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Anti-defection Law and The Loopholes
Central Idea
- On February 17, the Election Commission of India (ECI) allotted the name ‘Shiv Sena’ and the party’s Bow and Arrow symbol to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s faction, in effect recognizing it as the original party founded by Babasaheb Thackeray. Strengthening Anti-defection law becomes relevant again.
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Background: The most dramatic and unique political crisis
- Division in the party: The political crisis in Maharashtra began last year after a group of 40 of the 55 Sena MLAs walked out of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance under the leadership of Mr. Shinde, which caused a division in the party.
- Fight of Name and Symbol: Both the Uddhav Thackeray and Shinde sides staked claim to the party name and symbol, each claiming to represent the real Shiv Sena.
- The ECI said that it had based its decision on a test of majority: It said the group of MLAs supporting the Shinde faction got nearly 76% of the votes polled for the 55 winning Shiv Sena candidates in the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections, while the Uddhav Thackeray faction got 23.5% of votes.
Exam Spotlight
- The crisis has thrown the spotlight once again on the anti-defection law, whose purpose is to prevent political defections.
What is Anti-defection Law?
- Tenth Schedule: The Anti-Defection Law under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution punishes MPs/ MLAs for defecting from their party by taking away their membership of the legislature.
- Power to the speaker: It gives the Speaker of the legislature the power to decide the outcome of defection proceedings.
- 52^ndAmendment Act, 1985: It was added to the Constitution through the Fifty-Second (Amendment) Act, 1985 when Rajiv Gandhi was PM. The law applies to both Parliament and state assemblies.
What was the need to have this law then?
1. Vies in favour
- Defection was recognized as an evil that needed to be curbed: Defections cause destabilization and lead to governments falling, which can have negative impacts on the country’s political and economic stability.
- Law helps to stabilise party system: The law helps to stabilize party systems by consolidating control of the party leadership instead of relying on ideological cohesion or ownership by constituent legislators.
1. Views against it
- Law would curb freedom of opinion of the representatives: Some people thought that the law would curb freedom of speech and affect the free exercise of opinion by the members of the legislature who are elected by the people.
- Undermines the representative system of democracy: The law effectively does away with the representative system of democracy in India by framing democracy as a contest between factions rather than a system of representation and accountability.
- Limiting the ability of legislators: The law consolidates power in the hands of the party leadership, potentially limiting the ability of individual legislators to represent their constituents’ interests.
How the law is faring today?
- Recent events shows that the law needs to be tightened: The kinds of defections which used to take place before the passing of this law are not taking place now. But recent events show that this law needs to be tightened.
- Third paragraph of tenth schedule was deleted: A little tightening was done earlier by doing away with a split, that is, paragraph three of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. It had said, if there is a split in a particular party, and one-third of the legislators move along with the breakaway group, they will not be disqualified. So, split was a defence against disqualification.
- No authoritative interpretation of the law: there is a very disturbing trend, which is to interpret paragraph four (decision on questions as to disqualification on ground of defection) in a particular way, because there is no authoritative declaration of law from the Supreme Court on the exact application of it.
- No timeline fixed for the Speaker: In the 10th Schedule currently, there is no timeline fixed for the Speaker to determine the issue and the purpose of this anti-defection law is defeated.
Conclusion
- People are principal stakeholders in a democracy; parties are merely the institutional intermediaries. Democracy needs stable parties, but controlling legislators removes their representative role. Need of the hour is to fix the loopholes in the system because the continuous cycle of instability adversely affects the people, who are the primary stakeholders in a democracy and suffer the most.
Mains Question

Q. The events of spilt within the political are rising posing a challenge to the Anti defection law In this backdrop discuss the need of Anti defection law?

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February 24, 2023
24th Feb 23 | Prelims Daily with Previous Year Questions

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February 24, 2023
[Frontline] One year of Russia’s War in Ukraine
A year after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, there are signs of escalation everywhere.

Why did Russia invade Ukraine?

