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TLP Mains 2020

SYNOPSIS [17th August,2020] Day 59: IASbaba’s TLP (Phase 2): UPSC Mains Answer Writing (General Studies)

  SYNOPSIS [17th August,2020] Day 59: IASbaba’s TLP (Phase 2): UPSC Mains Answer Writing (General Studies)   1. What are your views on the recent military standoff between India and China? What is the geo-strategic background of the standoff? Examine. भारत और चीन के बीच हालिया सैन्य गतिरोध पर आपके विचार क्या हैं? गतिरोध की भू-रणनीतिक पृष्ठभूमि क्या है? जाँच करें। Demand of the question: It expects candidates to express their views on the recent military standoff between India and China. It also expects to probe deeper in to details of the geo-strategic background of the standoff. Introduction: India and China are demographically two very unique countries, only two with billion plus (population) categories. Global order is observing parallel but differential rise of two countries with unprecedented disagreements over border disputes due to the expansionist policy of China based on its ancestral claims. Body: Indian and Chinese troops have engaged in aggressive melee, face-offs and skirmishes at locations along the LAC in Galwan valley, in eastern Ladakh including near the disputed Pangong Lake in Ladakh and the Tibet Autonomous Region, and near the border between Sikkim and the Tibet Autonomous Region.  Views on Military standoff between India and China: It is part of China’s ‘nibble and negotiate policy’. Their aim is to ensure that India does not build infrastructure along the LAC. It is their way of attaining a political goal with military might, while gaining more territory in the process. China views India’s assertions regarding Gilgit-Baltistan, as an implicit attack on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), China’s flagship programme. This view of China contradicts India's sovereignty claim and threatens security infrastructure. The resulted casualties across the LAC are not acceptable as Indian soldiers martyred along LAC due to China's wrongful approach to gain access of the Indian territory. The escalated tensions across LAC have affected India's trade relations with China as India’s trade deficit with China stands at $48.66 billion in 2019-20. In turn it also affected  Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in India, as FDI from China in India has dipped to $163.78 million in 2019-20 from $229 million in 2018-19. Citing the “emergent nature of threats” from mobile applications, including popular ones of Chinese origin such as TikTok, ShareIt, UCBrowser, and Weibo, the government has banned 59 apps. The app ban has resulted in loss of invetment from Chinese investors in India. Hardly any country in Asia is willing to openly confront China, and side with India, due to China's strong economic ties with other nations. Recent events, suggest that escalations are highly possible. Both sides have substantial—and growing—military deployments along a mostly disputed border. This in turn has affected the peace across the border and affected lives of people who are living along the border areas. However, through recent skirmishes along the LAC India has shown to China that it will not take step back when it comes to securing its sovereignty. Geo-strategic background of the standoff: The Indian and Chinese armies are engaged in the standoff in Pangong Tso, Galwan Valley, Demchok and Daulat Beg Oldie in eastern Ladakh. Following figure 1 represents the Disputed area. figure 1 A sizable number of Chinese Army personnel even transgressed into the Indian side of the de-facto border in several areas including Pangong Tso. The actions on the northern bank of Pangong Tso are not just for territorial gains on land, but enhanced domination of the resource-rich lake. The stand-off at Ladakh’s Galwan Valley has escalated in due to the infrastructure projects that India has undertaken in the recent years. India is building a strategic road through the Galwan Valley - close to China - connecting the region to an airstrip. China is opposed to any Indian construction in the area. In 1962, a stand-off in the Galwan area was one of the biggest flashpoints of the 1962 war. The border, or Line of Actual Control, is not demarcated, and China and India have differing ideas of where it should be located, leading to regular border “transgressions.” Often these don’t escalate tensions; a serious border standoff like the current one is less frequent, though this is the fourth since 2013. Both countries’ troops have patrolled this region for decades, as the contested 2,200-mile border is a long-standing subject of competing claims and tensions, including a brief war in 1962.  Steps to resolve the issue: Clarification on LAC: India should take the initiative to insist on a timely and early clarification of the LAC. Pockets of difference of alignment as perceived by each side have to be clearly identified and these areas demilitarised by both sides through joint agreement pending a settlement of the boundary. Scaling down of military contact: India must stand resolute and firm in the defence of territory in all four sectors of the border. Contacts between the two militaries through joint exercises and exchanges of visits of senior Commanders should be scaled down for the foreseeable future. Strategic communication: The responsibility of effective strategic communication too rests with political leadership. It is important to perceive the signals of transgressions on a serious note and adopt adequate strategy with clear instructions for forces. Conclusion: As our Foreign minister has said that, "Reaching an understanding with China is a big challenge"; we need find out more ways to open talks with China regarding border issues and Devolving a comprehensive China strategy with  strong political direction, mature deliberation and coherence are keys to handling the any escalating situation in future. 2. What diplomatic measures were taken in the recent past by India to isolate Pakistan at various global forums? Have these measures been effective? Critically examine. हाल ही में भारत द्वारा पाकिस्तान को विभिन्न वैश्विक मंचों पर अलग-थलग करने के लिए कौन से राजनयिक उपाय किए गए थे? क्या ये उपाय प्रभावी रहे हैं? समालोचनात्मक जांच करें। Demand of the question: It expects students to write about India's diplomatic measures to isolate Pakistan at various global forums. It also expects to probe both sides of effect of the measures. Introduction: Bilateral relations of India and Pakistan have been under the shadow of misunderstanding, tensions and wars since 1947.  To counter Pakistan, India has embarked upon a bi-dimensional strategy towards Pakistan. First, it has intensified its campaign to diplomatically isolate at various global forums. Secondly, it has inclined to use hard force when faced with terrorism. Body:  Diplomatic measures taken  by India to isolate Pakistan at various global forums: After the Pulwama attack steps to isolate Pakistan at various global forums  gained momentum. India’s first official response to the Pulwama attack did include an appeal to all members of the international community to support the listing of Azhar under the UNSC committee and to ban terror groups operating from Pakistani territories. The attempt was to expose Pakistans terror supporting policy, isolate it from the world and force Pakistan to take “visible, credible and prompt” action against JeM and other terror groups operating from Pakistani soil. SAARC: Contentious relationship between the two important members of SAARC is the reason behind an unsuccessful journey of SAARC so far.  