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(VIDEO) Kabul Process - Lok Sabha TV Insight Discussion

(VIDEO) Kabul Process - Lok Sabha TV Insight Discussion 

Topic of Discussion: Kabul Process -  Lok Sabha TV Insight Discussion 

Expert Panel Name: Dr.A.K.Pasha,Vishal Chandra (Research Fellow, IDSA),Salman Haider(Former Diplomat),Anchor: Natasha Jha Bhaskar

 

Courtesy: Lok Sabha TV

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Current Affairs MCQ for UPSC Exams - 14 June 2017

Current Affairs MCQ for UPSC Exams – 14 June 2017

Ques- With respect to notices issued by interpol, which among the following is correct?

a) Intelligence Bureau is the nodal agency for the coordination with interpol.

b) Red corner notice can be issued only against an Indian citizen who has committed an offence which is an "extraditable offence"         under the Indian Extradition Act, 1962.
c) Intelligence Bureau is the nodal agency for the coordination with interpol.


A)  a, b only

B)  b, c only

C)  a and c only

D) All

Ques- Which of the following is correct regarding Zika virus?

A. Zika virus disease is caused by a virus transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes.
B. The virus is known to circulate in Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific.

C. Zika virus is an emerging mosquito-borne virus that was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in rhesus monkeys through a monitoring network of sylvatic yellow fever..

A. 1,2
B. 2,3
C. All
D. 1,3

Ques- Which of the following brings out the Consumer Price Index Number for Industrial Workers?

A. The Reserve Bank of India
B. The Department of Economic Affairs

C. The Labour Bureau

d.  The Department of Personnel and Training

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Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 14 June 2017

Daily Current Affairs for IAS Exams

Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 14 June 2017

::National::

Fresh movement for a separate State of Gorkhaland

  • The fresh movement for a separate State of Gorkhaland in the Darjeeling hills gathered steam with smaller parties backing the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) demand.
  • In an embarrassment for the Trinamool Congress, the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), with whom it had forged an alliance in the recent municipal polls, came out in full support of Gorkhaland.
  • GJM general secretary Roshan Giri demanded a written clarification from the West Bengal government on the three language policy, which intends to make Bengali compulsory. He said the movement would be peaceful.

Full extradition case against Vijay Mallya is set to start this December

  • The full extradition case against liquor baron Vijay Mallya is set to start this December, on the grounds that it expected a second request for extradition to come from India, and to enable enough time for all the evidence to be gathered.
  • The date will be confirmed at another case management hearing due on July 6, which Mr. Mallya will not attend.
  • Mr. Mallya attended hearing at Westminster Magistrates Court, accompanied by his son.
  • Speaking to reporters outside the courtroom ahead of the hearing, he took issue with media coverage of the case, accusing it of sensationalism and bias.

Health Ministry to test the babies for the Zika virus

  • Although it detected 260 cases of microcephaly in India since February 2016, during an investigation to study the link between the condition and the Zika virus, the Health Ministry did not test the babies for the virus citing shortage of laboratory capacity.
  • A three month old Delhi baby detected with ‘severe microcephaly’ tested negative for Zika, making it the first case where the Ministry ran blood work for Zika since the 2015-16 global outbreak
  • Microcephaly is a rare congenital defect where a baby’s head is much smaller than what is normal for its age and sex.
  • The requisite tests to investigate cause-and-effect between the virus and microcephaly, however, could not be carried out due to lack of laboratory strength, Ministry officials said.
  • Surveillance was set up at 55 centres in the country after the WHO declared Zika a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) in February 2016.
  • Severe microcephaly can occur because a baby’s brain has not developed during pregnancy or because it was damaged during pregnancy.
  • Based on available evidence, the WHO has said the most likely explanation is that Zika virus infection during pregnancy causes microcephaly.
  • The Health Ministry started tracking cases of microcephaly in India in February 2016, after the World health Organization (WHO) requested countries to track and report cases.
  • In 2016, a base line estimate of microcephaly-affected births in India was determined after a systematic review and meta-analysis of several studies.
  • The pooled birth prevalence of microcephaly was shown as 2.30 per 10,000 births among 97,155 births. This study, however, was rejected by WHO and the Centre.

Problems with the Navigation Indian Constellation

  • Navigation Indian Constellation (NavIC) is an independent Indian satellite-based positioning system for critical national applications.
  • The purpose is to provide “reliable position, navigation and timing services over India and its neighbourhood.” NavIC consists of a constellation of seven satellites and was named so by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
  • Three of the satellites are in a geostationary orbit and four in a geosynchronous one. This means they will be visible at all times in the Indian region.
  • All the seven satellites of NavIC, namely, IRNSS-1A, 1B, 1C, ID,1E, 1F and 1G were successfully launched.
  • Because navigation requires the most accurate clocks, the Rs. 1,420-crore NavIC relies on rubidium clocks.
  • Each of the seven satellites has three of them on-board. However, this January, the ISRO confirmed that the clocks on the first satellite, IRNSS-1A had failed in June 2016.
  • According to ISRO, the applications of IRNSS are: terrestrial, aerial and marine navigation, vehicle tracking and fleet management, terrestrial navigation for hikers and travellers, disaster management, integration with mobile phones, mapping and geodetic data capture and visual and voice navigation for drivers.
  • Though six of the satellites are working fine, the one faulty one means the “GPS” isn’t working as accurately as it ought to be.
  • ISRO was trying to revive the clocks on 1A and readying one of the two back-up navigation satellites to replace it in space in the second half of this year.
  • Rubidium clocks were the previous standard in accurate clocks and most organisations, that need precise time estimates, need cesium clocks.
  • It is learnt that future clocks on such satellites, each with a lifespan of 10 years, will host such clocks.

