Tuesday, December 12, 2017

CURRENT AFFAIRS-11TH DECEMBER

*China Starts World's Biggest Floating Solar Project
     A unit of China Three Gorges Corp. is building a 1 billion yuan ($151 million) floating solar power plant, the world’s biggest, in the nation’s eastern province of Anhui. China Three Gorges New Energy Co. started building the 150-megawatt project in July and part of the plant was connected to the grid.      
     The project features panels fixed to floats on the surface of a lake that formed after a coal mine collapsed, according to the unit. The entire facility is expected to come online by May 2018.

*NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
              The Geneva-based International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) received the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), is a global civil society coalition working to promote adherence to and full implementation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. ICAN was launched in 2007 and counts 468 partner organizations in 101 countries as of 2017.

*ASEAN-India Connectivity Summit, New Delhi (December 11-12, 2017)
      Theme: Powering Digital and Physical Linkages for Asia in the 21st Century
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was formed in 1967 to promote political and economic cooperation and regional stability. ..
Members-10 observors-2

*Yeraringan Award to Prof. M.S. Swaminathan.

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

UPSC CIVIL SERVICES MAINS EXAM 2017: General Studies Paper – 4 Question Paper

SECTION – A
Q1. Conflict of interest in the public sector arises when
(a) official duties,
(b) public interest, and
(c) personal interest
are taking priority one above the other.
How can this conflict in administration be resolved? Describe with an example. (150 Words, 10)
Q2. Examine the relevance of the following in the context of civil service: (150 Words, 10)
(a) Transparency
(b) Accountability
(c) Fairness and justice
(d) Courage of conviction
(e) Spirit of service
Q3. Young people with ethical conduct are not willing to come forward to join active politics. Suggest steps to motivate them to come forward. (150 Words, 10)
Q4. (a) One of the tests of integrity is complete refusal to be compromised. Explain with reference to a real life example. (150 Words, 10) 
(b) Corporate social responsibility makes companies more profitable and sustainable. Analyse. (150 Words, 10)
Q5. (a) “Great ambition is the passion of a great character. Those endowed with it may perform very good or very bad acts. All depends on the principles which direct them.” – Napoleon Bonaparte.
Stating examples mention the rulers (i) who have harmed society and country, (ii) who worked for the development of society and country. (150 Words, 10) 
(b) “If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. they are father, the mother and the teacher.” – A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. Analyse. (150 Words, 10) 
Q6. (a) How will you apply emotional intelligence in administrative practices? (150 Words, 10)
(b) Strength, peace and security are considered to be the pillars of international relations. Elucidate.  (150 Words, 10)
Q7. (a) The crisis of ethical values in modern times is traced to a narrow perception of the good life. Discuss. (150 Words, 10)
(b) Increased national wealth did not result in equitable distribution of its benefits. It has created only some “enclaves of modernity and prosperity for a small minority at the cost of the majority.” Justify. (150 Words, 10)
Q8(a) Discipline generally implies following the order and subordination. However, it may be counter-productive for the organisation. Discuss. (150 Words, 10)
(b) Without commonly shared and widely entrenched moral values and obligations, neither the law, nor democratic government, nor even the market economy will function properly.
What do you understand by this statement? Explain with illustration in the contemporary times. (150 Words, 10) 

SECTION – B
Q9. You are an honest and responsible civil servant. You often observe the following:
(a) There is a general perception that adhering to ethical conduct one may face difficulties to oneself and cause problems for the family, whereas unfair practices may help to reach the career goals.
(b) When the number of people adopting unfair means is large, a small minority having a penchant towards ethical means makes no difference. 
(c) Sticking to ethical means is detrimental to the larger developmental goals
(d) While one may not involve oneself in large unethical practices, but giving and accepting small gifts makes the system more efficient. 
Examine the above statements with their merits and demerits. (250 Words, 20)
Q10. You are aspiring to become an IAS officer and you have cleared various stages and now you have been selected for the personal interview. On the day of the interview, on the way to the venue you saw an accident where a mother and child who happen to be your relatives were badly injured. They needed immediate help.
What would you have done in such a situation? Justify your action. (250 Words, 20)
Q11. You are the head of the Human Resources department of an organisation. One day one of the workers died on duty. His family was demanding compensation. However, the company denied compensation because it was revealed in investigation that he was drunk at the time of the accident. The workers of the company went to strike demanding compensation for the family of the deceased. The Chairman of the management board has asked for your recommendation.
What recommendation would you provide the management?
Discuss the merits and demerits of each of the recommendations. (250 Words, 20) 
Q12. You are the manager of a spare parts company A and you have to negotiate a deal with the manager of a large manufacturing company B. The deal is highly competitive and sealing the deal is critical for your company. The deal is being worked out over a dinner. After dinner the manager of manufacturing company B offered to drop you to the hotel in his car. On the way to hotel he happens to hit motorcycle injuring the motorcyclist badly. You know the manager was driving fast and thus lost control. The law enforcement officer comes to investigate the issue and you are the sole eyewitness to it. Knowing the strict laws pertaining to road accidents you are aware that your honest account of the incident would lead to the prosecution of the manager and as a consequence the deal is likely to be jeopardised, which is of immense importance to your company.
What are the dilemmas you face? What will be your response to the situation? (250 Words, 20) 
Q13. A building permitted for three floors, while being extended illegally to 6 floors by a builder, collapses. As a consequence, a number of innocent labourers including women and children died. These labourers are migrants of different places. The government immediately announced cash relief to the aggrieved families and arrested the builder.
Give reasons for such incidents taking place across the country. Suggest measures to prevent their occurrence. (250 Words, 20)
Q14. You are a Public Information Officer (PIO) in a government department. You are aware that the RTI Act 2005 envisages transparency and accountability in administration. The act has functioned as a check on the supposedly arbitrarily administrative behaviour and actions. However, as a PIO you have observed that there are citizens who filed RTI applications not for themselves but on behalf of such stakeholders who purportedly want to have access to information to further their own interests. At the same time there are these RTI activists who routinely file RTI applications and attempt to extort money from the decision makers. This type of RTI activism has affected the functioning of the administration adversely and also possibly jeopardises the genuineness of the applications which are essentially aimed at getting justice.
What measures would you suggest to separate genuine and non-genuine applications? Give merits and demerits of your suggestions. (250 Words, 20)
                     












