December Current Affairs 2013

IAS-PCS Coaching

Green India Mission may converge with MGNREGS, CAMPA

The ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) may look for private sector participation in the Rs 46,000-crore Green India Mission and is set for operational convergence with other schemes like Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Rural Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA).

The ambitious project plans to increase the country’s forest cover by another 10 million hectare area. The fund-starved mission is looking for approval of Rs 13,000 crore during 12th plan period, including convergence with MGNREGS, CAMPA and allocation of plan panel funds. The minist-ry of environment and forests (MoEF) is set to rope in private players for the agro-forestry part of creating new forest areas as per the plan. The National Mission for a Green India is one of the eight missions under “the National Action Plan on Climate Change” that aims to increase forest and tree cover on 5 million hectare area, improve quality of forest cover or create new on another 5 million ha area by 2020.

PUNJAB STATE CIVIL SERVICES COMBINED COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION – 2013

1. VACANCIES :-

 No Name of Post No. of Posts

1 Punjab Civil Service (Executive Branch) 23

2 Deputy Superintendent of Police 10

3 Deputy Superintendent of Jails (Grade-II)/ District Probation Officer (Jails) 16*

4 Excise & Taxation Officer 52

5 Tehsildar 06

6 Block Development & Panchayat Officer 11

7 Labour & Conciliation Officer 02

Note : 1* The vacancies of Deputy Superintendent of Jails (Grade-II)/ District Probation Officer (Jails) are provisionally incorporated in accordance with letter No. 1/236/2011-1J/ 131652/1 of Department of Home Affairs, Govt. of Punjab and is subject to the final approval of the Govt.

Note: 2** The number of posts may be increased or decreased by the Govt. at any time before the selection process is completed without giving any prior notice to the candidates.

2. ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS:-

(i) The candidate should possess a Bachelor's degree in any discipline from a recognised university or institution. Provided that the candidate may be permitted to take Preliminary Competitive Examination while studying for his degree. However, the candidate shall be required to produce proof of passing the degree course for being eligible to take the Main Competitive Examination during that year.

(ii) The Candidates must have passed Punjabi of matric or its equivalent standard as on the last date of receipt of Online application Form i.e. 30th December, 2013

IAS/PCS MAINS 2013

MAINS 2013

A MUST READ SPECIAL ISSUE

COMPILED BY

    ABHISHEK SHARMA

EDITED BY

SIKANDER GARG

Mains 2013 are being held this year on a new pattern which envisages to test multidimensional skills of candidates under a wide variety of topics. Edugaps has created a set of focus issues for the civil services aspirants based on current affairs from The Hindu and Press Information Bureau website along with other sources.  

                       UPSC Foundation Day Lecture Series on ‘Governance and Public Service’ 

The 4thLecture on “Governance and Public Service” delivered by President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee on 29th November, 2013 at Plenary Hall, Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi. 

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is responsible for advising the Government on service related matters that actually cover personnel policy and human resource management. It is in furthering this central role in the governance structure that UPSC has initiated an annual lecture series focusing on the inter linkage of governance and public services. 

This lecture series aim at providing a forum for raising issues of contemporary relevance to governance and public administration and to generate ideas and fresh thinking that will help not only the UPSC but concomitantly all other units of governance as well. 

Latest GK IAS/PCS

Population no hurdle

Interestingly, population has not posed an impediment to Sikkim, a State with a population of around 6,00,000 and Andhra Pradesh that has a population of 84 million. Further, most States that have recorded high levels of saturation include high per capita income States, among them Delhi, Goa and Sikkim.

Eight States which record a saturation rate of less than 10 per cent include Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jammu and Kashmir. All these States have per capita income (per capita State domestic product) lower than the national average of Rs. 68,757 in 2012-13. Additionally, according to the Human Development Report 2011, Bihar, U.P., Chhattisgarh ranked lowest on the Human Development Index.

Latest Current Affairs for IAS/PCS

Kushan, Gupta era pottery discovered

The Archaeological Survey of India has unearthed rare pieces of pottery dating back to the Kushan and Gupta periods in the ongoing excavation at the dilapidated fort of Raja Ram Baksh Singh at Unnao in Uttar Pradesh.  ASI found bangles similar to those in the Indus Valley Civilisation. Archaeologists say the find proves the kingdom existed 2,000 years ago

The Gupta dynasty is often known as the Golden Age of Indian culture because during this period of Indian history, there was peace, progress and prosperity. Great advances were made in art, literature and science. There was renewed enthusiasm in religions like Hinduism and the world's first universities were established. The Gupta dynasty was founded by Chandra Gupta I. A classic case of history repeating itself?! (The last major empire, the Mauryan dynasty was also founded by a man called Chandragupta, Chandragupta Maurya). Chandra Gupta soon broke away from the dozens of kings of the period, and created a decent size kingdom. He soon strengthened the kingdom by marrying Kumaradevi, the daughter of the king of Licchavis. The Licchavis controlled a major portion of the region of Bihar and possibly Nepal. his alliance further strengthened Chandra Gupta's position. During the rest of his reign Chandra Gupta extended his empire and controlled a substantial area of North India. Chandra Gupta also held an important ceremony during his reign, where an assembly of councillors and various members of the royal family were present. It was here that Chandra Gupta nominated his son Samudra Gupta as the heir to the throne.

Current Affairs

IAS-PCS Coaching

Syria: accord among P5 on elimination of chemical weapons

The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council have agreed on a resolution that will require Syria to give up its chemical weapons, but there will be no automatic penalties if the Syrians fail to comply.

The agreement is a compromise among the U.S., its allies and Russia about how to enforce the resolution, which would eliminate the chemical arms programme. But the deal, when approved by the 15 members of the Security Council, would amount to the most significant international diplomatic initiative of the Syrian civil war. It would also be a remarkable turn for President Barack Obama, who had been pushing for a military strike on Syria just a few weeks ago before accepting a Russian proposal to have Syria give up its chemical arsenal.

Western diplomats said the resolution would be legally binding and would stipulate that if Syria failed to abide by the terms, the Security Council would take measures under Chapter VII of the U.N. Charter, the strongest form of a Council resolution. Such measures could include economic sanctions or even military action. But before any action could be taken, the issue would have to go back for further deliberations by the Security Council, on which Russia, like the other permanent members, holds a veto.

Syria, the resolution states, “shall not use, develop, produce, otherwise acquire, stockpile or retain chemical weapons, or transfer, directly or indirectly, chemical weapons to other States or nonstate actors.” The measure notes that “in the event of noncompliance with this resolution, including unauthorised transfer of chemical weapons, or any use of chemical weapons by anyone in the Syrian Arab Republic,” the Security Council can decide to “impose measures under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter.” Syria’s entire arsenal is to be eliminated by the middle of 2014, according to that accord, a process that Mr. Assad has said could take a year. 

 

IAS/PCS/CSAT COACHING

                                                          Punjab development report

Punjab today contributes nearly 40 per cent of wheat and 60 per cent of rice procured for distribution through the public distribution system the state went in for promoting the white revolution,resulting in the highest per capita availability of milk to the people.Despite its relatively high-income level, the state is noted for considerable

outmigration to other parts of India as also emigration to several countries. This is attributed not to any distressful situation at home but to attraction of greater prosperity outside.

At the time of the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947, Punjab was bifurcated into two parts: West Punjab (Pakistan) and East Punjab (India). Of its 3,59,179 square kilometres and 29 districts only 1,52,649

square kilometres and 13 districts were left with Indian Punjab Punjab now with an area of 50,362 square kilometres.The state accounted for 1.5 per cent of the total area of the country and 2.4 per cent of the total population in 2001.