Note: Lucknow, Bhopal & Delhi | CSEWhy Book club in 3 cities on Oct 15, details out soon.

🚨 October 8 2023 | Sunday 🚨

Subscribe to my high value current affairs blog for UPSC aspirants with email: blog.csewhy.com

Mains Keywords✍🏼

1. Xenotransplantation
• Transplantation of animal organs into humans

2. Attosecond
• One Quintillionth of a second (10^-18 seconds)
• Used in understanding mechanisms governed by electrons

3. Quantum Dots
• A small assembly of atoms
• aka Artificial Atoms since the dot behaves like an atom in some circumstances
• The electrons in these atoms are tightly bound with little space to move around, thus displaying quirky effects of quantum mechanics


Pre-related📄

1.National Wildlife Week
• Celebrated from October 2-8

2. R21/MatrixM
• Malaria vaccine
• Developed by University of Oxford and Serum Institute of India
• Approved by WHO

3. Ganges River Dolphin
• National Aquatic Animal
• IUCN: Endangered
• Schedule 1, WPA 1972


Reading Recommendations🗞

TH
1. Bhutan-China border demarcation talks inching to completion (GS2, IR)
2. How plastics affect our daily life (GS3, Environment)
3. Signifiicance of quantum dots in nanotechnology (GS3, S&T)
4. Why did Hamas launch a surprise attack on Israel?, Page 13 (GS2, IR)


PS: Nobel Prize concepts detailed in today’s TH, read as per your discretion & awareness levels

Sunday Special ❤️

5 recommendations to utilize the weekend right!

1. 7 Book recommendations for aspirants preparing for 2024 | Click here to learn

2. A personal mentor for UPSC aspirants powered by technology | Click here to test

3. How to deal with low moments during UPSC Prep? | Click here to navigate

4. Notes on space missions, Indian strategy (20+ news articles combined) | Click here to save to notes

5. India and North Sea Route in Arctic | Click here to revise


A CSEWhy exclusive! :)

Note: Delhi, Lucknow and Bhopal aspirants | Register here for Book Club meetup in your city on October 15 from 04:30 pm to 06:30 pm

🚨 9 October 2023 | Monday 🚨

Revise India-Israel relations here on my blog

Mains Keywords✍🏼

1. Symbolic Capital
• By sociologist Pierre Bourdieu
• Capacity to shape the the perception of social reality

2. Sympatric
• Animal, plant species and populations within the same or overlapping geographical areas

3. Trajectory Correction Maneuvers
• By ISRO in case of trajectory errors after orbit-raising manoeuvre
• Done for Aditya L1; also done thrice during MOM
• Not new, part of mission plans since Chandrayan-1

4. Phonotaxis
• Movement by an animal in response to a sound
• Mostly among crickets, moths, frogs, etc


Mains Keys🗝
(Use as examples in Mains answers)

1. Agriculture and rural development banks to be computerised (GS3, Agriculture & tech)

2. Sensors powered by solar panel to monitor air pollution in Bihar (GS3, Environment)


Pre-related📄

1. Dhole/Asiatic Wild Dog
• Only Endangered wild pack-living canid in tropical Indian forests

2. UN International Day of Nonviolence
• October 2, Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary

3. Yom Kippur
• Fought between Egypt-Syria and Israel
• In 1973, Israel was caught unaware
• Day of Atonement, holiest day in Judaism


Quotes 💭

• Men, their natures not altering overnight, seek in every new order a continuance of the old ~ Marcel Proust
• Only the dead have seen the end of the war ~ George Santayana


Reading Recommendations🗞

IE
1. The rise of services (GS3, Economy)
2. A Tragic Return (GS2, IR, more focus on last para)
3. Israel's moment of reckoning (GS2, IR)
4. The story of Vasily Arkhipov (add as a story for how to develop stories in essays)

TH
1. Toofan Al-Aqsa jolts West Asian geostrategic architecture (GS2, IR)
2. What caused the flood in Sikkim? (GS3, Disaster Management)
3. How the Digital India Act will shape the future of the country's cyber landscape (GS3, Science & Tech)


PS: Fewer reactions these days. React ❤️ to appreciate my daily efforts.