The reasons behind Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are complex and multifaceted, and there is no one single cause for the conflict.
- Geopolitical Interests: Ukraine has long been considered a strategically important country for Russia, both as a buffer zone and as a source of natural resources. Russia has historically sought to maintain its influence in Ukraine and may have viewed the pro-Western government that came to power in Ukraine in 2014 as a threat to its interests.
- Ethnic Tensions: There are significant ethnic Russian populations in Ukraine, particularly in Crimea and eastern Ukraine. Russia has claimed to be protecting the rights of these populations, although Ukraine and other countries have accused Russia of fomenting separatism and supporting armed groups in the region.
- Historical Ties: Russia and Ukraine have a long history of cultural and economic ties, and the two countries were part of the Soviet Union until Ukraine gained independence in 1991. Russia has claimed that it has a duty to protect the rights of ethnic Russians in Ukraine, while Ukraine and other countries have accused Russia of using this as a pretext for its actions.
- Territorial expansion: The invasion of Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea were widely popular among the Russian population, and they helped to boost the popularity of Putin. His commanders had said, on record, that Russia wanted to take the whole of Ukraine’s east and south.
Present status of the ongoing war
- West arms Ukraine: The West has recently announced the supply of more advanced weapons to Ukraine, deepening its involvement in the conflict.
- Escalation towards nukes: As the war is extended, risks of a direct confrontation between Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) both nuclear powers, are also on the rise.
Russian advances
- Increased offensive: In response, Russian President Putin, has already reinforced positions along the 1,000-km long frontline in Ukraine with hundreds of thousands of troops.
- Suspending security alliances: It announced the suspension of his country’s participation in the New Start treaty, which could trigger a nuclear arms race.
Who could win the war?
- Huge counter-offensive by Ukraine: Given the power asymmetry between Russia and Ukraine, Russian troops’ performance in the battlefield was underwhelming.
- No decisive victory for Russia: If one looks at Russia’s declared goals and what they have achieved in the 12 months of fighting, it’s not difficult to see that they are still far from meeting those objectives.
How has the West responded?
- The West’s approach has been two-fold:
- Punish Russia’s economy through sanctions
- Weaken the war machine
Western support has played a critical part in Ukraine’s resistance by-
- Military aid by US: The US is Ukraine’s biggest aid provider — it has pledged military and financial assistance worth over $70 billion. The EU has pledged $37 billion and among the EU countries, the UK and Germany top the list.
- Advanced weapons: West came to Ukraine’s rescue once again, with more advanced weapons, including missile defence systems, armoured vehicles, tank killers, battle tanks and precision bombs.
How Russia is escaping Sanctions?
- Exploring alternative markets: Russia took a hit, but it found alternative markets for its energy exports in Asia, redrawing the global energy export landscape.
- Emerging energy giant: Despite sanctions, Russia raised its oil output by 2% and boosted oil export earnings by 20%, to $218 billion. Russia also raked in $138 billion from natural gas, a nearly 80% rise over 2021 — and this was in spite of the European push to cut gas imports from Russia.
- Growth forecasts by IMF: The Russian economy was estimated to have contracted by 2% in 2022, but, according to the IMF, it is expected to grow 0.3% this year and 2.1% next year.
Possibility for a negotiated settlement
- Grain initiative: In July, Turkey brokered a deal on taking out Russian and Ukrainian food grains through the Black Sea.
- Prisoners exchange: Warring parties had also reached some prisoner exchange agreements.
Issues needed to be addressed to stop this war
- For any peace plan to succeed, two complex issues should be addressed —
- Ukraine’s territories
- Russia’s security concerns
India’s subtle approach on the war

India’s tightrope walk on the Ukraine war has been described as “strategic ambivalence”. Its position has been articulated by its diplomats through several statements-
- Slight condemnation: The needle moved after the Bucha massacre in which innocent civilians were killed and India joined the western chorus in condemning the incident, and even asking for an international probe.
- Dint resent Russia: India had said it was “deeply disturbed”, but did not name Russia at all. Our PM took courage to tell Mr. Putin in a live conversation that “this is not an era of war”.
- Immediate cessation of violence and hostilities: India had maintained that cessation of hostilities is a broader term that is more permanent in nature, and had used it instead of a ceasefire— which is perceived as a narrow term.
- Shown respect for territorial integrity: It called for respect for “territorial integrity and sovereignty”, and respect for UN charter and international law.
- Advocating talks and diplomacy: It maintained that dialogue and diplomacy is the path forward. This has been Delhi’s prescription when it comes to its own border standoff as well.
Why is India siding away from Ukraine?

