Category: Strategy Sessions

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Click here for Prime Prelims 2021 Time Table (Download PDF for better visibility)

Dear students,

We are delighted to launch Prime Prelims Test Series 2021 for IAS 2021. It will start from 13th June 2020.

Prime Prelims TS, is our flagship programme for a complete Prelims preparation. Our oldest & most loved offering, it takes a giant leap this year with 6 key differentiators and 3 ‘exclusive’ features.

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38 Tests (8 Basic, 8 Advanced,  10 Current Affairs, 8 Full Length, 4 CSAT) 

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It aims to build your core competencies in a graded manner; from basic, advanced and then to UPSC+ level. Focus is on conceptual clarity, coverage of syllabus and developing a personalized strategy to attempt a UPSC Prelims paper.

Click here to enroll for Prime Prelims TS 2021

A Test Series is more than just a set of 100 questions and solutions at the end.

Our philosophy – Mastering Prelims by guided yet Flexible Goal Setting

1. Evidence-based question making: UPSC level mocks

The 3600 questions you face in our mocks have their relevance established via 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.

2. Civilsdaily’s Innovation: Tagging

Tagging helps us to ensure balanced coverage of static and current affairs, setting optimum difficulty level, keeping the paper relevance to UPSC syllabus and pattern, and cover all important themes. It’ll help you to analyse and understand the expectation of the UPSC in a better way.

Subject/Sub-subject tagging ensures that a balanced paper is presented to you with an emphasis on important themes. It helps you discover your subject-specific blindspots and rectify them. We disclose our coverage. 

Question Type Tags: Helps you understand the mix of questions and equip yourself in multifaceted question forming. Learn about question types here.

Difficulty Level Tags, Conceptual/Factual Tags: These tags don’t leave you guessing about your weaknesses. If you miss a difficult factual question, it’s absolutely fine. In fact, it’s desirable as you don’t score a negative.

3. Tikdams for mastering the art of intelligent guesstimates:

Tikdam techniques is a very important skill which can boost your score by 30+ marks. It will prepare you and enhance your ability to perform under pressure (& lack of information). 

We not only impart but make you practice these skills in our Test Series.

Click to watch this video to know more about Tikdams

4. Civilsdaily’s Handholding and Habitat:

You’ll be assigned to an exclusive group on Civilsdaily’s Habitat, it’s headed by Sajal sir, Ajay sir, Ravi sir, Zeeshan sir and rankers like Dr Vipin Garg (AIR 20), Swapnil Pawar (AIR 525) and others.

Habitat is where everything comes together: learning, doubt clearing, notes, references, mentors, and a focussed community. You’re going to learn and discuss like never before.

What is there on Habitat?

• • #DDS sessions – Dedicated sessions every day to resolve doubts in real-time. Never keep a doubt to yourself.
  • An ecosystem for co-learning and active learning.
  • A highly motivated community to bring flexibility and consistency to your preparation.
  • Daily news analysis and Op-ed discussion sessions on Habitat. 
  • Other activities like revisions, quizzes, test discussion, CSAT, etc. are also planned.

    Civilsdaily’s Habitat – Desktop and Mobile view

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Click here to enroll for Prime Prelims TS 2021

5. Value Added Material: 

Tests are not just about assessment. They should be accompanied by learning. Following crucial & independent modules are a part of this package.

Advanced Lecture Series is yet another nifty way of revisiting the tricky, factual and sometimes technical aspects of the static syllabus. 60+ hours of videos – most helpful when you advance to the L2 & L3 tests and very rewarding for senior UPSC students.

CD’s Monthly Magazines: We walk the extra mile with Monthly Magazine Combo (12 months of all good content at CD). These magazines are a brand in themselves and have been a preference of Toppers for years. Click here for CD magazines.

Program inclusion:

• • 38 Tests
    • • 8 Basic tests
      • 8 Advanced tests
      • 10 Current Affairs
      • 8 Full-Length Tests
      • 4 CSAT tests
  • Advanced Lecture Series
  • Civilsdaily’s Monthly Magazine Combo
  • Civilsdaily’s Handholding
  • Admission to the exclusive group on Civilsdaily’s Habitat.

This is what our students have to say about our mock tests..

Civilsdaily’s community: Testimonials

Click here to enroll for Prime Prelims TS 2021

Should you have any query, or want to discuss more about Prime Prelims TS call us at +91 89299 87787 or email at hello@civilsdaily.com.

Let’s clear Prelims 2021.

 

 

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has notified that it will announce the Civil Services exam (prelims) date on June 5.

The exam, was scheduled to be held on May 31, has been postponed for the second time in a month.

What to do now?

Many students wasted a lot of time in thinking and speculating.

Now take this as an opportunity to get back on track. Streamline your preparation. Give mock tests. Identify the shortcomings in your preparation. Cover those areas. Revise.

Those who kept their minds and continued their preparation, now they are ahead of you.

UPSC Prelims 2020 is going to be held sooner than later. Don’t waste your time now.

Register here for Nikaalo Prelims 2020 – FLTs

It is a power pack for UPSC Prelims 2020comprising 8 GS full-length tests, 3 CSAT tests. 

High-quality Nikaalo Prelims handouts and in-depth discussionon Telegram group will take place.

Fees: Only Rs. 500 + taxes

Stay safe. Stay strong.

Click to fill the form: Samanvaya for IAS 2021

 

5 minutes, or 10 minutes, no more than that. That’s all the time we will need to get to know each other before we start talking about your IAS Preparation strategies.

Our conversation with about 850+ aspirants via our Samanvaya outreach show that 65% are full-time aspirants and 35% are preparing for UPSC along with their job. Here’s what we chatted about:

1. Working Junta? If you are preparing for IAS 2021 and working simultaneously, we can help you design a timetable that fits right in your hectic schedule.
2. First-time prep? If you are in last year of college or thinking of dropping a year and preparing for IAS 2021 full time, we can help you pick the right books and craft a practical & personal strategy

You just have to take 5 minutes out and fill this form: Samanvaya For IAS 2021

Once done, we will call you within 24 hours or so.

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What happens when you fill this form? How does a call help you?

1. Identifying your weaknesses

Over 80% of students who claimed to have revised NCERTs twice were unable to answer basic questions. Many were not comfortable with at least 1 GS subject and Optional. Many struggled with ‘What went wrong’ after 2-3 years of hard work. Our mentors will provide free preliminary assignments so we can assess your preparedness and suggest accurate strategies.

2. Strategy and study plan discussions

Over 90% of students couldn’t stick to a plan. Study plans and strategies are iterative in nature and we want to help you with that. Many are unable to perform in tests despite preparing hard. This could be due to a variety of factors – lack of adequate prep, jitters in the exam hall, inadequate revision, lack of practice of test series or just a bad day at work. Tell us what you think went wrong and we’ll figure out a way to get you over the line next time.

3. Helping you understand the exam better – which books to read, different approaches, etc. Over 60% of students we talked to did not find NCERTs relevant and saw no point in being thorough with them.