::International::

Massive landslide and floods in Bangladesh

  • At least 74 people, including Four army men, have been killed in massive landslides in Chittagong, followed by day-long downpour that has paralysed most of Bangladesh.
  • At least 50 people died in Rangamati district of Chittagong Hill Tracts, while Chittagong and Bandarban districts saw 18 and six deaths. The rescuers fear that the number of casualties might rise once the debris are cleared .
  • The army personnel were killed when they were conducting a rescue operation in Rangamati, according to the Inter Services Public Relation Directorate (ISPR).
  • Members of the fire service, army and police are conducting rescue operations. District administrations have asked the people living in risky hill areas to move to safer places.

::Business and Economy::

SEBI has allowed commodity exchanges to introduce options trading

  • SEBI has allowed commodity exchanges to introduce options trading while ensuring that such contracts are introduced only on such commodities that currently register high volume in the futures segment.
  • Further, on a pilot basis, each exchange will be allowed to start such options trading only on one commodity initially.
  • The regulatory framework comes nearly two months after the SEBI board approved the launch of commodity options — an instrument that was being demanded ever since SEBI took over the regulation of the commodity markets in 2015.
  • Regulator said that options can be launched only on such underlying futures contracts that are among the top five contracts in terms of total trading turnover value of previous twelve months.
  • Further, the average daily turnover of underlying futures contracts qualifying for options has been pegged at Rs. 200 crore for agricultural & agri-processed commodities and Rs. 1,000 crore for other commodities in the previous twelve months.
  • Given the eligibility criteria, Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX) — the largest in terms of market share — will be able to choose from commodities like crude, gold, silver, zinc and copper to launch options contracts.
  • The combination of futures & options can give market participants the benefit of price discovery of futures and simpler risk management of options.

RBI identified 12 borrowers’ non-performing assets

  • The Reserve Bank of India identified 12 borrowers’ non-performing assets, amounting to more than Rs. 5,000 crore each, for triggering proceedings under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code in a bid to pare banks’ bad debts.
  • The unnamed accounts constitute 25% of total bad loans in the banking system.
  • The RBI’s Internal Advisory Committee (IAC) — which held its first meeting on Tuesday — undertook a detailed review of the situation.
  • Banks would get six months to finalise a viable resolution plan for all the other stressed accounts, failing which the lenders would be required to file for insolvency proceedings.

India ratified two core conventions of ILO on child labour

  • India ratified two core conventions of International Labour Organisation on child labour — a global commitment to end the worst form of child labour and to ensure minimum basic education to children.
  • “It is a historic moment for India as we are going to take another giant step to affirm our commitment for a child labour-free India by ratifying the two core conventions of ILO Conventions,“ said Labour Minister.

Govt has started a Periodic Labour Force Survey​

  • The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has started a Periodic Labour Force Survey, which will provide quarterly labour and employment data for urban India and annual data for rural India.
  • Introduced in April 2017, this survey will supersede the earlier system where such data was available only every five years, the Minister for Statistics and Programme Implementation.
  • The Statistics Ministry is also preparing to revise the base year of national accounts to 2017-18 from 2011-12, following the completion of the household consumer expenditure survey and the labour force survey at the end of 2018.
  • The Periodic Labour Force Survey will also incorporate a Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) method, with field operators using tablets to enter the data. This would generate more accurate and timely information, Mr. Gowda said.
  • The Ministry of Statistics is also developing a fact sheet on the Indian economy, incorporating inputs from all important ministries on 100 indicators.
  • It is also considering an Annual Survey of Services, along the lines of the Annual Survey of Industries already being carried out, Mr. Gowda said.

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Music Of India : Art & Culture for UPSC Exams

UPSC Exam Art & Culture

Music Of India : Art & Culture for UPSC Exams

 
MUSIC OF INDIA
Music of India includes variety of folk,pop music, classical music etc. The two main traditions of classical music in India are Carnatic music and Hindustani Music. Carnatic Music are found predominantaly in the peninsular regions and Hindustani music are found in the northern and central regions. Hindustani music was not only influenced by ancient Hindu musical traditions but also enriched by the Persian performance practices of the Mughals.
 
Hindustani Music
It was Vishnu Digambar Paluskar and Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande who spread Hindustani classical music to masses by starting schools, teaching music in classroom and devising a standardized grading and testing system. Bhatkhande standardized and unversaliszed the notation system making it easier to spread music.
 
Dhrupad is an old style of Hindustani singing, traditionally performed by male singers. The great Indian musician Tansen sang in the Dhrupad style. Dhrupad was the main form of northern Indian classical music but has now given way to Khyal. 
Khyal is a form of vocal music in Hindustani music. It was adopted from medieval Persian music It is special as it is based on improvising and expressing emotion.
Another vocal form Tarana are medium to fast pa ced songs that ar e usual ly per formed towards the end of the concert. They consist of  a few lines of poetry with rhythmic syllables.
Tappa is a from of Indian semi- classical vocal music. It originated from the folk songs of the camel riders of Punjab and was developed as a form of classical music by Mian Ghulam Nabi Shori.
Thumri is a semi classical vocal form said to have begun in Uttar Pradesh. The lyrics are typically in Brij Bhasha and are usually romantic.
Ghazal is an originally Persian form of Poetry. In India, Ghazal became the most common form of poetry in the  Urdu language.
Although Hindustani music clearly is focused on t he vocal   per forma nce, recently instrumental Hindustani music is very popular than vocal music especially outside South Asia.
 
