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IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs [Prelims + Mains Focus] - 2nd June 2018

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs (Prelims + Mains Focus)- 2nd June 2018 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) PM Modi's visit to Singapore Part of: Mains GS Paper II- International relations Key pointers: Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently visited Singapore. India has formalised a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) in nursing with Singapore which would allow nurses trained in seven nursing institutions across India to gain employment in the South-East Asian country. India and Singapore concluded the second review of India-Singapore Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA). India and Singapore agreed to expand the coverage of tariff concessions, liberalise the rules of origin and incorporate new product specific rules (PSRs) to further enhance trade between the two countries. Both countires agreed to deepen their economic and defence ties as they signed eight agreements including one on logistics cooperation between their navies. Cess on sugar Part of: Mains GS Paper II- International relations Key pointers: The proposal to introduce a cess on sugar has been green-lighted by the Law Ministry. The cess will come into effect only if and when the GST Council approves it. Cess is different from GST. It used to be an additionality during the VAT (Value added Tax) regime; so it (the cess) can be applied. The Finance Ministry will now file a special leave petition in the Supreme Court as there is an interim order on a petition challenging the constitutional validity of the Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to States) Act, 2017. The proposal envisages the imposition of cess at a rate not exceeding Rs. 3 per kg on supply of sugar” (over and above GST at 5 per cent). The fund collected will be used to create a fund, which will enable the Centre to make prompt interventions to protect the interests of farmers, in view of the extreme cyclical nature of industry. Before the GST introduction, a cess was being collected under the Sugar Cess Act, 1982, as excise duty for the purpose of a Sugar Development Fund. The money thus collected was used to help the industry on various fronts, including settling farmer dues. This cess was subsumed in the GST. (MAINS FOCUS) INTERNATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 2: India and its neighbourhood- relations. Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests India-ASEAN: India needs to play a bigger role in the region In news: Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Singapore recently to focus on three increasingly interconnected themes — the strategic, economic and technological. On all three, there is a new dynamism to the east of India and Singapore is at the heart of it. The Shangri La Dialogue: It is the annual conclave in Singapore that brings together the region’s defence ministers and senior military officials. The Dialogue is organised by the London-based International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) with the support of the Singapore government. For nearly two decades, the Shangri La Dialogue had provided a useful venue for the Indian defence establishment to engage its counterparts in Asia. Yet Delhi’s participation in this forum has turned out to be erratic. Rapid deterioration in US-China relations: Reacting to China’s relentless militarisation of the South China Sea, Washington has uninvited Beijing from the world’s largest maritime exercises, called RimPac, held every two years. A trade war between Washington and Beijing is also ongoing. There is no sign of an early resolution of the economic disputes between the world’s two largest economies. The current conflict is not limited to the question of trade deficits but has also enveloped the high technology sector, which has seen growing interdependence between US and Chinese companies in recent decades. On the political front, Trump has accused Beijing of sabotaging the US efforts to resolve the nuclear dispute with North Korea. China, apparently, is quite anxious of being cut out of a political settlement in the Korean Peninsula brokered by the US. The Southeast Asian region had benefited immensely from traditional security cooperation with the US and the deepening economic engagement with a rising China in recent decades. The uncertain trajectory of US-China relations has cast a dark cloud over ASEAN’s benign economic and political environment of the last three decades. Much of the region to the east of India is scrambling to adapt to the new dynamic between China and the US. India and ASEAN: Issues Since the end of the Cold War, the ASEAN has sought to draw India into the region as a stabilising force. But it has been disappointed by the tentativeness of India’s defence diplomacy in the region at the bilateral as well as multilateral levels. The government needs to bridge the gap between Delhi’s rhetoric on being a “net security provider” in the region and the lack of concrete matching actions. The Trump Administration’s approach to trade has taken the logic of globalisation for granted. As the South Asian region seeks to secure its interests through consolidation of trade agreements with other nations, it finds India a frustrating interlocutor. Delhi is widely seen in the region as a spoiler in the trade negotiations. Way ahead: The government needs to assure the South Asian region India is flexible and prepared to bring the negotiations to an early closure. Concluding the long-pending review of the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement with Singapore will send out a positive signal to its Asian partners. Formal integration of the digital payments systems of the two countries is also planned. Once it is done, Indian holders of the “RuPay” cards will be able to make financial transactions in Singapore. Similarly, residents of Singapore could use the local NETS cards to make purchases in India and its e-commerce portals. India’s overly complex regulations prevent the full realisation of the potential for digital financial connectivity between India and Singapore. They also limit the possibilities for a greater alignment between the expansive innovation ecosystem in Singapore and the technology hubs in India. India needs to significantly improve the policy environment for innovation in India and discard the bureaucratic defensiveness about global engagement on advanced technologies. Conclusion: An India that misses the current opportunities for technological advancement will inevitably diminish its ability to shape the regional economic, political and military order. The pace and effectiveness of adaptation to the current technological revolution will define the future power hierarchy in Asia. Connecting the dots: Given rapid deterioration of relations between China and USA, it is time India plays a bigger role in the Southeast Asian region. Comment. (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Q.1) Which of the following statements is/are true regarding the Shangri La Dialogue? It is the annual conclave in Singapore that brings together the region’s defence ministers and senior military officials. The Dialogue is organised by the London-based International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) with the support of the Singapore government The first meeting was held in 2002. Select the correct option 1 only 1 and 2 only 1, 2 and 3 None of the above MUST READ Anatomy of an outbreak The Hindu Unhappiest in South Asia Indian Express

RSTV Video

RSTV- The Big Picture : Anti-Terror Day: Combating Terror

Anti-Terror Day: Combating Terror Archives TOPIC: General Studies 3 Security challenges and their management in border areas; linkages of organized crime with terrorism Terrorism has time and again raised its ugly head - it is a global menace that several countries are trying to deal with on a war footing. From the USA to Asia, no continent is free from the problems of terror. New Delhi has been raising the issue with other countries bilaterally and at international forums to try and tackle the problem over the years. India has had to deal with both foreign terrorists and local elements from time to time. If there is one common agenda as far as world leaders are concerned, it is to fight terror. Thousands of lives have been lost due to terror related activities. Yet there are some nations that use it as a tool of state policy and try to further their goals. Unfortunately, we as responsible nation-states, do not even agree to a common definition of terrorism. The most worrying aspect of global terrorism is that individuals who are already on the CT machinery radar are seen committing carnage. Even with bulk interception, there is no guarantee that attacks would be prevented since analysis is not catching up with collection. Delhi Declaration of India The Delhi Declaration of India and 10 ASEAN countries mentioned, for the first time, “cross-border movement of terrorists” and made a commitment to counter the challenge through “close cooperation”. In an endorsement of the longstanding Indian view, these leaders not only agreed on a comprehensive approach to counter “foreign terrorist fighters”, but also supported efforts to target terror groups and sanctuaries. While stressing that “there can be no justification for acts of terror on any grounds whatsoever,” the Delhi Declaration on the 25th anniversary of the ASEAN-India partnership also said that they would “deepen cooperation in combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, violent extremism and radicalisation through information sharing, law enforcement cooperation and capacity building under the existing ASEAN-led mechanisms”. For the past many decades, India has been a victim of cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir. Its efforts to garner international support to diplomatically isolate Pakistan have borne fruit in recent years, particularly with the recent statements issued by the Trump administration. But other countries, whose support is critical, have not been as forthcoming in targeting Pakistan, allowing Islamabad to get away with patronising — or at least turning a blind eye towards — India-centric terror groups and leaders. This joint statement with ASEAN leaders could embolden New Delhi’s efforts to list Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, and pressure Pakistan to take action against Mumbai terror attack mastermind and Jamaat-ud-Dawa founder Hafiz Saeed. The Way Ahead Is our preventive machinery able to match the changing terrorist methodology? - Unfortunately, governments follow linear thinking. What appear in our discourses are lists of new special squads, better weaponry, satellite imagery, coastal radars and transponders to prevent coastal infiltration. No doubt these are relevant in certain situations but is our counter-terrorist architecture flexible enough to match or surpass the exponential thinking of terrorists? Not having any reliable record of our overseas workers who are the source of such recruitment - The former Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA), which was trying to collect such data during the UPA government’s tenure, was merged with the Ministry of External Affairs after the present NDA government took over. This was a retrograde step as a single-point high-level attention on our overseas workers that had been going on since 2004 was relegated to a minor wing of our vast diplomatic apparatus due to inter-ministerial squabbles. Empowered Soldiers: For a country that takes pride in its modern, technologically advanced military, India still relies heavily on putting more boots on the ground and on the calibre of the soldier. It is time the Defence Ministry adopted a holistic approach, making sure that the soldier is fully backed by technology and calibrated security drills. Preventing terrorists from scoring a strike is the best defence. Intelligence Sharing: To deal with the terror threat, there must be far greater sharing of intelligence among agencies worldwide. One of the major challenges that all intelligence agencies face is a qualitative understanding of the newer, and many post-modern threats. These newer generation threats, including those by terror groups and outfits, often lie “below the radar” or beyond the horizon. Anticipating such threats and their nature requires intelligence agencies to be constantly ahead of the curve. Anticipating newer threats is only partly facilitated by today’s technical advances such as new computing and communication technologies. However, these alone are not often enough to meet today’s intelligence needs. Social Media and Youth: Impressionable minds are very easily lured on the World Wide Web. Terrorism has to be fought at the level of political subversion and that's where social media plays an enormous role, both by the state and others including terrorists. So the actual fight is sometime misunderstood to be on the ground. That’s not where the fight is indeed. Fight on the ground often has a negative influence on state agencies and forces. Political subversion is the ultimate power of terrorism and that is the ultimate aim and that's where it has to be fought and political engagement therefore is important. Must Read: Link 1 + Link 2 Connecting the Dots: India has the disadvantage of being situated in close proximity to what is being described as the epicentre of global terrorism. In the light of this statement, examine the challenges to India’s internal security What is ‘state sponsored terrorism’? Give suitable examples. Is India a victim of this type of terrorism? Substantiate. Terrorist organisations and organised crime cartels have not only appropriated each other’s methodologies but have also developed a symbiotic relationship. Do you agree? Illustrate.

