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60 Days Plan: UPSC IAS Prelims 2019 – History and Current Affairs (Day 7)

60 Day plan has been published on the website (www.iasbaba.com - Click here). Since we have come up with the 'Quiz Format', it will not be feasible to publish it on the app. For feasibility and getting to know where you stand among your peers (we have a leaderboard which gives your marks and rank) it would be advisable to take the test on the website. All the best. make the best use of the initiative ! Before taking the Test, read the post below, ARCHIVES Hello Friends,  The most beloved 60 Days for UPSC IAS Prelims 2019  has finally begun :) Once again the time has come for the battle (Prelims). And who else than your best companion in the last preparatory phase for UPSC IAS Prelims 2019 i.e 60 days plan. It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.  Hope the message given above makes sense to you all. The productive utilization of this programme demands consistency, honesty, faith and strong determination to be in the process of learning and unlearning. You might not be fully prepared to solve all the questions but the learning and unlearning through these questions will prepare you for the real battle on 2nd June 2019. You have to unlearn your repetitive mistakes, gut feeling on which you mark doubtful questions. You have to learn new things and also those concepts that you were very sure of but somehow because of traps in the option, got it wrong. You have to learn 'how to convert knowledge into marks' (Because most of the times, after ending the exam, you regret making mistakes in known concepts).  Secondly, keep a long distance from following too many things at this point. It will always backfire. Once you are here, put complete faith and follow this initiative along with whatever you were doing. It is very important to consolidate your preparation with many revisions. Simply following many things will leave you in despair. You can cross check this with veterans. Everything that seems attractive is not productive. You should always go for productivity. Be wise! Let us pledge to make it a big game changer (better than last year) in the next 60 days of this plan! Importance of Self - Tracking: Learning from Last Year Last year, aspirants used to type/post their answers in the comment box on a daily basis. There were huge participation and discussion below the test post. Putting answers in the comment box has been very effective to self-track yourself after updating the score. In the end, you can cross check your performance through Disqus profile. It was highly effective in the last edition of 60 Days that propelled aspirants to monitor their performance and learn through discussion. Let you solve these questions with full honesty and write your result in the comment box. Interact with peers to know your mistakes. The importance of this initiative stands time-bound and aggressive reverse engineering to learn the concepts. Many of you must be busy with your own strategy but let us tell you honestly that in the last few months, it is very important to revise and consolidate your learning. Just reading won’t suffice. So, take out a few hours from your schedule and make it a revision exercise. How can you make the best use of it? Be honest to your effort and do not start competing with XYZ aspirants just for the sake of marks. It is more important for you to introspect and check your learning than focusing on others. Try to answer the questions in 25 minutes only.  Do not get into negative feeling that I don’t have enough knowledge to answer these questions. Feel like you are taking the real exam. What would be your response then? The same will be replicated in the UPSC exam. Here, you get marks only and nothing else matters. So, make effort to know the answers to all questions. Do not cheat :P DETAILED MICRO ANALYSIS MATRIX SAMPLE- is given here. You can download this and do an assessment for yourself (the excel sheet must be modified as per this years planning. The provided excel sheet is only for reference).  DOWNLOAD You can copy paste the same format/modify as per your need in Google Spreadsheet and update it on daily basis. Feedback talks about daily test results. Follow-up talks about daily target achieved from sources and the number of revisions to do/done and dates. Sources column is to ensure that aspirants do not run behind various sources and follow the same throughout. Would like to end on this quote:  Either you run the day or the day runs you.  Are you ready? Let's start! Important Note Don't forget to post your marks in the comment section. Also, let us know if you enjoyed today's test :)  You can post your comments in the given format  (1) Your Score (2) Matrix Meter (3) New Learning from the Test

Motivational Articles

Creative Guidance – Grand Vision – Inspirational Educative Articles

Grand Vision: It has never happened in the history of humanity that a visionary human being has envisioned a safe, secure and comfortable life for himself/herself and worked towards attaining to the dream. There is some beauty in embracing the uncertainty of life. One of the biggest qualities we are lacking as citizens of this modern generation is the ability to embrace the uncertainty. The grand life begins with a grand vision and the vision can never be concentrated on ourselves. When the vision is all about us, our comfort and personal wellbeing, something in us does not take the necessary risks to achieve that grand vision. It is next to impossible to be motivated by a grand vision when fear is guiding our actions. The more concentrated we are on ourselves; the more fearful becomes our attitude towards life. On the contrary when a great vision takes over us; when a grand purpose fills our being; when we begin to look far beyond our personal comforts and discomforts, life takes a completely different dimension. Leadership is a quality each one of us has to possess to be able to navigate through the daily challenges of life. Life is too big a challenge for one to face without the support of a grand vision. A grand vision takes the burden off the individual and puts the responsibility on the existence to make it happen. A grand vision that is in the best interest of the world around us always gets the approval of the existence. A person with a grand vision has existence supporting him. Most of the time we are too preoccupied with the pros and cons of our decisions; most of the time we are too afraid to step beyond our comfort zones; most of the time we simply play it safe. Life is a much bigger phenomenon. Embracing the challenge and uncertainties of life requires a vision that far exceeds our limited needs and requirements. It has never happened in the history of humanity that a self-centered leader has accomplished anything significant. Stepping out of our comfort zones and letting go of our personal likes and dislikes in order to reach a grand goal is possible only when we are able to see something beyond us. When we look at ourselves as instruments of change we begin to see things in a very different way. By having a grand vision that is beyond our personal needs, we can face all of life’s challenges with ease. The vision itself takes care of most of our decisions and actions. It is impossible to imagine the lives of Gandhi, Galileo, Einstein or Buddha without their grand visions. The single biggest difference between them and most others is the vision that guided them. While most others were too afraid to step beyond their comfort zones, these individuals simply didn’t care about themselves. They somehow knew that they were existence’s instruments of change. To know our grand purpose and vision for life can completely transform our lives. “This article is a part of the creative endeavor of Inner Revolution and IASBABA.”

