UPSC NOTIFICATION 2018 - 782 Vacancies

The official UPSC 2018 Notification for IAS Prelims Exam was released on 7th February 2018.

According to the latest UPSC Notification 2018, the number of vacancies to be filled on the result of the examination is expected to be approximately 782, which include vacancies reserved for P.H. Category.

UPSC Prelims exam will be held on 3 June 2018,  and UPSC Mains exam will be held on 28 September 2018.

The last date of receipt of the application is 6 March 2018.

UPSC Notification 2018 provides important information to the candidate like exam date, pattern and marks of Preliminary examination and Optional subjects for UPSC Mains Exam etc.

UPSC Civil Service Exam (IAS) Calendar 2018

Civil Service Exam	Important Dates
Notification	07-02-2018
Last Date To Apply	06-03-2018
Civil Services Preliminary Examination	03-06-2018
Civil Services Mains Examination	28-09-2018

The notification for 2018 UPSC Civil Services Exam is scheduled to be released on 7th February 2018. Aspirants should read the notification carefully as it mentions the last date to apply, which is 8th March for this year.

Civil Services Preliminary Exam will be conducted on 3rd June 2018. This exam will be conducted in 2 sessions as per the Civil Services Prelims Syllabus and the duration of the exam is one day. IAS Mains Examination for 2018 is scheduled on 28 September 2018 (Friday).

How to apply for Civil Services Examination?

Since the postal application system is unavailable now,  candidates are supposed to apply via the online portal on UPSC website. Also, the Admit Cards can be directly downloaded from the UPSC Website, as mentioned in the official notification of the exam.

While applying, there are few points that need to be taken care of – 

• Candidates can apply online directly from the UPSC website’s registration portal, and it is recommended to submit only a single application.
• Applicants, whether already in Government service, Government owned industrial undertakings, or other similar organization, or in private employment, should submit their applications directly to the Union Public Service Commission.
• Candidates can select examination centres from the list maintained by UPSC and no one can give the exam at any venue other than these selected centres.
• Candidates should carefully choose examination centre for exams during the registration process. Both Prelims and Mains have separate centres, but once you have locked a centre for the exam (whether it’s for Prelims or Mains), it is not possible to change. Please note, that Commission reserves the right to change the Centres at their discretion if the situation demands. The candidates should note that no request for change of centre will be entertained, once allocated.
• There is no need to submit any certificate regarding age, education qualification, caste etc. along with the application form. It will be verified only in UPSC Mains exam.

Note: Fill your online application as soon as possible after the release of the notification. It will help you to skip the last-minute stress. Also, the centres are allocated on “first-apply-first allot” basis. Applicants are thus advised that they may apply early so that they can get their desired centre.

Eligibility for Civil Services Exam

The Eligibility for Civil Services exam is based on certain criteria viz. nationality, educational qualifications, age limits and the number of attempts.

Nationality

• For IAS and IPS, the applicant should be a citizen of India with a degree (discussed below).
• For other Group A and Group B services, the applicant should be – 
  • a citizen of India, or
  • a subject of Nepal, or
  • a subject of Bhutan, or
  • a Tibetan refugee who came to India, before January 1, 1962, with an intention to settle permanently in India, or
  • a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia or Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India.

Educational Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in any subject from a Central or State University under Section-3 of University Grants Commission Act, 1956, or an institution established under Parliamentary Act.
• Applicants pursuing last semester of his/her graduation or awaiting result can also apply for the Preliminary examination.
• Candidates who qualify the Preliminary exam will have to produce a proof of their Bachelor’s degree in order to appear for the CS Mains.

UPSC Civil Services Age Limit and Number of Attempts

Age limit for IAS exam is that a candidate must have attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 32 years.

UPSC age upper limit is relaxed for

• OBC category – relaxation of three years
• SC/ST category – relaxation of five years
• Jammu and Kashmir domicile – relaxation of five years
• Defence Security Personnel – relaxation of three years

IAS Exam age upper limit and number of attempts

Category	Upper Age Limit for UPSC	Number of Attempts
General	32 years	6
OBC	35 years	9
SC/ST	37 years	No limit

Fee for Civil Services Exam Application

Civil Service Preliminary and Mains have separate fees. For Prelims, the fee is Rs 100/-, and there is no fee for ladies, SC/ST applicants and PH candidates. Both online and offline payment options are available.

Online Payment

Candidates have the option of paying the fee of Rs 100/- online by debit card, credit card, online banking etc.

Offline Payment

This option is for those who opted to pay by cash. In the second part of registration, the candidate can collect system generated challan and pay from any SBI branch on any working days, on or before 6th March 2018. The confirmation will take time and after that, the candidate will move forward to the last process.

