Category: Strategy Sessions

  • UPSC ALERT|| Just 6 Months Left for UPSC 2022 Prelims!!|| Preparing with a Serious Time Crunch? || Register for Samanvaya Free 1-on-1 Counselling Now

    UPSC ALERT|| Just 6 Months Left for UPSC 2022 Prelims!!|| Preparing with a Serious Time Crunch? || Register for Samanvaya Free 1-on-1 Counselling Now

    They say, when the going gets tough, the tough gets going. For UPSC aspirants, there is a small tweak. When your preparation gets tough we’ll be there for you.

    How Successful has Civilsdaily been in Mentoring Aspirants?

    In UPSC 2020, Civilsdaily helped 80+ students secure ranks in their exams. In the top 100, every 3rd ranker was a Civilsdaily student. To know how all of them cleared the exam with our mentorship, visit the Unherd Podcast.

    Now that results are announced for UPSC 2021 Prelims, out of 15 out of 25 students of Santhosh Gupta sir have been recommended to Mains. One such student, Rahul expresses his gratitude and extends his appreciation —

    Most of our Mentors like Sudhanshu sir, Sajal sir, Santhosh sir, Pravin sir, Parth Verma sir and Sukanya Ma’am were UPSC aspirants themselves and have attended UPSC Mains more than five times and UPSC Interview more than twice. Hence their mentorship is always a blend of the best test series, comprehensive notes and current affairs knowledge.

    All of them dedicate their time weekly to give 1-on-1 mentorship to every student where they discuss last week’s performance and next week’s approach.

    Remember there is always light at the end of the tunnel and if you want to get out of the tunnel you have to follow the direction of the light! Our mentors’ give you direction which is divided into daily modules. All you have to do is study and complete them on time.

    See the source image

    As every year passes by, we don’t get confident by the previous years’ performance and become laidback. Instead, we become more hungry to convert all our students into toppers.

    How are Current Civilsdaily Students Gearing up for UPSC-CSE 2022?

    Initially, our Civilsdaily student Smriti wasn’t confident about Prelims when she began her preparation. Though she had joined Civilsdaily in 2020, she started studying for UPSC-CSE back in 2019. At that time, Smriti had enrolled in multiple institutes. Though, most of these institutes had promised a personal mentor, she was unable to get in touch with them on a daily basis. Also those mentors never scheduled test-series on a weekly basis. Hence, despite preparing for a year, Smriti had scored only 35 marks out of 200 in her first test series by Civilsdaily.

    She then started writing 20-25 test series over the course of UAP 2021 and in her last test, her scores have drastically improved. She now scores in the range of 130-135 marks in prelims’ and 110+ in mains’ papers.

    In Smriti’s own words she describes her Samanvaya Mentorship Experience to be —

    Our parents provide us financial and emotional support, friends provide us moral support and the right mentor gives you logistic and logical support for UPSC. There are days when I felt I won’t be able to compete against lakhs of aspirants. That’s when my mentor, Ravi sir reminded me of my improvement and encouraged me that I can crack it with the same consistency. We need someone, who tells us we are performing well especially when we cannot see that ourselves. The mentorship at Civilsdaily helped me become mentally stronger as a person. In other institutes, mentors are allotted only for doubt resolution. But at Civilsdaily, I am getting end-to-end support, be it value added notes, classes, test series and detailed evaluation.

    Why Do You Require Mentorship?

    Preparing for the UPSC exam is a race against time. You have to complete an answer within 8 minutes, complete Prelims mock test within 2 hours and most importantly complete the syllabus in a span of 8 months. The syllabus is so vast that most students feel overwhelmed within just a few weeks of starting their preparation. 

    We confirmed this last month, in our Samanvaya Mentorship program by counselling over 3500 students. The 2 biggest problems students said they face while preparing for this exam are:

    1. Syllabus Management
    2. Time Management

     As an aspirant, you can either spend a lot of time and effort trying to figure out how to cope with your syllabus and manage time or you can simply speak with our mentors and get the right study plan and timetable custom-made for you!

    Every aspirant needs a different strategy than the other. One might be struggling in prelims, other in mains. One might find history a piece of cake and geography a tough nut to crack and for the other it will be vice-versa. For an aspirant preparing full-time, they might get demotivated on a regular basis as they have no Plan B to fall back on. A working professional might be too exhausted to study by the end of the day. There is no one-size fits all solution.

    That’s why you need to register for Samanvaya free 1-on-1 counselling session to understand what study plan and study materials work best for you! Samanvaya 1-on-1 Free mentorship will help you stick to one approach of studying rather than switching plans through trial and error.

    Still you want a general idea how to manage time and your syllabus? Here’s what you can do!

    1. Syllabus Management—
      • Go through the entire syllabus thoroughly.
      • Mark the topics you feel comfortable with and those you aren’t familiar with.
      • Break down the syllabus into small parts and prioritize them in order.
      • Gather the relevant study material for the syllabus and start studying them in order.
      • Figure out where you need guidance – Is it with the subject matter? Do you need help with organizing your syllabus? Or you just aren’t sure how to begin?
    2. . Time Management—
      • Prioritize your study material
      • Complete the easier topics first.
      • Allocate at least one hour to answer-writing
      • Allocate at least one hour to MCQ practice
      • Make notes on Current Affairs while reading the newspaper
      • Allocate at least 2 hours for your optional.

    A Popular Time Management Technique—

    The Pomodoro Technique is followed by toppers like Srusti Jayant Deshmukh (UPSC 2019 AIR 5), Manoj Madhav S (UPSC 2019 AIR 105) and Namita Sharma (UPSC 2018, AIR 108)

    Developed by consultant Francesco Cirillo, the Pomodoro Technique is a time management tool that breaks work into 25-minute sessions to help you stay focused and get more done.

    Step
    1
    Choose a task
    Step
    2
    Set a timer for 25 minutes
    Step 3Work on the task until the timer goes off
    Step 4Once the timer goes off. Check off the item on a piece of paper
    Step
    5
    Take a short break
    Step
    6
    Every four Pomodoros, take a longer break

    How is Samanvaya 1-on-1 Guidance Program Structured?

    Our guidance program is designed as solutions to your challenges. We speak with students personally and understand their concerns on a one-on-one basis. Our mentors spend time understanding the individual requirements of our students and teach students how to break down the syllabus and create a plan they can stick to. Our mentors don’t advise you with run of the mill stories, they help in scripting your story!

    We will discuss the important ways in which you can crack this exam through the following methods:

    Personalized study plan – Make a list of the tasks that you need to accomplish that day, and note in upcoming meetings or deadlines as you become aware of them. As you complete your list, make sure to tick off the tasks you have completed.

    3. Tracking your progress – The key to time management success is to know your deadlines and set reminders. We suggest setting a reminder 15 minutes before a meeting or event so you can prepare and gather your things.

    4. Investing in topics with good ROI – First and foremost, turn off your email notification. Set 30-minute blocks to check your email every couple hours instead of checking it every 15 minutes. Make sure you minimize non-work distractions such as your cell phone, social media, or your favorite online store.

    5. Focusing on smart study – On your daily list of things to do, pen in how much time you think each task will take you. If you don’t finish, stop when the time you allotted ends, and come back to it later. Sometimes moving on to different responsibilities and then coming back gives your mind a fresh start and a new perspective.

    So, get all your UPSC demands addressed by a seasoned mentor, get one point source study materials, have regular engagement via calls and WhatsApp, adapt to course-correction strategies and follow a syllabus completion-cum-revision plan every month.

  • 13th December 2021| Daily Answer Writing Enhancement(AWE)

    GS Papers:

    Topics for Today’s questions:

    GS-1     Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of art forms, literature and architecture from ancient to modern times

    GS-2    Parliament and State legislatures—structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these.

    GS-3    Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices; Public Distribution System- objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping; issues of buffer stocks and food security; Technology missions; economics of animal-rearing.

    GS-4   Human Values – lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and administrators; role of family, society and educational institutions in inculcating values.

    Questions:

    Question 1)

     

    Q.1 Comment on the significance of the Sangam literature as a source for understanding the history of that period. (10 Marks)

     

    Question 2)

    Q.2 What are the provisions for the suspension of the Rajya Sabha member for creating disorder in the House? What are the concerns with suspending the member for the entire session? (10 Marks)

    Question 3)

    Q.3 Examine the purpose of the Minimum Support Price declared by the government for crops and the implications of providing legal backing to it? Suggest the way forward. (10 Marks)

    Question 4)  

    Q.4 “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” – Albert Einstein. What does this quote mean to you? (10 Marks)

     

    HOW TO ATTEMPT ANSWERS IN DAILY ANSWER WRITING ENHANCEMENT(AWE)?

    1. Daily 4 questions from General studies 1, 2, 3, and 4 will be provided to you.

    2. A Mentor’s Comment will be available for all answers. This can be used as a guidance tool but we encourage you to write original answers.

    3. You can write your answer on an A4 sheet and scan/click pictures of the same.

    4.  Upload the scanned answer in the comment section of the same question.

    5. Along with the scanned answer, please share your Razor payment ID, so that paid members are given priority.

    6. If you upload the answer on the same day like the answer of 11th  October is uploaded on 11th October then your answer will be checked within 72 hours. Also, reviews will be in the order of submission- First come first serve basis

    7. If you are writing answers late, for example, 11th October is uploaded on 13th October, then these answers will be evaluated as per the mentor’s schedule.

    8. We encourage you to write answers on the same day. However, if you are uploading an answer late then tag the mentor like @Staff so that the mentor is notified about your answer.

    *In case your answer is not reviewed, reply to your answer saying *NOT CHECKED*. 

    For the philosophy of AWE and payment: 

  • UPSC ALERT|| Just 6 Months Left for UPSC 2022 Prelims!!|| Preparing with a Serious Time Crunch? || Register for Samanvaya Free 1-on-1 Counselling Now

    UPSC ALERT|| Just 6 Months Left for UPSC 2022 Prelims!!|| Preparing with a Serious Time Crunch? || Register for Samanvaya Free 1-on-1 Counselling Now

    They say, when the going gets tough, the tough gets going. For UPSC aspirants, there is a small tweak. When your preparation gets tough we’ll be there for you.

    How Successful has Civilsdaily been in Mentoring Aspirants?

    In UPSC 2020, Civilsdaily helped 80+ students secure ranks in their exams. In the top 100, every 3rd ranker was a Civilsdaily student. To know how all of them cleared the exam with our mentorship, visit the Unherd Podcast.

