This is an OFFICAL ANNOUNCEMENT made by UPSC. The Civil Services (Prelims) Examination-2020, scheduled to be held on 31/05/2020, stands deferred. The decision on fresh date of the Examination will be made available on 20/05/2020 after assessing the situation. Source: https://www.upsc.gov.in/
ARCHIVES OF 60 DAY PLAN PRELIMS EXCLUSIVE CURRENT AFFAIRS CLASSES (12 SESSIONS-By Tauseef Sir): STARTING ON 16 APRIL JOIN NOW! Dear Students, The 60 Days Training has finally begun:) DAY 55 is here! It is time to Introspect, Ideate and Improve!! We have come-up with articles to instil confidence, motivate you in the present situation. Do read these articles. Mark the words/lines in your dairy. These very lines can be the driving force’ in the time of uncertainty. [STRATEGY] MUST READ: 21 Days of Lockdown-What to do? Introspect, Ideate and Improve !! MUST READ: PRELIMS in Testing Times – Don’t Forget the ‘WHY’; IASbaba’s dedicated HOTLINE for Aspirants and Prelims Postponing Rumours Coronavirus[VIDEO]: Awareness, Myths, Solidarity and Message to All UPSC Aspirants by Mohan Sir Founder IASbaba To ensure that your preparation goes smoothly and keeping up with our promise, we have come up with a Dedicated HOTLINE (Communication channel) - Connect with BABA for all UPSC/IAS Aspirants. From today, you will be able to speak with the Founders and Core Team of IASbaba on telephone regarding ‘any queries’ related to UPSC preparation in general or Subject-specific doubts. This Hotline, will be in addition to the 'ASK YOUR BABA' (#ASKBABA) thread opened on a daily basis for our 60 Day plan. We will try to make sure that with so much going around these days, you have at least one less thing to worry about. How to make use of HOTLINE and ASK YOUR BABA (#ASKBABA)? There are 2 initiatives which will be running parallely. 1. HOTLINE - Connect with BABA (5pm - 7pm) The communication channel will be open ONLY for 2 hours Daily (except on Sundays - holiday) from 5pm to 7 pm. Please do not make calls before or after the specified time. As we will be occupied with other daily initiatives running on the website and mentorship. Hope you understand our time constraints. Please note that, call facilities are mainly for queries related to preparation per se like strategies, difficulties in reading a subject, what to read, what not to read, how to manage time, revision, motivation etc. You can call on the numbers given below. For any queries related to - UPSC Preparation (Prelims, Mains, Interview) Strategy & Current Affairs – contact 9986190082 Environment & Science and Technology – contact 9986193016 Polity & Economics – contact 9899291288 Geography & History – contact 9591106864 We have separated General Strategy (Preparation per se – Pre, Mains, Interview) and Current Affairs from other subjects. You can make use of the HOTLINE, as per your needs. 2. ASK YOUR BABA (#ASKBABA) - clear your doubts on the 60 Day Platform (Online from 11 am - 10 pm) Use the disqus comment section of that particular day (60 Day post - For Ex: Today is Day 25) to clear all your subject specific doubts of the day. You can post your queries/doubts with #ASKBABA !! Here, doubts related to the 60 day questions or conceptual clarity in a particular subject can be asked. Your doubts will be cleared on real-time basis (or max within hour it will be answered from the subject experts) If you are genuinely finding difficulty interms of preparing with that particular subject, then you can use 5pm-7pm window to make calls. If you are not able to speak to IASbaba's Team, then you can still post your doubts/queries in the same post of the 60 day initiative. As mentioned above, your doubts will be cleared on real-time basis (or max within hour it will be answered from the subject experts). Make the best use of the communication channel (Ask Your Baba/comment section on daily 60 Day post and calls) provided. We will make sure that, all your queries will be answered to. So we have tried our bit, to ensure your preparation goes smoothly, you can do your bit by keeping in touch with us via phone/ website to keep yourself going, keep yourself engaged and staying positive during the rough times. How to make the maximum use of this HOTLINE and #ASKBABA (Disqus comment of 60 Day Plan) on Daily basis? Now, that I have solved 30 mcq’s, what to do next? How to Analyse my Performance? For Answers to the above Questions ->CONNECT WITH BABA: IASbaba’s Dedicated HOTLINE for UPSC/IAS Aspirants !! 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 (5 PM), cross-check the answers and again, comment the marks (you got) in the same comment thread. This will keep you responsible and sincere in days to come. Also, we need more sets of scores for releasing the cut offs in the night so, requesting all of you to sincerely put your scores in comment section. You can also take part in discussion with peers. Q.1) Consider the following pairs with respect to the origin and formation of lakes. Lakes :: Origin/Formation Kettle Lake :: By Glaciation Caldera lake :: By Tectonic activity Oxbow lake :: By river meandering Beaver lake :: By Animals. Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched? 2 only 2 and 3 only 1, 2 and 4 only 1, 2, 3 and 4 Q.1) झीलों की उत्पत्ति और गठन के संबंध में, निम्नलिखित युग्मों पर विचार करें। झील उत्पत्ति / गठन केटल झील (Kettle Lake) हिमाच्छादन (Glaciation) द्वारा काल्डेरा झील विवर्तनिक गतिविधि द्वारा गोखुर /आक्सबो झील नदी विसर्पण (meandering) द्वारा बीवर झील (Beaver lake) जानवरों (Animals) द्वारा उपरोक्त में से कौन सी जोड़ी सही ढंग से सुमेलित है / हैं? केवल 2 केवल 2 और 3 केवल 1, 2 और 4 1, 2, 3 और 4 Q.2) Westerlies are stronger and regular in the southern hemisphere than the Northern Hemisphere. Which of the following is/are the reasons behind this? Presence of more ocean currents in the southern hemisphere. Large expanse of water in the southern hemisphere. Higher temperature in southern hemisphere than northern hemisphere. Choose the correct option: 2 only 1 and 2 only 1 and 3 only 2 and 3 only Q.2) पछुआ पवनें (Westerlies) उत्तरी गोलार्ध की तुलना में, दक्षिणी गोलार्ध में अधिक मजबूत और नियमित होती हैं। निम्नलिखित में से इसके पीछे क्या कारण है/ हैं? दक्षिणी गोलार्ध में अधिक महासागरीय धाराओं की उपस्थिति। दक्षिणी गोलार्ध में जल का अधिक विस्तार। उत्तरी गोलार्ध की तुलना में दक्षिणी गोलार्ध में अधिक तापमान। सही विकल्प चुनें: केवल 2 केवल 1 और 2 केवल 1 और 3 केवल 2 और 3 Q.3) What does the term ‘Hwangtu’ refer to? Oasis formed in the deserts. Wind borne dust from the Gobi desert. Shallow lakes formed in the deserts due to wind erosion. Depositional landforms in the deserts. Q.3) 'ह्वांगटू' (Hwangtu) शब्द का क्या अर्थ है? मरुस्थल में बनने वाले शाद्वल (Oasis)। गोबी मरुस्थल से हवा में उड़ती धूल। वायु अपरदन के कारण मरुस्थलों में बनने वाली उथली झीलें। मरुस्थलों में निक्षेपकारी भू-आकृतियाँ। Q.4) “Basket of Eggs” topography is formed by which of the following geomorphic agents? Wind Glaciers River Sea waves Q.4) "अंडों की टोकरी" (Basket of Eggs) स्थलाकृति, निम्नलिखित भू-आकृति कारकों में से, किसके द्वारा बनाई गई है? पवन हिमनद (Glaciers) नदी सागरीय लहरें Q.5) Consider the following statements with respect to “La Nina”: During La Nina Year, the waters in the eastern pacific ocean are colder than normal. La Nina brings heavy rains to Peru and Ecuador regions. Which of the above statements is/are correct? 