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

Civilsdaily

Login

Type: Prelims Only

  • Wildlife Conservation Efforts

    Common survey to count India’s elephant and tiger populations

    Prelims Only | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Eia

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Read the attached story

    Mains level: NA

    From December, India will move to a system that will count tigers and elephants as part of a common survey.

    Common survey for elephants and tiger

    • Given that 90% of the area occupied by elephants and tigers is common, and once estimation methods are standardized, having a common survey can significantly save costs.
    • The tiger survey is usually held once in four years and elephants are counted once in five years.
    • According to the most recent 2018-19 survey, there were 2,997 tigers in India while in the last count in 2017, there were 29,964 elephants in India.

    Answer this PYQ:

    With reference to Indian Elephants, consider the following statements :

    1. The leader of an elephant group is a female.
    2. The maximum gestation period can be 22 months.
    3. An elephant can normally go on calving till the age of 40 years only.
    4. Among the States in India, the highest population is in Kerala.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

    (a) 1and 2 only

    (b) 2 and 4 only

    (c) 3 only

    (d) 1,3 and 4 only

     

    Post your answers here:

    Why need a common survey?

    • Based on sightings in camera traps and indirect estimation methods, tiger numbers are computed.
    • Elephant numbers largely rely on States directly counting the number of elephants.
    • In recent years, techniques such as analyzing dung samples have also been deployed to estimate birth rates and population trends in elephants.

    About All India Tiger Estimation

    • The tiger count is prepared after every four years by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) provides details on the number of tigers in the 18 tiger reign states with 50 tiger reserves.
    • It is conducted by the NTCA and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in collaboration with the State Forest Departments.
    • The entire exercise spanned over four years is considered to be the world’s largest wildlife survey effort in terms of coverage and intensity of sampling.
    • Over 15, 000 cameras are installed at various strategic points to capture the movement of tigers.
    • This is supported by extensive data collected by field personnel and satellite mapping.

     

    Back2Basics: Asian Elephants

    • Asian elephants are listed as “Endangered” on the IUCN Red List of threatened species.
    • This has been done as most of the range States except India have lost their viable elephant populations due to loss of habitat, poaching, etc.
    • Current population estimates indicate that there are about 50,000-60,000 Asian elephants in the world.
    • More than 60% of the world’s elephant population is in India.

    Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor

  • Indian Navy Updates

    Exercise Al–Mohed Al–Hindi

    Prelims Only | Security Issues | Mains Paper 3: Various Security Forces, Agencies & Their Mandates

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Exercise Al–Mohed Al–Hindi

    Mains level: NA

    The maiden bilateral naval exercise between India and Saudi Arabia named ‘AL–Mohed AL–Hindi’ has got underway.

    Must read:

    [Prelims Spotlight] Various Defence Exercises in News

    Ex Al-Mohed AI-Hindi 2021

    • This is the first edition of a bilateral naval exercise between India and Saudi Arabia.
    • It comprises several shore and sea-based drills between the two navies.
    • It reflects the growing defense ties between the two nations in the wake of the Indian Army chiefs’ first visit to the West Asian country last year.
    • INS Kochi is the Indian warship participating in the exercise.
    • The exercise is being held against the backdrop of growing tensions in the Persian Gulf following a drone attack on the tanker MV Mercer Street off Oman.

    Feeling anxious about your UPSC preparation? Don’t worry, speak with our mentors and get your problems resolved, personally! (Click here)

    Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor

  • Digital India Initiatives

    Government e-Marketplace (GeM) System

    Prelims Only | Governance | Mains Paper 2: Governance, Transparency & Accountability, Citizens Charters

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Government e-Marketplace

    Mains level: Not Much

    The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) system has resulted in a 10% savings in public procurement costs in five years.

