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Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 27th March 2019

IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 27th March 2019 Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) ‘Politics and Society’ Survey In news: A public opinion survey in 12 States has found that political parties are the most distrusted political institutions in the country. The survey, Politics and Society between Elections 2019, found that political parties had a negative net trust rate of -55%. (They are the only institutions with a negative net rate.) Army is the most trusted institution in the country, with an effective trust rate of 88%. Judiciary — including the Supreme Court, High Courts and district court — enjoys an effective trust rate of more than 60%. Do you know? Apart from measuring institutional trust, the survey attempts to provide a glimpse into people’s views on governance, sexuality, gender, nationalism, populism, caste and religious identities. One in five among those surveyed felt that unemployment was the single biggest issue facing the country today. Other issues cited include development, growth and poverty (15%) and law, governance and corruption (13%). India’s carbon dioxide emissions up 5% Part of: GS Prelims and mains III - Environment; Pollution; GHG emissions In news: According to a report by the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) – India’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are growing at a faster rate than in any other major energy-consuming nation. India emitted 2,299 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2018, a 4.8% rise from the previous year. India’s emissions growth was higher than that of the United States and China — the two biggest emitters in the world. But “despite this growth, per capita emissions in India remain low at only 40% of the global average,” the report adds. Emissions from India accounted for 7% of the global CO2 burden in 2018, compared with the US’s 14%. India’s higher CO2 emissions have been spurred by an increasing consumption of fossil fuels. Do you know? The country has set ambitious renewable energy targets for 2022, but is likely to miss them. The vast majority of the energy that India consumes comes from fossil fuels. Under the Paris climate agreement, India has set a target to reduce the emissions intensity of its economy by over 30%, compared with 2005 levels, by 2030. But the country has continued building new coal plants, and oil imports are only rising as its growing population becomes more prosperous. (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. Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes. Issues associated with Aadhaar Payment Bridge System (APBS) Aadhaar Bridge Payment System (ABPS) Aadhaar Payment Bridge system implemented by NPCI is used by the government departments and agencies for electronic transfer of benefits and subsidiaries under Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme launched by GoI. Here the beneficiary is identified through an Aadhaar number, then NPCI manages an Aadhaar Mapper where the Aadhaar number is mapped to a specific bank account and the money flows to the connected bank account. In other words, instead of having to provide multiple account details (Name, Account number, IFSC Code etc.) to receive a bank transfer, one can only provide their Aadhaar number. Benefits of Aadhaar Payment Bridge (APB) System Eliminates inordinate delays, multiple channels & paper-work involved in the existing system. Transfers benefits & subsidies in a seamless & timely manner and directly into the Aadhaar Enabled Bank Account. In case of change in bank account, customer is not required to convey the bank account details or change in bank details to the Government Department or Agency. Customer not required to open multiple bank accounts for receiving benefits and subsidies of various social welfare schemes – Customer just need to open one account and seed his/her Aadhaar number in the bank account to start receiving benefits and subsidies directly into his/her Aadhaar Enabled Bank Account. Do you know? Induction of a bank account into APBS involves two distinct steps – First, the account must be “seeded” with the customer’s Aadhaar number. Second, it must be connected to the NPCI mapper — a step known as “mapping”. Issues/Concerns: Issue with ABP mapper: Under the current system, the APB sends the subsidies to the last bank account seeded with the Aadhaar. In other words, in cases of multiple accounts for the same person, the APBS automatically sends money to the latest-mapped account. (without customer’s consent) Haphazard seeding: Under Jan Dhan Yojana (JDY), millions of bank accounts were opened and seeded with Aadhaar in a haphazard manner. Aadhaar numbers were seeded into these accounts without proper verification. Haphazard seeding continued because the government wanted to bring all direct benefit transfer (DBT) payments — pensions, scholarships, subsidies, MGNREGA wages, and so on — under the Aadhaar payments umbrella. Issue of diverted payments: Bank payments were being redirected to a wrong account, without the recipient’s consent or knowledge. For example, in 2017 the nation witnessed mass diversion of LPG subsidies to Airtel wallets without seeking "informed consent" of the recipient. Issue with e-KYC norms: Compulsory e-KYC became a nightmare for poor people, as they did not know what they were supposed to do. Many pensioners are struggling to understand why their pension was discontinued after e-KYC was made compulsory. Issue of rejected payments — another nightmare for powerless DBT recipients. Lack of accountability – ABPS is a very opaque payment system and few people have a clear understanding of it. When people have problems of diverted or rejected payments, they have no recourse. More often than not, they are sent from one office to another. Problems of biometric authentication and inconsistencies between the Aadhaar database and the bank database are other issues. Conclusion: The premature and coercive imposition of the APBS has resulted in increased diverted payments, which is a serious problem. A recent study of the Indian School of Business (ISB), on an analysis of more than 10 million payments in 2014-18, concludes that 38% of all the APBS payments of MGNREGA wages in Jharkhand “redirect wages to a completely unrelated account”. There is a need for reliable seeding of bank accounts with Aadhaar for APBS to work efficiently. An independent and participatory review of the system is long overdue. While Aadhaar-based payments have only added to the suffering of the labourers and Aadhaar’s implementation through fragile rural banking systems have only created commotion, it is high time that the government should see the ground realities which are clear as daylight. Connecting the dots: What are the concerns being raised over Aadhaar Payment Bridge System (APBS)? Critically evaluate. Should Aadhaar be made compulsory for availing the benefits of government schemes? Examine in the light of the recent SC judgement in this regard. NATIONAL/ENVIRONMENT TOPIC: General studies 1 Urbanization, their problems and their remedies General studies 2 and 3 Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Important aspects of governance and e-governance Environment and Pollution; Climate Change For carbon neutral cities Context: Last year 18 climate scientists released a report targeted at urban policymakers.  The report was released before the UNFCCC Katowice summit. The report stressed on the urgency of keeping global warming to less than 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels. According to the report, cities hold the key as nearly 75 per cent of the global carbon footprint is due to urban activities. Well-connected and pedestrian-friendly cities have a relatively low carbon footprint. The report recommends the use of “information and communication technologies to optimise public transportation efficiency, and enable vehicle sharing”. It also advocates the use of “energy-efficient buildings and infrastructure that have low or near zero-emissions”. All this will require cooperation between local, provincial and national governments. Mayors of several cities promised to act on the report’s recommendations. Copenhagen case study: Copenhagen (Denmark’s capital) became the first city to present a plan to cancel out its carbon footprint by 2025. Copenhagen has already reduced its GHG emissions by more than 40 per cent compared to 2005. Nearly 45 per cent of people who live in and around Copenhagen use bicycles to commute. The city also has specially-designated roads for cyclists and uses waste to generate electricity. For every unit of fossil fuel it consumes, Copenhagen plans to sell commensurate amounts of renewable energy. Conclusion: Copenhagen shows how mayors, town planners and other local authorities hold the key to the success of national commitments to mitigate global warming. The Danish capital’s experience could hold lessons for civic authorities around the world. Connecting the dots: For India to make urbanisation sustainable, it is important to empower urban local governments. Do you agree? Elucidate. Local governments hold the key to the success of national commitments to mitigate global warming. Do you agree? Elucidate. MUST READ An own goal for Britain? The Hindu If you want to help the poor Indian Express Not so basic Indian Express Tolerating the corrupt Indian Express India on the cusp of another dalliance with fiscal imprudence Livemint