1 only 2 only 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.5) "ला नीना" (La Nina) के संबंध में, निम्नलिखित कथनों पर विचार करें: ला नीना वर्ष के दौरान, पूर्वी प्रशांत महासागर में पानी सामान्य से अधिक ठंडा होता है। ला नीना पेरू और इक्वाडोर क्षेत्रों में भारी वर्षा लाती है। उपरोक्त कथनों में से कौन सा सही है / हैं? केवल 1 केवल 2 1 और 2 न तो 1 और न ही 2 Q.6) Arrange the following sources of freshwaters in the ascending orders of their percentage distribution. Icecaps and Glaciers Rivers Groundwater. Lakes. Choose the correct option: 1-3-4-2 1-2-3-4 2-4-3-1 2-4-1-3 Q.6) ताज़े जल के निम्नलिखित स्रोतों को, इनके प्रतिशत वितरण के आरोही क्रम (ascending orders) में व्यवस्थित करें। हिमछत्रक और हिमनद (Icecaps and Glaciers) नदियां भू-जल (Groundwater) झील सही विकल्प चुनें: 1-3-4-2 1-2-3-4 2-4-3-1 2-4-1-3 Q.7) Which of the following is/are factors influencing the temperature of oceans? Upwelling Cloud cover Albedo Salinity Choose the correct option: 1 and 2 only 2 and 3 only 1, 2 and 3 only 1, 2, 3 and 4 Q.7) निम्नलिखित में से कौन सा कारक, महासागरों के तापमान को प्रभावित करता है? अपवेलिंग (Upwelling) मेघ आवरण (Cloud cover) ऐल्बिडो (albedo) लवणता सही विकल्प चुनें: केवल 1 और 2 केवल 2 और 3 केवल 1, 2 और 3 1, 2, 3 और 4 Q.8) Which of the following are the adaptations of vegetation in the tropical climates? Deep roots. Large dark green leaves. Thick Bark. Waxy cuticle. Choose the correct option: 1 and 2 only 2 and 4 only 1 and 3 only 1, 2, 3 and 4 Q.8) उष्णकटिबंधीय जलवायु में, निम्नलिखित में से कौन से/ सी वनस्पतियों के अनुकूलन हैं? गहरी जड़ें बड़ी गहरी हरी पत्तियां मोटी छाल (Thick Bark) मोमी उपत्वचा (Waxy cuticle) सही विकल्प चुनें: केवल 1 और 2 केवल 2 और 4 केवल 1 और 3 1, 2, 3 और 4 Q.9) Which of the following trenches are found in the Atlantic Ocean? Tonga trench Peurto-Rico trench Kurile trench. Romanche Trench Choose the correct option: 1 and 3 only 2 and 3 only 2 and 4 only 3 and 4 only Q.9) निम्न में से कौन सी खाई/ ट्रेंच (trenches), अटलांटिक महासागर में पाई जाती है? टोंगा ट्रेंच प्यूर्टो-रिको ट्रेंच कुरील ट्रेंच। रोमान्च ट्रेंच (Romanche Trench) सही विकल्प चुनें: केवल 1 और 3 केवल 2 और 3 केवल 2 और 4 केवल 3 और 4 Q.10) Arrange the following lakes with respect to their salinity in descending order. Caspian sea Red Sea Dead sea Lake Van Choose the correct option: 1-2-3-4 1-2-4-3 3-4-1-2 4-3-1-2 Q.10) निम्नलिखित झीलों को उनकी लवणता के संबंध में, अवरोही क्रम (descending order) में व्यवस्थित करें। कैस्पियन सागर लाल सागर मृत सागर वैन झील सही विकल्प चुनें: 1-2-3-4 1-2-4-3 3-4-1-2 4-3-1-2 Q.11) The plate tectonics theory divides the earth crust into several major and minor plates. Which of the following is/are categorised as minor plates? Cocos Plate. Australian plate. Nazca plate. Arabian plate. Choose the correct option: 1,3 and 4 only 1,2 and 3 only 2,3 and 4 only 1,2,3 and 4 Q.11) प्लेट विवर्तनिकी सिद्धांत पृथ्वी की क्रस्ट को कई प्रमुख और छोटी प्लेटों में विभाजित करता है। निम्नलिखित में से कौन सी, छोटी प्लेटों के रूप में वर्गीकृत की जाती हैं? कोको प्लेट ऑस्ट्रेलियाई प्लेट नाज़का प्लेट अरब प्लेट सही विकल्प चुनें: केवल 1,3 और 4 केवल 1,2 और 3 केवल 2,3 और 4 1, 2, 3 और 4 Q.12) What does the term “Tombolo” refer to in geomorphology? Coastal depositional landforms. Depositional landforms formed by glaciers. Erosional Landforms formed by winds. Erosional Landforms formed by water. Q.12) "टॉम्बोलो" (Tombolo) शब्द भू-आकृति विज्ञान में क्या संदर्भित करता है? तटीय निक्षेपकारी भू-आकृतियाँ। हिमनदों द्वारा निर्मित भू-आकृतियाँ। पवनों द्वारा निर्मित अपरदनात्मक भू-आकृतियाँ। पानी द्वारा निर्मित अपरदनात्मक भू-आकृतियाँ। Q.13) With respect to measuring earthquakes consider following statements: Mercalli scale measures the intensity of the earthquake in which visible damage is captured. Richter scale measures the energy released during the earthquake. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? 1 only 2 only 1 and 2 Both Neither 1 nor 2 Q.13) भूकंप को मापने के संबंध में, निम्नलिखित कथनों पर विचार करें: मरकेली स्केल भूकंप की तीव्रता को मापती है, जिसमें दृश्य क्षति को कवर करती है। रिक्टर स्केल भूकंप के दौरान निकलने वाली ऊर्जा को मापती है। ऊपर दिए गए कथनों में से कौन सा सही है / हैं? केवल 1 केवल 2 1 और 2 दोनों न तो 1 और न ही 2 Q.14) Consider the following climatic conditions: Uniform temperature throughout the year without winters. Evening precipitation. Convectional rainfall. The above described conditions are referring to which of the following climatic regions of the world? Tropical Marine Climate Hot wet Equatorial climate. Mediterranean climate Sudan climate. Q.14) निम्नलिखित जलवायु परिस्थितियों पर विचार करें: सर्दियों के बिना पूरे वर्ष भर एक समान तापमान। शाम की वर्षा। संवहनीय वर्षा। उपरोक्त वर्णित परिस्थितियाँ, विश्व के निम्नलिखित जलवायु क्षेत्रों में से किसका उल्लेख कर रही हैं? उष्णकटिबंधीय समुद्री जलवायु गर्म आर्द्र भूमध्यरेखीय जलवायु भूमध्य सागरीय जलवायु सूडान तुल्य जलवायु। Q.15) Arrange the following gases in the atmosphere as per their percentage by volume in ascending order. Carbon dioxide Argon Hydrogen Oxygen Nitrogen. Choose the correct option: 4-5-3-2-1 4-3-5-2-1 3-1-2-4-5 1-3-2-4-5 Q.15) वायुमंडल में निम्नलिखित गैसों को उनकी मात्रा के प्रतिशत के अनुसार आरोही क्रम (ascending order) में व्यवस्थित करें। कार्बन डाइआक्साइड आर्गन हाइड्रोजन ऑक्सीजन नाइट्रोजन सही विकल्प चुनें: 4-5-3-2-1 4-3-5-2-1 3-1-2-4-5 1-3-2-4-5 Q.16) Which of the following are the indirect sources of obtaining information regarding earth’s interior? Seismic activity Magnetic field Volcanic eruptions. Choose the correct option: 3 only 1 and 3 only 1 and 2 only 1, 2 and 3 Q.16) निम्नलिखित में से कौन से पृथ्वी के आंतरिक भाग के बारे में जानकारी प्राप्त करने के अप्रत्यक्ष स्रोत हैं? भूकंपीय गतिविधि चुंबकीय क्षेत्र ज्वालामुखी विस्फोट। सही विकल्प चुनें: केवल 3 केवल 1 और 3 केवल 1 और 2 1, 2 और 3 Q.17) Which of the following is/are related to the formation or modification of the present day atmosphere? Degassing Solar Winds. Differentiation of materials in earth’s interior. Photosynthesis. Choose the correct option: 4 only 1 and 4 only 1, 3 and 4 only 1, 2 and 4 only Q.17) निम्नलिखित में से कौन, वर्तमान दिन के वातावरण (present day atmosphere) के गठन या संशोधन से संबंधित है? विगैसीकरण (degassing) सौर पवनें पृथ्वी के आंतरिक भाग में सामग्री का अंतर प्रकाश संश्लेषण सही विकल्प चुनें: केवल 4 केवल 1 और 4 केवल 1, 3 और 4 केवल 1, 2 और 4 Q.18) Consider the following statements with respect to water vapour in the atmosphere: Water vapour increases from poles towards the equator. Water vapour decreases with altitude. Which of the above statements is/are correct? 1 only 2 only 1 and 2 Both Neither 1 nor 2 Q.18) वायुमंडल में जल वाष्प के संबंध में, निम्नलिखित कथनों पर विचार करें: जल वाष्प ध्रुवों से भूमध्य रेखा की ओर बढ़ती जाती है। ऊंचाई बढ़ने के साथ जल वाष्प कम होती जाती है। उपरोक्त कथनों में से कौन सा सही है / हैं? केवल 1 केवल 2 1 और 2 दोनों न तो 1 और न ही 2 Q.19) With respect to the cyclones and anti-cyclones, consider the following statements. Cyclones have high pressure at the centre while anti-cyclones have low pressure at the centre. Winds blow anti-clockwise in the northern hemisphere in cyclones and clockwise in anti-cyclones. Which of the above statements is/are correct? 1 only 2 only 1 and 2 Both Neither 1 nor 2. Q.19) चक्रवात और प्रति-चक्रवात के संबंध में, निम्नलिखित कथनों पर विचार करें। चक्रवात के केंद्र पर उच्च दाब होता है, जबकि प्रति-चक्रवात के केंद्र पर निम्न दाब होता है। उत्तरी गोलार्ध में चक्रवातों में पवनें वामावर्त (anti-clockwise) तथा प्रति-चक्रवात में दक्षिणावर्त (clockwise) चलती हैं। उपरोक्त कथनों में से कौन सा सही है / हैं? केवल 1 केवल 2 1 और 2 दोनों न तो 1 और न ही 2 Q.20) Consider the following statements with regard to seismic waves. P-waves are compressional waves while S-Waves are longitudinal waves. S-Waves are faster and travel through solids, liquids and gases. Which of the above statements is/are correct? 1 only 2 only 1 and 2 Both Neither 1 nor 2 Q.20) भूकंपीय तरंगों के संबंध में, निम्नलिखित कथनों पर विचार करें। पी-तरंगें संपीड़ित तरंगें हैं जबकि एस-तरंगें अनुदैर्ध्य तरंगें हैं। एस-तरंगें अधिक तेज होती हैं तथा ठोस, तरल और गैसीय माध्यम से यात्रा करती हैं। उपरोक्त कथनों में से कौन सा सही है / हैं? केवल 1 केवल 2 1 और 2 दोनों न तो 1 और न ही 2 Q.21) Which of the following is/are a Zoonosis? Cat scratch fever Swine flu Fish tank granuloma Q fever Select the correct answer using the code given below: 1 and 2 only 2 only 1, 2 and 4 only 1, 2, 3 and 4 Q.21) निम्नलिखित में से कौन-सा / से एक जूनोसिस (Zoonosis) है? बिल्ली की खरोंच के कारण होने वाला बुखार (Cat scratch fever) स्वाइन फ्लू फिश टैंक ग्रेन्युलोमा (Fish tank granuloma) क्यू बुखार (Q fever) नीचे दिए गए कूट का उपयोग करके सही उत्तर चुनें: केवल 1 और 2 केवल 2 केवल 1, 2 और 4 1, 2, 3 और 4 Q.22) With reference to Ayushman Bharat Scheme, Consider the following statements: It will cover over 10 crore poor and vulnerable families providing coverage for primary, secondary and tertiary care hospitalization. It provides a cover of rupees 5 lakh per family per year for medical treatment in empanelled public hospitals only. Which of the statements given above is/are incorrect? 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.22) आयुष्मान भारत योजना के संदर्भ में, निम्नलिखित कथनों पर विचार करें: यह प्राथमिक, द्वितीयक और तृतीयक देखभाल अस्पताल में भर्ती के लिए 10 करोड़ से अधिक गरीब और कमजोर परिवारों को कवर करेगा। यह केवल सरकारी अस्पतालों में चिकित्सा उपचार के लिए प्रति परिवार प्रति वर्ष 5 लाख रुपये का कवर प्रदान करता है। ऊपर दिए गए कथनों में से कौन सा गलत है / हैं? केवल 1 केवल 2 1 और 2 दोनों न तो 1 और न ही 2 Q.23) Consider the following statements: Inter-State migration and quarantine are under the Concurrent List. The prevention of infectious diseases moving from one State to another is under the Union List. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.23) निम्नलिखित कथनों पर विचार करें: अंतर-राज्यीय प्रवास और क्वारंटाइन (quarantine) समवर्ती सूची के अंतर्गत आते हैं। एक राज्य से दूसरे राज्य में जाने वाले संक्रामक रोगों की रोकथाम संघ सूची के अंतर्गत आता है। ऊपर दिए गए कथनों में से कौन सा सही है / हैं? केवल 1 केवल 2 1 और 2 दोनों न तो 1 और न ही 2 Q.24) Which of the following is/are Correctly matched: COVSACK - COVID-19 Sample Collection Kiosk developed by Indian Railways. CovidGyan – a website for scientifically accurate COVID-19 related content launched by IISc, TIFR Centres, Tata Memorial Centre and others. Jeevan - low-cost ventilator prototype for Covid-19 patients manufactured by DRDO. Select the correct answer using the code given below: 1 only 2 only 2 and 3 only 1, 2 and 3 Q.24) निम्नलिखित में से कौन सा / से सही ढंग से सुमेलित है/ हैं : COVSACK - भारतीय रेलवे द्वारा विकसित COVID-19 नमूना संग्रह कियोस्क। CovidGyan - IISc, TIFR केंद्र, टाटा मेमोरियल सेंटर और अन्य द्वारा आरंभ की गई वैज्ञानिक रूप से सटीक COVID-19 संबंधित सामग्री के लिए एक वेबसाइट है। Jeevan - DRDO द्वारा निर्मित COVID-19 रोगियों के लिए कम लागत वाले वेंटिलेटर प्रोटोटाइप। नीचे दिए गए कूट का उपयोग करके सही उत्तर चुनें: केवल 1 केवल 2 केवल 2 और 3 1, 2 और 3 Q.25) With reference to Compensation cess, Consider the following statements: It is a relief for States for the loss of revenues arising from the implementation of GST. It is levied only on five products considered to be sin or luxury goods. Firstly, the collected compensation cess flows into the Consolidated Fund of India. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? 1 and 3 only 1 only 2 and 3 only 1, 2 and 3 Q.25) क्षतिपूर्ति उपकर (Compensation cess) के संदर्भ में, निम्नलिखित कथनों पर विचार करें: जीएसटी के क्रियान्वयन से होने वाले राजस्व के नुकसान के लिए यह राज्यों हेतु एक राहत है। यह केवल पाप या विलासिता की वस्तु (sin or luxury goods) माने जाने वाले पांच उत्पादों पर लगाया गया है। सबसे पहले, एकत्रित क्षतिपूर्ति उपकर भारत के समेकित कोष में जाता है। ऊपर दिए गए कथनों में से कौन सा सही है / हैं? केवल 1 और 3 केवल 1 केवल 2 और 3 1, 2 और 3 Q.26) The term ‘Compulsory Licensing’ is mentioned in which of the following? Companies Act 2013 Indian Patent Act, 1970 Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 Information Technology Act, 2000 Q.26) 'अनिवार्य लाइसेंसिंग' (Compulsory Licensing) शब्द का उल्लेख, निम्नलिखित में से किसमें किया गया है? कंपनी अधिनियम 2013 भारतीय पेटेंट अधिनियम, 1970 भारतीय टेलीग्राफ अधिनियम, 1885 सूचना प्रौद्योगिकी अधिनियम, 2000 Q.27) Which of the following statements is/are correct? India is the world’s third-largest importer of crude oil. India is the world’s largest importer of Liquified Natural Gas. Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.27) निम्नलिखित में से कौन सा कथन सही है / हैं? भारत कच्चे तेल का विश्व का तीसरा सबसे बड़ा आयातक है। भारत, तरल प्राकृतिक गैस (LNG) का विश्व का सबसे बड़ा आयातक है। सही कथनों का चयन करें केवल 1 केवल 2 1 और 2 दोनों न तो 1 और न ही 2 Q.28) ‘United for Biodiversity’ Coalition has been launched by MERCOSUR BIMSTEC European Commission Climate Vulnerable Group Q.28) ‘जैव विविधता के लिए एकीकृत’ (United for Biodiversity) गठबंधन किसके द्वारा आरंभ किया गया है मर्कोसुर (MERCOSUR) बिम्सटेक (BIMSTEC) यूरोपीय आयोग जलवायु सुभेद्य समूह (Climate Vulnerable Group) Q.29) Consider the following statements Bal Gangadhar Tilak in his newspaper, ‘Kesari’, had criticised measures adopted by the government to tackle the plague epidemic in Maharashtra. Chapekar brothers assassinated the plague commissioner of Poona/Pune. Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.29) निम्नलिखित कथनों पर विचार करें बाल गंगाधर तिलक ने अपने अखबार 'केसरी' में महाराष्ट्र में प्लेग की महामारी से निपटने के लिए सरकार द्वारा अपनाए गए उपायों की आलोचना की थी। चापेकर बंधुओं ने पूना / पुणे के प्लेग कमिश्नर की हत्या कर दी थी। सही कथनों का चयन करें केवल 1 केवल 2 1 और 2 दोनों न तो 1 और न ही 2 Q.30) The ‘Mighty Five’ countries is often discussed in the context of Manufacturing Sector IT and services Sector Climate Mitigation Passport Strength Q.30) 'शक्तिशाली पांच' (Mighty Five) देशों की किसके संदर्भ में अक्सर चर्चा की जाती है विनिर्माण क्षेत्र आईटी और सेवा क्षेत्र जलवायु शमन पासपोर्ट सामर्थ्य DOWNLOAD THE SOLUTION ENGLISH HINDI 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. DOWNLOAD THE 60 DAYS PLAN 2020 PRELIMS EXCLUSIVE CURRENT AFFAIRS CLASSES (12 SESSIONS-By Tauseef Sir): STARTING 15 APRIL- JOIN NOW! All the Best! IASbaba
