EYE IN THE SKY : ON RISAT - 2B : OnlineEdge

Context: Radar imaging satellite RISAT-2B:

RISAT-2B, the country’s newest microwave Earth observation satellite, rode to its orbit 557 km above the ground.

With the successful pre-dawn launch of RISAT-2B satellite, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has added another feather to its cap.

Data that will come from the all-weather day-and-night satellite are considered to be vital for the Armed Forces as also agriculture forecasters and disaster relief agencies.

Dubbed as a ‘spy’ satellite, RISAT-2B (Radar Imaging Satellite-2B) will replace its predecessor RISAT-2 which has been actively used by India to monitor activities in terror camps across the border in Pakistan to thwart infiltration bids by terrorists.

Radar imaging satellite RISAT - 2B:

Radar imaging is important for surveillance applications, as it does not require sunlight or clear skies to be able to observe its target.

Optical imaging satellites are only able to see points of interest when they are illuminated by the sun and not hidden by cloud, whereas a spacecraft equipped with SAR can still observe at night and its radio waves can propagate through cloudy skies.

The satellite aboard launch will be a replacement for RISAT-2. The original RISAT-2 was built for ISRO Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), and is based on the Polaris satellite (known as TecSAR or Ofeq 8) which ISRO had launched for Israel in 2008.

The RISAT-2B satellite uses X-band synthetic aperture radar for the first time; the synthetic aperture radar was developed endogenously.

Its X-band synthetic aperture radar can give added details such as size of objects on Earth, structures, movement and change.

Since it has high resolution, the satellite will be able to detect objects with dimensions of as little as a metre.

This capacity to study small objects and also movement could be useful for surveillance. The satellite could be used for civil and strategic purposes.

RISAT-2B will have an inclined orbit of 37 degrees, which will allow more frequent observations over the Indian subcontinent.

With ISRO planning to launch four more such radar imaging satellites in a year, its ability to monitor crops and floods as well as engage in military surveillance will be greatly enhanced.

RISAT-2B will use Microwave radiation:

Unlike visible light, microwaves have longer wavelength and so will not be susceptible to atmospheric scattering.

Microwave radiation can thus easily pass through the cloud cover, haze and dust, and image the ground. Hence, RISAT-2B satellite will be able to image under almost all weather and environmental conditions.

Since it does not rely on visible light for imaging, it will be able to image the ground during both day and night.

The satellite does not have passive microwave sensors that detect the radiation naturally emitted by the atmosphere or reflected by objects on the ground.

Instead, RISAT-2B will be transmitting hundreds of microwave pulses each second towards the ground and receiving the signals reflected by the objects using radar.

The moisture and texture of the object will determine the strength of the microwave signal that gets reflected.

While the strength of the reflected signal will help determine different targets, the time between the transmitted and reflected signals will help determine the distance to the object.

RISAT-2B Equipped with SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar):

A Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) or SAR, is a coherent mostly airborne or space-borne side looking radar system which utilizes the flight path of the platform to simulate an extremely large antenna, and that generates high-resolution remote sensing imagery.

Over time, individual transmit/receive cycles (PRT’s) are completed with the data from each cycle being stored electronically.

The signal processing uses magnitude and phase of the received signals over successive pulses from elements of a synthetic aperture.

After a given number of cycles, the stored data is recombined to create a high-resolution image of the terrain being over flown.

Countries using Radar Imaging Satellites:

India is not the only country to use radar imaging for military reconnaissance – other systems currently in operation include the United States’ TOPAZ constellation, Japan’s IGS Radar and Italy’s COSMO-SkyMed.

SAR has also been used on civilian scientific and commercial satellites and on interplanetary probes.

India’s partnership with Israel on this satellite boosted its radar imaging technology, and provided an initial capability ahead of the launch of India’s endogenously-developed RISAT-1. Newer satellites, including RISAT-2B, have been developed by ISRO.

The information will complement data from the normal optical remote-sensing satellites. Such data are useful for agencies that need ground imageries during cloud, rain and in the dark.

Conclusion:

The satellite will enhance India’s capability in crop monitoring during the monsoon season, forestry mapping for forest fires and deforestation, and flood mapping as part of the national disaster management programm.

Given that overcast skies are a constant during the monsoon season and during times of flood, the ability to penetrate the cloud cover is essential.

The biggest advantage is that ground imageries can be collected during rains and despite dust, clouds or darkness and during all seasons, thus ensuring continuous and reliable data.

ISRO is now gearing up for the launch of Chandrayaan-2 onboard GSLV MkIII during the window of July 2019, with an expected Moon landing on September 2019.

What is the importance of BIMSTEC to India? What role does it play in the development of India ?

BIMSTEC ( Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) basically is a connection between SAARC ( South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) and ASEAN ( Association for South East Asian Nations).

> To be simple, BIMSTEC connects South Asian and South East Asian Nations, two of the most important regions globally in terms of peace, security, economy and resources.

> India being a geographical center of South Asia , engages with BIMSTEC nations and promotes trade, mutual relations. And these nations such as Myanmar, Maldives, Thailand, srilanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh are important to India for its exports.

> And India is a member country of both BIMSTEC and SAARC. This makes India a South Asian center for trade .

> The main objective of these associations is to promote regional cooperation and to ensure peace and security.

> Because as they say ' UNITY IS STRENGTH' , working together helps us grow even better and prosper even more.

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SEBI tightens disclosure norms for listed debt securities - OnlineEdge

Company websites must display details of payment, redemption schedules

To further safeguard the interest of investors in listed debt securities, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has tightened the disclosure norms for entities that have issued such securities.