UPSC PRELIMS CRACKATHON 2019 from IASbaba Topper's

Dear Friends, Its March and less than a hundred days to go for the feared preliminary exam, an exam where some dreams would be successful and some broken! We at IAS BABA have always been on our endeavour to bring our students as close to the real time simulation of the examination conditions and ensure the person gets an environment where he/she thinks about nothing else than excelling herself! At one such brainstorming session we thought why not sense and understand how our ex-student’s who later on became topper’s (we would take some credit  for that :)) who crossed prelims with a breeze and never ever stumbled on that path. What was that which clicked for them ? What was their strategy for each subject? What was their experience? How did they fight their demons and nerves ? How they felt on knowing they would clear the prelim’s what was their strategy next ? Bringing to you  with absolute pride, Prelim’s Crackathon a series of FREE videos with content shot and brought to you totally free where we share real life example’s of our former students (Two in Top 10 Ranks ) who cracked arguably the country’s toughest exam and are so nice and willing to mentor you aspiring civil servants on the How’s & Do’s and Don’t’s of Preliminary exam.   P.S: The videos will be released shortly. Till then, keep a track of our most trusted initiative (FREE) - 60 Day Plan Incase you want to practice more Prelims Mcq’s, enroll for - IASbaba’s All India Prelims Test Series (AIPTS)   Thank You IASbaba

Important Articles

UPSC PRELIMS CRACKATHON 2019 from IASbaba Topper's

Dear Friends, Its March and less than a hundred days to go for the feared preliminary exam, an exam where some dreams would be successful and some broken! We at IAS BABA have always been on our endeavour to bring our students as close to the real time simulation of the examination conditions and ensure the person gets an environment where he/she thinks about nothing else than excelling herself! At one such brainstorming session we thought why not sense and understand how our ex-student’s who later on became topper’s (we would take some credit  for that :)) who crossed prelims with a breeze and never ever stumbled on that path. What was that which clicked for them ? What was their strategy for each subject? What was their experience? How did they fight their demons and nerves ? How they felt on knowing they would clear the prelim’s what was their strategy next ? Bringing to you  with absolute pride, Prelim’s Crackathon a series of FREE videos with content shot and brought to you totally free where we share real life example’s of our former students (Two in Top 10 Ranks ) who cracked arguably the country’s toughest exam and are so nice and willing to mentor you aspiring civil servants on the How’s & Do’s and Don’t’s of Preliminary exam.   P.S: The videos will be released shortly. Till then, keep a track of our most trusted initiative (FREE) - 60 Day Plan Incase you want to practice more Prelims Mcq’s, enroll for - IASbaba’s All India Prelims Test Series (AIPTS)   Thank You IASbaba

AIR

All India Radio (AIR) IAS UPSC - Swine Flu: Awareness and Cure

Swine Flu: Awareness and Cure ARCHIVES Search 19th February Public Speak discussion here: http://www.newsonair.com/Public-Speak.aspx TOPIC: General Studies 2 Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health Development processes and the development industry the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders. In news: The country is once again facing an outbreak of swine flu, with hundreds falling victim to the disease. According to data from the Health Ministry, since the beginning of the year, over 9,000 cases of swine flu have been reported from across the country, with 312 deaths. The worst affected states are Rajasthan (2,941 cases, 107 deaths), Gujarat (1,431 cases, 55 deaths), Delhi (1,669 cases, 7 deaths), Punjab (335 cases, 30 deaths), MP (98 cases, 22 deaths) and Maharashtra (204 cases, 17 deaths). However, this would represent just a fraction of the numbers. The data corresponds to the number of cases registered in hospitals and PHCs (primary health centres). The actual numbers could be several times more, with countless swine flu cases being ascribed to a passing flu. The Flu: Also called swine flu, the initial symptoms are similar to that of the common flu — cough, fever, and diarrhoea. Since both are viral in nature, it is not easy to differentiate in the early stages. Swine flu is highly contagious and communicability begins from day one of onset of symptoms. H1N1 flu is also known as swine flu caused by swine influenza virus that is endemic in pigs. The ‘H’ stands for hemagglutinin and ‘N’ for neuraminidase – both proteins on the outer layer of the virus. H1N1 typically spikes between January and March in North India, and abates as the summer sets in. It resurfaces during the monsoon and lasts until after the rains. Younger children may potentially be contagious for longer periods. If a patient's condition deteriorates and he or she develops severe lung infection called ARDS (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome), the patient would have to be given higher oxygen support. A further deterioration would require ventilator support, and if that is not sufficient, the patient would have to be put on the ECMO (Extra Corporeal Membranous Oxygenation), which is an artificial lung machine. The ECMO facilitates oxygenation of blood and removal of carbon dioxide, outside the body. So, the machine takes over the work of the lungs, which can rest and heal. This may take a week to two weeks. According to the Pune-based National Institute of Virology, the virus has not undergone any significant mutation and the virulence has remained nearly unchanged. It has, however, undergone point mutations which resulted in a new strain — the Michigan strain — replacing the California strain that has been prevalent since the 2009 pandemic. The high H1N1 flu toll points to a failure to put necessary systems and precautions in place: Poor surveillance system: India’s surveillance systems are still poor and underestimate the influenza burden substantially. If numbers are unsatisfactorily tracked, so are changes in the viral genome. India submits a woefully small number of H1N1 genetic sequences to global open-access databases for a country of its size and population. Sequencing is important because it can detect mutations in genetic material that help the virus evade human immune systems, making it deadlier. Because India does not sequence a large enough sample of viral genomes, it would be missing mutations that could explain changes in the lethality of the virus. Put together, the numbers data and sequence data will enable sensible vaccination decisions. Lack of push for vaccination: Vaccination is the best weapon that India has against this menace, because Oseltamivir, the antiviral commonly deployed against flu, is of doubtful efficacy unless administered early enough. Yet, India has thus far stayed away from vaccinating even high-risk groups such as pregnant women and diabetics, because influenza is thought to be a more manageable public health challenge compared to mammoths such as tuberculosis. Better surveillance of influenza will possibly change this perception by revealing the true scale of this public health issue. Large-scale vaccination covering high- risk groups such as health workers, people with lung, kidney, liver and heart disease, diabetics and the elderly could reduce the impact of the viruses in States such as Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana and the National Capital Region, all of which had a large number of cases three years ago. A universal preventive programme should be considered. Non-availability of sufficient doses of quadrivalent vaccine as well as profiteering on the demand have not been addressed. If a vaccine has proven efficacy in reducing the burden of seasonal influenza, it must be made part of the public health system. An umbrella scheme such as Ayushman Bharat can easily provide it to everyone using public and private institutions. India must prepare for it with a comprehensive programme that covers all the States. Study & Upgradation of Vaccines is important: There are 41 Virus Research Diagnostic Laboratories in India and they can study the nature of infections to provide genetic insights to peer scientists. This can help develop vaccines and remedies. The Way Forward: With swine flu epidemics striking with regularity throughout the year, an important first step to stop the spread of the disease would be to accept that there is a problem. Acceptance of an outbreak leads to public awareness and more effective measures being instituted against the disease. A large part of the responsibility to contain the spread of the infection falls on us as a community. People who experience flu-like symptoms should seek appropriate medical advice and should voluntarily quarantine themselves at home to limit the spread of the disease. Awareness programmes on countering the spread of this highly contagious disease should be conducted at regular intervals, by both the government and private healthcare providers. A provision for subsidising expensive vaccines for healthcare workers at all levels, starting with the staff in PHCs, is a necessity, especially during an epidemic. Doctors and healthcare personnel posted in remote PHCs should be alerted about the outbreak of an epidemic at the earliest. Treatment with the oseltamivir tablet, commonly called Fluvir, Tamiflu and Anti-Flu, when started early, is effective against the infection. The swine flu test, which costs more than Rs 6,000 in the private sector, could also be considered for subsidy so that more people can take it. Connecting the Dots: Swine flu outbreak is a reminder that there is no room for complacency as far as infectious diseases are concerned. Discuss in relation to the rising number of cases in India. The reported cases and deaths due to the spread of H1N1 virus are on the rise in comparison with previous years’ records. Discuss the reasons behind it. Also elaborate on what preventive steps should be taken by the government.

