Feb 12, 2022 Motivational Articles

[MI-STORIES]MOTIVATIONAL AND INSPIRATIONAL STORIES - Dig a little deeper!

For Previous Story -> CLICK HERE Inspirational Stories: Here is the story for this week from the new series of Inspirational and Motivational stories. One of the oldest known forms of communication is story telling. There is something primordial within us that loves stories and their tremendous impact. In this series, we aim to bring you the best of real-life stories that can inspire and motivate you. Stories always try to teach us something useful. It is one of the best ways of learning from other's mistakes and avoiding our own. Although each story has its own moral, in the comments section you can share your opinion on the moral of the story. If you are able to see something that others might have missed, you can share it for the benefit of all. Apart from just reading these awesome stories, you can also share some of the stories that have inspired you. If we find the story appropriate and useful, we will share it with all. More importantly, read these stories every week without a miss, and stay inspired.   So Here is the story for this week - Dig a little deeper! During the gold rush, a man who had been mining in Colorado for several months quit his job, as he hadn’t struck gold yet and the work was becoming tiresome.  He sold his equipment to another man who resumed mining where it had been left off. The new miner was advised by his engineer that there was gold only three feet away from where the first miner stopped digging. The engineer was right, which means the first miner was a mere three feet away from striking gold before he quit. The Moral: When things start to get hard, try to persevere through the adversity. Many people give up on following their dreams because the work becomes too difficult, tedious, or tiresome–but often, you’re closer to the finish line than you may think, and if you push just a little harder, you will succeed.

Feb 11, 2022 TLP Mains Answer Writing

SYNOPSIS [11th February,2022] Day 12: IASbaba’s TLP (Phase 1): UPSC Mains Answer Writing (General Studies)

For Previous TLP (ARCHIVES) - CLICK HERE SYNOPSIS [11th February,2022] Day 12: IASbaba’s TLP (Phase 1): UPSC Mains Answer Writing (General Studies) 1.  “Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.” Bring out the relevance of this quote for present times. Approach- Candidates need to write about the importance of the struggle and failure which one has to go through before achieving the success relate it to personal and contemporary times analyse it with few examples.  Introduction- The above quote is by Nelson Mandela on idea of struggle to achieve one’s goal. Individual can be judged nowadays on knowledge transfer, skills development, financial gains and the cultivation of social and cultural capital.  Body Just as we rejoice in these successes, there are also those moments when things don’t work in our favour and naturally enough we punish ourselves for not having achieved the outcome we wanted. Millennials or Gen Y were born in the early ’80s to late ’90s and joined the workstream in the new millennium they have noticed the most harsh and competitive world However, many of them are struggling to succeed.  Success is always built upon risk, change, and personal development for which many times people fell down and have to get back. Success is a climb. It’s a journey. It’s lifelong and built with undulating and unpredictable ups and downs.  Suffering is an integral and essential part of any real pursuit of success. Nothing about success comes easy, but every painful story has the potential to have a successful ending.  The effort and time you need to put into your journey will not be tolerable to some who feel you owe them more of your time for example family relationship and new generation relationship also. They may face constant struggle.  Negative thoughts are extremely contagious and when you set out on the Road Less Traveled you will have an audience full of small-minded people trying to scare you and discourage you from chasing your dreams. For example on algorithm based social media will frequently make feel self deprived people go through depression has mental health issues.  Doubt and delay, when paired, derail success. Self doubt make most time to people fell down in this highly fast technocratic world success is earned quickly. People compare themselves and get self doubt. Role of mentors coaches trainers are also important they are the most important pillars in our success at the time of downfall they are the one who guide the direction less person. Conclusion So it’s necessary and critical to notice the hard work, experience, risk, sacrifice humiliation gone by individual before achieving success. It makes world to believe in every personality is different with different capabilities and weakness it is one efforts which matters the most.  2. It is true that family can teach values. However, don’t you feel that family itself is declining as a social institution? Comment. Do you think individualism is becoming a dominant way of life?  Approach Students are expected to write about the family as a social institution and it’s role in imparting values. Also highlight the recent phenomenon of declining family as institution due to individualism in society as a way of life. Try to conclude with a balanced opinion based on Indian context.  Introduction Social institutions are structures of society like family, education, religion, etc. That fulfil the needs of the society.  The most common way children learn is by observation of everyday life. A child’s learning and socialization are most influenced by their family since the family is the child’s primary social group. Body In the long run, values are shaped by the examples set by the family members. Compassion: understanding the suffering of others or self and wanting to do something about it Cooperation: helping your family and friends, returning favors Courage: willingness to do difficult things Equality: believing everyone deserves equal rights and to be treated with respect Fairness: acting in a just way, sharing appropriately Generosity: willingness to give resources, help or time to others Gratitude: showing appreciation to others However, due to following reasons family as a social institution seems to be losing its influence in shaping collective morality of a society: Carrier oriented, competitive and highly aspirational generations are keeping restraint from so called complicated family structures. Individualism led to assertion of rights and freedom of choices.  It forced generations to see sense of achievement in life through only material prosperity perspective.  Increase in geographically dispersed and fragmented nuclear families due to individualism erodes into emotional bonding and socialization. Dispersed families are exposed to diverse cultural and social values thus impact on collective traditions, ideas. Socio-economic and physical stress of fast paced world provide causing less time for nurturing of younger generations. Increasing divorce and separation rates, domestic violence, inter-generational conflicts, social problems of drug abuse, juvenile delinquency etc. Favours Individualism over collectivism.  Increasing influence of technology, internet, social media easily make diverse ideas, cultural aspect available to individuals and groups. Family as an institution is lagging behind in keeping pace with changing values of globalized world. E.g.: Global outlook is now accepting girls as equal stakeholder but restrictive family morals are still not letting girls out. The most of the socializing functions today, like child raising, education, occupational training, caring of elderly, etc., have been taken over by the outside agencies, such as crèches, media, nursery schools, hospitals, occupational training centres, hospice institutions, funeral contractors, etc. These tasks were once exclusively performed by the family. Conclusion However, there is need to understand structural changes from joint family to nuclear family cannot be called as decline of family system. Indian family system certainly is transition from collectivism to individualism. Indian society also inhabits unique feature of fusion and fission of family in which even though some members of family live separately in different locations still remain as one family. 3. Privatisation of PSU banks is a threat to employment. Do you agree? Critically comment. Approach- Candidates need to critically comment about how privatisation of PSU banks is a threat to employment. Introduction: PSU stands for “Public Sector Undertaking”. In general, we can say that a PSU is an enterprise in which the majority of the stocks (more than 50%) are owned by the Central Government, State Government or Union Territory Government or more than one of them together. PSU or Public Sector Undertakings are also called Public Sector Enterprises. Currently India has about 300+ PSUs working under the control of the Government. Privatisation of PSU banks is a threat to employment Although privatization will bring many positive changes in the economy yes it has some dark side too. None of them can be ignored. Though we have prepared to move towards the privatization, it is very important for us to know its cons and should work in reducing their effects. Some of the disadvantages of privatization of PSUs are as follows: Although the main goal of privatization is to increase the efficiency of the Enterprise yet the inefficiency at certain extent is found in private organisations too. As the PSUs works with the motive to social welfare, the private enterprises will be mostly concerned on the profit of the enterprise. The privatization of PSUs will reduce the opportunity of employment. It is also seen and is obvious that the employees in private enterprises often become the victim of exploitation. Also, an Industrial dispute is seen in private enterprises which will be obstacle in the smooth run of the enterprise. Privatisation of PSU banks is not a threat to employment The privatization of PSUs is the need of the time and is very necessary for the growth of the nation. The privatization has many strong favours and thus seems to be profitable for the country. Some of the Pros/advantages of privatization of PSUs are as follows: The PSUs in India are suffering from the problem of inefficiency and privatization would be the best tool to remove this inability. The privatization of PSUs will reduce the burden of the Government and will also help in generating financial resources. The privatization will also help in improving the performances of the employees, making them accountable and increasing their efficiency. The private sectors understand better the value of time and money and so make the optimum utilization of the resources available. The privatization of PSUs will bring the competitiveness and thus increasing their productivity, it will bring them in the international markets. The privatization of PSUs will free them from the Governmental and political interference. Privatization will help in removing the bureaucracy from the Enterprise. Conclusion: The Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) are a major part of Indian economy. They have been running for a long time in India and are now being captured by some drawbacks. The Government of India has taken serious concerns on them and is planning to privatize the PSUs but before applying the rule of privatization, it must be though if these problems can be removed without privatizing them.  TLP Synopsis Day 12 PDF

Feb 11, 2022 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 11th February 2022

Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) Monetary Policy Committee Part of: Prelims and GS-III -Economy Context: The Reserve Bank of India maintained status quo in policy rates as the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted unanimously to keep the policy repo rate at 4% to keep the stance accommodative. Key takeaways  Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate and bank rate will remain unchanged at 4.25%. Reverse repo rate will also remain unchanged at 3.35%. GDP Projection: Real GDP growth for 2022-23 was projected at 7.8%. Accommodative Stance: It decided to continue with an accommodative stance as long as necessary to revive and sustain growth and continue to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 on the economy, while ensuring that inflation remains within the target going forward. An accommodative stance means a central bank will cut rates to inject money into the financial system whenever needed Key Terms Repo rate is the rate at which the central bank of a country (RBI in case of India) lends money to commercial banks in the event of any shortfall of funds. Here, the central bank purchases the security. Reverse repo rate is the rate at which the RBI borrows money from commercial banks within the country. Bank Rate: It is the rate charged by the RBI for lending funds to commercial banks. Marginal Standing Facility (MSF): MSF is a window for scheduled banks to borrow overnight from the RBI in an emergency situation when interbank liquidity dries up completely. What is Monetary Policy Committee? Urjit Patel committee in 2014 recommended the establishment of the Monetary Policy Committee. It is a statutory and institutionalized framework under the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, for maintaining price stability, while keeping in mind the objective of growth. Composition: Six members (including the Chairman) – three officials of the RBI and three external members nominated by the Government of India.  The Governor of RBI is ex-officio Chairman of the committee Functions: The MPC determines the policy interest rate (repo rate) required to achieve the inflation target (presently 4%). Decisions are taken by majority with the RBI Governor having the casting vote in case of a tie. News Source: TH One Ocean Summit Part of: Prelims and GS-II International Relations And GS-III Environment  Context: Indian Prime Minister will address the high-level segment of One Ocean Summit. Key takeaways  The Summit will also be addressed by several Heads of States and Governments including Germany, United Kingdom, South Korea, Japan and Canada among others. One Ocean Summit is being organised by France from 9th to 11th February in Brest, in cooperation with the United Nations and the World Bank. Objective: To mobilise the international community to take tangible action towards preserving and supporting healthy and sustainable ocean ecosystems  The goal of the One Ocean Summit is to raise the collective level of ambition of the international community on marine issues and to translate our shared responsibility to the ocean into tangible commitments Commitments will be made towards combating illegal fishing, decarbonising shipping and reducing plastic pollution Will also focus on efforts to improve governance of the high seas and coordinating international scientific research. News Source: TH Solar Storms Part of: Prelims and GS-III Science and technology  Context: Elon Musk’s Starlink has lost dozens of satellites that were caught in a geomagnetic storm a day after they were launched on February 3. Up to 40 of the 49 satellites were impacted, Starlink said, causing them to fall from orbit before they could be commissioned. About Solar storms Solar storms are magnetic plasma ejected at great speed from the solar surface. They occur during the release of magnetic energy associated with sunspots (‘dark’ regions on the Sun that are cooler than the surrounding photosphere), and can last for a few minutes or hours. The solar storm that deorbited the satellites occurred on February 1 and 2, and its powerful trails were observed on February 3. Effect on Earth Not all solar flares reach Earth, but solar flares/storms, that come close can impact space weather in near-Earth space and the upper atmosphere. Solar storms can hit operations of space-dependent services like global positioning systems (GPS), radio, and satellite communications. Geomagnetic storms interfere with high-frequency radio communications and GPS navigation systems.  Aircraft flights, power grids, and space exploration programmes are vulnerable. News Source: IE Chintamani Padya Natakam Part of: Prelims and GS-I Culture Context: Earlier this year, the Andhra Pradesh government banned a 100-year-old play named ‘Chintamani Padya Natakam’. What is Chintamani Natakam? ‘Chintamani Padya Natakam’ was written in 1920 by playwright Kallakuri Narayana Rao, who was also a social reformer. The play is about Chintamani, a courtesan and a devotee of Lord Krishna, who finds salvation by singing bhajans. She is courted by Subbi Shetty, a businessman from the Arya Vysya community, who loses his wealth and family due to his attraction to Chintamani. Objection The original play had a social message, but over the years, it has been modified purely for entertainment. Much of the play sees central character Subbi Shetty made fun of, especially for losing all his wealth to his vices. The Arya Vysya community has been petitioning governments for several years to ban the play. News source: IE (News from PIB) Deep Ocean Mission (DOM) Part of: Prelims and Mains GS-III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment. Context: India has a unique maritime position. Its 7517 km long coastline is home to nine coastal states and 1382 islands. The Government of India’s Vision of New India by 2030 enunciated in February 2019 highlighted the Blue Economy as one of the ten core dimensions of growth.  Therefore, the Deep ocean mission is an important mission for India from the perspective of geopolitics, energy security, economic development and scientific advancement which will achieve targets of both blue economy and New India by 2030. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) & Ministry of Earth Sciences for implementation  National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences is developing a manned submersible with a capacity to carry three human beings to 6000 m ocean depth.  The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) of ISRO is involved in developing a titanium alloy human sphere of 2.1 m diameter for the manned submersible. Importance of Oceans for India For India, with 7,517 km long coastline, nice coastal states with 30 percent of the country’s population and three sides surrounded by the oceans, the ocean is a major economic factor supporting fisheries and aquaculture, tourism, livelihoods and blue trade.  The oceans are also storehouse of food, energy, minerals, medicines. They are also modulator of weather and climate system of earth. Thus, oceanic health is important for Indian nonsoons. Oceans also provide ecosystem services like carbon sequestration, coastal protection, waste disposal and the existence of biodiversity. The Deep Ocean Mission will consist of six major components: 1.Development of Technologies for Deep Sea Mining, and Manned Submersible:  A manned submersible will be developed to carry three people to a depth of 6,000 metres in the ocean with a suite of scientific sensors and tools.  An Integrated Mining System will also be developed for mining Polymetallic Nodules from a depth of 6,000 metres in the central Indian Ocean.  2.Development of Ocean Climate Change Advisory Services:  A suite of observations and models will be developed to understand and provide future projections of important climate variables on seasonal to decadal time scales under this proof of concept component.  3.Technological innovations for exploration and conservation of deep-sea biodiversity: The bio-prospecting of deep-sea flora and fauna including microbes and studies on sustainable utilisation of deep-sea bio-resources will be the main focus of the mission.  4.Deep Ocean Survey and Exploration: The primary objective of this component is to explore and identify potential sites of multi-metal Hydrothermal Sulphides mineralisation along the Indian Ocean mid-oceanic ridges.  5.Energy and freshwater from the ocean: Studies and detailed engineering design for offshore Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) powered desalination plant is envisaged in the concept proposal. 6.Advanced Marine Station for Ocean Biology: This component is aimed at the development of human capacity and enterprise in ocean biology and engineering.  This component will translate research into the industrial application and product development through on-site business incubator facilities.  News Source: PIB National Natural Resources Management System (NNRMS) Part of: Prelims and Mains GS-I: Modern Indian History Objective: Utilization of Remote Sensing Technology for Inventorization, Assessment and Monitoring of the country’s natural resources. Development of knowledge based decision tool to simulate mechanism of vegetation change due to climatic change in Western Himalayan Ecoregion Monitoring of Snow and Glaciers of Himalayan Region Desertification Status Mapping of India Soil and Water quality appraisal in the Salt Affected Land Forms of Nagapattinam District, Tamil Nadu using Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques Application of Remote Sensing for Integrated Land use, Water and Energy Management in Rural Areas: Exploring Energy Plantation Opportunities, Public Systems Group Land use dynamics and its impact on microelements, structure, composition and diversity of Achanakumar - Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve using satellite remote sensing and GIS techniques Natural Resources Assessment of selected Eco-Tourism sites of Gujarat and its associated environments using remote sensing and GIS News Source: PIB Warming in high altitude Himalayas Part of: Prelims and Mains GS-III: Climate Change In News: A recent study has shown that water vapour exhibits a positive radiative effect at the top of the atmosphere (TOA), suggesting an increase in overall warming in the High Altitude Himalayas due to it. The precipitable water vapor (PWV) is one of the most rapidly varying components in the atmosphere and is mainly accumulated in the lower troposphere.  Due to the large variability in space and time, mixing processes and contribution to a series of heterogeneous chemical reactions, as well as sparse measurement networks, especially in the Himalayan region, it is difficult to accurately quantify the climatic impact of PWV over space and time. Moreover, aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions over this region, which are one of the most climatic-sensitive regions, are poorly understood, apparently due to a lack of proper observational data. The researchers assessed the combination of aerosols and water vapour radiative effects over the Himalayan range that is specifically important for regional climate and highlighted the importance of water vapour as a key greenhouse gas and climate forcing agent over the Himalayan region. News Source: PIB MISCELLANEOUS Minority Communities of India: Christians, Sikhs, Muslims, Buddhists, Jains and Parsis Krishi Udan Scheme 2.0  Aim: To ensure seamless, cost-effective, time-bound air transportation and associated logistics for all Agri-produce originating especially from North East (including Assam), hilly and tribal regions of the country. Objective: To increase the share of air carriage in the modal mix for transportation of Agri-produce, which includes horticulture, fishery, livestock and processed products. Enhancing the existing provisions, mainly focusing on transporting perishable food products from the hilly areas, North-Eastern States and tribal areas. India has a total of 53 operational satellites in space providing various identified services to the nation.  21 of these are communication satellites 8 are Navigation satellites 21 are Earth Observation Satellites 3 are Science Satellites A large number Indian classics, popular Indian works and literary masterpieces have been promoted into foreign languages by Sahitya Akademi The Ayodhya Canto of the Ramayana as told by Kamban from Tamil (English) Chemmeen from Malayalam (English and several Eastern European languages) Kavitavali by Tulsidas (English) Godaan by Premchand (English) Garambica Bapu by S.N. Pendse (English) Pather Panchali by Bibhuti Bhushan Bandyopadhyay (French) Surujmukhir Swapna by Syed Abdul Malik (Assamese) Arogyaniketan by Tara shankar Bandyopadhyay (Bengali) Vevishaal by Jhaverchand Meghani (Gujarati) Kavve Aur Kala Pani by Nirmal Verma (Hindi) Parva by S. L. Bhyrappa (Kannada) Manoj Dasanka Katha O Kahini by Manoj Das (Odia) Marhi Da Diva by Gurdial Singh (Punjabi) Sila NerangalilSila Manidargal by D. Jayakanthan (Tamil) Illu by R. Viswanatha Sastry (Telugu) Ek Chadar Maili Si by Rajinder Singh Bedi (Urdu). (Mains Focus) ECONOMY/ GOVERNANCE GS-3: Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices and food security An MSP scheme to transform Indian agriculture Context: The massive solidarity (despite deeply divisive social faultlines) seen in the recent farmers’ movement is a struggle to transform Indian agriculture. One of the core demands of the movement was regarding Minimum Support Price regime (where farmers demanded legal backing for it) What purpose does MSP serve? MSP could serve, in principle, three purposes —  Price stabilisation in the food grains market Income support to farmers A mechanism for coping with the indebtedness of farmers. How has Price stabilization policy evolved over years? The price stabilisation policy for food grains in India evolved over time, first with the Essential Commodities Act in 1955 to counter price rise due to speculative private trading and then MSP in the 1960s.  A buffer stock policy with the public storage of food grains for market intervention was developed that entailed storing the procured surplus for sale through the Public Distribution System (PDS) at issue price, and market intervention to stabilise price when deemed necessary. This task required interlinking procurement, storage and distribution with more centralised investment and control of each of these tasks. These induced farmers to shift to a high-yielding varieties cropping pattern during the Green Revolution, while ensuring food security for citizens.  What has been the consequences of the above policies? The procurement and PDS from the Green Revolution period provided assured price incentives for rice and wheat but left out some 20 crops now under discussion for MSP including millets, coarse cereals, pulses and oilseeds. As a result, this partial MSP coverage skewed the cropping pattern against several coarse grains and millets particularly in rain-fed areas. From the time of the Green Revolution till recently, the area under cultivation of rice increased from 30 million hectares to 44 million hectares, while that under wheat increased nine million hectares to 31 million hectares. However, area under the cultivation of coarse cereals decreased from 37 million hectares to 25 million hectares. As a result, these left-out crops (grown mostly in rain-fed conditions) were not made available in ration shops, which impacted the nutritional security of people. Almost 68% of Indian agriculture is rain fed and the crops grown in these regions are usually more drought resistant, nutritious and staple in the diet of the poorer subsistence farmers. Such a regime also posed huge fiscal burden on government as the total economic cost involving subsidy for selling below market price would be around ₹3 lakh-crore. What measures needs to be taken to reform MSP? Wider MSP: Greater coverage of all 23 crops under MSP is a way of improving both food security and income support to the poorest farmers in rain-fed regions.  