IAS Baba

Apr 17, 2018

IASbaba’s 60 Day Plan- Prelims Test 2018 HISTORY & CURRENT AFFAIRS [Day 34]

Hello Friends, The 60 Days Training has finally begun:) Before any competition, there is a preparatory phase. That phase involves a lot of sessions on strengths and weaknesses. Throughout the preparatory phase, the athletes train in a gradual manner. In the last phase, just before the actual competition, the training is done so as to sharpen their skills. This training requires complete focus and dedication. In this phase, the athletes do not try anything new or train in a new fashion rather focus on sharpening of skills, focusing on strength and precision. Similarly, the upcoming 60 days, is like the last phase (training session), just before the actual competition. Here, the focus should be on sharpening the concepts, consolidating the knowledge base and solidifying the learning with loads and loads of revision. CLICK HERE TO READ FULL DETAILS AND SOLVE QUESTIONS

Apr 17, 2018 MindMaps

IASbaba’s MINDMAP : Issue – India - Latin America

IASbaba’s MINDMAP : Issue – India - Latin America Archives NOTE – Instructions to download Mind Maps/Images Right Click on the image and ‘Open in a new tab’ Remove/Delete the resolution part from the URl. Eg. “-1024×869” and Press Enter/Load Again Afterwards the URL will look something like this – “iasbaba.com/…./…/..-IASbaba.jpg” Right Click and Save As/Download (You’ll get the maximum resolution)

Apr 16, 2018 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs [Prelims + Mains Focus] - 16th April 2018