60 Days Plan: UPSC IAS Prelims 2019 - Environment and Current Affairs (Day 6)

60 Day plan has been published on the website (www.iasbaba.com - Click here). Since we have come up with the 'Quiz Format', it will not be feasible to publish it on the app. For feasibility and getting to know where you stand among your peers (we have a leaderboard which gives your marks and rank) it would be advisable to take the test on the website. All the best. make the best use of the initiative ! Before taking the Test, read the post below, ARCHIVES Hello Friends,  The most beloved 60 Days for UPSC IAS Prelims 2019  has finally begun :) Once again the time has come for the battle (Prelims). And who else than your best companion in the last preparatory phase for UPSC IAS Prelims 2019 i.e 60 days plan. It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.  Hope the message given above makes sense to you all. The productive utilization of this programme demands consistency, honesty, faith and strong determination to be in the process of learning and unlearning. You might not be fully prepared to solve all the questions but the learning and unlearning through these questions will prepare you for the real battle on 2nd June 2019. You have to unlearn your repetitive mistakes, gut feeling on which you mark doubtful questions. You have to learn new things and also those concepts that you were very sure of but somehow because of traps in the option, got it wrong. You have to learn 'how to convert knowledge into marks' (Because most of the times, after ending the exam, you regret making mistakes in known concepts).  Secondly, keep a long distance from following too many things at this point. It will always backfire. Once you are here, put complete faith and follow this initiative along with whatever you were doing. It is very important to consolidate your preparation with many revisions. Simply following many things will leave you in despair. You can cross check this with veterans. Everything that seems attractive is not productive. You should always go for productivity. Be wise! Let us pledge to make it a big game changer (better than last year) in the next 60 days of this plan! Importance of Self - Tracking: Learning from Last Year Last year, aspirants used to type/post their answers in the comment box on a daily basis. There were huge participation and discussion below the test post. Putting answers in the comment box has been very effective to self-track yourself after updating the score. In the end, you can cross check your performance through Disqus profile. It was highly effective in the last edition of 60 Days that propelled aspirants to monitor their performance and learn through discussion. Let you solve these questions with full honesty and write your result in the comment box. Interact with peers to know your mistakes. The importance of this initiative stands time-bound and aggressive reverse engineering to learn the concepts. Many of you must be busy with your own strategy but let us tell you honestly that in the last few months, it is very important to revise and consolidate your learning. Just reading won’t suffice. So, take out a few hours from your schedule and make it a revision exercise. How can you make the best use of it? Be honest to your effort and do not start competing with XYZ aspirants just for the sake of marks. It is more important for you to introspect and check your learning than focusing on others. Try to answer the questions in 25 minutes only.  Do not get into negative feeling that I don’t have enough knowledge to answer these questions. Feel like you are taking the real exam. What would be your response then? The same will be replicated in the UPSC exam. Here, you get marks only and nothing else matters. So, make effort to know the answers to all questions. Do not cheat :P DETAILED MICRO ANALYSIS MATRIX SAMPLE- is given here. You can download this and do an assessment for yourself (the excel sheet must be modified as per this years planning. The provided excel sheet is only for reference).  DOWNLOAD You can copy paste the same format/modify as per your need in Google Spreadsheet and update it on daily basis. Feedback talks about daily test results. Follow-up talks about daily target achieved from sources and the number of revisions to do/done and dates. Sources column is to ensure that aspirants do not run behind various sources and follow the same throughout. Would like to end on this quote:  Either you run the day or the day runs you.  Are you ready? Let's start! Important Note Don't forget to post your marks in the comment section. Also, let us know if you enjoyed today's test :)  You can post your comments in the given format  (1) Your Score (2) Matrix Meter (3) New Learning from the Test

Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 7th March 2019

IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 7th March 2019 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) Indian museum of natural history In news: India is home to a vast treasury of geological and palaeontological specimens that contain a wealth of scientific information about the planet and its history. But these rare specimens are scattered in different labs all over the country. So, to better conserve this prehistoric heritage, the government is planning to house them in one place — an ‘Earth Museum’. Do you know? This museum will be modelled on the American Museum of Natural History, or the Smithsonian museum in the U.S. The museum, which will be set up as a public-private partnership, would be located somewhere in Delhi, Noida or Gurugram. A meeting of experts from the U.S., the U.K, and South Korea to discuss the practical aspects of developing and maintaining such a museum is scheduled to be held in Delhi. Plastic waste import Part of: GS Prelims and Mains III – Environment and Biodiversity; Pollution In news: In spite of a ban on the import of plastic waste into India, the influx of PET bottles has quadrupled from 2017 to 2018 (due to legal loophole) Indian firms are importing plastic scraps from China, Italy, Japan and Malawi for recycling. To incentivise domestic plastic recycling units, the government had banned the import of plastic waste, particularly PET bottles in 2015. In 2016, an amendment allowed such imports as long as they were carried out by agencies situated in Special Economic Zones. It’s this loophole that’s been exploited. https://d39gegkjaqduz9.cloudfront.net/TH/2019/03/07/CNI/Chennai/TH/5_09/9760aba3_2780102_101_mr.jpg Do you know? Solid plastic waste has been prohibited from import into the country including in Special Economic Zones (SEZ) and by Export Oriented Units (EOU). The change in law was part of the Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management & Transboundary Movement) Amendment Rules, 2019. Government and industry estimates suggest that India consumes about 13 million tonnes of plastic and recycles only about 4 million tonnes. A lack of an efficient waste segregation system and inadequate collection is the root cause for this wide gap. ISRO, French agency seal agreement on maritime security In news: National space agency ISRO and its French counterpart CNES sealed an agreement to set up a joint maritime surveillance system in the country in May. The two nations will explore putting up a constellation of low-Earth orbiting satellites that will identify and track movement of ships globally – and in particular those moving in the Indian Ocean region where France has its Reunion Islands. Do you know? The two agencies have put up two climate and ocean weather monitoring satellites Megha-Tropiques (of 2011) and SARAL-AltiKa (2013) that are considered a model. This fleet will be augmented with the launch of Oceansat-3-Argos mission in 2020 along with a joint infrared Earth-observation satellite. Swachh Survekshan 2019 In news: According to Centre’s ‘Cleanliness Survey’ - Swachh Survekshan Indore - India’s cleanest city for the third year in a row The second and third positions were bagged by Ambikapur in Chhattisgarh and Mysuru in Karnataka. New Delhi Municipal Council was given award for the ‘Cleanest Small City’ award. The ‘Cleanest Big City’ award has been bagged by Ahmedabad. Raipur is the ‘Fastest Moving Big City’. Ujjain has been the adjudged the ‘Cleanest Medium City’. Do you know? The Swachh Survekshan awards 2019 were conferred by President Ram Nath Kovind in New Delhi. Top-ranked cities received a statue of Mahatma Gandhi as a memento for their work towards cleanliness. Swachh Survekshan covered all urban local bodies in the country, making it the largest such cleanliness survey in the world. Key prelims pointers: Swachh Survekshan survey is released by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The performance evaluation of the Swachh survekshan is conducted by Quality Council of India (QCI), an autonomous body established by Government of India in 1997 for Quality assurance in all spheres of activities including Governance. Kyasanoor Forest Disease (KFD) or Monkey Fever Part of: GS Prelims and Mains II – Health issue In news: For the first time, the virus causing Kyasanur Forest Disease, also known was monkey fever, has been found in tick pools from Hassan district in Karnataka. Key pointers: Kyasanoor Forest Disease (KFD) is tick-borne viral hemorrhagic fever endemic to South Asia. The virus is transmitted to human beings through parasitic ticks which latch on to monkeys. KFD was first detected in the Kyasanur forest in Karnataka in 1957. Since then, between 400 and 500 human cases are reported each year in South Asia, mainly India. The disease is caused by Kyasanur forest disease virus (KFDV), a member of the virus family Flaviviridae, which also cause yellow fever and dengue. Rodents, shrews, and monkeys are common hosts for KFDV after being bitten by an infected tick. KFDV kills most primates it infects. The symptoms in humans include fever for more than 12 days, accompanied by cough, headache, diarrhoea and vomiting. The fever is followed by mental disturbances, tremors and vision deficits. Vaccination against monkey fever is used in endemic areas of India. Additional preventative measures include using insect repellents and wearing protective clothes in areas where ticks are endemic. (MAINS FOCUS) EDUCATION/SOCIAL ISSUE TOPIC:General studies 2  Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources. A systematic approach to reform education Context: Despite enormous and well-meaning efforts, the policy makers have failed to deliver quality learning outcomes to the children. Concerted efforts like the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, and initiatives like mid-day meals have ensured to solved the problem of access to school education for our children. With gross enrolment crossing 100%, the focus now has to shift to improving learning outcomes. How to improve learning outcomes? Effective Assessment Mechanism – Timely assessment by National Achievement Survey (NAS) and other studies like Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), will help to sustain quality. Shift in the thinking of policymakers – Learning outcomes depends on various factors such as good infrastructure, quality teachers, books, uniforms, etc. Therefore, it is important to track all these educational inputs to understand the overall outcomes of the system. Active role by both state and non-state actors – States should undertake various initiatives to revamp the quality of school education, often bringing on board the services of non-state actors to support interventions like improving classroom pedagogy, teacher training, and tech-enabled learning. However, above piecemeal initiatives won’t help to improve student learning in any meaningful way, unless accompanied with administrative reforms aimed at creating a new systemic approach to reforming education. Need for a new systemic approach: A clear comprehensive road map: The new systemic approach involves aligning all stakeholders and orienting their collective efforts towards following a single and “comprehensive transformation road map" towards better learning outcomes. Academic interventions: adoption of grade competence framework instead of just syllabus completion, as well as other initiatives like effective delivery of remedial education for weaker students rather than earlier stand-alone interventions. Administrative reforms: Administrative reforms such as enabling and incentivizing teachers to perform better through data-driven insights, training, and recognition. More time to teachers: Interventions are need to ensure that teachers have more time available in the classrooms and are empowered to tailor their content to the learning needs of their students, resulting in improved quality of “in-classroom transactions". Implementing both systemic (tech platforms) and human enablers will help. Robust accountability system: A robust accountability system is required wherein there is a clear articulation of the roles and responsibilities of all relevant stakeholders, and the administration is empowered to act where necessary. User-friendly dashboards: User-friendly dashboards that assist education officials and the state leadership in decision-making. Conclusion: Apart from enabling and aligning incentives of all stakeholders, there is a need to hold them accountable. Only then we can shorten the distance between the nation’s current state of education and its aspirations. Connecting the dots: Highlight the challenges and the reforms needed in Indian education policy with respect to primary and higher education. An unacceptably large number of Indian children are attending school but not learning enough. The issue of low learning trap is not just with Indian but is a global epidemic. The need of the hour is planned action and evidence-based policymaking. Discuss. WOMEN/SOCIAL ISSUE TOPIC:General studies 1 Social empowerment General Studies 2 Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes General Studies 3 Indian economy and issues related to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment. A strange paradox for Indian women Context: The very success of India's economic transformation brings with it a stark realization that it has not paid particular care and attention to women. The most promising sign of the improving conditions of Indian women lies in declining inequality in education. Almost all girls go to primary school and, according to the India Human Development Survey (IHDS) of 2011-12, 70% of girls aged 15 to 18 are still studying, only five percentage points less than boys. They frequently outperform boys. In 2018, in the Class xII C8SE examination, 88.31% girls passed, compared to 78.99% boys. However, in spite of rising education and rising aspirations, labour markets and social norms constrain women, almost as if they are all dressed up for a party with nowhere to go. Issues in transformation of Education to Employment: U-shaped relationship between Education and Employment Data from the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) and the IHDS show that education and employment have a U-shaped relationship. Illiterate women are most likely to participate in the workforce. Work participation drops sharply for women with primary and secondary education and rises only with college education. Lack of white-collar jobs and inhospitable job environment for women White-collar jobs are either not available or demand long hours and offer little job security in this time of a gig economy. NSSO data for 25- to 59-year-old workers in 2011-12 show that among farmers, farm labourers and service workers, nearly one-third are women, while the proportion of women among professionals, managers and clerical workers is only about 15%. Young men with Class 10 or 12 education find jobs as mechanics, drivers, sales representatives, postmen and appliance repairmen. Few of these opportunities are available to women. (because of difficult working conditions and inhospitable environment). Sometimes employers avoid hiring women in these positions. Marriage: major barrier Young women’s lives are also circumscribed by social norms that shape their family situation. Marriage remains the only acceptable fate for young women in India. Whereas a third of Japanese women and 11% of Sri Lankan women aged 30-34 are single, less than 3% of Indian women are single at that age. Moreover, women’s education does not seem to carry the same value in the ‘marriage market’ as caste, the family’s economic status and horoscope. Research from other countries shows that educated women marry similarly educated men. But in India, women frequently marry men with lower education than themselves. Therefore, we can conclude that for most of the women, rising education does not offer increasing income-earning opportunities or better marriage prospects. Does it at least give women greater autonomy in other areas of their lives? Based on recent National Family Health Survey data, there seems to be little evidence that a moderate level of education offers women a greater say in household decisions or freedom of movement outside the home. College graduates fare slightly better, but even for them, the difference is relatively small. 48% of women with no schooling do not go to a health centre alone; the proportion for college graduates is only slightly lower at 45%. Conclusion: Parents make tremendous sacrifices to educate their daughters, and young women joyously work hard at school in search of a better life, only to have their aspirations frustrated by economic and social barriers that restrict their opportunities. Another major concern is the way the political process sees women. Our political process sees women as an extension of the men in their households and assumes that no special effort is needed to win their hearts and minds. India needs to take gender segmentation as an opportunity. We need to increase women entrepreneurship. Thus women will be creating jobs and opportunities for themselves, and bringing other women on board. In short, if India’s growth story has to translate into shared prosperity for all its people, then it cannot afford to have one half of its population sit out. Connecting the dots: India is still a land of missing women. Do you agree? Examine how empowered is India’s surviving female population in terms of access to basic rights? MUST READ A fight for the forest The Hindu Tackling child malnutrition The Hindu Flying in the face of the demand for transparency The Hindu There’s no silver bullet solution to Pak-sponsored terror Indian Express Govt’s scheme to pay Rs 6,000 to poor rural households will up their expenditure, reduce poverty Indian Express On Air Pollution: The suffocation that India needs to avert Livemint