Carnatic Music
 
Carnatic  music  is  a system  of  music commonly associated with the southern part of  India   especially.  Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Carnatic music is completely melodic with improvised variations. Purandara Dasa is credited with having founded today’s Carnatic music.He is credited with having elevated Carnatic music from religious and devotional music into the realm of a performing art. Carnatic music is usually performed by a small ens embl e  of  mus i cia ns  consi s t ing  of  a principa l  per former (vocalist ) a viol in, mridanga ,and  a tamburu. Today carnatic music  is  presented  by musicians in concerts or recordings either vocally or through instruments.
 
Important  elements of carnatic music
sruti commonly refers to musical pitch
Swara refers to type of mu- sical sound that is a single note, which defines a relative position of a note, rather than a  defined frequency.
Raga - A raga in carnatic mu- sic prescribes a set of rules for building a melody.
Tala - Tala refers to the beat set for   a particular composi- tion ( a measure of time)
 
PERSONALITIES OF CARNATIC MUSIC
 
M.S. Subbulakshmi : was a re- nowned Carnatic vocalist. She was the first musician ever to be awarded the Bharat Ratna. She also received Ramon Magsaysay Award. Some of the famous works include Suprabhatam, Bhajagovindam, Vishnu Sahasranamam, Ha- numan Chalisa etc.
Dr. M. Balamurali Krishna : is a carnatic vocalist, multi - instrumentalist and a play- back singer. He has composed over 400 com- positions in various languages like Telugu, San- skrit and Tamil. Dr. Balamuralikrishna has in- novated the whole Carnatic Music system by keeping its rich tradition untouched. He also innovated the tala system. He has won many awards including Padma Shri, Padma Bhush-an and Padma Vibhushan and many honorary doctorates from various universities.
 
Types of Hindustani Music and its meaning
Dhrupad - Effort from vocal chords and lungs
Dhamar - Play of Krishna during holy
Khayal - Delicate, romantic and based on imagination.
Thumri - Romantic religious literature
Tappa - Quick turn of phase
Bhajan - Religious devotional songs
Tarana - Syllables stung together to set a rhythm
Sabadas - Sikh religious songs
Qawali - Indo- Muslim repertories of songs in groups.
Ghazal - Independent couplets on love and devotion.
 
Types of Carnatic Music and its meaning Ragam
 
Tanam- Pallavi - Elab orate r hythmic a nd melodic variat ion in unmeasured sense.
Kriti-Kirthanai - Mos t popular type which r efers to devotional music laced with poetic beauty.
Varnam - Performed at the beginning of a concert ; a completely composed piece.
Padam - Slower tempoed love songs referring to the human yearning for the adored god head.
Javalis - Faster tempoed love songs with direct description of human love.
Tillana - Meaningful phrases are interspersed with variety of meaningless syllables
 
Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer  is one of the greatest carnatic vocalist of the twentieth century. He is the Pitamaha of carnatic music. Although a tradionalist, he introduced many novelties in the works of composers ranging from Swati Tirunal to Ambujam Krishna. He also   popular is edrare   ragas  such   as Bhava priya Salagha bhairavi and Narayanagowla. Semmangudi has received many awards including Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan.
 
M.L.Vasantha kumari  was  a  carnatic musician and playback singer for film songs. M.L. Vasanthakumari popularised unfamiliar ragas. She popularised the compositions of Purandara Dasa. She had received many awards including the Padma Bhushan.
 
MD Ramanathan  was a carnatic music composer and vocalist. He was known for his unique style of singing. He sang with adequate bhava or expression. His style of rendering was very different from the standard format of carnatic concert. He often deviated from the s tandard set and sa ng his own versions.
 
G.N. Balasubramaniam was a legendary vocalist in the Carnatic tradition. He was the first concert musician to approach the concept of  raga alapana in a step-by-step approach. He was also the first major Carnatic musician to  moot the idea of Indian music as a single entity rather than separating it into Hindustani and  Carnatic Systems. He composed  over 100 krithis and invented new ragas.
 
Ariya kudi  Rama nujaIy engar  was  a carnatic music vocalist known for his unique style. His unique style of singing came to  be known as the riyakudi Tradition.
 
PERSONALITIES OF HINDUSTANI MUSIC
Bhimsen Joshi  was on Indian vocalist in the Hindustani classical tradition. He was the member of the Kirana Gharana. He is famous for   Khyal form of singing.  He enriched the kirana gharana by adding his own distinctive  style  and  adopting characteristics from other gharanas.He was  the recipient of s evera l prestigi ous awards  including  Padma  Shri ,  Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan. Bhimsen Joshi is renowned for his unique style and mastery over ragas.
 
Mallikarj un Mansur  was  an   Indian Hindustani classical singer of the Khyal style in the Jaipur- Atrauligharana. He had received  many awards including Padmabhushan, Kalidas Summan etc.
 
Pandit Jasraj is the exponent of the Mewati Gharana of Hindustani classical music. Pandit Jasraj’s greatest contribution to Indian music is  his conception of an unique and novel jugalbandhi based on the ancient system of moorchanas, between a male and a female vocalist, each singing in their respective scales and different ragas  at the same time. Pandit Jasraj is the recipient of several honors and awards.
 
