Aug 20, 2017 Topper's From IASbaba

MOTIVATION and TOPPER’S STRATEGY: Pawan K Pal, Rank 505, CSE-2016, First Attempt, Full Time Working Professional, 121 Marks in ETHICS, 156 Marks in ESSAY-PSIR Optional, IASbaba's ILP Student

Hello Friends, Every success story is unique and different in approach and manner in which it is achieved. But what is more cherishing than achieving the same in the very first attempt with full time job. Pawan's success makes it much more inspiring because of many reasons. This was his first attempt. He was working full time with Maruti Suzuki He prepared for Political Science and International Relations in less than 4-5 months He scored 121 Marks in Ethics and 156 Marks in Essay He was part of IASbaba's Integrated Learning Programme ILP-2016 We are really proud of him because he has given strength to our motto and vision of imparting guidance to aspirants preparing from Home specially freshers and working professionals. We wish you a great future ahead! Name - Pawan K Pal Residence - Panipat Education Background – Btech ( Mechanical) from D.C.R.U.S.T Murthal Company employed –Production Dept ,Maruti Suzuki India Limited, Manesar [ From 2012 to 2017] UPSC Roll no. – 0007348 Optional – Political Science & International Relations Attempt – 1st Rank – 505 With Summer Solstice raising the temperature of the Northern plains, there was a gamut of CSE aspirants waiting to witness their hard earned rank in the sacred Pdf. For some the list although came as a spring in this hot weather but for some it was a clarion call to buck-up and prepare for the pre-2017. With the information depicted above some questions are quite obvious, like: Why you thought of giving CSE so late – After 4 yrs of experience in MSIL Why you choose Political Science and International Relations How you managed time while working that too in Production Department Source of motivation To clear the clouds hovering around your heads let me give you a brief of my preparation. It is often said that after being frustrated of a 9 hr job, a person often tries Civils, CAT or Start-up. I choose the 1st one. The monotonous job of production never intersected with my ambitions and one day the longing to do something that suits my physical & biological capabilities got so empowered that I landed at Karol Bagh to search for a weekend course. It was Sept-2015. I never had any plan to sit for Civils nor I had any cravings for this most coveted job. But it was the option that seemed possible during that time (the Bandwagon effect with which most young population in India suffers for). I subscribed The Hindu as its printed copy was not available in Manesar.  After attending my office I had to rush to my class (from Manesar to Karol Bagh, Delhi) at 5 pm to 8 pm on Saturday and 7am to 6pm on Sunday. The schedule was hectic as 6 day working coupled with bulky books was very gruesome and I was in state of never ending confusion. Time passed and I was a part of hoi polloi that ate, drank, walked what they were taught in the classroom. But one training of Cost Benefit analysis in Maruti Changed my perception and I bought a Laptop to start a journey with my own Map. It was Dec-2015. From this onwards I never followed the coaching wallas and subscribed to IASBABA and joined ILP. With so many online initiatives and programmes it was really confusing to make a choice. Here the confusion ended and I relied totally on IASBABA whatever may be the consequences. The logic was simple – What you are doing that will make you stand out from a group of 13-15 Lakh applicants. The IASBABA programme was a boon for me as it gives you a time bound target with list of books to read. After that it tests you and you will feel the heat, the competition which is very much required in Civils. I never skipped any mail from IASBABA. The daily questions they ask were always a challenge for me. I tried hard to get all correct but never achieved that feat. Now, you will ask that how I managed to cover the vast syllabus. The answer is simple – I just followed the study plan of IASBABA and gave my tests regularly. I can recall that in first test I got 56 marks but in last test I got 152 marks. For the syllabus my plan was to read at least 200 pages daily. I competed Laxmikath in 5 days and completed my syllabus in multiple readings. NCERTs were treated like comics and Bipin Chandra was like a Shaktimaan story. I had read one interview of Mr Shashi Tharoor, where he told that he was able to read a complete book within his travel time from the Library to his Home. I was nowhere less than him ( you can feel the arrogance here). :P  Plan was made and the calendar was scrambled. The plan was to complete the whole syllabus plus 5 times revision. May-2016 was the deadline and June & July was the revision months. But here again that question cropped up in my mind – What you are doing that makes you stand out from the Rajinder Nagar wala group. Here again brainstorming started and I took Prelims test series of Vision IAS and Vajiram too. Here I joined Vision IAS Mains test series also (June-2016). Here I was mocked by my friends as I just started my preparation from the scratch and this decision of joining Mains test series before giving prelims was stupid for them. But I knew my Strengths and Weaknesses. Even if you clear prelims with good marks and you fail in mains it is again a zero sum game. My aim was to crack this examination in single attempt and for this it should be attacked from all sides.  I accomplished my plan which was to complete whole syllabus + 5 time revision. Meanwhile I gave 2 Mains tests of Vision IAS before prelims. After the above plan and solving over 100 mocks that means around 10000 questions I sat for Prelims on 7 Aug 2016. For Prelims the key is Revision + Mocks. All NCERTs are must and Google should be preached like god for prelims. Quora is good for clearing the concept but never stop yourself from applying some common sense and logics. Never skip any content or questionnaire of IASBABA. The ILP here played crucial part for its effective planning, high quality VAN and tests and I give all credit for the result to IASBABA. After coming home I checked all my answers with the answer keys and I found that I am through. From the very next day I started writing daily. The Best part was when you complete your Newspaper by stealing some time in office and a mails comes from IASBABA with list of possible questions for Mains. TLP was a boon in this regard for its quality questions. I wrote daily and followed this simple strategy and avoided any confusion. But the dark clouds of Optional subject still surrounded me. One day I saw a motivational video of Varun Kumar (IAS) where he emphasized on how he randomly picked Political Science as optional and prepared it. This instilled in me a confidence that it is achievable. After being bored of reading Mechanical subject till February 2016 I switched my subject to Political Science & International Relation and after that I never looked back. Again same strategy was followed – Syllabus + 5 times revision Now the Mocks. I took some time when I started giving my pending mocks of Vision IAS mains because the format of your answer should be different and it should be attractive. Meanwhile I got test series of Sriram IAS and GS Score. Here I relied totally on Textual material because you can write a nice answer only after diverse and rigorous reading. Watching Videos may clear your concept but it will not be beneficial for getting crux of answer writing. I stretched myself with 3 newspapers – Hindu , Indian Express and Livemint + EPW(Subscibed) To Metamorphise myself I wrote my last 6 mains test in 2 days at VisionIAS test center, Karol Bagh. Never skipped any Mains question of IASBABA. Books followed: History – NCERT Old (Ancient and Modern history), Spectrum(Modern), Nitin Singhania (Culture), Tamil Nadu (Ancient). Economics – 11th& 12th NCERT + Diverse Online Sources, IASBABA notes Environment – Shankar IAS, IASBABA notes, Moef annual report + Online Sources Geography – All NCERTs + Online Sources Polity – Laxmikanth + B L Fadia + Legalserviceindia website(this is boon for Pol. Science optional) Science & Tech – IASBABA notes Current Affairs – VisionIAS + IASBABA For Political Science and International Relations When I started with my preparation for CSE in Nov-2015, my plan was to write this examination with Mechanical Engineering as Optional. As my background was technical and I had interest in mechanical so this decision was easy to make. But when I solved the mocks of mechanical engineering in Feb-2016 after studying for 3 months for this optional my all beliefs eroded. Meanwhile I saw a motivational video of Varun Kumar (IAS) where he emphasized that how he completed his optional (PSIR) in just 3 months. I decided that Political Science will be the one I will go forwards. I researched on internet and found Shubra Ranjan Mam. But I was late and coaching was not possible. So I took ND Arora – a book of Political Science where syllabus wise content is given. I took help from it but never relied on its content. It can guide you about where to go and what to study but only reading this book is a sin. I purchased Notes of Shubra Ranjan mam and all standard books for the optional. Andrew Heywood as a name looks scary but this book is easier than any other Indian author. Books referred: Political Theory – Andrew Heywood + O P Gauba + Wiki Western Political Thoughts – Nelson + Wiki + Scholarly articles Indian Political Thinkers – Pearson + Internet Paper 1 , Part B – BL Fadia + EPW Magazine + Indian Express + Legalservicesindia + Internet Comparative politics – Ignou Notes(MPS series) + Internet + ND Arora World Focus MEA Websites + ASEAN Website + IDSA India’s World on RS TV+ BIG Picture PAX Indica by Shashi Tharoor Global Politics – Andrew Heywood Oxford Handbook on Indian Foreign Policy Shubra Ranjan Mam Notes – Very Important The Wire – Editorial EPW The above books are just a glimpse of what you should read but the actual concepts grasped can be from different sources like I regularly watched and read Ramchandra Guha, Yogendra Yadav, CP Bhambri, Hamza Alawi, Zia Mody etc. Political Science imparted me philosophical mindset which I used in essay writing and got mammoth 156 marks. It also helped in Ethics paper and in paper 2 also. Speed Reading and using the core terms in practical ways can take you distances and you will never forget the things that you will read. Argue with the author while reading his/her article, this will not only give you critical thinking but will also make your decisions bold and mature. Write small cheat notes so that you can revise them before the examination. Every optional for CSE should be covered till the level of masters programme so respect the optional and do appreciate the authors. Plan your strategy and devise your own path. The beauty lies in the mystery and risk. Don’t rely on Coaching centers as they will homogenize you and UPSC wants a unique one from bunch of 15 lakh people, so stop preaching false GOD. Steal every style and methodoly from the toppers and make alloy of it and apply it with full confidence and skills. This examination is all about patience, perseverance and hard work and remember the concept of ESCAPE VELOCITY. You have to attain that escape velocity to crack this examination. Some people attain it in 5yrs  some in 6 months, it totally depends how much pain and brain you are using to bundle up this exam. I got 505 rank with above paraphernalia and things got aligned just because of one thing – Confidence. I was never confused after I went into hardcore mode of reading in Dec-2015. I choose my optional and never regretted, took impossible targets to achieve and tried to achieve by hook or by crook. I punished myself for not achieving the target but at the same time I also appreciated myself on completed the target. I gave 6 hrs daily while attending my job and Avoided sleep by drinking gallons of Coffee, stole time in office to read. I was sure that I will make it out, and only because of this I acted accordingly. There is a social construct that prevails among innocent Civils aspirants that you cannot crack this exam in 1st attempt while in job and that too in just 1 yr of preparation from the scratch. But it is possible, Humans are beyond any measurement and limitation. I Prepared my Optional Without Coaching and in a time frame of 4 months. Which construes that we cannot gauge our capabilities without giving our best. For those who are trying to crack this mighty exam, I exhort you all to not just try – Give all you have to it just for once. It’s better to be in isolation for one year than to swivel as pendulum in dichotomy of Fun & Study for many years. Isolation is a gift which tests you endurance. You are beyond any calculation and can do and witness miracle. All you have to do is to just crack the essence of this exam, only then you can crack this exam. Respect your age, its magnificent and Don’t just slog this precious period with Youngster angst into UPSC Civils. This glorious period will never come again and even if you crack this exam after 4-5 attempts  you will feel after some time that the splendid hormonal outburst of you stifled under the burden of Books of Civil Services. So give an honest attempt with all the force you have in you. Achieve the impossible and don’t beat your chest because you are surrounded by Naysayers. Show them your breed. You can do it because Asaan Hai. Thank You Pawan K Pal