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs (Prelims + Mains Focus)- 16th April 2018 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) Districts under LWE brought down to 30 Part of: Mains GS Paper II- Governance, Internal Security Key pointers: In a big development, the government has announced that 44 districts have been taken out of the list of Naxalism-affected areas. Here, the Naxal presence has either been entirely uprooted or restricted to minimal. Now, most of the left-wing extremism is restricted to just 30 worst-hit districts. The announcement was made by the home ministry saying that the forces have been able to reduce the geographical spread of Naxalism-related violence significantly in the last four years thanks to a multi-pronged strategy that involves security and development-related measures. The anti-Naxal policy has focussed on zero tolerance towards violence as well as massive efforts to bring in development in affected areas like new roads, bridges, and telephone towers to make the lives of the poor and the vulnerable easier. The SRE scheme: The Ministry of Home Affairs had earlier listed 106 districts in 10 states as LWE-affected districts. These districts came under the purview of the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme that has been formulated for the purpose of reimbursement of security-related expenditure like transportation, communication, the hiring of vehicles, stipend to surrendered Maoists, construction of infrastructure for forces etc. Such a categorisation helps in focused deployment security as well as development-related resources. Recent survey: The initially-designated 106 SRE districts increased to 126 over the last few years due to a number of them being carved into smaller districts. The MHA recently carried out an extensive exercise to review the LWE-affected districts so as to ensure optimal deployment of forces and resources is these areas keeping in mind changed ground reality. It is part of this exercise that 44 districts have been excluded from the SRE list and 8 new added. Now, the total number of SRE districts stands at 90. Also, the count of worst LWE-hit districts has got reduced to 30 from 35. Article link: Click here (MAINS FOCUS) NATIONAL/ECONOMY 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. General studies 3: Inclusive growth and issues arising from it Investment and Infrastructure Agrarian/Rural distress and Rural Development The Aspirational Districts Programme Introduction: The Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) is a radical departure from the country’s previous development strategies in its scale, scope and ownership. This landmark programme recognises the disparities in development across states and districts It focuses on transforming 115 districts across 28 states that have witnessed the least progress along certain development parameters. These 115 districts account for more than 20% of the country’s population and cover over 8,600 gram panchayats. A radical scheme: This is the first time that a government in India has focussed on India’s most backward districts and the exercise envisages a serious re-imagination of government and governance and deepens cooperative federalism. The programme is informed by the failures of the past and therefore has a more contemporary vision of how public services are best delivered to those who need them most. Deliberately, the districts have been described as aspirational rather than backward so that they are viewed as islands of opportunity and hope rather than areas of distress and hopelessness. Choosing of the 115 districts: The 115 districts were chosen by senior officials of the Union government in consultation with State officials on the basis of a composite index of the following- Deprivation enumerated under the Socio-Economic Caste Census. Key health and education performance indicators. The state of basic infrastructure. A minimum of one district was chosen from every State. The largest concentration of districts is in the States which have historically under-performed such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, or which are afflicted by left-wing extremism such as Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. Funding: There is no financial package or large allocation of funds to this programme. The intent is to leverage the resources of the several government programmes that already exist but are not always used efficiently. The government doesn’t always need to spend more to achieve outcomes but instead to spend better. Key features of the programme: Focus on district-specific strengths: The composite district-level data allows GoI to take into account the huge variation within India. With districts as diverse as Dantewada and Bastar in Chhattisgarh that are affected by leftwing extremism and Baksa in Assam where access to education is a challenge, a‘one-size-fits-all’ strategy will not work. For instance, the priority given to stunting will vary in Tawang district in Arunachal Pradesh, where 8.1% of its under-five-year-old population is stunted, than in Rajgarh in Madhya Pradesh where nearly 39% of under-five children are stunted. The detailed data collected will allow the government to take into account the specific contexts, challenges and capacities of each district and state. Shifting the focus to socio-economic outcomes: The programme shifts the focus away from output and draws attention to socio-economic outcomes. To provide an initial benchmark for the programme, the government has collected statistics on 49 indicators across five core dimensions: health and nutrition, education, financial inclusion, agriculture and water resources, skill development and basic infrastructure. Not all dimensions are considered equal in the construction of the composite index for each district, acknowledging the specific nature of India’s development challenges. For example, health and nutrition and education are each given a 30% weightage in the index. These two areas account for 21 of the 49 indicators. Placing data at the core of policymaking: Through its large-scale efforts to collect, distill and disseminate data, the programme is grounded thoroughly in evidence. The NITI Aayog has created a dashboard to monitor real-time progress in the districts. The availability of the latest district-level statistics in the public domain is not only enhancing transparency and accountability, but it is also ensuring that policy actions are backed by evidence. Emphasising collaboration across various levels of government: The ADP brings together all levels of government, from central and state officers driving operations, to the district collectors implementing innovative measures on the ground. The ADP echoes the government’s belief that states and districts should have a greater voice in their development. It truly embodies India’s shift toward cooperative federalism. The local government is in a unique position to understand the complexities of the districts. They can experiment with different measures to enhance socio-economic development on the ground. Therefore, district collectors play a central role in improving outcomes, monitoring progress and decision-making in their respective aspirational districts. The state and central governments rank different districts to promote competition, augment technical capacity and share best practices with the districts. Partnering with civil society: The programme is a collaborative effort between government, various foundations and civil society. Through partnerships with several voluntary organisations, the programme benefits from different perspectives, technical skills and on-the-ground experience. For example, NITI Aayog is working with Piramal Foundation to strengthen public systems particularly in health and education. Similarly, Tata Trusts, IDinsight, L&T, ITC and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are also playing key roles in the programme. These public-private partnerships will help boost implementation of the programme. Ensuring success of the programme: Achieving success in this programme requires three tiers of government, the Centre, States and district administrations, to work in tandem. It is necessary for the Centre and States to be involved because not all decisions can be taken at the level of district. On financial inclusion, the full cooperation of banks is necessary and only the Central government has leverage over them. Conclusion: In a way, the ADP is a big pilot programme from reorienting how government does its business of delivering development. A decisive shift in the paradigm of governance is likely to finally fulfil the many broken promises of the past. Connecting the dots: The Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP) is a radical departure from the country’s previous development strategies in its scale, scope and ownership. Analyze. INTERNATIONAL 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 Boosting bi-lateral trade between India and Azerbaijan In news: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj recently visited Azerbaijan, in the backdrop of the mid-term ministerial meeting of the NAM (Non-Aligned Movement) countries, had been a long-pending one. Importance: Strategically located. $170-billion economy with substantial oil reserves Low on diplomacy index: The country ranks low on our diplomacy index. Though the period 2000-2010 saw a few senior ministers reach out through various delegations and platforms, Azerbaijan never really figured even in the second orbit of India’s foreign policy outreach. Bilateral trade between India and Azerbaijan: It has shot up almost 10-fold from 2005 to 2017 (from about $50 million to close to half a billion dollars in 2017). This jump in bilateral trade coincided with the opening of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline to the Mediterranean port in 2007, from where Indian oil companies have been buying substantive quantities of crude oil (ONGC Videsh is an investor in BTC). Naturally, the bilateral trade between the two countries has largely been hydrocarbon-centred, with India being a minor exporter of only few products. Bilateral trade: Potential to grow Logistical complexity between India and Azerbaijan has been a key issue that led to the setting up of a trade foundation and the exploring of synergies between the two nations. The North South Transport Corridor (NSTC), amongst others, will go a long way in removing the fundamental logistical problems facing both the nations. The NSTC is a multi-modal network of ship, rail, and road routes for moving freight between India, Iran, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia. The objective of the corridor is to increase trade connectivity between major cities such as Mumbai, Moscow, Tehran, and Baku. Once complete, the route is set to drastically reduce transport time between India and Azerbaijan. The route bypasses the Suez Canal and will ensure Indian products reach St. Petersburg in Russia in just 14 days. At present, this is a 42-day journey, skirting North Africa and Europe. Going forward: Once the Iran-Azerbaijan leg of the NSTC is completed, Indian ports can be linked with Azerbaijan via Iran (Chabahar Port), providing a smoother logistics experience for suppliers at far lesser costs. A study says that the new route will reduce distance and costs by 40 per cent and 30 per cent, respectively. Three sectors that have substantial potential for bi-lateral trade are food processing, pharma and technology. As Azerbaijan looks to diversify and reduce its dependence on hydrocarbons, India can play a very enabling role in partnering it for the same. Connecting the dots: The bilateral trade between Indi and Azerbaijan is set to grow. Discuss. MUST READ Mandate and allocations The Hindu Freeing the farm Indian Express The great bank fiddle Indian Express Beware of digital licence raj Business Line