Price Band: Each crop within a band of maximum and a minimum price depending on harvest conditions (i.e. higher price in a bad and lower price in a good harvest year in general) will have its price set in the band. The price of some selected coarse grains can be fixed at the upper end of its band to encourage their production in rain fed areas.  Bank Credit: A real breakthrough in the recurring problem of agricultural debt can be made by the linking of selling of grains under MSP to provision of bank credit particularly for small farmers.  The farmer can get a certificate selling grains at MSP which would be credit points proportional to the amount sold and this can entitle them to a bank loan. Decentralising the implementing agencies: MSP scheme could be implemented effectively upon decentralising the implementing agencies under the constitutionally mandated supervision of panchayats.  What will be the additional cost for govt in case of widened MSP? Of the total grains produced some 45%-50% is for farmers’ self-consumption and the rest is marketed surplus.  This marketed surplus sets the upper bound of total procurement cost from which must be deducted the net revenue recovered through the PDS (if all these crops are sold through ration shops). Preliminary estimate puts it in the range of ₹5 lakh-crore. This is not a big amount considering that it is of the same order of magnitude as DA to public sector employees (less than 5% of the population).  The additional amount can be tapped from the income foregone announced in the Budget for a handful of industrial houses (₹3 lakh-crore) Increased expenditure on MSP will benefit more than half the population directly and another 20%-25% of the population indirectly in the unorganised sector — over 70% of India’s citizens. Connecting the dots: The basis of MSP MSP in the age of Surplus How has agri-marketing policy changed over years New Farm Acts and Opposition to it Repeal of Farm Laws Legal Guarantee for MSP POLITY/ GOVERNANCE GS-2: Issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure  GS-2: Parliament and State legislatures—structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these Local job laws that raise constitutional questions Context: The Supreme Court of India will soon hear a petition to remove the stay (imposed by Punjab & Haryana High Court) on the implementation of Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Act, 2021. The act reserves 75% of jobs in the private sector in the State for local residents.  The Act applies to jobs that pay up to ₹30,000 per month, and employers have to register all such employees on a designated portal.  The Government may also exempt certain industries by notification, and has so far exempted new start-ups and new IT companies, as well as short-term employment, farm labour, domestic work, and promotions and transfers within the State. What are the constitutional challenges to this act? There are at least three important constitutional questions that arise from this Act.  Right to Freedom First, Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution guarantees freedom to carry out any occupation, trade or business. There may be reasonable restrictions “in the interests of the general public”. This Act, by requiring private businesses to reserve 75% of lower end jobs for locals, encroaches upon their right to carry out any occupation. Article 16 Second, the provision of reservation by virtue of domicile or residence may be unconstitutional. Article 16 of the Constitution specifically provides for equality of opportunity for all citizens in public employment.  Article 16 prohibits discrimination on several grounds including place of birth and residence. However, it permits Parliament to make law that requires residence within a State for appointment to a public office.  This enabling provision is for public employment and not for private sector jobs. And the law needs to be made by Parliament, and not by a State legislature. Quantum of Reservation The third question is whether 75% reservation is permitted.  In the Indra Sawhney case in 1992, the Supreme Court capped reservations in public services at 50%.  It however said that there may be extraordinary situations which may need a relaxation in this rule. It also specified that “in doing so, extreme caution is to be exercised and a special case made out”.  Therefore, the onus is on the State to make a special case of exceptional circumstances, for the 50% upper limit on reservations to be relaxed. The Maharashra Act, which provided reservations for Marathas was struck down by the Supreme Court in May 2021 on grounds of breaching the 50% limit.  One may contend that any reservation requirement imposed on the private sector should not be higher than the limits on the public sector. What are the other criticisms of the Haryana Job Reservation Act? Affects Equality: The Haryana Act does not further “caste rule” as it is for all residents of the State irrespective of caste but it breaches the notion of equality of all citizens of India. Widen Inequality across States: Other than potentially increasing costs for companies, there may also be an increase in income inequality across States as citizens of poorer States with fewer job opportunities are trapped within their States. Idea of Nation: Over the last three years, three States have enacted laws that limit employment for citizens from outside the State. These laws raise questions on the conception of India as a nation. The Constitution conceptualises India as one nation with all citizens having equal rights to live, travel and work anywhere in the country. These State laws go against this vision by restricting the right of out-of-State citizens to find employment in the State.  Conclusion The courts, while looking at the narrow questions of whether these laws violate fundamental rights, should also examine whether they breach the basic structure of the Constitution that views India as one nation which is a union of States, and not as a conglomeration of independent States. Connecting the dots: Andhra Pradesh Locals First Policy Madhya Pradesh domicile based quota Reservation is not a fundamental right (Down to Earth: Wildlife & Biodiversity) Jan 20: Odisha can see highest human casualties due to elephant conflict this year - https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/wildlife-biodiversity/odisha-can-see-highest-human-casualties-due-to-elephant-conflict-this-year-experts-81211   TOPIC: GS-3: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment. Odisha can see highest human casualties due to elephant conflict this year Context: Odisha can see the highest-ever human casualties due to human-elephant conflict (HEC) in 2021-2022 than the years before, experts have warned.  Some 97 people have been killed in HEC from March 2021 to January 18, 2022.  There have been 96 injuries.  Sundargarh has recorded the highest human deaths due to HEC this year: 21 of the total 97 deaths. It is followed by Keonjhar (12) where rampant mining is permitted by the forest department. Some 611 elephants too have died in Odisha from April, 2014 to January 18, 2022. Of these, 191 have died unnatural deaths mainly due to electrocution (90), poaching and poisoning (77) and train and road kills (24). Reasons for man-animal conflict: Expansion of human settlements into forests – expansion of cities, industrial areas, railway/road infrastructure, tourism etc. Allowing livestock to graze in forest areas Land use transformations such as change from protected forest patches to agricultural and horticultural lands and monoculture plantations are further destroying the habitats of wildlife. Unscientific structures and practices of forest management in the country Infestation of wildlife habitat by invasive exotic weeds leads to decreased availability of edible grasses for wild herbivores Decreased prey base caused by poaching of herbivores has also resulted in carnivores moving out of forests in search of prey and to indulge in cattle lifting. Due to uncontrolled mining activity, the stressed elephants are angry and enter villages in search of food, killing locals in the process. Every mining proposal in dense forests that are elephant habitat and feeding grounds has been cleared by the department, The Way Forward India’s culture of tolerance must be supplemented by innovative, evidence-driven, socially-just institutions that govern the human-wildlife interface. For this, the Indian government and civil society need relevant and timely data.  First, we need to better understand the core ecological variables How many elephants are there, and how are they distributed? Do the forests that the elephants live in have enough palatable vegetation, or has it been replaced by invasive weeds and inedible plantation trees like teak?  In northeast India, we don’t even know all the places elephants go, inhibiting the protection of their habitat and lives. Such vital data could empower conservationists to pursue forest regeneration, grassland restoration, and corridor protection necessary to support large populations of elephants. Second, data on human-elephant conflicts Currently, data on crop-raiding by elephants, elephant deaths, and human deaths due to conflict are buried in paper files scattered across the country, preventing timely analyses. If state governments develop electronic databases on human-elephant conflict, the government and civil society can target interventions to places where elephants are troubling communities.  We can strategically choose where to help farmers replace lethal electric fences with effective non-lethal barriers, deploy awareness programmes to minimise accidental encounters, and strengthen the administration of fair compensation programmes. The building of such evidence-driven institutions to protect elephants requires funding. While NGOs could use help from the private sector, the government must also step up.  Third, consider further dis-incentivizing cruelty towards animals Currently, the wildlife laws guiding sentencing for illegal hunting do not consider whether the animal suffered a slow and painful death. India’s conservation laws are geared to protect species, not prevent animal cruelty. Accepting that the people will continue to kill wild animals, perhaps our laws should regard cruel acts more harshly than, say, defending crops with a gun when there is no alternative.  Also, 60 per cent of HEC involved tuskers. It was possible to prevent these confrontations if tuskers were identified and continuously tracked by expert trackers. Tracking is not happening since most trackers are actually deployed on other duties. Humans encountered elephants early in the morning while going out to relieve themselves in 50 per cent of the cases. The forest department should convince people to use toilets built under the Swachh Bharat Mission. Local youth teased elephant herds who then vented their anger on old people who could not run. Some casualties had occurred while people were taking selfies with elephants. The forest department must prevent this harassment by putting up warning sign boards and punishing offenders. Nearly 25 per cent of human casualties happened when the walls of huts were toppled by elephants to raid paddy and liquor. A massive door-to-door campaign needed to be launched by the forest department to make people aware about the danger of storing food grains and liquor in bedrooms. The forest department must prevent people from collecting fruits from reserve forests and sanctuaries so that there is enough left for elephants’ consumption. Discoms should strengthen power supply poles, raise power lines to the stipulated 5.5 metres in height and fix earth leakage circuit breakers instead of abruptly cutting off power. Ensuring that elephant corridors are not razed/neglected due to overzealous developmental approach Radio tagging of elephants can help identify danger spots and also avoid man-animal conflict Ban on illegal electrical fencing with proper guidelines for maintaining the height of high tension electrical wires – cabling of power lines should be mandatory A proper zone-wise management plan for different elephant landscapes — where to allow elephants and where to restrict their movement Effort should be to expand elephant corridors, using the successful models within the country, including acquisition of lands using private funds and their transfer to the government. Note: World Elephant Day: 12th August The Indian elephant One of three extant recognized subspecies of the Asian elephant and native to mainland Asia Listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List  The wild population has declined by at least 50% since the 1930s Threatened by loss, degradation and fragmentation of its habitat An endangered species included in Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. The animals included in Schedule 1 need high level of protection. The Schedule provides for the certificate of ownership and makes it mandatory for the elephant owners to provide adequate facilities for the housing, maintenance and upkeep of captive elephants. About Project Elephant It is a flagship programme of Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) Launched in 1992 it is a Centrally-sponsored scheme Primarily aimed at protecting elephant, their habitats and corridors It addresses issues of man-animal conflict and welfare of domesticated elephants. Elephant corridors are strips of land connecting two large habitats, which are supposed to provide a safe corridor for elephants to migrate from one landscape to another. In India, there are 101 elephant corridors. Elephant Information Network (EIN) Has enabled human-elephant coexistence in southern India Acts as an early warning mechanism to alert people when elephants are nearby, minimizing negative human-elephant interactions, and increasing people’s tolerance towards elephants. By Mr. Ananda Kumar Can you answer the following questions? Why are man-animal conflicts on the rise in India? Identify the high risks/vulnerable zones and also suggest what corrective measures can be taken to avoid these conflicts? Human-wildlife conflict is not linear, and can have unforeseen ripple effects on biodiversity and the forest ecosystem. Discuss (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Q.1 Consider the following statements  Reverse Repo rate is the rate at which the central bank of a country lends money to commercial banks in the event of any shortfall of funds. Repo rate is the rate at which the RBI borrows money from commercial banks within the country. Which of the above is or are correct?  1 only  2 only  Both 1 and 2  Neither 1 nor 2  Q.2 Consider the following:  Solar storms are magnetic plasma ejected at great speed from the solar surface. Dark regions on the Sun are cooler than the surrounding photosphere. Which of the above is or are correct?  1 only  2 only  Neither 1 nor 2 Both 1 and 2 Q.3 ‘Chintamani Padya Natakam’, recently seen in news, was banned by which of the following state of India?  Telangana Andhra Pradesh  Tamil Nadu Kerala ANSWERS FOR 11th Feb 2022 TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE (TYK) 1 D 2 C 3 B Must Read On HC order accepting national security argument to shut down channel: The Hindu On RBI’s latest monetary Policy decision: The Hindu On how to expand forest cover: Indian Express