60 Days Plan: UPSC IAS Prelims 2019 - Science & Technology and Current Affairs (Day 5)

60 Day plan has been published on the website (www.iasbaba.com - Click here). Since we have come up with the 'Quiz Format', it will not be feasible to publish it on the app. For feasibility and getting to know where you stand among your peers (we have a leaderboard which gives your marks and rank) it would be advisable to take the test on the website. All the best. make the best use of the initiative ! Before taking the Test, read the post below, ARCHIVES Hello Friends,  The most beloved 60 Days for UPSC IAS Prelims 2019  has finally begun :) Once again the time has come for the battle (Prelims). And who else than your best companion in the last preparatory phase for UPSC IAS Prelims 2019 i.e 60 days plan. It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.  Hope the message given above makes sense to you all. The productive utilization of this programme demands consistency, honesty, faith and strong determination to be in the process of learning and unlearning. You might not be fully prepared to solve all the questions but the learning and unlearning through these questions will prepare you for the real battle on 2nd June 2019. You have to unlearn your repetitive mistakes, gut feeling on which you mark doubtful questions. You have to learn new things and also those concepts that you were very sure of but somehow because of traps in the option, got it wrong. You have to learn 'how to convert knowledge into marks' (Because most of the times, after ending the exam, you regret making mistakes in known concepts).  Secondly, keep a long distance from following too many things at this point. It will always backfire. Once you are here, put complete faith and follow this initiative along with whatever you were doing. It is very important to consolidate your preparation with many revisions. Simply following many things will leave you in despair. You can cross check this with veterans. Everything that seems attractive is not productive. You should always go for productivity. Be wise! Let us pledge to make it a big game changer (better than last year) in the next 60 days of this plan! Importance of Self - Tracking: Learning from Last Year Last year, aspirants used to type/post their answers in the comment box on a daily basis. There were huge participation and discussion below the test post. Putting answers in the comment box has been very effective to self-track yourself after updating the score. In the end, you can cross check your performance through Disqus profile. It was highly effective in the last edition of 60 Days that propelled aspirants to monitor their performance and learn through discussion. Let you solve these questions with full honesty and write your result in the comment box. Interact with peers to know your mistakes. The importance of this initiative stands time-bound and aggressive reverse engineering to learn the concepts. Many of you must be busy with your own strategy but let us tell you honestly that in the last few months, it is very important to revise and consolidate your learning. Just reading won’t suffice. So, take out a few hours from your schedule and make it a revision exercise. How can you make the best use of it? Be honest to your effort and do not start competing with XYZ aspirants just for the sake of marks. It is more important for you to introspect and check your learning than focusing on others. Try to answer the questions in 25 minutes only.  Do not get into negative feeling that I don’t have enough knowledge to answer these questions. Feel like you are taking the real exam. What would be your response then? The same will be replicated in the UPSC exam. Here, you get marks only and nothing else matters. So, make effort to know the answers to all questions. Do not cheat :P DETAILED MICRO ANALYSIS MATRIX SAMPLE- is given here. You can download this and do an assessment for yourself (the excel sheet must be modified as per this years planning. The provided excel sheet is only for reference).  DOWNLOAD You can copy paste the same format/modify as per your need in Google Spreadsheet and update it on daily basis. Feedback talks about daily test results. Follow-up talks about daily target achieved from sources and the number of revisions to do/done and dates. Sources column is to ensure that aspirants do not run behind various sources and follow the same throughout. Would like to end on this quote:  Either you run the day or the day runs you.  Are you ready? Let's start! Important Note Don't forget to post your marks in the comment section. Also, let us know if you enjoyed today's test :)  You can post your comments in the given format  (1) Your Score (2) Matrix Meter (3) New Learning from the Test

Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 6th March 2019

IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 6th March 2019 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Mandhan (PM-SYM) Yojana Part of: GS Prelims and Mains II – Government schemes and policies; Welfare/social issue In news: Prime Minister launched the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Mandhan (PM-SYM) Yojana. The national pension scheme for workers and labourers of the unorganised sector was announced in the interim Budget in February this year. It provides for a monthly pension of ₹3,000 to employees in the unorganised sector after 60 years of age. PM also distributed the PM-SYM pension cards to select beneficiaries, and said that for the first time in independent India, workers of the unorganised sector would be entitled to a monthly pension. Pakistan Govt. cracks down on terror outfits Part of: GS Mains II and III – India and its neighbours; Security issues; Role of International Organisations In news: Pakistan has taken 44 members of banned organisations, including Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar’s son and brother, into preventive detention, and put Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) offshoots Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Falah-i-Insaniyat Foundation (FiF) on its proscribed list. Pakistan had earlier failed to ban the JuD and the FiF, which are banned by the UN Security Council. Both organisations were subsequently put on the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA)’s list under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997. Tariff hike to hit exports to U.S. Part of: GS Prelims and Mains II and III – India and US bilateral relations; International relations; Indian Economy and issues related to it. In news: S. President announced that he intends to end preferential trade terms for India under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) programme. GSP is an arrangement that allows concessional or zero tariff imports from developing couturiers into the US. Withdrawal of the GSP benefit is expected to adversely affect exports from India. The GSP programme accounts for some $5.6 billion of India’s exports to the U.S., making India the largest GSP beneficiary. Chemicals, gems and jewellery, engineering and textiles are among the Indian industrial sectors that benefit from the GSP. About GSP Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) is a preferential tariff system extended by developed countries (also known as preference giving countries or donor countries) to developing countries (also known as preference receiving countries or beneficiary countries). It involves reduced MFN Tariffs or duty-free entry of eligible products exported by beneficiary countries to the markets of donor countries. US arguments – India has implemented a wide array of trade barriers that create serious negative effects on United States commerce. India’s new e-commerce rules which have impacted American companies like Amazon and Walmart (majority owner of Flipkart) Price controls on medical devices (cardiac stents) Tariffs on ICT products like smart watches and high-end mobile phones Lack of greater market access for the U.S. dairy industry The above are some of the issues that have caused trade friction between the two countries. Indian government arguments – The impact would amount to only $190 million on the value of $5.6 billion in exports to the U.S. that fall under the GSP category. Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) has said that overall impact will amount to less than 0.4% of India’s exports to the U.S. India’s exports to the U.S. stood at $50.57 billion in 2017 with a GSP tariff advantage of only $190 million, which was less than 0.4% of total exports. According to FIEO, the sectors that will likely be significantly impacted will include processed foods, leather products other than footwear and engineering goods such as spark ignition, turbines and pipes. The export body also pointed out that the withdrawal of GSP benefits to Indian exporters will also impact the downstream industries in the U.S. that were using the cheaper inputs from India. However the government would continue to talk to the U.S. during the 60-day period after which the GSP withdrawal would come into effect, in an effort to work out a deal. Do you know? Difference between GSP and the other trade arrangement under WTO Under the normal trade laws, the WTO members must give equal preferences to trade partners. There should not be any discrimination between countries. This trade rule under the WTO is called the Most Favored Nation (MFN) clause. The MFN instructs non-discrimination that any favorable treatment to a particular country. At the same time, the WTO allows members to give special and differential treatment to from developing countries (like zero tariff imports). This is an exemption for MFN. The MSP given by developed countries including the US is an exception to MFN. Fifteen of the 20 most polluted cities in the world are in India In news: Fifteen of the top 20 most polluted cities in the world are located in India. Gurugram in Haryana topped the list with an average annual particulate matter (PM 2.5) quality of 135 micrograms/cubic metre, in 2018. Delhi – a frequent fixture on global pollution hotspots – was only the 11th most noxious city behind Lahore, Pakistan (10th) and Hotan, China (8th). The other cities in India that made the list of 20 were Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Bhiwadi, Noida, Patna, Lucknow, Jodhpur, Muzaffarpur, Varanasi, Moradabad, Agra, Gaya and Jind. Do you know? Of the cities analysed, 64% exceeded the WHO’s annual exposure guideline (10 micrograms/cubic metre) for fine particulate matter, also known as PM 2.5. India’s annual guidelines range from 40-60 micrograms/cubic metre, depending on whether they are residential or industrial areas. Every single one of measured cities with data in the Middle East and Africa exceeded the WHO guideline, while 99% of cities in South Asia, 95% of cities in Southeast Asia and 89% of cities in East Asia breached this level. Ranking by country: Bangladesh the most polluted followed by Pakistan and India respectively; Iceland with the cleanest air. Methodology: The ranking relies on ground-based sensors located in 3,000 cities from 73 countries and was compiled by IQAir Group, a manufacturer of air-monitoring sensors as well as purifiers and environmentalist group Greenpeace. Pollution hubs Jakarta and Hanoi emerged as Southeast Asia’s two most polluted cities and average concentrations in the cities in China fell by 12% from 2017 to 2018. Beijing ranks now as the 122nd most polluted city in the world in 2018 and China, the 12th most polluted country in the world. Pic: https://d39gegkjaqduz9.cloudfront.net/TH/2019/03/06/DEL/Delhi/TH/5_07/a1c26bcd_2779485_101_mr.jpg Assam gets ‘smart’ fence along border Part of: GS Prelims and Mains III – Security issues; Defence In news: A digital ‘barrier’ has finally filled a 61 km gap on the 4,096.7 km India-Bangladesh border fence three decades after the project kickstarted. Union Home Minister inaugurated an electronic surveillance system that “is expected to diminish challenges faced by the Border Security Force in manning this stretch against cross-border crimes.” Comprising microwave communication, optical fibre cables, cameras, and an intrusion detection device, this system is called BOLD-QIT (Border Electronically Dominated QRT Interception Technique) and was established under the Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System. Do you know? Assam shares a 263 km border with Bangladesh. Much of the border was fenced, but a 61 km stretch in Dhubri district remained open owing to the terrain dictated by the Brahmaputra. (MAINS FOCUS) INTERNATIONAL/SECURITY TOPIC:General studies 2  Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests India and the World ; India and its neighborhood- relations. Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India's interests, Indian diaspora. General studies 3  Role of external state and nonstate actors in creating challenges to internal security.  