Civil Services Simplified: Decoding the Enigma of UPSC by Dr. CP. Kaushik

ORN has its own vibes!! Before getting back to work.. Aspirants!!!

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Hello everyone. One info for u people.. DoPT is considering increasing the intake of IAS from 180 to 220 per year..👍

General: 85-90 OBC: 83/84 EWS: 79-82 SC: 75 ST: 73/74.

Hello everyone. There are a lot of speculations about the cutoff for Prelims. Some people are really overhyping the scenario by considering even 100+ as the probable cutoff. With my understanding of the exam and analysis of the Paper, we can expect cutoff in the range of 85-90 for Open category. There can be slight variation also. Remember, UPSC has many things based on its own understanding. So 3/4 questions variation in final score is NOT a big thing in this exam. Anyone who is getting more than 85 in the Open category, 82/83 marks in OBC, 80+ in EWS, 75 marks in SC and almost 74/75 in ST shouldn't waste any time. The result will be out in around 15 days.. U can complete one Paper for your Optional in that period. Good luck.👍

It's an Offline-cum-online batch at Drishti IAS Karol Bagh.

New Batch Starting from 1st July. It's an afternoon batch. Timings will be 2:30/3 PM. 5/6 days in a week.

25. SMART: ** DRDO has conducted a successful test of the Supersonic Missile Assisted Torpedo (SMART), aimed at enhancing the Navy's anti-submarine warfare capabilities. •SMART is a system developed by DRDO to launch torpedoes assisted by missiles. •This innovative system enables torpedoes to achieve much longer ranges than before, with potential distances of up to 1000 km. • The system can be launched from both coasts and warships. **The canister-based missile system comprises several advanced subsystems including two-stage solid propulsion and precision inertial navigation. •Canister enables smooth and safe launch of article. Also, canister serves the purpose of transportation, storage and launching of missiles. •These Canisters are filled with inert gases to provide protection from outside environment.

21. BharatGPT Group Unveils ‘Hanooman’: • BharatGPT group, led by IIT Bombay and seven other Indian institutes, plans to launch its first ChatGPT-like service. • The service 'Hanooman', will be launched in collaboration with Department of Science and Technology. • Hanooman is a series of large language models (LLMs) designed to respond in 11 Indian languages, including Hindi, Tamil, and Marathi. • It is designed for four fields: healthcare, governance, financial services, and education. • Hanooman is not just a chatbot but a multimodal AI tool that generates text, speech, and videos in multiple languages. 22. Pine Needles-based fuel making technology: An MoU was signed between CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehradun and Uttarakhand State Council for Science & Technology (UCOST) for deploying the technology of making fuel from pine needles. Pine Needles-based fuel making Technology involves Briquetting (compaction/ densification of Pine Needles) or the process of converting biomass residues into a fuel. •The biomass cookstove works with Pine Needles briquettes at an energy efficiency of 35% and reduces household pollution by 70%. •The Pine Needle briquettes and pellets can replace coal and protect the environment. • The briquettes can be used for domestic cooking and as direct or co-firing fuel in brick kilns and thermal power plants. ** Pine Trees (native primarily to northern temperate regions) •Pine trees are evergreen coniferous trees and a type of GYMNOSPERMS, which are the most widely distributed tree species globally and are known for their distinct needle-like leaves, conical shape, and resinous wood. 23. White Rabbit Collaboration: ** CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) recently initiated the White Rabbit Collaboration, a venture aimed at advancing a unique technology known as White Rabbit (WR). ** Its primary purpose is to synchronize devices within particle accelerators with extreme precision, down to sub-nanoseconds. * The White Rabbit Collaboration is a membership-based global community established to nurture and enhance this open-source technology. White Rabbit's application has expanded beyond particle physics like was integrated into the Precision Time Protocol (PTP) Also, White Rabbit finds utility not only in the finance sector but also in various research infrastructures. 24. INS Jatayu base in Lakshadweep Islands: • The Indian Navy has commissioned its new base "INS Jatayu" at Minicoy in Lakshadweep islands, second naval base in Lakshadweep after INS Dweeprakshak in Kavaratti. Minicoy is the southernmost island of Lakshadweep, 215 nautical miles southwest of Kochi. The base is located on Minicoy and overlooks vital Sea Lines of Communications (SLOCs), including the Eight Degree Channel and the Nine Degree Channel. This location enhances India's operational reach and helps to counter growing Chinese influence in the Indian Ocean. INS Jatayu also bolster the Indian Navy's capabilities for anti-piracy, anti-narcotics, and surveillance operations.