4. Lack of motivation

We have all had those days when it’s been hard to motivate ourselves to hit the books and just study. It happens to the best of us sometimes and for some of us, it happens more frequently. And it is understandable, Civil Service preparation is a long and often lonely process. Every aspirant, from toppers to those who have quit have been overwhelmed by this process at some point in time. Working alone is monotonous and helps you keep motivated by ensuring you are actively and passively studying every day. Focused telegram groups to foster discussions.

Click to fill the form: Samanvaya for IAS 2021

Prelims Spotlight is a part of “Nikaalo Prelims 2020” module. This open crash course for Prelims 2020 has a private telegram group where PDFs and DDS (Daily Doubt Sessions) are being held. Please click here to register.

Important Summits, Conventions and Declarations (Part 2)

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11 May 2020

1.Convention on biological diversity

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), a legally binding treaty to conserve biodiversity has been in force since 1993.

Objectives-

• It has 3 main objectives: The conservation of biological diversity.
• The sustainable use of the components of biological diversity.,fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources.
• The CBD, one of the key agreements adopted during the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, is the first comprehensive global agreement which addresses all aspects relating to biodiversity.

2.Asia Lpg summit 2019

The summit will offer a unique opportunity to the global LPG industry to interact with development agencies, NGOs and non-profit organizations who have facilitated last-mile access to LPG for the beneficiaries.

Objectives-

• The summit will also bring together academia and private sector to exchange their views on the use of LPG and how pathbreaking initiatives such as ‘Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana’ can bring remarkable socio-economic transformation.
• The WLPGA promotes the use of LPG to foster a cleaner, healthier and more prosperous world.
• With over 200 members and presence in more than 125 countries, the WLPGA represents the interests of private and public companies from the entire LPG value chain under one umbrella.
• The WLPGA provides a platform for the exchange of best practices, facts and figures among its members.
• The Association regularly organises interactive meetings between technical experts, members and key stakeholders to demonstrate the benefits of LPG.

3.Global Digital Health Partnership Summit

The Global Digital Health Partnership (GDHP) is an international collaboration of governments, government agencies and multinational organisations dedicated to improving the health and well-being of their citizens through the best use of evidence-based digital technologies.

Objectives-

• Governments are making significant investments to harness the power of technology and foster innovation and public-private partnerships that support high quality, sustainable health and care for all. The GDHP facilitates global collaboration and co-operation in the implementation of digital health services.The GDHP is committed to improving health and care through promoting its principles of equality, co-operation, transparency and responsibility.
• Equality: All participants will have an equal opportunity to participate and contribute to the development of the GDHP deliverables and share in the lessons learnt and outputs of the GDHP.
• Co-operation: Participants are helpful and supportive and participate in debates thoughtfully, constructively and respectfully.
• Transparency: Participants act with openness in their engagement with fellow participants to contribute to improved health services, promote innovation and create safer and healthier communities.
• Responsibility: Participants are responsible for their country’s input through their active contribution to GDHP activities that are guided by the annual work plan. Each participant shall endeavour to ensure that outcomes from meetings, such as tasks appointed to them or in general, are carried out effectively and efficiently. Participants will make decisions and participate in discussions in a transparent and fair manner, using evidence, and without discrimination or bias, ensuring they act in the public interest and not for commercial purposes.

4.TIR

The Convention on International Transport of Goods Under Cover of TIR Carnets is a multilateral treaty that was concluded at Geneva on 14 November 1975 to simplify and harmonise the administrative formalities of international road transport.

Objectives-

• The TIR Convention establishes an international customs transit system with maximum facility to move goods:in sealed vehicles or containers;
• from a customs office of departure in one country to a customs office of destination in another country;
• without requiring extensive and time-consuming border checks at intermediate borders;
• while, at the same time, providing customs authorities with the required security and guarantees.

5.International Workshop on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure

The workshop aims to i) identify good practices of disaster risk management in key infrastructure sectors, ii) identify specific areas and pathways for collaborative research on DRI (Transport, Energy, Telecom and Water), iii) discuss and co-create the broad contours of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) as well as a notional roll-out plan for the next three years, and iv) build a forum for members to work on areas of common interest and make specific commitments.Various international agreements have also reiterated the importance and long-term benefits of investing in resilient infrastructure.

Objectives-

• The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR), 2015-2030, which is the first major agreement of the post-2015 development agenda, identifies investing in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) for resilience and to build back better in reconstruction as priorities for action towards reducing disaster risk.
• Similarly, Goal 9 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) recognizes disaster resilient infrastructure as a crucial driver of economic growth and development.
• Besides reducing infrastructure losses, disaster resilient infrastructure will also help achieve targets pertaining to reduction in mortality, number of affected people and economic losses due to disasters.

6.International Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC)

The Chemical Weapons Convention is an arms control treaty that outlaws the production, stockpiling, and use of chemical weapons and their precursors.

Key points of the Convention

Objectives-

• Prohibition of production and use of chemical weapons
• Destruction (or monitored conversion to other functions) of chemical weapons production facilities
• Destruction of all chemical weapons (including chemical weapons abandoned outside the state parties territory)
• Assistance between State Parties and the OPCW in the case of use of chemical weapons
• An OPCW inspection regime for the production of chemicals which might be converted to chemical weapons
• International cooperation in the peaceful use of chemistry in relevant areas

7.Convention on Supplementary Compensation for nuclear Damage (CSC)

The Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage is a 1963 treaty that governs issues of liability in cases of a nuclear accident. It was concluded at Vienna on 21 May 1963 and entered into force on 12 November 1977. The convention has been amended by a 1997 protocol. The depository is the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Objectives-

• The Convention on Supplementary Compensation (CSC) aims at establishing a minimum national compensation amount and at further increasing the amount of compensation through public funds to be made available by the Contracting Parties should the national amount be insufficient to compensate the damage caused by a nuclear incident.
• The Convention is open not only to States that are party to either the Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage or the Paris Convention on Third Party Liability in the Field of Nuclear Energy (including any amendments to either) but also to other States provided that their national legislation is consistent with uniform rules on civil liability laid down in the Annex to the Convention.

8.Hague Code of Conduct

The International Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation, also known as the Hague Code of Conduct (HCOC), was established on 25 November 2002 as an arrangement to prevent the proliferation of ballistic missiles.

Objectives-

• The HCOC is the result of international efforts to regulate access to ballistic missiles which can potentially deliver weapons of mass destruction. The HCOC is the only multilateral code in the area of disarmament which has been adopted over the last years.
• It is the only normative instrument to verify the spread of ballistic missiles.
• The HCOC does not ban ballistic missiles, but it does call for restraint in their production, testing, and export.

9.Refugee Convention

The Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, also known as the 1951 Refugee Convention, is a United Nations multilateral treaty that defines who is a refugee and sets out the rights of individuals who are granted asylum and the responsibilities of nations that grant asylum. In the general principle of international law, treaties in force are binding upon the parties to it and must be performed in good faith. Countries that have ratified the Refugee Convention are obliged to protect refugees that are on their territory, in accordance with its terms. There are a number of provisions that States parties to the Refugee Convention must adhere to.

10.Biological weapons convention

The Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction was the first multilateral disarmament treaty banning the production of an entire category of weapons.

