Subscribe
Home Blog Page 235

Things to Keep in Mind While Choosing Optional Paper for IAS Exam

By
Syskool
-
101
optional paper for IAS Exam

Every year lakhs of aspirants appear for the prestigious Civil Services Examination which is conducted by UPSC Board and there are three stages, 1st one is Prelims, 2nd one is Mains and finally the Interview. Earlier there used to be 2 optional subjects, but now as per the latest syllabus you have to deal with only one. Selecting optional paper for IAS Exam is most important part but aspirants are still confused if they are making right choice or not.

The decision of selecting optional paper for IAS Exam is very crucial. If you are so strong in all your GS papers with consistent newspaper reading and note making habits, the decision of IAS Mains optional might not play a big difference in your results.

Here are some practical tips which will help you to decide optional paper for IAS Exam:

Familiarity with the subject

You need select an optional paper for IAS Exam in which you are comfortable to score high. The level of comfortness depends on many factors like – familiarity of the subject, availability of faculty, scope of peer discussion, recent trends of marks, and previous question papers etc. If the subject you took for graduation is available in the list of subjects given, in most cases the same option will turn out as a comfortable option. You may choose a subject, which you have already studied in school or college, as it will be easier for you to complete and score good marks.

Also Read: How to Write Essay for IAS Exam?

Liking for the Subject

Optional paper for IAS Exam are those which you have to study for couple of years during your preparation for this exam. So, if you don’t like the optional subjects, or if you have selected the subject only for scoring purpose, you won’t be comfortable in studying them. It should be based on your liking for the subject as the interest in the subject has to be carried till the time you clear the exam.

Familiarity with the syllabus

First before choosing the subject you have to see the entire syllabus of the all the optional subjects as there are many optional subjects given by the Civil Services Examination. Although you have already studied the subject in school or college, but it is also necessary to consider the syllabus, as state universities syllabus are totally different from national universities, and UPSC syllabus are based on national universities’ s syllabus. So when you select the optional subject, Be Clear & Go Through the Syllabus.

Easy Availability of Books and Materials

If you are considering a subject, which is easily not available in the market than you have to work harder for preparing the content. The advantages of available books and materials are that, it is prepared by expert and they have already invested their mind and time into it, so with that accumulated work you can easily finish your syllabus.

Must Read: How to Prepare General Studies for Preliminary Exam?

Dedicated friends’ study circle

Its advantageous to have group of people doing with same optional subject, not only it will make learning better but also reduce preparation time.

Overlap and utility in GS and Essay

Selecting optional paper for IAS Exam is covering the subject of GS and also helpful for essay than its a bumper choice, as it will improve you writing and essay skill simultaneously.

Conceptual subject

The benefit of conceptual subject is that, they are scoring, scientific and are not superfluous in nature. Even with decent preparation you can score better marks.

Contemporary nature

With the increase of current affairs portion in examination, it has become compulsory to integrate current and static topics of subjects, if your optional is like that, than some how it will prove advantageous for you.

Don’t care marks trends

Lastly don’t go with mark trends, it might have proved advantageous for some aspirants, but you have to do justice with your likes and preferences. Now a days questions are conceptual not factual and concept can be developed only with dedication in subject. So always choose a subject upon which you can invest your 100% dedication.

Writing Practice

Writing practice is very important and it is “Recommended” in Civil Services examination, because even if you know lot about the subject and if you are not able to complete the paper, it is not going to work. So, instead of reading more actually you have to Write & Practice more, and this is the Key of Success in Mains Examination. By writing more you improve your language, you learn time management and you also improve you handwriting if your handwriting is not good.

Don’t Miss: How to Improve your Reading Speed?

Climate Change, Technology and Energy Sustainability

By
Syskool
-
3
climate change technology energy

Greenhouse gas emissions, which includes carbon dioxide too, are accepted physical exhibitions of enhancing anthropogenic and development activities around the globe. These ’emissions’ are potential global warming threats as well. According to ‘The Economist’ (April 19, 2014) coal, much needed for the energy industry, continues to be the fuel of the future. Energy supply has the highest apportion of 28 percent followed by agriculture, transport, and industry sectors.