Apr 16, 2018 PIB

IASbaba PIB Weekly : Press Information Bureau – 8th April to 14th April, 2018

IASbaba Press Information Bureau 8th to 14th April, 2018 ARCHIVES GS-2 Launch of online dashboard to monitor public grievances on real time basis (Topic: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation) The dashboard will monitor public grievances on real time basis and periodically review progress of systemic reforms. The systemic reforms and their monitoring metrics, catering to grievance issues are highlighted on the dashboard. This will enable concerned Ministries/Departments to monitor implementation of these reforms. Pradhan MantriAwasYojana – Gramin (PMAY-G) (Topic: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation) The erstwhile rural housing programme, Indira AwaasYojana (IAY), was restructured into PMAY-G. To achieve “Housing for All by 2022”, a target of completing one crore PMAY-G new pucca houses in rural areas by 31st March, 2019 and 2.95 crore pucca houses by 2022 was set. Of these, 51 lakh houses were to be completed by 31st March, 2018, which included completion of expected 2 lakh incomplete IAY houses as well. Construction of bigger and better houses has been possible due to Transparent beneficiary selection Capacity building of beneficiaries Timely availability of funds to the beneficiaries Structured monitoring and course-correction based on the feedback on implementation Facilitated by payment of assistance directly into the beneficiary account through IT-DBT platform directly from single State Nodal Account maintained at the State level. Use of IT-DBT platform has ensured transparent, hassle-free and quality programme implementation. Payment to beneficiaries under PMAY-G, is routed through Public Financial Management System (PFMS). Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) has led to: Reduction in time and cost in house construction Transparency leading to stoppage of leakages Ease in tracking fund flow to beneficiaries Better quality of construction of houses. Pucca houses constructed under PMAY-G with facilities like toilet, LPG connection, electricity connection, drinking water etc. is changing rural landscape at a very fast pace Launch of e-FRRO scheme (Topic: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation) e-FRRO: e-Foreigners Regional Registration Office – to provide fast and efficient services to foreigners visiting India so that they have a pleasant experience of their stay here. Aimed at building a centralized, transparent online platform for the foreigners to avail visa related services and to provide Faceless, Cashless and Paperless services to the foreigners with user friendly experience The e-FRRO scheme would be a quantum jump in improving the ease of service delivery with respect to foreigners visiting and staying in India. In the new system, foreigners would be able to get as many as 27 Visa and Immigration related services in India from the comfort of their place of stay. Using the e-FRRO application, foreigners can apply online on the portal and obtain the service(s) through email/post without appearing in person at the FRO/FRRO office. Cabinet Approves MoU between India and the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland: on the return of Illegal Migrants Will facilitate that the Visa Free Agreement for holders of Diplomatic passports as well as liberalization of UK Visa Regime for those who are travelling to the UK legally, after conclusion of the MoU It will ensure the return of persons who have no lawful basis to be in the territory of the other Party after verification of nationality to its satisfaction. It will help in streamlining the procedure of return of nationals who are caught to be staying illegally, belonging to the other party in a specified time-frame. Headquarters (Host country) Agreement between India and the International Solar Alliance The Headquarters Agreement will institutionalize the functional arrangements between India and ISA. It will help in smooth transition of ISA as international inter-governmental organization. Creation of ISA will lead to accelerated solar technology development and deployment in ISA member countries including India. Exploration and Exploitation of Coal Bed Methane (CBM) from areas under Coal Mining Lease allotted to Coal India Limited (CIL) and its Subsidiaries The decision is in line with the Government’s initiatives of ‘Ease of Doing Business’. It will expedite the exploration and exploitation of CBM, enhance the availability of natural gas and reduce the gap in demand and supply of natural gas. The increased development activities for exploration and exploitation of CBM gas reserves in-and-around the block will generate economic activities which in turn has potential to create employment opportunities in CBM operations and in the industries. MoU between India and the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland on the return of Illegal Migrants The MoU will facilitate that the Visa Free Agreement for holders of Diplomatic passports as well as liberalization of UK Visa Regime for those who are travelling to the UK legally, after conclusion of the MoU. It will ensure the return of persons who have no lawful basis to be in the territory of the other Party after verification of nationality to its satisfaction. It will help in streamlining the procedure of return of nationals who are caught to be staying illegally, belonging to the other party in a specified time-frame. MoU between Indian Army and Axis Bank (Topic: India and its neighbourhood relations) MoU will benefit a large number of serving and retired Army personnel who are having their accounts with Axis bank; and also provide them an opportunity to access modern banking facilities. Army personnel will get free personal accident death cover and free permanent total disability cover of Rs 30 lakh and free educational cover of up to Rs 2 Lakh for children between the age of 12 and 20 years. India signs MoU with Republic of Korea (Topic: India and its neighbourhood relations) On: Mutual Recognition of Certificates of Competency of Seafarers This paves the way for the two governments to mutually recognize the certificates of maritime education and training, competency, endorsements and medical fitness of seafarers issued by each other. Indian Consortium and Saudi Aramco Sign MoU (Topic: India and its neighbourhood relations) An Indian Consortium consisting of IOCL, BPCL and HPCL and Saudi Aramco signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly develop and build an integrated refinery and petrochemicals complex, Ratnagiri Refinery & Petrochemicals Ltd. (RRPCL) in the State of Maharashtra. Saudi Aramco may also seek to include a strategic partner to co-invest in the project. The strategic partnership brings together crude supply, resources, technologies, experience and expertise of these multiple oil companies with an established commercial presence around the world. The refinery will be capable of processing 1.2 million barrels of crude oil per day (60 million metric tonnes per annum, or MMTPA). It will produce a range of refined petroleum products, including petrol and diesel meeting BS-VI fuel efficiency norms. The Refinery will also provide feedstock for the integrated petrochemicals complex, which will be capable of producing approx. 