Last year, India excluded Pakistan from the list of SAARC member countries which became part of its state-of-the art National Knowledge Network (NKN) for sharing scientific databases and remote access to advanced research facilities. For regional groupings in South Asian region, India has shifted its focus from SAARC to BIMSTEC to isolate Pakistan in the regional scenario. Also India successfully isolated Pakistan on the Kashmir issue at the United Nations (UN) . At UN Pakistan''s persistent, intensive diplomacy to internationalise the Kashmir issue faced checkmate with 189 of the 193 members repudiating it. India also strived hard to pursue  Financial Action Task force to include Pakistan in its black list, however due to some unavoidable circumstances this move of India to isolate Pakistan at this global forum has not yielded fruits as FATF continued to mention Pakistan in its grey list. Effect of measure to isolate Pakistan: India has achieved success in getting Pakistan isolated even among Islamic countries, as the organisation of Islamic countries invited India for 50th anniversary meet despite the pressure from Pakistan's side. The isolation of Pakistan at global levels will help stop granting any aid to Pakistan, as it is reported for many of the times that Pakistan has used international aid to fund its terror activities across the border. It will also put a check on the terror activities, as most of the flow of fund by Pakistan to terror outfits will stop. It will also ensure to hamper Pakistan economically in international relations as Pakistan's trade with other countries may get affected tremendously. Its stature at the international forums, which in turn helps India to have greater and legitimate say when it comes to Kashmir issue on the International forum. It will also help  to promote India's more trustworthy image on the international forum. Though these measures are useful to some extent following factors played a pivotal role in nullifying India's efforts to isolate Pakistan: China factor: The China has  supported Pakistan on Kashmir issue due to its vested interest in the China-Pakistan economic corridor.  China also funded Pakistan when all other countries rejected an aid to China. The roots of Islamic fundamentalist terrorism are so deep in Pakistan that it became Pakistan's own headache. e.g. Attack on school in Peshawar. For any meaningful conversation to take place between India and Pakistan terrorism has to come to an end. Also India needs to adopt more options to expose Pakistan at global forums rather than just opting to isolate Pakistan on global level. Both countries can continue to have dialogues through forums such as SCO as big Asian Nations are part of it.  Also, demanding a proof from Pakistan that it has left the policy of supporting terrorism, so that a mutually beneficial trade can be started. Initiatives such as Kartrarpur corridor can go a long way in improving relations if implemented successfully.  Conclusion: As on the global forum Pakistan is known as a "Mad child with loaded gun", it becomes the responsibility of India to adopt a more modern and versatile approach to secure the sovereignty and integrity of India.  3. The internal affairs have had a substantial bearing on India’s relations with the neighbours. Elucidate.   आंतरिक मामलों का भारत के पड़ोसियों के साथ संबंधों पर काफी असर पड़ा है। स्पष्ट करें। Demand of the question: It expects candidates to give a clear account of how and why the internal affairs of India have a substantial bearing of India's relations with neighbours. Introduction: Since independence India's  foreign policy has shifted manifold from the choice of Non-alignment during the Cold War period, and now transited to becoming an important Western strategic partner and providing a counterweight to China. The internal affairs in the regional international relations have played a prominent role in shaping India's relations with the neighbouring countries. Body:  India's relations with its South Asian neighbours has always been influenced by the domestic internal factors such as ethnicity, religion, etc. Substantial bearing of internal affairs affected international relation with India's neighbours as follow: The relationship between India and Sri Lanka is more than 2,500 years old.  Indian Tamils of Sri Lanka are Tamil people of Indian origin in Sri Lanka. They are also known as Hill Country Tamils, Up-Country Tamils or simply Indian Tamils. Though their numbers are much lesser as compared to Indian Origin Tamils (IOTs), they are economically prosperous and are well placed.  Their Minority rights issue have affected India's relations with Sri Lanka. In recent times to assert their  strong leadership over Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan political leaders are seen to be more pro-China, by sidelining India. Also there is issue of fishing territory for fishermen in the region. The issue of Bangladeshi immigrants in the states of Assam and West-bengal has affected the relations between India-and Bangladesh.  As the Bangladesh Prime Minister raised concerns over roll out of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, an exercise carried to identify genuine Indian citizens living in Assam and weed out illegal Bangladeshis. The Issue over the assertion of Pakistan's territorial claim of Kashmir and threat to India's sovereignty by this claim, has affected India's relation with Pakistan tremendously. Also the issue of drugs in the regions of Punjab and Rajasthan and human trafficking across the LOC is cause of concern for India's relations with that of Pakistan. The issues of AFSPA in the North eastern regions and in valley Kashimr has also impacted India's relations with neighbouring countries. Chinese aggression across LAC due to India's infrastructure projects has also affected India-China relations in recent Past. As infrastructure building across the Border is an internal matter of India. The issue of Madheshi origin people and their lineage with India has affected India's relations with Nepal. As Identity politics with India is also visible within the country. Nepali citizens from the Terai (Madhesis) feel discriminated as being “Indian”. The issue of Rohingya migrants in Myanmar and India's stand on Rohingya's affected India's relations with Myanmar. Also some of the insurgent groups in the regions of North-east have also affected India's relations with Myanmar. Internal Security is a major concern for India; Indo-Myanmar border is porous and lightly policed which is exploited by terrorist outfits and insurgent groups from North Eastern part of India eg. supply of trained cadres, arms trafficking. Though some of the positive developments have also been observed in the past  As India-Myanmar joint operation destroyed several militant camps of Arakan Army on the Indo-Myanmar border. India and Bangladesh share 4096.7 km. of border, which is the longest land boundary that India shares with any of its neighbours. The India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) came into force following the exchange of instruments of ratification in June 2015. India is also investing into Sri Lanka’s infrastructure development in the Northern and Eastern provinces. Which will in turn help the people of Indian origin Tamils in Sri Lanka. In this way the internal affairs have a substantial bearing on the relations with neighbouring countries. Certainly some steps are needed to be taken to improve the relations with neighbouring countries:  India needs to focus more on its traditional and cultural ties to improve relations with Sri Lanka. Mutual recognition of each other's concerns and interests can improve the relationship between both countries. As both countries have a democratic setup there is scope for broadening and deepening the ties. We need to formulate a constructive mechanism to solve the immigrant and refugee issues in India, so that relations with neighbours such as Myanmar and Bangladesh can be improved. Proper and suitable use of the regional groupings such as SAARC and BIMSTEC to improve relations between the Nations can prove to be more useful. Strengthening bilateral ties by conducting bilateral military exercises with neighbouring Nations can be useful to tackle threat of terrorism. e.g. SURYAKIRAN with Nepal and Hand in Hand with China. Staring a joint infrastructural developmental projects will also prove to be helpful so that internal affairs of country can be tackled neatly.  Strict adherence to the PANCHSHEEL policy approach should be adopted.  Conclusion: As India's foreign policy has entered in to era of "Act east" from "Look East", not addressing the concerns of our neighbours due to the internal affairs might seems to be wrong move. Hence, collaborating with the neighbours for  a better  and prosperous future should be the way forward. TLP HOT Synopsis DAY_59 PDF

