General Studies Civil Services: Both Prelims/Mains

What is an electrolysers?

2023-03-11T19:53:00.003+05:30

An electrolyser is a device that uses electricity to facilitate a chemical reaction known as electrolysis. In this process, an electric current is passed through an electrolyte, a solution containing ions, to produce a chemical reaction that separates the ions into their constituent elements or compounds.

Electrolysers are commonly used to produce hydrogen gas from water, a process known as water electrolysis. In this process, an electric current is passed through a solution of water and an electrolyte, usually an alkali metal hydroxide such as sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide. This reaction splits the water molecules into their constituent hydrogen and oxygen atoms, which are then collected as hydrogen gas and oxygen gas, respectively.

Electrolysers can also be used to produce other chemicals through electrolysis, including chlorine gas, sodium hydroxide, and other metal compounds. They are used in a variety of industries, including the production of chemicals, electronics, and renewable energy technologies.

Production of Electrolyser will be a major thrust area of SIGHT (Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition Programme) which is part National Hydrogen Mission launched in 2023.

Current Affairs - Regular and Discreet 26-01-2023

2023-01-27T17:20:00.001+05:30

What is the older name of Kartavuya Path?

Raj Path.

Further details at

https://www.livemint.com/news/india/explained-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-kartavya-path-11662619668616.html

What is Central Vista?

What is Central Vista Project - News, Importance, Cost, Construction | Business Standard (business-standard.com)

What is Central Vista project that Supreme Court has halted? - India Today

The above link also includes a reference to the controversy about the Central Vista project.

When is Martyr’s Day?

It is celebrated on January 30 in India.

What is the name of the year 2023 as per UN?

International Year of Millets.

Who was the chief guest on the 74^th anniversary of the Republic Day of India? What is his name?

The President of Egypt was the Chief Guest on the 74^th anniversary of the Republic Day of India. His -name is Abdel Fattah El-Sisi?

History of Constitution of India: Charter Acts and Company Rule in India 1773-1858

2018-06-05T06:24:00.002+05:30

The book is written by Sumir Sharma to fulfil the requirements of the students of the Post Graduate course in History of Punjab University. It meets the need of the Paper HIS 213: Constitutional Development in Modern India 1773 – 1947 Unit I and Paper HIS 211: Modern India Political Process, Unit III.

The content of the book is also relevant to the students of Indian Polity and Indian Constitution pursuing the course of Post Graduate in Political Science. It is also suitable for the students of Law course.

The content of the book is equally relevant to General Studies Main paper II. The content provides material for the first section which reads, “Indian Constitution – historical underpinnings, evolution …”

The book is also relevant for undergraduate classes honours course.

It has eight chapters and two Appendix. They are as follows.

Chapter 1: The Brief History of the East India Company.

Chapter 2: The Regulating Act, 1773

Chapter 3: Pitt’s India Act, 1784

Chapter 4: Charter Act, 1793

Chapter 5: Charter Act, 1813

Chapter 6: Charter Act, 1833

Chapter 7: Charter Act, 1853

Chapter 8: Act of Better Government of India 1858

There are two Appendix. In Appendix I, there is an essay on the sources which are used for writing the contents of this book. In Appendix II, the suggestions are provided to make the book more interactive.

The book is developed as a textbook. It is written in a narrative style. On every topic, the content is written in point format. For the point format, it is meant that every paragraph explains its main heading. The paragraph is given a title or a number. It helps in writing the answers in the examination. The purpose is that the readers and the students can quickly develop an answer to any question on the topics explained in the book.

The book explains the Charter Acts as the historical background of the History of the Constitution of India. It is evident that my next volume will be on the legislation during the Crown rule in India. I will soon publish the relevant next volume. I am presently working on that volume.

To make this book interactive, I am going to reproduce some of part of this book on my blog at undergraduatehistory.blogspot.in. I will attend to their queries related to the content of the book. I am ready to provide pdf copies of individual chapters to any reader free of cost who may require it for printing purpose. The relevant instructions are given in Appendix II.

