re at the crossroads this is for you.

    In 2020, Civilsdaily helped 80+ Civilsdaily students secured ranks in the exam and 30 secured ranks in the top 100. And now, it’s time to look ahead.

    The 10th Oct 2021 in many ways was a watershed moment for IAS aspirants. Prelims 2021 has shocked veterans and baffled the first-timers. If anything this paper has taught is that you need to adapt to the expectations of UPSC and adopt a new approach.

    UPSC is changing. No more is it about isolating yourself and just doing current affairs, static, attending random classes, or reading a plethora of books. It’s time to bury the old ways for IAS preparation, for good.

    We’ve had a discussion with around 3500 IAS aspirants (beginners and veterans) last month and all of them had doubts related to either sources and books or answer writing and even essays and interviews.

    To borrow from the parable of ‘blind men and the elephant’ almost all of these aspirants were trying to make sense of UPSC but unable to look at the whole picture. You need to tackle that ‘elephant in the room’. Look at the holistic picture. First, understand what it stands for, what expectations do they have from you, then understand how to fulfill them, then plan and move forward.

    How to prepare for upsc 2021? Strategy for upsc 2021? Answer writing for 2020

    Broadly, six factors determine your success in cracking this prestigious IAS exam and the most important being understanding the expectations of UPSC and according to that planning and strategizing; other being Learning – Knowledge and information; Analyzing – making linkages, connections, etc.; Executing and utilizing information; and Constant course correction – because mistakes are inevitable, need to rectify them asap.

    But how to do that?
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  • RBI’s monetary policy statement

    Context

    The Monetary Policy Committee of the RBI kept the benchmark policy rates unchanged, and retained the accommodative stance in its October review.

    Factors playing part in monetary policy decisions

    • It’s important to remember that monetary policy these days is influenced by both local macroeconomic developments and the global monetary policy direction, with the former playing a dominant role.
    • Locally, after the second wave of the pandemic, a variety of indicators such as the Purchasing Managers Index (manufacturing and services), mobility indicators, government tax collections, exports and imports are pointing at an improvement in economic activity.
    • Then there is the good news on the monsoon front. With a late pick-up in rains, the cumulative deficiency in this monsoon season has come down to just 1 per cent of the long-period average (LPA).
    • Since the MPC’s August 2021 policy review, Covid-19 cases have trended down and there has been admirable progress on the vaccination front.
    • Also, despite high year-on-year growth numbers, the level of economic activity this fiscal will only be 1.5 per cent above 2019-2020.

    Trends emerging from the economic recovery

    • Role of government: Capital expenditure of both the Centre and states is on track to meet the budgetary commitment, supported by healthy tax collections.
    • Large companies on recovery path: Large companies in industrial sectors such as steel, cement, non-ferrous metals are operating at healthy utilisation levels, and have deleveraged their balance sheets.
    • Policy support for smaller companies: The going is not so good for the smaller ones.
    • Clearly, smaller companies need policy support. The extension of the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme is a recognition of that.
    • Private consumption is not broad-based either.
    • Even in goods consumption, which is faring better than services, the nature of demand seems skewed towards relatively higher-value items such as cars and utility vehicles.
    • This probably reflects the income dichotomy spawned by the pandemic.
    • Inflation: Its fall to 5.3 per cent in August offers only limited comfort for two reasons.
    • One, core and fuel inflation, which have 54 per cent weightage in CPI, remain stubbornly high.
    • Second, food prices have nudged down overall inflation.
    • Domestic growth-inflation dynamics suggest that the RBI has little option but to remain more tolerant of persistent price pressures, and hope that these will eventually prove transitory because they have been primarily driven by supply shocks caused by the pandemic.

    Global monetary policy environment

    • Globally, the monetary policy environment is veering towards normalisation/tapering/interest-rate rise largely due to an upward surprise in inflation, or because some central banks feel the objectives of quantitative easing have been met.
    • Central banks in advanced economies such as Norway, Korea and New Zealand have recently raised rates.
    • The two systemically important central banks — the US Federal Reserve (Fed) and the European Central Bank (ECB) — view the current spike in inflation as fleeting and have communicated greater tolerance for it for a longer period.