Begum Parveen Sultana is a Assamese Hindustani classical singer of the Patiala Gharana. She is among the foremost classical vocalist in India. She is known as Queen of Classical Vocal. She was confer red the Padmashri in 1976.
 
Kumar  Gandharva  was  a  Hindustani classical singer, famous for his unique vocal style. He did not follow any kind of Gharana. He experimented out his own styles. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1990.
 
Siddheswari Devi was a Hindustani singer from Varanasi. She sang Khyal, Thumri and short classical forms as dadra, chaiti, Kajri etc. Siddheswar’s music had all the salient features of the Banaras style such as simple charm, intensity of feeling and effective expression of emotions.
 
Girija Devi is an Hindustani classical singer of  the Banaras gharana. She sings different general of Hindustani vocal music like Khyal, Thumri, Dadra, Chaiti and Kajri. But her forte lies in singing the poorab and Thumri. So she is called the Queen of Thumri.
 
Gangubai Hangal was an Indian Hindustani musical singer of the Khyal genre. She belonged to the Kirana Gharana. She was famous for her deep and powerful voice.
 
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND ITS  EXPONENTS  INDIAN MUSIC
 
Mridangam: Palakkad Mani Iyer, T.R. Murthy, Guruvayoor Doraiswami, Karaikudi R.Mani, Umayalpuram Shivaraman, Velloor A. Ramabhadran, Mavelikara Krishnan Kutty Nair.
 
Sitar  :  Ravi Shankar, Mushtaq Ali Khan, Vilayat Khan, Uma Shankar Mishra, Nikhil Banerjee,Raiz Khan, Harashankar  Bhattacharya , Budhaditya Mukherjee, Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan.
 
Sarod : AmjadAli Khan, Ali Akbar Khan, Rajiv, Taranath
 
Violin :  V.G. Jog, Lalgudi Jayaraman, T.N. Krishnan, Yehudi Mennuhin, M.S.Gopala krishnan,Kunnukkudi Vaidyana than, Kalyana  Krishna Bhaga vatar , L.Subr amaniam, Chandayya, Kantha Devi, Gajannan Rao Joshi (Hindustani), Zubin Mehta (Western).
 
Santoor    :  Shiv Kumar    Sharma , Tarun Bhattacharya, Bhajan Sopperi.
 
Flute        :  N.Ramani, Hariprasad Chaurasia, T.R. Mahalingam, Pannalal Ghosh, T. S. Shankaran, Sikkil Sisters
 
Mandolin :  U. Srinivas, S.Balamurali Krishna.
 
piano       :  Surojeet   Chatterji,   Kaikhoshha purji , Sorabjee.
 
Shehnai    :  Bismillah Khan  , Bagheshwari Gamar,  Bade Gulam Ali.
 
Tabla        :  Al la  Rakha , Zakir Hussian, Shankar Ghosh, Aba d  Mistry, Rimba  Shiva , Santha  Prasad, Sheikh Dawood,   Sharafat Ahmed Khan,  Kishan  Maharaj , Ahmed, Tirkuva, Pt. Samta Prasad.
 
Veena       :  Chitti Babu, Mysore Doraiswami Iyankar, Azad Ali Khan (Hindustani), Badik Ali Khan, Kumara Swami Iyer (Carnatic), Kalpakkom Swaminathan, Ka lya na K ris hna Bhaga vata r,  S. Balachander.
 
Sarangi    :  Pandit Ram Narayan, Sultan Khan, Sabri Khan.
 
Clarnet     :  Sheikh Mohammed Arif.
 
INDIAN VOCALISTS
 
Carnatic   :  M .S.  Subbu lakshmi ,  Balamurali Krishna ,Chembai  Vaidya natha Bhagavathar, Semmangudi SinivasaIyer, M.L.Vasantha Kumari, M.D. Ramanathan, G.N. Balasubramaniam, Ariyakudi Ramaniya Iyyengar.
 
Hindustani  :   Bhimsen  Joshy,  Mallikarjun Mansur, Pandit Jasraj, Parveen Sul- tana, Naina Devi, Siddheswari, Girija Devi, Kumar Gandharva.
 

Socio - Religious Reform Movements Of India : Art & Culture for UPSC Exams

UPSC Exam Art & Culture
SOCIO - RELIGIOUS REFORM MOVEMENTS OF INDIA
 
Arya Samaj
Arya Samaj is a Hindu reform movement in India that was founded by Swami Dayananda in  18 75.  Swami Dayananda  Sa ras wat hi rejected all non vedic beliefs. Arya Samaj condemned  idolatry,  animal  sacrifices , ancestor worship, pilgrimages, offerings made in  temples, the caste system, untouchability and child marriage. The primary aim of the Arya Samaj is to do good for all, that is promote physical, spiritual and social well being. Now Arya Samaj had set up schools and missionary organizations and extended its activities outside India.
 
Brahmo Samaj
Br ahmo Sa maj is  a religious  movement founded by Raja Ram Mohan Roy in 1828. The Brahmo Samaj believed  in the existence of one God, who is omni - present a nd omni s cient . It condemned some of the evil practices of Hinduism like caste system, Sati, Child Marriages etc. Brahmo Samaj evoked iss ues that were common to people all around the Indian sub -continent . The Brahmo Samaj has played a significant role in  the  rena is sance  of India and the root s  of much of the  modern thinking in India canbetraced back  to Brahmo Samaj.
 
