APTI PLUS Academy For Civil Services

📚 Crack UPSC CSE 2026 – From Prelims to Mains, We’ve Got You Covered! Join NISCHAY for Prelims & UTKRISHTI 360° for Mains – India’s most trusted Test Series cum Guidance Programs. Starts 29th June 2025 | Available in Online & Offline modes Call now: 8820341777 | 8100765577 | 9938386166 🌐 For more details, visit: https://aptiplus.in/prelims-test-series/

🌼 India’s Pollinator Apocalypse & Rise of Assisted Pollination 🌿 🔬 What is Assisted Pollination? It is a technique where humans or machines manually transfer pollen from the male to female parts of a flower to enable fertilization. Used when: Natural pollinators (like bees, butterflies) are absent/declining. Controlled cross-pollination is needed (e.g. for hybrid seed production). Types of Assisted Pollination: ✅ Hand Pollination – Used in horticulture (e.g., custard apple, vanilla). ✅ Mechanical Pollination – Devices or air-blowers used in greenhouses. ✅ Robotic/Digital Pollination – Experimental use of drones in Japan, USA. 📉 Why Is It Rising in India? India, home to over 1,000 species of pollinators, is facing a drastic pollinator decline: 🔻 Causes of Decline: ✅ Pesticide Overuse: Especially neonicotinoids, toxic to bees. ✅ Habitat Loss: Deforestation, urbanization, monocultures. ✅ Climate Change: Alters flowering seasons and migratory patterns. ✅ Diseases & Invasive Species: Like Varroa mite in honeybees. 🧾 Case Studies: In Himachal & Kashmir, apple orchards now require paid laborers for pollination. In Maharashtra, farmers pay ₹500-1000 per person per day to hand-pollinate custard apple. 🌍 Ecological & Economic Impacts: 📌 75% of India’s food crops are pollinator-dependent. 📌 Loss of pollinators affects yields, nutritional diversity, farmers' incomes, and ecosystem health. 📌 Forced shift to assisted pollination increases input costs and deepens inequality in smallholder farming. 🔧 Policy & Scientific Interventions Needed: 🛠️ Short-Term: Promote pollinator-friendly farming: intercropping, wild hedgerows, organic farming. Regulate harmful pesticides (e.g. restrict neonicotinoids). Support beekeeping & apiculture clusters (under MIDH, National Beekeeping & Honey Mission). 🧠 Long-Term: Research into native pollinator species. Establish “Pollinator Corridors” to aid movement. Integrate pollinator health into agri-policy and climate resilience programs. 🧠 Takeaway: India is at the brink of a pollinator crisis that threatens food security, ecological balance, and agricultural sustainability. 🌸 Assisted pollination is not a solution — it is a symptom. Conservation of wild and managed pollinators is urgently needed through a mix of policy, community action, and ecological restoration.

APTI PLUS - CIVIL SERVICES 17,000+ aspirants appeared for OCS Prelims 2024. Thank you, Sambad Newspaper, for showing A glimpse of Odisha’s future administrators!

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🛑 Explained: The Emergency (1975-77) — 50 Years Later 🗓 June 25, 1975 – March 21, 1977 One of the darkest chapters in Indian democracy — civil liberties suspended, press gagged, Opposition jailed, and rule by decree under PM Indira Gandhi. 🔹 Why was Emergency declared? ✔️ Economic crisis post-1971 war ✔️ Inflation, unemployment, corruption ✔️ Mass protests led by JP Narayan (Total Revolution) ✔️ Allahabad HC judgment disqualifying Indira Gandhi on June 12, 1975 🔹 What happened during Emergency? 🚫 Civil rights suspended 📰 Press censorship; journalists jailed 🏛️ 42nd Amendment diluted judiciary & federalism 👮 Over 1.1 lakh arrested under MISA & COFEPOSA ⚙️ Forced sterilizations under Sanjay Gandhi's programme 🚓 Police atrocities (Turkman Gate, Muzaffarnagar) 🔹 Aftermath 📉 Indira Gandhi lost 1977 elections 🗳️ Janata Party govt under Morarji Desai ⚖️ 44th Amendment: Safeguards added ➤ Emergency = only during armed rebellion, not “internal disturbance” ➤ Judicial review & special majority needed for approval 🔹 Legacy 📌 Rise of OBC politics (Mandal Commission) 📌 End of Congress dominance 📌 Birth of leaders: Lalu Yadav, George Fernandes, Jaitley, Paswan 📌 Reminder of the fragility of democracy

AXIOM4 Mission to International Space Station: Launch as of now, scheduled around 12:01 PM IST today!🚀 Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will be India's second astronaut going into space -- four decades after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma made history in 1984. Live link here

IMPORTANT NOTICE Today, June 25, 2025, is the last date to submit the Civil Services Main DAF (Part III) by 6:00 PM. Candidates who have qualified for the Civil Services (Main) Examination 2025 must ensure they have completed and submitted the DAF. Candidates who fail to submit their fully completed DAF by 6:00 PM will have their candidature canceled and will not be permitted to appear for the Civil Services (Main) Examination 2025.

Statement 1 is incorrect: The Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms (1919) extended voting rights, but they were highly restricted and based on property, education, and income. It did not grant universal adult suffrage, nor did it recommend voting rights to all women above 21. Statement 2 is correct: The Government of India Act, 1935 provided for separate electorates and reserved seats for women in provincial legislatures, a significant step toward political representation for women.

Statement 1 is correct: The British introduced scientific land revenue assessments under systems like the Ryotwari and Mahalwari. These assessments often considered the soil type, crop yield, and seasonal variations to calculate revenue. Statement 2 is incorrect: The use of mobile cannons predates British arrival. It was first introduced in India by Babur during the First Battle of Panipat (1526). Statement 3 is incorrect: Tobacco and red chillies were introduced into India by the Portuguese in the 16th century, not by the British.

Tracing a Decade of India’s Growth 🗓️ Context: As PM Narendra Modi completes 11 years in office, this post reviews India’s macroeconomic trajectory (2014–2025), comparing it with the 2004–2014 decade. 🔹 📈 Macroeconomic Achievements: GDP Growth: $2.04T (2014) → $4.19T (2025 projected) 3rd largest globally in PPP terms ($17.65T) Per Capita Income (PPP): $2,424.2 (2004) → $12,131.8 (2025) Global rank improved from 181st to 149th 🔸 🤝 Inclusivity Check: Gini Coefficient (Inequality Index): 0.34 (2004) → 0.35 (2014) → 0.33 (2021) Inequality remains moderate but persistent India still has the lowest per capita income in G20 (PPP) despite gains 🌾 Agriculture & Welfare Highlights: Agri-GDP growth: 4% annually (FY15–FY25) 📉 Poverty Plunge: At $3/day (PPP): 27.1% (2011) → 5.3% (2022) At $4.20/day (PPP): 57.7% → 23.9% in a decade ✅ One of the sharpest poverty reductions since 1977 📌 Conclusion: India’s last decade witnessed strong economic growth and historic poverty reduction. But to sustain and spread these gains, reforms in subsidy delivery, agri-support, and inclusive growth are urgent and non-negotiable.

Consider the following statements: 1. The Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms of 1919 recommended granting voting rights to all the women above the age of 21. 2. The Government of India Act of 1935 gave women reserved seats in legislature. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2