PIB

Press Information Bureau (PIB) IAS UPSC – 18th March to 24th March - 2019

Press Information Bureau (PIB) IAS UPSC – 18th March to 24th March - 2019 ARCHIVES GS-2 Health Ministry reviews the preparedness on West Nile Fever (Topic: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources) The State has been advised to follow the National Vector Borne Disease Control Program (NVBDCP) guidelines of personal protective measures to prevent mosquito bites. The Ministry has also recommended vector surveillance and control to be carried out in coordination with NVBDCP. West Nile Fever is a mosquito borne zoonotic disease caused by a flavivirus -West Nile Virus (WNV). This virus is related to viruses that cause Japanese Encephalitis, yellow fever and St. Louis encephalitis. Human infection is most often due to bites from infected mosquitoes. To date, no human-to-human transmission of WNV through casual contact has been documented. Infection with WNV is either asymptomatic (no symptoms) in around 80% of infected people, or can lead to West Nile fever or severe West Nile disease. Do you know? West Nile virus can cause a fatal neurological disease in humans. Approximately 80% of West Nile virus infections in humans have few or no symptoms. WNV is found in temperate and tropical regions of the world. The virus was discovered in Uganda in 1937 and was first detected in North America in 1999. West Nile fever is spread by Culex mosquitoes and the infection could be confirmed only if the second samples test positive. Symptoms include fever, headache, tiredness, and body aches, nausea, vomiting, occasionally with a skin rash on the trunk of the body, and swollen lymph glands. Pic: https://iasbaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/PIB.jpg World Water Day (Topic: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation) Theme: Leaving no one behind – Whoever you are, wherever you are, water is your human right. 600 million people face acute water shortage and 200,000 die each year because they have no access to clean water. By 2020, 21 cities will run out of groundwater. Just over a decade from now, water woes could cause a 6% loss in GDP. What is ‘safe water’? Safe water means water that is free from contamination, and available whenever needed. The world cannot grow and prosper if there are people without access to safe water. When they are forced to use unsafe or contaminated water, they risk contracting deadly diseases. Women, children, refugees, and disabled people sometimes face discrimination when they try to access water. This is against the basic human right to water — which entitles everyone to water for drinking, personal sanitation, washing clothes, food preparation, and household hygiene. This year’s World Water Day will focus on the reasons why so many people are being left behind. Composite Water Management Index: Seventy per cent of the water resources in the country is polluted, 75 per cent households do not have drinking water and more than 600 million people in the country face high to extreme water distress. The Mihir Shah Committee argued that there is little “understanding of river systems or their interconnections with the health of catchment areas or groundwater”. There needs to be a paradigm shift in the country’s water governance: From a predominantly engineer-centred approach of the CWGB to one involving hydrologists, geologists, agronomists, and ecologists. Water scarcity is a clear and present danger, not a distant threat, and global warming heightens this threat. World Tuberculosis Day (Topic: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources) 24th March marks the day in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch announced that he had discovered the bacterium that causes TB, which opened the way towards diagnosing and curing this disease. TB remains the world’s deadliest infectious killer. Each day, nearly 4500 people lose their lives to TB and close to 30,000 people fall ill with this preventable and curable disease. Global efforts to combat TB have saved an estimated 54 million lives since the year 2000 and reduced the TB mortality rate by 42%. To accelerate the TB response in countries to reach targets – Heads of State came together and made strong commitments to end TB at the first-ever UN High Level Meeting in September 2018. Theme of World TB Day 2019 - ‘It’s time’ – puts the accent on the urgency to act on the commitments made by global leaders to: Scale up access to prevention and treatment Build accountability Ensure sufficient and sustainable financing including for research; Promote an end to stigma and discrimination Promote an equitable, rights-based and people-centered TB response. India’s War on TB – The Way Forward Countering Delay in Diagnosis: To block transmission, treatment should begin as soon as a symptom shows up. As cough is a very common symptom of many diseases, doctors don’t think of TB until other treatments fail. Partnership with the private sector is essential for early diagnosis of TB. Universal primary health care, a basic human right, and a diagnostic algorithm for early diagnosis are essential for TB control. To retard progression: Employ the biomedical method is drug treatment of latent TB. Experts recommend an age window of 5-10 years when all children must be screened with TST; those with latent TB must be treated to prevent progression. Private Sector: The private sector has a very crucial role to play in checking the rise of TB as it is the first place a patient from an urban area visits. We need to make them a partner in this fight. Strict guidelines need to be followed to report cases of TB to government. Developing a comprehensive set of national guidelines could strengthen private sector engagement in TB Efforts should be made to map and categorise private practitioners based on the nature of their education, experience and services provided. Private hospitals need to be penalised for failure to report early TB cases to government. This will enhance the accountability of the private players. If cannot provide free treatment, it needs to refer the patient to a government clinic. Strengthening research: We urgently require rapid and cost-effective point-of-care devices that can be deployed for TB diagnosis in different settings across the country. Additionally, new drug regimens are necessary for responding to the spread of drug-resistant strains as is an effective vaccine for preventing TB in adults. It is a big challenge in current times, which is due to irregular treatment. Operational research for optimising service delivery is also critical because it is often the case that diagnostics and drugs do not reach those who need them the most. TB with other disease like HIV is difficult to treat and the research needs to be strengthened in this field. The India TB Research and Development Corporation launched in 2016 must play a pivotal role in accelerating these efforts. Technology: Technology has to be introduced and utilized in the most effective manner to ensure early access and monitoring. Ending social stigma: TB is not a health issue alone. It is a broader societal challenge. Patients often hesitate to seek treatment or deny their condition altogether for fear of losing social standing. The consequence is that TB becomes a death sentence for many even though it is a fully curable illness. Women are disproportionately affected with estimates suggesting that 100,000 Indian women are asked to leave their homes every year after being diagnosed with TB. Mass awareness campaigns like ‘TB Harega Desh Jeetega’ can play an important role in breaking social taboos. Local communication channels such as community radios and street plays must also be leveraged. Children should be engaged through anganwadis and schools for disseminating accurate messages about TB to their families. Paediatric TB is often a neglected area. Children come from low socio-economic strata with social stigma and discrimination which needs to be de-stigmatised. Major initiatives taken by India– Shift to Daily regime of medication: With DOT Centres, the treatment will be at individual door level leading to no defaulter. Cash benefit for TB patients & Medical Practitioner: About 35 lakh identified Tuberculosis patients across the country will soon get Rs. 500 every month from the Centre as social support. The cash benefit for social support will cover loss of wages, travel and mainly nutrition. INR 500/- to the private medical practitioner for notification of the disease Will this work: Need to incentivise both the patients and the private practitioners as both the sides will ensure that they stand to gain from the treatment, which, in the long term, might lead to behavioural change. Web-based Application – Nikshay: To enable health functionaries at various levels across the country to monitor TB cases in their areas Patients receive daily SMSes to ensure they continue their medication. The medicines come with a toll free number that is visible only after the medicine has been taken out of the foil pack; patients are required to give the number a missed call. Every missed call is tracked, and when there are too many gaps, the patient is traced, often by treatment supervisors who travel to remote areas on bikes that the programme pays for. Introduction of Cartridge-Based Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (CBNAAT): It is a revolutionary rapid molecular test which simultaneously detects Mycobacterium tuberculosis and rifampicin drug resistance. This test is fully automated and provides results within two hours. It is a highly sensitive diagnostic tool and can be used in remote and rural areas without sophisticated infrastructure or specialised training. Connect the Dots: TB remains one of the leading causes of death from any single infectious agent worldwide. Comment on the national and global efforts to eliminate the disease by 2035. TB is still one of the major cause of deaths across the world. To eliminate this epidemic, understanding the private sector and designing the corresponding strategies is one of the important solutions. Elucidate. To outsmart TB bacilli, we must intercept infection, progression and transmission concerted use of all interventions — biomedical and socio-behavioural- is required. Analyze. GS-3 Strong Action against Terrorism in Jammu & Kashmir (Topic: Security challenges and their management in border areas; linkages of organized crime with terrorism) Central Government has followed the policy of ‘Zero Tolerance’ against terrorism and has acted strongly against terrorists. Central Government in its pursuit of strong action against terrorism, has declared JKLF (Yasin faction) as an unlawful association under the provisions of Section 3(1) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.  Securities Forces have been given free hand to deal with terrorism. Government is committed to relentlessly pursuing the policy of curbing the activities of secessionist organizations which are threat to unity and integrity of the country. NIA and Enforcement Directorate are taking strong action against these organizations. With above objective, Government has declared ‘Jamaat-e-Islami (J&K)’ as an unlawful association under the provisions of Section 3(1) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. It was made clear at that time that ‘Jamaat-e-Islami (J&K)’ is separate from ‘Jamaat-e-Islami Hind’. In 1953, it made its own constitution. JeI (J&K) is responsible for formation of Hizbul Mujahidin (HM), the biggest terrorist organization active in Jammu & Kashmir. JeI (J&K) has been providing all kind of support to HM in terms of recruits, funding, shelter, logistics, etc Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front led by Md. Yasin Malik has spearheaded the separatist ideology in the valley and has been at the fore-front of separatist activities and violence since 1988. Murders of Kashmiri Pandits by JKLF in 1989 triggered their exodus from the valley. Md. Yasin Malik was the mastermind behind the purging of Kashmiri Pandits from the Kashmir valley and is responsible for their genocide. JKLF has many serious cases registered against it. This organisation is responsible for murder of 4 Indian Air Force personnel and kidnapping of Dr. Rubaiya Sayeed (daughter of the then Home Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in Shri V. P. Singh’s Government). This organization, alongside, is also responsible for illegal funnelling of funds for fomenting terrorism.  JKLF is actively involved in raising of funds and its distribution to Hurriyat cadres and stone-pelters to fuel unrest in the Kashmir valley as well as for subversive activities. Activities of JKLF (Y) pose a serious threat to the security of the country and are prejudicial to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of India. The organization has been actively and continuously encouraging, feelings of enmity and hatred against the lawfully established Government as well as armed rebellion. 37 FIRs have been registered by J&K Police against JKLF. Two cases including the case of murder of IAF personnel were registered by CBI. NIA has also registered a case, which is under investigation. It is evident from these that JKLF continues to be actively engaged in supporting and inciting secessionism and terrorism including terror financing.     A large number of secessionist leaders were being provided security by the State. Government, after review, has withdrawn the security of many such persons.  This process will continue further.  The Government has re-vitalized grass-root democracy in J&K by conducting elections peacefully for the first time in 2018 for Urban Local bodies after 2005 and for Panchayats after 2011.  There was active participation of the people in these elections and overall polling percentage was 74%.  More than 3,652 Sarpanches and 23,629 Panches were elected in these elections. Panchayats have been empowered and made more accountable towards public. Direct elections were held for Sarpanches. Financial powers of Panchayats have been increased 10 times. About 20 Departments have been brought under Panchayati Raj. Government is committed for integrated and coordinated development of all the three regions of the State, Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.  Please Note: AFINDEX-19: Africa-India Field Training Exercise-2019 for India and African nations Exercise MITRA SHAKTI: Conducted annually as part of military diplomacy and interaction between armies of India & Sri Lanka Quotes: The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu On Media and Elections Advised the media to present a report card on the performance of parties in an objective manner to enable people make an informed choice during elections. If the media can present report card and the people can demand accountability from political party’s vis-a-vis their promises, raising resources and how they intend to spend them, our country can boast of not only being the largest democracy in the world but also one of the most vibrant, cleanest democracies in the world. Media should act as a mirror that reflects the reality, neither magnifying nor diminishing, neither distorting nor mystifying facts. Advised the media to “shun this tendency lest 'money power' is used to influence voters through 'manufactured' views and opinions of paid news”. To make elections more credible and inclusive the pitfalls such as money and muscle power, breaching the limits of election expenditure, invoking caste and religion, criminal antecedents of candidates, paid news and fake news, violating the Model Code of Conduct, inadequate representation of women in legislatures need to be addressed in quick time. As an old saying goes 'facts are sacred and opinion is free'. So, stick to facts, present them fearlessly and give opinions fearlessly but when giving opinion don't 'change' the facts. We must foresee that these 4C’s are coming and must be careful – Cash, Community, Caste and Criminality. Must Read: Link 1 + Link 2 On Blue Economy The objective of the Blue Economy is to promote smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and employment opportunities through maritime economic activities. There is a need to focus on ocean centric technology to harness the marine resources for sustained growth of India. Development of technologies for deep sea mining, underwater vehicles and underwater robotics for extraction of minerals should be initiated. NIO should also undertake research on development of drugs from the sea. A focused approach in some of the areas such as minerals from the ocean, energy from ocean can make India a global leader and serve our national goals. However, while pursuing the “blue growth”, every effort must be made by all the stakeholders, including private and public sectors, to prevent further degradation of the ocean and its ecosystems. Must Read: Link 1  