The Theosophical Society
The Theosophical Society was founded in the United States by Madam H.P Blavtsky and Colonel H.S. Olcott who later came to India and founded the head quarters of the Society at Adyar near Madras in 1882. The Theosophist movement soon grew in India  as a result of the leadership given to it by Mrs. Annie Besant who  ha d come  to  Indi a  in 1893 .  The Theosophical society was formed to advance the spiritual principles   and search for truth known as Theosophy. They recognised the doctrine of the transmigration of the soul.
 
Prarthana Samaj
Prarthana Samaj was founded in 1867 in Mumbai by Dr.  Atmaram Pandurang as an off shoot of the Brahma Samaj. It was  later joined by M.G. Ranade and R.G. Bhandarkar. It aimed at removing the evil social customs. It preached the worship of one God and tried to free religion of caste orthodoxy and priestly domination.
 
Aligarh Movement
Aligarh Movement was started by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan to educate the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent after the defeat of the rebels in Indian rebellion of 1857. It had enormous success and had a profound impact on  the future of the subcontinent. In 1875, syed Ahmad Khan founded the Muhammedan Anglo - Oriental College at Aligarh as a centre for  spreading western sciences and culture. Later this College grew into the Aligarh Muslim University.
 
RAMAKRISHNA MISSION
Ramakrishna Mission is a humanitarian organisation founded by Sri Rama Krishnan Parama hamsa’s Chief disciple Swami Vivekananda in 1897. The aims and ideals of the mission are purely spiritual and humanitarian and has no relation with politics. The principles of Karma Yoga in Bhagavad Gita are one of the main source of inspiration for the Ramakrishna Mission. The Mission conducts exten sive work in heatlhcare, disaster relief, rural management, tribal welfare, elementary and higher education and culture. The headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission is at Belur Math near Kolkata.
 
Shuddhi Movement
Shuddhi Movement was started by Arya Samaj in early 20th Century to bring back the people who transformed their religion to Islam and Christianity from H i ndui sm. Is l am and Christianity claim divine authority for their Koran and Bible but the Hindus does not put up  such claims for Vedas. Founder of Arya Samaj, Dayananda strived  to give Vedas the similar degree of supernatural authority. The process of reconverting Hindus from Islam and Chr istia nity was  accompani ed b y a Sanghathan movements, which was launched to unify the Hindus and organise them in self - defence
 
Young Bengal Movement
Young Bengal Movement was started by Sir Henry Louis Vivian Derozio, teacher of Hindu  College. The supporters of Young Bengal Movement were influenced by the idealy of the French Revolution. They preached the ideals of liberty, equity and fraternity. Derozio’s teachings questioned the existing superstitions and age - old beliefs. He taught his followers to live and die for truth.  They emphasized on female education and rights of woman. They supported the freedom of press and favoured better treatment for Indian labour abroad.
 
Dev Samaj
Dev Samaj one of the important religious and social movements in Bengal was founded in 1887 by Satyananda Agnihotri (Pandit Shiv Narayan Agnihotri). Sathyananda Agnihotri initiated the dual worship of himself and God in 1892 and three years later,  the worship of God was discarded. The Dev  Samaj strongly opposed the caste system and it laid emphasis on maintaining a strict moral standards and a significant moral standard. The Dev Samaj encouraged the education of woman.
 
The Servants of India Society
The Servants of India Society was formed in Pune, Maharashtra on June 17, 1905 by Gopal Krishna Gokhale. The Society organised many campaigns to promote education, sanitation, health care and fight the social evils of untouchability and discrimination, alcoholism, poverty, oppression of women and domestic abuse. It chose to remain away from political activities and national organisations like the Indian  National  Congress . Though the servants of India Society declined after the death of Gokhale it still continues its activities with  a small  membership in  Mumbai , Maharashtra.
 
Akali Movement
The  Akal i  Movement  wa s  a nother  for Gurdwara Reform Movement. The property and wealth of the Sikh temples were being misused by the Mahants and Priests of the temple. Mahants considered the Gurudwara as  their personal poverty and misused the income  of Gurudwara on drinking and loose living. Thus these Mahants used  the sacred Gurudwaras to centres for immoral life. Thus Akali Movement was  a struggle for freedom and purification of Sikh historical places of worship. It came into full swing from the early 1920 ’s. It produced tr emendous and far reaching effects on the social and religious life of the Sikhs and brought them into the political movement for freedom of India.
 
Kuka Movement
Namdhari Movement popularly known as Kuka Movement was launched on the Baisaki day in April 1857 in Ludhiana District of Punjab by Guru  Ram Singh as  an  offshoot  of Sikhism. The Kuka movement marked a significant stage in the development of national consciousness in the country.   Guru Ram Singh adopted non - violence and non - cooperation as the two weapons against British.  They  boycotted  British goods , government schools, law courts, mill made cloth etc. They avoided the use of Post Offices and depended upon their own postal system. They adopted their own legal system and rejected the British system.  The Kukas had thrice revolted against the British. But the movement was ruthlessly suppressed by the British.
 
Ahamadiyya Movement
Ahamadiyya Movement is an Islamic religious movement founded in India by Mirza Ghulam Ahamad on 23 March 1889. Ahmadis consider themselves Muslims and claim to practice Islam in its pristine forms. Ahmadis opposed Islamic orthodoxy. Ahamadiyya views on certain beliefs in Islam have been controversial to mainstream Muslims since the movement’s birth. In several Islamic countries because of severe persecution and systematic oppression Ahmadis   have   emigrated  and   settled elsewhere.
 