Aug 20, 2017 Topper's From IASbaba

MOTIVATION and TOPPER’S STRATEGY: Ravi P Meena, Rank 694, CSE-2016, First Attempt, 161 Marks in ESSAY, हिंदी Medium- IASbaba’s TLP Student

नमस्कार दोस्तों, मेरी इस साल सिविल सेवा परीक्षा में हिंदी माध्यम से 694 रैंक थी, यह मेरा पहला प्रयास था| इस परीक्षा की सही रणनीति जानने से पहले, यह जानना जरूरी है कि UPSC को किस तरह की अभिवृति(aptitude) वाले लोग चाहिए| मेरी इस परीक्षा के बारे में जो समझ बनी है, उसके आधार पर मुझे लगताहै कि अगर किसी भी अभ्यर्थी में निम्न गुण है तो, रास्ता बहुत आसानहो जाता है, जैसे- जिस भी भाषा में हम परीक्षा लिख रहे हैं उस पर बहुत अच्छी पकड़ होनी चाहिए, अभिव्यक्ति कौशल इस परीक्षा में बहुत काम आताहै| IIT कानपुरसे होने के बाद भी मैंने हिंदी माध्यम में परीक्षा दी क्योंकि मुझे स्वयं को अभिव्यक्त करने में हिंदी में बहुत सहूलियत महसूस होती थी, इसलिए माध्यम चयन का सबसे सही तरीका यही होना चाहिए|हालांकि मैंने आधी तैयारी अंग्रेजी में उपलब्ध स्रोतों से की थी| दूसरा, अगर अभ्यर्थी की स्कूल समय से ही सामाजिक अध्ययन के विषयों में अच्छी रूचि रही है और ग्रेजुएशनके दौरान करंट अफेयर्स आदि में भी रूचि रही हो तो भी बहुत आसानी रहती है| एक संतुलित, और तार्किक सोच होना बहुत जरूरी है| रटने की बजाय समझ विकसित की जानी चाहिए, और interconnected study औरविश्लेषणात्मक (analytical) सोचकी बहुत जरुरत है| एकाग्र औरप्रसंगानुरूपसंगतयानिto the point होना बहुत महत्तवपूर्ण है| और हाँ, मेहनती होना तो जरूरी है ही, परअपने लक्ष्यों को ईमानदारी से और समयबद्ध तरीके से प्राप्त करने की कोशिश रहनी चाहिए, जैसे कॉलेज में मेरी कोशिश रहती थी वैकल्पिक HSS courses (Humanities and social science) में उन्ही का चुनाव करूँ जो मुझे इस परीक्षा में मदद करें और उन्हीं एक्टिविटीज में हिस्सा लिया जो इस दिशा में लाभप्रद रहें| अभ्यर्थियों को उपर्युक्तगुण विकसित करने चाहिए क्योंकि यह परीक्षा ज्ञान और मेहनत से ज्यादा व्यक्तित्व की परीक्षा है, और यही कारण है कि कई लोग प्रथम प्रयास में निकाल लेते है और कई को समय लगता है| अबअध्ययन की रणनीति की बात करते हैं, यहाँ मैं उत्तर लेखन,मैन्स की रणनीति और निबंध और कुछ अध्ययन स्रोतों की बात करूंगा, कुछ चीजें जो छूट गयीं हैं उनके लिए मैंने एक विडियो शेयर किया है उसमें सभी महत्त्वपूर्ण स्रोतों की जानकारी दी है, आप यह देख सकते हो https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuR9Nzh9S9g. उत्तर लेखन:- मैंने IASBABA और अन्य ऑनलाइन प्लेटफॉर्म्स पर उत्तर लेखन किया था, कोई औपचारिक टेस्ट सीरीज ज्वाइन नहीं की थी, मेरी सलाह है कि आप भी पूरी श्रृद्धा और विश्वास के साथ ILP और TLP पर उत्तर लिखिए और बाकी लोगों के उत्तर रिव्यु कीजिए, अच्छे उत्तर की निम्न विशेषताएं होनी चाहिए- To the point होना चाहिए, संगतता बहुत जरूरी है| सवाल के हर हिस्से का उत्तर होना चाहिए| intro, body, conclusion सामान्यतया होना चाहिए, इससे जांचने वाले को सहूलियत भी होती है और आपकी अनुशासित और सुलझे हुए व्यक्तित्त्व की छवि उभरती है, हालांकि कुछ मामलों में सवाल की प्रकृति के अनुरूप इसरूपरेखा में बदलाव किया जा सकता है| बिन्दुवार या फिर पैराग्राफ दोनों ही रूप में उत्तर लिखा जा सकता है, खैर, यह प्रश्न की प्रकृति पर निर्भर करता है, तथापिमैंintro और conclusion को छोड़कर body मेंयथासंभव बिन्दुवार लिखने की वकालत करूँगा| flowchart, tables इत्यादि मदद करती हैं| तथ्य और अन्य आंकड़े उचित मात्रा में होने चाहिए ना तो बहुत अधिक ना ही बहुत कम होने चाहिए| और toppers की कॉपी उनके उत्तरों की खासियत समझने की कोशिश करें| २. आगामी मैन्स के लिए: इस बार prelims लिखने वालों को अच्छे परिणाम के लिए शुभकामनाएं| और जो लोग चयन होने ना होने की दुविधा में हैं, उनको मेरी यह सलाह है कि पढ़ाई जारी रखें, उत्तर लेखन का नियमित अभ्यास करें, और अखबारों पर अच्छी नजर रखें, क्योंकि UPSC की अनिश्चित्तता के बारे में कोई नहीं जानता, अगर आप अपने आप को बॉर्डर-लाइनपर समझ रहे हो तो समझदारी इसी में है कि तैयारी करते रहें, क्योंकि इसी तरह की दुविधा पिछले वर्ष मेरे साथ हुई थी और मैंने 1.5 महीने का वक्त बर्बाद कर दिया, वरना रैंक बेहतर हो सकती थी| 1. निबंध का अभ्यास अभी किया जाना चाहिए क्योंकि बाद में वक्त कम होता ही चला जाता है| 2. GS-4 के उत्तर लेखन का विशेष अभ्यास किया जाना चाहिए और किसी अच्छी कोचिंग की टेस्ट सीरीज की ३ घंटे में प्रैक्टिस करें, क्योंकि इसमें समय की सबसे ज्यादा कमी पड़ती  है| और अपने दोस्तों के साथ इसके उत्तरों पर अच्छी चर्चा करें यह बहुत मदद करती है| 3. बाकी के सामान्य अध्ययन के पेपर्स के लिए ऑनलाइन उत्तर लेखन या टेस्ट सीरीज से प्रैक्टिस करे, 4. अब कोर किताबें पढने का समय नहीं है, उन्हें बहुत ही कम पढ़े, बस जो आता है उसी का बेहतर प्रस्तुतिकरण पर ध्यान दें और ऑप्शनल आदि में जो कमी रह रही है उसे पूरा करें| 5. इन चार महीनों के अखबारों के सम्पादकीय सबसे महत्वपूर्ण हैं, उन पर अच्छे से चर्चा और तैयारी करें, और उनमें रटने वाले तथ्य आदि के लिए करंट अफेयर्स की मैगज़ीन आदि का सहारा लें| 6. प्रथम प्रयास वालों के लिए कि यह ही सबसे अच्छा प्रयास होता है, अपनी सम्पूर्ण ऊर्जा लगा दो| निबंध: निबंध में मुझे 161 अंक मिले थे, मैंने केवल ऑनलाइन निबंध लिखे और कुछ निबंध परीक्षा से पहले दोस्तों के साथ लिखे और उन पर चर्चा की| मेरी समझ के हिसाब से अच्छे निबंध की निम्न खासियतें होती हैं: जितनी ज्यादा विवधता संभव हो सकती है, उतने पहलुओं पर विचार किया जाना चाहिए| भाषा तरल और सरल होनी चाहिए, कठिन भाषा से कोई विशेष प्रभाव पड़ने की बजाय कई दफा नकारात्मक छवि भी बन जाती है| और निबंध केवलविषय पर ही होना चाहिए, मैंने अपना निबंध आपसे साझा किया है वो देख सकते हो| तथ्य आंकड़े और बड़े लोगों के कथन इस प्रकार समाविष्ट किये जाएँ कि बोझिल ना लगें| और इन सब बातों का सार यह है किनिबंध ऐसा हो कि जिससे आपके परिपक्व व्यक्तित्व की झलक मिले| हिंदी माध्यम के मित्रों के लिए अपने मन से यह पूर्णतः निकाल देना चाहिए की हम किसी से कम हैं या हिंदी माध्यम के साथ भेदभाव होता है, ये सब बहाने हैं| हाँ कुछ स्रोतों की हिंदी माध्यम में समस्या है उसके लिए कोशिश करके अंग्रेजी की चीजों से पढ़ें, IASBABA जैसी वेबसाइटों का अच्छा उपयोग लें, अगरयहाँ भाषा की समस्या है तो वैकल्पिक स्रोतों का सहारा लें उन्हें ढूंढें, थोड़ी मेहनत करनी पड़ेगी पर काम हो जायेगा|   IASBABA के लिए:         धन्यवाद,आभार, मैं कृतज्ञ हूँ, अपने इस अच्छे काम को जारी रखिये, ताकिदिल्ली को दूर समझने वाले, अपने लैपटॉप से दुनिया ढूँढने वाले लोग भी बिना मुखर्जी नगर आये, अपनी मम्मी के हाथ की रोटी खाते हुए IAS बन सकें|   Book list GS Preparation for Prelims (Summary) Study material / Guidance   Basic Books     M. Laxmikanth or DD Basu, Bipin Chandra or Spectrum history, TN board class 11th history and + new NCERTS for Ancient and medieval. 6th to 12th NCERTs for Geography. Eco. Survey for Economy. Current Affairs   Hindu, and IE + u can follow IASBABA summaries. Test Series   Join any good test series. I Solved IASBABA 60 day program also. Recommended IASbaba's ILP Any other   Solve as many questions as you can. And revise their solutions 2-3 times. GS Mains Preparation (Summary) Paper Study Material/Guidance Current Issues Source Answer Writing Practice GS Paper 1     NCERTs for Geo., BIPIN CHANDRA, new NCERTs for History and ART and culture and Sociology NCERTs.   