Security challenges and their management in border areas; Pullback after Pulwama? Here’s what game theory suggests Introduction: India’s muscular approach towards Pakistan, especially post-Uri, post-Pulwama has underpinnings in game theory. India launched its “surgical strike", after the jihadi attack on the Uri army camp in 2016. Last month Indian Air Force struck a terrorist camp in Balakot deep inside Pakistan, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The below article deals with the question – “Will tit for tat work in the Pakistani context?” What Game Theory suggests? Game theory suggests that tit for tat strategy should work better than any other strategy India has followed in the past. India had adopted strategies that involve strategy of restraint or non-retaliation in response to a provocation. In other words, India accepted mistreatment without retaliating or seeking revenge. For 30 years, Indian decision makers were paralysed when it came to responding to terror emanating from Pakistan. India is perhaps the only country in the world which did not respond militarily when its Parliament was attacked and when its financial capital was brutalised. Such soft strategies have not prompted even small changes in Pakistani behaviour. Therefore, according to Game Theory, if tit for tat is a consistent policy for India, the chances are it will deliver better results. Do you know: About Game Theory? Game theory is a theoretical framework for conceiving of social situations among competing players. In some respects, game theory is the science of strategy, or set of concepts aimed at decision making in situations of competition and conflict (as well as of cooperation and interdependence) under specified rules. Any time we have a situation with two or more players that involves known payouts or quantifiable consequences, we can use game theory to help determine the most likely outcomes. Tit for tat strategy Tit for tat as an effective strategy originated in the 1980s. It was first introduced by Anatol Rapoport in Robert Axelrod's two tournaments, held around 1980. An agent using this strategy will first cooperate, then subsequently replicate an opponent's previous action. If the opponent previously was cooperative, the agent is cooperative. If not, the agent is not. For example, if provoked, a player subsequently responds with retaliation; if unprovoked, the player cooperates. In the India-Pakistan context, India has been following the strategy of restraint, even non-retaliation.  However, under current regime, we have seen a variation of the tit-for-two-tats strategy. After the Pathankot air force station attack by the Jaish-e-Mohammed, India tried to get Pakistani cooperation in identifying who the attackers were. It was only after Uri followed that India retaliated with the surgical strike. Earlier, India was okay with even a tit-for-several-tats non-strategy, which failed miserably in getting Pakistan to behave better. The only lesson Pakistan learnt from our tepid response was that we have a high threshold for pain and punishment, and thus their “death-by-a-thousand-cuts" plan was working. Under current regime, this strategy is being reworked to become a true tit for tat, and if India persists with this over the long term, it should improve Pakistan’s behaviour. If we accept tit for tat as a more moral and workable strategy in the long run, clearly India needs to deploy it consistently in both directions—retaliation and cooperation. Conclusion: The lesson to learn from game theory is that consistency in policy is vital to get the message across. Tit for tat will work as long as it is consistent across governments. Giving it up for meaningless talks will mean loss of all the gains made so far from the surgical strike and Balakot. Connecting the dots: What strategy should India adopt in order to deal with proxy-wars from the neighbouring countries? M.K. Gandhi believed that an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth would leave the whole world blind and toothless. Would Gandhi's philosophy of non violence work in today's world? Examine. Essay: “To retaliate with hate and bitterness would do nothing but intensify the hate in the world,” Martin Luther King, Jr. said. SOCIETY TOPIC:General studies 1 Effects of globalization on Indian society Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism and secularism  Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India The loss of intellectual autonomy About Intellectual Autonomy: Intellectual autonomy is a ‘willingness and ability to think for oneself’. The young are particularly keen to have the freedom to decide which beliefs to form. Intellectual autonomy is widely considered to be an important value. Do you know? In the past, large numbers of people were illiterate, knowledge was produced and stored by a few, and there was wider social legitimacy for submission to those with power and authority. However, an intellectually autonomous person is capable of forming her own judgements, initiating reflection and asking probing questions. Strategy of undermining of Intellectual Autonomy in British Colonialism Since the end of the 18th century, as technologies of knowledge production became increasingly available to larger sections of society, intellectual autonomy has been threatened not only by state power, but in other invidious ways. The British strategy of intellectual control was implemented by crafting a system of education rather than brute coercion. Although the best of our thinkers outmaneuvered this system. For example, our most original thinker of this period, Gandhi, was a product of this very education. However this system created acute anxiety among self-reflexive thinkers. For example, Sri Aurobindo lamented the “increasing impoverishment of the Indian intellect” in the face of new knowledge imposed by European contact. “Nothing is our own, nothing native to our intelligence, all is derived,” he complained. “As little have we understood the new knowledge; we have only understood what the Europeans want us to think about themselves and their modern civilization”. What were the impacts of Intellectual Control by British Colonialism? It undermined the capacity of critical thinking and non influential decision making. Indians (especially the then English-educated Indians and who were in authority) blindly accepted ideas coming either from outside, from Europe. It was as if the only choice before Indian intellectual elites was a hyper-westernised modernism or ultra-traditionalism. Cultural subjugation instead of creative assimilation. Our English culture if culture it can be called has increased tenfold the evil of our dependence instead of remedying it. Idea of religion and nation: Religion, as a demarcated system of practices, beliefs and doctrines, is largely an early modern European invention and begins its existence in and through the theological disputes of the 16th and 17th centuries. In India, people did not think of themselves as belonging to a single system of belief and doctrine in competition with and opposition to all others. Indeed, mobility across communities and multiple allegiances were common. As a result, most people refused to be slotted into rigid, compartmentalised entities. They were religious but did not belong to a religion. This has virtually ceased to be the case. Thanks to narrow-minded education institutions and now the electronic media, the idea was first disseminated and then unquestioningly accepted by Indians as if it were a long-held indigenous Indian idea. Conclusion In accepting this alien idea of religion and nation without proper comparison or competition with Indian ideas of faith and community, we have sacrificed intellectual autonomy and gone down the road to hell from which Europe has itself yet to recover. To define one’s identity or community in terms of a single, exclusive religion Hindu, Muslim or any other is a perverse European notion, a mark of our cultural subjugation, a symptom of the loss of our intellectual autonomy. To have done so is to have uncritically abandoned our own collective genius for something ill-suited to our conditions. This need to be reversed by building our collective intellectual autonomy and critical analysis. Connecting the dots: What do you mean by ‘Intellectual Autonomy’? Do you think intellectual autonomy is smothered by temptations of power. Elucidate your opinion. MUST READ Recovering from the Hanoi setback The Hindu India really needs to enhance its counterterrorism capabilities The Hindu  BCCI seems to have forgotten that foreign policy is not its mandate Indian Express A new paradigm has emerged on Pakistan-sponsored terrorism Indian Express Apology for Jallianwala Bagh massacre could offer a chance for Britain to atone Indian Express