Wahabi Movement
Wahabi Movement was founded by Syed Ahmed in 1820 at Rohikhand. The Wahabi movement  condemned  all  cha nges  a nd innovations to Islam. Wahabi Movement was revivalist movement which held that the return to the true spirit of Islam was the only way to get rid of the socio - political oppression. The missi ons  of  the Wahabi’s  were  mainly concentrated in the region of Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengal, Uttarpradesh and Mumbai. Wahabis played a major part of the Indian freedom movement. During the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, the Wahabis played a notable role in spreading anti- British Sentiments. The British took up brutal measures and many principal l eader s  of t he Wahabi  movement  were arrested.
 

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Major Indian Religions : Art & Culture for UPSC Exams

UPSC Exam Art & Culture
Major Indian Religions : Art & Culture for UPSC Exams
 
MAJOR INDIAN RELIGIONS
India is the land of religions. India being a secular  country does  not recognise a ny religion as  state religion. The Constitution allows freedom of faith, worship and religion. India is the birth place of four of the worlds major religious traditions, namely Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism. The other religions in India are Christianity. Islam, Zoroastrianism, Judaism and the Bahai faith.
 
Hinduism:
It is believed that Hinduism was the oldest religion to come into existence in India. Almost 80% of the population follows the Hindu religion in India. Hinduism is world’s third largest religion after Christianity and Islam. Many aspects of Hindu philosophy like Yoga, Ayurvedic medicine, Vegetarianism, Karma and reincarnation have been  popularized in the West by Indian Spiritual figures. Hinduism has a profound philosophy. The sacred  tasks of Hindus are the Vedas, Upanishads, the Gita, the Ramayana  and the Mahabharatha.
 
Jainism:
Jains form less than one percent of the Indian population.  The  states  of  Gujarat  and Rajasthan have the highest concentration of Jain population in India. Jainism rejected the authority of the Vedas and Vedic rituals. It did not believe in the existence of  God,  but it believe in Karma and the transmigration of  soul (Nirvana). The early Jains discarded the Sanskrit language and adopted Prakrit language.
 
Buddhism:
Though Buddhism originated in India, Now there is less than 1% of the India’s population 85 percent of all the Buddhists in India are concentrated in Maharashtra, Arunachal Pradesh and the higher Himalayan habitats of north western India too have some Buddhist popul a ti on.  After  originating  in  India , Buddhism spread throughout the central Asia, Sri Lanka, Tibet, China, Mongolia, Korea, Japan and Vietnam.
 
Sikhism:
About 2% of the total population of India form Si khs In compa ris on to ot herreligions, Sikhism is a younger religion. Sri Guru Nanak Dev started the Sikh religion He was the first Guru of the Sikhs. Sikhism which emerged in the 15th Century tried to bridge the gap between Hinduism and Islam.Though Sikhism is  dispersed widely over the  entire India , their largest concentration is in Punjab, where they form the majority of the state’s population.
 
Islam: 
The second most dominant religion after Hinduism is Islam. In India,  about 12% of the population follows the Islam religion. Though spread all over all parts of India. The ratio of Muslim population exceeds the national average in Lakshadweep Islands, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and West Bengal. Though the Muslims form only 12 percent of the total population of India, the influence of Islam on Indian society is much stronger. The Muslim population in India is the third largest in the world.The shrines of some of the most famous saints of sufism like Moinuddin Chishti and Nizamuddin Auliya are in India.  India is a ls o home to s ome of t he mos t famous monuments of Islamic architecture like the Taj Mahal and the Qutab Minar.
 
BAHA’I FAITH
Bahai’s are from various parts of the world. The Baha’i Faith is the youngest of the world’s independent religion. India was the 6th country to have the Baha’i Faith introduced to it. Baha’i Faith in India is numerically small and tiny in proportion of the national population. The Baha’i House of worship in Delhi, popularly known as the Lotus Temple is a prominent attraction in Delhi. It was completed in 1986 and serves as the mother temple of the Indian subcontinent
 
 
Christianity:
Christianity is the third most dominant religion in India. At present there are about 2.3percent Christians in India .They are  highly concentrated in Goa, Maharashtra, Arunachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
 
Zoroastrianism:
Zoroastrianism have an ancient history in India. Though the total number of Zoroastrains (Parsis) in Indian population is very less yet they continue to be one of the   important religious communities of India. According to 2001 census, there are about 70,000 Parsis in India. Most of them live in Mumbai and the rest in Gujarat
 
Judaism:
Indian Jews are a religious minority of India. Judaism was one of the first foreign religions to  arrive in   India. According to the 1991 census there were about 5,271 Jews in India. Of the total Jewish population in  India about half live in Manipur and Mizoram and a quarter live in the city of Mumbai. In Kerala a community of Jews are seen in the cities of Kannur (Kodungalloor) and Kochi.
 

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Languages Of India : Art & Culture for UPSC Exams

UPSC Exam Art & Culture
Languages Of India : Art & Culture for UPSC Exams
 
Culture is a central instrument of discovering, integrating and asserting the   national identity of India which truly and inevitably pluralistic. Culture permeates every sphere of human activity, determines and governs life and pattern of Indian society in diverse regions and equality, diverse fields.
 
LANGUAGES OF INDIA
India is home to several hundred languages. Most languages spoken in India belong either to the Indo Aryan and Dravidian families of la nguages though some Indo-European languages are also spoken and understood.
The Indo - Aryan languages including Hindi, Rajasthani, Gujarati, Marathi, Bengali, Oriya, Assamese, Sanskrit, Kashmiri, Sindhi and Punjabi  cover  a bout three - four ths   of India’s population.
The languages of the Southern India viz Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam belong to the Dravidian family.of the Indo-European languages, English is the most widely used one.
 