Note: Did you notice better quality daily message? 🙂🙃

🚨 10 October 2023 | Tuesday 🚨

Subscribe to my high value blog for UPSC aspirants with your email :blog.csewhy.com

Mains Keywords✍️🏼

1. Intifada
• Arabic word, means to "shake of"
• Popular usage in Dec 1987
• Palestinians using it to describe their uprising against Israeli presence in West Bank and Gaza

2. Multimodal AI
• Users can engage with AI in several ways like images, sounds, videos, texts etc
• AI image generators like Stable Diffusion and Midjourney are examples
• Applications: automatic image caption generation, hateful meme detection, speech translation, etc


Mains Keys🗝
(Use as examples in Mains answers)

1. Kudumbashree: Kerala's "back to school" programme training enrolled women on weekends (GS2, Social Justice)

2. Sewa Mitra: Domestic services available on UP govt app (GS2, Governance)


Pre-related📄

1. Vilayati Kikar
• Native to Mexico
• Brought to Delhi by British in 1920s when national capital was built

2. Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK)
• GoI policy, deals exclusively with adolescent health
• Under purview of National Health Mission, State Govts responsible for implementation
• Setup of 'Adolescent Friendly Health Clinics'

3. Nobel Economics
• Nothing called Nobel in economics, it is Sveriges Riksbank Prize
• 3 women awarded: Claudia Goldin (2023), Esther Duflo (2019), Elinor Ostrom (2009)


Reading Recommendations🗞

IE
1. Gaza, a history of war (GS2, IR)
2. A straw in the whirlwind (GS2, IR)
3. Face the Climate (GS3, Environment)
4. Place the child at the centre (GS1, Society)
5. The shield J&K needs (GS3, Internal Security)

TH
1. Mental Health and the floundering informal worker (GS3, Economy)
2. India needs youth mental health focus to strike demographic gold (GS1, Society; 3 points of solution for your Mains answers)

PS: Enhanced quality of daily messages. Read this first and then read newspaper for ease of learning.

React ❤️ to appreciate my efforts :)

Some aspirants reached out expressing tough language of Scheduled Areas Article in The Hindu Article today

It's indeed tough. I have referred to it and my notes to simplify it in notes form for You

• Click here to read easier form on X

• If you are not on X, click here for same easier form

Happy learning. :)

CSEWhy Book Club Meetup in 3 cities on October 15

These cities are👇🏻
• Delhi
• Bhopal
• Lucknow

My meetups are a great place to spend weekend for #UPSC aspirants! Do join if you are in any of these cities :)

Note: It is an invite only meetup and its Free to attend!

Fill this form to get an invite👇🏻
https://forms.gle/sd6or9TNmxF5g1Xp7

Note: Lucknow, Bhopal & Delhi Book club meetups on Oct 15 | Register here to join

🚨 11 October 2023 | Wednesday 🚨

Revise the reports of imp global agencies here on CSEWhy blog

Mains Keywords✍🏼

1. Cyclogenesis
• Indicator that denotes the chance of a cyclone forming


Mains Keys🗝
(Use as examples in Mains answers)

1. Prada collab with NASA to design spacesuits (GS1, Society & Globalization)


Pre-related📄

1. WACE Pattern
• Pattern of warm surface temperature over the Arctic and a large blob of cold surface temperatures over Eurasia
• Associated with upper level circulation changes that reach Indian Ocean

2. Rainbows

a) Formation
• Due to reflection & refraction of sun's rays by raindrops
• If sun is higher than 40 degrees, no rainbow
• When sun near horizon, whole circle of rainbow may be seen from high mountain

b) Double rainbows
• formed when sunlight is reflected twice within a raindrop
• with violet light that reaches the observers eye coming from higher raindrops & red light from lower raindrops