60 Days Plan 2019 - Daily Prelims Test

60 Days Plan: UPSC IAS Prelims 2019 - Economics and Current Affairs (Day 21)

60 Days Plan: UPSC IAS Prelims 2019 - Economics and Current Affairs (Day 21) 60 Day plan has been published on the website (www.iasbaba.com - Click here). Since we have come up with the 'Quiz Format', it will not be feasible to publish it on the app. For feasibility and getting to know where you stand among your peers (we have a leaderboard which gives your marks and rank) it would be advisable to take the test on the website. All the best. make the best use of the initiative ! Before taking the Test, read the post below, ARCHIVES Hello Friends,  The most beloved 60 Days for UPSC IAS Prelims 2019  has finally begun :) Once again the time has come for the battle (Prelims). And who else than your best companion in the last preparatory phase for UPSC IAS Prelims 2019 i.e 60 days plan. It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.  Hope the message given above makes sense to you all. The productive utilization of this programme demands consistency, honesty, faith and strong determination to be in the process of learning and unlearning. You might not be fully prepared to solve all the questions but the learning and unlearning through these questions will prepare you for the real battle on 2nd June 2019. You have to unlearn your repetitive mistakes, gut feeling on which you mark doubtful questions. You have to learn new things and also those concepts that you were very sure of but somehow because of traps in the option, got it wrong. You have to learn 'how to convert knowledge into marks' (Because most of the times, after ending the exam, you regret making mistakes in known concepts).  Secondly, keep a long distance from following too many things at this point. It will always backfire. Once you are here, put complete faith and follow this initiative along with whatever you were doing. It is very important to consolidate your preparation with many revisions. Simply following many things will leave you in despair. You can cross check this with veterans. Everything that seems attractive is not productive. You should always go for productivity. Be wise! Let us pledge to make it a big game changer (better than last year) in the next 60 days of this plan! Importance of Self - Tracking: Learning from Last Year Last year, aspirants used to type/post their answers in the comment box on a daily basis. There were huge participation and discussion below the test post. Putting answers in the comment box has been very effective to self-track yourself after updating the score. In the end, you can cross check your performance through Disqus profile. It was highly effective in the last edition of 60 Days that propelled aspirants to monitor their performance and learn through discussion. Let you solve these questions with full honesty and write your result in the comment box. Interact with peers to know your mistakes. The importance of this initiative stands time-bound and aggressive reverse engineering to learn the concepts. Many of you must be busy with your own strategy but let us tell you honestly that in the last few months, it is very important to revise and consolidate your learning. Just reading won’t suffice. So, take out a few hours from your schedule and make it a revision exercise. How can you make the best use of it? Be honest to your effort and do not start competing with XYZ aspirants just for the sake of marks. It is more important for you to introspect and check your learning than focusing on others. Try to answer the questions in 25 minutes only.  Do not get into negative feeling that I don’t have enough knowledge to answer these questions. Feel like you are taking the real exam. What would be your response then? The same will be replicated in the UPSC exam. Here, you get marks only and nothing else matters. So, make effort to know the answers to all questions. Do not cheat :P DETAILED MICRO ANALYSIS MATRIX SAMPLE- is given here. You can download this and do an assessment for yourself (the excel sheet must be modified as per this years planning. The provided excel sheet is only for reference).  DOWNLOAD You can copy paste the same format/modify as per your need in Google Spreadsheet and update it on daily basis. Feedback talks about daily test results. Follow-up talks about daily target achieved from sources and the number of revisions to do/done and dates. Sources column is to ensure that aspirants do not run behind various sources and follow the same throughout. Would like to end on this quote:  Either you run the day or the day runs you.  Are you ready? Let's start! Important Note Don't forget to post your marks in the comment section. Also, let us know if you enjoyed today's test :)  You can post your comments in the given format  (1) Your Score (2) Matrix Meter (3) New Learning from the Test