Newspaper Indian express and the Hindu Write answers and get them evaluated from friends , fellow aspirants. Use online platforms as TLP/ILP of baba, Test series can be joined though I did not join any. GS Paper 2   DD BASU , my optional was PSIR. For IR I read V.N. Khanna, and some IGNOU material also,     SC judgments, RSTV discussion are very good, and summery magazines for current affairs ( IASbaba, GS score, and vision are good ) Same as for GS1. GS Paper 3   Economic survey + some lectures of Mrunal. Hindu  and RSTV AIR, Same. GS Paper 4     I read nothing so can’t tell   Try to connect the news with case studies. Wrote some answers online and  4 full papers and discussed with my friends.. ( 2 of GS score and two of Vision, purchased from Market.) Optional Subject Preparation (Summary) Study material / Guidance   Basic Books   V.N, Khanna for IR, O P gauba for western political thought, for indian political thought I read IGNOU. For comparative politics, O P gauba, and for IGP B.L. Fadiya and IGNOU for other topics, class notes of piyushchaubey sir. Current Affairs   Hindu+ IE+RSTV Answer Writing   I wrote some answers and got them evaluated from piyush sir. Any other   Nothing, I prepared in just 2 months with the help of piyush sir. सभी अभ्यर्थियों को दिल की गहराइयों से अशेष शुभकामनाएं :)  SAMPLE ESSAY BY RAVI PRAKASH MEENA आवश्यकता लोभ की जननी है और लोभ का आधिक्य नस्लें बर्बाद करता है| ईसा से 262 सालपहले की बात है, कलिंग के युद्ध में चारों तरफ खून ही खून हो गया, इसनेकई नस्लों को बर्बाद कर दिया, और कारण था सम्राट अशोक की यह इच्छा कि उन्हेंबड़ा साम्राज्य चाहिए| लेकिन उसी दौर में उसी क्षेत्र की फिजां में एक स्वर गूँज रहा था महात्मा बुद्ध का, जो अपरिग्रह पर जोर दे रहे थे, और कह रहे थे किआवश्यकता ही दुःख का मूल है| हालांकि, सम्राटअशोक को शुरू में इनका महत्व समझ नहीं आया, लेकिन जब खून बहा तो वेइस सन्देश का अर्थ समझ गये, और बौद्ध धर्म को गले लगाया, और एक बड़े साम्राज्य की जगह सुखी साम्राज्य की स्थापना की| मानवजाति का  इतिहास इस तरह के उदाहरणों से भरा पड़ा है, जहाँ आवश्यकता से उपजे लोभ ने नस्लें बर्बाद की हो, चाहे बड़े राज्य के लिए दुर्योधन की इच्छा से उत्पन्न महाभारत का रणहो या फिर नवीनसाम्राज्योंकेबीच युद्ध का होना रहा हो, आधुनिक इतिहास मेंप्रथम विश्व युद्ध इसी की परिणति थी और इसी तरह  उसके बाद हिटलर की बृहद साम्राज्य की आवश्कयता ने भीमानवता को मिट्टी में ही मिलाया है| वर्तमान में विद्यमान आतंकवाद और उससे पीड़ित विश्व के कारण भी यहीं हैं, पश्चिमी शक्तियों द्वारा तेल पर कब्जे और अपने प्रभुत्व को बढ़ाने के क्रम में पश्चिमी एशिया में हस्तक्षेप ने संघर्ष को बढाया और फिर इसमें धार्मिक पहलू के आने और सभ्यताओं के बीच संघर्ष के सिद्धांत ने स्थिति को बदतर किया| शीत युद्ध और उससे उपजे उन्माद, परमाणुओं की होड़, और मानव के विनाश का आग के गोले तक सीमित हो जाने के मूल में भी यही है| इससे पूर्व औद्योगिक क्रांति से उपजे पूँजीवादऔर साम्राज्यवाद के कारणों में भी लोभ ही था, और इसने अतिराष्ट्रवाद और उपनिवेशवाद को जन्म दिया जिसनेपूरीमानव जाति को संकट में डाला, विकसित देशों द्वारा कई नस्लों के आर्थिक राजनैतिक और सांस्कृतिक शोषण ने विकासशील देशोंके स्वछंद विकास को नष्ट कर दिया, और उन्हें अभीयुद्दोत्तर काल में भी बौद्धिक रूप से गुलाम बनाया जा रहा है, और इसके लिए अब नवउपनिवेशवादीरणनीतियां इस्तेमाल की जा रही है, जैसा कि घाना के राष्ट्रपति नक्रूमा ने कहा है कि “ नवउपनिवेशवाद नवसाम्राज्यवाद की अंतिम अवस्था है” इसके लिए विकसित देशों द्वाराबहुराष्ट्रीयनिगमों और और उनके द्वारा निर्धारित व्यवस्था और मानकों के माध्यम से यह सब किया जा रहा है| इसने विशव में उत्तर-दक्षिण विभाजन पैदा किया है और यह सबगंभीर भू-राजनैतिक संकटों की ओर बढ़ सकताहै| इसी कड़ी के दूसरे छोर पर, विश्वको आज के समय में पर्यावरणीय समस्याएं आतंकित कर रही हैं और इनका कारण प्रकृति का अधिकाधिक दोहन है, विकसित देशों की भौतिकवादी व्यवस्था ने इसको चरम पर पहुंचा दिया है, कईप्रजातियाँ लुप्त हो गयी हैं और कई होने वाली हैं, आने वाले पीढ़ीअपने पूर्वजों के कृत्यों से कितने संकट में रहेंगी इसका अनुमान भी मुश्किल ही है| महात्मा गांधी ने भी कहाथा कि “ हमारी पृथ्वी के पास लोगों की आवश्यकता की पूर्ती के लिए बहुत कुछ है किन्तुस्वार्थकी पूर्ती के लिए नही है|” इसके आलावा मानवीय संसाधनों के सन्दर्भ में इसने श्रम के शोषण सेअसमान समाज तैयार किया औरइससे बहुत सारी अमानवीय समस्याएँ पैदा हुई है| लेकिन यह दोहन केवलसंसाधनों के लिए ही सत्य नहीं है, जीवन के हर पहलू को यह प्रभवित करता है, जैसे आज की पूंजीवादी व्यवस्था में आवश्यकताएंऔर लोभ बढते जा रहे हैं, मनुष्य मशीनों में तब्दील हो रहें हैं, जैसे उनका उनके पर्यावरण से अलगाव हो रहा है, परिवार को समय नही दे पा रहे हैं साथ में पूजीवादीव्यवस्था में कार्य के विभाजन के कारण वे अपने कार्य को देखकर खुश भी नही हो पा रहे हैं क्योंकि वे बहुत बड़े प्रोजेक्ट के एक छोटे से हिस्से पर कार्य कर रहे हैं, मार्क्सिस्ट विचारधारा इसे ही कार्य से अलगाव कहती है, इस क्रम में जीवन में एकरूपता आ जाने से जीवनरसघटगए हैं, साथ ही इसतंत्र ने एक अघोषित प्रतिस्पर्धा को जन्म दिया हैं जैसे पडौसी की भौतिकवादी चीजों को देखकर दुसरे पडौसी का दुखी होना और उसकी अंधी होड़ में दौड़ पड़ना, इससे मानसिक तनाव बढ़ा है सच्चा सुख कम हुआ है,जीवन में संघर्ष बढ़ाहै वैमनस्य बढ़ा है प्रेम कम हुआ है, आपसी विश्वास कम हुआ है, ये किसी भी जीवंत मानवीय समाज के लिए अच्छी चीज नही हैं| और, इसका मनोवैज्ञानिक पहलू यह है कि मनुष्य को पता ही नही चलता और वह आवशयकता और लोभ के प्रति अँधा होता चला जाता है, और यह जीवन के हर क्षेत्र में दिखाई देता है जैसे एक व्यापारी धन के प्रति अँधा होता है,उसी तरह कुछ लोग अपने धार्मिक, जातीय और सांप्रदायिक विचारों को लेकर चरम पर पहुँच जाते हैं और अंततः द्वेष और बर्बादी हाथ लगती है| आज के समय में इससे उपजी प्रतिस्पर्धा ने बच्चों तक को नहीं छोड़ा , छोटे छोटे बच्चे मोटे मोटे बस्ता टाँगे, अपनी माता-पिता कि इच्छाओं को ढ़ोते हैं और उनके स्कूल के अंकों को लेकर अपना बचपन बर्बाद कर लेते हैं| इस क्रम में उनके सहज विकास और रचनात्मकता की जो हानी होती है वह कई बार अपूरणीय होती है| सामाजिक स्तर पर भी यह दिखता है कि लोभ के कारण सामजिक अपराध जन्म लेते हैं, अधिक धन कमाने की चाहत में एक पिता अपने बच्चों को समय नही दे पाता है, रिश्तों में दूरियां आ जाति हैं, सामजिक बुराई जैसे दहेज़ तलाक सब इसी के कारण हैं, यह लोभ ही होता है कि भाई भाई के बीच में वैर ला देता है, यह लोभ ही होता है जो व्यक्ति को इतना व्यस्त कर देता है कि वह ना तो बारिश में मिट्टी की खुशबू को महसूस कर सकता है और ना ही चांदनी रात की ठंडक को, और यह लोभ ही है जो फूलों को इत्र की शीशी में समेट रहा है आदि आदि| अतः यह स्पष्ट है कि आवशयकता और लोभ मनुष्य को बहुत नुकसान पहुंचा रहे हैं इसीलिए दुनिया के धर्म दर्शनों में अल्पसंग्रह पर जोर दिया है चाहे इस्लाम में जकात का सिद्दांत हो या फिर हिन्दू धर्म का “त्यक्तेन भुंजीथा” और दान का सिद्धांत| इसी तरह बौद्ध और जैन् धर्म भी कम संग्रह पर जोर देते हैं| हमारे समाज में कहावत भी है कि “ संतोषी सदा सुखी”,और इसी क्रम में यहाँ जन्में महापुरुषजैसे महात्मा बुद्ध , महावीर जी, गांधीजी, आदिने भी इसी पर जोर दिया, हिंदी के कविदिनकर जी भी लिखते हैं कि “शांति नहीं जब तक, हर भाग ना नर का सम हो, ना ही किसी को बहुत अधिक हो ना ही कम हो” इन्हींमूल्योंको सतत रखते हुए भारतीय संविधान भी समाजवादी मूल्यों कि स्थापना करता है, और राज्य के नीति निर्देशक तत्व में सामजिक आर्थिक न्याय की स्थापना करता है और एक  कल्याणकारी राज्य की स्थापना करता है| आरक्षण और कर प्रणाली यही सुनिश्चित करने के लिए है| अतःस्पष्ट है कि लोभ महाभारत करवाता है और त्याग प्रेम बांटता है, लोभसगे खून में दरारे डाल सकता है है जबकि प्रेमपूरी दुनिया को एक कर सकता है, लोभ हमको खुद से छीन लेता है और एक अंतहीन चक्र में धकेल देता है और जीवन को सुखहीन बना देता है, इसीलिए हम अधिक पैसे से नई नई लाइटें खरीद सकते हैं किन्तु सूरज की रौशनी नहीं, शीतलमंद समीर का सुखAC नहीं दे सकती, आजकलपैसो से नींद से ज्यादा चिंता मिल रही है, और फलतः इंसान भीड़ में होते हुए भी अकेला हो रहा है, लोभ की वजह से ही हम बड़े बड़े मकानों में भी अकेलेपन से मर जाते हैं किन्तु पहले लोग झोपड़ी में भी सुख से रहते थे, इसलिए जरूरत अधिक पानेकी नहीं, बल्किकममें अधिकखोजने की होनी चाहिए,और अंत में बाबा कबीर का यह दोहा जो इस सबके सार को कह देताकि- “ साईंइतना दीजिये, जामे कुटुंब समाये, मैं भी भूखा ना रहूँ, साधू ना भूखा जाए|” MARK SHEET