In a circular issued on Monday, the capital market watchdog made it mandatory for such companies to disclose on their websites the schedule of interest and redemption obligations for the complete financial year.

Within a day of due date

Further, the status of payments has to be updated within one day of the due date, which effectively means that any default or delay will be disclosed within a day of the due date.

According to the SEBI, the enhanced disclosure norms have been issued to “further secure the interests of investors in listed debt securities, enhance transparency and to enable Debenture Trustees (DTs) to perform their duties effectively and promptly.”

“DTs shall display on their website... details of interest/ redemption due to the debenture holders in respect of all issues during a financial year within 5 working days of start of financial year,” stated the SEBI circular, while adding that the debenture trustees will also have to update such details for any new issues handled during the financial year within five days of closure of the issue.

“DTs shall also update the status of payment... against such issuers not later than 1 day from the due date. In case the payment is made with a delay by the issuer, DTs shall update the calendar specifying the date of such payment, with a remark ‘delayed payment’,” said the circular.

For privately-placed debt securities, SEBI has made it mandatory for the inclusion of a clause stating that at least 2% per annum interest would be paid over the coupon rate in case of a default in meeting the payment obligations. The additional interest would be payable by the company for the tenure of the defaulting period.

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Akash Missile Test-Fired Successfully - OnlineEdge UPSC PT 2019

DRDO launched the latest version of the surface-to-air missile system.

The DRDO on Monday successfully test-fired the new version of the Akash surface-to-air defense missile system with a new endogenously-developed seeker in Balasore off the Odisha coast.

This is the second successful test of the missile following another on Saturday.

The medium range multi-target engagement capable missile was developed as part of the Integrated Guided-Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) other than Nag, Agni, Trishul, and Prithvi missiles.

Highly mobile

The supersonic missile has a range of around 25 km and up to the altitude of 18,000 meters.

The missile uses high-energy solid propellant for the booster and ramjet-rocket propulsion for the sustainer phase. The missile system is said to be highly mobile.

Several variants of the missile — Akash MK1, Akash-MK2 — with improved accuracy and higher ranges are under development by the DRDO.

History of the missile

The missile system was formally inducted into the IAF on July 10, 2015, and in the Army on May 5, 2015. In September that year, the Defense Acquisition Council cleared seven additional squadrons of the missile for the IAF.

However, it had been bogged in controversies with a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report in 2017 stating that 30% of the missiles failed when tested.

The Army too had said in 2017 that the missile did not meet its operational requirements due to higher reaction time.

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Recently, NITI Ayog has recommended Indian government to limit the age of appearing up to 27 years for UPSC candidates. How will this affect the aspirants, if applied in future?

The proposal by NITI Aayog actually is :

To reduce the age of appearing for the Civil Services exam to 27 years.

Rationalization and harmonization of more than 60 plus central and state services.

Conduct a single civil services exam for recruitment into central, state and all-India services.

A central talent pool of recruits to be created which would then place candidates according to their profile and job description of the post.

According to me, these are welcome proposals in the direction of reforming civil services. A few months back, I was having a discussion with a friend on reforming government recruitment process and we concluded quite similar proposals.

Most of the state civil services, Indian forest services, Civil services exam check the same kind of knowledge. Why not have a single exam instead and reduce administrative burden and burden on candidates. If some specific knowledge is required, a separate paper can be held. For example, for Indian Forest Services, a separate paper on forestry and related knowledge can be held while scores of the essay and general studies paper of UPSC CSE exam can be used.

If a single civil services exam is conducted, it would also help candidates to prepare single-minded for one exam rather than a plethora of exams. In that case, even 27 years age limit will not be a problem. Earlier too, the age limit was 28 years with four attempts for the general category. Younger recruits will have a flexible frame of mind and would be more energetic. With increasing awareness among people and better career guidance, the candidates would be able to choose their desired career options early in life.

In addition to this, I would like more reforms to be seen such as :

Conduct a centralized test, something similar to GRE, for checking aptitude and reasoning skills. Such an exam should be conducted at least twice a year.

Many exams like RBI, SBI PO, SSC, CAT, CSAT etc. are organized by different organizations for this purpose. Rather than having different exams, why not have a single exam and share its score with different agencies.

Reduce the number of attempts in UPSC CSE to four.

Conduct UPSC CSE twice a year.

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While preparing for UPSC, what things one should do apart from focussing on books?

Based on my experience, I will suggest the following things:

Prepare a time table and adhere to it. You will be amazed to see how your efficiency goes up.

Be observant of things around you and develop opinions on important topics.

Develop the habit of reading. Read good books such as Pax Indica, read editorials in newspapers, read articles in a magazine.

Develop the art of writing. You can write a blog, write a article, write letters to the editor. A simple way to develop writing skills is to write summaries of the newspaper editorials.

Stay away from political ideologies and such friends who waste time in endless political discussions or hold anti-establishment views. Activists and Cynics are not required in the administration.

Take up some exercise so that you remain physically fit.

If you have time, read about famous personalities such as Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi, and others. You can read their biographies or books written by them.

While reading about any topic or issue, try to see the macro picture behind it rather than getting into the nitty-gritty details. An administrator is required to understand the broad contours of any problem.

Develop a circle of good friends who are as dedicated for preparation as you are.

Good Luck :)

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Resolving the NPA Crisis - OnlineEdge

Background:

Non-performing assets (NPAs) at commercial banks amounted to 11.2% of advances, in March 2018. The ratio of gross NPA to advances in PSBs was 14.6%. These are levels typically associated with a banking crisis.