RESULTS and CUT-OFF: IASbaba’s ALL INDIA MOCK EXAM -2 Hello Everyone, It was great for us to see that so many aspirants are focused on their goal despite the difficult circumstances. For the IASbaba’s All India Full Mock Exam- 2, registrations crossed 8000, and close to 2600 students have taken the test till now. A Salute to all the students who took up this Mock Exam for your dedication and determination. Though there is no deadline to take up these mock exams, we would request other registered students too, to take up the MOCK EXAM at the earliest. Don't wait for the date of Prelims Exam to be announced. Please don't lose the momentum at this stage. Coming to the quality of the Mock Exam and its relevance - Analysis of the Mock Exam: The question paper was made on similar lines of UPSC. The questions were designed with different difficulty levels – easy, moderate, difficult, and very difficult. This was done so that you can understand how to pick the questions for the attempt and how to leave the very difficult ones. There were several questions that could be solved using the elimination method so that even if you don’t remember the exact fact, through logic, you can get to the correct answer. Based on the performance, the difficulty of the paper, the "Cut - off marks for this Mock Exam – 107". All the candidates scoring 125 and above get BABA’s SALUTE!! RESULTS OF TOP 100: To check your Results -> CLICK HERE Note: Please do not get disheartened if you are not able to score above the cut-off. This is just a practice test. Evaluate yourself objectively. Take it as a learning, know your strengths and weakness. You will definitely do better in the up-coming mocks! MUST WATCH: For PRELIMS TIPS/STRATEGY (Do's & Don'ts), How to Score More by Mohan Sir-> CLICK HERE Congratulations to Sumit singh, Amit mishra, mrperfect117, siddharthjena, Mayank Mishra, Upsy, Ravi Prakash, Chiku. They have scored more than 160 marks. Name Score Rank AFRID ALI KHAN 153 1 Susheel 153 1 PRANAV 151 3 RISHANT VERMA 151 3 Rohit Shaw 151 3 Abhishek Singh 151 3 DISK 151 3 Ashutosh 151 3 Gautam Singh 149 9 Alex 147 10 Rakshantha R 147 10 Shusruth C 147 10 ANILKUMAR S 147 10 Arpitt 147 10 Himani Rai 147 10 Shrey 146 16 Vibhor Tyagi 145 17 Akki12664 145 17 Mufassir 145 17 Vignesh 145 17 sarvesh 144 21 Supriya yadav 143 22 Geeta Singla 143 22 Dhavala 142 24 Naba 141 25 BADDELI CHANDRAKANTH REDDY 141 25 Shilpa 141 25 V S Abhishek 141 25 Shrikant 140 29 Tejveer Singh 140 29 Abhishek 138 31 Vikas Sharma 137 32 Sivaprakash S V 137 32 Simanta Buragohain 137 32 Ashu 137 32 Gourav Singh 137 32 banoth 136 37 Divyanshu 135 38 SANDEEP 135 38 DSP 133 40 Akil 133 40 Shenaz Rahaman 133 40 ARCHIT YADAV 132 43 GAUTHAM S 132 43 Rishav Bansal 131 45 chinmai 131 45 Monisha 131 45 Anshul Aggarwal 131 45 Jaydeep 131 45 ABHINAV SINGH 131 45 Navanath 130 51 P VENKATESH 130 51 RAJA RANJAN 130 51 S Das 129 54 Kumar Bhaskar 129 54 Mohit papreja 129 54 Ayush Anand 129 54 Vikas yadav 129 54 Ankit kumar 129 54 P C Chaithanyapani 129 54 vikas kharade 128 61 vikash23 128 61 Kannan 128 61 stalin 128 61 Salaah Asmer 128 61 Mohak jain 127 66 Var 127 66 biswajit 127 66 seemant 127 66 svdp 127 66 DHARMENDRA SINGH BISHT 127 66 Aarti Maroti Chavan 127 66 NIRBHAY DWIVEDI 127 66 Jatin Chauhan 126 74 ANKAM PRANATHI 126 74 Sanket Garud 126 74 rahul111 125 77 AMIT RANJAN 125 77 Pranav Kedar 125 77 Nischay 125 77 Dheeraj 125 77 Puneet S 125 77 Kushagra Srivastava 124 83 dazy1026 124 83 Sarath Narayanan 124 83 Ipshit Tarun 124 83 mahi47 124 83 Gaurav Gupta 123 88 Praveen 123 88 Amol rameshwar shingne 123 88 Preetam Kumar 123 88 Bhautik Vidja 123 88 Keshav 123 88 landechinmay 123 88 Anusha 123 88 Shailendra 123 88 Zarine Qureshi 122 97 Pappu 122 97 ashish 121 99 twinkle jain 121 99 aravindh 121 99 SukhpAl 121 99 Srikanth 121 99 PRAKHAR KUMAR SINGH 121 99 Fasak 121 99 abhinavsingh6051 120 106 Abhishek 120 106 Pooja 120 106 Please Note: For studnets who want to take the Mocks OFFLINE, you can attempt a few questions and end the test online. Then Click on, Get PDF (under Downloads). Both the Question PDF & Solution PDF of Mock Exam -2 will be sent to your registered email id. For Discussion Page on Mock test 1 -> CLICK HERE For Discussion Page on Mock test 2 -> CLICK HERE For SCHEDULE & to REGISTER for the MOCK EXAMS (GS & CSAT) in English & हिंदी -> CLICK HERE प्रिलिम्स फुल मॉक टेस्ट अब हिंदी में For any Queries – Mail us on support@iasbaba.com We thank you for your patience, your appreciation for the quality of the test. Thank you for your trust. IASbaba
Dear Aspirants, Right from the beginning of IASbaba, we have been speaking of life beyond civil services. We truly believe and also want you to understand that qualifying this exam is not an end in itself. It will be the beginning of a new journey. Civil services is not your life, it is just one aspect of it. In order to chase your dream, you get so adrift from your own self that you start forgetting about your own identity, your talent, your likes, and dislikes. This unfortunate crisis has fortunately given all of us some time to reflect on ourselves. And in order to bring you closer to yourself, we started this initiative called CATHARSIS - Unlock Your Talent and Creativity. And boy, we received a response beyond our expectations!! We are thankful to all of you for filling our emails and our portal with so much of awe - striking creativity. Thank you all, for making us a part of this aspect of your life. Right after we posted the initiative, it became an immediate hit. How widespread it is can be understood by the fact that an 11-year-old child (Bhoomi Garg) sent her creation to us which we recently posted. Till now we have received more than 200 entries. We are yet to publish many of them so we request all those who have sent their entries to be a little patient. As of now, we are giving priority to the creative as per the mail received (date)on support@iasbaba.com. And since we believe every creative should get its due, we are publishing one or max two per day. It is always special when we start an initiative and people shower their love and appreciation. The following messages are a testimony of that – We really hope that this initiative has helped you to cope up with anxiety and to bring the best out of you. We must tell you that this is going to help you in your exam as well. When you are calm and happy, and felling good about yourself inside, you are bound to perform well outside. Keep learning, keep improving and keep creating. And once again thank you for so much of love and loving yourself more…!! All the best IASbaba