TLP Public Administration Optional

SYNOPSIS: PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION OPTIONAL - Paper 2- TLP UPSC Mains Answer Writing [17th August, 2020] – Day 9

For Previous PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION (ARCHIVES) - CLICK HERE 1. Even though it appears to overlook state governments on the face of it, the tied grant is actually helping them. Justify.                                                                                                                                                                    10 marks (150 words) Approach We can answer this question in two parts. In the first part, we can show how the tied grants overlook or appear to overlook the State Governments. Later, in the second part, we need to counter the argument by proving, how the state governments are actually benefitted by it. From Paper 1 We can bring in the content from Financial Management part. Nevertheless, the quotes and the key words form the first paper are always welcome. Introduction In the wake of the provision of profligate farm loan waiver schemes by various state governments; the centre thought out to add a new term of reference to the 15th Finance Commission. The ToR directed the 15th FC to decide the percentage of tied grants which the centre has to devolve to the states.   Body Tied Grants appear to overlook the state governments as;  Tied Grants come with the obligation for the State governments to spend them on the sectors specified by the Centre. This approach of the Central Government sidelines the preferences, plans and the initiatives of the state government.  15th FC has recommended the centre to devolve 50% of the grants to the state as the tied grants, and most of the grants are tied to drinking water and sanitation. This has brought a suspicion among the state governments that, the centre is trying to nudge the states to implement its pet scheme of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan at the cost of their favorite ones.  State governments further feel that the centre is meting out a grave injustice to them, as they think the centre is hijacking all the funds to fulfill its manifestoes while the manifestoes of the state will starve due to lack of funds.    Also, tried grants are to be provided directly to the implementation organs, like the Panchayaths and the Urban local bodies. Hence, the tried grants are seen as the means to weaken the State as a power centre. 15th FC also recommends transferring all the 50% of tied grants that is provided to local governments in graded proportions. [problem of communication and coordination] Lastly, tied grants seem to completely sideline the State Finance Commissions which are also the constitutional bodies.  Further they also neglect the State Planning Boards which are crucial to bring in equitable development in the state. Thus, with the ongoing increase in the share as well as the corpus of the tied grants, experts also feel that the states are poised for the lopsided development and the unequal growth. [Violation of hierarchy and the scalar chain] However they actually help the State; On the deeper observation the tied grants have been brought in to stimulate the state governments to perform well. Because, most of the states didn’t utilize their untied grants, due to lack of plan and policies. Ex: 14th FC had found that states like Punjab and Assam had not utilized as much of 50% of the untied grants.  Some other state governments were shrewd enough even to redirect the tied grants towards their pet schemes. Ex: Bihar had converted 80% of the tied grants towards Mukya Mantri Nal Jal and Nali Gali Yojana. And, most of the untied funds of Madhya Pradesh was allocated to just one scheme i.e. Panch Parameshwar Yojana. However, the tied grants are mostly tied to the basic schemes like the drinking water, sanitation, rainwater harvesting, water recycling etc which are more important for the growth and development of every state. Hence, forget about the tied grants, an efficient state government should direct even the untied grants and also the state resources towards these domains. So, it is better to consider the tied grants as the demonstrations than as irritants. Lastly, the tied grants are being recommended by the Finance Commission, only after the discussion with the State governments, State Planning boards and the State Finance Commissions. Thus, the question of sidelining the state governments and their institutions does not arise here. Conclusion Thus in the conclusion we can say that, the tied grants and the performance grants came as the advanced techniques to mainstream the financial devolution. These, rather than being treated as a political conspiracy of the centre, should be welcomed as the harbingers of development by the state governments. And, any contentions should be resolved through proper communications, than resorting to blame games.  “Centre need not strive for centralization as Indian federalism is centralized by birth”. – Mohit Bhatacharya 2. The role of Chief Secretary seems to be very crucial during these times of CoVID-19 pandemic. Illustrate with the help of suitable examples.                                                                                                          15 marks (250 words)  Approach A very simple approach for this question is that, we can link all the powers and functions of the Chief Secretary to the current situation of fighting the COVID-19. Further, we have to provide examples, of the Chief Secretaries of various states, who have performed extremely well in controlling the spread of the Coronavirus. From Paper 1 We can bring in good quotes from the first paper. However, the functions and powers of the Chief Secretary come with specific terms and keywords that are from Paper-1.  Introduction Munish Moudgil, secretary in the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, stated that 50 per cent of Karnataka’s success in handling the pandemic should be given to the Chief Secretary’s planning and implementation. The accolade stated above shows that, Chief Secretaries of all the states are doing meticulous jobs in controlling the pandemic. Though their efforts go unrecognized, words like these are no less than a tribute to their dedicated efforts. Body  Chief Secretary as the head of the state bureaucracy and as the friend, philosopher and guide of the respective state government; are very crucial especially in case of emergencies such as the COVI-19 pandemic. As a spearhead of the crucial cabinet meetings: Chief Secretary, as the secretary to the Crisis Management Group of the Cabinet has to arrange several day and night meetings, to devise strategies, to curb the spread of the pandemic. Ex: The Chief Secretaries of Maharashtra (Ajoy Mehta the then incumbent) and Madhya Pradesh (S R Mohanty) managed the situations in the state even without the presence of a stable government.  As the nodal points for the data, details, and the statics: Chief Secretary is very much essential during the times of emergencies because of his experience and the knowledge about the state. I.e. the facts related to demographics of the state, connectivity of people of the state, the severity of spread of the infection, the availability and access of the health facilities, etc. These are to be present at the finger tips of Chief Secretary and should be provided instantly when called for.  Ex: Telangana High Court directed the CS of the state (Somesh Kumar) to provide the information regarding the spread of virus, and the related preparedness of the state. As the lynch-pin between the centre and the state: Chief Secretary is the nodal officer to update the central government regarding the severity of the viral infection and the efforts of the state in tackling it. Further, the funds were devolved form the centre based on the briefs provided by the Chief Secretaries. Also, the CS of all the states are called for the meeting by Cabinet Secretary to discuss the future course of actions.  Ex: Chief Secretary of Kerala (Vishwas Mehta) was instrumental in the getting good amount of funds and the medical kits, from the Centre, to his state. That is one of the main reasons why, the state was successful in tackling the disease to a great extent.   As the personal adviser of the Chief Minister: The day to day decisions related to the lockdown were decided by the Chief ministers based on the advice of the Chief Secretaries.  Ex: Chief Secretaries are the persons behind the opinion of various Chief Ministers to extend the lockdown beyond Lockdown-2.0 As a manager and the task master: He has the responsibility to assign the tasks for all the officials of the state secretariat. Further, he has to monitor them with the constant follow up, and has to pull up the laggards and mediocre workers. Many Chief Secretaries even sacked several officers, as the situation was so critical that, there was little room to give them the second chance.  Ex: Punjab chief Secretary (Vini Mahajan) used to get down to the field to take stock of the works assigned, and to oversee the level of preparedness, at the ground level. As a role model: Several Chief Secretaries inspired their sub-ordinates and also the common people with their creative strategies, taking decision out of facts, meticulous but dispassionate hard-work, and lastly, maintaining a low profile and not making themselves the centre of the story.  Ex: Chief Secretary of Assam (KS Krishna) took to the twitter to caution the people of Kamrup, when there was a sudden surge in the Covid-19 cases in the district.  Conclusion All these illustrations show that the Office of Chief Secretary is nebula of all the moves and actions taken by the state governments, to tackle the pandemic. And, it is no exaggeration to say that, if not the Chief Secretaries, controlling the spread of the disease would have become an uphill task for the nation.   “You can run an office without the boss, but you can’t run the office without a secretary”. Jane Fonds DOWNLOAD- Public Administration Synopsis Day 9 PDF

