UPSC CSE WHY

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40+ marks in Pre24 & 40+ Qs references in Pre25 from CSEWhy resources (w direct screenshot proofs)🧵👇🏼

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Today is World Diabetes Day.
November 14 marks the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, co-discoverer of insulin.

Save these important days for your exams, especially State PSC exams.

#ActEarlyOnDiabetes

[UPSC CSE WHY @CseWhy]

Why is ASEAN important for India?

1. Trade: India–ASEAN bilateral trade reached US$128.38 billion in 2025–26.

2. Connectivity: Strengthening links with Southeast Asia through land, sea and air routes.

3. Strategic importance: Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and maritime security.

4. Economic integration: Review of the ASEAN–India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA).

5. Regional stability: Engagement through ASEAN-led forums such as the East Asia Summit.

ASEAN is not just an important trading partner for India. It is also central to India's engagement with the wider Indo-Pacific.

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India's engagement with Southeast Asia is an important pillar of its Indo-Pacific strategy.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit the Philippines to participate in the ASEAN Summit and related meetings.

The visit brings India's Act East Policy and its partnership with ASEAN back into focus.

But how important is ASEAN for India? 🧵

[UPSC CSE WHY @CseWhy]

Quick revision: What is ASEAN?

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established in 1967 through the Bangkok Declaration.

It now has 11 members:

Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and Timor-Leste.

An important concept: ASEAN Centrality

It refers to ASEAN's central role in shaping regional dialogue and cooperation through platforms such as the East Asia Summit and ASEAN Regional Forum.

[UPSC CSE WHY @CseWhy]

Which Constitutional Article defines state capitals?

​Answer: None. 📜

​The Constitution of India contains NO article prescribing, defining, or mandating capital cities for states.

​How it works legally:

• State Reorganisation: Parliament through ordinary legislation under Article 3 and supplemental powers under Article 4(1). Under Article 4(2), this requires a simple majority—not a constitutional amendment under Article 368.

• Internal State Decisions: Designating a seasonal capital or relocating offices is an executive and legislative power of the State Government under Article 162 and the State List.

​Bookmark this for UPSC GS-2

FOLLOW @CseWhy for more such insights

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India has 3 states with 2 capitals, and 2 states sharing 1 capital.

​And Gujarat is not the only state to shift its capital post-1947.

Does the Constitution define state capitals, or is it ordinary law?

Full breakdown for GS-2 Polity 🧵

[UPSC CSE WHY @CseWhy]

Dual & Shared Capitals in India

​Shared Capital:
• Punjab & Haryana share the Union Territory of Chandigarh (under the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966).

​States with Dual Capitals:

• Himachal Pradesh: Shimla (Summer) & Dharamshala (Winter, notified 2017)

• Uttarakhand: Dehradun (Winter) & Gairsain/Bhararisain (Summer, notified 2020)

• Maharashtra: Mumbai (Principal) & Nagpur (Winter 1953 Nagpur Pact)

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Content and second speed

• for content, have 1-2 page notes on EVERY topic of the syllabus

Download UPSC Mains syllabus: https://t.co/KRxOuAwozt

• for speed, know

150/250 words is a strict deadline. Train yourself to write/think fast

How?

1. See mains topper answers.
2. Replicate them as it is in your words with a time clock

Train for both. Speed and Content

[UPSC CSE WHY @CseWhy]

one thing I learnt with consistent conversations with aspirants who became officers about Mains is simple:

It is a game of 2 skills:

One…👇🏼

[UPSC CSE WHY @CseWhy]

Aspirants’ library scam:

‘Keep a water bottle on the table and disappear’

Aise aspirants par bhi ek article lagna chahiye constitution ka :P

[UPSC CSE WHY @CseWhy]

India's association with Pillar II could open opportunities in:

1.Research funding: Participation in eligible collaborative research projects.

2. Technology: Cooperation in AI, biotechnology, clean energy and advanced industries.

3. Global collaboration: Partnerships between Indian and European universities, researchers and institutions.
Innovation: Stronger research and industry linkages.

UPSC connection:
• GS-II: India–EU relations and science diplomacy.
• GS-III: Research and development, emerging technologies and innovation.

The association is yet to be formally signed and operationalised.

[UPSC CSE WHY @CseWhy]

India–EU relations are not just about trade and strategic partnerships. Science and research are becoming an important part of the relationship too.

In a recent development, India and the EU have concluded negotiations for India's association with Horizon Europe, the EU's flagship research and innovation programme.

What is Horizon Europe and what does India stand to gain? 🧵

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What exactly is Horizon Europe?

Horizon Europe is the European Union's flagship research and innovation programme with a budget of €93.5 billion for 2021–2027.

It is organised around three pillars:

Pillar I – Excellent Science: Supporting frontier research, researchers and scientific infrastructure.

Pillar II – Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness: Addressing challenges in health, climate, energy, AI, food security and industry.

Pillar III – Innovative Europe: Supporting innovation, start-ups and the growth of innovative businesses.

India's proposed association covers Pillar II.

But what opportunities could this create for Indian researchers and institutions? 🧵

[UPSC CSE WHY @CseWhy]

The top-ranked one: Taking CSAT seriously before it hurts
Aditya Srivastava had a top engineering degree, but never assumed basic math would save him. He tested himself early, saw how tricky the logic and reading passages were, and gave them regular weekend hours.

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The smartest strategies from AIR 1s worth adopting:

3rd: Killing the material greed
Just one basic book per subject, revise on repeat. Shruti Sharma spent twice as long checking her mistakes as writing the test, and stopped confusing herself with new material.

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2nd: Freezing Mains on December 31st
Your notes will never feel complete. Instead of writing practice answers into January, Kanishak Kataria locked his Mains prep on New Year’s Eve. That hard stop gave him a clear head to focus fully on Prelims.

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Happy Diwali, aspirants! 🪔

Today, give yourself permission to pause. Don't worry about your syllabus, pending targets or the exam. You are allowed to celebrate, laugh, and enjoy this festival with all your heart.

Restart with a fresh mind tomorrow, or maybe day after tomorrow. 🤗

#Diwali

[UPSC CSE WHY @CseWhy]

No.1 reality: Ending Black Money
The core objective was destroying hoards of illicit wealth.
Instead, 99.3% of demonetised notes returned to banks. It proved black money was parked in real estate, gold, and businesses, not stored in physical cash

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10 years of Demonetisation, by the hard numbers:

​3rd: Tax Formalisation
Goal: Lift the tax-to-GDP ratio and boost tax buoyancy.

​But, Tax-to-GDP only crawled from 11.1% to 11.4%, while tax buoyancy remained completely stagnant post-2016.

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2nd: The "Less-Cash" Shift

​The Goal: Reduce physical currency usage through digital adoption.

​UPI transactions exploded to ₹314 lakh crore.
​But, Currency in circulation climbed back to ₹43.2 lakh crore, remaining flat at 12% of GDP. Digital apps grew fast, but physical cash never actually vanished.