Ukraine should not try to moralize India’s stance over the ongoing war because-
- Ukraine blatantly condemned India’s nuclear tests of 1998.
- It had sold (rather donated) Pakistan T-80 tanks worth $650 mn during Kargil War.
- Ukraine voted several times against India at the UN over the nukes and rebutted India’s bid to get a permanent seat at UNSC.
- It has openly voiced for UN intervention in the Kashmir issue and holding a plebiscite on Pakistan’s terms.
Reasons behind India’s soft corner for Russia
- All-weather dependable partner: Russia is viewed as having been a sturdy friend of India’s going back to 1955, when Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev publicly declared Moscow’s support for Indian claims over Jammu and Kashmir.
- Time-tested friendship: Moscow did not ally with or arm Pakistan against India; it supported New Delhi against U.S. pressure during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war; and it has never criticized developments in Indian domestic politics, unlike the US.
- For permanent UNSC seat: India’s reluctance to denounce Russia, even when its actions are deemed objectionable and at times detrimental to India’s crucial interests, is strengthened by the need to maintain Russia’s support by respecting its veto power.
- Dependence for arms: India’s continuing dependence on Russia for military equipment only deepens its reluctance to alienate Moscow in any way. This aspect has received a shot in the arm since the war broke out.
Risks accompanying India’s ‘neutrality’
- Skewed neutrality: India’s positions expose the inconsistency in commitment to protecting the rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific over that in Europe.
- Sino-Russian growing affinity: Indian ambition to have Russia in its efforts to checkmate China may yet fail. It is rumored that China is helping its ‘iron brother’ Russia by sending some mercenary troops.
Conclusion
- There is little doubt that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has confronted India with difficult strategic choices.
- Consequently, its decision to avoid all public criticism of Moscow is, in the estimation of Indian policymakers, the best of the bad choices facing New Delhi
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February 24, 2023
60% of India’s voters linked Aadhaar to voter ID: RTI
Central idea: An RTI query has revealed that around 60% of Indian voters have linked their Aadhaar cards with their voter ID cards.

Benefits of Aadhaar linking
- Voter uniqueness: The move to link Aadhaar and voter ID cards was introduced to prevent electoral fraud and ensure unique identity of each voter.
- Curb bogus votes: It is expected to help prevent multiple voting, impersonation, and bogus voting, which have been a concern in the past.
- Facilitate migrant voting: There have been migrant workers who may have been registered more than once on the electoral rolls in different constituencies or for persons registered multiple times within the same constituency.
Is the linking of Aadhaar with one’s Voter ID mandatory?
- In December 2021, Parliament passed the Election Laws (Amendment) Act, 2021 .
- It states that the electoral registration officer may require voters to furnish their Aadhaar numbers to verify Authencity of voters list.
- This was to amend the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and Section 23(4) was inserted in the RP Act.
Why was such linking proposed?

The preference to use Aadhaar for verification and authentication, both by the state and private sector, stems from few reasons:
- Increase in UID-holders: First, at the end of 2021, 99.7% of the adult Indian population had an Aadhaar card.
- Most versatile document: This coverage exceeds that of any other officially valid document such as driver’s licence, ration cards, PAN cards etc. that are mostly applied for specific purposes.
- Reliable source of authentication: Since Aadhaar allows for biometric authentication, Aadhaar based authentication and verification is considered more reliable, quicker and cost efficient when compared to other IDs.
Issues with mandatory linking: Puttaswamy judgment highlights
- Puttaswamy judgment: The above reasons do not suffice the mandating of Aadhaar except in limited circumstances as per the Puttaswamy judgment.
- The indispensability of the purpose: It needs to be considered whether such mandatory linkage of Aadhaar with Voter ID would pass the test of being “necessary and proportionate” to the purpose of de-duplication which is sought to be achieved.
- Constitutional ambiguity: In Puttaswamy, one of the questions that the Supreme Court explored was whether the mandatory linking of Aadhaar with bank accounts was constitutional or not.
- Against informational autonomy: It is the right to privacy which would allow a person to decide which official document they want to use for verification and authentication.
Other judicial observations: Lal Babu Hussein (1995) Case
- The Supreme Court had held that the Right to vote cannot be disallowed by insisting only on four proofs of identity.
- The voters are entitled to rely on any other proof of identity and obtain the right to vote.
What are the operational difficulties?
- Aadhaar is not a citizenship proof: The preference to Aadhaar for the purposes of determining voters is puzzling as Aadhaar is only a proof of residence and not a proof of citizenship.
- Excluding non-citizens is not easy: Verifying voter identity against this will only help in tackling duplication but will not remove voters who are not citizens of India from the electoral rolls.
- Estimate of error rates in biometric based authentication: This certainly differs. As per the UIDAI in 2018, Aadhaar based biometric authentication had a 12% error rate.
- Disenfranchisement of existing voters: Errors have led to the disenfranchisement of around 30 lakh voters in AP and Telangana before the Supreme Court stalled the process of linkage.
Key concern: Right to Privacy
- Some civil societies has highlighted that linking of the two databases of electoral rolls and Aadhaar could lead to the linkage of Aadhaar’s “demographic” information with voter ID information.
- This could lead to violation of the right to privacy and surveillance measures by the state.
- This would leave the EC with the option of verifying its information only through door-to-door checks.
- There is a lack of enforceable data protection principles that regulate how authentication data will be used.
Way Forward
- Address privacy and security concerns: There should be strict measures in place to ensure the safety of personal information and prevent data breaches.
- Provide alternative authentication: The government should provide alternative methods of identity verification. This will help ensure that no citizen is disenfranchised due to the lack of an Aadhaar card.
- Regular monitoring and evaluation: The government should regularly monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the linking of Aadhaar and voter ID cards in preventing electoral fraud.
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February 24, 2023
GST revenues hit a record ₹1.59 lakh CR in January
India’s Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenues grew 12.7% in January to hit almost ₹1.59 lakh crore ($17.9 billion), the second-highest monthly collections on record, as per revised figures from the Finance Ministry.

