Current Affairs for Govt Exams

In the history of mankind, a number of revolutionary transformations have been witnessed during different periods. However, the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 enjoys a place of great significance. In 1917 two revolutions took place in Russia - in reality both of these revolutions were the two phases of a single revolution. Taking advantage of prevailing widespread discontent in Russia, Lenin overthrew Kerensky’s government with the help of his revolutionary Red Guard on the night of 6th and 7th November 1917 and declared Russia as a communist nation. Significance of Bolshevik Revolution    ● Overthrow of power: The overthrow of autocracy and the destruction of aristocracy and the power of church were first achievement of Bolshevik Revolution.   ● First Communist state: The Bolshevik revolution resulted in establishment of the first communist state in world. It transformed communism from an idea to reality.   ● Inspired workers and peasants: The success of Bolshevik Revolution inspire...

Emotional intelligence (EI) refers to the capability of a person to manage and control his or her emotions and possess the ability to control the emotions of others as well. In other words, they can influence the emotions of other people also. It is a very important skill in leadership. It is said to have five main elements such as - self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. The current work environment of the civil servant is very complex and to achieve maximum public welfare, these elements of emotional intelligence is very crucial for achieving efficiency and economy in administration. This can be illustrated as follows -   ● A civil servant is required to adhere to rules & regulations and be sensitive to people’s requirements at the same time. Often there is a conflict between rules and public requirement and it requires good emotional intelligence to resolve this.   ● The developmental gaps have led to a different set of aspirations and requireme...

A cyclone is a low-pressure area in the atmosphere in which winds spiral inward. On the basis of their area of origin, they are classified as: Temperate cyclones and Topical cyclones. Tropical Cyclones Cyclones developed in tropics region (majority confined to 10 0 – 30 0 N and S of equator) are called tropical cyclones.   ● The tropical cyclones have a thermal origin , and they develop over tropical seas during certain seasons. Pre-existing low pressure, large sea surface with temperature higher than 27° C, and presence of the Coriolis force are a must for tropical cyclone formation.   ● At these locations, the local convectional currents acquire a whirling motion because of the Coriolis force generated by the earth’s rotation. After developing, these cyclones advance till they find a weak spot in the trade wind belt.   ● Tropical cyclones always origin in large water bodies.   Temperate Cyclone Temperate cyclones (Mid-Latitude cyclones), also known as Extratropical cyclon...

"Basic Structure" consists of those essential pillars of the constitution which are considered as vital to its very existence, and which Parliament cannot amend or take away even by a constitutional amendment. The word "Basic Structure" is not mentioned in constitution, but was recognized for the first time in the historic Kesavananda Bharati case of 1973.  The list of Basic structure includes supremacy of the constitution, judicial review, federalism, independence of judiciary etc.            The constitution under Article 368 empowers the Parliament to amend the constitution, but this power is not absolute.  With the intention of preserving the original ideals envisioned by the constitution makers, the Supreme Court pronounced that Parliament could not distort or alter the basic features of the Constitution under the pretext of amending it.  If the Supreme Court finds any law made by the Parliament inconsistent with the ...

India is one of the vast countries with extraordinary characteristics and diversity in terms of its geographical, linguistic, religious, social-cultural features etc. But still, you can find a thread of unity among Indians. The reason for such diversity could be attributed to the accommodative hospitability of India, culture of tolerance, favourable topography, and our tendency to absorb and synthesize different cultural viewpoints. Since historical times, numerous groups (such as Zoroastrians, Christians, Islam, etc) have immigrated from different parts of the world making India their home. There are various elements of diversity in India such as:   ● Geographical Diversity: India is diverse not only in terms of its people but also geographically. The northern part of the country homes the largest mountain range in the world, the Himalayas, which is also the source of plenty of major Indian rivers like Ganga, Indus etc. The western part of the country boasts the vastness and magnifice...

After the Battle of Buxar (1764), East India Company had got the Diwani (revenue) rights over Bihar, Bengal and Orissa. Starting then, in order to collect the revenue, various land revenue policies were introduced by the Britishers. The various policies and their impacts on Indian agriculture are as follows:   ● Permanent Settlement:  It was planned by John Shore but was introduced by Lord Cornwallis in Bihar, Bengal, Orissa and district of Benares in 1793. In this model, zamindars and revenue collectors became the owners of the entire land in their zamindaris, and the right of ownership was hereditary and transferrable. Its impact on Indian Agriculture:   ● Cultivators were reduced to the low status of mere tenants and were deprived of long-standing rights to the soil and other customary rights like use of pasture land, forest lands, irrigation canals, fisheries, homestead plots and protection against enhancement of rent, etc.   ● Rise of Absentee Landlordism - where new moneyed m...

The Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2003 (FRBM) was introduced to institutionalize financial discipline, reduce India’s fiscal deficit, and improve macroeconomic management and the overall management of the public funds by moving towards a balanced budget. Reasons for The Introduction of FRBM Act   ● High revenue deficit due to higher expenditure on subsidies, salaries, defence etc. forced government to make big borrowing from early 1990s onwards.   ● The borrowing again produced high interest payments. The interest payments became the largest expenditure item of the government.   ● The rising government borrowing and high interest payments seriously eroded the financial health of the government. The high fiscal deficit not only threatened financial stability of the nation but also raised the risk of credit default and possible downgrade by credit rating agencies.    ● So, in light of these scenario, FRBM Act was seen as an important institutional express...