[Current Topiclist] October Week1 to Week4

1. Diplomacy & International relations (IR)
   1. OctW1
   2. Oct.W2: IR & Internal Security
   3. Oct.W3: IR & Internal Security
   4. Oct.W4: IR & Internal Security
2. Economy
   1. OctW1
   2. Oct.W2: Economy
   3. Oct.W3: Economy
   4. Oct.W4: Economy
3. Polity
   1. OctW1
   2. Oct.W2: Polity
   3. Oct.W3: Polity
   4. Oct.W4: Polity
4. Environment
   1. OctW1
   2. Oct.W2: Environment, Agro, Disaster
   3. Oct.W3: Environment, Agro, Disaster
   4. Oct.W4: Environment, Agro, Disaster
5. Science-Tech
   1. OctW1
   2. Oct.W2: Science Tech & Public Health
   3. Oct.W3: Science Tech & Public Health
   4. Oct.W4: Science Tech & Public Health
6. History & Culture
   1. OctW1
   2. Oct.W2: History and Culture
   3. Oct.W3: History and Culture
   4. Oct.W4: History and Culture
7. Topper blogs and Model answers
8. Moral Disclaimers as usual
9. Random Rants

[feature_headline type=”left” level=”h4″ looks_like=”h4″ icon=”globe”]Diplomacy & International relations (IR)[/feature_headline]

OctW1: IR

All topics ignored because

1. Pak wants plebiscite in Kashmir. Dead horse topic. Unless frontline comes with an article, no mood of wasting time researching this.
2. Pak breaches ceasefire.
3. Hong Kong protests. Not part of the new syllabus of mains, because it’s not ‘affecting’ Indian interests, for now.
4. British-Irish Visa scheme- Indian and Chinese can get single visa and tour in both countries. –online news. Doesn’t deserve an article even though it does ‘affect’ Indian interests.
5. Yal Devi Express contacting Colombo to Jaffna. Stopped during civil war. Resumed with IRCON support. Mere a single fodder point perhaps later in Indo-Sri-Lanka article.
6. Nepal promises new Constitution by Jan 2015- let them come with it then I write article.

Oct.W2: IR & Internal Security

1. Africa Summit, MEA’s decision to cancel it.
2. Japan plus formed (will combine its points into Modi diplomacy Japan sub-article later)
3. Pranab Norway Finland visit. (will drag on upto Week3)

Ignored

1. Finland raises Nokia tax dispute ahead of Pranab’s visit. (Dead topic unless they sign a new DTAA because nokia row already done under Economy series).
2. Indo-US business summit opens. (Sufficient fodder available under modi diplomacy. Cost-benefit bad for covering all such chillar org. and summits)
3. Pakistan writes to U.N. chief on LoC issue but UN ignores it. (dead horse topic just like week1)
4. Turkey permits USA to use its bases to fight ISIS (ball by ball commentary not imp.)
5. 457 visa: four year temporary work visa for skilled professional in Australia (oneliner GK)
6. Modi to visit UK in Jan. 2015- well let him visit first.
7. India UK financial partnership agreement. Just bolbachhan: develop bond market, xp-sharing for banking finance, HRD and other fancy stuff.
8. IB tells Telecom Department to block “WePhone” app because it helps the call to spoof his number and location. (just oneliner fodder GS3 internal security, social media).
9. Andhra Pradesh undercover cops ordered to delete facebook accounts because sandlewood mafia keeping watch on them. (same as above)

Oct.W3: IR & Internal Security

1. SAARC powergrid and SAARC framework for energy cooperation.
2. NSG fears multi-city attacks (will update old article on should India worry al-queda)
3. Cabinet cleared Development of Chabahar Port in Iran. (will upload old article on the same topic)

Ignored:

1. EU court revoked anti-terrorism sanctions from LTTE, now some Tamil politicians want India to do to the same.
2. Paki doing copycat housing project in Mannar, Srilanka for Tamil-refugees, just like India Government. (One-liner fodder on Indo-Srilanka).
3. Modi to attend G-20 and Australia in November. (article after he is done visiting)
4. Digital armed force, cyber warfare: Modi mentioned them in a recent speech but after some substantial reforms/column fodder comes.
5. World Bank President Jim Yong Kim doing “internal restructuring” such as cutting down salary and perks.