RSTV Video

RSTV IAS UPSC – Launch of SHREYAS

Launch of SHREYAS Archives General studies 2 Skill development; Education, Human Resources development Government schemes and policies Scheme for Higher Education Youth in Apprenticeship and Skills (SHREYAS) Aim: Boost the employment skills of Indian youth by providing them with ‘on the job work exposure’ through the National Apprenticeship Promotional Scheme (NAPS) and the National Career Service (NCS). Target: Cover over 50 lakh students by 2022 Ministries involved: Ministry of Human Resources Development Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Ministry of Labour and Employment Objectives To improve employability of students by introducing employment relevance To forge a close functional link between education and industry To provide skills to the students in a dynamic manner To establish an ‘earn while you learn’ system into higher education To help industry in securing good quality manpower To link student community with employment facilitating efforts of the Government Phases of the Scheme: 1st Track: Add-on apprenticeship (Degree apprenticeship) The students, who are about to complete the degree programme, would be invited to choose a job role of their choice from a selected list of apprenticeship or training job roles. This apprenticeship programme would commence immediately after completion of the degree programme (May each year) with basic training regarding the sector and will long for 6 months. During the apprenticeship period, the student would get a monthly stipend of about Rs 6,000 per month by the industry. At the end, successful students would get skills certificate in addition to their degree certificate. 2nd Track: Embedded Apprenticeship The existing B.Voc (Bachelor of Vocation) programmes would be restructured into B.A (Professional), B.Sc (Professional) or B.Com (Professional) courses. These courses would include educational input, vocational input, and mandatory apprenticeship of 6 to 10 months. Alternatively, one full semester of an existing B.Voc course would be dedicated to apprenticeship with industry. During the apprenticeship period, the student would get a monthly stipend of about Rs 6,000 per month by the industry, 25 percent of which would be reimbursed under the NAPS programme.   At the end, successful students would get skills certificate in addition to their degree certificate. 3rd Track: Linking National Career Service with Colleges Under this, the National Career Service (NCS) portal of Ministry of Labour & Employment would be linked with the Higher Education institutions. The students would be trained in soft skills required by the market. This would improve the employment opportunities. The ‘WHY’ behind the scheme The education with skills is the need of the hour and the SHREYAS will be a major effort in this direction to make our degree students more skilled, capable, employable and aligned to the needs of our economy so that they contribute to country's progress and also obtain gainful employment. The scheme has been conceived for students in degree courses, primarily non-technical with a view to introduce employable skills into their learning, promote apprenticeship as integral to education and also amalgamate employment facilitating efforts of the government into the education system. Connecting the Dots: Low standards in education, lack of requisite skills and unemployment form a vicious cycle which is detrimental to India’s demographic dividend. Comment. How can human resource development play a role in addressing this problem? Examine. Imparting skills to the burgeoning youth population is imperative to address the jobless growth being witnessed in India. Critically comment. Also discuss the various initiatives that aim at imparting skills to different target groups. Today, Skill India looks like a patient who, after having their treatment diagnosed as successful, has relapsed into a condition worse than before and is on their last leg. Do you agree? Can SHREYAS tackle this issue? Discuss.