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 26th March 2019

IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 26th March 2019 Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) SC asks EC to increase the VVPAT count Part of: GS Mains II – Polity; Constitutional bodies; Role of Judiciary In news: Supreme Court held that VVPATs were “working absolutely right” and everything that the ECI did was based on expert statistical data. SC said it was in favour of increasing the random physical verification of Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. However, the EC said the current practice of physically checking the VVPAT paper slips of one randomly selected polling station in an Assembly constituency and each Assembly segment in the case of the Lok Sabha election was “all that is needed.” The court directed the Election Commission to explain why it seemed to be “fully satisfied” with restricting the counting of VVPATs to one polling station. Do you know? Swamy case – In 2013, in the Subramanian Swamy case, the Supreme Court held that the paper trail through VVPAT of votes cast was an indispensable requirement of free and fair elections. It was the SC which pushed EC into introducing the VVPATs in the first place. Supreme Court had faced stiff opposition from the Election Commission while brining in VVPATs. Garibi Hatao 2.0: Rahul Gandhi promises to wipe out poverty (About NYAY) Part of: GS Prelims and Mains II – Government schemes and policies; Welfare/Poverty issue In news: Congress president Rahul Gandhi announced that 20% of the poorest families in the country would be annually given 72,000 each under the Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY) or minimum income guarantee, if his party was voted to power. Gandhi asserted that five crore families and 25 crore people would be lifted out of poverty under NYAY – the acronym to convey a sense of ‘justice’ for the poor. Chandrayaan 2 to carry NASA’s laser instruments to Moon Part of: GS Prelims and Mains III – Science and Technology; Space Missions In news: Chandrayaan 2 – is India’s lunar mission scheduled to launch next month Chandrayaan 2 will carry NASA’s laser instruments NASA’s laser instruments to help scientists to make precise measurements of the distance to the Moon Israeli lander Beresheet to also carry NASA-owned laser retroreflector arrays. Do you know? Retroreflectors are essentially sophisticated mirrors. Scientists on Earth can shoot them with lasers and study the light that is reflected back. That signal can help pinpoint precisely where the lander is, which scientists can use to calculate its — and the moon's — distance from Earth. About Chandrayaan 2 India’s second lunar exploration mission after Chandrayaan 1. Developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the mission is planned to be launched to the Moon by a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV Mk III). It includes a lunar orbiter, lander and rover, all developed by India. Chandrayaan-2 is scheduled to launch in April 2019 and will attempt to soft land a lander and rover in a high plain between two craters, Manzinus C and Simpelius N, at a latitude of about 70degree south. If successful, Chandrayaan-2 will be the second mission to land a rover near the lunar south pole. ISRO’s PSLV-C45 project or Emisat mission Part of: GS Prelims and Mains III – Science and Technology; Space Missions In news: PSLV-C45/Emisat mission scheduled to lift-off from Sriharikota on April 1st will be a memorable one for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). PSLV-C45 will mark the 47th flight of the PSLV. It will be ISRO’s first attempt at placing payloads in three different orbits. 436 kg Emisat — will be injected into a 749 km orbit. Emisat, the chief payload on PSLV-C45, is meant for electromagnetic spectrum measurements, according to the ISRO. After that, the fourth stage of the rocket will be manoeuvred to a 504 km orbit for releasing 28 international satellites. Once that job is over, the fourth stage will be restarted and guided to an altitude of 485 km. This stage will serve as an orbital platform for space-based experiments. This is another first for the ISRO. Normally, the spent stage simply becomes space junk. The orbital platform will also sport solar panels, which too is a first. The launch vehicle itself is a new variant, designated PSLV-QL. For the first time, ISRO will be employing four XL strap-on motors on the first stage. Do you know? One of the three experiments aboard the orbital platform is the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST)’s Advanced Retarding Potential Analyser for Ionospheric Studies (ARIS). ARIS will study the structure and composition of the ionosphere. The other two experimental payloads aboard the orbital platform are the Automatic Identification system (AIs), an ISRO payload for maritime satellite applications, and the Automatic Packet Repeating System (APRS), meant to assist amateur radio operators. Chinook will improve reaction capabilities, says IAF chief Part of: GS Prelims and Mains III – Defence; Technology In news: Indian Air Force (IAF) inducted the first batch of four Chinook CH-47F (I) heavy-lift helicopters. Induction of Chinook helicopters to significantly improve airlift to high-altitude areas. The modern, multi-mission-capable, heavy-lift transport helicopter will enhance heli-lift capability across all types of terrain to the full effect. The service ceiling of 20,000 feet would redefine heavy lift not just in operations but also for inter-valley transport and the artillery. These helicopters will be deployed in northern and eastern regions. Do you know? India finalised a contract for 15 Boeing Chinook helicopters in September 2015. The first batch arrived at the Mundra Port in Gujarat in February this year. All helicopters will be delivered by March next year. The Chinook CH-47F (I) heavy-lift helicopters can carry a maximum payload of 11 tonnes and 54 combat-ready troops or 24 stretcher patients. The Army’s recently inducted M-777 Ultra-Light Howitzers can also be carried to forward areas. Boeing CH-47 Chinook: It is an American twin-engined, tandem rotor, heavy-lift helicopter developed by American rotorcraft company Vertol and manufactured by Boeing Vertol (later known as Boeing Rotorcraft Systems). The CH-47 is among the heaviest lifting Western helicopters. Its name, Chinook, is from the Native American Chinook people of modern-day Washington State. Indian Accounting Standards (Ind AS) Part of: GS Prelims and Mains III – Indian Economy and related issues; Banking In News: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has deferred the implementation of new accounting rules, Indian Accounting Standards (Ind AS) for banks till further notice. This is the second extension provided by the RBI. Earlier in April 2018, RBI had postponed the implementation of Ind AS by the banks by one year. Do you know? The new rules based on the IFRS9 standards created in the aftermath of the financial crisis were supposed to kick in at the start of the new fiscal year that starts on April 1, after being delayed last year. According to Fitch Ratings' local unit, India’s state-run lenders would have had to increase provisions by as much as 1.1 trillion rupees ($16 billion) in the fiscal first quarter ending June 30 if the rules had gone ahead. That would have forced public sector lenders to raise “substantial” amounts of extra capital, beyond the estimated 1.9 trillion rupee infusion already committed by the government. About Indian Accounting Standard: Indian Accounting Standard (abbreviated as Ind-AS) is the Accounting standard adopted by companies in India and issued under the supervision of Accounting Standards Board (ASB) which was constituted as a body in the year 1977. MCA has to spell out the accounting standards applicable for companies in India. The implementation of Ind-AS for public sector banks requires an amendment to the Banking Regulation Act. The schedule in BR Act relating to financial statement disclosures needs to be changed to the Ind-AS format. Section 29 of the BR Act deals with the accounts and balance sheets of public sector banks. Private sector banks are covered by the Companies Act, which is based on the new accounting standards. GRAPES-3 muon telescope facility Part of: GS Prelims and Mains III – Science and Technology; Space Missions In News: For the first time in the world, researchers at the GRAPES-3 muon telescope facility in Ooty have measured the electrical potential, size and height of a thundercloud that passed overhead on December 1, 2014. Learning about the properties of thunderclouds can be useful in navigation of aircraft and preventing short circuits. About GRAPES-3 GRAPES-3 is designed to study cosmic rays with an array of air shower detectors and a large area muon detector. It aims to probe acceleration of cosmic rays in the following four astrophysical settings. These include acceleration of particles to, ~100 MeV in atmospheric electric fields through muons, ~10 GeV in the Solar System through muons, ~1 PeV in our galaxy, ~100 EeV in the nearby universe through measurement of diffuse gamma ray flux. The observations began with 217 plastic scintillators and a 560 m2 area muon detector in 2000. The scintillators detect charged particles contained in extensive air showers produced by interaction of high energy cosmic rays in the atmosphere. About Muons: Muons and other particles are produced when cosmic rays bombard air particles surrounding the earth. The muons produced can have positive or negative charge. When a positively charged muon falls through a cloud, it loses energy If its energy falls below 1 giga electron volt (GeV), which is the threshold of detection of the GRAPES-3 muon telescope, it goes undetected. On the contrary, a negatively charged muon gains energy when falling through the cloud and gets detected. Since there are more positive than negative muons produced in nature, the two effects don't cancel out, and a net change in intensity is detected. MUST READ The point of having democracy The Hindu Learning love from New Zealand The Hindu Encouraging secret donations The Hindu India needs a measure of political consensus on regional policies Indian Express Is India really making better use of productive resources? Livemint In search of an effective way to blunt self-exploitation Livemint

