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DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 7th October 2021

Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) WHO recommends first anti-malarial vaccine Part of: Prelims and GS II - Health  Context The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended the widespread rollout of the first malaria vaccine. This could save tens of thousands of children’s lives each year across Africa. Key takeaways  After a successful pilot programme in three African countries the RTS,S vaccine will be made available more widely. The RTS,S vaccine, also known as Mosquirix, was developed by the British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), and has been administered to more than 800,000 children in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi since the pilot programme began in 2019. A study has also found that when young children were given both the RTS,S and antimalarial drugs there was a 70% reduction in hospitalisation or death. About Malaria  Malaria is a life threatening mosquito borne blood disease caused by plasmodium parasites.  It is predominantly found in the tropical and subtropical areas of Africa, South America as well as Asia. The parasites spread through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. There are 5 parasite species that cause malaria in humans. 2 of these species – Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax – pose the greatest threat. Symptoms: Fever and flu-like illness, including shaking chills, headache, muscle aches, and tiredness. It is preventable as well as curable. This disease causes hundreds of millions of infections each year, risking lives and livelihoods, trapping people in poverty. Status of India India is the only high endemic country which has reported a decline of 17.6% in 2019 as compared to 2018. India’s National Strategic Plan for Malaria Elimination shifted focus from Malaria control to elimination and provided a roadmap to end malaria in 571 districts out of India’s 678 districts by 2022. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has recently established ‘Malaria Elimination Research Alliance-India (MERA-India) which is a conglomeration of partners working on malaria control. Uttar Pradesh largest emitter of PM2.5: CEEW Part of: Prelims and GS III - Pollution  Context According to an analysis by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), Uttar Pradesh is the largest emitter of PM2.5, the class of particulate matter considered most harmful to health. Key takeaways  The high emissions from U.P. were largely due to a significant share of PM2.5 emissions from solid-fuel use in households and, by virtue of being India’s most populous State, it had a higher proportion of households relying on this form of fuel. Other top polluters: Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, and Rajasthan Common pollutants that were analysed: PM2.5, PM10, NOx (nitrous oxides), SO2 (sulphur dioxide), CO (carbon monoxide), NH3 (ammonia), and NMVOC (non-methane volatile organic compounds). Indian Government’s initiatives The Government of India has launched the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) in 2008 outlining eight National Missions on climate change. These include: National Solar Mission: To establish India as a global leader in solar energy by creating the policy conditions for its deployment across the country National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency: To promote the market for energy efficiency by fostering innovative policies and effective market instruments. National Mission on Sustainable Habitat: To promote understanding of climate change, its adaptation and mitigation, energy efficiency and natural resource conservation. National Water Mission: Conservation of water, minimizing wastage and ensuring its more equitable distribution National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem: To develop a sustainable National capacity to continuously assess the health status of the Himalayan Ecosystem National Mission for a Green India: Protecting; restoring and enhancing India's diminishing forest cover National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture: Enhancing agricultural productivity especially in rainfed areas focusing on integrated farming, water use efficiency, soil health management and synergizing resource conservation National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change: To build a vibrant and dynamic knowledge system that would inform and support national action for responding effectively to the objective of ecologically National Mission on Edible Oils-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) Part of: Prelims and GS - III - Food processing and related industries in India  Context Arunachal Pradesh has finalised the National Mission on Edible Oils-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) implementing it across 1.33 lakh hectares soon. Besides, Integrated oil palm development firm 3F Oil Palm plans to invest Rs. 1,750 crore in oil palm cultivation in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Oil palm area under cultivation in the two States would increase in the next five years by about 31 times to 62,000 hectares and employment opportunities would be created. What are the key features of the NMEO-OP Scheme?  Objective: To ensure self-sufficiency in edible oil production. Aim: To reduce import dependence from 60% to 45% by 2024-25, by increasing domestic edible oil production from 10.5 million tonnes to 18 million tonnes which is a 70% growth target.  Farmers will get all needed facilities, from quality seeds to technology.  Along with promoting the cultivation of oil palm, this mission will also expand the cultivation of our other traditional oilseed crops.  What is the need for such schemes?  India is the largest consumer of vegetable oil in the world.  India’s Palm oil imports are almost 60% of its total vegetable oil imports. Recently, India’s dependence on expensive imports has driven retail oil prices to new highs. In India, 94.1% of its palm oil is used in food products, especially for cooking. Thus, palm oil is extremely important to India’s edible oils economy. Top consumers: India, China, and the European Union (EU). Do you know?  The NMEO-OP’s predecessor was the National Mission on Oil Seeds and Oil Palm. Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network and its report Part of: Prelims and GS III - Conservation and Pollution related issues Context Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN) has released a report on the status of coral reefs across the world. The report, the first of its kind in 13 years, underlined the catastrophic consequences of global warming but said that some coral reefs can be saved by arresting greenhouse gases. Highlights of the report In the last decade, the world lost about 14 percent of its coral reefs. Threats: Ocean-acidification, warmer sea temperatures and local stressors such as overfishing, pollution, unsustainable tourism and poor coastal management. Impact of global warming: Coral reefs across the world are under relentless stress from warming caused by climate change. Coral bleaching events caused by rise in elevated sea surface temperatures (SST) were responsible for coral loss. Loss of hard coral cover: There has been a steady decrease in hard coral cover in the last four decades since 1978 when the world lost nine per cent of its corals. The decrease is disconcerting because live hard coral cover is an indicator of coral reef health. Algal bloom: Algal bloom on coral ridges are a sign of stress on the structures. Since 2010, the amount of algae on the world’s coral reefs has increased by about 20 per cent. Why should we conserve corals? Corals occupy less than one per cent of the ocean floor but over one billion people benefit directly from the reefs. The value of goods and services provided by coral reefs is estimated to be $2.7 trillion per year. This includes $36 billion in coral reef tourism. The net economic value of the world’s coral reefs could be nearly tens of billions of dollars per year. What is bleaching? Bleaching occurs when healthy corals become stressed by changes in ocean temperatures, causing them to expel algae living in their tissues which drains them of their vibrant colours. Bleaching was first seen on the reef in 1998 — at the time, the hottest year on record — but as temperature records continue to tumble its frequency has increased, giving coral less time to recover. Nobel Prize for Chemistry 2021 Part of: Prelims and GS III - Sci and tech Context Germany’s Benjamin List and U.S.-based David MacMillan won the Nobel Chemistry Prize for developing a tool to build molecules which has helped make chemistry more environmentally friendly. Key takeaways  Their tool, which they developed independently of each other in 2000, can be used to control and accelerate chemical reactions, exerting a big impact on drug research. Prior to their work, scientists believed there were only two types of catalysts — metals and enzymes. Catalysts are substances that control and accelerate chemical reactions, without becoming part of the final product. The new technique relies on small organic molecules and is called “asymmetric organocatalysis”. It is widely used in pharmaceuticals, allowing drug makers to streamline the production of medicines for depression and respiratory infections, among others. Organocatalysts allow several steps in a production process to be performed in an unbroken sequence, considerably reducing waste in chemical manufacturing. Hara Bhara campaign Part of: Prelims and GS III - Sci and Tech Context The Telangana government recently launched the drone-based afforestation project named ‘Hara Bhara’. About the campaign India’s first aerial seeding campaign by a Seedcopter drone at the KBR Park in Hyderabad was launched by Actor Rana Daggubati, who is the brand ambassador of the project. Aerial seeding is a technique of plantation wherein seed balls — seeds covered with a mixture of clay, compost, char and other components, are sprayed on the ground using aerial devices, including planes, helicopters or drones. These pellets will then sprout when there is enough rain, with the nutrients present within them helping in the initial growth. The state Department of Information technology, and Department of Forest have partnered with Marut Drones, a Hyderabad-based drone technology startup, for the first-of-its-kind project in India. This project uses drones to disperse seed balls prepared by the local women and welfare communities,  over thin, barren and empty forest lands to turn them into lush green abodes of trees.  Under rapid reforestation by drones, 50 lakh trees will be planted in about 12,000 hectares of land in forests across all the 33 districts in the state. The campaign is expected to accelerate the mission of Green Telangana under the ‘Haritha Haram’ programme. The process begins with a field survey and mapping of the terrain area to understand the ecosystem and demarcate the areas needing urgent attention. (News from PIB) PM MITRA Parks Part of: GS-Prelims and Mains GS-III: Indian Economy In News: Government has approved setting up of 7 Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) Parks with a total outlay of Rs. 4,445 crore in a period of 5 years. Will be developed by a Special Purpose Vehicle which will be owned by State Government and Government of India in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) Mode. World-class industrial infrastructure would attract cutting age technology and boost FDI and local investment in the sector Will offer an opportunity to create an integrated textiles value chain right from spinning, weaving, processing/dyeing and printing to garment manufacturing at 1 location Intended to generate ~1 lakh direct and 2 lakh indirect employment per park The Park will have –  Core Infrastructure: Incubation Centre & Plug & Play facility, Developed Factory Sites, Roads, Power, Water and Waste Water system, Common Processing House & CETP and other related facilities e.g. Design Centre, Testing Centres etc. Support Infrastructure: Workers’ hostels & housing, logistics park,  warehousing, medical, training & skill development facilities '5F' Formula encompasses - Farm to fibre; fibre to factory; factory to fashion; fashion to foreign News Source: PIB SVAMITVA scheme Part of: GS-Prelims The acronym SVAMITA stands for Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas.  It is a Central Sector Scheme (100% by Union Government) implemented by Union Ministry of Panchayat Raj It is aimed at “providing ‘record of rights’ to village household owners possessing houses in inhabited rural areas in villages and issuance of property cards to the property owners.” The government aims to provide such property cards to each household in the next three to four years in every village across the country. The plan is to survey all rural properties using drones and prepare GIS based maps for each village. News Source: PIB Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) Part of: GS-Prelims and Mains GS-II: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health In News: Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) has completed the target of opening of 8,300 Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Kendras (PMBJKs), thus achieving the target of FY 2021-22 in just 6 months. All the districts of the country have been covered under Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP).  Effective IT-enabled logistics and supply-chain systems for ensuring real-time distribution of medicines at all outlets have also been introduced. Product basket of PMBJP presently comprises 1,451 drugs and 240 surgical instruments. Further, new medicines and nutraceutical products like glucometer, protein powder, malt-based food supplements, protein bar, immunity bar, etc. have been launched. Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP)  It is being run by the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Government of India  Vision: To bring down the healthcare budget of every citizen of India through providing “Quality generic Medicines at Affordable Prices”. Pradhan Mantri Janaushadhi Kendra is a medical outlet opened under the scheme which makes quality medicines available at affordable prices for all. Janaushadhi Sugam a mobile application for Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) facilitates the public by providing a digital platform at the tip of their fingers. News Source: PIB (Mains Focus) INTERNATIONAL/ GOVERNANCE GS-2: Foreign Policy & International Relations A strategy for India in a world that is adrift Context: Today, we are neither in a bipolar Cold War nor in a multipolar world, though perhaps tending towards a world of several power centres.  