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BJP is on a roll and AAP on a reverse roll.The public voted against AAP in anger towards their ambition in having a finger in every pie while not acknowledging that the Delhi pie was getting out of their hand and the very electorate that had brought them in was now turning against them - in part for unfulfilled promises, in part for disgust at the electioneering strategy which was aimed more at Modi mudslinging while it could have been more positive, in greater part in the 'belief' that a vote for BJP is a vote for Modi.As though Modi is '42′ - the answer to every question.So, No. EVMs were not tampered with.AAP did not make the cut. The sooner they face the truth, the better for them.Do I believe the tampering allegations? No. Not until they can accept the challenge and prove that they have a point.Until then, I shall go with...AAP lost because people didn't vote for them.AAP lost because they lost focus.AAP lost despite the fact that BJP MCD has been screwing up Delhi for a decade.AAP lost because they didn't leave Modi out of their negative campaign.AAP lost because they could have shown the faces of the current MCD.AAP lost despite an inept Manoj Tiwari heading an incoherent Delhi front.AAP lost a battle because it didn't sufficiently work on the war it had won.AAP lost due to its battle against the media.To cut a long story short, AAP lost for every reason other than EVM tampering.This bleat sounds like a kid who has messed up his answer sheet and blames the teacher for his poor marks.

I have been to the Electronic City RTO, Huskur road (ECity Phase 2, KA-51) for 4 wheeler DL test today without any agent and followed the Quara answers thoroughly specially the latest ones at How can I get a driving licence in Bangalore?. And I went through the DL process myself, gave test and passed in 1st attempt today itself i.e 26.12.2018. Below are the important points I would like to share to have a smooth ride for the whole process for DL (after LL) when applied online.After minimum 1 month of having LL issue date, you should go for DL test.A DL applicant can max have 3 attempts and there is a waiting period of 7 days for each attempt.If you have LL, you can yourself login to the http://parivahan.gov.in website and apply for DL. (I had to change address also on LL and I did that before apply for DL ;) ). You don’t need to visit RTO office at all to apply for DL except for the Test day, but I went once to the RTO office near BTM 4th stage to get the postal envelope containing required stamps which will be used by RTO to send the actual DL card).After applying online for DL, you need to book slot (test date) for DL test. You can pay the fees online or you can pay the same during the DL Test day at Huskur RTO office. For LMV-NT i.e 4 wheeler non-transport the fee is Rs 651.00 (DL Test 300.00, Form 7 fee 151.00, DL issue fee 200.00).On the scheduled DL Test date, directly go to Kuskur road, RTO (it’s at Electronic City Phase 2, the office is on the left side of the Huskur road, if you come from Hosur road or ECity) 1 hour before your schedule slot as there will be paper work before test and you have to stand in queues for every process. You need to bring your own vehicle or any other’s vehicle along with that vehicle’s 1. RC, 2. insurance, 3. Pollution under check/control (PUC) certificate originals. Along with all the xerox copies i.e application acknowledgment, DL application form, fee receipt (if already paid), slot appointment, LL copy, (no need of medical certificate if you are below 40 years of age) and a postal envelope, don’t forget to write your address on it. Just staple all these Xerox documents. I didn’t have to paste photo also, as it was also present in DL application already by the system.First park your vehicle inside the big premise (on the right side after entering) and then complete 5 processes one by one -i) Go to the Biometric Room which is at the left side (just after Cashier Room and each room has the name written on the door, should be easy to find). The person will check the application number in his computer and slot date and then ask you to pay the fees for Smart Card (Rs. 60 including GST) and if you have not paid DL test fees, you have to pay here (Rs 651.00). Your photo will be taken and your digital signature with an electronic pen & pad will also be taken. You will get one receipt from here which the person will staple with your application documents. 1st step is done.ii) Go to the Cashier room just before the biometric room and handover your application to the person sitting there. He will scrutinize it and make a phone call to some other person with your application no. You are done with 2nd step.iii) Go outside the registration room and stand in the queue. Your application will be checked again and your vehicle’s original documents will be asked (RC, Insurance, PUC). I was only asked for RC. Here the person may ask again to visit Cashier room if scrutiny is still pending. Once that’s done you need to go inside the registration roomiv) Inside the registration room you have to answer 4 signs & symbol questions using a computer. These are not very easy but not too tough if you are prepared for couple of days. After that test, you will be given a white RFC card and will be asked to go to the track. The person will also attach one test result form with the application which you have to sign after completing the test.v) Actual Drive test: Come Near the LMV track (right most area after the 2 wheeler tracks) with your application and RFC card. One person will explain how the track works and what the different time limits. There are different types of tests done in the track - 1. Uphill stop and start 2. ‘8′ track, 3. Parallel parking 4. Traffic signal 5. Reverse ‘S’ track 6. 3 point turn. For each test you have swipe the card near the entry of that particular test. For applicants with driving school or agents, the driving school agent will seat beside you with their own vehicle but as I have gone alone, I was only personal seating in my car and as the entire test track is automated, the result will be given from the registration office immediately once you submit the RFC card and application.My entire process form start to finish took about 1.5 hours as there was not much queue for 4 wheeler tests. It was my first attempt and I passed in all tests with 100% score except in ‘3 point turn’ where I scored 2/5 but passed. I can also see the application status online that’s it waiting for approval for printing & dispatch. I did practice for about 3 solid months and went through all Quora question-answers on this process and saved some good amount of money by not going through agents. Which gave me solid confidence about Quora and RTO process :)

Approximately once every 10 minutes since January 3, 2009 at 18:15:05 UTC, one miner in the world has found/will find a valid Bitcoin block that meets the current difficulty requirements. When that happens, the block reward and the transaction fees will be distributed to the wallet(s) configured by that miner in that block. These two sources make up all of a miner’s income.Block rewards are the only way that new Bitcoins are min[t]ed. The block reward started at 50 BTC/block and halves every 210,000 blocks. This is why the current block reward is 12.5 BTC/block as of Sept 2017.Transaction fees for a block are the sum of the fees paid for all new transactions included in that block. For example, I might send you .5 BTC and specify a fee of .00004 BTC as incentive for miners to include that transaction in their block. The first miner to include that transaction in an accepted block will then earn that .00004 BTC in addition to the block reward and fees from other included transactions.Early on, transaction fees were a negligible source of miner income since there were very few transactions and the block reward was high. However, as the block reward diminishes and the number of transactions grows this trend will reverse and block rewards will become negligible and transaction fees will dominate earnings.Mining pools are another layer on top of this. Instead of the reward and fees going to a single miner, they instead have a number of miners pooling their efforts and splitting the rewards based on that pool's rules. In this way, if it would normally take you 10,000 years on average to find a block by yourself, you can instead join a mining pool and get small fractions of a block reward regularly based on your mining contribution and the pool's rules.Compare that to solo mining without a mining pool, where until you find a valid block you won't get a single Satoshi.