What led to hike in GST revenue collection?
- Economic recovery: Discusses how the steady economic recovery in India has led to higher consumption and spending, resulting in increased GST collections
- Crackdown on Tax evasion: Several measures were taken by the government to streamline the GST system and reduce tax evasion, including the implementation of e-invoicing and the use of technology to track compliance.
- Crackdown on fraudulent claims: The government’s efforts to crack down on fraudulent input tax credit claims, have also contributed to the increase in GST collections
- Increase in imports: The higher value of imported goods due to rising commodity prices is another reason behind the increase in GST collections from imports.
What is GST?
- GST is an indirect tax that has replaced many indirect taxes in India such as excise duty, VAT, services tax, etc.
- The Goods and Service Tax Act was passed in Parliament on 29th March 2017 and came into effect on 1st July 2017.
- It is a single domestic indirect tax law for the entire country.
- It is a comprehensive, multi-stage, destination-based tax that is levied on every value addition.
- Under the GST regime, the tax is levied at every point of sale. In the case of intra-state sales, Central GST and State GST are charged. All the inter-state sales are chargeable to the Integrated GST.
Answer this PYQ in the comment box:

Q. All revenues received by the Union. Government by way of taxes and other receipts for the conduct of Government business are credited to the (CSP 2015):

(a) Contingency Fund of India

(b) Public Account

(c) Consolidated Fund of India

(d) Deposits and Advances Fund

Post your answers here

What are the components of GST?

There are three taxes applicable under this system:
1. CGST: It is the tax collected by the Central Government on an intra-state sale (e.g., a transaction happening within Maharashtra)
2. SGST: It is the tax collected by the state government on an intra-state sale (e.g., a transaction happening within Maharashtra)
3. IGST: It is a tax collected by the Central Government for an inter-state sale (e.g., Maharashtra to Tamil Nadu)
Advantages of GST
- GST has mainly removed the cascading effect on the sale of goods and services.
- Removal of the cascading effect has impacted the cost of goods.
- Since the GST regime eliminates the tax on tax, the cost of goods decreases.
- Also, GST is mainly technologically driven.
- All the activities like registration, return filing, application for refund and response to notice needs to be done online on the GST portal, which accelerates the processes.
Issues with GST
- High operational cost
- GST has given rise to complexity for many business owners across the nation.
- GST has received criticism for being called a ‘Disability Tax’ as it now taxes articles such as braille paper, wheelchairs, hearing aid etc.
- Petrol is not under GST, which goes against the ideals of the unification of commodities.
Take a look at the share of GST in government earnings for the previous fiscal:

UPSC can ask about the majority component of the Revenue Receipts of the govt. See how Corporate tax is nearing the GST revenues.

Do you think it will surpass GST revenue when the economy is fully recovered?

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February 24, 2023
CJI announces launch of ‘Neutral Citations’ for SC judgements
The CJI expressed hope that High Courts too would follow neutral citation for their judgments. The Delhi, Kerala, and Madras HCs have already introduced neutral citation.