I will also write the Hindi version of this volume and release it in June 2018. The free download of that book will also be made available for five days. Keep in touch. To remain updated, subscribe to this blog. Check for subscription in the sidebar.

Economy of India Wikipedia Collection

2017-04-15T23:13:00.001+05:30

The Indian Economy is part of GS III. There are around 10 questions which relate to Economics in Preliminary Examination.

A general understanding of major Economic indices, macro economics facts and different areas covered under the subject of Economics is essential for all the candidates regardless of their academic background. It is not a big deal. It can be easily acquired. Just remain away from too much statistics if you have any difficulty in understanding this topic.

Kindly check the link HERE. It provides a compilation of the topics on which one is expected to prepare notes and develop understanding.

It is really unfortunate that Wikipedia is facing some issues for converting some pages which contain tabular presentation to PDF format. However, the compilation definitely provides a good study plan. Second, the individual pages can be converted into PDF format and downloaded on your devices for study offline.to PDF format. However, the compilation definitely provides a good study plan. Second, the individual pages can be converted into PDF format and downloaded on your devices for study offline.

It is considered useful to provide the list of the topics assorted in the compilation.

Economic History of India

Economy of India under the Company Rule

Economy of India under British Rule

Economy of India

1991 India Economic Crisis

Economic Liberalisation in India

Economic Development in India

Income in India

Agriculture in India

Forestry in India

Animal Husbandry in India

Fishing in India

Natural resources of India

Mining in India

Information Technology in India

Business process in India

Electricity Sector in India

Indian Road Network

Indian Railways

Ports in India

Transport in India

Retailing in India

Tourism in India

Medical Tourism in India

Finance in India

Banking in India

Insurance in India

Globalisation in India

List of the largest trading partners of Indiaof IndiaIndiaof India

Foreign Direct Investment in India

Indian Rupee

Reserve of India

Poverty in India

Labour in India

Indian Labour Law

Child Labour in India

Education in India

Corruption in India.

The above list in not exhaustive. However, it will develop a plan to cover the topics under Economics. Secondly, all the pages on Wikipedia are not of equal quality. But, it provides you with a planning of the topics that must be covered.

The titles on Economy of India are popular in market and it is assumed that the interested candidates know about them. However, some of the titles in form of Advertisements are reproduced below. Kindly use your discretion while making any buying decision.

Attention Readers: Advertisements: Use your discretion while making any purchases.

Internal Security and Disaster Management (GSIII)

2017-04-13T01:55:00.001+05:30

The GS III paper includes questions on Security and Disaster Management. There are similar questions which can be expected in Preliminary.

Kindly Check HERE for a Wikipedia Compilation. The Wikipedia Compiler works for it. Kindly check the Ministry of Home Affairs site at http://www.mha.nic.in and http://nidm.gov.in for additional notes and points. NIDM site has links to journals which are useful for making notes. All the content providers use them.

Attention Readers: Advertisements:

India: Basic Lesson

2017-04-11T23:48:00.001+05:30

A Study of India is highly important for Preliminary as well as GS I, GS II and GS III.

In Wikipedia Books, Aman Agarwal has compiled a book on India very intelligently. The contents will speak for itself. Many teachers suggest the India Year Book as a guiding basis for preparing notes on India. In case of Wikipedia, there are many articles which contain many further links that it becomes unmanagable study stretagy. However, Aman Agarwal provides a highly imaginative, thoughtful and effective collection of articles. He has thoughtfully developed the chapters which are as follows:

He has given the name to the book as India: An Overview.

The chapters are:

Main Article: India. (Everyone should know it.)

Etymology

History of India divided in History of India and History of Republic of India.

Government: Government of India and Administrative Divisions of India.

