Author: Sajal Singh

(At 5 pm) सजल सरांचा MPSC वेबिनार- MPSC पूर्व 2022 च्या अपयशातून कसे परत यायचे?MPSC पूर्व 2023 मध्ये यश मिळवण्यासाठी 10 Themes | 19th Nov, 5 pm
https://youtu.be/2XKozWChLJ0

19th Nov, 5 pm | Register for the webinar and get MPSC current affairs notes and Most important MCQs for FREE

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Dear students, hope you all are doing well!

A couple of days before I was talking to some of my MPSC aspirants students, discussing the strategy for the next 6 months. Some of them had appeared in 2022 as well and were not able to clear the exam.

Don’t let MPSC Prelims 2022 failure hold you back. Let us bounce back from failure

I realised that failure in previous MPSC Prelims exam (2022) was still haunting them, making them underconfident and losing the belief they had when they first appeared for the Prelims.

No failure is final unless you stop giving your 120% to learn from the previous mistakes and give your everything to work towards success.

So students, let us meet over a Zoom session tomorrow (19th November), to discuss how to strategise and plan the next 6 months for MPSC Prelime 2023.

I will be conducting a special webinar session for MPSC 2023 aspirants and especially for those who failed in MPSC Prelims 2022.

Click & Register for Webinar

During my MPSC seminar in CivilsDaily Pune branch

REGISTER: UPSC Workshop with Sajal sir for the next 7 months’ strategy

MPSC Prelims 2023 is just around 6 months away. Understanding the criticality of time is of utmost importance. If you want to crack MPSC with a rank in 2023, everything that you do must be under a plan, a strategy.

Table of content
1. Topic, date, venue
2. Who can register for this Seminar?
3. CivilsDaily’s Preparatory package worth Rs 7000 for FREE + 10% Scholarship
4. Important Points to be covered in the webinar
5. About me
The topic for the Seminar:

How to bounce back from MPSC Prelims 2022 failure? Strategy and 10 themes to focus on for MPSC Prelims 2023(Detailed points and agenda below)

Date and Time:

19th November 2022 (Saturday) at 5 pm

Click & Register for Webinar

Time: 5 pm to 8 pm

Venue: This Workshop will be held in both offline and online mode. You can attend in CivilsDaily’s Pune center in offline mode, and for Online mode, we will share a Zoom link in your email. Please register.

Address: Civilsdaily IAS, First floor, 518, Ramprasad, opposite Radhika Bhel, Sadashiv Peth, Pune, Maharashtra 411030

Contact here: 086685 82260

(10% scholarship (FEE waiver) across all courses of CivilsDaily to Webinar attendees)

FREE CivilsDaily’s Preparatory Package worth Rs 7000 + Personalized Mentorship session

Post-seminar CivilsDaily will share a special Preparatory Package both for Offline and Online attendees. Details here

You are also entitled to a personalized intensive mentorship session by a senior IAS mentor wherein you can avail of a personalized study plan, schedule, and doubt resolution session.

Click & Register for Webinar

This is for you if you are:
1. MPSC aspirant who failed in 2022 Prelims and want to crack MPSC 2023
2. A working professional or college student who will be attempting MPSC 2023 with a job. Facing a serious time crunch and mismanagement in MPSC preparation.
3. A MPSC beginner – confused about the syllabus, prioritizing subjects, making timetables & targets, or just getting started.
Strategic planning will help you fully uncover your options, set priorities for them, and define the methods to achieve them.

With my student Mantri Mourya Bharadwaj, AIR 28, UPSC 2021

Important points that will be discussed in the Webinar

1. Trend analysis of MPSC Prelims exam based on the previous years’ paper, considering the changed pattern and understanding the expectations of MPSC.

2. How to undo the mistakes you have committed in the previous MPSC Prelims? How to find out the mistakes

3. What should be your approach for the next 6.5 months even if you have just started the preparation? Strategy for the next 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, and like that, will be shared with you.

4. How to cover the MPSC syllabus? Understanding the pattern of MPSC. Focussing on the essentials first. What are the best resources?

5. You just need to invest effectively 5 hours per day for MPSC success. How to effectively manage preparation time? Make a timetable and set targets. Learn from the UPSC guru Sajal sir himself.

6. Managing MPSC preparation with a serious time crunch; job – working professionals, college students, and family (especially for homemaker aspirants)

7. Building a strong foundation: NCERT, current affairs, and standard books. How and which one to focus more on? Best sources for GS and Current Affairs.

8. Breaking the inertia towards answer writing, and attempting mock tests. When and how to attempt tests and start mains answer writing?

9. Do’s and Dont’s; and breaking the myths around MPSC. Eg. Aspirants from rural or non-engineering backgrounds, rural and Marathi background are at a disadvantage.

CivilsDaily’s mentorship: Acknowledged by The Hindu

10. How to take notes and organize information/content for MPSC prelims and Mains answers? Basically the skill of taking notes. What topics necessitate notes and which do not?

10. MPSC Hacks and tricks like Tikdams or Intelligent Elimination that worked for my previous students who are UPSC rankers. A PDF will be shared with you all.

11. Revision techniques that are common, standard, and used frequently. What exactly are they?

12. How to take full advantage of the FREE CivilsDaily’s Preparatory Package and personalized mentorship session (FREE) that will follow?