Reading Recommendations🗞

IE
1. New Delhi, New Tel Aviv (GS2, IR)
2. War in Gaza, Page 15 (GS2, IR; read for awareness discretion)

TH
1. The Maldives, the evolution of a democracy (GS2, IR; focus on last para)
2. Women in the house (GS2, Polity; read/note at your discretion)
3. The impact of Claudia Goldin's work (GS1, Role of women)


PS: You can send your Mains essays to whycse@gmail.com for evaluation

Note: Participate in my pan Indian book club meetups by joining @CSEWhyBookClub

🚨 12 October 2023 | Thursday 🚨

Mains Keywords✍🏼

1. Guardian Minister
• Polity innovation in Maharashtra
• Chosen from State Cabinet to represent a particular district
• De facto or "mini CM" of the district
• Ex-officio chairperson of District Planning Committee
• Responsible for controlling development funds, officer postings etc
(Valuable inputs from Kalam)

2. Unviable debt
• In context of Sri Lanka
• MEA Jaishankar's reflection on how debt shall be seen from sustainable service
• Alternatively, sustainable debt

3. Niobium
• Silvery metal with layer of oxide on its surface, resistant to corrosion
• Alloys containing niobium used in jet engines, beams, girders for buildings, oil & gas pipelines
• Main source: Columbite; found in Canada, Brazil, Australia, Nigeria etc

4. Eusociality
It is a remarkable level of social organization where individuals within a colony exhibit distinct roles and responsibilities such as:
• Division of labour
• Cooperative care of off-springs
• Overlapping generations


Pre-related📄

1. Operation Ajay
• Launched by India to bring home citizens from Israel-Hamas warzone
• Revise all such operations since 2014 in this post here

2. Marrakech Roundtable
• Discussion on "IMF policy priorities"
• Hosted by US


Quote(s)💭

• The best way to predict the future is to design it ~ Abraham Lincoln


Reading Recommendations🗞

IE
1. The cost of cheap drugs (GS3, S&T)
2. Going nuclear (GS3, Environment)
3. It's not just lifestyle (GS2, Health)
4. War in Gaza (GS2, IR; read as per your awareness discretion)

TH
1. Concerns about govt's fact check unit (Read gist)


PS: It takes a lot of effort to curate a daily text every morning.
A ❤️reaction from you serves as a great motivation to know it is benefitting you! Drop a ❤️ :)

React as per your answer

If your answer is
a) react 🔥
b) react ❤️
c) react 💯
d) react 💋

CSEWhy MASTERCLASS with Chairman of Estimates Committee coming next week

असफलता के 100 दुश्मन होते है
और सफलता में 100 रिश्तेदार।

अगर आज कोई रिश्ता टूटा है, मेहनत कीजिए।
सफलता के साथ रिश्ते भी आएँगे और अवसर भी।

Note: Join @CSEWhyPlanB to find opportunities to help you make money with UPSC prep

🚨 13 October 2023 | Friday 🚨

Quote(s)💭

• Equality without excellence is neither sustainable nor satisfying


Reading Recommendations🗞

IE
1. Giant ozone: 'Hole' found over Antarctica (GS3 Climate)
2. All our parliaments (Read for P20, GS2: Parliament)

TH
1. The case for caste census in India (Start by reading gist; stats heavy article, focus on developing awareness GS2: Caste Politics)


PS: Less heavy newspaper today. Invest time in revising recent current affairs on CSEWhy Blog here

Gist & timeline of Caste politics in India; read once slowly and you will never forget! :)

Mandal Commission

• Set up by PM Morarji Desai (1979), report implemented by PM VP Singh (1990)
• Recommended 27% reservation for OBCs in government services and educational institutions

Indra Sawhney Case 1992

• Filed against the implementation of the Mandal Report
• Concept of creamy layer in OBCs introduced, 50% ceiling
• Allowed for OBC reservation in public employment & educations institutions
• Govt. notification offered 10% reservation in govt. jobs to Economically backward, struck down in this case

Interestingly, 103rd Amendment Act of 2019 provided 10% reservation to EWS

Economically Weaker Sections. Those from the General category who deserve social justice but left out due to caste criteria. This was brought back what SC struck down in 1992 case

In 2022, 30 years later, SC upheld the 103rd Amendment thus making it a law

What's current debate of caste census?