UPSC CIVIL SERVICES MAINS EXAM 2017: General Studies Paper – 3 Question Paper

  1. Among several factors for India’s potential growth, savings rate is the most effective one. Do you agree? What are the other factors available for growth potential? (Answer in 150 words)
  2. Account for the failure of manufacturing sector in achieving the goal of labour-intensive exports rather than capital-intensive exports. Suggest measures for more labour-intensive rather than capital-intensive exports.
  3. Examine the developments of Airports in India through Joint Ventures under Public-Private Partnership(PPP) model. What are the challenges faced by the authorities in this regard.
  4. Explain various types of revolutions, took place in Agriculture after Independence in India. How these revolutions have helped in poverty alleviation and food security in India?
  5. What are the reasons for poor acceptance of cost effective small processing unit? How the food processing unit will be helpful to uplift the socio-economic status of poor farmers?
  6. Stem cell therapy is gaining popularity in India to treat a wide variety of medical conditions including leukaemia, Thallessemia, damaged sornea and several burns. Describe briefly what stem cell therapy is and what advantages it has over other treatments?
  7. India has achieved remarkable successes in unmanned space missions including the Chandrayaan and Mars Orbitter Mission, but has not ventured into manned space mission, both in terms of technology and logistics? Explain critically
  8. Not many years ago, river linking was a concept but it is becoming reality in the country. Discuss the advantages of river linking and its possible impact on the environment.
  9. Discuss the potential threats of Cyber attack and the security framework to prevent it.
  10. The north-eastern region of India has been infested with insurgency for a very long time. Analyze the major reasons for the survival of armed insurgency in this region.
  11. One of the intended objectives of Union Budget 2017-18 is to ‘transform, energize and clean India’. Analyse the measures proposed in the Budget 2017-18 to achieve the objective.
  12. “Industrial growth rate has lagged behind in the overall growth of Gross-Domestic-Product(GDP) in the post-reform period” Give reasons. How far the recent changes is Industrial Policy are capable of increasing the industrial growth rate?
  13. What are the salient features of ‘inclusive growth’? Has India been experiencing such a growth process? Analyze and suggest measures for inclusive growth.
  14. What are the major reasons for declining rice and wheat yield in the cropping system? How crop diversification is helpful to stabilize the yield of the crop in the system? (Answer in 250 words)
  15. How do subsidies affect the cropping pattern, crop diversity and economy of farmers? What is the significance of crop insurance, minimum support price and food processing for small and marginal farmers?
  16. Give an account of the growth and development of nuclear science and technology in India. What is the advantage of fast breeder reactor programme in India?
  17. ‘Climate Change’ is a global problem. How India will be affected by climate change? How Himalayan and coastal states of India will be affected by climate change? 
  18. On December 2004, tsumani brought havoc on 14 countries including India. Discuss the factors responsible for occurrence of Tsunami and its effects on life and economy. In the light of guidelines of NDMA (2010) describe the mechanisms for preparedness to reduce the risk during such events.
  19. Mob violence is emerging as a serious law and order problem in India. By giving suitable examples, analyze the causes and consequences of such violence.
  20. The scourge of terrorism is a grave challenge to national security. What solutions do you suggest to curb this growing menace? What are the major sources of terrorist funding?
                




