UPSC Aspirant 2025-26

PSIR Strategy by Utkarsh Dwivedi(AIR-5 ) Marks= 314

CIET, NCERT awarded the UNESCO ICT Prize for ensuring the continuity of learning during Covid-19 The unprecedented times of Covid-19 have made the government reimagine the future of schooling models and leverage technology to build crisis-resilient learning systems. Recently, recognizing the efforts of the Indian government in this direction, the Central Institute of Educational Technology (CIET) NCERT has been conferred the UNESCO King Hamid Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize. https://twitter.com/unesconewdelhi/status/1538026755251789824? The award is directed at the “initiatives for Inclusive and Accessible Education” during Covid-19 implemented by CIET and the Digital Educational Programme implemented by Ubongo from the United Republic of Tanzania. A brief on the theme & the significance: The 2021 edition’s theme highlighted the disruptions in education caused by the spread of this virus. The main aim of this initiative was to reward projects that have used technology to build learning programmes that effectively ensure the continuity and quality of learning. It is important to note that the International Jury reviewed 111 nominations submitted by 58 UNESCO Member States and 8 NGOs in official relations with UNESCO. It recommended the two projects that recognize their achievements in harnessing technologies to serve education by adopting numerous digital solutions, providing adaptable and high-quality content, and reaching a large scale of learners, especially the disadvantaged communities. The laureates will be awarded during a ceremony on 24th June at UNESCO Headquarters, together with the four laureates from the 2020 and 2019 editions. Each laureate will receive US$25,000 for their use of technology and inculcation into education systems. Established in 2005 and supported by the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Prize rewards every year individuals and organizations that enhance teaching, learning and overall education performance. CIET and its contribution: The Central Institute of Educational Technology (CIET), National Council for Educational Research and Training from India has reinforced a series of programmes during COVID-19 to ensure the continuity and quality of education, reaching over 1.5 million schools, and 240 million students, and 8.5 million teachers. The digital learning programmes were made accessible by diverse media including TV and radio, and online platforms for students, teachers and educational administrators. The initiatives enabled flexible and personalized learning while considering the special needs of students with disabilities and students in rural areas in India. The digital educational programme Ubongo, launched in Tanzania in 2014, has released more than 300 TV and radio files in 8 local languages across 18 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, intending to bring effective and localized learning to school-age children and their parents by leveraging the power of technologies. As one of the biggest educational entertainment initiatives in Africa, Ubongo shows the ability to develop, adapt and distribute new content to support disruptive learning environments, home-based learning and context-specific education, such as for refugees and kids recovering from traumas.

‘Yoga’s beauty lies in its simplicity,’ says PM Modi ahead of International Yoga Day 2022 Yoga is being practiced as a preventive medicine and for health promotion since ancient times. Associated with individual human wellness, Yoga has become an instrument of happiness, disease and stress-free life. Prime Minister Narendra Modi rightly emphasized that when the whole world is combating the deadly coronavirus disease, Yoga has emerged as a ray of hope. Derived from the Sanskrit root ‘Yuj’ which means ‘unite,’ Yoga is the manifestation of oneness in the most simplest form. This positive aspect of Yoga was very clearly defined by Prime Minister Modi in a tweet when he said, “Yoga’s beauty is in its simplicity. All you need is a Yoga mat and some empty space.” Indeed, Yoga can be done at home, during work breaks or in a group. It is a way of life that paves the way for a healthy lifestyle. Yoga is really not so much about the number of techniques we do nor is it about how many times or how long we do them. It is life itself and how we live in tune with our day-to-day habits. There was a time when yoga was the path of spiritual practices for sages, in the caves of the Himalayas, today it has started to reach out from person to person. Yoga transforms our lifestyle which helps the body to adapt to natural changes. Yoga is now a Lifestyle Practising yoga daily for 30 to 45 minutes can rid a person of any lifestyle-related problem. Studies revealed that Yoga has played a very important role in COVID-19 management and reducing stress during the coronavirus-induced lockdown. Emphasising the relevance of Yoga during COVID-19, Prime Minister Modi last year said that Yoga strengthens the body’s immune system and prānāyāma must be included in one’s daily life. Jňāna Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, Pātañjala Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Dhyāna Yoga, Mantra Yoga, Laya Yoga, Rāja Yoga, Jain Yoga, Buddha Yoga etc., all some various kinds of Yoga that are practiced all across India and abroad. Under such different categories of Yoga, various aspects of Human systems such as emotions, mind, energy & the body are utilised. Yoga as a lifestyle is a concept where we unite Yogic practices with our daily routines to create a cycle of healthy habits. This includes performing Asanas, consuming Yogic Aahara & also ensuring Yogic Nidra. International Yoga Day 2022 – Yoga for Humanity Today Yoga is practiced in various forms around the world as it continues to grow in popularity. Recognizing its universal appeal, on 11 December 2014, the United Nations proclaimed 21 June as the International Day of Yoga by resolution 69/131. The International Day of Yoga aims to raise awareness worldwide of the many benefits of practicing yoga. Yoga could potentially be an important instrument that could drive the collective quest of humanity to promote a sustainable lifestyle in harmony with planet Earth. In keeping with this spirit, the theme for this year’s Yoga Day celebrations is “Yoga for Humanity.”