    Conclusion

    The process of mopping up excess liquidity will slowly gain pace over the next few months, followed by a policy rate hike sometime around early 2022. By then, there should be enough clarity on the third wave and the stance of the Fed and the ECB.

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  • Europe as a valuable strategic partner

    Context

    Last week’s in-person summit in Delhi was with the Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen.

    Europe as a valuable partner

    • Few Asian countries view Europe with strategic suspicion. Many in Asia see Europe as a valuable partner.
    • As the deepening confrontation between the US and China begins to squeeze South East Asia, Europe is widely seen as widening the strategic options for the region.
    • The perspective is similar in Delhi, which now sees Brussels as a critical element in the construction of a multipolar world.
    • Cultivate Europe: As External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar puts it, India’s strategy is to “engage America, manage China, cultivate Europe, reassure Russia, bring Japan into play”.
    • EU’s Strategy for India: The EU outlined a strategy for India in 2018 to focus on four themes — sustainable economic modernisation, promotion of a rules-based order, foreign policy coordination, and security cooperation.
    • At the summit in Portugal in May this year, the EU and India agreed to resume free trade talks and develop a new connectivity partnership that would widen options for the world beyond the Belt and Road Initiative.
    • Rebalancing the international system: Above all, there is a recognition in both Delhi and Brussels that the India-EU strategic partnership is crucial for the rebalancing of the international system amidst the current global flux.

    Possibilities with smaller European countries

    • Europe looms so large in the Indian diplomatic agenda today and smaller European states draw unprecedented political attention from Delhi.
    • That Denmark, a country of barely six million people, can establish a significant green partnership with India, is a reminder that smaller countries of Europe have much to offer in India’s economic, technological, and social transformation.
    • Luxembourg brings great financial clout, Norway offers impressive maritime technologies, Estonia is a cyber power, Czechia has deep strengths in optoelectronics, Portugal is a window to the Lusophone world, and Slovenia offers commercial access to the heart of Europe through its Adriatic sea port at Koper.
    • As India begins to realise this untapped potential, there are new openings with the 27-nation EU headquartered in Brussels.

    EU’s important role in Indo-Pacific

    • The EU’s Indo-Pacific strategy is likely to have a much greater impact on the region more immediately and on a wider range of areas than military security.
    • Area’s of impact range from trade and investment to green partnerships, the construction of quality infrastructure to digital partnerships, and from strengthening ocean governance to promoting research and innovation.
    • Defence and security are important elements of the EU’s Indo-Pacific strategy that “seeks to promote an open and rules-based regional security architecture, including secure sea lines of communication, capacity-building and enhanced naval presence in the Indo-Pacific.
    • Whatever the specific circumstances of the AUKUS deal and its impact on France, the US wants all its partners, especially Europe, to contribute actively to the reconstitution of the Asian balance of power.
    • Working with Quad: The EU strategy, in turn, sees room for working with the Quad in the Indo-Pacific, while stepping up security cooperation with a number of Asian partners, including India, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore and Vietnam.
    • India is conscious that Europe can’t match America’s military heft in the Indo-Pacific.
    • But it could help strengthen the military balance and contribute to regional security in multiple other ways.

    Consider the question “Delhi knows that Europe could significantly boost India’s capacity to influence future outcomes in the Indo-Pacific. It would also be a valuable complement to India’s Quad coalition”. Comment.

    Conclusion

    It was Russia that defined India’s discourse on the multipolar world after the Cold War. Today, it is Europe — with its much greater economic weight, technological strength, and normative power — that promises to boost India’s own quest for a multipolar world and a rebalanced Indo-Pacific.

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  • India invited to become full-time IEA member

    International Energy Agency (IEA) has invited India, the world’s third-largest energy consumer, to become its full-time member.

    International Energy Agency (IEA)

    • The IEA is an autonomous intergovernmental organization established in the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 1974 in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis.
    • Based in Paris, IEA was initially dedicated to responding to physical disruptions in the supply of oil, as well as serving as an information source on statistics about the international oil market.
    • In the decades since, its role has expanded to cover the entire global energy system, encompassing traditional energy sources such as oil, gas, and coal as well as cleaner and faster growing ones such as solar PV, wind power and biofuels.
    • It is best known for the publication of its annual World Energy Outlook.

