Reading Recommendations 🗞

IE

1. Experiments with water
(GS1, Society, Urbanisation, Water supply challenges and solutions)

2. Holes in social security
(GS3, Economy, Social security schemesand issues)

3. India Pak Question of trade
(GS3, Economy, India Pak bilateral trade)

4. State of unemployment in India
(GS3, Economy, New Report on unemployment)


TH

1. The politics of humanitarian aid
(GS2, IR, Humanitarian aid in gaza)

2. WTO's investment facilitation negotiations are not illegal
(GS3, Economy, WTO, MC13, Outcomes and way forward)

3. On sustainable building materials
(GS3, Environment, sustainable construction & way forward)

4. Why are Rohingya refugees risking their lives at sea?
(GS2, IR, Rohingya refugees, sea journey)

PS: Revise Places of Worship Act here

Pre note: Revise Bhakti Saints with mnemonics & mapping here

🚨 29 March 2024 | Friday 🚨

Pre Related News 📄

1. Core Sectors

• 6.7% growth recorded in February
• Office of Economic Advisor, DIPP, Commerce Ministry
• 8 Core sectors: RESCCNCF (in order of contribution from most to least)
Refinery products, Electricity, Steel, Coal, Crude oil, Natural gas, Cement, Fertilisers

2. Vikram-1 launch vehicle

• India's 1st pvt orbital rocket launch
• High strength Carbon composite rocket motor
• Test fire by Skyroot aerospace in Sriharikota
• Uses solid fuel & high performance thermal protection system

3. Polio virus

• poliomyelitis; 3 subtypes
• composed of RNA genome & protein Capsid
• 1st isolated in 1909 by Karl Landsteiner & Erwin Popper
• 2 types of vaccines: inactivated & live attenuated
• India- polio free nation

4. H5N1 strain

• Avian influenza A virus subtype H5N1; highly pathogenic
• Symptoms that include fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches, conjunctivitis, etc.


PS: Revise weekly current affairs on my blog

Reading Recommendations 🗞

IE

1. The deflator problem
(GS3, Economy, double deflation method, NSO data on GDP)

2. Why Nov- Dec temperatures may decide the Rabi output
(GS3, Agriculture, temperature rise, issues)

3. Governor's assent to state laws
(GS2, Polity, Governor's Role, KL issues)


TH

1. The countdown to a pandemic treaty
(GS3, Health, WHO's pandemic treaty, features, concerns & way forward)

2. Understanding India's coal imports
(GS3, Economy, coal imports, issues, locations)

3. Measuring internet freedom in India in the last 10 years
(GS2, Polity, internet shutdowns, colonial laws & global trends)

4. A living will
(GS2, Social issues, dying with dignity, guidelines)


PS: Get CAWhy, a current affairs compilation (use code MYCA)

Friends, I have mapped EVERY Question of Prelims 2023 with its resource.

25+ Qs are purely from NCERT & easy Current Affairs. (Club PYQs & you are at 40+ Qs easily!)

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Use this to find out core focus areas.

🚨 30 March 2024 | Saturday 🚨

Quotes 💭
" I think the Music reflects the state of that society is in...poets & musicians.. reflect that age" - John Lennon


Mains Keywords ✍🏻

Cyber slavery: It is emerging as a form of organized crime of unprecedented severity and scale.
(GS3, security)


Pre Related News 📄

1. INS Sumedha & Trishul

•INS Sumedha (P58) is the 3rd Saryu-class patrol vessel of the Indian Navy, by Goa Shipyard Ltd
•INS Trishul (F43) (Trident) is the 2nd frigate of the Talwar class of the Indian Navy.
• intercepted & free hijacked Iranian vessel Al Kambar
• Near Socotra island, Yemen

2. Surrogate Ads

•A marketing technique used by companies to indirectly promote their products or services, which are prohibited or restricted from advertising directly.