18 million tonnes per annum of petrochemical products. RRPCL will rank among the world’s largest refining & petrochemicals projects and will be designed to meet India’s fast-growing fuels and petrochemicals demand. The project cost is estimated at around Rs.3 lakh crore (USD 44 billion). AIIB decides to invest $140M to improve Rural Connectivity in India (Topic: India and its neighbourhood relations) Aims to improve the rural road connectivity and management for residents of about 5,640 villages who use the rural roads for daily activities – approximately 1.5 Million rural residents in State of Madhya Pradesh are going to directly benefit from improved livelihoods, education and mobility Livelihoods of the rural population will be improved by expanding income earning opportunities through better farm-to-market road connections. Moreover, more children are expected to enroll in higher education programs and school attendance is expected to further improve. The road maintenance pilot under the Project will employ more women, contributing to gender equality and income generation The Project also aims to improve durability and accessibility, and enhance resilience to climate change of the gravel surfaced rural road in State of Madhya Pradesh while building the capacity of the State to manage its rural road network and road safety. The planned activities under the Project are: Upgrading the gravel surfaced roads to a sealed surface standard. Providing additional linkages to villages with potential for high growth Enhancing institutional capacity through implementing/upgrading a rural road asset management system and strengthening design and research and quality assurance capacity of the implementation agency Developing road safety management capacity with road accident data management system and piloting a comprehensive road safety program. Supporting design, implementation and management GS-3 Indian Railways setting new Benchmarks in Environmental Management (Topic: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation) Pursuing sustainable growth through preserving the environment is one of the hallmarks of Indian Railways. To further spread its green initiatives, Indian Railways had entered into partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). CII’s GreenCo Rating System: A first-of-its-kind rating in the world that facilitates companies in improving their overall green performance GreenCo focus on major environmental areas including- energy efficiency, renewable energy, water conservation, waste management, resource conservation, green supply chain, product stewardship and life cycle assessment. GreenCo has helped Indian Railways bring in a focused approach towards green practices by strengthening its energy conservation initiatives, facilitating renewable energy opportunities, water management and waste management. MNRE calls for ‘Expression of Interest’ for first offshore wind energy project of 1000 MW capacity (Topic: Infrastructure: Energy) The National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) an autonomous body under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has called for ‘Expression of Interest’ (EoI) for the first offshore wind energy project of India. The global EoI is intended to shortlist prospective offshore wind energy developers for a 1000 MW offshore wind energy project in Gulf of Khambat, off the coast of Gujarat. The proposed area is located 23-40 km seaward side from Pipavav port. MNRE plans to install at least 5 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2022. The first offshore LiDAR was installed in Gulf of Khambhat in Gujarat for measurement of wind resource and National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) is collecting wind speed data from November, 2017 onwards. Areas off the coasts of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu are two identified areas for development of offshore wind power. The second LiDAR would be installed off Tamil Nadu coast by September, 2018. In addition NIWE is planning to set up few more LiDARs for assessment of offshore wind resources. Besides necessary Geo-Technical and Geo-Physical studies off the coast of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu are underway. At global level, it has been observed that, offshore wind energy while being better than onshore wind in terms of efficiency is also becoming competitive and comparable in terms of tariffs. With a large energy market in India, the EoI is expected to evince keen interest from leading players of offshore wind turbine manufacturers and developers. Indian industry can also participate along with suitable tie up with global players. PSLV-C41 successfully launches IRNSS-1I navigation satellite (Topic: Awareness in the fields of Space) In its forty third flight, ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C41 successfully launched the 1,425 kg IRNSS-1I Navigation Satellite today from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota. IRNSS-1I is the latest member of the ‘Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC)’ system. NavIC, also known as Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), is an independent regional navigation satellite system designed to provide position information in the Indian region and 1,500 km around the Indian mainland. Till now, PSLV has successfully launched 52 Indian satellites and 237 customer satellites from abroad. Prelims Oriented News: 8th Theatre Olympics aimed to showcase the rich heritage and culture across the length and breadth of the country. Founder of Homoeopathy: Dr. Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann World Homeopathy Day: 10th April Pradhan Mantri Ujwala Yojana: 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. 