    Government e-Marketplace

    • GeM is an online platform for public procurement in India by various Government Departments / Organizations / PSUs.
    • The initiative was launched on August 9, 2016 by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry with the objective to create an open and transparent procurement platform for government buyers.
    • It is owned by GeM SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle) which is a 100 per cent Government-owned, non-profit company under the Ministry of Commerce and Industries
    • GeM aims to enhance transparency, efficiency and speed in public procurement.
    • It provides the tools of e-bidding, reverse e-auction and demand aggregation to facilitate the government users achieve the best value for their money.
    • The purchases through GeM by Government users have been authorized and made mandatory by Ministry of Finance.

    Note: The government has made it mandatory for sellers on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal to clarify the country of origin of their goods when registering new products.

    Advantages for Buyers

    • Offers rich listing of products for individual categories of Goods/Services
    • Makes available search, compare, select and buy facility
    • Enables buying Goods and Services online, as and when required.
    • Provides transparency and ease of buying
    • Ensures continuous vendor rating system
    • Up-to-date user-friendly dashboard for buying, monitoring supplies and payments
    • Provision of easy return policy

    Advantages for Sellers

    • Direct access to all Government departments.
    • One-stop shop for marketing with minimal efforts
    • One-stop shop for bids / reverse auction on products / services
    • New Product Suggestion facility available to Sellers
    • Dynamic pricing: Price can be changed based on market conditions
    • Seller friendly dashboard for selling, and monitoring of supplies and payments
    • Consistent and uniform purchase procedures

    Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor

  • Modern Indian History-Events and Personalities

    Who was Dara Shikoh (1615-1659)?

    Prelims Only | | Mains Paper 1: Modern Indian History

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Dara Shikhoh and his legacy

    Mains level: Secular polity in Medieval India

    The final resting place of Mughal prince Dara Shikoh remains a mystery, with the Archaeological Survey of India saying it has not located the grave within the Humayun’s Tomb complex.

    Dara Shikoh

    • Dara Shikoh, who was Mughal emperor Shah Jahan’s son and expected heir, was killed on the orders of his brother Aurangzeb in 1659 after losing the war of succession.
    • He was the eldest son and heir-apparent of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.
    • Dara was designated with the title Padshahzada-i-Buzurg Martaba (Prince of High Rank) and was favored as a successor by his father and his older sister, Princess Jahanara Begum.
    • In the war of succession which ensued after Shah Jahan’s illness in 1657, Dara was defeated by his younger brother Prince Muhiuddin (Aurangzeb).
    • He was executed in 1659 on Aurangzeb’s orders in a bitter struggle for the imperial throne.

    His legacy

    • Dara was a liberal-minded unorthodox Muslim as opposed to the orthodox Aurangzeb.
    • He authored the work The Confluence of the Two Seas, which argues for the harmony of Sufi philosophy in Islam and Vedanta philosophy in Hinduism.
    • It was Dara Shikoh who was responsible for making the Upanishads available to the West as he had them translated.
    • He had commissioned a translation of Yoga Vasistha.
    • A great patron of the arts, he was also more inclined towards philosophy and mysticism rather than military pursuits.
    • The course of the history of the Indian subcontinent, had Dara Shikoh prevailed over Aurangzeb, has been a matter of some conjecture among historians.

    Q.Who among the following Mughal Emperors shifted emphasis from illustrated manuscripts to album and individual portrait?

    (a) Humayun

    (b) Akbar

    (c) Jahangir

    (d) Shah Jahan

    Answer this PYQ here:

    Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor

  • International Space Agencies – Missions and Discoveries

    CHAPEA Mission by NASA

    Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: CHAPEA Mission

    Mains level: Not Much

    NASA is seeking applications for its new mission called the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA), which is related to Mars.

    CHAPEA

    • The mission is set to begin in 2022 and will give four successful applicants the chance to live and work in a 1,700 square-foot module that is created by a 3D printer and is called the Mars Dune Alpha.
    • The simulated quarters include a kitchen, areas for medical, recreation, fitness, work, crop growth, a technical work area and two bathrooms.
    • This habitat will simulate what it feels like to carry out missions on Mars including resource limitations, equipment failure, communication delays and any other environmental stressors.
    • The crew will be expected to perform simulated spacewalks, scientific research and use virtual reality and robotic controls and exchange communications.

