Qestion : Good Economics and Bad Politics cannot coexist in a sound budgetary process." Discuss. (30 Marks/350 Words)

Model Answer :

 The Government of the day has a vision at the beginning of the year to play the role of a welfare state and by means of its budget allocate expenditure to the various departments and simultaneously ensure adequate revenue so as to not land in an undesirable deficit. Good Economics would aim high revenue which can meet the expenditure of the State. Maintenance of fiscal deficit under 3% of GDP, to meet its expenditure (FRBM Act 2004) and not incurring any form of revenue deficit. Bad politics is one that can interfere in the process of meeting these goals.

An example is when the UPA Government was trying to pass the Food Security Ordinance it faced severe opposition from the parliamentarians on grounds of increasing the fiscal deficit beyond the benchmark since it would lead to expenditures over and above the budgeted amounts. Another example of bad politics is where the ruling government routes the allocated money to meet their personal aspirations and hence lead to high expenditures, yet not meeting the developmental goals e.g. indulgence in Fodder Scam and embezzlement of close to 940 Crores. In a competitive political situation like in our country, the opposition party would not leave such an event unnoticed and will ensure that the responsible minister gets due punishment.

Another example of a competitive political environment is in the United States where the Republican party is at loggerheads with the Democrats for passing the Affordable Care Act. Good Economics is applied here where the government revenue/borrowings is being invested in ensuring a healthy human capital that can contribute towards the development of the country. However the ideological differences in political factions led to non approval of budgetary expenditure from the Senate. This brought a stop to all budgeted government activities in the United States and 8,00,000 employees remained unemployed for over 2 weeks.

https://t.me/UPSC_18

The objectives of good economics can be sanctified with an equally stable political environment which can ratify the budgetary process and ensure its effective execution.

Questions on World History (source - Norman Lowe, Jain and Mathur) and Post Independence (source - NCERT, Current Affairs)

1. European integration post the second world war comprises of many integrations. Explain the statement while discussing why Europe integrated. Also shed some light on the future of EU.

2. Colonialism has had various impacts on not only the colonised but also on the colonisers. Discuss while also discussing the present day repercussions of colonial past across the globe.

3. The First World War freed the Russia, the Second World War built it. Do you agree. Elaborate.

4. Germany was united not by Blood and Iron but by Coal and Iron. Justify.

5. Why was NATO formed. How did USSR respond to it. Also mention if these organisations are relevant in present era.


6. What are the reasons that have impeded the integration of North-Eastern India with the rest of the country.

7. What were the reasons that led to rise of regional parties in India.

8. Popular movements in post-independence India have a diverse range of aims. Explain.

9. The Indian Democracy has passed through various tests and has become resilient with time. Analyse the statement with examples.

10. As much as India was in favour of Non-Alignment internationally, it implicitly favoured the socialistic ideals. Critically analyse.

What is RNA?

Ribonucleic acid, a nucleic acid present in all living cells. Its principal role is to act as a messenger carrying instructions from DNA for controlling the synthesis of proteins, although in some viruses RNA rather than DNA carries the genetic information.

Microsoft will come to the aid of farmers in Karnataka for prize prediction

@UPSC_2018

If all goes according to plan, software giant Microsoft will come to the aid of farmers in Karnataka who constantly struggle with an unpredictable market.The Agriculture Department has signed MoU with Microsoft India to develop an unique ‘farm price forecasting model’ using the latest IT tools in a bid to help farmers, administrators and other stakeholders understand the market behaviour in advance.The proposed initiative is said to be the first-of-its-kind in the country, as it is a ‘multi-variate’ one that takes into consideration various factors beyond the conventional supply-demand equation.It will examine a slew of related factors, including weather, rainfall and external factors, that impact market behaviour.On the other hand, the forecast would help the government prepare in advance for market intervention if there is an indication of price crash, he pointed out. The model is expected to be in place for the next kharif crop.Microsoft has already taken up a 100-day study on the price pattern of onion and toor dal. Depending upon the outcome, the price forecasting model would be applied to other crops later, Dr. Prakash said.The initiative appears to have caught the attention of the Centre, which has sought suggestions from the KAPC on the importance of price forecasting for its initiative to double farmers’ incomes. Microsoft would also develop a software for providing sowing advisory services to farmers.