Objectives-

• Each State Party to this Convention undertakes never in any circumstances to develop, produce, stockpile or otherwise acquire or retain:
• Microbial or other biological agents, or toxins whatever their origin or method of production, of types and in quantities that have no justification for prophylactic, protective or other peaceful purposes;
• Weapons, equipment or means of delivery designed to use such agents or toxins for hostile purposes or in armed conflict.”
• The United States Congress passed the Bioweapons Anti-Terrorism Act in 1989 to implement the Convention. The law applies the Convention’s convent to countries and private citizens, and criminalizes violations of the Convention.

11.Sendai Framework

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030) is an international document which was adopted by UN member states between 14th and 18th of March 2015 at the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Sendai, Japan and endorsed by the UN General Assembly in June 2015. It is the successor agreement to the Hyogo Framework for Action (2005–2015), which had been the most encompassing international accord to date on disaster risk reduction.

Objectives-

• The Sendai Framework sets four specific priorities for action:
• Understanding disaster risk;
• Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk;
• Investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience;
• Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response, and to “Build Back Better” in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction.

12.Outer Space Treaty

The Outer Space Treaty, formally the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, is a treaty that forms the basis of international space law. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty bans the stationing of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in outer space, prohibits military activities on celestial bodies, and details legally binding rules governing the peaceful exploration and use of space.

13.Kyoto Protocol

The Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty which extends the 1992 UNFCCC that commits State Parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, based on the premise that

(a) global warming exists and (b) human-made CO2 emissions have caused it.

Objectives-

• The main feature of the Protocol is that it established legally binding commitments to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases for parties that ratified the Protocol.
• The commitments were based on the Berlin Mandate, which was a part of UNFCCC negotiations leading up to the Protocol.
• Minimizing Impacts on Developing Countries by establishing an adaptation fund for climate change.

14.U.N. Frame Work Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

Objectives-

• A framework for international cooperation to combat climate change by limiting average global temperature increases and the resulting climate change, and coping with impacts that were inevitable.
• The primary goals of the UNFCCC were to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions at levels that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the global climate.
• The convention embraced the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities which has guided the adoption of a regulatory structure.

15.Basel Convention

• The industrialized world in the 1980s had led to increasing public resistance to the disposal of hazardous wastes, in accordance with what became known as the NIMBY (Not in My Back Yard) syndrome, and to an increase of disposal costs.
• This, in turn, led some operators to seek cheap disposal options for hazardous wastes in the developing countries.
• Environmental awareness was much less developed and regulations and enforcement mechanisms were lacking. The objectives of the convention are to reduce trans-boundary movements of hazardous wastes, to minimize the creation of such wastes and to prohibit their shipment from developed countries to the LDCs.

16.Montreal Protocol

Objectives-

• The protocol set targets for reducing the consumption and production of a range of ozone-depleting substances.
• In a major innovation, the protocol recognized that all nations should not be treated equally.
• The agreement acknowledges that certain countries have contributed to ozone depletion more than others.
• It also recognizes that a nation‘s obligation to reduce current emissions should reflect its technological and financial ability to do so.
• Because of this, the agreement sets more stringent standards and accelerated phase-out time tables to countries that have contributed most to ozone depletion

17.World Conservation Strategy

Objectives-

• It set out fundamental principles and objectives for conservation worldwide and identified priorities for national and international action.
• It is considered one of the most influential documents in 20th-century nature conservation and one of the first official documents to introduce the concept of sustainable development.

18.Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals (Bonn Convention)

Objectives-

• Aims to conserve terrestrial, marine and avian migratory species throughout their range.
• The Convention facilitates the adoption of strict protection measures for endangered migratory species, the conclusion of multilateral agreements for the conservation and management of migratory species, and co-operative research activities.

19.World Sustainable Development summit

• WSDS has replaced TERI’s earlier called Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS). The first DSDS was organised in 2005. It underscored the need for businesses and the private sector to take lead in poverty reduction and to ensure rapid and sustained adoption of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• It had brought together Nobel laureates, decision-makers political leaders from around the world to deliberate on issues related to sustainable development.
• The aim of the summit is to provide various stakeholders with a single platform in order to provide long-term solutions for the benefit of the global community.

20.Kigali Agreement

The Kigali Amendment amends the 1987 Montreal Protocol to now include gases responsible for global warming and will be binding on countries from 2019.

Objectives-

• It also has provisions for penalties for non-compliance.
• It is considered absolutely vital for reaching the Paris Agreement target of keeping global temperature rise to below 2-degree Celsius compared to pre-industrial times.
• Under it, developed countries will also provide enhanced funding support estimated at billions of dollars globally. The exact amount of additional funding from developed countries will be agreed at the next
• Meeting of the Parties in Montreal in 2017 to reduce the emissions of category of greenhouse gases (GHGs) which leads to hydro fluorocarbons (HFCs)

[WpProQuiz 433]

Dear students,

It’s with a heavy heart that we inform you that our beloved Zeeshan Sir and his family are battling COVID-19 in Aurangabad. We hope he comes out of this like a Phoenix. His father is a Police Inspector in the city and, like many frontline warriors, contracted Covid which later affected the entire family including Zeeshan Sir.

Zeeshan Sir’s lectures have benefitted lakhs of aspirants and he has been a source of inspiration for many. A force to be reckoned with. Some of his work is as follows

It is unfortunate that someone enjoying so much goodwill has to face such odds.

Zeeshan Sir’s father contracted Covid in the line of duty. Despite orders clearly stating that staff above 50 years of age suffering from ailments like blood pressure, diabetes, etc should not be deployed in frontline duty, when asked by superiors, he rendered his services. As a result, Covid caught hold of him.

What’s worse is the fact that 4 female members of his family are being denied the same support that Sir and his father are receiving at Dhoot Hospital, Aurangabad.

Some newspapers have falsely reported that Zeeshan Sir’s travel from Delhi was the reason for him getting infected. Nothing can be far from the truth as Sir took a flight 1.5 months back. 20th March Air Ticket

It is indeed shocking that a newspaper of a decent reputation will be publishing information without verification.

https://www.deccanherald.com/national/maharashtra-cop-family-test-positive-for-covid-19-in-aurangabad-834697.html

Such claims are being used to dilute the fact that his father was working in the frontline protecting other families.

The condition of 4 other female members of his family seems to be deteriorating. All Zeeshan Sir is asking is that his family is provided the same support as his father is receiving at Dhoot Hospital.

Share the highlighted part tagged with #justiceforZsirsfamily #supportforZeeshan #aurangabad

As a community, we need to come together and ensure we do our part to spread the word far and wide so concerned authorities take notice of the same.

Prelims Spotlight is a part of “Nikaalo Prelims 2020” module. This open crash course for Prelims 2020 has a private telegram group where PDFs and DDS (Daily Doubt Sessions) are being held. Please click here to register.

Important Summits, Conventions and Declarations (Part 1)

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09 May 2020

1.RAMSAR Convention on Wetlands

Brief Intro–

• The Convention was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in 1975 after UNESCO, the Convention’s depositary received the instruments of accession from the countries.
• The RAMSAR Secretariat is based at the headquarters of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Gland, Switzerland.
• World Wetlands Day is celebrated on February 2nd.

