UPSC has brought changes to the Civil Services Mains examinationin both the pattern and the syllabus. We know that now there are 4 General Studies Papers apart from one Essay and Optional paper each. This article discusses preparation strategy for General Studies -1 (i.e Paper-II, Paper-I is Essay) Before you start reading further, please remember the following important mantra given by the Almighty UPSC: “The questions are likely to test the candidate’s basic understanding of all relevant issues, and ability to analyze, and take a view on conflicting socio‐ economic goals, objectives and demands. The candidates must give relevant, meaningful and succinct answers.” This sentence is the guiding light for your preparation. You don’t have to master the topics, all you need is BASIC UNDERSTANDING and the ability to analyze. Basic understanding comes from reading and re-reading. Ability to analyze what you have understood from reading comes fromWRITING PRACTICE. STRATEGY GS-1 broadly covers - Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society. Under this heading total 12 topics and around 40 sub-topics are given in the syllabus. Two important things fundamental to your exam preparation: Get familiar with all the topics and sub-topics by writing them many times – they should be strongly etched in your memory. Keep a copy of the syllabus always near you no matter where you are. Now, how to deal with GS-1? Assuming you are now familiar with the syllabus of GS-1, we will discuss a topic by topic what to read, from where to read and what not to read for these topics. (Download Model Question Paper-cum-Answerbook For This GS Paper, Click this Link) TOPIC-1 Indian Culture will cover the salient aspects of Art forms, Literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times. In this topic, the sub-topics are - Art forms, Literature, Architecture – from ancient to modern times. Before jumping into Big Books, first go through these beautiful books by NCERT – to get a glimpse of the sub-topics – they are 1. NCERT Class VI – History – Our Past 2. NCERT Class VII – Our Past -I 3. NCERT Class VIII – Our Past II and III 4. NCERT Class XII – Themes In Indian History I 5. NCERT Class-XII – Themes in Indian History – II 6. NCERT Class XII – Themes In Indian History III Hold on. Four books for one topic? No. You have to read only a few chapters from each book that are related to Sub-Topics. For ex, you have to read only Chapters 2 and 3 from Class-XII -Themes In Indian History-II book. Apart from these you should have a reference book for getting more information: 1. Facets of Indian Culture or 2. Indian Art and Culture 3. Download Free Material – Complete Set 4. Graphic Book On Indian Art and Culture – Free Download TOPIC-2 Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues Read this book: Comprehensive History Of Modern India – Spectrum (It covers topics from the Advent of British to India’s Independence – so covers this part of the syllabus completely. Why this book? Why not Bipan Chandra? Bipan Chandra is specifically for studying in depth the various dimensions and concepts of the Freedom Struggle. But for the above topic where ‘events, personalities and issues’ have to be read that too between 1750s to 1950s, Spectrum book covers all the topics quite comprehensively. It is bulky and factual, so it is recommended for beginners both for Prelims and Mains along with Bipan Chandra’s book, but not for aspirants writing Mains this year who are running short of time. TOPIC-3 [The Freedom Struggle – its various stages and important contributors /contributions from different parts of the country.] Because this topic demands specific knowledge of Freedom Struggle and its various facets, you must, along with the above mentioned book, read Bipan Chandra’s Struggle For India’s Independence. TOPIC – 4 Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country. For this you need to study Chapter 6 to 12 of India Since Independence – Bipan Chandra 0r Chapters 8 to 14 from India After Gandhi: The History Of The World’s Largest Democracy (above mentioned chapters cover completely this part of the syllabus) TOPIC-5 [History of the world will include events from 18th century such as industrial revolution, world wars,redrawal of national boundaries,colonization,decolonization, political philosophies like communism, capitalism,socialism etc.- their forms and effect on the society.] Except for Industrial revolution, Mastering Modern World History by Norman Lowe (Buy From Amazon India) )covers all topics of this part of the syllabus – it is a very good book. Stick to only this book. Refer above links for a glimpse of those sub-topics in Wikipedia, but don’t dwell deeply on them. (A 30 % discount from Flipkart, or Or This IMPORTED copy provided you are rich- Rs 1700/ – this classic book contains insightful chapters on the 2008 Financial Crisis, and even Arab Spring and its aftermath!) Above book is not available anywhere these days. Best alternative is a book by Arjun Dev – History of the World from the Late Nineteenth to the Early Twenty First Century If both books are not available, then read this book – Old NCERT World History Class-X TOPIC-6 [Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India.] About salient features of Indian Society – don’t look anywhere else – Just read this NCERT – Indian Society Class 12 (Complete book without watermarks) Two indispensable books to cover this topic: Indian Society – Ram Ahuja Social Problems in India – Ram Ahuja (above books are critically acclaimed and are taught in many universities as a text, and is written by an acclaimed scholar) TOPIC-7 [Role of women and women’s organization, population and associated issues,poverty and developmental issues, urbanization, their problems and their remedies.] For India specific women related issues download this beautiful report (PLATFORM FOR ACTION-REPORT ON INDIAN WOMEN -DOWNLOAD FROM HERE) where you can find everything you want to learn about Women’s issues. Other sub-topics are general in nature and can be found in Magazines and Newspapers. If one is thorough with current events questions on these sub-topics can be answered very well by consolidating their knowledge. TOPIC-8 [Effects of Globalization on Indian society] This is also general in nature. If you have a basic understanding of Indian Society and Globalization, their mutual relation can be elucidated with ease. Here is a good article from a Marxist politician about the topic. (UPSC people love the slightly leftist version of everything) To know more about effect of Globalization on Indian Society, you need to know better