What is a “Citation”?
- A case citation is essentially an identification tag for a judgment.
- Typically, it would contain a reference number, the year of the judgment, the name of the court that delivered that judgment, and a shorthand for the journal publishing the judgment.
And what is a neutral citation?
- A neutral citation would mean that the court would assign its own citation — distinct from those given by traditional Law Reporters.
- Law Reporters are periodicals or annual digests that publish judgments, often with an editorial note to make it accessible for lawyers to refer to precedents.
- For example, for the landmark Kesavananda Bharati case, the citation in ‘Supreme Court Cases’, a journal published by the Eastern Book Company, is (1973) 4 SCC 225.
- In the All India Reporter (AIR), the citation is AIR 1973 SC 1461.
Why is a neutral system good or necessary?
- Judgments mention citations while referring to precedents and often use citations from different Law Reporters.
- With artificial intelligence (AI) enabled translation of judgments and transcribing of court proceedings, a uniform citation is necessary.
- Several High Courts including Delhi High Court have started a neutral citation format.
- The Delhi HC neutral citation is, for example, in this format: No-YEAR/DHC/XXXXXX
How will the SC implement the neutral citation system?
- Our recent initiative is neutral citations for all judgments of the Supreme Court.
- So all 30,000 judgments are going to have neutral citations.
- First tranche will be till January 1, 2023, then the other tranche will be till judgments from 2014 and then finally we will go back to 1950.
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February 24, 2023
Super-25 for UPSC Prelims 2023 launched | Santosh sir’s personal guidance program for 120+ in UPSC Prelims | Intake- Only 25
Enroll in Super – 25 program directly by clicking here

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Smash Prelims Super-25 Program is back after a thumping success in Prelims 2022. Out of 25 students Santosh sir has mentored, 23 cleared prelims last time. Our students were kind enough to take time out of their hectic Mains preparation and let us know how Santosh sir’s mentorship benefitted them in the exams.

Table of content:
90% success rate in UPSC Prelims under this program

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Why Your Focus for the Next 3 Months Must be About Scoring Above Cut-Off Marks in UPSC-CSE Prelims? Isn’t the last 1 Month Enough for This?

Enroll in Super – 25 program directly by clicking here

Talk to us- How Super 25 will work for you? | Get FREE Strategy session + PDF notes

CHECK HERE FOR PRELIMS TIMETABLE -Super-25

Every year, the competition for UPSC-CSE is increasing while vacancies are decreasing drastically. Total vacancies this year have been increased but you have to consider IRMS as well. This is why right now, it’s important to start having an Olympic Athlete mindset. You need to daily focus on scoring above the cut-off marks in your test series.

Civilsdaily Student and 2019 UPSC-CSE AIR 8 Topper Abhishek Saraf had practiced nearly 6000+ MCQs under us to clear prelims!

What makes prelims tough? It’s because the paper is unpredictable. If this year, science questions are a breeze then the next year you will have to answer advanced concept-based questions. Unlike Mains, Prelims has negative markings.

Toppers like Pranav Vijayvergiya (AIR 65) and Swati Sharma (AIR 17) have found Prelims to be tougher than Mains. In fact, Pranav failed to clear Prelims thrice. But, in his fourth attempt he took Civilsdaily mentorship and cleared Prelims, Mains and Interview in one shot!

Are you feeling low that you are unable to get the required cut-off marks in your test series. Worry not, for about 65% of the UPSC toppers have said that they scored below cut-off marks till December. But by June, they were able to boost their marks to get through the prelims hurdle. It’s time to be like them now. The two mentors allotted to you at Civilsdaily will discuss notes, sources, and test scores and even counsel you on your mental health.

How will Super-25 Program be structured?

We have neither diluted the criteria for selecting aspirants nor the core strategy. In fact, this year Super-25 will be a much more effective version of last year.

Four Pillars of Super- 25 Program
1. It is a mentorship-led test series and value addition program over 90 days.
1. Intensive Mentorship: You will have one dedicated mentor during the entire journey, in the form of Santosh Gupta sir. Santosh sir will give mentoring on a 1-1 basis. He will also be taking weekly zoom sessions. It would ensure that you do not fall back at any cost and benefit from the experience of two mentors who have cleared the exam 6 times. We will ensure that you achieve not your weekly targets but the target of clearing prelims.
1. A number of tests: 60 practice tests (50 questions) + 40 Full-length tests ( 12 Basic + 6 advanced + 10 Current affairs tests + 8 FLTs+ 4 CSATs). It means every day you can give a test. With this, we will ensure that you revise your syllabus 3 times in three months at least.
1. Current affairs: Entire Current affairs of 1.5 years ( Jan 2022 – April 2023) will be covered by Core faculty, comprising of Santosh sir, Sajal sir, Sukanya ma’am, and Dimple Ma’am. You will learn how to link current affairs with static topics on the go.
1. Strategic Value Addition Sessions: They say that a woodcutter sharpens his axe for 8 hours to cut 1 tree. This is the most popular session around taken by Santosh Gupta sir to enrich your knowledge base and analytical ability.
Approach of Super-25

