IAS PCS Mission 2026: Daily Study Material – 10 Feb 2026
NCERT History: Class 9 Chapter-1 (The French Revolution)
This chapter, “The French Revolution”, chronicles the transformative events that began in 1789, leading to the end of the absolute monarchy in France and the rise of democratic ideals.
1. The Outbreak of Revolution
The revolution began on 14 July 1789, with the storming of the Bastille, a fortress-prison in Paris that symbolized the king’s despotic power.
- Causes of Unrest: The city was in a state of alarm due to rumors that the king had ordered the army to fire on citizens.
- Economic Distress: Most people were protesting against the high price of bread and widespread food shortages.
2. French Society in the Late 18th Century
Society was organized into the Feudal System of three estates:
- First Estate (Clergy): Enjoyed privileges by birth, such as exemption from paying taxes.
- Second Estate (Nobility): Also exempted from taxes and extracted feudal dues from peasants.
- Third Estate: Comprised 90% of the population, including peasants, artisans, merchants, and lawyers. They bore the entire tax burden, paying tithes to the Church and a direct tax (taille) to the state.
3. The Struggle to Survive
- Population Growth: The population rose from 23 million in 1715 to 28 million in 1789, leading to a rapid increase in the demand for foodgrains.
- Subsistence Crisis: Production could not keep pace with demand; wages stayed fixed while bread prices rose, leading to frequent food riots and a “subsistence crisis”.
4. The Rise of the Middle Class
The 18th century saw the emergence of a social group termed the Middle Class, who earned their wealth through overseas trade and manufacturing.
- Philosophical Influence: Thinkers like John Locke (Two Treatises of Government) and Jean Jacques Rousseau (The Social Contract) argued against the divine right of kings and proposed a government based on a social contract between people and their representatives.
- Montesquieu: In The Spirit of the Laws, he proposed a division of power within the government between the legislative, executive, and judiciary.
5. Key Revolutionary Milestones
- The Estates General: In May 1789, Louis XVI called a meeting to pass new tax proposals. The Third Estate demanded that each member have one vote, rather than each estate having one vote.
- National Assembly: After the king rejected their proposal, the Third Estate declared themselves a National Assembly and swore the Tennis Court Oath, vowing not to disperse until they had drafted a constitution for France.
- Constitutional Monarchy: In 1791, the Assembly completed the draft of the constitution, which limited the powers of the monarch and assigned them to different institutions.
6. The Abolition of Monarchy and the Terror
- France Becomes a Republic: In 1792, the newly elected convention abolished the monarchy and declared France a republic. Louis XVI was executed for treason in January 1793.
- The Reign of Terror (1793-1794): Under Maximilien Robespierre, the government followed a policy of severe control and punishment. Anyone seen as an “enemy” of the republic was guillotined. Robespierre himself was eventually convicted and executed in 1794.
7. Legacy of the Revolution
The ideas of liberty, equality, and fraternity were the most important legacy of the French Revolution.
- Abolition of Slavery: One of the most revolutionary social reforms was the abolition of slavery in French colonies in 1794 (though it was later reintroduced by Napoleon).
- Napoleon Bonaparte: Following the instability of the Directory, Napoleon rose to power, crowning himself Emperor of France in 1804. He saw himself as a “moderniser of Europe”.
The French Revolution
Tithes & Taille
Tax paid to the Church and direct tax paid to the state by the Third Estate.
Guillotine
A device consisting of two poles and a blade used for beheading people.
Jacobins
A political club of the less prosperous sections of society led by Robespierre.
⚖️Indian Polity: High Courts (Articles 214–231)
In the Indian single integrated judicial system, the High Court (HC) operates below the Supreme Court but is the highest judicial authority within a State. For your “IAS PCS Mission 2026” repository, it is crucial to note that while the SC and HC share many powers, their jurisdictions differ significantly, especially regarding Writs.
The High Courts in the States (Articles 214–231)
According to Article 214, there shall be a High Court for each State. However, the 7th Amendment Act (1956) authorized Parliament to establish a common High Court for two or more States or for two or more States and a Union Territory.
1. Composition and Appointment (Article 216 & 217)
- Strength: Unlike the Supreme Court (where Parliament decides the strength), the strength of a High Court is decided by the President from time to time based on the workload.
- Appointment: Judges are appointed by the President.
