UPSC CSE Why

June starts tomorrow. Aisa nahi lag raha ki abhi toh New Year hua tha, 5 long months passed in a jiffy, no?

See left to right in Nepal: DAM mnemonic for Dhaulagiri, Annapurna, Manaslu (Everest & Kanchenjunga follows)

Pre note: Today's notes are a must read! 🚨 31st May | Saturday 🚨

Daily Notes 🗒

1. National Florence Nightingale Award • Institution & Purpose: estd 1973 by MoHFW to honor exceptional nursing professionals for outstanding contribution to healthcare, nursing education, and public service. • Eligibility & award: Open to nurses; 1 lac cash + medal by President (Int'l Nurses Day: May 12) • Selection process: Committee of healthcare experts to ensure merit based recognition of impactful nursing services 2. Two imp. Economy terms & their formula🤔 a) Gross Domestic Product • Consumption (C) + Investments (I) + Government Spending (G) + Net Exports (EXIM) • C>I>G>EXIM (order of contribution to GDP) b) Gross Value Added Looks at supply side measuring contribution of each sector; sums up value added (or income) at each production stage GDP & GVA relation?😮 • Measure same economic performance via diff routes • formula relation: GDP = GVA + (taxes earned by govt) - (govt subsidies) Note: Both provided by MoSPI in nominal (present day prices) & real terms (minus inflation effect)

Mains Keywords 🗒

1. India is • Geopolitical Giant • Indispensable security actor (Use these two keywords in GS2 IR answers)

@CSEWhy Newspaper Recommendations📰

Indian Express🗞 1. Setting sail on our own (Develop basic understanding) 2. What latest economy data show (refresh your Macroeconomy) 3. Going beyond AQI: toxicity in air pollution (Study for general awareness) PS: Follow CSEWhy on Instagram

Pre note: Subscribe to CSEWhy free blog at blog.csewhy.com 😉 🚨 30th May | Friday 🚨

Daily Notes 🗒

1. Inter-Services Organisations Rules 2025 (India) • Statutory: u/ 2023 Act to enhance command, control & efficiency of Inter-Services Organizations (ISOs) • Integrates Army, Navy, Air Force personnel (eg Andaman & Nicobar Command, Defence Space Agency) • Commander-in-Chief/Officer-in-Command oversees personnel, ensuring discipline across services • Aligns w/ Army, Navy, Air Force Acts (1950s) for joint operations and coordination • Promotes operational synergy, addressing multi-domain threats (China, Pakistan) and modern warfare needs • Builds on historical recommendations (Kargil Review, 1999) and initiatives like Integrated Defence Staff (2001) 2. Death Anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (May 27, 2025) • Marks 60 years since India’s first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, passed away on May 27, 1964 • Born on November 14, 1889, in Prayagraj; joined Congress in 1912, became Allahabad Secretary in 1919 • Key role in freedom struggle: Congress President in 1929, passed Purna Swaraj resolution, led 1939 Lucknow session • Contributions: Drafted Fundamental Rights (1929-31), led 1931 Karachi session, advocated for INA soldiers’ defense in 1946 • Post-independence: Formed States Reorganisation Commission, launched Five-Year Plans, led Non-Alignment Movement • Awards: Bharat Ratna (1955), World Peace Council Prize (posthumously, 1970); authored books like The Discovery of India 3. Guru Arjan Dev • Fifth Sikh Guru: 5th guru succeeding his father Guru Ram Das (age: 18 • Adi Granth Compilation: Compiled Adi Granth in 1604, contributed 2218 hymns (most by any Guru) • Golden Temple Development: Completed Harmandir Sahib construction (initiated by his father Guru Ram Das) • Martyrdom: First Sikh Guru to be martyred (1606 by Jahangir) for refusing to convert to Islam (and for supporting Jahangir's rebel son, Khusrau) • Masand System: His father started this, he strengthened encouraging Sikhs to donate 1/10th of their income for community welfare (aka dasvand) • Legacy: Authored Sukhmani Sahib (prayer for peace); his martyrdom led to militarization of Sikhs u/ his son Guru Hargobind to resist opression PS: Analyzing Pre25, do you want a video or a twitter thread? 😯

2009-2013-2015 PYQs UPSC Pre on Dugongs

Pre note: Dugong detailed blog post here😉 🚨 29th May | Thursday 🚨

Daily Notes 🗒

1. Press Trust of India • What: Statutory, Quadi-judicial body u/ Press Council Act, 1978 • First established 1966, re-established 1979 (post emergency) • Aim: Ensures press freedom and maintains journalistic standards for print media • Limitations: No punitive powers & regulates ONLY print media w/ unenforceable decisions • Members: 29 (1 Chair who's retired SC judge + 28 others w/ 3 year term) - Members are from RS/LS MPs, Media, & Literature, Law & Culture - RS MPs nominated by Chairman, LS MPs by Speaker, Literature member by UGC, Culture member by Sahitya Akademi & Law member by Bar Council 2. Dhole • Overview & Status: Endangered (IUCN) Schedule II (WPA72), inhabits Central, South & East Asia w/ highest in India (Western Ghats, Central India & NE) • Ecology & Habitat: Apex predator prefers evergreen forests & needs low human disturbance 3. District Reserve Guard (in news for killing Basvaraju) • Mission & Vision of DRG: To destroy the long running perceptions • Community Engagement: Winning the hearts of local is at heart of DRG • Composition: ex Naxals making 15-20%, 40% locals of Bastar, 20% female • Recruitment: u/ State Govt, part of local police, report to SP • Training: Well trained in tech like Navigation & Maps 4. 7 Summits (Explained in the image below)