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs [Prelims + Mains Focus] - 1st June 2018

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs (Prelims + Mains Focus)- 1st June 2018 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) US- Indo Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) Part of: Mains GS Paper II- International relations Key pointers: The US military has renamed its Pacific Command to US-Indo Pacific Command, underlining the growing connectivity between India and Pacific Oceans.   The symbolic move came in recognition of the growing importance of the Indian Ocean in US strategic thinking. Henceforth, the US Pacific Command, or PACOM, which was formed after World War II, will be known as the Indo-Pacific Command. Soon after coming to power, the Trump administration had renamed Asia Pacific as Indo-Pacific and identified India as one bookend of the region. America continues to invest vigorously in Indo-Pacific stability, bolstering the free and open rules-based international order that has enabled this region to grow and thrive for over 70 years. 'Mission Raftaar' Part of: Mains GS Paper III- Infrastructure Key pointers: The Indian Railways recently conducted a one-day workshop 'Mission Raftaar' in which officials discussed ways to increase the average speed of freight and passenger trains. This workshop is an exercise with the top management of the railways to brainstorm about increase in speed of freight and passenger trains. Issues such as "punctuality, rolling stock, removing bottlenecks in terms of traffic, elimination of unmanned level crossings were discussed. 'Mission Raftaar' aims at doubling the average speed of freight trains and increasing the average speed of coaching trains by 25 kmph over a five-year period. The average speed of freight trains is 24 kmph and that of passenger trains, excluding suburban trains, is 44 kmph. Increasing the average speed of trains is considered essential for reducing travel time for passengers, transit time for cargo, operational cost, and improving revenues and the railway's market share. (MAINS FOCUS) NATIONAL TOPIC:General Studies 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation The issue of doping in sports In news: In the recently concluded Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast, Australia, the Indian contingent got rapped for alleged violations of the “No Needle Policy”. The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has decided to implement a similar policy. Zero tolerance is welcome. The culture of casual doping amongst athletes needs to change. The reasons for the malaise are many — peer pressure, irresponsible advisers and fellow athletes, unscrupulous coaches, easy availability, poorly administered federations and, of course, human fallibility. Background: India had dropped from third to sixth place on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) 2016 List of Offenders. What makes India’s position unique is that it’s too high on this list, disproportionately so to the levels of its sporting achievement. Rules in India: Indian anti-doping rules mirror the WADA code and prescribe a framework of strict liability. For this, the athlete first needs to establish how the prohibited substance entered his/her system. This burden is justifiably onerous. In reality, it disables an athlete caught in inadvertent doping. Inadvertent doping is due to contaminated or mislabelled supplements, misguided medical treatment and at worst, sabotage. Harmless food supplements like proteins or vitamins used by athletes are often from unreliable sources like private shops or online purchase. A recent initiative by the Foods and Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) to test and certify supplements is still to be fully operationalised. Way ahead: The government should create a source for safe permitted supplements. It would curb accidental doping. An athlete accused of inadvertent doping cannot get supplements tested for contamination, having no access to authorised laboratories. The National Dope-Testing Laboratory (NDTL) is accessible only to NADA or the government. Any anti-doping initiative should aggressively focus not only on detection but also on education and awareness. Athletes, support staff, federations, sports medical personnel must be equipped with well-conceived literature, consultation and workshops. Current efforts are inadequate. NADA’s efforts need to be supplemented by a cadre of indigenous anti-doping experts. No needle policy: The AFI has declared that they have drawn up a two-page protocol which would be distributed to all athletes at national camps and training centres. While we await the details, a few caveats. As a policy, this will be separate from the Anti-Doping Rules and will have to be implemented in silos. The infringement of policy can lead to a disciplinary action but not an anti-doping sanction. An impenetrable infrastructure needs to be put in place first, so that cases of sabotage (simply planting a needle in a competitor’s room) does not become rampant. Restorative, rather than simply retributive justice: A framework must be created to constructively counsel athletes to understand the real causes, degrees of fault and administrative lapses. We must recognise the socio-cultural reality of our sportspersons. Quite a few are from semi-urban or rural backgrounds. To them, sports is the only route to a better economic status. Literacy and language are serious impediments. They are subject to the whims and dictates of administrators. Amidst such intense pressure, they compete and carry our nation’s hopes. But when they err, or are accused of doing so, we disclaim all responsibility. Sports federations, more famous for politicking, must take this blame upfront. Connecting the dots: Making doping a criminal offence is an unsustainable idea which would subject athletes to an already crippled criminal justice system. Restorative, rather than retributive justice should be focused on. Discuss. NATIONAL TOPIC:General Studies 2: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections. Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation Mandatory pre-litigation mediation in commercial dispute In news: Mandatory pre-litigation mediation in commercial disputes has been introduced by the recent Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts (Amendment) Ordinance, 2018, which amends the Commercial Courts Act of 2015. This amendment is expected to alter parties’ sense of responsibility in resolving disputes. Mandatory pre-litigation mediation puts the ball in the court of the parties involved, rather than looking at external agencies like courts, and urges them to engage with and resolve disputes. The meaning of mediation: The Commercial Courts Act was legislated to improve the enforcement of contracts, as part of improving the ease of doing business. The law defines “commercial disputes” to include regular commercial and business contracts, construction contracts, shareholder agreements, licensing agreements, etc. The law makes changes for reduction of timelines, tightening processes and designating special commercial courts and commercial divisions to deal with these disputes, among others. New rules: The ordinance stipulates that no suits concerning commercial disputes will be filed under this Act unless the person filing the suit exhausts the remedy of pre-litigation mediation. If an urgent interim relief is required, this pre-litigation mediation can be dispensed with. However, in all other cases, the mediation is mandatory and will be conducted within a period of three months (extendable by another two months with the consent of the parties). Any settlement arrived at through mediation will have the status of an arbitral award on agreed terms and be enforceable like a decree of court. Importantly, the time limits for filing cases will pause during the time the pre-litigation mediation is underway. Mediation: Mediation is a process of resolution of disputes by the parties to them. It involves discussion of the conflicts, moving out of the loop of allegations and counter-allegations, and assessing where interests lie in resolving the disputes. Options for settlement are explored and a settlement is worked out through joint evaluation. The process is managed by a neutral person called the mediator, who may evaluate the disputes and weigh in on options for settlement (a variant called conciliation) but has no authority to impose a settlement. Other legislations: Mediation, and mandatory mediation specifically, is not new in India. The Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, makes a settlement arrived at through conciliation enforceable like a court decree. Under the Code of Civil Procedure, judges can refer cases to mediation. The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Development Act, 2006, mandates conciliation when disputes arise on payments to MSMEs. The Italian case: Mediation policies in other countries mandate mediations through various mechanisms, with good effect. Italy, which faces a high rate of pendency of cases, has adopted what is referred to as ‘opt out’ mandatory mediation. In 2010 and 2013, it introduced a law for pre-litigation mediation. Attempts to mediate were made mandatory for certain disputes (like partition and joint ownership of property) before a case was filed in court. Another approach to mediation policy has been to impose costs on disputants refusing to mediate, as is done in the U.K. Conclusion: The ordinance is an important step in mainstreaming mediation, but it is not enough. There is a need for a comprehensive policy on mediation, rather than the abbreviated and disconnected steps so far. This policy would encapsulate the process, the role and professional responsibilities of mediators, the rights and obligations of parties in the process, and the outcome of the mediation agreement. Connecting the dots: Mandatory pre-litigation mediation in commercial disputes has been introduced recently. Discuss the importance and need of having such mechanism. (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Q.1) 'Mission Raftaar' is related to which of the following? Select the correct option Cobalt (Co) Nickel (Ni) Increasing the speed of freight and passenger trains All of the above MUST READ How to be garbage free? The Hindu Achieving universal health coverage in India Livemint The agricultural core of the macroeconomic problem today Livemint DRDO is headless again Business Line