Aug 20, 2017 Motivational Articles

MOTIVATION: Start Where You Are, Use What You Have & Do What You Can!

How do you do, dear aspirants? With the weather being so uncertain and the crowded community of notes hoarders lurking around the corners ready to stupefy you, how are you keeping up? Have you been able to start working on killing your self-doubt? If yes, bravo! If not, you should take the required steps immediately. It is very important for this roadblock in your life to disappear in order to take important steps to be able to realise your dream, your aspirations. Life is uncertain. Imperfections are a part of your life. But what you do have under your control are your choices. Choices that can help you succeed. Choices that can make or break you completely. Just imagine that you have an account in your pocket -  Bad choices & Good choices. Your option should always be to increase the weight of good choices. So how do you increase the weight exactly? Begin by taking the first step from wherever you are standing today. Difficult, does it sound? Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. It is never easy, I know. But it is never too difficult to start all over. Use whatever that you have to take the first step. Do not hesitate. Do not think about what your friends will think, or what your parents might feel. The most important thing for you is to decide that the first step should be taken and secondly, that the step should be taken by you with full awareness. So, what are you waiting for? If you feel dejected, start now accepting that it happens to everyone and you are fully capable of getting away from it. Believe that you are capable of many wonderful things that life has to offer, one being your success in your dreams and wishes. Trust me, take this step. Use all your energy and put your best feet forward. Do whatever you can and whatever it takes to make this event in your life possible. After all, success visits only those who are willing to take the first step towards it. And who does not want to increase the weight of the account named 'Good Choices'? All the very best! Your friend, philosopher and guide - IASbaba

Aug 20, 2017 Motivational Articles

Creative Guidance – Meditation and Creativity – Inspirational & Educative Articles

