INFOGRAPHIC

 UPSC GS MAINS IMPORTANT QUESTIONS How is the Finance Commission of India constituted? What do you know about the terms of reference of the recently constituted Finance Commission? Discuss Article 280 of the constitution of India provides for a Finance commission as a quasi judicial body. Finance Commission is constituted by the President of India every fifth year or at such earlier time as he considers necessary. The Finance Commission consists of a chairman and four other members to be appointed by the president. The fifteenth Finance Commission was set under the chairmanship of N.K.Singh to suggest measures for the distribution of net proceeds of taxes to be shared between  the Centre and the states for the period 2020 to 2025. Terms of Reference of 15th Finance Commission: 1. Vertical devolution of taxes- The Finance Commission has to examine the impact of 42% devolution (14th Finance Commission) on Union government, including its New India Vision - 2022. States fear that the de

 UPSC GS MAINS IMPORTANT QUESTIONS Bring out the causes for formation of heat islands in urban habitat of the world. An urban heat island is a metropolitan area that is comparatively much warmer than the surrounding rural areas . Formation of heat islands has emerged as a major   problem associated with rapid urbanization. There are many reasons behind the formation of heat islands in urban habitats: 1. Concrete, cement, and metal surfaces in urban areas tend to absorb heat energy rather than reflect it, contributing to higher urban temperatures. 2. Cities have a low albedo, the increased surface area of buildings results in more solar radiation absorption than reflection. 3. Construction of skyscrapers generates waste heat and heat that escapes insulation has nowhere to go. Therefore it lingers between buildings in the cities. 4.In densely populated areas tools such as cars and factories are always burning off energy which escapes in the form of heat. 5. The energy used in elec

UPSC GS MAINS IMPORTANT QUESTIONS Bring out the causes for more frequent landslides in the Himalayas than in Western Ghats.  Landslides are mass movement of soil or rocks along the slopes of mountains triggered by various natural and anthropogenic causes.  The Himalayan mountain system is among the youngest tertiary fold mountains in the world. The Himalayas have been created by interaction of convergent boundary between Indian and Eurasian plate.  The mountain building process of Himalayas form a highly unstable mountain system which is subjected to tectonic activities. Tectonic movement increases the incidence of earthquake which in turn increases the chances of landslides. In contrast, Western Ghats are older block mountain forming a stable mountain system much older than the Himalayas. Western Ghats are located on the stable part of the Indian plate i.e   Deccan plateau and the movement of Indian Plate does not affect Western Ghats. The Himalayas are characterized by high peak

 UPSC GS MAINS IMPORTANT QUESTION Analyse the factors for highly decentralised cotton textile industry in India Maharashtra and Gujarat were the traditional regions of cotton cultivation and preferred areas for textile industries. However off late it was realized that cotton is extremely light weight as a raw material and also a non-perishable item. Therefore setting up textile industries away from the cotton growing areas seemed viable. With the expansion of irrigation, the non-traditional regions also took up cotton cultivation. Besides better transportation infrastructure also facilitated scattered locations of textile industries. Other factors that determine the location of textile industries are: 1. Proximity to the market 2. Availability of water for dyeing and bleaching 3.Reliable power supply to run power looms and other machinery. 4.Availability of cheap labor . 5.Availability of capital/finance. Since the textile industry require relatively less capital and labor, it can be s

 UPSC GS MAINS IMPORTANT QUESTIONS Throw light on the significance of the thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi in the present times. Gandhi's ideals of non-violence and sustainable living are a continuation of the long tradition that India has followed. With the advent of Globalization and an era of consumerism based culture Gandhi's thoughts have become a more relevant than ever before. Gandhi believed in all- inclusive group and felt that India can become a great nation when its improvished rural masses become better off. Gandhi's firm believe on empowering the rural masses, decentralization of political power, sanitation and hygiene, women empowerment and living in harmony with nature and even more relevant today than they were during times of Gandhi. Government's overemphasis on Swatch Bharat , empowering Panchayats and inclusive growth is the testimony of continuation of Gandhi's ideals in the behavioral politics of India.  Gandhi's ideal of international peace and

