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General fundasDirector Rau's IAS Study Circle, V. P. Gupta, speaks to
Education Times on the strategy required to prepare forGeneral Studies in the next few months
Times of India Education Times 1.8.2005
Paper-I
History of Modern India and Indian Culture
The subject is like a story and therecould be linkages between two questions.Students thus need to ensure that the entiresyllabus is covered in detail while revisinghistory. They can, however, do withoutpreparing portions which appeared last yearin the main stage of the examination. The
general trend is that there are no repetitionsfrom last year's papers, but once in a while
students could be in for a surprise. The partrelating to Indian culture will cover all aspectsfrom ancient to modern times.Geography of India
Students should concentrate on humanand economic geography. Human sectionincludes issues related to population. Therewill be questions based on the HumanDevelopment Report prepared by United
Nations Development Programme. The WorldDevelopment Report of World Bank deals indifferent aspects of economic geography likesafe drinking water. Students shouldemphasise less on classical geography liketypes of soil and rocks. The stress should beon preparing cultural and economic geographyand issues related to it.Indian Polity
Different aspects of the Constitution likeSupreme Court judgment during the past oneyear are important. At macro level, students
need to know in detail issues like imposition ofPresident's Rule in Bihar, why it was imposedand under what circumstances, significance
of Bommai Judgment while implementing thesame are important.Current National issues and topics of
social relevance
Students should go through majorhappenings at the national level during the lastone calendar year. National newspapers,news magazines, journals and periodicals are
good source of information to prepare topicsrelated to national issues. Issues of socialrelevance which affect the lives of peopleshould always be dealt in detail.Paper-II
India and the World
India's relations with major world powerslike US, China, Russia, France, UK andEuropean Union should be covered in detail.The recent positive developments in Indo-USrelations particularly in areas like civiliannuclear energy deal, space cooperation andeducation will be importantin this year's examination.
I m m e d i a t eneighbours like Nepal,
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka,Pakistan, Myanmar tooplay an important role inIndia's foreign policy.Disputes with Pakistanand China on the onehand and Bangladesh andNepal on the other havecome to play an important
role in India's tryst to createa space in world politics.There should be focus on India's role in herneighbour's internal politics like maoistinsurgency and return of democracy in Nepal.Issues related to illegal immigrants fromBangladesh too are important in this year'spaper.Indian Economy
The change of guard at the Centre hasbrought an ideological shift in how we manageour economy and issues related to taxation
and spending pattern. There is more emphasison the social sector, winding up of Ministry ofDisinvestment, issues related to privatisation
or profit earning and loss-making PSU entities.Queries related to disinvestment of governmententities in a transparent manner too have cometo play an important role during the past oneyear.
The role of government in our public lifelike running utility services too has become amatter of debate during the last few years.
Areas like atomic energy, manufacturing ofmilitary goods should continue to remain in thepublic sector but the government should notown enterprises. The role of the governmentshould be limited to budgetary support and
providing direction on different policy matterslike social work.International Affairs and Institutions
Reforms in United Nations SecurityCouncil (UNSC) and formation of G-4 to bid forpermanent seats in the Security Council andUS role during the entire process will beimportant this year.
Developments in the fields of S&T,communications and space Scientificdevelopment during the last one year, focuson development of AIDS vaccine, stem cellresearch, focus on non-renewable sources ofenergy and manned space are must during
the revision. Geological disasters like
earthquakes are still not being predicted inspiteof technological advancements. Is it thenjustified to spend heavily on space research?Statistical analysis, graphs and diagrames
This section tests the candidates abilityto draw conclusions from information presentedin statistical, graphical or diagrammatical formand to point out deficiencies therein.
Writing the paperStudents should be focussed in terms
of language, and they should ensure that theanswers are as close as possible. Theexaminer is usually in a hurry and if providedwith facts and coherent replies his job becomeseasier.The answers should not be lengthy and writtenin a precise manner. Word limit should beadhered to, wherever mentioned. Studentsshould focus on providing their side of
justification in a jiffy. Repetitive and elaboratereplies should be strictly avoided
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Taming of the prelimsV P GUPTA OFFERS THE LAST MINUTE DO AND I DON'T
FOR THE FORTHCOMING CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS
Times of India Education Times 9.5.2005
Here are a few last-minute tips for the
students appearing at the Civil Services
Prelim Exam on May 15, 2005.
Remember to retain your cool and go in
with the attitude of a winner.
Looking at the pattern in which
questions have been framed in General
Studies (GS) from 1985 onwards, one is
tempted to say that possibly the principledesign of the examiners is to eliminate
candidates rather than test their mental
calibre. Moreover, examiners have not
correctly followed in all the years the
pattern of allotting specific number of
marks specified for each syllabus expect
for the area on Mental Ability.