about Indian Society. This book is a must have for broad understanding of the Indian Society. Indian Society – Ram Ahuja Social Problems in India – Ram Ahuja If you want to learn the impact of Globalization on Indian Economy,here is a book. (Purely optional) TOPIC-9 [Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism.] This is again generic. But you must know the basic concept of communalism, regionalism and secularism. Wikipedia comes handy here. BASICS: Regionalism In India (You must read this) Communalism (You must read this too) For Regionalism In India. TOPIC-10 [Salient features of world’s physical geography. To cover this part two books are necessary: 1. Certificate Physical and Human Geography 1st Edition 2. NCERT Class-XI – Fundamentals of Physical Geography TOPIC-11 [Distribution of key natural resources across the world (including South Asia and the Indian subcontinent); factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world (including India)] 1) NCERT Class XII – Human Geography 2) NCERT Class-XII – India-People and Economy 3) For reference:Geography of India 4 Edition TOPIC-12 [Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location- changes in critical geographical features (including water bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.] This is a repetition actually. You can read Physical Geography book by Goh Cheng Leong which is mentioned above (Certificate Physical and Human Geography 1st Edition) This topic on critical changes in geographical features is broadly related to climate change and other anthropogenic factors(such as depletion of resources, dumping of wastes etc). Geographical features like rainforests, ice caps, rivers, corals, cyclones all get affected by climate change. Anthropogenic factors are involved in increasing desertification, vanishing forests, biodiversity, pollution of rivers and lakes, etc. Your focus should be on such changes. Question may be on how monsoon is affected by global climate change? or how a cyclone is affected by global warming? What effect has the melting ice cap on the biodiversity in the polar regions? etc (Download Model Question Paper-cum-Answerbook For This GS Paper, Click this Link) Until now we saw what books to read. Now the question is how to remember most of the things we read and how to translate them into better answers. A common mistake most of the aspirants commit is reading so many books for a single topic.This mistake costs both your time and ability to remember things clearly and concisely. Stick to a single source and read it again and again. Remember The Same Source. Avoid the temptation of doing ‘Research’ on a topic. Always Remember – UPSC tests Basic Understanding. Not mastery over a topic. Make short notes on each topic. It is while making notes that readers tend to do RESEARCH and scout various sources. Stick to one book even if you are not 100% satisfied with it. Remember that old saying? – Jack of all trades, master of NONE. If you try to do Research, most probably your name won’t appear in the Final List. I guarantee it. For Paper-II (i.e GS-1) being thorough with Current Events plays a crucial role in enabling you to acquire analytical skills. Very Important Part In The Preparation Writing. Writing. Writing. But what? – One must practice answer writing to Previous year questions, or take a Mock Test. Whatever, before you enter examination hall, you must have spent lot of time on answer writing. Most Important Part In The Preparation Revision. Revision. Re-Revision. You do this and you appear for the Personality Test. If you don’t Revise what you read all these months – you slightly miss the Personality Test, or You narrowly miss appearing in the Final List. Well, to sum up. To get the interview call all you need to do is:Read, Re-read the same source, Write and Revise. Preparation for this paper can be finished in 20 days provided you are focused and determined. Of course. Eat well, Sleep well and Keep a good health. If you get a running nose on the day of the exam, 2 hours out of 3 hours goes in draining it and drying it. UPSC has brought changes to the Civil Services Mains examination in both the pattern and the syllabus. We know that now there are 4 General Studies Papers apart from one Essay and Optional paper each. This article discusses preparation strategy for General Studies -2 (i.e Paper-III) Before you start reading further, please remember the following important mantra given by the Almighty UPSC: “The questions are likely to test the candidate’s basic understanding of all relevant issues, and ability to analyze, and take a view on conflicting socio‐ economic goals, objectives and demands. The candidates must give relevant, meaningful and succinct answers.” This sentence is the guiding light for your preparation. You don’t have to master the topics, all you need is BASIC UNDERSTANDING and the ability to analyze. Basic understanding comes from reading and re-reading. Ability to analyze what you have understood from reading comes from WRITING PRACTICE. Two important things fundamental to your exam preparation: Get familiar with all the topics and sub-topics by writing them many times – they should be strongly etched in your memory. Keep a copy of the syllabus always near you no matter where you are. Now, how to deal with GS-2? Assuming you are now familiar with the syllabus of GS-1, we will discuss a topic by topic what to read, from where to read and what not to read for these topics. Broad Syllabus Of GS-2 is: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations. Before you start preparing for this paper, please read following NCERT texts, which might take 2-3 days of your time. 1. NCERT Class XI – India Constitution At Work 2. NCERT Class XII – Political Science II 3. NCERT Class X – Democratic Politics TOPIC-1 Indian Constitution- historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure. This part is very useful both for Prelims and Mains. Best book to study this section is D.D. Basu’s “Introduction To The Constitution Of India” First 5 chapters in this book exclusively deal with this part of the syllabus. For Basic Structure, These two articles might help you. 1) Basic Structure of the constitution revisited – The Hindu (PDF) 2) The Basic Structure of the constitution (PDF) TOPIC-2 Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure,devolution of powers and finances up to local levels andchallenges therein. One good source to get the critical perspective about these topics is – Report of the 2nd Administrative Reforms Commission, named -Organizational Structure Of Government of India (13th Report) For devolution