Researchers have developed a new electronics soil that was found to increase the growth of barley seedlings by 50% in a new study. E soil is an electrically conductive cultivation substrate designed specifically for hydroponic systems, where plants grow in nutrient-rich water instead of traditional soil. • eSoil is made from a blend of cellulose, a natural biopolymer, and a conductive polymer called PEDOT. • The conductive properties allow eSoil to deliver low-power electrical currents to plant roots. • These currents stimulate root growth and nutrient uptake, leading to healthier plant development. ** Increased crop yields, Reduced water and resource usage and an Improved efficiency in urban settings. 17. Tricholime: ** The Indian Institute of Spices Research (IISR) Kozhikode have successfully developed a new granular lime-based Trichoderma formulation, “Tricholime” & It combines two powerful tools for sustainable agriculture: Trichoderma – a beneficial fungus that acts as a biocontrol agent – and lime – which neutralizes soil acidity. •Tricholime effectively neutralizes soil acidity. •The Trichoderma fungus present in Tricholime acts as a natural enemy to several soilborne pathogens that cause diseases in crops. •Tricholime also promotes microbial activity in the soil, leading to better nutrient cycling. 18. Ultra-Processed Food: ** Ultra-processed foods are processed products with artificial ingredients, additives, and preservatives, often containing sugar and unhealthy fats. • They are low in essential nutrients and have a long shelf life, but excessive consumption can lead to negative health effects. • The consumption of High Fat Sugar Salt (HFSS) foods stands as a major contributor to a global health crisis, fuelling issues such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. For example: Packaged Snacks, Instant Noodles and Ready-to-Eat Meals etc. Initiatives by FSSAI to Reduce Ultra Processed Foods Cap on Trans-Fatty Acids FSSAI capped trans-fatty acids in food at 2% or less from 2022. Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018 Regulations hold food businesses accountable for claims and ads. Food Safety and Standards (Safe Food and Healthy Diets for School Children) Regulations, 2020 Bans ads of ultra-processed foods in school areas to promote healthier diets. 'Eat Right India' Movement: Aims to cut salt, sugar, and saturated fats intake nationwide. ** 'Aaj Se Thoda Kam' Social Media Campaign Nationwide campaign encouraging dietary changes to reduce salt, sugar, and fat intake. 19. Food Fortification: • Food Fortification is the practice of increasing the amount of micronutrients, like vitamins and minerals, in a food or condiment. o Rice Fortification is the addition of Fortified Rice Kernels (FRK) containing prescribed micronutrients like Iron, Folic Acid, and Vitamin B12 to normal rice in a 1:100 ratio. o This process is done in rice mills during milling and is considered a cost-effective and complementary strategy to increase vitamin and mineral content in diets. It offers a low turnaround time and is a step towards nutritional security. 20. Rhodamine-B: * Toxic industrial dye,used as an artificial coloring agent. •The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) prohibits the use of Rhodamine-B in the food industry. ** Rhodamine-B is an organic chloride salt commonly employed as a coloring agent in the textile, paper, leather, and paint industries. **Health Impacts: Immediate effects of Rhodamine-B ingestion include stomach fullness, itching, and breathing problems. Potential chronic health effects may include liver dysfunction, intestinal cancers, neurotoxicity, and kidney failure. strategy to increase vitamin and mineral content in diets. It offers a low turnaround time and is a step towards nutritional security.