Click & Register for Webinar

About me

I have guided around 200+ rankers in UPSC 2021 exam and 600+ overall rankers have been mentored by me. From AIR 6, 15 to 28, 29, 32, 42, 44, 49, and it goes on and on. I was a UPSC Mains Topper in 2017 after scoring highest marks in Mains.

Anay, AIR 32 was also my mentorship student for UPSC 2021

Click & Register for Webinar

What you’ll get as a part of the Special Preparatory Package?

As a part of this:
1. FREE Mentorship session with Senior MPSC-UPSC Mentor on strategy and approach for MPSC 2023. (You can schedule by clicking here as well)
2. Samachar Manthan’s current week’s module and Mains Questions, MPSC current Affairs
3. Prelims Weekly MCQ PDF
4. Mains 250+ Value notes
5. Current month’s Monthly Magazine
Karishma Nair, AIR 14 was also Sajal sir’s student

AIR 65, Pranav mentored under Sajal sir for UPSC 2020

Click & Register for Webinar
November 18, 2022
Unable to crack prelims means you were unable to understand what UPSC expects from you | Don’t repeat the mistake in 2022 | Learn how
Do you know what UPSC expects from an aspirant? Have you had a look at Pre 2021 paper? It can be taken as a watershed moment. If you feel you’re at the crossroads this is for you.

In 2020, Civilsdaily helped 80+ Civilsdaily students secured ranks in the exam and 30 secured ranks in the top 100. And now, it’s time to look ahead.

The 10th Oct 2021 in many ways was a watershed moment for IAS aspirants. Prelims 2021 has shocked veterans and baffled the first-timers. If anything this paper has taught is that you need to adapt to the expectations of UPSC and adopt a new approach.

UPSC is changing. No more is it about isolating yourself and just doing current affairs, static, attending random classes, or reading a plethora of books. It’s time to bury the old ways for IAS preparation, for good.

We’ve had a discussion with around 3500 IAS aspirants (beginners and veterans) last month and all of them had doubts related to either sources and books or answer writing and even essays and interviews.

To borrow from the parable of ‘blind men and the elephant’ almost all of these aspirants were trying to make sense of UPSC but unable to look at the whole picture. You need to tackle that ‘elephant in the room’. Look at the holistic picture. First, understand what it stands for, what expectations do they have from you, then understand how to fulfill them, then plan and move forward.

Broadly, six factors determine your success in cracking this prestigious IAS exam and the most important being understanding the expectations of UPSC and according to that planning and strategizing; other being Learning – Knowledge and information; Analyzing – making linkages, connections, etc.; Executing and utilizing information; and Constant course correction – because mistakes are inevitable, need to rectify them asap.

But how to do that?

Click here to register for Samanvaya now

Failing to tackle any one of them, feeds into a vicious cycle. Without guidance or mentoring, understanding where the problem lies and how to rectify it becomes problematic.

This is where our 3 tier mentoring comes in:

1. First step starts with this Samanvaya call: Our senior mentors get on a 30-40 minute call with you after you fill the Samanvaya form to understand your prep level, working/ study constraints, current strategies, and create a step by step plan for next week, next month and so on.

2. You are given access to our invite-only chat platform, Habitat where you can ask your daily doubts, discuss your test-prep questions and have real-time, live sessions on news and op-eds, and find your optional groups.

Daily target monitoring.

3. The third and the most personalized tier is the 1 on 1 mentor allotment who stays with you through the course of your UPSC preparation – always-on chat and on scheduled calls to help you assess, evaluate, and chart the next milestone of your IAS 2022 journey.

Click here to register for Samanvaya Now

(Civilsdaily’s mentor will call you within 24 hours.)

Who are you?
1. Working Junta? If you are preparing for IAS 2022 and working simultaneously, we can help you strategize and decipher the IAS exam and design a timetable that fits right in your hectic schedule.
2. First-time prep? If you are in the last year of college or thinking of dropping a year and preparing for IAS 2022 full time, we can help you pick the right books and craft a practical & personal strategy.
Once done, we will call you within 24 hours or so.

Register for samanvaya Now (Click Here)

Here are some testimonials of our students about Samanvaya and our propriety chat interventions:

Our rankers in 2020

Click here to Register for Samanvaya Now!
October 12, 2021
How to solve the UPSC 2021 Prelims Paper

UPSC Prelims 2021 is almost here and there are some last moment strategies you should know about approaching the Prelims paper. These strategies are tried and tested and have given results time after time. My strategies have helped thousands of students crack Prelims and now it’s your time!

These strategies are so effective that they were shared by India Today for all UPSC aspirants. You can read it by clicking the link below:

Sajal sir’s strategy shared by India today

And remember, after the Prelims, I would be sharing the paper analysis and expected cutoff on a free webinar. Don’t forget to fill the form below and register for a complete analysis of the Prelims paper, Sunday evening at 7 p.m.

Register for sajal sir’s webinar – complete analysis + Expected cutoff

October 9, 2021
[Burning Issue] Achieving Carbon Neutrality
Context

For the country to transition to carbon neutrality is easier said than done, say, climate experts, as it needs to balance growth with eco-goals. A TERI and Shell report, ‘India: Transforming to a net-zero emissions energy system’, says it is “technically possible” to achieve the goal, but cautions that it would be a highly challenging pathway. TERI, warns that a complete phase-out of coal plants by 2050 is likely to be difficult because of the economics of harnessing incremental RE potential and subsequent integration to the grid system.