of finances to local bodies, Read This.. (Don’t look anywhere else) For the concept part read – Laxmikant’s Indian Polity. Buy the new updated 4th edition. (Chapters 12, 13 14 and 30). But Mains demands not only basic understanding of these topics, but your critical and analytic abilities to answer questions on these topics. So, try to relate these concepts to current event topics and write small articles. ARC reports will help you in this regard. Eg. ” Though devolution of funds, functionaries and functions is taking place in the local governments, development is still a mirage in many parts of India”. Critically analyze. (you can frame many questions like this) TOPIC-3 Separation of powers between various organs,dispute redressal mechanisms and institutions. BASICS: Public Grievances and Redressal Mechanism This topic is a dynamic portion – we read lot about conflict between the Judiciary and the Executive – to answer dynamic topics, one should first understand the constitutional provisions, redressal measures with the constitution, checks and balances provided in the constitution etc. ARC reports come to the rescue again. 7th report of 2nd ARC named “Capacity Building for Conflict Resolution” talks elaborately on various issues such as Left Wing Extremism, Regional Disparities, Land and Water related issues, SC and ST issues, Religious conflicts and North East conflicts – which involve numerous institutions in the conflict management and resolution. Later, scan current events and find any latest instances of conflict between any constitutional bodies, or between a constitutional body and statutory body. Again, concepts can be studied either from D.D. Basu or Laxmikat.. TOPIC-4 Comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other countries A book by S. Chand – Select Constitutions of the world is famous among Law students. This covers this topic comprehensively. One should be careful to not to study this topic in depth. In case you can afford to buy costly book - D.D. Basu’s Classic on the Indian Constitution – Shorter Constitution Of India not only covers all above topics, it also covers the present topic. Few links that might help: Constitutions around the world Evolution of Indian Constitution (It is compared with other constitutions – you have to search in between) Difference between US and EU constitutions. Try to know some basics about the New Constitutions/reforms being framed/brought out in Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and Pakistan. (Again, emphasis should be on relating all these topics to the current events) TOPIC-5 Parliament and State Legislatures – structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these. To cover this topic, one stop source is Subhash Kashyp’s Our Parliament. (Why this book? Because it is written by someone who worked inside the Parliament for most of his career, and this book gives a detailed idea about the functioning of our Parliament – as the above topic suggests, you should be familiar with all aspects of our Parliament. This books is cheap, and is highly readable with lot of insights) TOPIC-6 Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary; Ministries and Departments of the Government; Pressure Groups and formal/informal associations and their role in the Polity. BASICS: Union Executive Parliament of India Supreme Court of India Executive in the States State Legislature High Courts and Subordinate Courts Local Government:Urban and Rural Pressure Groups Again, Laxmikant is enough for this topic. Regarding pressure groups/ informal associations – recent activism shown by Civil society, conflict with the government and other such topics should be studied in depth. TOPIC-7 Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act. First read this beautiful article by Yogendra Yadav. (PDF) This topic has generated more heat in the past and present – eg,office of profit bill, anti-defection bill, electoral reforms bill etc. This topic should be Recent supreme court ruling disqualifying MPs and MLAs with criminal background, and current topics like this should be studied carefully. TOPIC-8 and 9 Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies. . Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies Read Laxmikant for this part. Part VII,VIII and IX of this book completely covers these topics. This part of the syllabus has given rise to some contentious issues such as political interference in the appointment to various constitutional posts and statutory bodies. Eg EC, CBI, CVC, CAG, SC, Governors, Lokayukta, Lokpal (if it comes into existence) etc. So, read this topic keeping in mind these above issues. As I said before, you need to read all the above topics with an analytical perspective. To provide you with this, there is a wonderful book published by Oxford University Press and authored by Pratap Bhanu Mehta, named – “Public Institutions in India – Performance and Design“, will be immensely useful. As its back cover says, “This volume analytically assesses the design, performance, and adaptability of the principal institutions of governance in India and their critical role in a democratic polity.” That is what you need for this paper. TOPIC-10 Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. This part is covered well in the same book I mentioned above: “Public Institutions in India – Performance and Design” Also, refer Economic Survey for government policies and PIB siteregularly. TOPIC-11 Development processes and the development industry- the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders [Please note the phrase Development Industry - it refers to aid industry developed around NGOs, UN bodies, Charities etc and their role in the development process.] Planning commission has various articles on these topics. This report gives critical account of success and failure of SHG’s in India. (just read the summary, conclusion and recommendations – NEVER read full report) Article on NGO – their evolution and role. TOPIC-12 Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections. Note the word “STATE” – schemes by the states are also important. Focus on the schemes being implemented by the Ministry of Women and Child welfare, Ministry of Social Justice, Ministry of Rural Development and Ministry of Tribal affairs. List Of Government Schemes – India – Wikipedia link. List of All state and central scheme – Govt. of India Website (here you can filter queries by the ministry- it is not easy though, govt site you know..) One more option is visit this link on my site to go to the site of any Ministry and find schemes there. TOPICS 12 and 13 Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources. . Issues relating to poverty and hunger. We read lot about this these days: Food security bill, PDS reform, Poverty reduction schemes, Poverty-line controversy, Malnutrition figures, report on malnutrition(remember HungMa report?) etc. TOPIC-13 Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency & accountability and institutional and other measures This introductory article on 2nd ARC site and 2nd ARC report on “Promoting e-Governance: The SMART Way Forward” will be very useful to cover this topic. E-governance – Concept and Significance (IGNOU) TOPIC-14 Role of civil services in a democracy Again, 2nd ARC report (10th report) – Refurbishing of Personnel Administration has whole chapter (ch-4) on this topic. International Relations TOPIC-15 India and its neighborhood- relations. Two sources for this topic: 1. India and its neighbours – MEA Website India – Afghanistan India – Pakistan India – Nepal India – Bhutan India – Bangladesh India – Sri lanka India – Maldives India – China India – Myanmar 2. For critical analysis – This Book by Rajiv Sikri – Challenge and Strategy – Rethinking India’s Foreign Policy is must for reading this part of the syllabus. TOPIC – 16 Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests For India’s relations with the other countries, click here. (read only important counries – USA, UK, EU, SA, Brazil, Japan, Russia, Australia etc) Ministry of External Affairs has briefs on all bilateral relations of India with regional and global groupings: Andean Community (CAN) February 2013 ASEAN Regional Forum August 2012 Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) May 2013 BRICS April 2013 Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) January 2013 Central American Integration System (SICA) February 2013 Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) August 2012 Commonwealth August 2011 Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) August 2012 eraction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) August 2012 East African Community April 2011 East Asia Summit January 2013 G-20 August 2012 Gulf Cooperation Council February 2013 India-African Union Relations India-ASEAN Relations April 2013 India-EU Relations July 2013 Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IORARC) March 2013 India-United Nations Relations, January, 2013 Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) May 2013 Pan African e-Network Project January 2013 Southern African Development Community Cooperation April 2012 TOPIC-18 Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora This is a dynamic part – effects of globalization, WTO policies, domestic policies of developed countries and their effect on other countries (lot of examples from USA, UK can be given – visa row, war on terrorism, immigration policies, economic policies etc) Indian diaspora – their contribution to India, India’s contribution to them, Their contribution to the world etc. Their problems in the residing countries, their rights in India – constitutional/statutory provisions if any, their participation in track two diplomacy, their role in Indian economy etc etc. Newspaper is the best source I guess. For more info, visit the official site. TOPIC- 19 Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate. UNO and its various bodies, agencies must be studied with respect to their structure, role, relevance and reforms. UN reforms is the hot topic. International Organizations (no UN bodies) such as APEC, ADB, ASEAN, OECD, NATO should be studied. For links to all these organizations: click here. Finally, for some articles from Yojana magazines (2013) that are related to many topics from this Paper, click here. Five Indispensable Books For paper-III 1. D.D.Basu – Introduction to the Constitution of India 20 Edition 2. Indian Polity for Civil Services Examinations 4th Edition – Laxmikanth 3. Select Constitutions: 16th Edition – S Chand 4. Challenge And Strategy : Rethinking India’s Foreign Policy – Rajiv Sikri 5. Public Institutions in India: Performance and Design – Pratap Bhanu Mehta TWO RECOMMENDED BOOKS (Only If You Have More Time At Your Disposal) – Both By Granville Austin – Classics On Indian Polity 1) The Indian Constitution: Cornerstone of A Nation (Classic Reissue) – Review 2) Working a Democratic Constitution: A History of the Indian Experience – Review A SMALL LECTURE Until now we saw what books to read. Now the question is how to remember most of the things we read and how to translate them into better answers. A common mistake most of the aspirants commit is reading so many books for a single topic.This mistake costs both your time and ability to remember things clearly and concisely. Stick to a single source and read it again and again. Remember The Same Source. Avoid the temptation of doing ‘Research’ on a topic. Always Remember – UPSC tests Basic Understanding. Not mastery over a topic. Make short notes on each topic. It is while making notes that readers tend to do RESEARCH and scout various sources. Stick to one book even if you are not 100% satisfied with it. Remember that old saying? – Jack of all trades, master of NONE. If you try to do Research, most probably your name won’t appear in the Final List. I guarantee it. For Paper-II (i.e GS-1) being thorough with Current Events plays a crucial role in enabling you to acquire analytical skills. Very Important Part In The Preparation Writing. Writing. Writing. But what? – One must practice answer writing to Previous year questions, or take a Mock Test. Whatever, before you enter examination hall, you must have spent lot of time on answer writing. Most Important Part In The Preparation Revision. Revision. Re-Revision. You do this and you appear for the Personality Test. If you don’t Revise what you read all these months – you slightly miss the Personality Test, or You narrowly miss appearing in the Final List. Well, to sum up. To get the interview call all you need to do is: Read, Re-read the same source, Write and Revise. Preparation for this paper can be finished in 20 days provided you are focused and determined. Of course. Eat well, Sleep well and Keep a good health. If you get a running nose on the day of the exam, 2 hours out of 3 hours goes in draining it and drying it. UPSC has brought changes to the Civil Services Mains examination in both the pattern and the syllabus. We know that now there are 4 General Studies Papers apart from one Essay and Optional paper each. This article discusses preparation strategy for General Studies – 3 (i.e Paper-II, Paper-I is Essay) Before you start reading further, please remember