General Studies Paper 4 (GS 4) Questions- UPSC Mains 2019
Instructions Total Marks: 250 marks, Time duration: 3 hours. There are 12 questions divided into two sections and printed both in ENGLISH and HINDI. All questions are compulsory. The number of marks carried by a question/part is printed against it. Answers must be written in the medium authorized in the admission certificate which must be stated clearly on the cover of this question-cum-answer (QCA) booklet in the space provided. No marks will be given for answers written in the medium other than authorized one. Keep the word limit indicated in the questions in mind. Any page or portion of the page left blank, must be struck off clearly. Questions Section A 1 (a) What are the basic principles of public life? Illustrate any three of these with suitable examples. (150 words). 101 (b) What do you understand by the term ‘public servant’? Reflect on the expected role of a public servant. (150 words). 102 (a) Effective utilisation of public funds is crucial to meet development goals. Critically e examine the reasons for under-utilization and mis-utilisation of public funds and their implications. (150 words). 102 (b) “Non-performance of duty by a public servant is a form of corruption” Do you agree with this view? Justify your answer (150words). 103 (a) what is meant by constitutional morality? How does one uphold constitutional morality? (150 words). 10 4 (a) Explain the basic principles of citizens’ charter movement and bring out its importance. (150 words) (10 marks) 4(b) There is a view that the official secrets act is an obstacle to the implementation of the Rights to Information act. Do you agree with the view? Discuss (150 words) (10 marks) 5 (a) What do you understand by probity in governance? Based on your understanding of the term, suggest measures for ensuring probity in government. (150 words) (10 marks) 5 (b) “Emotional Intelligence is the ability to make your emotions work for you instead of against you.” Do you agree with this view? Discuss. (150 words) (10 marks) 6. What do each of the following quotations mean to you? (a) “An unexamined life is not worth living.” – Socrates (150 words) (10 marks) (b) “A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.” – M.K.Gandhi (150 words) (10 marks) (c) “Where there is righteousness in the heart, there is beauty in the character. When there is beauty in the character, there is harmony in the home. When there is harmony in the home, there is order in the nation. When there is order in the nation, there is peace in the world.” – A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (150 words) (10 marks) UPSC Mains 2019 General Studies Paper 1 (GS 1) Question UPSC Mains 2019 General Studies Paper 2 (GS 2) Question UPSC Mains 2019 General Studies Paper 3 (GS 3) Question SECTION B: Case studies Q7. You are the heading the rescue operations in an area affected by severe natural calamity, thousands of people are rendered homeless and deprived of food, drinking water and other basic amenities. Rescue work has been disrupted by heavy rainfall and damaged to supply routes. The local people are seeding with anger against the delayed limited rescue operations. When your team reaches the affected area, the people there heckle and even assault some of the team members. One of your team members is even severely injured. Faced with this crisis some team member pleads with you to call off the operations freeing threats to their life. In such trying circumstances, what will be your response? Examine the qualities of a public servant which will be required to manage the situations. (250 words) (20 marks) Q8. Honesty and uprightness are the hallmarks of civil servants. Civil servants possessing these qualities are considered as a backbone of any strong organizations. In the line of duty, they take various decisions, at time some become bonafide mistakes. As long as such decisions, are not taken intentionally and do not benefit personally, the officer cannot be said to be guilty. Though such decisions may, at times, lead to unforeseen adverse consequences in the long term. In the recent past, a few instances have surfaced wherein civil servants have been implicated for bonafide mistakes. They have often been prosecuted and even imprisoned. These instances have greatly rattled the moral fibre of the civil servants. How does this trend affect the functioning of civil services? What measures can be taken to ensure that honest civil servants are not implicated for bonafide mistakes on their part? Justify your answer. (250 words) (20 marks) Q9. An apparel manufacturing company having a large number of women employees was losing sales due to various factors. The company hired a reputed marketing executive, who increased the volume of sales within a short span of time. However, some unconfirmed reports came up regarding his indulgence in sexual harassment at the workplace. After sometime a women employee launched a formal complaint to the management against the marketing executive about sexually harassing her. Faced with the companies’ indifference, in not taking cognizance of her grievances, she lodged an FIR with the police. Realizing the sensitivity and gravity of the situation, the company called the women employee to negotiate. In that she was offered a hefty sum of money to withdraw the complaint and the FIR and also give in writing that the marketing executive is not involved in the case. Identify the ethical issues involved in this case. What options are available to the women employee? (250 words) (20 marks) UPSC Mains Answer Writing Q10. In a modern democratic polity, there is a concept of the political executive and permanent executive elected people’s representatives forms the political executive and bureaucracy form the permanent executive. Ministers frame policy decisions and bureaucrats execute these. In the initial decades after independence, the relationship between the permanent executives and the political executives were characterized by mutual understanding, respect, and cooperation, without encroaching upon each other’s domain. However, in subsequent decades, the situation has changed. There are instances of the political executive insisting upon the permanent executives to follow its agenda. Respect for an appreciation