Introduction
- Carbon neutrality refers to achieving net-zero carbon dioxide emissions or buying enough carbon credits to make up the difference.
- This can be done by balancing emissions of carbon dioxide with its removal (often through carbon offsetting) or by eliminating emissions from society.
- It is used in the context of carbon dioxide-releasing processes associated with transportation, energy production, agriculture, and industry.
- The term carbon neutral also includes other greenhouse gases, usually carbon-based, measured in terms of their carbon dioxide equivalence.
- The term “net-zero” is increasingly used to describe a broader and more comprehensive commitment to decarbonization and climate action. Net-zero emissions are achieved when your organization’s emissions of all greenhouse gases (CO₂-e) are balanced by greenhouse gas removals
Methodology

Carbon-neutral status can be achieved in two ways:
- Carbon offsetting: Balancing carbon dioxide emissions with carbon offsets — the process of reducing or avoiding greenhouse gas emissions or removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to make up for emissions elsewhere. If the total greenhouse gasses emitted is equal to the total amount avoided or removed, then the two effects cancel each other out and the net emissions are ‘neutral’.
- Reducing emissions: Reducing carbon emissions can be done by moving towards energy sources and industrial processes that produce fewer greenhouse gases, thereby transitioning to a low-carbon economy. Shifting towards the use of renewable energy such as hydro, wind, geothermal, and solar power, as well as nuclear power, reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
Agreement and Target
- The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was adopted by 196 Parties at COP 21 in Paris, on 12 December 2015 and entered into force on 4 November 2016.
- Its goal is to limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.
- Article 4.1 of the Paris Agreement asks countries to reach global peaking of greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible.
- It also requires countries to undertake rapid reductions in carbon emissions to achieve a balance between anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases.
Global Actions regarding the agreement
- Several other countries, including the UK and France, have already enacted laws promising to achieve a net-zero emission scenario by the middle of the century.
- The EU is working a similar Europe-wide law, while many other countries including Canada, South Korea, Japan and Germany have expressed their intention to commit themselves to a net-zero future.
- Even China has promised to go net-zero by 2060.
- The hollowness of nation-level carbon neutrality declarations by developed countries is brought out starkly when we consider the details, as in the case of the United States.
- Emissions in the U.S. peaked in 2005 and have declined at an average rate of 1.1% from then till 2017, with a maximum annual reduction of 6.3% in 2009, at the height of a recession.
- Even if it did reach net-zero by 2050 at a steady linear rate of reduction, which is unprecedented, its cumulative emissions between 2018 and 2050 would be 106 GtCO2, which is 22% of the total remaining carbon budget for the whole world so high, that unless others reduced emissions at even faster rates, the world would most certainly cross 1.5°C warmings.
- Regrettably, a section of the climate policy modeling literature has promoted the illusion that this three-way compatibility is feasible through speculative “negative emissions”, ostensibly through a dramatic expansion of carbon capture, primarily by the biosphere.
- They have also been promoting the other illusion that not resorting to any serious emissions increase at all is the means to guarantee the successful development of the Third World.
India @Net Zero emission
- India is the only one opposing this target because it is likely to be the most impacted by it.
- Over the next two to three decades, India’s emissions are likely to grow at the fastest pace in the world, as it presses for higher growth to pull hundreds of millions of people out of poverty.
- No amount of afforestation or reforestation would be able to compensate for the increased emissions.
- Most of the carbon removal technologies right now are either unreliable or very expensive.
Why does India object to net-zero emissions?
- The net-zero goals do not figure in the 2015 Paris Agreement, the new global architecture to fight climate change.
- The Paris Agreement only requires every signatory to take the best climate action it can.
- Countries need to set five- or ten-year climate targets for themselves, and demonstrably show they have achieved them.
- Implementation of the Paris Agreement has begun only this year.
- Most of the countries have submitted targets for the 2025 or 2030 period.
- India has been arguing that instead of opening up a parallel discussion on net-zero targets outside of the Paris Agreement framework, countries must focus on delivering on what they have already promised.
India’s step towards Net Zero emissions
- India is hoping to lead by example. It is well on its way to achieving its three targets under the Paris Agreement and looks likely to overachieve them.
- Several studies have shown that India is the only G-20 country whose climate actions are compliant with the Paris Agreement goal of keeping global temperatures from rising beyond 2°C.
- Even the actions of the EU, which is seen as the most progressive on climate change, and the US are assessed as “insufficient”.
- In other words, India is already doing more, relatively speaking, on climate than many other countries.
How to achieve Net Zero emissions
- Fossil fuels: The use of fossil fuels must go down steeply for the production of energy and electricity. Alternate sources must be bought into majority practices so as to achieve the target of carbon neutrality by 2050. Within renewables, the focus ought to be more on solar and wind energy—hydroelectricity, given its impact on aquatic ecology, at best maybe a filler.
- More electrification: Electricity is zero-emission when consumed, and the world needs to rely on it a lot more to hit its decarbonization goals. Much progress has been made in emerging economies, especially in Asia. But in many developed markets, the share of electricity in the total energy mix has stood still, or even slipped. For power companies, there needs to be a move away from fossil fuels such as coal and gas.
(Wind & solar growth as part of global electricity generation)
- Bioenergy to the fore once more: Focus must be shifted away from the “food versus fuel” dilemma, under which crop-based biofuels were linked with rising food prices, deforestation and conflict over land. Now there is a new generation of biofuels that can be made from inedible crops and oils, and from agricultural and municipal waste.
                  (The production of biofuels from forestry waste)
- Greater use of hydrogen: Hydrogen is light and storable and produces no direct CO₂ emissions when converted into energy. That is why society needs to use more of it – and why governments should keep providing incentives to do so.
- Carbon sequestration: Carbon sequestration is the process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide. It is one method of reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere with the goal of reducing global climate change.
(Global carbon capture and storage capacity)