Such being the current trend of
setting the GS paper in the Preliminary
Exam, candidates have no option but tobank upon chosen optional subjects
while making reasonable amount of
preparation for all areas of GS. Besides,
it is wise to prepare these areas from the
view-point of the Main Examination. The
areas to be taken care of are Modern
India, Polity, Indian Economy,
Geography, Current Events and
General Science.
Considering the general
nature of the examination the
tactics must be to focus on
greater rather than intensive
coverage. One is expected to
know history, science, polity,
geography, economy and other
such disciplines, all at the same
time. However, only basics of
each of the disciplines is
needed. Hence one must
concentrate on basics and
acquire as much facts about
basics as possible but avoiding
the element of over-kill in
preparations.
While preparation for the Prelims
large coverage is the key word. By going
through large source of information it is
expected that an image is built in the
mind which will reflect the details. Do
remember that human memory skills
work better when there are less emotion-
al in-puts or anxiety about inability to recallon account of exam-related stress.
Here is a brief do and don'ts:
Final preparation must start by testing
self with the revision-type Model Test'
Papers.
Do not get discouraged by initial low
score.
Emphasis on your weak-spots.
Keep testing yourself at a regular
interval. Make a mental note of areas you have
covered and what remains to be
covered.
Be analytical in response.
Do not overstretch yourself on area of
coverage-wise.
Revise your stuff a number of times. IA
calm mental state is most important.
Since there is no negative marking in
the exam, it is suggested not to leaveany questions unanswered.
An intelligent guess can be made
wherever necessary.
Do not get stuck at any question. Move
on from question to question and
attempt the difficult ones at the end.
In the first round, attempt only the
answers which you are sure, of.
In the next round, try to eliminate as
many options as you can and darkenthe ovals which are the only one left
out after elimination.
If you are confused between just two
options, it is advisable to make an
intelligent guess.
If you are left with about five to 10
minutes, select one option out of A,B,C
or and go on dealing with the left out
questions.
After a two weeks break get down
for the Main preparation with confidence.
Chase the success in the exam with the
single mindedness of a cricketer who
wants to win at least the 'Man of the Match'
award if not the 'Man of Series'.
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Dynamics of SubsidiesV P Gupta Simplifies the Matrix of Subsidy
Times of India Education Times 21.2.2005
The current national affairs are an
important segment of General Studies
Paper I. While preparing for this paper,
one must go/look for important
developments affecting the nation as a
whole or a large section of people. One
has to keep track of the important policy
announcements of theGovernment besides
judgements of the
Supreme Court. In this
and subsequent
articles we shall discuss
some of the relevant
issues in brief.
One such current affairs issue is
subsidies. India, being a welfare state,
has been providing assistance to various
sections of the society in the form of
subsidies. The main beneficiaries have
been the farmers, needy people and
those using various forms of public
services. Over the years these subsidies
have come under scrutiny and there have
been demand to phase out thesesubsidies as they are considered as a
burden on the state exchequer.
Consequently, the ratio of all direct
subsidies paid by the Central
Government to GDP has actually fallen
from around 1.85 percent in 1990-91 to
1.6 percent in 2003-04. It seems that the
main concern has been the indirect
subsidies which remain quite high.Indirect subsidies are subsidies
administered through inputs like fertiliser,
electricity, diesel and irrigation, among
others.
The report of Central Government
about Subsidies in India: A Report, 2004
by the Ministry of Finance, prepared with
assistance from the National Institute of
Public Finance and Policy, calls for
reducing Minimum Support Prices for
farmers, suggesting
the removal of the
present two-tier
system of prices in the
Public Distribution
System (PDS) along
with a system of food
coupons for below
poverty line (BPL) population. Fertiliser
prices should be raised. LPG andkerosene subsidies, presumably
affecting large middle class and poor
households, require further reduction. In
fact, their prices have been already
raised recently since the UPA
government came in power.
Those who support the continuing
of subsidies for the time being argue that
the focus on reducing subsidies onlycomes about because of the
Government's failure to raise tax
revenues. For them the subsidies are
essentially negative taxes. Such negative
taxes would mean that instead of being
raised from the people they are given
back to certain target groups among the
population of the country.
One has to take note that subsidiesare a global phenomena and developed
countries of the West give direct
subsidies in the form of unemployment
benefits and social security. Health and
other social facilities are state funded and
there are direct export subsides to the
exporters who export agricultural
products, often termed as farm subsidies.