For: "To better understand the population share of caste groups and thus transfer the benefits"
Against: "Will lead to division on caste basis along with increased reservation demands"

Not like it was not done with census. 2011 census counted caste but the data was not made public.

But is reservation not set at 50%, how will new demand spring up, CSEWhy?

In some cases, states breached the ceiling and found SC validating the same.
As per Article 141, SC judgements lay down a law in itself.

Therefore, the demand will accentuate caste consciousness and cleavage.

As they say, Jaati nahi jati, it is important for #UPSC aspirants to develop an informed opinion on sensitive issues

How to form such an opinion? List down the important facts and develop a rational approach.

To gain an edge over others and save your time in this process, simply follow @CSEWhy

Note: Lucknow, Bhopal & Delhi aspirants, are you coming to CSEWhy Bookclub meetups tomorrow? Register here to join

🚨 14 October 2023 | Saturday 🚨

Subscribe to my high value blog for UPSC aspirants with your email: blog.csewhy.com


Mains Keywords✍️🏼

1. Keywords by Claudia Goldin

a) Quiet Revolution
• To reflect the inter-generational changes in women's quotidian attitudes towards their eduction and employment

b) Greedy Work
• Careers that require significant time and attention & more likely to reward those who are available at all times
• Like doctors, lawyers, senior corporate executives
• Mostly by men, who forgo time with family, as women forgo career


Mains Keys🗝️

1. Ferry services started between India (Nagapattinam Port, Tamil Nadu) & Sri Lanka to enhance connectivity (GS2, IR; India-SL)


Stats📈

• Adult literacy rate (2011 Census)
- Women: 50.6% (rural) ; 76.9% (urban)
- Men: 74.1% (rural) ; 88.3% (urban)


Quotes💭

• The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you ~ B B King
• Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it
• Justice hurried is justice buried


Reading Recommendations🗞

IE
1. A bleak spot (GS2, Social Justice)
2. Babasaheb's conversion (GS1, Modern History)
3. Bound by history, geography (GS2, IR)
4. In SC, questions of foetal viability & right of unborn child (GS2, Social Justice)
5. Hostage-taking as terror tactic (GS2, IR; GS3 Terrorism)

TH
1. Balancing policy (GS2, IR)
2. A war that ends the Saudi-Israel 'normalisation' process (GS2, IR)

PS: Hit ❤️ to confirm you are reading newspaper daily!

Note: Dr. Kalam's birthday today. Here's a story I wrote about him visiting my city. Read!

🚨 15 October 2023 | Sunday 🚨

Have you subscribed to my blog with your email? blog.csewhy.com


Mains Keywords✍🏼

1. Thrust Faults (aka reverse faults)
• Form due to horizontal compressive stresses and so called shortening of crust
• All 3 earthquakes that struck Afghanistan on Oct 7 were these

2. Green Credit
• A unit of an incentive provided for specified activities that deliver a positive impact on environment
• New GoI scheme to have individual/entity earn tradable green credits

3. Indian Philosophy wrt Indian Ocean
• Should be maintained as a "free, open and inclusive space"
• With "respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity" based on UNCLOS


Mains Keys🗝

1. Deep learning helps classification of tumour during surgery (GS3, Tech & health)
2. Egypt becomes first country to achieve "gold tier" status on path to elimination of Hepatitis C: WHO (GS2, Health)


Pre-related📄

1. Cheriyapani
• High speed craft deployed for resuming ferry services between India & Sri Lanka after 40 years
• Earlier was conducting inter-island services in Lakshadweep along with occasional services to Kochi