Feb 11, 2022 TLP Mains Answer Writing

SYNOPSIS [10th February,2022] Day 11: IASbaba’s TLP (Phase 1): UPSC Mains Answer Writing (General Studies)

For Previous TLP (ARCHIVES) - CLICK HERE SYNOPSIS [10th February,2022] Day 11: IASbaba’s TLP (Phase 1): UPSC Mains Answer Writing (General Studies) 1. Do you see pressure groups as a genuine mechanism for ensuring broader and more participative democracy? Critically comment.  Approach- Candidates need to write about the pressure groups and critically comment whether they ensure the broader and participative democracy provide the both alternative sides.  Introduction- A pressure group is a group of people who are organised actively for promoting and defending their common interest. It is called so, as it attempts to bring a change in public policy by exerting pressure on the government. It acts as a liaison between the government and its members. Body Ensuring broader and more participative democracy: Pressure groups are agents of political socialisation of different community and social groups they have role in strengthening the democracy.  Pressure Groups bring the demands and needs of the people to the notice of the decision-makers. The process by which the claims of the people get crystallized and articulated is called interest articulation. e.g. Narmada Bachao Aandolan.  Pressure groups play a vital role in the legislative process, not only as important structures of interest articulation, but also as active agencies engaged in lobbying with the legislators for securing desired laws or amendments in laws and policies of the government. Pressure groups play a leading role in the formulation of public opinion. Each pressure group is continuously engaged in evaluating all such laws, rules, decisions and policies which have a direct or indirect bearing on the interests it represents. For example with the gains made in mass media and education level, various experts and members of these farmers organizations during farm protest who constantly raise their issues and opinions through media, social media and interviews. Through this, they have tried to influence public opinions and government ideas. Many times instead of serving a useful purpose in the political administrative process, they are reduced to work for narrow selfish interests and hampers the democratic process: Political motive: Instead of the pressure groups exerting influence on political process, they become tools and implements to subserve political interests. Narrow selfish interests: Some Pressure Groups promote narrow selfish interest. Unlike the pressure groups in the developed countries of the West, where these are invariably organised to safeguard economic, social, cultural interests, etc. In India these groups are organised around religious, regional and ethnic issues. Many a time factors of caste and religion eclipse the socioeconomic interests. Misuse of power: Instead of the pressure groups exerting influence on political process, they become tools and implements to sub serve political interests. Instability: Most pressure groups do not have autonomous existence; they are unstable and lack commitment, their loyalties shift with political situations which threatens general welfare. They many a times resort to unconstitutional means like violence. Naxalite movement started in 1967 in West Bengal is one such example. Propagating extremism: Pressure groups can allow too much influence over the government from unelected extremist minority groups, which in turn could lead to unpopular consequences. They many a times resort to unconstitutional means like violence. For example recent Republic Day-Red Fort incidents in Delhi. Conclusion Democratic politics  involves  taking decisions through consultation, debate, discussions etc. Pressure groups can form good channel of communication between citizen and government but at the same time their vested interests if any needs to be checked so that true meaning of democracy can be fulfilled i.e. “participative democracy”. 2. It is argued that having a large number of ministries good impedes governance. But it can also be argued that it brings in efficiency by decentralising decisions and accountability? What do you think? Share your views and arguments.  Approach Students are expected to write about the different government model in the introduction then simply highlight the both side of arguments also give the suggestion to be followed by large ministry setup for good governance.  Introduction Minimum government, maximum governance refers to reducing the role of government where it is in excess (minimum government) and umaking a citizen friendly and accountable government (maximum governance). The objective is to make government efficient and inclusive, reduce red-tapism thereby improving ease of doing business etc. Body Large ministry decentralized governance: Reduces the burden on top executives: This reduces the time at the disposal of top executives who should concentrate on other important managerial functions. Facilitates diversification: A centralised enterprise with the concentration of authority at the top will find it difficult and complex to diversify its activities and start the additional lines of manufacture or distribution. Executive Development: Experts will get the opportunity to develop their talents by taking initiative which will also make them ready for managerial positions. Better control and supervision: As a result they have thorough knowledge of every assignment under their control and are in a position to make amendments and take corrective action. Issues in having multiple ministries and departments: Problem of Co-Ordination: More ministry of authority creates problems of co-ordination as authority lies dispersed widely throughout the organisation. Currently Almost full strength (78/81) of the Council of Ministers with the recent reshuffle. Inefficiency as the work doesn’t gets demarcated clearly. This results into lack of accountability. Lack of coordination results into delays and red-tapism. Require Qualified Personnel: Number of ministry becomes useless when there are no qualified and competent personnel. Duplication of work More Financial Burden: Decentralisation requires the employment of trained personnel to accept authority, it involves more financial burden and a small enterprise cannot afford to appoint experts in various fields. Wastage of public money. More Capital Expenditure than Revenue. Uniform policies not Followed: Hinders the process of service delivery to citizens. Overstaffing at the headquarters for most institutions and ministries, and shortage at the field level. Lack of mobility between different arms of the civil services.  Way forward  Reduce the decision making layers to the minimum while allowing for faster means of information sharing/dissemination. Simplification of procedures.  Leveraging technology to bring in transparency in public interface.  Accountable methods for effective delivery of goods/services. A robust public grievance redress system. Conclusion The overall objective should be to reduce duplicity, streamline the work process, improve synergy, through exchange of information/data, between various departments within a ministry. The bureaucrats too need to work in tandem so that the coordinated efforts result into productive results. Departments and ministries with overlapping jurisdiction should be merged, but it should not be the only agenda. 3. Lack of liberalisation in factor market has ailed the Indian economy for long. Elucidate. Approach- Candidates need to elucidate/highlight how the lack of liberalisation in factor market has ailed the Indian economy for long. Introduction: Economic liberalization refers to the process of removing non-essential limitations and controls from a country's economy so that firms and enterprises can contribute to the economy to the fullest possible extent. However, it's crucial to remember that liberalization does not imply an unfettered economy. Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao and his then-Finance Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh began the process of economic liberalization in India in 1991.  Lack of liberalisation in factor market has ailed the Indian economy for long India still had a fixed exchange rate system in 1991, with the rupee tied to the value of a basket of key trading partners' currencies. India was pushed to the verge of bankruptcy. Dr. Manmohan Singh, India's then-finance minister, gave respond by introducing economic liberalization.  Lack of liberalisation had ailed the Indian economy for long in the following ways: Due to a lack of cash in the pre-liberalization period, executing expensive ventures were prohibited, but this was corrected in 1991, resulting in higher growth rates. After independence, India was under immense financial hardships. Especially in the 1950’s and 1960’s India saw a number of bank failures.  In terms of financial markets, the bond market and FOREX market were limited. Based on government policies the nationalized banks gave enormous loans to small-scale industries and sectors such as agriculture.  However, banks struggled to recover loans and non-performing loans increased. Labour productivity and efficiency came down.  It was clear that the financial sector needed to be liberalized for a higher growth trajectory. India's looming balance-of-payments issue was adding fuel to the fire. The key goals of India's liberalization process can be summarised as follows: To increase the private sector's contribution to India's economic development. To increase the amount of foreign direct investment into Indian companies. To encourage domestic rivalry in India's enterprises. To encourage international and private enterprises to expand in India to maximize the country's economic potential. To usher in a new era of globalization for India's economy. To regulate export and import, as well as to promote international trade. Conclusion: India's economic liberalization incorporated the characteristics mentioned above and, in general, removed various limitations to make the country more private sector friendly. TLP Synopsis Day 11 PDF

Feb 11, 2022 हिन्दी - Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC हिन्दी Quiz– 2021: IASbaba Daily Current Affairs Quiz 11th February 2022

For Previous Daily Quiz (ARCHIVES) - CLICK HERE करेंट अफेयर्स के प्रश्न 'द हिंदू', 'इंडियन एक्सप्रेस' और 'पीआईबी' जैसे स्रोतों पर आधारित होते हैं, जो यूपीएससी प्रारंभिक परीक्षा के लिए बहुत महत्वपूर्ण स्रोत हैं। प्रश्न अवधारणाओं और तथ्यों दोनों पर केंद्रित हैं। दोहराव से बचने के लिए यहां कवर किए गए विषय आम तौर पर 'दैनिक करंट अफेयर्स / डेली न्यूज एनालिसिस (डीएनए) और डेली स्टेटिक क्विज' के तहत कवर किए जा रहे विषयों से भिन्न होते हैं। प्रश्न सोमवार से शनिवार तक दोपहर 2 बजे से पहले प्रकाशित किए जाएंगे। इस कार्य में आपको 10 मिनट से ज्यादा नहीं देना है। इस कार्य के लिए तैयार हो जाएं और इस पहल का इष्टतम तरीके से उपयोग करें। याद रखें कि, "साधारण अभ्यर्थी और चयनित होने वाले अभ्यर्थी के बीच का अंतर केवल दैनक अभ्यास है !!" Important Note: Comment अनुभाग में अपने अंक पोस्ट करना न भूलें। साथ ही, हमें बताएं कि क्या आपको आज का टेस्ट अच्छा लगा । 5 प्रश्नों को पूरा करने के बाद, अपना स्कोर, समय और उत्तर देखने के लिए ‘View Questions’ पर क्लिक करें। उत्तर देखने के लिए, इन निर्देशों का पालन करें: 1 - 'स्टार्ट टेस्ट/ Start Test' बटन पर क्लिक करें प्रश्न हल करें 'टेस्ट सारांश/Test Summary'बटन पर क्लिक करें 'फिनिश टेस्ट/Finish Test'बटन पर क्लिक करें अब ‘View Questions’बटन पर क्लिक करें - यहां आपको उत्तर और लिंक दिखाई देंगे। To take the Test - Click Here

Feb 11, 2022 TLP Mains Answer Writing

IASbaba’s Think Learn Perform (TLP - Phase 1) 2022 - UPSC Mains Answer Writing General Studies Paper 4 Questions [11th February, 2022] – Day 12

For Previous TLP (ARCHIVES) - CLICK HERE Hello Everyone,  TLP being an integral formula for success for many toppers over the years including Rank 1 is no secret. In their ‘must to-do' list for the UPSC Civil Services Mains Examination, TLP by far occupies the first place. The popularity stems from the unparalleled quality of questions and synopsis posted in TLP. We strive hard to ensure that you get the real feel of UPSC standard before you write the actual Mains. You already know the features of TLP. Just to reiterate briefly, we will post 3 questions daily for a certain number of weeks (12 for this one). We follow a micro plan that is designed to give you daily targets. The questions are from the day’s syllabus and also from current affairs and you are expected to write the answers and post them on the portal. From this year we have integrated the TLP free answer writing page in the main website itself, unlike previous years. So all the answers should be posted under the questions for the evaluation.   Join our bandwagon, you won’t regret it. To Know More about TLP  -> CLICK HERE Note: Click on Each Question (Link), it will open in a new tab and then Answer respective questions! 1. “Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.” Bring out the relevance of this quote for present times. (10 Marks) "मुझे मेरी सफलताओं से मत आंकना, मुझे इस बात से आंकना कि मैं कितनी बार गिर गया और फिर से उठ गया।" वर्तमान समय के लिए इस उद्धरण की प्रासंगिकता को सामने लाएं। 2. It is true that family can teach values. However, don’t you feel that family itself is declining as a social institution? Comment. Do you think individualism is becoming a dominant way of life? (10 Marks) यह सच है कि परिवार मूल्यों की शिक्षा दे सकता है। लेकिन, क्या आपको नहीं लगता कि एक सामाजिक संस्था के रूप में परिवार का पतन हो रहा है? टिप्पणी करें। क्या आपको लगता है कि व्यक्तिवाद जीवन का एक प्रमुख तरीका बनता जा रहा है? 3. Privatisation of PSU banks is a threat to employment. Do you agree? Critically comment. (15 Marks) पीएसयू बैंकों का निजीकरण रोजगार के लिए खतरा है। क्या आप सहमत हैं? समालोचनात्मक टिप्पणी करें। P.S: The review from IASbaba will happen from the time every day. We would also encourage peer reviews. So friends get actively involved and start reviewing each other's answers. This will keep the entire community motivated. All the Best :)