India has been a vocal critic of farm
subsidies that lead to anomalies in world
trade. The subsidies cheapen their farm
products in the international market. In
fact the total farm subsidies given by the
US and European Union account to
almost two third of India's total GDP. The
difference of opinion on these subsidiesbetween the developed and developing
countries even resulted in the failure of
Cancun Summit of WTO. While
countries like India were ready to reduce
the tariff barriers on imports, the
developed countries remained non
committal about phasing out the
subsidies given to the exporters of farm
products. Some developed countrieseven wanted that developing countries
should have more transparency in their
procurement policies.
Reverting back to subsidies in
India, it seems that some of the essential
subsidies will continue while others
could be phased out, particularly those
on petroleum products like diesel
keeping in view India's huge oil pooldeficit. The subsidies on food and other
basic amenities like health and
education should continue, but the
government must ensure the proper
identification of the beneficiaries. The
sharp targeting of subsidies is indeed the
most important as well as the most
difficult aspect to achieve in a large
country like India, since even the
advanced economies like USA and EU
are not able to do this successfully.
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NGOs, an important fact of public lifeV P GUPTA CHECKS AND BALANCES THE ROLE OF NGOs,
FOR THE ESSAY PAPER
Times of India Education Times 21.3.2005
An important theme which is essential
for the students to know for the Essay
Paper in Civil Services Main Exam is the
Role of NGOs in a democratic society
like ours.
The existence of NV P GUPTA CHECKS
AND BALANCES THE ROLE OF NGOs,FOR THE ESSAY
PAPER GOs is a
global phenomenon.
Growing resentment
or dissatisfaction with
the performance of
governments all over
the world is a
causative factor in the growth of the
NGOs in public domain. Thus as a
corrective step to this universal weak-
ness in governance provided by
politicians, the Non-Government
Organisations or NGOs have become an
important fact of our public life today.
The factors that have fuelled the
growth of NGOs are plenty. NGOs today
speak to and speak for the poor, the
disenfranchised, the minorities and other
marginalised groups in society to make
sure that the needs and desires of these
people are heard and responded to by
the Government agencies.
The idea of good governance
requires that the distribution of power and
resources be held open to account. Civil
Society globally and NGOs in particular
are increasingly seen as part of an
apparatus of checks and balances in
respect of the operations of any
democratic system of governance. The
NGOs are able to recognise and manage
any tensions that arise in society in a
professional, sensitive and mature
manner. In reality NGOs act as support
system to the
governments to ensure
good governance and
secure the highest
common good for the
people.
While on one hand, the
NGOs supplement government action on
the other hand they may have to publicly
criticise governments should their
standards of operation or the integrity of
public servants decline. The reverse is
true as well. Governments too may feel
justified in criticising NGOs for their short-
comings or excessive bickering. So, can
a partnership between the NGOs andgovernments sustain this tension? The
simple answer is that it has to. There are
challenges on this road ahead. The
Governments and NGOs must learn to
meet them together in the spirit of true
partnership and trust.
A very important aspect which
needs special mention about the role ofNGOs is disaster management.
Governments cannot deal with crisis
situations alone. When disaster strikes,
governments need assistance from the
public and private sectors. Often
international disasters involve complex
emergencies such as wars or other
conflicts. NGOs have the best knowledge
of local communities and their needs,
but lack the material resources to
transport relief supplies that the
governments provide. Thus, there is
always a need for a sort of strategic
partnership between governments andNGOs.
The NGOs can innovate faster
than governments and maintain the vital
energy in the service of people because
of their abiding faith in service.
They have helped to focus
attention on the social and
environmental implications of bigbusinesses and their activities.
Multinational companies have been
acutely susceptible to pressure from
NGOs, eager to challenge their labour,
environmental or human rights record.
Even those businesses that do not
specialise in highly visible branded
goods feel the pressure, as NGOs
develop techniques to target their
downstream customers and
shareholders. The big businesses have,
therefore, been made to realise their
social responsibilities towards the
communities on whose shoulder they
stand. However, the success or failure of
NGOs would ultimately depend on their
innate sense of justice and the goodnessof each individual who works for them.
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Everyone wants to win but few have the
will to give all that it takes to win. We all
seek success in life. But have not realized
what success is made of. Well, in simple
language success happens when
preparation meets performance. We
spend more time in planning ordinary day
to day things than planning our lives. The
road-map for success can be briefly putlike this: Plan, Prepare, Practice, Perform
and Win. In short, success takes more
than just slogging. Now I propose to .take
you on a conducted tour of how to
prepare for "the career", i. e. a career in
Civil Services or simply put, IAS.