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) is a formal process used to predict the environmental consequences of any development project. Environment Impact Assessment in India is statutorily backed by The Environment Protection Act in 1986 Rationale behind EIA EIA looks into various problems, conflicts and natural resource constraints which may not only affect the viability of a project but also predict if a project might harm to the people, their land, livelihoods and environment. Once these potential harmful impacts are predicted, the EIA process identifies the measures to minimize those impacts. Objectives of Environmental Impact Assessment Identifying, predicting and evaluating economic, environmental and social impacts of development activities. Providing information on the environmental consequences for decision making. Promoting environmentally sound and suitable development by identifying appropriate alternatives and mitigation measures. The Environmental Impact Assessment process The EIA process or stages is described below Screening: This stage decides which projects need a full or partial assessment study. Scoping: This stage decides which impacts are necessary to be assessed. This is done based on legal requirements, international conventions, expert knowledge and public engagement. This stage also finds out alternate solutions that avoid or at least reduce the adverse impacts of the project. Alternate designs or sites that avoid or mitigate impact are investigated. Assessment & evaluation of impacts and development of alternatives: this stage predicts and identifies the environmental impacts of the proposed project and also elaborates on the alternatives. EIA Report: in this reporting stage, an environmental management plan (EMP) and also a non-technical summary of the project’s impact is prepared for the general public. This report is also called the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Decision making: the decision on whether the project is to be given approval or not and if it is to be given, under what conditions. Monitoring, compliance, enforcement and environmental auditing: monitoring whether the predicted impacts and the mitigation efforts happen as per the EMP. Importance of Environmental Impact Assessment EIA is a good tool for prudent environment management. It is government-policy that any industrial project in India has to secure EIA clearance from the Environment Ministry before approval for the project itself. Environmental Impact Assessment in India EIA started in India in 1976-77 when the Planning Commission directed the Department of Science & Technology to assess the river valley projects from the point of view of the environment. This was extended for all those projects that required approval from the Public Investment Board. Then, in 1986, the government enacted the Environment (Protection) Act which made EIA statutory. The other main laws in this regard are the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act (1972), the Water Act (1974), the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act (1981), and the Biological Diversity Act (2002). In 1982, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change set up the Environmental Information System (ENVIS) with the purpose of collecting, collating, storing, retrieving and disseminating information related to the environment sector. This serves as a web-based distributed network of subject-specific databases. The chief purpose of the ENVIS is to integrate all countrywide efforts to collect, store, disseminate and use environment-information for better managing environmental assessment activities. Though it seems a very simplified process, but the whole process of EIA encompasses numerous structural and procedural flaws Issues Related to Environmental Impact Assessment Screening and Scoping not well defined—-In the EIA notification 2006, there is a lack of clarity in the overall conductance of the Screening process. As it is the discretion of the State Level Committee to decide which projects are B1 and which are B2, many a time the bias of respective State Governments come into play. The Scoping process faces the same types of issues because of the lack of clarity in guidelines. Misleading EIA reports— Sometimes the EIA reports lack the expected degrees of honesty, owing to bias, corruption, exaggeration and wrong claims. Due to poor knowledge of the project area, the agencies lift paragraphs and sentences from other sources, thus presenting contradictory, inconsistent and outdated information. Moreover, there is no process for punishing the agencies tabling such dishonest EIA reports. Insufficient EIA reports— Agencies or project proponents also prepare incomplete EIA reports, which include incomplete surveys, arbitrary demarcation of EIA study area and unsubstantiated statements. Sometimes the impact with respect to flash floods, landslides, peak precipitation etc. round the year is grossly ignored in reports. Poor quality of EIA professionals—This happens mostly when the proponents themselves conduct the EIA. They intentionally hire local and incompetent professionals to save cost over the whole process or some other vested reasons. These poor professionals prepare a poor quality of EIA reports. Lack of awareness—There is a gross lack of awareness among the local people, about the process of EIA, its significance for them, the role of various players and their own rights and responsibilities. Moreover, there is a communication gap between authorities and local people because the notice for Public hearing is issued in local newspapers only and no separate notices are sent to individual concerned Panchayats. Most of the times local people are unaware of the Public hearing meetings. Unavailability of EIA in local languages— Most of the time EIA reports are unavailable in local languages, thus local people are unable to decipher the reports and are misled by the proponents. This can be interpreted as a clear violation of the right to information on their part. The irony is local people are totally unaware of such implications. Ignorance of officials— The concerned officials, for example, those in Public Hearing committee are ignorant of their roles and responsibilities. Sometimes they don’t even get a copy of EIA report and it is passed without their consent, owing to gross corruption of the system. Over involvement of Public hearing consultants— In the public hearing meeting, the consultants should not be allowed to have a dominant say, except responding to the issues of the people. On the contrary, they get involved in public hearings beyond requirements and thus mislead the local people. Unaddressed issues persist—-The issues raised by people in public
