INTEGRATED MAINS AND PRELIMS MENTORSHIP (IMPM) 2025 Daily KEY
| Exclusive for Subscribers Daily: Sickle Cell Disease and University Ranking for the UPSC Exam? Why are topics like Italy and India and Colonialism important for both preliminary and main exams? Discover more insights in the UPSC Exam Notes for October 05, 2024 |
🚨 UPSC EXAM NOTES presents the July edition of our comprehensive monthly guide. Access it to enhance your preparation. We value your input - share your thoughts and recommendations in the comments section or via email at Support@upscexamnotes.com 🚨
Critical Topics and Their Significance for the UPSC CSE Examination on October 05, 2024
Daily Insights and Initiatives for UPSC Exam Notes: Comprehensive explanations and high-quality material provided regularly for students
For Preliminary Examination: Sickle Cell Disease
For Mains Examination: GS III - Science & Technology
Context:
Sickle cell disease shortens life by at least twenty years.Slow-progressing organ failure is common in older patients, and acute chest syndrome, a form of lung injury, is a significant cause of death among the young. The symptoms vary among patients, leading to a wide range of complications
Read about:
What is Sickle Cell Disease?
What are the Government initiatives to Curb Sickle Cell Disease?
Key takeaways:
Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders characterized by the presence of an abnormal form of hemoglobin called hemoglobin S (HbS). This causes red blood cells to take on a rigid, sickle, or crescent shape rather than the usual round, flexible shape. These sickle-shaped cells can block blood flow in small blood vessels, leading to various complications
SCD is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, meaning a person needs to inherit two copies of the sickle cell gene (one from each parent) to have the disease. If they inherit one sickle cell gene and one normal gene, they become carriers (sickle cell trait), but usually don't show symptoms.
Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) has significance in UPSC preparation, especially for topics related to public health, social issues, government policies, and healthcare initiatives. Understanding SCD is crucial for addressing questions in the General Studies papers, particularly in GS Paper II (Governance, Social Justice, and Health) and GS Paper III (Science and Technology, Environment, and Biodiversity).
Here’s why SCD is important for UPSC:
- SCD is a major public health concern, particularly in regions with high prevalence among certain communities, such as tribal populations in India. Understanding its impact on public health systems, economic burdens, and healthcare access is essential for questions related to health infrastructure.
- It aligns with topics like disease burden, inequality in healthcare access, and the role of preventive healthcare in improving public health.
- The Government of India has launched several initiatives and schemes to address the challenges posed by SCD, especially in rural and tribal areas. For instance, the National Health Mission (NHM), the Sickle Cell Anaemia Control Program, and various state-level programs aim to reduce the disease’s prevalence and improve care.
- This is relevant for answering questions on government programs, policies for vulnerable sections, and the effectiveness of healthcare delivery systems
- SCD is more prevalent in certain tribal communities. UPSC often asks about the challenges faced by these communities, including health issues. Understanding SCD’s impact on these groups connects to broader topics like tribal welfare, social justice, and inclusive development.
- Aspirants can relate SCD to the government’s role in improving health outcomes and promoting the socio-economic development of Scheduled Tribes (STs)
- SCD showcases disparities in access to healthcare, particularly in marginalized and rural populations. Questions on health inequality, the role of primary healthcare, and targeted interventions for vulnerable groups can be linked to SCD.
- Understanding how health inequalities affect tribal and marginalized populations and what measures are being taken to bridge the gap is crucial for answering social justice-related questions
- Knowledge of medical advancements like gene therapy, bone marrow transplants, and research in treating SCD is relevant for science and technology questions in the exam. Understanding the genetic basis of SCD can help in addressing questions on genetic disorders and biotechnology.
Follow Up Question
1.Consider the following statements in the context interventions being undertaken under Anemia Mukt Bharat Strategy : (2023)
- It provides prophylactic calcium supplementation for pre-school children, adolescents and pregnant women.
- It runs a campaign for delayed cord clamping at the time of child-birth.
- It provides for periodic deworming to children and adolescents.