Oct.W4: IR & Internal Security

• Brahmos Mini and the plans to sell Brahmos to other nations.
• India won UNHRC membership for the second term.
• Vietnam PM visit to India. will becoming with Pranab visit to Vietnam.
• Afghanistan says no to arms-aid from India. Will update the old article.
• Defense acquisitions for army, navy cleared.(under Defense collection).
• Jt.Secretary post for MEA vs States
• India Joins AIIB (will combine with BRICS  bank because this one is just a few lines)
• Article 51 of UN charter, because USA uses it to attack terrorists in foreign countries.
• SAARC’s new Delhi declaration on education. I plan to combine Bamiyan- SAARC’s culture capital + SAARCH energy grid + this topic together.
• India votes against NPT

Ignored

• Sweden recognizes Palestine as a separate country after Malta and Cyprus.
• Visit of Mexican foreign minister to India.
• 5 Indian fisherman to be hanged in Sri Lanka for heroine smuggling
• 2/3 of Srilankan Tamil refugees in India, don’t want to return to SriLanka.
• Terrorist attack on Canadian parliament
• Changzheng 2, a Chinese nuclear-powered submarine, docked at the Colombo. India protests.
• Modi visit to Fiji, Australia. Let him finish, then more articles under modi-diplomacy series.
• East Asia summit in Myanmar in November. Same as above.
• European commission wants UK to pay 1.7 billion pounds as surcharge.
• ISIS using chlorine gas
• Jamaat-e-Islami’s hartal in Bangladesh
• Australia  proposes law to stop Snowden like incident. Any person revealing national security information, will get 10 years jail.
• Home minister Rajnath Singh to visit Israel.
• Bilawal shooed away from Million March in London.
• China to setup anti-terrorism intelligence unit.
• Shahi Imam invited Nawaz but not Modi, for his son’s anointment ceremony.

[feature_headline type=”left” level=”h4″ looks_like=”h4″ icon=”money”]Economy, Banking Finance[/feature_headline]

OctW1: Economy

Worth preparing

1. Centre’s two pronged strategy to improve ease of doing business
2. NSDA panel report on skill Development
3. Revised GST bill

Ignored

1. EPFO-real time update to subscriber (one-liner doesn’t deserve article)
2. P3-Pashmina program started (will combine it with September topic called “fast track textile ministry” for better revision.)
3. Bankers seek FM clarity on Basel tier1 bonds. RBI new directive on HTM portfolio (technical, not worth the time and effort at this stage).
4. Nokia to shut down Chennai plant from Nov.1 (Nokia tax issue already covered in old article.)
5. Premium Tatkal and privatization of ticket selling. Reason: after Bibek Debroy Committee gives report, a better consolidated note can be prepared on railway reforms/restructuring.
6. FinMin and RBI will draw new framework for monetary policy by December end. Under this, Government will decide inflation target, and RBI will work to achieve it. I’ve no plan for article until they release notification first. Because Urjit patel Committee article pretty much contains the gist of why and how we need to target inflation using monetary policy.
7. Government clears 19 defense projects- just a fodder point for Make in India topic.

Oct.W2: Economy

Important

1. Sardar patel urban housing mission. Plus speech summary: Pranab @World Metropolis congress.
2. Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana
3. Global infra. Facility (GIF)
4. New Government body for product recall.
5. New bill for small factories.
6. Producer’s price index to replace WPI from FY16 (will just combine it with old WPI article under economic survey)
7. Economists write to Modi to continue MNREGA scheme. (will combine this and earlier Gadkari reforms in sep2014 into original MNREGA article under economy survey series).
8. Urban ministry signs MoU with NSDC for skilling Poors under DeenDayal Antyodaya Yojana. (will combine with DeenDayal in SEpW4)
9. Food security act Next deadline 4th april 2015- will update the old article under economic survey.