The lack of a coherent international response to the COVID-19 pandemic is proof of an absence of international order and of the ineffectiveness of multilateral institutions. Changing Geopolitical Development Secular stagnation in the global and Indian economies  The regionalisation of trade Rise of China The geopolitical and economic centres of gravity have shifted from the Atlantic to Asia Structural China-United States strategic rivalry. Inequality between and within states has bred a narrow nationalism and parochialism.  Retreat from globalisation Emergence of new polarised information age Ecological crises and climate change as an existential threat.  Rise of China & its implication on India Over the next decade Asia will become the main platform for geopolitical rivalries. U.S. remains the most formidable power, though its relative power is declining. China sees a window of opportunity but acts in a hurry believing that window may close or is already closing due to pushback from the West and others.  China’s crowded geography constrains her both on land and at sea.  There is a slim prospect of Chinese hegemony in Asia with its expanding profile & power, particularly in our periphery.  The result is likely continued friction, some cooperation, and quasi-adversarial relations between India and China, which others will take advantage of.  As neighbours and in the present situation, a mix of confrontation and cooperation is likely to continue to mark India’s relations with China. Overall, we do not expect conventional conflict between the great powers in Asia, though other forms and levels of violence and contention in the international system will rise, with Taiwan a special case. Opportunities for India amidst this transformation Increasing security congruence with the U.S. could enable growing cooperation in fields significant for India’s transformation: energy, trade, investment, education and health.  Other areas in which India and the U.S. could increase cooperation are: climate change and energy, on tech solutions for renewable energy, and on digital cooperation.  Several middle powers are now India’s natural partners.  There is also an increasing possibility of working with partners in the developing world building broader coalitions on issues of common interest. This time of transition between orders is also when new standards and norms are being developed, particularly in the digital space. India can and must be present while devising these new norms. Way Forward for India Creation of a Maritime Commission, a Bay of Bengal Initiative with partner countries, to further cement India’s favourable position in maritime arena. Increasing what India does with South East Asia in maritime security, cybersecurity and counter-terrorism. India should aim for multipolarity in Asia. India’s foreign policy should be based on the core strategic principles in Non-Alignment 2.0 which are still relevant:  Independent judgement Developing our capacities Creating an equitable and enabling international order for India’s transformation. India has no choice but to engage with the uncertain and more volatile world. One productive way to do so would be through issue-based coalitions including different actors, depending on who has an interest and capability. Self-strengthening to reinvigorate India’s interests in neighbourhood The over securitisation of policy towards our neighbours has driven trade underground, criminalised our borders, and enabled large-scale entry of Chinese goods destroying local industry in the northeast.  While lessening dependence on China, and seeking external balancing, our primary effort has to concentrate on self-strengthening.  Globalisation has been central to India’s growth. Self-reliance in today’s world and technologies can only be realised if India is a part of the global economy. Connecting the dots: Non-Alignment Policy QUAD AUKUS SCIENCE & TECH GS-3: Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology. Deep Brain Stimulation Context: Physicians at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have successfully treated a patient with severe depression by recognising and tapping into the brain circuits linked with depressive brain patterns.  The physicians have tried to reset these patterns, which they have said is the equivalent of using a pacemaker for the heart. The doctors used an existing technique called deep brain stimulation (DBS), customising it for this patient’s case. What is deep brain stimulation (DBS)? DBS is a surgical procedure in which electrodes are implanted into certain brain areas.  These electrodes, or leads, generate electrical impulses that control abnormal brain activity. The electrical impulses can also adjust for the chemical imbalances within the brain that cause various conditions Traditional DBS has three components (refer above figure):  The electrode, or lead. This is a thin, insulated wire inserted through a small opening in the skull and implanted into a specific brain area. The extension wire. This too is insulated, and is passed under the skin of the head, neck and shoulder, connecting the electrode to the third component of the system. The internal pulse generator (IPG) is the third component. It is usually implanted under the skin in the upper chest. What diseases can be treated with DBS? Conditions that are traditionally treated using DBS include dystonia, epilepsy, essential tumour, obsessive-compulsive disorder and Parkinson’s disease.  In treating depression, however, previous clinical trials with DBS has shown limited success because most devices are only able to deliver constant electrical stimulation to one area of the brain. During the latest research & treatment, scientists customised a new DBS device, which would stimulate the brain whenever it recognised the depressive pattern.  Additionally, scientists had also found a neural biomarker that indicated the onset of symptoms. Using the customised DBS device, they were able to stimulate a different area of the brain, which in turn created immediate therapy for the brain. Connecting the dots: Brain Fingerprinting (AIR – Perspective) Sep 16 – Helping hand for Telecom - https://youtu.be/QQDo7LMUVMI  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 and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment. GS-3: Infrastructure: Telecommunications etc. Helping hand for Telecom Context: Indian telecom industry has grown exponentially over the last two decades. It has also gone through consolidation. However, increasing competition, costly spectrum and decline in revenue has hurt the industry. The government has tried it's best to bail it out. In its recent effort, the cabinet announced a number of decisions, which might help the industry to recover from its bad phase. In October 2019, the Supreme Court had ordered telecom operators to pay Rs 1.47 lakh crore to the Department of Telecommunications as pending AGR-dues However, in September 2020, the Supreme Court had granted 10 years to the telecom companies to clear their AGR dues of around Rs 1.47 lakh crore to the Centre. These AGR dues (along with disruption caused Jio’s entry) had impacted the cash flow of various telecos that had wider impact on the Telecom sector itself. There were fears about a duopoly emerging with just two major telecom players — Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio. However, the government was keen on ensuring that there were more players in the sector and customer retaining choices. Competition in the sector will always lead to better prices and better technology.  Decisions by Cabinet to provide Relief Four-year moratorium on payment of statutory dues by telecom companies, both AGR and spectrum charges  Simplified Definition of AGR: The definition of AGR has been rationalised by excluding non-telecom revenue of telecom companies on a prospective basis (from now onwards) Telecom operators are required to pay licence fees and spectrum charges in the form of ‘revenue share’ to the government The revenue amount used to calculate this revenue share is termed as Adjusted Gross Revenue or AGR Relaxation in FDI: 100 per cent FDI in telecom via the automatic route has been approved (earlier 49%) Charges Rationalised: The regime of heavy interest, penalty and interest on penalty on payment of licence fees, spectrum charges and all kinds of charges has been rationalised.  Reduced Interest: The Centre will do annual compounding of interest instead of the monthly compounding. The interest would be charged at a ‘reasonable’ rate of MCLR plus 2%. MCLR refers to the lowest lending rate banks are permitted to offer — the marginal cost of funds-based lending rate. Long periods of spectrum usage: Spectrum auctions will be held in the last quarter of every financial year. Spectrum auction will be done for 30 years, instead of 20 years. After completing 10-years lock-in period, the buyer will have the option to surrender by paying surrender charges.  Ease of doing business: Spectrum sharing has been completely allowed and made free. Also, shifting between prepaid, post-paid to not require fresh KYC Significance of the Decisions taken Relief to multiple Telecos: The package provides relief for debt-ridden Vodafone Idea which still owes roughly Rs 50,000 crore to the government as AGR dues. It also provides relief to Tata group (dues of Rs. 12,601 crores) and Aircel (Rs. 12,389 crores).  Relief for the cash-strapped telecom sector.: Moratorium on AGR dues provides an annual cash flow relief of around ₹14,000 crore for the industry while the moratorium on spectrum dues gives another ₹32,000 crore of annual cash flow relief as a whole. The reform package, therefore, provides telcos the flexibility to manage their cash flows better and boosts growth in the telecoms industry Safeguards Banking Health: Banking sector’s exposure to the telecom players is significant at over Rs 1 lakh crore. The telecom package comes as a relief to the banks as it prevents the possibility of default by vulnerable telecos (Vodafone). This would help in stabilising and reducing the non-performing assets in the sector.  Boost to Digital future: These fresh reforms will further boost telecos efforts to invest in future digital technologies and preparing the infrastructure for India’s digital economy. Measures such as streamlining of the auction calendar and removal of the spectrum usage charges (SUC) from auctions, too, are likely to bring down the dues outgo, while helping telcos plan their auction purchase. For the telcos to benefit from the reduced SUC, however, they will have to buy more spectrum in upcoming auctions. How far can the measures be expected to help save Vodafone Idea’s market? Although the government insists these measures would be for everyone, it is Vodafone Idea, with a net debt of close to Rs 1.9 lakh crore, that will benefit the most in the near future. The company, however, will need to raise adequate capital urgently, and go for a sizeable hike in 4G tariff for prepaid customers. Vodafone Idea will also have to fend off increased competition from Reliance Jio Infocomm and Bharti Airtel, which have more breathing space and manageable debt situation. The option of moratorium is open for all. While Vodafone Idea focuses on revival, which is a possibility now, Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel can go back to being more aggressive whether it is in terms of offering better network and services or extremely competitive tariffs and add-ons. How do the reforms impact the government’s finances? The government has insisted that since all the moratorium offerings are done with net present value protected, it will face some revenue loss in the next four financial years even if two of the three private players opt for it. For the current financial year, the government had estimated receipts of Rs 53,987 crore from spectrum usage charges, licence fee levies and other levies. The bulk of this, however, will have to be forgone for four financial years once the telcos opt for the moratorium. At the end of the moratorium period, the government will have to provide an option to the telecom player to pay the interest arising out of the deferment of payment by way of equity, and at the option of the government, to convert the due into equity. This will be a challenge for the government to offload the stake later if market conditions do not improve. Concerns Past Dues remain: The change in definition of AGR that will reduce the burden on telcos, applies only prospectively, so those past dues remain payable. Temporary Measure: While it provides time to put their house in order, the telcos’ overall liability does not come down and ultimately they will have to raise tariffs to generate sufficient cash flows. AGR dues will have to be paid with interest.  Unfulfilled Demands: A long-standing demand for the government’s intervention in setting telecom floor tariffs, as it has done in the civil aviation sector to protect competition, did not find a place in the relief package Can you answer the following question? How did the financial condition of the telcos deteriorate? Examine the Supreme Court verdict. (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Note: Correct answers of today’s questions will be provided in next day’s DNA section. Kindly refer to it and update your answers. Q.1 Mosquirix recently seen in news is associated with which of the following? Vaccine for Dengue Vaccine for Malaria Drug for treating symptoms of Rabies Genetic Engineering technique to change genes of mosquitoes Q.2 The PM MITRA Parks scheme is associated with which of the following? Medicinal equipment Textile Private mandis Foreign education  Q.3 Hara Bhara campaign has been launched by which of the following states? Telangana Uttar Pradesh  Madhya Pradesh  Punjab ANSWERS FOR 6th Oct 2021 TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE (TYK) 1 B 2 C 3 D Must Read On WTO Issues: The Hindu On Urbanisation Policy: Indian Express