India, having 17 percent of the world’s population, is the third largest producer of coal as well as Green House Gas (GHG) emissioner, India’s total emissions are only 5 percent of the global emissions. Energy supply has an allotment of 37 percent; agriculture, transportation, building and industry are other important stakeholders.

Must Read: Biotechnology Impact on Cotton Production

Climate Change Alleviation

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Kyoto Protocol, international protocols and conventions, are restraining all countries of the world to make greenhouse gas lists for taking action towards stabilization of CO2 concentration in the atmosphere.

As an emerging coal dominant economy, India has to discover its own solutions to climate change. It requires to acquire a credible response in terms of green technology to fight greenhouse gas emissions.

In the Copenhagen Summit, India volunteered GDP intensity reduction of 20 – 25 percent by 2020 from 2005 level. In the post Kyoto phase, UN secretariat has appealed all countries to give their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs).

India’s stated objectives in INDCs are:

  • to decrease DDP intensity reduction of 33 – 35 percent by 2030 from 2005 level;
  • to sum up carbon sinks for 2.5 – 3 billion tons of carbon dioxide by 2030; and
  • to possess 40 percent non fossil fuel based electricity capacity.

The most promising and significant aspect in this ahead looking policy is that technology would have to discover ways through new research and maximum resource utilization.

Improvement on Energy Efficiency

The National Mission on Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE), under National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), has a focus on ameliorating energy efficiency across the sectors. The first phase of Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) mechanism was completed in 2015. It has nine designated largest sectors known as: Aluminium, Cement, Chlor – alkali, Fertilizers, Pulp & Paper, Iron & Steel, Sponge Iron and Textiles. In fossil fuel based power plants such as super critical and ultra supercritical boilers, use of energy efficient technologies has been promoted. It alleviates demand on fuel and GHG emissions per unit of electricity generated.

The second phase of PAT, that is going to be launched, incorporates three more sectors namely Electricity Distribution, Railways and Refineries. A large number of technologies, with the assistance of being incentivized through participation of private sector, would have to be implemented, many of which are in existence and can be applied across the sectors.

In other demand sectors as well too, efforts towards adoption of efficient technology have to be mounted. In the transport sector, for instance, new standards has been fixed for fuel economy and a 15 percent abatement in fuel consumption is targeted by 2021 – 22.

The 20% mixing of ethanol and biodiesel in automobile fuel was the aim for 2017.

The enhancement and upgradation of existing technologies incorporating search for Alternatives fuels and electric vehicles in order to acquire their commercial viability has to be principal goal in the direction of a climate change solution.

Also Read: National Biotechnology Development Strategy (NBDS) (2015 – 2020)

Non-Fossil Fuel Energy Technology

Non-fossil fuel technologies can surely be possible climate change solutions if they can be harnessed on large scale to become cost competitive, as they produce to GHG emissions during operation.

The Integrated Energy Policy 2006 had projected 800 GW of electricity installed capacity in 2031 – 32. 40 percent of this would mean that 320 GW should come from non – fuel energy.

At present, renewable energy, hydropower, and nuclear power add to 83 GW. The current allotment of renewable electricity capacity is 13 percent in the total generation in India.

The revised National Solar Mission target is 100 GW installed capacity by 2022. At present, Solar energy capacity has reached 3.5 GW which is almost eight times compared to 47 MW in 2010. The target is to attain a total of 175 GW by 2022 from all renewable sources.

Don’t Miss: Technologically Advanced Countries in the World

National Festivals of India – Part– 2

By
Syskool
-
3
National Festivals

In the previous part of the article National Festivals of India we had promised to come up with the information about more important festivals: and now we are here again:

Also Read: National Festivals of India – Part 1

Shivratri

Shivratri , a Sanskrit phrase, literally means the Night of Shiva and, as one of the most important national festivals, is observed for one day one night. Shivratri is believed to be the night when the Lord Shiva performed the Tandava Nritya (the Cosmic Dance).