Ignored

1. New SEBI rule: stock brokers need only a single registration certificate.
2. RBI will moniter companies in debt market .
3. RBI thinking of Euroclear settlment for G-sec. (let’em come with notification)
4. Flipkart billion sale fiasco. (only after Commerce ministry come with notification/guidelines.)
5. SEBI new guideline s on listing and delisting cos (they said it’ll come next month so let it come).
6. Skill India mission to be launched in March 2015, so no hurry.
7. Finance ministry approved RBI’s plan for monetary policy reform. Just the same thing what Urjit Patel recommended- Monetary policy will focus on only one thing: 4% CPI (all India) inflation target with 2% band. Although Government will have power to change this target.
8. Commerce ministry to review FTAs because they seem to benefit the partner countries more than India. Well let them finish reviewing.
9. FDI in LLP (limited liability partnership) won’t require Government approval. That’s just one-liner fodder for “Ease of doing business).
10. Kotak Mahindra facebook money transfer. Onliner Banking (1 liner GK)
11. IRCTC on Monday launched its Android app, IRCTC Connect, allowing users to search, book and cancel tickets at a click of button (1 liner GK)

Oct.W3: Economy

Committee reports

1. FTAs not hurting Indian economy, says commerce ministry’s expert Committee.
2. TV Mohandas Pai committee report on DRISHTI (tax information sys.)

Subsidies, resource distribution and reforms

1. E-auction of coal blocks by prez.ordinance.
2. Diesel deregulated.
3. LPG subsidy on kilogram basis, Don’t need Aadhar card for LPG.
4. Modi to launch 6 labour schemes on 16th Oct.
5. RSBY to be shifted from labor ministry to health ministry under national health assurance mission.
6. Exclude Income tax payers from PDS says Paswan (will combine with food law article under eco.survey)
7. Tithi bojan scheme, World food prize to Indian scientist (same as above)

Banking, industries

1. Vishwanathan Committee for bankruptcy legal framework (finance ministry). Not right now, let him come with report.
2. Corporation bank : Electronic mandate (combine under other banking topics)

Import export

1. Measures needed to protect rubber farmers (will combine with geography-rubber plantation article)
2. India lost US-poultry ban case in WTO (will update poultry industry under food processing).

Taxation

1. Revised GST bill in winter session- let them upload on prs first.
2. Modi Government won’t reveal names of Swiz bank account holders because 1995 DTAA treaty forbids it. (Separate article later when ball by ball commentary stops).
3. Government plans to setup a unified command to unearth black money. (same as above)

IGNORED (Oct W3 Economy)

1. New finance Secretary and chief economic advisor => later under October PIN.
2. Rajanbhai got best governor award (under PIN)
3. Centre to fund cultivation of aromatic plants in J&K under “Jammu Kashmir arogya gram yojana” withhelp of CSIR. (oneliner GK)
4. >1.2 billion people live on less than 1.25$ a day and 2.4 billion live on <2$ a day.
5. Telecom subscribers increased to 95 crore. (BizGK /oneline)
6. USTR begins out of cycle review for India. (Original topic Special 301 report already covered, and this is just a oneliner update).
7. Government will reconsider gold duty rates after Diwali. Well then let them reconsider first.
8. Govt. eases norms for private defense firms: private companies can sell items to entities under union/state Government, without needing approval of the Department of Defence Production [DoDP].” (one liner fodder for ‘ease of doing business’.
9. Telecom players to get spectrum within 90s of payment. (same as above).
10. NSEL to be merged with parent company FTIL, then FTIL will repay the victims of NSEL scam. (reason: basics of scam, already covered.)
11. Steel ministry will setup a Steel research and technology mission of India for minimum emission, best use of raw material etc. (oneliner fodder)