1. Keyword approach to revise syllabus of 1 subject in 2-3 hours.

2. Focus on FCE approach ( Factual, Conceptual and Elimination ) to enhance your score.

3. Critical gap filling sessions and notes, learning to link static with current affairs and vice versa.

4. Evidence based questions to ensure 360 degree testing.

5. Weekly monitoring of targets by dedicated mentor and your strategic mentor Santosh Gupta.

How Super-25 will help you

1. Setting a clear strategy for the next 90 days to get 120+ score in Prelims.

2. Revising the whole syllabus in an effective manner.

2. Filling critical gaps in preparation.

4. Practice tests to enhance your chances of qualifying prelims.

5. Covering the entire current affairs from a prelims perspective.

Who can be part of the Super-25?

1. Only those who are struck in the range of 80-90 marks in last 2-3 attempts and are desperate to write mains.

2. Those who have given prelims at least once.

3. Those willing to give 100% or nothing less.

There are no secrets to success, it is a result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure. Are you willing to learn from failures? Let’s start together.

Program Inclusion
1. One to one Mentorship over a call and Weekly Zoom sessions
  - Make strategy – micro and macro for the remaining days till Prelims
  - Incorporate syllabus coverage, tets series, revision in it
  - Make sure you are executing the plan efficiently
2. 60 Tests
  - 12 Basic tests
  - 10 Current Affairs
  - 14 Practice tests
  - 6 Advanced
  - 8 Full-Length Tests
  - 4 CSAT tests
3. 50 Value additon classes and notes covering
  - Static syllabus linked with
  - Entire Current affairs of 1.5 years (Jan 2022 – April 2023)
4. Budget and Economy survey of 2023 (Handouts + Videos)
5. Strategic question-solving sessions – 500 Questions to be solved LIVE
Enroll in Super – 25 program directly by clicking here

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Self Preparation with Mentorship: What do Civilsdaily Students think of Santosh Sir’s Mentorship for UPSC-CSE Prelims?

Santhosh Sir, Core Civilsdaily Mentor. He has attended Interview Thrice & Cleared Prelims 6/6 times with above 145 marks.

We asked Santosh sir’s students about their opinion on mentorship — if it was something that saved their time or wasted their time in studies and this is what they had to say:

Kamini: “If I can say in one word, then Santosh sir’s mentorship is unique. Before I joined his program, I used to score 90 marks in Full Length Test Series. Santhosh sir had done an depth analysis of my test papers and suggested ways to reduce the negatives. Right now I am able to score 100+ in advanced test series of not only Civilsdaily but other institutes. He is always available to clear my doubts and solve my issues on call or phone. No issue is too big enough for Santosh sir. He has always told me after you finish a test series, read the same topics again and take another test series the same day to see if your marks improve. From Santosh sir’s polity and economic survey notes, we got questions in the 2021 and 2022 Prelims. I always feel it’s better to do self-studies with mentorship than join coaching institutes and get spoon-fed with information.”

Read other testimonials of santosh sir’s mentorship

Sweetie Raj: “I am a banking professional, living with a joint family. Attending coaching classes is out of the question because I won’t have time to read the books myself. Santosh sir helps me self-study by providing me mentorship daily. I study daily from 9 PM to 3 AM. Santosh sir has been available for 1-hour strategy calls even during this time. No other teacher would have wanted me to succeed as much as he wants me to. I can understand concepts by myself and don’t need help in that. I want someone who pushes me to complete the target modules, checks if I did my mains answer writing for the day and analyses the previous year question papers with me. Because of Santosh sir, I understood that its just not enough reading one book but at the same time I dont have to waste time reading many books. He tells me the topic-wise sources to refer. Also he has designed a study plan for me that I can follow every week. Once, I told Santhosh sir I was missing test series discussion classes as it was conducted at 7PM. Immediately, he provided me recorded videos and kept the session at 8.30PM.”

Enroll in Super – 25 program directly by clicking here

Talk to us- How Super 25 will work for you? | Get FREE Strategy session + PDF notes

CHECK HERE FOR PRELIMS TIMETABLE -Super-25

Samples From Smash Super-25 Program

Sample 1-on-1 Mentorship for Smash Prelims

Sample Notes

Sample Test Series

Sample classes on CSAT & Topic Wise Analysis

Sample Notes & Handout Material

click here for smash prelims super-25 sample handout notes

click here to for doubts regarding smash prelims super-25

Click here to enroll in Super-25 PROGRAM

Toppers’ Speak: How Civilsdaily Mentorship Helped Me Clear UPSC?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSwO38weHAA

About Santosh Gupta Sir

Santosh sir has scored above 140 twice in UPSC prelims and 120 plus in all 6 attempts. He has written all 6 mains and has appeared for Interviews 3 times. He has qualified for UPSC EPFO and BPSC 56-59th also. As the Prelims coordinator at Civilsdaily, he has helped 15 out of 25 students clear the prelims examination this year.