Thank you for A2A.Yes and No both . UPSC PRELIMS is beyond 1000 coaching institutes who do not understand the demand and nature of exam and lakhs of aspirants who blindly depend on them.But UPSC PRELIMS is most predictable and safe exam if you understand it . I myself has proved by clearing all 6 prelims back to back with huge margins( 145- GS1).Let me explain YOU (Ladies and Gentlemen)This is the breakup of subjects this yearHere only 20 were pure current affairs. Other 12 were contemporary topics and were 1 year old so can’t be categorized as current affairs directly. Thus the bulk of questions came from Static and FundamentalsSantosh Sir Prediction before exam :Now read what I had predicted before exam.I had categorically suggested that this year they will focus on Fundamentals and static. Reading and following websites and mugging up stupid compilations will be a waste of time.I had asked to read newspapers , the Hindu .Most of questions are picked from The Hindu like the species one ,etcMy subject distribution was also close.Which section in the prelims 2019 is expected to give more questions according to the trend?I request you go through all my posts and see how relevant they were for PRELIMS 2019.I had strictly warned not to read bulky govt scheme compilation , it was suicidal . I had suggested only few . And I was bang on - only one scheme came which i had suggested Atal innocation mission.1. In India,'extended producer responsibility' was introduced as an important feature in which of the following?(a) The Bio-medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1998(b) The Recycled plastic (Manufacturing and Usage) Rules, 1999(c) The e-Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011(d) The Food Safety and Standard Regulations, 2011My Topic List 3.5 Important topics from environment “ Extended Producer Responsibility”2.Under Ramsar Convention, it is mandatory on the part of the Government of India to protect and conserve all the wetlands in the territory of India.3. The Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2010 were framed by the Government of India based on the recommendations of Ramsar Convention.3. The Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2010 also encompass the drainage area or catchment regions of the wetlands as determined by the authority.Which of the statements given above is / are correct?(a) 1 and 2 only(b) 2 and 3 only(c) 3 only(d) 1, 2 and 3My Topic List Important topics from environment : Ramsar Wetland3.As per law, the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority exists at both National and State levels.2. People's participation is mandatory in the compensatory afforestation programmes carried out under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016.Which of the statements given above is / are correct?(a) 1 only(b) 2 only(c) Both 1 and 2(d) Neither 1 nor 2CAMPA Compensatory afforestationMy Topic List Important topics from environment: CAMPA4. In the context of which one of the following are the terms 'pyrolysis and plasma gasification' mentioned?(a) Extraction of rare earth elements(b) Natural gas extraction technologies(c) Hydrogen fuel-based automobiles(d) Waste-to-energy technologiesMy Topic List : Waste to energy5. In India, the use of carbofuran, methyl parathion, phorate and triazophos is viewed with apprehension. These chemicals are used as(a) pesticides in agriculture(b) preservatives in processed foods(c) fruit-ripening agents(d) moisturising agents in cosmeticsMy Topic List 3.5 Important topics from environment:: Stockhom-Persistant Organic Pollutatnt5. Why is there a great concern about the 'microbeads' that are released into environment?(a) They are considered harmful to marine ecosystems.(b) They are considered to cause skin cancer in children.(c) They are small enough to be absorbed by crop plants in irrigated fields.(d) They are often found to be used as food adulterants.My Topic List 3.5 Important topics from environment: Dead Zones in Ocean6. Consider the following statements about Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in India:1. PVTGs reside in 18 States and one Union Territory.2. A stagnant or declining population is one of the criteria for determining PVTG status.3. There are 95 PVTGs officially notified in the country so far.4. Irular and Konda Reddi tribes are included in the list of PVTGs.Which of the statements given above are correct?(a) 1, 2 and 3(b) 2, 3 and 4(c) 1, 2 and 4(d) 1, 3 and 4My Topic List Important Environment Topics :PVTGs in A&N( Tribes)7. Which of the following are the reasons for the occurrence of multi-drug resistance in microbial pathogens in India?1. Genetic predisposition of some people2. Taking incorrect doses of antibiotics to cure diseases3. Using antibiotics in livestock farming4. Multiple chronic diseases in some peopleSelect the correct answer using the code given below.(a) 1 and 2(b) 2 and 3 only(e) 1, 3 and 4(d) 2, 3 and 4My Topic List Important Anti Microbial Resistance and Policy8. With reference to Mian Tansen, which one of the following statements is not correct?(a) Tansen was the title given to him by Emperor Akbar.(b) Tansen composed Dhrupads on Hindu gods and goddesses.(c) Tansen composed songs on his patrons.(d) Tansen invented many Ragas.9. Consider the following statements:1. Saint Nimbarka was a contem-porary of Akbar.2. Saint Kabir was greatly influenced by Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi.Which of the statements given above is/are correct?(a) 1 only(b) 2 only(c) Both 1 and 2(d) Neither 1 nor 2My Topic lis :Kabir and Akbar10. Consider the following statements:1. Most of India's external debt is owed by governmental entities.2. All of India's external debt is denominated in US dollars.Which of the statements given above is / are correct?(a) 1 only(b) 2 only(c) Both 1 and 2(d) Neither 1 nor 2Debt11. Which one of the following is not the most likely measure the Government/RBI takes to stop the slide of Indian rupee?(a) Curbing imports of non-essential goods-and promoting exports(b) Encouraging Indian borrowers to issue rupee denominated Masala Bonds(c) Easing conditions relating to external commercial borrowing(d) Following an expansionary monetary policyRBI steps to check currency devaluation12. In the context of India, which of the following factors is/are contributor/ contributors to reducing the risk of a currency crisis?1. The foreign currency earnings of India's IT sector2. Increasing the government expenditure3. Remittances from Indians abroadSelect the correct answer using the code given below.(a) 1 only(b) 1 and 3 only(c) 2 only(d) 1, 2 and 3Answer: bCurrency Crisis13. Which of the following is issued by registered foreign portfolio investors to overseas investors who want to be part of the Indian stock market without registering themselves directly?(a) Certificate of Deposit(b) Commercial Paper(c) Promissory Note(d) Participatory NoteP notes14.1. No High Court shall have the jurisdiction to declare any central law to be constitutionally invalid.2. An amendment to the Constitution of India cannot be called into question by the Supreme Court of India.Which of the statements given above is / are correct?(a) 1 only(b) 2 only(c) Both 1 and 2(d) Neither 1 nor 2My Topic List : Amendments15. Building 'Kalyaana Mandapas' was a notable feature in the temple construction in the kingdom of(a) Chalukya(b) Chandela(c) Rashtrakuta(d) VijayanagaraVijayanagar empire (Themes part II) (chap 6)16. Atal Innovation Mission is set up under the(a) Department of Science and Technology(b) Ministry of Employment(c) NITI Aayog(d) Ministry of Skill Development and EntrepreneurshipMt Topic List : AIM17.1.The 44th Amendment to the Constitution of India introduced an Article placing the election of the Prime Minister beyond judicial review.2. The Supreme Court of India struck down the 99th Amendment to the Constitution of India as being violative of the independence of judiciary.44th AmendmentWhich of the statements given above is/are correct?(a) 1 only(b) 2 only(c) Both 1 and 2(d) Neither 1 nor 2Amendments and HC18. Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) exchange rates are calculated by comparing the prices of the same basket of goods and services in different countries.2. In terms of PPP dollars, India is the sixth largest economy in the world.Which of the statements given above is / are correct?(a) 1 only(b) 2 only(c) Both 1 and 2(d) Neither 1 nor 2GDP -PPP19. With reference to the Constitution of India, prohibitions or limitations or provisions contained in ordinary laws cannot act as prohibitions or limitations on the constitutional powers under Article 142. It could mean which one of the following?(a) The decisions taken by the Election Commission of India while discharging its duties cannot be challenged in any court of law.(b) The Supreme Court of India is not constrained in the exercise of its powers by laws made by the Parliament.(c) In the event of grave financial crisis in the country, the President of India can declare Financial Emergency without the counsel from the Cabinet.