Advertisement link: http://www.upsc.gov.in/sites/default/files/Notification_CSP_2018_Engl.pdf 

# QUESTION # BASED # ON # THE # HINDU #

Q1. The Triple Talaq Bill has been criticised for various reasons. Discuss.

Ans. world and, taking note of the stand of the Muslim Personal Law Board deprecating the practice, it should be discontinued. In essence, three of the five judges of the Court held this practice to be void, albeit for different reasons.

• Consequently, they granted an injunction against the practice of triple talaq for a period of six months from the date of judgment, enabling Parliament to legislate on the subject. If such legislation were to be initiated, the injunction would continue till the legislation bore fruition.

Under the act Muslim men, are now liable to be prosecuted for breaching a civil contract, a Muslim marriage being a contract of a civil nature.

• The Supreme Court stated that since instant Triple Talaq is otherwise abhorrent and considered illegal in various Muslim countries around the
• The other aspect, which is of concern, is that there is no provision in this legislation which states that the wife alone can file a complaint alleging that an offence of triple talaq has been committed. A third person can file such a complaint on the basis of which the husband alleged to have pronounced triple talaq can be arrested forthwith. Being non-bailable, only a court is entitled to grant bail. This has several implications: (1) the wife who may not wish to complain, her marriage being intact, has to suffer the consequences of her husband being sent to jail. That affects her husband’s capacity to provide for the family; (2) the complaint may be based on a lie, yet the husband may land in jail; and (3) it is not understood why the husband needs to go to jail when the marriage is subsisting and valid.
• Further, the concept of subsistence allowance and the right of a woman to custody of her minor children in the event of pronouncement of talaq by her husband are both alien to a marriage which is subsisting and intact. Subsistence allowance or maintenance and child custody are issues which become relevant if there is a proceeding for divorce and the husband chooses not to maintain the family. That cannot be the case here.
• The legislation although criticised is a step forward towards gender justice. Similar steps should be taken to protect vulnerable women from all religions.
  

Iceland becomes first country to legalise equal pay

A new law making it illegal to pay men more than women has taken effect in Iceland.

The legislation, which came into force on Monday, the first day of 2018, makes Iceland the first country in the world to legalise equal pay between men and women.

Under the new rules, companies and government agencies employing at least 25 people will have to obtain government certification of their equal-pay policies.

Those that fail to prove pay parity will face fines.

The legislation is basically a mechanism that companies and organisations have evaluate every job that's being done, and then they get a certification after they confirm the process if they are paying men and women equally. It's a mechanism to ensure women and men are being paid equally.

Facts for Prelims:

The WEF Global Gender Gap Report uses markers such as economic opportunity, political empowerment, and health and survival to gauge the state of gender equality in a country.

• According to the latest WEF report, the top five best performers in the global gender gap are Iceland, Norway, Finland, Rwanda and Sweden. Yemen, on the other hand, is currently the lowest-ranked of the 144 countries measured in the report. India is ranked 108.
• Fifty-two countries fell below the global average in 2017, including China, Liberia and the United Arab Emirates, while 60 saw their overall gender gap decrease. Hungary was the only European country to be ranked lower than the global average, having scored poorly on political empowerment.

#Current #affairs #for #IAS

Proxy voting for NRIs cleared by the Union Cabinet

The Union Cabinet has cleared a proposal to extend proxy voting to overseas Indians by amending electoral laws. If the proposal passes political muster in Parliament, NRIs will be able to exercise their voting rights through “proxy”. Currently, only service personnel are permitted to vote through proxy.

Background:

An expert committee in the Election Commission working on the issue had, in 2015, forwarded the legal framework to the law ministry to amend electoral laws to allow overseas Indians use proxy voting.

Need for the introduction of proxy voting:

According to rough estimates, there are about 1 crore Indians settled abroad, of which 60 lakh could be of eligible voting age. Currently, voters residing abroad can only cast their votes in their respective constituencies. This regulation is seen as restrictive as only a few thousand Indians living overseas have registered as voters, the maximum being from Kerala. Of these, barely anyone has travelled to the country to exercise his or her franchise.

Key facts:

• While NRIs and overseas Indians are free to cast their votes in constituencies where they are registered, according to the proposal, they would also be allowed to use the option of proxy, which as of now is only available to service personnel.
• For overseas Indians, the Representation of the People Act needs to be amended to include proxy voting as other means to cast their votes.

How proxy voting takes place?