Official Languages
The Indian Constitution, in 1950, declared Hindi in Devanagari Script to be the official language of the union.  It was provided in the Constitution of India that English shall continue to be used for all official purposes of  the Union till January 25, 1965 but the complet e change over to Hindi was not practicable within the stipulated period. So English  in  addition  to  Hindi , continues to be used for all official purposes as an associate official language.
 
THE LANGUAGES OF THE EIGHTH SCHEDULE OF THE CONSTITUTION
22 Major languages are specified in the eighth schedule of the constitution. Those are Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarathi, Hindi, Kananda, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali and Oriya
 
The language of Parliamentary proceedings and laws
According to the constitution parliamentary proceedings may be conducted  in either Hindi or English in Parliamentary proceedings was to be phased out at the end of fifteen years unless Parliament chose to extend its use, which parliament did through the Official Language Act, 1963 But the constitution laws  including parliamentary enactments and statutory instruments are in English.
 
Language of the Judiciary
The Constitution provides that all proceedings in  the Supreme Court of India shall be in English.
 
CLASSICAL LANGUAGES
Languages so far declared to be classical based on the recommendation of a committee of linguistic experts constituted by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India are Tamil (2004), Sanskrit (2005), Kannada and Telugu (2008)
 

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(VIDEO) Farmers' Agitation: Reasons, Solutions - Rajya Sabha TV Big Picture Debate

(VIDEO) Farmers' Agitation: Reasons, Solutions 

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(VIDEO) Tackling Terrorism Financing - Lok Sabha TV Insight Discussion

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More than 50 Muslim candidates clear UPSC Exam 2016, Highest so far.

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More than 50 Muslim candidates clear UPSC Exam 2016, Highest so far.

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) results on Wednesday brought cheers to 1,099 successful candidates. Among those who made the cut were 50 Muslims – the highest number ever to have cleared the exam.

Ten Muslims figured in the top 100 rank and six Muslim women also came out with flying colours in the exams. Jammu and Kashmir led from the front with Bilal Mohiud Din Bhat bagging the 10th rank and 13 others cracking the exam.

“It’s heartening. The credit goes to several non-profit and social organisations which have been relentlessly working for literacy, creating awareness and highlighting the importance of education in the community,” says Salam Siddiqui, former principal of Mumtaz Inter College. Sure enough, among the 50 successful Muslims, 16 candidates were mentored by the Zakat Foundation of India (ZFI) - a charity organisation providing free coaching for civil services exams.

The wake-up call for the community came in the form of the Sachar Committee Report, which was released in November 2006, say educationists. Painting a dismal picture of Muslims in India, concern was expressed in the report over the poor representation of Muslims in government sector jobs.

In 2016, 36 Muslims had cleared the exams, while the number stood at 38 in 2015, 34 in 2014 and 30 in 2013. Although Muslims comprise 13.4% of the total population, they have very little representation in the top government services, often due to lack of education and unavailability of resources. Consequently, the percentage of Muslims clearing the examinations remained roughly around 3% in the last few years.

In 2013, a total of 1,122 candidates had made it to the prestigious civil services, of which 34 or 3.03% were Muslims. In the 2012 UPSC result, only 31 Muslims could make it to the final list out of 998 successful candidates, which translates to 3.10%. In the civil services, Muslims comprise about 3% in Indian Administrative Service, 1.8% in Indian Foreign Service and around 4% in the Indian Police Service, according to data culled by organisations working in the field of literacy and employment.

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Courtesy: Hindustan Times

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(VIDEO) Insight-Celebrating World Environment Day - Lok Sabha TV Insight Discussion

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Marks Sheet of UPSC : 2016 Topper Nandini Kr

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Marks Sheet of UPSC : 2016 Topper Nandini Kr

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(VIDEO) Ties Between Old Allies! - Lok Sabha TV Insight Discussion

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(VIDEO) How Can India Maintain High GDP Growth? - Rajya Sabha TV Big Picture Debate

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(VIDEO) Tracking India's Growth Story - Lok Sabha TV Insight Discussion

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(VIDEO) Should govt exit Air India? - Rajya Sabha TV Big Picture Debate

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(VIDEO) PM's Europe Tour - Lok Sabha TV Insight Discussion

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NATIONAL DEFENCE ACADEMY & NAVAL ACADEMY EXAMINATION (II), 2017

 

(Notification) UPSC NDA & NA Exam (II), 2017

F.No.7/2/2016.E.1(B): An Examination will be conducted by the Union Public Service Commission on 23rd April, 2017 for admission to the Army, Navy and Air Force wings of the NDA for the 139th Course, and for the 101st Indian Naval Academy Course (INAC) commencing from 2nd January, 2018.

Post Details:

  • National Defence Academy : 335 (208 for Army, 55 for Navy and 72 for Air Force)
  • Naval Academy (10+2 Cadet Entry Scheme): 55

Total : 390

Educational Qualifications:

(i) For Army Wing of National Defence Academy :—12th Class pass of the 10+2 pattern of School Education or equivalent examination conducted by a
State Education Board or a University.
 
(ii) For Air Force and Naval Wings of National Defence Academy and for the 10+2  Cadet Entry Scheme at the Indian Naval Academy :—12th Class pass of the 10+2 pattern of School Education or equivalent with Physics and Mathematics conducted by a State Education Board or a University.
 