@UPSC_2018
Model Answer:

What is Cripps mission and how it gives encouragement to the separatist forces in India?

The Cripps mission was an attempt in late March 1942 by the British government to secure full Indian cooperation and support for their efforts in World War II.

Cripps was sent to negotiate an agreement ,,,,,,,with the nationalist leaders, speaking for the majority Hindu population, and Muhammad Ali Jinnah, speaking for the minority Muslim population. Cripps worked to keep India loyal to the British war effort in exchange for a promise of full self-government after the war. Cripps promised to give dominion status after the war as well as elections to be held after the war. Cripps discussed the proposals with the Indian leaders and published them. Both the major parties, the Congress and the League rejected his proposals and the mission proved a failure. 

The feature of its:

a) Attainment of dominion status.

b) Right to frame constitution by the Indians

c) Any province or state would have the right to reject the constitution.

The third point was a major flaw . Muslims politicians were happy with this which later gave the idea of Pakistan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay a three-day visit to China
@UPSC_2018
@UPSC_18
A day after the resolution of the Doklam standoff, India announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay a three-day visit to China, even as Bhutan welcomed the diplomatic end of the border crisis.The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also announced that Mr. Modi’s visit to China for the BRICS summit will be followed by his visit to Myanmar.India declared de-escalation of the two-month-long standoff on the Doklam plateau that had led to dramatic rise in tensions.Trip is likely to include a one-on-one meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi Jinping on September 4.The meeting between the two leaders will be the first since they exchanged courtesies during the July 7-8 G20 summit meeting in Hamburg.

Govt considering the creation of a secure communications ecosystem for defence

The Centre is considering the creation of a secure communications ecosystem for its officials, especially those working in the defence sector.One of the proposals is mandating the use of mobile phones manufactured by Indian companies for official communication. The government will also be providing a secure email service to its officials.The Army now uses secure landline phones to communicate.

Usain Bolt and Jamaica stripped of 2008 Olympic 4x100m gold medal, Why ?

The IOC have disqualified Jamaica's Nesta Carter from 2008 Olympic Games.
Sprinter Carter won gold in the 4x100m relay in Beijing alongside Usain Bolt.
Re-analysis gave a positive test for prohibited substance methylhexaneamine.
Jamaica have now been stripped of their medals - with Bolt and Co disqualified.
The decision means Bolt's triple-triple of Olympic gold medals is no more.

What is the real name of a hashtag ?

@UPSC_18

Its myriad names and its appearance are intertwined. The # symbol is commonly called the pound sign, number sign and more recently the hashtag. It is called the pound sign because the symbol comes from the abbreviation for weight, lb, or “libra pondo” literally “pound by weight” in Latin.

Model Answer:

Discuss the reason for giving more autonomy to IIMs by the central government ?

Recently Lok Sabha Passes a bill for more autonomy to IIMs.

https://t.me/UPSC_2018

Provision:

a) To grant degrees instead of PG Diplomas.

b) Allows students to acquire Ph.D degrees from IIM.

c) The Bill confers on the 20 IIMs the status of institutions of national importance and also grants them greater functional autonomy by restricting the role of the government in them. (At present, the Centre has a role in the functioning of the IIMs, including the appointment of the chairpersons to the Boards of the IIMs, their directors and fixing the pay of the directors.)

d) As per the IIM Bill, 2017, a Board of Governors will appoint the director of each IIM. A search-cum-selection-committee will recommend the names. And the director will be eligible for variable pay determined by the Board.

Reason:

a) Because the fellowships of IIMs were not regarded by many as Ph.Ds that there were less students for Ph.Ds to become Fellows.

b) They used to go to foreign countries and do research. Now research will be (done) here.”

PUBLIC ADMINISTRAtion

Question : Discuss the performance of Indian Parliament after independence.(20 Marks/250 Words)

@UPSC_2018

Model Answer :

The scholars have categorized Indian Parliament as a reactive institution as it reacts to the policy proposed by executives. The performance of Parliament can be gauged by quality & quantity of decisions during a given time period. It can also be evaluated on the basis of the conduct of the houses in the formative period under various leaders.

The performance of the Parliament from being an ideal platform to express dissent and adequate participation of both the Government and opposition during Nehru’s times has slowly degenerated over a period of time. The initial parliamentarians were all scholars and experts in their domains and hence brought qualitative discussions to the table. Over time, the Members of Parliament are predominantly Generalists who lack technical knowledge needed in the domain of policy making and hence mostly stay quiet.