Motivational Articles

MOTIVATION: Final Words and Prelims Tips before the D-Day (3rd June 2018)- Vaibhava Srivastava Rank 1 IFoS and Rank 98 UPSC CSE 2017

Hello Friends, I am a Mechanical Engineer from NITK Surathkal and I worked with ITC Limited for three years before getting into Civil Services preparation. I, fortunately, found a place in the “holy PDF” this year, twice. I secured All India Rank 1 in IFS (Indian Forest Service) and All India Rank 98 in Civil Services 2017. I write to you because last year someone else’s words (Mittali ma’am) gave strength and succour to a nervous, under-confident me; and I realized the power of words. Our lives are very different, yet, there are some common strands in stories of all us aspirants. I had previously written Prelims thrice and could never clear. All my failures and the one final success has some clues and hacks about what worked and didn’t for me, which I would like to share with you. Friends, managing your time, temperament and attitude is very important for you in the next three days. Below are a few pointers which, I think, could be helpful for you - Discipline & focus in the last two days plus quick planned revision Do not lose steam now. You are almost there. Surprise yourself and work super hard now. What we revise in the last one or two days stays the freshest in our memory. If a lot is left to revise, take a judgment call, prioritise the portions you will revise in the time left and stick to it. Take up small portions of each subject and revise them in a time bound manner. The more factual topics could be done just one day before, the conceptual ones today. Fix time slots for yourself and push yourself to revise the portions within them no matter what. Move on to the next topic if you are unable to complete and come back if time permits. I truly believe we can cover the same portions in 8 hours, 4 hours, 2 hours or half an hour. It matters the urgency and the sense of purpose. Also, don’t get fixated on covering a subject in entirety now. Right now, try to increase the breadth of your revision, rather than depth. For example, revise only Spectrum for Modern India and cover another subject/topic instead of revising Bipan Chandra too. The nerve game – Before the exam So, last year three days before the prelims I decided that I am not going to write the exam. I thought I will leave home for the centre and come back without writing and not waste an attempt. I felt very ill-prepared. I had not completed a single test series. I had done IASBaba’s 60 days plan and not revised. Vision’s PT 365 I had only read once and only partially revised. Besides, I had gone through a good deal of personal turmoil and was distraught, depressed and in pain. I spoke to my best friend, Nikhil and that conversation somehow gave me solace and peace.  I gathered all the courage I could muster, kept preparing and wrote the exam. I ended up clearing cut-off for IFS too. Besides our knowledge, this exam tests our mental strength. How much we can keep moving forward against the toughest situation. If you are going through this, please know you must keep moving forward. The best way out of this is through this. Speak to the ones you love, crib your heart out and get back in the game. Just hang in there, keep faith in all you have done and know that things will change for good. And they will. At the same time, if you fall in any of the below categories, it might not be a great idea to write it after all – You want to give the exam a “try”, and haven’t studied at all (My first attempt while working) You have just recently started preparation and haven’t even covered the basic books once and are hoping for a miracle in the exam (my second attempt, two months into preparation) The baggage of failed attempts is insurmountable. Please don’t put yourself through it. Nature of the exam – Analytical paper and not a mere test of knowledge Over the last 2-3 years, especially the last year, prelims has become a completely analytical paper which needs to be ‘solved’. You cannot go with the mindset of marking only those questions that you absolutely know for sure, unless there are 70 plus such questions (which is very very rare, even the ones who score the highest marks are not 100% sure of more than 50-55 questions). Herein comes the role of various strategies like intelligent guessing and elimination. You must solve the rest of the paper, the ones that you know something about. This is also to factor in the silly mistakes that you will inadvertently make. Everybody does. Start with answering the questions which you are completely sure of. Then start solving the rest of the questions. Start with elimination and then move to intelligent guessing. You can follow a few pointers about solving the paper taking 2017 paper as the reference – Using Elimination method extensively. If you can narrow down to two options always mark that question. There will be numerous such questions and you stand to overall gain, even if some of such answers turn out to be wrong. For example, this question – Now you can tell, the statement 1 here is incorrect. So, you narrow down to (b) & (c). Then think of all that you have read and try to solve the question. Where you have eliminated only one option, your risks outweigh the gains. It is advisable to leave such questions. Use your existing knowledge to solve unrelated questions. For example –   Let us take a step back and understand the basic mandate of each of these organizations & recollect what we know about them – ASEAN – Economic & trade grouping of South East Asian nations. Never heard of any “global” initiative on their part OECD – Grouping of rich countries of the world. Rarely involved in development initiatives UNCTAD – UN Conference on Trade & Development. Principal organ of the United Nations General Assembly dealing with trade, investment, and development issues. Highly unlikely to be involved in such an infrastructure project. Now, World Bank is actually associated with development & infrastructure projects across the world, especially in developing countries where it is most needed. So, this seems to be the most logical choice. Consider another example - We know, of the various global groupings mentioned in the options, only EU is a Single Market. Hence, seems to be the most appropriate choice. Another example - We know that breaking down of heavy metals, which are essential elements is not possible by microorganisms. Hence, Statement 2 can be ruled out. Now, statement 3 could be correct. We keep hearing of microorganisms developed by Genetic Engineering for various bio-remediation purposes, example treating oil spill. Hence, (c) is the correct choice. These are just some of the ways, for every single question this can be customized. It is wise to leave the questions of which you have zero idea. Do not go by an inner voice to which an option “looks or seems correct”. For example, this question – Now, this is something very specific. And I had never heard of before. So, it is wise to not touch this one at all. The answer could practically be anything for all I know! Try to use these hacks as much as possible and maximize your attempt. But please steer clear of wild guessing.   How much anxiety is good anxiety? Friends, clearing this exam depends on two things – how you have prepared till now and how you are going to attempt the exam. The latter is more important really. Please know that in your entire life this is just one event. And you can do well only if you are at ease and composed. Please don’t let excessive nervousness and anxiety play spoilsport to your efforts. Try to be excited about the exam. Think of this as a challenge which UPSC is posing. It will be interesting to anticipate what UPSC will ask amongst the topics you have studied. To solve the paper thinking logically through each question and each option will be an interesting exercise which you will enjoy. This is the last leg of the first stage of this exam for you. Please keep faith in all that you have done so far. Your preparation is never going to be perfect. And this holds true for everyone – the guy who got the Rank 1 and the guy who unfortunately couldn’t make it. But your current level of preparation will get you past the cut off if you keep it together in the exam hall and just do your best. You might have made mistakes or have had a flawless preparation. Nevertheless, you took the plunge and chose to follow your heart, which is itself a victory over your fears and I have all the respect for you. Just a little more courage, just a little more while. And so I leave you with these words of Shri Dushyant Kumar “मंजिल मिलेगी भटक कर ही सही, गुमराह तो वो हैं जो घर से निकले ही नहीं” PS – You may reach me at vaibhava.mech.nitk@gmail.com if you are in trouble with exam preparation. IASbaba's Words of Motivation India is a cricket crazy nation. Cricket runs in India’s DNA. The probability is really high that you are also a cricket fan. But does that even matter? If you are in India, you know about the game and its stars even if you are an avid football fan! Now, try to imagine the scenes from the final match between India and Australia from the World Cup, 2003. It hurts, isn’t it? Despite having played so well throughout the tournament, our team floundered badly in the final. Not only did we lose but we lost without a fight. Why? Can you think of a reason? We had defeated teams like England, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka etc quite convincingly and yet couldn't stand the onslaught of a rampaging Australian team. Were we not prepared or did we lack the talent? The answer is an obvious NO. With the likes of Sachin, Ganguly, Sehwag, Dravid, Zaheer and Harbhajan in the team, we could have defeated any opposition on our day. You know most of the newspapers editorials and news channels ascribed this defeat to the fact that India got overwhelmed by the stakes of a World Cup Final. Indian players couldn’t come into terms with the immense pride that was involved with playing a World Cup Final. Isn’t it funny? There are things in our life that we strive to achieve and put our mind, body and soul into it and yet when the time arrives, we just FAIL. We fail not because we lack any skill or are incompetent. We failed because we couldn't sustain the pressure. In that final, players bore the expectations of millions, in our lives we bear the expectations of our family, friends and most importantly ours own. These expectations coupled with the effort one has put into a goal makes even the most mundane events challenging. Isn’t the same happening to you right now? You know that you have prepared well but then you think what if there are really few questions from Polity that you have a strong grip over? What if there are too many questions from culture that you have hardly even touched yet? What if you are unable to clear the cut-off? What if you fail in Paper II? What if another attempt is lost? What if your life ends up being an epitome of failure? If these ‘what ifs’ are bothering you, then you have let your control over your senses loosen a bit. The stakes involved in the preliminary examination has made you feel insecure. But are you alone? Not exactly. There are about half a million aspirants whose state of mind resonates with that of yours. They are equally insecure about their attempt. This examination is a level playing field not only because it throws the same questions but also because it churns the same emotional and psychological juices from all the aspirants. When you give your everything to a goal, such sentimentalities are really common. Don’t worry about it. If you have given your best during your preparation, you need not worry about the outcome. If you are in competition and feeling the pressure, so are others and in equal magnitude or scale. Now, we want you to remember the Indian team facing the mighty Australians in the quarterfinal of World Cup, 2011. We won that match and ultimately the World Cup. What changed in those 8 years? In terms of skills and strengths, this team was similar to the 2003 World Cup squad. Just like in 2003, Australia was on a winning streak. How could we defeat Australia then? The answer lies in the fact that the players had learnt the art of overcoming the anxiety that comes with big occasions. In a day, you are going to face one such huge occasion of your life. You need to soothe your senses a little bit and tell yourself these five things: I am well prepared and ready to face this challenge. I am not scared of failures as I am not so weak that an examination can decide my fate. My family and friends love me for who I am and not because they feel that one day I will qualify UPSC. Of the many challenges that life will throw at me, this is only one of them. I will give my best and won’t bother about the results.   So go there and have some fun guys! You will surely come out with flying colours.   All the Best IASbaba Team