    Now that results are announced for UPSC 2021 Prelims, out of 15 out of 25 students of Santhosh Gupta sir have been recommended to Mains. One such student, Rahul expresses his gratitude and extends his appreciation —

    Most of our Mentors like Sudhanshu sir, Sajal sir, Santhosh sir, Pravin sir, Parth Verma sir and Sukanya Ma’am were UPSC aspirants themselves and have attended UPSC Mains more than five times and UPSC Interview more than twice. Hence their mentorship is always a blend of the best test series, comprehensive notes and current affairs knowledge.

    All of them dedicate their time weekly to give 1-on-1 mentorship to every student where they discuss last week’s performance and next week’s approach.

    Remember there is always light at the end of the tunnel and if you want to get out of the tunnel you have to follow the direction of the light! Our mentors’ give you direction which is divided into daily modules. All you have to do is study and complete them on time.

    See the source image

    As every year passes by, we don’t get confident by the previous years’ performance and become laidback. Instead, we become more hungry to convert all our students into toppers.

    How are Current Civilsdaily Students Gearing up for UPSC-CSE 2022?

    Initially, our Civilsdaily student Smriti wasn’t confident about Prelims when she began her preparation. Though she had joined Civilsdaily in 2020, she started studying for UPSC-CSE back in 2019. At that time, Smriti had enrolled in multiple institutes. Though, most of these institutes had promised a personal mentor, she was unable to get in touch with them on a daily basis. Also those mentors never scheduled test-series on a weekly basis. Hence, despite preparing for a year, Smriti had scored only 35 marks out of 200 in her first test series by Civilsdaily.

    She then started writing 20-25 test series over the course of UAP 2021 and in her last test, her scores have drastically improved. She now scores in the range of 130-135 marks in prelims’ and 110+ in mains’ papers.

    In Smriti’s own words she describes her Samanvaya Mentorship Experience to be —

    Our parents provide us financial and emotional support, friends provide us moral support and the right mentor gives you logistic and logical support for UPSC. There are days when I felt I won’t be able to compete against lakhs of aspirants. That’s when my mentor, Ravi sir reminded me of my improvement and encouraged me that I can crack it with the same consistency. We need someone, who tells us we are performing well especially when we cannot see that ourselves. The mentorship at Civilsdaily helped me become mentally stronger as a person. In other institutes, mentors are allotted only for doubt resolution. But at Civilsdaily, I am getting end-to-end support, be it value added notes, classes, test series and detailed evaluation.

    Why Do You Require Mentorship?

    Preparing for the UPSC exam is a race against time. You have to complete an answer within 8 minutes, complete Prelims mock test within 2 hours and most importantly complete the syllabus in a span of 8 months. The syllabus is so vast that most students feel overwhelmed within just a few weeks of starting their preparation. 

    We confirmed this last month, in our Samanvaya Mentorship program by counselling over 3500 students. The 2 biggest problems students said they face while preparing for this exam are:

    1. Syllabus Management
    2. Time Management

     As an aspirant, you can either spend a lot of time and effort trying to figure out how to cope with your syllabus and manage time or you can simply speak with our mentors and get the right study plan and timetable custom-made for you!

    Every aspirant needs a different strategy than the other. One might be struggling in prelims, other in mains. One might find history a piece of cake and geography a tough nut to crack and for the other it will be vice-versa. For an aspirant preparing full-time, they might get demotivated on a regular basis as they have no Plan B to fall back on. A working professional might be too exhausted to study by the end of the day. There is no one-size fits all solution.

    That’s why you need to register for Samanvaya free 1-on-1 counselling session to understand what study plan and study materials work best for you! Samanvaya 1-on-1 Free mentorship will help you stick to one approach of studying rather than switching plans through trial and error.

    Still you want a general idea how to manage time and your syllabus? Here’s what you can do!

    1. Syllabus Management—
      • Go through the entire syllabus thoroughly.
      • Mark the topics you feel comfortable with and those you aren’t familiar with.
      • Break down the syllabus into small parts and prioritize them in order.
      • Gather the relevant study material for the syllabus and start studying them in order.
      • Figure out where you need guidance – Is it with the subject matter? Do you need help with organizing your syllabus? Or you just aren’t sure how to begin?
    2. . Time Management—
      • Prioritize your study material
      • Complete the easier topics first.
      • Allocate at least one hour to answer-writing
      • Allocate at least one hour to MCQ practice
      • Make notes on Current Affairs while reading the newspaper
      • Allocate at least 2 hours for your optional.

    A Popular Time Management Technique—

    The Pomodoro Technique is followed by toppers like Srusti Jayant Deshmukh (UPSC 2019 AIR 5), Manoj Madhav S (UPSC 2019 AIR 105) and Namita Sharma (UPSC 2018, AIR 108)

    Developed by consultant Francesco Cirillo, the Pomodoro Technique is a time management tool that breaks work into 25-minute sessions to help you stay focused and get more done.

    Step
    1
    Choose a task
    Step
    2
    Set a timer for 25 minutes
    Step 3Work on the task until the timer goes off
    Step 4Once the timer goes off. Check off the item on a piece of paper
    Step
    5
    Take a short break
    Step
    6
    Every four Pomodoros, take a longer break

    How is Samanvaya 1-on-1 Guidance Program Structured?

    Our guidance program is designed as solutions to your challenges. We speak with students personally and understand their concerns on a one-on-one basis. Our mentors spend time understanding the individual requirements of our students and teach students how to break down the syllabus and create a plan they can stick to. Our mentors don’t advise you with run of the mill stories, they help in scripting your story!

    We will discuss the important ways in which you can crack this exam through the following methods:

    Personalized study plan – Make a list of the tasks that you need to accomplish that day, and note in upcoming meetings or deadlines as you become aware of them. As you complete your list, make sure to tick off the tasks you have completed.

    3. Tracking your progress – The key to time management success is to know your deadlines and set reminders. We suggest setting a reminder 15 minutes before a meeting or event so you can prepare and gather your things.

    4. Investing in topics with good ROI – First and foremost, turn off your email notification. Set 30-minute blocks to check your email every couple hours instead of checking it every 15 minutes. Make sure you minimize non-work distractions such as your cell phone, social media, or your favorite online store.

    5. Focusing on smart study – On your daily list of things to do, pen in how much time you think each task will take you. If you don’t finish, stop when the time you allotted ends, and come back to it later. Sometimes moving on to different responsibilities and then coming back gives your mind a fresh start and a new perspective.

    So, get all your UPSC demands addressed by a seasoned mentor, get one point source study materials, have regular engagement via calls and WhatsApp, adapt to course-correction strategies and follow a syllabus completion-cum-revision plan every month.

  • [Sansad TV] Perspective: Multidimensional Poverty in India

    UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

    NITI Aayog has recently released the state-wise National Multidimensional Poverty Index or MPI in line with the global index released by the United Nations each year.

    Must read:

    National MPI Project

    • The National MPI Project is the first attempt in years to define poverty measures and is aimed at deconstructing the Global MPI and creating a globally aligned and yet customised India MPI.
    • The MPI is based on three dimensions — health, education, and standard of living — with each having a weighting of one-third in the index.
    • The household micro data collected at the unit-level for the NFHS serves as the basis of the computation of National MPI.

    Parameters used

    • The NMPI is calculated using 12 indicators — nutrition, child and adolescent mortality, antenatal care, years of schooling, school attendance, cooking fuel, sanitation, drinking water, electricity, housing, assets and bank account,
    • They have been grouped under three dimensions namely, health, education and standard of living.

    Why NFHS-4?

    • Connoting regime change: Data collected during the NFHS-4 (2015-2016) corresponds to the period before the full roll out of new governments’ flagship schemes.
    • Baseline after rollout of new schemes: Hence it serves as a useful source for measuring the situation at baseline i.e. before large-scale rollout of nationally important schemes.

    Key highlights NMPI

    The MPI identifies 25.01 percent of the population as multidimensionality poor.

    • As per the index, 51.91% of the population in Bihar is poor, followed by Jharkhand (42.16%), Uttar Pradesh (37.79%), Madhya Pradesh (36.65%) and Meghalaya (32.67%).
    • On the other hand, Kerala registered lowest population poverty levels (0.71%), followed by Puducherry (1.72%), Lakshadweep (1.82%), Goa (3.76%) and Sikkim (3.82%).
    • Other States and UTs where less than 10% of the population are poor include Tamil Nadu (4.89%), Andaman & Nicobar Islands (4.30%), Delhi (4.79%), Punjab (5.59%), Himachal Pradesh (7.62%) and Mizoram (9.8%).

    Need for National MPI

    Poverty is not just the absence of income, money and/or money-like resources required to meet needs. 

    • Multiple disadvantages: A person who is poor can suffer multiple disadvantages at the same time – for example they may simultaneously have:
    1. Poor health or malnutrition
    2. Lack of clean water or electricity
    3. Poor quality of livelihood options
    4. Little/No schooling
    5. Disempowerment
    6. Threats of violence
    7. Climate change vulnerability etc.

    Other factors include:

    1. Limited financial resources
    2. Material deprivation
    3. Social isolation
    4. Exclusion and powerlessness
    5. Physical and psychological ill-being
    • Multiple dimensions: Focusing on one factor alone, such as income, is not enough to capture the true reality of poverty. National MPI ensures a holistic approach towards defining poverty at the national level.
    • More comprehensive: MP measures can be used to create a more comprehensive picture. They reveal who is poor and how they are poor – the range of different disadvantages they experience.
    • Better targeting: As well as providing a headline measure of poverty, multidimensional measures can be broken down to reveal the poverty level in different areas of a country and among different sub-groups of people.
    • Priority definition for target groups: It offers statistics that determine the national priorities by using a set of dimensions, indicators with respect to the urban and rural areas of India along with an indicator-wise deconstruction and breakdown.

    Various govt. interventions to for poverty alleviation

    (I) Food Security

    • National Food Security Act 2013 (also ‘Right to Food Act’): It aims to provide subsidized food grains to approximately two thirds of the country’s 1.2 billion people.  

    (II) Employment and Skilling

    • National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM)Ministry of Rural Development started NRLM 2011 to evolve out the need to diversify the needs of the rural poor and provide them jobs with regular income on a monthly basis.
    • Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) – In 2005 Ministry of Rural Development initiated MGNEREGA to provide 100 days of assured employment every year to every rural household. One-third of the proposed jobs would be reserved for women.

