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What it takes to crack the #civilservices entrance

t took Ira Singhal, this year’s Indian Administrative Services (IAS) exam topper, four years to get to that position. Singhal’s was a special case—she had earlier cracked the exam but was refused a posting because of her disability. But nearly seven out of every 10 candidates require at least three attempts before succeeding in the civil services entrance.

Abysmal success rates, years of preparation and multiple attempts by candidates past their mid-twenties studying subjects other than what they have been trained in, and the ability to get into some of the country’s best educational institutions are some of the key attributes of the IAS entrance process. Here’s what data put out by the Union Public Services Commission (UPSC) for the decade up to 2012 (the latest available numbers) tells us.

The civil services exam has among the lowest success rates among competitive examinations. More than 40.59 lakh people applied during 2002-2012. Only 20.11 lakh appeared for the preliminary exam. Those who qualify the preliminary stage have to go through two more stages: main examination and interview. The entire process lasts 9-10 months. The overall success rate has always been less than five people per 1,000 applicants.

However, if there is one example of the Indian youth not giving up, it is the civil services exam. Only one in every 10 candidate succeeds in the first attempt.

The civil services has always been viewed as a dangerous career choice because it might be too late to pursue other avenues if one does not succeed. However, this does not deter aspirants to continue their dogged pursuits, often well past their mid-twenties.

Satyendranath Tagore, the elder brother of Rabindranath Tagore, was the first Indian to qualify for the Indian Civil Service exam in 1863. Tagore was an author, song composer and linguist. Recent data, however, shows that technocrats are dominating the civil services exams. Those with an engineering and medical background have the highest success rate among interviewed applicants. This might be so because those who enter engineering and medical colleges in India have to undergo tough competition right after higher secondary level. In that sense, they are, statistically speaking, the creamy layer in a given lot of students.

The background of a candidate doesn’t mean that the person automatically opts for that subject in the main examination. Neither engineering nor medical sciences are among the top 10 subjects. Public administration is the most preferred subject. The reason for its popularity might be a shorter syllabus with many things in common with the general studies portion for the preliminary examination and easy availability of preparatory material, said Rakesh Kumar, who qualified the civil service exam in 2009.

Delhi had the maximum successful candidates in the decade up to 2012. That could be perhaps owing to the number of top Indian educational institutions in that city. Delhi University, Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) have sent the maximum number of candidates to the civil services. Indeed, in JNU, the library’s reading room has been christened Dhaulpur House, the building which houses UPSC headquarters.

However, if one looks at the home states of serving IAS officers, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar top the list. That isn’t so surprising, given that these states (if one includes Jharkhand which was carved out of Bihar in 2000) are the top two by population. But socio-economic factors might also be at play with the tag of an IAS officer putting a premium in these states. For in many states, for instance West Bengal, the number of serving IAS officers does not match the state’s rank in population.

The disproportionately high number of successful candidates from Delhi is also a reflection of the fact that a large number of those who aspire to get into civil services come to this city for preparations.

The tale of getting into the civil services is one of hard work and dogged perseverance. That’s why it is all the more baffling how the Indian bureaucracy, which comprises such hard-working and committed people, earned the disrepute of running what is considered an inefficient government machinery.

Old but not gold

More than one person has asked me what happened to the idea of repealing old laws. I am a bit surprised, because that information is in the public domain. It is just that the media hasn’t picked it up. First, the Law Commission reports: In September 2014, the 248th report of the Law Commission was submitted. This gave us a database of 1,086 Union laws. This database excludes the 253 laws that were recommended for repeal earlier, but still continue to be on the statute books. It excludes the 34 statutes that have been repealed — though some government ministries and departments don’t know that these have been removed from the law books. The database also excludes the appropriation acts. The 248th report recommended the repeal of 72 statutes and identified another 261 for further scrutiny. In October 2014, the 249th report of the Law Commission was submitted. This identified 77 more statutes for repeal. There were separate recommendations on partial repeal and on the 11 World War II ordinances. In October 2014, there was also the 250th report of the Law Commission. This identified 73 more statutes for repeal. Without getting into the details of how the numbers add up, with these three reports, 258 statutes have been identified for repeal. Further, in November 2014, there was the 251st report of the Law Commission. With 30 more statutes added, the number of laws identified for repeal now went up to 288. 