AIR

All India Radio (AIR) : Ujjwala Yojana & Declining Air Pollution

Ujjwala Yojana & Declining Air Pollution ARCHIVES Search 2nd May, 2018 Spotlight here: http://www.newsonair.com/Main_Audio_Bulletins_Search.aspx TOPIC: 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; mechanisms, laws, institutions and bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources. General Studies 3: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment Air pollution kills more Indians than any other risk factor with estimates ranging from 15 to 20 lakh premature deaths annually. Although outdoor air pollution garners most public attention, it is well-known in health circles that pollution from chulhas is about half of the problem because people in households are directly exposed to such pollution. It is less well-understood, however, that the two are linked: One of the reasons India has such bad outdoor air pollution is that nearly 200 million households are still burning biomass every day for cooking. Solving the household dirty fuel problem will also help reduce the outdoor air problem, although not solve it on its own. Key facts Around 3 billion people cook using polluting open fires or simple stoves fuelled by kerosene, biomass (wood, animal dung and crop waste) and coal. Each year, close to 4 million people die prematurely from illness attributable to household air pollution from inefficient cooking practices using polluting stoves paired with solid fuels and kerosene. Household air pollution causes noncommunicable diseases including stroke, ischaemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer. Close to half of deaths due to pneumonia among children under 5 years of age are caused by particulate matter (soot) inhaled from household air pollution. Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana: Targeting Forgotten Population Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana is a scheme of the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas for providing LPG connections to women from Below Poverty Line (BPL) households. Mantra: Swacch Indhan, Behtar Jeevan – Mahilaon ko mila samman Under the scheme, five crore (now 8 crores) LPG connections are to be provided to BPL households. The identification of eligible BPL families will be made in consultation with the State Governments and the Union Territories. Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) aims to safeguard the health of women & children by providing them with a clean cooking fuel – LPG, so that they don’t have to compromise their health in smoky kitchens or wander in unsafe areas collecting firewood. The ambitious scheme also laid down a condition — that the LPG connections will be issued in the name of the women of the households. Current Move: Encouraged by the rapid release of connections, the central government revised the target and scope of the scheme to eight crore connections by March 2020. Under the scheme, the union government bears the connection cost of ₹1,600 per connection, and each household pays about ₹1,500 for the stove and the first LPG cylinder. Centre to raise allocation for the project to ₹4,800 crore Marks a significant shift in the government’s approach to providing access to clean cooking fuels: For the first time, it chose to aggressively pursue providing modern cooking fuels to all Indian households. This is an important step since household air pollution (HAP) arising from combustion of solid fuels for cooking is a major contributor to four of the top five causes of mortality and morbidity in India, and HAP is also a significant contributor to outdoor air pollution Recent research suggests that providing clean cooking fuels to all can be a highly cost-effective health intervention In addition, collection and use of solid fuels for cooking increases the drudgery and adversely impacts time-use by women The Way Forward: PMUY is a bold new initiative that aspires to fundamentally address one of the pressing energy–access, health and gender challenges in the country. The programme has been successful in introducing a sense of urgency into the transition to modern cooking fuels and disbursing connections. But it has been less successful in introducing a sustained change because of issues around affordability and reliability of LPG supply. Government needs to re-look at their connection focused approach, and should ensure adequate provisions for affordability, availability, and accountability. This will propel PMUY to achieve the desired objective of not only disbursing connections but making the LPG sector a real contributor to overcoming this deep-rooted challenge affecting energy access, health, and gender disparity. There needs to be a synergy in the Gas connection with the Electricity connection. Must Read: Link 1 Connecting the Dots: Does there exist a direct relation of smokeless kitchens with economic development. Discuss.

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs [Prelims + Mains Focus] - 31st May 2018