Origin of the NPA crisis

During the credit boom period of the years 2004-05 to 2008-09 commercial credit (or what is called ‘non-food credit’) doubled. It was a period in which the world economy as well as the Indian economy were booming.

Indian firms borrowed heavily in order to avail of the growth opportunities they saw coming. Most of the investment went into infrastructure and related areas — telecom, power, roads, aviation, steel. Businessmen were overcome with exuberance, partly rational and partly irrational.

Thereafter, as the Economic Survey of 2016-17 notes, many things began to go wrong.

Due to problems in acquiring land and getting environmental clearances, several projects got stalled. Their costs soared. With the onset of the global financial crisis in 2007-08 and the slowdown in growth after 2011-12, revenues fell well short of forecasts.

Financing costs rose as policy rates were tightened in India in response to the financial crisis. The depreciation of the rupee meant higher outflows for companies that had borrowed in foreign currency. This combination of adverse factors made it difficult for companies to service their loans to Indian banks.

As per the process of provisioning the banks estimate that a particular borrower may not be able to pay back the loan in full and hence make a provision of the amount they could lose (as in that won’t be paid back to banks). Banks start creating provisions on a loan given when the borrower starts defaulting on his repayment installments.

Higher NPAs mean higher provisions on the part of banks. Provisions rose to a level where banks, especially PSBs, started making losses. Their capital got eroded as a result. Without adequate capital, bank credit cannot grow.

Privatisation of PSBs is not the right solution:

Since the problem of NPAs is more concentrated in PSBs, some have argued that public ownership must be the problem stating that public ownership of banks is beset with corruption and incompetence. The solution, therefore, is to privatize the PSBs, at least the weaker ones.

There are problems with this formulation. There are wide variations within each ownership category. In 2018, the State Bank of India’s (SBI’s) gross NPA/gross advances ratio was 10.9%. This was not much higher than that of the second largest private bank, ICICI Bank, 9.9%. The ratio at a foreign bank, Standard Chartered Bank, 11.7%, was higher than that of SBI.

Explanation:

PSBs had a higher exposure to the five most affected sectors — mining, iron and steel, textiles, infrastructure and aviation. These sectors were impacted by factors beyond the control of bank management- Infrastructure projects were impacted by the global financial crisis and environmental and land acquisition issues. In addition, mining and telecom were impacted by adverse court judgments. Steel was impacted by dumping from China.

Plans to prevent such crises:

Wholesale privatization of PSBs is not the answer to the complex problem.

We need a broad set of actions, some immediate and others over the medium-term and aimed at preventing the recurrence of such crises.

Resolving the NPAs.

Banks have to accept losses on loans (or ‘haircuts’). They should be able to do so without any fear of harassment by the investigative agencies. The Indian Banks’ Association has set up a six-member panel to oversee resolution plans of lead lenders.

To expedite resolution, more such panels may be required. An alternative is to set up a Loan Resolution Authority, if necessary through an Act of Parliament.

The government must infuse additional capital needed to recapitalize banks.

Over the medium term, the RBI needs to develop better mechanisms for monitoring macro-prudential indicators. It especially needs to look out for credit bubbles.

Strengthening the functioning of PSBs:

Actions needs to be taken to strengthen the functioning of banks in general and, more particularly, PSBs. Governance at PSBs, meaning the functioning of PSB boards, can certainly improve.

One important lesson from the past decade’s experience with NPAs is that management of concentration risk — that is, excessive exposure to any business group, sector, geography, etc. — is too important to be left entirely to bank boards.

Overall risk management at PSBs needs to be taken to a higher level. This certainly requires strengthening of PSB boards. We need to induct more high-quality professionals on PSB boards and compensate them better.

Succession planning at PSBs also needs to improve. Despite the constitution of the Banks Board Bureau to advise on selection of top management, the appointment of Managing Directors and Executive Directors continues to be plagued by long delays. This must end.

Conclusion:

The task of accelerating economic growth is urgent and acceleration in economic growth is not possible without addressing the problem of non-performing assets. There is ample scope for improving performance within the framework of public ownership. The above suggested solutions should be focused upon.

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नेगेटिव मार्किंग से कैसे बचे | How To Avoid Negative Marking in Any Competitive Exam | In Hindi |

4 Mistake जो UPSC Prelims 2019 Exam से पहले दूर करे | Ajay Sir | Part - 1 | हिंदी मैं |

4 Mistake जो UPSC Prelims 2019 Exam से पहले दूर करे | Ajay Sir | Part - 2 | हिंदी मैं |

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Can an average student clear UPSC civil services examination - OnlineEdge

Hi there,

I'll tell you my story. Let me know if I'm an average or below average person.

Failed for the first time in a subject in my tenth standard.

Studied in TN state board. Got 85.2% in tenth.

In twelfth, got 84.66%. Again only state board.

During my twelfth I had heard of AIEEE but not IIT JEE. I had no idea that IIT’s even exists. (Poor me). When I thought of appearing in AIEEE, one of my chemistry teacher said, ‘AIEEE is based on CBSE syllabus, we read state board syllabus, hence its not of much use’. So didn't apply for AIEEE
Got admission in a college in Chennai due to someone's recommendation in Electronics and Communication Engineering.

One of my friend had called me to a cultural in IIT-M. That's for the first time I had stepped into IIT and felt I missed studying in such a huge campus.

First sem, 7 GPA with one backlog.

Second sem, 6 point something with one backlog. Could only clear the backlog in my 4th sem.