RSTV Video

World Elephant Day – The Big Picture – RSTV IAS UPSC

World Elephant Day Archives TOPIC: General Studies 3 Wildlife Conservation In News:  More than 500 people and 100 elephants die every year due to conflict with each other. As per the last census conducted in 2017, India is home to 30,000 elephants.  A new report released on the occasion of World Elephant Day suggested that over 200 elephants in India are kept in “severely inadequate conditions”.  According to the report, India is home to the second highest number of elephants used in tourism in Asia; and of the 21 venues housing 509 elephants, the report found that 45 per cent (225) of the elephants were kept in severely inadequate conditions. According to the report, whether taken from the wild or bred in captivity, ‘all elephants used for close tourist contact such as bathing have undergone a traumatic training method known as the crush’. ‘This involves separating young elephant calves from their mother, keeping them in isolation, depriving them of food and water, and in many cases beating them repeatedly until they are broken and can be controlled by fear.’ Elephant conservation is vital as it balances the ecosystem. Elephants have to be kept in forests for which fodder and water augmentation programme has been initiated. The Indian elephant One of three extant recognised subspecies of the Asian elephant and native to mainland Asia Listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List  The wild population has declined by at least 50% since the 1930s Threatened by loss, degradation and fragmentation of its habitat Elephant is an endangered species included in Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. The animals included in Schedule 1 need high level of protection. The Schedule provides for the certificate of ownership and makes it mandatory for the elephant owners to provide adequate facilities for the housing, maintenance and upkeep of captive elephants. About Project Elephant It is a flagship programme of Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) Launched in 1992 it is a Centrally-sponsored scheme Primarily aimed at protecting elephant, their habitats and corridors It addresses issues of man-animal conflict and welfare of domesticated elephants. Main Causes behind current elephant deaths Electrocution Train accidents Poaching Poisoning Weak regulation of ecotourism is severely impacting important habitats, and affecting animals that have large home ranges, like elephants. Fragmentation of forests makes it all the more important to preserve migratory corridors. The movement of elephants is essential to ensure that their populations are genetically viable, and help regenerate forests on which other species, including tigers, depend. Ending human interference in the pathways of elephants is a conservation imperative, more so because the animals are then not forced to seek alternative routes that bring them into conflict with people. Forests that have turned into farms and unbridled tourism are blocking their paths, resulting in growing incidents of elephant-human conflict. Reasons for man-animal conflict: Lost ranges and blocked corridors for elephants have made lelephants look for soft landscapes adjoining forests such as coffee, tea and cardamom estates, and in the absence of these, wander into food-rich farms falling in their movement pathways.  Expansion of human settlements into forests – expansion of cities, industrial areas, railway/road infrastructure, tourism etc. Commercial pressures eat into already diminished habitat. Allowing livestock to graze in forest areas Land use transformations such as change from protected forest patches to agricultural and horticultural lands and monoculture plantations are further destroying the habitats of wildlife. Unscientific structures and practices of forest management in the country Infestation of wildlife habitat by invasive exotic weeds leads to decreased availability of edible grasses for wild herbivores Decreased prey base caused by poaching of herbivores has also resulted in carnivores moving out of forests in search of prey and to indulge in cattle lifting. The Solution India’s culture of tolerance must be supplemented by innovative, evidence-driven, socially-just institutions that govern the human-wildlife interface. For this, the Indian government and civil society need relevant and timely data.  First, we need to better understand the core ecological variables How many elephants are there, and how are they distributed? Do the forests that the elephants live in have enough palatable vegetation, or has it been replaced by invasive weeds and inedible plantation trees like teak?  In northeast India, we don’t even know all the places elephants go, inhibiting the protection of their habitat and lives. Such vital data could empower conservationists to pursue forest regeneration, grassland restoration, and corridor protection necessary to support large populations of elephants. Second, data on human-elephant conflicts Currently, data on crop-raiding by elephants, elephant deaths, and human deaths due to conflict are buried in paper files scattered across the country, preventing timely analyses. If state governments develop electronic databases on human-elephant conflict, the government and civil society can target interventions to places where elephants are troubling communities.  We can strategically choose where to help farmers replace lethal electric fences with effective non-lethal barriers, deploy awareness programmes to minimise accidental encounters, and strengthen the administration of fair compensation programmes. The building of such evidence-driven institutions to protect elephants requires funding. While NGOs could use help from the private sector, the government must also step up. The National Tiger Conservation Authority receives approximately Rs. 350 crore a year — Project Elephant receives less than 10 per cent of that. Third, consider further disincentivising cruelty towards animals Currently, the wildlife laws guiding sentencing for illegal hunting do not consider whether the animal suffered a slow and painful death. India’s conservation laws are geared to protect species, not prevent animal cruelty. Accepting that the people will continue to kill wild animals, perhaps our laws should regard cruel acts more harshly than, say, defending crops with a gun when there is no alternative.  Also, Inclusion of local community in forest wildlife management To ensure that money which comes in through tourism (of Tiger reserves) should be used for the development of the local villages as has been done in Tadoba tiger reserve, Maharashtra Ensuring that elephant corridors are not razed/neglected due to overzealous developmental approach Radio tagging of elephants can help identify danger spots and also avoid man-animal conflict Ban on illegal electrical fencing with proper guidelines for maintaining the height of high tension electrical wires – cabling of power lines should be mandatory A proper zone-wise management plan for different elephant landscapes — where to allow elephants and where to restrict their movement Effort should be to expand elephant corridors, using the successful models within the country, including acquisition of lands using private funds and their transfer to the government. Human-wildlife conflict is not linear, and can have unforeseen ripple effects on biodiversity and the forest ecosystem Note: World Elephant Day: 12th August Elephant corridors are strips of land connecting two large habitats, which are supposed to provide a safe corridor for elephants to migrate from one landscape to another. In India, there are 101 elephant corridors. Elephant Information Network (EIN) Has enabled human-elephant coexistence in southern India Acts as an early warning mechanism to alert people when elephants are nearby, minimizing negative human-elephant interactions, and increasing people’s tolerance towards elephants. By Mr. Ananda Kumar Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) Programme – Mandated by COP resolution of CITES, MIKE program started in South Asia in the year 2003 with following purpose – To provide information needed for elephant range States to make appropriate management and enforcement decisions To build institutional capacity within the range States for the long-term management of their elephant populations The main objectives of the MIKE are To measure levels and trends in the illegal hunting of elephants; To determine changes in these trends over time; and To determine the factors causing or associated with such changes, and To try and assess in particular to what extent observed trends are a result of any decisions taken by the Conference of the Parties to CITES Karnataka has the highest number of elephants (6,049), followed by Assam (5,719) and Kerala (3,054) Karnataka, which has the largest elephant population in the country, captures and confines elephants in conflict with humans Called Kumki elephants, they are tamed and trained in forest camps, and are now in demand in other States, for patrolling duties in forest reserves Their ‘export’ also helps Karnataka, reducing the burden on its camps. How: The state has a tradition of training wild pachyderms: folklore has it that the Jenu Kuruba tribes excelled at it, supplying elephants to the Chola and Pallava kings. Tipu Sultan institutionalised the practice three centuries ago. They have been exported to the following parks – Dudhwa National Park, Uttar Pradesh Jharkhand’s Palamu Tiger Reserve Uttarakhand: Corbett Tiger Reserve + Rajaji Tiger Reserve + Nandhaur Wildlife Sanctuary Asian Elephant Alliance Asian Elephant Alliance to secure 96 out of the 101 existing corridors used by elephants across 12 States in India. The joint venture is aiming at raising £20 million (₹187.16 crore) to secure the 96 remaining elephant corridors, old and new, in the next ten years. About the Alliance Asian Elephant Alliance, an umbrella of five NGOs, was launched to reverse crisis facing elephants. The initiative aims to stem the crisis facing the world’s remaining Asian elephants – thought to number only 35,000 – 45,000. Habitat loss, along with ivory poaching, has devastated the population of wild Asian elephants, a distinct species from their African cousins. Survival for these few remaining elephants requires urgent action. Therefore, a new coalition – the Asian Elephant Alliance – has been formed to tackle the crisis. The member organisations are Elephant Family, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), IUCN Netherlands, Wildlife Trust of India and World Land Trust. Connecting the Dots: What are ‘elephant corridors’? Why are they important? Examine.

Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz - 2020 : IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs Quiz [Day 60]

For Previous Daily Quiz (ARCHIVES) - CLICK HERE The Current Affairs questions are based on sources like ‘The Hindu’, ‘Indian Express’ and ‘PIB’, which are very important sources for UPSC Prelims Exam. The questions are focused on both the concepts and facts. The topics covered here are generally different from what is being covered under ‘Daily Current Affairs/Daily News Analysis (DNA) and Daily Static Quiz’ to avoid duplication. The questions would be published from Monday to Saturday before 2 PM. One should not spend more than 10 minutes on this initiative. This is a part of our recently launched, NEW INITIATIVE IASbaba’s INTEGRATED REVISION PLAN (IRP) 2020 – Road Map for the next 100 Days! FREE INITIATIVE! We will make sure, in the next 4 months not a single day is wasted. All your energies are channelized in the right direction. Trust us! This will make a huge difference in your results this time, provided that you follow this plan sincerely every day without fail. Gear up and Make the Best Use of this initiative. Do remember that, “the difference between Ordinary and EXTRA-Ordinary is PRACTICE!!” To Know More about the Initiative -> CLICK HERE SCHEDULE/DETAILED PLAN – > CLICK HERE Important Note: Don't forget to post your marks in the comment section. Also, let us know if you enjoyed today's test :) After completing the 5 questions, click on 'View Questions' to check your score, time taken and solutions. To take the Test - Click Here

TLP Public Administration Optional

TLP [OPTIONAL]: PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION Paper 1- UPSC Mains Answer Writing [18th August, 2020] – Day 10

For Previous PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION (ARCHIVES) - CLICK HERE Topics Accountability and control: Concepts of accountability and control; Legislative, Executive and Judicial control over administration; Citizen and Administration; Role of media, interest groups, voluntary organizations, Civil society Citizen’s Charters; Right to Information; Social audit.   To know more about this initiative - Click Here SCHEDULE -> CLICK HERE 1. Development administration is impossible without transparency. Comment                                                  15 marks (250 words) 2. Media hyper-activism hurts citizen centric administration. Justify the statement.                                                 15 marks (150 words)   

Daily Static Quiz

UPSC Static Quiz - 2020: IASbaba's Daily Static Quiz - ENVIRONMENT [Day 60]

For Previous Static Quiz (ARCHIVES) - CLICK HERE DAILY STATIC QUIZ will cover all the topics of Static/Core subjects – Polity, History, Geography, Economics, Environment and Science and technology. This is a part of our recently launched, NEW INITIATIVE IASbaba’s INTEGRATED REVISION PLAN (IRP) 2020 – Road Map for the next 100 Days! FREE INITIATIVE! We will make sure, in the next 4 months not a single day is wasted. All your energies are channelized in the right direction. Trust us! This will make a huge difference in your results this time, provided that you follow this plan sincerely every day without fail. Gear up and Make the Best Use of this initiative. Do remember that, “the difference between Ordinary and EXTRA-Ordinary is PRACTICE!!” To Know More about the Initiative -> CLICK HERE SCHEDULE/DETAILED PLAN – > CLICK HERE Important Note After completing the 10 questions, click on 'View Questions' to check your score, time taken and solutions. Don't forget to post your marks in the comment section. Also, let us know if you enjoyed today's test :) To take the Test - Click Here