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February 23, 2023
Four-day workweek: Analysis
Central Idea
- Much is being made about the major breakthrough in one of the largest-ever experiments with a four-day workweek in Britain. Sixty-one companies were part of the six-month trial and 56 of them have opted to continue with the program, while 18 have made it permanent. 4 Day Week Global trial, overseen by Autonomy, aimed to improve work-life balance by allowing workers to work four days instead of five with the same salary and workload.
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Advantages of implementing a four-day workweek
- Improved Work-life balance: Having a positive work-life balance can also allow professionals to adopt a better attitude about their work, as they can return to their jobs well-rested. This can help employees remain productive and enthusiastic while working.
- Increased job satisfaction: With more free time, employees may feel more satisfied with their jobs and be more engaged at work.
- Reduced absenteeism and turnover: Offering a four-day workweek could make companies more attractive to potential employees, and employees may be less likely to miss work or leave their jobs if they have a better work-life balance.
- Increased productivity: Some studies have shown that shorter workweeks can actually boost productivity, as employees may be more focused and efficient during their work hours.
- Positive environmental impact: Working four days per week decreases the number of times a professional commute to work. This is helpful to the environment, as most vehicles produce emissions that can harm the environment.
Potential disadvantages
- Limited impact: The benefits of a four-day workweek may be limited in certain industries or job types, such as those that require shift work or have strict deadlines.
- Increased workload: Employees may feel pressure to complete the same amount of work in fewer hours, resulting in an increased workload and potential burnout.
- Reduced productivity: Some employees may find it difficult to maintain focus and productivity over longer workdays. This could lead to a decrease in overall output and quality of work.
- Impact on customer service: If businesses are closed for an extra day each week, it may be more difficult to provide customer service or maintain consistent operating hours.
- Reduced income: With a shorter workweek, employees may see a reduction in their pay, which could be a disadvantage for those who rely on their income to cover living expenses.
Examples of companies/organizations considering a four-day workweek
- Microsoft Japan: In 2019, the tech giant conducted a trial where employees worked a four-day week and saw a 40% increase in productivity.
- Iceland: A number of companies and organizations in Iceland have experimented with shorter workweeks, including the country’s government, which is exploring a four-day workweek for public servants.
- New Zealand: Unilever New Zealand recently announced it would be trialing a four-day workweek for all of its employees, while the country’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, has previously spoken in favor of the idea.
- Spain: The government of Spain has proposed a three-year trial of a four-day workweek, with the goal of improving work-life balance and boosting productivity.
Feasibility of Four-day workweek in India’s context
- Will require a careful analysis: The feasibility and impact of a four-day workweek in India would depend on various factors such as industry type, workforce demographics, and cultural norms. Implementing a four-day workweek in India would require careful analysis of various factors.
- For instance: With the rise of remote work and the increased focus on work-life balance four day week option could be helpful to enhance productivity with improved work life balance in corporate sector.
- Complex regulations: India’s labour laws and regulations are complex and provide significant protections for workers. Any changes to work arrangements, including a four-day workweek, would need to comply with these laws and ensure that employees’ rights and benefits are protected.
- For example: Any reduction in working hours would need to be accompanied by appropriate compensation and benefits to ensure that employees do not suffer financial losses.
- Specific needs of industries: The feasibility of a four-day workweek would depend on the specific needs of different industries.
- For instance: While some knowledge-based sectors may be well-suited to a four-day workweek, industries that require continuous operations or shift work, such as manufacturing or healthcare, may face significant challenges in implementing a shorter workweek.
Conclusion
- It’s important to carefully consider the potential advantages and disadvantages of a four-day workweek before implementing it in any workplace. The impact may vary depending on the specific work arrangements and the needs of the employees and customers.
February 23, 2023
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February 23, 2023
UPI: Internationalization of Digital Payments
Central Idea
- On Tuesday, the Union government unveiled India’s first cross-border real-time payments systems linkage, with the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) connecting with Singapore’s PayNow payment system.
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What is Unified Payments Interface (UPI)