States of India: A complete collection

Union Territories of India

Politics

Foreign Relations and Military

Geography

Flora and Fauna

Economy: Economy of India and Economic History of India

Demographics

Culture

Sports

I strongly recommend to Visit the Book HERE

Attention Readers: Advertisements: Use your discreation while placing any order.

Science: Basic Lessons Wikipedia Free Books

2017-04-11T14:25:00.000+05:30

Free Books on Science: Basic

In brief, Check the links below. They are compiled articles from Wikipedia. They can be useful for preparation for Civil Services Prelims Paper I.

There are 100 questions in Civil Services Preliminary Examination paper I (General Awareness). They are in MCQ format. The Union Public Service Commission suggests that they want a generally aware educated person.

There are different plannings methods to clear that stage of life. One of the version is that if you practice a bank of 100000 mcqs then you will be able to manage the selection for the mains examination. This is not rational view and result of fallacy of statistical distortion.

Another way of preparing for those 100 questions is to acquire good understanding of the fundamentals of basics of different field of knowledge. In short, one should have good understanding of different subjects upto the level of tenth class.

In order to achieve the above task, the highly recommended books are NCERT books. The Apps are available. The online downloading is available. However, at least, I am not able to download the books as I desired.

However, I present before you a content which can fulfil the requirement of the desired task.

These are Wikipedia books. They are compiled by such editors who had inserted the term ICSE and also Class number which is from 6 to 12 in the permanent links of the books. From there, I assume and conclude, that they are compilation meant for the student of Class vi to Class xii.

Secondly, in case of many books which are basically compilation, they are very elaborate. One does not need that much information and understanding which some of the articles include. I do not feel shame in accepting that in case of some articles even I was not enough qualified to comprehend. However, such articles definitely provide you with the such topics which are expected to know if you are taking civil services examination.

Thirdly, there are some technichal issues with Wikipedia book compilation. The book which conatins such pages wherein there are tabular charts, they are not compiled and failed to compile for download. However, a solution is that while reaching the link, you will find a set of topics which are definitely meant for you. One can check each page at one place and makes ones own notes.

Here is a list:

Science of Class 6, ICSE board.

Chemistry of Class 6, ICSE Board:

Biology of Class 6, ICSE Board:

Physics of Class 10, ICSE Board: Must Check

Physics of Class 6, ICSE Board: Easier One

Maths of Class 6, ICSE Board: Must go through though elaborate on Wikipedia.

Maths of Class 6, Addition, ICSE Board: Must go through:

Similar Books will continue to appear here. The title will be Wikipedia Free Books Basic

Attention: Advertisements: Use your own discretion before buying:

Geography: Basic and India

2017-04-07T11:20:00.000+05:30

The Questions on Geography form an important part of the Preliminary Examination on General Awareness. As per the different estimates there are 27 to 30 questions out 100 on Geography. Well, that is an overstatement. We can subdivide them into further sets. There are questions on Geo-Economic, Geo-physical, Geo-political and Geo-social. There are questions which require inter disciplinary study. No doubt, a good understanding of Geography helps to pick the right choice.

In short, Geography is considered an important aspect of study for preparation of Preliminary examination.

The NCERT books are suggested. It seems that is the common advice. Those, who has nothing to do with career making guidance, even they emphasise the study of Geography.

Kindly find two links on the content matter about geography. They are Wikipedia Books. There is nothing special about them. There is good information on Wikipedia also which can provide you with the ready material for preparation. One of the book is developed by the blogger. The second book is developed by some other person. The pages which he has included in the book justify the need of the contents which an aspirant require for preparation.

Download the Free Books on Geography for Civil Services Preliminary Examination.

Geography Basics: By Blogger.

Geography India: by Ashish Desai

Some Supporting Books
Geography: Continents and Basic Feature: By Circle Ell

How to Download:
Click on the link which are By Blogger and by Ashish Desai
You will reach a page on Wikipedia Website.
You can easily locate a suggestion: Format to Download.
Locate PDF (A4) and click.
It will start compiling the book. It may take few minutes. After the compilation is completed, you will be able to identify the instruction "Download". Click it and wait for the PDF book to appear on your system. Then again download to save the copy. Both the books are of 300 MB size. If you have 4G connection, it is not a big bargain. It also works well with 3G connection.
If you face any difficulty, then put remarks in comment section. I will provide a link to Google Drive. You will get it merely by clicking the link without undergoing the above steps.

