Important Books & Authors List for 2017

1.1991: How P.V. Narasimha Rao Made History - Sanjaya Baru

2.A Horse Walks into a Bar - David Grossman

3.A Life in Diplomacy - Maharajakrishna Rasgotra

4.A Life in Science - CNR Rao

5.Ace against Odds - Imran Mirza, Sania Mirza, and Shivani Gupta

6.Advice and Dissent: My Life in Public Service - Y. V. Reddy

7.Akhada: The Authorized Biography of Mahavir Singh Phogat - Saurabh Duggal

8.An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in India - Shashi Tharoor

9.An Unsuitable Boy - Karan Johar

10.Choices: Inside the Making of India S Foreign Policy - Shivshankar Menon

11.Choked - Pallavi Aiyar

12.Collective Choice and Social Welfare- Amartya Sen

13.Conflicts of Interest: My Journey through India's Green Movement - Sunita Narain

14.Courage & Commitment: An Autobiography - Margaret Alva

15.Defeat Is an Orphan: How Pakistan Lost the Great South Asian War - Myra Macdonald

16.Democrats and Dissenters - Ramachandra Guha

17.Demonetisation And Black Money - C. Ram Manohar Reddy

18.Driven: The Virat Kohli Story - Vijay Lokapally

19.Family Life - Akhil Sharma

20.Feroze Gandhi: The Forgotten Gandhi - Bertil Falk

21.Half - Lion: How P.V Narasimha Rao Transformed India - Vinay Sitapati

22.Himalaya: Adventures, Meditations, Life - Ruskin Bond

23.I Do What I DO - Raghuram Rajan

24.India's Broken Tryst - Tavleen SinghIndira

25.Gandhi: A Life in Nature - Jairam Ramesh

26.Kohinoor: The Story of the World's Most Infamous Diamond - Anita Anand and William Dalrymple

27.Matoshree - Sumitra Mahajan

28.Michael Clarke: My Story - Michael Clarke

29.Mr and Mrs Jinnah: The Marriage that Shook India - Sheela Reddy

30.Old History, New Geography: Bifurcating Andhra Pradesh - Jairam Ramesh

31.On My Terms: From the Grassroots to the Corridors of Power - Sharad
PawarSelection Day - Aravind Adiga

32.Speaking: The Modi Way - Virender Kapoor

33.Standing on an Apple Box: The Story of a Girl Among the Stars - Aishwarya R. Dhanush

34.The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable - Amitav Ghosh

35.The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad - Twinkle Khanna

36.The Ministry of Utmost Happiness - Arundhati Roy

37.The People's President: Dr A P J Abdul Kalam - S M Khan

38.The Sellout - Paul Beatty

39.The Serpent's Revenge - Sudha Murty

40.Things to Leave Behind - Namita Gokhale

41.What You Can Learn From Military Principles - Virender Kapoor

42.Who Moved My Interest Rate ? - Duvvuri Subbarao

What is "What3Words" or Three word addressing system?

What3Words is a service that divides the globe into something like 3 trillion 3 meter by 3 meter squares, and gives each of those squares a natural-language, three-word moniker, e.g., "apple bicycle road".
Let's say, for example, that you wanted to find the three word address for the crooks who reside at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, DC USA.  Here it is: strong.pitch.volunteered .  The three word address is "strong.pitch.volunteered".  If you're from, say, Tokyo, and you're not familiar with American addressing systems, those three words make more sense to you than does "1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, DC USA."  This three word addressing system becomes even more useful if you're trying to identify a precise area of an "unaddressed" area such as in the middle of the Amazon, or Borneo, or interior Antarctica, etc.

