UPSC CSE Key – February 1, 2022: What you need to read today

Buoyant tax mop-up frees fiscal space for spending

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

Main Examination: General Studies III: Government Budgeting.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is the Economic Survey? (Hint: An annual report card of the economy, which is presented a day before the
budget)

• Who prepares the Economic Survey? (Hint: Chief economic advisor (CEA), if CEA post is Vacant then who?)

• Why is it presented a day before the Budget?

• What is the significance of the Economic Survey?

• Difference between Economic Survey and Union Budget?

• Understand these terms-Tax Buoyancy, Non-tax revenue, Capital expenditure

• What is Barbell Strategy?

• Key Word- “Agile Approach”

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍 Why growth in FY23 is pegged at just 8-8.5%

📍 Economic Survey: From 38 pages to nearly 900, and now down to 413

📍 What Is the Barbell Strategy?

📍 Explained: What the Economic Survey says

Digital trail points to Pegasus, state role: Experts told SC panel

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Main Examination: General Studies III: Basics of Cyber Security

Key Points to Ponder:

• What do you understand by “Digital privacy”?

• The pros and cons of a digitizing world

• What is Pegasus Software? How does it work?

• How is Pegasus different from another spyware?

• What kind of devices are vulnerable and What information can be compromised?

• Types of Cyber Attacks

• Pegasus in India-What is the Controversy?

• Snooping and Surveillance in the name of National Security-Where to draw the line?

• Justice Raveendran Committee appointed by Supreme Court

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍 Digital privacy comes at a price. Here’s how to protect it

📍 Explained: How Pegasus spyware infects a device; what data may be compromised

📍 COURT & PEGASUS

Anti-India protests in mind, Maldives plans new law to curb unrest

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Main Examination: General Studies II: India and its neighborhood- relations.

Key Points to Ponder:

• India – Maldives Relations-Historical Background and Present Situation

• Map Work-Maldives

• Geo-Strategic Importance of Maldives to India

• India – Maldives-Major issues in Bilateral Relations

• Why ‘India-Out Campaign’ in Maldives? Why anti-India sentiments are rising in Maldives?

• What Steps India has taken in the recent years to ensure friendly relations with Maldives?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍 Explained: What is behind the ‘India Out’ campaign in the Maldives?

📍 Explained: What Yameen’s acquittal means for India-Maldives relations

📍 Maldives: COVID19 brings out best again in India relations

PARLIAMENT

MGNREGS jobs still higher than pre-Covid levels: Economic Survey

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

Main Examination: General Studies II: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes

Key Points to Ponder:

• Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)-Key Objectives

• What are the eligibility criteria for receiving the benefits under MGNREGA scheme?

• Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)-Nodal Ministry

• COVID-19 pandemic and MGNREGA

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍 MGNREGA in need

📍 10 years of MGNREGA: How an idea became a necessity and now the nation’s pride

GOVT & POLITICS

State panels asked to help prepare school syllabus with NEP features

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

Main Examination: General Studies II: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

Key Points to Ponder:

• National Education Policy 2020-Key Highlights

• Education in India-Background

• National Policy on Education 1986 and National Education Policy 2020-Key Difference

• Education and Provisions given in the Indian Constitution (Article 45, Article 21A and Right to Education Act
2009)

• Kothari commission and National Educational Policy 1968

• Various other Commission and Committees on Education in India

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍 Explained: India’s National Education Policy, 2020

THE EDITORIAL PAGE

Ramp Up Support

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

Main Examination: General Studies III: Government Budgeting.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Economic Survey 2021-Major Issues in the Survey

• What Survey says about India and macro-economic stability?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍 Economic Survey: Key challenges and concerns for Indian economy

📍 The room to grow

THE IDEAS PAGE

Doing business in a new world

Syllabus:

Main Examination: General Studies II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s Interest

Key Points to Ponder:

• Geopolitical Stature of India-Post Pandemic

• Edward Luttwak, Geoeconomics, and Economic Globalisation.

• What is Geoeconomics?

• Relationship between Geopolitics and Geoeconomics?

• What is “Economic nationalism”?

EXPRESS NETWORK

Tracking NCAP: Marginal dip in pollution levels, states not spending enough funds

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change

Main Examination: General Studies III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

Key Points to Ponder:

• National Clean Air Program (NCAP) 2019-Key Features

• National Green Tribunal-Role and Mandate

• National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) Directives to NACP

• National Clean Air Program (NCAP) and Target to bring down pollution by 2024-Initiatives taken

• What is Particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5)?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍 Clean Air Programme: how Centre plans to wage a ‘war against pollution’

EXPLAINED

What the Survey says

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

Main Examination: General Studies III: Government Budgeting.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Economic Survey of 2021-22 on inflation, global liquidity measures, and rising energy prices to detail the risks
for the economy going ahead.

• Economic Survey of 2021-22 on fiscal space

• Economic Survey of 2021-22 on growth supported vaccine coverage, supply-side reforms and easing of regulations,
robust export growth, and the availability of fiscal space.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍 Economic Survey 2021-2022

📍 For ease of doing biz, focus set on ‘process reforms’, easing exit norms

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