TLP Mains 2020

IASbaba’s TLP (Phase 2 - ENGLISH & हिंदी): UPSC Mains Answer Writing - General Studies Paper 2 Questions[18th August,2020] - Day 60

For Previous TLP (ARCHIVES) - CLICK HERE Hello Friends, Welcome to IASbaba’s TLP (Phase 2- ENGLISH & हिंदी): UPSC Mains Answer Writing - General Studies 2 Questions[18th August, 2020] - Day 60 This is a part of our recently launched, NEW INITIATIVE IASbaba’s INTEGRATED REVISION PLAN (IRP) 2020 – Road Map for the next 100 Days! FREE INITIATIVE! We will make sure, in the next 4 months not a single day is wasted. All your energies are channelized in the right direction. Trust us! This will make a huge difference in your results this time, provided that you follow this plan sincerely every day without fail. Gear up and Make the Best Use of this initiative. We are giving 3 Mains Questions on Daily basis (unlike our regular TLP which has 5 questions) so that every student can actively participate and keep your preparation focused. Do remember that, “the difference between Ordinary and EXTRA-Ordinary is PRACTICE!!” To Know More about the Initiative -> CLICK HERE SCHEDULE/DETAILED PLAN – > CLICK HERE   Note: Click on Each Question (Link), it will open in a new tab and then Answer respective questions! 1. How are strategic alliances taking shape in the Indo-Pacific region? What are the underlying factors of the evolving alliances? Examine. भारत-प्रशांत क्षेत्र में रणनीतिक गठबंधन कैसे आकार ले रहे हैं? विकसित गठबंधनों के अंतर्निहित कारक क्या हैं? जांच करें। 2. What are India’s interests in the Middle-East? How have India’s relations taken shape with the Islamic World in the recent past? Discuss. मध्य-पूर्व में भारत के क्या हित हैं? हाल के दिनों में इस्लामिक वर्ल्ड के साथ भारत के संबंधों ने कैसे आकार लिया है? चर्चा करें। 3. What is G-20? What is its mandate? How does it affect India’s economic interests? Discuss. जी -20 क्या है? इसका जनादेश क्या है? यह भारत के आर्थिक हितों को कैसे प्रभावित करता है? चर्चा करें। P.S: The review from IASbaba will happen from the time the question is posted till 10 pm everyday. We would also encourage peer reviews. So friends get actively involved and start reviewing each others answers. This will keep the entire community motivated. All the Best :)

TLP Mains 2020

SYNOPSIS [14th August,2020] Day 57: IASbaba’s TLP (Phase 2): UPSC Mains Answer Writing (General Studies)

  SYNOPSIS [14th August,2020] Day 57: IASbaba’s TLP (Phase 2): UPSC Mains Answer Writing (General Studies)   1. “The true enemy of good isn't evil, but fear. Evil will battle good, but fear will corrupt it”. Comment. "अच्छे का सच्चा दुश्मन बुराई नहीं है, लेकिन डर है। बुराई अच्छी लड़ाई लड़ेगी, लेकिन डर उसे भ्रष्ट करेगा ”। टिप्पणी करें। Demand of the question: It expects candidates to write about how fear is the true enemy of good as evil can fight with the good but fear leaves greater impact on good by corrupting it. It also expects to write how overcoming the fear will help to supplement the good. Introduction: At the basic level fear guides our fight or flight responses and helps to keep us safe and alive. Fear heightens our senses and awareness; it keeps us alert and helps in better preparation. However, the other side of fear is that it holds us back from doing something positive. Body: Fear is a feeling or sense that imbibed in to the mind of a person due to certain danger of threat to his or her life or any other precious-valuable thing in his/her life. When a person tries to do some good in the society he/she may have to face fear due to numerous problems. e.g. A person who runs an old age home and runs it through charity of people, might face fear due to demand of money by some local goons. In this scenario the fear of survival if overpowered might lead to closure of old age home. This in turn has corrupted the good. Fear to speak against corruption acts will not only question the moral standards of a person but it will also pose a question on the integrity of that person. For instance, a civil servant is well aware of corruption in her/his department, but chose not to speak against it, in the fear that she/he might lose her/his job. Fear to act against unjust will question the courage of the person and will pose a threat to the survival of good by corrupting it. e.g. Onlookers seeing a girls getting molested and acting in silence cowards who are fearful of speaking out. Hence, it becomes imperative to overcome fear if we want  a free, fair and just society. Overcoming the fear will not only help to do good but also it will help it to save good from getting corrupted. Martin Luther king jr. spoke against the racial discrimination and demanded an end to racial segregation in the USA, also asked for equality in jobs and civil rights. This mere act of speaking against injustice without fear has culminated in to good for the people of African origin in the USA. Ashok Khemaka, IAS has been transferred 53 times, due to the fact that he spoke and stood up against the corruption in  various departments.  This mere act of courage shows the innate good nature of speaking against corruption without fear. This act of speaking against corruption has helped in two ways, as it never let a person's spirit down to act against evil and it also helped to have a greater impact for welfare of the disadvantaged sections of people. Hence, overcoming fear will not only help to do good but it will also help to remove out the corruption in good. Conclusion: While speaking about the fear Mahatma Gandhi has once said that all fear is the baseless fabric of our own vision. Therefore, Removing the fear from the minds and speaking-acting for good will help to have a harmonious societal life. 2. “You will never attain integrity if you lack the courage to stand up for what you believe is right”. Do you find this quote relevant for the civil servants? How? Substantiate your views "आप कभी भी सत्यनिष्ठा प्राप्त नहीं करेंगे यदि आप जो सही मानते हैं उसके लिए खड़े होने की हिम्मत की कमी है"। क्या आपको यह उद्धरण सिविल सेवकों के लिए प्रासंगिक लगता है? कैसे? अपने विचारों की पुष्टि कीजिये। Demand of the question: It expects a candidate to write about the importance of courage to attain integrity when a person stands up for what he/she believes is right.  It also expects to write about the relevance of courage for civil servants with relevant examples. Introduction: Having courageous integrity means being true to our values (or the values of the institution we belong to), even if that means overcoming the fear of the consequences for doing so. Body: Integrity constitutes adopting similar standards or moral principles in similar situations across time and interested parties. Whereas courage comes in to picture when one has the confidence to act or behave in accordance with one's beliefs or ideologies, especially in the face of resistance, criticism, or prosecution. For instance, Mahatma Gandhi believed in the value of Non-violence and stood for it even in the times of adversity. In result A strong movement rose in resistance to the oppressive British rule and culminated in to Independence for India. This in turn ensured the integrity and courage to stand for it resulted in good for India. Relevance for civil servant: Creates credibility : It helps a civil servant to be trustworthy and get lots of respect in the career because honest and courageous people who stand up with integrity are really trusted by others. Leadership: This principle is articulation of the same idea as I referred in the context of Mahatma Gandhi’s Experiments with Truth.  A true leader will always lead by own example. If a leader is courageous and stands up for what she/he believes in then the vibes created percolate down the hierarchy, cleansing the system that she/he controls. By bringing transparency in the system and standing against corruption. A civil servant is required to implement the orders of government without bias, with honesty and without fear or favour.  It is precisely in this area that a degree of a difference of opinion begins to emerge between the political executive and the civil servants. But if that civil servant stands up in courage for what he/she believes is right then it will ensure integrity not just for him/her but in the system too.  For instance, Retired IAS officer Mahesh Zagade once met with such a situation while signing the tenders for new road construction. Where after analysing all facts he came to conclusion that it will be an unnecessary expenditure of public money on the well built roads. It led to conflict between him and some regional political leaders, but he stood firm courageously on the value on avoiding unnecessary expenditure of public money and rose victorious.  It Improve work culture and motivate subordinate officers to be courageous and stand up for what they believe. It helps in taking bold decision: For instance,  Whistleblowers need courage of conviction to disclose information. Conclusion: Courage to stand up for what one believes is of great importance  for civil servant in governance as it  would have a major impact on the everyday lives of the people and it ensure integrity by continuation of policy of honesty in the governance. 3. Who is your favourite contemporary moral thinker/ philosopher? How do his/ her ideas impact you? Explain.   आपके पसंदीदा समकालीन नैतिक विचारक / दार्शनिक कौन हैं? उसके विचारों का आप पर क्या प्रभाव पड़ा है? स्पष्ट करें। Demand of the question: It expects candidates to write about their favourite contemporary moral thinker/ philosopher. It also expects to write about the impact of those ideas on to you. Introduction: The world has witnessed some amazing people, who not only challenged the way of life of the contemporary society but stood for their own values and brought miraculous change in the society. One such name is Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi i.e. Mahatma Gandhi, our beloved 'Bapu'.  Body:  The greatness of Mahatma Gandhi lies not only in his heroic struggle for India’s freedom, but also in his struggle to live with his own ideas of truthfulness such as Non-violence, Sarvodaya etc.  Mahatma Gandhi propounded some amazing ideas in the times of chaos, stood for them and yielded better result for Indian society and world. His following ideas have a greater impact on me. Ethical Conduct: Mahatma Gandhi believed that as human beings, men can never reach the perfection of divine virtues. Still, they should strive with all their strength to follow the virtues of truth, love, nonviolence, tolerance, fearlessness, charity and service to mankind. Truth: Mahatma Gandhi equated God with truth and designated his religion as religion of truth. He used to say God is Truth, which he later changed to “Truth is God”. However, his idea of truth was not taken from epistemology or theory of knowledge. Rather, he viewed truth in the form of an ideal of human conduct. He regarded that Indian struggle for freedom stands for truth and represents a just struggle for national and individual autonomy. Service to Society: Service to the Society was another way in which Mahatma Gandhi’s concept underpins his practical actions. He believed that “only way to see God is to see him through his creations and identify oneself with it”. This is possible through service to humanity. He maintained that there is no escape from social service to those in search of God. Cleanliness: Gandhi emphasised on internal (mental) and external (physical) cleanliness. There was no litter or dirt or filth in his Ashrams and surroundings. He said: “Cleanliness is next to Godliness“. Ends and Means: Mahatma Gandhi believed that Men should adopt only good means to attain noble objectives. As per him: “No good can follow from bad deeds, even if they are well intentioned.”   Ahimsa: Gandhi’s Ahimsa was not only refraining from killing but also show love for the whole mankind and all living beings. He believed that Man can only realize God by pursuing Ahimsa.  Satyagraha: Mahtam Gandhi’s later work rested largely on a spiritual principle of satyagraha that he developed while working in South Africa.. These innovative ideas left a miraculous impact on me in following ways: The value of ethical conduct teaches us to be ethical while acting in day to day life, as it will ensure the good for all. Mahatma Gandhi equated truth with god. Being an aspirant for civil services, the value of truth teaches me to act truthfully in day to day life. As  it is the core value and symbol of right way of life. The value of Ahimsa i.e. Non-violence has tells us that we should not resort to violent means to attain our goals. As Mahatma Gandhi rightly pointed out that truth and non-violence are inseparable and truthfulness and fearlessness is prerequisite for a pursuit of Ahimsa. Mahatma Gandhi's conception about the Ends and means tells us that we should always look for good path to attain what we want. As attaining bad path to get what we want is wrong.  Mahatma Gandhi's thoughts about cleanliness aware me about my responsibility towards environment. It helps me to act as a more responsible citizen. Through the value of service to society Mahatma Gandhi tells us to serve the society in every possible way. A small act of kindness can also be a service to society. Conclusion: In the field of moral thinking Mahatma Gandhi is considered as epitome of moral thinking. His ideas are not just relevant today but they act like a beckon of light in the times of darkness for us and will continue to act in the same way for future generation. TLP HOT Synopsis DAY_57 PDF