(d) State Legislatures cannot make laws on certain matters without the concurrence of Union Legislature.Advisory Jurisdiction20.1. As per recent amendment to the Indian Forest Act, 1927, forest dwellers have the right to fell the bamboos grown on forest areas.2. As per the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, bamboo is a minor forest produce.3. The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 allows ownership of minor forest produce to forest dwellers.Which of the statements given above is / are correct?(a) 1 and 2 only(b) 2 and 3 only(c) 3 only(d) 1, 2 and 3FRA 200621. In the context of polity, which one of the following would you accept as the most appropriate definition of liberty?(a) Protection against the tyranny of political rulers(b) Absence of restraint(c) Opportunity to do whatever one likes(d) Opportunity to develop oneself fullyLiberty22. Consider the following statements:1. The 44th Amendment to the Constitution of India introduced an Article placing the election of the Prime Minister beyond judicial review.2. The Supreme Court of India struck down the 99th Amendment to the Constitution of India as being violative of the independence of judiciary.Which of the statements given above is/are correct?(a) 1 only(b) 2 only(c) Both 1 and 2(d) Neither 1 nor 244th amendment23. The- motion to impeach a Judge of the Supreme Court of India cannot be rejected by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha as per the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968.2. The Constitution of India defines and gives details of what Constitutes 'incapacity and proved misbehaviour' of the Judges of the Supreme Court of India.3. The details of the process of impeachment of the Judges of the Supreme Court of India are given in the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968.4. If the motion for the impeachment of a Judge is taken up for voting, the law requires the motion to be backed by each House of the Parliament and supported by a majority of total membership of that House and by not less than two-thirds of total members of that House present and voting.Which of the statements given above is/are correct?(a) 1 and 2(b) 3 only(c) 3 and 4 only(d) 1, 3 and 4Judges removal24. Asiatic Lion Conservation Project ( endangered, canine distemper virus, Gir, Pania sanctuary)25. What is common to the places known as Aliyar, Isapur and Kangsabati?(a) Recently discovered uranium deposits(b) Tropical rain forests(c) Underground cave systems(d) Water reservoirsAnswer: DIndian Major Dams- New dams26. Under which Schedule of the Constitution of India can the transfer of tribal land to private parties for mining be declared null and void?(a) Third Schedule(b) Fifth Schedule(c) Ninth Schedule(d) Twelfth Schedule27. The Ninth Schedule was introduced in the Constitution of India during the prime ministership of(a) Jawaharlal Nehru(b) Lal Bahadur Shastri(c) Indira Gandhi(d) Morarji DesaiSchedules28. In the context of which of the following do some scientists suggest the use of cirrus cloud thinning technique and the injection of sulphate aerosol into stratosphere?(a) Creating the artificial rains in some regions(b) Reducing the frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones(c) Reducing the adverse effects of solar wind on the Earth(d) Reducing the global warmingClimate engineering –carbon capture, Bio char, stratospheric aerosol injection29. Consider the following:1. Deification of the Buddha2. Treading the path of Bodhisattvas3. Image worship and ritualsWhich of the above is/are the feature/ features of Mahayana Buddhism?(a) 1 only(b) 1 and 2 only(c) 2 and 3 only(d) 1, 2 and 3My Topic list :Buddhism features30.The Environment Protection Act, 1986 empowers the Government of India to1. state the requirement of public participation in the process of environmental protection, and the procedure and manner in which it is sought2. lay down The standards for emission or discharge of environmental pollutants from various sourcesWhich of the statements given above is/ are correct?(a) 1 only(b) 2 only(c) Both 1 and 2(d) Neither 1 nor 2My topic List :EPA31.1. The Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Act, 1959 exempts several posts from disqualification on the grounds of 'Office of Profit'.2. The above-mentioned Act was amended five times.3. The term 'Office of Profit' is well-defined in the Constitution of India.Which of the statements given above is/are correct?(a) 1 and 2 only(b) 3 only(c) 2 and 3 only(d) 1, 2 and 3My Topic List Polity : Office of profitoffice of Profit32.1.According to the Indian Patents Act, a biological process to create a seed can be patented in India.2. In India, there is no Intellectual Property Appellate Board.3. Plant varieties are not eligible to be patented in India.Which of the statements given above is/are correct?(a) 1 and 3 only(b) 2 and 3 only(c) 3 only(d) 1, 2 and 3My Topic List :Indian Patent and Farmer right33.In the context of wearable technology, which of the following tasks is/are accomplished by wearable devices?1. Location identification of a person2. Sleep monitoring of a person3. Assisting the hearing impaired personSelect the correct answer using the code given below.(a) 1 only(b) 2 and 3 only(c) 3 only(d) 1, 2 and 3My topic List :Cyber Physical System34.Recently, scientists observed the merger of giant 'blackholes' billions of light-years away from the Earth. What is the significance of this observation?(a) 'Higgs boson particles' were detected.(b) 'Gravitational waves' were detected.(e) Possibility of inter-galactic space travel through 'wormhole' was confirmed.(d) It enabled the scientists to understand 'singularity'.My topic List :Gravitational waves35.Consider the following pairs:Movement/OrganizationLeader1. All India Anti-Untouchability LeagueMahatma Gandhi2. All India Kisan SabhaSwami Sahajanand Saraswati3. Self-Respect MovementE. V. Ramaswami NaickerWhich of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?(a) 1 only(b) 1 and 2 only(c) 2 and 3 only(d) 1, 2 and 3My topic List :Self-respect movement37. Consider the following pairs:SeaBordering country1. Adriatic SeaAlbania2. Black SeaCroatia3. Gaspian SeaKazakhstan4. Mediterranean SeaMorocco5. Red SeaSyriaWhich of the pair given above are correctly matched?(a) 1, 2 and 4 only(b) 1, 3 and 4 only(c) 2 and 5 only(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5My Topic List :black Sea and Mediterranean Sea-38. With reference to the Legislative Assembly of a State in India, consider the following statements :1. The Governor makes a customary address to Members of the House at the commencement of the first session of the year .2. When a State Legislature does not have a rule on a particular matter, it follows the Lok Sabha rule on that matter.Which of the statements given above is/ are correct?(a) 1 only(b) 2 only(c) Both 1 and 2(d) Neither 1 nor 239. With reference to Indian National Movement, consider the following pairs:PersonPosition held1. Sir Tej Bahadur SapruPresident, All India Liberal Federation2. K. C. NeogyMember, The Constituent Assembly3. P. C. JoshiGeneral Secretary, Communist Party of IndiaMy Topic List :Constituent assemblySantosh Sir Elimination Techniques:Can you share your intelligent guessing tricks?40 . With reference to Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), consider the following statements1. AIIB has more than 80 member nations.2. India is the largest shareholder in AIIB.3. AIIB does not have any members from outside Asia.Which of the statements given above is / are correct?(a) 1 only(b) 2 and 3 only(c). 1 and 3 only(d) 1, 2 and 3Answer: aHere statement 2 and statement 3 can be eliminated because they are extreme. You can read what I had advised in my intelligent guessing tricks.41. What was the purpose of Inter-Creditor Agreement signed by Indian banks and financial institutions recently?(a) To lessen the Government of India's perennial burden of fiscal deficit nd current account deficit(b) To support the infrastructure projects of Central and State Governments(c) To act as independent regulator in case of applications for loans of Rs. 50 crore or more(d) To aim at faster resolution of stressed assets of Rs. 50 crore or more which are-under consortium lendingAnswer: dHere option c and d can only be the answer as they are common.42. The Chairmen of public sector banks are selected by the(a) Banks Board Bureau(b) Reserve Bank of India(c) Union Ministry of Finance(d) Management of concerned bankAnswer: cTopic List : Banking bsics43. Consider the following statements:1. Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) is the first regulatory body set up by the Government of India.2. One of the tasks of PNGRB is to, ensure competitive markets for gas.3. Appeals against the decisions of PNGRB go before the Appellate Tribunals for Electricity.Which of the statements given above are correct?