Way forward
- Ours is the last generation that can prevent global disaster. The need for action is immediate. It therefore falls upon this generation of business, government and society leader to accelerate action individually and through collaboration.
- All stakeholders – corporations, governments, investors and, ultimately, individuals – can take unilateral initiative to lower emissions, often with positive economic implications. Collective actions can support and amplify individual ones.
- Where the costs and risks of taking action for individual companies are higher (for example, in emission-intensive sectors), ecosystems of industry peers, value chain players or public-private partnerships can work together, sharing the burden.
- The world needs decisive action at every level to change the trajectory of ever-increasing emissions. In light of the facts, it should be viewed as an opportunity for businesses, countries and individuals to create an advantage in building a better, more sustainable world.
June 4, 2021
How Decimate Prelims Crash course will ensure that you will ace in Prelims 2020

Distribution: z3
Decimate Prelims 2020 Brochure from Civilsdaily Click2download

Click here to enroll for the Decimate Prelims 2020

Dear Students,

Before we jump into the finer details of our crash course for IAS Prelims 2020, let’s take you to a quick re-cap on the changing trends of the IAS Prelims from 2015 to date.

There was a time when aspirants were coaxed to prepare for IAS Mains and let Prelims be taken care of as a by-product of that preparation. This is not that time.

There was a time when in-service officers aspiring to improve their ranks and get the coveted IAS, IPS, IFS used to fine-tune their optional and interview strategies and cruise through the IAS Prelims with a month’s worth preparation. This is not that time either.

Here’s how IAS Prelims evolved over the last 4-5 years:

IAS Prelims 2015

Equal emphasis on traditional and current affairs based questions. a combination of logical understanding and factual clarity.

Which one of the following National Parks has a climate that varies from tropical to subtropical, temperate and arctic?
a) Khangchendzonga National park
b) Nandadevi National Park
c) Neora Valley National Park
d) Namdapha National park

With reference to art and archaeological history of India, which one among the following was made earliest?
a) Lingaraja Temple at Bhubaneswar
b) Rock-cut Elephant at Dhauli
c) Rock-cut Monuments at Mahabalipuram
d) Varaha Image at Udayagiri

IAS Prelims 2016:

Heavily based on CA and mostly one-liners: a major digressed from the earlier pattern

The term ‘Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership’ often appears in the news in the context of the affairs of a group of countries known as
a) G20
b) ASEAN
c) SCO
d) SAARC

Recently, for the first time in our country, which of the following States has declared a particular butterfly as ‘State Butterfly’?
a) Arunachal Pradesh
b) Himachal Pradesh
c) Karnataka
d) Maharashtra

IAS Prelims 2017:

Paper was difficult in terms of understanding and clarity in concepts. Polity more based on conceptual clarity, questions were little twisted

Which one of the following statements is correct?
a) Rights are claims of the State against the citizens.
b) Rights are privileges which are incorporated in the Constitution of a State.
c) Rights are claims of the citizens against the State.
d) Rights are privileges of a few citizens against the many.

Recognition of Prior Learning Scheme’ is sometimes mentioned in the news with reference to
a) Certifying the skills acquired by construction workers through traditional channels.
b) Enrolling the persons in Universities for distance learning programmes.
c) Reserving some skilled jobs to rural and urban poor in some public sector undertakings.
d) Certifying the skills acquired by trainees under the National Skill Development Programme.

IAS Prelims 2018:

The questions based on the broader perspective of any topic; Current affairs were very indirect; History questions required logic rather than just facts; Polity questions were more analytical

The staple commodities of export by the English East India Company from Bengal in the middle of the 18th century were:
a) Raw cotton, oil-seeds and opium
b) Sugar, salt, zinc and lead.
c) Copper, silver, gold, spices and tea
d) Cotton, silk, saltpeter and opium

Which one of the following reflects the most appropriate relationship between law and liberty?
a) If there are more laws, there is less liberty.
b) If there are no laws, there is no liberty.
c) If there is liberty, laws have to be made by the people.
d) If laws are changed too often, liberty is in danger.

IAS Prelims 2019:

More common sense (Tikdam) based questions in CA and Polity; in-depth analysis to be done in Science and Technology and this is a stark departure from how easy S&T used to be!

In the context of proposals to the use of hydrogen-enriched CNG (H-CNG) as fuel for buses in public transport, consider the following statements:

1) The main advantage of the use of H-CNG is the elimination of carbon monoxide emissions.
2) H-CNG as fuel reduces carbon dioxide and hydrocarbon emissions.
3) Hydrogen up to one-fifth by volume can be blended with CNG as fuel for buses.
4) H-CNG makes the fuel less expensive than CNG.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

44. Why are dewdrops not formed on a cloudy night?
(a) Clouds absorb the radiation released from the Earth’s surface.
(b) Clouds reflect back the Earth’s radiation.
(c) The Earth’s surface would have low temperature on cloudy nights.
(d) Clouds deflect the blowing wind to ground level.