PS: Need any help wrt UPSC prep? Talk to me directly at whycse@gmail.com

Reading Recommendations 🗞

IE

1. Power threat to bustards
(GS3, Environment, Great indian bustards threats & way forward)

2. Why US allowed UNSC resolution on Gaza ceasefire to pass
(GS2, IR, UNSC & Gaza)

3. Africa at the centre
(GS2, IR, Global South strategy, Africa)

4. From special to equal
(GS2, Polity, A370 abrogation, wayforward)

TH

1. Bonds, big money, & an imperfect democracy
(GS2, Polity, Electoral bonds, cronyism)

Pre note: Revise 6th schedule & Article 371 here

🚨 31 March 2024 | Sunday 🚨

Pre Related News 📄

1. Bohag Bihu:

• Marks the beginning of the Assamese New Year
• Revise North-East Festivals asked in UPSC Prelims from here

2. Otoliths:

• Bio-mineralised ear stones that help fish hear
• Used to identify the species, size, age, growth rate, and season of death of an individual fish

3. Bail

• Governed by Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (CrPC, 73)
• Regular Bail, Interim Bail, Anticipatory Bill. Revise from Here

4. Diabetes

• Pancreatic endocrine disorder due to insufficient insulin secretion.
• Type 1 diabetes: autoimmune reaction that stops your body from making insulin.
• Type 2 diabetes: does not use insulin well & can’t keep blood sugar at normal levels.
• Gestational diabetes: Insulin-blocking hormones that are produced during pregnancy


PS: Revise weekly current affairs on my blog

Reading Recommendations 🗞

TH

1. Why is unemployment high among the youth?
(GS3, Growth & Development)

2. Will global forest expansion hit tribals?
(GS3, Environment, Biodiversity, PESA)

3. Tropical cyclones of higher intensity demands a new category
(GS1, Geography, Cyclones & Climate Change)

4. Many countries yet to fully implement steps to prevent misuse of virtual assets, says FATF
(GS3, Internal Security, Money Laundering & Intl Cooperation)

IE

1. 1920 The Start of India's Election Journey
(GS1, History, Montague Chelmsford Reforms )

2. India & Philippines @75: A Relationship Resurgent
(GS2, IR: South-South Cooperation, Act-East Policy)


PS: Get my all tweets compiled in a FREE PDF here

Article 371 in news consistently!

Did not find a good graphic to summarize it, made my own 😉

Click here to save this image in high resolution

Friends, I have compiled all my Tweets of March 2024 in a PDF.

I call it t-Vidya, (twitter-Vidya)

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Pre Note: Get 15 years of PYQ Analysis notes here

🚨 1 April 2024 | Monday 🚨

Pre Related News 📄

1. Genetic profiling:

• Revise Genome India Project in News from here
• DNA fingerprinting: Shows genetic makeup of a person/other living things
• More than 99.9 % of everyone’s genome is exactly alike/similar (100% for identical twins)

2. GI Tags:

• Nationally Governed under GI Act 1999 under DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce and Industry
• Globally Governed under WTO's Trade-Related Aspects of Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement

3. Nuclear Energy Summit

• Initiative of IAEA’s ‘Atoms4Netzero’ program
• Revise Nuclear Power Plants of India with a Map from here
• Nuclear power emits 4 times less carbon than solar or other renewable sources


4. 100 years since Vaikom Satyagraha

• First Temple Entry movement in India
• Led by Ezhava leader T.K. Madhavan, editor of Deshabhimani paper
• Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's Satyagraha & Leaders like Periyar & C. Rajagopalachari


PS: Revise weekly current affairs on my blog

Reading Recommendations 🗞

TH

1. The ART of India’s HIV/AIDS response
(GS3, SNT, AIDS & ART, GoI Mission & Way Forward)

2. Compounding crises
(GS1, Geography, Water crisis in South, reservoirs depleting)

3. Workers, not tech, should be state’s priority
(GS3, Economy vs Employment, MGNREGS, Rising Inequality)


IE

1. Manifesto for Naari Shakti
(GS1, Role of Women, Read this to know the context)

2. Viksit must be inclusive
(GS3, Agriculture & Climate Change, Way Forward)

PS: Learn 100+ Articles of Indian Constitution here

🚨 2 April 2024 | Tuesday 🚨

Pre Related News 📄

1. Judicial Custody

• Accused in the custody of the concerned Magistrate & is locked up in jail
• Police officer in charge of the case is not allowed to interrogate the suspect in Judicial Custody (can do only if court allows)