TLP Public Administration Optional

SYNOPSIS: PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION OPTIONAL - Paper 1- TLP UPSC Mains Answer Writing [14th August, 2020] – Day 8

For Previous PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION (ARCHIVES) - CLICK HERE 1. The concept of cybernetics explains the behaviors of social systems that are extended from machine systems. Elaborate                                                                                                           10 marks (150 words) Approach A direct question, we need to explain how Cybernetics brings some of the features of machine system to Social system. Here, just explaining the word Cybernetics makes half of the answer. From Paper 2 Bring in examples and case studies from the Indian Organizations and various departments of Indian government.  Introduction Norbert Wiener defines the word Cybernetics as the phenomenon of Control and Communication in humans and machines. This very definition of his reveals that, the origin of Cybernetics was from the mechanical organization and in the nervous system of human beings. Body Firstly, Cybernetics brings the command and control part of machine systems into the Social systems. However, in the social systems the command and control gets morphed as communication. Ex: Consider a robot which is a machine system. Here, the control signals are sent in terms of commands from the central processing system to other motor parts.  In the same way Cybernetics also propounds that, every part of an organization should communicate well with proper means and channels. This improves the coordination among the different organs, leading to Synergetic and multiplied outputs.  Secondly, Cybernetics also takes its origin from the mechanism of feedback. Feedback, however, is a concept of Servo-mechanism wherein, a part of the output of a machine is fed back to the input in-order to multiply the force of the output. And, Wiener transformed it into the social organization. He brought it as a means through which, the organization can get to know the level of satisfaction of its clients. Ex: When Alibaba was launched to the market. It failed to pick up in the initial times. However, the enterprise ran its business in spite of incurring losses. The reason was because; it used to get gratitudinal feedbacks from the clients.  In India the feedback mechanism is being facilitated in almost all the government organizations. 2nd ARC mentions Monitoring and Feedback as some of the important features in Citizen Centric administration. Thirdly, Wiener has also taken a cue from the human nervous system (the most complex machine) to conceptualize the Cybernetics. He visualized how the human eye scans an image and provides the input to the brain. And brain, which further processes the input and provides output through the motor organs. This was again transformed to the organization systems. And hence the input, throughput and output concepts of systems theory were born. Further, coordination between these input, throughput and output is the Cybernetics. Ex: If we consider the Parliament of India as a system. The public appeals act as the input, the debates and discussions inside the house as the through put, and the enacted acts become the outputs. Here, the way MPs pick up the public appeal, the way government receives the opinions of the MPs inside the house; and the way publics receive the enacted law are the Cybernetics. Conclusion Thus we can say that by bringing control, communication and feedback to the social organization, Wiener made a Human use of humans and machines. To put it in the words of Ashby” another origin of systems theory came from the Cybernetics systems theory of Mechanical Engineering”. 2. Regulatory organizations are the bulwarks against organization’s Negative-Entropy. Comment                                                                                              15 marks (250 words)  Approach Here the question demands to explain how regulatory organizations can avoid the disintegration of organizations. First, we have to briefly define the entropy, and then proceed with the answer. From Paper 2 Bring in some of the regulatory organizations of India. And to maintain the paper specificity, it is better to bring in some private and the international regulatory bodies as well. Introduction “Negative-Entropy” can be defined as the measure of disorder, uncertainty and consumed energy in a system. This results in degradation and deterioration of the organization, if it is left to creep in without any check. Body Entropy can sneak into an organization due to various factors Viz, internal factors, market factors, personal factors, ecological factors etc. Hence, it can be deduced that, any cause which leads to financial, personnel and other losses can reduce the motivation of the employees of an organization. And, this in turn can decay the organization from within leading to Negative-Entropy. Given the fact that the Negative-Entropy deteriorates an organization, many arrangements were thought out by the scholars to abate this Entropy. And the regulatory bodies are one among them. Thus, several regulatory bodies have been established by government and the private entities to cater to the internal and external factors that cause Entropy.  Regulatory bodies that control the internal factors: Regulating the day to day functions of organization: some of the organizations have set up separate units to regulate the daily business of their enterprises. These units act as communicators and coordinators; and they swing into action only in cases of glitches in the functioning of the organization.  These units, on their part, make sure that the Cybernetics of the organization is not damaged. Ex: Trouble shooting units in companies, RBI in the Indian economic system. Regulation of personnel: There are regulatory bodies which look into the issues of the personnel in an organization as well. These bodies cater to transfers, postings, promotions, pay scale and the disciplinary actions taken on the employees.  This is required to strike a strike a balance between the rights and duties of the employees. And also to instill discipline in the organization; Ex: Labor boards, Whitley councils, Negotiations boards etc. In the Indian government it is the DoPT.  Motivation and morale: Entropy can readily set in, if the human resource of the organization looses motivation to work. Hence, there is a necessary for a dedicated body to boost the morale and motivation of the workers. Ex: Man-Machine teams and the human resource teams monitor both the technical expertise (updating this is necessary to avoid the skills of workers becoming obsolete), and the morale of the employees. Central Vigilance Commission helps in boosting the morale of honest officers in India.  Safety of workers: In case of hazardous functions the organization has to ensure the safety of workers. Else, there are chances of employees quitting the job, leading to decaying of the organization. Ex: Director General of Mines safety monitors the safety measures taken by the mining firms. Regulatory bodies that cater to external factors: Quality of goods and services: is the most important factor that offsets Negative-entropy in an organization. Because, lack of quality implodes the organization as it loses out to its competitors. Hence, a separate regulation mechanism is necessary to monitor the quality of the goods and services produced. Ex: International Standards Institute, Bureau of Indian Standards, etc. Safety norms: In case of food, chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Release of unsafe products into the market not only harm the consumers, but also harms the market for the organization which in turns hurts its prospects i.e. the positive entropy. Ex: Regulatory bodies like Drug Control General of India, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, etc, monitor the safety of both the products and the consumers.  Consumer satisfaction: In this competitive market, any negative feedback from clients can lead to huge losses, which in turn hurts the business of the organization. And business is the main source for all and sundry of an organization, forget the entropy. Thus it is necessary to regulate the hospitality and the front end services of the organization also. Ex: Global Consumer Satisfaction System at the global level, and Front end teams and Costumer Care Coordination teams in the organizational level. Market norms: Organizations also decay due to market forces. Hence, it is essential to regulate the market so that, any mal-practices that are encountered are nipped out in the bud. Ex: SEBI, TRAI, etc. Conclusion Lastly, we can conclude that the regulatory bodies act as a great wall, that block the entropy to set-in inside an organisation. They perform all round functions of standardisation, implementation of rules and norms, regulation, monitoring, etc. And also, they work both inside and outside the organisation. Damodaran Committee States that, ‘strict but humane regulation helps in improving the business environment for the corporate world’.      DOWNLOAD- Public Administration Synopsis Day 8 PDF