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. Budget 2018 Update: Initially, government target was to provide free LPG connections to about 5 crore poor women. But now the target of providing free connection increased to 8 crore poor women. E-way Bill: As per the decision of GST Council, e-Way Bill system for all inter-State movement of goods has been rolled-out. It is expected that trade and industry will be further facilitated insofar as the transport of goods is concerned, thereby eventually paving the way for a nation-wide single e-Way Bill system NHAI signs agreement for its First International Project: To provide seamless vehicular movement for enhancing trade, business, health, education and tourism between Indian, Myanmar and Thailand, the National Highways Authority of India has signed an agreement for upgradation of Yagyi – Kalewa section of highway (Milepost 40/0 to Milepost 115/5) in Myanmar to two lane with earthen shoulder. “Satyagrah se Swachhagrah” campaign: Mahatma Gandhi launched the Champaran Satyagrah over a century ago, on 10th April, 1917 against the Britishers to fight for the rights of farmers who were forced to undertake indigo cultivation. April 10th, 2018 marks the end of the centenary year celebrations of the Champaran Satyagrah, and is going to be celebrated through the “Satyagrah se Swachhagrah” campaign. Swachhagrahis are the ‘foot soldiers’ and motivators to implement the Community Approaches to Sanitation (CAS) at the village level. Swachhagrahis are key to driving progress towards achieving an open defaecation free nation. Swatch Bharat Leads to Swasth Bharat and Samruddhi Bharat CWG Updates: Indian women’s Table Tennis team won the Gold Medal at the Commonwealth Games Weightlifter Vikas Thakur on winning the Bronze medal Punam Yadav won the Gold Medal in the 69 Kg women’s weightlifting event. Manu Bhaker bagged a Gold in the women’s 10m Air Pistol event. Heena Sidhu won the Silver in the women's 10m Air Pistol event. Ravi Kumar has won the Bronze in the men's 10m Air Rifle event. Tejaswini Sawant won Gold in the women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions event. Anjum Moudgil bagged the Silver in the women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions event MUDRA Yojana: To “fund the unfunded” by bringing such enterprises to the formal financial system and extending affordable credit to them It enables a small borrower to borrow from all Public Sector Banks such as PSU Banks, Regional Rural Banks and Cooperative Banks, Private Sector Banks, Foreign Banks, Micro Finance Institutions (MFI) and Non-Banking Finance Companies (NBFC) for loans upto Rs 10 lakhs for non-farm income generating activities. As on 23rd March, 2018, 4,53,51,509 loans have been sanctioned, amounting to Rs. 2,28,144.72 Crore. The total amount disbursed under this scheme is Rs. 220596.05 Crore Loan of upto Rs. 50000 is given under sub-scheme ‘Shishu’ between Rs. 50,000 to 5 Lakhs under sub-scheme ‘Kishore’ and between Rs. 5 Lakhs to Rs.10 Lakhs under sub-scheme ‘Tarun’. Locate it on the map: Malabo Equatorial Guinea Swaziland Zambia Person in News Mahatma Phule An Indian social activist, a thinker, anti-caste social reformer and a writer from Maharashtra His work extended to many fields including eradication of untouchability and the caste system, women's emancipation and the reform of Hindu family life. In 1873, Phule, along with his followers, formed the Satyashodhak Samaj (Society of Seekers of Truth) to attain equal rights for people from lower castes. Phule is regarded as an important figure of the social reform movement in Maharashtra. He and his wife, Savitribai Phule, were pioneers of women's education in India. He is most known for his efforts to educate women and lower caste people. The couple were among the first native Indians to open a school for girls in India. Dr B.R. Ambedkar An Indian jurist, economist, politician and social reformer who inspired the Dalit Buddhist movement and campaigned against social discrimination against Untouchables (Dalits), while also supporting the rights of women and labour He was Independent India's first law minister, the principal architect of the Constitution of India and a founding father of the Republic of India Quotes: PM Narendra Modi, at the Eighth Regional 3R Forum in Asia and the Pacific “The mantra of 3R – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle- is at the heart of any vision towards the sustainable development of mankind. All stakeholders –producers, consumers and the State alike must adhere to this golden principle which can contribute significantly in solving the twin challenges of waste management as well as the sustainable development”. 3R FORUM: Aims and Objectives Aims to address how 3R and resource efficiency measures can provide complementary benefits in making cities and countries clean, smart, liveable and resilient. Aims to generate policy-level, institutional level and technological insights towards effective implementation of 3R and resource efficiency to foster circular economic development, sustainable change in current use of natural resources and ultimately achieve a zero waste society. Seeks to engage the public and private sector to explore various partnership opportunities in areas of 3R and waste management for moving towards a zero waste society. The Forum further provides an opportunity to establish insightful linkages between the principles of 3R and resource efficiency and the objectives of Swachh Bharat Mission (Clean India Mission). Through this Forum, India aims to strengthen this focus through its ‘Mission Zero Waste’ approach thereby encouraging cities, industries and other diverse stakeholders to see look at waste as a resource. 8TH Regional 3 R Forum MoHUA is actively promoting the concept of source segregation, both at household level and by bulk waste generators, to not only reduce the total amount of waste going into landfills, but also to ensure improved quality of input waste going into waste processing plants MOHUA is also actively promoting a variety of decentralised composting options among waste generators, including enforcing mandatory compliance by bulk waste generators for on-site processing of their wet waste generated. Parallely, MoHUA is encouraging the recycle and reuse of dry waste for higher value and earning potential. The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu On Internal Security CRPF is truly the strongest pillar of the country’s internal security apparatus. Ballot is infinitely more powerful than the bullet Terrorism, the enemy of humanity must be rooted out Peace is the pre-condition for progress and development On Energy India’s Energy Future has four pillars – Energy Access Energy Efficiency Energy Sustainability Energy Security

