CIVILSEVA - A Platform for Civil Service Aspirants

In Jaina tradition, Gommateshvara or Bahubali is the son of Adinatha, the first Tirthankara.The mahamastabhisheka or head anointment of Bahubali is performed every 12 years. On this occasion, devotees pour offerings including milk, flowers, and jewels over the head of the colossal image. The colossal image of Gommateshvara (57-feet tall) is situated at Shravana Belagola. The name Shravana Belagola derives from shramana, which means ‘ascetic’ in Sanskrit, and bela-kola which means ‘white tank’ in Kannada.  Shravana Belagola is in the Channarayapatna taluk of Hassan district in Karnataka. The town lies between two rocky hills known as Chandragiri or Chikkabetta and Vindhyagiri or Indragiri (also known as Doddabetta). 

The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, is the first intergovernmental agreement, prepared under the auspices of the United Nations, to cover all dimensions of international migration in a holistic and comprehensive manner.  It was adopted at an intergovernmental conference on migration in Marrakesh, Morocco on 10 December 2018.  The first International Migration Review Forum (IMRF) took place at the United Nations headquarters in New York on 17-20 May 2022 to review the progress made at the local, national, regional and global levels in implementing the Global Compact.  The Global Compact is grounded in international human rights law and reaffirms States’ commitment to respecting, protecting, and fulfilling all human rights for all migrants.  The Global Compact rests on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and each of the nine core international human rights law instruments, and contains a Guiding Principle on human rights: “The Global ...

  Known as the "Diamond Vehicle," Vajrayana is a form of Buddhism prominent in Tibet and incorporates esoteric rituals and practices. Worship of female goddesses was adopted as a part of the growth of the Vajrayana phase in Buddhism. The famous image of of Tara  seated on a throne, accompanied by a growing curvilinear lotus stalk and her right hand is in the Abhay mudra belongs to Vajrayana Buddhism.

Mahayana Buddhists believe they can achieve enlightenment through following the teachings of the Buddha. The goal of a Mahayana Buddhist may be to become a Bodhisattva and this is achieved through the Six Perfections. Compassion is very important in Mahayana Buddhism. Therefore, Bodhisattvas choose to stay in the cycle of samsara to help others to achieve enlightenment as well as themselves. This is a key difference between Theravada and Mahayana Buddhists. Whereas Theravada Buddhists strive to become Arhats and gain freedom from the cycle of samsara, Mahayana Buddhists may choose to stay in the cycle of samsara out of compassion for others.

Theravada Buddhism is older and the more conservative of the divisions of Buddhism and is often referred to as the ‘traditions of the elders’. Many Theravada Buddhists follow the teachings of the Buddha exactly, and many of them a monks or nuns. Theravada Buddhists strive to be arhats. Arhats are perfected people who have gained true insight into the nature of reality. This means they have followed the Noble Eightfold Path to ‘blow out’ the three fires of greed, hatred and ignorance and have become enlightened. In Buddhism, enlightenment leads to nibbana (or nirvana), which means freedom from the cycle of rebirth (samsara). Consequently, they will no longer be reborn through samsara.

On the basis of vertical distribution of temperature, the atmosphere is classified into four characteristic regions, namely troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere and thermosphere. Environmental or Normal Lapse Rate: The lapse rate refers to the rate at which temperature decreases with an increase in altitude in the atmosphere. There are different lapse rates in different layers of the atmosphere: 1. Troposphere (Negative Lapse Rate):  In the troposphere, which is the lowest layer(8-17KM) of the atmosphere where weather phenomena occur, the lapse rate is called the environmental lapse rate (ELR). On average, the ELR is about 0.64°C /100 m or 6.5°C per kilometer (or 3.5°F per 1,000 feet) of altitude gained. However, it can vary due to various factors such as atmospheric stability, moisture content, and geographical location. In the upper limits of the troposphere, the temperature decreases to about –56°C.  The upper boundary of the troposphere is known as tropopause. The trans...