(a) 1 and 2 only(b) 2 and 3 only(c) 1 and 3 only(d) 1, 2 and 3Answer: bHere also extreme statement like First in option 1 can be eliminated. Thus we get the answer.44. With reference to communication technologies, what is/are the difference / differences between LTE (Long-Term Evolution) and VoLTE (Voice over Long-Term Evolution)?1. LTE 'is commonly marketed as 3G and VoLTE is commonly marketed as advanced 3G.2. LTE is data-only technology and VoLTE is voice-only technology.Select the correct answer using the code given below.(a) 1 only(b) 2 only(c) Both 1 and 2(d) Neither 1 nor 2Answer: dTopic List : 5G 4 G.45. Which one of the following is not a sub-index of the World Bank's 'Ease of Doing Business Index'?(a) Maintenance of law and order(b) Paying taxes(c) Registering property(d) Dealing with construction permitsAnswer: aHere option a is unrelated to the question , thus can be eliminated easily. Other 3 deals with doing business.Some indirect Topics46.The Chairmen of public sector banks are selected by the(a) Banks Board Bureau(b) Reserve Bank of India(c) Union Ministry of Finance(d) Management of concerned bankBanking basics:47.Which of the following is not included in the assets of a commercial bank in India?(a) Advances(b) Deposits(e) Investments(d). Money at call and short noticeMy Topic list :Banking48. With reference to the cultivation of Kharif crops in India in the last five years, consider the following statements:1. Area under rice cultivation is the highest.2. Area under the cultivation of jowar is more than that of oilseeds.3. Area of cotton cultivation is more than that of sugarcane.4. Area under sugarcane cultivation has steadily decreased.Which of the statements given above are correct?(a) 1 and 3 only(b) 2, 3 and 4 only(c) 2 and 4 only(d) 1, 2, 3 and 449. Consider the following statements:A digital signature is1. an electronic record that identifies the signNowing authority issuing it2. used to serve as a proof of identity of an individual to access information or server on Internet.3. an electronic method of signing an electronic document and ensuring that the original content is unchangedWhich of the statements given above is / are correct?(a) 1 only(b) 2 and 3 only(c) 3 only(d) 1, 2 and 3Answer: dMy Topics list - Digital India51. Which of the following statements are correct about the deposits of 'methane hydrate?1. Global warming might trigger the release of methane gas from these deposits.2. Large deposits of 'methane hydrate' are found in Arctic Tundra and under the seafloor.3. Methane in atmosphere oxidizes to carbon dioxide after a decade or two.Select the correct answer using the code given below.(a) 1 and 2 only(b) 2 and 3 only(c) 1 and 3 only(d) 1, 2 and 3My topic List : Climate change and oceans and Deep Ocean Mining.There are many more which I didn’t include because they were indirect.My point here is if you understand the nature and demand of exam , its easy. I have done it not once but six times . You can also do it.But you have to cut the clutter. If you read and follow unnecessary online stuff daily which UPSC will never ask , you are bound to lose as your precious time will get wasted.For free mains guidance :( AsksantoshSir- telegram)How can I join the PGP program for 2020?We are starting mains guidance in a week . I will continue guiding you in this journey . But always remember

Before I answer this question, I want to start by pointing one thing out…You’re not supposed to work long hours!According to all of the best research, after 35 hours of work, your weekly productivity will begin to declineThis means that if you were working at a level 8–10 for the first 35 hours of the week, you’ll be working at a level 5 or below for hours 35+.While there are many people like Gary Vaynerchuk who seem to be able to bend reality to their will and work insane hours for extended periods of time, the simple fact of the matter is this:You only have so much mental energy to expend in a week.You cannot be operating at 100% for 60, 70, or 80 hours a week. It’s just not possible.And if you try… Then you are going to wear yourself out and lower the quality of the other hours that you work.It’s far better to work 35 or fewer hours per week where you are hyper focused and productive than it is to work 60 where you are burnt out and frustrated.But I digress…If you’re anything like I was 2–3 years ago, you’re going to read this and completely ignore it, and that’s fine. Most people have to experience things firsthand before they will really believe them.So with that disclaimer out of the way, here are a few tips and tricks for increasing your energy, focus, and productivity so that you can work long hours effectively.(Note: Some of this content is pulled from my Ultimate Guide to Limitless Productivity where I share the most scientifically validated ways to increase your productivity and get more done in less time)1. Sleep at Least 7.5 Hours Each NightIf you want to have the stamina to work long hours, then you need to make sure that your body and mind are fully rested and equipped to handle an arduous work load.According to Medical Daily, 40.6 million Americans, more than 30% of the workforce, are chronically sleep deprived.Now, at first glance, you might think, “C’mon Andrew, who gives a crap? You can sleep when you’re dead, these people just need to work more!”But when you consider that sleep deprivation has been linked to:DepressionDeliriumHallucinationsImpaired Cognition and an Increased Risk of Preventable AccidentsNot to mention, an increased risk of infections, cancer, and overall mortality.You begin to realize that sleep deprivation is a big deal.Like a really big deal.I know that most young people love the #hustle mentality and believe that there is something noble or productive in sleep deprivation.But nothing could be further from the truth.Unless you have the rare genetic mutation, DEC2, (present in less than 5% of the population) sleeping less than 6 hours a night is literally killing you.And the worst part?You aren’t even aware that it’s happening.Now, let’s consider the positive effects that studies have shown to be present when an individual gets sufficient sleep.Improved memoryLower systemic inflammationImproved immune functionElevated moodLearning and problem-solving abilities improvedI don’t know about you, but I personally believe that having a better memory, experiencing less illness, feeling happier, learning faster, and solving problems more rapidly all strongly correlate to being more productive.This isn’t just my opinion either. In fact, some of the world’s top performers report sleeping more than 8.5 hours a night.Podcast Guest, Neil Patel sleeps 9.25 hours a night while running three multi-million dollar businesses.Arianna Huffington, Co-founder of the Huffington Post and multimillionaire claims that sleeping 8 hours a night was partially responsible for her success.James Altucher, multi-millionaire investor, and hedge fund manager includes “Sleeping 8 Hours” as one of the keys to his financial successAt this point, it should be clear that getting more sleep is, indeed, one of the quickest ways to boost your productivity.But the question still remains, “How much sleep do I need, and how can I get better quality sleep?”According to the National Sleep Foundation, adults need 7-9 hours in order to prevent the effects of sleep deprivation from affecting your life and productivity. (slightly more if you’re an avid athlete)As for increasing the quality of your sleep, it’s actually pretty simple.Go to bed before 11 p.m.Wake up at the same time each daySleep in a completely dark and cold room (research shows that 65-67 F is ideal for sleep)Exercise dailyTurn off all electronics 60 minutes before bed.I know that this particular section was a little bit long-winded, but this point is so important that I couldn’t simply breeze through it.If you want to be more productive, you need to sleep. Period.Until you are getting 7.5-9 hours of sleep on a consistent basis, the other tactics included in this guide will simply fan the flames of burnout until, eventually, you collapse in a stressed out, sleep deprived panic attack.Take it from me (and thousands of scholarly studies), quit trying to join the sleepless elite and get your 7 hours. M’kay?2. Sweat for At Least 20 Minutes a DayStudy after study after study has illustrated the tremendous importance of daily exercise.From:Decreased depressionElevated mood, reduced stress, and less anxietyImproved blood flow to the brainThe production of new brain cellsImproves memoryImproved discipline, impulse control, and decision makingIn fact, there are SO many benefits to exercise, that the Harvard Business Review has stated that regular exercise should be a mandatory part of any job description.Luckily, studies have shown that you don’t have to exercise for hours every day to reap these benefits.In fact, just 150 minutes of weekly exercise (that’s 30 minutes every weekday) is more than sufficient to improve your productivity, mood, and general well being.If you are exercising exclusively for increased productivity, studies have shown that 2-3 moderately intense sessions of aerobic exercise each week will have the most dramatic impact on your ability to focus and concentrate.However, this does not mean that you should exclusively train