 UPSC GS MAIN IMPORTANT QUESTIONS What is meant by Gujral Doctrine? Does it have any relevance today? Discuss . The Gujral Doctrine is a set of five principles to guide the conduct of foreign relations with India's immediate neighbours as spelt out by I.K.Gujral.  Among the factors, these five principles arise from the belief that India's stature and strength cannot be divorced from the quality of its relations with it neighbours. It, does, recognises the supreme importance of friendly, cordial relations with neighbours. These principles are:  1.with neighbours like Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Srilanka, India does not asked for reciprocity, but gives and accommodates what it can in good faith and trust; 2. no South Asian country should allow its territory to be used against the interest of another country of the region; 3. no country should interfere in the internal affairs of another; 4. all South Asian country must respect each other's territorial integrity a

 UPSC GS MAINS IMPORTANT QUESTIONS: The recent cylcone on the east coast of India was called "Phailin". How are the tropical cyclones named across the world . Elaborate.   The naming of tropical cyclones is a recent phenomenon. The process involves several countries in  the region and is done under the aegis of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) .  The WMO has divided the world oceans into Basins and assigned the responsibility of naming the cyclones to the respective regional bodies. There are 5 such regional bodies called Regional Specialized Meteorological Centers (RSMC). World Meteorological Organization maintains rotating lists of names which are appropriate for each Tropical Cyclone basin. The RSMC follow their own rules for naming cyclones. Some rotate the same list every 6 years while some prefer male and female names. If a cyclone is particularly deadly or costly, then its name is retired and replaced by another one. eg. Katrina .   Indian Meteorological dep

 UPSC GS MAINS IMPORTANT QUESTIONS Write a critical note on the evolution and significance of the slogan  " Jai Jawan Jai Kisan ". The slogan " Jai Jawan Jai Kisan " was given by Lal Bahadur Shastri during his prime minister ship. Soon after Shastri took over the prime minister ship of India after Nehru's death,  India was attacked by Pakistan in 1965. Also India was suffering from drought year and huge shortage of food grains. Therefore the slogan Jai Jawan Jai Kisan highlighted the significance of soldiers and peasants in the country.  While the soldiers were securing the frontiers from her enemy, the peasants were struggling to provide nation with enough food grains. Therefore the slogan, "hail solider hail farmer" signified the national mood of the time. India was surrounded by hostile neighbours on two fronts i.e. China in the North East and Pakistan in the North West. Besides the cold war politics was further complicating the situation in the

 UPSC GS MAINS IMPORTANT QUESTION: 'Despite implementation of various programmes for eradication of poverty , by the government of India, poverty is still existing'. Explain by giving reasons. Several government efforts were made since independence like development of industrial sector, Green revolution, LPG reforms, etc and many programs like MGNREGA , SGSY , NRLM , Mid Day meal Scheme , Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna, Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Yojna , etc. were introduced but, still India houses highest number of poor's in the world.   The main causes of persistence of poverty in India are: 1. Colonial past and lack of understanding the true nature of poverty. 2. Weak and rigid social structure. 3. Population explosion and limited resources. 4. Lack of education and employment opportunities. 5. Weak institutions, corruption and lack of political will. 6. Geographical disparities(eg. North Eastern States). 7. Insurgency and violence. 8. Unproductive education system. 9. GDP

 UPSC GS MAINS IMPORTANT QUESTION: Account for variations in oceanic salinity and discuss its- multidimensional effects. The salinity of the oceans is controlled by evaporation and rainfall at earth's surface. Global warming is making some parts are getting fresher. If the evaporation is more at a given patch of ocean, the concentrated of salts increases in the seawater which results in high salinity. However in places that receives  high rainfall, the water gets more diluted resulting in low salinity. Equatorial waters have lower salinity due to heavy rainfall and high humidity. Oceans lying between 20 to 30 degree north and south have high salinity because of high temperature and low humidity. Similarly ocean falling in temperate regions have lower salinity due to lower temperature and reduced evaporation. Oceans fed by large rivers like Amazon, Congo, Ganges, Mekong etc have lower salinity. Melting of icebergs and resultant fresh water intake into Baltic, Arctic and Antarctic Oc