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs (Prelims + Mains Focus)- 31st May 2018 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) India launches 2nd IT corridor in China Part of: Mains GS Paper II, III- International relations, Infrastructure Key pointers: India recently launched its second IT corridor in China to get access to the growing Chinese software market. It will provide market access to Indian IT firms in the huge Chinese market. The new IT corridor in Guiyang. The corridor is aimed at setting up local offices and assisting companies from Guiyang to establish software and IT units in India. Few months back NASSCOM had established its first Digital Collaborative Opportunities Plaza or SIDCOP platform in the Chinese port city of Dalian. Dalian corridor's focus was on Internet of Things- IoT but the Guiyang corridor will focus on Big Data. The platform in Guiyang intends to create online and offline presence to promote a "co-create culture" between two large neighbours in the Big Data space. Background: India IT firms have a presence in more than 70 countries in the world, generating employment for up to 12 million people worldwide. In China, Indian IT companies are present in 10 cities around the country, with a total work-force of around 25,000 employees. For India, getting access to China's IT market is important to address the massive trade deficit which has now spiralled to over USD 51 billion. India has been demanding China to provide market access to Indian IT and pharmaceutical firms for several years to reduce bilateral trade deficit. Ruthenium: Fourth single element to show ferromagnetism Part of: Mains GS Paper III- Science & Technology Key pointers: Scientists have demonstrated that the chemical element ruthenium (Ru) is the fourth single element to have unique magnetic properties at room temperature. It could be used to improve sensors, devices in the computer memory and logic industry, or other devices using magnetic materials. Ferromagnetism is the basic mechanism by which certain materials (such as iron) form permanent magnets or are attracted to magnets. Till now only three elements on the periodic table have been found to be ferromagnetic at room temperature -- iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), and nickel (Ni). GI Tag for rural crafts in W.B. Part of: Mains GS Paper III- Inclusive growth Key pointers: The Chau mask of Purulia, the wooden mask of Kushmandi, the Patachitra, the Dokras of Bengal, and Madhurkathi (a kind of mat) have been presented with the Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the Geographical Indication Registry and Intellectual Property India. GI tags for these five rural crafts will help the artisans create their own brand and will provide legal protection to artisans practising the crafts against attempts to duplicate them in other regions. GI Tags: GI tags are given on the basis of the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999. A GI tag connects the quality and authenticity of a given product to a particular geographical origin, thereby ensuring that no one other than the authorised user can use the popular product’s name. The first product to be included in the list was Darjeeling Tea. Digital literacy programme for women: Fb in partnership with NCW Part of: Mains GS Paper I- Social issues, Women empowerment Key pointers: Facebook has entered into a partnership with National Commission for Women (NCW) to launch a digital literacy programme aimed at training 60,000 women in universities across India on safe use of the Internet, social media and email in a year. Launched in collaboration with Cyber Peace Foundation, the pilot programme will enable trainees to differentiate between credible and questionable information. The training will be conducted in vernacular languages. The digital literacy programme will benefit women in universities across major cities in Haryana, Delhi-NCR, Manipur, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu. With more women going online, NCW has witnessed a surge in cyber crime related complaints registered at the Commission in the past three years. There is a need to ensure that while online, the women feel safe and secure on the Internet. (MAINS FOCUS) NATIONAL 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. Separation of powers between various organs dispute redressal mechanisms and institutions. Inter-State Water Dispute Cauvery Dispute: Lessons from international treaties Introduction: More than 80 per cent of Indian rivers are inter-state rivers. According to the Central Water Commission, there are 125 inter-state water agreements in India. Many of these agreements are more than 100 years old and had been executed without seriously considering socio-economic, political and geographical factors. These treaties have now become permanent sources of problems for many states. Continuous redrawing of state boundaries during the British regime and after Independence have kept the disputes alive. Basic principles: For effective settlement of these disputes, equitable sharing of benefits is more important than equitable distribution of water. The principle of downstream benefit-sharing is crucial for the successful implementation of these treaties. Water-sharing principles must be based on the size of the river basin, population growth, historical claims, efforts taken by the state governments for water conservation, rainfall and changes in cropping patterns, scientific use of water, priority for agriculture, allocation for industry and power generation, flood control and domestic uses. These issues should be given due importance in negotiations. International treaties: The water distribution agreement proposed by the World Bank in 1960 continues to be the basis of the Indus Water Treaty. The permanent Indus Commission regularly exchanges information and ensures cooperation between India and Pakistan on the use of river waters amicably. The US-Mexico International Boundary and Water Commission has been successfully implemented since 1884 with the changing course of the rivers, the Rio Grande and Colorado. This treaty has been amended more than seven times since its inception, based on the changes in irrigation uses, river boundaries, flood control, population growth, urbanisation, etc. The sharing of water during surplus and drought years is based on a five-year cycle of water flow data. The 1996 Indo-Bangladesh Treaty on Water Sharing is based on lean season water availability. The assured minimum water quota sharing between the two countries was fixed on alternate three 10-day cycles during the lean season. The joint committee decides the daily flow and in case of disputes, it will be referred to the JRC and further to the governments. The water sharing arrangements is reviewed at five-year intervals or earlier on request from either side. Based on the bilateral negotiations in 1977, 1982, 1985 and the recent one, the two countries reached an effective mechanism for water sharing. Now JRC and JCE settle water disputes between the two countries. The Indo-Bangladesh treaty can be the model for the resolution of the Cauvery dispute. The Cauvery dispute: The bone of contention between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka is about sharing water during the lean/scarce period. This dispute is alive for more than 200 years. It started between Mysore and Madras in 1807, which led to an agreement in 1892 and 1924. Though this agreement allowed for changes after 50 years, the linguistic re-organisation of states in 1956 triggered new problems. Lesson from international treaties: There is an immediate need to constitute a permanent dispute settlement body like the JRC, JCE of Indo-Bangladesh treaty, the Indus Commission, the US-Mexico International Boundary and Water Commission etc. for the Cauvery dispute. The Cauvery Management Board proposed by the Supreme Court may act like these bodies. The states can even re-negotiate the existing treaty, involving mutually agreed third parties like World Bank to arrive at a permanent settlement. Connecting the dots: There are 125 inter-state water agreements in India. These treaties have now become permanent sources of problems for many states. In this background, discuss how international treaties can be taken as an example to solve matters like Cauvery dispute. NATIONAL TOPIC:General Studies 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Development processes and the development industry the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders Digital Interface between citizens and governement: Building trust Introduction: Trust in governments — even democratically elected ones — is dropping. Trust is the basis of all governance. It underpins the success of public schemes, the volume of public sector investment, and even institutional level compliance. The most effective measures a government can undertake to build trust is improving how its services reach and are perceived by citizens. Digital interface: Younger populations, rising smartphone access, and the private sector’s consumerisation of services are changing how people interface with government services. Digital is fast becoming the de-facto citizen-government interface, and the digital service delivery quality is therefore pivotal to overall perceptions of governance. Better designed online services improve efficiencies, reduce costs, and create more accessibility. Best practices The private sector has always excelled in forging a deeper connection with the masses. Brands have striven to build the best user experience. The National Portal of India (India.gov.in) is a notable example of a government initiative striving to meet online sensibilities. From fishery licences to tax filing, it has everything that citizens could require. Consolidating the universe of citizen-government relations, it’s also easily navigable. Considering that India’s next digital billion will have preferences shaped by sophisticated online experience, the government needs to quickly develop a change management and capacity building culture. The digital journey: More than just serving as paperwork details, citizen data should provide context to engage with government offerings. For example, geolocation can enable event recommendations, or alert people of service touchpoints. In emergencies, we can immediately be alerted of relief shelters and aid sites. For such services to develop a following, local language support can bring more citizens into the digital fold. Similarly, with greater mobile penetration, the government should use a mobile-first approach to communicate, measure, and optimise services and information dissemination. Building trust also requires transparency, which almost every major government globally has struggled with. For India, enabling citizens to benefit from government commitments is one of the simplest ways of showcasing commitment. To make development a dialogue, citizens should be able to provide feedback on service quality, and be apprised of corresponding changes, increasing belief in transparency. Governments should have a clear imperative: match technology’s march, and its ability to increase the range and quality of digital services; capture the next digital opportunities; and anticipate citizen needs and design services, moving away from traditional reactive approaches. Conclusion: The governments today need to build deeper, more personalised relationship by enriching the online experience. A digital interface, that is incredibly fluid and easily navigable, is required. Government services online must aspire to become effortless, seamless, and easy on every device. Connecting the dots: For more responsible governance, governments today must provide a more enriching digital interface with their citizens. Comment. (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Q.1) The Singchung Bugun Community Reserve has won the India Biodiversity Award 2018. Which of the following statements are true regarding the reserve? GI tags are given on the basis of the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999. A GI tag connects the quality and authenticity of a given product to a particular geographical origin, thereby ensuring that no one other than the authorised user can use the popular product’s name. The first product to be included in the GI list was Chanderi Sarees. Select the correct option 1 and 2 only 1 and 3 only 1, 2 and 3 None of the above Q.2) Which of the following elements shows ferromagnetism? Select the correct option Cobalt (Co) Nickel (Ni) Ruthenium (Ru) All of the above MUST READ The federalist principle The Hindu Charting its own path The Hindu India, EU and the privacy challenge Indian Express A bureaucracy for our times Indian Express

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs [Prelims + Mains Focus] - 30th May 2018

