Author: Root

Hey aspirants,

This post is aimed to help you in forming your strategy for Agriculture optional for Civil Services and Forest Services Exam, considering its various aspects.

#1. Who should opt for Agriculture?

Anyone who has academic background in Agriculture, Life Sciences, Botany, Biomedical Sciences, Biotechnology, Zoology, Dairy and other related fields.

Any aspirant with no prior knowledge of Biology should not opt it. She may score good in Paper I which is like general studies but Paper II becomes the eliminating factor if it is not covered exhaustively.

#2. Why should one not opt for ‘Botany’ instead?

If you have Botany as your graduation or master’s subject then surely you should go with botany, but just in case if you don’t have interest in remembering all families characteristic features among others, then Agriculture is best optional for you.

Secondly, Paper II of Botany and Agriculture is quite similar if you see the syllabus but if you analyse last year question papers, if you will see that questions in Agriculture are easy in comparison to ‘Botany Paper II’.

#3. Can I change my optional from Botany to Agriculture?

Yes, surely you can switch if you are struggling with Botany. In fact, you will be having an edge against Agriculture fresher aspirant as your Paper II of Agriculture is already completed (almost) if you have covered Botany syllabus exhaustively.

#4. Is it scoring?

Of course it is. If you have similar background as mentioned above, you must go for it.

There is a myth that Agriculture is more scoring than Botany. Please don’t keep this in mind while preparing. Both are science subjects so if you know your concepts you can score equally in both.

Both subjects has equal percentage of topics that aspirant has to mug up (literally). Think of families (Cryptogams, Phanerogams) in Botany, and Horticulture and Pathology (Diseases and Measures) in Agriculture.

Agriculture got popular among Botany/ life sciences students after CSE 2013 in which Botany Paper was bit difficult and Agriculture was very easy. But in CSE 2015, both of these optionals were on equal footing. So, please do not hold opinions of one optional being easier than other, any optional demands right strategy and interest to excel.

#5. How much time it takes to prepare?

4-5 months, if you study Agriculture 12-15 hours per week. This should be enough. Also, it depends on how much can you recall your graduation concepts.

Plant Breeding is the most conceptual, time taking and scoring part of the syllabus, while horticulture and pathology needs your notes making and revising skill to retain the topic.

Recommended books for Agriculture:

1. Plant Breeding Principles and Methods- B.D. Singh
2. Fundamentals of Genetics- B.D. Singh
3. Plant Physiology- V.K. Jain
4. Introductory Soil Science- D.K. Das
5. Economics of Farm Production and Management- Raju and Rao
6. Principles of Agronomy-T.Y. Reddy and G.H.S. Reddi
7. Plant pathology- P.D. Sharma
8. Introduction to Horticulture- N Kumar

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Let us know if you find any problem in getting these books. Submit your comments below.

These books covers whole syllabus. Also, one need not to study each and every chapter, instead cover topics syllabus wise. Syllabus is designed in a chronological way which will help in building concepts if you go according to it.

No need to look out for other books. ICAR Handbook is not recommended at all instead cover relevant chapters of Economic Survey and Year Book related to Agriculture, it will help for both optional and GS.

Few topics like Food Production and Consumption trends, Extension Schemes, Protein Energy Malnutrition can be googled. Ecology part can be covered from any standard book which you study for GS.

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Also, Quora helps in answering various general and specific questions related to the subject. Many senior scientists and academicians of Agriculture are there. You can follow Agriculture India topic there.

Problems in Agriculture Sector in India

Farmers and Climate Change

Few websites helps in keeping abreast with current happenings and govt. initiatives.

Dept. of Agriculture website

Agriculturetoday

Hope this may helps!

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Published with inputs from Vimal

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Hello,

After our last post (The no-nonsense guide to motivation), we received 120+ emails from students/ aspirants (and some parents) baring their heart open over the struggles of coming to terms with failure and dejection. We respect your privacy (and won’t bare out names) but we couldn’t help but notice that the common themes around those letters were concerns regarding leaving a job, impending research work, lack of confidence, struggles with uncertainties.

Most of all, everyone wrote about their struggle. Struggle – a word which we inevitably equate with failure.

While most of the gurus and teachers focus on how to things correctly, so that you don’t screw up, we would like to take a moment and explore this phenomena of struggle and how you can best attempt to come out of it (after you have screwed up).

Honeymoon Period = Start of your preparation

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This is the point where you start questioning yourself:

• Where did I go wrong?
• Why didn’t my results come out as I had thought they would?
• Am I even good enough to continue?