We have been following this space very closely and we were among the first ones who called out the pitfall of over reliance on traditional sources for IAS Prelims. We have been advocating smart study and calculated risks via our score boosting techniques (Tikdams/ तिकड़म) right from 2016.

We would invite you to download our program brochure and go through the lecture + test series time table to understand the comprehensiveness of this course.

Here’s a quick list of key features and pricing:

#1 All India Mocks
- 8 FLTs
- 10 CA Monthly TS
- 4 CSAT TS
- Score Booster Explanation Lectures (तिकड़म)
#2 Advanced Static Lectures
- Online Videos on Prelims worthy concepts
- PDFs, Prelims Tidbits, Listicles for revision
#3 CA Lecture Series
- 2+ Years of prelims worthly summary
- Eco Survey, Budget and IYB covered (per relevance)
- Offline/Online lectures for 2019-2020 CA summary
- Highly organised and theme bound news summaries in PDFs.
Click here to enroll for the Decimate Prelims 2020
February 2, 2020
Samachar Manthan : Why Indian economy is facing a slowdown?

Distribution: z7

This Short Snippet is Part of Our Samachar Manthan Program.

Click here to Enroll for the Samachar Manthan Yearly 2019-2020

September 3, 2019
Get ready for upcoming July Current affairs Prelims Test on 31st August- sample questions highlighting our methodology

Distribution: z5

click here to enroll for the Prime Prelims TS

Dear students,

31st May 2020 is the D-day for all civil service aspirants.

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. “

This Quote by Abraham Lincoln clearly sums up how one should prepare for that day. So before entering the battlefield alone should have enough practice. Our Prime Prelims Test series which shall enrich you to acquaint yourself with the pattern of CSE-2020, assess your abilities, rectify your mistakes and make you confident to appear on the examination day.

Our Prime Prelims Test Series follows the same approach as that adopted by UPSC. Our team of experts is quite enriched with the UPSC pattern and focal point of the questions and hence creates more chances for the aspirants to crack civil service examination by appearing our Test Series.

The key philosophy of our prelims TS is Evidence-based question making: The 3600 questions you face in our mocks have their relevance established in UPSC’s trend analysis. We focus on themes that are important as per UPSC so that we maximize your chances of questions overlap with the actual UPSC Prelims.

Nothing speaks more than the facts itself rather than a mere jargon. Here is a list of 5 sample questions from the upcoming test which will help you in identifying the standards and approach we follow. (you can skip this if you want to attempt these directly in the test).

Noone but only you can assess how it will help you in being the top percentile of aspirants. You have to practice ruthlessly and civils Daily provides you with a platform to hone your skills.

Q.1) Consider the following statements with respect to STRIDE Scheme,

1. This scheme aimed at strengthening research culture and innovation in universities and colleges of the country.

2. It is launched by the Ministry of Science & Technology.

3. It is open to selected disciplines for grant upto 1 crore.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

a) 1 and 3 only

b) 1 and 2 only

c) 1 only

d) 1, 2 and 3

Q.2) Consider the following statements regarding MOSAiC mission,

1. It will Study the impact of climate change on the Arctic.

2. The focus lies on direct in-situ and ex-situ observations of the climate processes that couple the atmosphere, ocean, sea ice, bio-geochemistry and ecosystem.

Which of the given statements is/are correct?

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 nor 2

Q.3) Consider the following statements regarding Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY),

1. The Scheme aims to address critical gaps in value chain including infrastructure modernization, traceability, production, productivity,post-harvest and quality control.

2. It will be funded by Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF).

Which of the given statements is/are correct?

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 nor 2

Q.4) Consider the following statements regarding JAL JEEVAN MISSION,

1. It aims to ensure HarGharJal (piped water supply) to all rural and urban households by 2024.

2. The Mission will converge with other Central and State Government Schemes.

Which of the given statements is/are correct?

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 nor 2

Q.5) Consider the following statements regarding Pump Priming,

1. Pump priming is the action taken to stimulate an economy, usually during a recessionary period.

2. It involves pumping small amounts of government funds into a depressed economy to encourage growth.

Which of the given statements is/are correct?

a) 1 only

b) 2 only

c) Both 1 and 2

d) Neither 1 nor 2

August 30, 2019
Get ready for upcoming Economics Current affairs Prelims Test on 24th August- sample questions highlighting our methodology

Distribution: z7

click here to enroll for the Prime Prelims TS

Dear students,

31st May 2020 is the D-day for all civil service aspirants.

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. “

This Quote by Abraham Lincoln clearly sums up how one should prepare for that day. So before entering the battlefield alone should have enough practice. Our Prime Prelims Test series which shall enrich you to acquaint yourself with the pattern of CSE-2020, assess your abilities, rectify your mistakes and make you confident to appear on the examination day.

Our Prime Prelims Test Series follows the same approach as that adopted by UPSC. Our team of experts is quite enriched with the UPSC pattern and focal point of the questions and hence creates more chances for the aspirants to crack civil service examination by appearing our Test Series.

The key philosophy of our prelims TS is Evidence-based question making: The 3600 questions you face in our mocks have their relevance established in UPSC’s trend analysis. We focus on themes that are important as per UPSC so that we maximize your chances of questions overlap with the actual UPSC Prelims.