Economic Times

 @UPSC_18
@UPSC_2018

Business Standard

Ø  GST mop up for August dips to Rs 90,669 crore 

Ø  IDFC and Shriram to redraw new merger formula

Ø  'Indian telecom undergoing tech disruption phase'

Ø  NCLT to hear Ericsson-RCom insolvency plea on Oct 6

Ø  Facebook to localise user data or be blocked: Russia

Ø  NeSL to be the first IU under the new recovery law

Ø  Reliance Infra to raise stake in Reliance Naval 

 

Ø  Sebi stiffens rule on unauthorised trades

Ø  Govt considers fund to help exporters under GST regime

Ø  TN to procure 1500 MW of solar power at Rs 3.47 per unit

Ø  ICICI Lombard to make market debut today

Ø  Sebi to allow mutual funds, PMS to participate in commodity futures market

Ø  ArcelorMittal's focus on other assets may hit $1-bn JV with SAIL

Business Line

 

Mint

Ø  SEBI allows guarseed options on NCDEX

Ø  Parliamentarians, experts for early passage of Motor Bill

Ø  UP sugar mills demand status quo on cane prices

Ø  JM Baxi Group opens India’s first ICD-based cold store in Haryana

Ø  Godrej Agrovet eyes raising ₹1,160 cr via IPO 

Ø  ‘RCom has backup plans in place for the delayed Sistema merger’

 

Ø  GE warns India about risks to altering $2.5 billion diesel locomotives deal

Ø  Dabur ties up with Amazon to boost global sales

Ø  Shell companies: Disqualified directors under banks’ scrutiny

Ø  Lloyds Bank to transfer 1,000 staff to TCS subsidiary

Ø  Hong Kong, Malaysia looking better as India slows: ADB

Ø  Technology billionaires lose $16 billion as sector stocks sink

Financial Express

 

Financial Chronicle

Ø  Rupee closes at 65.45; weakest in 6 months

Ø  India raises market access, barriers issue with Indonesia

Ø  Airtel deploys 5G capable tech; promises faster data speeds

Ø  Anil Ambani says telecom sector in ICCU, warns of monopoly

 

Ø  Letters from a whistle-blower to SEBI on NSE rot

Ø  Tech, infra upgradation vital for agri-business

Ø  Rising oil prices to further hurt bleeding economy

Ø  RJio foots chunk of bill for cut-price phone, bets on data

Ø  ADB lowers India growth outlook

#copy

Questions for prelims
@UPSC_18

Milk fever in cows occurs due to the lack of
(a) Phosphates
(b) Calcium
(c) Iron
(d) iodine

After hatching by the hen, the young chicks come out of eggs within
(a) One week
(b) Two weeks
(c) Three weeks
(d) Four weeks

Which one of the following is a fast growing tree ?
(a) Teak
(b) Eucalyptus
(c) Banyan
(d) Coconut

Decrease in white blood cells results in
(a) Decrease in Antibodies
(b) Increase in Antigens
(c) Increase in Antibodies
(d) No change

In India people suffer from Anaemia due to lack of
(a) Iron
(b) Iodine
(c) Calcium
(d) Potassium

Reserprine derived from the plant ‘Serpentina’ is used to
(a) Alleviate pains
(b) Alleviate high blood pressure
(c) Alleviate low blood pressure
(d) Cure rickets

In India it is found recently that incidence of Malaria is increasing because
(a) The mosquitoes have become DDT resistant
(b) Of poverty in villages
(c) Of poor sanitary conditions
(d) On account of increase in population it has become impossible to maintain cleanliness everywhere

Less dew is formed on cloudy nights because
(a) Clouds absorb the falling dew
(b) Clouds scatter moisture
(c) In cloudy nights the radiation takes place very slowly
(d) In cloudy nights the radiation takes place very quickly

Feeding of milk cattle with cotton seeds
(a) Increases fat content temporarily
(b) Decreases fat content temporarily
(c) May decrease or increase fat content
(d) Causes no change in fat content

Mouth and foot diseases in cattle are caused due to
(a) Bacteria
(b) Virus
(c) Fungi
(d) Penicillium

A body partially floats in wafer when
(a) The volume of the displaced liquid is equal to the volume of the body
(b) The volume of the displaced liquid is greater than the volume of the body
(c) The weight of the displaced water is equal to the weight of the body
(d) The weight of the displaced water is greater than the weight of the body

Permanent hardness of water cannot be removed by
(a) Boiling
(b) Adding caustic soda
(c) Distillation
(d) Adding soda

In summer, man with excess perspiration feels weak, because of the
(a) Loss of more water through evaporation
(b) Loss of salts through evaporation
(c) Loss of carbohydrates through evaporation
(d) All factors mentioned above

The two branches of a plant give two different fruits : tomatoes and brinjals. This can be explained
(a) By hybridisation
(b) By grafting one with the other
(c) By nature’s freak
(d) By (a) or (c) mentioned above

What is the definition of the Berlin Wall? Why did the Berlin wall Fall?