Oct.W4: Economy

• EPC vs PPP model for road construction
• RBI orders banks to partially freeze KYC non-compliant accounts
• Ordinance for coal mining.
• DIPP forms Prabha Sridevan panel for new IPR policy. Not right now, let her come with report.
• India sucks more at ease of doing business report. New rank 142/189.
• Linking Aadhar with SIM cards.
• FDI relaxed in construction biz. Will update the old survey article on smart cities.
• Electronic toll collection system on national highways.
• Mandatory 10% reduction on non-plan Expenditure.

Ignored

• Customs Department planning passenger risk profiling to check smuggling.
• First NSEL merged with FTIL. Now Government planning to takeover FTIL to fix the scam.
• Government forced to give names of 600+ swiz account holders to SC. Article later when ball by ball commentary stops.
• India defers signing  OECD’s CAA- competent authority agreement.
• Jaitley puts in place spending reforms. Did not find much exam worthy content except for any technical question on financial administration under pub.ad optional.
• Finmin clears 20 FDI proposals worth ~1000 crore.
• Swami wants Modi to ban P-notes. Basics and implications already covered in old article.
• ED summons Maran in Aircel-Maxis case.
• Railway union opposes the Railway restructuring plan. Well let Bibek Debroy come with Committee report first.
• NRI investors in ICICI real estate fund, have file case in Mauritius, claiming ICICI made bogus claim and gave poor returns on their investment.

[feature_headline type=”left” level=”h4″ looks_like=”h4″ icon=”legal”]Polity[/feature_headline]

OctW1: Polity

Important

1. New bill on surrogacy- Assisted Reproductive Technologies (Regulation) Bill 2014.
2. SC Panel gives guidelines on Government ads
3. UPSC proforma vs rights of disabled candidates. (Although I doubt whether the arrogant Lord Curzon will ask question about case in which they were defeated!)

Ignored

1. Modi’s radio speech but nothing new, same topics repeated- clean India, Ganga etc.
2. SC says-Victim’s kin can be witnesses. Trial court cannot reject it on the grounds that it’ll be on naturally prejudiced against the killer. Because often, there are no other witnesses available.
3. DD autonomy vs showing RSS chief’s speech.
4. Elections in Haryana, Maharashtra, Robert “look at my coat over baniyaan” Vadra

Oct.W2: Polity

1. Xaxa tribal Committee report.
2. after the SC verdict, NID, CAT, CEPT, National law univ. etc have put third gender column in their application forms. (oneliner fodder.will update on earlier article about TG rights).
3. SC refuses to setup cooling off period for retired judges before they get sarkaari posting. (will include this into old article on sathasivam governorship)

Ignored

1. New bill on surrogacy. Assisted Reproductive Technologies (Regulation) Bill 2014. not yet available on pib/prs
2. Earlier SC order: reservation can’t exceed 50%. But its 69% in TN because their act in 9th sch. Karnataka Government contemplating similar- to increase ST reservation- but not possible without adding their act into 9th sch.
3. New petition- SC should be renamed into “National At present SC handles all appeals= poor party suffer. Law commission has suggested- SC should only hear Constitutional matters nothing else. After this petition- SC asked Government to reply. so let’s wait and watch.
4. Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a public interest writ petition for a direction to prevent removal of Sai Baba idols from Hindu temples across the country.
5. Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati wants Sai Baba idols removed from Indian temples. PIL filed against this. Supreme court refused to intervene. Asked petitioner to file civil /criminal case s instead.
6. Women rights issue: Microsoft Chief Satya Nadela creates controversy that they should focus on work rather than asking for pay raises.
7. Prof. Amitabh Kundu Committee gave final report to minority affairs ministry about Post-Sacchar Developments. (no salient features given on pib)