UPSC हिन्दी Quiz– 2021: IASbaba Daily Current Affairs Quiz 7th October 2021

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

Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz – 2021 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz 7th October 2021

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

Topper's From IASbaba

[PRELIMS 2021] Stress on the D-Day of UPSC Prelims Exam? - TOPPERS TIPS

Dear Students IASbaba's Toppers Anirudh AIR 252, Bindumani AIR 468 and Mohan Sir, in this video, have discussed 'How to handle Stress on the Day of the Exam' and 'Do’s & Don’ts in the UPSC Prelims Preparation.' .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } It’s finally, You that is going to help yourself!! Believe in yourself. Stay calm. The rest will flow as you always wanted. You will do well. All The Best Team IASbaba

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 6th October 2021

Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) Ayushman Bharat Revised Part of: Prelims and GS II - Health  Context The National Health Authority (NHA) has revised the Health Benefit Package (HBP) Master under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) scheme. Health Benefit Package (HBP 2.2) Rates of some packages have been increased by 20% to 400%.  Rates of around 400 procedures have been revised  Oone new additional medical management package related to black fungus has also been added. The revised packages for oncology will enhance cancer care for the beneficiaries in the country. Benefit: The rationalised HBP will further improve the uptake of schemes in private hospitals leading to reduced out-of-pocket expenditure. What is National Health Authority (NHA)? NHA has been set-up to implement PM-JAY.  Ministry: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare  It has full functional autonomy. NHA is governed by a Governing Board chaired by the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare.  It is headed by a Chief Executive Officer (CEO), an officer of the rank of Secretary to the Government of India, who manages its affairs.  The CEO is the Ex-Office Member Secretary of the Governing Board. About Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY)  This scheme is a Centrally sponsored scheme with some Central sector components. PMJAY offers a sum insured of 5 lakh per family for secondary care (which doesn’t involve a super specialist) as well as tertiary care.  For the beneficiaries, this is a free scheme. It is an entitlement-based scheme that targets the beneficiaries as identified by latest Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) data The insurance cost is shared by the centre and the state mostly in the ratio of 60:40. Interpol launches online Cybersecurity campaign Part of: Prelims and GS - III - Cybersecurity  Context The Interpol has launched an online campaign to inform people of major cyberthreats to help them protect their computer systems, networks and personal information from cybercriminals.  The three-week campaign, from October 4 to 22, would be run primarily through social media. What is Interpol? INTERPOL Notices are international requests for cooperation or alerts allowing police in member countries to share critical crime-related information. The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) is an intergovernmental organization that helps coordinate the police force of 194 member countries. Each of the member countries hosts an INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB). The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is designated as the National Central Bureau of India. It is headquartered in Lyon, France Sovereign Credit Rating Part of: Prelims and GS III - Economy Context Rating agency Moody’s Investors Service has upgraded India’s sovereign rating outlook to ‘stable’ from ‘negative’, citing an decrease of risks from COVID-19. It retained India’s rating at Baa3, reflecting the lowest investment grade rating. Moody’s considers a Baa3 or higher rating to be of investment grade, and a rating of Ba1 and below is speculative. It expects 2021-22 to record 9.3% growth in GDP, followed by 7.9% next year. The growth projections take into account structural challenges, including weak infrastructure, rigidities in labour, land and product markets that continue to constrain private investment and contribute to post-pandemic economic scarring. Sovereign Credit Rating: A sovereign credit rating is an independent assessment of the creditworthiness of a country or sovereign entity. It can give investors insights into the level of risk associated with investing in the debt of a particular country, including any political risk. Another common motivation for countries to obtain a sovereign credit rating is to attract foreign direct investment (FDI). The Economic Survey 2020-21 has called for sovereign credit ratings methodology to be made more transparent, less subjective and better attuned to reflect an economy’s fundamentals. In India, there are six credit rating agencies registered under Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) namely, CRISIL, ICRA, CARE, SMERA, Fitch India and Brickwork Ratings. India’s present scenario India has a higher debt burden and weaker debt affordability. However, India’s narrower current account deficits and historically high foreign exchange reserves have reduced the country’s vulnerabilities to external shocks. Physics Nobel Prize 2021 Part of: Prelims and GS III - Sci and Tech Context U.S.-Japanese scientist Syukuro Manabe, Klaus Hasselmann of Germany, and Giorgio Parisi of Italy won the Nobel Physics Prize for climate models and the understanding of physical systems. Commendable work of the scientists Working in the 1960s, Dr. Manabe showed how levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere corresponded to increased earth surface temperatures.  He was influential in developing the physical models of earth’s climate and worked on how exactly the heat energy received by earth from the sun radiates back into the atmosphere. Dr. Hasselmann was credited for working out how climate models can remain reliable despite sometimes chaotic variation in weather trends.  The Committee praised his identification of climate “fingerprints” caused by both natural and human activities and how much climate change can be attributed solely to man-made emissions. Dr. Parisi was honoured for his work in the 1980s that was said by the committee to be “among the most important contributions” to the theory of complex systems.  His work made it possible for physicists to understand apparently entirely random materials, with wide-ranging applications including mathematics, biology, and machine learning. The Draft Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Amendment Rules, 2021 Part of: Prelims and GS III - Infrastructure  Context The Draft Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Amendment Rules, 2021 were recently published. Overview of the new rules Distribution licensees should ensure 24×7 uninterrupted power supply to all consumers so that there is no requirement of running Diesel Generating (DG) sets. The electricity regulatory commission could consider a separate reliability charge for the distribution company, if it required funds for investment in infrastructure. The state electricity regulatory commission should also make a provision of penalty in case the standards laid down are not met by the distribution company. Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020 These rules serve to “empower” consumers with rights that would allow them to access continuous supply of quality, reliable electricity. The areas covered under the rules include metering arrangement; billing and payment; reliability of supply, etc. Key Provisions States will have to implement these rules and discoms will be held more accountable for issues like delays in providing and renewing connections of electricity. They are also obligated to provide round-the-clock electricity to consumers, as per the Ministry of Power. To ensure compliance, the government will apply penalties that will be credited to the consumer’s account. There are certain exceptions to these rules, especially where use for agricultural purposes is concerned. Do you know? Electricity is a Concurrent List (Seventh Schedule) subject and the central government has the authority and the power to make laws on it. (News from PIB) Mihidana Part of: GS-Prelims In News: In an effort to promote indigenous & Geographical Identification (GI) tagged products, first consignment of GI tagged sweet dish Mihidana sourced from Bardhaman, West Bengal has been exported to the Kingdom of Bahrain. Jaynagarer Moa: A century old sweet delicacy & GI certified - Jaynagarer Moa, prepared from popped-rice ball & fresh date-palm jaggery, in found in Jaynagar, West Bengal too. West Bengal’s Bardhaman got the GI tag for the century-old sweetmeats in 2017. What is GI tag?  A GI tag is a sign denoting a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.  GI, a form of intellectual property right (IPR), is distinct from other forms of IPR, as it ascribes the exclusivity to the community in a defined geography, rather than to an individual, as is in the case of trademarks and patents. A GI tag can be issued for agricultural, natural or manufactured goods that have a unique quality, reputation or other characteristics attributable to its geographical origin.  Darjeeling tea, Basmati rice, Kanchipuram Silk, Mysore Silk, Hyderabadi haleem, Nagaland chilli products, etc, sold with the GI tag have premium pricing. News Source: PIB Giloy Part of: GS-Prelims In News: Ministry of Ayush has confirmed that Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia) is safe to use. Guduchi is a popularly known herb, familiar as Giloy and is being used in therapeutics since long in AYUSH systems.  It has proper pharmacopoeia standards in place of established safety of hepato-protective properties. News Source: PIB State of the World’s Children Report: UNICEF Part of: GS-Prelims Context: The UNICEF report ‘The State of the World’s Children 2021; On My Mind: promoting, protecting and caring for children’s mental health’ details the significant impact of COVID-19 pandemic on children’s mental health. Around 14 percent of 15 to 24-year-olds in India, or 1 in 7, reported often feeling depressed or having little interest in doing things.  Almost 46,000 adolescents die from suicide each year, among the top five causes of death for their age group.  More than 1.6 billion children have suffered some loss of education. Meanwhile, wide gaps persist between mental health needs and mental health funding. The report finds that about 2 per cent of government health budgets are allocated to mental health spending globally. Way Forward: It calls for commitment, communication and action as part of a comprehensive approach to promote good mental health for every child, protect vulnerable children and care for children facing the greatest challenges. Urgent investment in child and adolescent mental health across sectors, not just in health, to support a whole-of-society approach to prevention, promotion and care. Integrating and scaling up evidence-based interventions across health, education and social protection sectors - including parenting programmes that promote responsive, nurturing caregiving and support parent and caregiver mental health; and ensuring schools support mental health through quality services and positive relationships. Breaking the silence surrounding mental illness, through addressing stigma and promoting better understanding of mental health and taking seriously the experiences of children and young people. News Source: PIB Industrial Park Rating System Report 2.0 Part of: GS-Prelims and Mains GS-III: Economy In News: 41 Industrial Parks have been assessed as "Leaders" in the Industrial Park Ratings System Report released by DPIIT.  90 Industrial Parks have been rated as under Challenger category while 185 have been rated as under "Aspirers".  These ratings are assigned on the basis of key existing parameters and infrastructure facilities etc. About 98% of these parks are from western (Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat) and northern (Uttarakhand) regions. With this system (GIS-enabled database), the investors can even remotely refer to this report to identify the suitable investable land area, as per the various parameters of infrastructure, connectivity, business support services and environment and safety standards and make informed investment decisions. The GIS-enabled IILB acts as a one-stop source of information on Industrial Infrastructure. The IPRS pilot exercise was launched in 2018, with an objective of enhancing industrial infrastructure competitiveness and supporting policy development for enabling industrialization across the country as the Government pushes ahead a high-growth trajectory with an aim to scale the $5 trillion mark for the Indian economy by 2025. News Source: PIB (Mains Focus) ENVIRONMENT/ GOVERNANCE GS-3: Environmental Conservation GS-2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation First Nobel for Climate Science Context: Syukuro Manabe and Richard Wetherald way back in 1967, for the first time, in their published papers had described the impact of carbon dioxide and water vapour on global warming. Manabe, now 90, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. He shared one half of the prize with Klaus Hasselmann, another climate scientist, while the other half went to Georgio Parisi for his contributions in advancing the understanding of complex systems .  First recognition This is the first time climate scientists have been awarded the Physics Nobel.  