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs (Prelims + Mains Focus)- 30th May 2018 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) The Praapti Web Portal Part of: Mains GS Paper III- Infrastructure Key pointers: In a bid to rein in errant distribution companies (discoms) that delay payments to power generation companies, the Power Ministry has launched the Praapti web portal. ‘Praapti’ stands for ‘Payment ratification and analysis in power procurement for bringing transparency in involving of generators’. This portal will help power distribution companies be apprised of invoicing by generators and also bring transparency in their payments to them. The power distribution companies can clear the invoices and reply to claims raised by the generators on this portal. The portal will also compare and rank State discoms on outstanding bills and the frequency of clearing them. 'Green' cricket in India Part of: Mains GS Paper III- Environment, conservation Key pointers: The Board of Control for Cricket in India and UN Environment signed an agreement to ‘green’ cricket in India The initiative aims to reduce cricket's environmental impact by greening operations and engaging fans and cricketers in green initiatives.   The partnership aims to spread greater awareness about key environmental challenges facing the country and highlight alternate and more sustainable solutions. The partnership will also focus on phasing out single-use plastic across stadiums and cricket events in the country. #BeatPlasticPollution: As global host of World Environment Day in 2018, India is leading the global charge to #BeatPlasticPollution in the country, and around the world. It is estimated that the world uses 10 million plastic bags every minute, and much of ends up in our oceans and landfills and is ingested by marine animals and wildlife. Global Wind Energy Summit Part of: Mains GS Paper III- Environment, conservation Key pointers: The first edition of the Global Wind Summit will be held in Hamburg, Germany in September, 2018. The conference on wind is the largest and most important meeting of the wind industry worldwide. The event will provide a platform for experts from across the globe to discuss innovative and green technologies for harnessing wind energy making. The focus of the conferences would be on three major subjects. Dynamic markets, cost efficiency and smart energy. India is fourth largest country -- after China, the US and Germany -- in terms of wind energy installation capacity at around 33 GW. The government has set a target of achieving 60 GW by 2022. (MAINS FOCUS) INTERNATIONAL TOPIC:General Studies 2: India and its neighbourhood- relations. Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests India-Indonesia: Re-engagment Historical background: Despite their proximity, physical and cultural, the strategic distance between Delhi and Jakarta has been incredibly vast. Barring a brief moment in the mid 20th century, when anti-colonial solidarity brought them together, modern India and Indonesia have barely figured in each other’s mental maps. The Bandung conference was held in April 1955. After Bandung, India turned its back on Asia and focused on the non-aligned movement. Jakarta moved towards the minor variant of Asianism in South East Asia. Intense friendship between Delhi and Jakarta turned into mild hostility in the early 1960s. After that the two sides settled down to an extended period of mutual neglect. A variety of internal, regional and global political developments widened the political gulf between India and Indonesia. Transforming relationship: There is an increasing self-awareness in Delhi and Jakarta of their growing regional and international weight. India and Indonesia are slowly but surely breaking out of the foreign policy mindsets shaped for long by non-alignment. The new maritime impulse is shaping the worldview of Delhi and Jakarta amidst an extraordinary power shift in Asia and its waters. At the heart of this transformation is the change in their economic weight. With its GDP at $2.6 trillion, India is the fifth largest economy in nominal terms and the third biggest in PPP. Indonesia's GDP has crossed the one trillion-dollar mark last year. As its potential for a larger regional and global role comes into view, Jakarta is looking to complement the centrality of ASEAN with a larger vision of the Indo-Pacific, a geopolitical construct that India too has adopted. Both of them have begun to rediscover their long-neglected maritime destiny. Prolonged inward economic orientation and border disputes in the north west and the north meant India had no time for its seas in the 20th century. After two-and-a-half decades of reform that has globalised the Indian economy, Delhi is paying more attention to maritime issues. With thousands of islands, Indonesia is a massive archipelagic nation. But Jakarta until recently saw no reason to think maritime. The benign external environment secured by the United States meant Jakarta could devote most of its energies on internal territorial consolidation. Now, as the Asian waters open up to great power contestation, Jakarta can no longer remain sea blind. A little over three years ago, President Jokowi unveiled the ambition to turn Indonesia into a “global maritime fulcrum” by taking advantage of its special geographic position as the land bridge and sea link between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. China, the common concern: The Indonesian government has offered to grant India access to its Sabang port for the development of the port and an economic zone. Located at the mouth of the strategically important Strait of Malacca, Sabang is only 100 nautical miles from the southern tip of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. India and Indonesia share multiple common concerns, one of which is China’s growing maritime footprint in the eastern Indian Ocean. Sabang, with its naval base, naval air station, and maintenance and repair facilities, has the potential to serve as the focal point of a budding strategic partnership between the two countries. Maritime cooperation: Areas of engagement Information sharing on white shipping, and enabling India to partner Indonesia in tracking commercial cargo ships at choke points such as Malacca which are getting increasingly congested. In the past, cooperation between India and Indonesia has been limited to anti-piracy patrols, search and rescue exercises and joint hydrographic exploration. It is important for the two countries to move to a more concerted and intensive engagement. India should leverage this opportunity and seek its inclusion in the Malacca Strait Patrols programme. India’s inclusion in the programme would augment India’s existing maritime domain awareness in the region, while the eyes-in-the-sky component will allow India to jointly patrol the region with its maritime surveillance aircraft. Chinese presence in the SLOCs is well known, and India’s ability to monitor Chinese naval movements in the locale will be a great boost to the Indian Navy’s security missions. A strategic confluence needs an economic direction. The development of the port and economic zone in Sabang can serve as blueprint for a connectivity partnership between the two nations, and more importantly, provide an alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The proposed cruise tourism circuit between the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Sabang would further enhance such economic linkages. A partnership that includes collaboration in defence industries and maritime training and education can ensure a dynamic maritime collaboration. An opportunity: India needs to supplement efforts in Jakarta and leverage its existing strategic relations with Singapore and other like-minded regional states if it is to cement its position as a ‘net security provider’ in the Indian Ocean. A closer logistical partnership with countries such as Singapore, Australia and Indonesia can be the starting point of an extensive strategic linkage that will help establish India as a regional provider of maritime security. Conclusion: The time has come for India to realise the potential of a strategic alignment with the archipelagic state that is geo-politically positioned at the centre of the Indo-Pacific, and an upgrade in maritime relations is the logical way forward. Connecting the dots: A more concerted and intensive engagement will serve both India and Indonesia well especially with regards to maritime cooperation. Comment. ECONOMY TOPIC: General Studies 3: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment. General Studies 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. The Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana: An assessment Introduction: The Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), one of the flagship schemes of the present government, was launched in August 2014. The ‘J’ in JDY is the ‘J’ in ‘JAM’ (Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile) through which the Economic Survey of 2015 claimed that “every tear from every eye” could be wiped. A critical evaluation of the scheme is in order. Background: The recently released World Bank Global Findex data show that 80% of Indian adults now have a bank account, which is being celebrated as the success of the JDY. While the increase in the proportion of adults having bank accounts is indeed impressive (80% in 2017 from 53% in 2014), 48% of those who have an account in a financial institution made no withdrawal or deposit in the past one year. An analysis: Financial inclusion is not just about opening bank accounts, but also about using these accounts and providing access to formal credit. In fact, the major limitation of the JDY has been that while it has managed to get many people to open bank accounts, there is no commensurate increase in the use of these accounts, availability of formal credit, or savings in financial institutions, especially among the country’s marginalised and poorer sections. Access to formal credit: As per various data and surveys, there is no sign of increased access to formal credit that the PMJDY is supposed to have ensured for its beneficiaries. Poor households in India, in the absence of access to formal credit, have to deal with moneylenders who charge exorbitant rates of interest. This is one of their biggest worries. The Household Survey on India’s Citizen Environment and Consumer Economy, 2016 shows that while for the top 1% of the population, one in six are exposed to informal credit, within the poorest section of the population, the figure is four times as high, with two in three taking credit from informal sources. Access to bank accounts seems to have had little effect on their dependence on private money lenders. Conclusion: The precarious conditions of indebtedness that poor people find themselves in has little signs of abating as a result of the JDY. Thus, more efforts needs to be made in this direction. Connecting the dots: PMJY has failed to promote financial inclusion. Critically analyze. (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Q.1) Which of the following statements is/are true regarding the agreement to 'green' cricket in India? It has been signed between the BCCI and UN Environment. The initiative aims to reduce cricket's environmental impact by greening operations and engaging fans and cricketers in green initiatives.   The partnership will also focus on phasing out single-use plastic across stadiums and cricket events in the country. Select the correct option 1 and 2 only 1 and 3 only 1, 2 and 3 None of the above Q.2) The Praapti web portal is related to which of the following: Select the correct option Power sector Women Empowerment Law and order None of the above MUST READ Green push The Hindu Data in a post truth age The Hindu Stress and disorder increasing in parliament The Hindu The importance of green skills for green job Livemint India has a major sexual assault problem Livemint

Motivational Articles

Creative Guidance: Book Review – Becoming a life change artist – Fred Mandel

Becoming a life change artist - Fred Mandell and Kathleen Jordan: Through ‘Becoming a life change artist’ Fred and Kathleen have opened up a door way to one’s creative inner dimension. Drawing from the creative genius of Da Vinci, Picasso, Monet and others, they have created a manual for transforming your life through a creative process. They say that we can re-invent our life using our creative faculties at any state. Tapping into ones inner creative potential is one of the best ways of transforming their lives. They discuss certain practical tools and resources that can help one to explore their creative genius. They talk about how to prepare the brain to undertake creative work and see life from new perspectives. They also talk about embracing uncertainty and taking risks. This book offers simple and effective strategies to re-shape one’s life. Easy to understand lucid language makes this book an enjoyable and informative read. You are sure to discover some secretes that will help you to understand and re-shape your life. ‘Becoming a life change artist’ is a practical guide to better living. Enjoy reading it.

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs [Prelims + Mains Focus] - 29th May 2018