PLEASE HELP IDENTIFY THESE FACTS FOR CSE 21: HIGHEST MARKS analysis #HighestPeaks till Now ( ✅ - verified) 1)ESSAY- 152 (AIR 23) ✅ 2) GS overall - 494 (AIR 1) ✅ 2.1) GS 1- 120 (AIR 12) ✅ 2.2) GS 2- 134 (AIR 120 ) ✅ 2.3) GS 3- 109 Bhargav Narayan (not recommended) + 108 (AIR 1 + AIR 158) ✅ 2.4) GS 4- 139 (AIR 1) ✅ 3)OPTIONAL PAPERS- Anything above 270- very good score. Extremely few got above 300. CERTAIN OPTIONALS- 3.1)MATHEMATICS - 335 (AIR 183) ✅ 3.2)हिंदी साहित्य - 284 (AIR 18) ✅ 3.3)Psychology - 291 (AIR 143) ✅ 3.4)Electrical. - 316 (AIR 102) 3.5)PHYSICS - 312 (AIR 98) ✅ 3.6)GEOGRAPHY - 306 (AIR 12) ✅ 3.7)PUBAD - 288 ( AIR 336) ✅ 3.8)Anthropology - 307- Rajat Sambyal(not recommended) + 306 (AIR-70) 3.9)COMMERCE. - 3.11)HISTORY. - 306 (AIR 1) ✅ 3.12)MECHANICAL - 293 (AIR 105) ✅ 3.13)Chemistry. - 296 (AIR 49) ✅ 3.14)SOCIOLOGY. - 308 (not recommended person) + 304 - Dongari Laxman (Not recommended) + 286 (AIR 150) 3.15)PSIR - 314 (AIR 5) ✅ 3.16)Economics. - 293 ( AIR 8) ✅ 3.17)Philosophy - 290 (AIR 116) 3.18)Telugu Literature- 258 (jeevan reddy Not recommended) 3.19) Geology - 293 ( AIR 376) ✅ 3.20) Law - 273 (AIR 33) ✅ 3.21) Civil Eng - 294 (AIR 97) 4)INTERVIEW HIGHEST- 206 ( AIR 77 + AIR 100 ) ✅ #upscMarksheets #TopperMarksheets We Will keep editing it 👆👆👆 Just tag admins with whatever facts you know , if possible with AIR / Marksheet proof

World Day to combat Desertification and Drought; Know govt’s efforts to combat desertification The United Nations forecasts that by the year 2050 droughts may affect over three-quarters of the world’s population. Today, as the World Day to combat Desertification and Drought Day is being observed, it should be noted that the number and duration of droughts has increased by 29 percent since 2000, as compared to the two previous decades. The government commemorated the day by showcasing presentations on various aspects of desertification such as on Initiative taken on restoration of Banni grassland, experience on Indian eco-restoration of deserts, forestry certification & achieving land degradation neutrality. Desertification in India Desertification is the degradation of land in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas. It is a major threat to agricultural productivity in our country. Niti Aayog says, due to drought and desertification each year, 12 million hectares are lost (23 hectares per minute), where 20 million tons of grain could have been grown. Nevertheless, India is fighting against the tide of times to combat land degradation and desertification. In the last 10 years, around 3 million hectares of forest cover has been added. This has enhanced the combined forest cover to almost one-fourth of the country’s total area. Today, the Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav released Forest Stewardship Council’s Forest Stewardship Standard for India. This India-specific, voluntary forest management standard will give impetus to third-party auditing of forest owners for various principles, criteria and indicators. Forest certification is an important tool to combat desertification and promote forest sustainability. Further, India intends to achieve land degradation neutral status by 2030. The country is working towards restoring 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030. This would contribute to India’s commitment to achieve an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. So far 14 million hectares of land have been restored. Work is under way to rejuvenate 13 rivers under the Ganga Rejuvenation project. Fifty two percent of the land used for agriculture is moderately or severely affected by soil degradation. The Soil Health Card Scheme, Soil Health Management Scheme, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojna (PKSY), Per Drop More Crop combats the effect of land degradation and also helps to reduce land degradation to some extent. Currently, the government has distributed over 23 crore soil health cards to farmers. Resultantly, balanced use of fertilisers has come about among farmers. Government plans to provide soil health cards to all farmers. Further, in the spirit of South-South cooperation, India is assisting fellow developing countries to develop land restoration strategies. A Centre of Excellence is being set up in India to promote a scientific approach towards land degradation issues.