- It addresses non-nutritional causes of anaemia in endemic pockets with special focus on malaria, hemoglobinopathies and fluorosis.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) Only three
(d) All four
|
Answer (c)
The Anemia Mukt Bharat (AMB) strategy is a flagship program launched by the Government of India to combat anemia, particularly among children, adolescents, pregnant women, and lactating mothers. Let’s analyze the statements based on AMB’s key interventions:
|
An obsession with ranking is harming India’s universities
For Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance
For Mains Examination: GS II - Polity & Governance
Context:
In this digital age, we reduce everything to numbers. This trend has consumed the education ecosystem, as seen in the rise of global ranking agencies, which assign ranks to universities across the world every year. India has its own National Institutional Ranking Framework to rank universities in the country
Read about:
How Ranking Systems Work in Higher Education?
National Institute Ranking Framework
Key takeaways:
- In today’s digital era, everything is increasingly reduced to numerical values. This shift has significantly influenced the education system, particularly with the growing influence of global ranking agencies that assess and rank universities worldwide each year. In India, the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) serves as the domestic system for ranking higher education institutions.
- A university’s mission is to educate and mentor future citizens, as well as to produce and disseminate knowledge through research. Teaching and research represent two integral parts of a university's role—knowledge creation and its spread. A university must excel in both these areas to meet its responsibilities toward students and society.
- Additionally, universities have broader social and economic impacts. Attempting to encapsulate a university's diverse functions within a single rank is overly simplistic, yet this is what current ranking systems claim to do.
Excessive Focus on Research
- Global university rankings prioritize research activities disproportionately. Research output is measured by criteria such as the number of publications, the impact factor of the journals they appear in, the amount of research funding secured, and the number of PhD students enrolled and graduated.
- These quantitative measures fail to capture the quality, relevance, or societal impact of research. Despite recognizing these shortcomings, Indian universities are still engaged in the race for rankings.
- A higher global rank increases a university’s visibility and attracts international students, faculty, academic partners, philanthropists, and donors. Both universities and the government often modify policies in pursuit of better rankings.
- A university without a rank risks being overlooked, underscoring the power global rankings now hold.
- India has adopted elements of the American education model, which emphasizes free market capitalism and intense private sector competition. To boost the global ranking of its top institutions, the Indian government established the Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA), which mobilizes market resources to provide loans at competitive interest rates for universities aspiring for global recognition.
- At the same time, several public higher education institutions were granted full autonomy, including financial independence. As a result, the government is no longer obligated to fund these institutions, which must now generate revenue by increasing student fees.
- This is seen as a beneficial strategy for both the universities and the government—universities aim to improve their rankings, and the government reduces its financial burden.
- However, if pursuing rankings comes at the cost of the primary role of educating students (which rankings don’t adequately measure), this is not a true win for either party. Moreover, it fails to serve the interests of economically disadvantaged students.
The Role of Teaching and Mentoring
- The metrics-driven approach to higher education has negatively impacted the teaching profession. The overwhelming focus on research has sidelined other essential functions like teaching.
- Job candidates for university positions are often evaluated based on the number of research papers they’ve produced, the impact factors of the journals they’ve published in, and their citation counts, rather than their effectiveness as teachers and mentors.
- Once employed, faculty members' career progression is similarly determined by metrics like research funding and the number of PhDs they supervise. This focus on quantifiable outputs overlooks their teaching abilities, which are critical to the educational mission of universities.
- Unlike research, teaching is difficult to measure with metrics. It involves intangible qualities that numbers cannot reflect. Consequently, teaching has become a lesser priority in universities.
- For many faculty members, writing research papers or securing grant funding takes precedence over teaching, which is now viewed as a distraction from the "important" task of conducting research. Professors have essentially become contractors focused on producing research to improve their institution’s ranking.
Creating Two Faculty Tracks
- While research is undoubtedly vital for driving innovation, it cannot be an excuse to neglect teaching, which prepares students for real-world challenges. Universities should consider creating separate tracks for research-oriented and teaching-oriented faculty.