Oct.W3: Polity

1. Proxy voting for NRIs
2. Jayalalitha gets bail (will becoming with original arrest topic in September)

Ignored

1. More attacks on North East people. (reason: basics of Bezbaruah already done)
2. Poll results in Harayana and Maharashtra.
3. Apple and Facebook will cover the costs of women employees who may seek to freeze their eggs to postpone pregnancy during peak-career years. At most one line fodder for essay on women empowerment.
4. Delhi Being forced to travel by unreserved by train a human rights violation: NHRC. It was in context of school-chilren not getting reserved berths for a sports meet. I Don’t consider it exam worthy.
5. Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami has denied in the Supreme Court that he ‘threatened’ Uttarakhand Governor Aziz Qureshi to resign.
6. DNA test can be used to prove infidelity :SC

Oct.W4: Polity

• Dual citizenship for portugese goans
• UGC updates anti-ragging guidelines. Just a few points, will update old article under polity.
• NCW chairman wants to legalize sex-trade.
• WEF’s Gender gap index 2014
• Pranab Speech on CAG. Hardly a few fodder points. Will include in old article on CAG  can audit private companies.
• Criminal defamation of Public servant vs Freedom of speech. Swamy petitione that CrPC section itself is unconstitutional because Jayalalitha misused it. Now SC asked union and state to reply. will become this Lily Thomas+Jaya article.

Ignored

• Government formation in Delhi and LG’s role in it.
• PAC and FM caution CAG  not to sensationalize scam figures.
• Pranab will visit Sakthi Sthal- Indira Gandhi’s memorial but Modi won’t. Modi will launch Run for unity -for Sardar birth anniversary.
• Marriages performed in secrecy in advocates’ chambers and Bar association rooms will not amount to solemnisation within the meaning of the Hindu Marriage Act, the Madras High Court has held.
• PMO order CBI to investigation RAW’s irregularity in tent purchase
• French film maker booked for filming Jarawa tribes.
• PV Narsimharao blocked Rajnikanth’s entry in Congress party in 1996.
• Nithari Killer Kohli. Some columnists in Hindu claiming, children still missing hence organ trade angle involved. And Koli was made a scapegoat.
• 5 lakh compensation to victims of ’84s riots.
• HRD forwards an RSS letter to IITs- for serving only vegetarian food in canteen.
• RSS wants HRD ministry to ‘correct’ history.
• Baba Ramdev proposes CBSE to be replaced with BBSE-Bharatiya Board of Secondary Education (BBSE) with blend of gurukul + modern syllabus.

[feature_headline type=”left” level=”h4″ looks_like=”h4″ icon=”bug”]Environment, Agro, Disaster[/feature_headline]

OctW1

1. Swatchch Bharat abhiyan/ clean India mission
2. Swatchhta Udhyami Yojana.
3. Global biodiversity outlook report No.4
4. Tibetan plateau: Meteorological importance of

Oct.W2: Environment, Agro, Disaster

Important:

• Hudhud cyclone and Op. Lahar by Navy for relief work

Ignored

• Typhoon Vong-fong hits Sothern Japan (1-liner GK)
• Mysore tobacco- its characterists may get prelim question but later publish spearate compilation on such agro-environment stuff.

Oct.W3: Environment, Agro, Disaster

Disaster Management

• Using social media in disaster Management like Hudhud (all under single article on Hudhud)
• Importance of Ham radio during disasters (same as above)
• Facebook’s safety check App. (same as above)

Energy and pollution

• Compact Fusion reactor
• Nuke safety deadline, Bhavini, PFBR
• Solar mission revamped.
• AQI: new air-quality index

Farming

• Benefits of agro-forestry
• Benefits of family farming.

Flora-fauna

• Vulture genetic diversity- will update earlier article on vulture restaurants.