2. Gray Whale
• Also called Gray back whale, Pacific gray whale, Korean gray whale, California gray whale
• Type of baleen whale, i.e. filter food from water through special bristly structures in their mouth
• Stay close to shore and feed in shallow water
• IUCN: Least Concern


Reading Recommendations🗞

TH
1. Some FCRA-listed NGOs fail to show the right area of work, Page 7 (GS2, Role of NGOs)
2. How a 6.3 magnitude quake caused another of same intensity (GS1, Geography)
3. How is the IORA a key bloc for India? (GS2, IR)
4. Why are abortion laws in the spotlight again? (GS2, Social Justice)
5. Silk Roads at a crossroads (GS2,IR)


PS: Hit ❤️ for yourself if you are studying even on a Sunday

A look at different faults of the earthquake for visual memory

Friends, I am no more anonymous.

For last few weeks, I was curating Bal Buddhi Vidya t-shirts, notebooks, posters and more.

It's all live now for you to take home

Also, to see who runs CSEWhy, visit BalBuddhiVidya.com and scroll slowly to the end & click on this (image for reference)

Sunday Special ❤️

4 recommendations to utilize the weekend right!

1. Article 244 simplified | Click here to understand better

2. China doesn't want territory it wants | Click here to broaden your perspective

3. 27 maps compilation | Click here to save to your notes

4. Logical Tricks to remember all SDGs | Click here to memorise

A CSEWhy exclusive! :)

Note: Did you checkout my new website?

🚨 16 October 2023 | Monday 🚨


Mains Keywords✍️🏼

1. Estivation (or Aestivation)
• Biological phenomenon whereby animal enters a long period of dormancy, or inactivity
• Survival strategy in response to high temperature or maybe even drought-like conditions
• Example: West African lungfish,
Desert tortoises, snails

2. Deepfake
• A video of a person in which the face or body is altered to make one appear to be someone else
• Typically used to spread false information

3. Classification of subatomic particles
a) Fermions: Building blocks of matter
b) Bosons: Particles that carry the forces acting between them

4. Zionism
• Movement of trying to establish a Jewish homeland


Mains Keys🗝
(Use as examples in Mains answers)

1. Ama Gaon, Ama Bikash initiative: Odisha CM's direct interaction with panchayats through video conferencing, sanctioning of projects according to their needs (GS2, e-governance)

2. Borders to have radiation detection equipment to check trafficking of radioactive materials for possible use in making nuclear devices (GS3, Internal Security & Tech)

3. Bihar govt survey to assess mental health needs of teachers, to tackle teacher absenteeism & inability (GS2, Education)


Pre-related📄

1. Dhanauri Wetlands
• Located in Greater Noida
• Mapped in National Inventory of Wetlands
• Home to over 150 Sarus Crane, UP's state bird

2. Goan Cashew (kernel)
• Native to northeast Brazil, introduced to Goa by Portuguese in 1570, mainly as a crop for afforestation and soil conservation
• Granted GI Tag

3. World Food Day
• Observed on October 16
• Theme this year: 'Water is Life, Water is Food'


Quotes(s)💭

• Terror is not always the effect of force and an armament is not a victory ~ BR Ambedkar


Reading Recommendations🗞

IE
1. Keep water at the centre (GS3, Agriculture & Environment; read for importance of water)
2. Lessons from deluge (GS3, Disaster Management)
3. How Jews first migrated to Palestine, and how Israel was born (GS2, IR; read as per your awareness discretion)

TH
1. The world needs to stop taking water for granted (GS3, Environment)
2. Israel, Hamas and laws of war (GS2, IR)
3. UN approved Kenya-led mission to Haiti (GS2, International fora; reading gist would suffice)


PS: Getting more regular with posting daily message before 11am to make it easy for you. React ❤️ to appreciate the effort