AIR

All India Radio (AIR) IAS UPSC - Bilateral Relations between India and Argentina

Bilateral Relations between India and Argentina ARCHIVES Search 18th February, 2019 Spotlight here: http://www.newsonair.com/Audio-Archive-Search.aspx TOPIC: General studies 2: 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, Indian diaspora India and Argentina Groups: Both countries are members of G20, Group of 24 and Group of 77 In 1968, Indira Gandhi became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Argentina. India-Argentina relations are based on shared principles and values of democracy, freedom, rule of law, respect for human rights and territorial integrity of States. Relations between India and Argentina goes beyond trade. Both have extended their support to each other at various platforms of United Nation and multilateral bodies. India supported Argentina on the issue of sovereign debt servicing and holdout creditors. India and Argentina will seek to further deepen and expand cooperation in wide range of sectors including renewable energy, nuclear energy, space and agriculture, aviation, mining (lithium, gold and copper), pharmaceuticals and automobiles. Two memorandum of understandings (MoU) were signed in 2016 namely MoU on cooperation in the field of research and education in Homeopathic medicine and the second one is an MoU on establishment of an ‘academic chair’ in Ayurveda between Central Council on Research in Ayurvedic Sciences, Ministry of AYUSH and Fundacion de Salud Ayurveda Prema. India’s Exports to Argentina: Major items of exports include organic chemicals, vehicles and auto-parts, lubricants, machinery, sound and image devices and garments. India’s Imports from Argentina: Major items of imports are soybean oil, petroleum, copper, sunflower oil, leather, wool and ferroalloys. With India–Argentina trade just touching $ 3 billion in the last ten years, leaders of both sides agree to increase their cooperation further to improve economic relations. The two countries inked ten agreements including in the defence, agriculture, space, pharmaceuticals, Between Prasar Bharati and its Counterpart, Antarctic cooperation, Work plan on Agriculture, Cooperation in IT and Nuclear energy Defence: The Framework Agreement in the Defence is very broad in nature and will be covering issues related to the exchange of officers, training of armed forces personnel and cooperation in joint ventures for military equipment and peacekeeping operations.” Argentina has increased its participation in peacekeeping operations as opposed to conventional combat. Both sides are likely to encourage their respective business enterprises to enter into arrangements for co-development and co-production of defence equipment in India, including the transfer of know-how and technologies. Pharmaceutical: India is capable of supplying high quality generic drugs at affordable prices to meet the needs of Argentina’s pharmaceuticals market. Space: Pursue cooperation in the field of Satellite Remote Sensing, including the exchange of data, the development of applications and calibration and validation experiments. Both sides agreed to further explore avenues of space collaboration including in such areas as satellite building and launch. Fight Terrorism: India and Argentina released a ‘Special Declaration to Fight Terrorism’ Oil and Gas: The two countries are in talks for developing shale gas Nuclear: The molybdenum plant being built in Mumbai by the Argentine company INVAP, with a target completion in 2020. Further, the sides also desired to enhance and explore cooperative ventures in the areas of nuclear power; other societal uses of nuclear energy in the health, agriculture sectors & for industrial applications; and Training and Capacity Building. Tourism: According to the envoy, soft diplomacy of people-to-people contact is necessary to understand each other better. Such contacts help us to understand not only the differences but also the things that bring the two countries together. Of course, there are many levels and ways for this. Tourism, for example, has a huge potential. They are strongly working on promoting destinations in Argentina for Indian tourists. With different type of landscapes and a good climate, Argentina can be a good destination for Bollywood. There will be a MoU inked in the field of joint film production. Once the project is finalized, the Marci government is expected to offer great tax incentives of more than 20 percent. Pharmaceutical: To consolidate links and cooperation in pharmaceuticals, both sides highlighted the importance of concluding enabling instruments such as the MOU on Cooperation in the Field of Medical Products Regulation, which facilitates, among other things, the exchange of information on procedures for inspection and registration of pharmaceutical products and efficient communication channels between their counterpart institutions. Technical Cooperation: Both sides agreed to deepen and strengthen the modalities of bilateral technical cooperation in matters of mutual interest, such as energy including renewable, ICT, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, higher education, mechanization and new technologies applied to agroindustry, animal and plant health, biotechnology, technological development for livestock production, ocean research, among others. Agriculture: The Work Plan on Agro-Industrial cooperation will enhance the scope of agricultural cooperation between India and Argentina, including the exchange of technology to increase productivity, reduce post-harvest losses and build climate resilience. Renewable Energy: Both sides emphasized the importance of efforts towards enhancing the contribution of renewal energy in their energy mix and its contribution to mitigate climate change. India invited Argentina’s collaboration in meeting its target of 175 GW Power generation from renewable energy sources by 2022. A Snapshot: Location: Southern half of South America; Sharing the bulk of the Southern Cone with Chile to the west, the country is also bordered by Bolivia and Paraguay to the north, Brazil to the northeast, Uruguay and the South Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Drake Passage to the south. Capital: Buenos Aires A founding member of the United Nations, World Bank, World Trade Organization, Mercosur, Union of South American Nations, Community of Latin American and Caribbean States and the Organization of Ibero-American States. Highest & Lowest points: Aconcagua in the Mendoza province, the highest point in the Southern and Western Hemispheres Laguna del Carbón, the lowest point, in the San Julián Great Depression Santa Cruz province - also the lowest point in the Southern and Western Hemispheres, and the seventh lowest point on Earth.

60 Days Plan 2019 - Daily Prelims Test

60 Days Plan: UPSC IAS Prelims 2019 - History and Current Affairs (Day 20)

60 Days Plan: UPSC IAS Prelims 2019 - History and Current Affairs (Day 20) 60 Day plan has been published on the website (www.iasbaba.com - Click here). Since we have come up with the 'Quiz Format', it will not be feasible to publish it on the app. For feasibility and getting to know where you stand among your peers (we have a leaderboard which gives your marks and rank) it would be advisable to take the test on the website. All the best. make the best use of the initiative ! Before taking the Test, read the post below, ARCHIVES Hello Friends,  The most beloved 60 Days for UPSC IAS Prelims 2019  has finally begun :) Once again the time has come for the battle (Prelims). And who else than your best companion in the last preparatory phase for UPSC IAS Prelims 2019 i.e 60 days plan. It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.  Hope the message given above makes sense to you all. The productive utilization of this programme demands consistency, honesty, faith and strong determination to be in the process of learning and unlearning. You might not be fully prepared to solve all the questions but the learning and unlearning through these questions will prepare you for the real battle on 2nd June 2019. You have to unlearn your repetitive mistakes, gut feeling on which you mark doubtful questions. You have to learn new things and also those concepts that you were very sure of but somehow because of traps in the option, got it wrong. You have to learn 'how to convert knowledge into marks' (Because most of the times, after ending the exam, you regret making mistakes in known concepts).  Secondly, keep a long distance from following too many things at this point. It will always backfire. Once you are here, put complete faith and follow this initiative along with whatever you were doing. It is very important to consolidate your preparation with many revisions. Simply following many things will leave you in despair. You can cross check this with veterans. Everything that seems attractive is not productive. You should always go for productivity. Be wise! Let us pledge to make it a big game changer (better than last year) in the next 60 days of this plan! Importance of Self - Tracking: Learning from Last Year Last year, aspirants used to type/post their answers in the comment box on a daily basis. There were huge participation and discussion below the test post. Putting answers in the comment box has been very effective to self-track yourself after updating the score. In the end, you can cross check your performance through Disqus profile. It was highly effective in the last edition of 60 Days that propelled aspirants to monitor their performance and learn through discussion. Let you solve these questions with full honesty and write your result in the comment box. Interact with peers to know your mistakes. The importance of this initiative stands time-bound and aggressive reverse engineering to learn the concepts. Many of you must be busy with your own strategy but let us tell you honestly that in the last few months, it is very important to revise and consolidate your learning. Just reading won’t suffice. So, take out a few hours from your schedule and make it a revision exercise. How can you make the best use of it? Be honest to your effort and do not start competing with XYZ aspirants just for the sake of marks. It is more important for you to introspect and check your learning than focusing on others. Try to answer the questions in 25 minutes only.  Do not get into negative feeling that I don’t have enough knowledge to answer these questions. Feel like you are taking the real exam. What would be your response then? The same will be replicated in the UPSC exam. Here, you get marks only and nothing else matters. So, make effort to know the answers to all questions. Do not cheat :P DETAILED MICRO ANALYSIS MATRIX SAMPLE- is given here. You can download this and do an assessment for yourself (the excel sheet must be modified as per this years planning. The provided excel sheet is only for reference).  DOWNLOAD You can copy paste the same format/modify as per your need in Google Spreadsheet and update it on daily basis. Feedback talks about daily test results. Follow-up talks about daily target achieved from sources and the number of revisions to do/done and dates. Sources column is to ensure that aspirants do not run behind various sources and follow the same throughout. Would like to end on this quote:  Either you run the day or the day runs you.  Are you ready? Let's start! Important Note Don't forget to post your marks in the comment section. Also, let us know if you enjoyed today's test :)  You can post your comments in the given format  (1) Your Score (2) Matrix Meter (3) New Learning from the Test