- Although faculty members may have interests beyond their primary track, they should not be expected to excel in both areas simultaneously. Otherwise, frustration and lack of commitment could arise, weakening the very individuals who are crucial to a university’s success.
- Universities must recognize that the content and potential societal impact of a research paper are more significant than the impact factor of the journal or the number of citations. Teaching should be recognized as an essential function, and educators should be encouraged to improve curricula.
- Instead of relying on metrics, universities should use thoughtful, unbiased evaluation methods to foster a culture that values both research and teaching. Both areas contribute to the overall mission of higher education institutions.
- The current system, which prioritizes metrics—coined as "metricocracy"—is mistakenly equated with meritocracy. This approach has transformed education into a market product rather than a fundamental right and responsibility of the state.
- Knowledge is treated as a commodity rather than a tool for human growth, and students are viewed as customers rather than future citizens.
- This flawed model undermines academic rigor, stifles creativity, and fails to adequately prepare students for life after graduation. It is detrimental to future generations
Follow Up Question
|
Answer (A)
|
- In this era of 'polycrisis,' Italy and India share mutual interests as well as common challenges in the Indo-Mediterranean region. This area is crucial for global trade, particularly for Italy, which is the world's sixth-largest exporter.
- Additionally, it plays an important role in digital connectivity, with the Blue-Raman submarine data cables soon linking Genoa and Mumbai.
- Issues such as piracy in the Red Sea, conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon, and the impact of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine on agricultural and oil trade demand collaborative efforts to ensure a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Mediterranean.
- As a result, Italy has intensified its security and defense engagement in the Indian Ocean and West Asia. In addition to joining the Group of Friends of UNCLOS in 2021, Italy is the second-largest contributor to the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Atalanta and the European Maritime Awareness in the Strait of Hormuz (EMASoH).
- From February 2024, Italy has taken a leading role in the EU military operation, EUNAVFOR ASPIDES, which safeguards freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, and Gulf.
Naval Presence
- Italy has also increased its naval presence in India. After joining the Indian Ocean Region's Information Fusion Centre in March 2023, the patrol ship ITS Francesco Morosini visited Mumbai in August 2023.
- Currently, the Italian Carrier Strike Group, comprising the aircraft carrier ITS Cavour and frigate ITS Alpino, is stationed in Goa.
- The tall ship ITS Amerigo Vespucci, the training vessel of the Italian Navy, is expected to visit Mumbai from November 28 to December 2. An "Italy village" is also planned, offering cultural, fashion, and culinary events, as well as conferences and exhibitions.
- The ITS Cavour, built by the Italian shipyard Fincantieri and in service since 2009, is a short take-off and vertical landing ship.
- This versatile vessel can project maritime power, provide logistical support, and assist in environmental and humanitarian missions.
- During its stay, it is hosting PASSEX exercises to enhance mariner skills and strengthen interoperability, and a workshop on defense industry cooperation.
- Additionally, as part of the "Operation Smile" initiative organized by the Smile House Foundation, Italy, the ship is serving as a hospital where Indian and Italian doctors are performing surgeries on children with facial deformities.
Defense Ties
- On a bilateral level, Italy and India's defense cooperation is based on an agreement signed in October 2023, which lays the foundation for expanding ties in areas such as research, industrial cooperation, maritime domain awareness, information sharing, and military-related environmental issues. This cooperation is reinforced by regular discussions like the Italy-India Military Cooperation Group meeting, held in March in New Delhi.
- In terms of defense production, Italy is an important partner for India. Two Italian companies, Leonardo and Fincantieri, are among the top 50 defense firms globally (SIPRI 2022), and other firms like Beretta, Elettronica, and KNDS possess advanced technical expertise.
- Italian defense companies have been open to joint ventures and co-production in recent years, with Fincantieri partnering with Cochin Shipyard since 2020 and Elettronica signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Bharat Electronics Limited in 2019. These partnerships align with India's 'Make in India' initiative and address the growing needs of the Indian armed forces.
- Italy also views India as a key partner in the development of the Indian Ocean region, from East Africa to India's coastlines. Both countries actively promote Africa in international forums and jointly advocated for the African Union's inclusion in the G20.