Monday, October 30, 2017

UPSC CIVIL SERVICES MAINS EXAM 2017: General Studies Paper – 1 Question Paper

  1. How do you justify the view that the level of excellence of the Gupta numismatic art is not at all noticeable in later times? (150 words)
  2. Clarify how mid-eighteenth century India was beset with the spectre of a fragmented polity.  (150 words)
  3. Why did the ‘Moderates’ failed to carry conviction with the nation about their proclaimed ideology and political goals by the end of the nineteenth century?  (150 words)
  4. What problems are germane to the decolonization process in the Malay Peninsula?  (150 words)
  5. How does the Juno Mission of NASA help to understand the origin and evolution of the Earth?  (150 words)
  6. “Inspite of adverse environmental impact, coal mining is still inevitable for development”. Discuss  (150 words)
  7. Mention the advantages of the cultivation of pulses because of which the year 2016 was declared as the International Year of Pulses by United Nations.  (150 words)
  8. How does the cryosphere affect global climate?  (150 words)
  9. In the context of the diversity of India, can it be said that the regions form cultural units rather than the States? Give reasons with examples for your view point.  (150 words)
  10. What are the two major legal initiatives by the State since Independence addressing discrimination against Scheduled Tribes(STs)?  (150 words) (250 words)
  11. The spirit of tolerance and love is not only an interesting feature of Indian society from very early times, but it is also playing an important part at the present. Elaborate.  (250 words)
  12. Examine how the decline of traditional artisanal industry in colonial India crippled the rural economy.  (250 words)
  13. Highlight the importance of the new objectives that got added to the vision of Indian Independence since the twenties of the last century.  (250 words)
  14. Account for variations in oceanic salinity and discuss its multi-dimensional effects.  (250 words)
  15. Petroleum refineries are not necessarily located nearer to crude oil producing areas, particularly in many of the developing countries. Explain its implications.  (250 words)
  16. In what way can floods be converted into a sustainable source of irrigation and all-weather inland navigation in India?  (250 words)
  17. What characteristics can be assigned to monsoon climate that succeeds in feeding more than 50 percent of the world population residing in Monsoon Asia?  (250 words)
  18. The women’s questions arose in modern India as a part of the 19th century social reform movement. What are the major issues and debates concerning women in that period?  (250 words)
  19. Distinguish between religiousness/religiosity and communalism giving one example of how the former has got transformed into the latter in independent India.  (250 words)
  20. “The growth of cities as I.T. hubs has opened up new avenues of employment, but has also created new problems”. Substantiate this statement with examples  (250 words)
              




UPSC Civil Services MAINS Exam 2017: Essay Question Paper

Instructions: Write two essays, choosing one from each of the following Section A & B, in about 1000-1200 words.
Total Marks: 250
Section – A
  1. Farming has lost the ability to be a source of subsistence for majority of farmers in India.
  2. Impact of the new economic measures on fiscal ties between the union and states in India.
  3. Destiny of a nation is shaped in its classrooms.
  4. Has the Non- Alignment Movement(NAM) lost its relevance in a multipolar world.
Section – B
  1. Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.
  2. Fulfillment of ‘new woman’ in India is a myth.
  3. We may brave human laws but cannot resist natural laws.
  4. Social media is inherently a selfish medium.
                  

Monday, March 13, 2017

TELANGANA SOCIO ECONOMIC OULOOK-2017

TELANGANA SOCIO ECONOMIC OULOOK-2017
                   
                            TO DOWNLOAD >>>>> CLICK HERE  


Sunday, January 22, 2017

TSPSC GROUP-I SYLLABUS(REFERENCE BOOKS)

                                   GROUP – I SERVICES  

                            SCHEME OF EXAMINATION
SUBJECT
DURATION(HOURS)
MAXIMUM MARKS
1
2
3
Preliminary Test
General Studies & Mental ability (Objective Type) 150Questions

2 ½

150
(A)  Written Examination (Main)
General English (Qualifying Test)
3
150
Paper-I General Essay
It will have to cover the following topics
1.  Contemporary Social issues and Social Problems.
2.  Issues of Economic Growth and Justic
3.  Dynamics of Indian Politics
4.  Historical and Cultural Heritage of India
5.  Developments in Science and Technology
6.  Education and Human Resource Development.



3



150
Paper-II – History, Culture and Geography
1.      History and Culture of India, with special reference to Modern Period (1757 to 1947 A.D)
2.      History  and Cultural Heritage of Telangana
3.      Geography of India and Telangana



3



150
Paper –III – Indian Society, Constitution and Governance
1.                Indian Society, Structure, Issues and Social Movements
2.                Constitution of India
3.                Governance

3

150
Paper –IV – Economy and Development
1.      Indian Economy and Development
2.      Telangana Economy
3.      Development and Environmental Problems


3


150
Paper- V – Science & Technology and Data Interpretation
1.             The role and impact of Science and Technology
2.             Modern Trends in application of knowledge of Science
3.             Data Interpretation and Problem Solving

3

150
Paper-VI Telangana Movement and State Formation
1.             The idea of Telangana (1948-1970)
2.             Mobilisational phase  (1971 -1990)
3.             Towards formation of Telangana State (1991-2014)


3


150
TOTAL:

900
(B)  INTERVIEW

100
GRAND TOTAL

1000

*********DETAILED REFERENCE BOOKS SHORTLY