Meditation and Creativity: There is a part of us that is not influenced by the noise and clutter of the mind; there is a part of us that is pure, pristine and clear. This is the part that meditation opens up. Meditation is the doorway to the vast and beautiful realm of the self where life, creativity and joy flows like an endless perennial stream. Practice of meditation is a quest to listen to the silent murmur of this stream. It is an effort that we put in to declutter the mind so that it can experience silence, solitude and creativity. Those who are willing to put in the effort will experience the joy of this magnificent inner world. Creativity is a spontaneous moment to moment response to challenges of life. When you are able to move beyond the set patterns of the mind and act from the moment, creativity becomes a natural out flowing. In this state, all challenges of life can be handled with a smile. There is only one obstacle for creativity; it is our inability to let go of the obsession to keep reflecting on what has happened or what has to happen. Our minds are addicted to thoughts. Although it is so easy and simple to see solutions for complex problems of life, the mind refuses to move beyond its set patters. Creativity begins when the mind let’s go of the knowledge it has accumulated and allows spontaneous imagination to lead the way. Einstein put this beautifully saying, “imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution." To be imaginative, creative and spontaneous, you have to be in the present moment. The whole science of meditation is a systematic process of learning how to be in the present moment. Mind and body anchored to the present moment are always in a positive state of mind, ready to imagine new solutions for old challenges. So then, how do we begin the practice of being in the moment. This is where different methods and techniques of meditation become useful. Meditation has absolutely nothing to do with religion or rituals. It is a simple, scientific and an understandable system of inner transformation. As with any scientific system, practice using right methods will produce the desired results. Here are some simple meditation techniques you can practice on a daily basis for 30 to 45 minutes. You can choose a comfortable place and posture so that your mind and body is relaxed; preferably a quiet room. Set an alarm for the duration of your choice and start these practices. a) Watching the Breath - You can keep your focus on the breath throughout the meditation. Every time your mind drifts into thoughts, bring it back to the breath. This is a simple and beautiful meditation that relaxes and allows your mind to quieten. b) Watching the Candle Flame - This meditation can be practiced in late evenings. You can turn off the lights of your room and sit in front of a single candle flame and watch it. You can do this for about 30 minutes. c) Mindfulness - This is a practice you can do throughout the day. Being mindful of each and every action of the mind and the body keeps you rooted in the present moment. This is a very powerful way to access imaginative creative thinking. “The articles are a copyright of The Ahamo Movement and IASBABA.”

Aug 19, 2017 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs 19th Aug, 2017

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 19th Aug 2017 Archives ECONOMICS  TOPIC: General Studies 2 Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections. Issues relating to poverty and hunger. General Studies 3 Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment. Inclusive growth and issues arising from it. Migration and Gender Background: Since the 1970s, the nature of urbanisation across the globe, including India, has been increasingly shaped by corporate capital under the neo-liberal policies of the state. Cities are treated as consumer products, with massive private investment in real estate and housing, malls, expressways, flyovers, waterfronts, sports and entertainment facilities, and policing and surveillance to promote corporate urban development. Urban amenities and services are privatised, and labour reforms are undertaken to benefit corporate capital. The urban poor, slum dwellers, and migrants (both male and female) are dispossessed as a result of urban restructuring and gentrification. These exclusionary processes began in 1990 and are acute in Indian cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad. Government Policy: The central government started the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission in 2005—which was renamed as the Smart Cities Mission in 2015—with the primary aim of accelerating neo-liberal urbanisation policies to promote economic growth. This has also led to various urban protests and movements in different parts of India related to such issues as the restructuring of urban space, demolition of slums, displacement, and the relocation and privatisation of urban amenities. Right to city: Migration raises the central issue of the right to the city: the right of everyone, including migrants (men and women), minorities, and the marginalised to access the benefits that a city offers. The right to the city perspective ultimately seeks to achieve urban transformation that is just and equitable in contrast to urbanisation based on neo-liberal policies, which promotes exclusion, deprivation, and discrimination. Right to the city is also expected to unite disparate categories of deprived people under the common vision of building our future by building cities. The right to the city is not an exclusive individual right. Rather, it is a collective right, which aims to unify different exploited classes to build an alternative city that eradicates poverty and inequality and heals the wounds of environmental degradation While it is true that cities have evolved through migration, cityward migration, and interstate migration in particular, has been sensitive issue in India. India is a federal country and states are organised along linguistic lines. Linguistic differences are essentially cultural differences, which are pronounced in the event of migration. In India exclusion and discrimination against migrants takes place through political and administrative processes, market mechanisms, and socio-economic processes. Challenges faced by migrants: Though the Constitution guarantees freedom of movement and freedom to settle within India as a fundamental right of all citizens (Article 19), migrants face several barriers in their ability to access civic amenities, housing, and employment. They also encounter restrictions on their political and cultural rights because of linguistic and cultural differences. Discrimination against migrants is articulated in various parts of India under the “sons of the soil” political ideology, which simultaneously justifies the natives’ lay to claim on local jobs while blaming migrants for snatching them away. Migrants are also vulnerable to discrimination and exploitation as many of them are poor, illiterate, and live in slums and hazardous locations that are prone to disasters and natural calamities. Urbanisation, as a vehicle of capital accumulation, has been associated with an increased concentration of wealth in big cities and urban centres; rural–urban gaps in income, wages, and employment opportunities have also widened. Exclusion and deprivation are ubiquitous in cities as every 50 urban dweller lives in a slum and about 90% work in the socially unprotected informal sector with very low wages and salaries. The limited access that migrants, both men and women, have to health services is a very serious issue. Public health services are generally lacking and private health services are too expensive. In most cases, migrants are neither able to reap the benefits of health insurance schemes nor are they provided with health insurance by their employers. They also face greater risk of contracting HIV/AIDs Lack of proofs of identity and residence in the city is the biggest barrier to inclusion of migrants. Due to a lack of proof of residence, many are not included in the voter list and cannot exert their right to vote. Lack of residential proof leads to the inability to open a bank account, get a ration card, or a driving licence. It is noteworthy that residential proof depends upon a migrant’s ability to own a house in his or her name or in the name of a family member, or rent a house under a leave and licence agreement. The recent Unique Identification project also insists on residential proof. Women generally lack access to property and housing rights, and the condition is worse for them when they migrate with their husbands or other relatives. The denial of political rights (of voting) to migrants, both men and women, is crucially linked to being denied the right to housing in the city. Due to a lack of proper housing, many migrants live in informal settlements and are unable to acquire residential proof. Also, as most of them work in the informal sector, they cannot get any proof of identity from their employers, unlike their counterparts who work in the formal sector. Lack of housing is a serious problem for migrants in Indian cities. Children of migrants are denied their right to education as seeking admission to schools is cumbersome, and language barriers are difficult to overcome. Migrants’ languages are generally different from the local language, and this adds to their disadvantages. In most cities, segregation along caste and community lines is still very prominently visible. Migration and Gender Women’s Migration to Cities: In cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Pune, there have been increases in female migration. In fact, the increase in female migration is evident across all classes in urban centres. Women constituted the majority of migrants in most cities between 2005 and 2006. As most of these women do not work, this shapes their relationship with the city, especially with regard to access and use of the city space and resources. On the other hand, their contributions as homemakers and family-care providers are enormous, but seem to be structured through the continuity of patriarchal traditions transmitted from rural to urban areas. Pic Credit: http://www.epw.in/system/files/Per_RB_Bhagat_Fig1.jpg National statistics on migration show why men and women migrate: Pic credit: http://www.epw.in/system/files/Per_RB_Bhagat_Fig2.jpg There is a huge disparity between men and women migrants in urban areas. The available data indicate that the participation of women migrants in the workforce has declined; about two-fifths of those who were either self-employed or casual workers prior to migration lost their work after moving to urban areas as per the 64th round of the National Service Scheme (NSS) survey conducted from 2007 to 2008. This shows some amount of de-feminization of the migrant workforce. Women in the city suffer the consequences of being migrants and women, in addition to inherent sociocultural prejudices and economic deprivations. Migration adds to the existing baggage of inequality and discrimination. Migrant women not only face wage discrimination, but also sexual violence and various types of exclusion, such as restricted access to the public distribution system for food, to shelter and medical facilities, and may even have limited voting rights. Many women migrant construction workers are denied access to crèches, drinking water, sanitation, and toilets. Urbanization is often associated with the greater independence of women and the erosion of patriarchal power relations and values. However, Indian cities have failed to achieve the goal of gender equality, as patriarchal norms continue to play an important role in the urban social structure—these norms have been transplanted to urban areas from rural areas through migration with few social reforms. Issues related to women migrants: Government policies and programmes are silent on the issue of migration and on the need to protect the rights of migrants. Concerns related to gender and migration are not addressed, and the rights of women migrants do not find an equal place in city development plans. Access to economic, social and health benefits are denied because of hostile attitudes, discriminatory practices and even legal frameworks based on the “sons of the soil” ideology. As women migrants continue to suffer at the hands of patriarchal values and practices, discriminatory practices deny them the right to the city. Shortage of urban amenities and lack of access to housing increases their suffering, but they still contribute immensely to the city as domestic servants, unpaid household workers, construction workers, and other workers. A large proportion of women migrants live in slums, although this proportion varies from city to city. In some cases, women are affected more than men migrants in their access to housing, water and sanitation. Women migrants face various types of discrimination, barriers and exclusions. Patriarchal power relations continue to be embedded in religious, caste, place, and gender-based identities in cities, despite increased urbanization and mobility. The decision of whether women family members can work outside the home is often made by men. Working women have to take care of both household chores and workplace duties, have little control over their salaries and wages, and are dependent on men for their movement. Migration has taken women from the sphere of traditional gender relations in rural areas to a new patriarchal set-up embedded in the conjugal family system and the separation of the living space from the workplace. Studies show that women migrant workers are more vulnerable to violence and exploitation in the workplace than their male and non-migrant counterpart. Gendered power relations also influence women’s private lives as well as their access to and use of public spaces. Women’s safety and security are a matter of great concern in cities, and these issues take an acute form with respect to migrant women. Recently, there was a public outcry regarding the Nirbhaya rape case. Nirbhaya was a migrant woman who was waiting for public transport at a bus stop in Delhi for hours. Women’s access to safe public transport when they travel alone or walk around poses powerful restrictions on their mobility and right to the city. A lack of water supply in the residential premises also forces women to spend more time on water collection. The availability of schools, hospitals, and crèches in the neighbourhood, or within walking distance, matters to women in particular. Urban infrastructure and services are usually not gender-neutral, as men and women do not have equal access. In general, Indian cities do not show gender sensitivity in urban planning and policies. There is an appalling shortage of basic amenities in Indian cities such as access to water, sanitation, cooking fuel, and a supply of electricity. As many women have to take care of household and workplace duties, the lack of such basic services represents a failure of the state and reinforces the patriarchal structure of society and denies them their right to the city. Conclusion: The issues mentioned above should be a central concern for city planning and development agendas, and efforts should be made to integrate migrants and women politically, economically, socially, culturally and spatially. This requires an enormous change of attitude in those who appropriate and dominate cities towards the processes of migration and urbanization. A historical understanding of the processes of migration and urbanization, and migrants’ roles in building cities, must be highlighted. The democratization of city governance, and the political inclusion of men and women migrants in decision-making processes, are important steps to ensuring the right to the city for all, for promoting alternative urbanization, and building cities based on the principles of freedom, human development and gender equality. A gender perspective on the right to the city envisions the safe movement of all women (including migrant women) within a city, their safety and security in both public and private places, access to the social and economic resources of the city without any prejudice, and their participation in building the city. This requires a paradigm shift in the ideology of a city from being a source of gross domestic product and economic growth to a space that is environmentally sustainable, woman-friendly and inclusive. In this light, the constitutional provisions under the 74th amendment to reserve one-third of seats for women in urban local bodies should be implemented in letter, spirit and practice. Women should be given responsibility in planning and decision-making processes in municipal administration bodies. 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Aug 19, 2017 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs 18th Aug, 2017