The Nature of the Examination
The Civil Services Exam offers
widest range of jobs in our country and is
conducted by the Union Public ServiceCommission (UPSC). Some of the top
services offered by this examination are:
Indian Administrative Service, Indian
Police Service, Indian Foreign Service,
Indian Revenue Service and Indian
Customs and Central Excise Services
etc. There are in all about twenty-six
services offered through this single
examination. A three-level exam is
conducted to achieve this purpose.
The Structure of the Examination
The candidates are put through
three kinds of testing to ensure that the
persons selected have: (a) wide range
of general awareness, (b) analytical ability
and content retention capacity, (c) a
cheerful mental disposition even under
stressful conditions and some other
officers' like qualities. Each one of these
requirements is tested respectively
through Preliminary Exam (objective type
questions), Main Exam (descriptive type
questions) and Interview test.
The Preliminary Examination is
conducted in the month of May every
year and it comprises of two papers, one
for optional subject which is selected by
the students and one for General Studies
which is a compulsory paper for all. Here,
candidates are given multiple choice
type questions. There is no negative
marking; hence students are advised to
attempt all the questions. The questionsare of graduation level. There are in all
about 120 questions asked and they
carry 300 marks.
The second paper in the
Preliminary Examination is General
Studies comprising six segments in all.
These include: General Science,
Current Events of National and
International Importance, History of India
and Indian National Movement, India andWorld Geography, Indian Polity and
Economy and General Mental Ability.
There are usually 150 questions asked
which carry a total of 150 marks.
Now coming to the major
segments of General Studies paper,
questions on general science include
the basics and scientific awareness of
related areas. It comprises themes such
as: Physics, Astrophysics, Chemistry,
Botany, Zoology, Agriculture, Medicine
& Life Sciences etc. Though, each one
of these is a fully developed discipline;
but the questions asked here are the
ones that can be' expected from a well-
educated person without any special
knowledge of these disciplines. Current
event of national and international
importance questions generally revolve
around such happenings that may have
taken place during the previous 12
months. History of India and the Indian
National Movement questions include
social, economic and political aspects
of ancient, medieval and modern Indian
history. Special emphasis should be
given to 19th century resurgence and the
attainment of the Indian independence.
Geography questions usually coverIndian geography, with regards to
physical, social and economic aspects.
Indian polity and economy together make
a very large chunk of the questions. An
analysis of the previous year's questions
suggest that majority of the questions
cover the themes related to the Indian
Constitution and the existing political
system. Recent developments in the field
of economic priorities are also a favouritearea for questioning. The candidates are
thus tested apart from their basic
knowledge of economy, polity, science
and history, but for their general mental
ability also. Some questions on
reasoning, analytical ability, logical
conclusion and pictorial interpretation
are asked here.
Considering the organisation and
nature of the Preliminary Examinationone can see the relative importance of
optional subject paper which carries 300
marks, is far more greater than the
importance of the General Studies paper
carrying 150 marks. However, students
are cautioned that it does not mean one
can overlook the significance of General
Studies paper and it too needs to be
approached seriously through a
systematic orientation accompanied by
an appropriate mindset.
The Main Examination comprises
of two types of papers; non-ranking and
the ranking ones. There are two papers
(of the total nine) that are non-ranking in
nature which include one paper of the
Indian language to be selected by the
candidate as per his mother tongue and
the second paper is of English. Both
these paper are of very simple nature and
in a way mentally prepare the candidatefor writing the subsequent examination.
Among scoring or ranking papers there
are three groups of papers, which are:
Times of India Education Times 11.12.2004
A Road-Map to Civil
ServicesV P GUPTA
8/8/2019 (ARTICLES) Raus IAS Study Circle, V. P. Gupta
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two optional subjects - 4 papers in all
(comprising of a total of 1200 marks),
Essay - one paper (200 marks) and the
General Studies - two papers (total 600
marks).
For the optional papers UPSC has
a list of about twenty six subjects out of
which two subjects have to be selected
by every candidate. However, a fewcombinations belonging to disciplines
having substantial overlaps in content are
not allowed.
Main Examination also includes
two papers of General Studies. Both of
these papers are further subdivided in
nine segments, four segments in paper
one and five in paper two. The four
segment of Paper-I include History of
Modem India and Indian Culture,Geography of India, Indian Polity and
Current National Issues and Topics of
Social Relevance. The five segments of
Paper-II include the topics on India and
the World, Indian Economy, International
Affairs and Institutions, Developments in
the field of Science and Technology,
Communications & Space and
Statistical Analysis of Graphs and
Diagrams.