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The Struggle is when you wonder why you started the preparation in the first place

• The Struggle is when your parents ask you why you don’t quit and you don’t know the answer
• The Struggle is when everyone starts doubting your abilities and you start to think that may be right
• The Struggle is when self doubt becomes self hatred
• The Struggle is when people start sympathising with you and no one would come out in open and confront you
• The Struggle is when you want the pain to stop but it won’t
• The Struggle is when you think of taking a timeout for some fresh air but everything just stifles you
• The Struggle is when you are surrounded by people who did not qualify and you are all alone. No company is comfort. The Struggle has no mercy
• You are in the land of broken promises and crushed dreams

“The Struggle is not failure, but it causes failure. Especially if you are weak. Always if you are weak.”

But the struggle is where greatness comes from

“When you are in the Struggle, nothing is easy and nothing feels right. You have dropped into the abyss and you may never get out.” – The Hard Thing About Hard Things

This looong post is for everyone who could not make it to the list. Most importantly for those among you who really, really, really believed that they had a rock solid chance this year but UPSC still treated them like a spurned lover.

This was originally intended to be a major motivational blockbuster blog. Trust us, we had even googled some of the oft quoted-recycled gyaan to get your attention and prep you up on a steroid enriched diet for the next year but, but, but… when has artificial motivation ever sustained? Never.

The aim of this write up is to help you take a step back from all this commotion of success and failure and create a room to think. Let go of all the overwhelming niceties & consolations which your friends and families may shower at you (because they care and fear for your sanity). Although, we would advise you try and be nice to them and not air any of the “quotes written in blue” as a retort but let it pass over. This is not the time to resign to fate. Not just yet.

The way of the samurai

 

In his classic treatise on the philosophy behind the Samurai code of “Bushido,” entitled Hagakure, and often billed as “The Book of the Samurai,” retired Samurai-turned-monk Yamamoto Tsunetomo wrote that “the way of the samurai is found in death.”

He admonished young warriors to calmly accept that death would occur on the battlefield, regardless of the efforts of the individual. Despite this, the samurai trained in earnest for battlefield effectiveness from youth onward. It didn’t matter that you calmly accepted that you were going to die, you still trained hard to be as lethal as humanly possible.

 

If you have been sincere with your mains’ attempt, chances are that you would have directly or indirectly been a part of one such group.

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If you happen to identify with the guy on the middle or the left, there are high chances that you already know that you were not playing your “A game” at the mains this year. Your setback is understandable but you will soon be able to analyse your attempts and improve on your scores next year. Unless…. unless of course the scenario is this – 

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You are the guy on the right, who had done most of the things under his/ her control to optimise for high scores – demolished the GS papers comprehensively, quoted philosophers par excellence in the ethics paper and made sure that the optional papers rival the doctoral thesis of the examiner BUT STILL GOT DITCHED BY UPSC.

And if this were not enough, your two buddies who up until now were not even sure of a respectable exit, qualify for the interview! That’s a classic case of what a famous american slang refers to as –

SNAFU = Situation normal all fucked up

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If you are at this stage (or have been at it at some point or the other in life), you would agree that no amount of palliatives, niceties, wishes can really help you come out of the zone. You feel betrayed by some weird version of justice which you do not understand.

You probably would have left a decent job and decided to pursue UPSC (among other choices of MBA, startups) OR made a promise to your parents and those around that you will sit out sincerely for an year for this prestigious exam OR other more equally compelling sacrifices and it’s understandable that you might feel angry for you did not sign up for this.

Let yourself be. Release your emotions. Don’t put on an artificial smile (but be aware that it is a slippery slope and you need to pull yourself right back up).

Try and be with people who can empathise with you and not sympathise.

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Preparing for UPSC is like running a marathon. And as with all good runners, with time and patience, you tend to understand yourself better. No other exam in the world expects you to open up your faculties to such gigantic amount of information and force you to process them at a speed which can put a reasonably outdated Intel processor to shame (that is still a lot to compare with you know!)

By now, you would have developed a fair bit of liking to some subjects, appreciation for some finer aspects of life, possibly a bent of mind for public policy making, well nurtured interest in social sector landscape or a penchant for long distance hiking (or something equally exciting).

Go to that island in your thoughts now. Remove yourself from the commotion. The shit has hit the fan here and you need to change a room till someone cleans it up!

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You are not alone in this dilemma

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This is the time that you need to be a master of your senses rather than a slave of emotional waves. Answer the big question for yourself. Keep mum but think hard.

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Civilsdaily is not an online coaching portal. We are sure that you are aware of that fact. We are dedicated to the cause of providing news with context and making content approachable to everyone BUT we do believe that many among you have the potential to dent the social fabric of our country in your own unique ways. Go ahead, identify the your angst and your driver and take the plunge.

If you feel like talking to us, drop a mail at hello@civilsdaily.com

If you think this long post was worth your time, do share it with your friends who may benefit reading from it.