RSTV Video

RSTV IAS UPSC – Tackling Terror Finance

Tackling Terror Finance Archives TOPIC: General Studies 3: Security challenges and their management in border areas; linkages of organized crime with terrorism In News: In the wake of the dastardly terror attack in Pulwama carried out by Pakistan based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad, India has upped the ante against Pakistan on the issue of terror funding by pushing to blacklist the neighbouring country at the plenary meeting of the anti-terror finance watchdog Financial Action Task Force, FATF being held in Paris. Pakistan was placed on the FATF grey list in June, 2018 and put on notice to be blacklisted by October this year if it did not curb money laundering and terror financing. The resolution against Pakistan was moved by the US, and supported by the UK, France, Germany, and India. It said Pakistan was not doing enough to comply with anti-terrorist financing and anti-money laundering regulations. Pakistan was then given a 27-point action plan that was to be implemented by September this year and the same is being monitored by FATF Asia Pacific sub group. In June 2018, Pakistan submitted a 26-point action plan to the FATF, committing to implement it over the next 15 months. The action plan included a squeeze on the finances of Jamaat-ud Dawa, Falah-i-Insaniyat, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Haqqani Network and the Afghan Taliban. The failure to negotiate the action plan could have led to Pakistan being blacklisted. What would a black-list mean? It would mean enhanced financial scrutiny of its government, possible sanctions against its central bank, and a downgrade of its financial and credit institutions. This is something Pakistan, already facing an acute debt crisis, can ill-afford. Amongst the FATF’s stern observations of what it called Pakistan’s lack of “understanding” of the terror finance risks posed by groups, such as the Taliban, al-Qaeda, Islamic State, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, was a clear message: Islamabad must visibly demonstrate that it has taken measures to crack down on and shut down the infrastructure and finances of these groups. Terror Financing: The financing of terrorism involves providing finance or financial support to individual terrorists or non-state actors. Mechanism established internationally to curb it: The Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF) made nine special recommendations for CFT (first eight then a year later added a ninth). These nine recommendations have become the global standard for CFT and their effectiveness is assessed almost always in conjunction with anti-money laundering. The FATF Blacklist (the NCCT list) mechanism was used to coerce countries to bring about change. A 2008 FATF report on terrorism financing noted the importance of links between financial tools and wider counter-terrorist activity to combat terrorist financing. Indicators of the collection and movement of funds that could be associated with terrorism financing: Account transactions that are inconsistent with past deposits or withdrawals such as cash, cheques, wire transfers, etc. Transactions involving a high volume of incoming or outgoing wire transfers, with no logical or apparent purpose that come from, go to, or transit through locations of concern, that is sanctioned countries, non-cooperative nations and sympathizer nations. Unexplainable clearing or negotiation of third-party cheques and their deposits in foreign bank accounts. Structuring at multiple branches or the same branch with multiple activities. Corporate layering, transfers between bank accounts of related entities or charities for no apparent reasons. Wire transfers by charitable organisations to companies located in countries known to be bank or tax havens. Lack of apparent fund-raising activity, for example a lack of small cheques or typical donations associated with charitable bank deposits. Using multiple accounts to collect funds that are then transferred to the same foreign beneficiaries Transactions with no logical economic purpose, that is, no link between the activity of the organization and other parties involved in the transaction. Overlapping corporate officers, bank signatories, or other identifiable similarities associated with addresses, references and financial activities. Cash debiting schemes in which deposits in the US correlate directly with ATM withdrawals in countries of concern. Reverse transactions of this nature are also suspicious. Issuing cheques, money orders or other financial instruments, often numbered sequentially, to the same person or business, or to a person or business whose name is spelled similarly. FATF The FATF was established in July 1989 by a G-7 Summit in Paris to examine and develop measures to combat money laundering. In October 2001, it expanded its mandate to incorporate efforts to combat terrorist financing as well. The FATF’s objectives are “to set standards and promote effective implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system”. The FATF monitors the progress of members and non-members in implementing the FATF Recommendations, “a comprehensive and consistent framework of measures which countries should implement in order to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, as well as the financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction”. It identifies jurisdictions with “weak measures to combat money laundering and terrorist financing (AML/CFT) in two FATF public documents that are issued three times a year”. India is an FATF member; Pakistan is not. The Way Forward: Global problems beckon global solutions. With terrorism now a common threat confronting like-minded nations, intelligence sharing between friendly nations is sine qua non. Though some level of intelligence sharing does exist with certain friendly nations, India must forge far more deliberate intelligence cooperation with intelligence agencies of terror-afflicted nations. It is important to develop seamless coordination resulting in speedy sharing of hard, actionable intelligence with foreign agencies. Also, UN protocols on counter-terrorism and agencies like Interpol and the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force must endeavour towards greater cooperation to combat the common enemies of humanity. India, as a country needs to up its game by involving all the agencies and ensuring proper flow of information from one point to another. In addition, it is common knowledge that terrorists today are not merely in rag-tag outfits but with advanced technology and continually improving modern weaponry and tools to support their nefarious designs. Thus, security agencies have to keep abreast of all technological innovations taking place. As the nation endeavours to improve its technical intelligence capabilities in its myriad applications, human intelligence capabilities need also to be sharpened. Thus, for India, eternal vigilance and security upgrades remain the price to pay to fire-wall itself from terrorism. Connecting the Dots: What are the sources of terror financing? Examine the nexus between terrorism and organised crime. What steps have been taken to stifle terror financing in India? Discuss. 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

Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 25th March 2019

IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 25th March 2019 Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) American "Virtual SIM" Used By Pulwama Attacker, India Seeks Details Part of: GS Mains III – Science and Technology; Security issues; Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security. In news: India has requested the US to provide details from a service provider of "virtual SIMs", which were used by the JeM suicide bomber behind the Pulwama attack and his Pakistan and Kashmir-based handlers. It was a fairly new modus operandi where terrorists across the border were using a "virtual SIM", generated by a service provider in the United States. Numbers used were pre-fixed with "+1", the Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number (MSISDN) number used for the United States. About virtual SIM technology In this technology, the computer generates a telephone number and the user downloads an application of the service provider on their smartphone. The number is linked to social networking sites like WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram or Twitter. The verification code generated by these networking sites is received on the smartphone and the user is ready. Jamaat-e-Islami banned Part of: GS Mains III – Terrorism and Security issues; Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security. In news: Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI-J&K), a socio-religious group that has been active in Jammu and Kashmir since 1942, was banned. Most locals who joined terrorist groups were associated with the JeI, either through educational institutions run by it or religious activities. An internal note from the Centre said – JeI has been using its network of schools to further promote anti-India feeling among children in the Valley. The Centre has claimed that the JeI has been collecting funds in the name of religious activities and using the same for ‘anti-national separatist activities’. Do you know? In 2018, over 180 Kashmiri youths joined these groups, and around 56% were locals. The same year, 252 terrorists were killed in various operations and around 60% were locals. Earlier foreign terrorists killed were more in number but the trend has reversed in the past two years. More locals have joined the militant ranks and more are getting killed. CAG Report unearths anomalies in border area development programme Part of: GS Prelims and Mains II and III – Governance issues; Government schemes and policies; Corruption; Infrastructure; Security challenges and their management in border areas In news: According to CAG report on implementation of Border Area Development Programme (BADP) from 2012-2017 along Mizoram’s border with Myanmar – Mizoram’s Rural Development department and block development officers of Champhai and Lungsen Blocks hired “earth excavators” for 67 road projects along the border. A cross-check of the registration numbers of the “earth movers” mentioned in money receipts with the State Transport Department revealed they were two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and small cars. The report criticised the Myanmar government for wasteful and doubtful expenditures and creating idle assets under the BADP. Do you know? Earlier in Feb 2019, CAG had slammed Arunachal govt for anomalies in border dev plan (BADP) About Border Area Development Programme (BADP) The BADP was started in the country during the 7th Plan period (1985-1990) for two reasons - balanced development of sensitive border areas through adequate provision of infrastructure facilities, and promoting a sense of security among the local population residing in border areas. The BADP has been implemented through 17 States (viz. Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal) which constitute the International Land Borders. The main objective of the BADP is to meet the special developmental needs and wellbeing of the people living in remote and inaccessible areas situated near the international border and to saturate the border areas with the entire essential infrastructure through convergence of Central/ State/ BADP/ Local schemes and participatory approach. The funds under BADP are provided to the States as a 100% non-lapsable Special Central Assistance. The BADP schemes include construction of primary health centres, schools, supply of drinking water, community centres, connectivity, drainage to enable sustainable living in border areas. It also covers schemes or activities relating to Swachhta Abhiyan, skill development programmes, promotion of sports activities in border areas, promotion of rural tourism, border tourism, protection of heritage sites, and construction of helipads in remote and inaccessible hilly areas, which do not have road connectivity. About Comptroller and Auditor General of India Article 148 provides for an independent office of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG). He is the head of the Indian Audit and Accounts Department. He is the guardian of the public purse and controls the entire financial system of the country at both the levels the Centre and the state. His duty is to uphold the Constitution of India and laws of Parliament in the field of financial administration. Sunstroke and Heat Wave Part of: GS Prelims and Mains II and III – Health issues; Impact of Climate Change and Global Warming; Disaster management In news: Sunstroke claimed three lives in Kerala. The number of sunstroke deaths in the State over just the weekend has now risen to three. Between March 1 and March 24, as many as 125 persons sought medical attention due to sunburn. IMD warns of further rise in temperatures. Heat Wave on the rise Earlier this month the IMD had forecast heat wave conditions in Tamil Nadu, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema. (India’s ‘core heatwave zones’) Do you know? Heat waves are among the leading causes of deaths among natural disasters in India. The heat waves of 2015 and 2016 had killed 2,040 and 1,111 people across the country respectively, according to records from the National Disaster Management Agency. Climate change is driving temperatures higher as well as increasing the frequency and severity of heat waves. India too is experiencing increased instances of heat waves every year. NDMA has been closely working with vulnerable States to reduce the adverse impacts of heat wave. According to recent UN climate report – India to face threat of deadly heat waves If the average global temperature rises by more than one degree Celsius from the present, India could “annually” expect conditions like the 2015 heat wave that killed at least 2,000 The report stated that capping the rise in temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius would require “rapid and far-reaching” transitions in land, energy, industry, buildings, transport and cities. Impact of rising sea levels Part of: GS Prelims and Mains III –Impact of Climate Change and Global Warming; Disaster management In news: Rising sea levels to affect water table in T.N. Fresh water will be replaced with saline water over time: study The water table would witness an incursion of sea water to the extent of 2-3mm every year. Rapid urbanisation and indiscriminate drawal have already led to salt water intrusion in many areas. Do you know? There is a rise in sea level by 2mm every year based on a report by the Indian Network for Climate Change Assessment under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The sea would also be moving closer to the land by 0.5 m every year because of the increase in sea level. Indian Army’s wait for close-quarter-battle carbines(CQB) continues Part of: GS Prelims and Mains III – Defence In news: Even though the procurement of 93,895 close-quarter-battle carbines (CQB) a deal worth $ 553.33 million been put on Fast Track Procurement (FTP), the final report of the Oversight Committee is awaited. Do you know? In January 2018, the DAC approved the purchase of 72,400 assault rifles and 93,895 carbines for ₹3,547 crore through the fast-track procurement (FTP) mode. After evaluation, Sig Sauer of the U.S. emerged as the lowest bidder for the assault rifles and the United Arab Emirates-based Caracal for the carbines. Pic: https://d39gegkjaqduz9.cloudfront.net/TH/2019/03/25/DEL/Delhi/TH/5_07/245b789e_2823430_101_mr.jpg Rushikulya waits for Olive Ridleys Part of: GS Prelims and Mains III – Environment and Biodiversity; Animal conservation In news: Even after waiting for almost a month, Olive Ridley turtles have not yet arrived for mass nesting at Odisha’s Rushikulya rookery and Devi river mouth. The reasons are not fully understood yet. Mass nesting has already occurred at the Gahirmatha coast of the State. Do you know? Only two species of marine turtles display a unique mass nesting behavior. This behavior is known as an 'arribada'. This reproductive phenomenon was first observed by the scientific community in 1961. By producing large numbers of offspring most organisms like sea turtles can insure their survival even after predation occurs. Arribada- Spanish term meaning arrival; a mass nesting behavior An arribada is a unique nesting phenomenon common to both the Olive ridley and the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle. The Olive ridley is endemic to the Pacific coasts of Mexico, Central America, and India. It is known to be a nocturnal nester. Olive Ridley: IUCN Status-Vulnerable The Kemp’s ridley is endemic to the Gulf of Mexico. It ranges from Galveston, Texas to Tampico, Mexico. Kemp’s ridley turtles display unique diurnal arribadas. Major nesting sites in Odisha: The Gahirmatha beach The mouth of the Debi river The Rushikulya rookery coast in the Ganjam district The Gahirmatha beach is the largest mass nesting site for olive ridley turtles along the Indian coastline, followed by the rookery at the mouth of the Rushikulya river. (MAINS FOCUS) GOVERNANCE/ECONOMY 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. Functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies. Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Important aspects of governance General studies 3 Indian Economy and issues relating to mobilization of resources, growth, development; Government Budgeting. Inclusive growth and issues arising from it. Challenges to Fiscal Federalism Concept of ‘Federalism’ We are aware of the concept ‘Federalism’ – It is a type of government in which the power is divided between the national government and other governmental units. Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhai Patel favored the decentralized structure and stood for the idea of federalism. Constitution framers felt that federal structure can efficiently meet the requirements of people from different regions. Concerns: However, in the immediate period following Independence, the Centre and all States were ruled by the same party and when many of the powerful provincial leaders migrated to the Centre, the process of centralisation gathered further momentum. Also Economic Planning at a nation-wide level helped this centralising process. Concept of ‘Fiscal federalism’ Fiscal federalism refers to the division of responsibilities with regards to public expenditure and taxation between the different levels of the government. Having a Fiscal Federalism mechanism allows the government to optimize their costs on economies of scale, because in this manner, people will get public service which they prefer, and there will be no unnecessary expenditure. It is generally believed that the Central government must provide national public goods that render services to the entire population. (For example, Defence) Sub-national governments are expected to provide goods and services whose consumption is limited to their own jurisdictions. Concerns: However, centrally sponsored schemes, which have ballooned in recent years, have ‘encroached’ on the territory of States. Over years, the performance of the Central government is judged not only on the basis of actions taken which fall strictly in its jurisdiction but also on initiatives undertaken in the areas which fall in the Concurrent and even State lists. Centralised planning has something to do with it. Today, the Central government is held responsible for everything that happens, including, for example, agrarian distress. Therefore, while viewing the responsibilities of the Centre and States we must take a broader view than what is stipulated in the Constitution. Do you know? The Constitution has provided provisions which enable the Union and the States to work in coordination and to levy and collect taxes through systematic arrangements. One important aspect of fiscal federalism is the determination of the specific fiscal instruments that would enable the different levels of government to carry out their functions. While determining the taxes that are best suited for use at different levels of government, one basic consideration is – in relation to the mobility of economic agents, goods and resources. It is generally argued that the de-centralised levels of government should avoid non-benefit taxes and taxes on mobile units. In other words, the Central government should have the responsibility to levy non-benefit taxes and taxes on mobile units or resources. It is important that the above principle is specifically provided in the Constitution. However, different Constitutions interpret differently what is mobile and what is purely a benefit tax. For example, in the United States and Canada, both Federal and State governments have concurrent powers to levy income tax. On the contrary, in India, income tax is levied only by the Central government though shared with the States. Trends in Tax Revenue A look at the composition of central and states’ own taxes and expenditure reveal that the share of the own tax revenue and expenditure of the states is approx. 38% and 58% respectively. This reflects the more than proportionate expenditure obligations of the states and also the lesser revenue raising powers vis-à-vis the centre. Also many studies has highlighted that the performance of tax revenue in India is below its potential. This limits not only the spending capacity of the centre, but also the amount of taxes devolved to the states. Besides, what is constitutionally sought to be devolved to the states is not being done in its spirit by the centre, which imposes surcharges and cesses as a means of raising revenue, without the same being part of the divisible pool of taxes shareable with the states. Against Co-operative Federalism In addition to these, the FRBM acts have imposed an asymmetric burden on the state governments in the face of non-compliance to the targets by the central government. This is sought to be accentuated by the recommendations of the FRBM Review Committee, 2017. The rate apportionment and voting rights in the GST Council are also not in accordance with the principles of cooperative federalism, in which decisions are to be taken by a consensus among equal stakeholders. The decentralisation of the LGs is impeded by the asymmetry in centre–state relations. The ToR of the Fifteenth Finance Commission, which is the last in the chain of events, hastens the process of centralisation and if implemented, cooperative federalism would only exist in name, devoid of any content whatsoever. Fundamental changes are needed to make cooperative federalism a meaningful and functioning one. Connecting the dots: What do you understand by Fiscal Federalism? Examine the challenges associated with India’s Fiscal Federalism. How well the existing federal structure has given room to the states to function as independent units? Examine. Also explain the concepts of cooperative and competitive federalism. ECONOMY/AVIATION SECTOR TOPIC: General studies 2 and 3 Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment Aviation sector in turbulence Key pointers: India has been the fastest growing aviation market over the last four years. India was seventh largest aviation market with 187 million passengers in FY 2017-18. It is expected to become the third largest by 2022. Along with telecom, the aviation sector has symbolised the successes of liberalisation — with a visible impact in terms of the entry of a number of players and opening up of access to flying, besides ensuring pan-India coverage. India’s air passenger traffic is expected to grow six-fold to 1.1 billion and the number of operational airports increase to around 200 in 2040, according to Ministry of Civil Aviation’s vision document released. Concerns: Turbulence in the domestic airline industry The Indian aviation sector is the fastest growing in the world with a growth rate of 20 per cent a year. But despite this 20 per cent growth, we have only 3-3.5 per cent of population flying, signifying great potential to grow further. Full service carrier, Jet Airways, has been forced to ground several of its aircraft due to its inability to pay rentals. Jet Airways is looking for working capital loans but banks want the airline to show a turnaround commitment. Market leader, Indigo, is facing shortage of pilots. The Kingfisher Airlines had collapsed because of its owner’s profligacy. Surging fuel prices and a weaker rupee are hurting Indian airlines. For the national carrier, Air India, with a debt burden of Rs 55,000 crore, the government has provided interim support, a sovereign guarantee and loaned funds from the National Small Savings Fund, helping it to keep flying while keeping alive another state-owned entity, BSNL, in the telecom sector. It is ironic that the domestic aviation industry, expected to grow at 8.5% annually and register a six fold increase in the traffic flow over the next two decades, is facing an existential crisis. Floundering Growth There is not much hope for the (airline) industry until the cost structure fundamentally changes. The fault lies in two things. One is that the cost of operation for Indian airlines is very high compared to its peers in other parts of the world. The second is that revenue is lower compared with counterparts across the globe. Cost of operation shoots up mainly because of aviation turbine fuel (ATF), which is around 50% of the total cost. ATF has not been covered under Goods and Services Tax (GST). At present, it attracts an excise duty of 11%. Over this central levy, states charge different rates of value-added tax (VAT) that goes up to 30%. Other than ATF cost, various surcharges, user development fee (UDF) and steep navigational, landing and parking charges at airports make the cost structure of domestic airlines unviable. Classifying ATF as an input and subsuming it into the GST regime will allow airlines to claim credit on fuel tax. Connecting the dots: Critically analyze the issues plaguing the Aviation Sector in India. Discuss what measures are needed to address the issues. (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Note: Featured Comments and comments Up-voted by IASbaba are the “correct answers”. IASbaba App users – Team IASbaba will provide correct answers in comment section. Kindly refer to it and update your answers. Q.1) Consider the following statements with respect to ‘Border Area Development Programme (BADP)’ The funds under BADP are provided to the States for execution of projects relating to infrastructure, livelihood, education and health It was initiated during the Second Five Year Plan period Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.2) Consider the following statements: Gujarat is the only state which is both emergent and submergent Eastern coast is emergent in nature (barring the Coromandel coast), whereas western coast is submergent (barring the Malabar) The land advancing against sea is termed a positive movement and the sea advancing against land is known as a negative movement Which of the statements given above is/are correct? 2 and 3 only 1 and 2 only 1 and 3 only All of the above Q.3) Consider the following statements about Olive Ridley Turtles They are found in India They are the only turtles which display a unique mass nesting behaviour 'arribada' Select the correct statements Only 1 Only 2 Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.4) Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) do not audit which of the following? Local bodies Oil and Natural Gas Commission State governments All institutions established by act of Central government Select the correct answer using code below Only 1 1 and 2 Only 4 3 and 4 MUST READ Disinformation is everywhere in India The Hindu Parallel tracks on trade ties The Hindu Lokpal: The institution is useful but its design is not thought through Indian Express  A sour taste Indian Express The world has been deceived by China for too long Livemint