- The Chief Justice of the HC is appointed after consultation with the Chief Justice of India (CJI) and the Governor of the State.
- For other judges, the Chief Justice of the respective High Court is also consulted.
Qualifications for a Judge:
- Must be a citizen of India.
- Must have held a judicial office in India for 10 years.
- OR been an advocate of a High Court for 10 years.
- Note: Unlike the SC, there is no provision for a “distinguished jurist” to be appointed as a HC judge.
2. Tenure and Removal
- Tenure: A judge holds office until the age of 62 years (SC is 65).
- Resignation: By writing to the President.
- Removal: The process is identical to that of a Supreme Court judge. They can be removed by the President only after an address by Parliament (Special Majority) on grounds of proved misbehavior or incapacity.
3. Jurisdiction and Powers of High Courts
The High Court is a “Court of Record” (Article 215) and has the power to punish for its own contempt.
A. Writ Jurisdiction (Article 226) – Very Important
The HC has the power to issue writs for the enforcement of Fundamental Rights AND for any other purpose (legal rights).
- Comparison: The Writ jurisdiction of the High Court is wider than that of the Supreme Court (Art 32 only covers Fundamental Rights).
B. Supervisory Jurisdiction (Article 227)
Every High Court has the power of superintendence over all courts and tribunals throughout the territories in relation to which it exercises jurisdiction (except military courts).
C. Control over Subordinate Courts (Article 235)
The HC is consulted by the Governor in the appointment, posting, and promotion of district judges. It also handles matters of state judicial services.
4. Key Articles & Common High Courts
| Article | Provision |
| 215 | High Court to be a Court of Record. |
| 226 | Power to issue Writs (Wider than Art 32). |
| 227 | Power of Superintendence over all courts. |
| 231 | Establishment of a Common High Court for two or more States. |
Examples of Common High Courts:
- Bombay HC: Maharashtra, Goa, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu.
- Guwahati HC: Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh.
- Punjab & Haryana HC: Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh.
- Calcutta HC: West Bengal and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
5. Summary Table: SC vs. HC
| Feature | Supreme Court | High Court |
| Retirement Age | 65 Years | 62 Years |
| Writ Article | Art 32 (Narrower) | Art 226 (Wider) |
| Appointment | President | President |
| Distinguished Jurist | Can be appointed | Cannot be appointed |
| Removal | By President on Parl. advice | By President on Parl. advice |
The High Courts
Court of Record
Under Art. 215, the High Court judgments are recorded for memory and it has power to punish for contempt.
Common HCs
Under Art. 231, Parliament can establish one HC for multiple States/UTs (e.g., Bombay or Guwahati HC).
Removal Process
Identical to SC judges: President’s order after Special Majority in Parliament for misbehavior or incapacity.
“The Hindu” Editorial Analysis (10-February-2026)
Here is a detailed analysis of the The Hindu Editorials for February 10, 2026, categorized by syllabus relevance for UPSC preparation.
1. Back on Track: Repairing India-Malaysia Ties
Syllabus: GS Paper 2 (Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India; International Relations).
Context: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 24-hour visit to Kuala Lumpur marks a strategic effort to reset and strengthen bilateral relations after a period of strain in 2025.
Key Points:
- Making Amends: Malaysia was the PM’s first foreign destination of 2026, following the short-notice cancellation of a visit for the ASEAN summit in October 2025.
- Counter-Terrorism Consensus: A significant joint statement unequivocally condemned “cross-border terrorism,” signaling a alignment on security concerns despite previous disagreements.
- High-Tech Cooperation: Both nations signed an MoU on semiconductors, linking IIT Madras Global with the Advanced Semiconductor Academy of Malaysia.
- Side-stepping Contentious Issues: The two sides carefully avoided public discussion on sensitive topics, such as the continued stay of preacher Zakir Naik in Malaysia.
UPSC Relevance: Essential for “India’s Act East Policy,” “Bilateral Security Cooperation,” and “Geopolitics of Southeast Asia.”
Detailed Analysis:
- Economic Pivot: The visit aims to revive negotiations on the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA), which had stalled due to critical comments from Indian trade officials.
- Strategic Multi-alignment: As India pursues major FTAs with Europe and the U.S., maintaining strong ties with ASEAN partners like Malaysia is vital for regional stability.