    What is the purpose of this mission?

    • The habitat in which the crew members will stay will be as Mars-realistic as possible.
    • The results from this analog mission will provide scientific data that will help in validating the systems that will be used for actual missions to Mars and also help in solving problems for spaceflight research.
    • CHAPEA is not the only analog mission, there are others including Aquarius/NEEMO, Concordia, Desert RATS, and HESTIA.
    • Analog missions are required because not all experiments can be carried out in space because resources and money are limited.

    Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor

  • Innovations in Biotechnology and Medical Sciences

    What is Absorption Spectroscopy?

    Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Achievements Of Indians In S&T

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Absorption Spectroscopy

    Mains level: Not Much

    Researchers from IIT Madras and IISER Kolkata have developed a method to detect minute quantities of chemicals in solution using Absorption Spectroscopy.

    Note: These days there has been a rise in questions from biology (rather cell biology in particular).

    Absorption Spectroscopy

    • Absorption spectroscopy is a tool to detect the presence of elements in a medium.
    • Light is shone on the sample, and after it passes through the sample is examined using a spectroscope.
    • Dark lines are seen in the observed spectrum of the light passed through the substance, which correspond to the wavelengths of light absorbed by the intervening substance and are characteristic of the elements present in it.
    • In usual methods, about a cubic centimeter of the sample is needed to do this experiment.
    • In the method developed here, minute amounts of dissolved substances can be detected easily.
    • Usually in absorption spectroscopy, the principle used is that light because of its wavelike nature, shows diffraction patterns, that is, dark and light fringes, when it scatters off any object.

    Studying small objects

    • A related concept called the Abbe criterion sets a natural limit on the size of the object being studied.
    • According to this criterion, the size of the observed object has to be at least of the order of the wavelength of the light being shone on it.
    • If one wants to perform absorption spectroscopy using visible light, namely, blue, green and red, the wavelengths [of these colours] are about 400 nm, 500 nm and 600 nm, respectively.

    What has Indian researchers achieved?

    • In the method used by the researchers here, tiny, nano-sized particles that can absorb light being shone on them and re-emit red, blue and green light were employed.
    • The particles emit electric fields that are analogous to how a tiny magnet would give off magnetic lines of force – this is called a dipole, and the particle is like a tiny mobile phone’s antenna.
    • This dipole generates an electromagnetic field depending upon the quantum properties of the erbium dopants in the glass.
    • The absorption leaves a gap in the reflected light, which is what is observed and used to analyse the nature of the absorbing material.

    Applications of this technology

    • There are many potential applications.
    • Small molecules almost ten-millionth of an mm in diameter can be detected while these pass the emission region of the glass particle.
    • The future is to use it to measure individual molecules, see absorption spectroscopy of a single DNA or protein molecule.

    Try this

    Q.Which of the following statements are correct regarding the general difference between plant and animal cells?

    1. Plant cells have cellulose cell walls whilst animal cells do not.
    2. Plant cells do not have plasma membranes unlike animal cells which do.
    3. Mature plant cell has one large vacuole whilst an animal cell has many small vacuoles.

    Select the correct answer using the code given below:

    (a) 1 and 2 only

    (b) 2 and 3 only

    (c) 1 and 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

    Answer this PYQ here:

    Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor

  • Agricultural Sector and Marketing Reforms – eNAM, Model APMC Act, Eco Survey Reco, etc.

    What is Retractable Roof Polyhouse?

    Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Retractable Roof Polyhouse

    Mains level: Not Much

    The CSIR-CMERI has recently inaugurated a “naturally ventilated polyhouse facility” and laid the foundation stone of “retractable roof polyhouse”.

    What is a Polyhouse?