11. Rejupave Technology: • The Border Roads Organization (BRO) introduced indigenous technology - Rejupave to enhance the capacity of the defence forces along the Indo-China border in Arunachal Pradesh. About Rejupave Technology: • Rejupave is a liquid bio-based asphalt modifier & rejuvenating agent. It was developed by the CSIR-Central Road Research Institute (CSIR-CRRI). • Rejupave is a bio-oil-based product that reduces the heating requirement of bituminous mixes. It is used in road construction to address challenges in low and sub-zero temperatures. • Rejupave technology addresses construction challenges in low and sub-zero temperatures. It has been used by the Border Road Organization (BRO) to build bituminous road sections at the Sela Road tunnel and LGG-Damteng-Yangste. • The technology is developed using a Bio-based eco-friendly product with 100% biooil. 12. Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) Mission: •The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)’s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) landed on the moon's surface. **With this, Japan became the fifth nation to achieve a soft landing on the Moon’s surface. The same club that India joined when Chandrayaan-3 landed in 2023. •The Soviet Union, the United States, China, and India are the only four previous countries that have successfully carried out soft landings on the moon. About SLIM) •SLIM is the smallest and lightest spacecraft to land on the Moon, weighing just 200 kilograms. •SLIM is dubbed as the “Moon sniper”. It is the second Japanese mission to target a soft landing on the Moon. •SLIM Mission employs ‘Vision based navigation’ tech. 13. ISROs POEM: •ISRO’s space platform POEM-3 (PSLV Orbital Experimental Module-3) achieves all payload objectives, set to re-enter Earth. About POEM (PSLV Orbital Experimental Module): • It is a platform that will help perform in-orbit experiments using the final, and otherwise discarded, stage of ISRO’s workhorse rocket, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). • The PSLV is a four-stage rocket where the first three spent stages fall back into the ocean, and the final stage (PS4) after launching the satellite into orbit ends up as space junk. • However, in POEM mission, the spent final stage will be utilised as a “stabilised platform” to perform experiments. • Another Purpose: the last stage of the PSLV rocket is made to enter the Earth’s atmosphere and burn up within few days. This will ensure that the mission leaves no debris. 14. Blanets: • Blanets are a theoretical class of exoplanets proposed in 2019, characterized by their unique orbit around supermassive black holes. • Unlike traditional planets that form from the swirling dust and gas surrounding young stars, blanets are believed to originate from clouds of dust and debris within the accretion disk encircling supermassive black holes. 15. Pushpak: ISRO has successfully conducted the Pushpak Reusable Landing Vehicle (RLV) LEX 02 landing experiment at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) in Chitra Durga, Karnataka. * RLV-TD (technology demonstrator) is one of the most challenging endeavours of the Indian space agency towards developing essential technologies for a fully reusable launch vehicle to enable low-cost access to space. The configuration of RLV-TD is similar to that of an aircraft and combines the complexity of both launch vehicles and aircraft. 16. Electronic Soil (eSoil):

7. STAR Metric: The Species Threat Abatement and Restoration (STAR) metric, initially introduced in 2021 for terrestrial areas by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and partners, has now been expanded for marine areas. * It leverages data from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species to assess extinction risks and threats. STAR evaluates the effectiveness of actions in specific locations, focusing on threat abatement and habitat restoration to support international conservation goals. 8. Magnetic Fossils: Scientists have discovered a 50,000-year-old sediment — a giant magneto fossil and one of the youngest to be found yet in Bay of Bengal. * Formation: Fossilized remains of magnetic particles created by magnetotactic bacteria which are microorganisms that biomineralized magnetic minerals such as magnetite (Fe3O4). Preservation: When these magnetotactic bacteria die, their magnetic minerals can be preserved in sediments or rocks. ** Identification: Magnetic fossils are identified through various techniques such as rock magnetism, electron microscopy, and paleomagnetic analysis. • Applications: By analyzing the magnetic properties of sedimentary rocks containing magnetic fossils, researchers can reconstruct past variations in the Earth's magnetic field and infer changes in the climate, ocean circulation, and tectonic processes. 9. Coal Gasification: Union cabinet approves Rs.8500 crore viability gap funding for coal gasification under National Coal Gasification Mission. Coal gasification is a chemical process that converts coal into a combustible gas mixture called Synthesis gas (also called syngas), which is a mixture of hydrogen (H2), carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2). • Syn Gas produced from Coal gasification can is usable in producing Synthetic Natural Gas (SNG-For Transportation), energy fuel (methanol & ethanol), ammonia for fertilizers and Petro-chemicals. •Note: Blue Hydrogen is Produced via natural gas or coal gasification combined with carbon capture storage (CCS). National Coal Gasification Mission: In July 2023, government launched National Coal Gasification Mission to achieve coal gasification and liquefaction of 100 MT of coal by 2030. 10. BioTRIG: Newly conducted research unveils 'BioTRIG,' a waste management innovation made for implementation in rural regions of India. BioTRIG is an innovative waste management technology that operates on the principle of pyrolysis at a community level. ** Pyrolysis involves heating waste in an oxygen-free chamber at temperatures exceeding 400 degrees Celsius.