@CSEWhy Newspaper Recommendations📰

Indian Express🗞 1. Good news in single digits (The Ideas Page) (GS3: Economy) 2. Why Nigeria is witnessing a resurgence of Boko Haram (explained) (Global terror) 3. Size of Economy: India v/s others (GS3: Economy) PS: Dugong asked 3x in PYQs 😯

Pre note: Covering most exclusive CA, are you ready to participate?😉 🚨 28th May | Wednesday 🚨

Daily Notes 🗒

1. Queen Ahilyabai Holkar (Contributions) • Cultural & Religious Contributions Celebrated for temple restoration (including sacred Kashi Vishwanath), patronage of art, architecture and religious sites • Developmental Initiatives: Supported development of temples, infra & cultural preservation across India especially Indore & Maheshwar • Women’s Empowerment: Promoted women education, supported widow & encourage participation in governance & cultural activities • Governance & Legacy: As a just ruler of Malwa, she fostered peace, prosperity & cultural symbolism. This earned her a title of philosopher queen 2. Madden Julian Oscillation • A moving system of wind, cloud & pressure influencing wind rainfall [impact in tropics 30 N to 30 S] • Travels eastwards at 4-8 m/s speed, covering globe in 30-60 days on average (can also take 90 days) • As it moves, it splits planet in two parts (Active & Suppressive) • Enhances rainfall in active phase & suppresses in weak [aided early rain in 2025] • Some evidences of relation of Strong El-Nino with Strong MJO but not definite 3. Why Seagrass Matters • Definition & Role: An underwater flowering plant (not seaweed) that stabilizes the seafloor, supports fisheries, captures carbon, and shelters marine life like turtles and fish. • Importance for Dugongs: Healthy seagrass meadows are essential for dugongs, providing food and habitat critical for their survival. • Carbon Sequestration: A 2022 study by the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management notes India’s 516.59 sq. km of seagrass sequesters up to 434.9 tonnes of CO₂ per sq. km annually. • Distribution in India: - Gulf of Mannar & Palk Bay: Largest seagrass meadows, supporting 13+ species (highest diversity in the Indian Ocean). - Andaman and Nicobar Islands: Rich seagrass beds with high biodiversity. - Lakshadweep & Gulf of Kutch: Patchy but ecologically significant; Kutch faces threats from port activities and pollution. - Andhra Pradesh & Odisha: Minor seagrass beds in estuaries, not extensive or suitable for dugongs. Food to Dugong: Learn all about Dugong in this blog post

@CSEWhy Newspaper Recommendations 📑

Indian Express🗞 1. Needed, a crypto strategy (GS3: Terror funding) 2. How FTAs with US, UK, EU could impact India's agricultural trade (Agriculture Trade Policy) PS: What are you upto? Mains prep, move on or crying about May 25?

🤔 this Q must be in your memory and on tips by now. Can you analyze this PYQ in replies?

For those who are starting Mains prep, you'd need 5 year GS PYQs. Find video lectures and PDF notes with model answers from 2020-2024 GS1 to GS4 PYQs on CSEWhy App. Download: app.csewhy.com (relevant for 2025, 2026 and further)

Today’s CA Question. Quiz in next message

Current Affairs Discussion Forum - 27/05 Kya naya seekha aaj iss message mein se? Koi notes banaye ya daily yahan hi refer karoge

DNA well summarized in today's IE :)

Pre note: PIB is now a part of this text daily. 🚨 27th May | Tuesday 🚨

Daily Notes 🗒

1. Gene Editing w/ CRISPR-Cas9 • Base editing: a new version of CRISPR-Cas9 to treat genetic disorders • CRISPR: Clustered Regularly Interspaces Short Palindromic Repeats - Bacterial immune system found in microbes to fight viruses - It produces a new RNA to target & neutralize virus replacing faulty DNA w/ correct versions - Analogy: Think of it as a scissor cutting and replacing faulty elements 2. The ABCs of DNA: Glossary • Base: A compound that bonds with another to form DNA and RNA. • DNA: A molecule carrying genetic instructions for the development and functioning of living organisms. • DNA Sequence: The order of the four bases (Adenine, Guanine, Cytosine, Thymine) in a DNA molecule. • Gene: A molecular unit of an organism’s genetic instructions, encoding functional products like proteins. • RNA: A molecule that makes crucial proteins based on DNA instructions. 3. Bharat Forecast System (BFS) [developed by Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) Pune] • What?: India's first indigenous weather model w/ 6km resolution (world's highest) • Technology: Arka Supercomputer, Doppler Radar, AI/ML; reduces forecast time to 4 hours covering tropics (30°S to 30°N) • Applications: Aids disaster management, agri & public safety 4. China's asteroid KAMO‘OALEWA • Mission: Tianwen-2 to survey asteroid • Characteristics: Earth's quasi-satellite possibly of lunar origin • Method: "Touch-and-go" sample collection using robotic arm.

Quotes

"History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme" - Mark Twain

@CSEWhy Newspaper Recommendations 📑

Indian Express🗞 1. What monsoon 'onset' means, why it is early (GS3: Environment, GS1 Geography)

Image Support 🖼

3 images today: - China-Myanmar & BCIM Corridor - Diseases in the world - Mangroves PS: Did you study DNA structure before?