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 18th Aug 2017 Archives INTERNATIONAL  TOPIC: General Studies 2 India and its neighbourhood- relations. Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests Indian diplomacy in China Background: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s schedule of foreign visits has been extremely impressive. Estimating outcomes from these visits is, however, more difficult. Israel: In the case of Israel, this being the first ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to that country we saw de-hyphenation of Israel from Palestine. It produced better dividends, including elevation of the India-Israel relationship to the level of a ‘strategic partnership’. The main focus of the visit was on defence cooperation, joint development of defence products and transfer of technology. Most of the agreements signed were related to transfer of technology and innovative technology-related items. India expects to benefit substantially, considering that Israeli export rules are far more flexible than those of the U.S. Both countries expressed a strong commitment to combat terror. . Challenges in Israel: China's presence- China is a far bigger investor and trading partner of Israel than India. The $40 million Innovation Fund, India and Israel decided to set up to allow Indian and Israeli enterprises to develop innovative technologies and products for commercial applications, is clearly dwarfed by the Israel-China comprehensive innovation partnership which has an outlay of $300 million. India and Israel also have differences over China’s BRI: Israel is eager to participate in it, unlike India, and possibly views this as an opportunity to develop a project parallel to the Suez Canal. When the two countries speak of terrorism, they speak of very different things. Iran and Hezbollah are the main targets for Israel, which has little interest in the Afghan Taliban or Pakistan’s Lashkar-e-Taiba. For India, it is the latter that matters. Strategic imbalance in South Asian region: Two countries where India’s diplomacy, despite the impetus given to it, is currently facing heavy odds are China and Pakistan. India's neighbors: China in Asia is already exercising some of the political and economic leverages that the U.S. previously possessed. China has a significant presence in East and Southeast Asia and is steadily enlarging its presence in South Asia, and is also beginning to expand into West Asia. For instance, China’s influence in Iran today appears to be at an all-time high, whereas India’s influence seems to be diminishing. A divided ASEAN has provided China with an opportunity to demonstrate its economic and military muscle. Most countries in the region also demonstrate a desire to join China-based initiatives. Even in South Asia, despite India’s commanding presence, China has been successful in winning quite a few friends among India’s neighbours such as Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Pakistan: In the case of Pakistan, the implosion of the state arising from its internal stresses and problems, together with the virtual standoff between India and Pakistan has enabled the Pakistani Deep State to further entrench itself. India has been left with few options. As Pakistan becomes still more deeply mired in problems, its dependence on China is growing. This is contributing to a strategic imbalance in the South Asian region. Russia: Notwithstanding India’s efforts, the diplomatic scene vis-à-vis Russia also could be better. Russia is undergoing a strategic resurgence of sorts, sustained in good measure by the close relations recently established with China. Buoyed by developments in the Ukraine and Crimea, and the uncertainties surrounding U.S. commitment to NATO, the new Russia-China ‘strategic congruence’ is certain to impact Asia. The problem for India and Indian diplomacy is that at this time India-Russia relations appear less robust than at any time in the past half century. West Asia: In West Asia, Indian diplomacy still lacks the agility (quickness) required to deal with fast-changing situations. In West Asia, despite its long-time presence in the region, a 9-million strong diaspora, and the region being its principal source of oil, India is not a major player today. Both Russia and China have overtaken India in the affairs of the region. This is particularly true of Iran where the Russia-China-Iran relationship has greatly blossomed, almost marginalising India’s influence. Fadeout in West Asia: India’s absence from, and its inability to play a role in, West Asia, even as the region confronts a split down the line between the Arab and the non-Arab world is unfortunate. There is the possibility of a series of confrontations between an increasingly powerful Shiite Iran and a weakening Saudi Arabia. The most recent challenge is the one posed by Qatar to the existing order in the West Asian region. The fallout of all this will impact India adversely and Indian diplomacy’s inability to make its presence felt will matter. An additional concern for India would be that growing uncertainties in the region could further fuel radical Islamist terror in the region. In Asia-Pacific: In the Asia-Pacific, India has to contend with an increasingly assertive China. There is little evidence to show that India’s diplomatic maneuvers individually, or with allies like Japan, have succeeded in keeping the Chinese juggernaut at bay — or for that matter provide an alternative to China in the Asia-Pacific. The ‘Act East’ policy though has produced better results- Closer relations with countries in East and South-East Asia, especially Japan and Vietnam, are a positive development. Conclusion: Indian diplomacy needs to find a way to steer amid an assertive China, a hostile Pakistan, an uncertain South Asian and West Asian neighbourhood, and an unstable world. The strategic and security implications of these, individually and severally, need to be carefully validated and pursued. Indian diplomacy may possibly need to display still higher levels of sophistication to overcome the odds. Connecting the dots: Indian diplomacy needs to find a way to steer amid an assertive China, a hostile Pakistan, an uncertain South Asian and West Asian neighbourhood, and an unstable world. Elaborate. NATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 3 Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment. Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc Indian Railways: Troubles and Way out Indian Railways is facing the law of unintended consequences. It is up against multiple headwinds, such as faster awarding and implementation of national highway projects, decreasing dependency on coal compounded by increasing thrust on renewable energy, and airlines weaning away AC class passengers, and the regional connectivity scheme UDAAN. Potential Troubles for Indian Railways Freight transport losing to roadways: Indian Railways sustains itself on two businesses — freight and AC class passengers. While freight contributes to two-thirds of revenue (coal transport alone contributes to half of that), nearly a third of passenger revenue comes from AC class passengers (who constitute just 1.3 per cent of the total number of passengers travelling in a year). In the past four decades, as more highways got built, the share of roads in freight transport has rocketed from 30 per cent to 70 per cent also the pace of highway construction is only accelerating. That will have ramifications for the Railways. Financially, as freight income is used to subsidise passenger tickets, so any shortfall in freight revenue will be detrimental to the operating ratio of railways, which is already wallowing at a decadal low of 96.9 per cent. Coal losing steam: As solar power generation is becoming cheaper than thermal, and wind tariffs are heading southwards it will curb growth in coal freight. A new law says coal cannot be transported without beneficiation for distances of more than 500 km. Demand for cement and steel, which, along with coal account for about 70 per cent of annual railway freight, has been subdued for a while now. Challenge from airlines: India became the third-largest aviation market in the world after China and the US, by overtaking Japan. Domestic passenger traffic has grown 17.7 per cent in the first four months of 2017 on a fairly large base. As the trend continues India will also see a signal shift this fiscal where flyers will outnumber AC-class rail passengers, with more than a push coming from UDAAN. Reason behind: Clearly, the railways face multiple headwinds, and the irony is that many of these emanate from government's actions and disproportionate influence. The government is a part of all phases of customer engagement by the railways — be it providing core infrastructure and its operation and maintenance, providing vehicles and their operation and maintenance, and lastly, bearing the financial risk that have ultimately given only poor returns. In road and air transport, private entities have a lot more skin in the game so the financing and risk-sharing is well spread out. The way out: Given this context Indian Railways needs to offer total customer solutions, both in freight and for passengers. For freight: Offer door-to-door service by tying up with logistics providers. That would require investment in technology to ensure service predictability and cargo control to the last mile. Decrease the freight rate and increase investments in priority projects. Execute route decongestion and laying of new tracks on mission mode. Encourage private sector participation in operation and maintenance, and even running of trains and terminals. Get stakeholders involved in the core functioning of the rail network to benefit from optimum utilisation of finance and better management of workforce — a significant contributor to expenses. Operationalise the two Freight corridors and move fast track the implementation of the others. For passengers: Create more pay-per-use ecosystems. While passengers buying second class tickets are the most by number, about 28 per cent of passenger revenue comes from those that buy sleeper class tickets. The railways can attract them by offering more facilities, in-train entertainment, station refurbishment and a material leap in punctuality. Better customer experience in all the interfaces starting from ticketing, Station touch points, on board travel engagement (cleanliness, food and beverage, in coach facilities, etc.). Passengers need convenience, cost-effectiveness, and timeliness. Today’s consumer has many choices, so the Railways will have to offer differentiators by reinventing itself rather quickly. Also read: Reforming Indian Railways MUST READ Choice Conversion The Hindu That sinking feeling The Hindu Should Hamid ANsari have spoken his mind The Hindu India- Prisoner of the binary Indian Express Two plus two initiative Indian Express Breaking the shell of tax evaders Livemint Aviation woes are not just about Air India The hindu Crop insurance falls short of promise Business Line  