The IPCC had won the Peace Nobel in 2007, an acknowledgement of its efforts in creating awareness for the fight against climate change, while a Chemistry Nobel to Paul Crutzen in 1995, for his work on the ozone layer, is considered the only other time someone from atmospheric sciences has won this honour. The recognition of Manabe and Hasselmann, therefore, is being seen as an acknowledgment of the importance that climate science holds in today’s world. Manabe’s Work The sophisticated climate models that we run today, which are so crucial to climate science, trace their ancestry to that model created by Manabe. Manabe was also instrumental in developing the first coupled model, in which ocean and atmospheric interactions are modelled together, in the 1970s.  Hasselmann’s Work Hasselmann, a German, who is now 90, is an oceanographer who ventured into climate science. He is best known for his work on identifying specific signatures in the climate phenomena that enabled scientists to ascertain whether these were caused by natural processes or human activities. In the 1990s, and even in the early 2000s, there was a lot of debate over the cause of global warming – whether these were being driven by human activities, or were part of natural variability.  Hasselmann’s work on identifying these fingerprints has all but closed that debate now. IPCC’s sixth assessment report which came out in 2021 is unequivocal in saying that climate change is occurring because of human activities. Manabe and Hasselmann too have been authors of previous IPCC reports. Both of them contributed to the first and third assessment reports, while Hasselmann was an author in the second assessment report as well. Significance of this Nobel Prize  Several scientists said that the delayed recognition to climate science couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time. This Nobel Prize will, hopefully, also help in more people believing in climate science Until very recently, climate science was not considered important even in scientific circles. Perhaps that was because the weather forecasts were not very accurate. Not everyone appreciated the fact that this science itself was uncertain and chaotic.  But that perception is changing now. Weather forecasts have become far more accurate, the evidence on climate change have been compelling, due to the works of various scientists like Manabe and Hasselmann. This Nobel Prize would probably help in further mainstreaming of climate science. Connecting the dots: Sixth IPCC Report Nobel Prize for Medicine ECONOMY/ GOVERNANCE GS-3: Indian Economy & its challenges GS-2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Coal Crisis Context: India’s thermal power plants are facing a severe coal shortage, with coal stocks having come down to an average of four days of fuel across an increasing number of thermal stations. On October 4, 16 thermal power plants with a power generation capacity of 17,475 MW (mega watts) had zero days of coal stock.  An additional 45 thermal power plants with a power generation capacity of 59,790 MW had coal stock only sufficient for up to two days of generation. In total, plants with a power generation capacity of 132 Gigawatts (1GW is 1,000 MW) of the 165 GW of capacity monitored daily, had critical or super critical levels of coal stock. The shortage of coal is more acute in non-pithead plants or plants which are not located close to coal mines with such plants accounting for 98 of the 108 plants seen to have critical levels of stock i.e under eight days.  India’s coal fired thermal power plants account for 208.8 GW or 54 per cent of India’s 388 GW installed generation capacity. Government has said that while the supply crunch has not yet led to any power cuts in the country, the coal supply situation is likely to be “uncomfortable” for up to six months. What is the reason behind India’s coal shortage? A sharp uptick in power demand as the economy recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic coupled with supply issues have led to the current coal shortage.  India consumed 124 billion units of power in August 2021 compared to 106 billion units of power in August 2019 which was not impacted by the pandemic. Coal fired thermal power plants have also supplied a higher proportion of the increase in demand leading the share of thermal power in India’s power mix increasing to 66.4% from 61.9% in 2019. The government has connected an additional 28.2 million households and these households are buying lights, fans and television sets leading to an increase in power demand. Other key reasons for the supply crunch include continuous rainfall in coal bearing areas in August and September led to lower production and fewer despatches of coal from coal mines.  A consistent move to lower imports coupled with high international prices of coal have also led to plants cutting imports. What measures is the government taking to address the situation? An inter-ministerial team, including representatives of the Power and Railway Ministries, Coal India Ltd, the Central Electricity Authority and Power System Operation Corporation, is monitoring the supply of coal to thermal power plants. The government is pressing thermal plants with captive coal mines to boost their coal output so that they can meet more of their own demand  Government is also prioritising coal supplies for thermal power plants with low levels of stock.  The Power Ministry is also trying to increase the supply of coal by expediting the start of production from a number of mines that already have all requisite clearances in place. The government has also boosted the number of rakes of coal being transported to thermal power plants daily with 263 rakes of coal dispatched from coal mines up from 248 rakes.  Connecting the dots: Reforms in Coal Sector Commercial Coal Mining (AIR – Spotlight News Analysis) Oct 2 – Reimagining Disaster Management - https://youtu.be/m9_ex-aiMBY  TOPIC: GOVERNANCE: GS-I: Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, cyclone  GS-II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors  GS-III: Disaster and disaster management. Reimagining Disaster Management Introduction “It is not the disaster, but the lack of preparedness to disaster that kills”. Former President of United States of America Mr. Barak Obama had said, “When disaster strikes, it tears the curtain away from the festering problems that we have beneath them.” The quote seems to be true when we see various pitiable scenes in the aftermath of disasters in India. Animals getting washed away in floods, trees and electric poles getting uprooted by cyclonic winds, houses crashing down like the pack of cards in wake of earthquakes, etc, have become a second nature in India. All these harrowing state of affairs in India after such disasters only indicate that, lack of preparedness is the main culprit behind the huge loss of life and property here. And India’s obsolete strategy of disaster management, which is concerned with the post disaster awakening doesn’t seem to be suitable in the 21st century; where people are even competing with the nature to unleash severe disasters. What do we mean by Disaster Preparedness? Disaster preparedness refers to measures taken to prepare for and reduce the effects of disasters. India is one of the most disaster-prone country as per the latest UNISDR report. Disaster preparedness is vital in this context to minimise the vulnerability and effective response. Components of disaster preparedness: Disaster mapping: Listing potential emergencies and ranking them in regards to importance and likelihood is essential to knowing what to do and what resources to invest. E.g. map of earthquake based on intensity would help plan building earthquake resilient buildings like in Japan. Clear communication: Between the different stakeholders inside and outside the organization. Communication infrastructure should be built in a way to withhold the disaster impact. E.g. DISNIC project with communication network between various stakeholders like NDMA, district administration, home ministry etc., Comprehensive training: for the staff to handle disaster as well as to include community explaining the preparedness, mitigation measures as well as response. This also include building a team with dedicated roles.  Knowledge of assets: specially the healthcare and communication infrastructure to make the disaster response resilient to disaster impact.  Technology fail-safes and protocol: maintaining the physical space, access to files and software systems. For e.g. maintenance of health records in cloud. Emergency plan and beforehand communication to the community and the relevant stakeholders. Also, the critical information and plans should be effectively communicated in time to avert disaster loss. E.g. clear communication and evacuation in time saved the lives during Odisha cyclone few years back. Testing the plan: Lectures and response session, mock drills will help in proper implementation of procedures designed. Humanitarian agencies connection: humanitarian agencies are often called upon to deal with immediate response and recovery. To be able to respond effectively, these agencies must have experienced leaders, trained personnel, adequate transport and logistic support, appropriate communications, and guidelines for working in emergencies. E.g.  Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, Doctors Without Borders etc., The Way Forward “Information is power” and it is a catalyst to sustainable development. The role of information and communication in emergency situations and can play important role at different levels based on different needs. More solutions need to be developed to help organizations create and manage response resources and infrastructure between disasters. Further, India should, sensitize the common people about the disaster risks present around their locality, educate them about the steps that have to be taken to save the lives and properties, and motivate them to help the community in relief and rehabilitation programs. This can relieve the army and police forces from disaster relief works to a large extent. Ex: Establishment of Disaster Management Units in every locality, conducting drills, awareness campaigns, and Nukkad Nataks on disaster mitigation, etc. Mitigating Public Health Disasters: It is important for implementing the SDGs, including the pathway to Universal Health Coverage and target 3d to “strengthen the capacity of all countries, in particular developing countries, for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks. J C Pant committee on disaster management highlighted on setting up an institution that deals with the disaster mitigation strategies. Hence, the National Institute of Disaster Management was set up. However, lack of funds and faculties has made NIDM a toothless tiger. So, enough funds and functionaries have to be provided to the institute; and it has to be encouraged to come up with robust vulnerability maps and the Disaster risk atlas of India. Further, the prediction mechanism of disaster has to be strengthened by instilling state of the art seismic prediction and weather forecasting paraphernalia. So that, the pre-disaster golden time can be extended for carrying out better evacuation works. Ex: VSAT technology for disaster warning dissemination systems, Area Cyclone Warning Centres embedded with the Artificial intelligence to forecast cyclones, Flood Forecasting Networks with satellite based sensors, etc. Case Studies: Some of the latest innovations that have been implemented in India include Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (RIMES), “SATARK” (System for Assessing, Tracking and Alerting Disaster Risk Information based on Dynamic Risk Knowledge), etc. Long-term measures: Along with this, India should take up some of the long term preventive measures, so that the infrastructure, economy, and the people of India develop resistance and resilience towards the oncoming disasters. Ex:  Earthquake resilient constructions, Cyclone resistant shelters, Disaster proof schooling programme, fool proof underground electricity infrastructure, etc. Disaster Resilience Challenges can be held periodically, to crowd source the disaster resilience inventions and discoveries. The goal of emergency preparedness programs is to achieve a satisfactory level of readiness to respond to any emergency situation through programs that strengthen the technical and managerial capacity of governments, organizations, and communities.  As said by Ian Davis “Disaster mitigation… increases the self-reliance of people who are at risk – in other words, it is empowering.” Thus, the prevention and mitigation strategy for disaster not only saves lives and properties to a great extent; but also empowers the people from the grass roots to develop the confidence and courage to fight the risks on their own, rather than relying on the government like passive beneficiaries. Thus, disaster preparedness is one of the most vital component in disaster management. Must Read:  Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction Standard operating procedure (SOP) for addressing the outbreak of epidemics (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Note: Correct answers of today’s questions will be provided in next day’s DNA section. Kindly refer to it and update your answers. Q.1 What does the red notice of Interpol denote? Missing persons Wanted persons Imminent threat Groups and individuals subject to UNSC sanctions Q.2 Consider the following statements regarding National Health Authority (NHA)? It has full functional autonomy. NHA is governed by a Governing Board chaired by the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare. Which of the above is or are correct?  1 only  2 only  Both 1 and 2  Neither 1 nor 2  Q.3 This year Nobel Prize Physics 2021 is awarded for which of the following? discovery of a supermassive compact object at the centre of the Milky Way Galaxy theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter contributions to the field of optics climate models and the understanding of physical systems. ANSWERS FOR 5th Oct 2021 TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE (TYK) 1 C 2 C 3 A Must Read On Microfinance: The Hindu On Refugee Law: Indian Express On Digital Health ID: Indian Express