That still doesn’t answer the original question. Commission reports are fine. What about action? In fairness, after a report is submitted, there is a process for repeal that has to be followed. One needs to write to the Union government ministries and state governments. One can only draft a bill to repeal a law after this process of receiving comment is over. Thus, on May 13 came the first Repealing and Amending Act (Act No 17 of 2015). This repealed 35 statutes (mostly amending statutes) and amended two others. Then, on May 14, there was the Repealing and Amending (Second) Act (Act No 19 of 2015). This repealed 90 statutes (amending statutes) and amended two. It is certainly true that getting rid of amending acts is an easier task. Repealing principal acts is more complicated, and especially for the 250th and 251st reports, feedback from the Union ministries and state governments is still pending. But at least some people know of the four Law Commission reports. I find it strange that few know of the R. Ramanujam Committee, though that information is also in the public domain. This was set up by the prime minister’s office in September 2014. It submitted a mammoth four-volume report, more comprehensive than the Law Commission exercise. Thus, we know that since 1834, 6,612 Central statutes have been enacted. 

At some point or the other, 3,831 have been repealed. We are left with 2,781 Central statutes (as of October 2014), including amending legislation and appropriation acts. Of these, the Ramanujam Committee identified 1,741 Central acts for repeal. (The committee is also undertaking a consolidation exercise, but let’s ignore that.) Of the 1,741 statutes, 777 need to be repealed by the Union government; 83 by state legislatures, since these are Central acts on state subjects; 624 are Central appropriation acts; and 257 are Central appropriation acts on state subjects, which, therefore, have to be repealed by state legislatures. If one ignores those that have to be repealed by the state legislatures, the 125 statutes that have already been repealed — 90 by the Repealing and Amending (Second) Act, 2015, and 35 by the Repealing and Amending Act, 2015 — must be benchmarked against the 1,401 acts that have been identified for repeal (777 plus 624). It is true that we haven’t even done 10 per cent yet. But that doesn’t mean nothing is being done.

 Let’s get the appropriation acts out of the way first, because those are easier to handle. There are 902 of them, including railway and state appropriation acts. Once legal opinion has been obtained, these will go — it is only a matter of time. Looking at the Law Commission and Ramanujam Committee reports together,  the picture is something like this: 637 acts can be repealed by Parliament (once the ministries send in their views); 84 acts have to be repealed by state legislatures; 58 acts can be repealed by Parliament, but only in consultation with state governments; and for 28 acts, which have something or the other to do with state reorganisation, the views of the home ministry are essential. Out of this complicated agenda, I suspect one will soon have a third repealing and amending act, whereby another 197 of those old statutes will be junked. I don’t think the process is taking inordinately long. It is also an exercise that should have been undertaken in 1950, when the Constitution came into effect, and not in 2015. 

Having said this, it is important to appreciate another aspect. It isn’t always the case that a statute can be repealed in its entirety. There are cases where a statute needs to be retained, but has sections that should be scrapped. There are instances where a consolidation and harmonisation exercise is required. There are also instances where repeal has to be matched with new legislation to plug the gaps. These take more time than outright repeal. If media reportage has been tardy on this repealing exercise, it has been tardier on a parallel and ongoing exercise in Rajasthan. The Rajasthan law reform project is not only about labour legislation. There, too, there is outright repeal, consolidation and harmonisation of rules as well as of acts. Some statutes have already been repealed and one is left with roughly 600 state-level statutes, 400 principal and 200 amending. At least 10 per cent of the former and 100 per cent of the latter are likely to go soon. The writer is member, Niti Aayog. 