During Indira Gandhi’s time, the Indian Parliament reach a plummet, where to confront an uneasy opposition an emergency was declared, many opposition members were arrested and basic fundamental rights were curtailed. In the years following there has always been stiff resentment by the opposition that reduces the pace of functioning of the parliament. In the current scenario, the parliament is known for its inefficiency, to the extent that the Executive has started to bypass the legislative process in order to operate schemes. In such a situation, there needs to be greater accountability of the Executive to the Parliament and of the MP’s to the people.(Total Words- 240)

New consumer law to make consumer king

https://t.me/UPSC_2018

The famous 1992 McDonald’s Coffee Case, where the fast food chain had to cough up $640,000 as compensation to 79-year-old Stella Liebeck for “unreasonably dangerous” and “defectively manufactured” coffee, could soon repeat itself in India.The new Consumer Protection Bill 2016 that seeks to replace a 31-year-old archaic law, has provisions to sue a manufacturer for not “giving adequate instructions of correct usage to prevent any harm or any warning regarding improper or incorrect usage.”“So if a fast food chain does not serve coffee with adequate warning, then a lawsuit can be filed against them,” a senior official at the Department of Consumer Affairs said.The Bill, which has been languishing for the last two years will soon come up for Cabinet approval.The Bill replaces the Consumer Protection Act, 1986. The new law has provisions for Product Liability, which was unheard in India. The Bill was first introduced on August 10, 2015 and referred to the standing committee on August 26.The panel submitted its report in August 2016, suggesting 80 amendments. This sent the government back to the drawing board, to rewrite the law.Under the new draft, even the service providers like airlines can face liability action. “A flyer can sue an airline seeking not just reimbursement for a missed flight but also compensation for any important event or meeting he or she missed because the flight was cancelled at last minute,” the senior official added.The consumer can lodge a complaint from anywhere unlike the existing law under which a consumer had to register the complaint at the same place from where she purchased the product.Further, unlike the 1986 law, the complainant need not be accompanied by a lawyer. At any point, if the manufacturer and the complainant arrive at compromise through mediation process, the latter can withdraw the complaint.The Bill proposes an investigative body, the Central Consumer Protection Authority, on the lines of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.
@UPSC_18

How does the biosensor work?

The term “biosensor” is short for “biological sensor.” The device is made up of a transducer and a biological element that may be an enzyme, an antibody or a nucleic acid. The bioelement interacts with the analyte being tested and the biological response is converted into an electrical signal by the transducer.

NITI Aayog’s Ease of Doing Business Report
@UPSC_18
Despite the government claiming to have provided business-friendly environment to investors and attracting huge investments in past decade-and-a-half, Odisha has been categorised as a low-growth State in the country in the latest NITI Aayog survey.The NITI Aayog’s ‘Ease of Doing Business Report: An Enterprise Survey of Indian States’, released, points at more hurdles in setting up new businesses in Odisha compared to other States. The 15-high growth States include Bihar, Uttarakhand, Tripura, Sikkim and Meghalaya.The NITI Aayog and IDFC Institute, its knowledge partner, have classified States on the basis of their average annual real growth rate using State Gross Domestic Product from 2004-05 to 2013-14.We calculated the median average annual growth rate, which turns out to be 8.14%. The States that experienced annual average growth rate equal to or above the median were classified as high-growth States and those with annual growth rate below the median were categorised as low-growth States.At a growth rate of 6.59%, Odisha falls in low-growth category.According to the study, enterprises in high-growth States reported fewer regulatory hurdles. This establishes an empirical link between superior regulatory environment and better economic performances.On average, enterprises reported taking 52 days, 61 days, and 76 days for getting electricity, water, and sewerage connections respectively.The World Bank 2017 Doing Business report ranks India at number 25 for getting electricity connection and it is estimated that getting the connection takes about 46 days. It takes an average of 31 days to get electricity connection in Karnataka, 32 days in Gujarat and around 95 days in Odisha says the report.Odisha is listed among States with lowest proportion of enterprises having knowledge of their environment category. Only 22% of enterprises in Odisha are aware of their category.Similarly, the age distribution of high-growth and low-growth enterprises shows that in general, the share of young enterprises is higher in the high-growth States than in the low-growth States.Around 20% of enterprises in Odisha are young whereas percentage of young enterprises in Bihar is above 70%.