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[NEW BATCH] Sociology Optional – Foundation Course 2022 by Dr. Vamshi Krishna Sir

After many requests for the Sociology optional Foundation Course due to limited intake of the first batch, we are starting the second batch of Sociology Foundation Course with a limited intake of 100 students. It will be based on first-cum first-serve basis. Features of the Programme Classes – Comprehensive coverage of the syllabus including the complete dynamic syllabus of Paper-2 through customized and readily accessible videos. Live and regular doubt clearing sessions. Personalized online dashboard for every student with access till Mains exam of 2022. Most comprehensive answer writing program which includes 15 sectional & 15 grand tests with synopsis, evaluation, feedback & video analysis Topic-wise class Notes in easy to understand format sourced from standard books (not guides) Incorporation of solved PYQ’S at the end of each topic Individual mentorship Total number of teaching hours: 200 hours. VAN 2.0-sociological analysis of current events (concept & application), additional concepts, easy revision mind maps, data sets for answer enrichment. New Feature: In the quest of improving the comprehensive nature of the course, we have added one more feature which is announced by Dr. Vamshi Krishna Sir in the introduction video. Watch the video for details.The New Batch Starts from 18th October. Faculty Profile Dr.Vamshi Krishna NC (BDS, M.A. in Sociology) is today a known name in Sociology optional preparation especially known for tackling dynamic portions of paper-2 and has been one of the highest scorers in UPSC CSE Sociology(2014, 2015) thus well versed with the new format and its complexities. He is also an avid contributor for Sociology research papers on Academia and Research Gate website well known amongst the research community. Download Schedule - CLICK HERE To Enroll - CLICK HERE For More Details about the Sociology Optional – Foundation Course – CLICK HERE sociology@iasbaba.com and 6366456458/8429688885

UPSC हिन्दी Quiz– 2021: IASbaba Daily Current Affairs Quiz 6th October 2021

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

Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz – 2021 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz 6th October 2021

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

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[VIDEO] TOPPER’S STRATEGY- RANK 62 APARNA M B UPSC CSE 2020 TOPPER, IASbaba’s TLP PLUS Student!