@UPSC_18
@UPSC_2018

Berlin wall , A wall that separated West Berlin, Germany, from East Germany, which surrounded it until 1989. At the end of World War II, the victorious Allies divided Berlin, the German capital, into four sectors. The eastern, or Russian, sector became the capital of communist East Germany.
The Fall of the Wall. On November 9, 1989, as the Cold War began to thaw across Eastern Europe, the spokesman for East Berlin's Communist Party announced a change in his city's relations with the West. Starting at midnight that day, he said, citizens of the GDR were free to cross the country's borders.

Question : The prismatic model of Riggs is equally applicable to developing as well as developed society. Comment . (10 Marks/150 Words)

@UPSC_18
@UPSC_2018

Model Answer:  

Fred Riggs defined prismatic model of society as intermediary between fused society and diffracted society .It Identified with attainment of values, selectivism in societal interaction and polyfunctionalism. Its Important characteristics are heterogeneity i.e coexistence of opposite views and institutions, formalism- difference between prescribed values and functions and effective values and functions, overlapping -coexistence of formally differentiated structure of diffracted types with undifferentiated structures of fused type.

Both developed and developing societies exhibit these traits depending upon the extent of integration and differentiation characterizing development as per Riggs. Developing society has considerable differentiation but less integration. Developed society has great differentiation and integration. Both societies experience continuous change towards achievement of values, universalism and speciality in various domains, hence can be analysed by prismatic model.

However, Riggs considered America a developed society as ideal and diffracted and developing societies as prismatic and turbulent. Application of negative formalism can be observed in Riggsian Prismatic Model which is not in tandem with reality as per administrative scholars.

GST council mein major decisions taken today :
1. Cloth pe tax reduced to 5% from 12%.
2. 60 items tax reduced to 5% from 12%.
3. Restaurant Tax reduced to 12% from 18% GST.
4. Return to be filed once in quarter not monthly basis.
5. Other details to be shared shortly

Question : Development administration is characterised by its purposes, loyalties and attitudes. Explain (10 Marks/150 Words)
@UPSC_18
@UPSC_2018
#KARPATHUIAS
Model Answer :  

Development administration highlights the changing role of bureaucracy existing in a dynamic environment which aims at fostering socio-economic transformation. The distinctive characteristic of development administration is its central concern with socio-economic change. It is this special orientation which distinguish it from regulatory or traditional administration which is basically concerned with maintenance of status quo. Development administration has to be result oriented since the changes have to be brought rapidly and within a specified time schedule. Bureaucracy is expected to be committed and loyal to the jobs they are called upon to perform. However bureaucracy is known for red-tapism and formalism. Hence a change in bureaucratic behavior is a pre-requisite to meet the demands of dynamic situation. There is a need to change the hierarchical and rigid bureaucratic behavior to client oriented attitude. The needs of specific target group have to be catered to. The people have to be considered active participants . It is the close relation between ‘public’ and ‘administration’ that is an essential attribute of development administration.

@UPSC_2018
#KARPATHUIAS
Karnataka’s efforts in popularizing millets yield results

#https://karpathuias.blogspot.in

Karnataka’s efforts in popularising millets, which was the staple a couple of generations ago, appears to have yielded results if the indicators of a nationwide study by the National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau (NNMB) to assess urban nutrition is anything to go by.

Karnataka is the third highest consumer of millet among 16 States studied, with Maharashtra and Gujarat occupying the first two slots. However, the picture is not very rosy in terms of consumption of other food items.

Except for intake of pulses and legumes and roots and tubers, where Karnataka’s consumption pattern matches with the Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) recommended daily intake (RDI), it is far behind the RDI in terms of consumption of green leafy vegetables, milk and milk products and fats and oils.

For years millets were dismissed as the food of the poor. Now, that attitude is slowly shifting and one of the reasons for this is the growing urban demand for organic and nutritious food.