Non Governmental Organization (NGO)
Non Governmental Organization (NGO) The World Bank defines NGOs as private organizations that pursue activities to relieve suffering, promote the interests of the poor, protect the environment, provide basic social services, or undertake community development. NGOs are legally constituted organizations which operate independently from Government and are generally considered to be nonstate, nonprofit oriented groups who pursue purposes of public interest. Characteristics of NGOs These are social development organizations These are organizations of private individuals who believe in certain basic social principles. They structure their activities to bring about development to communities they are servicing. An independent, democratic, non-sectarian people’s organization working for the empowerment of economic and/or socially marginalized groups. An organization not affiliated to political parties. Registration of NGOs Indian NGOs mainly comes under three segments – Societies, Trusts, Charitable Companies. Societies: Societies have to register under the Societies Registration Act,1860. Trusts: Private trusts are registered under the central government’s Indian Trusts Act, 1882, and public ones are registered under the state legislation concerned. Charitable companies: They are set up according to section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013. For charitable companies, the compliance requirements are high, as loans and advances are easily available to them compared to a trust or a society. They have to even pay Income tax under IT act 1961. Read Also Green Crackers and Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation Constitutional provisions Article 19 (1) (c) – right to form association Article 43 (b) – The State shall endeavour to promote voluntary formation, autonomous functioning, democratic control and professional management of [co-operative societies]. Part IX B – cooperative societies State list – entry 32 Concurrent list entry 10,28 Role of NGO in development Work where state resources are inadequate: Two main such areas include education and healthcare. There are not enough government-run schools or hospitals, especially in rural areas. Even if they are present, they do not have the resources. NGOs try to complement and complete these initiatives. The NGO called Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad is largely credited for the hundred percent literacy rate in that state. Fighting social evils: It is due to the efforts of NGOs that the government has banned sex determination of foetus as it leads to evils like abortion of the female fetus. Right to Information: It is because of the efforts of NGOs that RTI has become a reality in India. Right to Shelter: NGOs such as YUVA and SPARC in cities like Mumbai have repeatedly opposed the demolition of hutments even as they try to improve the quality of life in the sprawling slum clusters Tribal Rights: As witnessed in the Vedanta vs. Posco case, NGOs have raised voice against the discrimination of tribal by the multinationals. Many of these NGOs have partnered with Gram Panchayat in the proper implementation of acts like the Forest Rights Act, CAMPA Act etc. Implementation of welfare schemes: NGOs due to proximity to the general public, work as an interface between government and the end-users. Thus NGOs play three roles of implementer, a catalyst and a partner in the implementation of government welfare schemes. Rehabilitation: NGOs did a remarkable job post-2004 Tsunami. Besides helping in rescue operations, NGOs also set up vocational training centres. Community Development: Local, national and regional NGOs have emerged as major players and partners in development activities in the region. At the community level, they are in the front line in providing assistance in the acquisition of basic needs and amenities; in identifying issues, raising awareness, and in articulating the communities’ problems. Role of NGOs in Protection of Environment : Major campaigns by NGOs: Climate Change Protection of Pristine forests Protection of marine life and diversity Against whaling Against Genetic Engineering/ GMOs Prevention of Nuclear Threat to wildlife Elimination of chemical and biological toxic waste Encouragement of sustainable trade Some major environmental NGOs in India are: Greenpeace WWF Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) Read Also Poshan Abhiyaan Legislations regulating the finances of NGOs Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 2010 Foreign funding of voluntary organizations in India is regulated under the FCRA act and is implemented by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The acts ensure that the recipients of foreign contributions adhere to the stated purpose for which such contribution has been obtained. Under the act, organisations require to register themselves every five years. Registration and prior approval under FCRA: In order to be registered under the FCRA, an NGO must be in existence for at least three years and must have undertaken reasonable activity in its field for which the foreign contribution is proposed to be utilised. Further, it must have spent at least INR 1,000,000 over three years preceding the date of its application on its activities. The registration certificate is valid for a period of five years and must be thereafter renewed in the prescribed manner. NGOs not eligible for registration can seek prior approval from FCRA for receiving foreign funding. This permission is granted only for a specific amount of foreign funding from a specified foreign source for a specific purpose. It remains valid till receipt and full utilisation of such amount. The Act imposes various conditions on the use of foreign funds and some of them are as follows: All funds received by an NGO must be used only for the purpose for which they were received. Such funds must not be used in speculative activities identified under the Act. Except with the prior approval of the Authority, such funds must not be given or transferred to any entity not registered under the Act or having prior approval under the Act. Every asset purchased with such fund must be in the name of the NGO and not its office bearers or members. Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 Foreign Exchange Management Act (1999) aims to consolidate and amend the law relating to foreign exchange with the objective of facilitating external trade and payments and for promoting the orderly development and maintenance of foreign exchange market in India. A transaction under FEMA is called a fee or a salary while the same
Secularism in India
Secularism in India Secularism refers to Separation of Religion from the state. The Indian Constitution allows individuals the freedom to live by their religious beliefs and practices. With the 42nd Amendment of the Constitution of India enacted in 1976, the Preamble to the Constitution asserted that India is a secular nation. It separated the power of religion and the power of the state. Relevant constitutional provisions pertaining to Secularism Fundamental rights Article 14: Equality before law. Article 15: Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth. Article 16: Equality of opportunity in matters of public employment. Article 19: Protection of certain rights regarding freedom of speech etc. Article 21: Protection of life and personal property. Article 25: Freedom of consigns and free profession, practise, and propagation of religion. Article 26: Freedom to manage religious affairs. Article 27: freedom as to payment of taxes for promotion of any particular religion. Article 28: freedom as to attendance at religious instruction or religious worship in certain educational institutions. Articl2 29: Protection of interest of minorities. Article 30: Right of minorities to establish and administer educational institution. Directive Principles of State Policy Article 44: Uniform civil code for the citizens. Article 48: Organization of agriculture and animal husbandry. Article 51 A: Fundamental duties Clause (e): To promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all people of India transcending religious linguistic and regional or sectional diversities and to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women. Clause (f): To value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture How state prevents domination by the religious group. 1. State should be non-theocratic:- A state must not be run by the heads of any particular religion. A state governed directly by a priestly order is called theocratic. For example- the Papal States of Europe in the Medieval period, Taliban controlled states in recent times. For this, states should have a separation from religion at the primary level, but this is not sufficient. 2. States should have no formal, legal alliance with any religion:- Many non-theocratic states have a close alliance with a particular religion. For example- England in the 17th century was not run by a priestly class but clearly favoured the Anglican Church and its members. England had an established Anglican religion, which was the official religion of the states. Today Pakistan has an official state religion, namely Islam. Such regimes may leave little scope for internal dissent on religious equality. Read Also New Industrial Policy-2018 Two modes of secularism 1.Western secularism All secular states have one thing in common, they are neither theocratic nor do they establish a religion. Features of the Western concept of secularism: State and religion have a separate sphere of its own, with independent jurisdiction i.e. Mutual exclusion of state and religion, the principled distance of state from religion and no illegitimate intrusion of religion in the state. The state cannot aid any religious institutions. The state cannot hinder the activities of religious communities as long as they are within the broad limits set up by the law of the land. For example – if religious women forbid a woman from becoming a priest, then the states cannot do anything. Like this, if a particular religion forbids the entry of some of its members in the sanctum of its temple, then the states have no option but to let the matter rest exactly where it is. Drawbacks: Such states focus on intra-religious domination by the strict separation of state from religion to realise among other things individual freedoms, issues of inter-religious (and therefore minority rights) equality are often neglected. This model leaves no scope for the idea of the state-supported religious reforms. 2. Indian Secularism Nehru’s view was – “Equal protection by the state to all religion“. He wanted a secular state to be one that “protects all religions but does not favour one at the expense of others and does not itself adopt any religion as the state religion.” Indian secularism is fundamentally different from western secularism. It does not focus only on Church-State separation and the idea of inter-religious equality is crucial to the Indian conception. Features There was already a culture of inter-religious ‘tolerance’ in India. Tolerance is compatible with religious domination. It may allow some space to everyone but such freedom is usually limited. The advent of western modernity, brought to the notice, neglected and marginalized notions of equality in Indian thought. It ushered ideas of inter-community equality to replace the notion of hierarchy. Its operation is done through three factors- Scientific and rational education, Legislation, social reforms, Urbanization and industrialization. So, Indian secularism took on a distinct form as a result of an interaction between