The Union Cabinet’s approval for proxy voting by NRIs carries a caveat: they cannot nominate one proxy for all polls. Overseas electors will have to appoint a nominee afresh for each election — one person can act as proxy for only one overseas voter. The proxy voter should be an ordinary resident of the constituency one is voting in.

#Current #Affairs #for #IAS

Constitution 123rd Amendment Bill and National Commission for Backward Classes (Repeal) Bill, 2017 passed with amendment in Rajya Sabha

The Constitution (123rd Amendment) Bill, 2017, providing for setting up of a National Commission for Backward Classes, was recently passed by the Rajya Sabha. The Bill was passed after dropping Clause 3.

 

What is Clause 3 all about?

Clause 3 pertains to the insertion of a new article 338B about the constitution and powers of the National Commission for Backward Classes.

 Background:

The bill is meant to upgrade the Backward Classes Commission from a statutory body to a constitutional body, which will give it powers equal to a court to summon people and inquire into incidents of violence and discrimination against backward classes.

Way ahead:

The amended bill will now have to be returned to the Lok Sabha for its fresh approval. The Lower House had already passed the bill but in the Upper House it had been referred to a Select Committee as the Opposition had wanted more scrutiny. The Constituent amendment bill’s passage requires two-third majority of those present and voting.

#Today's #Question #for #IAS

Ques.  ‘Atpati’, ‘Chugani’, ‘Dastar’ and ‘Jaapi’ all refer to
a)  Painting styles of north & northeast India.
b) Methods of Ship building in early medieval India
c) Traditional headgear of India
d) Sculptural Styles of Mughal India

#Current #affairs #for #IAS

Hamari Dharohar Scheme

• It was launched by Ministry of Minority affairs for preservation of rich heritage and culture of minority communities of India.
• Funding under the scheme is project based and not State/District-wise.
• It aims to support curating iconic exhibitions, calligraphy, research and development, etc.
• A project has been initiated to translate documents belonging to medieval period on the subjects of Medicines, Mathematics, and Literature from Arabic language to English.

Nai Roshni Scheme

• It is the Scheme for leadership development among Minority Women.
• The objective is to empower and instil confidence among minority women by providing knowledge, tools and techniques for interacting with Government systems, banks and other institutions at all levels.
• Recently, NITI Aayog has conducted an evaluation study on ‘Nai Roshni’.
• The main objective of the study was to assess the impact of the scheme on minority women and to identify policy/ programme impediments in implementation of the scheme.
• The report indicates that the trained women are utilizing their enriched knowledge and thereby helping their families in raising their essential demands and claims from various Government authorities.

#Current #Affairs #for #IAS

Government plans ‘I stand by my country’ campaign

The government hopes to trigger a citizen movement around the theme ‘I stand by my country’ as part of a twin celebration to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Quit India movement and the 70th Independence Day.

What you need to know?
As part of the programme, the government plans a multimedia campaign that will focus on inspiring the young generation and instilling in them a sense of pride and responsibility.

• The celebrations will stress that in the next five years — in an era of determination, will and struggle — a ‘New India’ will be built which is “rid of corruption and black money” and fulfils the aspirations of its teeming millions.
• The campaign will also drive home the point that the country has already proved its worth in every field, be it science and technology, sports, spirituality, art, space exploration, economy and defence.
• The aim of the campaign, hence is to portray an India which is “bold and decisive, can secure its future, is on the path of reforms, and that cares.

Background:
The Quit India Movement, also known as the August Movement was a Civil Disobedience Movement launched by Gandhi for independence. The movement was accompanied by a mass protest on non-violent lines, in which Gandhi called for “an orderly British withdrawal from India”.

#Current #Affairs #for #IAS

India, Japan civil nuclear deal comes into force
The India-Japan Agreement for Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy entered into force on July 20, 2017 with the exchange of diplomatic notes between Dr. S. Jaishankar, Foreign Secretary and H.E. Mr. Kenji Hiramatsu, Ambassador of Japan to India.

• The pact was signed in Tokyo during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Japan on November 11, 2016.

Key facts:

• India is the first non-member of the non-proliferation treaty (NPT) to have signed such a deal with Japan. The deal will help India access Japan’s nuclear market.
• The deal includes the option that Japan can give a year’s notice before terminating it in case India breaks the nuclear testing moratorium that it had extended to the Nuclear Suppliers Group in 2008.
• The deal is significant as it will help guarantee Japan’s continued support to India’s civil nuclear programme.
• The deal will bring Japan into the Indian nuclear market where France and Russia have already have a strong presence.