Third sem, 4 backlogs. Don't ask me about my GPA.

Fourth sem, 4 backlogs.

Could sense my academic record is going in a downward projectile never to return back.

Fifth sem, cleared all backlogs and got qualified to appear in the placement drive.

Sixth sem, got placed in Infosys.

Friends appeared in GATE, GRE, GMAT etc. Never really had courage to appear in those exams because you know about my engineering knowledge.

Infosys. Generic training : Java - Third and last attempt, DBMS - Second attempt, HTML - First attempt.

Stream training : Java - First attempt.

UPSC : Failed in Mains twice (2016, 2017).

In 2018, got AIR 23.

Just believe in yourself. Do all the handwork. Don't look back on your past academic records. It doesn't really matters. When someone took my interview they asked me, ‘how was your UPSC Preparation different from the IIT or GATE’. I replied to them, ‘Frankly, during my school or college days I never really had much idea about those competitive exams, forget preparing for that. UPSC is the first competitive exam that I had ever attended, and got succeeded with a good rank. I had pushed back IITians, IIM grads, US grads etc to come to this place. For this I had put a lot of handwork and I'll keep on working hard in future’.

I firmly believe that we decide our future. NISHKAM KARMA.

Edit 1:

There were teachers who used to say that I can't do anything big in life. When I got 85% in my 10th my Geog teacher was pretty much surprised. He always used to say that I'm not sharp, active etc. Basically demotivate me. It was fun when my school felicitated me and he was standing there to welcome me. Just a smile, enough, everything was understood.

In my college, as I said, I wasn't the most bright person. Was perennially a back bencher and an outstanding student. So when I got placed in Infosys, my departmental staffs, especially my class advisor was surprised. After the declaration of results, she called me to congratulate. She was the one who made me stand out of Practical lab courses for not completing the record book. I still don't understand what good that completing record work brings when all we do is copy from last year book. Okay, that discussion for another day. I've been invited for my college Convocation as a Guest of Honor. The same place from which I graduated in the year 2014 when many doubted that can I pass all the subjects within the 4 year course period.

LIFE COMES A FULL CIRCLE.

Believe in yourself and work hard. No one knows you better than you and no one can motivate you better than you. You can either take the positivity around you or the negativity around you. I opted for the former. Its always our decision in life. Whatever we aspire the universe will help us in achieving it.

All the best guys.

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What was your strategy during the final revision of the CSE pre syllabus, just before the exam, during the last 7 days ?

Nothing much can be done during the last one week. Revise your current affairs notes. Have a quick revision of the syllabus. Its not possible to completely revise the whole syllabus. But you can have a quick glance of important things which have high probability of being asked. For modern history, go through the chapter summary given at the end of spectrum book. For environment, brush up the names of biosphere reserves, international conventions, critically endangered species. Names of folk dances/ songs, theaters, festivals etc. can be seen for culture part. In geography, names of tributaries of rivers is very important. I used to see the names of tributaries on the morning of the exam day since it is easy to forget this one thing.

Attempt at-least one mock test during these 7 days, preferably 2–3 days before the exam. You don’t have to check the solutions too. This is just for practice so that you can give your 100% in final exam.

Those who have never touched CSAT even once ( engineers especially) can practice one test of CSAT. Its better to be safe than sorry.

Do not over-stress yourself during the last 7 days. The effort during this time should be to reproduce whatever you already know in the exam and convert your hard-work into marks.

Keep yourself relaxed. Have adequate sleep the night before the exam.

All the best!

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Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment - OnlineEdge

Context: The Reserve Bank of India is planning to allow large modern currency chests to increase the service charges on cash deposited by non-chest bank branches from the existing rate of ₹5 per packet of 100 pieces to a higher rate subject to a maximum of ₹8 per packet. For this, only a currency chest (CC) that fulfills the minimum standards will be eligible to be classified as a large modern CC.

What are Currency chests?

Currency chests are branches of selected banks authorized by the RBI to stock rupee notes and coins.

Who determines the number of notes and coins to be printed?

The responsibility for managing the currency in circulation is vested in the RBI.

The central bank advises the Center on the number of notes to be printed, the currency denominations, security features and so on. The number of notes that need to be printed is determined using a statistical model that takes the pace of economic growth, rate of inflation and the replacement rate of soiled notes.

The Government has, however, reserved the right to determine the amount of coins that have to be minted.

Role of currency chests:

The RBI offices in various cities receive the notes from note presses and coins from the mints. These are sent to the currency chests and small coin depots from where they are distributed to bank branches.

The RBI has set up over 4,075 currency chests all over the country. Besides these, there are around 3,746 bank branches that act as small coin depots to stock small coins.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) recently issued new guidelines for banks to set up new currency chests. They include:

Area of the strong room/ vault of at least 1,500 sq ft. For those situated in hilly/ inaccessible places, the strong room/ vault area of at least 600 sq ft.

The new chests should have a processing capacity of 6.6 lakh pieces of banknotes per day. Those situated in the hilly/ inaccessible places, a capacity of 2.1 lakh pieces of banknotes per day.

The currency chests should have Chest Balance Limit (CBL) of Rs 1,000 crore, subject to ground realities and reasonable restrictions, at the discretion of the Reserve Bank.

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Charting a clear course in the Indo - Pacific - OnlineEdge

Introduction:

The term Indo-Pacific has been gaining traction in Indian policy circles for some time now, it achieved operational clarity after the Indian vision was presented by Prime Minister in his keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue in June 2018.