Aug 18, 2017 AIR

All India Radio (AIR): India Palestine Relations

India Palestine Relations ARCHIVES Search 16th May 2017 http://www.newsonair.com/Main_Audio_Bulletins_Search.aspx Topic: General Studies 2 Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India's interests Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India's interests In news: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visited India on a third state visit. Delegation level talks were held and 5 agreements were signed. The two decided to strengthen cooperation enabling sharing of information and perspectives to fight international terror and also cooperation in health, IT, agriculture and youth affairs. The visit is seen is a significant one reinforcing the old traditional ties between India and Palestine. In 2015, President of India visited Palestine. In that sense the relationship is growing. Background India’s solidarity with the Palestinian people and its attitude to the Palestinian question was given voice during India’s freedom struggle by Mahatma Gandhi. Since then, empathy with the Palestinian cause and friendship with the people of Palestine have become an integral part of India’s foreign policy. India was the first Non-Arab State to recognize PLO as sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people in 1974. India was one of the first countries to recognize the State of Palestine in 1988. India-Israel-Palestine and two-state theory Ties between India and Israel are getting closer. This should not be taken as a zero sum game. India’s relations with Israel stand on their own merit and reasons such as dealing with terrorism, defence preparedness, import of sophisticated defence equipment etc. India believes in a two-state solution in which both Israel and a future Palestinian state coexist peacefully. Palestine wants India to play a more active role in Middle East peace process. As India’s profile, economic strength, respect and reach to the countries in the Middle East is increasing and getting greater acceptability among all players, the Palestinians feel that India could play a decisive role.  India also believes that sustainable and durable peace is required in the region. History of Israel and Palestine conflict It is the 50th year of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. It has been 50 years since Israel annexed the Palestinian territories of West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip following the Six Day Arab-Israeli War of June 1967. During this time, Israel has tightened its hold over the territories, crushed Palestinian resistance and created hundreds of thousands of refugees. India’s role in global issues India is growing and it has more vociferously put its case for entry into UNSC. India has to take hold of the responsibility that go with it. In that sense, India will become a significant international player and these are some challenges which confront the international community. India has a political strength and enjoys confidence, trust and beliefs of both sides. Hence, India is ideally suited to play a significant role in region and globally. India-Palestine relations Apart from the strong political support to the Palestinian cause at international and bilateral levels, India has been contributing material and technical assistance to the Palestinian people. At present, India is assisting Palestine national authority with 30 million dollars. India is undertaking project assistance for a flagship Techno-park project in Ramallah. Once completed, it will serve as an IT hub in Palestine offering a one-stop solution for all IT related training and services. Conclusion India is not yet a mediator in many of the conflicts in West Asia but hopes to expand its footprints across the region, which is in its extended neighbourhood. India also participated in a conference on Israel and Palestine organised by France in Paris in early 2017. The recent meet of the Arab leaders in Amman called for "creation of a Palestinian state under a two-state solution that would be the basis of a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace deal". Increasing cooperation and partnership engagement between India and Palestine would send a message to Israel to respect the sovereignty of Palestine. India has been confident of playing an important role between two nations in a manner that it doesn’t affect India’s national interest as well its ideology. Connecting the dots: India has implicitly dehyphenated its ‘Israel-Palestinian’ foreign policy. Critically analyse in context of India’s growing closeness with Israel.

Aug 18, 2017 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs 17th Aug, 2017

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs – 17th Aug 2017 Archives NATIONAL  TOPIC: General Studies 2 Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies. Statutory, regulatory and various quasi‐judicial bodies Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Censorship framework in India - Analysis Introduction The constitution upholds the freedom of speech and expression through article 19(1)(a) and it has served as the bedrock of democracy since independence. It is much a matter of concern that censorship – political, cultural and artistic has continued to plague the society simultaneously in multiple forms. Issue: The simplicity with which Freedom of speech and expression, a fundamental right is easily displaced by ruling establishment or judiciary. In this regard two of the recent decisions have raised concerns. The Jharkhand government’s decision to ban the Sahitya Akademi awardee Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar’s 2015 book, The Adivasi Will Not Dance, for portraying the Santhal community especially Santhal women“in bad light”. An order of a civil judge at Delhi’s Karkardooma Court, restrained the sale of Priyanka Pathak-Narain’s new book on Baba Ramdev, titled Godman to Tycoon. Earlier Cases: The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie was banned for allegedly being insulting to the Prophet. The Hindus: An Alternative History by Wendy Doniger was banned for portraying Indian Gods in a humourous manner. Understanding Islam through Hadis by Ram Swarup was banned for being harsh towards Islam Jinnah: India-Partition-Independence by Jaswant Singh was banned for being sympathetic towards Jinnah. Lajja by Taslima Nasreen banned for hurting Muslim sentiments. An Area of Darkness by V.S. Naipaul was banned for portraying India in an objective manner. Legal Provisions: The legal authority of the government to ban books flows from Section 95 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Section 95 authorises State governments to forfeit copies of any newspaper, book, or document that “appears” to violate certain provisions of the Indian Penal Code, such as Section 124A (sedition), Sections 153A or B (communal or class disharmony), Section 292 (obscenity), or Section 295A (insulting religious beliefs). Under Section 96 of the CrPC, any person aggrieved by the government’s order has the right to challenge it before the high court of that State. The key element of Section 95 is that it allows governments to ban publications without having to prove, before a court of law, that any law has been broken. Hence the basic structure of the law in itself is flawed and attacks the fundamental right guaranteed in the constitution. The judicial injunction of the Karkardooma case is more a concern as the judiciary took the decision without even hearing the opposite party. Concerns: Long drawn legal battles and many times among unequal sides in money power and legal fire power. In 2011, the High Court of Delhi held that this basic common law rule acquired even greater force in the context of Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution, and reiterated that injunctions did not serve the balance between freedom of speech and a person’s right to reputation. The high court reaffirmed the basic principle of our Constitution: that the presumption always ought to be in favour of the freedom of speech and expression. The concerns are also about the misuse of state power to ban books just to play to the galleries or politically convenient reasons. All these desires urgent reforms in the procedures. Conclusion: This repeated attack on the fundamental freedom should be protected by a continuing and unapologetic affirmation of free speech as a core, foundational, and non-negotiable value of our Republic and our Constitution. For a vibrant democracy it is important to have a citizenry that free from fear and heads held high. Connecting the dots: Critically discuss the impact of recent actions of legislature and judiciary amounting to limiting freedom of speech and expression. Elaborate. MUST READ The health checklist The Hindu Naming a right The Hindu The architecture of censorship The Hindu Reading Kim Hong Un's mind The Hindu India beyond the lament Indian Express Falling out of love Indian Express Pushing institutional arbitration in India Livemint  The costly failure of South African judiciary Livemint Having a minimum wage law Livemint Railways on a difficult track Business Line Imagining India's newprivacy law Business Line  

Aug 17, 2017 RSTV Video

RSTV- The Big Picture : Eradication of Poverty: What Steps need to be taken to Achieve this Goal?