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Want to read more?

• What is Struggle? and what does it mean to an IAS aspirant, especially YOU
• 5 Amazingly Badass Bureaucrats You Would Be Proud To Know
• 5 Amazingly Badass Bureaucrats You Would Be Proud To Know – Part 2
• IAS Officer’s Talisman [FREE Download]
• CD’s Guide to IAS Prep: From Aspirant to IAS Officer

Hello,

If you have a friend, relative, college sweetheart senior who can fit the bill, please share this page.

If you think you are the one, take some time to go through this. We are looking for full time/ part time positions. We are looking for some really crafty, smart and creative people. You do not need to have oodles of work-ex but just be passionate about making great design meet great content!

The form below will have 3 exercises for you to do – 2 facebook creatives + 1 infograph to make. So brace up for some work coz we are really, really serious about who we pick in our team! You will get to work closely with the core team and needless to say, will be paid handsomely.

Can’t see the form? Mail us at hello@civilsdaily.com or refresh your browser’s cache.

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Thanks for the amazing response. We got over 100 applications and we have shortlisted a few. We will be contacting you guys over phone. The application is closed for now. If you still wish to connect with us, feel free to drop a mail 🙂

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Hello,

We are looking for part time translators (English to Hindi) to join the content team for its upcoming Hindi version.

• Role: Candidates are required to translate English news cards into Hindi
• Experience: No prior experience is required
• What do we need? Candidates with a good command over both the languages

You need to do a simple exercise. Translate these two english news cards into hindi. You need to read the text in english and then recreate the same magic in hindi. Do not use google auto translate. Please use google input tools instead – https://www.google.com/inputtools/try/

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You can fill up this application form or provide us with your personal details (along with text translation) over email at hello@civilsdaily.com

Google application form - Click here

Translate the following and send over – 

NITI Aayog: 2nd regional consultation

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PS: This is a paid position. We are looking to extend our offerings in hindi and we are looking for 2 awesome translators to work with us on that.

R. Sankaran was a senior IAS officer, widely known as ‘an ideal people’s IAS officer’ for the proactive role he played in formulating pro-poor policies. He was a bachelor who devoted his life for the welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

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A personification of simple living, honesty and integrity, unassuming but strong, modest yet firm and affable, the diminutive civil servant was a role model who showed what an IAS officer could do for the marginalised sections of society.

Simplicity at its peak

This is a little long story but I bet you’ll be thrilled to read it…

An Indian Airlines flight arrived at the Agartala Airport one late afternoon. It was a full flight. All the passengers scrambled down to pick up their baggage and leave for home. Among them was a short-statured, frail, middle-aged person wearing an ordinary bush shirt and slightly crumpled trousers. The only remarkable feature was his thick crop of well-parted shining black hair. He saw some flamboyant busybodies briskly moving up and down in search of somebody. The gentleman quietly passed by them totally unnoticed. He went to the baggage-claim belt, collected a small suitcase, unobtrusively went out of the building and walked towards the cycle-rickshaw stand. As he was coming out, he noticed some activity around a couple of red-lighted cars and a posse of police constables, smartly uniformed, eagerly waiting for somebody. At the rickshaw-stand he started enquiring in his broken, heavily-accented Hindi about the Circuit House. A rickshaw-puller came forward and agreed to take him after telling him the fare. The rickshaw-puller took the suitcase from him and helped him to get onto the seat.

A policeman was idly watching the proceedings. He heard the word “Circuit House” a couple of times. He knew that a new Chief Secretary was due to arrive and he was posted at the rickshaw-stand to control the movement of rickshaws till the new Chief Secretary’s convoy passed. He had a suspicion. He ran back to the building and informed his officer-in-charge that perhaps the new Chief Secretary had boarded a rickshaw to go the Circuit House.

All hell broke loose thereafter. Everyone started running towards the rickshaw-stand and the constable pointed to a smiling gentleman quietly sitting on a rickshaw awaiting the departure of the official cavalcade of red-light cars. The Deputy Secretary, Protocol, very apologetically enquired whether the gentleman was S.R. Sankaran. He politely nodded. Then started furious activity in search of his “missing” luggage. The gentleman calmly told the officials present that he had no “missing” luggage. The small suitcase at the footboard was his only piece of luggage. He was requested to get off the rickshaw and get into the official car waiting at the VIP gate. He quickly pulled out his money bag, took out the money he had agreed to pay to the rickshaw-puller and offered him the money before he got down.

All the officials protested. He looked at them and said it was a contract between the rickshaw-puller and him. Because of him the rickshaw-puller had missed other passengers. Hence he had to be compensated for the lost fare. He paid him his fare.