    • A polyhouse is a specially constructed structure like a building where specialized polythene sheet is used as a covering material under which crops can be grown in partially or fully controlled climatic conditions.
    • It is covered with a transparent material as to permit the entry of natural light. Polyhouses are also helpful in reducing threats such as extreme heat and pest attacks in crops.
    • This is especially important for crops growing in the open field with no protection from the weather, and therefore its yield, quality, and crop maturity timings are changed.

    Retractable Roof Polyhouse

    • The retractable roof system is a modular screen system for greenhouses that helps in saving costs and time along with providing stability, flexibility & durability for the greenhouse structure.
    • Such polyhouse will have an automatic retractable roof which will be operated based on weather conditions and crop requirements from the conditional database using the software.

    Advantages offered

    • Ability to use the benefits of natural weather conditions
    • Long life of the system and material used
    • Easy assembly and installation
    • Maximum insulation and complete protection from insecticides
    • Easy maintenance & even easier repair work during operation

    Why need such polyhouse?

    • With rapidly rising temperatures due to mounting greenhouse gases in the atmosphere from human activities, crops are increasingly facing both threats — extreme heat and pest attacks — simultaneously.
    • Crop losses in India due to insect pests are about 15 percent at present and this loss may increase as climate change lowers the plant defense system against insects and pests.
    • Conventional greenhouses have a stationary roof to reduce the effect of weather anomalies and pests.
    • However, there are still disadvantages due to roof covering which sometimes lead to excessive heat and insufficient light (early morning).
    • Besides this, they are also prone to insufficient levels of carbon dioxide, transpiration, and water stress.

    Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor

  • Modern Indian History-Events and Personalities

    Person in news: Abanindranath Tagore

    Prelims Only | Trivia | Mains Paper 1: Arts & Culture

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Abanindranath Tagore

    Mains level: Not Much

    Year-long celebrations marking 150 years of Abanindranath Tagore have been kicked off in Kolkata.

    Abanindranath Tagore (1871-1951)

    • Tagore CIE was the principal artist and creator of the “Indian Society of Oriental Art”.
    • A nephew of Rabindranath Tagore and a decade younger to the poet, he helped shape modern Indian art and was the creator of the iconic ‘Bharat Mata’ painting.
    • He was also the first major exponent of Swadeshi values in Indian art, thereby finding the influential Bengal school of art, which led to the development of modern Indian painting.
    • He was also a noted writer, particularly for children.
    • Tagore sought to modernize Mughal, Rajput styles to counter the influence of Western models of art, as taught in art schools under the British Raj.
    • Along with other artists from the Bengal school of art, Tagore advocated in favor of a nationalistic Indian art derived from Indian art history, drawing inspiration from the Ajanta Caves.

    Q. Which among the following event happened earliest? (CSP 2018)

    (a) Swami Dayanand established Arya Samaj.

    (b) Dinabandhu Mitra wrote Neeldarpan.

    (c) Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay wrote Anandmath.

    (d) Satyendranath Tagore became the first India to succeed in the Indian Civil Services Examination.

    Answer this PYQ in the comment box:

     

    Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor

  • Defence Sector – DPP, Missions, Schemes, Security Forces, etc.

    Indigenous Aircraft Carrier 1 (INS Vikrant)

    Prelims Only | Security Issues | Mains Paper 3: Indigenization Of Technology

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: INS Vikrant

    Mains level: Indigenization of defense production

    The much-awaited sea trials of India’s maiden indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC-1), built by the public sector Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) have begun.

    Indigenous Aircraft Carrier 1

    • IAC is the first aircraft carrier designed and built in India.
    • It has been designed by the Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design (DND), and is being built at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), a public sector shipyard under the Ministry of Shipping.
    • The IAC-1, the biggest warship made indigenously, has an overall length of 263 m and a breadth of 63 m.
    • It is capable of carrying 30 assorted aircraft including combat jets and helicopters.
    • Propelled by four gas turbines, it can attain a top speed of 30 knots (about 55 kmph).
    • The vessel will have a complement of 1,500 personnel.

