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RSTV IAS UPSC – India-ASEAN FTA

India-ASEAN FTA Archives TOPIC: General Studies 2 Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests In News: India and the 10-member ASEAN have agreed to initiate a review of the bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) in goods to make it “more user-friendly, simple and trade facilitative”. India is not happy about the fact that its trade deficit with ASEAN has widened significantly since the pact was implemented in January 2010.  The Situation Link: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/foreign-trade/india-asean-agree-to-review-decade-old-free-trade-pact/articleshow/71067042.cms  A NITI Aayog study reveals that India’s trade deficit with ASEAN doubled to $10 billion in 2017 from $5 billion in 2011.  A review of the India-ASEAN FTA could help improve utilisation in India by making the pact simpler and more user-friendly.  Policymakers hold the view that FTAs have adversely impacted India’s manufacturing, which the government is trying to boost through its Make in India initiative in order to generate jobs. Liberalisation under the India-Asean FTA covers 75% of the two-way trade. India kept around 10% of tariff lines in exclusion. These included motor vehicles, textiles, petroleum products, sugar, wheat, vegetable oil dairy products and other food products. However, Thailand, Philippines, Myanmar, Brunei and Vietnam kept a higher number of tariff lines under exclusion. Moreover, the surge in goods imports into India is accentuated by instances of non-adherence to origin norms and lack of full cooperation in investigating and addressing such breaches. In contrast, the utilisation of preferential tariffs by India under the India-Asean FTA is below 30% because of standards, regulatory measures and other non-tariff barriers in the region. Ships, boats, floating structures, mineral fuels, mineral oils and meat are India’s largest exports to the grouping while telecom equipment, electrical machinery, mineral fuels, mineral oils and animal or vegetable fats and oils are the biggest imports. The challenge is not merely tariff barriers, but also non-tariff barriers applied by most member countries including China. Market access has become more challenging than tariffs itself, even among member countries. India has the lowest non-tariff barriers in the region and China the highest. RCEP comprises a quarter of global gross domestic product, 30% of global trade, 26% of foreign direct investment flows, and 45% of the world's population. The Decision In the joint statement, the Ministers welcomed the recommendations of the ASEAN-India Business Council to further promote the potential of bilateral trade through the utilisation of the ASEAN-India FTA as well as cooperation in some areas of mutual interest, such as financial technology, connectivity, start-ups and innovation, empowerment of youth, and women and MSME development. India has also pushed to include the Automatic Trigger Safeguard Mechanism or ATSM. This will automatically increase levies once imports cross a given threshold. This is in addition to reviewing the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with ASEAN and other members. The review will help bring back manufacturing and it will also go a long way towards Make in India, helping our agriculture and bring more manufacturing and jobs to India The review would definitely help in creating a more equitable trade agreement that would help in the revival of these sectors Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)  It is a proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between ASEAN and its six FTA partners – China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. RCEP negotiation was formally launched in 2012, whose member states together account for 3.4 billion people and approximately 40% of world’s GDP. Members of Indian Industry are resisting RCEP due to following concerns: Flooding of the market with Chinese goods impacting domestic manufacturers Lack of access to Indian services in the RCEP countries (Services is India’s strong area and has huge potential to tap into RCEP market) Ten member states of ASEAN are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam Must Read: Link 1  Connecting the Dots: What are India’s interests in the ASEAN? Examine the measures taken by the government to strengthen Indo-ASEAN cooperation.  

Important Articles

Feedback and Video: Delhi’s Workshop – TLP Connect/Plus Mentorship Programme 2020 and Art of Answer Writing!

Feedback and Video: Delhi’s Workshop TLP Connect/Plus Mentorship Programme 2020 and Art of Answer Writing! [embed]https://www.youtube.com/embed/57pdBuBEwCw[/embed] Important timelines in the Video: Initial 10 mins - about IASbaba and Team 13 minutes onwards - Philosophy behind TLP and Details about TLP Connect Mentorship programme 35mins, 30 Sec onwards - Art of Answer Writing 1:14:25 (hr:min:sec) onwards - Live Demo of Answer Writing 1:37:30 onwards - Ethics Strategy 2:19:45 onwards - Right Attitude for UPSC Preparation Dear Friends, Though we have held many workshops since we started off in 2015, this workshop (@ Delhi) is one of the most memorable one for us.  It was the first workshop held in Delhi since the brick and motor footprints of IASbaba was made in the lanes of Old Rajendra Nagar on 15th June, 2019. The Workshop was held last weekend, Sunday (15th September, 2019). The theme of the workshop was about TLP Connect/Plus programme - Mentorship Programme of IASbaba, Art of Answer Writing, Ethics Strategy and Right Attitude for UPSC preparation. Your support really made our visit a special one. We are out of words and had never imagined such an outstanding support. We extend our heartiest thanks to everyone who came against all odds especially people from outside Delhi. Since it was a 3 hour workshop, we couldn’t deliver many stuffs due to time constraint. We made sure that, we stayed back till 8 pm and tried to interact with most of you personally. We apologize in any case we were not able to give you enough time. Your patience, attentiveness and interest deserves an applause. We promise you that there is a lot in store for you with the upcoming TLP Connect/Plus programme 2020, a Integrated (Prelims + Mains) Mentorship Programme of IASbaba that will kick start from 12th October, 2019 We @ Iasbaba will always make sure that we come up with initiatives to guide you better and play some positive role in your success. Again thank you all for making our Delhi workshop a huge success. P.S: Your feedback and encouragement is the real value add for us. Kindly share your views, learning and experiences from the Workshop, so that others can have a glimpse of it. For Complete Details of TLP Connect/Plus (Mentorship) programme 2020 -> CLICK HERE Thank You IASbaba

Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 23rd September 2019

IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 23rd September 2019 Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) Mochi Swabhimaan Initiative Part of: GS Prelims and GS-II - Society In News Mochi Swabhimaan Initiative is a nationwide effort in which Leather Sector Skill Council (LSSC) will support the cobbler community who provide leather-based services, with CSR funds. This will ensure that they work in a dignified manner by bringing respect to their skills by giving them better working environment in the form of kiosks/umbrellas.  Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has launched this initiative. LSSC is an NSDC approved non-profit organization set up in 2012 dedicated to meet the demand for skilled workforce in the leather industry. Shondol Part of: GS Prelims In News Shondol is famous dance, which used to be performed by artists for King of Ladakh on special occasions. Shondol dancehas created history by entering into the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest Ladakhi dance, which involved 408 women It was held on the concluding day of the ongoing Buddhist carnival Naropa festival near the 11th-century world-famousHemis Monastery.  The monastery is close to the Hemis National Park, an area that is home to the endangered snow leopard. During the festival, it was not only focused on Zero usage of Plastic but also sensitise the religious and community leaders on plastic waste management and recycling. Atlantic Meridional Overturning Current (AMOC) Part of: GS Prelims and Mains GS-I- Geography In News AMOC is a large system of ocean currents operating in the Atlantic, which circulates the waters between the north and the south. How it operates? As warm water flows northwards in the Atlantic, it cools, while evaporation increases its salt content. Low temperature and a high salt content raise the density of the water, causing it to sink deep into the ocean. The cold, dense water deep below slowly spreads southward. Eventually, it gets pulled back to the surface and warms again, and the circulation is complete. AMOC ensures the oceans are continually mixed, and heat and energy are distributed around Earth. Scientists have been worried by signs that AMOC may be slowing, which could have drastic consequences on global climate. However,a new study now suggests that AMOC is getting help from the Indian Ocean As a result of climate change, the Indian Ocean warms faster and faster, generating additional precipitation. This draws more air from other parts of the world to the Indian Ocean, including the Atlantic, causing a series of cascading effects that is providing AMOC a “jump start”  ALL INDIA SURVEY ON HIGHER EDUCATION (AISHE) 2018-19 Part of: GS Prelims and Mains GS-II - Education In News Union Minister for HRD released the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2018-19. The survey has listed a total of 993 universities as operational HEI’s in India. A total of 39,931 colleges and 10,725 standalone institutions are dedicated to higher education in the country The Gross Enrolment Ratioincreased from 25.8% in 2017-18 to 26.3% in 2018-19.The total enrolment in higher education has been estimated to be 3.74 crore, as opposed to 3.66 crore the year before. The report also found that GER among male population is 26.3% and for females, it is 26.4%. GER for Reserved Categories i.e. SC and ST categories stands below the national average at 23% and 17.2% respectively. The Gender Parity Index (GPI) has shown consistent growth over the period of last five years from 0.5 in 2014-15 to 1 in 2018-19. The Gender Parity Index suggests that of the total 3.74 crore students, 1.92 crore are men, and 1.82 crore are women. Only 2.5% colleges offer PhD or doctoral programmes to the students The total number of students enrolled for the Doctoral Programme stands at 1,69,170, which is below 0.5% of the total number of students enrolled for higher education.  As per report, the number of students enrolled in the B.Tech and M.Tech programme has fallen by nearly 50% in last five years. On the other hand professional programmes like MBA, B.Ed and LLB have registered significant jump in the students’ enrolment. For instance, MBA enrolment rose from 4,09,432 in 2014-15 to 4,62,853 in 2018-19.  India-Mongolia Part of: GS Prelims and Main GS-II- International Relations In News PM Modi and President of Mongolia H.E. Mr Khaltmaagiin Battulga, jointly unveiled a statue of Lord Buddha and his two disciples, installed at historic Gandan Tegchenling Monastery in Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia’s Capital) via videoconferencing from Delhi. The Statue symbolizes the shared respect of our two countries for universal message of Lord Buddha.  Statue depicts Lord Buddha in a sitting posture along with his two disciples conveying the message of compassion as well as peace and co-existence Gandan Tegchenling Monastery -prominent centre of Mongolian Buddhists - hosted 11th General Assembly of Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace (from 21-23 June 2019) (MAINS FOCUS) CLIMATE CHANGE TOPIC: General Studies 3: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment Climate change action an hour of need Context: Millions of people demonstrated across the world(185 countries)  demanding urgent action to tackle global heating, as they united across timezones and cultures to take part in the biggest climate protest in history. The demonstrations took place on the eve of a UN climate summit, called by the secretary general, António Guterres, to inject urgency into government action to restrict the rise in global temperatures to 1.5C, as agreed under the 2015 Paris agreement. Why? The growing evidence of climate change — scientific and experiential — has spurred an upwelling of social action, notably among the youth. Carbon emissions climbed to a record high last year, despite a warning from the UN-backed Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that there is little more than a decade left to act to slash emissions and stabilise the climate. Evidences of  climate change: Sea level rise is accelerating, and oceans have become 26% more acidic since the dawn of the Industrial era. This summer saw Delhi-like temperatures across southern Europe;  Hurricane Dorian rendered large parts of the Bahamas unliveable;  simultaneous raging fires in the Amazon, central Africa and even Siberia. heat wave in France and Germany Yet, concentrations of carbon dioxide continue to rise, and current country pledges would not stem this increase even by 2030. Crux: A turn toward nationalism in multiple countries has created a short-term, look-out-for-our-own mentality that is inimical to the global collective action needed to address climate change. Example: In United States, President Donald Trump not only refuses to enhance actions, he has actively rolled back measures in the electricity sector and actions to limit methane emissions in the name of competitiveness In Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro has made it clear he sees environmental protections as limiting Brazilian business. What is done so far? Diplomatically: countries have been urged to enhance their pledges for action made as part of the Paris Agreement, committing to lower future emissions. the response is underwhelming. A number of small and mid-sized countries, have already committed to achieving the objective of making their economies net carbon neutral by 2050 By contrast, several large countries, notably the United States, Brazil, Australia, Canada, Japan and Mexico are reportedly not even going to participate in the event at a high level China and India have issued statements hinting that they are doing quite enough Trough action port folio: furthering and accelerating an energy transition toward low-carbon energy,  making cities more climate friendly and more resilient to climate disruption,  starting the process of turning energy intensive sectors such as steel and cement more carbon friendly. promoting solar energy for energy security reasons;  making cities more liveable;  making industries more efficient and therefore competitive Impact on India: We are a deeply vulnerable country to climate impacts. It would behove India not to be a status quo player in this context, but to argue for enhanced global collective action. India has the potential to show the pathway to accelerating action on climate change even while pursuing its development interests. India is justifiably recognised for promoting renewable energy, yet also muddies the waters by sending mixed signals on future coal use. Conclusion: India needs domestic energy policies that are more clearly and coherently tuned to a future low carbon world. India and China, jointly must  help ensure that Africa’s development is powered by renewable energy rather than fossil fuels the aim should be to make accelerated climate action congruent with an enlightened notion of national interest by focusing on key actions in rapidly changing areas such as energy and urbanisation. India Must  build a diplomatic approach on a firm domestic foundation that takes seriously climate change as a factor in its future development pathway. 2015 Paris agreement: Paris Agreement is an international agreement to combat climate change. Paris Agreement comes under the broad umbrella of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). UNFCCC is a convention held in 1992 to combat climate change. Aim: Keep the global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial level. Pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Strengthen the ability of countries to deal with the impacts of climate change. Connecting the dots: Backed by popular mobilisation and scientific evidence, can the UN swing the tide toward enhanced action? What does this canvas of global climate politics mean for India? Could an India, firmly committed to a low-carbon future that brings development benefits, strike common cause with other powers? HEALTH TOPIC:General Studies 2 Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources. One year of Ayushman Bharat — the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) Context: Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme having central sector component under Ayushman Bharat Mission anchored in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).  It is an umbrella of two major health initiatives, namely Health and wellness Centres and National  Health Protection Scheme. The journey of Ayushman Bharat started in Jangla in Chhattisgarh. Health and Wellness Centres Under this 1.5 lakh existing sub centres will bring health care system closer to the homes of people in the form of Health and wellness centres.  These centres will provide comprehensive health care, including for non-communicable diseases and maternal and child health services. National Health Protection Mission (AB-PMJAY) AB-PMJAY provides a defined benefit cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year. This cover will take care of almost all secondary care and most of tertiary care procedures. The benefit cover will also include pre and post-hospitalisation expenses. PM-JAY has sought to cover a population larger than that of Canada, United States and Mexico put together. Implementation  At the national level to manage, a National Health Agency has been set up. States/ UTs are advised to implement the scheme by a dedicated entity called State Health Agency (SHA). Several states have merged their many ongoing schemes with PMJAY to make implementation simpler for both beneficiaries and participating hospitals.  Ex: Karnataka has merged seven different existing schemes into one, while Kerala has merged three different schemes. Impacts: Ayushman Bharat has been designed on the fundamental precepts that prevention is better than cure, and that no one should fall into poverty because of expenditure on healthcare, or die, because they cannot afford treatment. In-patient hospitalization expenditure in India has increased nearly 300% during last ten year.  More than 80% of the expenditure are met by out of pocket (OOP). Nearly 6 million families getting into poverty due to catastrophic health expenditures AB-PMJAY will have major impact on reduction of Out Of Pocket (OOP) This will lead to increased access to quality health and medication.  timely treatments, improvements in health outcomes, patient satisfaction, improvement in productivity and efficiency, job creation thus leading to improvement in quality of life. Present scenario: More than 20,000 HWCs have been made operational.  More than five crore people have been screened for a whole range of common non-communicable diseases.  more than 45 lakh hospital admissions have taken place for cashless treatment in more than 18,000 empaneled hospitals across the country, resulting in savings of more than Rs 13,000 crore for the beneficiary families.  Every three seconds, a beneficiary is being treated, and the numbers continue to rise. Role of private sector: More than half of the empaneled hospitals are private.  Over 62 per cent of the treatments have been done by private hospitals.  PM-JAY has created a massive demand for private (and public) sector services by making hospital facilities accessible to 55 crore people.  In tier II and tier III cities, private sector hospitals are already witnessing an almost 20 per cent increase in footfall. Public sector facilities have streamlined their processes so as to improve service quality and amenities with funds from PMJAY. Employment generation: Ayushman Bharat is set to become one of the largest drivers of jobs in the country.  With the setting up of 1.5 lakh HWCs by 2022, an expected 1.5 lakh jobs will be created for community health officers, including 50,000 multi-purpose health workers.  It has generated an estimated 50,000-60,000 jobs in the first year itself and is expected to add over 12.5 lakh jobs in both public and private sectors over the next three to five years. as more people seek in-patient care, 1.5 lakh beds will be added in existing and new hospitals. This, in turn, will lead to the creation of around 7.5 lakh new opportunities for doctors, nurses, technicians, pharmacists and frontline healthcare workers such as Pradhan Mantri Arogya Mitras (functionaries who are the key interface between beneficiaries and the scheme) Use of technology: A live dashboard helps in monitoring and improving performance, based on real-time data and regular analysis.  This platform also helps states to compare their performance.  A strong and sophisticated fraud prevention, detection and control system at the national and state level has proved to be critical for PM-JAY to ensure that frauds are largely prevented. Conclusion: Ayushman Bharat has provided a platform and framework for the country to accelerate its progress towards comprehensive universal healthcare. “Green field” states with no past experience of implementing healthcare schemes have to work harder to scale up their progress. All states will need to make sincere efforts towards providing seamless health services to the last mile. As the Ayushman Bharat revolution unfolds, we are optimistic that India will make sure healthcare is no longer a privilege and is available to every Indian. Connecting the dots: Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) is the most ambitious health sector scheme since Independence. Analyze (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Note:  Featured Comments and comments Up-voted by IASbaba are the “correct answers”. IASbaba App users – Team IASbaba will provide correct answers in comment section. Kindly refer to it and update your answers. Q.1)Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) which is the source of information on children’s learning outcomes is releasedby which body/Ministry? Ministry of Human resource development Ministry of Finance NGO- Pratham None of the above Q.2)Shondol is a cultural dance of which region of India? Kerala Manipur Ladakh Rajasthan Q.3)Mochi Swabhimaan Initiative is being implemented by which Union Minstry? Ministry of Labour Ministry of Human resource development Ministry of Skill development and Entrepreneurship None of the above Q.4)Consider the following statements about Atlantic Meridional Overturning Current (AMOC) It is a large system of ocean currents operating in the Atlantic, which circulates the waters between the north and the south. It ensures that heat and energy are distributed around Earth. Recent report show AMOC may be speeding, which could have drastic consequences on global climate. Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct? 1 and 2 only 2and 3 only 1 and 3 only 1,2 and 3 MUST READ India’s opportunity at the UN The Hindu Seeking to secure: on linking Aadhaar-GST registration The Hindu Politics after NRC threatens to change old framework of Assamese nationalism Indian Express The Texas event is timely, gives a big push to trade  Live Mint Tackling India’s auto slowdown: It will hurt the economy and jobs seriously if corrective steps are not taken TOI

