150th Foundation Day of IMD and Mission Mausam | UPSC MAINS 2025

 On January 15, 2025, the Prime Minister of India participated in the 150th Foundation Day celebrations of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) in New Delhi. During the event, he launched the Mission Mausam initiative and unveiled the IMD Vision-2047 document. The Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) was also present at the ceremony.

What is the Mission Mausam Initiative? 

Overview: Mission Mausam is a government-led initiative aimed at enhancing the capabilities of India's weather department in weather forecasting, modeling, and dissemination.
Budget: The initiative has been allocated Rs 2,000 crore for its first two years.
Objectives:

• Upgrade Weather Forecasting: The mission aims to improve the accuracy of short to medium-range weather forecasts by 5-10%, enhance air quality predictions in major metro cities by up to 10%, and extend predictions to the panchayat level with a lead time of 10-15 days. Currently, the IMD's accuracy for extreme events such as heatwaves is around 98%, while forecasts for heavy rainfall stand at about 80%.
• Invest in Technology: The mission will leverage advanced technologies such as AI, machine learning, and high-performance computing to improve weather models and observational systems, including the installation of additional Doppler radars and satellites.

Art and culture Syllabus for UPSC CSE (Prelims & Mains) 2025

The Art and Culture section in the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE), both for Prelims and Mains, is an important component of the General Studies syllabus. The topics related to Art and Culture are included in General Studies Paper 1 for Prelims and General Studies Paper 2 (Mains). This section covers Indian Art, Culture, and History from various perspectives, including the history of art forms, cultural heritage, and their evolution.

Here’s an outline of the Art and Culture syllabus for both Prelims and Mains:

UPSC Prelims (General Studies Paper 1)

The Prelims exam does not have a separate Art and Culture paper but integrates this into the General Studies Paper 1. Art and Culture-related questions can appear in the Cultural Heritage section.

Syllabus for Prelims (Art and Culture):

1. Indian Culture:

   • Indus Valley Civilization: Features, arts, crafts, and culture.
   • Vedic Culture: Vedic literature, religious practices, and philosophy.
   • Buddhism and Jainism: Origin, spread, and art forms related to Buddhism and Jainism.
   • Mauryan Empire: Mauryan art, architecture (Ashoka’s pillars, stupas, etc.).
   • Gupta Period: Gupta art, architecture, and sculpture, golden age of Indian culture.
   • Chola Empire: Chola dynasty’s contributions to art, architecture, and sculpture.
   • Medieval and Mughal Period: Mughal architecture (Taj Mahal, Red Fort, etc.), Mughal painting.
   • Bhakti and Sufi Movements: Influence on music, literature, and visual arts.
   • Colonial Impact: British influence on Indian art and architecture.

2. Art Forms:

Time Management for CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test) 2025

The Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT), which is a part of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Exam, requires effective time management strategies to score well. The CSAT paper is designed to test candidates' ability to solve problems with logical reasoning, quantitative aptitude, and basic comprehension skills. Time management is crucial because you need to attempt a variety of questions in a limited amount of time.

Here’s how to manage your time effectively for the CSAT exam:

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1. Understand the CSAT Exam Structure

The CSAT consists of 80 questions, divided into the following sections:

• General Mental Ability (Quantitative Aptitude, Logical Reasoning)
• Comprehension (Reading comprehension passages)
• Decision Making & Problem Solving
• Interpersonal Skills & Communication
• Basic Numeracy & Data Interpretation

The total time allotted for CSAT is 2 hours. Therefore, the average time per question is 1.5 minutes.

Breakdown of Time Management:

• Total time for CSAT: 120 minutes (2 hours)
• Number of questions: 80
• Average time per question: 1.5 minutes (approx.)

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2. Prioritize Based on Strengths

Your first task is to identify which sections of the CSAT exam you are most comfortable with. Time management becomes much easier if you can quickly decide which questions to attempt first and which to leave for later.

Will there be UPSC CSAT Paper II exam in 2023? | Why UPSC aspirants often ask that "Paper II CSAT will be removed in the coming year". ? | UPSC CSAT QUERIES

 Why UPSC aspirants often ask that "Paper II CSAT will be removed in the coming year".

Will there be UPSC exam in 2023?

As per the UPSC calendar 2023, the Civil Services Preliminary examination will be conducted on May 28, 2023.

What is CSAT paper in UPSC?

CSAT or Civil Services Aptitude Test is one out of the two papers included in the UPSC prelims examination. It comprises questions to test the analytical ability, interpersonal skills and reasoning ability of candidates.

Is CSAT of UPSC difficult?

Even though you only need to score 33% marks in CSAT Paper- II, it can become a little difficult given the unpredictability of UPSC. We take the example of CSAT 2014. In 2014, the level of CSAT was a quantum jump from earlier years. Even scoring 100 seemed a difficult task for aspirants.

How many CSAT are there in UPSC?

There are two papers in UPSC Prelims- General Studies-1 and General Studies-2 (CSAT). General Studies has 100 questions whereas CSAT has 80 questions. Each paper carries 200 mark, and there will be ⅓ negative marking.

Who are eligible for CSAT exam?

CSAT (Paper II) is only a qualifying paper and a minimum of 33% marks are required to be eligible for clearing the UPSC Preliminary Exam. The final selection is based on the marks of Paper I only, given the candidate has scored 33% in the CSAT (Paper II).

Do people fail in CSAT?

Yes several students fail in CSAT despite their good performance in Paper-I.

How can I pass CSAT?

Keep every Sunday for CSAT practice and solve some questions from the numerous mock question papers found in the book. Candidates who are struggling with the CSAT paper should practice at least 1 hour daily. This can be reduced to weekly 3-4 hours or 1 mock paper per week depending on your requirement.

Can I skip Maths in CSAT?

By the Maths questions in the CSAT, your basic Ability to Accuracy and calculation will be judged. For this you need not do any special study on Maths, neither you need to have a Maths background.

Can I qualify CSAT with without Maths?