Hello Everyone, UPSC Topper 2020, APARNA M B Rank 62, IASbaba’s Regular Follower, THINK LEARN PERFORM (TLP) PLUS Student, and Interview Mentorship Program (IMP) shares her preparation strategy with Mohan Sir. She has cracked UPSC Civil Services in her 3rd attempt, after quitting a well-paying job in Bengaluru. In her first two attempts, she couldn't clear her prelims being a working professional and in her 3rd attempt, she was able to clear all three stages and secure Rank 62 with Economics Optional. We recommend every sincere and serious aspirant to watch this video to know how to tackle the UPSC exam. In the VIDEO, Aparna has discussed- Important Timelines: 00:30 Introduction 01:32 UPSC Journey - Mistakes & Learnings from the Previous Attempts 04:09 Strategy for Working Professionals 07:51 Challenges Faced by Working Professionals 10:03 Time Management 11:53 Daily How many Hours did You Study Per-Day? 13:36 How to Revise? 15:39 Current Affairs Strategy 16:20 IASbaba’s Daily Quiz 17:35 Essay Strategy 22:09 Role of Mentor in Answer Writing 24:29 How to Brainstorm for an Essay? 28:37 Essay Paper - Time Management 29:59 Prelims Strategy 30:48 Prelims Strategy for Last Few Days 34:23 Mains Strategy 35:06 IASbaba’s TLP - Mains Answer Writing Platform 35:38 Answer Writing Strategy 36:48 Strategy for Personality Test 37:18 IASbaba’s IMP 37:58 Optional Strategy & How to choose an Optional? 39:46 Economics Optional Sources 41:25 Role of IASbaba in My Success 41:34 IASbaba’s 60 Day Plan 41:59 IASbaba’s TLP+ 42:51 Do's & Don'ts in UPSC Journey Kudos and Salute to her consistent efforts, determination, and hard work which has helped her to achieve Rank 62. Standing true to its Tagline – One Stop Destination for UPSC/IAS Preparation!! IASbaba has proved time and again how it has played a crucial role in helping one reach the destination. We will soon launch TLP CONNECT and TLP PLUS - Mains Test Series with Mentorship for UPSC 2022. 125+ Ranks UPSC CSE 2020 Topper’s from IASbaba (20 in Top 100) - CLICK HERE For Enquiries: EMAIL ID: support@iasbaba.com CONTACT NO: 9169191888 (10 AM – 6 PM) Please do not make calls before or after the given timing.  

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 5th October 2021

Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) Government proposes changes to Forest Act Part of: Prelims and GS II - Policies and interventions and GS-III - Environment  Context The Union Government has proposed exempting agencies which are involved in national security projects and border infrastructure projects from obtaining prior forest clearance from the Centre. This proposal is a part of amendments to the existing Forest Conservation Act (FCA). The document is open to public discussion for 15 days after which it could be readied for Cabinet and parliamentary approval. The FCA, which first came in 1980 and was amended in 1988, requires such permission. What are the recent proposals? To exempt land acquired before 1980 by public sector bodies such as the Railways. As of today, a landholding agency (Rail, NHAI, PWD, etc.) is required to take approval under the Act and pay stipulated compensatory levies such as Net Present Value (NPV), Compensatory Afforestation (CA), etc. for use of such land which was originally been acquired for non-forest purposes. To make offences under the modified Act punishable with simple imprisonment for a period which may extend to one year and make it cognisable and non-bailable.  Provisions for penal compensation to make good for the damage already done.  Removing zoos, safaris, Forest Training infrastructures from the definition of “non-forestry” activities. What is Forest Conservation Act (FCA)? The Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980 (FCA, 1980) ensures conservation of forest and its resources. It was enacted to control the ongoing deforestation of the forests of India.  It came into force on October 25, 1980 containing five sections. The Act restricts the state government and other authorities to take decisions first without permission from the central government. It gives complete authority to the Central government to carry out the objectives of the act. The Act levies penalties in case of violations of the provisions of FCA. It will have an advisory committee which will help the Central government with regard to forest conservation. National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) & COVID Compensation Part of: Prelims and GS III - Disaster management  Context The Supreme Court has said that State Governments should not deny the ex gratia compensation of Rs. 50,000 to the families of persons who died of COVID-19 merely on the grounds that their death certificates did not show the virus as the cause of death. The Bench approved the guidelines proposed by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) under the Disaster Management Act for grant of ex gratia to the kin of people who died of COVID-19. What is The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)?  NDMA is the apex statutory body for disaster management in India. The NDMA was formally constituted on 27th September 2006, in accordance with the Disaster Management Act, 2005 Composition: Prime Minister as its Chairperson and nine other members, and one such member to be designated as Vice-Chairperson. Mandate: Its primary purpose is to coordinate response to natural or man-made disasters and for capacity-building in disaster resiliency and crisis response.  It is also the apex body to lay down policies, plans and guidelines for Disaster Management to ensure timely and effective response to disasters. Vision: To build a safer and disaster resilient India by a holistic, proactive, technology driven and sustainable development strategy that involves all stakeholders and fosters a culture of prevention, preparedness and mitigation. Nobel Medicine Prize for work on Temperature and Touch Part of: Prelims and GS - III - Sci and tech  Context U.S. scientists David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian have won the Nobel Medicine Prize for discoveries on receptors for temperature and touch. The groundbreaking discoveries have allowed us to understand how heat, cold and mechanical force can initiate the nerve impulses that allow us to perceive and adapt to the world. The pair’s research is being used to develop treatments for a wide range of diseases and conditions, including chronic pain. Do you know? Mr. Julius was recognised for his research using capsaicin — a compound from chili peppers that induces a burning sensation — to identify which nerve sensors in the skin respond to heat. Ex Milan: Indian Navy’s largest exercise Part of: Prelims and GS III - Defence and security  Context India is set to host its largest naval exercise, Ex Milan, early next year for which 46 countries have been invited. The exercise will see the participation of all Quad countries with the U.S. being invited for the first time. Milan, which began in 1995, is held biennially and brings together Navies of all the countries in the region. It has so far been held at Port Blair but is now being shifted to Visakhapatnam which offers more space and infrastructure The invitees include all Indian Ocean littoral states and countries from South East Asia Langa-Manganiyar heritage Part of: Prelims and GS I - Art and culture  Context The ballads, folklore and songs of the Langa-Manganiyar artistes are being preserved through an initiative for documentation and digitisation.  The project is aimed at saving the rapidly disappearing narrative traditions of these communities. The Jodhpur-based Rupayan Sansthan has extended support to the initiatives taken by the Archives and Research Centre for Ethnomusicology at the American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS) in the research project. Who are Langas and Manganiyars? The Langas and Manganiyars are hereditary communities of Muslim musicians residing mostly in western Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer and Barmer districts and in Pakistan’s Tharparkar and Sanghar districts in Sindh.  The iconic and internationally acclaimed folk artistes have, been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Apart from the pandemic, this vital heritage is also facing a threat from changes in patronage and increased urbanisation in these districts. The music of the two marginalised communities, who were supported by wealthy landlords and merchants before Independence, forms a vital part of Thar desert’s cultural landscape.  Brahmaputra heritage centre Part of: Prelims and GS I - Art and culture  The Brahmaputra River Heritage Centre has been set up in a nearly 150-year-old bungalow in Guwahati, Assam. The bungalow used to be the 17th century military office of the Ahom rulers. It was called Barphukanar Tila, meaning Barphukan’s Hillock. Barpukhan was a post equivalent to Governor General created by Ahom king Pratap Simha or Susengpha (1603-1641). The hillock by the Brahmaputra, mentioned in ancient scriptures as Mandrachal, was from where Ahom General Lachit Barpukhan launched the Battle of Saraighat in March 1671 to inflict the most crushing defeat on the Mughals. Saraighat is regarded as the “greatest naval battle ever fought in a river”. Miscellaneous Gaming Disorder & International Classification of Diseases (ICD) Gaming disorder has now been defined in the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11)  It is defined as a pattern of gaming behaviour (“digital-gaming” or “video-gaming”) characterized by impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences. The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) released by World Health Organisation (WHO) is the basis for identification of health trends and statistics globally and the international standard for reporting diseases and health conditions. It is used by medical practitioners around the world to diagnose conditions and by researchers to categorize conditions. The inclusion of a disorder in ICD is a consideration which countries take into account when planning public health strategies and monitoring trends of disorders. (News from PIB) World Animal Day: Celebrated every year on 4 October internationally, on the feast day of Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals, to educate humans about how their actions impact animals and create awareness about the protection of animals all over the world.  The first celebration of World Animal Day was observed in March, 1925. Madrid Protocol & Antarctic Treaty Part of: Mains GS-III: Environment and Conservation Context: India at International Conference commemorating the signing of the Madrid Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty Committed to curtail carbon emissions in the Antarctic atmosphere Has already adopted the green energy initiative by experimenting with the feasibility of wind energy production and installed moderate output of Wind Energy Generators (WEG) on an experimental basis.  The choice of Combined Heat and Power (CHP) for Bharati station to reduce carbon emissions in the Antarctic also promotes India's pledge to protect the environment. India reaffirms its commitment to the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty and at this moment claims to: Implement all Decisions, Resolutions and Measures adopted at ATCM in the Indian Antarctic programme effectively. Use green alternate energy system in both the Indian Antarctic research stations; Maitri and Bharati like solar panels and wind energy generators so compromising use of fossil fuel gradually and make station efficient with alternate green energy. Reduce carbon footprints by using vehicles and machinery only when required at the most Use shared supply ship to deliver human resources, materials and machines to Antarctica Control the introduction of non-native species into Antarctica by any means or through vector transfer. India and Antarctic Treaty India signed the Antarctic Treaty on 19th August 1983 and soon thereafter received consultative status on 12th September 1983.  The Madrid Protocol was signed by India which came into force on 14th January, 1998.  India is one of the 29 Consultative Parties to the Antarctic Treaty.  India is also a member of Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programme (COMNAP) and Scientific Committee of Antarctica Research (SCAR). All these representations show the significant position that India holds among the nations involved in Antarctic research. The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty was signed in Madrid on October 4, 1991 and entered into force in 1998. It designates Antarctica as a “natural reserve, devoted to peace and science”. India in Antarctica India has two active research stations; Maitri (commissioned in 1989) at Schirmacher Hills, and Bharati (commissioned in 2012) at Larsemann Hills in Antarctica.  India has successfully launched 40 annual scientific expeditions to Antarctica till date.  With Himadri station in Ny-Alesund, Svalbard, Arctic, India now belongs to the elite group of nations that have multiple research stations within the Polar Regions. News Source: PIB i-Drone Part of: GS Prelims In News: Health Minister launched ICMR’s Drone Response and Outreach in North East (i-Drone). The delivery model is aimed at ensuring that life-saving vaccines reach everyone. This is for the first time that a "Make in India' drone has been used in South Asia to transport COVID vaccine over an aerial distance of 15 kms in 12-15 mins from the Bishnupur district hospital to Loktak lake, Karang island in Manipur for administration at the PHC. This is a delivery model to make sure that life-saving vaccines reach everyone. This technology may prove a game changer in addressing the challenges in health care delivery, particularly health supplies in difficult areas. It epitomises the Government’s commitment to ‘Antyodaya’ in health; making healthcare accessible to the last citizen of the country. News Source: PIB Shyamji Krishna Varma Part of: GS Prelims and Mains GS-I: The Freedom Struggle – its various stages and important contributors /contributions from different parts of the country In News: The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has paid tributes to Shyamji Krishna Varma on his Jayanti. An Indian revolutionary fighter, lawyer and journalist, who led India’s freedom struggle from London Founded the famous India House in London in 1904 which became the nerve centre and nucleus for India’s revolutionaries like Veer Savarkar, Madame Cama, Sardar Singh Rana, V V S Iyer, Lala Hardayal and Virendranath Chattopadhaya and Madhanlal Dhingra – was the political guru of Veer Savarkar, V V S Iyer and many other freedom fighters in this period He started the publication of a monthly journal called ‘Indian Sociologist’ which became a vehicle of revolutionary ideas. In February 1905, he established the Indian Home Rule Society to raise his voice against British domination in India. The monthly Indian Sociologist became an outlet for nationalist ideas and through the Indian Home Rule Society, he criticised the British rule in India. Later in 1905, Shyamji attended the United Congress of Democrats held at Holborn Town Hall as a delegate of the India Home Rule Society.  His resolution on India received an enthusiastic ovation from the entire conference. Shyamji’s activities in England aroused the concern of the British government:  He was disbarred from Inner Temple and removed from the membership list on 30 April 1909 for writing anti-British articles in The Indian Sociologist.  Most of the British press were anti–Shyamji and carried outrageous allegations against him and his newspaper. He defended them boldly.  The Times referred to him as the "Notorious Krishnavarma". Many newspapers criticised the British progressives who supported Shyamji and his view.  His movements were closely watched by British Secret Services, so he decided to shift his headquarters to Paris, leaving India House in charge of Vir Savarkar. Shyamji left Britain secretly before the government tried to arrest him. It was Shyamji who first advocated non-violent means of getting rid of the British and using withdrawal of cooperation with the colonial administration as the most effective weapon for this purpose. Gandhiji built on this and evolved Satyagraha as a tool to oust the British much later. Narendra Modi dedicated a memorial ‘Kranti Tirth’, to Shyamji Krishna Verma at the revolutionary’s ancestral town Mandvi in Kutch district News Source: PIB (Mains Focus) URBANISATION / ENVIRONMENT/ GOVERNANCE GS-1: Urbanization, their problems and their remedies GS-2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation Climate Action by Cities Context: Recently, Maharashtra’s Environment Minister announced that 43 cities across the State will join the UN-backed ‘Race to Zero’ global campaign, which aims to create jobs while meeting goals of climate change and sustainable development.  Are cities doing enough? Out of 53 Indian cities with a population of over one million, approximately half of these cities have a climate resilience plan in place. Of these, 18 cities have moved towards implementation.  These numbers highlight an encouraging first step, signalling that recurrent experiences of floods, water scarcity, cyclones and storm surges are being taken up into urban development policy. Ahmedabad has had a Heat Action Plan (HAP) since 2010 and its success evident from reduced heat mortality.  Combining infrastructural interventions (for example, painting roofs white) and behavioural aspects (building public awareness on managing heat), the model has now been scaled up to 17 cities across the country. Other successful projects include nature-based solutions such as mangrove restoration in coastal Tamil Nadu and urban wetland management (regulate urban floods) in Bengaluru. Bottlenecks and ways forward However, a lot of interventions are being implemented through sectoral projects focusing on particular, isolated risks. This narrow focus tends to overlook how multiple risks converge and reinforce each other — for example, seasonal cycles of flooding and water scarcity in Chennai. Coastal flooding, sea-level rise, and cyclones are discussed less often despite India’s long coastline and highly vulnerable coastal cities and infrastructure. Inadequate finances and political will at city scales constrain developing sustainable Indian cities. Inadequate institutional capacity in existing government departments to reorient ways of working.  Way Ahead Moving away from looking at risks in isolation and planning for multiple, intersecting risks. Government needs to undertake long-term planning with resilience planners in every line department as well as communication channels across departments to enable vertical and horizontal knowledge sharing. Focusing on changing behaviours and lifestyles. One emerging example behavioural change is bottom-up sustainable practices such as urban farming where citizens are interpreting sustainability at a local and personal scale. This can mean  Growing one’s own food on terraces and simultaneously enhancing local biodiversity;  Composting organic waste and reducing landfill pressure;  Sharing farm produce with a neighbour,  Bringing communities closer and creating awareness about food growing. Connecting the dots: Urban Floods Urban Infrastructure projects AMRUT yojana HEALTH/ GOVERNANCE GS-2: Issues related to Health & Food Security GS-2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Food Security Context: The first and historic United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) 2021 was held in September, 2021 to find solutions and ‘catalyse momentum’ to transform the way the world produces, consumes, and thinks about food and help address rising hunger. Why the Food Systems Summit and what is the expectation from its outcome?  Global food systems — the networks that are needed to produce and transform food, and ensure it reaches consumers, or the paths that food travels from production to plate — are in a state of crisis in many countries affecting the poor and the vulnerable.  The flaws in food systems affect us all, but most of all they are affecting 811 million people in the world who go to bed hungry each night. The debate in the summit focused on five identified action tracks namely:  Ensure access to safe and nutritious food for all;  Shift to sustainable consumption patterns;  Boost nature-positive production;  Advance equitable livelihoods Build resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks, and stress  Challenges for Food Security Climate change and unsustainable use of land and water resources are the most formidable challenges food systems face today Dietary diversity, nutrition, and related health outcomes are another area of concern as a focus on rice and wheat has created nutritional challenges of its own. It is ironic that despite being a net exporter and food surplus country at the aggregate level, India has a 50% higher prevalence of undernutrition compared to the world average.  Reducing food wastage or loss of food is a mammoth challenge and is linked to the efficiency of the food supply chain. Food wastage in India exceeds ₹1-lakh crore. Conclusion It is important to reiterate that hunger and food insecurity are key drivers of conflict and instability across the world. Hence, global food security is needed for global peace. ‘Food is peace’, is a catchphrase often used to highlight how hunger and conflict feed on each other. The Nobel Peace Prize 2020 conferred on the United Nations WFP highlighted the importance of addressing hunger to prevent conflicts and create stability.  All stakeholders (government, civil society, academia, private players, international agencies) must collaborate to invest, innovate, and create lasting solutions in sustainable agriculture contribution to equitable livelihood, food security, and nutrition.  Achieving the goal of “Advancing equitable livelihood” requires that the food systems transformation is anchored around small- and medium-scale production, family farmers, indigenous peoples, women, and workers in food value chains. Connecting the dots: Sustainable Development Goals Paris Climate Accord National Food Security Act, 2013 WTO and Agricultural Subsidies Debate around GM Food Crops (SANSAD TV) Oct 2, 2021: Gandhi Jayanti Special: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hrR7qZFzyU MODERN HISTORY/ ETHICS GS-1: Indian Freedom Struggle GS-4: Human Values - lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders. Gandhi as Political thinker and a Social reformer Context: PM bowed to Mahatma Gandhi on his Jayanti Mahatma Gandhi entry into to the Indian national movement was a decisive turn towards a broad-based popular struggle. Gandhi’s philosophy was well accepted by both the masses and the nationalist leaders and his political programme was well received and saw wide-spread participation across India. Born on October 2, 1869, in Porbandar, Gujarat Gandhi a political thinker and a social reformer There is more to Gandhi which makes him a political thinker and a relevant social reformer. Gandhi was a dialogical thinker who was open to other horizons of thinking. He firmly believed that the spirit of genuine reciprocity and solidarity is not just a moral requirement, but also a geopolitical necessity. Gandhi rejected the idea that there is one privileged path to god. He also believed that all religious traditions are an unstable mixture of truth and error. He encouraged inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue, so that individuals could see their faith and culture in a comparative and critical reflection of the other. As such, Gandhi considered interculturalism as a call for simultaneous awareness of commonalities, acceptance of differences, and recognition of shared values. Interestingly, Gandhi was a political thinker and a social practitioner who was constantly experimenting with modes of comparative and cross-border cultural constellations. In Gandhi’s political thinking, the experience of freedom derives not only from constitutional rights but mainly from the diverse modes of participation of the individual in a common humanity. Today, many around the world consider Gandhian ideas as impractical, not to say utopian. Gandhian ethics of social and political reconstruction are more relevant than ever, since they represent an act of self-transformation of humanity rather than an illusory dream of a political leader. Gandhi wanted to change the values that govern the social, political and economic activities in human society. Gandhi believed that decentralised politics and an egalitarian economy function better at the level of micro-communities, where citizens can operate in relations of reciprocity and mutuality. For him, it was clear that neither society nor the individual can live without a moral vision of the world. Gandhi had his moral and political dreams of changing humanity. Gandhi was a man of experimentation, a man who insisted on the quest for truth. Therefore, it should not come to us as a surprise that the literal meaning of satyagraha is “asserting for truth”. Reasons for Acceptance of Gandhi’s philosophy and political programme: Demonstrated results in Africa: Gandhiji, by the use of satyagraha and ahimsa as tools was able to secure major demands relating to poll tax, registration certificates etc., from the British government. Tolstoy farm illustrated the peace time utility of ashramas in helping the masses through constructive work and prepare them for popular struggle.  Early successes in India: Through Champaran satyagraha, Ahmedabad mill strike and Kheda satyagraha – he demonstrated the utility of satyagraha and non-violent struggle.  Practical philosophy and political programmes: tools like Satyagraha and ahimsa could have been used by every section of the society especially the masses. The methods like petitions, constitutional struggle hitherto used were not possible to be followed by masses. Belief in masses:  Gandhiji used to say, India live in the villages and it is only through masses the freedom can be achieved. This was not the case with earlier nationalist leaders including moderates and extremists who involved masses on a limited scale. He held all India public meetings focused mainly on the participation of masses. Identification with masses:  Gandhian followed the philosophy of ‘practice what you preach’. For instance, he popularized charkha by using it personally to weave his clothes. He shunned his elite clothes and wore a dhoti to identify himself with the masses. As Ramachandra Guha noted – he dressed like them, walked among them and a sense of belongingness was developed among the masses. Hence, they followed him.  Secular leadership: every strategy and programmes of Gandhiji was secular and he incorporated members of all the religions without any skepticism or discrimination. He took up the issues of all the factions. For instance, he supported Ali brothers in Khilafat movement, supported Akali movement, Temple entry movement etc., Social issues included in political programmes:  The political programmes of Gandhiji included Dalit upliftment, women emancipation and hence found widespread participation of these sections. Further, the philosophy of Sarvodaya, Antyodaya etc., tried to address the prevailing issues including inequality, rural poverty, food insecurity etc., and hence was widely supported.  Peace time constructive work:  Ashramas provided a way help those who participated in struggle and build momentum garnering public support. Programmes like promotion of Khadi helped Indian producers and hence found support. Establishing local schools provided alternatives to students who left British schools for participating in freedom struggle. Supporting local issues like demand of linguistic provinces, Vaikom satyagraha, Malabar Muslim protest etc.,  Effective use of Newspaper and journals: Gandhiji popularized his philosophy through Harijan and the use of local dialects helped in spreading of his message to large number of people especially in rural areas. Home rule movement: under Tilak and Annie Besant prepared a base for Gandhiji demonstrating self-rule which found its resonance in Gandhian philosophy of Swaraj. Did you Know? Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSPs): Inspired by Gandhian philosophy; Co-operative societies, women participation and empowerment, socio-economic equality etc,. Decentralization: Keeping Mahatma Gandhi’s principle of ‘Swarajya’ in mind to strengthen grass root administration. Do or Die Speech by Gandhiji: In 1942, Mahatma Gandhi gave the clarion call of ‘Do or Die’ from Gowalia Tank Maidan to end the British rule and launched the Quit India Movement. Who gave the title of ‘Mahatma’ to the ‘Father of the Nation’: Gurudev – Rabindranath Tagore The first Nationwide Movement: Rowlatt Satyagraha Quit India is also called as India August Movement (August Kranti) Majoor Mahajan Sangh: Gandhi formed the Majoor Mahajan Sangh, an association for workers’ rights. During those days, “Mahajan” was used as a title of respect for elites. Gandhi inverted the social structure by attaching the name “Mahajan” to “Majoor,” or laborers. With that linguistic choice, Gandhi enhanced the pride of workers. Dyerism: In 1919, the Rowlatt Act enacted by the British government took away the civil rights of Indians. Those who protested peacefully in Jallianwala Bagh faced merciless police firing on the orders of General R Dyer. That cold-blooded assault was described by Mahatma Gandhi as Dyerism. He employed the concept to denote practices of exclusion, including the ostracisation of the Dalits from all spheres of social life in 1919. Can you answer the following questions? How did Mahatma Gandhi’s experiments and experiences during his political career in South Africa shape the nationalist movement in India? Analyse Throw light on the significance of the thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi in the present times. (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Note: Correct answers of today’s questions will be provided in next day’s DNA section. Kindly refer to it and update your answers. Q.1 Who is the head of NDMA? Cabinet Secretary Home Minister Prime Minister Defence Minister Q.2 Consider the following statements regarding Forest Conservation Act: It was enacted to control the ongoing deforestation of the forests of India.  The Act restricts the state government and other authorities to take decisions first without permission from the central government. Which of the above is or are correct?  1 only  2 only  Both 1 and 2  Neither 1 nor 2  Q.3 Nobel Medicine Prize 2021 was awarded recently for which of the following? discoveries on receptors for temperature and touch genome editing discovery of hepatitis C virus discoveries of how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability ANSWERS FOR 4th Oct 2021 TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE (TYK) 1 C 2 C 3 C Must Read On Restoring Forest Cover: The Hindu On Geopolitics of Moon: Indian Express On Aadhar enabled Payments: Indian Express