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.
Recent Posts
- In the Large States category (overall), Chhattisgarh ranks 1st, followed by Odisha and Telangana, whereas, towards the bottom are Maharashtra at 16th, Assam at 17th and Gujarat at 18th. Gujarat is one State that has seen startling performance ranking 5th in the PAI 2021 Index outperforming traditionally good performing States like Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, but ranks last in terms of Delta
- In the Small States category (overall), Nagaland tops, followed by Mizoram and Tripura. Towards the tail end of the overall Delta ranking is Uttarakhand (9th), Arunachal Pradesh (10th) and Meghalaya (11th). Nagaland despite being a poor performer in the PAI 2021 Index has come out to be the top performer in Delta, similarly, Mizoram’s performance in Delta is also reflected in it’s ranking in the PAI 2021 Index
- In terms of Equity, in the Large States category, Chhattisgarh has the best Delta rate on Equity indicators, this is also reflected in the performance of Chhattisgarh in the Equity Pillar where it ranks 4th. Following Chhattisgarh is Odisha ranking 2nd in Delta-Equity ranking, but ranks 17th in the Equity Pillar of PAI 2021. Telangana ranks 3rd in Delta-Equity ranking even though it is not a top performer in this Pillar in the overall PAI 2021 Index. Jharkhand (16th), Uttar Pradesh (17th) and Assam (18th) rank at the bottom with Uttar Pradesh’s performance in line with the PAI 2021 Index
- Odisha and Nagaland have shown the best year-on-year improvement under 12 Key Development indicators.
- In the 60:40 division States, the top three performers are Kerala, Goa and Tamil Nadu and, the bottom three performers are Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar.
- In the 90:10 division States, the top three performers were Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Mizoram; and, the bottom three performers are Manipur, Assam and Meghalaya.
- Among the 60:40 division States, Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh are the top three performers and Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Delhi appear as the bottom three performers.
- Among the 90:10 division States, the top three performers are Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland; and, the bottom three performers are Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh
- Among the 60:40 division States, Goa, West Bengal and Delhi appear as the top three performers and Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Bihar appear as the bottom three performers.
- Among the 90:10 division States, Mizoram, Himachal Pradesh and Tripura were the top three performers and Jammu & Kashmir, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh were the bottom three performers
- West Bengal, Bihar and Tamil Nadu were the top three States amongst the 60:40 division States; while Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan appeared as the bottom three performers
- In the case of 90:10 division States, Mizoram, Assam and Tripura were the top three performers and Nagaland, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand featured as the bottom three
- Among the 60:40 division States, the top three performers are Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa and the bottom three performers are Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Goa
- In the 90:10 division States, the top three performers are Mizoram, Sikkim and Nagaland and the bottom three performers are Manipur and Assam
In a diverse country like India, where each State is socially, culturally, economically, and politically distinct, measuring Governance becomes increasingly tricky. The Public Affairs Index (PAI 2021) is a scientifically rigorous, data-based framework that measures the quality of governance at the Sub-national level and ranks the States and Union Territories (UTs) of India on a Composite Index (CI).
States are classified into two categories – Large and Small – using population as the criteria.
In PAI 2021, PAC defined three significant pillars that embody Governance – Growth, Equity, and Sustainability. Each of the three Pillars is circumscribed by five governance praxis Themes.
The themes include – Voice and Accountability, Government Effectiveness, Rule of Law, Regulatory Quality and Control of Corruption.
At the bottom of the pyramid, 43 component indicators are mapped to 14 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are relevant to the States and UTs.
This forms the foundation of the conceptual framework of PAI 2021. The choice of the 43 indicators that go into the calculation of the CI were dictated by the objective of uncovering the complexity and multidimensional character of development governance
The Equity Principle
The Equity Pillar of the PAI 2021 Index analyses the inclusiveness impact at the Sub-national level in the country; inclusiveness in terms of the welfare of a society that depends primarily on establishing that all people feel that they have a say in the governance and are not excluded from the mainstream policy framework.
This requires all individuals and communities, but particularly the most vulnerable, to have an opportunity to improve or maintain their wellbeing. This chapter of PAI 2021 reflects the performance of States and UTs during the pandemic and questions the governance infrastructure in the country, analysing the effectiveness of schemes and the general livelihood of the people in terms of Equity.
Growth and its Discontents
Growth in its multidimensional form encompasses the essence of access to and the availability and optimal utilisation of resources. By resources, PAI 2021 refer to human resources, infrastructure and the budgetary allocations. Capacity building of an economy cannot take place if all the key players of growth do not drive development. The multiplier effects of better health care, improved educational outcomes, increased capital accumulation and lower unemployment levels contribute magnificently in the growth and development of the States.
The Pursuit Of Sustainability
The Sustainability Pillar analyses the access to and usage of resources that has an impact on environment, economy and humankind. The Pillar subsumes two themes and uses seven indicators to measure the effectiveness of government efforts with regards to Sustainability.
The Curious Case Of The Delta
The Delta Analysis presents the results on the State performance on year-on-year improvement. The rankings are measured as the Delta value over the last five to 10 years of data available for 12 Key Development Indicators (KDI). In PAI 2021, 12 indicators across the three Pillars of Equity (five indicators), Growth (five indicators) and Sustainability (two indicators). These KDIs are the outcome indicators crucial to assess Human Development. The Performance in the Delta Analysis is then compared to the Overall PAI 2021 Index.
Key Findings:-
In the Scheme of Things
The Scheme Analysis adds an additional dimension to ranking of the States on their governance. It attempts to complement the Governance Model by trying to understand the developmental activities undertaken by State Governments in the form of schemes. It also tries to understand whether better performance of States in schemes reflect in better governance.
The Centrally Sponsored schemes that were analysed are National Health Mission (NHM), Umbrella Integrated Child Development Services scheme (ICDS), Mahatma Gandh National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SmSA) and MidDay Meal Scheme (MDMS).
National Health Mission (NHM)
INTEGRATED CHILD DEVELOPMENT SERVICES (ICDS)
MID- DAY MEAL SCHEME (MDMS)
SAMAGRA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN (SMSA)
MAHATMA GANDHI NATIONAL RURAL EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE SCHEME (MGNREGS)