  Which of the following statements about Swami Dayanand Saraswati is INCORRECT? 1. His birthplace was Gujarat. 2. He authored the book 'Satyarth Prakash'. 3. He was the founder of Brahmo Samaj. 4. He was the founder of Arya Samaj. Click for Answer

  Who among the following has authored the play ‘Nil Darpan’? (a) Chittaranjan Das (b) Motilal Nehru (c) Dinabandhu Mitra (d) Sarojini Naidu Click to see answer

  Both fought at the banks of river Jhelum and the war is known as “The Battle of Hydaspes”. The war was happened in 326 BC. After that Alexander’s Army refused to cross the river “Beas / Hyphasis” to fight the battle with with the mighty Nanda Army of Magadh. 

Alexander was born in July 356 BCE. He was the son of Philip II, the ruler of Macedonia. Iran had a total of 28 satrapies of which India’s northwest constituted the twentieth province which included the Sindh, the north-west frontier and part of the Punjab west of the Indus.  It paid a hefty tribute in gold which accounted for one-third of the total revenue Iran received from its Asian provinces. Alexender Invaded this part of India in 330 BC. In 327 BCE, Alexander marched from Bactra through the Hindukush and Swat.  In 326 BCE after crossing the Indus he marched to Taxila and fought battles in the north-west’s small independent monarchies and tribal republics including with Porus. The battle with Porus held at the bank of Jhelum (Hydaspes) and this battle is popularly known as Battle of Hydaspes. Porus (Puru) ruled a kingdom between the Jhelum and the Chenab.  He then met with Ambhi, the prince of Taxila. Both Ambhi and Porus together could have defeated. However, Ambhi ...

 Assistant Section Officer (ASO) Assistant Section Officer (ASO) is  called as backbone of the Central Secretariat Services, Government of India. Earlier, ASO was called simply as Assistant. Only in the 2016, DoPT, Government of India has changed the nomenclature of the post from Assistant to Assistant Section Officer. After changing the name of Assistant to ASO in CSS, other Ministries/Departments such as Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Railways, Intelligence Bureau (Ministerial) etc followed the same and also renamed post of Assistant as ASO.   Recruitment Process of Assistant Section Officer (ASO) ASOs are appointed under Government of India through two popular methods. One by way of Direct Recruitment and other by way of promoting Senior Secretariat Assistant (erstwhile UDC post) after 10 years of Service or through Departmental Exam. Examinations for the Direct Recruitment of ASOs  is conducted by Staff Selection Commission. Roles and Responsibilities ...

  Sl.No. Name of Committee/ Commission Objective Year 1 Malimath Committee For Criminal Justice Reform 2003 2 Vohra Committee Report Electoral Reform 1993 3 Rangarajan Committee On disinvestment of shares in Public Sector Enterprises Apr, 1993 4 C. Rangarajan Committee formed to Review the Poverty Measurement Methodology 2014 5 Justice Indu Malhotra Committee (Appointed by Supreme Court) To look into the alleged security breach of Prime Minister's Punjab visit on 5th January, 2022. 13 th Jan, 2022 6 Appleby Committee formed to examine the functioning of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) in India. 1948 7 A.D. Gorwala Committee set up to study the...

The Shola forests of South India derive their name from the Tamil word solai, which means a ‘tropical rain forest’. The temperate forests are called Sholas in the Nilgiris, Anaimalai and Palani hills. Classified as ‘Southern Montane Wet Temperate Forest’ by experts Harry George Champion and SK Seth. The Sholas are found in the upper reaches of the Nilgiris, Anamalais, Palni hills, Kalakadu, Mundanthurai and Kanyakumari in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. These forests are found sheltered in valleys with sufficient moisture and proper drainage, at an altitude of more than 1,500 metres. The upper reaches are covered with grasslands, known as Shola grasslands. The vegetation that grows in Shola forests is evergreen. The trees are stunted and have many branches. Their rounded and dense canopies appear in different colours. Generally, the leaves are small in size and leathery. Red-coloured young leaves turning into different colours on maturity is a prominent characteristic of the Shola...