your aerobic capacity.Further research has indicated that combining regular aerobic conditioning with an intelligent weightlifting regimen (I recommend this one) and regular yoga will have the greatest impact on your ability to be more productive and stay focused throughout the day.3. Eat Clean Burning Foods and Reduce Your Carb Load Early in the DayMost people underestimate the effect that your diet has on cognitive performance and general productivity.Think about it this way…Your brain is the center of all productivity.Although that tiny little supercomputer takes up only 2-3% of the total mass of your body, it burns more than 20% of the calories that you consume!In and of itself, this should clearly illustrate the link between food and productivity.Studies from the Harvard Business Review have shown an inextricable link between the calories that you consume and the ability for your brain to focus and achieve long-lasting concentration.I won’t bore you with all of the science, but I will suffice it to say that what you eat matters… A lot.If you want to be as productive as possible, you will want to clean up your diet.Here are a few guidelines to get you started.Eliminate as many processed foods as possibleConsume slow burning foods such as raw vegetables and fibrous carbohydrates throughout the day to properly regulate glucose levels in the brainConsume your biggest and highest carb meal after your workout or at dinnerSkip breakfast and opt for coconut oil coffee or eat a very protein and fat rich breakfast (no carbs!)Although you can dive much much deeper into the world of productivity and focus through dieting, simply eliminating processed foods, increasing the number of vegetables you eat, and waiting until later in the day to consume carbs will dramatically improve your productivity almost overnight.If you are interested in learning more about how your dietary choices and productivity are related, check out this awesome infographic from Hubspot.4. Bring the JoyAlthough it might seem like common sense, happy and excited people are more productive.How much more productive?Well, according to a study compiled by Professor Andrew Oswald, Dr. Eugenio Proto and Dr. Daniel Sgroi from the Department of Economics at the University of Warwick, happy employees are 12% more productive than their unhappy peers!I don’t have time to dive into all of the amazing research that has been compiled in recent years that details what determines human happiness, (you should check out the Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor if you’re interested in this), I want to share a quick tactic I picked up from Brendon Burchard.The tactic, called “Bring the Joy” is simple enough, but the results you will experience are profound.All I want you to do is to set 3 alarm on your phone titled Bring the Joy.Set them to go off at different times throughout the day and, when you see the notification pop up on your screen, I want you to ask yourself three questions.What level of joy and presence am I bringing to this present moment?What am I grateful for today?How can I bring more joy and excitement into my current interactions and activities?Like I said, simple right?I challenge you to try this tactic for the next 30 days and genuinely pause and become aware of your state every time your alarm goes off.You will be amazed at how much more productive and joyful your life will become.5. Meditate for at Least 10 Minutes a DayAlthough the scientific community needs to further evaluated the direct link between meditation and productivity, several studies like this one, conducted at a Fortune 100 company, show a very clear link between a regular meditation practice and increased productivity at work.The reason for this is simple.Meditation is proven to help: (source)Lower blood pressureAlleviate symptoms of insomniaReduce depression and anxietyReduce painReduce symptoms of IBSAid in smoking cessationOh, did I mention that it has also been shown to rebuild grey matter?As I’ve already discussed, happiness and productivity are inextricably linked and it should be pretty clear that any practice which decreases depression, anxiety, and sleeplessness will, by default, improve your productive output.I challenge you to take up a meditation practice for the next 30 days and record how you feel.Arnold Schwarzenegger, the infamous bodybuilder, real estate tycoon, and “Governator” of California stated that his one year of intense TM (Transcendental Meditation) practice has created results that6. Take Strategic Breaks Throughout the Day to Maintain Your Energy and EnthusiasmOne of the most surprising ways to increase your energy and boost productivity is actually to work less and take breaks more frequently.Study after study has shown that the human brain cannot focus (effectively) for more than 90 minutes.Eventually, your brain needs a break from any given task to consolidate and process information, renew our focus, and ensure that our tasks are ultimately congruent with our goals.Later in this article, I’ll discuss the Pomodoro method which helps cement these findings into your daily workflow.But for now, I simply want to encourage you to start taking a 45-60 minute break in the middle of every workday.During these breaks, I recommend that you:Practice meditationWalk outsideEat a light snackDo some calisthenicsReadTalk with friendsTest out different methods of recharging yourself and renewing your focus throughout the day and it will pay dividends in the long run.7. Eliminate Email as Much as PossibleNothing will drain your focus and stamina more than wasting nearly 30% of your work week responding to emails!In the United States alone, the average employee spends more than 28% of their time or 13 hours a week responding to emails.That’s more than 650 hours a year wasted on largely unproductive, reactive, and unnecessary correspondence!Over the average employee’s lifespan (45 working years) that equates to more than 29250 hours wasted on email.For those of you who are quick with a calculator, this means that the average employee will spend 3 years of their life responding to and clearing out emails!That’s a jaw-dropping amount of time to spend on such an insignNow and largely unimportant task as email.So what in the hell are we going to do about it?Although entire books have been written on the topic of reducing email overload and reclaiming your inbox (and your life) I will keep things simple.I recommend that you:Check email only twice a day (I do it at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.)“Touch it once”. Either respond to, archive or delete an email. Never leave it in your inboxStop using email folders and simply search for emails when you need themKeep your emails to 5 sentences or less and inform people of this policy in your signature (shoutout to Chris Bailey for this one)Go on an email vacation and let co-workers know you won’t be responding to email until you are done with your biggest project (they will survive I promise)If you do nothing other than implementing these five tips your productivity will skyrocket.Imagine if you could reduce the amount of time you spend on email to only one hour a week.How much more could you accomplish with 12 extra hours in your work week?How much income could you create? How many promotions could you secure?The more you think about it, the more you will realize that email is the scourge of productivity and, although it is a necessary evil, it is an evil nonetheless.8. Embrace the Power of “No”The most powerful word in the entire English language is composed of only two letters.“No”The word “No” has started wars, ended wars, overthrown oppressive governments, and, as it pertains to our conversation, revolutionized personal productivity and fulfillment for people all over the world.Just think about it for a moment.How much pain, discomfort, and genuine wasted time have you experienced in your life because you said “Yes” when you should have said “No”?How many times have you spent an afternoon with people that you didn’t like, in a setting that made you uncomfortable, for a purpose you couldn’t ascertain simply because you didn’t have the courage to say “No”?If you are anything like me, the answer is probably “A lot”.I know from first-hand experience that implementing the power of “No” into your life can be very challenging.For years, I was a chronic people pleaser.I would go to parties I didn’t want to attend, stay late at work, go on dates with people I didn’t care for, and generally lived my life for the approval of others instead of my own personal satisfaction.Until one day, I had enough.I was burnt out, stressed out, wallowing in unfinished projects, unmet personal expectations, and general angst about my existence.So I decided to say “No” more often.I said no:When family members wanted to hang out during my workdaysWhen audience members asked to take me to lunch (I love you guys but I literally cannot meet with 30,000+ men 1-on-1)When friends wanted to go out and I didn’tWhen people made unfair requests of me and my timeWhen people asked for unwarranted