This particular day that generally falls in February or March is determined by following the Vedic Calendar System. It is mentioned in the Puranas that during the Samudra Manthan, the great mythical churning of the ocean, a pot containing poison, that was enough to destroy the entire world, emerged from the ocean.

Lord Shiva, in order to avoid, the impending tragedy, drank the deadly poison; however, he instead of Swallowing the poison, held it in his throat that turned his throat blue and since then he came to be known also as Nilkantha (the blue-throated one). Thus, Shivaratri is celebrated as the event in which Lord Shiva saved the world.

Must Read: Saivism: Origin, Principles, and Kinds

Ganesh Chaturthi

Ganesh Chaturthi, a ten-day long festival that falls sometimes in August and September, is celebrated as the birthday of Lord Ganesha all over India, but with the greatest fervor in Maharashtra. Beautiful and different types of idols of Lord Ganesha are worshipped in homes, and offering of Lord Ganesha favorite foods are made during this festival that is one among the most popular national festivals. The principal features of this festival are classical dance recitals, music performances, poetry recitations, and folk dances.

In public places also huge idols, some of them are more than 20 feet high, are installed which are on the concluding day of the ten-day long festival taken in a grand procession and immersed in the Sea, or rivers or ponds.

Don’t Miss: 10 Major Festivals of India

Onam

Among the national festivals, Onam is the main festival of Kerala; it generally falls in the month of August or September that basically depend on the position of stars.

As the story goes by the legend, a king named Mahabali, long ago, ruled this region what is now known as Kerala. He was a wise and kind king and his reign was considered as a golden era, in which joy and prosperity overflowed.

Mahabali’s popularity grew to such proportions that the Gods became very jealous of him and asked Lord Vishnu to help them. Lord Vishnu, after disguising himself as a Brahmin Boy called Vamana, visited the court of Mahabali and requested as much land as he could cover with three steps. Mahabali immediately agreed to Vamana’s request. Vamana, then growing his size to immense proportion, measured the Heavens with one foot and with the next, the Earth. As no land was left for the third step, Mahabali humbly offered his head and placed Vamana’s foot on it; although, he was pushed down to the nether world, he was granted a boon that he could visit his subjects once every year. Onam is a festival of celebration of his visit once in a year to his subjects.

In order to welcome Bahubali’s visit, in front of every house, a flower carpet called “Pookalam” is laid. Followed by a lavish feast, traditional rituals are performed. It is also a season of many cultural events, sports and carnivals.

Also Read: Events and Festivals in Puri

Bihu

This festival is celebrated thrice in a year and has its name listed in the list of national festivals of India, although it is a chief festival of Assam. Hills and Valleys of Assam come alive with the sound of Bihu thrice a year. Bihu, the festival that marks the change of season, is followed both by prayer and great rejoicing. This festival goes beyond all religious and class barriers as it brings people from all sections of society together in a free and a joyous manner.

The Assamese celebrate not one but three Bihus:

  • Bohag Bihu is celebrated in Mid April
  • Magh Bihu is observed in mid-January
  • Kati Bihu is held in mid-October.

These three Bihus are connected with the spring, winter and summer seasons respectively.

Lohri

Although a well-known festival among the national festivals of India, Lohri is the main festival of Punjab. In Punjab wheat, the main winter crop is sworn in October and harvested in March or April. In January, usually, the fields start promising of a golden harvest and farmers celebrated this rest period before the cutting and gathering the crops with a joyous festival called Lohri.

On Lohri day, after setting of the sun, huge bonfires are lit and people circling the bonfire throw in putted rice and sing popular songs. After offerings to the bonfire, the time for the lovely and vigorous Bhangra dances, performed by menfolk, comes.

Must Read: Classical Dances of India: Mirror of Cultural India

Gangaur

Not very much known among the national festivals, Gangaur is one of the most important festivals in Rajasthan; all over the State it is celebrated in one form or other.