17 Million USD and 78.5 Million Euros (approx) earned through launching of satellites of foreign countries under commercial arrangement by ISRO

17 Million USD and 78.5 Million Euros (approx) earned through launching of satellites of foreign countries under commercial arrangement by ISRO

The Government, through Antrix Corporation Limited (Antrix), the commercial arm of Department of Space, is generating income through launching of satellites of foreign countries on-board ISRO’s launch vehicle. Till date, 45 satellites from 19 countries have been successfully launched using ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), under commercial arrangement. The total income earned through launching of these satellites of foreign countries amounts to approximately 17 Million USD and 78.5 Million Euros. The launch missions conducted by ISRO for launching Indian satellites are intended for National development.

The Antrix has signed agreements for launching 28 more foreign satellites from 6 countries viz., Algeria (3), Canada (4), Germany (4), Indonesia (2), Singapore (6) and USA (9). The launches of these foreign satellites are envisaged during 2015-2017 time period. Further, discussions with foreign agencies/companies are ongoing for providing launch services to their satellites on-board ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV).

The images received from the Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites (RESOURCESAT-2, RISAT-1 and CARTOSAT-1) are marketed globally by Antrix Corporation Limited (Antrix), the commercial arm of Department of Space, through International Ground Stations established outside India. The IRS images of region outside India received and processed at ISRO’s Ground Station are also marketed to global customers through Antrix.

The Government is planning to provide space based systems for South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation countries. The objective of this satellite project is to develop a satellite for SAARC region that enables a full range of applications and services to all our neighbours in the areas of telecommunication and broadcasting applications viz. Television, Direct-to-Home (DTH), Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATs), Tele-education, Telemedicine and Disaster Management.

While the cost towards building and launching the satellite will be met by Government of India, cost towards ground systems are expected to be sourced by the respective SAARC countries.

India ranks at 12th position in terms of power generation from nuclear source as per data published in May 2015 by PRIS of IAEA

India ranks at 12th position in terms of power generation from nuclear source as per data published in May 2015 by PRIS of IAEA

There are thirty one countries including India in the world which generate electricity from nuclear source. According to the data published in May 2015, by Power Reactor Information System (PRIS) of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), India ranked at 12th position in terms of power generation. However, it stood at 6th position in terms of number of reactors in operation country- wise, globally.

The current installed nuclear power capacity is 5780 MW, which is expected to increase to 10080 MW on progressive completion of projects under commissioning/ construction by 2019. The Government has accorded financial sanction and administrative approval for Gorakhpur Haryana Anu Vidyut Pariyojana (GHAVP) Units – 1&2 (2X700 MW) and Kudankulam Units- 3&4 (2X1000 MW) with a total capacity of 3400 MW. These projects are being prepared for launch in the current year.

In addition, one Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor of 500 MW capacity at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu is at advanced stage of commissioning. Construction of two more Fast Breeder Reactors (FBR 1&2) of 600 MW capacity each at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu is also planned. More nuclear power projects based both on indigenous technologies and with international cooperation are planned in future.

India has signed Nuclear agreements with USA, France, Russia, Namibia, Mongolia, Republic of Korea, Argentine Republic, United Kingdom, Republic of Kazakhstan, Canada, Sri Lanka and Australia. India is open to negotiation with other friendly countries who seem to have potential to make contribution to India’s nuclear energy programme.

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Nuclear power capacity expected to reach 10080 MW on progressive completion of projects presently under commissioning/construction by the year 2018-19

The nuclear power capacity is expected to reach 10080 MW on progressive completion of projects presently under commissioning/construction by the year 2018-19. The Government has accorded financial sanction for two more projects namely Gorakhpur Haryana Anu Vidyut Pariyojana (GHAVP) Units 1&2 (2x700 MW) and Kudankulam Nuclear Power Projects (KKNPP) Units – 3&4 (2X1000 MW) with a total capacity of 3400 MW. These are being readied for start of construction in the current year. Another 2X700 MW project is also planned to be taken up in the near future. On progressive completion of these projects, the target is expected to be achieved by the year 2024. The Government, in July 2014, had announced tripling of the then existing capacity of 4780 MW in the next ten years, that is by the year 2024. A capacity of 1000 MW has already been added with the start of commercial operation of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project Unit-1 (KKNPP 1) in December, 2014.