Feb 11, 2022 Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz – 2021 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz 11th February 2022

For Previous Daily Quiz (ARCHIVES) - CLICK HERE The Current Affairs questions are based on sources like ‘The Hindu’, ‘Indian Express’ and ‘PIB’, which are very important sources for UPSC Prelims Exam. The questions are focused on both the concepts and facts. The topics covered here are generally different from what is being covered under ‘Daily Current Affairs/Daily News Analysis (DNA) and Daily Static Quiz’ to avoid duplication. The questions would be published from Monday to Saturday before 2 PM. One should not spend more than 10 minutes on this initiative. Gear up and Make the Best Use of this initiative. Do remember that, “the difference between Ordinary and EXTRA-Ordinary is PRACTICE!!” Important Note: Don't forget to post your marks in the comment section. Also, let us know if you enjoyed today's test :) After completing the 5 questions, click on 'View Questions' to check your score, time taken, and solutions. To take the Test - Click Here

Feb 10, 2022 Important Articles

[PRELIMS 2022] All India FREE GS Full Mock Test - ONLINE and OFFLINE on 16th February

Hello Everyone,  There are primarily three states of matter, solid, liquid, and gas, but humans tend to live in a unique state. That is the state of Denial. That’s a very comfortable place to be, but nothing grows there. Most of the students keep taking simple topic-wise tests, score very high, and stay satisfied thinking that they are far ahead of their competitors. But finally, in the exam, they get the reality check. Suddenly the level of the question seems difficult, statements become confusing and ambiguous and you find yourself panicked. Looking at the unpredictability of exams, you need to realize that now one to two months of preparation is not sufficient. Every year, only 2% of the students appearing for the exam qualify prelims. You need to change gears now if you want to be in that section. Now that, the UPSC 2022 notification is out, there will be a panic regarding the Prelims Preparation. However, such haphazard preparation will damage your chances of clearing Prelims. So, planning your Prelims preparation will become very important in order to achieve maximum efficiency in preparation. For planning the first essential step will be to assess your preparation. In order to make you assess your preparation, we are going to conduct an All India Open Mock for Prelims. An All India ranking will be provided to you which will inform you about the competition. If you are there in that 2% bracket, feel confident and start revision, but if you are not there, you must change the mode of your preparation and start focusing on prelims more. Choose whether you want to live in denial or want to check your preparation level and accept the outcome. In order to help you with that, we are going to conduct All India Free Open Mock for Prelims on the 16th of February 2022 at 10 AM. Mock test will be held in both online and offline modes and the All India Ranking of the candidates will be announced. The last date to register for the Test is the 15th of February 2022 at 12 PM. You must remember to take this mock with utmost sincerity and take it as your final exam. All the best!! Note The Tests will be available in both ONLINE and OFFLINE Mode at our DELHI, BANGALORE, and LUCKNOW Centres. The Mock Test will be conducted in English Medium. The Login Credentials for ONLINE Test takers will be sent by 8 PM on 15th February. Registered OFFLINE students can directly walk in to take the test at their respective centres. Register Here – CLICK HERE STILL, HAVE QUERIES? Email ID – pep@iasbaba.com Phone – 9169191888 OFFLINE CENTRE BENGALURU CENTRE: IASbaba TLP Centre: 2nd floor, Ganapathi Circle, Chandra Layout, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560072 DELHI CENTRE: IASbaba, Plot 22-B, 3rd floor, Pusa Road, Bada Bazar Marg, Rajinder Nagar, New Delhi- 110060 Landmark: Above Dominos LUCKNOW CENTRE: IASbaba, B-1/66, Sector J, Sector-A, Lucknow – 226024 Landmark: Near Mr Brown / Opp to Sahu Studio.

Feb 10, 2022 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 10th February 2022

Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) Nuclear fusion energy Part of: Prelims and GS-III -Science and technology  Context: A team at the Joint European Torus (JET) facility near Oxford in central England generated 59 megajoules of sustained energy during an experiment in December, more than doubling a 1997 record. Key takeaways  This is a new milestone in producing nuclear fusion energy, or imitating the way energy is produced in the Sun. The energy was produced in a machine called a tokamak, a doughnut-shaped apparatus. Besides, the JET site is the largest operational one of its kind in the world. The record and scientific data from these crucial experiments are a major boost for ITER. About nuclear fusion Nuclear fusion is a reaction in which two or more atomic nuclei are combined to form one or more different atomic nuclei and subatomic particles.  The difference in mass between the reactants and products is manifested as either the release or the absorption of energy Energy by nuclear fusion is one of mankind’s long standing quests as it promises to be low carbon, safer than how nuclear energy is now produced and, with an efficiency that can technically exceed a 100%. A kg of fusion fuel contains about 10 million times as much energy as a kg of coal, oil or gas. Working: Deuterium and tritium, which are isotopes of hydrogen, are heated to temperatures 10 times hotter than the centre of the sun to create plasma.  This is held in place using superconductor electromagnets as it spins around, fuses and releases tremendous energy as heat. Do you know? ITER is a fusion research mega-project supported by seven members – China, the European Union, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the U.S. – based in the south of France, to further demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion energy. News Source: TH India bans drone import Part of: Prelims and GS-III Economy; Science and technology  Context: The Directorate General of Foreign Trade of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry notified the Indian Trade Classification (Harmonised System), 2022 which brought the prohibition of drones for import into effect.  Key takeaways  The move aims to promote made-in-India drones. The Ministry of Civil Aviation said that while exceptions were provided for R&D;, defence and security, importing drones for these purposes will require “due clearances”. However, import of drone components will not need any approvals. Last year, the Ministry notified liberalised drone rules with the aim to encourage R&D; and to make India a drone hub. The government also approved a production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for drones and their components with an allocation of Rs. 120 crore for three financial years. About Drones It is a layman terminology for Unmanned Aircraft (UA). Originally developed for the military and aerospace industries, drones have found their way into the mainstream because of the enhanced levels of safety and efficiency they bring. A drone’s autonomy level can range from remotely piloted (a human controls its movements) to advanced autonomy, which means that it relies on a system of sensors and LIDAR detectors to calculate its movement. Application of Drone Technology Defence: Drone system can be used as a symmetric weapon against terrorist attacks. Healthcare Delivery Purposes Agriculture: Micronutrients can be spread with the help of drones Monitoring: The drone technology in the SVAMITVA scheme  has helped about half a million village residents to get their property cards by mapping out the abadi areas. Law Enforcement News Source: TH Quad Part of: Prelims and GS-II International Relations Context: Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Quad (India, Australia, United States, Japan), is expected to discuss cooperation on vaccines, technology and regional security issues including related to China. The Ministers will review ongoing Quad cooperation and build on the positive and constructive agenda announced by the Leaders at the two Summits in 2021. The Quad Foreign Ministers meet is expected to lay the groundwork for the second Quad leaders summit likely to take place this summer. QUAD Full form: Quadrilateral Security Dialogue  Countries: USA, Japan, Australia and India  Aims: The main aim is to enable a regional security architecture for the maintenance of a rules- based order.  It seeks to contain a ‘rising China’ and work against its predatory trade and economic policies. News Source: TH (News from PIB) Conserving Marine Resources Part of: Prelims and Mains GS-III: Conservation Government of India has undertaken several initiatives focusing on the conservation of coastal and marine resources through implementation of law and continuous monitoring.  The Wild Life Protection Act of India (1972) provides legal protection to many marine animals. There are total of 31 major Marine Protected Areas in India covering coastal areas that have been notified under Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The National Committee on mangroves, wetlands and coral reefs constituted in 1993 advice the Government on relevant policies and programmes regarding marine species. The Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification (1991 and later versions) prohibit developmental activities and disposal of wastes in the fragile coastal ecosystems. The Biological Diversity Act of India, 2002 and the Biological Diversity Rules 2004, and the guidelines thereof advise the Government on matters related to the protection and conservation of biodiversity, sustainable use and equitable sharing of its components, Intellectual Property Rights, etc. Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY): for sustainable and responsible development of fisheries sector in India. Two of the key objectives of the scheme are (a) harnessing of fisheries potential in a sustainable, responsible, inclusive and equitable manner and (b) Robust fisheries management and regulatory framework. The Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology (CMLRE), an attached office of Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) is mandated with the management strategies development for marine living resources through ecosystem monitoring and modelling activities.  Involvement of local communities is often seen as an integral part of preserving the marine resources. CMLRE is implementing a national R&D; programme on Marine Living Resources (MLR) with an inbuilt component on Societal Services to support the fisher folks of Lakshadweep Islands. The societal services initiative intends to enhance the ornamental and baitfish stocks in the wild. Under the program, CMLRE has organised a series of hands on trainings on “Marine ornamental fish breeding and rearing at Lakshadweep Islands”.   Under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) scheme of Department of Fisheries, there are provisions for encouraging sustainable marine fisheries activities, development of fisheries management plans, development of Integrated Modern Coastal Fishing Villages, promotion of Sagar Mitra, installation of bio-toilets in fishing vessels, communication and tracking devices, livelihood support during fish ban period to fisher families etc. for conservation of fisheries resources. Note: Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) An MPA is a marine protected area that provides protection for all or part of its natural resources.  Certain activities within an MPA are limited or prohibited to meet specific conservation, habitat protection, ecosystem monitoring, or fisheries management objectives. News Source: PIB Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas (SVAMITVA) Scheme Part of: Prelims and Mains GS-II: Devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein Aim: To provide the ‘Record of Rights’ to village household owners possessing houses in inhabited areas in villages with issuance of legal ownership rights (Property cards/Title deeds).  The plan is to survey all rural properties using drones and prepare GIS based maps for each village. Data related to property details will be owned by the State Revenue Department as it has the authority to mutate the Right of Records (RoRs) and update the maps. Hence, the State Revenue Department will be the owner/host of this data and others will have a right to view. So far 29 States, including State of Uttar Pradesh, have signed MoU with SoI. Implemented By:  Ministry of Panchayati Raj Survey of India (SoI) State Revenue Department State Panchayati Raj Department National Informatics Centre What is the benefit of issuing a SVAMITVA property card? Access Credit & Benefits: It will enable rural households to use their property as a financial asset for taking loans and other financial benefits.  Tax Collection: The database will help in determination of property tax, which would accrue to the Gram Panchayats directly in states where they are empowered to collect such taxes Enhances Liquidity of assets: The cards will help increase liquidity of land parcels in the market and increase the financial credit availability to the village. Developmental Planning: The scheme will also pave the way for creation of accurate land records for rural planning. All the property records and maps will be available at Gram Panchayat, which will help in taxation of villages, construction permits, elimination of encroachments, etc. News Source: PIB MISCELLANEOUS Longest Highway Tunnel above 10,000 feet: Atal Tunnel; runs under the ‘Rohtang Pass’, on the Manali - Leh Highway  India is the world’s third largest energy consuming country and electricity demand grows by 4.7% each year. Share of nuclear energy in the total electricity generation in the country has remained around 3 to 3.5% since 2014. Coal in India: A target of all India coal production of 1.2 Billion Tonne upto the year 2023-24 has been fixed. Demand of coal is higher than the current level of domestic supply of coal in the country.  The gap between demand and domestic supply of coal cannot be bridged completely as there is insufficient availability and reserve of prime coking coal in the country.  Further, coal imported by power plants designed on imported coal and high grade coal required for blending purposes is also imported in the country as this cannot be fully substituted by domestic coal as the country has limited reserve of high grade coal. Foreign Direct Investment inflows (FDI) has shown a continuous increase from US$ 45.15 billion in 2014-15 to US$ 81.97 billion in 2020-21. During the last five financial years, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows worth US$ 339.55 billion have been reported into India. National Highways falling in or passing through forest areas declared as Wildlife Sanctuary/National Park or its Eco Sensitive Zone (ESZ): Instructions have been issued to implementing agencies to make all efforts to avoid any road alignment through National Parks or Wildlife Sanctuaries, even if it requires taking a longer route/bypass.  However if it is absolutely unavoidable, land to be acquired is limited to a maximum right of way of 30m All necessary clearances required under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, Forest Conversion Act 1980 and Environment (Protection) Act 1986, are obtained before any work is undertaken in such areas. Site-specific mitigation measures are being taken in consultation with Forest Authorities, incorporating one or more of several options as per site requirements like construction of culverts, underpass, overpass (ecoduct), viaduct, tunnel, guard wall, fencing, vegetative barrier, anti-light glare, sound barrier, etc. Funds are also provided to the concerned Forest Authorities for taking measures as per their approved Wild Life Management Plan like creation of the waterholes, site specific plantation and landscaping, animal conservation units, rescue operation, anti-poaching unit, watch tower, monitoring, awareness, involvement of locals, construction of post guard, illumination and fencing around the boundary of Protected Area (PA) or its Eco Sensitive Zone (ESZ) etc., for conservation of wildlife habitat and reduction of human animal conflict. 'Police' and 'Public Order' are State subjects as per the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India.  States/UTs are primarily responsible to maintain law and order, inter-alia including strategy to prevent cyber-crimes, planning and setting up of task force, and capacity building/training of Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) for prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of cyber-crimes.  