    Role and responsibility

    • The Agency’s mandate has broadened to focus on providing analysis, data, policy recommendations and solutions to help countries ensure secure, affordable and sustainable energy for all.
    • In particular, it has focused on supporting global efforts to accelerate the clean energy transition and mitigate climate change.
    • The IEA has a broad role in promoting rational energy policies and multinational energy technology co-operation with a view to reaching net zero emissions.

    India and IEA

    • India, in March 2017, became an associate member of the Paris-based body which advises industrialised nations on energy policies.
    • Today the IEA acts as a policy adviser to its member states, as well as major emerging economies such as Brazil, China, India, Indonesia and South Africa to support energy security and advance the clean energy transition worldwide.

    Significance of the invitation

    • This proposal if accepted will require New Delhi to raise strategic oil reserves to 90 days requirement.
    • India is becoming increasingly influential in global energy trends.

    Try this MCQ:

    Q.The Global Energy Transition Index recently seen in news is released by:

    a) International Energy Agency (IEA)

    b) World Economic Forum (WEF)

    c) International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)

    d) International Solar Alliance

     

    Post your answers here.

     

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  • Explained: Patrolling Points along LAC

    The standoffs between Indian and Chinese troops in Ladakh on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), where initial steps towards disengagement have taken place, are around a number of patrolling points or PPs in Galwan, Hot Springs and Gogra areas.

    What exactly are Patrolling Points?

    • PPs are patrolling points identified and marked on the LAC, which are patrolled with a stipulated frequency by the security forces.
    • They serve as a guide to the location of the LAC for the soldiers, acting as indicators of the extent of ‘actual control’ exercised on the territory by India.
    • By regularly patrolling up to these PPs, the Indian side is able to establish and assert its physical claim about the LAC.

    Are all the Patrolling Points numbered?

    • Some of the PPs are prominent and identifiable geographical features, such as a pass, or a nala junction where no numerals are given.
    • Only those PPs, where there are no prominent features, are numbered as in the case of PP14 in Galwan Valley.

    Are all on the Patrolling Points bang on the LAC?

    • Mostly, yes. Except for the Depsang plains in northern Ladakh, where PP10, PP11, PP11A, PP12 and PP13 – from Raki Nala to Jivan Nala – do not fall on the LAC.
    • These are short of the LAC, on the Indian side.

    Are these Patrolling Points not manned?

    • The PPs are not posts and thus not manned.
    • Unlike on the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan, the border with China is not physically held by the Army all along.
    • They are just physical markers on the ground, chosen for their location and have no defensive potential or tactical importance for the Army.

    If the Patrolling Points are not manned, how is the claim actually asserted?

    • The claim is asserted by the Army or joint Army-ITBP patrols as they show more visible presence in these areas.
    • This is done by physically visiting PPs with a higher frequency, as the deployment has moved closer to the LAC and due to improved infrastructure.
    • As the Chinese may not see when the Indian patrols visit these PPs, they will leave come cigarette packets or food tins with Indian markings behind.
    • That lets the Chinese know that Indian soldiers had visited the place, which indicates that India was in control of these areas.

    Who has given these Patrolling Points?

    • These PPs have been identified by the high-powered China Study Group, starting from 1975 when patrolling limits for Indian forces were specified.
    • It is based on the LAC, after the government accepted the concept in 1993, which is also marked on the maps with the Army in the border areas.
    • But the frequency of patrolling to PPs is not specified by the CSG – it is finalised by the Army Headquarters in New Delhi, based on the recommendations made by the Army and ITBP.

    What is this frequency?

    • The frequency of reaching various PPs are given in the annual patrolling programme.
    • Based on the terrain, the ground situation and the location of the LAC, the duration for visiting each PP is specified – it can vary from once a month to twice a year.

    Major friction area: Hot Springs

    • Hot Springs lies in the Chang Chenmo River valley, close to Kongka La, a pass that marks the Line of Actual Control.
    • India’s Patrolling Point 15, it is not a launchpad for any offensive action though the area did see action before and during the 1962 war.
    • China’s unwillingness to pull back its platoon-sized unit from Hot Springs is a sign of the difficulties that lie in normalising the situation.
    • The PLA has traditionally had a major base east of Kongka La.
    • The pass also marks the border between two of China’s most sensitive provinces — Xinjiang to the north and Tibet to the south.