Now the rickshaw-puller returned him half the fare telling him that as he did not take him to the Circuit House he could not accept the contracted fare and that he would get passengers from amongst the persons who had come to see- off the Calcutta-bound passengers.

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Bonded labour

In his first tenure as Secretary, he took up the issue of bonded labour seriously. Though the abolition of bonded labour and rehabilitation of bonded labourers was part of the first 20-Point programme of Indira Gandhi, and though the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976, (first as ordinance) was in place, some of those in the political leadership were averse to taking it seriously. This was because they were either directly masters of bonded labourers or were beholden to the masters of bonded labourers for political support. This brought him into direct clash with successive Chief Ministers, but he bravely and righteously stood his ground.

Nationalisation of coal industry

Before his first tenure in Social Welfare, Sankaran was, in the early 1970s, Special Assistant to Mohan Kumaramangalam, Union Minister for Steel and Mines. The idealist constantly reminded the ideologue about the promise and need to nationalise the coal industry, and it was because of the Kumaramangalam-Sankaran duo that this significant measure went through with the support of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Dalit issue

In his second tenure as Principal Secretary, Social Welfare, in addition to revisiting the issue of bonded labour – of pressing urgency for him and the victims, most of whom were Dalits – he took up the issue of atrocities against Dalits, which had assumed a menacing form.

An important instance of this was his active intervention in the rehabilitation of the victims of the Karamchedu atrocities of 1985 in a new colony named Vijayanagar near Chirala in Andhra Pradesh. This was before the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, was passed.

These measures again brought him into conflict with the Chief Ministers, which left him without any post for several months until he came to the Centre as Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, in January 1990.

Facing the opposition

Sankaran had to face obstacles and hostility continuously from some powerful persons in politics and the administration though all the work undertaken by him was not only in accordance with the Constitution but mandated by the Constitution upon the state. The oft-mentioned “civil society”, with a few exceptions, was largely indifferent and in some instances hostile to his valuable endeavours.

Spent his pension on education of dalit students

After retirement in 1992, he shifted to a modest apartment in busy Punjagutta area and continued to fight for the rights of the poor, sharing his pension with SC/ ST students.

Lifetime mission

It became his lifetime mission to demystify the left-wing ideology and try and bring about a meeting point. His initiative, Committee of the Concerned Citizens strove hard through mediatory efforts to find sustainable solution to social turmoil.

Book on Sankaran

A book titled ‘Marginalisation, Development and Resistance: Essays in Tribute to SR Sankaran’ Volume-1 was released by CH Hanumantha Rao, former member, Planning and Finance Commission.

He passed away on 7th October 2010.

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Published with inputs from Swapnil | Image - Frontline

Hello,

Since the beginning of time or so, everyone wanted a sitemap to civilsdaily, right? We finally let go our procrastination spiral and did a video to make you comfortable with the web offering.

Please bear with minor digressions. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGu0Glgpcsw

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Did we miss out on something? Drop in with your comments  below.

In the Civil Services Examination (CSE), the marks of the interview (Personality Test) make a lot of difference. You can get 100 marks (or less) and you can even get 200+ marks in interview. When the competition is so tough and each mark counts, the marks in the interview can make or mar your chances of getting into CSE and getting the service of your choice.

There is no hard and fast rule for getting good marks. However, if you prepare well, you can surely improve the chances of high score. I can’t suggest you any trick which can guarantee you great marks in interview but I can suggest some methods, which can perhaps help you scoring better in the interview.

#1. Why do you wish to join Civil Services?

This question is as old as civil services itself and the right answer of this question is very critical. You must be clear in your mind (and so the interviewers after listening your reply) as to why you wish to join IAS, IPS, IRS, IFS etc. It is better to know the functioning of the top services and be ready to justify joining these services.

If you are a professional like Engineer, Doctor, CA, MBA, etc. you should be doubly prepared for it. If you are from premium institutes like IIT, IIM, AIIMS etc, be ready to be grilled even more as if you are committing a crime by joining these services. If you are leaving a job in private or government sector to join civil services, be ready to justify it.

#2. Increase the width of your knowledge

A civil servant must be sensitive to every important development in the country and even around the world. You may not be able to remember everything, but at least don’t miss out the important ones. It is not enough to know the facts, you must also have a view on every issue.

For example, you must know about GST, Land Bill, FDI/ Retails reforms which are very important for country. You must read newspapers and magazines extensively to know the positives and negatives of everything. A civil servant is not expected to have a hardened view about anything.

He must be persuasive and should have a reasoned view of everything which must also be flexible. You are also expected to know your subject well. If the interviewer happen to be from your field, you can expect tough questions.

#3. Understand the mind of Interviewers

There are typically 4/5 members of the interview board headed by the UPSC Member or Chairman. It is always better to know in depth about all the members of the UPSC because you can’t know who is going to take your interview.