Key Objectives-

• An intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.

Year-1971

Place – Ramasar

Key Terms-The Montreux Record – a register of wetland sites on the List of Wetlands of International Importance where changes in ecological character are of concern. It is maintained as part of the Ramsar List.

India specific – India currently has 27 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Sites).

2.The World Heritage Convention

Brief Intro–

The Convention recognizes the way in which people interact with nature, and the fundamental need to preserve the balance between the two.

Key Objectives-

The Convention defines the kind of natural or cultural sites which can be considered for inscription on the World Heritage List under UNESCO

Year-1972

3.Stockholm Conference

Brief Intro–

Stockholm Declaration contains 26 principles. These principles provide the basis of an International Policy for the Protection and improvement of the environment.

Key Point-The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has been established by the UNGA in pursuance of the Stockholm Conference.

Year-1972

4.CITES

Brief Intro–

To ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of the species in the wild, and it accords varying degrees of protection to more than 35,000 species of animals and plants.

Key Objectives-

• It is a multilateral treaty drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
• Although CITES is legally binding on the Parties – in other words they have to implement the Convention – it does not take the place of national laws.

India Specific –

The Government of India signed the Convention in July 1976, which was ratified in October 1976

5.Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC)

Brief Intro–

Seeks to establish a uniform global legal regime for compensation to victims in the unlikely event of a nuclear accident. It was adopted on 12 September 1997. It can enter into force after ratification by at least 5 countries having a minimum of 400,000 units of installed nuclear capacity.

Key Objectives-

• It provides a uniform framework for channelling liability and providing speedy compensation after the nuclear accident.
• Seeks to encourage regional and global co-operation to promote a higher level of nuclear safety in accordance with the principles of international partnership and solidarity.
• All states are free to participate in it regardless of their presence of nuclear installations on their territories or involvement in existing nuclear liability conventions.
• It has been framed inconsistent with the principles of the Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage (1963) and the Paris Convention on Third Party Liability in the Field of Nuclear Energy (1960).

India Specific –

India has ratified Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC), 1997 which sets parameters on a nuclear operator’s financial liability.

6.Nuclear security summit

Brief Intro–

The Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) is a world summit, aimed at preventing nuclear terrorism around the globe. The first summit was held in Washington, D.C., United States, on April 12–13, 2010. The second summit was held in Seoul, South Korea, in 2012. The third summit was held in The Hague, Netherlands, on March 24–25, 2014. The fourth summit was held in Washington, D.C. on March 31–April 1, 2016.

Key Objectives-

Aimed at preventing nuclear terrorism around the globe.

India specific-

Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the NSS 2016 in Washington

7.Ashgabat Agreement

Brief Intro–

Ashgabat Agreement is an international transport and transit corridor facilitating transportation of goods between Central Asia and the Persian Gulf.

Key Objectives-

• The transit agreement provides for a transit corridor across Central Asia and the Middle East through the continuous landmass between Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Iran before reaching the Persian Gulf and into Oman.
• The objective of this agreement is to enhance connectivity within Eurasian region and synchronize it with other transport corridors within that region including the International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC).

8.The Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA)

Brief Intro–

The Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) is an inter-governmental forum for enhancing cooperation towards promoting peace, security and stability in Asia.

Key Objectives-

It is a forum based on the recognition that there is close link between peace, security and stability in Asia and in the rest of the world.enhancing cooperation towards promoting peace, security and stability in Asia.

India Specific-

India is a member of CICA

9.Beijing declaration

Brief Intro–

The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPfA) is an international declaration of women’s rights set up at the UN’s landmark Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995.

Key Objectives-

• The BPfA covers 12 key critical matters of concern and areas for action including women and poverty, violence against women and access to power and decision- making.
• It was supported by 189 countries, including the UK, at the 1995 World Conference.gender equality and the empowerment of all women, everywhere.1995.
• It was the outcome of The Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace convened by UN.

12.The World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC)

Brief Intro–

The World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) is a treaty adopted by the 56th World Health Assembly held in Geneva,Switzerland on 21 May 2003.

Key Objectives-

• It became the first World Health Organization treaty adopted under article 19 of the WHO constitution.To protect present and future generations from the devastating health, social, environmental and economic consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke” by enacting a set of universal standards stating the dangers of tobacco and limiting its use in all forms worldwide.
• The FCTC established two principal bodies to oversee the functioning of the treaty: the Conference of the parties and the permanent Secretariat. In addition, there are over 50 different intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations who are official observers to the Conference of the Parties.

India Specific-

India has hosted 7th Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC).

10.G-7

Brief Intro–

• The Group of Seven (G7) is an informal bloc of industrialized democracies—Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States—that meets annually to discuss issues such as global economic governance, international security, and energy policy.
• Russia belonged to the forum from 1998 through 2014—then the Group of Eight (G8)—but was suspended after its annexation of Crimea in March of that year.

11.G-20

Brief Intro– It was started in 1999 as a meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in the aftermath of the Southeast Asian (Tiger economies) financial crisis.

Key Objectives-

• The Group of Twenty (G20) is the premier forum for its members’ international economic cooperation and decision-making.
• It is deliberating forum for the governments and central bank governors from 20 major economies on economic issues and other important development challenges.
• In 2008, the first G20 Leaders’ Summit was held in Washington DC, US. The group had played a key role in responding to the global financial crisis. It comprises total 19 countries plus the European Union (EU), representing 85% of global GDP, 80% of international trade, 65% of world’s population. Its members include Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, India, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Turkey, South Africa, UK, US and EU. 4.The 2016 summit was held in Hangzhou China.
• It was established for studying, reviewing, and promoting high-level discussion of policy issues pertaining to the promotion of international financial stability.

India Specific-

India is a founding member of G-20

12.International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

Brief Intro–

It is a comprehensive international agreement in harmony with the Convention on Biological Diversity, which aims at guaranteeing food security through the conservation, exchange and sustainable use of the world’s plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA), as well as the fair and equitable benefit sharing arising from its use.

Key Objectives-

• It also recognises Farmers’ Rights, subject to national laws the protection of traditional knowledge relevant to plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.
• The right to equitably participate in sharing benefits arising from the utilisation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture;
• The right to participate in making decisions, at the national level, on matters related to the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.
• It is a comprehensive international agreement in harmony with the Convention on Biological Diversity.

India Specific-

India has signed the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.

13.Marrakesh treaty

Brief Intro–

• The treaty requires signatories to introduce national law provisions that facilitate the availability of published works in formats like Braille that are accessible to the blind and allow their exchange across borders by organizations working for the visually impaired.

Key Objectives-

• The pact will help import of accessible format copies from the member countries by the Indian authorized entities such as educational institutions, libraries and other institutions working for the welfare of the visually impaired.
• The treaty will also ease translation of imported accessible format copies and export of accessible format copies in Indian languages.To create a set of mandatory limitations and exceptions for the benefit of the blind, visually impaired and otherwise print disabled (VIPs).