    (III) Income Support

    • PM Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY): The Ministry of Finance in 2014 initiated PMJDY that aimed at direct benefit transfer of subsidy, pension, insurance, etc., and attained the target of opening 1.5 crore bank accounts. The scheme particularly targets the unbanked poor.
    • PM Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM KISAN): PM KISAN is an initiative by the government of India in which all farmers will get up to ₹6,000 per year as minimum income support.

    Various challenges

    • Pauperization: Every year a huge number is added to the population pool of the country. To exemplify, this pandemic has led to severe pauperization of migrant workers.
    • Regional divide: Incidence of extreme poverty continues to be much higher in rural areas than in urban areas.
    • Jobless growth: Despite rapid growth and development, an unacceptably high proportion of our population continues to suffer from severe and multidimensional deprivation.
    • Inadequate resources: The resources allocated to anti-poverty programmes are inadequate and there is a tacit understanding that targets will be curtailed according to fund availability.
    • Implementation bottlenecks: Lack of proper implementation and right targeting has been legacy issues in India. There has been a lot of overlapping of schemes.

    Conclusion

    • The National MPI offers a clear picture of various developmental projects and their impact in creating a better roadmap to gauge poverty at different levels.
    • Active participation by the states in the creation of alignment with the development agendas is must.
    • To do so, indices like NMPI act as a directive in shaping up policy and will better their implementation.
  • Meeting Link Inside|| Invitation by Registration Only|| Free Webinar, Ask me Anything Session with Nilesh Gaikwad IPS

    Meeting Link Inside|| Invitation by Registration Only|| Free Webinar, Ask me Anything Session with Nilesh Gaikwad IPS

    Team is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

    Ask me Anything Session with Nilesh Gaikwad (IPS, AIR 629) CSE 2020
    Date & Time: Dec 12, 2021 @03:00 p.m. (logging started @02:45 p.m.) India

    Join Zoom Meeting

    https://zoom.us/j/96908767526pwd=ZXRlMXFWcXBoSC93ZmJzN3ZMVi9SQT09

    Meeting ID: 969 0876 7526
    Passcode: 457659

    Nilesh Gaikwad has a come a long way, just like his UPSC preparation.

    He started in the year 2015 and fulfilled his dream in 2020. This however does not mean he is not academically inclined. Nilesh cleared the tough IIT-JEE examinations in his first attempt and graduated from IIT Bombay. After working for a year at a private firm, Nilesh quit to follow his UPSC-CSE dream. Why did he want to prepare for UPSC-CSE just when he had achieved the ‘middle-class’ settled life?

    As a college student, Nilesh was never interested in UPSC-CSE. However, as an employee in an IT firm, Nilesh looked upto his boss. He wondered what motivated his boss to wake up everyday and navigate through the rigors of work. He understood that his boss had found the purpose of his life in his job.

    That’s when Nilesh realized he was unable to fulfill his purpose or express his passion in a private job. “Owning a car, buying fancy gadgets and earning in lakhs — this did not drive me. Unfortunately, a private job just gives you that and nothing more.”, Nilesh said. Hailing from a small town, Nilesh wanted to go back to roots and do something for many such small towns in India. After a quick research, the idea of UPSC-CSE struck him.

    He left his fulltime job to prepare for UPSC-CSE and gave nearly 4 attempts. In his 3rd attempt, he got selected for Indian Defence Accounts Service post. While undergoing training, Nilesh prepared once again under the guidance of Civilsdaily mentor Pravin Sir and finally became an IPS Officer.

    Open to All, Free to Attend Ask me Anything Session with Nilesh Gaikwad

    This Sunday, Nilesh will be enlightening all Civilsdaily aspirants in an Ask me Anything Webinar. This webinar is absolutely free for all to attend and everyone can air their questions to Nilesh Gaikwad IPS.

    But since there is only a limited slot of one hour, invitation for the webinar is by registration only. Confirm your presence by filling the form below.

    Key Takeaways of the Webinar


    1. How to develop perseverance and self-confidence while preparing for UPSC CSE?

    2. How to work on weaknesses and overcome them?

    3. The right approach for Mains.

    4. What to study in last 25 days for Mains 2021?

    5. How to score good marks in the Personality Test (Interview)

    6. Tips for beginners.

    7. Importance of ‘right guidance with right direction’ to sail through the exam.

    Webinar Details

    If you are studying hard but are unsure that you are studying right, then its time to get some assurance from the topper himself! Register for this free webinar by IPS officer Nilesh Gaikwad.

    Date: 12 December 2021 (Sunday)

    Time: 3 P.M

  • Registrations Closing in 1 Hour, Starting Today @ 3P.M|| Free Webinar, Ask me Anything Session with Nilesh Gaikwad IPS

    Registrations Closing in 1 Hour, Starting Today @ 3P.M|| Free Webinar, Ask me Anything Session with Nilesh Gaikwad IPS

    Nilesh Gaikwad has a come a long way, just like his UPSC preparation.

    He started in the year 2015 and fulfilled his dream in 2020. This however does not mean he is not academically inclined. Nilesh cleared the tough IIT-JEE examinations in his first attempt and graduated from IIT Bombay. After working for a year at a private firm, Nilesh quit to follow his UPSC-CSE dream. Why did he want to prepare for UPSC-CSE just when he had achieved the ‘middle-class’ settled life?

    As a college student, Nilesh was never interested in UPSC-CSE. However, as an employee in an IT firm, Nilesh looked upto his boss. He wondered what motivated his boss to wake up everyday and navigate through the rigors of work. He understood that his boss had found the purpose of his life in his job.

    That’s when Nilesh realized he was unable to fulfill his purpose or express his passion in a private job. “Owning a car, buying fancy gadgets and earning in lakhs — this did not drive me. Unfortunately, a private job just gives you that and nothing more.”, Nilesh said. Hailing from a small town, Nilesh wanted to go back to roots and do something for many such small towns in India. After a quick research, the idea of UPSC-CSE struck him.

    He left his fulltime job to prepare for UPSC-CSE and gave nearly 4 attempts. In his 3rd attempt, he got selected for Indian Defence Accounts Service post. While undergoing training, Nilesh prepared once again under the guidance of Civilsdaily mentor Pravin Sir and finally became an IPS Officer.

    Open to All, Free to Attend Ask me Anything Session with Nilesh Gaikwad

    This Sunday, Nilesh will be enlightening all Civilsdaily aspirants in an Ask me Anything Webinar. This webinar is absolutely free for all to attend and everyone can air their questions to Nilesh Gaikwad IPS.

    But since there is only a limited slot of one hour, invitation for the webinar is by registration only. Confirm your presence by filling the form below.

    Key Takeaways of the Webinar


    1. How to develop perseverance and self-confidence while preparing for UPSC CSE?

    2. How to work on weaknesses and overcome them?

    3. The right approach for Mains.

    4. What to study in last 25 days for Mains 2021?

    5. How to score good marks in the Personality Test (Interview)

    6. Tips for beginners.

    7. Importance of ‘right guidance with right direction’ to sail through the exam.

    Webinar Details

    If you are studying hard but are unsure that you are studying right, then its time to get some assurance from the topper himself! Register for this free webinar by IPS officer Nilesh Gaikwad.

    Date: 12 December 2021 (Sunday)

    Time: 3 P.M

  • Last 2 Hours Left for Registrations to Close|| How Mains Answer Writing with Guidance Helps you become Competitive for UPSC-CSE?|| Ask me Anything Session with Nilesh Gaikwad IPS|| Fill the Form Now

    Last 2 Hours Left for Registrations to Close|| How Mains Answer Writing with Guidance Helps you become Competitive for UPSC-CSE?|| Ask me Anything Session with Nilesh Gaikwad IPS|| Fill the Form Now

    Nilesh Gaikwad has a come a long way, just like his UPSC preparation.

    He started in the year 2015 and fulfilled his dream in 2020. This however does not mean he is not academically inclined. Nilesh cleared the tough IIT-JEE examinations in his first attempt and graduated from IIT Bombay. After working for a year at a private firm, Nilesh quit to follow his UPSC-CSE dream. Why did he want to prepare for UPSC-CSE just when he had achieved the ‘middle-class’ settled life?

    As a college student, Nilesh was never interested in UPSC-CSE. However, as an employee in an IT firm, Nilesh looked upto his boss. He wondered what motivated his boss to wake up everyday and navigate through the rigors of work. He understood that his boss had found the purpose of his life in his job.

    That’s when Nilesh realized he was unable to fulfill his purpose or express his passion in a private job. “Owning a car, buying fancy gadgets and earning in lakhs — this did not drive me. Unfortunately, a private job just gives you that and nothing more.”, Nilesh said. Hailing from a small town, Nilesh wanted to go back to roots and do something for many such small towns in India. After a quick research, the idea of UPSC-CSE struck him.

    He left his fulltime job to prepare for UPSC-CSE and gave nearly 4 attempts. In his 3rd attempt, he got selected for Indian Defence Accounts Service post. While undergoing training, Nilesh prepared once again under the guidance of Civilsdaily mentor Pravin Sir and finally became an IPS Officer.

    Open to All, Free to Attend Ask me Anything Session with Nilesh Gaikwad

    This Sunday, Nilesh will be enlightening all Civilsdaily aspirants in an Ask me Anything Webinar. This webinar is absolutely free for all to attend and everyone can air their questions to Nilesh Gaikwad IPS.

    But since there is only a limited slot of one hour, invitation for the webinar is by registration only. Confirm your presence by filling the form below.

    Key Takeaways of the Webinar


    1. How to develop perseverance and self-confidence while preparing for UPSC CSE?

    2. How to work on weaknesses and overcome them?

    3. The right approach for Mains.

    4. What to study in last 25 days for Mains 2021?

    5. How to score good marks in the Personality Test (Interview)

    6. Tips for beginners.

    7. Importance of ‘right guidance with right direction’ to sail through the exam.

    Webinar Details

    If you are studying hard but are unsure that you are studying right, then its time to get some assurance from the topper himself! Register for this free webinar by IPS officer Nilesh Gaikwad.

    Date: 12 December 2021 (Sunday)

    Time: 3 P.M

  • Starting Today @ 3P.M|| How Mains Answer Writing with Guidance Helps you become Competitive for UPSC-CSE?|| Ask me Anything Session with Nilesh Gaikwad IPS|| Limited Slots, Fill the Form Now

    Starting Today @ 3P.M|| How Mains Answer Writing with Guidance Helps you become Competitive for UPSC-CSE?|| Ask me Anything Session with Nilesh Gaikwad IPS|| Limited Slots, Fill the Form Now

    Nilesh Gaikwad has a come a long way, just like his UPSC preparation.