what already existed in a society that had religious diversity and the ideas that came from the west. It resulted in an equal focus on intra-religious and inter-religious domination. Major concerns regarding Secularism: The grievance of the majority Hindus that rules, regulations and restrictions are applicable only to their religious institutions. Non-implementation of the uniform civil code. Appeasement of radical and orthodox Muslim elements by the passage of Muslim Women’s Divorce Act. Propagation of religion and large scale religious conversions by Muslims and Christians especially in the tribal belts and among poor people. Provision of unjustified protection to minority educational institutions. Thus, we can conclude that India is totally secular constitutionally but socially it is not. UPSC Mains 2019 General Studies 1 (GS 1 ) Questions UPSC Mains 2019 General Studies 2 (GS 2 ) Questions UPSC Mains 2019 General Studies 3 (GS 3 ) Questions UPSC Mains 2019 General Studies 4 (GS 4 ) Questions Measures to make India truly Secular : Separation of religion from politics Suitable legislation has to be immediately passed to separate religion from politics. Right to propagate religion There is considerable controversy over placing Right to propagate religion as a fundamental right. In this area, there have been many verdicts delivered by the Supreme Court and the High Court all of which have
Biomining
Biomining Biomining can be defined as the extraction of minerals from ores by using microorganisms. The microorganisms actually facilitate the extraction of metals from sulfide or iron-containing ores. Metals solubilization process is involved in biomining and it is a combination of microbiology and chemistry. Bioremediation is the use of microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) to degrade the environmental contaminants into less toxic or nontoxic forms Methods of biomining Bioleaching: A classic method of biomining. In this method, low-grade ore is dumped into a heap called leach pile and then soaked with a weak sulfuric acid wash. Then acid reacts with the ores sulfide matrix and encourages the growth of bacterial strain which starts to degrade ore and releases minerals or metals in fluid form. Bio-oxidation: it is widely used for the extraction of gold from ores. This process involves exposing the ore to bacterial oxidation which degrades the insoluble pyrite and arsenic components as it is a precious metal only removal of interfering metal sulfides from ore. Actually, bio-oxidation leaves metal in solid phase and solution is discarded. Common metals: Metals for which this technique is employed included Copper, Nickel, Zinc, Uranium, Gold and Silver. Read Also Mukurthi National Park Biomining in solid waste management It can be used to clear oil spills in sea and pollution from the soil, groundwater, surface water and air. In GURUGRAM Haryana this technique has been effectively use to clear hills of garbage without any ill-effects. Also with zero emission of harmful gases(Methane, Hydrogen sulphide and ammonia ) and Leachate. It can be used for wastewater treatment to industrial waste. It can be used for hydrocarbon contamination (PCB, Pentachlorophenol, and Trichloroethylene etc.). It can be used for storage tanks and pipes, landfills and pesticides and herbicides. It can be used for the treatment of agriculture chemical waste (like thiazine and DDT) and inorganic like (Uranium, sulphur etc.). Read Also Lokpal and Lokayukta Benefits It allows us to recycle resources by extracting useful components from the waste such as metal, as compost in fertilizer etc. If some of the Heavy metals are not degraded it can produce toxic compound and these compound can create health hazard like asthma, lungs cancer etc. Normal Processes of incineration requires a lot of energy whereas these processes do not need energy at all. These processes can be in situ and ex-situ. It is Eco-friendly and environmentally sustainable also after using this technique we can use the contaminated land for other purposes. Disadvantage Limited to bio-degradable compound. Not instantaneous. Factors must be maintained as it is highly specific. Products may be more persistent or toxic than the parent compound. Conclusion Our constitution provides us Right to health(Article 21, Article 48A. Protection and improvement of environment and safeguarding of forests and wildlife etc. and regarding this government has come up with Solid Waste Management Rules 2016. They experimented Bioremediation and Biomining in many cities in recent years under Raaginii Jaain, a national expert on the Government of India’s Swachh Bharat Mission, has developed a rapid bioremediation process for old dumps as well as new dumps in Nagpur, Gurugram, Gandhidham etc. and the result was very exciting. Though these techniques will take a little longer time, it is environment-friendly. We should use it on a large scale and plan it in all of our schemes such as Smart Cities, AMRUT, HRIDAY and Swach Bharat Mission Read Also P-8I Patrol Aircraft Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards your Civils journey. Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help. Join Now
CyberDome Project
CyberDome Project: A Public-Private Partnership in Cyberspace CyberDome Project- In the rapidly growing and changing the digital world, the investigation of cybercrimes and ensuring cybersecurity for citizens is one of the most challenging areas for the Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs). Since today’s cyber-crimes involve the use of most modern and sophisticated technologies, as well as anonymity over the internet, it becomes extremely difficult for the police, to investigate these kinds of crimes. The cybercriminals now work in a borderless environment, with legal systems of multiple jurisdictions. To make things worse, cybercrime has been evolving at an astonishing rate. Unfortunately, the police system is not equipped to take a pivotal role in cybercrime investigations and prevention of cybercrimes. The new challenges in Cyber Security, increasing number of cybercrimes and newer sophisticated cyber threats on the Internet, targeted against individuals