Daily Prelims CA Quiz

UPSC Quiz - 2020 : IAS Daily Current Affairs Quiz Day 76

UPSC Quiz - 2020 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz Day 76 Archives Q.1) Consider the following statements with respect to ‘Cyberdome Project’ It makes a collective coordination among the Government departments and agencies, academia, research groups, non-profitable organizations, individual experts from the community, ethical hackers, private organizations, and other law enforcement agencies in the country with an aim of providing a safe and secure cyber world for each and every citizen in the state. It is jointly launched by Ministry of Home affair and NITI Aayog to replace the CCTNS and NATGRID. Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.2) Consider the following statements with respect to ‘CARICOM’ It is an organisation of Caribbean nations and dependencies having primary objectives to promote economic integration and cooperation among its members. All of the associate members of CARICOM are British overseas territories. Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.3) ‘Cox's Bazar’ is located in Myanmar Thailand Bangladesh Sri Lanka Q.4) ‘Abqaiq’ was in news recently. Where is it located? Saudi Arabia Iran Syria Lebanon Q.5) ‘1.5-Degree Report (SR 1.5)’ is published by  The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change The UNEP Secretariat The UNFCCC Secretariat The World Meteorological Organization To Download the Solution - Click here All the Best  IASbaba

Motivational Articles

Creative Guidance – Meditation, Success & Teacher – Inspirational Educative Articles

Meditation, Success & Teacher: Daily practice of meditation can tremedously improve your chances of succeeding in life. The main reason for this being the self-introspective way of learning meditation offers. Meditation is a scientific way of exploring your life to know your strengths and weaknesses fully and use it to your advantage. One of the trickiest aspects of learning meditation is finding a right teacher. Whether it is finding a techer online or in person, there are few things to consider before choosing a teacher. Let us explore this further. As far as getting the basic guidance of meditation is concerned, you could get that from a lot of people. All you have to make sure is that the person you are learning from has spent more time in meditation than you–plain and simple. At the basic level, that is all that you should be looking for.                                             The reputation of a meditation teacher does not come from numbers; it comes from the guidance. You’ve got to take a chance with a teacher; you have to approach, you have to start learning, and within a matter of a few days you will know if you’re headed in the right direction. If you are with a teacher who’s really willing to guide you, it is not that difficult to see, “Okay, the wisdom that he or she is sharing is really helping.” Another big pitfall in trying to find a teacher is trying to find too perfect a teacher. You know, trying to find a teacher who, according to you, is perfect. If you go on searching for the perfect teacher, it is a futile search, because there are no perfect teachers. The difficulty in judging people, in judging teachers, or in finding the right thing in life, is really not about choosing the right and the wrong. The difficulty is choosing between the wrong and the more wrong, because everyone is flawed. Everything is flawed. Teaching is a mechanism of transferring knowledge through the symbolism of language. Language is a symbol; it’s not an absolute truth. When you’re trying to teach using symbols, you can never be perfect. It’s like when I say, “Awakening is like swimming in the open ocean for the first time.” It is nothing like it; it’s an absolute lie! But, that is my way of saying it. When I say, “Meditation is difficult, meditation is painful, meditation is a torturous process initially,” that is just my way of saying it because it was like that for me, because of the way I approached it. It might be easy for you. A teacher can, at the most, express what he has experienced, using the language of the world, using the expressions of life. There is no perfection in this process. Again, how are you measuring the perfection of a teacher if you’re not comparing him with another teacher? If you’re looking for the perfect teacher, then you have an idea of perfection in your mind, which has to come from some other teacher. That is where the problem is. When you try to compare one teacher with another, you will obviously make a mistake. It doesn’t matter if your comparison is very critical or very analytical; it just doesn’t matter, because two teachers are completely different. That is why meditation is such a tricky affair; you have to judge based on your intuition, based on your comfort level with the teacher, based on certain inner signs, which are not readily accessible. You “just know” this is the right teacher. You “just know” that you want to learn from this person. Sometimes, you just want to play it safe; you just want to make sure that there are a lot of students around this teacher. You think if so many people are being misled then it’s perfectly fine; “I’m going to be one of them.” Sometimes it’s just safety; you think if a teacher has a lot of students, he has to be good. In meditation, it doesn’t work that way. A teacher who has a lot of students could be a good marketer–or he has a group of students who market for him. It doesn’t mean that he’s not a good teacher, so there’s really no way to judge the teacher based on external qualities that we normally measure success by—The number of people, amount of money they’ve made, or the number of years they’ve lived, their experience. He could be a young man, or he could be fifty he could be sixty, and you could be forty or fifty—age doesn’t matter. When you meet such a person, if he has spent time in meditation, you will know—this is something different. Irrespective of the external flaws, there is some wisdom that I want to have, wisdom that I don’t possess. That is all that you should be looking for in a meditation teacher. You don’t have to complicate things, and you should also understand that a teacher is human. “This article is a part of the creative endeavor of Meditation Farm and IASBABA.”

Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 21st September 2019

IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 21st September 2019 Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) Climate movements Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Environment Conservation In News Students in more than 2,000 cities across the world are holding demonstrations under the #FridaysforFuture movement, protesting inaction towards climate change. Also known as the Youth Strike for Climate Movement, it started in August 2018 after Greta Thunberg (16-year-old student) sat outside the Swedish parliament for three weeks to protest against inaction towards climate change and called for concrete government action. Then in September 2018, Thunberg called for a strike every Friday until the Swedish parliament revised its policies towards climate change. The movement soon spread to other countries which turned into a global movement supported by Civil Society activists and Scientists. Students are protesting because they are the ones who are going to be bearing the brunt of Climate change in the coming decades and the governments continue to rely on fossil fuels. In the present phase of the strikes, students are demanding “urgent” and “decisive” action in order to keep global average temperatures from rising above 1.5 degree Celsius. Also, millions of adults will be joining them in the Global #ClimateStrike movement, which will commence just as the UN Climate Action Summit 2019 is set to take place in New York on September 23. Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) Part of: GS Prelims and Mains GS-I - Women In News PMMVY has achieved a significant milestone by crossing one crore beneficiaries. The total amount disbursed to the beneficiaries under the scheme has crossed Rs. 4,000 crores. It is a direct benefit transfer (DBT) schemeunder which cash benefits are provided to pregnant women in their bank account directly to meet enhanced nutritional needs and partially compensate for wage loss Under the ‘Scheme’, Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers (PW&LM;) receive a cash benefit of Rs. 5,000 in three instalments on fulfilling the respective conditionality, viz. early registration of pregnancy, ante-natal check-up and registration of the birth of the child and completion of first cycle of vaccination for the first living child of the family. The scheme was launched in 2017 as Centrally SponsoredScheme and implemented by Ministry of Women and Child Development Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Rajasthan are the top five States & UT in the country in implementation of the scheme. Odisha and Telangana are yet to start implementation of the scheme. National Recruitment Agency  Part of: GS Prelims and Mains GS-II -Governance In News Finance Ministry has approved the proposal for creation of a NRA to streamline recruitment process of Group-B (non-gazetted), Group-C (non-technical) and clerical posts in the government along with various equivalent recruitment in PSB. It will be set up to conduct the Common Eligibility Test (CET) for all these competitive examinations, in which an estimated 2.5 crore candidates appear annually. NRA will conduct preliminary examinations for all these recruitment, which are at present conducted by the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) and the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) The SSC and IBPS will not be disbanded for now and will conduct the mains examinations as usual. NRA is thus expected to reduce the burden on SSC & IBPS whereby NRA will work as a preliminary single-window agency to shortlist qualifying candidates Lotus Tower Part of: GS Prelims In News Sri Lanka unveils South Asia’s tallest tower (called Lotus Tower) in Colombo It is 350-metre-tall and in the shape of Lotus It comprises a hotel, a TV tower, restaurants, a mall, a telecommunications museum, and auditorium. The tower, which is expected to function as Sri Lanka’s ‘digital TV tower’, is built with fibre optic cables and is fully equipped with necessary telecommunication equipment. The tower costs more than $100 million. The 80% of costs incurred has been funded by China under the controversial Belt and Road Initiative(BRI). Wawe Summit 2019 Part of: GS Prelims In News Union Human Resource Development Minister has launched the Waste Management Accelerator for Aspiring Women Entrepreneurs (WAWE Summit 2019). The summit will be the largest gathering of young women students who will promote entrepreneurship in waste management and provide alternatives to single-use plastic carry bags It is organized by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and Institute of Waste Management(IIWM) at Jaipur. Theme of summit: “Make your own bag – empowering women to take up income generation activity and entrepreneurship in waste management, through making a business out of this record-creating concept.” AICTE is the statutory body responsible for proper planning and coordinated development of the technical education and management education system in India. AICTE works under Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development. (MAINS FOCUS) ECONOMY TOPIC: General Studies 3: Government Budgeting Parliamentary Budget Office a need for an hour Parliamentary Budget Office: A PBO is an independent and impartial body linked directly to Parliament. It provides technical and objective analysis of Budgets and public finance to the House and its committees. It can generate quality public debate on Budget policy and public finance, enabling parliamentarians to engage meaningfully in the Budget process. Traditionally, independent budgetary units are more common in developed countries. Need for PBO: Executive-led budgetary governance has not been successful in India. To carry out the functions effectively, Parliament requires institutional, analytical and technical competence. There is a growing trend among legislatures, particularly within the OECD countries to establish specialised Budget research units. Function of PBOs across the world: Independent and objective economic forecast. Baseline estimate survey. Analysing the executive’s Budget proposal. Providing medium- to long-term analysis What is to be done? The body needs to be appointed not based on political allegiance or expediency, but on its expertise in budgetary, fiscal and economic matters. This body must serve parliamentarians equally and without prejudice. These bodies must help shape the debate and discourse around the state of the nation’s finances and the fiscal implications of significant proposals. Crux: What is gravely in danger is evidence-based discussion around important policies that affect the trajectory of our Republic, discussions which can quickly blur the line between fact and fiction. Example:  The Rafale deal with Dassault Aviation. Part of the controversy resulted from uncertainty regarding the true lifecycle costs of the aircraft bought. In 2011, the Canadian PBO released a cost estimate for Canada’s purchase of F-35 jets. This estimate far exceeded the one presented by the Department of National Defence. Working of PBOs: It is often the case that economic and fiscal projections of a PBO and the Ministry of Finance are similar. This is unsurprising as data sources and economic methodologies for such projections are well established and uniform. without the existence of another data point l generated by an independent, non-partisan office, (PBO)it is difficult for parliamentarians to ensure that these projections and estimates continue to be reliable enough for them to make decisions on. When these projections come into question, the Cabinet can tap the civil service for further research and analysis. Most parliamentarians do not have this luxury and may have to rely on poor quality third-party data and analysis, done without relevant expertise. This is a situation that must be avoided AG vs PBO : Auditor general performs, which is to provide retrospective audits and analysis of the financial accounts and performance of government operations. A PBO provides prospective, forward-looking economic and fiscal projections, as well as policy costings. International examples: Congressional Budget Office in the United States ,Offices in the Netherlands, Korea, Australia and the United Kingdom. In some of these countries PBOs provide independent cost estimates of electoral platform measures to political parties. Conclusions: The amount of information parliamentarians need to scrutinise in Budget documents has exponentially increased and a PBO would assist parliamentarians in this process of scrutiny. India’s Parliament and government need to work quickly and energetically to establish such an office; it is in everyone’s interests to do so. As the process toward the Union Budget 2020 has already kicked off, it would be prudent for parliamentarians to examine the case for a PBO more deeply. Connecting the dots: Legislatures across the world have witnessed an increasingly stronger executive try to wrest away its rightful power of the purse. A PBO would help resuscitate these powers that have fallen into disuse. ECONOMY TOPIC: General Studies 3: Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth. Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc. Investment models. Finance Minister cuts corporate taxes Context: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman cuts corporate taxes for domestic, new manufacturing companies How much? Corporate tax rate has been cut to 22% from 30% for companies that do not avail exemptions — this means that the effective tax rate for such companies will fall from 34.94% presently to 25.17% companies opting for 22 per cent income tax slab would not have to pay minimum alternative tax (MAT). The government has also decided to not levy enhanced surcharge introduced in Budget on capital gain arising from the sale of equity shares in a company liable for securities transaction tax (STT). Auto firms looking to make in India will have to pay an even lower tax rate of 15%, provided they start by 31 March 2023 Why? The idea behind this move is obviously to generate private investment which is now at a low ebb, and also be to attract foreign investors looking for alternative sites for their global value chains disrupted now by the tariff war between China and the U.S. With these cuts, the government has delivered on a long-standing demand of Corporate India. Positive impacts: Tax concessions will bring investments in Make in India, boost employment and economic activity, leading to more revenue The new corporate tax cuts are expected to boost economic growth, which slipped to a six-year low of 5% in the April-June quarter. Vehicle prices may come down significantly following cut in corporate tax Negative impacts: Revenue foregone on reduction in corporate tax and other relief measures will be Rs 1.45 lakh crore annually. This is very significant, especially in the context of the over-estimation of revenues in the Budget and the under-performance in terms of tax collections so far this year The deficit target of 3.3% for this fiscal is unattainable, as things stand Minimum alternative tax (MAT): Companies try to minimise giving taxes by taking advantage of depreciation, deductions, exemptions, etc from the government. So the government imposes a Minimum Alternate Tax or MAT as an advance tax on these companies. This makes the companies give at least a minimum amount of tax. In India MAT is levied under Section 115JB of the Income Tax Act, 1961 Conclusion: The onus is now in passing on the benefit of lower taxes down the chain to consumers and investors. The one route open to the government is to go big on disinvestment where it has already budgeted Rs 1,05,000 crore for this year The corporate tax cuts are certainly good for the economy in the medium term but in the short term, until revenues bounce back, the government has a fiscal problem on its hands. Connecting the dots: Tax cuts have enthused Corporate India, but there is the fiscal problem to deal with. Elucidate. (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Note:  Featured Comments and comments Up-voted by IASbaba are the “correct answers”. IASbaba App users – Team IASbaba will provide correct answers in comment section. Kindly refer to it and update your answers. Q.1) Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana is being implemented by which Ministry? Ministry of Health Ministry of Finance Ministry of Women and Child Development None of the above Q.2) “Fridays for Future” movement often seen in news is related to which of the following areas? Awareness about ill-effects of alcoholism Wage parity between men and women employees Students protesting for action by government towards Climate change None of the above Q.3) Which of the following are the objectives of setting National Recruitment Agency To streamline recruitment process on subordinate-rank posts in the government. To reduce the burden of SSC and the IBPS, among others, from holding preliminary recruitment exams, which is an extensive exercise. Select the correct answer from the codes given below. 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.4) Consider the following statements about Lotus Tower It is South Asia’s tallest tower located in Thailand It has been funded by China under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct? 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 MUST READ One people, many countries The Hindu  A rural stimulus The Hindu Fix the fundamentals first Indian Express Modi government ought to recognise that diaspora diplomacy is double-edged Indian Express    