Ignored

• Over one-fifth of India’s frogs under threat
• Elephants can hear rainfall from miles away.
• Ancient kangaroos could not hop
• Government updated Drug and Cosmetic rules (2014) to ban import of animal-tested beauty products. We are the 1st country in S.Asia. (oneliner GK)

Oct.W4: Environment, Agro, Disaster

• Microgrid power generation
• Cyclone Nilofer (when ball by ball commetary stops).
• Eco Cooker
• Deepor Beel wetland (later for prelim).
• Ashes imersion prohibited to save ganga. (later all points together when ball by ball commentary stops)
• 7 new frog species discovered in W.Ghants (later in prelim special coverage of EnB)
• Why Western ghats in Karnataka get more rainfail than area in Maharashtra and Kerala?

[feature_headline type=”left” level=”h4″ looks_like=”h4″ icon=”flask”]Science-Tech, Space, Defense[/feature_headline]

OctW1

1. Noble 2014
2. NISAR mission
3. IRNSS-1C (not right now, only after its launched).
4. Under PIN series: Dongfeng missile, ISRO to launch candian satellite
5. COWL security mechanism
6. IoE [Internet of Everything]
7. Science ministry: INSPIRE, SEAT, SHE

Ignored

1. Mandatory rural service for young doctors. (cliched topic. not right now, let Government come with notification and then experts will flood columns. Then summary can be made easily)
2. Government to launch mental health policy (sepW3 was jampack with health related updates from pib, so I’ll combine this topic there, for better revision).
3. NASA astronauts resume spacewalk (Cost:Benefit bad)
4. Use less amt. of radioactive iodine to cure thyroid cancer, else more chances of side effects and new cancer. (That’s the gist of it).

Oct.W2: Science Tech & Public Health

Important

1. More Noble prizes. All will be covered in single article
2. BEE To promote use of LED (will combine with Nobel physics)
3. Confocal microscope (will combine with nobel chemistry)
4. Health: Global hunger report, child malnutrition reduced in India
5. IRNSS-1C- will combine with Oct.Week1: NISAR mission and other space-tech topics from September.
6. Health: Expert group to stop new techniques of sex-determination and Dr.Harsha V. suggests strong measures. Important because PNDT act asked in past, and Modi’s focus on “Beti Bachaao”.

Ignored

1. Government launched new mental health policy (sepW3 was jampack with health related updates from pib, so I’ll combine this topic there, for better revision).
2. Lunar eclipe, first space weather station, blood moon, ISS-Rapidscat, NASA Orion mission=> all later to be combined under space-tech series.
3. Rajasthan becomes more vigilant on polio because Pak recorded highest cases and polio may re-appear in India via illegal border migrants.
4. NASA says September 2014=warmest since 1951 due to sea termerature rise and El Nino. (1 liner GK)
5. WHO ranks India most bogus among SAARC nations, because it is not implementing graphical health warnings on tobbaco products.

Oct.W3: Science Tech & Public Health

• Defense: Nirbhay missile, Amartya Vessel, Bramhos with verticle dive: later under defense compilation
• Public health: Cigar labelling rule updated.

Space-tech:

• IRNSS-1C (already published)
• GSLV MK3 to be launched in 45 days. (published)
• Comet siding spring (later under spacetech for prelims).

IT/security:

• Vishing attack on bank accounts
• Raspberry Pi computer

Ignored in Oct W3

• Smoking during pregnancy alters DNA
• Harsha Vardhan slepss out Ebola action plan- will becoming later with old article on Ebola. Gist of his statement is- we are using thermal guns to scan incoming tourists to isolate potential ebola patients. Nigeria did the same. And during SARS too, we did the same.