and establishments have necessitated the expertise of Information technology professionals in fighting the same. Law enforcement agencies also require training by the IT sector as technology gets updated rapidly. Taking into account the broader impact of cybercrimes and challenges in cyberspace, Kerala Police initiated the Cyber Dome Project for the establishment of a Hi-tech Centre for Cyber Security and Innovations at the Technopark Campus, Trivandrum, Kerala. About Cyberdome Cyberdome is a technological research and development centre of Kerala Police Department, conceived as a cyber centre of excellence in cybersecurity, as well as technology augmentation for effective policing. It envisages as a high tech public-private partnership centre of collaboration for different stakeholders in the domain of cybersecurity and handling of cyber crimes in a proactive manner. The IT industry will contribute in terms of expertise, manpower, hardware, software, training, etc on a pro-bono basis. It is a motley crew of ethical hackers, expert coders, youth prodigies skilled in software, law enforcers and civilian volunteers who huddle behind flickering computer terminals at the office, with most of them offering their services for free. They are State law enforcement’s first line of defence against a range of online threats. Objectives and aims The primary objective of Cyberdome is to prevent cyber crimes and ensure that our cyber resources are secured. It is to prevent cybercrimes through developing a cyber threat resilient ecosystem in the state to defend against the growing threat of cyber attacks by synergizing with other departments and nodal agencies of the state. Cyberdome makes collective coordination among the Government departments and agencies, academia, research groups, non-profitable organizations, individual experts from the community, ethical hackers, private organizations, and other law enforcement agencies in the country with the aim of providing a safe and secure cyber world for each and every citizen in the state. This centre is envisaged to perform following activities Internet Monitoring Virtual Policing Social Media in Virtual Policing Automated threat intelligence in near real-time Cyber Forensics Virtual Courts Tracking System for Protecting Children Criminal Apprehension Software Safe Surfing online Web Application Child ID Application Image Analysis Software Online Network Investigation Application Access Blocking Application Stolen Vehicle Database Cyber Security Awareness, etc Read Now Secularism in India The Cyber Dome will have a research division with the following areas of research, development and analysis New avenues of cyber forensic including those using mobile technology New methods in approaching cyber crimes and other crimes using IT Increasing efficiency of Police Department using IT infrastructure Neural analysis Some activities and prospects of the Cyberdome project Cyberdome has developed cyber-surveillance tools to detect and convict those responsible for industrial espionage. The tools unearth moles that lie deep in critical information networks and siphon off data clandestinely. Cyberdome has used social engineering as the lynchpin of its policing strategy to snoop on radical groups that use the net for extremist activities. Cyberdome has also launched a covert cyber-surveillance and infiltration programme to crack down on child pornography. The State police and Cyberdome partnered with the Interpol and the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMC) to combat child porn. The entities have cobbled together an international alliance that entails transfer and development of the latest artificial intelligence-powered cyber tools to crack down on a wide range of crimes. The Interpol has granted the State police access to its latest cyber investigation tool, the Internet Crimes Against Children and Child Online Protective Services (ICACCOPS) programme. It helps law enforcers conduct targeted surveillance of persons who share and trade child pornography on peer-to-peer user networks. In 2017, Cyberdome notched up a remarkable victory when it forewarned the Kerala government of a possible ransomware attack. It also got praise from the chief minister of Kerala for its successful propaganda war against online games such as Blue Whale, which encourages youngsters to engage in death-defying daredevilry, which had caused a few deaths in the country and spawned concern among parents. Some achievements of Cyberdome Performed VAPT (Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing) on more than 100+ sites and reported their vulnerabilities Developed advanced Social Media lab for analytics, Cyber intelligence & monitoring Darknets. A software called Privacy Tracker has been developed in a partnership model for preventing piracy of films Defaced or removed around 250+ child porn pages/ porn sites and initiated action against the culprits Ransomware School started to understand, analyse and mitigate ransomware infections Developed a malware analysis lab to analyse the behaviour of malware & its preventive measures Developed a SOC System(Security Operations Centre) for protecting Government digital infrastructure Child Safety awareness program for students, parents & Teachers named- KID GLOVE- implemented throughout the state Conducted around 18 workshops and 22 hackathons for police cyber training Conducted 80 awareness events/ workshops throughout the state, for the public Intensive project to prevent child pornography over social media platforms Developed geospatial application to pinpoint the location based on mobile cell data Prevention of Online Financial Fraud in association With RBI through a 24X7 OTP fraud Monitoring system 21 MoUs signed with International and National cybersecurity agencies. Conclusion Recently, the Assam government also inaugurated its cyber dome project in order to empower the state Police to fight cyber challenges. An analysis is the cornerstone of all modern intelligence-led law
Basel Convention