PIB

Press Information Bureau (PIB) IAS UPSC – 16th Sep to 21st September – 2019

Press Information Bureau (PIB) IAS UPSC – 16th to 21st September, 2019 ARCHIVES GS-2 Launch of NIRVIK – a new Export Credit Insurance Scheme (ECIS) By: Ministry of Commerce & Industry through Export Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECGC)  Aim: To enhance loan availability and ease the lending process The ECGC cover provides additional comfort to banks as the credit rating of the borrower is enhanced to AA rated account. Enhanced cover will ensure that Foreign and Rupee export credit interest rates will be below 4%and 8% respectively for exporters. Under ECIS, insurance cover percentage has also been enhanced to 90% from the present average of 60% for both Principal and Interest.   Launch of Leadership for Academicians Programme (LEAP) - 2019 and Annual Refresher Programme in Teaching (ARPIT) – 2019 Leadership for Academicians Programme (LEAP)- To build higher managerial capabilities of existing higher education leaders and administrators and to draw fresh talent into the management of higher education systems, a National Initiative “Leadership for Academicians Programme (LEAP)” was launched to design and deliver a structured scheme of leadership development for HEIs. LEAP is a three weeks leadership development training programme (2 weeks domestic and one week foreign training) for second level academic functionaries in public funded higher education institutions. The main objective is to prepare second tier academic heads that are potentially likely to assume leadership roles in the future. Annual Refresher Programme in Teaching (ARPIT) – Ministry of Human Resource Development launched Annual Refresher Programme in Teaching (ARPIT) in November, 2018. ARPIT is a major and unique initiative of online professional development of 1.5 million higher education faculty using the MOOCs platform SWAYAM. For implementing ARPIT, discipline-specific National Resource Centers (NRCs) are identified which are tasked  to prepare online training material with focus on latest developments in the discipline, new & emerging trends, pedagogical improvements and methodologies for transacting revised curriculum. President of India in Slovenia This is the first ever presidential visit from India to Slovenia. India’s growth and Slovenia’s technology and manufacturing capacity complement each other. India is targeting to become a 5 trillion dollar economy by 2025. There are immense possibilities of cooperation between the two countries in the fields of high technology, especially clean technology, robotics and artificial intelligence. Start-up and innovation sectors also present opportunities. Slovenia has developed niche technology in the defence sector and is a proven leader in the field of Artificial Intelligence, defence equipment and clean water technologies. India values Slovenia’s support for India’s candidature for permanent membership in an expanded UN Security Council. The President urged Slovenia to join the International Solar Alliance and strengthen India’s efforts to combat climate change. India and Slovenia signed and exchanged seven MoUs and Programmes of Cooperation in the fields of Investment, Sports, Culture, River Rejuvenation (Clean Ganga Mission), Science & Technology and Standards in the presence of the two Presidents. Do you know? Slovenia is located in southern Central Europe at a crossroads of important European cultural and trade routes. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and the Adriatic Sea to the southwest Cabinet approves  Promulgation of the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (production, manufacture, import, export, transport, sale, distribution, storage and advertisement) Ordinance Electronic-cigarettes are battery-operated devices that produce aerosol by heating a solution containing nicotine, which is the addictive substance in combustible cigarettes. These include all forms of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems, Heat Not Burn Products, e-Hookah and the like devices. These novel products come with attractive appearances and multiple flavours and their use has increased exponentially and has acquired epidemic proportions in developed countries, especially among youth and children. Implementation: Upon promulgation of the Ordinance, any production, manufacturing, import, export, transport, sale (including online sale), distribution or advertisement (including online advertisement) of e-cigarettes shall be a cognizable offence punishable with an imprisonment of up to one year or fine up to Rs. 1 lakh or both for the first offence; and imprisonment of up to three years and fine up to Rs. 5 lakh for a subsequent offence. Storage of electronic-cigarettes shall also be punishable with an imprisonment up to 6 months or fine up to Rs 50,000 or both.  Impact: The decision to prohibit e-cigarettes will help protect population, especially the youth and children, from the risk of addiction through E-cigarettes.   Enforcement of the Ordinance will complement government's efforts for tobacco control and will help in reduction of tobacco use and reduction in associated economic and disease burden. GS-3 World Ozone Day Day: 16 September Theme: "32 years and healing” The ozone layer, a fragile shield of gas, protects the Earth from the harmful portion of the rays of the sun, thus helping preserve life on the planet. The phase-out of controlled uses of ozone depleting substances and the related reductions have not only helped protect the ozone layer for this and future generations, but have also contributed significantly to global efforts to address climate change; furthermore, it has protected human health and ecosystems by limiting the harmful ultraviolet radiation from reaching the earth. The latest Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion completed in 2018, shows that, as a result, parts of the ozone layer have recovered at a rate of 1-3% per decade since 2000.  At projected rates, Northern Hemisphere and mid-latitude ozone will heal completely by the 2030s. The Southern Hemisphere will follow in the 2050s and Polar Regions by 2060.  Ozone layer protection efforts have also contributed to the fight against climate change by averting an estimated 135 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, from 1990 to 2010. Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol: It entered into force on 1 January 2019. By phasing down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are potent climate-warming gases, this amendment can avoid up to 0.4°C of global temperature rise by the end of the century, while continuing to protect the ozone layer. And by combining action to phase-down HFCs with energy efficiency improvements in the cooling industry, we can achieve bigger climate benefits. India’s efforts India became one of the first countries in the world to launch a comprehensive Cooling Action plan in March, 2019, which has a long term vision to address the cooling requirement across sectors such as residential and commercial buildings, cold-chain, refrigeration, transport and industries. The India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) lists out actions which can help reduce the cooling demand, which will also help in reducing both direct and indirect emissions. ICAP has been appreciated internationally as an important policy initiative which has the potential to provide socio-economic and environmental benefits related to reduced refrigerant use, climate change mitigation and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Many countries are now involved in development of cooling action plans keeping in view the significant environmental benefits and the fulfillment of Sustainable Development Goals. The India Cooling Action seeks to  (i) reduce cooling demand across sectors by 20% to 25% by 2037-38,  (ii) reduce refrigerant demand by 25% to 30% by 2037-38,  (iii) Reduce cooling energy requirements by 25% to 40% by 2037-38,  (iv) recognize “cooling and related areas” as a thrust area of research under national S&T Programme,  (v) training and certification of 100,000 servicing sector technicians by 2022-23, synergizing with Skill India Mission. ICAP recommends synergies with ongoing government programmes and schemes such as Housing for All, the Smart Cities Mission, Doubling Farmers Income and Skill India Mission, in order to maximize socio-economic co-benefits. As part of the Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) phase out programme, India has proactively taken the challenge of complete phase out of HCFC 141 b, which is a chemical used by foam manufacturing enterprises by 1.1.2020. Towards meeting this compliance target, the Ozone Cell of the Ministry is providing technical and financial assistance to foam manufacturing enterprises along with UNDP. MoEFCC is implementing a project jointly for upskilling and certification of 100,000 Refrigeration and Air-conditioning service technicians with Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) under Skill India Mission - Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY). Training and certification of Refrigeration and Air-conditioning (RAC) service technicians will allow securing environmental benefits and livelihood enhancement for technicians. This sector is largely unorganized. Already 20000 service technicians have been upskilled and certified in the first phase. In addition 14, 000 