Thus Economics Current affairs test contain questions from the following themes:

External sector -18

Government schemes-13

Agriculture-8

Fiscal policy-10

International economic organisation-12

Banking-11

Monetary policy-8

Indices-6

Industrial sector-4

Infrastructure-7

Capital/financial market-3

Nothing speaks more than the facts itself rather than a mere jargon. Here is a list of 5 sample questions from the upcoming test which will help you in identifying the standards and approach we follow. (you can skip this if you want to attempt these directly in the test).

Noone but only you can assess how it will help you in being the top percentile of aspirants. You have to practice ruthlessly and civils Daily provides you with a platform to hone your skills.

Q.1) With reference to the Systemically Important Financial Institutions, consider the following statements:

1. These are institutions whose failure will cause disruption in the wider financial system and economy.

2. These institutions enjoy an implicit sovereign guarantee against failure.

3. In India, RBI has declared only ICICI and SBI banks as domestic systemically important banks .

Which of the statements given above are correct?

a) 1 and 2 only

b) 2 and 3 only

c) 1 and 3 only

d) 1,2 and 3

Q.2) Consider the following statements regarding Capital Conservation Buffer,

1.It is the mandatory capital that financial institutions are required to hold above minimum regulatory requirement.

2. Capital buffers were mandated under the Basel III regulatory reforms.

3. It has been fully implemented in India.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 only

b) 1 and 2 only

c) 1 and 3 only

d) 1, 2 and 3

Q.3) Exchange rate is an important determinant of India’s foreign trade. In this regard which of the following is/are not truewith respect to India?

1. When the real exchange rate is more than the nominal exchange rate, the rupee is said to be undervalued.
2. US FED taper has resulted in appreciation in the rupee thus making Indian exports uncompetitive.
3. A devaluation is said to occur when exchange rate is increased by the government.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below

a) 1 and 2 only

b) 2 and 3 only

c) 3 only

d) 1,2 and 3

Q.4) Which of the following can reduce the deficit in Balance of Payments?

1. Reducing import custom duties
2. Restrictive monetary policy
3. Appreciation of domestic currency

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

1 and 3 only

2 and 3 only

2 only

1 and 2 only

August 23, 2019
Samachar Manthan Week 5: Why Baluchistan wants to secede from Pakistan

Distribution: z7

This Short Snippet is Part of Our Samachar Manthan Program.

Click here to Enroll for the Samachar Manthan Yearly 2019-2020

August 22, 2019
Demystifying Economics: Introductory lecture on Union budget 2019-20

Distribution: z7

Demystifying Economics- Core & Current Affairs Buildup Lecture Series 2020 Join here

Click here to Enroll for the Economic Survey and Budget 2019 | Advanced

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

This video is part of our course Demystifying Economics- Core & Current Affairs Buildup Lecture Series

Economics is not only the most important subject in all 3 tiers of the exam (Prelims, Mains and interview) but also the most feared subject.

Rather than understanding the concepts, many aspirants indulge in rot learning and mugging up the concepts but since Economics is not a theoretical subject like History this method does not actually work in the actual exam. The objective of this course is to make Economics as a subject interesting, lucid, layman and enjoyable.

After the end of the course, economics will be on your fingertips and you will be able to apply that knowledge not just in UPSC exam but also in other subsidiary exams like State PSC, RBI Grade B, CAPF, SSC, Bank PO, etc.

The other focus of this course is to strengthen the basics and conceptual clarity of the student so that he can apply that knowledge in understanding the contemporary economic issues.

August 19, 2019
Get ready for upcoming Economics Basics Prelims Test on 18th August- sample questions highlighting our methodology

Distribution: z3, zpts

click here to enroll for the Prime Prelims TS

Dear students,

31st May 2020 is the D-day for all civil service aspirants.

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. “

This Quote by Abraham Lincoln clearly sums up how one should prepare for that day. So before entering the battlefield alone should have enough practice. Our Prime Prelims Test series which shall enrich you to acquaint yourself with the pattern of CSE-2020, assess your abilities, rectify your mistakes and make you confident to appear on the examination day.

Our Prime Prelims Test Series follows the same approach as that adopted by UPSC. Our team of experts is quite enriched with the UPSC pattern and focal point of the questions and hence creates more chances for the aspirants to crack civil service examination by appearing our Test Series.

The key philosophy of our prelims TS is Evidence-based question making: The 3600 questions you face in our mocks have their relevance established in UPSC’s trend analysis. We focus on themes that are important as per UPSC so that we maximize your chances of questions overlap with the actual UPSC Prelims.

Thus Economics basics test contain questions from the following themes:

Economic Growth and Development- 17 Questions

Fiscal policy- 18

Inflation-10

Finance/Capital market-12

Monetary policy-16

Banking-19

Basic economic concept-8

Nothing speaks more than the facts itself rather than a mere jargon. Here is a list of 5 sample questions from the upcoming test which will help you in identifying the standards and approach we follow. (you can skip this if you want to attempt these directly in the test).

Noone but only you can assess how it will help you in being the top percentile of aspirants. You have to practice ruthlessly and civils Daily provides you with a platform to hone your skills.

Q.1) National income is the measure of the level of the country’s economic activity in a given time period. With reference to it, what is/are the factors that may limit the growth in National income?

1. Surplus of the unskilled labor force

2. Lack of managerial skill

3. More women working as a housewife

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

a) 1 and 3 only

b) 2 and 3 only

c) 1 and 2 only

d) 1, 2 and 3

Q.2) Which of the following will be a part of Capital Expenditure by the Government of India?