Apr 16, 2018 MindMaps

IASbaba’s MINDMAP : Issue – Seychelles & India

IASbaba’s MINDMAP : Issue – Seychelles & India Archives NOTE – Instructions to download Mind Maps/Images Right Click on the image and ‘Open in a new tab’ Remove/Delete the resolution part from the URl. Eg. “-1024×869” and Press Enter/Load Again Afterwards the URL will look something like this – “iasbaba.com/…./…/..-IASbaba.jpg” Right Click and Save As/Download (You’ll get the maximum resolution)

Apr 16, 2018

IASbaba’s 60 Day Plan- Prelims Test 2018 HISTORY & CURRENT AFFAIRS [Day 33]

Apr 16, 2018 RSTV Video

RSTV- The Big Picture : Spy Poisoning Row

Spy Poisoning Row Archives TOPIC: General Studies 2: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests In News: UK Prime Minister Theresa May has announced the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats in retaliation for the attack on a former spy and his daughter who were poisoned on British soil with a military-grade nerve agent. The pair were hit with Novichok, which refers to a string of chemical weapons developed in Russia starting in the 1970s. Source: http://graphics.thomsonreuters.com/testfiles/russia-west/index.html OPCW (the international chemical weapons watchdog) says analysis of samples confirms UK findings about nerve agent used in Salisbury attack – The OPCW does not have the power to identify the source of the nerve agent, only to spell out its chemical properties. It is standard OPCW procedure not to identify the laboratories involved in testing the samples, but the organisation draws from a multilaterally agreed list of labs. Who is Sergei Skripal? He is a former Colonel who was part of the Russian army’s intelligence wing until 1999. He then worked for the Russian foreign ministry in Moscow until 2003. He was arrested in Moscow in December 2004 for spying for Britain, and sentenced to 13 years in prison in August 2006. Russian prosecutors said British intelligence, the M16, had paid Skripal $ 100,000 for “sensitive” information he had been supplying since the 1990s. Skripal was a double agent, a spy who had double-crossed colleagues in the Russian intelligence wing, betrayed fellow army veterans, and provided information to Britain that inflicted considerable damage on Russian intelligence. In July 2010, Skripal was the beneficiary of a spy swap, and had since been living a quiet life in the UK. The attack on him now appears to have broken the Cold War espionage etiquette that pardoned spies would be left alone in the countries that ultimately hosted them. Conclusion Reactions: The reactions are disproportionate as this would lead Russia to retaliate, which means break down of all ways of communication. It has led to one of the biggest diplomatic crises between Russia and Western nations since the Cold War. Need to follow the process: There was a need to first inform OPCW and send them samples so that Russia could not investigate. There was an immediate accusation from Britain’s end. Russia claims that just before the Presidential elections and just before the World Cup and Winter Games, nobody in Russia would carry this out. Russia has accused Britain of trying to drum up anti-Russian sentiment, suggested the British might have carried out the attack themselves. It has denied possessing the nerve agent Britain says was used while Russian President Vladimir Putin has said it was nonsense to think that Moscow would have poisoned Skripal and his daughter. Responsibility of OPCW: It is important for OPCW to get the two main chemical stockpile holders to actually destroy their stockpiles on an accelerated basis in a prescribed timeline. Connecting the Dots: The poisoning of a former Russian double agent in Britain has prompted a global diplomatic row. Discuss.

Apr 15, 2018 Motivational Articles

Creative Guidance – Competition vs Creativity – Inspirational & Educative Articles