technicians have also been trained under HPMP in collaboration with GIZ. Please Note: First Raksha Mantri to fly ‘LCA Tejas’: Shri Rajnath Singh Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh green signals writing of India’s border history: The work will cover various aspects of borders including tracing its making; making & unmaking and shifting of borders; role of security forces; role of borderland people encompassing their ethnicity, culture and socio-economic aspects of their lives. The project is expected to be completed within two years. FM hands over restituted 12th Century Buddha statue to Shri Prahlad Singh Patel, Culture Minister The 12th Century Buddha statue, which was stolen 57 years ago and finally traced at an auction in the United Kingdom (UK) The 12th Century AD Bronze image of Buddha seated in the Bhumipasara mudra was amongst the 19 bronze images/statues stolen from the Archaeological Survey of India’s (ASI) Nalanda site museum in August 1961. RTI can be filed locally in the Union territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, even after the new arrangement comes into existence after the 31st of October, 2019. There were mischievous rumours that, because J&K will become a Union Territory, the applicant will have to travel to Delhi to file an RTI. The first RTI application is made to the Public Information Officer (PIO) locally and in matters involving “life and liberty”, the time limit for the PIO to provide the information is 48 hours. For the PIO to reply to the application, timeline of 30 days has been laid down from the date of receipt of the application.  For applicant to make first appeal after the receipt of PIO’s reply, the first Appellate authority  in the form of the designated officer will also be available locally, whether it is the State or Union territory.  Only in case of second appeal, the application has to be submitted to the Information Commission and even if the Information Commissioner is not available locally, in case of Union territory, the second appeal can be sent to the Central Information Commission on-line within 90 days from the receipt of the first appeal orders or from the date the orders were to be received. Waste Management Accelerator for Aspiring Women Entrepreneurs (WAWE Summit 2019): It will be jointly organized by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and Institute of Waste Management (IIWM) at Jaipur. It will be part of a series of activities to encourage entrepreneurship amongst young graduates. Skill India and IBM come together for nationwide Train-the-Trainer program in Artificial Intelligence: As part of the program, ITI trainers will be trained on basic Artificial Intelligence (AI) skills towards using the technology in their day-to-day training activities. This program aims at enabling the trainers with basic approach, workflow and application of artificial intelligence that they can apply in their training modules. IBM aims at training 10,000 faculty members from ITIs across the country and the program will be executed over aperiod of one year with 14 trainers across 7 locations with over 200 workshops. National Educational Alliance for Technology (NEAT) Scheme for better learning outcomes in Higher Education Objective: To use Artificial Intelligence to make learning more personalised and customised as per the requirements of the learner. This requires development of technologies in Adaptive Learning to address the diversity of learners. MHRD would act as a facilitator to ensure that the solutions are freely available to a large number of economically backward students. MHRD would create and maintain a National NEAT platform that would provide one-stop access to these technological solutions.  EdTech companies would be responsible for developing solutions and manage registration of learners through the NEAT portal. They would be free to charge fees as per their policy. As their contribution towards the National cause, they would have to offer free coupons to the extent of 25% of the total registrations for their solution through NEAT portal.  MHRD would distribute the free coupons for learning to the most socially/economically backward students. AICTE would be the implementing agency for NEAT programme. The scheme shall be administered under the guidance of an Apex Committee constituted by MHRD. Independent Expert Committees would be constituted for evaluating and selecting the EdTech solutions. MoUs will be signed with the shortlisted EdTech companies. Awareness programs would be taken up by MHRD to create awareness of the NEAT solutions to teachers and students. Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana Reaches One Crore Beneficiaries Scheme: A flagship scheme of the Government for pregnant women and lactating mothers PMMVY is a direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme under which cash benefits are provided to pregnant women in their bank account directly to meet enhanced nutritional needs and partially compensate for wage loss. Under the ‘Scheme’, Pregnant Women and Lactating Mothers (PW&LM) receive a cash benefit of Rs. 5,000 in three installments on fulfilling the respective conditionality, viz. early registration of pregnancy, ante-natal check-up and registration of the birth of the child and completion of first cycle of vaccination for the first living child of the family. The eligible beneficiaries also receive cash incentive under Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY). Thus, on an average, a woman gets Rs. 6,000. Joint Unveiling of Buddha Statue by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and President of Mongolia HE Mr. Khaltmaagiin Battulga Installed at the historic Gandan Tegchenling Monastery in Ulaanbaatar Prime Minister had offered prayers at the Gandan Tegchenling Monastery during his visit to Mongolia in 2015 and had announced to gift a statue of Lord Buddha to the monastery, underlining the common Buddhist heritage and civilizational links between our two countries and peoples. The Statue depicts Lord Buddha in a sitting posture along with his two disciples conveying the message of compassion along with peace and co-existence. The statue was installed and consecrated at the Gandan Monastery earlier this month during the third edition of SAMVAAD dialogue held in Ulaanbaatar from 6 – 7 September 2019. Third edition of SAMVAAD dialogue brought together Buddhist religious leaders, experts and scholars from different countries to deliberate on contemporary issues related to Buddhism. Gandan Tegchenling Monastery is a prominent centre of Mongolian Buddhists and a treasure house of valuable Buddhist heritage. It hosted the 11th General Assembly of Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace (ABCP) from 21-23 June 2019 marking the 50th anniversary of the Conference. Over 150 guests from 14 countries including India, South Korea, Russia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, North Korea, LPDR, Thailand, Japan etc. had participated in the event. India and Mongolia are not just 'Strategic Partners' but also 'Spiritual Neighbours' connected by our shared Buddhist Heritage The President appreciated Mongolia for its consistent support to India’s candidature for permanent membership of the UN Security Council.  He also appreciated Mongolia’s decision to join the 'International Solar Alliance’. He said that this will strengthen our partnership in the renewable energy sector and help us combat Climate Change. Centuries-old people-to-people exchanges have been the bedrock of our ties. Buddhist monks and traders from India traveled to Mongolia with the message of peace, harmony and friendship. Similarly, over the ages, Mongolian scholars and pilgrims came to India in pursuit of Buddhist studies and spiritual blessings. This ageless tradition continues. India, today, is privileged to host around 800 Mongolian students engaged in Buddhist studies. ISRO and DRDO ink MoUs to provide technologies for human centric systems for Human Space Mission Aim: To demonstrate its human space flight capabilities The technological capabilities existing in DRDO laboratories for defence applications will be customised to meet the requirements of the human space mission of ISRO. Some of the critical technologies to be provided by DRDO to ISRO include space food, space crew health monitoring and emergency survival kit, radiation measurement and protection, parachutes for safe recovery of crew module and others. Air-to-Air missile Astra successfully flight tested from Su-30 MKI: The missile was launched from Su-30 MKI as a part of User trials. The live aerial target was engaged accurately demonstrating the capability of first indigenous air-to-air missile. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight tested the Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) ‘Astra’ from Su-30 MKI platform: Astra BVRAAM has range of more than 100 kms with modern guidance and navigation techniques. The missile has midcourse guidance and RF seeker based terminal guidance to achieve target destruction with pin point accuracy. The present flight trials have proved the end to end performance of the missile system in various combat scenarios giving greater confidence to users. The five successful trials of Astra will culminate into induction of the missile system into Indian Air Force, which will certainly be a force multiplier considering its accuracy and effectiveness in neutralizing aerial threats.