the following important mantra given by the Almighty UPSC: “The questions are likely to test the candidate’s basic understanding of all relevant issues, and ability to analyze, and take a view on conflicting socio‐ economic goals, objectives and demands. The candidates must give relevant, meaningful and succinct answers.” This sentence is the guiding light for your preparation. You don’t have to master the topics, all you need is BASIC UNDERSTANDING and the ability to analyze. Basic understanding comes from reading and re-reading. Ability to analyze what you have understood from reading comes from WRITING PRACTICE. STRATEGY GS-3 broadly covers - Technology, Economic Development, Bio diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management. (You can observe that it resembles GS-2 of old patters sans statistics and international relations) Two important things fundamental to your exam preparation: Get familiar with all the topics and sub-topics by writing them many times – they should be strongly etched in your memory. Keep a copy of the syllabus always near you no matter where you are. Now, how to deal with GS-3? Assuming you are now familiar with the syllabus of GS-3, we will discuss a topic by topic what to read, from where to read and what not to read for these topics.TOPIC-1 Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment. This is a very broad area and includes both static and dynamic part. Before going for big books, it is compulsory to read following NCERT textbooks (download full textbooks -PDF without watermark) 1. NCERT Class X – Understaning Economic Development 2. NCERT Class XI – Indian Economic Development 3. NCERT Class XII – Macroeconomics (chapters 2,5 and 6 are very important) 4. ET in The Classroom (This is important in getting acquainted with basics of dynamic part of Economics – It is an excellent source. I have archived previous articles Here.) Three books above will make your concepts very clear. After understanding your concepts, you have to read the above topics by relating them to the current events. For this reading one Business newspaper helps a lot. Business standard is the best (if you are comfortable with ET or FE, it is fine. But do try BS once) More questions from Economics can be expected in this paper henceforth. To be ready for any questions that UPSC might ask, it is good to read a standard book on these topics. There are many books on Indian economy – all bulky. Fortunately, TMH has released a book on Indian economy for Prelims and Mains, and it is very good (by Ramesh Singh) Indian Economy for Civil Services Examinations – Ramesh Singh I think reading this book is a must. Don’t go for Uma Kapila, Dutt and Sundaram and Mishra-Puri unless you have plenty of time for these. For now sticking to one good book is advised. TOPIC-2 Inclusive growth and issues arising from it We had 11th Five year plan which exhorted the ‘Inclusive Growth’ mantra and then 12th Fiver year document, going a step further aiming for a ‘Faster, More Inclusive and Sustainable Growth’. These two documents are good to understand issues related to inclusive growth, approach of the government and achievements in the 11th plan period. However, to get conceptual clarity, reading one or two articles from the following document would help you immensely. Conceptualizing Inclusive Growth For a thorough review of Inclusive Growth strategy in India read this article: Inclusive Growth in India – Past Performance and Future Prospects TOPIC – 3 Government Budgeting It is nothing but knowing about what is a budget and how it is passed in the parliament and then how it is implemented. These documents should help you understand these: First Basics -GOVERNMENT BUDGETING NCERT Class XII – Macroeconomics (Chapter 5) The Budgetary Process 2013-14 Budget Highlights TOPIC-4 Major crops cropping patterns in various parts of the country, different types of irrigation and irrigation systems; storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers Understanding concepts is important here too. NCERT comes to the aid here; NCERT – Resources and Development (a quick reading of this book will also help in understanding many other topics in this paper) For cropping pattern read this, only this document: Cropping Pattern in India (give stress to understanding the concept in it, no need to read entire paper) For irrigation methods, irrigation systems and Irrigation in India, Irrigation Methods Types of Dams (storage structures) Irrigation types (Government Source) For agriculture marketing, storage and reforms in these areas, one should resort to ‘State of India Agriculture report’ and Economic Survey. Agriculture Marketing Reforms Agricultural Prices and Markets – State of India Agriculture Report E-technology for the aid of Farmers E-technology in the aid of farmers TOPIC – 5 Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices; Public Distribution System- objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping; issues of buffer stocks and food security; Technology missions; economics of animal-rearing This is the most important topic in this paper – all sub-topics are dynamic in nature and 1-2 questions will be directly asked from these. This topic encompasses the broad area of Food Security, which is a hot topic these days. Apart of getting conceptual clarity on these topics, aspirants also have to develop critical perspective on these sub-topics. I will provide links to important articles that have come in The Hindu, Business Standard and Business Line. First, Minimum Support Price and Farm Subsidies: Agriculture – Price Policy and MSP News Articles (to develop opinion) Farms need a free market -BusinessLine How to fix agricultural pricing mess – Business Standard India’s food conundrum – The Hindu Regarding Public Distribution System, it is a vast area, so careful study of less materials is needed. Public Distribution System – IGNOU Notes – 1 Public Distribution System and Food Security – IGNOU Notes – 2 News Articles; Food Security Bill – The devil is in the detail – The Hindu The shaky geopolitics of India’s food security – The Hindu For basics of Food Security – NCERT source – Class IX Economics Now, technology missions! Government of India is fond of launching these technology missions for various crops to boost their production, area coverage and make their production profitable. This is a boring topic and I don’t think UPSC will ask any question on this (it is completely factual) I will provide links to few such Technology Missions; Technology Mission on Cotton Technology Mission on Jute Technology Mission on Horticulture Technology