 Significance of this move:

• This Agreement is a reflection of the strategic partnership between India and Japan and will pave the way for enhanced cooperation in energy security and clean energy.
• It seeks to promote full cooperation between the two countries in the development and uses of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes on a stable, reliable and predictable basis.
• The deal is essential for bringing a network of nuclear energy cooperation for India, especially with the U.S. as prominent American nuclear companies are owned by the Japanese nuclear majors.

#Current #Affairs #for #IAS

Government to launch Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY)

Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY), a pension scheme exclusively for senior citizens, has been launched.

• PMVVY is a Pension Scheme exclusively for the senior citizens aged 60 years and above.
• The Scheme can be purchased offline as well as online through Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India which has been given the sole privilege to operate this Scheme.

Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY), a pension scheme exclusively for senior citizens, has been launched.

• PMVVY is a Pension Scheme exclusively for the senior citizens aged 60 years and above.
• The Scheme can be purchased offline as well as online through Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India which has been given the sole privilege to operate this Scheme.

Benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY):

• Scheme provides an assured return of 8% p.a. payable monthly (equivalent to 8.30% p.a. effective) for 10 years.
• Pension is payable at the end of each period, during the policy term of 10 years, as per the frequency of monthly/ quarterly/ half-yearly/ yearly as chosen by the pensioner at the time of purchase.
• The scheme is exempted from Service Tax/ GST.
• On survival of the pensioner to the end of the policy term of 10 years, Purchase price along with final pension installment shall be payable.
• Loan upto 75% of Purchase Price shall be allowed after 3 policy years (to meet the liquidity needs). Loan interest shall be recovered from the pension installments and loan to be recovered from claim proceeds.
• The scheme also allows for premature exit for the treatment of any critical/ terminal illness of self or spouse. On such premature exit, 98% of the Purchase Price shall be refunded.
• On death of the pensioner during the policy term of 10 years, the Purchase Price shall be paid to the beneficiary.

Benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY):

• Scheme provides an assured return of 8% p.a. payable monthly (equivalent to 8.30% p.a. effective) for 10 years.
• Pension is payable at the end of each period, during the policy term of 10 years, as per the frequency of monthly/ quarterly/ half-yearly/ yearly as chosen by the pensioner at the time of purchase.
• The scheme is exempted from Service Tax/ GST.
• On survival of the pensioner to the end of the policy term of 10 years, Purchase price along with final pension installment shall be payable.
• Loan upto 75% of Purchase Price shall be allowed after 3 policy years (to meet the liquidity needs). Loan interest shall be recovered from the pension installments and loan to be recovered from claim proceeds.
• The scheme also allows for premature exit for the treatment of any critical/ terminal illness of self or spouse. On such premature exit, 98% of the Purchase Price shall be refunded.
• On death of the pensioner during the policy term of 10 years, the Purchase Price shall be paid to the beneficiary.

#current #affairs #for #ias

Ram Nath Kovind becomes India’s 14th President

Ram Nath Kovind is elected the 14th  President of India. Kovind, the former Governor of Bihar, has served as a BJP MP in the Rajya Sabha as well. He defeated Opposition’s Meira Kumar, a former Lok Sabha speaker, winning more than 65 percent of the votes in the Electoral College.

Kovind will be the second Dalit to become the President of the country after KR Narayanan. The returning officer, Anoop Mishra, said that Kovind received 2930 votes with a value of 7,02,044. He will be the first BJP member to be elected as the President.

#current #affairs #for #ias

Supreme Court allows Centre to replace MCI oversight committee
The Supreme Court has allowed the Centre to replace the oversight committee set up to supervise the functioning of the Medical Council of India (MCI) with a fresh panel of five eminent doctors.

• It also gave the Centre liberty to replace any doctor in the list with another if he does not wish to be a part of the oversight committee.

Background:
The court had asked the Centre to constitute a panel which would replace the oversight committee set up last year by the apex court to oversee the MCI’s functioning till the government put in place an alternate mechanism. The committee, set up by the court on May 2 last year, was to function for a period of one year or till a suitable mechanism was brought in by the Centre to substitute it.

About MCI:
The MCI was established in 1934 under the Indian Medical Council Act, 1933, as an elected body for maintaining the medical register and providing ethical oversight, with no specific role in medical education.