1. Repayment of loans by Central government

2. Grants given by the Central government to state governments

3. Loans by Central government to state government

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

a) 1 and 2 only

b) 1 and 3 only

c) 2 and 3 only

d) 1, 2 and 3

Q.3) Consider the following statements about Net National Product (NNP):

1. It is more than the Gross National Product.
2. NNP (at factor cost) increases if indirect tax increases.
3. NNP (at factor cost) increases if subsidies increases.

Which of the above is/are correct?

a) 1 and 2 only

b) 1 only

c) 3 only

d) 1, 2 and 3

Q.4) Which of the following are the pillars of Gross National Happiness?

1. High investment rate

2. Preservation and promotion of cultural values

3. Conservation of natural environment

4. Establishment of good governance.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

a) 1 and 2 only

b) 1,2 and 3 only

c) 2,3 and 4

d) 1,3 and 4

Q.5) Which of the following factors may increase the level of inflation in an economy?

1. Deficit financing

2. Reduction in Indirect taxes

3. Increase in Black money in the economy

4. Defective supply chain Select the correct answer using the code given below.

a) 1,3 and 4 only

b) 2 and 3 only

c) 1 and 2 only

d) 1,2,3 and 4

click here to enroll for the Prime Prelims TS

August 16, 2019
Demystifying Economics- Core & Current Affairs Buildup Lecture Series:Introductory lecture

Distribution: z3

Demystifying Economics- Core & Current Affairs Buildup Lecture Series 2020 Join here

This video is introductory lecture of our course Demystifying Economics- Core & Current Affairs Buildup Lecture Series
Economics is not only the most important subject in all 3 tiers of the exam (Prelims, Mains and interview) but also the most feared subject.

Rather than understanding the concepts, many aspirants indulge in rot learning and mugging up the concepts but since Economics is not a theoretical subject like History this method does not actually work in the actual exam. The objective of this course is to make Economics as a subject interesting, lucid, layman and enjoyable.

After the end of the course, economics will be on your fingertips and you will be able to apply that knowledge not just in UPSC exam but also in other subsidiary exams like State PSC, RBI Grade B, CAPF, SSC, Bank PO, etc.

The other focus of this course is to strengthen the basics and conceptual clarity of the student so that he can apply that knowledge in understanding the contemporary economic issues.

Demystifying Economics- Core & Current Affairs Buildup Lecture Series 2020 Join here

August 9, 2019
ECONOMIC STRATEGY FOR INDIA Lecture 5: Impacts of high Fiscal Deficit and Inflation on the Economy

Economic Survey and Budget 2019 | Advanced Program- Rs. 2000 + taxes Click2Join

The lecture is very important for both prelims and mains. It discuss the issue of macro economic stability- high Fiscal Deficit, Inflation, Expansionary fiscal and monetary policy on the economy. The lecture also explain the concept of business cycles in the economy, aggregate demand and aggregate supply, the basic model of macro economics and the leading factors responsible for long term growth.

About Himanshu Arora Sir

Himanshu sir has a wide experience in the field of both academics and policy-making. He has earlier taught Economics at both under-graduate and Postgraduate level in Delhi University. Currently, he is working at the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council. He also writes columns regularly in prestigious newspapers like The Hindu, Indian Express and Millennium post.

Here are some of his published articles

https://www.financialexpress.com/opinion/strengthening-indias-economic-fundamental-may-be-the-best-route-to-enhance-its-influence-as-a-strong-economy/1555087/

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/us-sanctions-have-rarely-worked/article27119264.ece

July 9, 2019
A strategy for Indian Economy: Lecture 4 Second and Third Generation Reforms needed to Boost India’s Economic Growth

The lecture continuees the discussion on reforms needed in the Indian economy. The development of the country will depend on the key reforms undertaken in the areas of exports, manufacturing, governance and social sector, especially health and education. The lecture deals with a discussion on important 2nd and 3rd generation economic reforms.

The full playlist is available here [click2watch]

About Himanshu Arora Sir

Himanshu sir has a wide experience in the field of both academics and policy-making. He has earlier taught Economics at both under-graduate and Post-Graduate level in Delhi University. Currently, he is working at the Prime Minister economic advisory council. He also writes columns regularly in prestigious newspapers like The Hindu, Indian Express and Millenium post.

Here are some of his published articles

https://www.financialexpress.com/opinion/strengthening-indias-economic-fundamental-may-be-the-best-route-to-enhance-its-influence-as-a-strong-economy/1555087/

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/us-sanctions-have-rarely-worked/article27119264.ece

July 2, 2019
Post test video discussion: Mains Full length test series 2019: FLT 1 GS 1

7shttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJb3u00F-7s

FLTs – Rs. 9K + Taxes. Click here to enroll now!

July 1, 2019
A strategy for Indian Economy: Lecture 3- Reforms needed in the Indian Economy

In this lecture we will continue our discussion on Indian economy and the various challenges faced by the economy. India economy faces the threat of being caght in the middle income trap. however the same can be avoided if we are will to take several important economic reforms in the areas of macroeconomic stability- limiting fiscal deficit, boosting investment cycle, indentify the key economic sectors for future growth, investment reforms, tax administration reforms and eliminating supply side bottlenecks by creating infrastructure including health and education.