Mission on Sugar New Missions under 12th plan (You need to know only what these missions were meant for and what’s their progress so far) Economics of Animal Breeding! – This has come from nowhere.Study it here You can have a look at this report of Planning Commission (only 3 pages) Role of livestock in Indian Economy TOPIC – 6 Food processing and related industries in India- scope and significance, location, upstream and downstream requirements, supply chain management. Food processing is a sunrise industry and lately there has been a lot of thrust from the government on this industry. PIB article on this industry Food processing ministry – schemes In the 12th Plan Articles: Economic Times The Hindu Businessline – Untapped Potential The Hindu Businessline – Key Challenges TOPIC – 7 Land reforms in India This is a hot favourite topic for UPSC and luckily you get plenty of material to read on this topic. That is the problem. In this exam, sticking to one source is the secret of success (of course, not for all topics) For this topic read from following two sources (IGNOU): Land reforms – 1 Land Reforms – 2 TOPIC – 8 Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth You can read these topics from the above mentioned book by Ramesh Singh. It is explained very well. Indian Economy for Civil Services Examinations – Ramesh Singh (Chapters 6 and 10, 4th edition – the above link is for latest 5th edition) TOPIC-9 Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc Just two sources; one, India 2013 and Economic Survey India 2013 (chapters on Energy and Transport) Economic Survey – Chapter 11 – Energy, Infrastructure and Communications Latest Energy stats – Very Good Report TOPIC – 10 Investment models This is a puzzling topic. Because it is given along with Infrastructure related topics, I assume it to be related to investment models applied to the same field. If not, one can enumerate so many investment models just for financial sector alone! For example, within PPP model, there are various modalities are involved (see below) Table 1: Schemes and Modalities of PPP Schemes Modalities Build-own-operate (BOO) Build-develop-operate (BDO) Design-construct-manage-finance (DCMF) The private sector designs, builds, owns, develops, operates and manages an asset with no obligation to transfer ownership to the government. These are variants of design-build-finance-operate (DBFO) schemes. Buy-build-operate (BBO) Lease-develop-operate (LDO) Wrap-around addition (WAA) The private sector buys or leases an existing asset from the Government, renovates, modernises, and/ or expands it, and then operates the asset, again with no obligation to transfer ownership back to the Government. Build-operate-transfer (BOT) Build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) Build-rent-own-transfer (BROT) Build-lease-operate-transfer (BLOT) Build-transfer-operate (BTO) The private sector designs and builds an asset, operates it, and then transfers it to the Government when the operating contract ends, or at some other pre-specified time. The private partner may subsequently rent or lease the asset from the Government. Source: Public Private Partnership, Fiscal Affairs Department of the IMF. These two sources might help: Infrastructure Investments – Planning Commission Public-Private Partnership in Indian Infrastructure Development: Issues and Options – RBI SCIENCE and TECHNOLOGY TOPIC -11 Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life . Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology. . Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights There are many sources for these topics: First, for non – science grads, a reading of NCERT Class VI to X Science Texts is advised. This will clear many concepts for you and will enable you to understand other topics in the syllabus. Second, earlier, toppers used to recommend a book by Spectrum publications, Developments in Science and Technology The problem with this book is its vastness – they have simply dumped every topic in detail like paranoid. For students with science background this book is advised, they have released 2013 edition – you have to study it selectively. Very selectively. This book has all the topics that are included in the syllabus and that are not included also. If one goes through previous question papers, one can observe that UPSC has always asked questions on S&T from within the syllabus. For example, there will be a question on biotechnology, space, robotics, nanotechnology and computers – they might be from latest developments in the respective fields, but all are from the syllabus. Third source is The Hindu and Frontline. Every Thursday, The Hindu carries a separate page on S&T – if one is regular with this page and have the collection of cuttings, this will help in 5 mark and 2 mark questions asked from current event section. Fourth source is Wikipedia and New Scientist sites. From this site, read articles on Nanotechnology, Robotics, IPR etc. Under IPR, you may have to read about Novartis case, so The Hindu article is here. Also TRIPS is important. For India’s achievements in the field of S&T, you must read India 2013 Year Book (chapters on Defence and Scientific and technological developments) TOPIC-12 Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment BASICS: Environment and Pollution Atmosphere Oxygen and Pollution (Technical) This particular topic encompasses topics such as biodiversity and climate change, forest and wildlife conservation, river conservation, pollution in cities, waste management, pollution from human activities, marine pollution etc – so it is a vast area. This has to be read with respect to India and the world. First choice should be The Hindu Environmental Survey 2012 (they may release 2013 survey now). Sources from the ministry of environment(look at the left side for related links when you land on the page): Annual Report of the Environment Ministry 2012-13 (for chapters on conservation, EIA and forests etc) - Click Here. Complete info on Conservation. click here. Complete details on – Environmental Impact Assessment, FAQ’s on EIA Current events on EIA – The Hindu article TOPIC – 13 Disaster and disaster management This is again a current event and a dynamic portion. Download special edition of Yojana on Disaster Management. A report on Disaster Management. (read selectively). You will find everything in it you ever wanted to know about the topic! SECURITY ISSUES TOPIC-14 . Linkages between development and spread of extremism. . Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security. . Challenges to internal security through communication networks, role of media and social networking sites in internal security challenges, basics of cyber security; money-laundering and its prevention . Security challenges and their management in border areas; linkages of organized crime with terrorism Internal Security – Internal Security Challenges Cyber Security – National Cyber Security Policy 2013 – assessment Money Laundering – Prevention of Money-laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) What is Money Laundering – Basics FATF on Money Laundering For a starter, here is a book just released by Oxford University Press, exclusively on these topics. Titled ‘India’s National Security – A Reader‘ and written by eminent scholars in this field, it covers external and internal security threats by state and non-state actors, as well as nuclear issues too. Read the review here. You can buy it from Flipkart . (Buy it only after reading the above review) (This section will be updated with latest news articles – soon) TOPIC-15 Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate This topic is completely factual. You can read it on Wikipedia. Indian Armed Forces Indian Paramilitary Services Agencies A SMALL LECTURE Until now we saw what books to read. Now the question is how to remember most of the things we read and how to translate them into better answers. A common mistake most of the aspirants commit is reading so many books for a single topic.This mistake costs both your time and ability to remember things clearly and concisely. Stick to a single source and read it again and again. Remember The Same Source. Avoid the temptation of doing ‘Research’ on a topic. Always Remember – UPSC tests Basic Understanding. Not mastery over a topic. Make short notes on each topic. It is while making notes that readers tend to do RESEARCH and scout various sources. Stick to one book even if you are not 100% satisfied with it. Remember that old saying? – Jack of all trades, master of NONE. If you try to do Research, most probably your name won’t appear in the Final List. I guarantee it. For Paper-II (i.e GS-1) being thorough with Current Events plays a crucial role in enabling you to acquire analytical skills. Very Important Part In The Preparation Writing. Writing. Writing. But what? – One must practice answer writing to Previous year questions, or take a Mock Test. Whatever, before you enter examination hall, you must have spent lot of time on answer writing. Most Important Part In The Preparation Revision. Revision. Re-Revision. You do this and you appear for the Personality Test. If you don’t Revise what you read all these months – you slightly miss the Personality Test, or You narrowly miss appearing in the Final List. Well, to sum up. To get the interview call all you need to do is: Read, Re-read the same source, Write and Revise. Preparation for this paper can be finished in 20 days provided you are focused and determined. Of course. Eat well, Sleep well and Keep a good health. If you get a running nose on the day of the exam, 2 hours out of 3 hours goes in draining it and drying it. UPSC has brought changes to the Civil Services Mains examination in both the pattern and the syllabus. We know that now there are 4 General Studies Papers apart from one Essay and Optional paper each. Of these, new paper on Ethics Aptitude and Integrity has been a headache for many aspirants as quality source is elusive even now when the exam is nearing. This article discusses preparation strategy for General Studies – 4 (i.e Paper-IV -Ethics Aptitude and Integrity ) Before you start reading further, please remember the following important mantra given by the Almighty UPSC: “The questions are likely to test the candidate’s basic understanding of all relevant issues, and ability to analyze, and take a view on conflicting socio‐ economic goals, objectives and demands. The candidates must give relevant, meaningful and succinct answers.” This sentence is the guiding light for your preparation. You don’t have to master the topics, all you need is BASIC UNDERSTANDING and the ability to analyze. Basic understanding comes from reading and re-reading. Ability to analyze what you have understood from reading comes from WRITING PRACTICE. This article was tough to write as it’s new and sources for this article were difficult to find. Sources for this article are diverse. Books published by Oxford, Cambridge university presses, Springer, Sage publications have been referred. Britannica encyclopedia and IGNOU materials were of immense help too. Many PDFs are of advanced nature. You don’t have to read all the PDFs in toto. Read first few paragraphs to understand the essence. Remember the above UPSC mantra. Question paper will have questions on theory and case studies. Case studies will be covered every day as an article where you can write answers and get comments from fellow aspirants. I have given only links to sources. I am no authority to explain the topics. STRATEGY Ethics and Human Interface Let’s start with basics: Ethics – A Very Basic Introduction - BBC Guide to Ethics Introduction to Ethics Essence, determinants and Consequences of Ethics in human actions What is Ethics? – Cambridge University Source- Authentic and Good one (read this completely to get conceptual clarity) Dimensions of ethics Read Chapters One and Two from this book Ethics in private and public relationships. Ethics in private relationships – Read chapter 3 in the link. It’s in Google Books and the chapter has all pages. It is very good with lots of case studies. If any IT guy can extract pages and covert them to PDF, please send me a copy. Ethics in Private Relationship- Good one Ethics in Public Relations Human Values Human values – IGNOU Material Lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and administrators You can read about them from school books or from website. Will provide a list later. Role of family, society and educational institutions in inculcating values. Chapter Ten of this book. Google Books – Value Education. Attitude Structure and Function Source – 1 – Very Basic Source – 2 – Structure source – 3 – Functions Source – 4 – Complex and Specialized (if you can understand! Page no. 38,39…) Its influence and relation with thought and behaviour Source – 1 – Attitude and Behaviour Source – 2 - Values, Attitudes and Behaviour – Source – 3 – Very Advanced Moral and political attitudes Source 1 – Political Attitudes Source – 2 – Moral Attitudes Social influence and Persuasion Source – 1 – Simple and Straight to the point. Good one. Source -2 – Very Advanced Related Article Attitude for Good Governance – Read SectionTwo in Attitude for good governance and