AIR

All India Radio (AIR) IAS UPSC - Constitutional Amendment order to Benefit weaker sections in Jammu & Kashmir

Constitutional Amendment order to Benefit weaker sections in Jammu & Kashmir ARCHIVES Search 1st March, 2019 Spotlight here: http://www.newsonair.com/Main_Audio_Bulletins_Search.aspx TOPIC: General Studies 2 Social Justice 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. In News: The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the proposal of Jammu &Kashmir Government regarding amendment to the Constitution (Application to Jammu & Kashmir) order, 1954 by way of the Constitution (Application to Jammu & Kashmir) Amendment Order, 2019. It will serve the purpose of application of relevant provisions of the Constitution of India, as amended through the Constitution (Seventy Seventh Amendment) Act, 1995 and Constitution (One Hundred arid third Amendment) Act, 2019 for Jammu and Kashmir, by issuing the Constitution (Application to Jammu and Kashmir) Amendment Order, 2019 by the President under clause (1) of Article 370. The Centre also announced an ordinance will be promulgated to bring people residing in areas adjoining the international border within the ambit of reservation on a par with those living in areas adjoining the Actual Line of Control, in a move aimed at reaching out to the Jammu region. The Union home ministry said there had been no change in respect of Article 370 or 35A. Background People living near the International Border have been brought at par with those living near the Line of Control for reservation in State Government jobs by amending the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act, 2004 through an Ordinance. Earlier, the provision of 3% reservation was available only for youth living within 6 kms. of LoC in J&K. This has been a long-pending demand of the population living near the international border, as they have been facing the brunt of cross border firing in J&K. Impact – Equity & Inclusiveness Beneficial for: People living along the International Border: Due to cross border tensions, people living alongside International Border suffer from socio-economic and educational backwardness. Shelling from across the border often compels these residents to move to safer places and is adversely impacting their education as schools Educational Institutions remain closed for long periods Economically weaker sections: By the census, the economically weaker sections constitute 12.5 lakh of the 1.25 crore population in J&K. Benefits: Promotion in service to the Scheduled Castes, the Schedule Tribes Reservation of up to 10% in educational institutions and public employment in addition to the existing reservation in Jammu and Kashmir. Note: It may be recalled that 10% reservation to economically weaker sections was introduced in rest of the country through the 103rd Constitution Amendment in January 2019.

60 Days Plan 2019 - Daily Prelims Test

60 Days Plan: UPSC IAS Prelims 2019 - History and Current Affairs (Day 19)

60 Days Plan: UPSC IAS Prelims 2019 - History and Current Affairs (Day 19) 60 Day plan has been published on the website (www.iasbaba.com - Click here). Since we have come up with the 'Quiz Format', it will not be feasible to publish it on the app. For feasibility and getting to know where you stand among your peers (we have a leaderboard which gives your marks and rank) it would be advisable to take the test on the website. All the best. make the best use of the initiative ! Before taking the Test, read the post below, ARCHIVES Hello Friends,  The most beloved 60 Days for UPSC IAS Prelims 2019  has finally begun :) Once again the time has come for the battle (Prelims). And who else than your best companion in the last preparatory phase for UPSC IAS Prelims 2019 i.e 60 days plan. It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.  Hope the message given above makes sense to you all. The productive utilization of this programme demands consistency, honesty, faith and strong determination to be in the process of learning and unlearning. You might not be fully prepared to solve all the questions but the learning and unlearning through these questions will prepare you for the real battle on 2nd June 2019. You have to unlearn your repetitive mistakes, gut feeling on which you mark doubtful questions. You have to learn new things and also those concepts that you were very sure of but somehow because of traps in the option, got it wrong. You have to learn 'how to convert knowledge into marks' (Because most of the times, after ending the exam, you regret making mistakes in known concepts).  Secondly, keep a long distance from following too many things at this point. It will always backfire. Once you are here, put complete faith and follow this initiative along with whatever you were doing. It is very important to consolidate your preparation with many revisions. Simply following many things will leave you in despair. You can cross check this with veterans. Everything that seems attractive is not productive. You should always go for productivity. Be wise! Let us pledge to make it a big game changer (better than last year) in the next 60 days of this plan! Importance of Self - Tracking: Learning from Last Year Last year, aspirants used to type/post their answers in the comment box on a daily basis. There were huge participation and discussion below the test post. Putting answers in the comment box has been very effective to self-track yourself after updating the score. In the end, you can cross check your performance through Disqus profile. It was highly effective in the last edition of 60 Days that propelled aspirants to monitor their performance and learn through discussion. Let you solve these questions with full honesty and write your result in the comment box. Interact with peers to know your mistakes. The importance of this initiative stands time-bound and aggressive reverse engineering to learn the concepts. Many of you must be busy with your own strategy but let us tell you honestly that in the last few months, it is very important to revise and consolidate your learning. Just reading won’t suffice. So, take out a few hours from your schedule and make it a revision exercise. How can you make the best use of it? Be honest to your effort and do not start competing with XYZ aspirants just for the sake of marks. It is more important for you to introspect and check your learning than focusing on others. Try to answer the questions in 25 minutes only.  Do not get into negative feeling that I don’t have enough knowledge to answer these questions. Feel like you are taking the real exam. What would be your response then? The same will be replicated in the UPSC exam. Here, you get marks only and nothing else matters. So, make effort to know the answers to all questions. Do not cheat :P DETAILED MICRO ANALYSIS MATRIX SAMPLE- is given here. You can download this and do an assessment for yourself (the excel sheet must be modified as per this years planning. The provided excel sheet is only for reference).  DOWNLOAD You can copy paste the same format/modify as per your need in Google Spreadsheet and update it on daily basis. Feedback talks about daily test results. Follow-up talks about daily target achieved from sources and the number of revisions to do/done and dates. Sources column is to ensure that aspirants do not run behind various sources and follow the same throughout. Would like to end on this quote:  Either you run the day or the day runs you.  Are you ready? Let's start! Important Note Don't forget to post your marks in the comment section. Also, let us know if you enjoyed today's test :)  You can post your comments in the given format  (1) Your Score (2) Matrix Meter (3) New Learning from the Test

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