M/s General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC-Re) have on 12th June, 2015 launched Indian Nuclear Insurance Pool (INIP) with the capacity of Rs1500 crore to provide insurance to cover the liability as prescribed under Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act 2010.

BRICS' bank launches in Shanghai, to work with AIIB,

To fight against climate change, the Chinese government set a goal to increase the share of non-fossil fuels in its primary energy consumption to 15 percent by 2020

China is expected to become the world’s third largest nuclear generating nation around 2017, pushed by its national target against climate change, said U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

To fight against climate change, the Chinese government set a goal to increase the share of non-fossil fuels in its primary energy consumption to 15 percent by 2020, according to the China National Plan for Climate Change (2014-2020) released last year, reported Xinhua.

“To help achieve this target, China plans to increase nuclear capacity to 58 gigawatts (GW) and to have 30 GW of capacity under construction by 2020,” said the EIA on Monday.

Improving generation
China is expected to surpass South Korea and Russia in nuclear generating capacity by the end of 2015, overtake Japan around 2017 and to be behind only after the U.S. and France, said the EIA.

Since the beginning of 2013, China has added 10 reactors totalling more than 10 GW, pushing China’s net installed nuclear capacity to 23 GW at present, said the EIA.

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The aircraft can carry 50 people during a maritime search and rescue mission

China has begun building the world’s largest amphibious aircraft, a media report said.

The assembly of the domestically developed AG-600 seaplane started in Zhuhai city on July 17, the People’s Daily reported on Tuesday.

‘Better specifications’
“The AG-600’s overall specifications, such as the maximum takeoff weight and flight range, are better than other amphibious planes in the world. Some countries with many islands, such as Malaysia and New Zealand, have expressed interest in the AG-600,” Qu Jingwen, general manager of China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co, the aircraft’s developer, was quoted as saying.

The aircraft can carry 50 people during a maritime search and rescue mission.

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BRICS' bank launches in Shanghai, to work with AIIB

Officials from the world's largest emerging nations launched the New Development Bank (NDB) on Tuesday, the second of two new policy banks heavily backed by Beijing that are being pitched as alternatives to existing institutions such as the World Bank.

Also known as the BRICS bank, it follows soon after the establishment of the China-led Asian Investment Infrastructure Bank (AIIB). The new bank will fund infrastructure and development projects in BRICS countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

The ceremony on Tuesday concludes a lengthy wait since the NDB was first proposed in 2012. Disagreements over the bank's funding, management and headquarters had slowed its launch.

"Our objective is not to challenge the existing system as it is but to improve and complement the system in our own way," NDB President Kundapur Vaman Kamath said.

He added that after a meeting with the AIIB in Beijing, the NDB had decided to set up a "hotline" with the AIIB to discuss issues, and to forge closer ties between "new institutions coming together with a completely different approach."

The ceremony, held in Shanghai where the NDB's headquarters are located, was relatively low-key in comparison to a June signing of the articles of agreement for the AIIB in Beijing, which was attended by delegates from 57 countries and President Xi Jinping.

The NDB has initial capital of $50 billion, which will be expanded to $100 billion within the next couple of years.

Kamath, a former executive with India's largest private bank ICICI Bank, told Reuters earlier this month that the NDB plans to issue its first loans in April next year.

China has pledged to contribute $41 billion to the NDB, giving it the largest share of voting rights at 39.5%.

Brazil, India and Russia will each contribute $18 billion, while South Africa will contribute $5 billion.