MIND-MAPS: PRIVATIZATION – General Studies 3 Hello Friends, Recently we have come up with a NEW INITIATIVE - BRAINSTORMING THROUGH MIND-MAPS! Mind-map is an incredible powerful thinking tool, an innate human language that will have immense benefit in your preparation. The main idea is to brainstorm different aspects of an issue - think in multi-dimensions; what we call 360 degrees of an issue. The whole of this exercise will unleash your creativity to push your brain cells to recall the data learnt and to make it more relevant for your preparation. It will help you to make your Revision and Retention a far better apart from giving you more Clarity in the topics/issue at hand and improve your Concentration. You can see the drastic impact mind-maps will have in a few weeks, provided you are regular with this exercise. So here we are with Today’s TOPIC! PRIVATIZATION - General Studies 3 NOTE – Instructions to download Mind Maps/Images Right Click on the image and ‘Open image in new tab’ Remove/Delete the resolution part from the URl. Eg. “-1536x757” and Press Enter/Load Again Right Click and Save Image As/Download (You’ll get the maximum resolution) The TOPIC for Next week will be "DISASTER MANAGEMENT". Since the topic is vast we would cover it in 2 mind-maps- NDMA Framework, International Frameworks (Sendai, Hyogo etc). Guidelines for each Disaster. YOUR PARTICIPATION? – VERY IMPORTANT Unlike what we were doing before, in this initiative we want students to learn and brainstorm through mind-maps (It is not necessary that you use a software/tool to design mind maps. You can prepare mindmaps using a pen and a sheet of paper). We will share the final printable mind map on every Wednesday and Sunday (2 times a week). We will also provide specific inputs on your mind maps to improve your skill of mind mapping. So, Enlist the topics you feel as important for MAINS Issues in Current Affairs you find difficult to understand Share your own mind-maps on the given topics in the comment section of the post published on Wednesdays and Sundays (every week). We will provide specific inputs on your mind maps to improve your skill of mind mapping. To Know More about the initiative, Benefits and How to use a mind-map ->CLICK HERE Together we can, we will. The strength of the community is more powerful than individual effort. We have started it. You have to strengthen it” You can Start sharing Your Mind-maps (get feedback from IASbaba) & Topics of your interest in the comment section below!! Thank You IASbaba
Catharsis -Unlock Your Talent & Creativity Hello Friends, You must be aware of the term ‘catharsis’. It is the process of releasing and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions. Recently we have launched a new initiative by the name Catharsis -Unlock Your Talent & Creativity! Today's work is SKETCHING by RANJEET PANDEY & CREATIVE WRITING by DHRUV RAVAL! Well done, Keep it up !! SKETCHES by RANJEET PANDEY CREATIVE WRITING by DHRUV RAVAL! Click here - Daybook_20200408103638506 Be creative and find your catharsis in whichever form of creativity you are comfortable with. It could be anything- a song, a painting, a poem, a story, a dance performance, rangolis, jokes/humor, culinary skills, mimicry and whatnot. There is no limit to creativity. Just unleash and share it with everyone! Why don’t you share your moments of catharsis with us? UPSC is not only about academics but personality as well. And your personality is shaped by the creativity that you possess. To know more about Catharsis -Unlock Your Talent & Creativity' Initiative and the Previous Creative work -> CLICK HERE We encourage you to keep the comment section alive by sharing your talents and also by commenting and encouraging the talent of your peers. We are also going to be a regular visitor here and will keep on posting the creative works by our talented team members and staff. NOTE- You can also nominate by tagging anyone (if you know about the talent of your friend or anyone) 🙂 You can share your talent/creativity with us on support@iasbaba.com and ilp@iasbaba.com P.S: Kindly share it in a format that can be published on the website. We believe each one of you have some hidden talent. It’s time that you explore more about yourselves and remain positive throughout this journey. Make the best use of this opportunity! Thank You IASbaba
Finding Yourself: Isn’t it kind of a revelation to know, “Wow, there is something real?” We don’t know it, because we’re distracting ourselves with so many other things. We can all get something from the beautiful passage … “You cannot find yourself: You’re not a ten-dollar bill that is lost somewhere in a jacket pocket to find.” You are already found. You only have to step away from the distractions. We are the sky that is always cloudy; that is the human experience. It’s always filled with something. A cloud is filled with something – that is all a cloud is. If what it is filled with disappears, the idea of the cloud disappears, and the sky behind it will automatically reveal itself. If we are able to understand the nature of our identity, the identity of the body, the identity of the mind, and how we are using this identity to accomplish things in the world, then we would ask, “What is it that we are really trying to attain to?” We are constantly thinking about tomorrow. We are reflecting on what has happened, we want to change a few things, we have certain desires, and we are projecting that into the future. That is the very nature of the mind, and that is how we have always been, at least in this life. That has been our life: Constantly keep thinking about something, and keep your entire attention and focus on doing those futuristic things. Once you accomplish that, you start dreaming about other things, and you keep on moving on. If we can clearly understand: Is this the only process that we call life, or is there something more to life? Is the experience of life all about moving on, moving ahead, or is there something in reality? Is there something in this moment? We keep distracting ourselves because once the clouds have gathered, you look up – you’re looking for the sky, No matter how hard you try, you’re only looking at the clouds. Once thoughts have invaded us, we have chosen to attach ourselves to this world, this life, this thinking process. That itself is the distraction. There is no other distraction. In that sense, there is nobody who is not distracted. Even the most peaceful, relaxed, individual is still distracted by his thoughts, if you want to use the word distraction. In a way, finding ourselves is going beyond the most basic assumptions that we have made about life. That requires a very strong will that requires consistent effort, consistent learning, and consistent understanding. We would not be able to just do it using a momentary thought. But what is a thought at the end of the day? All thoughts are connected to each other. When one thought is giving instructions to another thought, they’re still secretly conspiring to keep you blinded. “This article is a part of the creative endeavor of Meditation Farm and IASBABA.”