2. Autonomous District Councils (ADCs)

• Under 6th Schedule: 10 ADCs - Assam (3), Meghalaya (3), Tripura (1) & Mizoram (3)
• ADCs Composition: 30 members with a term of 5 years, 4 nominated by Governor, rest elected
• Also make regulations for money lending & trading by non-tribals (such regulations require assent of governor)

Note: Click here to Revise 5th Schedule & Art 244 for Prelims

3. Art. 293 - Borrowing Limit Case Kerala

• State power extends to borrowing within the territory of India upon the security of the Consolidated Fund of the State
• Article 293(3): requires states to obtain the Centre’s consent to borrow if the state is indebted to the Centre over a previous loan


PS: Revise weekly current affairs on my blog here

Reading Recommendations 🗞

The Hindu

1. Solar surge
(GS3, Energy, OSOWOG, India & Renewable Efforts)

2. AI in elections, the good, the bad and the ugly
(GS3, SNT, Applications of AI, paradigm shift in all sectors)

3. No Man's Land
(GS2, IR, Covered Entire Katchatheevu details, read from here)

Indian Express

1. RBI @90: Snapshots from History
(GS3, Statutory Bodies, Role of RBI in Banking Reforms)

2. How India's First Solar Observatory was setup in Kodaikanal 125 Years ago
(Can be quoted in Essay & GS-4 Ethics, Example of Scientific Advancements)

3. An Imperfect Farm Solutions
(GS3, MSP & Issues, Balanced approach & Way forward)

4. The Importance of Hope
(GS1, Population & Associated Challenges, Declining Fertility)

Pre Note: Download Notes of 35+ Species asked in last 15 years in Prelims here

🚨 3 April 2024 | Monday 🚨

Pre Related News 📄

1. Heat Wave Criteria:

Plains and Hilly Regions:

• Max temp ≥ 40°C (Plains) or ≥ 30°C (Hilly)
• Heat Wave: 4.50°C to 6.40°C departure from normal
• Heat Wave (Actual Max Temp) ≥45°C & Severe Heat Wave (Actual Max Temp) ≥ 47°C
• Criteria met in more than 2 stations in a subdivision for more than 2 consecutive days

Coastal Areas:

• Max temp departure ≥ 4.50°C.
• Actual Max Temp: ≥37°C for Heat Wave.


2. Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)

• u/ Ministry of Health & Family Welfare
• Established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006
• FSSAI is responsible for the Food Certification & carry out food import controls


3. Purchasing Managers Index

• It measures activity at the purchasing or input stage
• Economic indicator, which is derived after monthly surveys of different companies
• The index shows trends in both the manufacturing and services sector, does not capture informal sector


Stats 📈

1. State of the Global Climate by World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

• 2023 was the hottest year in the recorded history of the planet
• Close to breaking the agreed limit of 1.5 °C

Mains Keyword ✍🏻

1. Kalkakkadal: Coastal Flooding during Pre Monsoon, swell surges in Malayalam


PS: Revise weekly current affairs on my blog

Reading Recommendations 🗞

TH

1. India risking demographic dividend
(GS1, Population, Unemployment & Demographic Dividend)

2. The Gaza war needs a smart exit strategy
(GS2, IR, Covered India-Israel in detail here)


IE

1. How Delhi Maps the World
(GS2, IR, Indo-Pacific, SAARC, SCO)

2. Aatmanirbhar in Defence
(GS3, Internal Security, Indigenization of Armed Forces)

3. The Katchatheevu Story
(GS2, IR, India-Sri Lanka, History)

4. The Importance of Hope
(GS1, Population & Associated Challenges, Declining Fertility)