- UPI is India’s mobile-based fast payment system, which facilitates customers to make round-the-clock payments instantly, using a Virtual Payment Address (VPA) created by the customer.
- It eliminates the risk of sharing bank account details by the remitter.
- UPI supports both Person-to-Person (P2P) and Person-to-Merchant (P2M) payments and it also enables a user to send or receive money.
What is PayNow?
- It is a fast payment system in Singapore.
- It enables peer-to-peer funds transfer service, available to retail customers through participating banks and Non-Bank Financial Institutions (NFIs) in Singapore.
- It allows users to send and receive instant funds from one bank or e-wallet account to another in Singapore by using just their mobile number, Singapore National Registration Identity Card (NRIC)/Foreign Identification Number (FIN), or VPA.
Overview: Remarkable success of UPI
- Changed the landscape of electronic payments: The introduction of UPI in 2016-17 led to a dramatic change in the electronic payments landscape of the country.
- Instrumental in dramatic growth of digital payments: Along with the JAM trinity of Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and mobile phones, this payment architecture has been instrumental in facilitating the dramatic growth of digital payments in the country, aided by a conducive regulatory framework.
- Value and volume increasing day by day: Over the years, various reports by the RBI have documented the significant increase in digital payments transactions in the country, with per person digital transactions growing both in terms of value and volume.
- Dramatic surge during the pandemic: Contactless payments also witnessed a surge during the pandemic. In fact, as per another study, roughly one-third of households surveyed had transacted digitally for the first time during the lockdown.
- Statistics for instance:
1. In January 2023, roughly 8 billion transactions were carried out on the UPI platform, whose value touched almost Rs 13 lakh crore.
2. In comparison, in January 2020, just prior to the pandemic, 1.3 billion transactions were routed through the UPI platform, which touched Rs 2.1 lakh crore in value.
- Aided in accelerating financial inclusion: The convenience of real-time transfer of payments, the zero-cost framework for users, the rapid expansion in the acceptance touch-points, have encouraged its widespread adoption. This has also aided in accelerating financial inclusion by providing access to financial services at low cost.
Did you know? “UPI Lite”
- UPI Lite is a on device wallet feature similar to the ones seen on popular digital payment apps such as Paytm, Freecharge, MobiKwik and others.
- The feature will allow you to make faster near real-time small value payments without internet connection via the money added in the wallet.
- In phase one, UPI Lite will process transactions in near offline mode i.e. debit offline and credit online, and at a later point, UPI Lite will process transactions in complete offline mode i.e. debit and credit both offline.
All you need to know about UPI-PayNow interlinkage facility
- How is the interlinkage benefit users?
1. With this facility, funds held in bank accounts or e-wallets can be transferred to /from India using just the UPI ID, mobile number, or Virtual Payment Address (VPA), which is essentially the address to or through which you can make UPI money transfers.
2. With this payment facility, both inward and outward remittances will happen instantly.
- Who can undertake remittance transactions through this facility: Account holders of participating banks and financial institutions in India and Singapore.
- Participating banks in India and Singapore:
1. Banks from India are Axis Bank, DBS Bank India, ICICI Bank, Indian Bank, Indian Overseas Bank and State Bank of India (SBI). Going forward, the UPI-PayNow interlinkage will cover more banks and financial institutions.
2. From Singapore, DBS Bank Singapore and Liquid Group (Non-Bank Financial Institution) are selected.
3. Popular payment platforms such as PhonePe and Google Pay have been excluded from the ambit of this framework. Perhaps, over time, these platforms will also be brought under this framework, aiding in its widespread adoption.
- The daily transaction limit:
1. Banks in India have not communicated about any restrictions on transfers yet.
2. It is Rs 60,000 (around SGD 1,000). Initially, DBS customers can use PayNow-UPI only to transfer funds up to SGD 200 per transaction, capped at SGD 500 per day.
3. There is no such communication about capping for transferring funds through Liquid Group (Non-Bank Financial Institution) to India.
Conclusion
- The UPI-PayNow interlinkage is a milestone moment for cross-border transfers. Not only India but the world has witnessed how UPI revolutionized the landscape of domestic digital payment infrastructure. With this encouraging development we are now going to see a similar revolution in the cross-border payments space as well. This internationalization of the digital payments architecture, will help bring down both the cost and the time associated with such transfers, bringing benefits to migrant workers, students, and professionals, among others.
Mains Question

Q. Recently India launched its first cross-border real-time payments systems linkage with Singapore. In this light highlight Discuss remarkable success of UPI and prospect of internationalization of UPI.

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February 23, 2023

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