Attention:

The Wikipedia sources can be altered by anyone. It may happen that when you access it, at that time, it would have been vandalized by some sick brain. You can use the comment section to show your dissatisfaction with the contents. I can provide a link to a saved copy of the book which I believe fulfils the requirement of the aspirants.

Secondly, it seems that Wikipedia faces a number of issues. Sometimes, it takes a time to download the copy of the compilation. Just persist.

FSSAI

2016-11-19T10:11:00.000+05:30

FSSAI: Full form:
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (Memory tag: resembles Sports Authority of India SAI, here it is Standards Authority of India which talks about Food Safety. Food is an important ingredient for a sport activity)
Background:
It was established by an act. The name of the Act was Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
Main feature and emphasis:
The act consolidated various acts & orders that have hitherto handled food related issues in various Ministries and Departments.
Various central Acts like
Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 ,
Fruit Products Order, 1955,
Meat Food Products Order, 1973,
Vegetable Oil Products (Control) Order, 1947,
Edible Oils Packaging (Regulation) Order 1988,
Solvent Extracted Oil,
De- Oiled Meal and Edible Flour (Control) Order, 1967,
Milk and Milk Products Order, 1992 etc. were repealed after commencement of FSS Act, 2006.
The motive was to establish a single entry point about the standards of the food, production and related scientific issues. Finally, after the Act was passed, an independent statutory Authority – the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India was established. The head office as raised at Delhi. Now the main authority along with the state food safety authorities enforces the various provisions of the Act.
Dealing Ministry:
The Food authority which is FSSAI – Food Safety and Standards Authority works under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, of the Government of India.
Location:
The Food Authority is located in five regions. They are
Northern Region
Eastern Region
North Eastern Region
Western Region
Southern Region

National Ayurveda Day 2016

2016-10-29T12:46:00.001+05:30

National Ayurveda Day is celebrated on Dhanvantri Jayanti every year.

The theme for 2016 National Ayurveda Day is Prevention and Control of Diabetes through Ayurveda.

Description of the Logo as given on the site of the Ministry of Ayush:

The silhouette of lord Dhanwantari in the centre of the logo represents the lord of Medicine.

The five petals in logo symbolize Pancha Mahabhuta and three circles beneath signify Vata, Ptta, Kapha, the fundamental principles of Ayurveda.

An oval leaf encircling the elements depicts the essence of healing through Nature based on these fundamental principles.

In 2016, the National Ayurveda Day was celebrated on October 28, 2016.

SOWA RIGPA

2016-10-29T11:22:00.000+05:30

“Sowa-Rigpa” commonly known as Amchi system of medicine is one of the oldest, Living and well documented medical tradition of the world. It is commonly more popular as Tibetan Medical System. The literal meaning of this Tibetan System is Science of Healing. Gyud-Zi (four tantra) the fundamental text book of this medicine was first translated from India and enriched in Tibet with its own folklore and other medical tradition like Chinese and Persian etc. The impact of Sowa-Rigpa along with Buddhism and other Tibetan art and sciences were spread in neighboring Himalayan regions. In India this system has been practiced in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Darjeeling (West Bangal), Lahoul & Spiti (Himanchal Pradesh) and Ladakh region of Jammu& Kashmir etc.

Additional Source: Ministry of Ayush

AYUSH: A Ministry of Government of India

2016-10-29T11:05:00.000+05:30

Ministry of AYUSH:
The Ministry of AYUSH was formed on 9th November' 2014. Earlier it was known as the Department of Indian System of Medicine and Homeopathy (ISM&H) which was created in March 1995 and renamed as Department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) in November 2003, with a view to provide focused attention for the development of Education and Research in Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy.