Oct.W4: Science Tech & Public Health

• China’s Chang’e-5-T1 lunar mission. Later in prelim compilation for space-tech.
• Need to shift from oral polio vaccine to Injectable polio vaccine
• Delamanid: new drug for MDR-TB
• Google-X nanoparticles to detect disease.
• India favours ban on ENDS (E-cigarettes). Will update earlier article on cigar-labelling.
• indigenous diagnostic kit for celiac disease. Will combine with article on SRAVAN and other kits, for rapid revision.

Ignored

• Driverless cars will become affordable in 10 years.
• GSAT-6 to be launched in Mar’15
• Diabetes triples TB risk.
• If you’re above 60, desi liquor can sharpen your memory
• Manipuri desi liquor is best in the whole country because it is made from nutritious Manipuri rice. (not me, Hindu says so.)

[feature_headline type=”left” level=”h4″ looks_like=”h4″ icon=”moon-o”]History & Culture[/feature_headline]

OctW1

Nothing substantial. Begum Akhtar coin released but that’s more of a [DIN] Dead in news, rather than full fledge topic. Postman hasn’t received frontline and epw yet. So may update this later.

Oct.W2: History and Culture

Nothing worth 100-200 words. Just one liner GKs this week, will be done under Monthly PIN series.:

1. Deoris tribe, Kommu Koya tribe
2. Paniya tribal dances Kozhikode. tribal art form
3. Vachana literature -Vachanakaras, the poet-reformers of the 12 Century in Karnataka. In News because someone launched a dictionary related to them

Oct.W3: History and Culture

1. Freedom fighter Muthuramalinga Thevar because demands to name airport after him – will combine and update old article on Bhagat Singh et al.
2. Rajendra Chola I: 1000 years- RSS celebrating. Will update old article on Chola architecture.

Ignored

1. Government will dissociate from organizing birth/death anniversaries of national leaders except Gandhi. The work will be left to political parties.(one liner fodder)
2. Modi reconstitutes national Committee to celebrate Nehru’s 125th anniversary. But did not include any members of Nehru-Gandhi family. (let the Committee come up with something substantial worthy of exam fodder)
3. Gandhi’s application to become Lawyer in Mumbai is published in some court premise to inspire young lawyers.
4. Swami wants Bharat Ratna for Rajpaksha because he eliminated LTTE and thus helped improving India’s security.

Oct.W4: History and Culture

• Sardar’s Birthday to be celebrated as national integration day.
• Anagarika Dharmapala

Ignored

• British spied on Marxist historians.
• Subhas Chandra Bose’s aid was a Soviet spy.
• Rani Chennamma- demand for celebrating her birth anniv. As “Self-respect day”. Her contribution already covered in one of the old articles.

Topper blogs and Model answers

1. Last month, Gaurav (Rank 1) retired from blogging. But, I took password from him to create a category wise article-index: Checkout homepage of thesupermanreturns.wordpress.com
2. Rachit Raj (Rank-3) uploaded ethics model answers and tips on iasdream.com
3. Roman Saini (Rank-18) created PowerPoint videos on how to prepare GS in a time bound manner. Do watch youtube.com/user/unacademy/videos

[feature_headline type=”left” level=”h4″ looks_like=”h4″ icon=”bullhorn”]Moral Disclaimers as usual[/feature_headline]
Q1. What is the purpose of listing these topics? You have not written any content about them!

Ans. those are the topics from Hindu, Indian express, PIB, frontline, EPW, which I consider important for the prelims and mains. I’ll be covering them in future articles under [Current] Series.

Q2. Will you finish all these topics in your articles before the mains exam?

Ans. No. Unlike Salman Khan, I make no “commitment” of delivering full-length articles those topics.

Q3. Then why have you listed these topics?

Ans. To help the serious players crosscheck and update their notes accordingly. And to alert those who are still fighting with eachother over cutoffs and answerkeys- that much water has passed, and it’s time to get back to business.

Q4. XYZ topic was in news but you’ve not included it here.

Ans. True. It depends on my interpretation of their Cost: Benefit.

Q5. What about [Current] June to August?