14.London Declaration

Brief Intro–

• The London Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases is a collaborative disease eradication programme launched on 30 January 2012 in London.
• It was inspired by the World Health Organization 2020 roadmap to eradicate or negate transmission for neglected tropical diseases.
• Officials from WHO, the World Bank, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world’s 13 leading pharmaceutical companies, and government representatives from US, UK, United Arab Emirate, Bangladesh, Brazil, Mozambique and Tanzania participated in a joint meeting at the Royal College of Physicians to launch this project.

15.Declaration of Montreal

Brief Intro–

The Declaration of Montreal on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Human Rights is a document adopted in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on July 29, 2006, by the International Conference on LGBT Human Rights which formed part of the first World Outgames.

Key Objectives-

• The Declaration outlines a number of rights and freedoms pertaining to LGBT and intersex people that it is proposed to be universally guaranteed.
• It encompasses all aspects of human rights, from the guarantee of fundamental freedoms to the prevention of discrimination against LGBT people in healthcare, education and immigration.
• The Declaration also addresses various issues that impinge on the global promotion of LGBT rights and intersex human rights.

16. Istanbul Convention

Brief Intro–

• The Istanbul Convention is the first legally-binding instrument which “creates a comprehensive legal framework and approach to combat violence against women” and is focussed on preventing domestic violence, protecting victims and prosecuting accused offenders. The convention aims at prevention of violence, victim protection and “to end with the impunity of perpetrators.
• The Council of Europe. Only European countries have signed this convention.

17.vienna convention on diplomatic relations

Brief Intro–

It is a treaty that came into force in 1964 2.It lays out the rules and regulations for diplomatic relations between countries as well as the various privileges that diplomats and diplomatic missions enjoy.

Key Objectives-

• One of these privileges is legal immunity for diplomats so that they don’t have to face prosecution as per their host country’s laws.
• The Vienna Convention classifies diplomats according to their posting in the embassy, consular or international organisations such as the UN. A nation has only one embassy per foreign country, usually in the capital, but may have multiple consulate offices, generally in locations where many of its citizens live or visit.
• Diplomats posted in an embassy get immunity, along with his or her family members. While diplomats posted in consulates too get immunity, they can be prosecuted in case of serious crimes, that is, when a warrant is issued.
• Besides, their families don’t share that immunity.It has been ratified by 187 countries, including India.

18.Jaipur Summit

Brief Intro–

• The Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) was launched during Hon’ble Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi’s visit to Fiji in November 2014.
• FIPIC includes 14 of the island countries – Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
• The second summit of the Forum for India Pacific Cooperation (FIPIC-2) in Jaipur on 21-22 August 2015 has made significant progress in strengthening India’s engagement with the 14 Pacific Island countries. Increase Cooperation Between India and 14 Pacific Countries.

Key Objectives-

• Though these countries are relatively small in land area and distant from India, many have large exclusive economic zones (EEZs), and offer promising possibilities for fruitful cooperation.
• India’s focus has largely been on the Indian Ocean where it has sought to play a major role and protect its strategic and commercial interests. The FIPIC initiative marks a serious effort to expand India’s engagement in the Pacific region.
• At this moment, total annual trade of about $300 million between the Indian and Pacific Island countries, where as exports are around $200 million and imports are around $100 million.

19.NPT

Brief Intro–

The NPT is a landmark international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament.

Key Objectives-

• The Treaty represents the only binding commitment in a multilateral treaty to the goal of disarmament by the nuclear-weapon States. Opened for signature in 1968, the Treaty entered into force in 1970.
• To prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament.

India Specific-

India has not signed the treaty as India argues that the NPT creates a club of “nuclear haves” and a larger group of “nuclear have-nots” by restricting the legal possession of nuclear weapons to those states that tested them before 1967, but the treaty never explains on what ethical grounds such a distinction is valid.

20.CTBT

Brief Intro–

• The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) is a multilateral treaty that bans all nuclear explosions, for both civilian and military purposes, in all environments.
• It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 September 1996 but has not entered into force as eight specific states have not ratified the treaty. Nuclear weapon-free
• The treaty thus awaits signature and ratification from India, Pakistan, and North Korea and in addition requires the United States, China, Israel, Iran and Egypt (which have already signed) to formally ratify it.

India Specific-

Even though it is yet to sign the CTBT, India has supported the treaty’s basic principle of banning nuclear explosions by declaring a unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing. India’s expressed support to the essential requirement of the treaty makes it a de facto member of the CTBT.

[WpProQuiz 431]

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The Northern and Northeastern Mountains with Important Passes

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08 May 2020

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Important Schemes regarding Agriculture & Allied Sectors

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06 May 2020

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Important Schemes regarding Agriculture & Allied Sectors

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06 May 2020

Click to fill the form: Samanvaya for IAS 2021

The official UPSC website – https://www.upsc.gov.in/

has a yellow strip running the announcement that

The Civil Services (Prel.) Examination-2020, scheduled to be held on 31/05/2020, stands deferred. Decision on fresh date of the Examination will be made available on 20/05/2020 after assessing the situation.

Video for the same is attached –

It was logical plus we knew it from our sources that the exam would be shifted. However, we didn’t want to disclose this because regardless of the shifting of the exam, your study schedule should remain the same.

Over 80% of our students have already communicated with us on changes in strategy and how they should optimize in these uncertain times.  

You just have to take 5 minutes out and fill this form: Samanvaya For IAS 2021. Go ahead. Dont wait for anyone.

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Important Groupings Related to India

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05 May 2020

Trans-Pacific Partnership

• The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), or the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), is a trade agreement between Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States (until 23 January 2017) and Vietnam
• The TPP began as an expansion of the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement (TPSEP or P4) signed by Brunei Darussalam, Chile, New Zealand, and Singapore in 2005
• The TPP contains measures to lower both non-tariff and tariff barriers to trade and establish an investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism
• The agreement will enter into force after ratification by all signatories if this occurs within two years
• APEC members may accede to the TPP, as may any other jurisdiction to which existing TPP members agree. After an application for membership is received, a commission of parties to the treaty negotiates conditions for accession.

BRICS

• BRICS is the acronym coined for an association of five major emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
• Originally the first four were grouped as “BRIC” (or “the BRICs”), before the induction of South Africa in 2010.
• The BRICS members are known for their significant influence on regional affairs; all are members of G20.
• Since 2009, the BRICS nations have met annually at formal summits. China hosted the 9th BRICS summit in Xiamen on September 2017, while Brazil hosted the most recent 11th BRICS summit on 13-14 November 2019.

New Development Bank and the Fortaleza Declaration

• During the sixth BRICS Summit in Fortaleza (2014), the leaders signed the Agreement establishing the New Development Bank (NDB).
• In the Fortaleza Declaration, the leaders stressed that the NDB will strengthen cooperation among BRICS and will supplement the efforts of multilateral and regional financial institutions for global development, thus contributing to collective commitments for achieving the goal of strong, sustainable and balanced growth.
• The bank was established in July 2015 by the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).
• The aim of the bank is to mobilize funding for infrastructure and sustainable development.
• Its ownership structure is unique, as the BRICS countries each have an equal share and no country has any veto power.
• In this sense, the bank is a physical expression of the desire of emerging markets to play a bigger role in global governance.
• NDB was created to help fill the funding gap in the BRICS economies and was intended to grow its global scope over time.
• The bank, with its subscribed capital base of US$50bn, is now poised to become a meaningful additional source of long-term finance for infrastructure in its member countries.

Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)

• The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a trade deal that was being negotiated between 16 countries.
• They include the 10 ASEAN members and the six countries with which the bloc has free trade agreements (FTAs) — India, Australia, China, Korea, Japan, and New Zealand.
• The purpose of the deal is to create an “integrated market” spanning all 16 countries.
• This means that it would be easier for the products and services of each of these countries to be available across the entire region.

RCEP – India

• It comprises half of the world population and accounts for nearly 40% of the global commerce and 35% of the GDP. RCEP would have become the world’s largest FTA after finalisation, with India being the third-biggest economy in it.
• Without India, the RCEP does not look as attractive as it had seemed during negotiations.
• Divided ASEAN – ASEAN has been keen on a diversified portfolio so that member states can deal with major powers and maintain their strategic autonomy. ASEAN member states have tried to keep the U.S. engaged in the region.
• Act East policy has been well received. With China’s rise in the region, ASEAN member states have been keen on Indian involvement in the region.
• Indo-Pacific – India’s entire Indo-Pacific strategy might be open to question if steps are not taken to restore India’s profile in the region.
• Rejected China’s dominance – India signalled that, despite the costs, China’s rise has to be tackled both politically and economically.

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)

• After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the then security and economic architecture in the Eurasian region dissolved and new structures had to come up.
• The original Shanghai Five were China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan.
• The SCO was formed in 2001, with Uzbekistan included. It expanded in 2017 to include India and Pakistan.
• Since its formation, the SCO has focused on regional non-traditional security, with counter-terrorism as a priority:
• The fight against the “three evils” of terrorism, separatism and extremism has become its mantra.
• Today, areas of cooperation include themes such as economics and culture.

India’s entry to the SCO

• India and Pakistan both were observer countries.
• While Central Asian countries and China were not in favour of expansion initially, the main supporter — of India’s entry in particular — was Russia.
• A widely held view is that Russia’s growing unease about an increasingly powerful China prompted it to push for its expansion.
• From 2009 onwards, Russia officially supported India’s ambition to join the SCO. China then asked for its all-weather friend Pakistan’s entry.

The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)

• The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a regional organization comprising seven Member States lying in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal constituting a contiguous regional unity. This sub-regional organization came into being on 6 June 1997 through the Bangkok Declaration.
• The regional group constitutes a bridge between South and South-East Asia and represents a reinforcement of relations among these countries.
• BIMSTEC has also established a platform for intra-regional cooperation between SAARC and ASEAN members.  The BIMSTEC region is home to around 1.5 billion people which constitute around 22% of the global population with a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of 2.7 trillion economies. In the last five years, BIMSTEC Member States have been able to sustain an average 6.5% economic growth trajectory despite a global financial meltdown.

SAARC & SAARC Countries

• The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is a regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union in South Asia.  Its member states include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.  SAARC was founded in Dhaka in 1985.
• Its secretariat is based in Kathmandu.
• The organization promotes the development of economic and regional integration.
• It launched the South Asian Free Trade Area in 2006.
• SAARC maintains permanent diplomatic relations at the United Nation as an observer and has developed links with multilateral entities.
• Observers Of SAARC: – States with observer status include Australia, China, the European Union, Iran, Japan, Mauritius Myanmar, South Korea and the United States.

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

• The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a regional intergovernmental organization comprising ten Southeast Asian countries
• It promotes Pan-Asianism and intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, military, educational and socio-cultural integration amongst its members and other Asian countries
• It members are Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam
• ASEAN shares land and maritime borders with India, China
• ASEAN is an official United Nations Observer.

The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG)

• The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is a group of nuclear supplier countries that seeks to contribute to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons through the implementation of two sets of Guidelines for nuclear exports and nuclear-related exports.
• One of the critical elements for inclusion into the NSG is that the member countries need to signatories of the NPT, a proposal which India has categorically disagreed.
• However considering India’s history of nuclear non-proliferation, the US and subsequently the NSG have shown some recognition and granted India with the waiver of dealing with other countries for nuclear technology.

Recent Developments

• Present Indian government embarked to pursue the ambitious goal of NSG membership aggressively.
• The prime minister visited countries like the USA, Netherlands, Mexico, and Portugal to secure support from these countries.
• US administration under Obama and Donald trump reiterated their support for Indian entry to the NSG. Russia also extended its support.
• NSG takes a decision based on a consensus of the member countries. So it is important to secure the support of each and every member country.
• China is against the granting membership. Insisted on a criteria-based approach for the non-NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) signatory countries.
• China has also maintained that for non-NPT members some definite criteria should be evolved rather than granting country-specific waivers. At other times, it has stated that Pakistan also has similar credentials to join the NSG; and that if India is admitted; Pakistan should also be admitted simultaneously.
• Some other countries, including Turkey, Switzerland, Mexico and New Zealand, were among those which have stressed on the criteria-based approach, without opposing India’s application outright.

Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)

• OPCW is an intergovernmental organization and the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention, which entered into force on 29 April 1997
• The OPCW, with its 193 member states, has its seat in The Hague, Netherlands, and oversees the global endeavour for the permanent and verifiable elimination of chemical weapons
• The organization promotes and verifies the adherence to the Chemical Weapons Convention, which prohibits the use of chemical weapons and requires their destruction
• Verification consists both of evaluation of declarations by member states and onsite inspections
• The OPCW has the power to say whether chemical weapons were used in an attack it has investigated
• The organization was awarded the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize “for its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons”

The Australian Group

• The Australia Group is a multilateral export control regime (MECR) and an informal group of countries (now joined by the European Commission) established in 1985 (after the use of chemical weapons by Iraq in 1984) to help member countries to identify those exports which need to be controlled so as not to contribute to the spread of chemical and biological weapons
• The group, initially consisting of 15 members, held its first meeting in Brussels, Belgium, in September 1989. With the incorporation of India on January 19, 2018, it now has 43 members, including Australia, the European Commission, all 28 member states of the European Union, Ukraine, and Argentina
• The name comes from Australia’s initiative to create the group. Australia manages the secretariat
• The initial members of the group had different assessments of which chemical precursors should be subject to export control
• Later adherents initially had no such controls
• Today, members of the group maintain export controls on a uniform list of 54 compounds, including several that are not prohibited for export under the Chemical Weapons Convention but can be used in the manufacture of chemical weapons
• In 2002, the group took two important steps to strengthen export control
• The first was the “no-undercut” requirement, which stated that any member of the group considering making an export to another state that had already been denied an export by any other member of the group must first consult with that member state before approving the export
• The second was the “catch-all” provision, which requires member states to halt all exports that could be used by importers in chemical or biological weapons programs, regardless of whether the export is on the group’s control lists.
• Delegations representing the members meet every year in Paris, France

[WpProQuiz 430]

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Important Keywords in Budget and Eco Survey

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04 May 2020

The Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Economic Survey 2019-20 in the Parliament today. The Key Highlights of the Survey are as follows:

Wealth Creation: The Invisible Hand Supported by the Hand of Trust

• The big idea from the Economic Survey 2019-20 is the need to push towards increasing the number of wealth creators in the Indian economy.
• The Survey states that to achieve the goal of becoming a $5-trillion economy, the invisible hand of markets will need the support of “the hand of trust”.