    He started in the year 2015 and fulfilled his dream in 2020. This however does not mean he is not academically inclined. Nilesh cleared the tough IIT-JEE examinations in his first attempt and graduated from IIT Bombay. After working for a year at a private firm, Nilesh quit to follow his UPSC-CSE dream. Why did he want to prepare for UPSC-CSE just when he had achieved the ‘middle-class’ settled life?

    As a college student, Nilesh was never interested in UPSC-CSE. However, as an employee in an IT firm, Nilesh looked upto his boss. He wondered what motivated his boss to wake up everyday and navigate through the rigors of work. He understood that his boss had found the purpose of his life in his job.

    That’s when Nilesh realized he was unable to fulfill his purpose or express his passion in a private job. “Owning a car, buying fancy gadgets and earning in lakhs — this did not drive me. Unfortunately, a private job just gives you that and nothing more.”, Nilesh said. Hailing from a small town, Nilesh wanted to go back to roots and do something for many such small towns in India. After a quick research, the idea of UPSC-CSE struck him.

    He left his fulltime job to prepare for UPSC-CSE and gave nearly 4 attempts. In his 3rd attempt, he got selected for Indian Defence Accounts Service post. While undergoing training, Nilesh prepared once again under the guidance of Civilsdaily mentor Pravin Sir and finally became an IPS Officer.

    Open to All, Free to Attend Ask me Anything Session with Nilesh Gaikwad

    This Sunday, Nilesh will be enlightening all Civilsdaily aspirants in an Ask me Anything Webinar. This webinar is absolutely free for all to attend and everyone can air their questions to Nilesh Gaikwad IPS.

    But since there is only a limited slot of one hour, invitation for the webinar is by registration only. Confirm your presence by filling the form below.

    Key Takeaways of the Webinar


    1. How to develop perseverance and self-confidence while preparing for UPSC CSE?

    2. How to work on weaknesses and overcome them?

    3. The right approach for Mains.

    4. What to study in last 25 days for Mains 2021?

    5. How to score good marks in the Personality Test (Interview)

    6. Tips for beginners.

    7. Importance of ‘right guidance with right direction’ to sail through the exam.

    Webinar Details

    If you are studying hard but are unsure that you are studying right, then its time to get some assurance from the topper himself! Register for this free webinar by IPS officer Nilesh Gaikwad.

    Date: 12 December 2021 (Sunday)

    Time: 3 P.M

  • How Mains Answer Writing with Guidance Helps you become Competitive for UPSC-CSE?|| Ask me Anything Session with Nilesh Gaikwad IPS|| Limited Slots, Fill the Form Now

    How Mains Answer Writing with Guidance Helps you become Competitive for UPSC-CSE?|| Ask me Anything Session with Nilesh Gaikwad IPS|| Limited Slots, Fill the Form Now

    Nilesh Gaikwad has a come a long way, just like his UPSC preparation.

    He started in the year 2015 and fulfilled his dream in 2020. This however does not mean he is not academically inclined. Nilesh cleared the tough IIT-JEE examinations in his first attempt and graduated from IIT Bombay. After working for a year at a private firm, Nilesh quit to follow his UPSC-CSE dream. Why did he want to prepare for UPSC-CSE just when he had achieved the ‘middle-class’ settled life?

    As a college student, Nilesh was never interested in UPSC-CSE. However, as an employee in an IT firm, Nilesh looked upto his boss. He wondered what motivated his boss to wake up everyday and navigate through the rigors of work. He understood that his boss had found the purpose of his life in his job.

    That’s when Nilesh realized he was unable to fulfill his purpose or express his passion in a private job. “Owning a car, buying fancy gadgets and earning in lakhs — this did not drive me. Unfortunately, a private job just gives you that and nothing more.”, Nilesh said. Hailing from a small town, Nilesh wanted to go back to roots and do something for many such small towns in India. After a quick research, the idea of UPSC-CSE struck him.

    He left his fulltime job to prepare for UPSC-CSE and gave nearly 4 attempts. In his 3rd attempt, he got selected for Indian Defence Accounts Service post. While undergoing training, Nilesh prepared once again under the guidance of Civilsdaily mentor Pravin Sir and finally became an IPS Officer.

    Open to All, Free to Attend Ask me Anything Session with Nilesh Gaikwad

    This Sunday, Nilesh will be enlightening all Civilsdaily aspirants in an Ask me Anything Webinar. This webinar is absolutely free for all to attend and everyone can air their questions to Nilesh Gaikwad IPS.

    But since there is only a limited slot of one hour, invitation for the webinar is by registration only. Confirm your presence by filling the form below.

    Key Takeaways of the Webinar


    1. How to develop perseverance and self-confidence while preparing for UPSC CSE?

    2. How to work on weaknesses and overcome them?

    3. The right approach for Mains.

    4. What to study in last 25 days for Mains 2021?

    5. How to score good marks in the Personality Test (Interview)

    6. Tips for beginners.

    7. Importance of ‘right guidance with right direction’ to sail through the exam.

    Webinar Details

    If you are studying hard but are unsure that you are studying right, then its time to get some assurance from the topper himself! Register for this free webinar by IPS officer Nilesh Gaikwad.

    Date: 12 December 2021 (Sunday)

    Time: 3 P.M

  • How Mains Answer Writing with Guidance Helps you become Competitive for UPSC-CSE?|| Ask me Anything Session with Nilesh Gaikwad IPS|| Limited Slots, Fill the Form Now

    How Mains Answer Writing with Guidance Helps you become Competitive for UPSC-CSE?|| Ask me Anything Session with Nilesh Gaikwad IPS|| Limited Slots, Fill the Form Now

    Nilesh Gaikwad has a come a long way, just like his UPSC preparation.

    He started in the year 2015 and fulfilled his dream in 2020. This however does not mean he is not academically inclined. Nilesh cleared the tough IIT-JEE examinations in his first attempt and graduated from IIT Bombay. After working for a year at a private firm, Nilesh quit to follow his UPSC-CSE dream. Why did he want to prepare for UPSC-CSE just when he had achieved the ‘middle-class’ settled life?

    As a college student, Nilesh was never interested in UPSC-CSE. However, as an employee in an IT firm, Nilesh looked upto his boss. He wondered what motivated his boss to wake up everyday and navigate through the rigors of work. He understood that his boss had found the purpose of his life in his job.

    That’s when Nilesh realized he was unable to fulfill his purpose or express his passion in a private job. “Owning a car, buying fancy gadgets and earning in lakhs — this did not drive me. Unfortunately, a private job just gives you that and nothing more.”, Nilesh said. Hailing from a small town, Nilesh wanted to go back to roots and do something for many such small towns in India. After a quick research, the idea of UPSC-CSE struck him.

    He left his fulltime job to prepare for UPSC-CSE and gave nearly 4 attempts. In his 3rd attempt, he got selected for Indian Defence Accounts Service post. While undergoing training, Nilesh prepared once again under the guidance of Civilsdaily mentor Pravin Sir and finally became an IPS Officer.

    Open to All, Free to Attend Ask me Anything Session with Nilesh Gaikwad

    This Sunday, Nilesh will be enlightening all Civilsdaily aspirants in an Ask me Anything Webinar. This webinar is absolutely free for all to attend and everyone can air their questions to Nilesh Gaikwad IPS.

    But since there is only a limited slot of one hour, invitation for the webinar is by registration only. Confirm your presence by filling the form below.

    Key Takeaways of the Webinar


    1. How to develop perseverance and self-confidence while preparing for UPSC CSE?

    2. How to work on weaknesses and overcome them?

    3. The right approach for Mains.

    4. What to study in last 25 days for Mains 2021?

    5. How to score good marks in the Personality Test (Interview)

    6. Tips for beginners.

    7. Importance of ‘right guidance with right direction’ to sail through the exam.

    Webinar Details

    If you are studying hard but are unsure that you are studying right, then its time to get some assurance from the topper himself! Register for this free webinar by IPS officer Nilesh Gaikwad.

    Date: 12 December 2021 (Sunday)

    Time: 3 P.M

  • How Mains Answer Writing with Guidance Helps you become Competitive for UPSC-CSE?|| Ask me Anything Session with Nilesh Gaikwad IPS|| Limited Slots, Fill the Form Now

    How Mains Answer Writing with Guidance Helps you become Competitive for UPSC-CSE?|| Ask me Anything Session with Nilesh Gaikwad IPS|| Limited Slots, Fill the Form Now

    Nilesh Gaikwad has a come a long way, just like his UPSC preparation.

    He started in the year 2015 and fulfilled his dream in 2020. This however does not mean he is not academically inclined. Nilesh cleared the tough IIT-JEE examinations in his first attempt and graduated from IIT Bombay. After working for a year at a private firm, Nilesh quit to follow his UPSC-CSE dream. Why did he want to prepare for UPSC-CSE just when he had achieved the ‘middle-class’ settled life?

    As a college student, Nilesh was never interested in UPSC-CSE. However, as an employee in an IT firm, Nilesh looked upto his boss. He wondered what motivated his boss to wake up everyday and navigate through the rigors of work. He understood that his boss had found the purpose of his life in his job.

    That’s when Nilesh realized he was unable to fulfill his purpose or express his passion in a private job. “Owning a car, buying fancy gadgets and earning in lakhs — this did not drive me. Unfortunately, a private job just gives you that and nothing more.”, Nilesh said. Hailing from a small town, Nilesh wanted to go back to roots and do something for many such small towns in India. After a quick research, the idea of UPSC-CSE struck him.

    He left his fulltime job to prepare for UPSC-CSE and gave nearly 4 attempts. In his 3rd attempt, he got selected for Indian Defence Accounts Service post. While undergoing training, Nilesh prepared once again under the guidance of Civilsdaily mentor Pravin Sir and finally became an IPS Officer.

    Open to All, Free to Attend Ask me Anything Session with Nilesh Gaikwad

    This Sunday, Nilesh will be enlightening all Civilsdaily aspirants in an Ask me Anything Webinar. This webinar is absolutely free for all to attend and everyone can air their questions to Nilesh Gaikwad IPS.

    But since there is only a limited slot of one hour, invitation for the webinar is by registration only. Confirm your presence by filling the form below.

    Key Takeaways of the Webinar


    1. How to develop perseverance and self-confidence while preparing for UPSC CSE?

    2. How to work on weaknesses and overcome them?

    3. The right approach for Mains.

    4. What to study in last 25 days for Mains 2021?

    5. How to score good marks in the Personality Test (Interview)

    6. Tips for beginners.

    7. Importance of ‘right guidance with right direction’ to sail through the exam.

    Webinar Details

    If you are studying hard but are unsure that you are studying right, then its time to get some assurance from the topper himself! Register for this free webinar by IPS officer Nilesh Gaikwad.