     

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  • Economics Nobel for Natural Experiments

    The 2021 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences was awarded to three US-based economists.

    Do you know?

    The Nobel Prize is officially called as Sveriges Riksbank Prize!

    Who are the awardees?

    • Nobel Committee awarded half the Prize to David Card for his “empirical contributions to labour economics”
    • Other half to Guido Imbens and Joshua Angrist “for their methodological contributions to the analysis of causal relationships”

    What makes this year’s award special?

    • This is the first time the economic prize has been divided in this fashion with one half going to one awardee and other half divided across two awardees.
    • In the past, prize money was divided equally between the awardees even if the prize was for different topics as is the case this time around.
    • It may appear that the Nobel Prize has been given for two different contributions, but there is a common theme: “natural experiments.”

    What are Natural Experiments?

    • Economists are often interested in causal questions such as the impact of education on incomes, impact of COVID-19 on poverty and so on.
    • They are also interested is understanding the direction of causality.
    • Economists have used two kinds of experiments to study these causality and direction of causality questions: random experiments and natural experiments.

    (I) Random experiments

    • Under randomized experiments, the researchers allocate say medicines to a treatment group and compare the effect of the medicine with the control group which is not given the medicine.
    • In 2019, the Nobel Committee gave awards to three scholars for their contribution to the field of randomized experiments.
    • However, one cannot randomize experiments to study issues such as why certain people and regions are more unequal or have fewer educational opportunities and so on.

    (II) Natural experiments

    • In natural experiments, economists study a policy change or a historical event and try to determine the cause and effect relationship to explain these developments.
    • The trio used such natural experiments to make some landmark contributions to economic development.
    • Natural experiments are more difficult for two reasons. The first is to identify what will serve as a natural experiment.
    • Second, in a random experiment, the researcher knows and controls the treatment and control groups which allows them to study the cause and effect of medicine.
    • But in natural experiments, such clear differentiation is not possible because people choose their groups on their own and even move between the two groups.
    • Despite the limitations, the researchers could use the natural setting to answer some big policy questions.

    Natural experiments conducted by David Card

    • One question of interest for policymakers is to understand the impact of higher minimum wages on employment.
    • Earlier studies showed that increasing minimum wages leads to lower unemployment.
    • Economists were also not sure of the direction of causation between minimum wages and employment.
    • Say a slowdown in the economy leads to higher unemployment amid lower income groups.
    • This could lead to lower income groups demanding higher minimum wages. In such a case, it is higher unemployment which leads higher minimum wages.

    Contribution of Angrist and Imbens

    • Angrist and Imbens showed how natural experiments can be used to identify cause and effect precisely.
    • We have discussed above how natural experiments make it difficult to separate control and treatment groups. This makes it difficult to establish causal relations.
    • In the 1990s, the duo developed a methodology – Local Average Treatment Effect (or LATE) – which uses a two-step process to help grapple with these problems of natural experiments.
    • Say, one is interested in finding the impact of an additional year of schooling on the incomes of people.
    • By using the LATE approach, they showed that effect on income of an additional year of education is around 9%.
    • While it may not be possible to determine individuals in the group, one can estimate the size of the impact.

    What is the importance of the award today?

    • Earlier it was difficult to identify natural experiments and even if one identified them, it was difficult to generate data from these experiments.
    • With increased digitalization and dissemination of archival records, it has not just become easier to identify natural experiments but also get data.
    • Economists have been using natural experiments to help us understand the impact of past policies.
    • As the 2020 pandemic struck, economists used the natural experiments approach extensively to analyse how previous pandemics impacted different regions and tried to draw policy lessons.

    India context

    • The methodology date back to the early and mid-90s and they have already had a tremendous influence on the research undertaken in several developing countries such as India.
    • For instance, in India, too, it is commonly held that higher minimum wages will be counterproductive for workers.
    • It is noteworthy that last year, in the wake of the Covid-induced lockdowns, several states, including UP, had summarily suspended several labour laws.
    • This included the ones regulating minimum wages, arguing that such a move will boost employment.
    • The main learning is that minimum wages can be increased in India without worrying about reducing employment.

     

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