In Shangri-La Dialogue, it denied the Indo-Pacific was part of a strategy and called it a “natural” geographical region, placing the 10 countries of South East Asia (ASEAN) at the centre of the forum.

PM speech underscored that for India the geography of the Indo-Pacific stretches from the eastern coast of Africa to Oceania (from the shores of Africa to that of the Americas) which also includes in its fold the Pacific Island countries.

Security in the region must be maintained through dialogue, a common rules-based order, freedom of navigation, unimpeded commerce and settlement of disputes in accordance with international law.

India’s approach towards the Indo-Pacific region:

The term “Indo-Pacific” has gained currency, largely due to statements regarding the United States’ Rebalance to Asia strategy and an acknowledgement of linkage between the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

However, as far as India is concerned, this linkage between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific traversing the waters of Southeast Asia is nothing new.

In 2004, the Indian Maritime Doctrine alluded to “the shift in global maritime focus from the Atlantic-Pacific combine to the Pacific-Indian”.

Therefore, beyond the Indian Ocean, the Western Pacific has for some time now been identified as falling within the ambit of India’s security interests.

The focus on maritime issues is evident from the increase in maritime exchanges led by the Indian Navy with countries, such as, Vietnam, Singapore and Japan.

India’s approach to the region is exemplified by its evolving Look East Policy, beginning with economic engagement with Southeast Asia and now expanding to strategic cooperation beyond Southeast Asia.

Setting up a separate division of Indo-Pacific in MEA’s office:

The Ministry of External Affairs has set up an Indo-Pacific division in the foreign office.

The main objective of the Indo-pacific division is intended to give a coherent architecture to the Indo-Pacific policy articulated by PM at the Shangri-La Dialogue in 2018.

The setting up of the Indo-Pacific wing in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in April 2019 is a natural corollary to this vision.

The Wing is currently headed by joint secretary. The move is considered as the big step by the government and it is expected to give thrust to the Indo-Pacific centred policymaking.

It integrates the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), ASEAN region and the Quad.

The Indo-Pacific diplomacy of India has repeatedly placed ASEAN at the centre of its policy. Even the US has recently renamed its Pacific Command to the Indo-Pacific Command as it seeks to give teeth to its Indo-Pacific policy.

Many mechanisms for India to integrate with Indo-Pacific Policy:

India’s Act East policy remains the bedrock of the national Indo-Pacific vision and the centrality of ASEAN is embedded in the Indian narrative.

India has been an active participant in mechanisms like the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).

In ASEAN-led frameworks like the East Asia Summit, the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus, the ASEAN Regional Forum as well as the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) and the Mekong-Ganga Economic Corridor.

India has also been convening the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium, in which the navies of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) participate.

India has boosted its engagements with Australia and New Zealand and has deepened its cooperation with the Republic of Korea.

Through the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation, India is stepping up its interactions with the Pacific Island countries.

India’s growing partnership with Africa can be seen through the convening of mechanisms like the India-Africa Forum Summits.

India views the Indo-Pacific as a geographic and strategic expanse, with the 10 ASEAN countries connecting the two great oceans.

More connectivity initiatives impinging on respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, consultation, good governance, transparency, viability and sustainability should be promoted.

India is in need of a bureaucratic re-alignmnet:

The Ministry of Defence and the Indian Navy also are also taking note of the developments in this region and this wing can work in coordination with these two organs as well.

Given the huge geography that the Indian definition of Indo-Pacific covers, there was a need for a bureaucratic re-alignment to create a division.

This division can imbibe in its fold the various territorial divisions in the MEA that look after the policies of the countries which are part of the Indo-Pacific discourse.

This wing provides a strategic coherence to the Prime Minister’s Indo-Pacific vision, integrating the IORA, the ASEAN region and the Quad to the Indo-Pacific dynamic.

As geopolitical tensions rise between China and the U.S., the MEA’s new division will have its task cut out if India’s long-term political and economic interests in the region are to be preserved.

A bureaucratic change was indeed needed, but going forward the challenge would be to see how effectively this change manifests itself in managing India’s growing diplomatic footprint in the Indo-Pacific.

Given New Delhi’s stakes in its immediate neighbourhood, a more focused and integrated approach is needed.

Additionally, ASEAN forms the cornerstone of India’s Act East policy and Indo-Pacific vision.

Challenges ahead for Indo-Pacific regional policy:

The integration of the IORA means that attention will continue to be focused on the IOR. This can be a result of the growing Chinese footprint in the Indian Ocean and Chinese diplomacy in the region.

India’s bureaucratic shift is an important move to articulate its regional policy more cogently, coherently and with a renewed sense of purpose.

There are still challenges for India, especially how it will integrate the Quadrilateral initiative which got revived in 2017 with its larger Indo-Pacific approach.

There are differences between India’s vision and the U.S.’s strategy for the Indo-Pacific even as countries like China and Russia view the Indo-Pacific with suspicion.

The renaming of the U.S. Pacific Command to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command as well as the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act in December 2018 showcase Washington’s more serious engagement with the Indo-Pacific.

The Free and Open Indo-Pacific concept was unveiled by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2016, and Australia released its Foreign Policy White Paper in 2017, which details Australia’s Indo-Pacific vision centered around security, openness and prosperity.

Conclusion:

Inclusiveness, openness, and ASEAN centrality and unity, therefore, lie at the heart of the Indian notion of Indo-Pacific.

While India has been consistently emphasizing “inclusiveness” in the Indo-Pacific framework, it will be challenging to maintain a balance between the interests of all stakeholders.