    Date: 12 December 2021 (Sunday)

    Time: 3 P.M

  • How Mains Answer Writing with Guidance Helps you become Competitive for UPSC-CSE?|| Ask me Anything Session with Nilesh Gaikwad IPS|| Limited Slots, Fill the Form Now

    How Mains Answer Writing with Guidance Helps you become Competitive for UPSC-CSE?|| Ask me Anything Session with Nilesh Gaikwad IPS|| Limited Slots, Fill the Form Now

    Nilesh Gaikwad has a come a long way, just like his UPSC preparation.

    He started in the year 2015 and fulfilled his dream in 2020. This however does not mean he is not academically inclined. Nilesh cleared the tough IIT-JEE examinations in his first attempt and graduated from IIT Bombay. After working for a year at a private firm, Nilesh quit to follow his UPSC-CSE dream. Why did he want to prepare for UPSC-CSE just when he had achieved the ‘middle-class’ settled life?

    As a college student, Nilesh was never interested in UPSC-CSE. However, as an employee in an IT firm, Nilesh looked upto his boss. He wondered what motivated his boss to wake up everyday and navigate through the rigors of work. He understood that his boss had found the purpose of his life in his job.

    That’s when Nilesh realized he was unable to fulfill his purpose or express his passion in a private job. “Owning a car, buying fancy gadgets and earning in lakhs — this did not drive me. Unfortunately, a private job just gives you that and nothing more.”, Nilesh said. Hailing from a small town, Nilesh wanted to go back to roots and do something for many such small towns in India. After a quick research, the idea of UPSC-CSE struck him.

    He left his fulltime job to prepare for UPSC-CSE and gave nearly 4 attempts. In his 3rd attempt, he got selected for Indian Defence Accounts Service post. While undergoing training, Nilesh prepared once again under the guidance of Civilsdaily mentor Pravin Sir and finally became an IPS Officer.

    Open to All, Free to Attend Ask me Anything Session with Nilesh Gaikwad

    This Sunday, Nilesh will be enlightening all Civilsdaily aspirants in an Ask me Anything Webinar. This webinar is absolutely free for all to attend and everyone can air their questions to Nilesh Gaikwad IPS.

    But since there is only a limited slot of one hour, invitation for the webinar is by registration only. Confirm your presence by filling the form below.

    Key Takeaways of the Webinar


    1. How to develop perseverance and self-confidence while preparing for UPSC CSE?

    2. How to work on weaknesses and overcome them?

    3. The right approach for Mains.

    4. What to study in last 25 days for Mains 2021?

    5. How to score good marks in the Personality Test (Interview)

    6. Tips for beginners.

    7. Importance of ‘right guidance with right direction’ to sail through the exam.

    Webinar Details

    If you are studying hard but are unsure that you are studying right, then its time to get some assurance from the topper himself! Register for this free webinar by IPS officer Nilesh Gaikwad.

    Date: 12 December 2021 (Sunday)

    Time: 3 P.M

  • 10th December 2021| Daily Answer Writing Enhancement(AWE)

    GS Papers:

    Topics for Today’s questions:

    GS-1     Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc, geographical features and their location-changes in critical geographical features (including water-bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes

    GS-2    Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation; Constitution of India

    GS-3    Indian Economy

    GS-4    Ethics and Human Interface: Essence, determinants and consequences of ethics in human actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics in private and public relationships

    Questions:

    Question 1)

     

    Q.1 Ocean deoxygenation is one of the most detrimental, yet under-reported side-effects of human- induced climate change. Identify the causes behind it. Also, mention its socio-economic and environmental implications for the world. (15 Marks)

     

    Question 2)

    Q.2 What are the issues with the provisions of Armed Forces Special Powers Act? Do you agree with the view that repealing it would strengthen the Constitution? (10 Marks)

    Question 3)

    Q.3 What changes were made by the RBI in its monetary policy in the wake of Covid? Examine the steps taken by the RBI towards policy normalisation without causing disruption. (10 Marks)

    Question 4)  

    Q.4 How the interests of private sphere and public sphere become conflictual? What should be done in the event of such conflict? Explain. (10 Marks)

     

    HOW TO ATTEMPT ANSWERS IN DAILY ANSWER WRITING ENHANCEMENT(AWE)?

    1. Daily 4 questions from General studies 1, 2, 3, and 4 will be provided to you.

    2. A Mentor’s Comment will be available for all answers. This can be used as a guidance tool but we encourage you to write original answers.

    3. You can write your answer on an A4 sheet and scan/click pictures of the same.

    4.  Upload the scanned answer in the comment section of the same question.

    5. Along with the scanned answer, please share your Razor payment ID, so that paid members are given priority.

    6. If you upload the answer on the same day like the answer of 11th  October is uploaded on 11th October then your answer will be checked within 72 hours. Also, reviews will be in the order of submission- First come first serve basis

    7. If you are writing answers late, for example, 11th October is uploaded on 13th October, then these answers will be evaluated as per the mentor’s schedule.

    8. We encourage you to write answers on the same day. However, if you are uploading an answer late then tag the mentor like @Staff so that the mentor is notified about your answer.

    *In case your answer is not reviewed, reply to your answer saying *NOT CHECKED*. 

    For the philosophy of AWE and payment: 

  • All UPSC-CSE Mains Recommended Candidates, Here’s a Good News!|| Civilsdaily is Providing Free  360° Comphrehensive Notes on 250 Most Important Topics of Mains 2021|| Register Now & Get them for FREE|| Quality Enrichment Program

    All UPSC-CSE Mains Recommended Candidates, Here’s a Good News!|| Civilsdaily is Providing Free 360° Comphrehensive Notes on 250 Most Important Topics of Mains 2021|| Register Now & Get them for FREE|| Quality Enrichment Program

    Program starting from the second week of December.

    UPSC CSE Mains 2021 will be conducted on January 2022 and is hardly a month away. It’s time to practice a lot of test series and revise the topics.

    We, at Civilsdaily rose to the occasion and have prepared consolidated notes of the 250 most important topics of Mains 2021. Each topic will have 2-3 pages of notes of material from the standard books and current affairs. They will also have relevant factual data and statistics highlighted in bold for every topic that will help you provide a solid introduction and conclusion.

    And the best news is…. all of this is absolutely free for all Mains selected candidates! Just fill the form right now to request the QEP material and we will get in touch with you with ASAP.

    How Quality Assessment Program be useful right now?

    You might be wondering, with just a month away is it wise to register for any program right now, even for free? You don’t have to worry. The Quality Assessment Program is not new information. It’s consolidated revision notes from the standard books and current affairs of UPSC-CSE Mains.

    Our initiative last year of compiling issues and topics that had a high probability of being asked in Mains 2020 was a thumping success– our toppers said they greatly benefitted from it. One such topper, Lakshay Chowdhary was gracious enough to give us a video testimonial.

    Questions in 2020 Mains came from topics we covered like Pala period, Circum-Pacific zone, Online Education in India, Criminalization in Politics, 16 years of RTI, Microfinance etc.

    Coverage of topics in QEP will have one and only one purpose – to enable you to write great answers for any question from a particular topic. To be able to write a convincing 250 words answer for a topic, you need to know atleast 1-2 pages of content for it.

    At this point in time studying everything is not desirable neither is it feasible. You don’t have time to read everything, segregate what is important and what’s not, make notes, cover different dimensions, and then find a way to utilize that. What you need at this point in time is efficient and organized coverage of the most relevant topics for the IAS mains exam. With QEP we aim to help you achieve all this.

    QEP or Quality Enrichment Program is an intensive and holistic program for IAS Mains 2021 GS papers. We aim to cover 250+ most relevant issues with a 360-degree view, covering all dimensions of each and every topic. Not only you’ll learn and analyze these issues but will also understand how to utilize them via Daily Answer Writing and Mains Test Series.

    Topic-Wise Current Affairs From An Issue Perspective

    Current affairs in the IAS mains exam must be covered from an ‘issue perspective’ and almost all of them have multiple dimensions to it, various stakeholders involved, have interconnectedness, and can be solved with a multipronged approach only. This should reflect in your answers.

    QEP will help you enrich your pre-existing coverage and will add quality to it. With tests and mentorship, you will get an evaluation and necessary course correction. And we will provide daily answer writing to help you sharpen your answer writing skills and knowledge with our daily initiatives on Habitat.

    Excluding your optional subject, we will be providing topic-wise notes from all the other GS papers for free. This includes Ethics case studies as well!

    What are some of the topics that will be covered in Quality Assessment Program?

    Unlike Prelims, Mains examinations are lesser dynamic. That’s why we have QEP for Mains and not Prelims. We are not like other dubious institutes who claimed to have figured out the exact paper pattern of Mains 2021. But if you put 2 &2 together, you will know that every paper has nearly 40 topics and we are covering 35 of the most important topics from every paper for Free! (Optional Subjects and Language papers are not included)

    Here are 10 of the most important topics we will be covering

    1. Scrapping of ease of doing Business ranking

    2. Retrospective taxation in India :Issues and Challenges

    3. K vs U shaped economic recovery in India

    4. Governing OTT Platforms

    5. Caste Census and associated issues

    6. Antimicrobial resistance

    7. Changes needed in Reservation system

    8. Departmental Standing committees

    9. Agenda of India in UNSC

    10. India-Australia relations

  • [Sansad TV] Perspective: India – Russia Annual Summit

    UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

    Overview

    • The Summit between India and Russia marks the 21st Annual Summit between the two countries after the 2+2 dialogue.
    • This will be the first in-person meeting of the Russian President and PM Modi after 2019.
    • It is in continuation of the tradition of Annual Summits alternately in India and Russia.

    The 2+2 Dialogue

    • It is a strategic conversation between the defense and the foreign ministries of two countries having diplomatic relations.
    • India now has a 2+2 format dialogue mechanism on strategic and security issues with four of its key strategic partners, Russia being the latest.
    • The three others — Australia, the US and Japan — are also ‘Quad’ partners.

    2+2 Dialogue with Russia

    • Russia is one of those countries with which a 2+2 format talk “fits perfectly” in India’s foreign policy.
    • To be sure, the India-Russia 2+2 do have a particularly strong signaling component when seen against the backdrop of the S400 controversy.
    • It can be read as a reminder to Washington that the S400 deal and broader India-Russia defense cooperation will continue, regardless of US concerns.

