UPSCTREE PRELIMS 2016 Analysis
Message:-
The deed is done and the fate is sealed.So, stop worrying about the cut-offs and start preparing for MAINS immediately.Try to use this period as a head start.
We have heard all the noises around cut-offs and our two cents to the issue would be – Anybody scoring in 3 figures has a fair chance.Here are the reasons, WHY ? :-
1)The veterans who were given extra 2 attempts back in 2013 are gone from the race.(Increase in age from 30 to 32 and increase in number of attempts from 4 to 6)
2)The 2011 aspirants who were given an extra attempt last year are not in the race either.
3)Yes, the number of vacancies have decreased but generally speaking the paper was on the tougher side as compared to last year so these two may cancel out each other.
4)Finally,there is no harm in studying for MAINS , even if you don’t qualify this year, you are already one year ahead of your competitors.
Static :-
1)Relegated to backyard
2)Can’t ignore either
3)May reappear in PRELIMS 2017
Conclusion – Finishing the static portion is just the first step, but an indispensible one.You can not afford to go to the exam without preparing for it nor you can afford to prepare exclusively for it.
Dynamic:-
1)Current Affairs (CA) day-in and day-out preparation is sine-qua-non
2)Widening the traditional coverage of CA ; for eg- Butterfly question or Kharai Camel or Movie or things related to daily life are important.
3)This portion became binary – either you know it or you don’t
4)CA of not only this year but also of last year is important
5)Importance of international organisation is on the rise and on a positive side we have tried to cover all the organisations in our MOCK tests.
Conclusion – It seems preparation starts from the grocery store itself.Always keep your eyes and ears open.There is no space for personal likings/disliking as far as CA coverage is concerned (For eg- you may not be a movie-buff but you should know what is happening around the world on the celluloid and same goes for olympics or state animals or anythings else).This is to say, if it was in the news, then it is in your syllabus and hence you should know it (Of course, we will be there to pick the relevant from the sea of irrelevant)
Overall :-
1)UPSC civil service prelims exams used to be on a different plane compared to other tests conducted by UPSC or any other mass recruiter/s, however this gulf is alarmingly diminishing.
2)The change in quality in the standard of question asked has forced a metamorphosis in the prelims syllabus.Hitherto, the usual items that an UPSC aspirant used to ignore or study at max once have become the first ones to be picked up by the UPSC.So let nothing pass around you without passing through you.
3)This PRELIMS has made the competitional aspect of the exam brutally clear.Certainly the gulf between the average score and higher scores indicate the same.
4)Moreover, UPSC has asked question from those few months (especially of September- December )when aspirants are busy preparing for MAINS.In short,it is increasingly becoming difficult to outsmart UPSC as it is focusing specifically on areas where you tend to defocus.
In conclusion,you can still clear prelims easily provided you are increasing the HARDWORK (day-in-day-out) quotient of your preparation vis-a-vis your SMARTWORK (Few weeks/months of work).Contrary to popular belief and relentless propaganda on various platforms , what UPSC demands is basic awareness on any topic rather than in-depth knowldge on it unless the topic is from a specific part of the syllabus (For eg- Environment).
Finally, we are glad that , our intuition to focus more on history, economy, envirnoment, and international organisations during our mock tests paid rich divedends to our aspirants and we are hopeful that more than 90% of our UPSCTREE saplings will get through 🙂 .
On a side note, we will be launching our PRELIMS 2017 program soon and the details will be with you in a few days time.
At this moment, we are planning on the MAINS and will roll out a questionnaire to understand your requirements so that we can be of real help.
The ESSAY initiative will continue as planned and based on popular demand a shorter version of the whole program will be launched soon.
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[wptelegram-join-channel link=”https://t.me/s/upsctree” text=”Join @upsctree on Telegram”]2021 WEF Global Gender Gap report, which confirmed its 2016 finding of a decline in worldwide progress towards gender parity.
Over 2.8 billion women are legally restricted from having the same choice of jobs as men. As many as 104 countries still have laws preventing women from working in specific jobs, 59 countries have no laws on sexual harassment in the workplace, and it is astonishing that a handful of countries still allow husbands to legally stop their wives from working.
Globally, women’s participation in the labour force is estimated at 63% (as against 94% of men who participate), but India’s is at a dismal 25% or so currently. Most women are in informal and vulnerable employment—domestic help, agriculture, etc—and are always paid less than men.
Recent reports from Assam suggest that women workers in plantations are paid much less than men and never promoted to supervisory roles. The gender wage gap is about 24% globally, and women have lost far more jobs than men during lockdowns.
The problem of gender disparity is compounded by hurdles put up by governments, society and businesses: unequal access to social security schemes, banking services, education, digital services and so on, even as a glass ceiling has kept leadership roles out of women’s reach.
Yes, many governments and businesses had been working on parity before the pandemic struck. But the global gender gap, defined by differences reflected in the social, political, intellectual, cultural and economic attainments or attitudes of men and women, will not narrow in the near future without all major stakeholders working together on a clear agenda—that of economic growth by inclusion.
The WEF report estimates 135 years to close the gap at our current rate of progress based on four pillars: educational attainment, health, economic participation and political empowerment.
India has slipped from rank 112 to 140 in a single year, confirming how hard women were hit by the pandemic. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two Asian countries that fared worse.
Here are a few things we must do:
One, frame policies for equal-opportunity employment. Use technology and artificial intelligence to eliminate biases of gender, caste, etc, and select candidates at all levels on merit. Numerous surveys indicate that women in general have a better chance of landing jobs if their gender is not known to recruiters.
Two, foster a culture of gender sensitivity. Take a review of current policies and move from gender-neutral to gender-sensitive. Encourage and insist on diversity and inclusion at all levels, and promote more women internally to leadership roles. Demolish silos to let women grab potential opportunities in hitherto male-dominant roles. Work-from-home has taught us how efficiently women can manage flex-timings and productivity.
Three, deploy corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds for the education and skilling of women and girls at the bottom of the pyramid. CSR allocations to toilet building, the PM-Cares fund and firms’ own trusts could be re-channelled for this.
Four, get more women into research and development (R&D) roles. A study of over 4,000 companies found that more women in R&D jobs resulted in radical innovation. It appears women score far higher than men in championing change. If you seek growth from affordable products and services for low-income groups, women often have the best ideas.
Five, break barriers to allow progress. Cultural and structural issues must be fixed. Unconscious biases and discrimination are rampant even in highly-esteemed organizations. Establish fair and transparent human resource policies.
Six, get involved in local communities to engage them. As Michael Porter said, it is not possible for businesses to sustain long-term shareholder value without ensuring the welfare of the communities they exist in. It is in the best interest of enterprises to engage with local communities to understand and work towards lowering cultural and other barriers in society. It will also help connect with potential customers, employees and special interest groups driving the gender-equity agenda and achieve better diversity.