- During the Italy-Africa Summit in January, Italy introduced the Mattei Plan, a new initiative aimed at fostering a mutually beneficial partnership for important projects across Africa, mobilizing €5.5 billion in public investments.
- Among the first countries selected for this plan are Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Mozambique, all located near the Indo-Mediterranean area.
- The goal is to engage with partners to implement sustainable projects that promote economic and social development in Africa.
- Simultaneously, Italy has supported the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). Amid ongoing conflicts in Gaza and rising tensions in West Asia, Italy sees IMEC as part of a long-term strategy for shared prosperity in the region.
- The corridor’s railway links, ports, logistics, and customs systems can foster peace and trade that are vital for both Italy and India.
People-to-People Ties
Italy values its friendship with India, hosting the second-largest Indian diaspora within the EU. As a reliable economic and defense partner, Italy is the second-largest manufacturing country in Europe and a key security provider as part of the EU and NATO. The enduring strength of this relationship lies in the deep-rooted people-to-people connections between the two civilizations, which continue to grow through cultural exchanges, integration, and business achievements
Origins of Modern Colonialism
- The rise of modern colonialism can be traced back to the naval expansions of various European countries. Portugal was one of the earliest significant maritime powers, with its explorers playing a crucial role in early colonial endeavors. It has been said that although Portugal started as a small nation, it left its mark globally through exploration and colonization.
- During the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal and Spain were at the forefront of the Age of Discovery, seeking new sea routes and expanding their empires. However, by the 17th century, the dominance of these two nations waned, giving way to the rise of the French, Dutch, and English navies.
- The roots of modern colonialism lie in advancements in shipbuilding and the creation of sea routes like the one around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa. This lessened Europe’s dependence on overland trade routes, such as the Silk Road, which passed through numerous Muslim territories.
- Early European colonial expansion was initially driven by powerful trading companies like the British East India Company, the French East India Company, and the Dutch East India Company. Over time, these commercial ventures evolved into more direct political control over colonies.
Political and Racial Justifications of Colonialism
- While economic motives sparked the initial wave of colonialism, political ambitions and racial ideologies soon followed. Colonialism was often justified through ideas of racial superiority, such as the notion of the "White man’s burden"—the belief that Europeans had a moral obligation to civilize non-white races.
- Colonialism was not just about political control; it also involved cultural and educational domination. Colonizers imposed their own knowledge systems, often at the expense of indigenous knowledge, leading to a deep sense of inferiority among the colonized populations.
- Edward Said, a renowned Palestinian-American academic, highlighted in his 1978 book Orientalism how European powers like Britain and France maintained control over their colonies by accumulating knowledge about them. Said’s work underscores the connection between power and knowledge in colonial dominance.
Colonial Rule in India
- The British experience in India offers a clear example of how colonialism evolved from commercial ventures into political rule. The British initially established trading posts along India’s coastline, which became the first points of contact between Britain and what would eventually become its colony.
- Other European powers, such as the Portuguese, were also active in India, particularly in regions like Goa and Kerala. However, the British gained a stronger foothold in key regions—eventually establishing the Presidency towns of Bombay (now Mumbai), Madras (now Chennai), and Calcutta (now Kolkata). Calcutta served as the capital of British India until the capital was moved to New Delhi in 1911
| Subject | Topic | Description |
| History | Modern Indian History | Company rule and Crown rule 1773 - 1947 |
| History | Modern Indian History | Fall of Mughals |
| History | Modern Indian History | Establishment of British rule in India |
| History | Modern Indian History | Economic Policies of the British |
|
UPSC EXAM NOTES will be conducting both Prelims and Mains exams every Sunday as part of the Integrated Mains and Prelims (IMPM) Program. This program provides a comprehensive approach to UPSC exam preparation, ensuring that candidates are well-prepared for both stages of the exam. Program Highlights:
Duration: The IMPM plan is a one-year program, ensuring continuous and structured preparation over 12 months. With regular testing and consistent study guidance, this program is designed to maximize your chances of success in the UPSC exams |