Launched in January 2018, the aspirational districts programme aims to converge central & state schemes, collaborate central, state level ‘Prabhari’ officers & district collectors and create competition among districts through monthly delta ranking. With states as the main drivers, this program focuses on the strength of each district, identifying low-hanging fruits for immediate improvement and measuring progress by ranking districts on a monthly basis. The ranking is based on the incremental progress made across 49 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) under 5 broad socio-economic themes – Health & Nutrition, Education, Agriculture & Water Resources, Financial Inclusion & Skill Development and Infrastructure. The delta-ranking of Aspirational Districts and the performance of all districts is available on the Champions of Change Dashboard. Another focus of the programme is to further dive into the progress at the block-level within each district. The districts are encouraged to monitor the progress of the blocks that lead to the overall improvement of the district. The aspirational districts programme essentially is aimed at also localizing sustainable development goals, leading to the progress of the nation.

Prasar Bharati News Service - PBNS: ‘Localizing development can only lead to all-round progress of country’ A first-of-its-kind exercise towards strengthening the partnership between the Centre and the states to build a shared vision for the betterment of the country, the national conference of chief secretaries saw the Prime Minister Narendra Modi focusing much on the aspirational districts. With PM Modi saying aspirational districts should be inspirational districts and be extended to block and city level, it carries a lot of meaning. The aspirational districts programme aims to quickly and effectively transform 112 most under-developed districts across the country, but it will be possible only when all blocks and small towns under these districts undergo the intended transformation. Moreover, the country can’t transform with only 112 transformational districts, hence they need to play the role of inspirational districts for the rest of the districts. At the three-day-long national conference of chief secretaries, currently underway at Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, PM Modi lauded the success of the aspirational districts programme, adding the government should strive to make them the ‘Inspirational Districts’ of India and extend the programme to the block and city levels. PM Modi stressed that countries’ best and young officers should be posted to the aspirational districts to bring about noticeable changes through their creative thinking and fresh ideas. The experience and learnings gained while working in these districts, would prove useful for the entire country. Addressing the conference, the Prime Minister also laid much focus on education, saying that teachers’ training can be strengthened by leveraging digital technology and learning mobile apps. He stated that award winning retired school teachers could also be roped in for visiting schools and training teachers. There could also be a dedicated TV Channel for teachers’ training, he suggested. Prime Minister also suggested organising competitions among young entrepreneurs, start ups and youth across states for preparation of quality content in various mediums such as drama, animation, mono-acting, etc. in regional languages with the best content creators being awarded. It may be recalled that in the Budget 2022-23, the Government of India had announced that 200 TV Channels would be launched for improving access to high quality education in the remotest part of the country. In the conference deliberations were also held on ‘Crop Diversification and Achieving Self-Sufficiency in Oilseeds, Pulses and Other Agri-Commodities’ and ‘Implementation of National Education Policy-School Education’. There were sessions on ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav: Road to 2047’ and the Aspirational Districts Programme. Several strategies for ‘Aatmanirbhar Krishi’ and for a digital mission in agriculture were also discussed. The need for greater Centre-state coordination for driving India’s infrastructure growth story through PM-GatiShakti was also highlighted. An interactive session on the need for sound fiscal management by the states and union territories was also organized and stress was laid down on the need for the rationalization of schemes and autonomous bodies and measures to reduce revenue deficit. Organized by NITI Aayog, all the states and union territories are actively participating in the conference, flagging their concerns, highlighting best practices along with suggesting possible solutions to the nagging problems in every session. In addition to the chief secretaries of the states and union territories, about 200 thematic experts from different fields are also participating in this conference. Deliberations on the implementation of urban governance, crop diversification, new education policy, self-reliance in agricultural commodities, rapid and sustainable economic growth in partnership with the Center and the states are also being carried out.

The power of 0.68 marks Prelims Marksheet of Rank 8 CSE 2021

Believe n Trust Yourself 🤟

Free UPSC Coaching for SC candidates