 UPSC GS MAINS IMPORTANT QUESTION What is a quasi judicial body. Explain with the help of concrete examples. Quasi judicial bodies are institutes which have power analogous to that of  the law imposing bodies but these are not courts. Since these bodies have limited judicial power in certain specialized areas, they are called quasi judicial body. These bodies  can inquire and investigate into an issue,summon and award legal penalties to an administrative agency. These bodies are specialized in the field of their operation and reduce the burden of regular courts (i.e High Courts and Supreme Court). These bodies work on principles of Natural Justice and are affordable, effective and more accessible for common man. Their powers are usually limited to a particular area of expertise. Some of the examples of quasi judicial bodies are: National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Central Information Commission Competition Commission of India Banking Ombudsman Central Administrative Tribunal Income

 UPSC GS MAIN IMPORTANT QUESTION : DISCUSS THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF  GLOBALISATION ON WOMEN IN INDIA Globalization refers to the speedup of movements and exchanges (of human beings, goods, and services, capital, technologies or cultural practices) all over the planet. Globalisation has impacted almost every community in India, women being no exception. Globalisation has created new avenues for women pushing higher literacy rate , better awareness and increased partcipation in the workforce.  With the onset of globalisation the liberal values have penetrated deep into the Indian Society acknowledging the rights of women. Globalisation has brought worldwide organizations into India providing immense opportunities for higher pay, which raises self-confidence and standard of living, thus promoting gender equality. The digital revolution has given more voice to Indian Women and media can be viewed as a positve aspect of globalisation.  Different non-profit organizations have be

UPSC GS MAIN IMPORTANT QUESTION  DIGITAL SIGNATURE  Digital Signature a type of electronic signature which ensures the authenticity of the documents. It gives the information about the documents. It gives the information about the document creator and ensures that document is not altered or tampered. Authentication of digital signature means that the sender only knows the unique key along which any electronic record is tied. Hence, the sender cannot deny sending a message that he had sent. Digital Signature use encryption for ensuring the authentication of electronic document, which is done by password, checksum, CRC, private key encryption or public key encryption. Salient features of digital Signature: 1. Authentication of the Sender :                           It gives information about the creator of the document and thus authenticates the sender. 2. Data Integrity :                          It ensures that the content of the electronic document is not tampered. 3. Time Stamp :  

 IMPORTANT UPSC QUESTION : GS MAINS CHOLA  ARCHITECTURE  REPRESENTS A HIGH WATERMARK IN THE EVLOLUTION OF TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE. ENUMERATE. The Dravidian Architecture started by the Pallavas reached its high water mark and got matured at the hands of the Cholas. The Cholas refined Pallava architecture with the following notable features.                                                                                                                            ⁃ Cholas used stones instead of bricks. ⁃ They decorated the walls with sculptures and paintings od deities, kings and queen instead of lion motifs from Pallava. ⁃Temples were enclosed by decorative walls and entrance( Gopuram ). ⁃Temples built by the Cholas also had a great audience hall called Mandapa ; a deity room called Garbhgriha and pyramid like storey room called the Vimana . ⁃The temples were decorated by a beautiful Shikhara stone at the top.Each Shikara stone weighed in tonnes and had meticulous carvings on it. During th

UPSC GS MAIN IMPORTANT QUESTIONS The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is one of the six main organs of the United Nations established by the UN Charter in 1946. It is one of the principal body for coordination, policy review and recommendations on economic, social and environmental issues, as well as for the implementation of the internationationally agreed development goals. Main functions of ECOSOC: 👉Serves as the central mechanism for the acivities of the United Nations system and its specialized agencies.  👉It also supervises the subsidiary and expert bodies in the economic, social and environmental fields. 👉It engages a variety of stakeholders i.e policymakers, parliamentarians, academics and NGO's etc in productive dialogue on sustainable development. It's annual highlevel segments includes High level Political Forum that provides political leadership, guidance and recommendations for sustainable development, and development Cooperation Forum that reviews trends an