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 17th AUGUST 2020

Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) SalivaDirect test Part of: GS Prelims and Mains II- Health issue Context: On August 16, 2020, the United States Food and Drugs Administration authorised the emergency use of saliva based diagnostic test for COVID-19.About SalivaDirect test.  About SalivaDirect test  SalivaDirect test is an inexpensive test, developed by a team from the Yale School of Public Health, has high sensitivity and can detect the virus even when the number of virus copies in the saliva sample is as low as 6­12 copies per microlitre. Collecting and testing saliva samples involves three steps — collecting saliva without preservative buffers, proteinase K treatment and heat inactivation, and dualplex RT­qPCR virus detection. Disadvantages in previously using Nasopharyngeal swabs is it leads to false negative results due to errors at the time of sample collection.  The sensitivity of the new SalivaDirect test was about 93%, according to a preprint posted on medRxiv “Official data shows 88-94% [sensitivity]” which is the best accuracy rate( sensitivity) of any saliva test as tweeted by Andy Slavitt, a former acting administrator of the Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services in the Obama administration.  Pic source: The Hindhu Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Environment Context: The Delhi High Court has asked the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) to conduct physical survey of all circuses in the country to verify the condition of animals being kept there. Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) It is a statutory body It is an advisory body advising the Government of India on animal welfare laws, and promotes animal welfare in the country of India. The Animal Welfare Board of India was established in 1962 under Section 4 of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act,1960. The Board consists of 28 Members, who serve for a period of 3 years. It works to ensure that animal welfare laws in the country are followed and provides grants to Animal Welfare Organisations. The Board was initially within the jurisdiction of the Government of India’s Ministry of Food and Agriculture. In 1990, the subject of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was transferred to the Ministry of Environment and Forests, where it now resides. It frames a range of rules on how animals ought to be humanely treated everywhere. It has also frequently litigated to have stricter laws to ensure animals were not unduly harassed or tortured. HQ shifted to Ballabhgarh in Faridabad District of Haryana from Chennai, Tamil Nadu PM-CARE Part of: GS Prelims and GS-II Governanace Context: PMO denies RTI plea seeking info on PM­CARES About PM-CARES PM-CARES Fund was set to accept donations and provide relief during the Covid-19 pandemic, and other similar emergencies. PM-CARES Fund PM-CARES was set up as a public charitable trust with the trust deed registered on March 27, 2020. It can avail donations from the foreign contribution and donations to fund can also avail 100% tax exemption. PM-CARES is different from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF). Composition: Prime Minister as chairperson Defence Minister, Home Minister, Finance Minister Three trustees nominated by the Prime Minister “who shall be eminent persons in the field of research, health, science, social work, law, public administration and philanthropy”. Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) Important value additions: PM-CARES Not a Public Authority: It has been stated that the PM-CARES Fund is not a Public Authority under the ambit of Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, 2005. UAE, Israel establish direct phone service after deal Part of: GS Prelims and GS-II – International Relations; Bilateral agreements Context: The Israeli and UAE Foreign Ministers inaugurated on Sunday direct phone services between the two countries in their first announced call after an peace agreement to normalise relations, said an Emirati official. Image source: Here The UAE has become the first Gulf Arab state to do so and only the third Arab nation to have active diplomatic ties with Israel. Impact on the UAE: The deal smoothens the UAE’s international campaign to be seen as a beacon of tolerance in the Middle East despite being governed by autocratic rulers. It puts the UAE out first in a regional recognition race among neighbouring Gulf Arab states. Impact on Israel: The announcement justifies the year-long claims of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that his government enjoys closer ties to Arab nations than publicly acknowledged. The deal gives Netanyahu a domestic boost at a time when Israel’s coalition government is facing infighting and the possibility of early elections. Important value additions: Under the deal, Israel would suspend its plans to annex large parts of the occupied West Bank. The West Bank is sandwiched between Israel and Jordan. One of its major cities is Ramallah, the de facto administrative capital of Palestine. Israel took control of it in the Six-day Arab-Israeli war, 1967 and has over the years established settlements there. A joint statement from the USA, the UAE and Israel has been issued which says that delegations would meet in the coming weeks to sign deals on direct flights, security, telecommunications, energy, tourism and health care. Both nations will also partner on fighting the Covid-19 pandemic together. It remains unclear what prompted Israel and the UAE to make the announcement now. In June 2020, the UAE’s ambassador to the USA warned that Israel’s plan to annex the Jordan Valley and other parts of the occupied West Bank would upend Israel’s efforts to improve ties with Arab nations. Miscellaneous Peron in news IAS ASHISH CHAUHAN Spain mountain peak named after uttarakhand’s ias officer dr ashish – virgin mountain peak of spain named of uttarakhand ias officer dr ashish chauhan Spanish mountaineer Antonio has named the virgin peak in Spain as ‘Magistrate’s Point’ after the Spanish mountaineer summits Antonio has dedicated the achievement to the former Uttarkashi collector for his humane gesture for helping him during his summit to Mt Satopanth in 2018, where he had stuck amid climbing the peak Yamuna River Yamuna River is largest tributary of Ganga River, while Bangladesh’s Jamuna River is largest distributary channel of the Brahmaputra River. Yamuna is another sacred river of India that origins from Yamunotri  From Uttarakhand, Yamuna River flows for some 200 kilometers in Lower Himalayas and Shivalik Ranges. Its largest tributary Tons River flows through Garhwal region in Uttarakhand, and meets Yamuna near Dehradun. Along with Ganga to which run almost parallel after it touches the Indo-Gangetic plain and creates the Ganga-Yamuna Doab region.  Image source: Here (MAINS FOCUS) GOVERNANCE/ ECONOMY/ SCIENCE & TECH Topic: General Studies 2: Issues relating to development and management of health e-governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential  National Digital Health Mission Context: During the Independence Day Speech, PM Modi launched the National Digital Health Mission and said that the initiative which is completely technology based will revolutionise the health sector in India What is the basic idea of NDHM? By Digital Health Infrastructure created by NDHM,instead of ferrying medical records in polythene bags from doctor to doctor, Indians will be able to access their lab reports, x-rays and prescriptions irrespective of where they were generated, and share them with doctors or family members — with consent. What are the key features of NDHM? Six key building blocks or digital systems namely, HealthID, DigiDoctor, Health Facility Registry, Personal Health Records, e-Pharmacy & Telemedicine Unique Health ID: Every Indian under the mission would get an ID card containing all relevant information about his/her medical conditions and treatments, tests etc Comprehensive Health Profile: Ranging from doctor appointment to the medication prescribed, medical tests, every bit of detail will be available in the health profile of an individual across public and private healthcare. National Health Authority (NHA), the attached office of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has been given the mandate to design, build, roll-out and implement the NDHM in the country. Encouraging Private Players for promotion of Health Data Analytics &Medical Research Private stakeholders will have an equal opportunity to integrate with these building blocks and create their own products for the market.  