It will also be important for the new MEA division to move beyond security and political issues and articulate a more comprehensive policy towards the region.

Commerce and connectivity in particular will have to be prioritized if India is to take advantage of a new opening for its regional engagement.

Visualizing the ASEAN region as a part of the wider Indo-Pacific shows an evolution in the region’s thinking, opening new possibilities for India’s engagement with the grouping.

India’s multi-layered engagement with China as well as strategic partnership with Russia underlines its commitment to ensuring a stable, open, secure, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific.

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How can a student of class 11 start his UPSC preparation that will benefit him/her in clearing the UPSC in the 1st attempt?

Here are a few tricks:

Start following News. Take part in school debates, write essays, join extempore clubs etc.

Take an interest in your regular school studies. Do well in school - in all your subjects, learn how to concentrate on your books even when you don't want to study at all. Become more disciplined with your studies.

Become responsible. Learn to prioritize. Learn how to manage your time well. Don’t gossip or waste time.

Have a tonne of hobbies and make a lot of friends. Have friends who like thinking for themselves and have constructive discussions with them.

Learn how to separate emotions from logic. Learn to see the bigger picture. Learn patience, learn to give dispassionate advice.

And most importantly, learn to be honest with yourself. Learn how to do honest, critical self-analysis. Learn to stop finding faults in others or your circumstances for your failures. Find your own mistakes, own up to them and correct them. Admit your own faults to yourself and work on them. And also see your own potential and talents. Nurture your talents. See yourself for who you are and learn to value yourself. Learn Self-Awareness.

Try some of these things. Everything else you can learn later. If you master these, I feel, not only will you clear the exam, you will also make a fantastic officer! Good luck!

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A person who criticizes government policies cannot become an IAS officer. Is this true?

It would be impossible to live in a country as a common citizen and agree with everything that the government does! And you live at least 21 years as a common citizen before you even become eligible to be an IAS officer. Now then, when recruiting you, how do you expect the government to go to every single person you have ever spoken to, in your whole life, to find out whether you ever criticized the government? Think about it! In fact, UPSC CSE Question paper asks you to critique government policies very often! Do you think it is a trap question so they can decide to throw you out?

So no it is NOT true that you cannot become an IAS officer if you criticize government policies.

HOWEVER, when you get INSIDE the government, then you CANNOT criticize government policies in public in any fashion.

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I am just an average student. Can I crack the IAS exam ?

For an average student, who has never taken studies seriously, and who has suddenly decided to write the UPSC exam. It is next to impossible to crack it in the first attempt. Even Lady Luck will find it difficult to stretch herself to enable this.

So, If you can do the following, you can crack it in the first attempt even if you are the so-called Average Student.

1. Set your goal as early as possible -

Since we talking about an average student, I presume it means someone who has not aced exams and tests through schooling and college. That means - the student is part of the bottom 20 or 30%. In this case, it could be due to three things -

(a) Lack of interest in studies (due to many reasons).

(b) Lack of any desire to excel in life given the challenges facing one.

(c) Bad health, bad temperament, poor concentration etc.

In all cases, if you want to crack the UPSC exam in first attempt, give yourself at least 3 years, because attitudinal changes take a long time. If you decide in Jan 2016 to crack the 2016 Prelims, it's not only a tough call, but you're setting yourself up for an avoidable failure and consequent shattering of confidence. Don't do that.

2. Research and calibrate yourself

Once you have made up your mind to go for it, say for UPSC 2018 exams (give you are in first year), start your research. Read every word of the official syllabus of past 3 years, thrice. Let it sink into you. Honestly realize how much you need to learn. Most of it may look alien and hostile, but take it in your stride. Your heart may sink, no problem. Let it. You are a young person, can recover quickly. Now start finding your exact stamina to study in long stretches. Try various things. And do all this for 3 to 4 months - and finally decide what's going to be your pace of preparations, and daily input. This will cool you down, bring a smile on your face, and make you one of those slow but steady and dangerous horses in the race!

3. Get the best mentors and the best course ware to prepare -

In a competition, there is no point in reinventing the wheel from ground zero. That is good for a Research Scholar type of pursuit, but in a brutal competition, get the best mentors and best course to speed up your preparations. Keep reading original stuff on your own in parallel (a sine qua non, really) so that you can constantly keep checking the current development vis-a-vis what's being taught in the formal sessions (either in a classroom or at home). And if one is an average student, proper mentoring can add an amazing delta to you.

4. Stay positive throughout -

Since the student has never taken studies seriously, the chances of breaking down when faced with this Mount Everest of an exam are pretty much there. So remember - be at it. Be steady. Do not give up. Remind yourself of this a hundred times per day. It's a big project, but broken into small and manageable pieces, it is doable. Restrict yourself to only a few friends who appreciate your struggle and motivate you. Dump that silly smartphone - and go for a basic phone. It'll add several hours worth of free time to your day.

Remember, many smarties will tell you - the exam is not tough, look at Mr X or Ms Y who cracked it so easily. Well, the real story usually is diametrically different. So be good to yourself - be honest. I wish you great luck ("the average student") as I feel that the normal, average people do wonders when they decide to!

There are people who dream to become IAS but you know one should be extra intelligent and smart to become so. If you are looking for Best IAS Coaching? then Our education are perfect Place for you. Join Best IAS Coaching in Delhi. 