The Central Government supplements the initiatives of the State Governments through various advisories and schemes for the capacity building of their LEAs. Pradhan Mantri-YUVA (Pilot): By the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), to create an enabling ecosystem for entrepreneurship development through entrepreneurship education and training across the country. SMILE - Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise:  Includes the sub-scheme – ‘Central Sector Scheme for Comprehensive Rehabilitation of persons engaged in the act of Begging’ which covers several comprehensive measures including welfare measures for persons who are engaged in the act of begging with focus extensively on rehabilitation, provision of medical facilities, counselling, education, skill development, economic linkages etc. with the support of State Governments/UTs/Local Urban Bodies, Voluntary Organizations, Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and institutions and others. Scheme provides for the use of the existing shelter homes for rehabilitation of the persons engaged in the act of begging. In case of non-availability of existing shelter homes, new dedicated shelter homes to be set up for the Persons engaged in the act of begging by the implementing agencies. By Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment Economic Empowerment of Women Entrepreneurs and Startups by Women (WEE) By the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in collaboration with Deutsche Gesellschaftfür Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Germany on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Aims to pilot incubation and acceleration programmes for women micro entrepreneurs, enabling them to start new businesses and scale up existing enterprises in the States of Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and 8 North Eastern States of the country. Under the title of ‘Her&Now;’, the project envisages a film and media campaign to tell the stories of successful women entrepreneurs and to foster a positive mindset change on gender roles and expand women entrepreneurship. The project targets to support 315 aspiring women entrepreneurs, from the selected states, to turn their ideas into a business in the seven-month incubation programme. Anganwadi Services: One of the flagship programmes of the Government of India and represents one of the world’s largest and unique programmes for early childhood care and development Beneficiaries: children in the age group of 0-6 years, pregnant women and lactating mothers Package of six services:  Supplementary Nutrition (SNP) Pre-school Non-formal Education, Nutrition & Health Education, Immunization, Health Check-up, and Referral Services Three of the six services, viz., Immunization, Health check-up and Referral Services are related to health and are provided through NRHM & Public Health Infrastructure. POSHAN Abhiyaan aims to reduce malnutrition from the country and achieve improvement in nutritional status of Children from 0-6 years, Adolescent Girls, Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers in a time bound manner. Child Protection Services (CPS) Scheme – Mission Vatsalya for rehabilitation of children in difficult circumstances including, orphan and destitute children. Financial assistance is provided to the State Governments/UT Governments for providing services which include institutional care, non-institutional care, support for capacity building, human resources, setting up and maintenance of various types of Child Care Institutions (CCIs) including children homes, observation homes, special homes, place of safety, open shelters etc. (Mains Focus) ECONOMY/ GOVERNANCE GS-2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. GS-3: Indian Economy & its challenges Time to relook at the Privatisation Policy Context: There is consensus among policymakers for privatisation of public sector undertakings (PSUs), especially in neo-liberal world order, for its ability to grow faster.  What is the reality of Privatisation? Performance of Privatised Firms not guranteed: The gap in growth (and service) between PSUs with autonomy and private firms is not significant. For example: Studies have shown that the famed British privatisation initiative of British Airways, British Gas, and the Railways led to no systemic difference in performance Evidence on performance after privatisation is even more mixed in developing countries.  Performance may be due to other factors: Growth post-privatisation is often due to multiple factors (for example, better funding under a private promoter versus a starved government budget, a better business cycle). Sometimes, the difference in a PSU’s performance is simply government apathy. Low Realisation of Revenues: Privatisation as a revenue source has also offered paltry return with actual receipts from disinvestment always significantly short of targets. For example, in FY11, ₹22,846 crore was raised against a target of ₹40,000 crore; by FY20, ₹50,304 crore was raised against a target of ₹1 lakh crore. In total, between FY11 and FY21, about ₹5 lakh crore was raised (that is, about 33% of just FY22’s projected fiscal deficit of ₹15.06 lakh crore.) Outright Privatisation has not been yielding results in India. Aside Air India, a recently held auction of about 21 oil and gas blocks had only three firms participating, of which two were PSUs; 18 blocks ended up with just a single bid. Challenge of valuation – for example, about 65% of about 300 national highway projects have been recording significant toll collection growth (>15%, since they have been in operation); any valuations of such assets will need to ensure they capture potential growth in toll revenue. Social consequences: PSUs have been significant generators of employment in the past, with multiplier effects – there were about 348 CPSUs in existence in 2018, with a total investment of ₹16.4 trillion and about 10.3 lakh employees in Central PSUs (in 2019). A push for privatisation is a push for mass layoffs, in a period of low job creation. Concentration of public assets in select private hands: In India, about 70% of all profits generated in the corporate sector in FY20 were with just 20 firms (in comparison, the situation in FY93 was about 15%). Across sectors oligopoly is emerging. Such concentration, mixed with privatisation of public assets, is likely to lead to higher usage fees (already being seeing in telecom) and inflation, coupled with a loss of strategic control. Are there any alternative models for Privatisation? Maruti Model The government had a joint venture with the Suzuki Corporation, but ceded control, despite Suzuki having only 26% shareholding. Exits from Maruti were conducted in small tranches, ensuring a better valuation for the government Empirical evidence highlights that stake sales are considered a preferred route (about 67% of all PSU sales in about 108 countries between 1977 and 2000 were conducted via this route), as it gives time to ensure price discovery, allowing improved performance to raise valuations over time,  Corporatisation of PSUs under Holding Company In China, for the past few decades, growth has been led by corporatised PSUs, all of them held under a holding company (SASAC), which promotes better governance, appoints leadership and executes mergers and acquisitions. In Singapore, the Ministry of Finance focuses on policymaking, while Temasek (the holding firm) is focused on corporatising and expanding its PSUs (for example, Singtel, PSA, Singapore Power, Singapore Airlines) towards a global scale.  A PSU with greater autonomy, with the government retaining control via a holding firm, can also be subject to the right incentives. Conclusion The time has come to take a relook at privatisation. Simply pursuing this path, while utilising such proceeds for loan write-offs or populist giveaways in the election cycle will not do. A hunt for immediate revenue should not overshadow the long-term interest of the ordinary Indian. Connecting the dots: Disinvestment of Air India Strategic disinvestment of IDBI BANK Ltd Corporatisation of Ordnance Factory Board POLITY/ GOVERNANCE GS-2: Fundamental Freedoms & Restrictions GS-2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation New Central Media Accreditation Guidelines Context: The Government has issued a slew of rules for the media under a new policy on accreditation for journalists.  The Central Media Accreditation Guidelines-2022 have outlined the conditions for withdrawal of accreditation if a journalist acts in a manner prejudicial to the country’s  Security sovereignty and integrity friendly relations with foreign states Public order  or is charged with a serious cognisable offence.  Most of the provisions are drawn from Article 19(2) of the Constitution which prescribes the restrictions to free speech.  How is this different from the past?  The previous policy, issued in 2013, had stated, under general terms of accreditation, that accreditation “shall be withdrawn as soon as the conditions on which it was given cease to exist. Accreditation is also liable to be withdrawn/suspended if it is found to have been misused”. With the new policy and laying down the conditions for withdrawal of accreditation, they serve more as censorship rules rather than guidelines.  Previous guidelines were more general in nature and did mention that accreditation would be withdrawn if found to be misused.  In the new guidelines, there are 10 provisions under which accreditation to a journalist can be withdrawn.  How are they proposed to be implemented?  As per the guidelines, the Government of India shall constitute a committee called the Central Media Accreditation Committee chaired by the Principal DG, Press Information Bureau (PIB), and comprising up to 25 members nominated by the Government to interpret the guidelines for withdrawal of accreditation.  Why are these guidelines a matter of concern?  In 2020, the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) ranked India 142nd among 180 countries on the World Press Freedom Index 2020.  Though freedom of the press is not explicitly stated in the Constitution, the ambit of freedom of expression under Article 19 of the Constitution has been generally interpreted as having laid down the template for a free press in the country. These new guidelines, point out experts, carry the threat of coming in the way of the functioning of a free media.  A common tool used by powerful people trying to intimidate journalists or to block information from coming out is filing of defamation cases against journalists and media platforms. Now, defamation has been made one of the provisions that can lead to cancellation of accreditation. Besides, they carry the risk of delegitimising reports, especially of an investigative nature.  Any report critical of the Government could now be seen as prejudicial to the interests of the country and it will be left to the interpretation and discretion of the Central Media Accreditation Committee to read the guidelines and decide what is defamatory while denying accreditation to a journalist.  How do journalists get accredited?  A journalist with a minimum of five years as a full-time working journalist can apply for accreditation to the PIB, a process that is completed after a mandatory security check from the Ministry of Home Affairs.  Any journalist working with a newspaper which has a daily circulation of 10,000; news agencies with at least 100 subscribers and digital news platforms with 10 lakh unique visitors can apply.  How does Accreditation help? Accreditation helps in access to government offices and to special events and functions organised by the Government of India. Some Ministries like Home and Defence and Finance allow access only to accredited journalists.  In accredited journalist does not have to disclose who he or she intends to meet when entering offices of union ministries, as the accreditation card is “valid for entry into buildings under MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) security zone”. Accreditation brings certain benefits for the journalist and his or her family, like being included in the Central Government Health Scheme, and some concessions on railway tickets. Have there been attempts in the past to regulate the media?  The most infamous move to control the press before the advent of private news channels was by former PM Rajiv Gandhi when he proposed the Defamation Bill in 1988. Under pressure from a unified media and several sections of the public, the Bill was withdrawn.  Several attempts have been made by successive governments to keep the media in check by proposing guidelines more in the nature of censorship.  As recently as 2018, the PIB, which functions under the I&B; Ministry, had proposed a Fake News Guidelines under which accreditation could be cancelled if the journalist was seen as peddling content that was fake.  This was seen as a move by the Government to counter other independent media outlets who had called out the Government and the political leadership for putting out fake content. The order was withdrawn under pressure.  More recently the Government proposed a series of rules under the IT Act to check digital news content.  State Governments like Kerala and Rajasthan had come out with their own versions of proposed rules which were withdrawn under pressure and criticism.  Connecting the dots: Madras High Court Order on Tamil Nadu Press Council  Social Media Regulation On regulation of Digital media (Sudarshan TV Case) (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Q.1 Consider the following statements regarding LiDAR It is a remote sensing method that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure ranges & variable distances. This technology is used in Surveying, archaeology, geography. Which of the above is or are correct?  1 only  2 only  Both 1 and 2  Neither 1 nor 2  Q.2 Consider the following:  Defence Healthcare Delivery Purposes Agriculture Monitoring Which of the above is or are applications of drone technology correct?  1 and 2 only  2, 3 and 4 only  1 only All of the above Q.3 Which of the following country is not a part of Quad?  Australia USA India China ANSWERS FOR 9th Feb 2022 TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE (TYK) 1 C 2 D 3 D Must Read On reviving Kerala Developmental Model: The Hindu On Indian reaction to MNC Kashmir tweets: The Hindu On Hijab controversy: Indian Express