• The Amendment of 1956, however, mandated the MCI “to maintain uniform standards of medical education, both under graduate and postgraduate; recommend for recognition/de-recognition of medical qualifications of medical institutions of India or foreign countries; accord permanent registration/provisional registration of doctors with recognised medical qualifications; and ensure reciprocity with foreign countries in the matter of mutual recognition of medical qualifications.”
• The second amendment came in 1993, at a time when there was a new-found enthusiasm for private colleges. Under this amendment, the role of the MCI was reduced to an advisory body with the three critical functions of sanctioning medical colleges, approving the student intake, and approving any expansion of the intake capacity requiring prior approval of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

#Today's #question #for #IAS

Ques.  Apart from Sri Lanka, which other country in India’s neighbourhood has the World Health Organisation officially declared as Malaria-free?

a) Bhutan

b) Nepal

c) Myanmar

d) Maldives

#current #affairs #for #ias

Eco-bridges for the movement of tigers 

 Eco-bridges

• Telangana is the first state to have eco-friendly bridges for the movement of tigers over a canal cutting across the tiger corridor.
• The bridge links Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Maharashtra with the forests in Telangana.
• It requires the laying of fertile soil to grow grass and plants over the structure, so that fragmentation of the reserve forest is camouflaged.

Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve

• Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve is a tiger reserve in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra state in central India.
• It is Maharashtra's oldest and largest national park.
• It is one of India's 50 "Project Tiger" - tiger reserves.
• Andhari, a minor river in waiganga basin flows through the tiger reserve.

 

#Today's #Question #for #IAS

Ques. The ‘North Natuna Sea’, recently in the news, refers to the waters in the exclusive economic zone of
a) Indonesia
b) Peru
c) Ghana
d) Spain

#current #Affairs #for #IAS

Government for crop diversification in Punjab to save soil, water

overnment plans to revive cultivation of crops that make Punjab's iconic "makki ki roti and sarson ka saag" -- maize and mustard -- along with horticulture and fodder to breathe life into the stressed soil and the rapidly depleting water table in the green-revolution state.

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/18784139.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

 

The government plans to revive cultivation of crops that make Punjab's iconic "makki ki roti and sarson ka saag" -- maize and mustard -- along with horticulture and fodder to breathe life into the stressed soil and the rapidly depleting water table in the green-revolution state.

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/18784139.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

The government plans to revive cultivation of crops that make Punjab's iconic "makki ki roti and sarson ka saag" -- maize and mustard -- along with horticulture and fodder to breathe life into the stressed soil and the rapidly depleting water table in the green-revolution state.

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/18784139.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

The government plans to revive cultivation of crops that make Punjab's iconic "makki ki roti and sarson ka saag" -- maize and mustard -- along with horticulture and fodder to breathe life into the stressed soil and the rapidly depleting water table in the green-revolution state.

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/18784139.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

The government plans to revive cultivation of crops that make Punjab's iconic "makki ki roti and sarson ka saag" -- maize and mustard -- along with horticulture and fodder to breathe life into the stressed soil and the rapidly depleting water table in the green-revolution state.

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/18784139.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

The government plans to revive cultivation of crops that make Punjab's iconic "makki ki roti and sarson ka saag" -- maize and mustard -- along with horticulture and fodder to breathe life into the stressed soil and the rapidly depleting water table in the green-revolution state.

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/18784139.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

The government plans to revive cultivation of crops that make Punjab's iconic "makki ki roti and sarson ka saag" -- maize and mustard -- along with horticulture and fodder to breathe life into the stressed soil and the rapidly depleting water table in the green-revolution state.

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/18784139.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

• The growth rate of Punjab’s agriculture fell to 3% between 1987 to 2005 and it went durther down to 1.6% between 2006 and 2015.
• This is less than half the all-India average of 3.5%.

What is the problem?

• Punjab is endowed with one of the best possible infrastructures for agriculture in the country.
• The network of regulated mandis in Punjab is one of the best in the country.
• A robust and fast-moving procurement system has reduced the market risks of wheat and paddy growers in the state.
• Almost 90% of the market arrivals is procured at the minimum support price (MSP).
• So, this system has made Punjab’s farmers risk averse.
• This also discourages farmers from diversifying the wheat-rice cycle e.g Diversification from common rice to hybrid maize.
• Farmers are reluctant to switch as there is no effective procurement system for this crop.
• Lack of diversification poses a threat of ecological imbalance.

What could be done?

• With the GST coming into force, the processing industry could be incentivised to prefer Punjab over other states in purchasing agricultural raw material.
• There should be vigorous efforts to increase productivity and procurement of rice in the eastern states.
• Simultaneously, Punjab should promote the use of micro-irrigation, especially for sugarcane and fruits and vegetables.
• The dairy and meat industries are other sources of diversification for Punjab’s agriculturalists.
• They can also diversify towards fruit and vegetables.
• The government will also need to invest in marketing infrastructure for fruit and vegetables, as it did for grains by creating a robust mandi infrastructure.
• A modern expressway from Khanna (Punjab) to Kandla (Gujarat) could be helpful in the faster transportation of fruit and vegetables.