The full playlist is available here [click2watch]

About Himanshu Arora Sir

Himanshu sir has a wide experience in the field of both academics and policy-making. He has earlier taught Economics at both under-graduate and Post-Graduate level in Delhi University. Currently, he is working at the Prime Minister economic advisory council. He also writes columns regularly in prestigious newspapers like The Hindu, Indian Express and Millenium post.

Here are some of his published articles

https://www.financialexpress.com/opinion/strengthening-indias-economic-fundamental-may-be-the-best-route-to-enhance-its-influence-as-a-strong-economy/1555087/

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/us-sanctions-have-rarely-worked/article27119264.ece

June 24, 2019
Modified Target Mains Answer Writing Programme | Starts 27th August
After a very good initial response to this initiative and a few dedicated aspirants writing answers now, we thought of revamping our Mains answer review programme in order to give more time to aspirants for preparation and better competition with many more people participating in the initiative.

Core Objective?

Give you few but high quality questions backed up with practical and actionable insights so that you retain the information right till you write your IAS Mains

What is the change?
- 10 +2 Questions Test (Every Sunday)
- Model Answers to be Published (Next Sunday)
- Best answers (plural) will be reviewed by our mentors. This means you will have to be good with your attempt and keep improving on them
- Time Duration (1.5 hours)
- Focus of the programme will not be on the quantity but quality of questions and model answers
From when do we change the structure of the programme?

Starting 27th August

Structure of 10 Questions
- 10 Questions on Weekly Current affairs (most important themes of the week) ( Hindu, IE, PIB, EPW, Livemint, Economic Times)
- 2 Ethics Questions ( 1 case study + 1 theory question)
Additional Components
- Weekly Video lecture (How to approach the Questions) To be uploaded on next Sunday
- The video lecture will also contain in-depth analysis of issues/themes on which questions were asked in the test (Current affairs part).
- Our mentor will explain how to approach the questions asked in the test.
- We will also share the best answer and explain how that answer can be improved further.
Why are we moving towards weekly test series?

-To focus on Quality rather than Quantity.
-Every Week we only have 10-12 important themes which are relevant to UPSC. When we give you a daily test there are 2 consequences in long run:

(1) The quality of question/theme and model answer is diluted because of lack of time and lack of themes. As it is impossible to get 3-4 UPSC mains relevant themes every day.

(2) Questions on repetitive themes are asked coz everyday

For example, on a well known website, 11 times question has been asked on farm loan waiver in last 2 months. While 9 times Question has been asked on No detention policy in last 1.5 months. We want to avoid that as if we will continue with daily answer writing programme this thing will bound to happen in future.

Let us further illustrate our point on NDP with an example:

1. When did this news break out?

The cabinet took decision to scrap No detention policy on 3rd August

http://www.hindustantimes.com/education/failing-in-class-5-and-8-could-be-back-as-cabinet-agrees-to-scrap-no-detention-policy/story-opE0qzA3M7wDpL3FG9wOAO.html

Op-eds we curated on this issue

http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/right-to-education-act-no-detention-policy-ndp-school-students-4785429/

http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/mVZ1aJ6jGe3zUTHa8gND6O/RTEs-heart-is-in-the-right-placebut-not-its-head.html

Op-eds we ignored

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/skill-dont-detain-on-scrapping-no-detention-policy/article19439937.ece

http://www.financialexpress.com/opinion/government-does-well-to-repeal-the-no-detention-policy-for-school-students/793380/

Reason? Both op-eds did not have any major new angle on the NDP

Superfluous Questions from a well known website

Q.) Considering socioeconomic factors and the state’s limitations in providing education, especially for the weaker sections, do you think government’s decision to scrap no-detention policy under RTE is warranted? Critically comment.

Q. Critically comment on the decision of the Union Cabinet to scrap the no-detention policy at the elementary level, and introduce detention of students who fail a designated test in Class 5 or 6.

Q.) In the light of government’s decision to scrap no-detention policy, critically analyse success and failures of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act or the Right to Education Act (RTE).

Our Selected Question?

Q.) The government move to scrap no-detention policy shows inability to analyse what went wrong. In the light of above statement critically discuss whether no detention policy should be scrapped?

Why is the transition from everyday question to weekly tests better?

Generally, whenever an important (UPSC relevant) event takes place, there is no point on asking question on it on the same day because we have lack of content (Since no op-eds have been written on it).

However when we will conduct a test weekly it will give us ample content on the question so that we can frame a quality question on it and since lot of content is available for aspirants it will easier for them to write quality answer.

If we will continue this exercise till the next mains than most likely we would have covered almost all-important themes relevant for mains 2018.

You would have written answers on most important themes (Feeling super-confident for mains 2018) and plus you will have model answers on almost all-important mains relevant themes of the year (feeling super-super confident for mains 2018).

What will you gain From this exercise?

If you will continuously attempt our weekly current affairs and ethics test for the whole year than by the next mains You would have written answers on almost all important UPSC relevant themes/issues + you would also have model answers on all the themes.

Thus by September 2018, you will feel damn confident and with continuous mentoring, your answer writing skills would have reached to a next level.

How do you register for it?
- This is a free initiative to begin with and you are all registered by default
- As per the announcement, questions will be up every Sunday (starting 27th) and will be available on the front page of CD. Archives can be found by clicking here
- We will be maintaining an internal record of students who are sincere/ frequency of attempts/ quality of attempts etc. and we will take selected few for a PAID course so that they have more 1 on 1 overlaps with our mentors. Details later.
Wish you best of luck.
August 24, 2017