However, core activities and verifications, for example, generation of Health ID or approval of a doctor/facility shall remain with the government. Additional components, like Personal Health Record (PHR) and Electronic Medical Record (EMR) solutions can be developed by private players in line with the guidelines that will be issued.  Merits of NDHM CreatesDigital Health Ecosystem:It will reduce the existing gap between various stakeholders such as doctors, hospitals and other healthcare providers by bringing them together and connecting them in an integrated digital health infrastructure. Voluntary Scheme: The NDHM is a holistic, voluntary healthcare programme. While option of digital Health ID will be there, in case a person does not want Health ID, then also treatment needs to be provided. Data Safeguards: All products by private participants shall be as per official guidelines taking care of security, privacy and standards of the NDHM ecosystem Improves Healthcare Service Efficiency:The created Digital Health infrastructure enables users to obtain a longitudinal view of their healthcare records. Electric Medical Records will increase accountability, improves patient outcomes, and advances evidence-based policymaking.  Addresses Healthcare Challenges: The Digital Healthinfrastructuregreatly reduces the risk of preventable medical errors and significantly increase quality of care.  Reduces Information Asymmetry: The Digital datawill empower all Indians with the correct information and sources enabling them to take an informed decision to avail the best possible healthcare. Aligned with International Goals: NDHM will be a major stride towards achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.8 of Universal Health Coverage, including financial risk protection Last Mile Connectivity Issue: The provision of promoting e-pharmacy & Telemedicine will enable people in rural areas access quality healthcare providers. Data Ownership issues addressed: The health data will reside at individual hospital servers in a federated architecture.  Citizen will own his/ her health data and would require consent to share data. All the basic registries of patients/hospital/medical professionals that enable data sharing will be owned by a government entity. Challenges Ahead Cannot be a Substitution: Digitalisation is welcome but is no substitute for inadequate human resources and infrastructure in the health sector.  Doesn’t address core concern of Health care sector:The real issue in India’s health sector is the abject lack of primary health facilities in much of India.  Digital awareness about the utility of the scheme is needed for its successful adoption by beneficiaries so that it eases the process and not  To enable seamless data exchange, all users (pharmacists, laboratories, radiology clinics, insurers and hospitals) must be incentivised to adopt a standard language of communication Did You Know about similar project by UK? In 2005, the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) started deployment of an electronic health record systems with a goal to have all patients with a centralised electronic health record by 2010.  While several hospitals acquired electronic patient records systems as part of this process, there was no national healthcare information exchange.  The project had been beset by changing specifications, technical challenges and clashes with suppliers, which left it years behind schedule and way over cost. The program was ultimately dismantled after a cost to the UK taxpayer was more than £12 billion, and is considered one of the most expensive healthcare IT failures.  SOCIETY/ GOVERNANCE Topic: General Studies 1,2: Issues of women and Social Empowerment Laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections  Minimum age of marriage for women Context: During the Independence Day Speech, PM announced that the central government has set up a committee to reconsider the minimum age of marriage for women Do You Know? Currently, the law prescribes that the minimum age of marriage for men as 21 years and 18 and for women as 18 years. The minimum age of marriage is distinct from the age of majority which is gender-neutral. An individual attains the age of majority at 18 as per the Indian Majority Act, 1875 What is the committee that the Prime Minister mentioned in his speech? On June 2, the Union Ministry for Women and Child Development set up a task force to examine matters pertaining to age of motherhood, lowering Maternal Mortality Ratio and the improvement of nutritional levels among women The task force will examine the correlation of age of marriage & motherhood with health, medical well-being, nutritional status of the mother& child Headed by former Samata Party president Jaya Jaitely, the committee includes Member Health at the NITI Aayog, Dr Vinod Paul, and several Secretaries to the Government of India. Why is there a minimum age for marriage? The law prescribes a minimum age of marriage to essentially outlaw child marriages and prevent the abuse of minors. Personal laws of various religions that deal with marriage have their own standards, often reflecting custom For Hindus, Section 5(iii) of The Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, sets 18 years as the minimum age for the bride and 21 years as the minimum age for the groom.  However, child marriages are not illegal — even though they can be declared void at the request of the minor in the marriage. In Islam, the marriage of a minor who has attained puberty is considered valid. The Special Marriage Act, 1954 and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 also prescribe 18 and 21 years as the minimum age of consent for marriage for women and men respectively. Additionally, sexual intercourse with a minor is rape, and the ‘consent’ of a minor is regarded as invalid since she is deemed incapable of giving consent at that age How has the law evolved over years? The Indian Penal Code enacted in 1860 criminalised sexual intercourse with a girl below the age of 10.  A legal framework for the age of consent for marriage in India only began in the 1880s. The provision of rape was amended in 1927 through The Age of Consent Bill, 1927, which declared that marriage with a girl under 12 would be invalid.  In 1929, The Child Marriage Restraint Act set 16 and 18 years as the minimum age of marriage for girls and boys respectively. This law,  It was eventually amended in 1978 to prescribe 18 and 21 years as the age of marriage for a woman and a man respectively. How did freedom movement deal with these laws? Conservative Stance: The laws faced opposition from conservative leaders of the Indian National Movement, who saw the British intervention as an attack on Hindu customs. Progressive Stance: However, there were other who propounded for increasing the age of consent so that education is not neglected for the sake of marriage The Age of Consent Bill, 1927 is popularly known as the Sarda Act after its sponsor Harbilas Sarda, a judge and a member of Arya Samaj Why is the law being relooked at? To reduce the risks of early pregnancy among women. Early pregnancy is associated with increased child mortality rates and affects the health of the mother. To deter Child Marriages:Despite laws mandating minimum age and criminalising sexual intercourse with a minor, child marriages are very prevalent in the country (estimated at 4.1 million in 2017) Gender-neutrality Laws: Making the age equal to that of men is in the spirit of right to equality. Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitutionwhich guarantee the right to equality and the right to live with dignity, were violated by having different legal ages for men and women to marry. Conclusion The minimum age of marriage, especially for women, has been a contentious issue. It is high time that the laws dealing with same are changed in the spirit of Constitutional values. Connecting the dots: Wage Inequality between men and women Glass Ceiling in Corporates and measures taken by government to break this. (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”. 1.Consider the following statements with respect to Animal Welfare Board of India: It is a statutory body The Animal Welfare Board of India was established in 1982 Which of the above is/are correct? 1 only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.2.Which among the following is not a composite of PM-CARE? Prime minister Defence minister Health minister Finance minister 3.Which of the following country does not share border with Mediterranean Sea? Egypt Syria Israel Oman 4. Recently which country mountain peak is named after Uttarkhand’s IAS officer? Spain France Italy Germany ANSWERS FOR 15th August 2020 TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE (TYK) 1 D 2 B 3 B Must Read About Freedom and Identity: The Hindu About Contempt Proceedings against Lawyer Prashant Bhushan: The Hindu About the growth of Indian Americans: The Indian Express

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