favors because they were “My friend”I said “No” to the bad and even the good so that I could say “Yes” to the great.And if you want to be as productive as possible and create a truly prolific life, then you must learn to do the same.9. Use the Pomodoro TechniqueRemember how we talked about the importance of taking breaks way back in Path #1 (yeah, I know this is a long ass article)?Well, it turns out that taking breaks every 50-90 minutes can be just as effective at increasing your productivity and focus throughout the day as the 45-minute renewal exercise we already discussed.The reason for this lies in something called the Ultradian Rhythm.Effectively our brain waves are cyclical and go through peaks and troughs roughly every 90 minutes.In the same way that your brain cycles through different wavelengths during a 90-minute sleep cycle, so too does your brain cycle through wavelengths in a “basic rest-activity cycle”.If you are interested in learning more about the science, you can check out this article from Tony Schwartz.Knowing that cognitive output is cyclical, meaning that you physically cannot sustain high levels of concentration without intermittent periods of rest, changes the entire approach to productivity and focus.This is where the Pomodoro technique comes in handy.Instead of fighting against your Ultradian Rhythm, the Pomodoro technique works with it.Here’s what you do.Instead of simply sitting down at your desk to work, you are going to pick one of your most important tasks of the day (which I will talk about in the next point) and focus on it for a definite length of time between 25 and 90 minutes.Then, you are going to set a timer, eliminate all distractions, and get to work on that project with single-focus until the timer goes off.When the timer buzzes, you are going to take a break anywhere from 5-22 minutes (depending on the length of your work session) before sitting back down to begin the process all over again.All you need to complete the Pomodoro Technique is:A physical or online timerSomething to work onYour brainIt really is that simple.I’ve tested this tactic out for myself and have noticed that I am consistently more productive, more efficient, and more happy with my output when I use the Pomodoro technique on a regular basis.10. Create Locational Anchors to Build Productive StatesAn underground tactic that I’ve found to be immensely effective in recent months is the use of locational anchors.This concept was first introduced to me when I listened to an excellent podcast with Jairek Robbins.Jairek discussed the concept of locational anchors by explaining that the brain works through the power of association and that, the more associations we can build for a specific task, the easier it will be to accomplish it.This is why doctors tell you to only use your bed for sleep and sex.You want to make sure that when it’s time to unwind or *ahem* perform, that your body and brain associate your bed with those activities.This is also why it’s so much easier to have an awesome workout at your local gym than it is with an Iron Gym in your living room.However, Jairek took things a step further and recommended that you actually develop locational anchors for ALL major tasks that you must complete throughout the day.For example:Check email at the kitchen tableTake conference calls at your local cafeWrite at your desk while looking out the windowDesign sales funnels at your desk with your back to the windowComplete all administrative work at a specific nook in your houseThe list goes on and on.Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any direct research to back up this particular hack, however, after experiencing its effectiveness first hand, I couldn’t leave it off this list.Give it a go for 90 days and I promise you will get more done than you ever believed possible.Final Thoughts: Take it Easy on Yourself!Before I leave you to take on the big bad world of getting sh*t done and becoming a productivity machine, I wanted to leave you with one final tip.Take it easy on yourself.The most unproductive thing you can do is to berate and belittle yourself because you haven’t been as successful or productive as you want.Yes, it’s important that you are honest with yourself and your clients and don’t sugarcoat the reality of your current capacity.However, you must remember that you were never taught this in school. You weren’t born with the knowledge of how to be massively productive.You’ve simply been operating on whatever systems you picked up from the people around you and, hopefully, you now have better systems to test and implement.Productivity and focus are both acquired skillsets.You aren’t born productive and it’s not something that is determined by your genetics. It’s a matter of principles and systems, testing, failing, and figuring out what works for you.So take it easy on yourself as you strive to get more done.The journey will take time, but it will be worth it.Good luck!Closeout this article and go get some shit done!

Note: The cars that I have mentioned below are my strictly my own personal picks and I have selected them on the basis of the category to which they belong.Photos are only for representational purposes.Prices are approximate and may not represent each model of a particular car.● Category- HyperCarMy pick- Hennessey Venom F5.Hennessey Venom F5 is clearly faster than Bugatti Chiron and Koenigsegg Agera RS. As told my Hennessey, this hypercar is designed from the ground up with only one goal in mind:To be the absolute fastest road car on earth.Only 30 people in the whole world will have the privilege to own one.SOME STATS:Top Speed-301MpH(484Km/H)0–186MpH(300Km/H) in less than 10 seconds0–249MpH(400Km/H) in less than 20 secondsPrice-$1.6 Million(₹101,704,159)● Category-ElectricMy pick-Tesla Model SDefinitely a car from the future, Model S is a revolutionary car even after 5 years when it was introduced by none other than maverick entrepreneur Elon Musk himself. It has sheer combination of sports car, luxury car and a technological marvel.The Model S cemented it's status as a top electric car and has the longest driving range currently on the market.Price: $69,500(₹4,441,744)(for standard 75kWh battery pack)● Category- LuxuryMy Pick- Mercedes-Benz S ClassThe guts of the S Class engineering is as good as it ever was-it's super quite, smooth and refined luxury cruiser, Mercedes Benz today offers various cars ranging from lumbering SUVs to small hatches . However, one thing hasn't changed. The pinnacle Mercedes-Benz is still after all these years-the S Class Sedan.Price- $196,000(₹12,457,523)● Category-Off Road/PickupMy Pick- Chevrolet Colorado ZR2The ZR2 Model turns the Chevrolet Colorado midsize pickup truck from a normal work vehicle into an off road missile. The ZR2 will also have a number of special editions that will appeal to all types of buyers. It is a great truck that can handle anything you throw at it.Price- $40,160(₹2,552,573)● Category- Rare afMy Pick- Lamborghini VenenoDrop dead gorgeous!!! This beast is unapologetically one of the best designs any car can have. Named after a fighting bull from the 1900s, the Veneno has a carbon-fibre light weight design and has consistently focused on optimum aerodynamics and cornering stability.Exactly three Lamborghini Venenos have ever been sold to the car buying community.Price- $3.9 Million(₹247,860,803)Thanks for reading!An upwote would be nice● ●︶

Yes, we get meteorites from Mars, but no samples returned by our spacecraft.Natural sample returnYou can imagine, it must be a pretty huge impact on Mars to send rocks all the way to Earth. With a small impact all the material stays on Mars, and for a big impact too, most of the material returns to Mars. But if the impactor is more than one kilometer across, creating a crater more than ten kilometers across, some surface rocks can signNow escape velocity. They end up in a similar orbit to Mars, but after some fly-bys of the planet, a few of them can get diverted to impact on Earth.So, though most are never recovered there are at least several meteorites land on Earth every year from Mars. But, they all come from a small number of impacts, as you would expect, You can tell that by measuring the time spent exposed to cosmic radiation, which confirms the conclusions of the model, Measured ages so far are (time since the meteorite was ejected from Mars) are  20, 15, 11, 4.5, 3, 1.3 and 0.7 million years.