कैसे करे Philosophy Optional कि तयारी? Empiricism Locke Berkeley hume mill spencer

Great Tips for CSAT Class for UPSC / IAS Exam by Rajesh Sir | In Hindi |

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SC Rejects Plea for 100% EVM-VVPAT Verification - UPSC / IAS - OnlineEdge

Terms PIL petition a ‘nuisance’

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a writ petition for 100% random physical verification of EVM-VVPAT in the Lok Sabha polls of 2019.

The court said that there were just two days left before counting and the country should be allowed to choose its government. The court would not stand in the way. Dubbing the public interest litigation filed by a collective of technocrats called ‘Tech4All’ a “nuisance”, the Vacation Bench of Justices Arun Mishra and M.R. Shah junked the PIL in a brief hearing.

The Bench pointed out that all the seven phases of polling were over and the country was looking forward to form a new government on May 23. The PIL was ill-timed and would only disrupt the electoral process which was on its last spring to the finish line, it noted.

The PIL had cited the recent allegations of changing the EVMs even as the Election Commission of India has strongly denied them.

The PIL said the Supreme Court’s order in April to raise the physical verification of votes using Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail (EVM-VVPATs) from one EVM to five EVMs per Assembly segment was not enough of a safeguard from tampering. There was a need for 100% physical counting for foolproof poll results on May 23, it said. On May 7, a Supreme Court Bench, led by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, had dismissed a plea by 21 Opposition parties to review its April judgment.

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सड़ी-गली शिक्षा व्यवस्था में उम्मीद की एक किरण - OnlineEdge

भारत के पिछड़ेपन का एक बहुत बड़ा कारण शिक्षा है। स्वतंत्रता से पूर्व, प्रतिभाशाली लोग सरकारी स्कूलों की देन हुआ करते थे। आज उन स्कूलों की स्थिति इतनी खराब है कि निर्धन माता-पिता भी सरकारी स्कूलों की निःशुल्क शिक्षा के स्थान पर महंगे प्राइवेट स्कूलों में बच्चों को पढ़ाना पसंद करते हैं।

2012 के प्रोग्राम फॉर इंटरनेशनल स्टूडेंट असेसमेंट की 73 देशों की प्रतिस्पर्धा में भारत का स्थान बहुत ही पीछे रहा है। इस प्रतियोगिता में तमिलनाडु और हिमाचल प्रदेश जैसे दो प्रमुख राज्यों ने भाग लिया था। भारत ने असेसमेंट की मूल्यांकन प्रणाली को ही गलत ठहराते हुए इसमें भाग लेना बंद कर दिया। वहीं वियतनाम ने इस मूल्यांकन पद्धति का स्वागत करते हुए अपनी कमजोरियों को दूर किया, और आज वह इस प्रतिस्पर्धा में अपना स्थान ऊपर ले आया है। भारत ने भी 2021 की इस प्रतिस्पर्धा में भाग लेने का निश्चय किया है।

भारतीय शिक्षा पद्धति की सबसे बड़ी कमी इसकी रटंत प्रक्रिया है। यहाँ लिखे-लिखाए उत्तरों को अच्छी तरह से रटना सिखाया जाता है। जिज्ञासावश शिक्षक से प्रश्न करने को महत्व नहीं दिया जाता है। नए प्रयोग, विचार और वाद-विवाद का कोई स्थान नहीं है। सरकार भी कक्षाओं, शौचालयों और मध्यान्ह भोजन योजनाओं पर काफी ध्यान दे रही है। लेकिन सीखने के परिणामों पर कोई ध्यान नहीं है।

टी.एस.इलियट ने कहा था, ‘‘ज्ञान के बीच हमने विवेक को कहाँ खो दिया है? सूचनाओं के बीच ज्ञान को कहाँ खो दिया है ? भारतीय स्कूली शिक्षा ज्ञान की जगह सूचना को महत्व देती है। इसमें विवेक का कोई स्थान नहीं है।

हमारी शिक्षा प्रणाली को सुधारने का रास्ता प्रयोगों से होकर ही जाता है। आंध्रप्रदेश के एक छोटे से गांव में ‘कैम्पस क्रिएटीविटी लैब’ का निर्माण किया गया है, जिसके माध्यम से बच्चों को ‘क्यों’ जैसे प्रश्नचिन्ह लगाने का अवसर दिया गया है। इससे बच्चों में निरीक्षण और अवलोकन करने की जिज्ञासा उत्पन्न हो रही है, और उनका आत्मविश्वास बढ़ रहा है।

इस विद्यालय को ‘आह, आहा और हा-हा’ जैसी तीन तकनीकों पर चलाया जा रहा है। पहले स्तर का संबंध छोटे-छोटे प्रयोगों के माध्यम से आश्चर्यचकित, खुश, जिज्ञासु और उत्साहवर्धक होने से है। दूसरा स्तर, प्रोजेक्ट और वाद-विवाद के माध्यम से प्रयोग और खोज करने के लिए प्रोत्साहित करने से संबंधित है। ‘हा हा’ को बच्चों के अंदर के भय और संकोच को प्रसन्नता और हंसी-माजक में बदलने के लिए रखा गया है।

इस विद्यालय के बच्चों ने व्यावसायिक जीवन में आने वाली समस्याओं से रूबरू होकर नए-नए साधन और तंत्र विकसित किए हैं। यही अन्वेषण और सीखने की कला भारत में भी सिलीकन वैली बना सकती है।