A:Ayurveda

Y:Yoga and Naturopathy

U:Unani

S:Siddha

H:Homoeopathy

Source: The Ministry of AYUSH

Paris Agreement 2015

2016-10-29T10:40:00.000+05:30

The Paris Agreement is an agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change(UNFCCC) dealing with greenhouse gases emissions mitigation, adaptation and finance starting in the year 2020. The contents of the agreement was framed by the representatives of the 195 nations at the 21st Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC on December 12, 2015. It was opened for signature on April 22, 2016 in New York City. By October 2016, 192 members of UNFCCC have signed the treaty. India is a signatory to this agreement.

Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer

2016-10-29T10:15:00.000+05:30

Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer
Vienna Convention is a Multilateral Environmental Agreement. It was agreed upon in Vienna Conference in 1985 and came into force in 1988. It was ratified by 197 nations. It is one of the most successful treaties of the United Nations which produced this agreement. A Multilateral Environmental Agreement is legally binding.
Vienna Convention was revised in the following order till 2016

Montreal Protocol 1987, an international treaty which aims at bringing the Ozone layer to the level of 1980

Helsinki 1989

London 1990

Nairobi 1991

Copenhagen 1992

Bangkok 1993

Vienna 1995

Montreal 1997

Australia 1998

Beijing 1999

Kigali 2016

Additional Source:

Wikipedia

United Nations Treaty Collections

MUDRA

2016-10-28T12:50:00.000+05:30

The Union Budget presented by the Hon’ble Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley, for FY 2015-16, announced the formation of MUDRA Bank. Accordingly MUDRA was registered as a Company in March 2015 under the Companies Act 2013 and as a Non Banking Finance Institution with the RBI on 07 April 2015. MUDRA was launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 08 April 2015 at a function held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
The Micro Units Development & Refinance Agency Ltd (MUDRA) was set up by the Government of India (GoI). MUDRA has been initially formed as a wholly owned subsidiary of Small Industries Development bank of India (SIDBI) with 100% capital being contributed by it. Presently, the authorized capital of MUDRA is 1000 crores and paid up capital is 750 crore, fully subscribed by SIDBI. More capital is expected to enhance the functioning of MUDRA.
This Agency would be responsible for developing and refinancing all Micro-enterprises sector by supporting the finance Institutions which are in the business of lending to micro / small business entities engaged in manufacturing, trading and service activities. MUDRA would partner with Banks, MFIs and other lending institutions at state level / regional level to provide micro finance support to the micro enterprise sector in the country.
Micro Finance is an economic development tool whose objective is to provide income generating opportunities to the people at the bottom of the pyramid. It covers a range of services which include, in addition to the provision of credit, many other credit plus services , financial literacy and other social support services.
MUDRA has been formed with primary objective of developing the micro enterprise sector in the country by extending various support including financial support in the form of refinance, so as to achieve the goal of “funding the unfunded”.

Contents from the site mudra.org.in

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY)

2016-10-28T12:44:00.000+05:30

Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) is National Mission for Financial Inclusion to ensure access to financial services, namely, Banking/ Savings & Deposit Accounts, Remittance, Credit, Insurance, Pension in an affordable manner. (contents from the government site at pmjdy.gov.in)

What is RuPay Debit Card?

2016-10-28T12:14:00.000+05:30

What is RuPay Debit Card?
Ans. Rupay Debit Card is an indigenous domestic debit card introduced by National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI). This card is accepted at all ATMs (for cash withdrawal) and at most of the PoS machines (for making cashless payment for purchases) in the country.

(contents from the government site at pmjdy.gov.in)

What is a BSBDA Account?