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs (Prelims + Mains Focus)- 29th May 2018 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) Separate division within MHA to deal with issues of women's safety Part of: Mains GS Paper I- Social issues, Women empowerment Key pointers: MHA has set up a separate division to deal with issues of women’s safety in coordination with relevant ministries, departments and state governments. The division will encompass matters related to crimes against women, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes; crimes against children and elderly persons. It will also have an anti-trafficking cell, issues dealing with prison legislation and prison reforms. The women’s safety division will look into Nirbhaya Fund, Crime and Criminal Tracking and Network System and National Crime Records Bureau as well. In order to address offences against women, particularly rape, in a holistic and time-bound manner, the new division would focus to enhance capacity of the existing administrative, investigative, prosecution and judicial machinery, along with appropriate measures for rehabilitation of victims and bringing attitudinal changes in society. The current list of initiatives include setting up of special Fast Track Courts (FTCs), strengthening of forensic setup and building up of a national registry of sexual offenders, appointing additional public prosecutors and providing appropriate medical and rehabilitation facilities to victims. They will also address issues like sensitization of children through appropriate changes in school curriculum, a media campaign for raising awareness, checking proliferation of pornography materials and online contents. The division will collect, collate and analyse data on crime against women and children along with the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), which may also be used later for drawing up a national framework for the safety of women and children, said a senior government official. The decision to set up a women’s safety division in the Ministry of Home Affairs came after the infamous Kathua and Unnao rape cases that enraged the entire country and criticism poured in from international platforms as well. 'Gaj Yatra' campaign launched in Meghalaya Part of: Mains GS Paper III- Environment, conservation Key pointers: Gaj Yatra is a nationwide campaign launched by the Wildlife Trust of India in collaboration with Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change on August 12, World Elephant Day, last year. The campaign aims to protect the elephant and its habitat. ’Gaj Yatra’, a “journey celebrating India’s national heritage animal”, aims at securing 100 elephant corridors across India. Four of these are in Meghalaya, including the Siju-Rewak corridor that some 1,000 elephants use to travel between the Balpakram and Nokrek National Parks in the State. The campaign has been launched in the Garo Hills, where the people have created community forests for human-elephant harmony and conservation of animals such as hoolock gibbon. Meghalaya has 1,754 elephants with an overall density of 0.16 elephants per square kilometre. Much of the elephant habitat area in the state is under community forest. (MAINS FOCUS) GOVERNANCE TOPIC:General Studies 2: Role of civil services in a democracy. Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability and institutional and other measures. Civil Services Reforms: New proposal for allocation of services and cadres In news: The government has recently mooted a radical proposal for allocating services and cadres based on the combined marks obtained in the CSE and the foundation course. Candidates who have cleared the CSE will have to wait till the foundation course is over to know which service and cadre they are likely to get. The government has said that this is a suggestion under consideration and that no final decision has been taken yet. Present system: At present, successful candidates are allocated services based on their ranks in the CSE and their preferences. Candidates qualifying for the IAS and IPS are allocated cadres (States) based on their examination ranks and preferences. The successful candidates of the IAS, IFS, IPS and Central Services Group A undergo a 15-week foundation course in the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (training academy) in Mussoorie. The course focusses on promoting interservice camaraderie, cooperation, and capacity building of the officer-trainees. Concerns with the proposal: There are good reasons to believe that the new proposal is legally unsound, administratively unfeasible and has not been thought through properly. Articles 315 to 323 of the Constitution deal with Public Service Commissions of the Union and the States. Article 320(1) says: “It shall be the duty of the Union and the State Public Service Commission to conduct examinations for appointments to the services of the Union and the services of the State respectively.” Thus, the duty of conducting the CSE is vested only in the UPSC. If the marks secured in the foundation course in the training academy are included for allocation for services, it would make the training academy an extended wing of the UPSC, which it is not. Therefore the new proposal violates Article 320(1). The Director of the training academy that conducts the foundation course is a career civil servant on deputation, and she can be summarily transferred. The faculty members of the training academy are either career civil servants on deputation or academicians. Neither do they enjoy the constitutional protection that the UPSC members enjoy nor is there any bar on their holding further posts. This means that the Director and faculty members will not be able to withstand pressure from politicians, senior bureaucrats and others to give more marks to favoured candidates. They will actively try to please the powers-that-be in order to advance their own career prospects. There is also the grave risk of corruption in the form of ‘marks for money’ in the training academy. Politicisation and communalisation of the services are likely to take place from the beginning. The trainer-trainee ratio for the foundation course is very high, and it will be impossible to do the kind of rigorous and objective evaluation that is required under the government’s new proposal. The difference of a few marks can decide whether a candidate will get the IAS or, say, the Indian Ordnance Factories Service. Therefore, the inclusion of the highly subjective foundation course marks can play havoc with the final rankings and with the allocation of services and cadres. While about 600-1,000 candidates are selected every year for all the services put together, nearly 60-70% of the candidates qualifying for the IPS and Central Services Group A do not join the foundation course in Mussoorie as they prepare for the civil services (main) examination again to improve their prospects. Clearly, it is not possible to evaluate such candidates in the foundation course as contemplated in the new proposal. They cannot be compelled to attend the foundation course because that would amount to depriving them of their chance of taking the examination again. So, the new proposal is administratively unworkable. Ignoring the real problems: The steel frame of the Indian civil services has turned somewhat rusty and needs reform. The real problems of the civil services are not with recruitment; they are with what happens after an officer joins the system. The system places a premium on loyalty, political connections and community/caste clout rather than on merit. Indecision and inaction are seldom punished, while performers stand a greater chance of getting into trouble as they take more decisions. Performance appraisal is based more on the personal likes and dislikes of one’s superiors than on actual work done. Frequent, arbitrary and punitive transfers have become the order of the day. Conclusion: The government’s proposal for the allocation of services and cadres is legally and administratively unsound. There is a need to fix the systemic shortcomings rather than unsettle the settled method of recruitment. Connecting the dots: The government's recent proposal for to modify the method of allotment of services and cadres to civil servants is legally and administratively unsound. Comment. ENVIRONMENT TOPIC:General Studies 3: Environment and Ecology, Bio diversity – Conservation, environmental degradation, environmental impact assessment, Environment versus Development Issues relating to e-wastes E-waste management: Generating jobs Introduction: In recent years, the waste from electrical and electronic equipment, also referred to as WEEE or e-waste, has become an important focus of legislators globally. This can be attributed principally to following reasons: The hazardous nature of this waste component, both in terms of the health of the citizens and the environment. The possibility of deriving valuable materials like precious, critical and base metals from the e-waste. Among all urban solid waste, e-waste is the fastest growing waste stream (‘UNEP 2007 E-waste Inventory Assessment’), and this trend is expected to continue, in line with advancements in the quality and quantity of technology products’ consumption globally. Such multifaceted characterisation makes handling of e-waste very challenging to address, especially considering the political, social and environmental factors involved in both developed and developing countries. Present system: Most governments, like India, have followed the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) principle, due the crucial issue of financing the development of sound e-waste management systems due to low or absent investment capacity. The sustainable management of e-waste (average of the all products and including all logistics and treatment costs) is not a profitable business at the moment and, therefore, additional money is required to avoid “cherry picking” (processing only profitable products) or compromising the quality of recycling. Untapped opportunity: In the past 15 years, since the enactment of the e-waste legislation in Europe, the e-waste sector has shown that proper e-waste management is good for the environment and essential for a sustainable economy. The 1.8 million tonnes of e-waste produced in India this year has the potential to generate up to 300,000 jobs, provided a new sector, valued at over $3 billion annually, is established. Many more jobs can be secured in the production sector because recycling precious and critical metals is the basis for manufacturing new products in the country, especially since resources are becoming scarce and more expensive. In Europe, our hi-tech wastes are already called the “urban mine”. Way ahead: To develop a prosperous market, it is necessary for products that are not being used or repaired to reach proper recycling facilities. Currently, the informal sector dominates the e-waste sector in India, using manual dismantling and crude, low quality (or non-existent) processing technology. However, India’s khabadiwalas provide a much better collection service to its citizens as compared to Europe, leading to a higher collection rate of e-waste in India. This service must be strengthened by formalising the collectors and converting the informal processors into formalised dismantlers. Considering the challenges associated with the attitude, capacity, and capabilities of some formal recyclers in India, strong enforcement by government institutions is very important. Simultaneously, several producers and importers of electrical and electronic equipment who are obliged by law to take over the responsibility for the products at the end-of-life stage have adopted a “wait and see” approach by attempting to avert their financing obligation. A balance must be struck and regulators must take care not to over-regulate the market which could hinder healthy growth of the e-waste sector. Conclusion: There is a critical need for all stakeholders to join hands to make the above possible. Private households, small businesses, bulk consumers and public institutions must dispose of their obsolete equipment responsibly. Dismantlers and recyclers must adopt the zero-waste approach. Producers (and importers) must contribute their share by taking over the financial responsibility for responsible collection and treatment of e-waste while also improving the design of their new products to enable longer life of products and easier repair, and recycling. A lot of our jobs in the future depend directly or indirectly on the resources that we can save or recover today. Connecting the dots: E-waste produced in India has the potential to generate thousands of jobs, given the waste management system is improved and properly regulated. Disucss. (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Q.1) Which of the following statements are true regarding the 'Gaj Yatra' campaign? It is a nationwide campaign launched by the Wildlife Trust of India in collaboration with Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The campaign aims to protect the elephant and its habitat and at securing 100 elephant corridors across India. Select the correct option 1 only 2 only 1 and 2 both None of the above MUST READ Looking for a new clarity The Hindu The Jan Dhan Yojana four year later The Hindu Protecting incarcerated women The Hindu The cost of deterrence The Hindu Call from Southeast Asia Indian Express River sutra Indian Express The decline of the concept GDP Business Line

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs [Prelims + Mains Focus] - 28th May 2018