‘Gan’ is another name for Lord Shiva and gaur or gauri stands for his wife Godess Parvati; and from these two words the name Gangaur has been created. The festival celebrates the union of the two- Shiva and Parvati- and is a symbol of married joy.

As the winter ends and spring begins in March or April Gangaur is celebrated in which devotees mostly women, apply mehndi on the palms of their hands. A procession accompanied by town bands, of colourful images of Gauri, beautifully dressed and bejeweled is taken out.

Watch out for interesting information about Asia and International Festivals in our next meeting on Sunday.

Don’t Miss: Cultural  Heritage Sites of the world

Key Points for a Successful Job Interview

By
Syskool
-
0
Key Points for a Successful Job Interview

These are few key points for your successful job interview.

  • Be on Timedo not be late, if you will contact the interviewer immediately:– Being on time for your successful job interview helps you relax and put you in a better firm of mind.  Be nice to whoever is your first contact when you arrived.
  • SMILE:– This is the essential prerequisite to any communication in the professional world as in everyday
    life.
  • BE SHORT:– All recruiters will ask you to summarize your profile and experiences. Present your point briefly and in relation to the proposed position.
  • START FROM THE BEGINNING:– Speak about your initial education; it is a small but important point for your successful job interview. Then talk about your experience from the past to present.
  • EXPLAIN YOUR CHOICES:– Why you chose your university education, your first job. For each change,
    explain “why you left” and “why you chose your new employer”.
  • SPEAK OPENLY:– About what you have gained from each experience, project … both personally and professionally.
  • Show the interviewer that you are very much interested in the position:– For your successful job interview show a sincere interest in the company and the job, smile try not to look desperate. Be appreciative for the opportunity to be part of the
    interview process.
  • BE SPECIFIC:– About what motivates you. The situations, products, environments, personalities, etc. and explain why.
  • UNDERSTAND:- About the position that is to be filled. Ask the key questions in the first interview. Ask the more detailed questions in the following interviews.
  • BE NATURAL AND SINCERE:– And Smile again for your successful job interview, this is the end of the interview..!

Also, Read:

Things to Keep in Mind While Preparing for UPSC Interview

How to Read The Hindu Newspaper for IAS Preparation?

How to Overcome the Fear of Failure?

How to Read NCERT Books for UPSC Civil Services Exam?

Biogas: An energy alternative

By
Syskool
-
1
Biogas

In urban settlements in India, especially in cities like Delhi, that has, reportedly on the Christmas this year, been ranked the most polluted city in the World, deteriorating quality of life impedes our overall growth, for which there appear only one solution and that is of using biogas an alternative energy.

For the last few years NASA has been alerting countries of the increasing level of air pollution that is becoming a grave health concern for all. To add to the wound, our huge import bill is proving to be a constant drain on our forex reserves.

For the sake of the future the world is now looking towards green energy technologies. A very simple solution for this big problem is renewable energy like Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) or Biogas.

Biogas, that can be used for cooking, lighting, power generation and automobile fuels, is produced from anaerobic digestion (without oxygen) of any organic material. It contains 50-70 % of methane, 30-45 % of carbon dioxide and traces of water vapour and hydrogen sulfide (H2S).

Raw Biogas is upgraded to be utilized for automotive fuel and this upgrade gas is generally termed as Biomethane that is bottled at pressure of 200 bar, that in turn is called Bio-CNG. It is imperative to mention here that the BISC (Bureau of India Standards) has already issued a standard for Biomethane to be used for transport application.

Also Read: Noble Gases

Benefits of Biogas

There are various resources available for producing this Gas that is a viable option for our country because it is environmental friendly, cheap, clean and versatile fuel. Harnessing such a resource as an alternative clean energy can certainly encourage agriculture, rural industries, dairy and animal farming in a sustainable way. Furthermore, it can regulated environmental cycles effectively as nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the process are conserved in the slurry and can be returned to the soil.