Feb 10, 2022 हिन्दी - Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC हिन्दी Quiz– 2021: IASbaba Daily Current Affairs Quiz 10th February 2022

For Previous Daily Quiz (ARCHIVES) - CLICK HERE करेंट अफेयर्स के प्रश्न 'द हिंदू', 'इंडियन एक्सप्रेस' और 'पीआईबी' जैसे स्रोतों पर आधारित होते हैं, जो यूपीएससी प्रारंभिक परीक्षा के लिए बहुत महत्वपूर्ण स्रोत हैं। प्रश्न अवधारणाओं और तथ्यों दोनों पर केंद्रित हैं। दोहराव से बचने के लिए यहां कवर किए गए विषय आम तौर पर 'दैनिक करंट अफेयर्स / डेली न्यूज एनालिसिस (डीएनए) और डेली स्टेटिक क्विज' के तहत कवर किए जा रहे विषयों से भिन्न होते हैं। प्रश्न सोमवार से शनिवार तक दोपहर 2 बजे से पहले प्रकाशित किए जाएंगे। इस कार्य में आपको 10 मिनट से ज्यादा नहीं देना है। इस कार्य के लिए तैयार हो जाएं और इस पहल का इष्टतम तरीके से उपयोग करें। याद रखें कि, "साधारण अभ्यर्थी और चयनित होने वाले अभ्यर्थी के बीच का अंतर केवल दैनक अभ्यास है !!" Important Note: Comment अनुभाग में अपने अंक पोस्ट करना न भूलें। साथ ही, हमें बताएं कि क्या आपको आज का टेस्ट अच्छा लगा । 5 प्रश्नों को पूरा करने के बाद, अपना स्कोर, समय और उत्तर देखने के लिए ‘View Questions’ पर क्लिक करें। उत्तर देखने के लिए, इन निर्देशों का पालन करें: 1 - 'स्टार्ट टेस्ट/ Start Test' बटन पर क्लिक करें प्रश्न हल करें 'टेस्ट सारांश/Test Summary'बटन पर क्लिक करें 'फिनिश टेस्ट/Finish Test'बटन पर क्लिक करें अब ‘View Questions’बटन पर क्लिक करें - यहां आपको उत्तर और लिंक दिखाई देंगे। To take the Test - Click Here