The demand is high in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Karnataka. It is the lowest in Bihar, Kerala and Assam.

Karnataka in also the only State to have included millets such as jowar and ragi in its Public Distribution System since July 2015 in accordance with recommendations in the National Food Security Act, 2013.

@UPSC_18

Indians consume far less than recommended nutritious food

A nation-wide study, carried out by the National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau (NNMB) to assess urban nutrition, shows not only a great diversity in food consumption in 16 States in the country, but also that Indians consume far less than the recommended quantum of several micro-nutrients and vital vitamins.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands reported the highest intake of flesh foods, including meat and fish, while Odisha has the highest consumption of green leafy vegetables (GLV). On an average, while the recommended dietary intake of GLV is 40g/Cu/day, the consumption in the country is 24g/Cu/day.

Madhya Pradesh has the lowest intake of flesh foods, and Kerala consumes the least green leafy vegetables.

If Madhya Pradesh has a sweet tooth with the highest intake of sugar and jaggery, Odisha and Assam have the highest intake of salt. Rajasthan is high on the intake of fats and oils as well as milk and milk products.

The study, led by AvulaLaxmaiah, scientist (Director Grade) from the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), the country’s premier nutrition research institute, was released recently.

The researchers used the method of a 24-hour dietary recall to collect food and nutrient information from 1.72 lakh people in 16 States.

While the average intake of cereals and millets was found to be 320g/Cu/day, which is lower than the recommended dietary intake (RDI), the intake of pulses and legumes was about 42g/Cu/day.

This is on par with the suggested level of the Indian Council of Medical Research, said Dr. Laxmaiah.

Why we hear humming sound when standing below high tension powerline?

Transformers are a different story, but with just high-voltage (generally >350kV) wires the standard explanation is corona discharge.
In the air occasionally some gas molecules will become ionized. This means that the molecule gains or loses and electron. This can happen through chemical reactions, but it's generally more likely that UV light knock an electron off. An electrical field doesn't really affect uncharged molecules, but it does affect ions. The positively charged ions are relatively heavy, so move slowly, but the free electrons are very light so they get pushed away very quickly. These fast moving electrons bump other molecules and can knock more electrons free. In addition to moving ions, this can cause a slight glow (when an electron recombines with a positive ion), and heats the air which causes noise.
A negatively charged wire will attract positively charged ions, are push away the free electrons (or any negative charged ions), while a positively charged wire will do the opposite. In a power line carrying AC current, the charge on the wire alternates between positive and negative (with some time in between where it isn't enough charge to matter). The result is that the air gets briefly heated 120 times per second, which makes a hum.
If the wire is smaller, then the electric field near the wire is stronger, so one of the reasons high voltage wires are as large as they are is to reduce this effect.

Why do we lose our sense of taste when we have a cold?
@UPSC_18
Our sense of smell is responsible for about 80%of what we taste. The tastebuds present on our tongues are limited to only the basic sensations: sweet, salty, sour and bitter. All other flavors that we experience come from smell. This is why, when our nose is blocked, as by cold, most foods seem bland or tasteless. Our sense of smell can normally detect up to 10,000 smells.

What is deepest point on earth?
@UPSC_2018

The Kola Super deep Borehole Russia ,is the result of a scientific drilling project of the Soviet Union in the Pechengsky District, on the Kola Peninsula. The project attempted to drill as deep as possible into the Earth's crust. Drilling began on 24 May 1970. Boreholes were drilled by branching from a central hole. The deepest, SG-3, reached 12,262 metres (40,230 ft) in 1989 and still is the deepest artificial point on Earth. The borehole is 9 inches (23 cm) in diameter.

What is Pellet Gun?
https://karpathuias.blogspot.in
A pellet is a non-spherical projectile designed to be fired from an air gun. Air gun pellets differ from bullets and shot used in firearms because of the pressures encountered: airguns operate at pressures as low as 50 atmospheres, while firearms operate at thousands of atmospheres.
Wood pellets are the most common type of pellet fuel and are generally made from compacted sawdust and related industrial wastes from the milling of lumber, manufacture of wood products and furniture, and construction.