UPSC Question Papers

UPSC General Studies Paper - 2 (GS 2) 2019: UPSC MAINS 2019: UPSC CIVIL SERVICES MAINS EXAM

UPSC General Studies Paper - 2 (GS 2) 2019: UPSC MAINS 2019: UPSC CIVIL SERVICES MAINS EXAM Download - UPSC Mains: General Studies Paper -2 (GS 2) - 2019   There are TWENTY questions. Answers to questions no. 1 to 10 should be in 150 words, whereas answers to questions no. 11 to 20 should be in 250 words. Q1. Do you think Constitution of India does not accept principle of strict separation of powers rather it is based on the principle of ‘checks and balance’? Explain. (10 Marks) Q2. “The Central Administrative Tribunal which was established for redressal of grievances and complaints by or against central government employees, nowadays is exercising its powers as an independent judicial authority.” Explain. (10 Marks)      Q3. What are the methods used by the farmer’s organizations to influence the policy-makers in India and how effective are these methods? (10 Marks) Q4. From the resolution of contentious issues regarding distribution of legislative powers by the courts, ‘Principle of Federal Supremacy’ and ‘Harmonious Construction’ have emerged. Explain. (10 Marks) Q5. What can France learn from the Indian Constitution’s approach to secularism? (10 Marks) Q6. Despite Consistent experience of high growth, India still goes with the lowest indicators of human development. Examine the issues that make balanced and inclusive development elusive. (10 Marks)   Q7. There is a growing divergence in the relationship between poverty and hunger in India. The shrinking of social expenditure by the government is forcing the poor to spend more on non-food essential items squeezing their food-budget – Elucidate. (10 marks)  Q8. Implementation of Information and Communication technology (ICT) based projects/programmes usually suffers in terms of certain vital factors. Identify these factors and suggest measures for their effective implementation. (10 marks)  Q9. ‘The time has come for India and Japan to build a strong contemporary relationship, one involving global and strategic partnership that will have a great significance for Asia and the world as a whole.’ Comment. (10 marks)  Q10. ‘Too little cash, too much politics, leaves UNESCO fighting for life.’ Discuss the statement in the light of US’ withdrawal and its accusation of the cultural body as being ‘anti-Israel bias’. (10 marks)  Q11. On what grounds a people’s representative can be disqualified under the representation of people act, 1951? Also mention the remedies available to such person against his disqualification. (15 marks)  Q12. “Parliament’s power to amend the constitution is a limited power and it cannot be enlarged into absolute power”. In the light of this statement explain whether parliament under article 368 of the constitution can destroy the Basic structure of the constitution by expanding its amending power? (15 marks)  Q13. “The reservation of seats for women in the institution of local self-government has had a limited impact on the patriarchal character of the Indian political process”. Comment. (15 marks) Q14. “The Attorney-General is the chief legal adviser and lawyer of the Government of India.” Discuss  (15 Marks) Q15. Individual parliamentarian’s role as the national law maker is on a decline, which in turn, has adversely impacted the quality of debates and their outcome. Discuss. (15 marks) Q16. ‘In the context of neo-liberal paradigm of developmental planning, multi-level planning is expected to make operations cost-effective and remove many implementation blockages’- Discuss (15 marks) Q17. The need for cooperation among various service sectors has been an inherent component of development discourse. Partnership bridges the gap among the sectors. It also sets in motion a culture of ‘collaboration’ and ‘team spirit’. In the light of statements above examine India’s development process. (15 marks) Q18. Performance of welfare schemes that are implemented for vulnerable sections is not so effective due to absence of their awareness and active involvement at all stages of policy process. Discuss (15 marks) Q19. “The long sustained image of India as a leader of the oppressed and marginalised nations has disappeared on account of its new found role in the emerging global order.’ Elaborate (15 Marks) Q20. What introduces friction into the ties between India and United States is that Washington is still unable to find for India a position in its global strategy, which would satisfy India’s national self-esteem and ambitions’. Explain with suitable examples. (15 Marks)

UPSC Question Papers

UPSC General Studies Paper - 1 (GS 1) 2019: UPSC MAINS 2019: UPSC CIVIL SERVICES MAINS EXAM

UPSC General Studies Paper - 1 (GS 1) 2019: UPSC MAINS 2019: UPSC CIVIL SERVICES MAINS EXAM   Download - UPSC Mains: General Studies Paper -1 (GS 1) - 2019 There are TWENTY questions. Answers to questions no. 1 to 10 should be in 150 words, whereas answers to questions no. 11 to 20 should be in 250 words. Q1. Highlight the Central Asian and Greco -Bactrian elements in the Gandhara art. (Answer in 150 words) Q2. The 1857 Uprising was the culmination of the recurrent big and small local rebellions that had occurred in the preceding hundred years of British rule. Elucidate (Answer in 150 words) Q3. Examine the linkages between 19th centuries ‘Indian renaissance’ and emergence of national identity. (Answer in 150 words) Q4. Assess the impact of global warming on coral life system with examples. (Answer in 150 words) Q5.Discuss the causes of depletion of mangroves and explain their importance in maintaining coastal ecology. (Answer in 150 words) Q6. Can the strategy of regional-resource based manufacturing help in promoting employment in India? (Answer in 150 words) Q7. Discuss the factors for localization of agro-based food processing industries of North West India. (Answer in 150 words) Q8. What makes the Indian society unique in sustaining its culture? Discuss. (Answer in 150 words) Q9. “Empowering women is the key to control population growth”. Discuss (Answer in 150 words) Q10. What are the challenges to our cultural practices in the name of secularism (Answer in 150 words) Q11. Many voices had strengthened and enriched the nationalist movement during the Gandhian phase. Elaborate (Answer in 250 words) Q12. Assess the role of British imperial power in complicating the process of transfer of power during 1940s. (Answer in 250 words) Q13. Explain how the foundations of modern world were laid by the American and French revolution. (Answer in 250 words) Q14. What is water stress? How and why does it differ regionally in India? (Answer in 250 words) Q15. How can the mountain ecosystem be restored from the negative impact of development initiatives and tourism? (Answer in 250 words) Q16. How is efficient and affordable urban mass transport key to the rapid economic development of India? (Answer in 250 words) Q17. How do ocean currents and water masses differ in their impacts on marine life and coastal environment? Give suitable examples? (Answer in 250 words) Q18. Do we have cultural pockets of small India all over the nation? Elaborate with examples (Answer in 250 words) Q19. What are the continued challenges for women in India against time and space? (Answer in 250 words) Q20. Are we losing our local identity for the global identity? Discuss.  (Answer in 250 words)

Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 20th September 2019

IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 20th September 2019 Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) INS Khanderi Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III - Security In News INS Khanderi fully-automated submarine and the second of the six Scorpene Class submarines, will be commissioned on September 28, 2019 It is built by State-owned Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd, India’s biggest warship builder, under a transfer of technology agreement with French naval defence and energy group DCNS The submarine ‘KHANDERI’ is named after the wide snouted Saw fish, a deadly sea predator of the great Indian Ocean. Six Scorpene class submarines are being built under Project 75 which can undertake various types of missions i.e Anti-Surface warfare, Anti-Submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying, area surveillance etc. The first of the six scorpene class submarine named INS Kalvari was commissioned into the Indian Navy on September 2018. The constructions of third Scorpene KARANJ, was started in 2018, and is currently undergoing the rigorous phase of sea trials. The other three submarines VELA, VAGIR and VAGSHEER, are in various stages of development. The last of the submarines will be delivered by 2022. NEAT Scheme Part of: GS Prelims and Mains GS-II - Education In News Ministry of HRD has announced a new PPP Scheme, National Educational Alliance for Technology (NEAT) for using technology for better learning outcomes in Higher Education The objective is to use Artificial Intelligence to make learning more personalized and customised as per the requirements of the learner. MHRD would create and maintain a National NEAT platform that would provide one-stop access to these technological solutions. AICTE would be the implementing agency for NEAT programme. EdTech companieswould be responsible for developing solutions and managing registration of learners through the NEAT portal. EdTech companies would also have to offer free coupons to the extent of 25% of their total registrations. MHRD would distribute these free coupons to the most socially/economically backward students Right to access internet Part of: GS Prelims and Mains GS-II -Governance In News The Kerala High Court held that the right to have access to the Internet is part of the fundamental right to education as well as the right to privacy under Article 21 of the Constitution. HC made the observation while ordering the Principal of Sree Narayanaguru College, Kozhikode, to re-admit a student who had been expelled from the college hostel for using her mobile phone beyond the restricted hours The following observations were made by the court The Human Rights Council of the United Nationshas found that the right of access to Internet is a fundamental freedom and a tool to ensure right to education. Mobile phones, once a luxury, have now become "part and parcel of the day to day life and even to a stage that it is unavoidable to survive with dignity and freedom” Enforcement of discipline by hostel authorities shall not beby blocking the ways and means of the students to acquire knowledge. Do You know? In S.Puttaswamy Vs Union of India case, nine judge Supreme Court bench upheld that the right to privacy is protected as a fundamental constitutional right under Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution of India In 2016, the United Nations Human Rights Council released a non-binding resolutioncondemning intentional disruption of internet access by governments. The resolution reaffirmed that "the same rights people have offline must also be protected online" NIRVIK scheme Part of: GS Prelims and Mains GS-III – Indian Economy In News Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India (ECGC)has introduced ‘NIRVIK’ scheme to ease the lending process and enhance loan availability for exporters. Export credit insurance (ECI) protects an exporter of products and services against the risk of non-payment by a foreign buyer The ECI significantly reduces the payment risks associated with doing international business by giving the exporter conditional assurance that payment will be made if the foreign buyer is unable to pay At present ECGC provides a cover of 60% of the loss to banks. The new NIRVIK scheme will provide 90% coverage of the principal and interest of the loan for pre- and post-shipment credit, and half of this will be provided in 30 days The existing premium rate would also be lowered under the new scheme The scheme is thus expected to bring down the cost of credit due to capital relief, less provision requirement and liquidity due to quick settlement of claims. ECGC is a fully government-owned company that was established in 1957 to promote exports by providing credit insurance services. (MAINS FOCUS) HEALTH TOPIC: General Studies 2: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources. The ban on e-cigarettes Context: The Union Cabinet had approved an ordinance banning production, import, distribution and sale of electronic cigarettes. Any production, import, export, sale (including online), distribution or advertisement, and storage of e-cigarettes is a cognisable offence punishable with imprisonment or fine, or both. e-cigarettes: An electronic cigarette (or e-cig) is a battery-powered vaporizer that mimics tobacco smoking. It works by heating up a nicotine liquid, called “juice.” Nicotine juice (or e-juice) comes in various flavors and nicotine levels. e-liquid is composed of five ingredients: vegetable glycerin (a material used in all types of food and personal care products, like toothpaste) and propylene glycol (a solvent most commonly used in fog machines.) propylene glycol is the ingredient that produces thicker clouds of vapor. E-cigarettes, do not burn tobacco leaves. Instead these battery-operated devices produce aerosol by heating a solution containing among other things, nicotine. Proponents of e-cigs argue that the practice is healthier than traditional cigarettes because users are only inhaling water vapor and nicotine. Why ban? The Centre claims the decision to ban e-cigarettes was taken as they were a health risk to the youth. Seven deaths have been recorded in the U.S. — the largest consumer of e-cigarettes in the world — where, New York recently banned the sale of flavoured e-cigarettes. the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and possibly cardiovascular disease and other diseases also associated with smoking. some compounds in the aerosol are toxic substances that have known deleterious effects, and might just be less harmful than cigarettes, not harmless. WHO’s  stand: WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) outlines, these devices can only be believed to succeed if smokers have moved on to an alternative nicotine source, and then stopped using that too There is evidence now that vaping, dangled as a cool, fun, activity, lures youngsters, and ironically, serves to introduce them to smoking Conclusion: The Centre’s move to ban these products shows a welcome intolerance of anything that impacts negatively on the health and wellness of the people of the country The government, already on the right path, must go all out to ensure that its ban is implemented earnestly in letter and spirit, unlike the patchy execution of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act. POLITY TOPIC: General Studies 2: Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein. Hindi as a national language Home Minister Amit Shah recently asserted that the nationwide adoption of Hindi is the only way India can be united. Why? It is important to have a language of the whole country which should become the identity of India globally. Hindi can unite the country since it is the most spoken language. There is a huge influence of English on the citizens of India. History: The attempt to impose Hindi on the entire country by the Congress in 1965 had led to parts of the country literally burning, with instances of self-immolation in erstwhile Madras State. People of southern India saw this as an attempted cultural cleansing no less. Southern people’s perspective: The people of southern India hold strongly to the idea that they are Dravidian language speakers. Hindi belongs to the group of Indo-European languages and is no less foreign in their reckoning than English is to them. Giving a reason that Hindi is spoken by the largest number is no more than crass majoritarianism. Uttar Pradesh is perceived as an area of backwardness with mob lynching erupting on the watch of a complicit state. Recent study: Study shows ‘knowledge of English’ and ‘Internet access’ turned out to be the most significant. Gender, caste and knowledge of Hindi did not matter. Crux: The ruler Ashoka of the Maurya dynasty trying to unify the peoples of his far-flung kingdom through ideals not through linguistic nationalism.(Asoka’s edicts in different languages is the proof) It is a fallacy to imagine that we need a common language to feel connected. Indians already feel connected due to a shared history of several millennia. Constitutionality: According to Article-343, Hindi (in Devanagari script) is the official language of the Union. Under Article-351, it is the duty of the Union to encourage the spread of the Hindi language so that it may serve as a medium of communication. Conclusion: For Hindi to be adopted by the people of southern India today they must hold a similar view of the society of their northern cousins. there may have been some of this during the national movement, as its pre-eminent leaders came from the north, there is little to commend the region to them today. Connecting the dots: People of India can be unified through ideals not through linguistic nationalism . justify? (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Note:  Featured Comments and comments Up-voted by IASbaba are the “correct answers”. IASbaba App users – Team IASbaba will provide correct answers in comment section. Kindly refer to it and update your answers. Q.1) Kalvari, Khanderi and Karanj often seen in the news is related to which of the following area? New varieties of plant species discovered in Western Ghats Aircraft Carriers Submarines built by India None of the above Q.2) Supreme Court in K.S.Puttaswamy Vs Union of India case upheld which of the following principle? Doctrine of Basic Structure Transgender Identity Right to Privacy as part of Article 21 None of the above Q.3) Consider the following statements about National Educational Alliance for Technology (NEAT) It is a PPP scheme by Ministry of Human Resource Development for better learning outcomes in primary Education The objective of the scheme is to use Artificial Intelligence to make learning more personalized and customised as per the requirements of the learner. Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct? 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.4) Consider the following statements about NIRVIK scheme It is a scheme to ease the lending process and enhance loan availability for exporters. The scheme is being implemented by Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India, which is Special Purpose vehicle created by Ministry of Commerce and Confederation of Indian Industry(CII) Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct? 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 MUST READ Over the hills and far, far away The Hindu  Maths helped Einstein; it can help the economy too The Hindu Can Hindi unite India? The Hindu  Idea of one country, one language  Indian Express  Conduct of Foreigners Tribunals in Assam is questionable Indian Express    Joining RCEP should be seen as an extension of New Delhi’s Look East policy Indian Express