UPSC CSE Why

Falcon ushers a new age of 2 stage rockets: First: returns to earth Second: takes payload to target orbit

Aspirants to Insiders: Kijiye meeting meeting

In name of 'insider updates', a handful of Telegram channels are playing with sentiments of thousands of aspirants with fear mongering Classic example of a digital stampede!

A glimpse of how this PDF looks & Makes your life easier via @CSEWhy

Note these places, states & what they connect! North East Deeper Connectivity 😄

Pre note: insiders are playing with your anxiety, result will come when it comes! 🚨10th June | Tuesday🚨

Daily Notes🗒

1. Guru Tegh Bahadur (9th Guru aka Hind Di Chadar) • 9th Guru: Executed by Aurangzeb in Delhi in 1675 for refusing to convert to Islam & defending Kashmiri Pandits • Contribution: 115 hymns included in Guru Granth Sahib & founded Anandpur Sahib in 1655 • Legacy: His martyrdom inspired his son Guru Gobind Singh to establish Khalsa in 1699 making human rights protection central to Sikh identity 2. S Jaishankar, MEA: International relations of last quarter of the century; dominated by 5 phenomenon: - Rebalancing - Globalization - Multipolarity - Impact of tech - Games that nations have players 3.Nickel & EV Application • Use case: EV for producing batteries including Li-ion • Issues: Extraction is energy intensive producing significant CO2 [1 tonne Nickel production = upto 20 tonne CO2] • Solution: a) Use electricity as energy source to reduce emissions b) Use of Hydrogen (at high energy electrons) to extract nickel 4. Asafoetida (Hing) • Cultivation: High-altitude regions (HP, J&K, Western Himalayas (like Lahaul Spiti/Uttarkashi)) • Challenges: Plant's sensitivity to climate, needs specific altitudes & cold environments • Historic references: - Mentions found in Mahabharata, Ayurveda & Charaka Samhita (to relieve abdominal pain, enhance taste & aid digestion of undigested food) - Pippalada Samhita & Panini also include references to heeng 5. 3D of Potential GDP • Determinants: Driven by labor, capital & productivity levels • Dynamic Capacity: max sustainable output w/o triggering inflation • Demand Conditions: Investment + Innovation + Policy 6. Revise Heat Wave and its criteria here

@CSEWhy Newspaper Recommendations📰

Indian Express 🗞 1. Chasing glory, building Bharat (GS2: Govt. schemes around sports; learn from Sports minister on sports schemes like TOPS) 2. Why Axiom-4 matters? (This article contains limited info, the details are better covered in CSEWhy 08 June telegram CA here) PS: Pre or Mains, what did you study today?

Ready for today's Current Affairs? :)

Result is not out yet. I'll share the PDF here officially. Don't fell prey to rumours

This will tell you importance of CSEWhy Telegram, Tweets & PYQs Find Qs references to 45+ Qs in UPSC Pre25 from CSEWhy resources here👇🏻 https://x.com/CseWhy/status/1932317615734595647

Another aspirant sent this score card prediction with a message. “Now the post exam anxiety is kicking in. Bhai how do we cope up with this?” What will you tell him?

Got a DM from General category “Sir, I have 42 in GS1 & 34 in CSAT. do you think I’ll write the Mains?” What will you say this aspirant?

Solar Geoengineering + UNSC graphic details

Pre note: result will come when it will come, breathe. 🚨09th June | Monday🚨

Daily Notes🗒

1. US National Guards • Dual Command reflecting US federalism Serves state governors for domestic crisis & federal govt. for national defense • Crisis Response Key responder in disasters & public safety, bridges civilian military roles (comparable to NDRF in India) • Structure: Led by state governor's, funded jointly by state/centre • In news: POTUS summoned 'em in LA; origin 1636 2. MagIC (Magnetic Isolation and Concentration) • imaging of biological molecules at 100x lower concentrations, enhancing research capability • Purpose: To accelerate breakthroughs in drug development & disease understanding 3. Irish Bogs • Natural carbon sinks storing C in peat; makes it critical for climate change mitigation • Biodiversity hotspot: Support unique flora & fauna adapted to acidic conditions offering insights into conservation strategies • Global Policy Relevance: Ireland's bog protection issues highlighted in European Court of Justice 4. National Cadet Corps • History: estd 1948 u/ MoDefence; headed by DG (Lt. Gen) • Objectives & Role: To groom disciplined, patriotic citizens focusing on youth training, leadership, social service & nation-building, while aiding logistics & rescue during emergencies 5. UNSC Temporary Members • UNGA elects Bahrain, Columbia, DRC, Latvia & Liberia as non-permanent UNSC members for a 2 year term • Total 10 non permanent members, 5 elected every year • Pakistan: chair of UNSC 1988 Taliban Sanctions Committee for 2025, vice-cair of UNSC Counter-Terrorism Committee Note: UNGA elects non-permanent members of UNSC 6. Aerosol Injection - Stratospheric [Solar geoengineering technique ] • Climate Mitigation Technology: Reflects sunlight to cool earth by mimicking volcanic eruptions (lowers global temperatures by 0.5°C) • Effectiveness and Risks: Could lower warming more in polar than tropics; posing risks like uneven cooling, ozone depletion & disruption in monsoon patterns • Other methods of Solar Radiation Modification i) Marine Cloud Brightening (MCB): - Spraying fine seawater droplets into low level ocean clouds to enhance reflectivity & persistence - More localized than SAI but also more technically challenging & weather dependent ii) Space Sunshades: - Place large mirrors in orbit or at Lagrange Point 1 (points where gravity of earth/sun balance each other) to block/deflect incoming solar radiation iii) Cirrus Cloud Thinning (CCT): - Aim: to reduce global warming by modifying high-altitude cirrus clouds (trapping heat due to their high ice content) - CCT injects Bismuth Tri-iodide (ice-nucleating particle) to enlarge crystals, making cirrus clouds less persistent & escape heat iv) Spraying Diamond Dust: - Spraying synthetic nanodiamonds (1-100nm) into stratosphere - Highly reflective & chemically inert; scatter solar radiation in turn cooling the planet 7. Nomadic Elephant | India-Mongolia Joint Military Exercise: To enhance interoperability; focus: counter-terrorism & UN peacekeeping in semi-urban/mountainous terrain. 8. Census revision here