(see Martian Meteorites - Cosmic Ray Exposure Ages and Figure 9 of scholarly paper)Life on Earth could have originated on MarsThere was a lot more exchange of material in the early solar system, and one theory of the origin of life is that it could have started on Mars and been brought to Earth by meteorites. It's possible because Mars, further from the sun, cooled down sooner, and was habitable at an earlier stage than Earth. Also had no Moon forming giant impact to disturb it early on. It had oceans, for a few hundred million years, then massive flooding for another few hundred million years. Perhaps that was enough time for life to arise, as it seems to have got off to a very early start on Earth. Some rocks could get from Mars to Earth within a century, and some micro-organisms are hardy enough to survive that, modern ones anyway.Our meteorite samples are limitedWe do have a reasonable spread of ages, the radiometric ages(age since formation)  range from 4.5 billion years for Allan Hills 84001 to a few hundred million years in the case of the younger meteorites. However, most are igneous rocks. Our rovers and satellites have found many other rock types on Mars and these haven't been found yet on Earth as a Martian meteorite.Spacecraft sample return ideas:So there is a lot of interest in sample return from Mars to Earth, to take a closer look at whats there. But there are environmental issues. The problem is, the most interesting samples would be ones with life in them, past or present. But if there is present day life in the sample, maybe it could have some harmful impact on Earth?Also some exobiologists say we don't know enough yet to return biologically interesting samples to Earth.The idea has been suggested many times dating back to the 1970s, this is from a 1978 study:The problem is that the sample has to be carefully contained. First, you have to keep Earth micro-organisms out of it. A single Earth microbe or virus, even a single amino acid from Earth would be enough to invalidate modern sensitive analysis of the sample. If you find amino acids in the sample for instance, you have to be sure they are from Mars and not contamination from Earth?But the main issue is protection of the Earth. The thing is, we have no idea if there is life on Mars or not, and what the nature of it is if there is. Actually since Phoenix there's been new interest in the possibility of life on Mars. These would be micro-organisms living on the edge, in a desert like landscape, like the dry valleys in Antarctica. They could live on drops of water melting briefly around a grain of sand in the snow. Or might be like arctic lichens able to live just off the humidity in the air which is close to 100% on Mars when the sparse frosts form in the morning and evening. Or below the surface of rocks. Or they could live in millimeters thin layers of water that probably form when certain salts deliquesce. See my Might there be Microbes on the Surface of Mars?If there is life in the sample, then until we can study it, there is no way to know if it is safe to return it, for sure. The experts are generally agreed that it is almost certainly going to be of no harm at all to Earth. But the worst case, thought to be very low probability scenario is severe in the extreme, leaving quite a dilemma as to what to do. Carl Sagan wrote in his book Cosmic Connection:…Precisely because Mars is an environment of great potential biological interest, it is possible that on Mars there are pathogens, organisms which, if transported to the terrestrial environment, might do enormous biological damage - a Martian plague, the twist in the plot of H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds, but in reverse. This is an extremely grave point. On the one hand, we can argue that Martian organisms cannot cause any serious problems to terrestrial organisms, because there has been no biological contact for 4.5 billion years between Martian and terrestrial organisms. On the other hand, we can argue equally well that terrestrial organisms have evolved no defenses against potential Martian pathogens, precisely because there has been no such contact for 4.5 billion years. The chance of such an infection may be very small, but the hazards, if it occurs, are certainly very high.All the official studies since then have agreed with Carl Sagan's conclusion, that it is necessary to take precautions against that possibility. I've found it hard to talk about this with some folk, because there is a tendency to assume it is about some weird Andromeda Strain type alien, But as you see, Carl Sagan's concern was about something much more prosaic. A disease like Legionaires disease perhaps, but one we aren't adapted to. Or, a virus that attacks micro-organisms (because of possibly shared ancestry way back). Or a micro-organism that out competes our native life - a bit like the way that rabbits out compete marsupials in Australia. Or maybe it damages our crops, or puts natural cycles and ecosystems out of balance. Or it's spores irritate our lungs, or some other type of an allergen.Does the natural sample return make it safe to return a sample to Earth?The idea of life transferred to Earth on the Martian meteorites is new since Carl Sagan's day. Perhaps life might occasionally transfer from Mars to Earth via meteorite. If so - does that mean that any sample we return from Mars is harmless? Robert Zubrin thought so as have a few others since then. But his is a minority view on this topic. Exobiologists particularly don't agree with his views on it.The thing is - any transfers of life are going to be rare. Impacts on Mars are only every few million years or soLife most likely to make the transition on meteorites that signNow Earth soon after the impactImpacts mostly on igneous rockNo direct evidence of life on meteorites from MarsSo, if there were any extinction events or obvious changes in our environment caused by transfer of life from Mars, they would be rare, so hard to spot. There have been many extinction events in the past not fully understood.The National Research Council looked into this and concluded that though there have been no large scale effects on Earth likely to be caused by life on meteorites in recent times, the possibility can't be ruled out further in the past.They also noted that there are many forms of life that wouldn't be able to make the transition on a meteorite, but able to get here in the carefully preserved environment of a return capsule.Also the meteorite has to hit a habitat on Mars containing life - if this is a micro-habitat consisting of a thin patch of salty brine in the sub surface soil, would this survive a meteorite impact and would the life be sent unchanged all the way to Earth? In a sample return canister, the samples would be carefully selected, and carefully preserved for the journey.Present day suggested precautionsThis is a more modern version of the official precautions, we have moved forward a long way since Antares. Recent ideas suggest return to Earth itself, and e.g. this particular version has robotic handlers:It is an expensive to build building - and the first ever facility of it's type so will probably have "teething difficulties". It requires you to combine the clean room technologies, which use positive air pressure to keep micro-organisms out, with the biohazard technologies that use negative air pressure to keep them in. Most proposals end up with a triple walled structure to handle both of those at once. The official studies did estimates of the time needed to get it designed, built, and up and ready with staff familiar and able to operate it without incident, they came up with figures of over a decade before it is ready to receive a sample return.Needs to contain unknown biohazards of unknown sizeThen you have to contain an unknown biohazard, so you don't know how small they are. This is different from the usual situation, to contain known biohazards.To be as safe as possible you design it to contain micro-organisms half the size of the smallest known ultramicrobacteria. The size of confirmed ultramicrobacteria has gone down to 0.2 microns and may go down further. So their recommendation was that any release of a particle larger than 0.05 microns is unacceptable.Then there is the possibility of the even smaller Gene Transfer agents to think about. These are as small as 0.01 microns across, and could transfer DNA between micro-organisms if the life on Mars uses the same DNA mechanisms as Earth life does. In one experiment, then GTAs left overnight in a sample of sea water transferred DNA to half the micro-organisms in the sample. So - this is quite hard to guard against.Of course you can contain it if that is all you want to do. The problem is, how can you do experiments on the sample, cut sections off it, move bits around in the facility, and at the same time make it impossible for sub micron particles to ever encounter the Earth environment, or any Earth DNA or amino acids etc. to ever encounter the sample?Then, if it is based on a completely different biochemistry the whole thing is basically guesses about what size it is, and what effects it could have.Return sterile samples onlyOne solution of course is to simply sterilize the samples before you return them to Earth. Then there is nothing to worry about. The problem is of course, that that also destroys most of the interest of the samples.Another idea is to return samples of past life only, not go anywhere near regions on Mars that might have present day life. But there you have the issue that first, some micro-organisms may be able to remain viable for millennia on Mars, as they do on Earth, and the global dust storms spread material from all over Mars .So the dust could have