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Cracking one of the toughest entrance exams of the world – the Civil Services Exam requires rigorous preparation and commitment from the aspirants. However, no amount of study will help you understand and prepare for the kind of challenges that the IAS exam question paper will throw up. In order to be able to tackle this challenge, you will have to take the help of previous year Question Papers of IAS examinations. As an IAS aspirant, it is very important to understand the importance of Previous Years Question Papers from IAS Exams. In addition to this aspirants should also know how to use them to their advantage to get the most out of them.  Below, we shall discuss the important benefits of referring to Past Year Question Papers and how they should be used by the IAS aspirants. 1. Understand the IAS Exam Pattern One of the key ways of cracking IAS examinations is by developing a thorough understanding of the existing Examination Pattern. Referring to previous year questio...

India's solar mission will study the Sun's outermost layers — the corona and the chromosphere — and collect data about coronal mass ejection After a seven year long wait, Aditya, India’s first dedicated scientific mission to study the sun is likely to get a go-ahead from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) this week. The ambitious solar mission will study the sun’s outer most layers, the corona and the chromosphere, collect data about coronal mass ejection and more, which will also yield information for space weather prediction. The project costs approximately Rs 400 crores and is a joint venture between ISRO and physicists from Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru; Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune; Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, and other institutes. Shubashree Desikan Though the project was conceptualised in 2008 itself, it has since morphed and grown and is now awaiting clearance with the government. It now aims ...

Anxious PMO to soon hold meeting ahead of Abe visit to resolve issues with JICA The ambitious Rs 15,000 crore North East connectivity project is struggling to take off even one year after an agreement between India and Japan to jointly work on it for quickly transforming the region into a manufacturing hub with the help of better road infrastructure. India had chosen Japan as a partner in the project due to the latter's renowned expertise in building durable and environmentally sustainable roads on tough mountainous terrain, like those found in the North East. The government also wanted Japanese help due to their prowess in manufacturing. The first phase of the project is estimated to cost around Rs 5,000 crore for improving two highways (380 km of NH54 in Mizoram and 50 km of NH51 in Meghalaya) and an additional Rs 1,700 crore for activities including compensation for land acquisition. About 500 hectares is to be acquired for the first phase. This is expected to be fun...

British Prime Minister David Cameron has offered to lend support to his Indian counterpart, Prime Minister Narendra Modi to achieve his goal of preparing young Indians for the 21st century. Under the new UK-India Skills pledge, 11 UK companies have committed to support skills development in India. Together, the UK government and UK businesses will establish new "Centres of Excellence" in key sectors, starting with a centre for  Automotive and Advanced Engineering  in Pune, said the joint statement issued after the talks between the two leaders. Both Prime Ministers agreed to initiate virtual partnerships at the school level to enable young people of either country to experience the school system of the other country and develop an understanding of the culture, traditions and social and family systems. The Prime Ministers announced that UK will be the partner country for the  2016 Technology Summit  in Delhi. Committed to promote further joint research partne...

The US-India Business Council (USIBC) applauded the latest reforms announced by the Government of India on November 10 2015, liberalizing FDI norms in industries that are starved for capital and enable the  ease of doing business  in the country. "Putting more FDI proposals through the automatic route is clear signal that the government is living up to the mandate of minimum government and maximum governance. India's recent rise in World Bank's Ease of Doing Business, the ruling on Minimum Alternative Tax (MAT), its efforts to modernize the railways network, lifting of FDI in the insurance sector are all significant achievements that will propel more investment and innovation in the country," said Mukesh Aghi, President of the US-India Business Council. "USIBC member companies are encouraged by the government's efforts to undertake economic reforms and stay away from politically driven distractions," he added. Aghi also said that India continues to s...

Cancellation charge for a railway ticket has been doubled while the refund option can now be availed only till four hours before the scheduled departure of a train as new rules came into effect on Thursday which railways said was aimed at thwarting touts. According to the new refund rules, railways has doubled the ticket cancellation charge with the aim of helping genuine passengers get confirmed tickets. "There will be no refund after the departure of a train and one has to get the refund four hours before the scheduled departure as per the revised refund rules," said a senior railway ministry official. "The rules were revised to discourage touts and ticketing agents who engage in black marketing of tickets," said the officials.  The official said that the purpose behind amending the Railway Passengers (Cancellation of Ticket and Refund of Fare) Rules, 2015, is to plug the scope of misuse. According to the new rules: -- While the cancellation fee of a second-...

BENGALURU: Robin Singh helped India break their losing streak in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Playing at his favourite stomping ground, the Bengaluru FC forward scored the winner against Guam to earn India their first win in six matches on Thursday. Under heavy rain at the Sree Kanteerava stadium, Robin turned his marker at the edge of the box and fired a thunderous shot with his right to give India the lead in the 11th minute. India held on despite being down to 10-men for the whole of second half after medio Sehnaj Singh was ejected in the 42nd minute for a dangerous tackle. The win helped India stay alive, at least till their next game away to Iran in March next year, in their quest to qualify for the 2019 Asian Cup, while the defeat almost crushed Guam's hopes for a top-2 finish ahead of Oman to advance to the third round. "I'm happy that we won but we beat Guam and not Iran so don't get very excited. We need more international experience. If you ask any U-19 ...

Rising prices for some food products and firm demand during the festival season pushed up India's retail inflation to a four-month high in October, making it less likely the central bank will cut interest rates at its policy review next month. Retail inflation in India has slowed sharply, but a surge in prices of items like lentils threatens the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose party lost elections in India's third-most populous state on Sunday. Higher demand for consumer durables and food items during the festival season beginning in October also contributed. India's annual consumer price inflation edged up to 5.0 percent in October, up for the third straight month, compared with 4.41 percent a month ago, government data showed on Thursday. Industrial production grew at a slower than expected pace of 3.6 percent in September, dampened by a slower expansion in the mining sector, data showed. Analysts said inflation may moderate once festival demand so...