Wealth Creation

• Essentially, this means that regulation and rules in the economy should be such that they make it easy to do business but not turn into crony capitalism.
• The Survey states: “The invisible hand needs to be strengthened by promoting pro-business policies to:

1. Provide equal opportunities for new entrants, enable fair competition and ease doing business,
2. Eliminate policies that unnecessarily undermine markets through government intervention,
3. Enable trade for job creation, and
4. Efficiently scale-up the banking sector to be proportionate to the size of the Indian economy.”

How can this be done?

• The Survey introduces the idea of “trust as a public good that gets enhanced with greater use”.
• In other words, it states that policies must empower transparency and effective enforcement using data and technology to enhance this public good.
• A key element here is the need to increase the opportunities for new entrants.
• “Equal opportunity for new entrants is important because… a 10 per cent increase in new firms in a district yields a 1.8 per cent increase in Gross Domestic District Product (GDDP)”.
• According to the Survey, the right policy mix can boost job creation

Focus on Ethical Wealth Creation

• The Survey emphasised on the importance of ‘Ethical Wealth Creation’, as the key to making India $5 trillion economies by 2025.
• Krishnamurthy V. Subramanian, the Chief Economic Adviser of Ministry of Finance has done a commendable job in producing a thought-provoking masterpiece on ‘ethical wealth creation’.

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Pro-business versus Pro-markets Strategy

• Survey says that India’s aspiration of becoming a $5 trillion economy depends critically on:

1. Promoting a ‘pro-business’ policy that unleashes the power of competitive markets to generate wealth.
2. Weaning away from ‘pro-crony’ policy that may favour specific private interests, especially powerful incumbents.

• Pro-crony policies such as discretionary allocation of natural resources till 2011 led to rent-seeking by beneficiaries while the competitive allocation of the same post-2014 ended such rent extraction.

Strengthening the invisible hand by promoting pro-business policies to:

1. Provide equal opportunities for new entrants.
2. Enable fair competition and ease doing business.
3. Eliminate policies unnecessarily undermining markets through government intervention.
4. Enable trade for job creation.
5. Efficiently scale-up the banking sector.

• Introducing the idea of trust as a public good, which gets enhanced with greater use.
• The survey suggests that policies must empower transparency and effective enforcement using data and technology.

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Entrepreneurship at the Grassroots

• Entrepreneurship as a strategy to fuel productivity growth and wealth creation.
• India ranks third in a number of new firms created, as per the World Bank.
• New firm creation in India increased dramatically since 2014:

1. 2 % cumulative annual growth rate of new firms in the formal sector during 2014-18, compared to 3.8 % during 2006-2014.
2. About 1.24 lakh new firms created in 2018, an increase of about 80 % from about 70,000 in 2014.

• The survey examines the content and drivers of entrepreneurial activity at the bottom of the administrative pyramid – over 500 districts in India.
• New firm creation in services is significantly higher than that in manufacturing, infrastructure or agriculture.
• Survey notes that grassroots entrepreneurship is not just driven by necessity.
• A 10 percent increase in registration of new firms in a district yields a 1.8 % increase in Gross Domestic District Product (GDDP).

Impact of education on entrepreneurship

• Literacy and education in a district foster local entrepreneurship significantly:

1. The impact is most pronounced when literacy is above 70 per cent.
2. New firm formation is the lowest in eastern India with the lowest literacy rate (59.6 % as per 2011 Census).

• Physical infrastructure quality in the district influences new firm creation significantly.
• Ease of Doing Business and flexible labour regulation enable new firm creation, especially in the manufacturing sector.
• Survey suggests enhancing ease of doing business and implementing flexible labour laws can create maximum jobs in districts and thereby in the states.

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Divestment in public sector undertakings

• The Survey has aggressively pitched for divestment in PSUs by proposing a separate corporate entity wherein the government’s stake can be transferred and divested over a period of time.
• The survey analysed the data of 11 PSUs that had been divested from 1999-2000 and 2003-04 and compared the data with their peers in the same industry.
• Further, the survey has said privatized entities have performed better than their peers in terms of net worth, profit, return on equity and sales, among others.
• The government can transfer its stake in listed CPSEs to a separate corporate entity.
• This entity would be managed by an independent board and would be mandated to divest the government stake in these CPSEs over a period of time.
• This will lend professionalism and autonomy to the disinvestment programme which, in turn, would improve the economic performance of the CPSEs.

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Golden jubilee of bank nationalization: Taking stock

• The survey observes 2019 as the golden jubilee year of bank nationalization
• Accomplishments of lakhs of Public Sector Banks (PSBs) employees cherished and an objective assessment of PSBs suggested by the Survey.
• Since 1969, India’s banking sector has not developed proportionately to the growth in the size of the economy.
• India has only one bank in the global top 100 – same as countries that are a fraction of its size: Finland (about 1/11th), Denmark (1/8th), etc.
• A large economy needs an efficient banking sector to support its growth.

The onus of supporting the economy falls on the PSBs accounting for 70 % of the market share in Indian banking:

1. PSBs are inefficient compared to their peer groups on every performance parameter.
2. In 2019, investment for every rupee in PSBs, on average, led to the loss of 23 paise, while in NPBs it led to the gain of 9.6 paise.
3. Credit growth in PSBs has been much lower than NPBs for the last several years.

Solutions to make PSBs more efficient:

• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) for PSBs’ employees
• Representation on boards proportionate to the blocks held by employees to incentivize employees and align their interests with that of all shareholders of banks.
• Creation of a GSTN type entity that will aggregate data from all PSBs and use technologies like big data, artificial intelligence and machine learning in credit decisions for ensuring better screening and monitoring of borrowers, especially the large ones.

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Doubts regarding GDP Growth

• GDP growth is a critical variable for decision-making by investors and policymakers. Therefore, the recent debate about the accuracy of India’s GDP estimation following the revised estimation methodology in 2011 is extremely significant.
• As countries differ in several observed and unobserved ways, cross-country comparisons have to be undertaken by separating the effect of other confounding factors and isolating effect of methodology revision alone on GDP growth estimates.
• Models that incorrectly over-estimate GDP growth by 2.7 % for India post-2011 also misestimate GDP growth over the same period for 51 out of 95 countries in the sample.

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Fiscal Developments

• Revenue Receipts registered a higher growth during the first eight months of 2019-20, compared to the same period last year, led by considerable growth in Non-Tax revenue.
• Gross GST monthly collections have crossed the mark of Rs. 1 lakh crore for a total of five times during 2019-20 (up to December 2019).
• Structural reforms undertaken in taxation during the current financial year:
• Change in the corporate tax rate.
• Measures to ease the implementation of GST.
• Fiscal deficit of states within the targets set out by the FRBM Act.
• Survey notes that the General Government (Centre plus States) has been on the path of fiscal consolidation.

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External Sector

Balance of Payments (BoP):

• India’s BoP position improved from US$ 412.9 bn of forex reserves in end-March, 2019 to US$ 433.7 bn in end September 2019.
• Current account deficit (CAD) narrowed from 2.1% in 2018-19 to 1.5% of GDP in H1 of 2019-20.
• Foreign reserves stood at US$ 461.2 bn as on 10^th January 2020.

Global trade:

• India’s merchandise trade balance improved from 2009-14 to 2014-19, although most of the improvement in the latter period was due to more than 50% decline in crude prices in 2016-17.
• India’s top five trading partners continue to be USA, China, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong.

Exports:

• Top export items: Petroleum products, precious stones, drug formulations & biologicals, gold and other precious metals.
• Largest export destinations in 2019-20 (April-November): United States of America (USA), followed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), China and Hong Kong.
• The merchandise exports to GDP ratio declined, entailing a negative impact on BoP position.
• A slowdown of world output had an impact on reducing the export to GDP ratio, particularly from 2018-19 to H1 of 2019-20.
• Growth in Non-POL exports dropped significantly from 2009-14 to 2014-19.

Imports:

•  Top import items: Crude petroleum, gold, petroleum products, coal, coke & briquettes.
•  India’s imports continue to be largest from China, followed by USA, UAE and Saudi Arabia.
•  Merchandise imports to GDP ratio declined for India, entailing a net positive impact on BoP.
• Large Crude oil imports in the import basket correlates India’s total imports with crude prices. As crude price raises so does the share of crude in total imports, increasing imports to GDP ratio.

Logistics industry of India:

• Currently estimated to be around US$ 160 billion.
• Expected to touch US$ 215 billion by 2020.
• According to World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index, India ranks 44th in 2018 globally, up from 54th rank in 2014.

Direct investments and remittances:

• Net FDI inflows continued to be buoyant in 2019-20 attracting US$ 24.4 bn in the first eight months, higher than the corresponding period of 2018-19.
• Net FPI in the first eight months of 2019-20 stood at US$ 12.6 bn.
• Net remittances from Indians employed overseas continued to increase, receiving US$ 38.4 billion in H1 of 2019-20 which is more than 50% of the previous year level.

External debt:

• Remains low at 20.1% of GDP as at end September, 2019.
• After significant decline since 2014-15, India’s external liabilities (debt and equity) to GDP increased at the end of June, 2019 primarily by increase in FDI, portfolio flows and external commercial borrowings (ECBs).

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Monetary Management and Financial Intermediation

Monetary policy:

• Remained accommodative in 2019-20.
• Repo rate was cut by 110 basis points in four consecutive MPC meetings in the financial year due to slower growth and lower inflation.
• However, it was kept unchanged in the fifth meeting held in December 2019.
• In 2019-20, liquidity conditions were tight for initial two months; but subsequently it remained comfortable.

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Prices and Inflation

Inflation Trends:

• Inflation witnessing moderation since 2014
• Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation increased from 3.7 per cent in 2018-19 (April to December, 2018) to 4.1 per cent in 2019-20 (April to December, 2019).
• WPI inflation fell from 4.7 per cent in 2018-19 (April to December, 2018) to 1.5 per cent during 2019-20 (April to December, 2019).

Drivers of CPI – Combined (C) inflation:

• During 2018-19, the major driver was the miscellaneous group
• During 2019-20 (April-December), food and beverages was the main contributor.
• Among food and beverages, inflation in vegetables and pulses was particularly high due to low base effect and production side disruptions like untimely rain.

Cob-web Phenomenon (Cyclical fluctuations in inflation) for Pulses:

• Farmers base their sowing decisions on prices witnessed in the previous marketing period.
• Measures to safeguard farmers like procurement under Price Stabilization Fund (PSF), Minimum Support Price (MSP) need to be made more effective.

The volatility of Prices:

• The volatility of prices for most of the essential food commodities with the exception of some of the pulses has actually come down in the period 2014-19 as compared to the period 2009-14.
• Lower volatility might indicate the presence of better marketing channels, storage facilities and effective MSP system.

Essential Commodities Act is outdated

• The Centre’s imposition of stock limits in a bid to control the soaring prices of onions over the last few months actually increased price volatility, according to the ES.
• The finding came in a hard-hitting attack in the report against the Essential Commodities Act (ECA) and other “anachronistic legislation” and interventionist government policies, including drug price control, grain procurement and farm loan waivers.
• The Centre invoked the Act’s provisions to impose stock limits on onions after heavy rains wiped out a quarter of the Kharif crop and led to a sustained spike in prices.
• However the Survey showed that there was actually an increase in price volatility and a widening wedge between wholesale and retail prices.
• The lower stock limits must have led the traders and wholesalers to offload most of the kharif crop in October itself which led to a sharp increase in the price volatility.

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Agriculture

• Agricultural productivity is also constrained by a lower level of mechanization in agriculture which is about 40 % in India, much lower than China (59.5 %) and Brazil (75 %).
• With regard to the Agri sector, the Survey argued that the beneficiaries of farm loan waivers consume less, save less, invest less and are less productive.
• It added that the government procurement of foodgrains led to a burgeoning food subsidy burden and inefficiencies in the markets, arguing for a shift to cash transfers instead.

Food Management

• The share of agriculture and allied sectors in the total Gross Value Added (GVA) of the country has been continuously declining on account of relatively higher growth performance of non-agricultural sectors.
• GVA at Basic Prices for 2019-20 from ‘Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing’ sector is estimated to grow by 2.8 %.

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Services Sector

The increasing significance of services sector in the Indian economy:

1. About 55 % of the total size of the economy and GVA growth.
2.  Two-thirds of the total FDI inflows into India.
3. About 38 per cent of total exports.
4. More than 50 % of GVA in 15 out of the 33 states and UTs.

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Social Infrastructure, Employment and Human Development

• The expenditure on social services (health, education and others) by the Centre and States as a proportion of GDP increased from 6.2 % in 2014-15 to 7.7 % in 2019-20 (BE).
• India’s ranking in the Human Development Index improved to 129 in 2018 from 130 in 2017:
• With 1.34 % average annual HDI growth, India is among the fastest-improving countries
• Gross Enrolment Ratio at secondary, higher secondary and higher education level needs to be improved.
• Gender disparity in India’s labour market widened due to a decline in female labour force participation especially in rural areas:
• Around 60 % of productive age (15-59) group engaged in full-time domestic duties.

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Sustainable Development and Climate Change

• India moving forward on the path of SDG implementation through well-designed initiatives
• SDG India Index:

1. Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Chandigarh are front runners.
2. Assam, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh come under the category of Aspirants.

• India hosted COP-14 to UNCCD which adopted the Delhi Declaration: Investing in Land and Unlocking Opportunities.
• COP-25 of UNFCCC at Madrid:

1. India reiterated its commitment to implement the Paris Agreement.
2. COP-25 decisions include efforts for climate change mitigation, adaptation and means of implementation from developed country parties to developing country parties.