motivation. Aptitude and foundational values for Civil Service Integrity Critical Look at Integrity Integrity and Transparency – critical article Impartiality and non-partisanship, objectivity, dedication to public service, empathy, tolerance and compassion towards the weaker sections. These are actually civil service values recommended by the second ARC in its report (10th Report, Chapter 16) Emotional intelligence Concept Source – 1 - Very Basic – Excellent one. Source – 2 – Conceptual clarity Their utilities and application in administration and governance Emotional Intelligence and Public Leadership Emotional Intelligence in Bureaucracies Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and world. Ethics in the history of Indian Philosophy Ethics in Contemporary Indian Philosophy Ethics in the history of western philosophy Ethics in Medieval Western Philosophy Ethics in Greek Philosophy Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: Status and problems Public Service Values – Status Professionalism and Ethics in Public Service – UN Document. Read only Chapter One and Conclusion. Problems and Issues about Public service values is given in it. Ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions Ethical Concerns in Public Administration Ethical Dilemma – In this, read only Chapter One. It is written in foreign context but it’s applicability is universal. Ethics in Public Administration – Don’t neglect this document because it’s written by a research scholar. It is simple and lucid. Laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance Didn’t get any credible source. I will post it when I get one. Accountability and ethical governance Ethical Governance in twenty first century – This is culled from a costly and an authentic book. Read it to understand the importance of ethics in governance. Ethics As element of Good Governance Ethics and Governance – T N Chaturvedi (he was CAG and Governor of Karnataka) – His reflections are insightful. Strengthening of ethical and moral values in governance Above PDFs reflect on this topic too. Ethical issues in international relations and funding Ethics in International Relations – Taken from a reputed book and is a primary source on the topic. Ethics in International Relations – This is in relation to corporate responsibility. It covers some aspects of ethical issues in ‘funding’ mentioned in the syllabus. Corporate governance Corporate Governance – Read it as it contains many new facts and ideas. (not so good, though) Corporate Governance – An Ethical Perspective – It is critical article, a research paper. News Report - Economic Times PPT Presentation – IIT Bombay Probity in Governance This part of the syllabus is completely covered in the following book. It is written by two retired IAS officers of Gujarat cadre. All the topics of this part of the syllabus and other topics of importance are covered in this book. Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude for Civil Services Main Examination (Paper – 5) I am giving below PDFs to some topics taken from some UN sites, books and ministries websites. Probity in Governance Probity in Governance – Excellent one – It is published by Law Ministry and contains many concepts. What is Probity in Governance – Private context Concept of public service Probity in Governance – Excellent one – it defines what’s public service. Philosophical basis of governance and probity Information sharing and transparency in government – Right to Information Articles on RTI from The Hindu, EPW will be posted. The above mentioned book has a chapter on this topic. Codes of Ethics Codes of Ethics – OECD Codes of ethics – World Bank - Codes of Conduct Refer the above mentioned book. Citizen’s Charters Citizen’s Chartes – FAQs Citizen Charter Handbook Work culture Quality of service delivery Utilization of public funds – Planning Commission –PDF challenges of corruption This is basically a general topic. I will compile articles published on this topic in The Hindu (last year there were many articles on this topic) and give links soon. Source – 1 Apart from the above book, the following book might be useful as it is written by a renowned author Ramesh Arora (his books on Public Administration are well received) Ethics in Governance – Ramesh K Arora A SMALL LECTURE – again!?! Note: You can skip this if you are already bored! Until now we saw what books to read. Now the question is how to remember most of the things we read and how to translate them into better answers. A common mistake most of the aspirants commit is reading so many books for a single topic.This mistake costs both your time and ability to remember things clearly and concisely. Stick to a single source and read it again and again. Remember The Same Source. Avoid the temptation of doing ‘Research’ on a topic. Always Remember – UPSC tests Basic Understanding. Not mastery over a topic. Make short notes on each topic. It is while making notes that readers tend to do RESEARCH and scout various sources. Stick to one book even if you are not 100% satisfied with it. Remember that old saying? – Jack of all trades, master of NONE. If you try to do Research, most probably your name won’t appear in the Final List. I guarantee it. For Paper-II (i.e GS-1) being thorough with Current Events plays a crucial role in enabling you to acquire analytical skills. Very Important Part In The Preparation Writing. Writing. Writing. But what? – One must practice answer writing to Previous year questions, or take a Mock Test. Whatever, before you enter examination hall, you must have spent lot of time on answer writing. Most Important Part In The Preparation Revision. Revision. Re-Revision. You do this and you appear for the Personality Test. If you don’t Revise what you read all these months – you slightly miss the Personality Test, or You narrowly miss appearing in the Final List. Well, to sum up. To get the interview call all you need to do is: Read, Re-read the same source, Write and Revise. Preparation for this paper can be finished in 20 days provided you are focused and determined. Of course. Eat well, Sleep well and Keep a good health. If you get a running nose on the day of the exam, 2 hours out of 3 hours goes in draining it and drying it. Feel free to point out mistakes, improvements and suggestions. You can also share material if you have any so that it benefits readers. Disclaimer: This article is meant to be a blueprint or a road map for your preparation. It’s not the one stop source for complete preparation of this paper.
Posted on: Sun, 26 Oct 2014 10:17:48 +0000
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