Love you 3000!!! IASbaba’s HOTLINE and #ASKBABA Initiative Hello Friends, We have reached an astonishing feat of attending more than 3000 calls on IASbaba HOTLINE within a month. We have actually received many more calls than that but because of paucity of time and also because many candidates call at a different time other than the allotted time slot we have not been able to attend them. Apart from queries related preparation strategy for each subject, we have been receiving one common distress call from the aspirants where you are anxious and frustrated. Anxious as you are waiting for your prelims exam and you have no timeline in front of you and frustrated as you are locked in your homes and cannot plan your future course of action. Friends, you need to remember that desperate times need desperate measures. The calamity that we are all facing is real. It is important for us to think as ‘WE’ rather than ‘ME’. We request you to maintain social distancing and follow the guidelines given by the government. You are all aspiring to be the part of government; hence it is important, especially for you, to follow the instructions. We as mentors would like to suggest you not to make long term plans right now. Since things are uncertain, it is important that you keep yourself away from distractions and maintain the momentum. Many candidates are feeling low and they have become slightly laidback. Remember, that your peers are not waiting for you to catch up. Your lackadaisical attitude can push you back in the race. So, pull up your thinking caps and start mental workouts. Make weekly plans and targets and try to achieve them. Start multiple revisions and solve as many questions as you can. This time gap can be an opportunity for you. Grab it. And if you need any help, don’t forget we are here to support and help you. This is the least we can do from our team in time of uncertainty. Through HOTLINE initiative students/aspirants can share their queries and get it cleared on real-time from the Founders and Core team of IASbaba. Sorry, if we could not answer all your calls, as the phones kept ringing and students had many things to ask. Hope you understand. You can always call us any day of the week between 5pm -7pm (except on Sundays). You can also use #ASKBABA (a separate initiative) on 60 day posts and get your Subject-specific doubts cleared between 11am – 10 pm on the website. To know more about HOTLINE & #ASKBABA initiative ->CLICK HERE FOR PRELIMS STRATEGY: Questions like – How to increase my scores in test? How to read and revise current affairs? Optimum number of questions to be attempted? Time management? How to use 60 day plan effectively and many more were taken up in this Live Youtube Session. MUST WATCH – STRATEGY [VIDEO]: PRELIMS Tips (Do's & Don'ts) from Mohan Sir, IASbaba Founder TOPPER’S STRATEGY (PRELIMS): Muthu Somasundaram, Rank 23 Indian Forest Service (IFoS) 2019, a regular follower of IASbaba -> CLICK HERE NEW INITIATIVES: Beat the Heat of Current Affairs this year (2020) –PRELIMS EXCLUSIVE: CURRENT AFFAIRS CLASSES (12 SESSIONS-By Tauseef Sir): JOIN NOW! LOCKDOWN & YOU – Unlock Your Talent & Creativity! -> CLICK HERE BRAINSTORMING THROUGH MIND-MAPS! -> CLICK HERE MUST READ – For Motivation: Coronavirus: Awareness, Myths, Solidarity and Message to All UPSC Aspirants by Mohan Sir Founder IASbaba MUST READ: PRELIMS in Testing Times – Don’t Forget the ‘WHY’; IASbaba’s dedicated HOTLINE for Aspirants and Prelims Postponing Rumours [STRATEGY] MUST READ: 21 Days of Lockdown -What to do? Introspect, Ideate and Improve !! To get Regular Updates from IASbaba, follow- 👉 TELEGRAM Channel – https://t.me/IASbabaOfficialAccount 👉 YOUTUBE – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChvbVdio9Wgj7Z3nQz1Q0ZQ 👉 FACEBOOK – https://www.facebook.com/iasbaba/ Also, SUBSCRIBE to the WEBSITE Below, so that you don’t miss out on important posts! Have Faith! All the Best IASbaba Team
Catharsis -Unlock Your Talent & Creativity Hello Friends, You must be aware of the term ‘catharsis’. It is the process of releasing and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions. Recently we have launched a new initiative by the name Catharsis -Unlock Your Talent & Creativity! Today's work is PHOTOGRAPHY by VAIBHAV S BHAT. Well done, Keep it up !! PHOTOGRAPHY by VAIBHAV S BHAT Beautiful and Heartfelt message by This Talented Photographer to IASbaba for its Catharsis Initiative. Thank you Vaibhav S Bhat for your inspirational words. This keeps us driving towards giving our best in everything we do and support our Students. "Sometimes we make ourselves so much strict in this journey, that makes to forget our passion it-selves. When you started this initiative, I gave a thought to myself that what is my Skill? After sometime the thought came inside shocked me and made me sad too. The days when I used to keep my camera with me always. The days when I used to roam with that. The days when I used to take photos which was giving a joyful feeling. The process of editing and so much more. Yesterday when I saw my Old gallery and my camera in a wardrobe, my feeling was mixed with happiness, sad, missing etc etc I can’t explain that feeling. It completely refreshed me once. Maybe no person or money can give such a feeling for me… Thank you soooo much team IASbaba for this creative initiative and for that wonderful moment." Be creative and find your catharsis in whichever form of creativity you are comfortable with. It could be anything- a song, a painting, a poem, a story, a dance performance, rangolis, jokes/humor, culinary skills, mimicry and whatnot. There is no limit to creativity. Just unleash and share it with everyone! Why don’t you share your moments of catharsis with us? UPSC is not only about academics but personality as well. And your personality is shaped by the creativity that you possess. To know more about Catharsis -Unlock Your Talent & Creativity' Initiative and the Previous Creative work -> CLICK HERE We encourage you to keep the comment section alive by sharing your talents and also by commenting and encouraging the talent of your peers. We are also going to be a regular visitor here and will keep on posting the creative works by our talented team members and staff. NOTE- You can also nominate by tagging anyone (if you know about the talent of your friend or anyone) 🙂 You can share your talent/creativity with us on support@iasbaba.com and ilp@iasbaba.com P.S: Kindly share it in a format that can be published on the website. We believe each one of you have some hidden talent. It’s time that you explore more about yourselves and remain positive throughout this journey. Make the best use of this opportunity! Thank You IASbaba
IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 2nd May 2020 Archives Railways start Shramik Special Trains to move migrant workers and other stranded persons Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Disaster Management; Infrastructure (Railways) In News: As per the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, “Shramik Special” trains shall start running from May 1 (Labour Day). The trains shall move migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, students and other persons stranded at different places due to lockdown which is in force due to COVID-19 pandemic. Key takeaways: These special trains will run from point to point on the request of both the concerned State Governments as per the standard protocols for sending and receiving such stranded persons. The passengers shall be screened by the sending states. Passengers who are found asymptomatic (showing no symptoms) would be allowed to travel. Passengers shall be brought to the railway station in batches in sanitized buses while maintaining strict social distancing norms by the sending state governments. It will be mandatory for every passenger to wear face cover. Meals and drinking water would be provided. On arrival at the destination, passengers will be received by the State Government, who would make all arrangements for their screening, quarantine if necessary and further travel from the Railway Station Kisan Sabha App: To connect farmers to supply chain and freight transportation Part of: GS Prelims and GS-II – Welfare Schemes In News: Kisan Sabha App was launched recently by CSIR-Central Road Research Institute (CSIR-CRRI), New Delhi. The app is developed to connect farmers to supply chain and freight transportation management system. Key takeaways: The portal connects the farmers, transporters, Service providers (like pesticides/ fertilizer/ dealers, cold store and warehouse owner), mandi dealers, customers (like big retail outlets, online stores, institutional buyers) and other related entities for timely and effective solution. The portal acts as a single stop for every entity related to agriculture. Kisan Sabha has 6 major modules taking care of: Farmers Mandi Dealers Transporters Mandi Board Members Service Providers Consumers. Kisan Sabha aims to provide the most economical and timely logistics support to the farmers. The goal of the app is to increase farmers' profit margins by minimizing interference of middlemen and directly connecting with the institutional buyers. It will also help in providing best market rates of crops by comparing nearest mandis, booking of freight vehicles at cheapest cost. Shobhana Narasimhan elected as an International Honorary Member to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Achievements of Indians in science & technology. In News: Professor Shobhana Narasimhan from the Theoretical Sciences Unit (TSU) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), has been elected as an International Honorary Member to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Important value additions: Prof Narasimhan heads the Computational Nanoscience group at JNCASR. She became a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India in 2011. She has also received awards like the Stree Shakti Samman Science Award in 2010 and the Kalpana Chawla Woman Scientist Award of the Government of Karnataka in 2010. The American Academy of Arts and Sciences It is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780. The Academy is dedicated to honoring excellence and leadership, working across disciplines and divides, and advancing the common good. It honours scholars and leaders who have distinguished themselves in the sciences, arts, humanities and public life. Membership in the academy is considered a high honor of scholarly and societal merit. The list of previous International Honorary Members includes Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein and Nelson Mandela. Miscellaneous Chakma and Hajong The Ministry of Development of the North Eastern Region (DoNER) has directed the Arunachal Pradesh government to include the Chakma and Hajong communities in the COVID-19 relief programme. The Chakmas and Hajongs are ethnic people. Chakmas are predominantly Buddhists while Hajongs are Hindus. They were inhabitants of the Chittagong Hill Tracts of erstwhile East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) who migrated to India due to: Submergence of their land by the Kaptai dam on the Karnaphuli River in the 1960s. religious persecution they faced in East Pakistan as they were non-Muslims. The Indian government set up relief camps in Arunachal Pradesh and a majority of them continue to live there even after 50 years. IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 2nd May 2020 Image source: Click here Kovilpatti Kadalai Mittai Kovilpatti kadalai mittai (chikki or sweet made of peanuts and jaggery) has got geographical indication (GI) tag. It is produced in Kovilpatti and adjacent towns of Tamil Nadu. The uniqueness about the sweet are the ingredients used for its manufacture which are procured from the geographical area of Kovilpatti. The ingredients include groundnuts grown in the native black soil of Kovilpatti, organic jaggery and water sourced from the Thamirabarani river. It is produced using ‘veragu aduppu’ (firewood stove). Kashmir Saffron Kashmir saffron has been given the Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the Geographical Indications Registry. It is cultivated and harvested in the Karewa (highlands) of Jammu and Kashmir. The unique characteristics of Kashmir saffron are: longer and thicker stigmas natural deep-red colour high aroma bitter flavour chemical-free processing high quantity of crocin (colouring strength), safranal (flavour) and picrocrocin (bitterness). It is the only saffron in the world grown at an altitude of 1,600 m to 1,800 m above mean sea level. It is renowned globally as a spice. It rejuvenates health and is used in cosmetics and for medicinal purposes. It is associated with traditional Kashmiri cuisine. (MAINS FOCUS) GOVERNANCE/ SECURITY/ INTERNATIONAL Topic: General Studies 2 & 3: Government policies and interventions for development in Health sectors Challenges to National Security International Organisation and their mandates COVID-19: Countries should commit for Universal Bio-deterrence Context: COVID-19 pandemic has awakened the world to the destructive potential of a possible biological weapon. Many see COVID-19 as a quasi-biological war in its scale, scope, duration and impact. Health and biosecurity have, thus, become paramount in national security in 2020. Challenges of Biological Weapons Difficult to differentiate between intentional harm and accidental transmission. New biological agents cannot be anticipated Highly transmissible and deadly The time lag in finding treatment and vaccines inflicts high morbidity and mortality on defenceless populations. The latency period and mutation into different strains makes disease detection and control difficult. It affects the armed forces’ capacity to deal with other conventional and terrorist threats Amenable to be used by non-state actors: Bioterrorism by non-state actors through accidental release or theft of biological disease agents from research facilities Mass contagion and fatalities can bring even the most powerful economies to a halt. Societies can be put into turmoil and governance can suffer serious crises. What measures are need to tackle dangers of Bio-weapons? Integration with National Security Biosecurity