- BRICS Engagement: India “noted” Malaysia’s aspirations to join BRICS; Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will be invited as a partner country to the upcoming summit chaired by India.
2. Stifling Ideas: The Misuse of Criminal Law against Art
Syllabus: GS Paper 2 (Important aspects of governance; Judiciary; Fundamental Rights).
Context: A critique of the Uttar Pradesh government’s direction to file an FIR against the makers of a film titled Ghooskhor Pandat on grounds of hurting religious and caste sentiments.
Key Points:
- Compelled Capitulation: The threat of criminal proceedings forced the producer to remove promotional materials even before judicial examination of the facts.
- Constitutional Protection: Article 19(1)(a) is designed to protect speech that may be unwelcome to powerful groups; restrictions under Article 19(2) must be proportionate.
- Sentiment as a Threshold: The editorial argues that in a diverse society, “sentiments” are not a useful legal threshold to trigger criminal processes.
- Marketplace of Ideas: Normalizing erasure of contested material prevents society from exercising democratic responses like boycotts or satire and wilts the public sphere.
UPSC Relevance: Vital for “Freedom of Speech and Expression,” “Role of the Executive,” and “Legal Standards of Offensiveness.”
Detailed Analysis:
- Executive Overreach: Directing police action for dislike of a title is viewed as an attempt to “flatten the issue to a matter of discipline” rather than public debate.
- Pattern of Restriction: Recent examples including bans on The Kerala Story and the BBC documentary India: The Modi Question suggest a trend of using state machinery to curb visual arts.
- Judicial Recourse: A more sensible response to claims of unlawfulness is seeking judicial relief rather than unilateral executive action.
3. The Next Big Commodity: The Mineable Self
Syllabus: GS Paper 3 (Science and Technology; Impact of technology) and GS Paper 1 (Social issues).
Context: An analysis by Arjun Appadurai on how digital markets and technology platforms are transforming human sociality and identity into a global commodity for extraction.
Key Points:
- Capitalist Extraction: Beyond raw materials or AI, “sociality itself”—friendships, affinities, and personal stories—is now the primary object of capitalist mining.
- End of Privacy: This “profiling on steroids” renders traditional concepts like intimacy and trust obsolete by treating them as resources to be mined without limit.
- The Story Economy: OTT streaming and social media colonize the marketplace by hunting for “local flavor” and universal character types to commodify.
- Artificial vs. Human: AI bots (Siri, ChatGPT) now compete with humans over judgement and intuition, further deconstructing the unified individual.
UPSC Relevance: Significant for “Digital Ethics,” “Privacy in the Age of Big Data,” and the “Sociology of the Internet.”
Detailed Analysis:
- Sources of the Selfie: Enlightenment values of personal liberty are being replaced by an unstable composite of credit scores and algorithmic consumer profiles.
- Democratisation Risk: While anyone can now reach an audience through “lucky virality,” this trend facilitates the relentless rush to “drill into every living mineshaft” of the human experience.
4. A Chance for India to Polish the Kimberley Process
Syllabus: GS Paper 2 (Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India) and GS Paper 3 (Economy).
Context: India has assumed the chair of the Kimberley Process (KP) for 2026, providing a platform to reform the global governance of the diamond trade.
Key Points:
- India’s Leverage: As the world’s leading cutting and polishing hub, importing 40% of global rough diamonds, India holds unique influence in the value chain.
- Defining ‘Conflict’: A major criticism is the KP’s narrow definition of conflict diamonds, which ignores state-linked abuses, human rights violations, and environmental harm.
- Technological Solutions: India can promote digital, tamper-proof blockchain-based certificates to reduce fraud and modernize customs data exchange.
- Focus on Livelihoods: The narrative needs to shift from merely blocking “bad diamonds” to enabling a responsible trade that supports African mining communities.
UPSC Relevance: Critical for “International Resource Governance,” “India’s Leadership in the Global South,” and “Supply Chain Ethics.”
Detailed Analysis:
- Institutional Reform: India may form technical working groups to build consensus on human rights risks beyond simple rebel insurgencies.
- Tripartite Strength: By facilitating open communication between governments, industry, and civil society, India can ensure the KP remains a progressive multilateral body.
5. Lessons about Job Creation from Misty Milk
Syllabus: GS Paper 3 (Indian Economy; Issues relating to employment; MSMEs).