आंध्रप्रदेश की इस संस्था ने दो सौ मोबाइल लैब और 70 विज्ञान केन्द्र बनाए हैं। 540 गांवों में इसकी रात्रि कक्षाएं भी चलती हैं। बच्चों में नेतृत्व की क्षमता को पहचानते हुए इसने 14,000 युवाओं को शिक्षकों की तरह प्रशिक्षित कर दिया गया है। इससे बच्चों में नेतृत्व क्षमता का विकास जल्दी होता है, और सीखने-पढ़ने की प्रक्रिया मजेदार हो जाती है।

संस्था की पद्धति को देखते हुए ब्रिटेन के कुछ लोग इसे सीखने आए। इस पद्धति को चलाने में इंफोसिस और अन्य निजी क्षेत्र की कंपनियों का योगदान है।

संस्था के माध्यम से एक करोड़ बच्चों और लगभग 2,50,000 शिक्षकों को लाभ मिल चुका है। इस प्रकार की संस्थाएं हमारी सड़ी-गली शिक्षा व्यवस्था के अंधकार में सूरज की एक किरण की तरह अंतरराष्ट्रीय जगत में हमारी साख बचाए हुए हैं, और प्रकाश की उम्मीद जगाए हुए हैं। इनकी पहुँच अभी सीमित है, लेकिन इनसे मार्गदर्शन लेकिर शिक्षा-व्यवस्था में सुधार करने की संभावनाएं असीमित हैं।

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What are the best books for UPSC? - OnlineEdge

Here is the book list..

##General Studies Paper I##

1. General Studies Manual - Paper 1 by Manohar Pandey.
2. General Studies Paper I for Civil Services Preliminary Examination by Majid Husain, D R Khullar, N K Bajaj, N D Arora, Ashok Kumar Singh.
3. General Studies - Paper I For Civil Services Preliminary Examination by Edgar Thorpe, Showick Thorpe.
4. General Studies Paper I by MHE.

##Indian History##

1. History of Modern India by Bipan Chandra.
2. India's Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra.
3. India's Ancient Past by R.S.Sharma.
4. A Brief History Of Modern India by Rajiv Ahir.
5. A History of Medieval India by Chandra Satish.
6. Concise History of Modern India for Civil Services Examination by Sujata Menon.
7. A New Look at Modern Indian History: Form 1707 To The Modern Times by B.L. Grover, Alka Mehta.

##Art & Culture##

1. The Wonder That Was India by A.L. Bhasham.
2. Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania.

##Indian Geography##

1. Oxford School Atlas – Oxford. (Geography).
2. Geography of India by Majid Husain ,TMH Publishing.
3. Certificate Physical and Human Geography by Goh Cheng Leong.
4. Indian and World Geography: Objective Questions with Explanatory Notes for Civil Services 5. Preliminary Examination by D.R. Khullar.
5. Oxford School Atlas by Oxford.

##Indian Polity##

1. Indian Polity by M. Laxmikanth.
2. Introduction to the Constitution of India by D.D.Basu.
3. Magbook Indian Polity & Governance by Arihant Publication.
4. Indian Polity, Governance and National Movement for Civil Services Preliminary Examination - Paper 1 by N D Arora, Access Publishing.

##Indian Economy##

1. Indian Economy Book by Ramesh Singh.
2. The Indian Economy Book by Sanjiv Verma.
3. Indian Economy: Performance and Policies: by Uma Kapila.

##Environment##

1. Environment for Civil Services Prelims and Mains and Other Competitive Examinations Paperback by D R Khullar, J A C S Rao.
2. Environmental Studies: From Crisis to Cure Book by R. Rajagopalan.

##General Studies Paper II##

1. General Studies Paper II by MHE.
2. General Studies Paper 2 for Civil Services Preliminary Examination by V. Sasikumar, N.D. Arora,  Prem Sahajpal.
3. CSAT - Solved Papers for Civil Services Preliminary Examination (General Studies Paper II) by Access.
4. General Studies Paper II For Civil Services Preliminary Examination by Edgar Thorpe, Showick Thorpe.
5. Cracking the CSAT Paper-2 by Arihant Experts.

##Books for Mains:##

1. IAS Mains General Studies Paper 1 INDIAN HERITAGE & CULTURE HISTORY & GEOGRAPHY OF THE WORLD & SOCIETY by Arihant Experts (Reference Manual GS-1)
2. History of Modern World by Jain, Mathur (History GS-1)
3. Social Problems In India by Ram Ahuja (Indian Society GS-1)
4. India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy by Ramachandra Guha (World History GS-1)
5. IAS Mains General Studies Paper 2 GOVERNANCE CONSTITUTION, POLITY SOCIAL JUSTICE & INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS (Reference Manual GS-2)
Governance for Growth in India (Governance GS-2)
6. Pax Indica: India and the World of the 21st Century by Shashi Tharoor (Foreign Policy GS-2)
India and the World: Through the Eyes of Indian Diplomats by Surendra Kumar (Foreign Policy GS-2)
7. IAS Mains General Studies Paper 3 TECHNOLOGY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BIODIVERSITY ENVIRONMENT, SECURITY & DISASTER MANAGEMENT (Reference Manual GS-3)
8. India’s National Security: A Reader (Critical Issues in Indian Politics) (National Security GS-3)
Internal Security & Disaster Management GS Paper 3 (Internal Security GS-3)
IAS Mains General Studies Paper 4 ETHICS INTEGRITY & APTITUDE (Reference Manual GS-4)
Contemporary Essays for Civil Services Examination (Essay)
151 Essays (Essay)

##Books for Interview:##

1. Interviews The Last Basic Tips On facing Civil Services Personality Test (Interview Basics)
2. What…? When…? How…? Answers to All Questions About Civil Services (Interview) (Interview Questions).

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