Ans. will try to cover only the important topics from that era. I’m yet to finish September series at the moment.

Q6. I want you to write on xyz other topic, studyplan, answerkey.

Ans. Sorry, I’m entirely focused on only one thing- current series. Because I’ve faith it’ll be handy to majority of people in majority of exams at written or interview stage. Therefore, no plans of doing any other articles else at the moment.

Q7. You should write “Neutral” articles. Your pro-Modi, pro-right wing, pro-free market, anti-NGO, articles, laced with undiplomatic comic strips on homepage- they’re are hurting my eyes and brain.

Ans. I write the way I enjoy writing. A civil service aspirant should be mature enough to wade through such content and extract points useful for his exam purpose.

[accordion][accordion_item title=”Random Rants (Click to Expand)”]

Comment wars and productive hours

• Last 3 months of 2014: jam packed with so many exams- IBPS, SSC, SBI associate, CDS, UPSC Mains, CAT, MAT, StatePSC exams and so on.
• Yet, some people are stuck in front of computer screen 24/7 for unproductive debates about cutoffs, answer keys, reservation, age-reduction, engineer-non-engineer and result date predictions from “UPSC-insiders”.
• I request the serious players- don’t waste time responding to such comments/threads. Because, when you reply to them, you’ll feel compelled to re-visit same page over and over, to see how other users responded to your comment. Then you reply back…vicious cycle continues.
• Thus, lot of productive hours are wasted, which could have been utilized for studies.

Remember: every hour that you waste right now, will geometrically increase your stress during the week before exams, because your syllabus/revision won’t finish. Always be vigilant about every minute that you’re spending online.

Whatsapp

• Nowadays lot of whatsapp groups mushrooming in pretext of ‘exam-preparation’. But usually people just sharing jokes, wallpapers and chainmails about fake ebola deaths in such communities. Hardly any exam discussion (again, except those cutoffs and result dates speculation).
• So, when you’re studying- keep the mobile on silent / keep it away from the desk.

Of failures and learning

A good read in education section of Hindu. I’m just copying and rephrasing a few lines here:

• Fast-paced world of online shopping and social media- Natural to assume that the ‘order-and-receive’ formula will always work in competitive exams. But it does not.
• To many youngsters get the first experience of disappointment, failure and frustration- when they appear in competitive exams.
• But every small setback is actually a great life lesson. The next time you apply or prepare, your experience will inform and guide your preparation, your decision and action. Your expectations will be more realistic and guarded, and you will learn to rustle up a smart back-up package.
• So temper your expectations with a more sober understanding of reality, learn to adjust to the pace and rhythm of the real world, and be positive.

Rabid dogs and endangered cows

• Rabid dog kills 7 cows, says theHindu 4th October. Before you discard it as a junk news- read further……Rabid dog killed “Vechur cow”- a protected indigenous cattle breed in Kozhikode- red alert for CSAT MCQ on flora and fauna. Duh.
• Height of rabidness: When I write a 100 words article on vechur cow, its IUCN status, habitat, how resistant it is to drought and disease……just because the hindu mentioned the word Vechur cow.

But I won’t. Because I’m caught up in some other stuff this time. So consider that a “home work” !

Misc.

• Modi says: “Gandhi had only two dreams, free India and clean India.” I pity the poor suckers who waste their lives writing fat tomes on Gandhian thought. They have no idea it’s just a one-liner. (says Kanjilal)
• Subramanian Swamy says books of Bipan Chandra, Romila Thapar and other Nehruvian historians should be set afire because they ignored role of Hindu leaders. First reaction – “yes, yes, yes, one less book to prepare for exams.” But then again, UPSC may begin asking question from some other book, thus raising the time and money cost of preparation.
• btw, Bipan Chandra was right – hard to sustain momentum in any civil movement (during freedom struggle). History repeating itself – Hongkong juntaa began agitation, nothing changed. Now everyone back to work.

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