should be mainstreamed into our defence, security and counterterrorism strategies. A dedicated National Rapid Deployment Biosecurity Force should be established This would consist of armed forces, police and health responders who perform frontline pandemic-related bio-defence, and disaster relief and response roles. Developing Bio-intelligence Effective, credible, national and international, bio-intelligence systems — especially for new diseases and potential bioweapons — should be put in place. National defence intelligence should incorporate medical intelligence and infectious diseases-risk assessment, and pandemic predictions. Countries should develop National strategies for bio-intelligence and cooperate with other friendly biosecurity powers Bio-safety of Research facilities Governmental and private R&D labs, biotech and virology centres need to be catalogued according to established safety levels, especially for dangerous biological toxins. Protocols in case of accidents and theft need to be established for them. Developing multilateral bio-surveillance mechanisms. Empowering WHO’s health security mechanisms to surveil and access facilities in countries free from geopolitical pressures. Non-proliferation and export control on dual-use biological materials and technologies. All countries need to recommit to a doctrine of universal bio-deterrence. Changes in Governance Countries need to make all normal laboratories and medical facilities transformable into a seamless biosecurity infrastructure for quick and reliable testing Countries should pursue national self-sufficiency in medical and healthcare supply chains Conclusion India needs to propel the early reinforcement of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention with a comprehensive, legally-binding protocol on credible biosurveillance, verification and compliance mechanism at the 2021 review conference. Connecting the dots: Chemical Weapons Trade control regimes: Wassenaar agreement, Australia Group, MTCR and NSG ECONOMY/ GOVERNANCE Topic: General Studies 2 & 3: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors Indian Economy and challenges with regard to resource mobilization RBI’s job involves trade-offs, not conflicts Context: The economic crisis caused by COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the fore the role of Central Banks. This is to avoid the repeat of history where central bankers of the 1920s failed to fight the Great Depression. The job of Central Bank involves complex trade-offs — Next quarter(Short term) vs quarter century (Long term) Growth vs stability Mandates (accountability) vs Expectations (autonomy) Some of the measures taken by Central Banks to tide over COVID crisis are: Buying corporate bonds to improve liquidity in system Making corporate loans to boost economic cycle Cutting interest rates to spur investments Conducting open market operations to keep rates low & adequate liquidity Reducing reserve ratios to avoid banks parking their funds with Central Banks Additionally, banks have been permitted to Grant loan moratoriums Hold less capital Restructure loans Pay lower deposit insurance premiums Delay bad loan recognition Majority of these measures have been undertaken by RBI also – Part I and Part II RBI’s COVID measures is constrained by pre-existing conditions in Indian banking, some of which are as follows: Bad loans (peaked at Rs 14 lakh crore but still large) Inadequate competition (scheduled commercial bank numbers have remained between 90 and 100 since 1947) Private bank governance (CEO so powerful that boards and shareholders are weak) Public sector bank governance (shareholder so powerful that boards and CEOs are weak) Way Ahead for RBI Acting cautiously to balance the next quarter and quarter century It must ensure that debt levels are not very high which imposes burden on future generations RBI cannot mimic the model of developed countries as India’s position is different. For ex: US fiscal deficit is expected to be around 15 per cent of GDP and Japan’s public debt levels is nearly 240 per cent of GDP. An analogy here will be “We are all in the same storm but we are all not in the same boat” Acting flexibly to blunt this economic crisis RBI’s mandate of Inflation targeting needs to be relooked in the light of economic disruption caused by COVID-19 pandemic Other flexibility options include repayment moratoriums and bank windows for NBFC/Mutual Fund liquidity. Acting within its mandate to ensure institutional legitimacy and immunity RBI must build on its track record of wisely balancing the trade-offs between depositors vs borrowers, companies vs banks, and stability vs growth. RBI must continue to stay out of excessive government interference. Conclusion Creating a prosperous India needs many things. One of them is an independent, accountable, and boundaried central bank that listens. Connecting the dots: Keynesian Economics 2008 Financial crisis and measures taken to come out of the crisis (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 With regard to the Shramik special trains, consider the following guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs: It will be mandatory for every passenger to wear face cover. Passengers, irrespective of symptoms would be allowed to travel. Which of the above is/are correct? 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.2 Consider the following statements regarding Kisan Sabha App: It will increase the interference of middlemen by connecting the farmers with institutional buyers. It will have only one major module taking care of the farmers Which of the above is/are correct? 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.3 Which of the following is/are correct about the American Academy of Arts and Sciences: Recently Indian Professor Shobhana Narasimhan has been elected as an International Honorary Member. It is one of the recently established learned societies in the United States. Select the correct code: 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.4 Majority of Chakma and Hajong communities live in which of the following state of India? Assam Manipur Nagaland Arunachal Pradesh Q.5 With regard to Kashmir saffron, which received GI tag recently, consider the following statements: It is the only Saffron in the world grown at an altitude of 1600 metres to 1800 above mean sea level It has high quantity of Crocin which gives the product to which it is added, a strong colour. Which of the above is/are correct? 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.6 Kovilpatti Kadalai Mittai which receive GI tag recently belongs to which of the following state of India? Tamil Nadu Andhra Pradesh Telangana Kerala ANSWERS FOR 1st May 2020 TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE (TYK) 1 A 2 C 3 A 4 A 5 A 6 A Must Read About economic slowdown in India: The Hindu About Taiwan’s model in fighting COVID-19: The Hindu About life vs livelihood in today’s time of COVID-19 pandemic: The Indian Express
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