Creativity Vs Competition: If you have to choose between competition and creativity to help you reach your goals, which one would you choose? What drives you on a daily basis to work harder and put in the necessary effort to work towards your dreams? What is your primary driving force? Is it competition or creativity? There is an oceanic difference between competition and creativity. While competition has its roots in fear of failure, creativity has its roots in momentary application of thought and intelligence. While competition is only a yardstick that you check against to see your focus, creativity is the very purpose and process of action. It is very easy to mistake competition to be the sole purpose of your efforts. It is very easy to forget that the main objective of working towards a goal is finding your own unique creative expression. It is very easy to get lost in the constant noise of competition and forget your true inner creative voice. When you are running a race, you simply acknowledge in your periphery vision that you have others running along with you and they are your competition. You never focus on them so completely that you miss looking at the destination and where you are going. It is very easy to become distracted by competition and forget the ultimate objective. Creativity should be your key driving force, not competition. If there are ten parts to your effort to reach a certain goal, nine of them should be about being creative and one part of it should be about competition. If your objective is to go beyond your completion then obviously your vision should be far beyond your competition. Creativity begins by firstly acknowledging and understanding that the answer to all your questions is within you. You are the source of all the solutions that you are seeking. Once this becomes firm, you can begin to focus on yourself more rather than on the completion. Focusing too much on your competition clearly shows that you are not sure about what you are doing and you are afraid of your competition. If you know yourself and what you are doing well, then there is no need to be worried about your competition. All you have to do is focus on yourself, only once in a while checking with the completion to see your progress. Something dramatically changes when you start focusing on your individual skills, efforts and learning as opposed to worrying about the competition. When you remove competition from the picture, you will start seeing things in unique creative ways. New pathways and channels of learning and understanding will open up. You will enjoy the process of problem solving and learning becomes a thing of joy by itself. “The articles are a copyright of The Ahamo Movement and IASBABA.”

Apr 14, 2018 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs [Prelims + Mains Focus] - 14th April 2018

IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs (Prelims + Mains Focus)- 14th April 2018 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) Economic Freedom Index Part of: Mains GS Paper II- Governance Key pointers: India has jumped 13 places in the last one year to be at 130th spot in the latest annual Index of Economic Freedom released by a top American think-tank- The Heritage Foundation, an American conservative public policy think-tank based in Washington. In 2017, India with a score of 52.6 points was ranked at 143 among 180 countries, two spots below neighbour Pakistan, according to the Index of Economic Freedom. India’s economic freedom score is 54.5, making its economy the 130th freest in the 2018 Index. The overall score has increased, led by improvements in judicial effectiveness, business freedom, government integrity, and fiscal health. India is ranked 30th among 43 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, and its overall score is below the regional and world averages. Economic liberalisation measures, including industrial deregulation, privatisation of state-owned enterprises and reduced controls on foreign trade and investment, that began in the early 1990s, accelerated growth. Article link: Click here (MAINS FOCUS) INTERNATIONAL 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 Substantiating India-US relationship: Need of the hour Introduction: For India, the larger security environment is assuming complex dimensions with a US-China trade-war looming, US-Russia relations taking a nose-dive and China’s Belt and Road masterplan unfolding in the Indo-Pacific. Another cause of concern is the emerging Moscow-Beijing axis and Russia’s courtship of Pakistan. Given that nations have neither permanent friends nor permanent enemies, only permanent interests, it is time for India to consider an policy reappraisal. Evolving bonhomie between India and US: A bipartisan consensus in Washington about enlisting India as a strategic partner led to then-President George Bush in 2005 making an offer which New Delhi could not refuse. The unprecedented US-India Civil Nuclear Agreement, which followed in 2008, accorded India the “de facto” status of a nuclear weapon state without signing the Non Proliferation Treaty. Parallel developments followed in the defence arena. The 2004 Agreement on Next Steps in Strategic Partnership was followed by a Defence Framework Agreement in 2005 and the 2012 Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI), envisaging the transfer of advanced technologies to India. In 2016, India was accorded the status of Major Defence Partner by the US Congress. Poor progress under the DTTI: The DTTI has, however, made little actual progress because of divergent objectives. While India seeks technology, the US remains focused on trade. India’s defence capability has benefited only from $15 billion worth of hardware — comprising patrol-aircraft for the navy, transports and helicopters for the IAF, and howitzer guns for the army — purchased under the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) scheme. Issue: A major impediment in the Indo-US defence relationship has been India’s reluctance to sign the “foundational agreements” required by the US to enhance defence ties. After discussions assuaging India’s justifiable apprehensions about a compromise of strategic autonomy as well as the security of military information, the Logistical Exchange Memorandum of Agreement was signed in 2016. Two others — the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement, and the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement — haven't been signed yet due to bureaucratic reservations. A delay in signing these will deprive India of high-tech equipment that should accompany US hardware and prevent the sharing of useful geospatial information between the two militaries. A word of caution: Our time has not yet come Indians must beware of hyperbole obscuring reality in the bilateral discourse. American offers of “help to make India a great power” and declarations that India is “not just a regional power, but a global power”, should arouse scepticism. Undoubtedly, India is destined to assume its rightful place in the world order but a reality check will tell us that our time has not yet come. The vision of a “Super India”, offered by the promise of its growing economy, illusory “demographic dividend” and a nuclear arsenal, is gradually receding in the face of harsh domestic realities. On the other hand, China, with five times India’s GDP, is surging ahead to attain economic, military and technological parity with the US. Aiming to be Asia’s sole hegemon, China has armed Pakistan and enlisted it as a surrogate, thereby containing India within a South Asian “box”. For India to attain its full economic and strategic potential, it will need an insurance against hegemony. The choices before India are few and a partnership with the US appears a pragmatic and realist option at this juncture. Way ahead: The DTTI must serve to bolster design and production capabilities in defence. Instead of pursuing symbolism, the DTTI should facilitate a transfer of technologies that have eluded our engineers and scientists. In order to elevate the Indo-US relationship to a strategic level and resolve many outstanding bilateral issues, Trump and Modi had agreed to establish a “2+2” dialogue between the respective defence and foreign ministers. As and when the “2+2” dialogue does take place, the Indian side should remind their US interlocutors that in the past three decades the USSR and Russia have, amongst other items, leased two nuclear submarines, sold an aircraft-carrier, and transferred technology for a supersonic cruise missile to India. So, if the US is to deliver on tall promises, some serious re-thinking may be required. Connecting the dots: For India to attain its full economic and strategic potential, it will need an insurance against hegemony from China. The choices before India are few and a partnership with the US appears a pragmatic and realist option at this juncture. Comment. NATIONAL TOPIC:General studies 2: Structure, organization and functioning of the Judiciary Judicial reforms must come from within the judiciary In news: The letter by Justice Kurian Joseph to the Chief Justice of India, also sent to 22 companion justices, requests for a bench of seven justices to be formed to “suo motu take up the matter of the government sitting on the two names” for proposed elevation. The prolonged silence, writes Justice Kurian Joseph, imperils the “life and existence” of the court. And he adds, “history would not pardon” it were the court to do nothing to question this kind of governmental conduct. Background: The first constitutional amendment under the present regime enacted the National Judicial Commission with a facilitating Act. Both the constitutional amendment and the Act were struck down by a five-judge bench with a 4:1 decision on the ground that while the amendment affected judicial review as an aspect of the “basic structure” of the Constitution, the Act, in effect, diminished the “primacy” of the CJI and the collegium. The court went an extra mile to ask the executive to propose a Memorandum of Procedure (MoP). More than a year has gone by, but the executive has not yet finalised it, despite reminders by the court. Instead, the executive seems to claim a power of veto over the names proposed; in doing so, it seeks to do indirectly what it could not directly — thus violating a foundational axiom of the rule of law. Present system: Since the 1998 Advisory Opinion, the judicial collegium was not questioned, only the composition and the procedure of functioning were sought to be clarified. Contrary to the heavy propaganda now of judges appointing judges, the Union government had itself accepted the new collegium system of five senior-most justices. It was also accepted that the executive will convey its concerns to the CJI if a security issue was involved; if the collegium reiterated them, the names will become final. Despite occasional grapevine criticism of the collegium, the system continued in place. Issue: The governance tendency comprising non-response to troublesome situations seems to be on a high growth curve. The four senior-most justices had earlier pointed out, in a press conference, that the recommendations of the collegium concerning the MoP were not responded to for a long time, even though finalised by the court. The lack of response to the CJI is angainst the dignity of a high constitutional office, and may also entail the offence of contempt, scandalising the court. Reform must come from within: Any reform of the system will have to come from within the court itself. It has made a welcome beginning by posting some details on the website; but it must do more, for there is no more demanding virtue than transparency. There are prescribed or ordained ways of handling constitutional disagreements. Sheer assertion of the power of not responding is not one of them. The executive clearly holds a different view than the justices on the powers of elevation and transfer; the way ahead is to have a new and creative National Judicial Commission Act, which is acceptable to both the high organs of governance. The CJI should be, and must remain, in a position of robust dialogue with dissenting brethren and blend his power as master of roster with respect for the suggestions and opinions of others. Conclusion: Constitutional democracy is not imperilled by dissent and disagreement but by an overweening sense of power in one person or institution. The Fundamental Duties of all citizens (under Part IV-A of the Constitution) require us to interrupt power from dreams of limitless sovereignty. We need to rekindle a constitutional flame in all our institutions. Connecting the dots: The issue of judicial appointments and elevation is a long pending one. The judiciary and the executive needs to come to a common ground. Also, reforms to ensure transparency must come from within the judiciary. Comment. MUST READ Preventing accidents The Hindu Ambedkar's Dhamma, Gandhi's swaraj The Hindu UK must loosen its grip on commonwealth Business Line Why we should not worship Ambedkar Business Line

Apr 14, 2018 Motivational Articles

Creative Guidance: Book Review – Chicken soup for the Indian teenage soul – Jack Canfield

Chicken soup for the Indian teenage soul: This is one of the most inspiring books a young Indian can read and enjoy from the series of ‘Chicken soup for the soul’. The book consists of inspiring stories to rejuvenate your spirit and help you to deal with daily challenges of living. Lucid and easy to understand language, filled with true inspiring stories makes for a great reading. The book covers wide range of topics one encounters on a daily basis. Each story is unique and refreshing, and brings in a unique perspective to life. As the title itself suggests, this is a book for young teenage souls or rather this is a book for all those who are teenagers at heart, facing the same challenges as any teenager. More often than not, all one needs is a dose of good inspiration to get back on track. This book offers plenty of that. The collection of stories in this book is very relatable as they all come from inspiring Indians. The economic, social and cultural backgrounds being similar, this book offers a unique connection that one can easily relate to. Enjoy this soup one story or one spoon at a time. You will love it.

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