Note: Get 10 year or 14 year Prelims PYQ notes from here

🚨 17 October 2023 | Tuesday 🚨


Mains Keywords✍️🏼

1. Palliative Care
• Branch of medicine aimed at improving quality of life of those having life-limiting illnesses
• Like cancer, diabetes complications, etc

2. Vicarious liability
• Liabililty incurred for other's wrong
• Situation in which one party is held partly responsible for unlawful actions of a third party


Pre-related📄

1. Sir Syed Ahmed
• Work: Causes of Indian Revolt
• Journal: Aligarh Institute Gazette
• Read about him here


Reading Recommendations🗞

IE
1. It's not just nine months (GS2, Social Justice)
2. On the upswing (GS3, Economy)
3. Doublespeak on terror (GS2,IR)
4. Can AAP be an accused in excise policy case? (GS2, Polity)
5. After 40 yrs, India-SL ferry services (GS2, IR; focus on potential impact)

TH
1. The Indian Himalayan Region needs its own EIA (GS3, EIA)
2. Confronting the long-term risks of AI (GS3, S&T)
3. Delay as tactic (GS2, Polity)
4. Palliative Care, Page 9 (GS2, Health)

PS: Hit ❤️ to confirm you are reading newspaper daily!

Note: Get the Daily CA Compilation access in one place from point no. 2 of the pinned message

🚨 18 October 2023 | Wednesday 🚨

Revise important SC cases for LGBTQIA+ rights here on CSE Why Blog

Mains Keywords ✍️🏼

1. Red Tide
• Phenomenon of seawater turning red, harmful for marine life
• Due to abundance of algae, result of being more nutrients in water
• Recently observed in Puducherry


Reading Recommendations 🗞

IE
1. Why Egypt is keeping Gaza's Rafah border crossing shut (GS2, IR)
2. Two views on four key issues (GS2, Social Justice)

TH
1. Centralised procurement as a powerful health idea (GS2, Health)
2. When tigers and jackals get the same protection (GS3, Environment)
3. How synergistic barriers are affecting progress on SDGs (GS3, Environment)


PS: Hit ❤️ to confirm you are reading newspaper daily!

Note: Join @CSEWhyPlanB to find opportunities to help you make money with UPSC Prep

🚨 19 October 2023 | Thursday 🚨

Read life story of MS Swaminathan here

Mains Keywords✍️🏼

1. Cognitive Warfare
• Using technological tools to alter the cognition of human targets, who are often unaware of such attempts
• Among elements of modern warfare

2. Artificial General Intelligence
• AI that is equal or superior to human Intelligence
• Will replace human judgement, intuition & creativity

3. Bioacoustics
• Use of sound to learn more about animal life and habitats


Mains Keys🗝
(Use as examples in Mains answers)

1. Chhatisgarh's Mitaan Yojna: Door to door government services like getting government documents available through toll free number (GS2, Governance)

2. Tribal Youth Exchange Program: MHA's program of taking tribal youth from LWE affected areas on tour to major cities across the country (GS3, Internal Security)

3. Management Development Programme: IIM-powered crash course for entrepreneurs from Maoist-hit districts (GS3, Internal Security)


Pre-related📄

1. Marsquakes

• Reasons for occurence
a) Tectonic activity: Active faults as its surface is slowly shrinking & cooling (but no active plate tectonic processes, unlike earth)

b) Meteorite impact


Reading Recommendations🗞

IE
1. OBCs and subcategories (GS2, Social Justice)
2. Lagging behind (GS1, Society)

TH
1. The explosion of digital uncertainty (GS3, S&T)
2. The BRI at 10, some hits, many misses (GS2, IR)
3. The measure of working woman (GS1, Society)
4. The Aboriginal referendum in Australia (Read to understand Australian Parliamentary functioning)
5. How quantum algorithms solve problems that classical computers can’t (read first para for understanding of algorithms)

PS: Writing essays and need help with evaluation? Send them to me for feedback at whycse@gmail.com