Their names are available on the UPSC website. You must do extensive research about their earlier professions and know their likes and dislikes, from their articles or books.

You can’t know the other members of the board in advance, you have to make instant judgment about them during interview. You must also meet the candidates who have already faced interview to know the types of questions asked by the different boards and be accordingly prepared for it.

#4. Think Before Speaking

It is important to listen the questions carefully and think about the best answer before you start speaking. Avoid instant reactions to questions, particularly on the provocative questions. It is always advisable to admit, if you don’t know the answer. You must put yourself in the shoes of the officer before answering the question. Don’t answer the question from a student or a common citizen’s perspective but from the perspective of an officer, because most members of the boards are usually retired or senior serving officers. They don’t expect that you know everything under the sun. But they expect honesty, fairness and decency from you.

#5. Practice for the Interview

It is better to practice for the interview by the help of your friends or those who have already faced the interview. There are many mock-interviews coaching centers, who become active after the declaration of the results of the Mains. You can join one or more of them and they will train you for interview. You must debate all issues with your friends to get wider perspectives of the issue. It is better to avoid controversial statement during interview. If forced to speak on a controversial issue, it is better to be diplomatic and noncommittal. You must learn the art to handle complex and controversial issues. You must train yourself for such questions appropriately. The more you practice, the more confident you will become.

#6. Dress Appropriately

It may be advisable to dress appropriately and formally for the occasion. Your dress should be comfortable and decent. You should never look casual. You must also avoid being tense during the interview. Don’t wear tight cloths that are uncomfortable to you and you have difficulty in sitting or walking. Needless to say that your cloths should be clean and shoes must be polished. A light color shirt and dark trousers may be advised for males and saris or salwar-suits of decent design for females.

#7. Be Idealist, Be Law Abiding

A civil servant is expected to have high ideals because he is to given immense power to administer the country and influencing the lives of millions at very young age. You must have high ideals for national service and upholding the Constitution of India.

You should never justify following illegal means to achieve noble ends. You are a law enforcer. If you break the law yourself, who is going to follow them. You should never justify police encounter for reducing crime and eliminating criminals.

And lastly,

#8. Be Positive

There are so many uncontrollable variables responsible for a getting good or bad marks in the interview. You can’t control them all. Often the interviewer may be biased for or against certain community, religion, region, gender, language, background. However, these are random factors which often balance each other. You can’t control them and hence you must think positive and presume that all these factors are going to help you. You must have faith in yourself and God to decide your destiny.

Try your best and leave the rest to God.

Source: Awdhesh Singh, A Senior IRS officer @Quora

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Ganga Kumar is a 2000 batch IAS currently posted in Bihar. He is an alumnus of Hindu College, DU and made it to the civil services at an age of 22. His wife Sneha is an architect.

Together, these two are trying to change the face of cancer awareness and diagnosis in India. As a couple, they have always been socially-focused.

Grameen Sneh Foundation

They started the Grameen Sneh Foundation in 2009.

Initially the aim was of increasing public engagement in issues such as health education, early childhood education, and art and culture.

However, Sneha was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014. She received timely chemotherapy and is now cancer-free, but this episode set the stage for a new focus to their social venture.

The focus has now shifted towards cancer and the intensity has also increased as it is a personal cause for him.

The Foundation began its work in Bihar, Odisha, and Delhi-NCR.

Mostly the NGOs are accused of seeking publicity and funding from various sources, but GSF is one which is shy of publicity despite working in 3 states and not taking financial help from Government and other sources.

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Awards & Recognition

A corner of his living room has a showcase decorated with various awards that he got for his efforts. But his modesty prompts him to say: “These are mostly for the office, I am just one sitting in the chair.”

Among various honours, the most recent one was Udyog Ratna Award.

This award is presented to Economic Leaders or Organizations’ for their exceptional vision, drive, persistence and results in Business and Economy.

‘Karma’ is the secret of my energy!

When asked about how he gets this much time and energy, he says, “Life is small and each one of us must do our part. We must give back to the society. It is our responsibility to work for the betterment. Awards and accolades all come when time wishes. That shouldn’t be the focus.”

His take on Bihar

He has written several books on Bihar’s glorious past which, he said, was limited to merely Nalanda, Bodhgaya, Rajgir.

Lamenting on the fact about migration, he remarked, “Everyone comes from Bihar to work, but no one works for Bihar”.

The philosopher in Ganga – 3 fundas!

#1. On relation of individual to society

We are at a distance from the society. The older you grow, the more society consumes you. The key here is to adapt and not give in.

People do not change, they remain the same. However, adaptability is the key.