Eradication of Poverty: What Steps need to be taken to Achieve this Goal? Archives TOPIC: General Studies 1 population and associated issues, poverty and developmental issues General Studies 2 Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. India is uniquely placed to drive global poverty reduction. It is home to the largest number of poor people in the world, as well as the largest number of people who have recently escaped poverty. Despite an emerging middle class, many of India’s people are still vulnerable to falling back into poverty. Now, the next five years are crucial in solving major problems of India, one of them being poverty. A country where a quarter of population is below poverty line and large population which lives in rural India, the time has come to take concrete and resolute steps to eradicate poverty. What can be done to reduce poverty? The foremost thing is to create implementable and realistic policies. Also, strengthening the implementing institutions to make results noticeable is an imminent part. There is a need to address the issue of population growth, though it is not very welcomed in discussions. China implemented one child policy since 1970s and India continued to add population, thereby increasing the burden on its people as well as economy. There shouldn’t be any force to family planning rather incentivise those who chose not to have second or third child. Employment is indirect correlation to the poverty. If there is not a situation of decent employment, then there will be serious problems. As per official estimates, every year, 10-12 million people are joining work force. In 2011-12, the net job creation was 11.5 lakhs, which means that it was 10% of the official estimates. In 2015-16, the net jobs created were 1.5 lakhs. In five years, it has become one-tenth. Thus on question of employment, the policies are not right and more employment growth generation is needed. In rural India, the landlessness has increased by 10 percentage points. 1980s was good decade relatively compared to any other decade in terms of policies. Small and marginal farmers who had small pieces of land have mortgaged them frequently for want of credit. Non-repayment of loan has led to loss of land, thereby further inducing poverty. Data shows that healthcare costs are huge, particularly for the poor or who are on margins. Almost 2/3rd of people who are above poverty line slip below poverty line after one health care emergency. Therefore it is very important by way of policy to make sure that people taken out of poverty do not slip back into poverty. There should be enough state capacity to provide health care, especially at rural level. It is equally needed to create human resource capacity of people so that they can join jobs and are skilled enough to take the advantage of economy. Employment elasticity is going down. Per unit of growth, number of jobs being created across the board is going down. In the past, many governments have ignored the agriculture sector which still accounts for largest number of people in jobs. So unless the agriculture is more productive and ensure higher growth, the challenge of poverty elimination in next five years will not be easy to achieve. Is it possible to have such ambitious target? The government has been able to roll out GST very well. The apprehensions and the criticisms have not been really a reality. There is confidence in government that it is capable of carrying out major reforms. Similar was experienced while bringing in demonetisation. Though there were some problems faced by all in short term, it has benefited like increase in tax payers, reduction in generation of fake currency, financing of terrorism etc. Thus, the government has the capability and capacity to undertake a huge reform for alleviating poverty, provided it has required resources-time, human, financial and institutional. Conclusion In a recent radio address, PM asked for six issues to resolve- 3 Cs (Communalism, Corruption, Casteism) and other three being terrorism, poverty and cleanliness. Focussing on poverty, government can have public employment programme as a sucker but this cannot be a permanent solution. Structural changes are necessary for sustainable growth. The target of eliminating poverty in next five years is an ambitious target. Going by the historical data, well over 5% growth in post reforms India, the number of people taken out of poverty line is 250 million going by 23-25% of poverty level. Now the task is very difficult. There is need to have faster growth. India’s growth has been reasonable but may not be equitable in a sense that large population of India which depends on agriculture has not grown rapidly whereas services has taken the lead and industry is behind it. Thus there is a skew in growth pattern where 50-60% people dependent on agriculture are growing at slow rate and higher in other sectors. The disparities are there and the distribution of benefits in not happening in an equitable way. For equitable growth, there is a need to have improvement in investments in projects, manufacturing and infrastructure. Economic survey talked about UBI. The genesis is that there is lot of subsidisation in schemes which could be withdrawn and instead the basic money is given to them through bank accounts of the beneficiary. It may not be able to implement it fully for everybody though there can be pilot basis experimentation. India is home to 26% of the global extreme poor. This means that the world’s ability to end extreme poverty by 2030 — an objective originally adopted by the World Bank and now a key element of the Sustainable Development Goals — depends on India’s ability to make strong and sustained inroads in reducing poverty. The poverty challenge in India remains broad, and sometimes contradictory. Even though there is an emerging middle class, many people who have escaped poverty are not yet economically secure, living very close to the poverty line. Furthermore, when the definition of poverty is expanded beyond what people consume to include other dimensions of well-being such as access to education, health care and basic infrastructure, poverty has a grip on a much larger proportion of India’s people. Connecting the dots: In terms of poverty eradication, what are the challenges faced by India? Elucidate Poverty is a disease which engulfs prosperity if not diagnosed and treated properly. Explain.

Aug 17, 2017 AIR

All India Radio (AIR): India did not Participate in ‘Belt and Road’ Talks

India did not participate in ‘Belt and Road’ talks ARCHIVES Search 14th May 2017 http://www.newsonair.com/Main_Audio_Bulletins_Search.aspx TOPIC: General Studies 2 India and its neighbourhood- relations. Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India's interests In news: India had decided to stay away from the OBOR or ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ by China. This initiative links across continents which is a grand plan by Chinese President Xi Xinpin to integrate China’s maritime route and silk route, retracing its historical links with Asia, Europe Africa and many parts. Picture credit: https://assets.rappler.com/612F469A6EA84F6BAE882D2B94A4B421/img/D767BBCE48E540668FCA5D7F8C60E082/china-proposed-belt-road-initiative.jpg China has invested a lot in developing this concept. It is represented as economic cooperation but clearly it is something with far reaching strategic implication. India has decided to keep away from this forum. Why India is not participating? Sovereignty grounds India’s response is based on the fact that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) passes through Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). CPEC is being built as a flagship project of both the land and maritime dimension of Belt and Road initiative. The official white paper by the Chinese government projects CPEC as important and an advanced component of BRI. As it is passing through PoK, it is affecting India’s basic vital interest, sovereignty concerns. CPEC goes beyond territorial concerns and is a strategic initiative. It doesn’t make much economic sense to China to invest such a huge investment in Pakistan. So the main drivers for China are strategic like Gwadar port and upgrading of Karakoram highway. These are strategic, military component of CPEC which directly affects India’s national security environment. On the contrary, China routinely blocks any international funding of projects in Arunachal Pradesh on the ground that it is disputed territory. And hence India has all the legitimacy to raise issues and decide according to its national interest. Not only economic initiative Beyond CPEC, the way BRI is being developed in the neighbourhood causes a great deal of misgivings in India. For instance the maritime silk road of BRI leads to situation which basically reinforces position of China as maritime power which is an undeclared objective of china in SCS and Indian Ocean. Too much Pakistan tilt Just few days before this forum, Pakistan PM visited china with its state CMs. Lot of MoUs were signed under CPEC to undertake various projects If India was to attend this forum, china would claim that India is coming for the seminar and thus thereby giving support to CPEC. India’s efforts to enter NSG has encountered Chinese road block. On terrorism, china talks of tackling terrorism in bilateral talks, but in action, the attitude is different. This shows that Chinese behaviour is because of intensification of their strategic relationship with Pakistan. Concerns out of nature of BRI BRI is partly driven by pragmatic considerations that china has the need to find new growth drivers for its slowing economy, need to deploy surplus capacities which are eliminating the growth of Chinese economy, need to utilise large Forex, need to move up the value chain in terms of items manufactured by it. China projects BRI as a win-win for participating countries as it may bring certain economic goods to them. Some 500billion dollar projects are expected to be a part of BRI. So the stakes are high for countries whose economy is driven by money. Creation of jobs, manufacturing, IT and many other initiatives and opportunities are expected to take off. But there is a geopolitical agenda of how it looks upon its future role in the world and shape its periphery. China has reached a stage in development where it believes that its time has arrived. They want to restore what is china’s rightful and leadership role in the world.  It is a process which is being advanced through various initiatives. BRI is an important instrument to achieve Chinese dream. India has welcomed the rise of china. It has many positive connotations but at the same time china becoming more assertive is causing anxieties. China today is prepared to deploy its considerable economic, political, diplomatic and military clout to further its strategic interests. Conclusion China has its own acute sensitivity on territorial claims, but still ignores others. A country which is so sovereignty conscious should not expect India to disregard its own legitimate sensitivities and interests with regards to PoK. India saw merit in joining the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the BRICS Development Bank and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), all initiatives led by China. However, BRI doesn’t fit into this pattern. India is in its national interest is firm on the belief that connectivity initiatives must be based on universally recognised international norms, good governance, rule of law, openness, transparency and equality. Connecting the dots: China’s Belt and Road Initiative can be a cause of concern for India’s strategic interests but beneficial to economic development. Do you agree? Analyse your opinion. “Only by respecting the sovereignty of countries involved, can regional connectivity corridors fulfill their promise and avoid differences and discord,” Critically examine