2016-10-28T12:10:00.001+05:30

What is BSBDA Account?
Ans. Basic Savings Bank Deposit Account (BSBDA) has been defined by RBI vide its circular dated 10.08.2012. Its salient features are: • There is no requirement of minimum balance. • The services available include deposit and withdrawal of cash at bank branch as well as ATMs; receipt/credit of money through electronic payment channels or by means of collection/deposit of cheques. • Maximum of 4 withdrawals a month including ATM withdrawal. No such limit for deposits. • Facility of ATM card or ATM-cum-Debit card. • These facilities are to be provided without any extracost.
The accounts opened under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana is a BSDA account.

. (contents from the government site at pmjdy.gov.in)

Regional Connectivity Scheme UDAN

2016-10-22T12:42:00.001+05:30

The Civil Aviation Ministry has launched the Regional Connectivity Scheme on October 21, 2016. It is one of the objective of the National Civil Aviation Policy (NACP) 2016.

External Source: PIB (Kindly note, after sometime the links to PIB becomes non functional.

Vidyanjali (School Volunteer Programme)

2016-10-22T09:59:00.001+05:30

Vidyanjali - (School Volunteer Programme) is an initiative of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of School Education & Literacy to enhance community and private sector involvement in Government run elementary schools across the country under the overall aegis of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.

External Source: Vidyanjali

Scoville Scale

2016-10-22T09:47:00.000+05:30

Scoville Scale:
It is the measurement of pungency of chili peppers and other spicy foods as reported in Scoville Heat Units (SHU). The measurement is done by Scoville Organoleptic Test.

Other way of testing is High-performance liquid Chromatography.
Relevance: This scale is news in case of the use of PAVA Shells use.

Source of Content: Wikipedia: Scoville Scale (Click to Access).

Nobel Prize Winners 2016

2016-10-21T10:55:00.003+05:30

All the Nobel Prize Winners of 2016 can be noted from the site of the Nobel Prize Site itself. Click HERE to access the page.
It is repeated here that other links of the site should also be explored. There are questions in Preliminary on this organization on regular basis.

PAVA Shells: Pelargonic Acid Vanillyl Amide Shells

2016-10-21T10:08:00.001+05:30

Full form of PAVA Shells: Pelargonic Acid Vanillyl Amide (PAVA) The Riot Control device and munition has been developed by Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, a Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) laboratory in Lucknow.
It has come into news when the Government of India adopted it as an alternative to the pallet guns which were used in Kashmir Valley.
Pelargonic Acid Vanillylamide is also called Pelargonic Acid Nonivamide is an organic compound found in natural chilli pepper. It is also used in self-protection sprays. It is biosafe. It temporarily incapacitates the target. It has a projected range of 4 to 5 meters.
The PAVA Shell are manufactured by Tear Smoke Unit (TSU) of BSF Gwalior. This unit was established in 1976. Presently it is producing 75 varieties of munitions.
Other Alternatives of Riot Control management are:
Tear Gas
Pellet Guns
Dye Marker Grenade with irritant
Tear Smoke Gas with Soft Nose (that melts after busting so that they can not be picked and thrown back)
Stun Grenade

Added and Supporting links: The Hindu and The Hindu (some additional points): Indiatimes:

Juan Manuel Santos Calderón

2016-10-10T11:01:00.003+05:30

Juan Manuel Santos Calderón:
Juan Manuel Santos the President of Columbia. He is the sole winner of Nobel Peace Prize 2016. He was awarded the prize for negotiating a peace treaty with the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia Related wikipedia link Click) guerillas.
Additional Comment: Generally a question on Nobel Prize is asked in the Preliminary

Antonio Guterres

2016-10-10T10:42:00.001+05:30

Antonio Guterres:
Antonio Guterres will be the next Secretary General of United Nations. He will take over from Ban Ki-moon on January 1, 2017.
Antonio Guterres is a former Prime Minister of Portugal.
Additional Comments: In Preliminary Examinations there are generally questions on the working of the Secretariat of the United Nations. It is also relevant to GS II. Keep Tap on UN Website (Click Here to access).
External Sources:
1. Business Standard
2. Wikipedia