    Expected outcomes of this Summit

    • There is a propensity towards the signing of agreements between India and Russia in areas of Defence, Trade, Energy and also Space Technology.
    • The Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics (RELOS) Agreement is expected to be signed between the two countries.
    • Both nations have agreed for the manufacture of over six lakh AK-203 assault rifles by a Joint Venture, Indo-Russian Rifles Private Ltd, at Korwa, Amethi, in UP.
    • Both countries will take an attempt to deepen their collaboration with a primary focus on regional security concerns with the return of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

    India-Russia Relations: A backgrounder

    • The relations between Russia and India are an important and privileged strategic partnership.
    • The relationship began with a visit by Indian PM Jawaharlal Nehru to the Soviet Union in June 1955.
    • During the Cold War, India and the Soviet Union (USSR) had a strong strategic, military, economic and diplomatic relationship.
    • After the collapse of the USSR, Russia inherited its close relationship with India resulted in the special relationship.

    The Partnership

    Traditionally, the Indo-Russian strategic partnership has been built on five major components: politics, defense, civil nuclear energy, anti-terrorism cooperation and space.

    (1) Strategic Relations

    • India is the second-largest market for the Russian defence industry.
    • In 2017, approximately 68% of the Indian Military’s hardware import came from Russia, making Russia the chief supplier of defence equipment.
    • It has rose above a buyer-seller relationship with the joint ventures projects.

    (2) Economic Relations

    • Bilateral trade between both countries is concentrated in key value-chain sectors.
    • These sectors include highly diversified segments such as machinery, electronics, aerospace, automobile, commercial shipping, chemicals, pharmaceuticals etc.
    • Both countries set a target of reaching US$30 billion in bilateral trade by 2025.
    • Energy sector is another important area in Indo-Russian bilateral relations.

    Recent trends in bilateral ties

    Despite the best efforts, divergences grew in the bilateral relationships as the underlying structural changes in the international environment are pulling the two nations apart.

    (1) Bilateral divergence

    • While the top leadership of the two nations have continued to engage with each other, divergences have been cropping up with disturbing regularity.
    • For India, what should be concerning is Russia’s increasing tilt towards Pakistan as it seeks to curry favour with China.
    • Moscow had historically supported India at the UNSC by repeatedly vetoing resolutions on the Kashmir issue.

    (2) Military-Defence Complexes

    • Strains are becoming apparent as India moves further along the path of military indigenization and import diversification.
    • India’s procurement from the US and France has also been seen as a heated divergence between the two.
    • This was a result of the unreliability of Russian supplies, as manifested in late arrivals, defective parts, and perennial conflicts overpricing and warranties.

    (3) Cultural Vacuum

    • On an everyday level, while India films and yoga are popular in Russia, no parallel exposure to any aspect of Russian popular culture exists among Indians.
    • This is the most woefully neglected aspect of their relationship, suffering on both sides from lack of funding and, no less important, a shortage of political will.
    • Another aspect of ties is tourism which could be much more vigorous between the two countries than present India’s US affinity

    (4) India-US ties

    • India’s engagement with the US addresses its core concerns regarding regional security.
    • The signing of the long-awaited Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) is set to elevate the bilateral defence partnership and give India access to advance US defence systems.
    • A closer engagement with the US is a challenge for India, as this relationship is not likely to be a partnership of equals, for the foreseeable future.

    Significance of ties

    (1) Russia needs India as

    • Ukraine conquest: A market for its goods to bypass Western sanctions imposed after its power push in Ukraine.
    • Countering China: Despite its renewed friendship with China, Russia will soon find itself in competition with it as Beijing regards itself as the new G2 along with the US.
    • Against US hegemony: India can help provide the multi-polarity that Russia fiercely seeks.

    (2) India needs Russia because

    • Energy security: An area of special interest for India is the exploration of hydrocarbon reserves along the coast of Russia’s Far East where India has decided to extend a $1 billion Line of Credit.
    • Space collaboration: Despite expanding its purchases from the US, Israel and Europe, India still needs to collaborate with Russia to master future technology including for space.
    • Defence purchases: It improves India’s bargaining power when it negotiates arms sales with the West.
    • Indian exports: Russia can be a major market for Indian industry such as pharmaceuticals, manufactured goods, dairy products, bovine meat and frozen seafood.
    • Geopolitical importance: Russia continues to be a balancing force against any designs China and Pakistan may have in our region.
    • UNSC ambitions: New Delhi needs Moscow’s support in the former’s bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

    Way forward

    • The recent comprehensive U.S.-India Strategic 2+2 Dialogue is a model to follow.
    • There should be more meetings at the highest state level, regular annual reports on the progress of the working groups, and reinvigorated interactions.
    • India’s cores strength is that it follows an independent foreign policy.
    • On its long way to become a global power, it will likely have to follow a zigzag course, balancing between American demands, long-term friendship with Russia and its own strategic necessities.
  • All UPSC-CSE Mains Recommended Candidates, Here’s a Good News!|| Civilsdaily is Providing Free  360° Comphrehensive Notes on 250 Most Important Topics of Mains 2021|| Register Now & Get them for FREE|| Quality Enrichment Program

    All UPSC-CSE Mains Recommended Candidates, Here’s a Good News!|| Civilsdaily is Providing Free 360° Comphrehensive Notes on 250 Most Important Topics of Mains 2021|| Register Now & Get them for FREE|| Quality Enrichment Program

    Program starting from the second week of December.

    UPSC CSE Mains 2021 will be conducted on January 2022 and is hardly a month away. It’s time to practice a lot of test series and revise the topics.

    We, at Civilsdaily rose to the occasion and have prepared consolidated notes of the 250 most important topics of Mains 2021. Each topic will have 2-3 pages of notes of material from the standard books and current affairs. They will also have relevant factual data and statistics highlighted in bold for every topic that will help you provide a solid introduction and conclusion.

    And the best news is…. all of this is absolutely free for all Mains selected candidates! Just fill the form right now to request the QEP material and we will get in touch with you with ASAP.

    How Quality Assessment Program be useful right now?

    You might be wondering, with just a month away is it wise to register for any program right now, even for free? You don’t have to worry. The Quality Assessment Program is not new information. It’s consolidated revision notes from the standard books and current affairs of UPSC-CSE Mains.

    Our initiative last year of compiling issues and topics that had a high probability of being asked in Mains 2020 was a thumping success– our toppers said they greatly benefitted from it. One such topper, Lakshay Chowdhary was gracious enough to give us a video testimonial.

    Questions in 2020 Mains came from topics we covered like Pala period, Circum-Pacific zone, Online Education in India, Criminalization in Politics, 16 years of RTI, Microfinance etc.

    Coverage of topics in QEP will have one and only one purpose – to enable you to write great answers for any question from a particular topic. To be able to write a convincing 250 words answer for a topic, you need to know atleast 1-2 pages of content for it.

    At this point in time studying everything is not desirable neither is it feasible. You don’t have time to read everything, segregate what is important and what’s not, make notes, cover different dimensions, and then find a way to utilize that. What you need at this point in time is efficient and organized coverage of the most relevant topics for the IAS mains exam. With QEP we aim to help you achieve all this.

    QEP or Quality Enrichment Program is an intensive and holistic program for IAS Mains 2021 GS papers. We aim to cover 250+ most relevant issues with a 360-degree view, covering all dimensions of each and every topic. Not only you’ll learn and analyze these issues but will also understand how to utilize them via Daily Answer Writing and Mains Test Series.

    Topic-Wise Current Affairs From An Issue Perspective

    Current affairs in the IAS mains exam must be covered from an ‘issue perspective’ and almost all of them have multiple dimensions to it, various stakeholders involved, have interconnectedness, and can be solved with a multipronged approach only. This should reflect in your answers.

    QEP will help you enrich your pre-existing coverage and will add quality to it. With tests and mentorship, you will get an evaluation and necessary course correction. And we will provide daily answer writing to help you sharpen your answer writing skills and knowledge with our daily initiatives on Habitat.

    Excluding your optional subject, we will be providing topic-wise notes from all the other GS papers for free. This includes Ethics case studies as well!

    What are some of the topics that will be covered in Quality Assessment Program?

    Unlike Prelims, Mains examinations are lesser dynamic. That’s why we have QEP for Mains and not Prelims. We are not like other dubious institutes who claimed to have figured out the exact paper pattern of Mains 2021. But if you put 2 &2 together, you will know that every paper has nearly 40 topics and we are covering 35 of the most important topics from every paper for Free! (Optional Subjects and Language papers are not included)

    Here are 10 of the most important topics we will be covering

    1. Scrapping of ease of doing Business ranking

    2. Retrospective taxation in India :Issues and Challenges

    3. K vs U shaped economic recovery in India

    4. Governing OTT Platforms

    5. Caste Census and associated issues

    6. Antimicrobial resistance

    7. Changes needed in Reservation system

    8. Departmental Standing committees

    9. Agenda of India in UNSC

    10. India-Australia relations

  • How has Samanvaya Mentorship helped Civilsdaily Student Smriti Chetna Improve her Prelims and Mains Scores? || Book Your First Free 1-on-1 Counselling Session with us in next 24 hours|| LINK INSIDE

    How has Samanvaya Mentorship helped Civilsdaily Student Smriti Chetna Improve her Prelims and Mains Scores? || Book Your First Free 1-on-1 Counselling Session with us in next 24 hours|| LINK INSIDE

    Smriti Chetna is a student of Civilsdaily mentor Ravi sir. She joined the Ultimate Assessment Program (UAP) on 18 August 2020. As she is happy with Civilsdaily, she has now upgraded to UAP 2022.

    You can also get your first free counselling session (30-40 minutes) from Civilsdaily by filling the form now. An expert mentor will reach out to you in the next 24 hours.

    Initially, Smriti wasn’t confident about Prelims when she began her preparation but found Mains to be manageable. Though she had joined Civilsdaily in 2020, she started studying for UPSC-CSE in 2019. At that time, Smriti had enrolled in multiple institutes. Though, most of these institutes had promised a personal mentor, she was unable to get in touch with them on a daily basis. Also those mentors never scheduled test-series on a weekly basis. Hence, despite preparing for a year, Smriti had scored only 70 marks out of 250 in her first test series by Civilsdaily.

    She then started writing 20-25 test series over the course of UAP 2021 and in her last test, her scores have drastically improved. She now scores in the range of 130-135 marks in prelims’ and 110+ in mains’ papers.