    Significance of IAC 1

    • An aircraft carrier is one of the most potent marine assets for a nation, which enhances a Navy’s capability to travel far from its home shores to carry out air domination operations.
    • Many experts consider having an aircraft carrier as essential to be considered a ‘blue water’ navy — one that has the capacity to project a nation’s strength and power across the high seas.
    • An aircraft carrier generally leads as the capital ship of a carrier strike/battle group.
    • As the carrier is a valuable and sometimes vulnerable target, it is usually escorted in the group by destroyers, missile cruisers, frigates, submarines, and supply ships.

    Why does it matter that this is a Made-in-India warship?

    • Only five or six nations currently have the capability of manufacturing an aircraft carrier — India joins this elite club now.
    • According to the Navy, over 76 per cent of the material and equipment on board IAC-1 is indigenous.
    • India’s earlier aircraft carriers were either built by the British or the Russians.
    • The INS Vikramaditya, currently the Navy’s only aircraft carrier that was commissioned in 2013, started out as the Soviet-Russian Admiral Gorshkov.
    • The country’s two earlier carriers, INS Vikrant and INS Viraat, were originally the British-built HMS Hercules and HMS Hermes before being commissioned into the Navy in 1961 and 1987 respectively.

    Why will this warship be named INS Vikrant?

    • INS Vikrant, a Majestic-class 19,500-tonne warship, was the name of India’s much-loved first aircraft carrier, a source of immense national pride over several decades of service before it was decommissioned in 1997.
    • India acquired the Vikrant from the United Kingdom in 1961, and the carrier played a stellar role in the 1971 war with Pakistan that led to the birth of Bangladesh.

    Now that India has the capability, will it build more carriers?

    • Since 2015, the Navy has been seeking approval to build a third aircraft carrier for the country, which, if approved, will become India’s second Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC-2).
    • This proposed carrier, to be named INS Vishal, is intended to be a giant 65,000-tonne vessel, much bigger than IAC-1 and the INS Vikramaditya.
    • The Navy has been trying to convince the government of the “operational necessity” of having a third carrier.

    Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor

  • Oil and Gas Sector – HELP, Open Acreage Policy, etc.

    Strategic Petroleum Reserves

    Prelims Only | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways Etc.

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Strategic Petroleum Reserves Programme

    Mains level: Oil prices volatility and its impact on India

    Under Phase II of the petroleum reserve program, the Government has approved two additional commercial-cum-strategic facilities at Chandikhol (Odisha) and Padur (TN) on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.

    Strategic Petroleum Reserves Programme

    • To ensure energy security, the govt had decided to set up 5 million metric tons (MMT) of strategic crude oil storage at three locations namely, Visakhapatnam, Mangalore, and Padur (near Udupi).
    • These strategic storages would be in addition to the existing storage of crude oil and petroleum products with the oil companies and would serve as a cushion during any supply disruptions.
    • The petroleum reserves established are strategic, and the crude oil stored in these reserves will be used during an oil shortage event, as and when declared so by the Government of India.
    • The construction of the Strategic Crude Oil Storage facilities is being managed by Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL), a Special Purpose Vehicle.

    Why need SPR?

    • The Gulf War in 1990 caused a sharp rise in oil prices and a massive increase to India’s imports.
    • During the subsequent 1991 Indian economic crisis, foreign exchange reserves could barely finance three weeks’ worth of imports while the government came close to defaulting on its financial obligations.
    • India was able to resolve the crisis through policies that liberalized the economy. However, India continued to be impacted by the volatility of oil prices.
    • In 1998, the AB Vajpayee administration proposed building petroleum reserves as a long-term solution to managing the oil market.
    • Three storage facilities were built in underground locations in Mangalore, Visakhapatnam and Padur.

    Construction of ISPR

    • The crude oil storages are constructed in underground rock caverns and are located on the East and West coasts of India.
    • Crude oil from these caverns can be supplied to the Indian Refineries either through pipelines or through a combination of pipelines and coastal movement.
    • Underground rock caverns are considered the safest means of storing hydrocarbons.

    Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor