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SYNOPSIS [15th April,2021] Day 82: IASbaba’s TLP (Phase 1): UPSC Mains Answer Writing (General Studies)

For Previous TLP (ARCHIVES) - CLICK HERE   SYNOPSIS [15th April,2021] Day 82: IASbaba’s TLP (Phase 1): UPSC Mains Answer Writing (General Studies)   1. A bureaucracy that is amenable to novel ideas and can adapt to new developments are essential for good governance. Comment. Approach  Since the question is asking you to comment you have to express an opinion or reaction. It is important to pick out the main points/core and give one's opinion based on the information or the arguments originated from the reading. One should take a neutral ground and write facts and viewpoints. Introduction Since time immemorial bureaucracy has been the lifeline of any nation. It is responsible for translating the policies and programmes formulated by the political authority. The quality of the citizen’s life depends on the attitude and performance of bureaucracy. Moreover, in all walks of life of a person, bureaucracy plays a very significant role. There is no denying that an effective, efficient, flexible and responsive bureaucracy are a requisite to good governance. The competence of bureaucracy at all levels determines the performance and efficacy of an administrative system. They should be bold, honest and assertive in the discharge of their responsibilities. They should not hesitate to give right advice to the political authority no matter whether they accept it or not. They are the “catalytic agents of change by virtue of their education and exposures”.   Body A BUREAUCRACY THAT IS AMENABLE TO NOVEL IDEAS AND CAN ADAPT TO NEW DEVELOPMENTS ARE ESSENTIAL FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE No civil service structure can be static in its character. It has to be dynamic and has to change with the times. As models of governance or politico-economic environments change, it has to adapt and re-engineer itself. Building in “redundancy,” or excess capacity and back-up systems, can help protect core functions of government in times of crisis.  Resilient bureaucracy proactively plans for a wide variety of emergencies yet maintain the adaptive organizational capacity to shift course quickly based on evolving needs.  It can also help governments adapt to different working modalities such as home-based work, and authorize remote access to key information systems.  The country has to ensure that rapid growth and welfare measures are inclusive for all sections of society. This necessitates an impartial, dynamic and accountable civil service which can ensure that these objectives are actually achieved. While coordination structures vary from one country to the next, what matters most for effective good governance is that their bureaucracy is amenable to novel ideas and their effectiveness in allowing government actors to align priorities, implement joint responses, support one another, and foster day-to-day information sharing. Flexibility and adaptation can exist even within rigid bureaucratic cultures. Flatter organizational structures, with devolved but clear decision-making authority, can promote resilience and an enabling environment for innovation and strategic action.  Conclusion Bureaucracy is often considered to be rigid not lending themselves too well to adaptation but public administrations around the world are now under intense pressure to be flexible, as they work to contain the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and mitigate its socioeconomic and health impacts. To quote Goethe, the great German writer “It is not enough to know; One must also apply. It is not enough to wish; One must also act.” There is need for the civil service to change with the times, moving away from the mindset of a regulator to one of a facilitator.  2. How does transparency deter corruption? Illustrate. Approach: Candidates are expected to write about the transparency in the administration and the government. Also illustrate how the transparency deter the corruption. Introduction The term ‘transparency’ refers to the ‘increased flow of timely and reliable information, which is accessible to all the relevant stakeholders’. In other words, transparency is the dissemination of regular and accurate information. It is about making decisions and actions visible and about sharing and disclosing the necessary information to the stakeholders involved. Body Transparency in Governance: Transparency in governance is the idea that the people have a right to know, what their government is doing, and the government has an obligation to provide that information. It means that the criteria, process and systems of decision-making are openly known to all in a public manner. Thus, transparency is about shedding light on rules, plans, processes and actions. It is about knowing why, how, what, and how much. It ensures that public officials, civil servants, managers, board members and businessmen act visibly and understandably, and report on their activities and it means that the general public can hold them to account. The declaration of Right To Information Act (2015) set the stage for transparency in the functioning of the government and its various agencies. Under this Act, access to information from a public agency has become a statutory right of every citizen. Corruption is a key driver of the growing inequality, persistent poverty and the exclusion of the most vulnerable from the gains of economic growth. Transparency deterring corruption: Open government increased disclosure of information and enhanced citizen participation in government decision-making is a powerful way to address the complex governance and corruption we have faced for so long. Promoting open government and empowering grassroots' communities to increase transparency and accountability at the local level and improve service delivery. Mitigating integrity risks which is cause of corruption in key sectors for human development such as water, health, education, and the judiciary.  Citizen Charter is a voluntary and written document that spells out the service provider’s efforts taken to focus on their commitment towards fulfilling the needs of the citizens prevents corruption in the organisation. Transparency allows stakeholders to collect information that may be critical to uncovering abuses and defending their interests. Likewise, transparency increases the accountability of Government officials both enhance the efforts against the corruption. Transparency makes sure that people know exactly what is going on and what is the rationale of the decisions taken by the Government or its functionaries at different levels maintains the propriety in the administration. However, sheer knowledge of what entitlements are, and who is responsible for fulfilling them, is also sufficient to ensure that public services are passably and effectively delivered to the ‘intended’ recipients and curb leakages and corruption. Greater transparency may bring about lower rates of political corruption because it can facilitate legal, administrative or electoral mechanisms of punishment. Formal and informal mechanisms of transparency and accountability encourage government officials to act in the public interest. Without public access to records of governance and other information, public resources may be squandered and mismanaged.  E-Governance initiatives for providing transparency in administration include a framework for efficient handling of public grievances through the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System which is already in place. Major Initiatives to Enhance Transparency in India include – Right to Information Act, Public Services Bill, Citizens Charters, e-Governance, e-Bhoomi, e-Choupal, e-procurement. Conclusion Transparency is necessary to guarantee good governance. Information is valuable to the electorate for democratic processes to function successfully. Citizens have an interest in knowing about government actions and processes, allocation and redistribution decisions, market barriers and restrictions, tax and subsidy incidences and so on. 3. Should the civil servants be made accountable for the recent surge in COVID cases? Critically comment. Approach The candidate needs to comment on the aspect of whether civil servants should be held accountable for the recent surge in COVID cases in India and also critically comment on the aspect with proper substantiation. Introduction Almost overnight, the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has transformed the work and workplaces of the civil servants. Civil servants are playing a leading role in the response to the pandemic. Civil Servants are finding novel ways to design and channel unprecedented economic stimulus spending and manage severe spikes in unemployment. Body Recently, India's COVID tally climbed to 1,32,05,926 with a record spike of 1,45,384,  according to the Union Health Ministry. There is no clarity on why the numbers are rising so sharply, with a section of people blaming the civil servants for the recent rise. Their arguments can be seen from the following points – Civil servants are important actors at the forefront of framing, implementing and evaluating the state’s response to the pandemic, and uniquely positioned between the political executive and India’s massive frontline state, which necessitates them towards being pro-active in controlling a pandemic. There was a lowering of guard and complacency in the approach of executive under civil servants, after the first wave of pandemic subsided. Poor implementation of mask and social distancing norms are a case in point. Allowing of Kumbh Mela in the middle of a pandemic can also point to failure of civil servants as well as executive, where the event risks turning into a super spreader event. Civil servants have control over the testing capacity and proactive testing approach would’ve helped in avoiding this massive surge. Consistently high TPR (Test Positivity Rate) in some states is a clear example of the same. Information dissemination by the authorities diminished as compared to last year, when there used to daily/weekly briefings, which helped in creating scientific awareness in media and public. Information regarding vaccines and newer variants, as well as COVID appropriate behaviour was not effectively communicated to the larger public. Control over vaccine production and distribution is another factor where civil servants played a major role, which saw poor performance. Centralising tendencies and red tapism led to slow roll out of essential vaccination drive, which would’ve curtailed the second wave.   At the same time, it is important to remember that the abrupt and brutal disruption by the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown the public service and civil servants into a frenzy, forcing them to not only deal with fighting its spread but trying to manage its accompanying socioeconomic fallout. Here, the second wave’s rapid spread has many other factors, some of which include – People not following COVID-19 protocol, including people not continuing with precautions even after being vaccinated, and a sluggish vaccination drive are responsible. A new factor is emerging mutants -- both imported and home-grown. Here, the UK strain is considered more virulent and is one of the reason for rapid spread. Flaunting of rules and protocols by the political executive, especially in election rallies and religious congregation, which involve huge crowds as well as capacity to spread virus far and wide. Population which escaped the first wave of pandemic is one of the reason for present rapid growth as earlier unaffected population provides a fertile ground for the virus and the spread in second wave shows similar pattern. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the civil service’s role in India’s governance and administration increased further. With most people including politicians staying home for their safety, the health, economic and social crises were handled by collectors/magistrates at the district level, chief secretaries at the states and union territories’ level, and empowered groups of secretaries at the national level. Further, the Indian state and bureaucracy rose to the occasion and responded well in time of crisis, demonstrating capabilities to mobilise, motivate, innovate and communicate that are unfortunately missing in action in its routine functioning. The civil servants felt the autonomy given to them due to lack of political interference in administrative actions, and the consequent ability to deploy all resources to a single cause, enhanced their performance. Associations representing officers of central civil services, including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and the Indian Police Service (IPS), have formed an initiative called 'Caruna' to support and supplement the government’s efforts in fighting coronavirus. Conclusion In the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, civil servants are working under life-threatening circumstances where they are both expected to deliver services despite the pandemic while at the same time suffering its impact, either by being directly infected or having family members who are. Recognising this fact becomes important as also the fact that civil servants are also the frontline warriors or COVID warriors and people to collaborate and co-ordinate to fight this virus menace to emerge victorious. 4. What are the key objectives of good governance? Also, discuss the principles of good governance. Approach: Candidates are expected to write about the good governance and its objective first and then discuss the principle of the good governance. Introduction According to a document released by the World Bank in 1992 titled, ‘Governance and Development’, good governance is an essential complement to sound economic policies and is central to creating and sustaining an environment which fosters strong and equitable development. Body Good governance: The World Bank defines governance as ‘how power is exercised in the management of a country’s economic and social resources for development.’ Objectives of good governance: To provide the foundation for a high-performing organisation the achievement of goals and sustainable success requires input and support from all levels of an organisation. To ensure the organisation is well placed to respond to a changing external environment business today operates in an environment of constant change. To encompasses the processes by which organisations are directed, controlled and held to account.  It includes the authority, accountability, leadership, direction and control exercised in an organisation. Principles of the good governance: Consensus oriented: Consensus oriented decision-making ensures that even if everyone does not achieve what they want to the fullest, a common minimum can be achieved by everyone which will not be detrimental to anyone. For this, a proper understanding of the society’s historical, cultural and social contexts is needed; along with sustainable human development. Participation: A vital cornerstone of good governance is participation by all sections of society. This includes men and women, vulnerable sections of society, backward classes, minorities, etc. Representative democracy does not necessarily translate into the representation of all people. This is where good governance comes into play. Transparency: This means easy access to information to all concerned and especially to those being affected by the decisions made. This also implies information is available to the media. Another important facet is that all decisions are taken and enforced in such a manner that all rules and regulations are followed. Rule of Law:  Rule of law warrants that fair legal frameworks are implemented impartially. It also means protection of human rights. This also requires an adequate and impartial judiciary and police force. Responsiveness: This implies that processes and institutions should serve all stakeholders within a reasonable time frame. Equity and inclusiveness: Good governance assures an equitable society. In such a society, no one or no section feels left out and marginalized. Opportunities should be given to all irrespective of their backgrounds, and no one should be discriminated. Effectiveness and efficiency: Good governance implies that institutions and processes create results that meet the wants of society while making optimal use of resources at their disposal. This also encompasses the sustainable use of natural resources and the conservation of the environment. Accountability: This is a key trait of good governance. Accountability is not possible without the rule of law and transparency. Accountability should be there not just for the government, but also for citizens, the private sector, industry, NGOs, and all stakeholders. Challenges in India for pursuing the good governance: Criminalization of Politics: According to the Association of Democratic Reforms, 43% of Members of Parliaments of Lok Sabha 2019 are facing criminal charges. It is a 26% increase as compared to 2014. Centralisation of Administrative System: Governments at lower levels can only function efficiently if they are empowered to do so. This is particularly relevant for the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), which currently suffer from inadequate devolution of funds as well as functionaries to carry out the functions constitutionally assigned to them. Corruption: According to the Corruption Perception Index - 2019 (released by Transparency International, India's ranking has slipped from 78 to 80. Conclusion There is a need to reformulate our national strategy to accord primacy to the Gandhian principle of ‘Antyodaya” to restore good governance in the country. India should also focus on developing probity in governance, which will make the governance more ethical. 5. Why good governance at the local level is imperative for the realisation of national aspirations? Examine. Approach-  Candidate can define good governance and then outline the importance of grassroot level institutes in the process of realisation of national aspirations. Introduction According to world bank, good governance is defined as “the manner in which power is exercised in the management of a country’s economic and social resources for development”. It is participatory, consensus-oriented, accountable, transparent, responsive, effective and efficient, equitable and inclusive and follows the rule of law. Body What constitutes good governance? Consensus Oriented – Mediates differing interests to meet the broad consensus on the best interests of a community. Example: GST council- centre and states together. Participation – People should be able to voice their own opinions through legitimate immediate organizations or representatives. Example: MP’s, Pressure Groups. Equity and Inclusiveness – People should have opportunities to improve or maintain their well-being. Example: affirmative policies for women, children and backward classes. Accountability – Governmental institutions, private sectors, and civil society organizations should be held accountable to the public and institutional stakeholders. Example: elections. Transparency – Information should be accessible to the public and should be understandable and monitored. Example: RTI, Draft bills made public to get feedback. Responsiveness – Institutions and processes should serve all stakeholders, respond to their grievances. Example: GST council rationalising tax structure and slew of measures keeping in mind MSME sector, PRAGATI Platform. Importance of good governance at grassroot level Panchayati raj institute was introduced after undergoing structural adjustment programme. India was under compulsion to introduce good governance. Good governance required transparency and accountability, which cannot be achieved without citizen centric governance. But there has been a massive failure of this experiment and the empowerment remains temporary without much financial powers to local levels.  Why local good governance imperative for realisation of national aspiration? Grassroots involvement is important for social accountability. It helps in civic engagement to promote conservation and sustainable development. Deeper outreach of grassroots organizations and SHGs helps information dissemination easier. Moreover, most of them are women centric which provides opportunity to bring behavioural change. Grass roots governance would allow proper distribution of funds and resources of any scheme and would help in better implementation of laws and rules. Thus grass root governance can ensure effective strategies for conservation and development efforts. ‘Citizen-centric governance’ (2nd ARC) is important for inclusive development and people’s participation would ensure democratic way of tackling problems. Faster decision making- Every small decision to be taken on ground level will take lots of time if directions have to arrive from the top most level. By decentralisation of power, smaller decision can be implemented easily without waiting for directions unnecessarily. Precision- The decentralisation allows the authorities to focus on the group of beneficiaries more precisely. This precision can ensure that welfare measures of the government reaches every citizen without any discrimination. Conclusion Local level governance forms backbone of our development process. If they are not empowered enough and not made financially independent we might loose on a big asset. For realisation of true potential we have to decentralise more powers and more funds to local institutes of governance and make them agents of development, through good governance. TLP HOT Synopsis Day 82 PDF

RSTV Video

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose - Ode to Valour – The Big Picture – RSTV IAS UPSC

Archives   In news: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu urged youngsters to take inspiration from the life of Subhas Chandra Bose and work for eradicating ills such as poverty, illiteracy, social and gender discrimination and corruption from the society.  Noting that 65 per cent of India's population is below 35 years of age, the Vice President said youngsters should lead from the front in building a New India -- a happy and prosperous India where every citizen gets equal opportunities and where there is no discrimination of any kind. "Parakram" or courage was the most defining feature of Netaji's persona; the vice president said and lauded the government's decision to celebrate Bose's birthday as "Parakram Divas". Referring to the pivotal role played by Bose and several freedom fighters, social reformers, including unsung heroes from different regions, he said many people were not aware of their greatness as their contributions were not properly projected in the history books.  Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose  Subhash Chandra Bose was twice elected President of the Indian National Congress, (1938-Haripur and 1939-Tripuri). Owing to political differences, he resigned from the Congress Presidentship in 1939 and organised the All India Forward Bloc a faction within the Congress in Bengal. In Calcutta, Bose organised mass protests and was arrested.  He was later put under house arrest from where he escaped.  He went to Germany via Afghanistan. However, in 1943 Bose lost hope that Germany could be of any help in gaining India’s independence.  He then turned to Asia where he finally came at the helm of the Indian National Army (INA). INA found support among expatriate Indians and Bose formed the Azad Hind government which came to produce its own currency, postage stamps, court and civil code.  It was recognised by Axis states. During the final two years of the war, Bose with considerable Japanese backing- led the forces of the Indian National Army into battle against the British. The I.N.A. was essentially non-communal, with Muslims quite prominent among its officers and ranks, and it also introduced the innovation of a women’s detachment named after the Rani of Jhansi. Azad Hind Fauj Leader of Azad Hind Government Head of State of this Provisional Indian Government-in-exile Bose was convinced that armed struggle was the only way to achieve independence for India. He had been a leader of the radical wing of the Indian National Congress in the late 1920s and 1930s, rising to become Congress president in 1938 and 1939 but was ousted following differences with Mahatma Gandhi and the Congress leadership. Subhas Chandra Bose had escaped from India in 1941 and gone to Germany to work for India’s Independence. In 1943, he came to Singapore to lead the Indian Independence league and rebuild the Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj) to make it an effective instrument for the freedom of India. Netaji went to the Andaman which had been occupied by the Japanese and hoisted there the flag of India. In early 1944, three units of the Azad Hind Fauj (INA) took part in the attack on the north-eastern parts of India to oust the British from India. The Azad Hind Fauj, with the slogan of ‘Delhi Chalo’ and the salutation Jai Hind was a source of inspiration to Indians, inside and outside the country. Netaji rallied together the Indians of all religions and regions, living in south-east Asia, for the cause of India’s freedom. A women’s regiment of Azad Hind Fauj was formed, which was under the command of Captain Lakshmi Swaminathan. It was called the Rani Jhansi regiment. The Azad Hind Fauj became the symbol of unity and heroism to the people of India. Bose’s death was seen as the end to the Azad Hind movement. Note: Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep: Ross Island of Andaman & Nicobar Island Birthday of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose to be celebrated as Parakram Diwas: Government of India has decided to celebrate the 125th Birth Anniversary year of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in a befitting manner at national and international level, beginning from 23rd January 2021. A High Level Committee, headed by the Prime Minister has been constituted for deciding the programs, and to supervise and guide the commemoration. Objective: To remember Netaji’s indomitable spirit and selfless service to the nation and to inspire people of the country, especially the youth, to act with fortitude in the face of adversity as Netaji did. Connecting the Dots: Do you think leaders like Subhash Chandra Bose have been given due credit and recognition in history? Analyse. In terms of political ideology and commitment towards socialism, what differences do you notice between Subhash Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi? Discuss.

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 19th April 2021

Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) Aditya-L1 Support Centre (ASC) Part of: GS Prelims and GS – III - Sci & tech; Space In news The Indian programme to study the Sun and the region between the Sun and the Earth from space – Aditya-L1 – is due to be launched next year. Key takeaways  It will carry seven payloads which have been developed by various institutions across the country. Once the mission is launched, there will be a need for a ground support centre to monitor and coordinate the work on its various payloads. This role will be played by the ARIES facility (short for Aryabhata Research Institute for observational Sciences), situated near Nainital. The Aditya-L1 Support Centre (ASC) will provide training through regular workshops for the guest users. Apart from this, it will provide ready-to-use Python and Java apps for the satellite data and demos and handouts to facilitate the guest users. COVID-19 Vaccines and Blood Clots  Part of: GS Prelims and GS – III - Sci & tech  In news Reports of rare blood clots occurring after COVID-19 vaccination have led some countries to limit the usage of AstraZeneca’s vaccine for certain categories of people, while other countries have paused the administration. Key takeaways  An adverse effect following immunisation with the AstraZeneca jab is not merely blood clots in large vessels, but also a low platelet count. The effect is similar to heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), where heparin, which is used to clear clots, actually causes blood clots and a fall in the platelet count. The heparin combines with platelet factor 4 to form a complex.  This immune complex induces an abnormal immune response, in which antibodies are generated against the complex. This antibody-platelet factor 4-heparin immune complex binds to platelets and activates them.  The platelets form clots everywhere.  The low platelet count is because the platelets are used up. A similar process seems to follow vaccination, except there is no heparin trigger. Scientists are still trying to establish a clinical definition for this adverse effect. Meghalay yields India’s first bamboo-dwelling bat Part of: GS Prelims and GS – III - Environment; Biodiversity  In news Meghalaya has yielded India’s first bamboo-dwelling bat with sticky discs.  The count of the bats in India has reached now to 130. Key takeaways  The disc-footed bat (Eudiscopus denticulus) was recorded near the Nongkhyllem Wildlife Sanctuary.  The extent of adaptation for bamboo habitat in this species is not seen in the others. The flattened skull and sticky pads enabled the bats to roost inside cramped spaces, clinging to smooth surfaces such as bamboo internodes.  The disc-footed bat was also found to be genetically very different from all other known bats bearing disc-like pads. Scientists analysed the very high frequency echolocation calls of the disc-footed bat, which was suitable for orientation in a cluttered environment such as inside bamboo groves. It has raised Meghalaya’s bat count to 66, the most for any State in India.  It has also helped add a genus and species to the bat fauna of India. Species in news: Rewaconodon Indicus  Part of: GS Prelims and GS – III - Environment; Biodiversity  In news The Tiki Formation in Madhya Pradesh, a treasure trove of vertebrate fossils, has now yielded a new species and two genera of cynodonts, small rat-like animals that lived about 220 million years ago. Key takeaways  Researchers from the IIT Kharagpur, used scanning electron microscopy to study about 10 teeth samples collected from Shahdol District, Madhya Pradesh. The results showed that they had found a new species, and they named it Rewaconodon indicus, indicating India, the country it was discovered from. The team also identified two new genera from the area.  The first was named Inditherium floris, after India and the Latin word therium meaning beast.  As the teeth had a flower-shaped crown, it earned the species name floris. The second was named Tikiodon cromptoni, after Tiki Formation and Greek word odon meaning tooth. The species name is after paleontologist A.W. Crompton. Do you know?  The Tiki Formation is a Late Triassic (Carnian to Norian) geologic formation in Madhya Pradesh.  Miscellaneous Gayatri Mantra The Gāyatrī Mantra is also known as the Sāvitri Mantra. It is a highly revered mantra from the Rig Veda, dedicated to Savitr also known as Vedmata. Maharshi Vishvamitra had created the Gayatri mantra. The mantra is an important part of the upanayana ceremony for young males in Hinduism, and has long been recited by dvija men as part of their daily rituals. Modern Hindu reform movements spread the practice of the mantra to include women and all castes and its use is now very widespread. The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has funded a clinical trial at the AIIMS, Rishikesh, to determine if the chanting of the Gayatri Mantra and performing pranayama can aid the quality of recovery and cure COVID-19 quicker in a subset of patients. (Mains Focus) EDUCATION/ GOVERNANCE Topic: GS-2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors GS-2: Issues relating to development and management of Education, Human Resources Education and Exams: Formative Assessment Context: Faced with a massive surge in COVID-19 cases, the Central government cancelled the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) Class X examination and postponed the Class XII examination scheduled to be held from May 4. The decision, which will be reviewed by the Ministry of Education on June 1, was followed by the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE or Class X) and Indian School Certificate (ISC or Class XII) examinations also being postponed, with a review scheduled in the first week of June.  What are the challenges? Implications on entrance into High Education: Aligning examinations of various Boards is a practical necessity since admission to higher education courses must be done uniformly and entrance examinations have to be conducted for professional courses.  Challenges with Traditional method of assessment: The challenge now is to take up formative assessments where pen-and-pencil annual examinations cannot be held. Ambiguity with regard to assessment: Students are left wondering about the nature of formative academic assessment that will be applied to their Class X performance during the year gone by, which was marked by a shift to online classes and TV-based instruction. What is formative assessment? The annual high-stakes public school examination is referred to as a summative assessment. It had to be cancelled or deferred this year due to the pandemic. Presently, the academic system had to fall back on continuous evaluation techniques or other metrics. This is known as formative assessment.  According to UNESCO, the key aspects of this pattern are use of observation, quizzes, assignments and feedback.  While summative assessment is described as a ‘testing of learning’, formative assessment is ‘testing for learning,’ which helps teachers assess the strengths and weaknesses of individual students and suggest remedial measures.  During Pandemic, many teachers in India used video-calling tools to deliver instructional material and to coach and assess students. The Boards must now come up with a formative assessment framework that fixes clear metrics. How have schools responded? After the latest move by the Centre, prominent CBSE schools say they will not face disruption because they conducted periodic internal examinations, practicals, as well as “pre-Board” testing for Class X. This will be useful to evaluate students. The CBSE introduced a formative assessment system through a Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) framework in 2009-10, but abandoned it in favour of a compulsory public examination for Class X, eight years later. The decision to reintroduce a public examination for Class X in CBSE was defended by the government as the removal of discrimination against 1.93 crore secondary students of State and other Boards who continued to take an exit examination. Can all schools assess fairly? The question of schools’ capabilities to conduct sound formative assessments has become important because not all have similar facilities.  While CBSE schools may be more urbanised, the picture for other Boards is mixed.  The Unified District Information System for Education data show that in 2017-18, there were 1,88,742 rural schools and 83,207 urban schools under all managements. Data from the National Sample Survey (NSS) for the same year indicate that only 4% of rural households and 23% of urban households had a computer.  Internet access was restricted to 15% of rural and 42% of urban households. Way Ahead In fact, even the National Policy on Education, 1986, had de-emphasised rote learning and recommended a CCE-like framework.  The NEP 2020 emphasises (formative) assessment for learning and critiques existing Board examinations as forcing students “to learn a very narrow band of content/material in a single stream”.  Future reforms would, therefore, have to work on two fronts — to ensure access to learning for every student, in classrooms or remotely, and make formative assessment possible through a scientifically designed set of metrics. Connecting the dots : Criticism of Board Exams (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. Comments Up-voted by IASbaba are also the “correct answers”. Q.1 India’s first bamboo-dwelling bat with sticky discs was found in which of the following state of India? Maharashtra Gujarat Meghalaya Sikkim Q.2 Consider the following statements regarding Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT):  In this, Heparin causes blood clots.  A fall in the platelet count is also caused. Which of the above is/are correct?  1 only  2 only  Both 1 and 2  Neither 1 nor 2  Q.3 Tiki formations are found in which of the following state of India? Madhya Pradesh Chhattisgarh Goa Uttar Pradesh ANSWERS FOR 17th April 2021 TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE (TYK) 1 C 2 B 3 B Must Read On criticism of Election Commission of India: The Hindu On IP appellate board: The Hindu On COVID-19 second wave: Indian Express

PIB

PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU (PIB) IAS UPSC – 12th April to 17th April – 2021

ARCHIVES GS-1 102nd Anniversary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre  (Topic: Indian History) On: 13th April, 2021 On this day, soldiers of the British Indian Army, on the orders of Colonel Reginald Dyer, massacred peaceful and unarmed celebrators, including women and children, on the occasion of the Punjabi New Year (Baisakhi).  This massacre is remembered as one of the deadliest attacks on peaceful civilians in the world. Jallianwala Bagh’s importance lies not in the numbers killed but in what preceded it and in what followed – 1919 Rowlatt Act The Anarchical and Revolutionary Crimes Act of 1919, popularly known as the Rowlatt Act, was passed by the Imperial Legislative Council in Delhi on 10 March 1919. The Act passed by the British Government was intended to give themselves greater power over the people. Rowlatt Act allowed the British to arrest and jail anyone they wished without trial, if they were thought to be plotting against the British. The Viceroy Government also had the power to silence the press. The Rowlatt Act sparked a large amount of anger with the leaders and common people of India. This however did not greatly affect the British as they were still able to keep control over the people. To try and put an end to this, Gandhi and the other leaders called for a Hartal ( a time of fasting and suspension of work) to show the British the Indians’ discontent with their rule. In the Punjab the protest movement was very strong, and two renowned leaders Dr Satya Pal and Dr Saifuddin Kithlew were arrested on 10th April, 1919. In order to protest against the arrest, public had held meeting on 13th April at Jallianwala Bagh in a small park. The meeting was attended by many women and children as well, and is considered to be a peaceful meeting. What preceded after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre? The perpetrator of the massacre, General Dyer, was honored and rewarded by the British public and this removed all illusions about benign British rule in the country. It also marked the start of a liberation struggle like no other under Mahatma Gandhi. The brutality of massacre stunned entire nation. Gandhiji overwhelmed by atmosphere of violence withdrew movement on April 18. Mahatma Gandhi gave up the title of Kaiser-i-Hind, bestowed by the British for his work during the Boer War. Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood in protest against Jallianwala Bagh incident. Winston Churchill condemned the shooting as “monstrous.” The insults and sufferings faced by the people of Punjab trickled through the gagged silence, reached every corner of India, and the universal agony of indignation roused in the hearts of people throughout the country. This event caused many moderate Indians to abandon their loyalty to the British and become nationalists distrustful of the British. The massacre stirred nationalist feelings across India and had a profound effect on one of the movement’s leaders, Mohandas Gandhi. After the Amritsar Massacre he became convinced that India should accept nothing less than full independence. To achieve this end, Gandhi began organizing his first campaign of mass civil disobedience against Britain’s oppressive rule. In December 1919, the congress session was held at Amritsar. It was attended by a large number of people, including peasants. It was clear that the brutalities had only added fuel to the fire and made the people’s determination stronger to fight for their freedom and against oppression. Jallianwala Bagh massacre marks a turn for revolutionary violent resistance against British raj. Series of new revolutionary leaders justified violence and started new organisations for the execution of the same. A new beginning in the freedom struggle can be witnessed in the incidents of April 1919. GS-2 Simplification of process for re-issue of OCI Cards (Topic: Policies and Interventions around Citizenship) The OCI Card has proved to be very popular amongst foreigners of Indian Origin and spouses of foreign origin of Indian citizens or OCI cardholders, as it helps them in hassle free entry and unlimited stay in India. So far about 37.72 lakh OCI Cards have been issued by the Government of India. As per the extant law, a foreigner of Indian origin or a foreign spouse of an Indian citizen or foreign spouse of an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholder, can be registered as an OCI cardholder. OCI card is a life-long visa for entry into and stay in India with a number of other major benefits attached to it which are not available to other foreigners.  Presently, the OCI card is required to be re-issued each time a new passport is issued up to 20 years of age and once after completing 50 years of age, in view of biological changes in the face of the applicant.   With a view to facilitate the OCI cardholders, it has now been decided by the Government of India to dispense with this requirement.   A person who has got registration as OCI cardholder prior to attaining the age of 20 years will have to get the OCI card re-issued only once when a new passport is issued after his/her completing 20 years of age, so as to capture his/ her facial features on attaining adulthood.  If a person has obtained registration as OCI cardholder after attaining the age of 20 years, there will be no requirement of re-issue of OCI card. Launch of Judgments & Orders portal and e-filing 3.0 module (Topic: Judiciary) The initiatives developed by Pune based e-Courts project team are aimed to strengthen legal system. The Judgments and  Orders search portal is a repository of judgments pronounced by various High Courts in the country. It provides facility to search judgements and final orders based on multiple search criteria (data of 106 million cases which are being disposed of & are available & the total number of 141 million orders.)  The main features of the portal are: Free text search facilitates user to search judgments based on any keyword or combination of multiple keywords Users can also search judgments based on various criteria like including bench, case type, case number, year, petitioner/ respondent name, judge name, act, section, disposal nature and decision date. Combination of several search options assist the users to get the desired results. The embedded filtering feature allows further filters on available results, thus adding value to the search. The e-filing 3.0 module, introduced by the e-Committee of the Supreme Court, allows electronic filing of court documents. With the introduction of the new module, there will be no need for lawyers or clients to visit the court premises for filing of a case. The filing process can take place even when the court, client and lawyer are at three different locations. Version 3.0 is a much more user-friendly version which would simplify the registration of advocates on the efiling software, enable Advocates to add their partners and clients on the efiling module, provide online vakalatnama, readymade templates for pleadings, provision for online recording of oath, digital signing of case papers, multiple application filing besides enabling exchange of information and case papers effortlessly between advocates and courts without physical movement. India Holds National Dialogue on UN Food Systems Summit 2021 (Topic: India and International Summits and organisations) Background: The first ever UN Food Systems Summit is to be held in September 2021 to strategize the actions for positive change in Agri-food systems in the World to realize the vision of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Summit will focus on levers and pathways to shape food systems nationally and globally to accelerate progress in the SDGs, and independent consultation for the five Action Tracks related to  Safe and nutritious food,  Sustainable consumption patterns,  Nature-positive production,  Advance equitable livelihoods, and  Resilience to vulnerabilities, shocks and stress The COVID-19 pandemic led vulnerability and challenges faced by the humanity in food and related system has further added to the need for reorienting our actions and strategies beyond specific cropping or farming systems to entire agri-food systems covering production, distribution and consumption. India with close to 18% humanity on the Globe owes paramount stake in this Food System Summit. India has volunteered, but not limited to, to the Action Track 4: Advance Equitable Livelihoods for the UN Food System Summit 2021.  To take the process further the Government has constituted a high level Interdepartmental Group along with the representatives from NITI Aayog, Ministries of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (MoAFW), Rural Development and others.  The first National Level Dialogue on Agri-Food Systems-Advancing Equitable Livelihoods has been conducted –  Urged the participants to share their ideas, experiences, success stories, transformative innovations, evidence based suggestions relating to policies, infrastructure, institutions, and the commitments India should be making to align food system to achieve SDGs towards 2030. We should plan for the elimination of poverty, zero hunger, nutrition security and health for all, raising incomes across food value chains, and ensuring economic, social and environment sustainability. Several game changing ideas for reimagining India’s Agriculture like agro climate based farming, agro-ecology based farming, farmers owned and manged value chain systems,  statutory backing for sustainable innovations, adopting best practices from the states, linking production incentives to nutrition goals, nutrition sensitive production and diets, regulatory framework for food safety of low income consumers, selective biofortification, FPOs of women farmers etc were suggested by participants. State Governments have been requested to conduct the state-level dialogues with all the stakeholders involved directly or indirectly in the agri-food systems in India. Such grass root dialogues offer a unique opportunity to various stakeholders to involve and provide inputs for sustainable food systems in India.  India-Denmark join hands through Atal Innovation Mission (Topic: India and Denmark)  As part of Indo-Danish bilateral Green strategic partnership, India is all set to take a giant leap towards building a world class innovation ecosystem as Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) of India’s premier policy think tank NITI Aayog and Embassy of Denmark to India today officially announced their collaboration. Under this ambitious partnership,Innovation Center Denmark in India will collaborate with AIM to support various current and future initiatives of AIM, NITI Aayog and its beneficiaries in India as well as develop global innovation Green economy partnerships addressing SDG goals. The purpose of SoI is to jointly work towards promoting innovation and entrepreneurship amongst the aspiring entrepreneurs. The partnership would be executed through Innovation Center Denmark (ICDK) under the aegis of Embassy of Denmark. Emphasis will be on: Water, Women, and the World – Water is the stream of life hence its importance for present and future generations cannot be stressed enough. Women empowerment is key to the growth of a nation and to the sustainability goals of the World. If we do not solve water management and challenges issue, regardless of the location, it will impact lives across the world. GS-2 Findings of The National climate vulnerability assessment report (Topic: Climate Change -  Reports and findings) The report titled ‘Climate Vulnerability Assessment for Adaptation Planning in India Using a Common Framework’, which identifies the most vulnerable states and districts in India with respect to current climate risk and key drivers of vulnerability, was released. Has identified Jharkhand, Mizoram, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, and West Bengal as states highly vulnerable to climate change. These states, mostly in the eastern part of the country, require prioritization of adaptation interventions. The need Mapping the parts of India that are vulnerable to such changes will help initiating climate actions at the ground level. The report should be made easily accessible to all stakeholders so that it can benefit climate-vulnerable communities across India through development of better-designed climate change adaptation projects. Assessing vulnerability was the first step towards assessing climate risk. There are two other components like Hazard and Exposure that need to be also assessed to arrive at overall climate risk. The assessment will help Policymakers in initiating appropriate climate actions. It will also benefit climate-vulnerable communities across India through development of better-designed climate change adaptation projects. In a developing country such as India, vulnerability assessment is considered as an important exercise to develop suitable adaptation projects and programmes. While climate vulnerability assessments for various states and districts already exist, the states and districts cannot be compared to each other as the framework used for assessments are different, thereby limiting decision-making capabilities at the policy and administrative levels. This necessitated an assessment using a Common Vulnerability Framework. Scientists discover the farthest Gamma-ray emitting active galaxy with narrow emission lines (Topic: Space) Astronomers have discovered a new active galaxy identified as the farthest gamma-ray emitting galaxy that has so far been stumbled upon. This active galaxy called the Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxy, which is about 31 billion light-years away, opens up avenues to explore more such gamma-ray emitting galaxies that wait to meet us. Ever since 1929, when Edwin Hubble discovered that the Universe is expanding, it has been known that most other galaxies are moving away from us. Light from these galaxies is shifted to longer (and this means redder) wavelengths - in other words, it is red-shifted. Scientists have been trying to trace such red-shifted galaxies to understand the early Universe. Scientists from ARIES, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India, in collaboration with researchers from other institutions, studied around 25,000 luminous Active galactic nuclei (AGN) from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), a major optical imaging and spectroscopic survey of astronomical objects in-operation for the last 20 years and found a unique object that emits high-energy gamma rays located at a high redshift (more than 1). They identified it as a gamma-ray emitting NLS1 galaxy, which is a rare entity in space. Powerful relativistic jets, or sources of particles in the Universe traveling nearly at speed to light, are usually produced by AGN powered by large black holes and hosted in a giant elliptical galaxy. However, detection of gamma-ray emission from NLS1 challenges the idea of how relativistic jets are formed because NLS1s are a unique class of AGN that are powered by black hole of low mass and hosted in spiral galaxy. As of today, gamma-ray emission has been detected in about a dozen NLS1 galaxies, which are a separate class of AGN identified four decades ago. All of them are at redshifts lesser than one, and no method was present till date to find NLS1 at redshifts larger than one. This discovery opens up a new way to find gamma-ray emitting NLS1 galaxies in the early Universe. New electronic nose with biodegradable polymer and monomer can detect hydrogen sulphide from sewers (Topic: Development in Science and Technology) Scientists have developed an electronic nose with biodegradable polymer and monomer that can detect hydrogen sulphide (H2S), a poisonous, corrosive, and flammable gas produced from swamps and sewers. H2S is the primary gas produced from the microbial breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen, and this necessitates easy detection of its emission from sewers and swamps. Responding to this challenge, scientists from the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bangalore, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India, in collaboration with their counterparts from Saudi Arabia, have developed an exceptionally sensitive and selective H2S Gas sensor developed by impersonating the neuron responsible for identification of airborne molecules or olfactory receptor neuron (ORN). The fabricated sensor consists of a heterostructure consisting of two layers – the top layer a monomer and is realized with a novel chemical tris (keto-hydrazone), which is both porous and contains H2S specific functional groups, and the bottom layer is the active channel layer which plays a key role in altering the current and mobility of charge carriers. Thus, the synergistic combination helps to pre-concentrate the H2S molecules, initiate an acid-base chemical reaction, and thereby brings a change in the majority carriers (holes) of the channel region in the device.  The capacitance sensor (a sensor that detects nearby objects by their effect on the electrical field created by the sensor) developed by the scientists showed an excellent sensitivity in detecting H2S gas with an experimental limit of detection of around 25 parts per billion.  It also has high ambient stability of around 8 months without compromising sensing performance. Prelims oriented News Chief Election Commissioner: Shri Sushil Chandra World Heritage Day: 18th April, 2021 Launch of Online Grievance Management Portal for Persons from Scheduled Castes: On the occasion of 130th birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Baba Saheb Dr. B. R. Ambedkar; NCSC Grievance Management portal would make it easier for Scheduled Castes population of our country to register their complaint from any part of the country. The portal shall enable them to file their application and other atrocity and services related grievances online and to get them addressed in a time bound manner. The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) was set up under the Article 338 of the Constitution of India with the objective to investigate and monitor all issues pertaining to the safeguards provided for the Scheduled Castes under any law for the time being in force or under any order of the Government of India. The Commission also enquires into specific complaints with respect to the deprivation of rights and safeguards provided for the Scheduled Castes.  100th anniversary of the Kingdom of Jordan: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated Jordanian King Abdullah II on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the founding of Jordan and hailed the Middle Eastern country as a global symbol of moderation.  Highlighting the key role of King Abdullah II in the promotion of peace in West Asia, Prime Minister Modi noted that Jordan has today emerged as a "powerful voice and global symbol of moderation in an important region of the world". Noting the deepening of relations between India and Jordan, Modi recalled the historic visit of King Abdullah II to India in 2018, during which the Jordanian King had reiterated the Amman message of 2004 of tolerance, unity, and respect for human dignity. The prime minister noted that India and Jordan were united in the belief that moderation and peaceful co-existence were essential for peace and prosperity. India’s history with Jordan: The first bilateral agreement on cooperation and friendly relations was entered into soon after Indian independence in 1947. Established diplomatic relations in 1950 after India became a Republic The first ever visit by an Indian Head of State to Jordan took place in 2015 which provided a huge impetus to bilateral engagement between the countries Raisina Dialogue-2021: An annual geopolitical event, organised by the Ministry of External Affairs along with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF). It is designed to explore prospects and opportunities for Asian integration as well as Asia's integration with the larger world. It is predicated on India's vital role in the Indian Ocean Region and how India along with its partners can build a stable regional and world order. Launch of ‘Poshan Gyan’, a Digital Repository on Nutrition Information: NITI Aayog, in partnership with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Centre for Social and Behaviour Change, Ashoka University, has launched Poshan Gyan, a national digital repository on health and nutrition. Real change can be brought about only throughchanging behaviours on the ground. High malnutrition persists despite India being a food-surplus nation, which points towards a clear need for behavioural change. With this context in mind, Poshan Gyan is an extremely important initiative, and can help make nutrition a Jan Andolan. Launch of Aahaar Kranti Mission: To spread the message of the need for a nutritionally balanced diet and to understand the importance of accessible to all local fruits and vegetables. The `Aahaar Kranti’ movement is designed to address the peculiar problem being faced by India and the world called `hunger and diseases in abundance’. Studies estimate that India produces as much as two times the amount of calories that it consumes. However, many in the country are still malnourished. The root cause of this strange phenomenon is a lack of nutritional awareness in all sections of our society. There is a need for a nutritionally balanced diet also in the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic. A healthy body would be able to handle the infection much better with greater immunity and higher resilience. The United Nations has also declared 2021 as the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables, which vibes very well with Aahaar Kranti. Fruits and vegetables make a large part of a balanced diet. Further, UN sustainable goal # 3 that emphasizes on human well-being reads, “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.” This goal too makes Aahaar Kranti more meaningful. Diet and well-being are inseparable partners. The movement proposes to address the current situation of hunger in abundance by working to rouse the people to the values of India’s traditional diet, to the healing powers of local fruits and vegetables, and to the miracles of a balanced diet.  It will renew the focus on nutritionally balanced diets – उत्तम एवं संतुलित आहार (Uttam evam santulit aahaar) replete in locally sourced fruits and vegetables. The programme will focus on training teachers, who, in turn, will pass on the message to the multitudes of students, and through them to their families and finally the society at large. Such a strategy was adopted for the eradication of Polio and it turned out to be a grand success. Vijnana Bharati (Vibha) and Global Indian Scientists’ and Technocrats’ Forum have aimed to set Aahaar Kranti as a model for the entire world to follow. Gender Samvaad: A joint attempt between DAY-NRLM and the Initiative for What Works to Advance Women and Girls in the Economy (IWWAGE) to create a common platform to generate greater awareness on gender related interventions under DAY-NRLM across the country and best practices, with a focus on hearing voices from the states and the field Gender Samvaad provides states with opportunities to: Understand best practices/initiatives that other states have been undertaking to improve women’s agency (e.g. facilitating women’s access to land rights, their engagement in farmer producer organizations (FPOs), best practices around Food, Nutrition, Health and Water and Sanitation (FNHW), in establishing strong institutions for public service delivery, and in protecting and providing redress to vulnerable groups within women (e.g. to victims of witch hunting)); Understand gender interventions globally; Engage with experts and other colleagues on suggestions regarding how to handle issues/implementation barriers; Contribute to creation of a ‘gender repository’ with resource materials on best practices for gender interventions across the country/other countries; and Build advocacy around the need to focus on gender issues across SRLMs and the NRLM. Van Dhan Vikas Yojana – Promoting and backing tribal entrepreneurship The Van Dhan Vikas Yojana is a programme for value addition, branding & marketing of Minor Forest Produces by establishing Van Dhan Kendras to facilitate creation of sustainable livelihoods for the forest-based tribes. One major scheme that has contributed to increasing employment and income generation among the tribal population is the Van Dhan tribal start-ups programme, a component of the The ‘Mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) through Minimum Support Price (MSP) & Development of Value Chain for MFP’ Scheme. The focus of these initiatives is to make India self-reliant under the Atmanirbhar Abhiyan, with the motto, Go Vocal for Local Go Tribal – Mera Van Mera Dhan Mera Udyam. Manipur, in particular, which has emerged as the Champion state where the Van Dhan programme has emerged as a major source of employment for the local tribals. Sankalp se Siddhi” - Village & Digital Connect Drive:  It is a 100 day drive which was started from April 1, 2021. It will entail 150 teams visiting ten villages each. Aim: To activate the Van Dhan Vikas Kendras in these villages. The visiting teams will also identify locations and shortlist potential Van Dhan Vikas Kendras for clustering as TRIFOOD, and Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries- (SFURTI) units as larger enterprises. TRIFOOD aims to enhance the income of tribals through better utilization of and value addition to the Minor Forest Produce collected by the tribal forest gatherers. Atmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojana As a part of Atma Nirbhar Bharat 3.0 package, the Central Govt has launched the Atmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojana (ABRY) to incentivize creation of new employment opportunities during COVID-19 recovery phase by providing financial assistance to employer of establishments registered with EPFO to recruit unemployed persons including giving re employment to those who rendered unemployment during the Pandemic. i.e between March ,2020 to September 2020. Under The Atmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojana (ABRY), Central Government will pay both the employees’(12% of wages) and employer’s (12% of wages) share of contribution payable under the EPF & MP Act, 1952 or only the employees’ share, depending on the employment strength of the establishment, directly to the Universal Account Number of eligible employee maintained by the EPFO.  Launch of Infant Toddler and Caregiver-friendly Neighbourhoods (ITCN) Training and Capacity Building Programme: By National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) in partnership with Bernard van Leer Foundation (BvLF). The Programme is designed to help build capacities of city officials and young professionals for developing young children and family-friendly neighbourhoods within cities in India. The programme is envisioned with the twin objectives: first, embedding the learnings from the inventory of knowledge developed by NIUA and BvLF within the on-going and proposed urban development initiatives at neighbourhood and city level; and second, handholding participants to embed learnings into the various initiatives of the cities which take into account the everyday needs of young children and caregivers. In addition, an academic certified course for young professionals has been planned to sensitize them about the needs of young citizens (0-5 years) in the city and to equip them with the adequate tools for the purpose. Launch of e-SANTA: An electronic marketplace providing a platform to connect aqua farmers and the buyers It will enable the farmers to get a better price and the exporters to directly purchase quality products from the farmers enhancing traceability, a key factor in international trade. e-SANTA will RAISE the lives & income of farmers by: Reducing Risk Awareness of Products & Markets Increase in Income Shielding Against Wrong Practice Ease of Processes e-SANTA is a Digital Bridge to end the market divide and will act as an alternative marketing tool between farmers & buyers by eliminating middlemen. It will revolutionize traditional aquafarming by providing cashless, contactless and paperless electronic trade platform between farmers and exporters. e-SANTA can become a tool to advertise collectively the kind of products the buyers, fishermen & fish producing organisations are harvesting, so people in India & internationally can know what is available & in the future, it can become an auction platform. e-SANTA is a completely paperless and end-to-end electronic trade platform between Farmers and exporters. The farmers have the freedom to list their produce and quote their price while the exporters have the freedom to list their requirements and also to choose the products based on their requirements such as desired size, location, harvest dates etc. This enables the farmers and buyers to have greater control over the trade and enables them to make informed decisions. Launch of India Energy Dashboards (Version 2.0) by NITI Aayog: India Energy Dashboards (IED) is an endeavour to provide single-window access to the energy data for the country.  Energy data published/provided by: Central Electricity Authority, Coal Controller’s Organisation, and Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas The key features of India Energy Dashboards Version 2.0, are -  The IED provides time series data from FY 2005-06 until FY 2019-20; Enhanced data download – It enables easy downloading of data into convenient spreadsheet formats in a cleaner, more intuitive way; IED provides data at sub-yearly frequencies as well. This includes monthly data and API linked data from some portals maintained by the government agencies. The monthly data is sourced from the monthly reports that are regularly published for the electricity, petroleum and natural gas sectors. API linked data from Saubhagya,  UJALA, PRAAPTI, and Vidyut PRAVAH has been incorporated in the portal; A ‘Feedback and Suggestions’ forum for the engagement of energy data user community has been incorporated; A semi-automated workflow/ issue-tracking system for managing periodic updates to the IED. The workflow system performs basic checks and data validation, helping to avoid incorrect data entry; Addition of technical and financial data of electricity utilities available from the regulatory documents in the state of Maharashtra. Regulatory data specifically for the area served by the state-owned distribution utility – MSEDCL has been added. The Dashboards will include other states data in future. Personality in News Birth Anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (14 April 1891 – 6 December 1956), popularly known as Babasaheb Ambedkar, was an Indian jurist, economist, politician and social reformer who inspired the Dalit Buddhist movement and campaigned against social discrimination towards the untouchables (Dalits), while also supporting the rights of women and labour. He was independent India’s first law and justice minister, the principal architect of the Constitution of India, and a founding father of the Republic of India. Birth Anniversary: 14th April 6th December – Mahaparinirvan Diwas Known famously as: The Architect of Modern India His autobiography: Waiting for a Visa His books: Annihilation of Caste – It strongly criticised Hindu orthodox religious leaders and the caste system in general, and included “a rebuke of Gandhi” on the subject. Who Were the Shudras? – Ambedkar tried to explain the formation of untouchables. He saw Shudras and Ati Shudras who form the lowest caste in the ritual hierarchy of the caste system, as separate from Untouchables. Constitution of Reserve Bank of India Based on the ideas that Ambedkar presented to the Hilton Young Commission Ambedkar was trained as an economist, and was a professional economist until 1921, when he became a political leader. He wrote three scholarly books on economics: Administration and Finance of the East India Company The Evolution of Provincial Finance in British India The Problem of the Rupee: Its Origin and Its Solution Ambedkar and Untouchability While practising law in the Bombay High Court, he tried to promote education to untouchables and uplift them. His first organised attempt was his establishment of the central institution Bahishkrit Hitakarini Sabha, intended to promote education and socio-economic improvement, as well as the welfare of “outcastes”, at the time referred to as depressed classes.  For the defence of Dalit rights, he started five periodicals – Mooknayak (the leader of the dumb, 1920) Bahishkrit Bharat (Ostracized India, 1924) Samta (Equality, 1928) Janata (The People, 1930) Prabuddha Bharat (Enlightened India, 1956) Manusmriti Dahan Din: In a conference in late 1927, Ambedkar publicly condemned the classic Hindu text, the Manusmriti (Laws of Manu), for ideologically justifying caste discrimination and “untouchability”, and he ceremonially burned copies of the ancient text. On 25 December 1927, he led thousands of followers to burn copies of Manusmrti. Thus, annually 25 December is celebrated as Manusmriti Dahan Din (Manusmriti Burning Day) by Ambedkarites and Dalits. Kalaram Temple movement: About 15,000 volunteers assembled at Kalaram Temple Satyagraha, making one of the greatest processions of Nashik. The procession was headed by a military band, a batch of scouts, women and men walked in discipline, order and determination to see the god for the first time. When they reached to gate, the gates were closed by Brahmin authorities. Poona Pact: In 1932, British announced the formation of a separate electorate for “Depressed Classes” in the Communal Award. Gandhi fiercely opposed a separate electorate for untouchables, saying he feared that such an arrangement would divide the Hindu community. Gandhi protested by fasting while imprisoned in the Yerwada Central Jail of Poona. Following the fast, Congress politicians and activists such as Madan Mohan Malaviya and Palwankar Baloo organised joint meetings with Ambedkar and his supporters at Yerwada. On 25 September 1932, the agreement known as Poona Pact was signed between Ambedkar (on behalf of the depressed classes among Hindus) and Madan Mohan Malaviya (on behalf of the other Hindus). The agreement gave reserved seats for the depressed classes in the Provisional legislatures, within the general electorate. Due to the pact, the depressed class received 148 seats in the legislature, instead of the 71 as allocated in the Communal Award earlier proposed by British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald.  The text uses the term “Depressed Classes” to denote Untouchables among Hindus who were later called Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes under India Act 1935, and the later Indian Constitution of 1950. In the Poona Pact, a unified electorate was in principle formed, but primary and secondary elections allowed Untouchables in practice to choose their own candidates. Views of Dr. Ambedkar regarding the Indian Constitution Ambedkar warned – No democratic constitution can be modelled on the Hindu tradition of state and village panchayats. What is the village, Ambedkar asked, but a sink of localism, a den of ignorance, narrow-mindedness and communalism? Sets Universal values – The Constitution is a normative document, but the values it espouses are universal and ‘thin’. They do not reflect the belief system of one section of the population even if it is in a majority. Nor do these values dismiss the value systems of minority groups. On Constitutional Morality – Dr. Ambedkar talked of constitutional morality. He said citizen will have deep respect or admiration for Constitution when they realize true intent of Constitution which helps them to possess freedom and rights. When they realize Constitution composes of thin conception of ‘good’ that can hold a plural and diverse people together. Democracy is only a top-dressing for the Constitution of India For Ambedkar, democracy is only a top-dressing on an Indian soil which is essentially undemocratic. It is the institutionalisation of constitutional democracy that has changed the way Indians think of themselves in relation to each other, and in relation to the state. The Constitution has managed to inculcate democratic sensibilities and spark yearnings for more democracy, not less. Concept of Federalism: His concept of federalism meant that the State was a federation in normalcy, but unitary in emergency. Centre Was Made Strong:  In the Draft Constitution Dr. Ambedkar offered more powers to the Centre and made it strong. Some members of the constituent assembly criticized him on the ground that since Dr. Ambedkar postulated – the rights and values of each individual and the development of each province and each– village, it was contradictory of his part to make the Centre strong. Justifying the provisions for a strong Central authority Dr. Ambedkar said that he made the Centre strong not only to ‘save minorities from the misrule of majority’ but also “for it is only the Centre which can work for a common end and for the general interests of the country as a whole.” Equality of Opportunity:  Of all the rights, Dr. Amebedkar observed “Equality of Opportunity” as the most important one.  Regarding the constitutional remedies, he characterize Article 32 as the very soul of the Constitution and the very heart of it.  To him, fundamental rights would mean establishment of equality and liberty in order to reform our social system, which is so full of inequalities discriminations, and other which conflict with our fundamental rights. Directive Principles of State Policy:  The Directive Principles of State Policy contained the positive obligations of the state towards its citizens.  The Directives were meant to ensure social and economic democracy which was secured by the provisions of fundamental rights in a written Constitution.  Dr. Ambedkar said: “What are called Directive Principles is simply another name for Instruments of instructions to the legislature and the executive…as to how they should exercise their power.” Constitution, A Dynamic Document: The Constitution is a dynamic document it should grow with the growth of the nation and should suit the changing needs and circumstance. So Dr. Ambedkar urged the necessity of amendment. Concept of Sovereignty and Suzerainty: Dr. Ambedkar’s concept of sovereignty and suzerainty and of the Indian States, i.e., integration of the native Indian Princely States which gave the shape to the rap of India as if is today, has indeed been prophetic.  National Integration: In the Draft Constitution Dr. Ambedkar prescribed single citizenship, a single judiciary and uniformity in fundamental Laws to integrate Indian society which was not only divided into caste and class, but also into regions, religions, languages, traditions and cultures. Therefore, a strong Centre was indispensable to maintain territorial integrity and administrative discipline. Dr Ambedkar said – power is one thing, wisdom is quite another thing. When deciding the destiny of nations, dignities of people, dignities of leaders and dignities of parties ought to count for nothing. The dignity of the country should count for everything. Note: Dr. Ambedkar Scheme for Social Integration through Inter-Caste Marriages (dalit) Encouraging the practice of inter-caste marriages – Indian society can only develop and progress if the curse of caste inequality is removed forever. The implementation of this program is a step towards achieving this goal.  Assisting young couples with money – Couples who opt for inter-caste are generally shunned by their families due to the rigidity of the caste system in India. They often face hardships, but with this grant, these couples will no longer have to worry about facing financial adversity during the initial days. Funded by the central government – All operational activities and financial requirements of this welfare scheme will be met for the coffers of central government. Money will be sent to each start or UT for its implementation. Bringing equality among all castes – The main aim of this scheme is to give a level ground to all castes. With this, the central government will be able to bring about equality among all castes, thereby eliminating caste related prejudices. Must Read: Dr. B. R. Ambedkar insights on Labour Rights

IASbaba’s 60 Day Plan - IAS Prelims Test Series 2021 - POLITY, CURRENT AFFAIRS & CSAT [Day 25]

For Previous (ARCHIVES) - CLICK HERE Hello Friends,    [embed]https://https://www.youtube.com/embed/x5ldu2jV8N0[/embed] ARCHIVES OF 60 DAYS NOTE: IASbaba's 60 DAY questions will be posted around 10 AM. The solution will be released around 6 PM Daily.  Let us pledge to make it a big game-changer (better than last year) in the next 60 days! Note- Download the OMR Sheet and attempt the questions exactly like UPSC Prelims. After you are done, please post your OMR in the comment section. Once the solution key is released (around 6 PM), cross-check the answers and, comment the marks (you scored) in the same comment thread. This will keep you accountable, responsible and sincere in days to come.  You can also take part in the discussion with peers.   POLITY [DAY 25] - Click Here NOTE- Follow this for Comments Mention- Time Taken after solving the Test After the release of Solution, Edit your Comment to Mention-  Correct/Incorrect and Score 2 Marks for Correct/0.66 minus for Incorrect. What IMPACT can the ‘60 Day’ have on the final results? We will explain by taking a small example. Imagine you are sitting in the examination hall, appearing in Prelims Paper I. You have attempted 70 questions already but still unsure about a few. Then you stumble upon a question that was asked in 60 Day (and believe us, it has happened to hundreds of students countless times). You choose the right answer and submit your paper hoping for the best! Eventually, you go on to clear Mains as well as Personality Test and secure a good rank as well. When the cut off gets announced by UPSC, you realize that you have scored just one mark more than the cut off! Yes, that one mark can change your life (and it has done so to many of our students in the past). Now, imagine the kind of impact 60 to 80 marks can have! Isn’t that so fascinating to imagine?   One’s level of preparedness is always different for different subjects. Even within a subject, one’s comfort level may vary with topics. For example, one might be more comfortable in solving questions of Polity than Economics and within Polity also, one might be at ease with questions on fundamental rights than Parliament. The level of comfort and ease that one has with a subject/ topic gets manifested in the examination. However, there is no conscious effort by aspirants to micro analyze these aspects. Now, coming to the second aspect i.e. the mistakes that one commits in answering MCQs, it can be said that there are mainly four reasons behind incorrect responses in the OMR sheet. They are: Lack of information Lack of analytical ability Silly mistakes Excessive risk-taking Let’s analyze them one by one: Lack of information: You simply don’t know the information. You are clueless and that’s why you don’t attempt the question. For example, you may have never come across a regime called the ‘Wassenaar Agreement’ during your preparation and you can’t do much about it. The lack of information is pardonable and rectifiable. You can read more and gather more information. That is within your reach. Lack of analytical ability: You know the concept but the question is a twisted one and you are not able to apply the concept. For example, in a question asking you to identify the climate type of a region based on certain given parameters like precipitation, temperature, and air density, you might find it difficult to mark the correct option even if you are aware of all the options given in the question! That is clearly a lack of application and you can overcome it by developing a habit of framing questions in your mind while you study any topic. Silly mistakes: This habit is unpardonable. You know the concept, you become happy, you misread the question, you mark the incorrect answer and you are out of the race! Such mistakes reveal your hurriedness while answering the question. A simple mistake of reading ‘chose the incorrect option’ as ‘chose the correct option’ can destroy your chances. It means that you need to have patience and focus while attempting the paper. Excessive risk-taking: You are confused between the options and just in order to increase your attempts, you make wild guesses and try your luck only to repent eventually. Risk-taking is an art and one must be very careful while doing the guesswork in confusing questions. If you are not lucky enough, it can spoil your chances. You will realize that these problems will have different meanings for different people. For example, one might find a lack of information as the main culprit in answering wrong the questions on Culture while in Polity, lack of analytical ability is usually the culprit. The point here is that you must analyse your preparation on these yardsticks by applying them on different subjects/ topics. If one is having a headache, he/ she can’t have the same medicine for fever. Isn’t it. This is where our revamped '60 Day’ comes into the picture. It will give you an opportunity to micro analyze your preparation and perform better in the examination. Finally, it is up to you to take advantage of this framework. We are sure of only one thing- if you follow this program, assess yourself on the basis of the given framework and keep improving your weaker areas, success will be yours. We are providing you with the right platform, the right guidance, and the right competition. Do you have the right motivation to make full use of this initiative? We think you have. Come, be a part of this initiative and take the first step towards SUCCESS! Importance of self - tracking: We could have provided all of you with login id and passwords to monitor your daily performance in the 60-day program. Instead, a simple and most beautiful way which Disqus provides is profile based commenting! Yes, we have seen the most successful candidates who have taken the maximum benefit from this program monitoring themselves by commenting on their answers in the box given (Disqus comment). And reviewing their performance themselves once in 10 days on the progress meter. DOWNLOAD THE 60 DAYS PLAN 2021 All the Best! IASbaba    

SYNOPSIS [14th April,2021] Day 81: IASbaba’s TLP (Phase 1): UPSC Mains Answer Writing (General Studies)

For Previous TLP (ARCHIVES) - CLICK HERE   SYNOPSIS [14th April,2021] Day 81: IASbaba’s TLP (Phase 1): UPSC Mains Answer Writing (General Studies)   1. How does failure of governance create challenges for the health sector? Illustrate. Approach: Since the question is asking you to illustrate it mean you have to 'explain' whereby you are asked to show the workings of something, making use of definite examples and statistics if appropriate to add weight to your explanation. Introduction The healthcare industry is facing many changes that pose new challenges to medical organizations big and small. The COVID-19 pandemic has produced mass market and governance failure in global private health, particularly in tertiary care. In particular, the fast-evolving government regulations, technological innovations, and patient expectations create a new environment in which running a medical practice isn’t just about treating patients anymore. Body HOW DOES FAILURE OF GOVERNANCE CREATE CHALLENGES FOR THE HEALTH SECTOR The COVID-19 pandemic very quickly witnessed numerous and catastrophic instances of governance failure in health. Be it failing supply of personal protective equipment (PPE), medical masks, gloves and surgical gowns, as well as medical oxygen or the lack of vaccine production capacity. Indian states have moved through their own trajectories of responses to the service and pricing crisis, with even pro-market ruling BJP administrations becoming increasingly aggressive toward private providers.  Despite multiple states capping prices for treatment of patients, and despite sequestration of beds and capacities by legal means and emergency powers, the situation has been anarchic, with tensions and real divisions emerging between state governments and private providers.  Firms are still routinely breaching price caps and gouging, turning away COVID patients and hoarding beds, with reports of unseemly black markets for beds emerging. States have reacted with the sequestration of hospitals, enforced openings, prosecution, and other measures, but circumvention of law and emergency measures have continued through nonetheless. The startling chaos in India reveals that governments have not factored in reliance of profit-seeking and market-driven providers into national pandemic preparedness, and the mismatch between private sector reliance in LMICs’ national health systems and pandemic emergency needs.  Conclusion The pandemic has sharply reminded us once again how health policies and increasing privately-focused health systems fail to meet both national needs and those of the most marginalized and vulnerable. Amid widespread national governance failures—either crisis bound or historic—with regards to poorly resourced public health services and burgeoning private health—governments have responded with increasing legal and financial interventions into national health markets. In contrast, multilateral governance has been path dependent with regard to ongoing commitments to privately provided health. 2. What are the issues pertaining to the autonomy of institutes of higher education in India? Discuss. Approach A simple and straightforward question where in the candidate needs to discuss the issues with respect to the autonomy of institutes of higher education in India. Introduction UNESCO defines institutional autonomy as, “a degree of self-governance, necessary for effective decision making by institutes of higher education regarding their academic work standards, management, and related activities”. Here, Academic autonomy is a generic concept, implying self-governance of a university and not limited to a narrow sense of designing the academic curriculum. Body  Higher education in India is highly centralised and institutions have very limited autonomy, regardless of their public or private status. This is especially true with colleges.  The Gajendragadkar Committee Report (UGC, 1971) states “The concept of University autonomy is often misunderstood. The concept of university autonomy means that it would be appropriate on the part of democratic legislatures not to interfere with the administration of university life, both academic and non-academic.” Presently, Higher education in India is highly centralised and institutions have very limited autonomy, regardless of their public or private status. This is especially true with colleges. Universities have some substantive autonomy in theory while private institutions have more leeway in terms of procedural autonomy. In India, there is a skewed allocation of limited funds to central universities while state universities face a paucity of funds. Moreover, the existing system of governance and regulation needs to be re-examined.  Under the affiliation system, most parent universities are responsible for regulating admission, setting curricula, and conducting examinations for the affiliated colleges under the general oversight of the UGC. The system of command and control does not promote accountability. The institutions are constantly subjected to governmental pressures and decisions are often made based on non-academic considerations. This intervention starts at the highest level with the appointment of the Vice Chancellor. Academic curricula of professional courses are subject to oversight by their professional councils. Both public and private universities can modify curriculum and propose new programmes with UGC approval but have no or limited autonomy over areas like fees.  Private universities also have their fees determined by state committees headed by prominent public figures who ensure that these institutions are not profiteering. Neither public nor private universities can determine faculty or staffing salaries.  The current systems of regulation-based autonomy have ignored the recent demographic and compositional shifts in education. Currently, the number of private institutions is almost twice that of government institutions. Yet, the model of governance has been relatively slow to change.  Finally, most of the existing regulations are based on the affiliating model which does not seek to address the aspirational value of Indian institutions in quality and diversity. In short, institutions of higher education (IHEs) in India need to be looked through a different lens to conceive the reality of autonomy. National Education Policy 2020, a blueprint for the development of education over the next 10 years, proposes a departure from the current top-down system to allow considerable autonomy to institutions. Its measures can be seen from the following points – Under graded autonomy, academic, administrative and financial autonomy will be given to colleges on the basis of their accreditation status under the three categories, with top research universities having the highest levels of autonomy. A National Research Foundation or NRF will be set up as a top body for promoting a strong research culture and building research capacity across higher education. The NRF will identify research-focused universities and help to develop their state-of-the-art research facilities to enable researchers to undertake highly advanced, innovative and pioneering research. Universities and colleges restructured in the other two categories will focus more on teaching and granting degrees, with the affiliation of colleges to degree-granting universities phased out in 15 years and a stage-by-stage mechanism established for granting graded autonomy. Rather than the overarching University Grants Commission, the current regulatory body which will be scrapped under the NEP 2020 proposals, boards of governors would supervise the day-to-day operations of individual universities. Conclusion The post-Covid-19 time is ripe to act and seize the opportunity to set things right in the higher educational sector where a data-driven approach can help in providing a new measure of institutional autonomy and academic freedom in India where introducing an Indian Index of Institutional Autonomy (i3A) can be a good start. 3. What measures have been taken to improve the employability of graduates in India? Why haven’t we achieved much success on this front? Examine. Approach The candidate needs to highlight the measures taken in India to improve the employability of graduates in the first part of the answer while the second part should examine the reasons for limited success on this front of employability of graduates. Introduction Employability and education have been two of the top issues for the citizens of the country. Here, employability skills are defined as a range of competencies or abilities that are necessary for graduates to gain success in the labour market at all employment levels which benefits themselves, the community and the economy. Body How Government is Increasing Employability of Engineers in India – AICTE in association with various organisations carries out an employability Skill Test of pre-final and final year graduate students of AICTE approved institutions annually.  To increase the employability of graduates in the country, Ministry of Human Resource Development is working along with Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) under National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to undertake Apprenticeship/Internship embedded degree programmes with the core focus on the development of knowledge, skills, aptitude and on-job training. Furthermore, the government has also recommended that courses on nine emerging technologies like AI, data science, IoT, cyber security, robotics, design, quantum computing, AR/VR, Block chain and 3D printing and should be introduced in UG engineering courses. In order to revamp the engineering curriculum and to impart the requisite skill set to the students to enhance the employability of engineering students, AICTE has approved an action plan with the following objectives: Induction Training, Revision of Curriculum, Mandatory Internships, Industry Readiness and Mandatory Accreditation. Further, AICTE is implementing schemes namely National Employment Enhancement Mission (NEEM) and Employability Enhancement Training Program (EETP) to enhance the employability of the students.  In addition, AICTE has also partnered with Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), Govt of India, Internshala, NETiit and LinkedIn to provide internship opportunities and industry exposure to students for aligning their technical knowhow with industry requirements. Apart from that, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) is taking the following measures to increase the employability of graduates in the country, particularly engineering graduates: Preparation of outcome-based model curriculum for Diploma, Undergraduate (UG) and Post Graduate (PG) courses in Engineering and PGDM/MBA Courses. Exam reforms and formulation of comprehensive teacher’s training. 8 modules are proposed for the incumbent as well as in-service teachers. Mandatory internship, Revision of model curriculum, and Industry readiness accreditation. The employability of the fresh graduates has risen as a result of different measures taken by Government. As per the data maintained by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the overall employability has increased from 34% to more than 45% in the last five years. This showcases the success of governmental initiatives, but these have been limited in nature. The reasons for the same include – Uncertainty among graduates: Lack of focus and definite career path among graduates. As per a latest report, around 40% of the engineering graduates is preparing for various competitive exams in government sector which his not even relate to engineering. Sanction of new institutes: The ease of securing approval from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to set up engineering colleges and other higher education regulators has led to the mushrooming of institutes. These are understaffed and lack in qualified, competent and suitable faculty members. E.g. the number of approved institutes in Maharashtra alone is around 650.  Teaching methods: Most of the institutions still follow traditional way of teaching without realizing that the information is available over the internet and the need of the hour is the application level teaching for practical purposes. There is no policy framework for participation of foreign universities in higher education. Also, there is no overarching funding body to promote and encourage research and innovation. Public funding in the sector remains inadequate. Conclusion In today’s era, staying updated with technological advancements and rapid changes in surrounding are of prime importance for both success and growth of Individual and employability where to effectively skill, up-skill and re-skill India’s workforce, all stakeholders must coordinate upon improving the larger economic prospects as well as new end employment prospects. 4. Do a critical assessment of India’s performance on the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Approach Candidates are expected first to write about the sustainable development goals and then do critical assessment of India performance to achieve the SDG. Introduction Development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’. This most widely accepted definition of Sustainable Development was given by the Brundtland Commission in its report Our Common Future (1987). Sustainable development (SD) calls for concerted efforts towards building an inclusive, sustainable and resilient future for people and planet. Body India, got committed to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals India played a significant role in making the declaration and its progress in achieving these goals are crucial such as: There is notable progress on SDGs 6, 7, 9 and 11. While, a decline in the Maternal Mortality Ratio has contributed to our improved performance in the area of ‘Good Health and Well-Being’, ramping up toilet coverage under Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan has raised the country’s score on ‘Clean Water and Sanitation’. The commendable performance on Goal 7 is due to expanded access to clean cooking fuel and the government’s massive electrification drive. Similarly, on Goal 9, the progress can be attributed largely to a significant improvement in rural road connectivity and increased mobile phone penetration.  Our performance on Goal 11 has been boosted by better access to housing through the Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojana as well as more widespread adoption of door-to-door waste collection and processing. NITI Aayog has undertaken a mapping of schemes as they relate to the SDGs and their targets, and has identified lead and supporting ministries for each target. They have adopted a government-wide approach to sustainable development, emphasising the interconnected nature of the SDGs across economic, social and environmental pillars. The reforms have included fiscal consolidation, inflation targeting, improved governance all around, accelerated infrastructure development (SDG 9), curbing of corruption (SDG 16), Aadhaar Act for providing unique identity. The MGNREGA provides a legal guarantee of a minimum of 100 days of wage employment programme generated over 2 billion person-days of employment (SDG 8) during the last year. Women and disadvantaged groups have been the largest beneficiaries (SDG 5 and SDG 10) of the programme accounting for 56% and 39% of person-days of work generated during last year. There is now compelling evidence that rapid growth India has achieved following the economic reforms initiated in 1991 has led to significant reduction in poverty. The evidence shows that poverty fell across all economic, social and religious groups nationally and in all states in the post-reform era. Kerala’s top rank is attributed to its superior performance in providing good health, reducing hunger, achieving gender equality and providing quality education. Himachal Pradesh ranks high in providing clean water and sanitation, in reducing inequalities and preserving mountain ecosystem.  Still there is need to strengthen institutional arrangements by identifying support departments and defining roles and responsibilities let us assess conditions: As per Sustainable Development Report 2020 India has been ranked 117th in the index with overall score of 61.92. The score can be depicted as the percentage of SDG achievement. While this progress is heartening, there are certain indicators where focussed attention is required. For instance, India’s tuberculosis notification rate is still high, thus limiting our overall progress on Goal 3. The CAG found deficiencies regarding the adaption of the 2030 Agenda and stressed upon the need to develop a roadmap to be aligned with defined milestones to be achieved in year 2020, 2025 and 2030, which it found has not been attempted yet. The auditor was concerned that the vision document was still under preparation and states did not complete the exercise to prepare policy documents. The agency squarely blamed the Union Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation for its failure to finalise the National Indictor Framework (NIF). The delay in approval of NIF held up finalisation of monitoring and reporting framework on implementation of SDG. The audit highlighted that three crucial ministries of AYUSH, tribal affairs and home affairs were not involved in the national consultation on transitioning from Millenium Development Goals to SDGs. In states, the health spending as a percentage of total expenditure, ranged from 3.29 to 5.32 per cent, which shows that there is a need for considerable augmentation. COVID-19 pandemic hit at a time when the SDGs were gaining traction and a significant number of steps have been taken and were making good progress. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruptions to plans and timelines. Conclusion India will continue to pursue the implementation of the SDG agenda through close collaboration between the national and sub-national governments as well as active participation of all other relevant stakeholders. Localisation of SDGs is crucial to any strategy, essentially we need better adapting, planning, implementing and monitoring the SDGs from national to local levels by relevant institutions to achieve goals.  5. What are the components of social security? Discuss. How is India performing on the key indicators of social security? Examine. Approach- Question is straight forward, candidate can define social security and give account of India’s performance with the help of suitable government schemes. Introduction According to International Labour Organisation,” Social security is the protection that a society provides to individuals and households to ensure access to health care and to guarantee income security, particularly in cases of old age, unemployment, sickness, invalidity, work injury, maternity or loss of a breadwinner”. Body What constitutes social security? The principle of Universality of social security is enshrined in various goals related to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Right to a Standard of Living- adequate for the health and well-being, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services. Right to Income Security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond any person’s control. In the ILO conventions and UN instruments, it is considered to be a basic human right. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) recognises the right to social security for all. It helps the recipients to ensure their rights to family protection and assistance, an adequate standard of living and adequate access to healthcare. Social security acts as an umbrella for people during adverse situations. Social welfare is not possible without social security. It acts as a buffer against all odds in the time of need. It helps in lifting millions of people out of poverty and thus, raises people’s standard of living. Types of social security in India Gratuity, Old-age pension Health and medical insurance Maternity benefits Disability benefits, Minimum Wages Act Need of social security in India Majority of Work Force is in Unorganised Sector: The organised sector workers constitute less than 10% of all workers in India. The lockdown necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic has caused misery to almost all sections of society, but the vulnerable section viz. people below the poverty line, migrant workers have been affected the most. Too Expensive Private Healthcare Expense: Out-of-pocket health expenses, which create barriers to seeking healthcare and can push marginal households into poverty, form as much as nearly 90% of private expenditure on health. Also, in a dynamic market-economy, workers will lose jobs at a faster pace with technological changes. Thus, workers need to keep learning to stay productively employed. Covid-19 has highlighted the urgency for providing universal free health care. It has demonstrated that private health care can be afforded only by the wealthy. Performance of India in social security India has a broad aim of social protection programs, but the overall public expenditure on social protection (excluding public healthcare) is only approx. 1.5% of the GDP, lower than many middle-income countries across the world. However, in spite of great attention given to skills development in the last 15 years, the results are not very encouraging. What can be done? Skill Development via ‘Learning while Earning’ Model-The principle of “learning while earning” should be more vigorously applied to improve India’s skill development systems. MGNREGA has proved its utility by providing employment to millions of workers who have reverse migrated. Thus, there is a case for extending this programme to urban areas with municipal bodies Providing Universal Health Coverage-There is a need to establish the Ayushman Bharat-National Health Agency at all levels of governance for management of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (PM-JAY). Atal pension yojana- The APY will be focussed on all natives in the unorganized sector, who join the National Pension System (NPS) managed by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) and Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) would give protection cover in the terrible occasion of death by any reason/demise or inability because of a mishap. The target of raising the share of expenditure on health care to 2.5% of the GDP, as envisaged by the National health policy 2017, in the next two years would be a good beginning. Conclusion Covid-19 pandemic exposed our vulnerabilities of social securities. The poor healthcare and social infrastructure needs immediate revamping to provide BASIC right to life to the marginalised and vulnerable. TLP HOT Synopsis Day 81 PDF

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[MOCK INTERVIEW – UPSC 2020-21] More Time Slots for ONLINE MOCKS Open Now!!

Dear Students Thank You for the Overwhelming Response and Heartwarming Feedback. More Interview Slots are now open! 120 students have attended the Mock Interviews in Bangalore, Delhi, and Online till now!! Due to the worsening Covid situation, we have come up with more ONLINE Mock Interviews. We will open the Offline Mock Interviews once the COVID-19 situation is under control. ONLINE MOCKS: 20th & 21st April - Slots Closed 24th & 25th April - Slots Open BOOK YOUR TIME-SLOTS FOR MOCK INTERVIEW (OFFLINE & ONLINE) -> CLICK HERE P.S: You can also share the same with your friends who are interested in taking ONLINE Mock Interviews, One-One Mocks, DAF Questionnaire. For further queries with regard to interview, you can mail us at support@iasbaba.com or call us on 8549000077 (Bangalore)/ 8506910969 (Delhi) BABA's INTERVIEW PANELLIST Thank You IASbaba

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[Baba’s FC 2022] OPTIONAL COURSES for Freshers - Anthropology, Sociology, Political Science & International Relations, Geography, Public Administration and Kannada Literature

Hello Everyone, We hope that amidst this renewed distress you all are fine and taking care of yourself and your loved ones. In the present scenario, wise are those who are just sitting tight and following the Covid guidelines. There is no point to feel frustrated or anxious. Just stay calm and composed and do what you are supposed to do right now – Study. Coming to the point of studies, one constant thought that occupies the mind of all the aspirants is how to prepare for Optional Subjects. Students are always confused about the right sources to study and proper mentorship. To provide you the right path and guidance, for the 2022 session, we have come up with a Classroom program for many more Optional Subjects. For every Optional Subject, students will be provided with Detailed Classes covering the full syllabus, Value Add notes, Test Series, and ‘One on One’ Mentorship. The list of available Optional Subjects is given below – Geography Sociology Public Administration Political Science and International Relations Anthropology Kannada Literature A detailed write-up will be posted in the coming week for each of these subjects so that you can understand deliverables for each course.

Motivational Articles

Creative Guidance – The Power of the Present – Inspirational Educative Articles

The Power of the Present: It is easier said than done, but that is all you need to do in order to stay in the present moment. Every moment you are presented with a choice, either to be in that moment or think about it; you cannot do both. You cannot experience a moment and think about it at the same time. When you are experiencing or observing something, you really don’t have time to think about it, and when you are thinking about something, you obviously are not paying any attention to the actual object. For example, if I tell you to sit and watch a candle flame for a few moments, every moment, you can either watch the flame or think about it. The difference between these two is subtle, but very real. Every time you think about the candle flame, you are imagining its qualities and properties. Reality is spectacularly simple. Reality is simply this moment; everything else is purely imagined by the mind. The whole challenge in being mindful or meditative is fighting the strong desire of the mind to interfere and block the perception of reality which your body is trying to experience. With regular practice of learning to be in the present moment, you will be able to see the difference between the experience of the mind and the experience of the body. You can trust the experiences of the body, because it is through the body that you have grasped and understood the nature of reality around you. Recognition of hard and soft, light and darkness, sweet and bitter, beautiful and ugly, pleasant and unpleasant, have all happened through your body. The body is not as whimsical and momentary as your mind. The experiences of your body have deepened and ripened over time. In fact, your body represents the collective wisdom of everything you have learned through your interaction with the world around you. “This article is a part of the creative endeavor of Nirvana Foundation and IASBABA.”

SYNOPSIS [13th April,2021] Day 80: IASbaba’s TLP (Phase 1): UPSC Mains Answer Writing (General Studies)

For Previous TLP (ARCHIVES) - CLICK HERE   SYNOPSIS [13th April,2021] Day 80: IASbaba’s TLP (Phase 1): UPSC Mains Answer Writing (General Studies)   1. Discuss the marine resource endowment of India. What are issues pertaining to the efficient and sustainable extraction of marine resources? Approach: Question is asking you to discuss, it requires you to write a debate where one has to use your skill at reasoning, backed up by deliberately selected evidence to make a case for and against an argument.  Introduction: The third largest and gifted ocean in the world “Indian ocean” surrounds India on three sides. With an exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 2.02 million sq.km and a long coastline of 8,118 km with rich and diverse marine living resources, the Indian Government is promoting ‘Blue Growth Initiative’ which focus on utilisation of wealth from the marine and other aquatic resources of the country for improving the lives and livelihoods of fishermen and their families. Body: THE MARINE RESOURCE ENDOWMENT OF INDIA Manganese nodules contain significant concentrations of manganese, iron and copper, nickel, and cobalt all of which have a numerous economic use.  Indian Ocean contain vast amount of minerals, including the cobalt, zinc, manganese and rare earth materials. These minerals are needed for electronic industry to make smart phones, laptops and car components etc. This can help Make in India initiative. Seawater contains economically useful salts such as gypsum and common salt. Gypsum is useful in various industries. Marine fisheries wealth around Indian coastline is estimated to have an annual harvestable potential of 4.4 million metric tonnes. It will lead to food security through fishery sector and other sea food resources. It would also help in reducing malnutrition issue in India as fishes are good source of nutrition. The main energy resources present in Indian Ocean are petroleum and gas hydrates. Petroleum products mainly includes the oil produced from offshore regions. Gas hydrates are unusually compact chemical structures made of water and natural gas. It will help in diversification of energy resources and will provide new resources for energy e.g., gas hydrates. Marine resources from Indian Ocean can serve as the backbone of India’s economic growth and can help India to become a 5 trillion-dollar economy by 2022. Blue economy, through sustainable use of oceans, has great potential for boosting the economic growth. ISSUES PERTAINING TO THE EFFICIENT AND SUSTAINABLE EXTRACTION OF MARINE RESOURCES  Oil spills are considered to be a major cause of marine pollution. Leakage from tankers during transportation of crude oil, a collision of tankers, rigs operation, pipeline leaks and washing of tankers are major sources of oil spills. Oil spills destroy the fish habitats and alter the ecological conditions of seawater which led to the mass mortality of fish and other organisms.  Extinction of a species affects other species is accelerating the extinction of more species through a chain reaction. every year tsunamis, cyclones, hurricanes typhoons etc. leave thousands of people stranded and property worth millions destroyed. Increasing population density, industrial growth and socio-economic development is giving rise to a variety of activities, the collective impact of which is multiplying the pressures on the coastal zone and its resources. Impact of climate change or the changes in sea temperature, acidity, threaten marine life, habitats, and the communities that depend on them. Burning of fuels, industrialization, urbanization, etc. are major sources of different harmful gases such as CO2, CH4, NO and CFCs which led to the production of the greenhouse effect. The heating of earth’s surface resulting into melting of ice in glaciers and poles are expected to further raise the sea level in the range of 21–71 cm by the year 2070. This could mean that many fisheries dependent on upwelling will suffer or cease to exist.  Adverse environmental change, especially in spawning habitats, decreases the stock strength of the coastal fish. The lack of a sustainable management regime is accelerating the rate of resource decline further.  Marine pollution in form of excess nutrients from untreated sewerage, agricultural runoff, and marine debris such as plastics Overexploitation of marine resources like illegal, unreported, and unregulated extraction of marine resources. Conclusion: India is poised to emerge as a major maritime and naval power. It has placed the Blue Economy high on its agenda for economic growth. The essential objective is to develop Blue Economy through a robust regulatory framework which contributes to sustainable use of existing natural resources. The Indian government encourages proactive and facilitative governance which supports job creation, encourages innovation, and provides opportunities for knowledge-based businesses in key maritime sectors, within the framework of the nation’s pursuit of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). India being rich in marine biodiversity, there are opportunities for providing financial benefits to the coastal communities and the profit made should encourage the community to conserve the reckless deteriorating biodiversity. 2. What are the factors responsible for the high fuel cost in India? How can the government address the rising cost? Suggest. Approach Mention the factors responsible for the high fuel cost in India and then suggest how can the government address the rising cost. Introduction  Petrol is now retailing above Rs 90 per litre in all major cities including Delhi and is on the verge of crossing Rs 100 in major cities. It has already hit a century in some circles. Diesel, too, has climbed to levels never seen before in the country. Experts have said the continuous increase in fuel prices will have a widespread impact on citizens and the overall economy. Body THE FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE HIGH FUEL COST IN INDIA Firming of international crude oil rates and extremely high taxes levied on the fuel are the key reasons behind the latest round of petrol and diesel price hike in the country. International crude oil price including the Indian basket of crude, which comprises Oman, Dubai and brent crude. Global crude oil prices have been increasing after organisation of the petroleum exporting countries (OPEC)-plus decided to continue supply curbs. Crises in countries like Venezuela and Iran are increasing. There is a pressure on oil prices due to decrease in production.  Global currencies have weakened against the US dollar. As the rupee value is depreciating, oil refineries have to pay more rupees to import crude oil. This is also one of the reasons why fuel prices are high. Being the third-largest importer of oil in the world, the recent firming of international crude oil prices has severely impacted India, where citizens are paying extremely high rates for fuel in comparison to neighboring countries.  The biggest reason behind higher fuel prices in the country is the high rate of central and state taxes. At the moment, Indians pay one of the highest taxes on fuel in the world. Since India follows a dynamic system for altering fuel rates, oil marketing companies are mostly responsible for the recent hikes and the government has no control over it. However, the government does impose a tax on the base price of fuel. HOW CAN THE GOVERNMENT ADDRESS THE RISING COST? Reducing taxes on petroleum products will result in a reduction in costs of transport and thereby reduces the price of many consumer goods. This will result in an increase in markets and economy and also reduces the burden on common people. Instead of depending on these taxes on petrol & diesel, the Indian government needs to create more revenue sources such as increasing the number of people that pay income tax, recovering bad loans of public sector banks etc. More and more people are buying their own vehicles, especially after witnessing the pandemic and hence the demand for petrol and diesel is increasing and thereby the pressure on foreign exchange reserves and ‘Trade deficit ‘are increasing. This will further lower the value of the rupee. To reduce the dependence on crude oil imports, there is a need to invest in the exploration of crude oil reserves in the country. There is a dire need to encourage people to use electric vehicles and to use renewable energy resources. This will reduce the burden on foreign exchange reserves as well as leads us towards eco-friendly living. Conclusion If the crude oil prices are increased in the coming days, there will be a huge burden on people whether they own a vehicle or not. Because high fuel prices increase the cost of transport and thereby increases the price of consumer goods. To avoid that situation, the government needs to work on reforms in petroleum pricing. 3. Examine the factors responsible for the prevalence of water shortage in different parts of the country. To what extent can river interlinking address this problem? Discuss. Approach The candidate needs to examine the factors responsible for prevalence of water shortage in different parts of the country in the first part of the answer while also discussing the extent to which river interlinking can address the problem of water shortage in the second part of the answer. Introduction Water touches every aspect of life, and in India uncertainty over access to and the availability of this basic resource is reaching crisis levels, as is evident from NITI Aayog Report, Composite Water Management Index (CWMI), which said India is facing its worst water crisis in the history.    Body In this light, factors responsible for the prevalence of water shortage in different parts of the country include – Insufficient water per person: With a population of 1.2 billion according to 2011 census, India has only 1,000 cubic meters of water per person. A nation is water-stressed if it has less than 1,700 cubic meters per person per year. Rapid Urbanization: India is urbanizing rapidly. This implies heightened water demand from households, industry and agriculture. Concretization also reduces the ground-water replenishment. Poor water quality: resulting from insufficient and delayed investment in urban water-treatment facilities. Water in most rivers in India is largely not fit for drinking. Despite the Ganga Action Plan, launched in 1984 to clean up the Ganges River, much of the river remains polluted with a high coliform count. Over-exploitation: In the last four decades, about 85% of the total addition to irrigation has come from groundwater. This is clearly unsustainable resulting in steep depletion of the groundwater table. Policy Issues: Groundwater is used to cultivate water-intensive crops like paddy and sugarcane (promoted by Green revolution) in rain deficit states like Punjab and Maharashtra respectively. State procurement policy and subsidized electricity in Punjab make it profitable for farmers to produce rice.  Mismanagement of Water resources: There are leakages in the water supply systems. India receives an average annual rainfall of 1170 mm but due to poor storage infrastructure, it stores only 6% of rainwater. No Reliable Data: There is no single water database for the country. In 2016, the standing committee on water resources of the Indian parliament finally recommended having a national groundwater database but there is no progress in this regard. The National River Linking Project (NRLP) formally known as the National Perspective Plan, envisages the transfer of water from water ‘surplus’ basins where there is flooding to water ‘deficit’ basins where there is drought/scarcity, through inter-basin water transfer projects. In this regard, river interlinking can tackle India’s water shortage as explained below – To overcome large variation in rainfall and available water resources in space and time: In a monsoonal climate that is already erratic and highly seasonal in nature. For example, nearly half of India’s farms (49%) rely solely on rain for their water. These are hit the hardest by disrupted monsoon rains. Diversion of water from water surplus basins to water deficit basins/regions: It is the inter-basin water transfer where parched regions of peninsular and water stressed regions will have regular supply of water. Use of the surplus water which is otherwise flowing into the sea unutilized: The project claims to provide additional irrigation to 35 million hectares (m ha) in the water-scarce western and peninsular regions.  To mitigate likely adverse impact of climate change, short term and long term: Interlinking of rivers will reduce regional imbalances significantly and provide benefits by the way of additional irrigation potential, domestic and industrial water supply, hydropower generation, and transport facilities. But at the same time, it is necessary to consider the negative effects of river interlinking in India in terms of its overall impact – The interlinking of river envisages the building of many dams, canals and tunnels with some of them having high lifts up to 120 m. This will lead to a huge social and environmental cost. The recent example is the proposed Ken-Betwa link, which puts in danger over 4,100 hectares of forest land. Along with the ecological cost, the project will also bring a great human cost in terms of those displaced by it where there exists no estimate to the number of people who will be affected by the river linking project. Expensive proposition: Interlinking of rivers is a very expensive proposal where initially, more than Rs.5,00,000 crore was estimated as the total project cost. It will not only add to climate change impact through destruction of forests means destruction of carbon sinks, and reservoirs in tropical climate are known sources of methane and carbon dioxide, but will also reduce our capacity to adapt to climate change. The interlinking would also require India to enter into agreements with Nepal and Bangladesh, as these countries share the basins of the Ganga and Brahmaputra river systems. But both are apprehensive about the project. Way forward – River rejuvenation ought to be a policy priority of the Centre and state governments. There is a need to leverage Information Technology to revamp water-related data systems, which seem to be sorely lacking in coverage, efficiency or robustness. Sustainable operations and maintenance of irrigation systems must be boosted. There is a need to follow conservation agriculture i.e. farming practices adapted to the requirements of crops and local conditions.  Decentralised approach, with a key focus on water conservation, source sustainability, storage and reuse wherever possible. A participatory approach is needed in water governance.  Conclusion The interlinking of rivers project is a major challenge as well as an opportunity to deal with the water related problems where long term strategy to water deficit problem lies in tackling the challenges of interlinking of rivers but short term measures also need to be prioritised for better and early results. Additional Information: Under the National Perspective Plan (NPP) prepared by Ministry of Water Resources, NWDA has already identified 14 links under Himalayan Rivers Component and 16 links under Peninsular Rivers Component for inter basin transfer of water based on field surveys and investigation and detailed studies. Out of these, Feasibility Reports of 14 links under Peninsular Component and 2 links (Indian portion) under Himalayan Component have been prepared. Draft Feasibility Reports of 7 link projects (Indian portion) of Himalayan Component have also been completed. The biggest, cheapest, most benign, possibly fastest and most decentralized storage option for India is the groundwater aquifer. 4. Good governance is the cornerstone of a successful pandemic mitigation strategy. Comment.   Approach Candidates are expected first to write about the Good governance and its basic characteristics. Then comment on how good governance is the cornerstone of a successful pandemic mitigation strategy with proper substantiation. Introduction In times of crisis such as the current COVID-19 pandemic and its economic and social repercussions, public governance matters more than ever. Governance arrangements have played a critical role in countries’ immediate responses, and will continue to be crucial both to the recovery and to building a “new normal” once the crisis has passed. Body Good governance and its characteristics: In the 1992 report entitled “Governance and Development”, the World Bank set out its definition of Good Governance. It defined Good Governance as “the manner in which power is exercised in the management of a country’s economic and social resources for development”. Good governance has 8 major characteristics.‘It is participatory, consensus-oriented, accountable, transparent, responsive, effective and efficient, equitable and inclusive and follows the rule of law. Good governance as a cornerstone of a successful pandemic mitigation strategy: During the COVID-19 pandemic the challenges have become extraordinarily difficult due to the speed and scale of COVID-19 response programs, work overload on implementing and accountability institutions, including media and civil society, and workforce safety concerns and lockdowns. The public investment, be it for obtaining necessary health products and supplies, or for providing essential public services is channelled mainly through public procurement. Therefore the impacts of chosen procurement strategies have an immediate effect on the effectiveness of policies and efficiency of administration for dealing with the pandemic and its social and economic consequences. The trends in policy-making towards a more pro-active approach to building strategies that reduce risk, enhance resilience, and focus on recovery and functionality by Good Governance has been a new Toolkit. The crisis has created  environments that was ripe for corruption and bribery. Identifying and addressing corruption risks thus was crucial to protect trust in public institutions and business, and to galvanise public confidence in the governments’ ability to mobilise an effective crisis response. Issues such as trust in government and trust in expert advice, and the boundary between the experts and the political decision-making interface were brought to the fore by the crisis. Governments faced with the need to synthesise information from multiple sources and actors, and to use it to feed into governments’ plans and decision making  to tackle crisis. Maintaining a trusted connection between decision makers and the scientific suppliers of evidence, is essential for effective decision making in an environment faced with very high uncertainty. For example, by including experts from a variety of backgrounds this ensures that decisions are informed by credible, neutral advice. The consultation of civil society organisations, the private sector, citizens, and international organisations can contribute to the quality of the advice given, as well as add credibility and inclusiveness. Effective public communication by the central government and Behavioural communication campaigns have played an important role in facilitating the enforcement of regulations, by nudging or instructing wide segments of the population to comply with required measures – from washing their hands, to respecting the provisions of lockdowns and social distancing.  One of the more visible strategy has been Aarogya Setu mobile app, which was rolled as e governance model and uses a combination of bluetooth, global positioning systems (GPS), artificial intelligence (AI)and data analytics for contact-tracking and contact-tracing.  The outbreak of the pandemic has seriously disrupted the functioning of both these institutions which have hitherto been in charge of ensuring executive accountability. However, the present crisis has unfolded a situation where ensuring extraordinary governmental accountability, transparency and responsiveness are crucial like never before.  Unfortunately, however, the lockdowns imposed by governments to contain the virus had also affected the operation of the information regime in many countries, including India. RTI/FOI activities came to a stand-still in these countries in the early phases of the lockdowns, making it impossible for the public to access critical government information. Conclusion The effective functioning of governance is the prime concern of every citizen of the country. The citizens are ready to pay the price for good services offered by the state, but what is required is a transparent, accountable and intelligible governance system absolutely free from bias and prejudices 5. Discuss the key challenges being faced by infrastructure financing. How can those be addressed? Approach- Question is straight forward. Candidate can outline the issues faced by the India in financing infrastructure projects. Way forward can be given citing some examples and data. Introduction India’s infrastructure at the beginning of the century was in need of a total overhaul. It was a drag on the rapid growth of the country’s economy and adversely affected the lives of Indian citizens. Before the market liberalisation of the 1990s, “infrastructure projects were typically financed from the limited resources of the public sector, which was characterised by inadequate capacity addition and poor quality of service”. The government looked to public-private partnerships to promote investment and revitalise infrastructure sector. Body Key challenges in infrastructure financing In the 1990s, the economy grew rapidly - by 7%-9% a year - and the pressures on infrastructure increased. As a result, infrastructure came to be regarded as a major constraint in sustaining the rapid growth and in attracting investment or doing business in India. India has been focussing on infrastructure development across various sectors, which demand huge financial resources. However large social welfare expenditure and low tax-to- GDP ratio limits government capacity to fund them. Fiscal Burden: Almost half of the total investment in the infrastructure sector is done by the Government through budget allocations. But Government funds have competing demands, such as, education, health, employment generation, among others. Asset-Liability Mismatch of Commercial Banks: Commercial banking sector’s ability to extend long-term loans to the infrastructure sector is limited. Need for an Efficient and Vibrant Corporate Bond Market: The corporate bond market is still a long way to go in providing adequate financing to the infrastructure sector in India. Insufficiency of User Charges: A large part of the infrastructure sector in India especially irrigation, water supply, urban sanitation, and state road transport is not amenable to commercialisation for various reasons. Government cannot levy user charges. Legal and Procedural Issues: Issues relating to land acquisition and environmental clearances add uncertainty which affects the risk appetite of investors as well as banks. With financing in long gestation period it becomes difficult to keep continuous flow of capital. What can be done? The Economic Survey 2017-18 has assessed India’s infrastructure financing needs at $4.5 trillion by 2040. The Vijay Kelkar committee had put out a balanced report in 2015 on overhauling the PPP ecosystem, including governance reform, institutional redesign, and capacity-building. The government is planning to set up a new Development Finance Institution (DFI) essentially to fill the gap in long-term finance for infrastructure sectors. It will be used to finance both social and economic infrastructure projects identified under the National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP). DFIs provide long-term credit for capital-intensive investments spread over a long period and yielding low rates of return. Soon after independence, the institutional framework for development banking began- IFCI (1948), IDBI (1964), IIBI (1972), NABARD and EXIM Bank (1982), SIDBI (1990), etc. Government should avoid trying to minimise risk to themselves by passing on uncertain elements in a project like the land acquisition risk to the private partner. Government initiatives Under UDAY scheme the government has taken steps to improve operational and financial parameters of discoms. National Infrastructure Investment Fund (NIIF) with an initial corpus of Rs 40,000 crore. With Initiatives such as ‘Housing for All’ and ‘Smart Cities,’ the government is working on reducing the bottlenecks that impede growth in the infrastructure sector. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) launched Masala Bonds in May 2017, for raising capital for funding the infrastructure projects in India. Relaxation in External Commercial Borrowing (ECB) norms. National Infrastructure Pipeline: The National Infrastructure Pipeline is a group of social and economic infrastructure projects in India over a period of five years with a sanctioned amount of ₹102 lakh crore. Conclusion India is one of the fastest growing large economy in the world. Combined with aspirations of young population, India needs world class infrastructure to emerge as dominant player on global platform. For the rapid development, seamless supply of capital is the basic necessity. If the policies are made to address the bottlenecks, we are not far away from realising our potential.   TLP HOT Synopsis Day 80 PDF