    Smriti Chetna: “Believe in yourself, Believe in your dream and Surround yourself with those who Believe you can achieve your dream“.

    We had a chance to catch up with Civilsdaily student and aspiring civil servant, Smriti. In between her college studies and UPSC CSE preparation, we were able to have a quick 15 minute chat with her.

    Smriti, what has motivated you to prepare for UPSC as a college student?

    My father is a government officer and we have discussions (sometimes, even debates) over dinner on how we can improve systemic changes that impede the growth of our country. From this, I have realized that as a country we do have the laws, money, resources and manpower for high growth. What’s lacking is the right execution. Only government and civil servants can do this. Though my dad is not an IAS officer, I have seen him bring changes in whatever capacity he is allowed. When I was in school, our chief guests on annual days were IAS or IPS officers. Their inspiring speeches and my dad’s work has what interested me to prepare for UPSC.

    Why do you think mentorship is very important for your UPSC-CSE preparation?

    I think its important for every aspirant to be in the right company when they are preparing for this unpredictable and tedious exam. They need to believe in your preparation as much as you do. Our parents provide us financial and emotional support, friends provide us moral support and the right mentor gives you logistic and logical support. There are days when I felt I won’t be able to compete against lakhs of aspirants, that’s when Ravi sir reminded me of my improvement and encouraged me that I can crack it with the same consistency. We need someone, who tells us we are performing well especially when we cannot see that ourselves. The mentorship at Civilsdaily helped me become mentally stronger as a person. In other institutes, mentors are allotted only for doubt resolution. But at Civilsdaily, I am getting end-to-end support.

    You found prelims to be difficult initially, why so? How has Ravi sir mentored you for prelims?

    I was not good at remembering the exact factual data. I have done UPSC-CSE prelims paper analysis from 2018-2021. I must say, the Civilsdaily prelims test series are at the same level and some of them are even tougher than the actual UPSC-CSE paper. I have also personally checked if the subject-wise test series covers all the topics in the syllabus. There are 4-5 questions even from topics that aspirants consider to have lesser weightage. Under Ravi sir’s mentorship, I learnt to pay attention to stats and figures for prelims. He also helped me with the different elimination techniques I can use to get the right answer. Samachar Manthan is my favorite aspect of the Ultimate Assessment Program. The current affairs is neatly consolidated topic-wise from The Hindu, Indian Express, PIB, RSTV, Yojana and Kurukshetra. It’s a good material to revise your current affairs 3-4 months before the exam. The more tests I take, the lesser fears and anxiety I have about the upcoming UPSC-CSE exam. I get value-added materials, coaching notes and online classes from Civilsdaily as well.

    How was your preparation 1-2 weeks into UAP and how is it now?

    When I started out, I used to take 2-3 months to complete a standard book. However, I would still not have my concepts clear. Right now in my third revision, I am able to complete the entire Laxmikanth book in one week. With respect to mains answer writing, I never used to answer all the keywords of the questions. Now, I am able to organise an answer in my mind as I answer it. After evaluating my answers, Ravi sir would give me a call where he would discuss where I could have included diagrams or flowcharts and the other sources I can refer for better answers on a topic.

    I always feel as a beginner, you have to be easy on yourself. Don’t write off UPSC CSE, just because you did not understand the concepts on Day 01.

    What’s more important for a UPSC Aspirant — Intelligence or Consistency?

    Few of my friends who started at the same time as me, performed much better in tests and had more knowledge on a topic than I did. But now, they are not interested in preparing for the examination anymore. I would definitely rank consistency over intelligence.

    I can give another example from my own preparation. As I am pursuing a BA degree in History, I find the UPSC history subject to be easy. However, Geography was a subject I grappled with in the initial few months. After a solid two years of preparation, I am scoring equal marks in Geography and History. This is only due to consistency.

    Are group studies detrimental or useful for your UPSC preparation?

    Group studies online, especially the way Civilsdaily has structured it, removes the cons generally associated with group studies. When we study with our friends, we generally do for an hour or so before hanging out at a joint and chit-chatting. That does not happen over here. We explain concepts that we are not clear about to each other, sometimes share links of important reading material. When you are able to make another person understand a concept, you feel more positive about yourself.

    Any final advice you would like to give to beginners?

    Always go through the videos of toppers who have given multiple attempts before clearing the exams. Because, what has worked for others might not work for you, but what has not worked for others will also not work for you. I understood how important it was to study for your optional subject everyday after watching these videos.

    What is Ravi sir’s mentorship all about which boosted Smriti’s confidence & marks nearly 2x times? Let’s hear him talk about it.

    Smriti used to consult multiple mentors in other institutes but now she only prefers the mentorship of Civilsdaily. What’s unique about the mentorship of Civilsdaily?

    After talking to other students, I learnt that the mentors in other institutes are egoistic and have a ‘know-it-all’ attitude. They often demotivate students for what they call as ‘silly mistakes’. They even go to the extent of predicting if a student is likely to clear UPSC or not. But in Civilsdaily, mentors believe in working like a GPS. We understand what direction the student is in right now and tell them the closest route they can take to complete the syllabus and score marks in their tests. We are nobody to judge a learner. That’s why aspirants like Smriti prefer Civilsdaily mentorship.

    With respect to Smriti, how did you guide her?

    Smriti is a very passionate and hardworking student, but I noticed that she would take study breaks that lasted more than a month or two. This didn’t deter me from putting across reminders to her. I believe that a mentor shouldn’t stop encouraging an aspirant in the initial months even if they don’t show the inclination to prepare. The syllabus is vast and overwhelming and it’s understandable that a beginner can get demotivated.

    Due to this, Smriti gradually opened up to me about her issues. I understood that she gets panic attacks and it would take her nearly 2-3 weeks to recover. I decided that as a mentor, I had to be empathetic and sensitive to her issues and not brush them aside. Smriti often felt guilty about her study breaks and I assured her that it was okay to take a break as she deserved one. I asked her to hang out with her friends and family more often and go on a walk in the park with them. Over a period of time, Smriti could recover from a panic attack in 2-3 days instead of 2-3 weeks.

    I then started giving her weekly targets to achieve and congratulated her upon successful completion in the study group. I would assign her a topic to read and ask her to explain the same to me. I would let her teach me those topics. When she missed out points, I would immediately tell her why adding a certain point will help her in the exam. After this, I even asked her to conduct few sessions on Habitat for other learners. This made her confident to continue her preparation.

    Let’s get into the specifics, what are other methods you used to mentor Smriti on a day-to-day basis?

    All of my test-series, whether prelims or mains are conducted on Zoom with the camera on so that I can monitor the students. This will discourage a student from taking unnecessary breaks and they will only utilize the three hours to answer questions.

    When she had taken the Mains test series of other institutes, Smriti would take 5-6 hours to complete all questions. Over here, she finishes a test-series within the stipulated time of 3 hours.

    Besides this, when a student starts studying I will ask them to say ‘Hi’ . When they are taking a break they need to say ‘Bye’ and when they resume their studies they need to say ‘Hi’ once again. At the end of the day, I would calculate the number of hours they spent studying and let them know the same. I never used to judge them for studying less. It’s like how a fitness tracker works. Whoever is interested in completing 1000 steps in a day will compensate for the next day if they are unable to achieve today’s target. This pushed Smriti to study for long hours.

    While initially, she could not study for more than two hours everyday, now she studies for 8 hours without a break (12 hours with breaks). This is something she does by her own interest without me insisting her to follow it.

    We have heard about the virtual library in your mentorship. What is that?

    Virtual library is a practice wherein the student gets their study materials, logs in to a zoom session with other aspirants. All of them study silently. On the go, I share any extra reports or current affairs articles they have to read along with their standard books. While studying, if any student has a doubt they can ask in the session and it will be resolved.

    Sometimes, our virtual library will be divided into small study group of 3-4 members who will all study the same topic together and discuss the aspects of the topic to each other. This is to prevent the aspirant from feeling lonely in their long preparation journey. Many students have reacted positively to this initiative as well, they get a sense of companionship and competitiveness when they are studying as a group.

    What are few of the topics which students find difficult?

    Economy is a subject where most of the students grapple with. I get a lot of doubts on topics like RBI, security market and bonds.

    We have asked Smriti as well, but we want your take on this. What do you think of Smriti’s performance in the past 10 months?

    She is a consistent performer. Though, initially she had scored only 30 out of 250 marks in GS Essay, now she is scoring above 100+ in all the mains test series. I am confident if she maintains the same consistency she can clear the exam in 2022.

    That being said, I feel she can score better in mains. While evaluating her papers, I understood she is not including relevant factual data to back up her answers. I will be providing her committee reports and recommendations and mentor her in this direction from now on.

    Get your first free counselling session (30-40 minutes) from Civilsdaily by filling the form below —

  • 9th December 2021| Daily Answer Writing Enhancement(AWE)

    GS Papers:

    Topics for Today’s questions:

    GS-1     Factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world (including India).

    GS-2     Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

    GS-3    Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

    GS-4    Probity in Governance: Information sharing and_ transparency in government, Right to Information, Codes of Ethics, Codes of Conduct, Citizen’s Charters, Work culture, Quality of service delivery, Utilization of public funds, challenges of corruption

    Questions:

    Question 1)

     

    Q.1 What are footloose industries? Identify the factors that influence their location with examples. (10 Marks)

     

    Question 2)

    Q.2 What are the implications of the low public spending on health in India? The National Health Accounts (NHA) report for 2017-18 shows that total public spending on health as a percentage of GDP has increased. In this context, examine the issues with the findings of increased spending in the report. (15 Marks)

    Question 3)

    Q.3 Stubble burning by farmers of the adjacent states contributes significantly to the air pollution in Delhi. In this context, examine the initiatives taken by the government to deal with the problem and suggest the way forward. (10 Marks)

    Question 4)  

    Q.4 What is the present perception of public administration in the view of the general public? How can we reconcile “public” and “administration”? (10 Marks)

     

    HOW TO ATTEMPT ANSWERS IN DAILY ANSWER WRITING ENHANCEMENT(AWE)?

    1. Daily 4 questions from General studies 1, 2, 3, and 4 will be provided to you.

    2. A Mentor’s Comment will be available for all answers. This can be used as a guidance tool but we encourage you to write original answers.