@CSEWhy Newspaper Recommendations📰

Indian Express 🗞 1. Tailoring a sector (GS3: Trade) 2. Renewable & protected (GS3: Wind Energy) PS: Pre or Mains, what did you study today?

2 headlines across 4 years

Kaisa laga aaj ka CA? Saying it regularly, you don't have to worry about CA. Count on me, you won't regret. Promise! :)

India is drawing 6 lines on ground to transfer water of Indus River System To cover states of HR, PB, UP, RJ, GJ Canal 2 seems to be coinciding with ancient civilisational river: Saraswati

9. Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) - Overview: Highest ranking military officer & Principal Military Authority of Indian Armed Forces - Role and Responsibilities: • Permanent Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee; ensure inter-service coordination • Principal Military Advisor to the Defence Minister on tri-services matters & advisor to Nuclear Command Authority • Heads Dept. of Mil Affairs (DMA), manage procurement, training, logistics, & facilitating theatre commands • No military command over service chiefs, "first among equals" with a rank equivalent to a Secretary in the Ministry of Defence. - Historical Context and Evolution: • Proposed post 1999 war by Kargil Review Committee, refined by Naresh Chandra Committee (2012) and Lt. Gen. D.B. Shekatkar Committee (2016) • Purpose: address inefficiencies, enhance combat capability & reduce duplication amid modern warfare challenges - Key Facts • Age: 65 years (no fixed tenure); eligible candidates include retired 4/3 star officers u/ 62 years at appointment • Salary and perks match service chiefs; office ranks 12th in India’s order of precedence • Current CDS, Gen Chauhan is a first instance of a 3 star general becoming 4 star general post retirement (to be elevated as CDS)

Pre note: Read everything with GREAT care today. Worked overtime to fix it for you! 😄 🚨08th June | Sunday🚨

Daily Notes🗒

1. 1. Great Indian Bustard • Conservation Status & Threats: Critically Endangered (IUCN), Schedule I WPA72 w/ <150 individuals. Threatened by habitat loss + power line collisions, hunting & pesticides • Relevance: Flagship species for grasslands, tied to renewable energy conflicts; controls pests, indicates grassland health • In news: New chicks born in RJ, named after Op Sindoor: Vyom, Sofiya, Sindoor, Mishri etc. 2. DigiPIN • Digital Postal Index Number: geospatial reference system developed by Department of Posts, in collab with IIT Hyd & ISRO's NSRC • India's new era of addressing moving beyond JUST Pincode to pin point your exact geographic location 3. Bacteriophages to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance • Overview: AMR causes ~5mn global deaths where bacteriophages (phages) are emerging as an alternative • Mechanism: Phages target specific bacteria (eg E. Coli) [used in Soviet, Georgie & Belgium for ulcers & UTIs] • Strategies: Isolate bacteria, match phased & use engineered phages/banks to eliminate AMR • Challenges: Limited approval, mostly compassionate use; India explores this, facing production and regulatory hurdles. 4. Heaviest Proton Emitter Astatine-188 • What? Finland & Indian collaboration to find Astatine w/ 188 micro-second half life • Function: Advances nuclear stability research, offering insights into proton rich isotop limits, predicting stability drop for future nuclear studies 5. Microgravity [Seen in Pre25] • Definition: Environment w/ low gravitational force, experienced in space where objects appear weightless • Importance: Enables research on physical & cognitive impacts, plant growth & biological processes in space • Applications: Supports studies on muscle dysfunction, bioregenerative life-support systems, and potential food/fuel sources, aligning with India’s space missions like Gaganyaan • Challenges and Future: Poses risks like muscle atrophy and requires advanced tech, influencing future space habitation and interplanetary missions. 6. Axiom-4 (Launch: 10 June) • Crew capsule: Dragon C213, Launch vehicle: Falcon 9 [both SpaceX] • India: Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is the pilot while another Indian Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair is on standby • ISRO Payloads on Axiom-4: 8 payloads (covered in next text) 7. Microalgae • What? Microscopic photosynthetic organisms found in aquatic environments (being studied by ISRO in Axiom-4) • Applications: Potential source of food, fuel, oxygen as well as use-case in wastewater treatment & carbon sequestration 8. Tardigrades • Overview: Water bears (microscopic extremophiles 0.05-1.2 mm) surviving extreme conditions (-272°C to 150°C) via cryptobiosis (Axiom-4 is carrying them as ISRO payloads) • Relevance: Research on their revival & gene expression in microgravity aids astrobiology & space exploration

I am working overtime to compensate covering all pointers covered in newspapers + PIB. Fun fact, I spent last 2-3 days working on mapping PRE25 Paper Qs to CSEWhy sources and have 45+ Qs references. Will share soon Long story short, NEVER be in a doubt of quality of CA you get here. Count on me, promise :)