This digested slurry is a good source to obtain several micronutrients such as Zinc, iron, manganese and copper.

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and Biogas

Keeping in mind the Prime Minister’s vision and mission of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, IIT Delhi is preparing to develop a small household model of biogas digester of the size of domestic refrigerator or washing machine in which the kitchen waste and food leftover material of the household would be converted into this renewable energy, supplementing LPG for cooking gas; this may save at least 10-15 % of LPG consumption in household.

In most of our cities the waste is piling up like mountains and it is becoming difficult to find a fool-proof solution to this fast spreading problem. This problem can be skirted by segregating biodegradable waste and then subjecting to household /entrepreneurial system of biogas plants.

Such initiatives, to utilize the waste generated by them, taken by people can help in keeping the environment clean, green, and disease free. And this precisely, is the main objective of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

Must Read: New Rules on Solid Waste Management (SWSM)

National Biogas and Manure Management Programme (NBMMP)

In 1981, the National Biogas and Manure Management Programme (NBMMP) was introduced by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). As the government views this technology as a means to decrease rural poverty, it launched NBMMP as a Central Sector Scheme that provides for setting up of Family Type Biogas Plants mainly for rural and semi-urban households.

To utilize this renewable energy to address the deficiency in adequate cooking energy sources in India is the aim of the NBMMP. Against a potential of 1.2 crore, over 48 lakh small biogas plants of family sized (of one cubic metre onwards) for cattle manure have been installed so far.

Don’t Miss: Solid Waste Management (SWM) : Growing for Solutions

Biogas based Distributed/Grid Power Generation Programme

With an intention to encourage biogas based power generation, particularly in small capacity range, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy in 2005-06 has started a scheme “Biogas based Distributed/Grid Power Generation Programme.” In our country these Biogas based units can be a reliable decentralized power generation option.

A National Biogas Mission with a target for setting up of I crore biogas plant by 2022 is being contemplated by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. A task force, to work on preparation of Mission Document, has already been constituted by the Ministry. This Mission is an initiative for utilizing all kind of bio-waste for this renewable energy production that will result in providing energy security and encouraging organic agriculture in India.

Also Read: Geographical Indication (GI) Status

Status of Biogas in India

At IIT Delhi, Biogas Devlopmnt and Training Centre, a research team has estimated that the total biogas generation potential in our country is nearly 50,000 million cubic metre annually. This estimate is tantamount to 30,000 million cubic metre per year of upgraded biogas that can be used as Bio-CNG for vehicles; this amount of upgraded biogas can replace 86.8% of petroleum fuel used in transportation and 83.4% petroleum fuel in cooking sector.

The National Capital Region itself has potential to produce approximately 800 million cubic metres of biogas per year, which if upgraded to Bio-CNG quality, can produce nearly 350 million kg of CNG per year which in turn can run more than 5,00 buses and 2 lakh cars.

Presently, Delhi NCR alone possesses more than 8:Lakh CNG vehicles and 325 KNG gas stations; with this extensive infrastructure CNG can easily be implemented as a transport fuel. Installed at housing clusters across the cities, the small sewage treatment plants can provide a potential source for replacing CNG in vehicles for local transportation in various cities.

At IIT Delhi a passenger car testing, using Bio-CNG is going; in fact this vehicle has already covered 40,000 km run on upgraded biogas in which exhaust emissions were found lower than petrol/ diesel and similar to CNG. It is also a matter of great relief that existing CNG vehicles do not require to undergo any modification and are to be consonant to Bio-CNG.

This technology has ignited the hope of millions as it promises a green and low cost fuel for automobiles and various thermal applications. Therefore, it can be ascertained that biogas has a potential, in India, towards obtaining energy sustainability by using locally available organic wastes that may further assist in reducing greenhouse emissions and providing good quality bio-fertilizer for farmers.

Don’t Miss: Water Pollution

1...234235236...442Page 235 of 442

Subscribe for exclusive content

We have a curated list of the most noteworthy news from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.

Subscribe

Copyright Syskool.