viable spores and other dormant life hidden in cracks, protected from UV by the iron oxides in the dust.Also there are some ideas for life able to survive even in the driest regions of Mars, around deliquescing salts, in the "advancing dunes bioreactor" model.Need for public debate and legislation changes for potential of environmental disruptionThis possibility also means that in the low probability worst case scenario, the nations affected by the sample return could include any of the nations on the Earth and not just the nation responsible for launching the mission. So apart from any legal requirements, morally, any nation that does a MSR should involve other nations in the debate. It's not right for one nation to unilaterally take this risk however small it might be.This also makes it a major legislative tangle. Things were much simpler legally in the Apollo days. NASA released its quarantine proposals for Apollo 11 on the same day as the launch leaving no time for public appraisal of them. That would not be tolerated today. The Apollo era quarantine rules were rescinded so can't be used as is.Also many of the modern environmental laws didn't exist in those days.Today there would be many domestic US hurdles (if it was a NASA mission), which would take many years to work through. Also,it would be subject to international agreements, and domestic policies of other nations.So, there would need to be a big multi-nation process of new legislation before a MSR could be approved. Margaret Race of the SETI institution went into this in detail, I summarize her findings here:Legal Issues and Need for International Public DebateWhat if the samples are biologically uninteresting?Some exobiologists put forward this argument strongly.The thing is - that what we are most interested in is evidence of life on Mars. But the evidence so far suggests that life on Mars, if it exists,is going to be hard to find.Present day life on Mars might exist in micro-habitats, just a few mms in thickness, and maybe only exist for part of the day or year.  Over the entire surface of Mars maybe some of these habitats have life and some don't. For instance it might depend on a delicate balance of salts, and then the life has to find the habitat to colonize it.They may also have low quantities of life, just a few micro-organisms metabolizing really slowly and occasionally reproducing, perhaps even only reproducing every thousand years or so as happens for some extreme environments on Earth.That's because of the low temperatures and low levels of essential materials. It's probably similar to present day extreme desert and Antarctic dry valleys habitats on Earth, but may have even lower populations. This could be beyond detection capabilities of anything except the most sensitive instruments, beyond anything sent to Mars to date. So we wouldn't know if there is life until the sample is returned.Or life on Mars could be deep underground, hard to signNow. Same issue applies to past lifeAncient life, to be well preserved long term, needs special conditions. Salt or clay deposits are best, and at least several meters below the surface (because it gets degraded over geological timescales by cosmic radiation). These samples would be hard to signNow, and quite possibly only some of the apparently suitable samples actually include any life signatures in them. You would be lucky to find evidence of life in your first deep drill sample on Mars.Results likely to be inconclusiveSo whether there is present day life, or was life in the past, or no life, whatever the situation, seems unlikely a MSR at this stage would do all that much to help settle the question, unless you get really lucky and happen to return a sample that has life in it.A Mars sample return could easily end up returning biologically uninteresting samples, at great cost. Since the search for life is the main reason given for attempting a MSR it seems there is at least quite probable that it ends up as an expensive mission that does little to help increase our understanding of its main objective.Better in situ instrumentsSeems a better approach to investigate it on the surface first with more sensitive instruments. There are many proposals for new life detection instruments of very high sensitivity  small enough and light enough to fly to Mars. E.g. the "astrobionibler"  sensitive to presence of a single aminio acid in a gram of sample, also scanning electron microscopes, DNA sequencers and the like, all under development.Alternative, teleroboticsThis is what I favour myself at present.Rovers on the Mars surface operated by telepresence by humans in orbit.Time delay issues from EarthThe problem for exploration from Earth is the time delay of many minutes. No-one can drive the rovers in real time so they have to proceed extremely slowly. They have feeble motors that can only drive slowly but that is mainly because there is no incentive for them to be faster.Human mission to Mars orbit for telepresence operationFor the same cost as a sample return to Earth, bearing in mind all the expenses of the entire mission including receiving facility on Earth etc,  you could probably send a human mission to Mars capture orbit. This is an elongated orbit, not the low orbit which is expensive to signNow in terms of fuel. It swoops in to Mars, passes close by, and then swoops out again. Turns out to be a good orbit for telepresence operation In terms of delta v, it is as easy as a Moon landing.At the same time, you land lots of rovers on Mars, operated by the humans in orbit around the planet via telepresence..Have sensitive life detection instruments on those rovers. In a day the humans in orbit with their telerobots could do as much as we now do in years. In a mission lasting a year or so we would advance our understanding of Mars immeasurably.At that point we could start to think about whether a Mars sample return is a good idea. We would know a lot about Mars by then, know which samples are biologically interesting, know exactly why we want to return it, and have a good idea of whether it is likely to be biohazardous and what is the best way to contain any hazards. I would do biohazard testing in orbit around Mars too at that point, e.g. in greenhouse type hab, small satellite orbiting separately from the human mission to test effect on environment of the samples in a preliminary way (especially if any biosignatures are found) - why not take as many precautions as you can.That's my opinion on it, for discussion.Ideas of telerobotic explorationThis idea has been suggested many times, including HERRO, and Robert Zubrin with his Athena double flyby, also a Russian proposal and one by Lockhead Martin.Maybe it's time has come though. Last year there was a major telerobotics conference supported by NASA that went into this and they concluded that if there is a human mission to Mars orbit, it would be a case of missing a major opportunity if they don';t explore it via telerobotics.I go a bit further and say we should keep to telerobotics only in the near future, no human landing until we know what the surface is like, what is the hurry?Also, I simply wouldn't bother about a sample return until we have done a fair bit of telerobotics.Bearing in mind the arguments of the exobiologists, there doesn't seem to be much point to do it now - not enough  to justify the huge cost of the missionChances are that it is totally safe, but why take any risk at all? As Carl Sagan said in  Cosmos“ If we wish on Earth to examine samples of Martian soil for microbes, we must, of course, not sterilize the samples beforehand. The point of the expedition is to bring them back alive. But what then? Might Martian microorganisms returned to Earth pose a public health hazard? The Martians of H. G. Wells and Orson Welles, preoccupied with the suppression of Bournemouth and Jersey City, never noticed until too late that their immunological defenses were unavailing against the microbes of Earth. Is the converse possible? This is a serious and difficult issue. There may be no micromartians. If they exist, perhaps we can eat a kilogram of them with no ill effects. But we are not sure, and the stakes are high. If we wish to return unsterilized Martian samples to Earth, we must have a containment procedure that is stupefyingly reliable. There are nations that develop and stockpile bacteriological weapons. They seem to have an occasional accident, but they have not yet, so far as I know, produced global pandemics. Perhaps Martian samples can be safely returned to Earth. But I would want to be very sure before considering a returned-sample mission.”So, maybe it can be done safely with modern technology with great expense and care. But my view is, why such a rush? Let's do what we can "in situ" first.Find out moreCan Human Explorers Keep Mars Clean, For Science?How Valuable is Pristine Mars for HumanityMight there be Microbes on the Surface of Mars?Need For Caution For An Early Mars Sample Return - Opinion PieceMars Sample Receiving Facility and sample containmentLegal Issues and Need for International Public Debate