Context: A case study of a dairy processing plant in Erode, Tamil Nadu, that highlights structural barriers preventing jobs-intensive growth in India.
Key Points:
- Credit Bottleneck: The primary constraint is not lack of demand or infrastructure, but small producers’ inability to access affordable and reliable formal credit to scale production.
- Aggregation Power: Inspired by the Amul model, the lesson is that scaling requires solving credit constraints at the producer level through institutional support.
- MSME Resilience: Erode’s industrial landscape shows that small firms are ready to grow but are held back by regulatory complexity, skill gaps, and tax uncertainty.
- Job Absorption: Large infrastructure projects alone cannot absorb India’s labor force; employment at scale must come from MSMEs and agro-processing.
UPSC Relevance: Essential for “Inclusive Growth,” “Rural Development,” and “Financial Inclusion Strategy.”
Detailed Analysis:
- Demographic Clock: India has roughly two decades before its working-age population advantage begins to narrow; failing to create quality jobs now will result in a lost opportunity.
- Global Precedent: The World Bank estimates SMEs provide nearly 70% of global employment, making them the most vital lever for India’s job crisis.
Editorial Analysis
FEBRUARY 10, 2026“Sociality itself” extracted as a commodity. Profiling on steroids renders intimacy and trust obsolete in the story economy.
India takes the Chair. Push for Blockchain Certificates and broadening the ‘Conflict’ definition to include state-linked abuses.
Lessons from Erode’s dairy plants; Credit Bottlenecks and regulatory complexity hold back the vital MSME employment engine.
Freedom of Art
Mapping:
Today’s mapping notes focus on the essential global markers—the Equator, the Tropics, and the Prime Meridian.
1. Countries Lying on the Equator (0° Latitude)
The Equator passes through 13 countries across three continents. It is the only latitude that is a “Great Circle.”
- South America (3): Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil.
- Africa (7): Gabon, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, São Tomé and Príncipe.
- Asia/Oceania (3): Maldives, Indonesia, Kiribati.
- Mapping Tip: Note that while the Equator passes through the territorial waters of Maldives and Kiribati, it does not touch their actual landmass.
2. Countries Lying on the Tropic of Cancer (23.5°N Latitude)
This line marks the northernmost point where the sun is directly overhead (June Solstice). It passes through 17 countries.
- North America (2): Mexico, Bahamas.
- Africa (7): Western Sahara (disputed), Mauritania, Mali, Algeria, Niger, Libya, Egypt.
- Asia (8): Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, China, Taiwan.
- Strategic Point: In India, it passes through 8 states: Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura, and Mizoram.
3. Countries Lying on the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5°S Latitude)
This line marks the southernmost point where the sun is directly overhead (December Solstice). It passes through 10 countries.
- South America (4): Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil.
- Africa (5): Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar.
- Oceania (1): Australia.
- Key Fact: Brazil is the only country in the world that is crossed by both the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn.
4. Countries Lying on the Prime Meridian (0° Longitude)
The Prime Meridian (Greenwich Meridian) divides the Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. It passes through 8 countries.
- Europe (3): United Kingdom, France, Spain.
- Africa (5): Algeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo, Ghana.
- Mapping Context: The Prime Meridian and the Equator intersect in the Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic Ocean), near the coast of Ghana.
Summary Mapping Table
| Landmark | Continent Count | Country Count | Key Geographic Focus |
| Equator | 3 | 13 | Tropical Rainforests (Amazon, Congo, Indonesia). |
| Tropic of Cancer | 3 | 17 | Deserts (Sahara, Thar) and Monsoon Belts (India). |
| Tropic of Capricorn | 3 | 10 | Atacama Desert, Australian Outback. |
| Prime Meridian | 2 | 8 | Greenwich (UK) and the Gulf of Guinea. |
Mapping Brief
ESSENTIAL GLOBAL MARKERSCrosses 17 nations including Mexico, Egypt, and India. In the Indian context, it traverses 8 States: from Gujarat in the west to Mizoram in the east.
Traverses 10 nations across South America, Africa, and Australia. Brazil is uniquely the only nation crossed by both the Equator and this Tropic.
These markers define global climate belts, from the Tropical Rainforests of the Equator to the Arid Deserts (Sahara/Atacama) along the Tropics.