Preparing for civil service has its own set of charms and challenges.
The over-arching question that any candidate goes through at various stages of preparation is – ” Can I do it ?” or “Will I be able to clear it ?”
The better word for civil service examination should be – Endurance test or Durability Test.One has to endure through Prelims, Mains and Interview.And if at all , you do endure through the exams, then there is a bigger question of how to cope with the job.
Because, the job of a civil servant is not an easy job.You will have respect , you may get job satisfaction but you have responsibility and your decision will have a greater impact-all the time.So , the real question you must be asking yourself is – Do you have the ability to withstand wear, pressure, or damage ?- that is in short “Durability”
Getting in to the job is hard, but carrying out the job is even harder.So, “glory” comes with “Pain” – it is indeed a pure case of “Flowers and Thorns” and neither the journey nor the destination are going to be “smooth”.
So, before you start – do check your plasticity – that is your endurance, durability and adaptability.
Endurance and durability is already understood, but what about adaptability ?
The mains reason why we fail is simple.We repeat our mistakes – again and again and again.
You already know what is needed , yet many of us won’t do it due to procrastination or otherwise.
We have to stop being a broken record and change for good. Inherently, mankind is status-quoist ( Many a time we hear a person saying “I am adaptable” or “I love change” but the truth about mankind is , and as study after study on psychology and human behavior suggest that we are by far remain status-quoist and only change when it is absolutely necessary or our survival is in danger.For instance, just think of the environmental issues and ask yourself – are we changing by any means ? )
So Change is going to be tough, but if you are determined then , no one has the ability to stop you.Don’t let the life control you, take control.From this moment on-wards , you should be master of your destiny rather being slave to the opportunities and circumstances.The Locus of Control should be within you.
Today is a fine Sunday and it is a good day to implement the change.The change that is required to succeed is simple :-
- Follow a schedule
- What has to be done today should be done today- No matter what.Make time for it and give no excuses.
- Master your optional – Read everyday and Revise regularly.
- If joined any test series, take tests regularly and on scheduled date – Not a few days after or before – that makes all the difference.
- Write your Essay tests and Mains test regularly. Because you not only have to master the whole plan but also have to master each and every individual paper and know your strength and weaknesses in each paper so as to work accordingly. After all you will be competing with the best.Remember – Strategy without tactics is slowest route to success but tactics with out strategy is noise before defeat.Same goes for reading and writing.
- You not only have to read and remember but also have to represent and that requires writing.
- So start writing.Not just before Mains , but before Prelims.If you write 10 tests in 2 months time, you will end up writing more or less in a same manner.For writing to evolve you have to write at constant intervals.Write-get reviewed-think on the review-inculcate the change-first in your thinking process and then in your representation.
Nothing can stop a determined person, so set your goals,have a schedule and see it through.Success will be yours.
For time management and schedule :-(If you are following one – then follow that one):-
- You can register at our student portal – http://www.iastree.com/
- Once registered – go to your dashboard- There is to-do list- You can create one for yourself(Set your goals week-wise)
- Schedules are also there for each program, so check and align your preparation accordingly.
- Devote at least 2 hrs for your optional – daily
- You can upload your files and keep them as private ( Click on the DRIVE from your student menu)
- The portal is open to all and can help you in time management.
- Put it to best use and make it a ritual.Yes, RITUAL, that is , the first thing when you wake up , check your to-do-list or schedule and determine how you are going to finish the tasks of the day.Slowly the ritual will become your habit and as they say –
- “Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.”
- “Your beliefs become your thoughts,
- Registration is open for all.Write your destiny.No one can write it for you.We will always be there to guide but the hard-work has to be done by you.
Feel free to write to us in case any queries.We are here for you and always will be there for you.
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Petrol in India is cheaper than in countries like Hong Kong, Germany and the UK but costlier than in China, Brazil, Japan, the US, Russia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, a Bank of Baroda Economics Research report showed.
Rising fuel prices in India have led to considerable debate on which government, state or central, should be lowering their taxes to keep prices under control.
The rise in fuel prices is mainly due to the global price of crude oil (raw material for making petrol and diesel) going up. Further, a stronger dollar has added to the cost of crude oil.
Amongst comparable countries (per capita wise), prices in India are higher than those in Vietnam, Kenya, Ukraine, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Venezuela. Countries that are major oil producers have much lower prices.
In the report, the Philippines has a comparable petrol price but has a per capita income higher than India by over 50 per cent.
Countries which have a lower per capita income like Kenya, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and Venezuela have much lower prices of petrol and hence are impacted less than India.
“Therefore there is still a strong case for the government to consider lowering the taxes on fuel to protect the interest of the people,” the report argued.
India is the world’s third-biggest oil consuming and importing nation. It imports 85 per cent of its oil needs and so prices retail fuel at import parity rates.
With the global surge in energy prices, the cost of producing petrol, diesel and other petroleum products also went up for oil companies in India.
They raised petrol and diesel prices by Rs 10 a litre in just over a fortnight beginning March 22 but hit a pause button soon after as the move faced criticism and the opposition parties asked the government to cut taxes instead.
India imports most of its oil from a group of countries called the ‘OPEC +’ (i.e, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Russia, etc), which produces 40% of the world’s crude oil.
As they have the power to dictate fuel supply and prices, their decision of limiting the global supply reduces supply in India, thus raising prices
The government charges about 167% tax (excise) on petrol and 129% on diesel as compared to US (20%), UK (62%), Italy and Germany (65%).
The abominable excise duty is 2/3rd of the cost, and the base price, dealer commission and freight form the rest.
Here is an approximate break-up (in Rs):
a)Base Price | 39 |
b)Freight | 0.34 |
c) Price Charged to Dealers = (a+b) | 39.34 |
d) Excise Duty | 40.17 |
e) Dealer Commission | 4.68 |
f) VAT | 25.35 |
g) Retail Selling Price | 109.54 |
Looked closely, much of the cost of petrol and diesel is due to higher tax rate by govt, specifically excise duty.
So the question is why government is not reducing the prices ?
India, being a developing country, it does require gigantic amount of funding for its infrastructure projects as well as welfare schemes.
However, we as a society is yet to be tax-compliant. Many people evade the direct tax and that’s the reason why govt’s hands are tied. Govt. needs the money to fund various programs and at the same time it is not generating enough revenue from direct taxes.
That’s the reason why, govt is bumping up its revenue through higher indirect taxes such as GST or excise duty as in the case of petrol and diesel.
Direct taxes are progressive as it taxes according to an individuals’ income however indirect tax such as excise duty or GST are regressive in the sense that the poorest of the poor and richest of the rich have to pay the same amount.
Does not matter, if you are an auto-driver or owner of a Mercedes, end of the day both pay the same price for petrol/diesel-that’s why it is regressive in nature.
But unlike direct tax where tax evasion is rampant, indirect tax can not be evaded due to their very nature and as long as huge no of Indians keep evading direct taxes, indirect tax such as excise duty will be difficult for the govt to reduce, because it may reduce the revenue and hamper may programs of the govt.