#2. His Karma yoga

Do your work, leave the rest to God. Keep a balanced life. Happiness and sorrow are part and parcel. When time comes, your efforts would be recognised.

#3. Sattoo restaurant

Kumar’s happiness, apart from his social efforts, lies in opening a ‘Sattoo restaurant’ (in future) where people could come and consume various delicacies made from the humble gram flour consumed in various forms in Bihar. It is one of the main ingredients of ‘litti’ of the litti-chokha.

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Published with inputs from Swapnil | Image - Facebook

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Prashanth Nair is a 2007 batch IAS Officer. He is now currently serving as Collector, Kozhikode. The young IAS officer is known for his crowdsourcing campaigns.

What is so s(pe)/(o)cial about him?

Being social

“The people are out there in social media, so we need to be there. It’s as simple as that. Pasting notices on the notice boards of the village office is no longer the way to reach out to the public. Social media as a platform makes administration more transparent, seamless, fast, publicly accountable, and ‘informal’,” says Prashanth.

1. His followers fondly call him “Collector Bro”.
2. He has 1, 69, 273 likes on Facebook to his page. Go have a look!
3. Add to that, he has android & iOS apps to reach him.

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So famous a government official! how is that possible?

# 1. Biryani to clean pond

He made an offer which Kozhikode’s residents couldn’t refuse. He recently posted a message on his Facebook page asking people of Koyilandy in the district to help clean a 14-acre pond filled with water hyacinth and slush. In return, he promised them a plate of Kozhikode’s famous Malabar biriyani.

In response to his call, quite a few volunteers got together to clean up the 14-acre Pisharikavu pond. Prashant took to Facebook to thank them all.

The money for providing biriyani was taken out of the district administration’s drought prevention fund. Prashant has always batted for the need to keep water bodies clean.

# 2. Operation Suleimani
Named after the iconic spiced tea of the region, Operation Sulaimani is a decentralised participatory project to address hunger in urban areas. Through the scheme, poor people in the city could eat at restaurants by producing food coupons given by the district administration.

# 3. Compassionate Kozhikode Project

He had launched yet another social project called ‘Compassionate Kozhikode’ or CK, which aims to “generate and nurture the spirit of compassion in individuals”. CK is founded on a firm faith in the innate goodness in each one of us. CK believes that most of the human beings are basically compassionate and capable of expressing it when opportunities are made visible. “Some of these featured initiatives we hope will be a tipping point for building a compassionate destination out of Kozhikode. Compassionate Kozhikode is an attempt to trigger and develop the spirit of compassion in individuals.

Here, go ahead give it a look –

# 4. Kozipedia

Kozhipedia, offers a platform for people to share information and to know more about Kozhikode.

The gathered info can be useful for planning of developmental projects, disseminating essential information to the public, tourism, nature conservation are some of them.

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Do we expect such a guy to be without controversies?

# 1. War against illegal quarrying

Prasanth has been waging a relentless war against illegal quarrying and sand mining. A powerful pressure group involved in quarrying and sand mining in the district is intensely lobbying to remove district Collector N. Prasanth from the post.

# 2. Blamed by politicians

He has been criticised by politicians for keeping an active virtual profile, but he has no qualms about it. In a rapidly changing India where smartphones and Internet users multiply by the day, Prashant represents a new breed of administrators who wants to capitalise on the situation to reach out to more people.

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Prashanth Nair’s words on Kerala’s development

Prashanth believes the public must be active stakeholders in the development process.

Kerala may be endowed with high human development indicators and laudable literacy initiatives, but it is sorely lacking in infrastructure building and a push for jobs. A recent ‘Ease of doing business’ survey by the World Bank showed Kerala languishing in the 18th position.

The public needs to be taken into confidence and strong and credible leadership should own up these initiatives. The public is often faced with a trust deficit issue when it comes to trusting new initiatives. This is where smart and credible social selling becomes relevant.

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When asked about his future aspirations, this is what he has to say: “I wish to see a compassionate population in my district, people who care for each other. Our focus should shift from structures and concrete to people.”

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Published with inputs from Swapnil | Image Credits - Facebook

 

58-year-old Archana Ramasundram, a Tamil Nadu cadre IPS officer, will take over as Director General of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).

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Who is Archana Ramasundaram?

1. Archana Ramasundaram is a 1980-batch IPS officer.
2. She is currently serving as the Director of National Crime Records Bureau.
3. Sundaram holds an MSc and an MA degree and was awarded the President’s Medal in 1995.

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What is SSB and what’s interesting about her next assignment?

SSB is a Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) responsible for guarding the country’s frontiers with Nepal and Bhutan. Including SSB, there are 5 CAPFs in India.