Target Prelims 2024: The FINAL LAP, Last Minute Pointers 1. Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA): ** GBA is made up of 19 countries and 12 international organizations, including the World Economic Forum, the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank. India first proposed the GBA at the India Energy Week in February 2023 and launched the GBA at the G20 summit in September 2023. *The GBA's goal is to promote the development and adoption of sustainable biofuels and set standards and certifications. * Denmark has launched an initiative with India, called Green Fuels Alliance India (GFAI). * It aligns with India’s ambitious target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2070. * It aims to support the development of a green hydrogen ecosystem in India, including production, storage, and transportation infrastructure. 2. Ethanol 100: The Ministry of Petroleum has launched ‘ETHANOL 100’, a groundbreaking automotive fuel. * Ethanol 100 is pure ethanol, devoid of gasoline or additives. It is colourless, flammable with a distinctive odour. It is derived from the fermentation and distillation of plant-based materials like corn, sugarcane, or biomass sources. * Ethanol 100 boasts a high-octane rating, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and potential for reducing reliance on fossil fuels. ** Ministry of Road Transport and Highways unveiled the world's first Bharat Stage (BS)-VI-compliant electrified flex-fuel car by Toyota Kirloskar Motor, running on 100% ethanol (E100) for 40% of its distance and electric power for the remaining 60%. 3. MethaneSAT: MethaneSAT is an advanced satellite project led by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) in collaboration with the New Zealand Space Agency. Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) is a US-based nonprofit group. ** Orbiting the Earth 15 times a day, MethaneSAT focuses on the oil and gas sector and utilizes advanced spectrometer technology to detect even small methane concentrations. *Over 150 countries signed the Global Methane Pledge in 2021 to cut collective methane emissions by at least 30% from 2020 levels by 2030. 4. Green Rising Initiative: ** United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)’s Generation Unlimited in collaboration with India's Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change unveiled the "Green Rising" initiative at COP28 in Dubai. ** This initiative focuses on engaging youth for impactful environmental actions at the grassroots level, aligning with the global effort to address the severe impacts of climate change. 5. Short-lived Climate Pollutants (SLCPs): • SLCPs are a group of greenhouse gases and air pollutants that have a near-term warming impact on climate and can affect air quality. • SLCPs include black carbon, methane, ground-level ozone, and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). ** Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) Mission: The only global alliance dedicated exclusively to the reduction of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) which was founded in 2012 and convened within the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). ** Membership: Voluntary partnership of over 160 governments, intergovernmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations. India joined in 2019. 6. Greening and Restoration of Wasteland with Agroforestry (GROW): The GROW initiative, spearheaded by NITI Aayog, aims to enhance land use sustainability across India by emphasizing agroforestry practices. • The recently released GROW report utilizes cutting-edge remote sensing and GIS technologies to evaluate the nation's environmental endeavors and sustainable land utilization. Objectives Restore Degraded Land: GROW aims to rejuvenate 26 million hectares of barren land by 2030, aligning with India's commitment to Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN).

Felicitated Tanuj Pathak, Rank 72 with 309 marks in Anthropology. He was part of the Anthro Test Series and Enrichment program from the last two attempts. He improved marks in Anthro from 253 to 309. He has not taken any classes either for GS or Anthro. He has a B.Tech background from IIT Roorkee. Congratulations 🎉

CSP 23, Official Answer Key

Hello everyone. We have some more updates to follow for Prelims 24.. Will be completed by 15th May, a month before the actual game!! Stay updated and revise more now!! Good luck..