Mica is a mineral made up of a series of plates or leaves. It can be clear, black, green, red yellow or brown.  Due to its excellent di-electric strength, low power loss factor, insulating properties and resistance most used in electric and electronic industries. Mica deposits are found in the northern edge of the Chota Nagpur plateau, Koderma Gaya – Hazaribagh belt of Jharkhand; around Ajmer in Rajasthan and Nellore in Andhra Pradesh. Mica in India is produced in Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Telanganga and Rajasthan followed by Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh. In Jharkhand, high quality mica is obtained in a belt extending over a distance of about 150 km, in length and about 22 km, in width in lower Hazaribagh plateau. In Andhra Pradesh, Nellore district produces the best quality mica.  In Rajasthan, mica belt extends for about 320 kms from Jaipur to Bhilwara and around Udaipur.  Mica deposits also occur in Mysuru and Hasan districts of Karanataka; Coimbatore, T...

Several ores contain aluminum, it is from bauxite, a clay-like substance that alumina and later aluminium is obtained. Bauxite is found mainly in tertiary deposits and is associated with laterite rocks occurring extensively either on the plateau or hill ranges of peninsular India and also in the coastal tracts of the country. India’s bauxite deposits are mainly found in the Amarkantak plateau (Chattisgarh), Maikal hills and the plateau region of Bilaspur-Katni. Odisha is the largest bauxite producing state in India. Kalahandi and Sambalpur are the leading producers. The other two areas which have been increasing their production are Bolangir and Koraput. Other major states are Jharkhand (10%), Gujarat (9%), Chattisgarh, Maharashtra each 6%. Panchpatmali deposits in Koraput district are the most important bauxite deposits in the state. The patlands of Lohardaga in Jharkhand have rich deposits. Bhavanagar, and Jamnagar in Gujarat have the major deposits and producing regions.  Katni-...

Silk is an insect fibre, with lustre, drape and strength. Because of these unique features, silk is known as the “Queen of Textiles”, the world over.  India with the production of 34,903 MTs of silk is the second largest producer of silk in the world after China and also the largest consumer. India is the only country, which is producing all the four commercial varieties of silk, namely Mulberry, Tropical & Oak Tasar, Muga and Eri. Among the four varieties of silk produced, Mulberry accounted for 73.97% (25,818 MT), Tasar 4.20% (1,466 MT), Eri 21.10% (7,364 MT) and Muga 0.73% (255 MT) of the total raw silk production of 34,903 MT. Bivoltine raw silk production has increased by 17.07% to 7941 MT during 2021-22 from 6,783 MT 2020-21. Further, under Vanya silks, Tasar production has reduced by 45.48% during 2021-22 over 2020-21, main reason for this is adverse climatic conditions and erratic rainfall during crop season.  The major silk-producing states in the country are Andh...

The Eighth Schedule to the Constitution consists of the following 22 languages:- Assamese, Bengali,  Gujarati,  Hindi,  Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani,  Malayalam,  Manipuri,  Marathi,  Nepali,  Oriya,  Punjabi,  Sanskrit,  Sindhi,  Tamil,  Telugu,  Urdu  Bodo, Santhali, Maithili and  Dogri Of these languages, 14 were initially included in the Constitution.  Sindhi language was added in 1967.  Konkani, Manipuri and Nepali were included in 1992.  Subsequently Bodo, Dogri, Maithili and Santhali were added in 2004.

1.   Diwan-i-Wizarat (Department of Revenue):  Headed by Chief Revenue Officer (Wazir),  for revenue collection,  land assessment, and  administration of taxes.  2.  Diwan-i-Ariz (Military Department): Responsible for recruitment, payment of salaries to soldiers, and the overall maintenance of the military, crucial for safeguarding the empire against external threats. 3. Diwan-i-Insha (Department of Correspondence): Managed official communications and correspondence. 4. Diwan-i-Risalat (Department of Ecclesiastical Affairs):  It was responsible for interpreting and implementing Islamic law (Sharia), settling legal disputes, and managing religious endowments. 5. Diwan-i-Kohi (Agriculture Department): Responsible for agricultural matters, land development, and irrigation projects. 6. Diwan-i-Bandagan (Slave Department): This department looked after the affairs related to slaves, who often served in various administrative and military roles. 7. Diwa...