In case you are wondering about the paramilitary forces, let’s define that for you

Ministry Of Home Affairs adopted a uniform nomenclature of Central Armed Police Forces (formerly known as Paramilitary forces) in March 2011.

These include – SSB, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).

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Back to the IPS officer, here are few intriguing events related to her life

#1. The only IPS lady of 1980 batch

When Archana Ramasundaram made it to the police academy in Hyderabad in the Indian Police Service batch of 1980, she was the only woman in her class. The situation, she says, was ‘awkward’ sometimes because she was the only woman around.

#2. The Telgi case cracker

She headed the team that cracked the famous Abdul Karim Telgi case or the fake stamp paper racket.

 

#3. Remember the CBI appointment controversy?

On 8 May 2014, Ramasundaram was appointed the first woman Additional Director of CBI. However, her selection was disputed by the Tamil Nadu government in the Supreme Court on the very day she joined the CBI. On 17 June 2015, she was removed from the CBI and moved to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) as Director.

Need more masala?

1. A writ petition filed by a journalist in SC alleged that Archana Ramasundaram’s appointment to CBI was not in “accordance with the procedure contemplated under the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act.”
2. However, the Centre requested the SC to allow her to take charge but the Tamil Nadu government resisted the appeal saying that she was still an officer with the Tamil Nadu government
3. Tamil Nadu government said that Ramasundaram hadn’t been “formally relieved from her duties as the DGP and Chairperson of Tamil Nadu Uniformed Services Recruitment Board”
4. She was suspended and charged for ‘deserting office’
5. Archana Ramasundaram clarified that she’d written to the Chief Secretary that she would be joining the CBI but the government contended that her actions “lacked legal or procedural propriety.”
   

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Strange turns of events, right?

But if you are an IAS aspirant and want to read more into the news, here are few pointers for you –

#1. A strong message by the Government

The government is no longer going to restrict the top posts for men and the male IPS Officers are no longer going to enjoy monopoly over the apex positions of these forces.

#2. SSB – The platform for Women Empowerment

• The appointment of Archana Ramasundaram is not the first time that SSB has been involved in such a bold and yet welcome step.
• SSB was also the first Paramilitary Force to induct female troops and also the first force to send a female contingent to the Republic Day Parade.
• Such was the effect of this bold move by SSB that subsequently other Forces too have started inducting women troops and their numbers are steadily increasing. The CRPF too recently accepted a proposal of giving 33% reservation to women for the post of constables.

#3. Trickledown effect

• When the upper strata is going to be free from any bias, slowly its effect will go down the ranks and workplaces in Government Offices may become more desirable for Indian Women.
• Since Kiran Bedi was unjustifiably sidelined for promotion, we have come a long way and now we have appointed a female chief for a paramilitary force.

#4. The sensitization effect

• The women officers and constables serving within SSB will somehow not feel the fear of harassment given their minority numbers within the force and the social misconceptions.
• A female head of the Force will definitely be more considerate towards the position of women within the force.
• More importantly, this will go a long way in improving the attitude of Force Personnel towards the local women.

The CAPFs perform a multitude of functions, one of these is maintaining close contact with the Locals. Unfortunately, instances of harassment of local women by the Personnel prove detrimental to this purpose.

The condition will improve once a female head is appointed who can take such cases more seriously and take the requisite steps.

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Published with inputs from Swapnil | Image Credits - Facebook, Indiatimes

Hello,

We have seen some amazing level of participation across the forum, stories and blogs @civilsdaily.com

So much so that we strongly feel that many among you would love to pitch in and help us create more rewarding explainers for the aspiring junta (we hope we are right on that count!)

Bbbbbbut… what are these explainers?

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Explainers are medium to long form text written with the sole purpose to make a complex piece of news easier to digest! Take a concept (any concept) that you think you know better than most of your peers, pen it down in a (question-answer) format so that it gets everyone else up to speed faster than they could have ever imagined!

That’s what we all have striven for and that’s where the aha! factor lies. Cool? Here’s a quick guide to get started

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What happens next?

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I think we got way too emotional with the word *awesome* but you get the drift right? Explainer need not necessarily be on current affairs but could be a part of the mainstream theory which just got into limelight courtesy some major event.

Got it? Get on with your writing hats then!

 

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Hello readers,

We hope that all of you are on the latest version of the android app update! We have made things super cool, included night mode and notifications along with enriching our daily newscards with op-ed summaries and more back2basic cards.

So, if you haven’t embraced the batman yet, we would really, really request you to do so!

UPDATE THE APP & Give us a high 5!

With love,

Team Civilsdaily

Officier’s IAS Academy under the aegis of R.A.Israel Jebasingh, IAS has launched a Prelims Test Series targeted at IAS 2016.

To know more about the test series, check the link – Prelims 2016 Online Test Batch Schedule. Use Promo Code CD500 to get 500 off on the test package.