Candidates who are appearing in the 12th Class under the 10+2 pattern of School   Education   or   equivalent   examination   can   also   apply   for   this examination.
 
Such  candidates  who  qualify  the  SSB  interview  but  could  not  produce Matriculation/10+2 or equivalent certificate in original at the time of SSB interview   should  forward  duly  self  attested  Photocopies  to  ‘Directorate General of Recruiting,  Army HQ, West Block.III, R.K. Puram, New Delhi-
110066’ and for Naval Academy candidates to ‘Naval Headquarters, DMPR, OI&R Section, Room No. 204, ‘C’ Wing, Sena Bhavan, New Delhi-110011’ by
24th  June, 2018 failing which their candidature will be cancelled. All other candidates   who  have  produced  their  Matriculation  and  10+2  pass  or equivalent certificates in  original at the time of attending the SSB interview and have got the same verified by the SSB authorities are not required to submit the same to Army HQ or Naval HQ as the case may be. Certificates in original issued by the Principals of the Institutions are also acceptable in cases where  Boards/Universities  have  not  yet  issued  certificates.  Certified  true copies/photostate copies of such certificates will not be accepted. In exceptional cases the Commission may treat a candidate, who does not possess  any  of  the  qualifications  prescribed  in  this  rule  as  educationally qualified provided that he possesses qualifications, the standard of which in the opinion of the Commission, justifies his admission to the examination.
 
NOTE 1 : Candidates appearing in the 11th class exam are not eligible for this examination.
 
NOTE  2 : Those candidates who have yet to qualify in the 12th class or equivalent examination and are allowed to appear in the UPSC Examination should note that this is  only a special concession given to them. They are required to submit proof of passing the 12th class or equivalent examination by the prescribed date (i.e. 24th June, 2018) and no request for extending this date will be entertained on the grounds of late conduct of Board/University Examination, delay in declaration of results or any other ground whatsoever.
 
NOTE 3 : Candidates who are debarred by the Ministry of Defence from holding any type of Commission in the Defence Services shall not be eligible for admission to the  examination and if admitted, their candidature will be cancelled.
 
NOTE  4  :  Those  candidates  who  have  failed  INSB/PABT  earlier  are  not eligible for Air Force.
 
(d) Physical Standards: Candidates  must  be  physically  fit  according  to  physical  standards  for admission to National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination (II), 2017 as per guidelines given in Appendix-IV.
 
(e) A candidate who has resigned or withdrawn on disciplinary grounds from any of the training academies of Armed Forces is not eligible to apply.
 

Age Limit:

Only unmarried male candidates born not earlier than 02nd  January, 1999 and not later than 1st January, 2002 are eligible.The  date  of  birth  accepted  by  the  Commission  is  that  entered  in  the Matriculation  or  Secondary  School  Leaving  Certificate  or  in  a  certificate recognised by an Indian  University as equivalent to Matriculation or in an extract from a Register of Matriculates  maintained by a University which must be certified by the proper authority of the University or in the Higher Secondary  or  an  equivalent  examination  certificates.  These  certificates  are required to be submitted only after the declaration of the result of the written part of the examination. No other document relating to age like horoscopes, affidavits, birth extracts from Municipal Corporation, service records and the like   will   be   accepted.   The   expression   Matriculation/Higher   Secondary Examination Certificate in this part of the instruction includes the alternative certificates mentioned above.:
Candidates must be physically fit according to physical standards for admission to National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination (I), 2017 as per guidelines given in Appendix-IV.

SCHEME OF EXAMINATION:

1. The subjects of the written examination, the time allowed and the maximum marks allotted to each subject will be as follows :—

Subject Code Duration Maximum Marks
Mathematics 01 2½ Hours 300
General Ability Test 02 2½ Hours 600
Total 900
SSB Test/Interview : 900

2. THE PAPERS IN ALL THE SUBJECTS WILL CONSIST OF OBJECTIVE TYPE QUESTIONS ONLY. THE QUESTION PAPERS (TEST BOOKLETS) OF MATHEMATICS AND PART “B” OF GENERAL ABILITY TEST WILL BE SET BILINGUALLY IN HINDI AS WELL AS ENGLISH.

3. In the question papers, wherever necessary, questions involving the metric system of Weights and Measures only will be set.

4. Candidates must write the papers in their own hand. In no circumstances will they be allowed the help of a scribe to write answers for them.

5. The Commission have discretion to fix qualifying marks in any or all the subjects at the examination.

6. The candidates are not permitted to use calculator or Mathematical or logarithmic table for answering objective type papers (Test Booklets). They should not therefore, bring the same inside the Examination Hall.

Application Fee:

Candidates (excepting SC/ST candidates/Sons of JCOs/NCOs/ORs specified in Note 2 below who are exempted from payment of fee) are required to pay a fee of Rs. 100/- (Rupees one hundred only) either by depositing the money in any Branch of SBI by cash, or by using net banking facility of State Bank of India/State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur/State Bank of Hyderabad/State Bank of Mysore/State Bank of Patiala/State Bank of Travancore or by using Visa/MasterCard Credit/Debit Card.

HOW TO APPLY

Candidates are required to apply online by using the website upsconline.nic.in Brief instructions for filling up the online Application Form have been given in the Appendix-II. Detailed instructions are available on the above mentioned website.

Important Dates:

The Online Applications can be filled upto 30th June, 2017 till 6.00 PM.

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