Basel Convention Basel Convention is an international treaty that was designed to reduce the movements of hazardous waste between nations, and specifically to prevent the transfer of hazardous waste from developed to less developed countries (LDCs). It does not address the movement of radioactive waste. The Convention is also intended to minimize the amount and toxicity of wastes generated, to ensure their environmentally sound management and to assist LDCs in the environmentally sound management of the hazardous and other wastes they generate. It was opened for signature on 22 March 1989 and entered into force on 5 May 1992. As of October 2018, 186 states and the European Union are parties to the Convention. Haiti and the United States have signed the Convention but not ratified it. Provisions The provisions of the Convention centre around the following principal aims: The reduction of hazardous waste generation and the promotion of environmentally sound management of hazardous wastes, wherever the place of disposal; The restriction of transboundary movements of hazardous wastes except where it is perceived to be in accordance with the principles of environmentally sound management. Regulatory system applying to cases where transboundary movements are permissible. Aim States require to observe the fundamental principles of environmentally sound waste management (article 4). Hazardous wastes may not be exported to Antarctica, to a State, not a party to the Basel Convention, or to a party having banned the import of hazardous wastes (article 4). Parties may, however, enter into bilateral or multilateral agreements on hazardous waste management with other parties or with non-parties, provided that such agreements are “no less environmentally sound” than the Basel Convention (article 11). The Basel Convention also provides for cooperation between parties, ranging from exchange of information on issues relevant to the implementation of the Convention to technical assistance, particularly to developing countries (articles 10 and 13). Convention attributes responsibility to one or more of the States involved, and imposes the duty to ensure safe disposal, either by re-import into the State of generation or otherwise (articles 8 and 9). The Convention also provides for the establishment of regional or sub-regional centres for training and technology transfers regarding the management of hazardous wastes and other wastes and the minimization of their generation to cater to the specific needs of different regions and sub-regions (article 14). Fourteen such centres have been established. They carry out training and capacity building activities in the regions. Amending the Basel Convention Parties to the Basel Convention have reached agreement on a legally-binding, globally-reaching mechanism for managing plastic waste. The Geneva meeting amended the 1989 Basel Convention on the control of hazardous wastes to include plastic waste in a legally-binding framework. The new amendment would empower developing countries to refuse “dumping plastic waste” by others. The resolution means contaminated and most mixes of plastic wastes will require prior consent from receiving countries before they are traded, with the exceptions of mixes of PE, PP and PET. Developed countries like the U.S. and Canada have been exporting their mixed toxic plastic wastes to developing Asian countries claiming it would be recycled in the receiving country. Involvement of India Recently the 4th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to Basel Convention was held. The theme of the 2019 meeting was- “Clean Planet, Healthy People: Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste”. An Indian delegation of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and along with other ministers participated in the joint meeting and set a tone at COP. In Basel Convention on Control of Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, two important issues were mainly discussed and decided i.e. technical guidelines on e-waste and inclusion of plastic waste in Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure. India’s stand In view of growing consumption of electronic equipment and waste across world, India highlighted that technical guidelines provision in name of re-use, repair, refurbishment and failure leads to the possibility of e-waste dumping from the developed world to the developing countries. So, Indian delegation strongly objected the proposed decision on these guidelines during plenary and did not allow it to be passed by the conference of parties (COP). Outcome On the final day of COP, a modified decision was adopted in which all concerns raised by India were incorporated. This thereby opened a window for further negotiations and corrections in draft technical guidelines on e-waste. 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Financial Action Task Force (FATF)
Financial Action Task Force FATF : Recently in News The Financial Action Task Force FATF last year placed Pakistan on the grey list of countries whose domestic laws are considered weak to tackle challenges of money laundering and terrorism financing. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) established in July 1989 by the Group of Seven (G-7) in Paris is celebrating its 30th year in 2019. What is FATF ? The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is an inter-governmental body established in on the initiative of the G7. It is a “policy-making body” which works to generate the necessary political will to bring about national legislative and regulatory reforms in various areas. The FATF Secretariat is housed at the OECD headquarters in Paris. Objectives of Financial Action Task Force FATF The objectives of the FATF are to set standards and promote effective implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system. Functions The FATF monitors the progress of its members in implementing necessary measures, reviews money laundering and terrorist financing techniques and counter-measures and promotes the adoption and implementation of appropriate measures globally. In collaboration with other international stakeholders, the FATF works to identify national-level vulnerabilities with the aim of protecting the international financial system from misuse. It maintains two different lists of