Wonder what the questions are going to be like? Here are 6 under Indian Economics

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#1. Which of the following statements are true?
i) Exchange rates are determined by open market economies which is open to a wide range of buyers and sellers where currency trading is continuous
ii) Forward exchange rate refers to an exchange rate that is quoted and traded today but for delivery and payment on a future date

a) i only b) ii only c) both i and ii d) neither i nor ii

Explanation- Exchange rates are determined by foreign exchange markets
Reason- The economic condition of the country , where our money was devalued many a times .Indian rupee plunges to 2-year low of 65.10.

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#2. Consider the statements about Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB)

1. The banks accepts deposits only from women
2. It lends predominantly to women

Which of the following are correct?

a. Only I | b. Only II | c. Both I and II | d. Neither I nor II

Explanation: The banks’ accept deposits from everyone but lends predominantly to women.

Reason: Government mulls merger of Bharatiya Mahila Bank into State Bank of India.

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#3. Which of the following statements is/are correct?

i. The Central Statistical office publishes  consumer price index for all series.

ii. The wholesale price index is published by ministry of Finance.

a.i only | b.ii only | c.both I and ii | d.neither i nor ii

Explanation: CSO publishes CPI for Industrial workers, Agricultural Labourers, Rural Labours. CPI for Urban Non-manual employees published by Ministry of Labour and Employment. The Wholesale price Index is Published by the office of economic Advisor.

Reason: Last year Economy survey had spoken about CPI.

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#4. The chairman of 7th central pay commission is

a. Shri Ashok Kumar Mathur
b. Shri Vivek Rae
c. Dr. Ratha Roy
d. Smt. Meena Agarvwal

Reason: Recently the most awaited 7th pay commission was announced.

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#5. Match the following,

Problems faced by farming sector               possible measures

       1) Unirrigated land                                  A) Setting up agro-based mills

       2) Low price for crops                             B) Banks to provide low interest credit

       3) Debt burden                                          C) Procurement of food grains by govt

       4) No job in the off season                      D) Construction of canals by the govt

   Select the correct code from below :

         a) 1-D;2-C;3-B;4-A

         b)1-D;2-A;3-B;4-C

         c)1-C;2-B;3-A;4-D

         d)1-C;2-D;3-A;4-B

Reason: Across India farmers are facing drought crisis.

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This was a sample. If you wish to attend the full test series, click on Application form, here.

Apply promo code = CD500 to get a rebate of 500 INR on the course fee.

Hello reader,

It’s with great pleasure (& an even greater level of excitement!) that we announce the inclusion of two more awesome features on your Civilsdaily Android App.

1. Night mode
2. Notifications

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Thanks for helping us build such an amazing product by staying with us all this while. It is an absolute pleasure to keep listening to your suggestions and write for you guys!

Our mission has always been to create a news app where factual, unbiased, and succinct information could be found. And with your support & love, we will continue to do so for a long, long time to come.

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Over the last couple of weeks or so, we have pushed forward a few amazing things –

#1. Launch of the new app!

The latest update is faster, lighter and simply epic! We reimagined the app grounds up and gave it a more classier finish.

• A super cool user interface inspired from international design standards
• Introduced Blogs on the app
• Introduced nightmode & notifications to keep you coming back to us everyday!

 

We would request all of you to take a moment and revise your ratings on the playstore and help us grow faster! If you haven’t rated us yet, now would be a great time to do so 🙂

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#2. Launch of the Civilsdaily offline & online magazine

We are so excited to have finally been able to put our words to print. A well known publisher agreed to partner with us to help remove the tyranny of lacklustre magazines which have plagued the market for IAS aspirants for long.

We will be releasing monthly magazines in both hard copy and soft copy (to be released after a few days) and the first edition is out there in the stands.

• For those who wish to order the hard copies online, we will let you know the web address soon. Very soon.
• For those who are cool with reading from pdfs, we will have the link up on our website soon enough!
  

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#3. An amazing response to support Civilsdaily

Producing high-quality content can be a costly endeavor. While we were still exploring sustainable revenue options, we thought why not turn to our users and look out for patrons among them to support us in our journey!

Very hesitantly we launched a crowdfunding appeal – Support Civilsdaily & Help us grow on the eve of new year and we have been blown away by the amazing amazing response! No website should expect such generosity from its readers and we are at our wits end to express our gratitude for you all!

You are our heroes and your contributions are keeping everyone motivated here to innovate more and more! We will be surprising you with exclusive compilations every quarter or so!

For those of you who wish to come forward and pitch in financially to help us do more – here is a quick instamojo link to donate for Civilsdaily.

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So enjoy the new app, rate us high and donate to help us grow!