Noted economist Rajiv Kumar today took over as the vice-chairman of government think tank Niti Aayog.

Kumar replaced Arvind Panagariya, an Indian-American economist who left the think tank yesterday to return to academia.

Kumar was a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research (CPR). He holds a DPhil in economics from Oxford and a PhD from Lucknow University.

Earlier, he had also served as Secretary General of industry association Ficci.

He was a member of the National Security Advisory Board between 2006 and 2008.

Kumar had also served as the chief economist of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and held senior positions in the Asian Development Bank, the Indian Ministry of Industries, and the Ministry of Finance.

ISRO’S launch of IRNSS-1H failed
@UPSC_2018
@UPSC_18
In a double whammy to the Indian space programme, the PSLV-C39 mission carrying the replacement navigation satellite IRNSS-1H failed.This was the PSLV’s first failure — in what was seen as a routine mission — after 39 continuously successful launches and only the second such instance since 1993.The spacecraft was stuck in the heat shield in the last and fourth stage of the launch vehicle; it did not release into space as planned.All stages of the mission performed well. But there was a mishap. The satellite is still inside the fourth stage.The heat shield did not separate; as a result the satellite is enclosed in the body of the fourth stage.A PSLV flight lasts for 19 minutes. Normally the heat shield separates three minutes into launch but ISRO officials apparently waitied through the entie flight period before conceding the failure.The unprecedented non-release of the 1425-kg satellite halts a dream run of successful launches of the PSLV. The light lift workhorse booster was the pride of ISRO and a commercial success; its only failure was the first developmental launch of September 1993.On the one hand, the launch may somewhat dent the image that the PSLV commands in the global small-to-medium lifting launchers market. It has been easily the most-sought- after vehicle for small satellites of up to 600-700 kg. It has launched 209 satellites of 28 countries since it went commercial in 1999.Antrix Corporation, ISRO’s commercial arm, has firmed up many more client satellites, its chief had earlier said. On the other hand, the failure comes even as ISRO attempts to outsource satellite making to domestic industry. The rocket was carrying the satellite that ISRO assembled by involving a consortium of six Indian small and medium industries.

What is Litmus Paper, how does it work ?

Blue litmus paper turns red under acidic conditions and red litmus paper turns blue under basic or alkaline conditions, with the color change occurring over the pH range 4.5–8.3 at 25 °C (77 °F). Neutral litmus paper is purple. Litmus can also be prepared as an aqueous solution that functions similarly.
The primary raw materials used for making litmus paper are wood cellulose, lichens, and adjunct compounds. Litmus paper, as its name implies, is primarily composed of paper. The paper used to make litmus paper must be free of contaminants that could change the pH of the system it is measuring.

Why The Time is Always Set To 9:41 In Apple Ads?

That time used to be 9:42 . You could see it across various commercials, print ads, and even on Apple's site itself. The explanation was simple: That's the time in the morning that Steve Jobs announced the very first iPhone in 2007. Around 42 minutes into his keynote address, he said, "Today Apple is going to reinvent the phone."
And a picture of the iPhone, displaying the time 9:42, popped up on the screen behind him.
But that all changed in 2010, when the very first iPad was released. When that was revealed, it displayed a different time: 9:41. The time was changed for no reason at all.

Chinese government is trying to woo Kashmiri students
https://t.me/UPSC_2018

Oblivious to the tensions that have recently marked India-China relations, Chinese medical universities have been splurging on advertisements in Kashmiri newspapers, promising “affordable” MBBS courses to students from the State.Fatima Jan, a counsellor with Srinagar-based Fayaz International Counselling Centre, that around 90 China-based and state-run medical universities are currently taking students from Kashmir for courses taught in English.This year, following an advertising blitz, half a dozen placement agencies in Srinagar have received over 200 queries on admission to MBBS courses in China. Similar queries at these centres were less than 20 last year.Traditionally, Bangladesh has been the preferred destination for aspirants from the Valley.Apart from MBBS, students in Jammu and Kashmir are looking at China for other specialised courses.This year, counsellors are also offering MBBS seats in countries such as Kazakhstan, Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan.A Kashmir-like climate and cultural links, especially food, “attract students to Central Asian countries.”