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs (Prelims + Mains Focus)- 28th May 2018 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) Impact of women's health on stunting of children Part of: Mains GS Paper I, III- Social issues, Inclusive growth Key pointers: Pic credit: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/3ixi1r/article24008841.ece/alternates/FREE_660/th27-jagriti--WGH442GCVQ1jpgjpg A first of-its-kind study across all 640 districts of the country, highlights the impact of women’s health on stunting of children. The study was carried out by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). It analysed data from the National Family Health Survey (NHFS)- IV. As per the study, parameters related to women account for 50% of the difference between districts with high and low levels of stunting among children below the age of five. Four parameters: The four crucial parameters in women that together contribute to a 44% reduction in stunting among children are- Levels of body mass index accounting for 19% of the difference between districts. Education accounting for 12% of the difference. Age at marriage contributing a 7% reduction. Ante-natal care adding 6%. Regional variation: Southern states does better India accounts for approximately a third of the world’s stunted children at 63 million. Across the country, in 239 districts more than 40% of the children are stunted, while 441 districts record between 30% and 40 % of stunting. While levels have improved in the country from 48% in 2006 to 38.4% in 2016, there are wide variations among different districts ranging between 12.4% and 65.1%. The populous northern States account for more than 80% of stunted children at 52.6 million. In comparison, all of the southern States together have 8.1 million stunted children and the north-eastern and island States account for nearly 2.4 million. Way ahead: There is a need for targeted policy intervention to combat stunting, with a focus on addressing critical determinants in individual districts. Women related parameters are great drivers and these have to be focussed upon. This will involve interventions through the course of a girl’s life such as her education, nutrition, marriage as well as when she is a mother. Better nutrition, education of mother can reduce growth impairment in children. The Charkha is getting a new spin Part of: Mains GS Paper III- Indian Economy, Inclusive growth Key pointers: The charkha , a tool and symbol of India’s freedom struggle, is getting a new spin — with a bit of help from the corporate sector and various trusts. At about Rs. 15,000 apiece, the charkha is a rather expensive tool. The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), therefore, is on an aggressive mission to tap funding so that the spinning wheel can be donated to rural artisans. The charkhas had attracted very little attention earlier. However, over the past three years, the Commission has taken to approaching trusts and large corporates for their CSR (corporate social responsibility) funds. KVIC obtains the funds under various schemes and uses them to donate charkhas. At times, companies (such as ONGC) are required to rehabilitate people at project sites. One option is to donate funds to buy spinning wheels, which offer an alternative source of livelihood to the displaced people. Today’s charkha is an evolved version of what Mahatma Gandhi used: It is made of steel. While the early versions had a single spindle, the modern ones come with eight spindles, and can provide employment to an entire family. Today’s version, produced by KVIC, is referred to as the ‘New Model Charkha’, but it continues to be driven by hand. The Singchung Bugun Community Reserve: India Biodiversity Award 2018 Part of: Mains GS Paper III- Environment, Conservation Key pointers: The Singchung Bugun Community Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh won the India Biodiversity Award 2018. The Singchung Bugun Community Reserve (SBVCR) — a 17 square kilometre hotspot for biodiversity- was launched in January 2017, after the tribal members of the Bugun community of Singchung Village joined hands with the Forest Department. The NGO won the India Biodiversity Award 2018 in the “Conservation of wildlife species” category conferred by the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) and presented by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change in association with the United Nations Development Programme. The Reserve was instituted under a clause of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 that enables any state government to declare a community-owned forest area as a “community reserve” if the locals are willing to participate in conservation efforts for the same. The Reserve lies right next to the Eaglesnest Wildlife sanctuary, a biodiversity hotspot, which is also home to the Bugun Liocichla — a new bird species that has no reported sighting anywhere else in the world. The NBA award especially recognises the community efforts to conserve the Liocichla. (MAINS FOCUS) NATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 2: Parliament and State Legislatures- structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these. Strengthening Rajya Sabha: Reviewing the rules of procedure In news: A two-member committee has been appointed to make recommendations for revising the rules of the Upper House. V K Agnihotri, former secretary general of the House, is heading the committee. Media reports suggest that the committee is mandated to submit its report in three months. The reports also indicate that the committee may give some of its recommendations before the monsoon session of Parliament. Background: The Rajya Sabha has been functioning for 67 years. During this time, governance has become complicated and the subjects of laws more technical. But the rules governing the functioning of the Rajya Sabha have not kept pace with the times. Rules of procedure: The Constitution, through Article 118(1), gives the two Houses of Parliament the power to make rules to regulate their functioning. Both Houses of Parliament have their own rules of procedure. These rules govern every detail of how the Houses function on a daily basis. They determine MPs’ participation in parliamentary proceedings while making laws, passing budgets, questioning the government and representing us. These rules are the bulwark of our parliamentary democracy. For Parliament to be effective in its role, these rules require regular updating and strengthening. Rules governing the Rajya Sabha: When the Rajya Sabha met for the first time in 1952, it did not have any rules of its own. Article 118(2) of the Constitution provided an interim mechanism for rules. Under this article, the chairman of Rajya Sabha had the power to modify and adopt rules that were in place before the commencement of the Constitution. In 1952, these were the rules of the Constituent Assembly, the body which had framed the Constitution. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the first chairman of Rajya Sabha, amended these to be used as the rules of procedure. The initial version of rules among other things, provided for Question Hour in the style of the House of Lords. Ministers had to answer questions two days a week and three oral questions a day. The rules also created a committee of 15 MPs to suggest any change. Based on this committee’s recommendation, the initial rules were amended four more times until the end of 1952. In 1964 the Rajya Sabha made its own rules under Article 118(1). And it is the 1964 rules that have been amended over the years and currently govern the functioning of the Upper House. Issues regarding rules of procedure: The Agnihotri committee has been set up at a time when the two Houses of Parliament are facing similar structural challenges. So its recommendations, while meant for the Rajya Sabha, will also influence rule-making for the Lok Sabha. Four fundamental issues would require the committee’s attention. First, it seems that the two Houses of Parliament meet mostly for transacting government business. There is a need to balance completion of government business with discussions raised by other political parties. Second, the existing mechanisms (like Question Hour) for securing the government’s accountability to Parliament have lost their edge. The committee will have to suggest measures for completely overhauling these mechanisms. Third, issues facing Parliament are now more complex and technical than ever. In such an environment, the committee’s suggestions for strengthening deliberations in the House will be crucial. Finally, the disruption of parliamentary proceedings has become a routine affair. The committee will have the difficult task of suggesting solutions for protecting the sanctity of parliamentary proceedings. Conclusion: There should be a periodic review of the rules of procedure of both Houses. The last such review for the Rajya Sabha happened in 2009. The committee has the critical task of going beyond the symptoms of dysfunction and recommending changes to strengthen Rajya Sabha. Connecting the dots: V K Agnihotri committee has been appointed to make recommendations for revising the rules of the Upper House. These rules are the bulwark of our parliamentary democracy. For Parliament to be effective in its role, these rules require regular updating and strengthening. Discuss. NATIONAL TOPIC: General Studies 3: Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices Inclusive growth and issues arising from it. General Studies 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. An analysis of initiatives taken to reform Indian agriculture Background: When the present government came into power, it was believed that the Gujarat model of agricultural development, which delivered 8% growth in agriculture during fiscal years 2003-14, would be replicated in the country. Out of the government’s four years , FY15 and FY16 were affected by drought and it did well to manage the crisis. A number of welcome initiatives have been launched in the last four years, including schemes for crop insurance, irrigation, soil testing, electronic national agricultural market (e-NAM), and use of Aadhaar for the public distribution system (PDS) and purchase of fertilizer. While there are several creditable achievements, it is the deeper structural reforms where expectations have not been met. Reigning in inflation: Success The government took pro-active measures to rein in food inflation. These included- Release of wheat and rice from government stocks. Restrictions on exports. Small increases in minimum support prices (MSP) (except pulses). Raids on traders under the Essential Commodities Act, and even income-tax investigations. The states giving bonus on wheat and paddy were told to discontinue it. In order to reduce excessive procurement of rice, the 50% levy on rice mills was also abolished. To check food inflation, a price stabilization fund was set up with a corpus of Rs 500 crore and onion and potato were bought by the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation and Small Farmers’ Agribusiness Consortium for release in the market when prices rose. Another successful policy intervention was to offer a handsome increase in the MSP of pulses and create a buffer stock of two million tonnes. Restructuring of FCI: Criticism In August 2014, a committee under Shanta Kumar to recommend restructuring of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) was set up. It made far-reaching recommendations about agriculture policy, subsidies on food and fertilizers, and the role of FCI. It recommended that coverage of beneficiaries under PDS be reduced from 67% to 40% and cash transfers introduced instead of foodgrains in cities with a population of more than one million. In the case of fertilizers, the committee recommended deregulation and payment of subsidy to farmers through direct benefit transfers (DBT). Criticism: Opposition-ruled states didn't agree to the suggested reforms. The government did not make any serious effort to persuade even the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)-ruled states to go for DBTs for PDS, even in food-surplus regions. There was no effort to deregulate urea prices and transfer subsidy to farmers directly. Aadhaar-based sale of foodgrains and fertilizer is only a small step towards reform of the subsidy regime. Free electricity continues to cause excessive drawal of underground water in several states. No serious effort was made to persuade states to transfer electricity subsidy through DBT. The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna: Criticism It was introduced from kharif 2016. It reduced the farmers’ premium to 1.5% and 2% for rabi and kharif crops, respectively, and removed the ceiling on claims to be paid to farmers. Several states have refused to follow the discipline of the scheme and timelines are violated with impunity. Farmers in several states have not been paid their claims long after suffering losses. Many states have not even paid their share of premium subsidy for kharif 2017. e-NAM initiative: Criticism It has the potential of freeing up the agricultural markets. It was expected to bring transparency to auctions in mandis. However, the real intent of e-NAM has not been achieved and some states even showed procurement under MSP as e-NAM turnover. Conclusion: Since 2016, the buzzwords have been doubling farmers’ income. The prices of most crops in mandis have crashed after demonetization and restrictions on trading and transportation of livestock have sharply depressed the prices of livestock, directly hitting farmers’ income. Deep agricultural reforms are yet awaited. Connecting the dots: Several initiatives have been taken by the present to reform Indian agriculture. How far it has been successful? Analyze. (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Q.1) The Singchung Bugun Community Reserve has won the India Biodiversity Award 2018. Which of the following statements are true regarding the reserve? It is located in Arunachal Pradesh. The NGO won the India Biodiversity Award 2018 in the “Conservation of domesticated species” category. The NBA award recognises the Bungun community efforts to conserve the Liocichla bird found in the region. Select the correct option 1 and 2 only 1 and 3 only 1, 2 and 3 None of the above Q.2) The V K Agnihotri committee is related to which of the following: Select the correct option Data protection law in India To study Artificial intelligence in military Rules of procedure of the Upper House Model law on contract farming MUST READ A blow to civil services ideals The Hindu A health scheme that should not fail The Hindu Vote for choice The Hindu India's employment crisis Business Line Innovation in the age of data protection Business Line

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