countries as blacklist and grey list. Blacklist and Greylist Those that have deficiencies in their AML/CTF regimes, but they commit to an action plan to address these loopholes, and those that do not end up doing enough. The former is commonly known as grey list and latter as a blacklist. Once a country is blacklisted, FATF calls on other countries to apply enhanced due diligence and countermeasures, increasing the cost of doing business with the country and in some cases severing it all together. As of now, there are only two countries in the blacklist — Iran and North Korea — and seven on the grey list, including Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Syria and Yemen. Status of Pakistan Pakistan has been under the FATF’s scanner since June 2018, when it was put on the grey list for terror financing and money laundering risks, after an assessment of its financial system and law enforcement mechanisms. In June 2018, Pakistan gave a high-level political commitment to work with the FATF and the Asia Pacific Group (APG)to strengthen its anti-money laundering/combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) regime. Based on this commitment, Pakistan and the FATF agreed on the monitoring of 27 indicators under a 10-point action plan, with deadlines. Successful implementation of the action plan and its physical verification by the APG will move Pakistan out of the grey list; failure by Pakistan will result in its blacklisting by September 2019. FATF wants to see effective implementation of targeted financial sanctions against all terrorists designated under UN Security Council Resolutions 1267 and 1373. The Joint Group of the APG has recently informed Pakistan that the country’s compliance on 18 of the 27 indicators is unsatisfactory, though the FATF has agreed that there have been improvements in the AML/CFT regime and the integrated database for currency declaration arrangements. At least three votes (out of 36) would be needed to block a move to blacklist Pakistan. Pakistan may make a diplomatic push to thwart blacklisting. Impact on Pakistan Pakistan’s $6 billion loan agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) could be threatened. Pakistan faces an estimated annual loss of $10 billion if it stays in the grey list; if blacklisted, its already fragile economy will deal with a powerful blow. Read Also Terrorism Financing Read Also Paris Climate Agreement Role of India India is a voting member of the FATF and APG, and co-chair of the Joint Group. India was not part of the group that moved the resolution to grey list Pakistan in 2018 in Paris. The movers were the US, UK, France, and Germany and China did not oppose. As of now, India is pushing for Pakistan to be blacklisted. There is also an opinion that by keeping Pakistan in the grey list one can continue to pressure the country as well as scrutinise its actions. Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards your Civils journey. Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help. Join now
UPSC mains 2019 Question public administration Paper 1 and 2
Question Public Administration Paper 1 DOWNLOAD Question Public Administration Paper 2 DOWNLOAD UPSC Mains 2019 Questions GS1 GS2 GS3 GS4 English(compulsory) Malayalam(Language https://youtu.be/4lXRd0-hq1Y Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards your Civils journey. Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help. join now
Project 75 I
Project 75 I Project 75 I is once more in the news as INS Khanderi, Indian Navy’s second scorpene submarine under the project was commissioned. However, it is being delivered more than six years late, well over cost and with several defects that remain to be resolved. About Project 75 I “Project-75 India (P-75I)” is a submarine project approved by the defence ministry in 2007. Under this project, the Indian Navy intends to acquire six diesel-electric submarines. French Company DCNS (Naval Group) will provide design and technology to public sector Mazagon Docks to make six Scorpene diesel submarines by 2022. These will feature advanced air-independent propulsion systems to enable them to stay submerged for longer duration and substantially increase their operational range. They will be capable of anti-surface and anti-ship warfare missions equipped with a vertical launch system (VLS) to enable them to carry multiple Brahmos supersonic cruise missiles. They also have advanced stealth capabilities like noise and acoustic suppression. It is a follow-on of the Project 75 Kalvari-class submarines for the Indian Navy. The submarines are being constructed under the Strategic Partnership (SP) model that aims at providing a significant fillip to the ‘Make in India’ programme. Strategic Partnership (SP) model This model envisages indigenous manufacturing of major defence platforms by an Indian Strategic Partner, who will collaborate with foreign manufacturers to set up production facilities in the country. In the long term, it seeks to make India a manufacturing hub for defence equipment through the transfer of niche technologies and higher Indigenous Content. Issues Cost-overruns Due to various factors and delays, the budget of the submarines has shot up. The submarines cost way higher than their original approved cost. Delays Several bureaucratic and political delays have led to the slowpoke construction of the submarines. INS Khanderi is 6 years late. Unresolved defects and shortcomings There are several short-comings and defects which remain unresolved in the submarines. INS Khanderi is said to have nearly 30 defects unresolved. For example, INS Khanderi has not been commissioned with a full complement of its primary weapon, the torpedo. Leaking of vital documents An Australian newspaper in 2016, released a set of documents, which it claimed would compromise vital designs and stealth capabilities of the Scorpene-class submarines being built for Indian Navy by the French Company. Read Also Vande Bharat Mission Enroll today with the best civils service academy and take your first step towards yours Civils journey. Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries, collaborations, or support. We’re here to help. JOIN NOW