    3. You can write your answer on an A4 sheet and scan/click pictures of the same.

    4.  Upload the scanned answer in the comment section of the same question.

    5. Along with the scanned answer, please share your Razor payment ID, so that paid members are given priority.

    6. If you upload the answer on the same day like the answer of 11th  October is uploaded on 11th October then your answer will be checked within 72 hours. Also, reviews will be in the order of submission- First come first serve basis

    7. If you are writing answers late, for example, 11th October is uploaded on 13th October, then these answers will be evaluated as per the mentor’s schedule.

    8. We encourage you to write answers on the same day. However, if you are uploading an answer late then tag the mentor like @Staff so that the mentor is notified about your answer.

    *In case your answer is not reviewed, reply to your answer saying *NOT CHECKED*. 

    For the philosophy of AWE and payment: 

  • All UPSC-CSE Mains Recommended Candidates, Here’s a Good News!|| Civilsdaily is Providing Free  360° Comphrehensive Notes on 250 Most Important Topics of Mains 2021|| Register Now & Get them for FREE|| Quality Enrichment Program

    All UPSC-CSE Mains Recommended Candidates, Here’s a Good News!|| Civilsdaily is Providing Free 360° Comphrehensive Notes on 250 Most Important Topics of Mains 2021|| Register Now & Get them for FREE|| Quality Enrichment Program

    Program starting from the second week of December.

    UPSC CSE Mains 2021 will be conducted on January 2022 and is hardly a month away. It’s time to practice a lot of test series and revise the topics.

    We, at Civilsdaily rose to the occasion and have prepared consolidated notes of the 250 most important topics of Mains 2021. Each topic will have 2-3 pages of notes of material from the standard books and current affairs. They will also have relevant factual data and statistics highlighted in bold for every topic that will help you provide a solid introduction and conclusion.

    And the best news is…. all of this is absolutely free for all Mains selected candidates! Just fill the form right now to request the QEP material and we will get in touch with you with ASAP.

    How Quality Assessment Program be useful right now?

    You might be wondering, with just a month away is it wise to register for any program right now, even for free? You don’t have to worry. The Quality Assessment Program is not new information. It’s consolidated revision notes from the standard books and current affairs of UPSC-CSE Mains.

    Our initiative last year of compiling issues and topics that had a high probability of being asked in Mains 2020 was a thumping success– our toppers said they greatly benefitted from it. One such topper, Lakshay Chowdhary was gracious enough to give us a video testimonial.

    Questions in 2020 Mains came from topics we covered like Pala period, Circum-Pacific zone, Online Education in India, Criminalization in Politics, 16 years of RTI, Microfinance etc.

    Coverage of topics in QEP will have one and only one purpose – to enable you to write great answers for any question from a particular topic. To be able to write a convincing 250 words answer for a topic, you need to know atleast 1-2 pages of content for it.

    At this point in time studying everything is not desirable neither is it feasible. You don’t have time to read everything, segregate what is important and what’s not, make notes, cover different dimensions, and then find a way to utilize that. What you need at this point in time is efficient and organized coverage of the most relevant topics for the IAS mains exam. With QEP we aim to help you achieve all this.

    QEP or Quality Enrichment Program is an intensive and holistic program for IAS Mains 2021 GS papers. We aim to cover 250+ most relevant issues with a 360-degree view, covering all dimensions of each and every topic. Not only you’ll learn and analyze these issues but will also understand how to utilize them via Daily Answer Writing and Mains Test Series.

    Topic-Wise Current Affairs From An Issue Perspective

    Current affairs in the IAS mains exam must be covered from an ‘issue perspective’ and almost all of them have multiple dimensions to it, various stakeholders involved, have interconnectedness, and can be solved with a multipronged approach only. This should reflect in your answers.

    QEP will help you enrich your pre-existing coverage and will add quality to it. With tests and mentorship, you will get an evaluation and necessary course correction. And we will provide daily answer writing to help you sharpen your answer writing skills and knowledge with our daily initiatives on Habitat.

    Excluding your optional subject, we will be providing topic-wise notes from all the other GS papers for free. This includes Ethics case studies as well!

    What are some of the topics that will be covered in Quality Assessment Program?

    Unlike Prelims, Mains examinations are lesser dynamic. That’s why we have QEP for Mains and not Prelims. We are not like other dubious institutes who claimed to have figured out the exact paper pattern of Mains 2021. But if you put 2 &2 together, you will know that every paper has nearly 40 topics and we are covering 35 of the most important topics from every paper for Free! (Optional Subjects and Language papers are not included)

    Here are 10 of the most important topics we will be covering

    1. Scrapping of ease of doing Business ranking

    2. Retrospective taxation in India :Issues and Challenges

    3. K vs U shaped economic recovery in India

    4. Governing OTT Platforms

    5. Caste Census and associated issues

    6. Antimicrobial resistance

    7. Changes needed in Reservation system

    8. Departmental Standing committees

    9. Agenda of India in UNSC

    10. India-Australia relations

  • [Yojana Archives] Journey of Panchayats

    UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

    November 2021: Panchayat Raj

    Historical background

    • Lord Mayo’s Resolution of 1870 on financial decentralisation visualised the development of local self-government institutions.
    • Lord Ripon’s Resolution of 1882 has been hailed as the ‘Magna Carta’ of local self-government. He is called as the father of local-self government in India.

    Establishment of Panchayats

    • DPSP: The Part IV of the Constitution of India contains Directive Principles of the State Policy in which Article 40 is provisioned for organisation of village panchayats.
    • 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992: It has inserted the Part IX in the Constitution, that enjoins the States to establish panchayats.
    • PESA Act: A separate legislation “Provisions for Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act” (PESA) was passed in 1996 to extend Part IX of the Constitution to the areas listed under the Fifth Schedule, subject to certain exceptions and modifications.

    Why need PRIs?

    • India is predominantly a rural nation, wherein about 65 per cent of people and 70 per cent of the workforce lives in rural areas that contribute to about 46 per cent of the economy.
    • In view of the increasing rural population, the number of administrative units- PRIs has been increasing over time.
    • Expansion of rural residential areas, creation of new districts, Tehsils, blocks, etc., are other contributing factors.

    Landmark feat: 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act

    • This Amendment paved the way for reform in local governance in the country.
    • It provided for setting up of three tiers of panchayats (only two tiers in case of States or Union Territories (UTs) having population less than 20 lakhs) ,

    It contains provision for:

    • Devolution of powers and responsibilities to panchayats for both preparation of plans for economic development and social justice, utilising resources available with them (Article 243G)
    • Implementation of the schemes and programmes related to twenty-nine subjects listed in the ‘Eleventh Schedule’ of the Constitution
    • Women’s reservation

    Establishment of a separate Ministry

    • Subsequently, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) was established on 27 May 2004.
    • The primary objective to oversee the implementation of Part IX of the Constitution and PESA Act 1996.
    • ‘Panchayats’ being a State subject, their functioning is guided by respective State/U’T Panchayati Raj Acts.

    Women empowerment and PRIs

    • Reservation for women in PRIs and subsequent increase in the quota by States has brought an unprecedented and huge number of women in the governance arena in India.
    • 21 states have made provisions of 50% reservation in PRIs in their respective State Panchayati Raj Acts.

    E-Governance Mechanism in Panchayats

    • Rural Local Bodies (RLBs) serve around 65% of the country’s population.
    • Improving functions of PRIs for better delivery of services is essential for the well-being of rural people.
    • Now the applications for these services have been unified in a single and simplified portal called eGramSwaraj.

    Bottom-up Planning

    • Provision of basic infrastructures: Emphasis on e-governance, capacity building of PRIs, focused information, education, and communication (lEC) campaign are some of the main activities.
    • These are prerequisites for effective planning by PRIs in consultation with local people organized by the Gram Sabhas.
    • Backward Regions Grant Funds (BRGF) Scheme: This was implemented (2006-2015) to bridge critical gaps in local infrastructure and other developmental requirements along with the capacity building of PRIs.
    • Preparation of the district plan:  This was an important part of BRGF.

    Capacity Building of PRIs

    • Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA): It was launched for implementation to develop and strengthen the capacities of PRIs to become more responsive towards local development needs.
    • Training: It is conducted on various themes such as constitutional and statutory provisions on the functioning of PRIs, e-Governance, financial management, commitments on SDGs, and livelihood troubles, and so on.
    • Participatory plans: This helps PRIs in preparing participatory plans that leverage technology, efficient and optimum utilisation of available resources, for realising solutions to local problems linked to SDGs.
    • Incentivization: Further, panchayats are also being incentivized through awards and financial incentives in recognition of their good work for improving planning and delivery of services.

    Devolution of Funds, Functions, and Functionaries (3Fs)

    • MoPR has been working to realize the aspirations of constitutional provisions on various aspects of devolution of 29 subjects listed in the Eleventh Schedule.
    • The progress made by the States is quite varied in terms of the devolution of subjects.
    • Various studies have highlighted that in some States the extent of devolution is robust; in others still, it is a work in progress.

    Other works: Land records management through ‘SVAMITVA’

    • Ensuring the property rights of rural inhabitants is essential for and inclusive social and economic development of the country.
    • The Ministry has launched a scheme named ‘SVAMITVA’ to prepare property records of rural people of their houses using drone surveying technology.
    • The goal is to cover most of the more than six lakh villages in the next five years.

    Outcomes: Structural change in rural economy

    • Employment opportunities are shifting from the agriculture sector to construction, manufacturing, and service sectors.
    • Also, there is a huge potential for Agro-processing industries and MSMEs in rural areas.
    • Panchayats need to appropriately include these in their planning and work with relevant agencies and stakeholders for their implementation.
    • An emphasis on skilling of rural population and promotion of rural entrepreneurship is needed in these sectors.
    • As per a report, there is huge untapped potential for the growth of financial services such as credit, insurance, and digital payment facilities in rural areas.

    Way forward

    • Flagship progam of Central and State Governments should clearly lay out the role of panchayats in their guidelines.
    • A lot of Panchayats are now equipped with the basic infrastructure but gaps still remain across the States.
    • In order to fill the gaps, the saturation approach needs to be adopted as announced by the Prime Minister on 75th Independence Day.
    • Representation of women in PRIs has substantially increased but effective participation requires appropriate training and exposure visits of these elected representatives.

    Conclusion

    • Panchayats have also strengthened and are now equipped to handle disasters/ natural calamities.
    • They have played an active role in mitigation and management of Covid-19, which is reflected in the dashboard created by the Ministry to monitor real-time activities in this direction.
    • Panchayats need to be empowered to levy and collect taxes, tolls, fees, user charges, etc., along with other activities to enhance their Own Source of Revenue.
    • Panchayat also need to consider climate action as an integral part of planning and harnessing renewable energy.