The Main Examination, apart from
optional subjects and General Studies
papers also includes an Essay paper. It
carries 200 marks. The candidates are
advised to prepare for this paper keeping
some major themes in mind. Apart from
the preparation for the content, students
are also advised to polish their basic
skills for essay-writing.
The Strategy for Preparation
The strategy for General Studies
preparation is a bit different from the
optional subjects as the word "General"
is very difficult to define. But if one
proceeds with right approach and
strategy it becomes fairly organised.
Then the next question is "what is the
right approach and strategy"? Well, for
that one needs to keep in mind the basic
fact that if the goal is to reach the highest
level of achievement, then one must have
not only ample patience for details but
should be able to keep the big pictureregarding any theme in his mind at the
time of study. Thus the preparation
strategy is to follow a mix of both micro
and macro level approaches.
The first step in this direction is the
understanding of the syllabus. One must
look at the Syllabus closely and in detail.
After that one should analyse the past
year's question papers that indicate the
important areas as well as the real scopeof the syllabus. Then comes the next step
of apportioning of time depending on the
importance and length of each area.
The next step would cover the
selection of right books and an efficient
method to study them. The basic
guideline at the start of the preparations
for both P.T. and Main Exam is to read
N.C.E.R.T. books on related subjects.
There is no substitute for it. One should
refrain in the beginning from reading
guidebooks as they load you with
information but very little concept.
Interview test is the final 'lap of the A Road-
Map to Civi l Services Civil Services
selection process. Though it carries only
300 marks, one can not afford to take it
lightly because a candidate's selection
or ranking is likely to be affected by the
marks that he/she gets in it. This test is
not a cross examination, but something
which appears between the twilight of a
question and answer session and a
purposive conversation.
Well, let me tell you that the most
important part of the Interview is "you".
Everything else that goes on in an
interview is peripheral or secondary.Talking about oneself is not easy for
anyone in such a situation. Yet that is
what precisely you are required to do in
an interview. Your achievements,
interests and vision is what you must be
ready to talk about in a clear headed
manner. An interview is a celebration of
"you" from start to finish.
The interviewers usually have two
major enquiries in their mind: (a) thepersonality issues and (b) the knowledge
base of a candidate. Now, in case of Civil
Services Exam the knowledge aspect is
taken care of by an elaborate written
exam which is already over by the time
you go for the interview. What remains to
be evaluated is the personality aspects
of a candidate. And it is for this reason
the interview has been at times also call
the personality test.
The personality of a person has
been variously defined to include a vast
number of qualities of head and heart.
The personality of any person is the sum
total of what one has experienced, seen,
heard, read or felt from the very moment
one starts being award of himself in the
society. In short what UPSC is looking for
in a candidate is a man of substance who
has the intelligence and courage to take
on any job and give his best to it withoutfear or favour. Briefly, they are looking for
a person who will hold his ground and
stand by his colleagues in the difficult
situations with complete sincerity and
commitment.
Finally remember, winning is an
event, but being a winner is a spirit. To
win you will have to understand this spirit
of deserving something; before getting it.
The mantra for success in an exam likeCivil Services is to cultivate the real joy of
learning as a precondition for any
learning to start impacting your mind.
Times of India Education Times 11.12.2004
A Road-Map to Civil
ServicesV P GUPTA
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Aspiring for the Top slotCivil Services Examination does not merely test the
knowledge and aptitude of a candidate but, his attitudeand strength of character as well through an extensive
three-tier system, says V P Gupta
Times of India Education Times 13.12.2004
We all seek success in life but do not
realize what success is made of. Well, in
simple language, success happens
when preparation meets performance.
We spend more time in planning ordinary
things than planning our lives. The road-
map for success can be briefly put like
this: Plan, Prepare, Practice, Perform and
Win. In short, success takes more than
just slogging. And it definitely takes much
more if you are aspiring for a career in
the most coveted services in the country,
the civil services.
Nature of the examination
The civil services examination
offering widest range of jobs in our
country, is conducted by the Union Public
Service Commission (UPSC). Some of
the services offered by this examination
are: Indian Administrative Service, Indian
Police Service, Indian Foreign Services,
Indian Revenue Service and Indian
Customs and Central Excise Service, to
name the prominent ones. There are in
all about 26 services offered through this
single examination. Considering the
importance and nature of these jobs,
UPSC takes utmost care in selecting the
right people. A three-level exam in
conducted to achieve this purpose.
Structure of the exam
The candidates are put through
three kinds of testing to ensure that the
persons selected have (a) wide range of
general awareness, (b) analytical abilityand content retention capacity, and (c) a
cheerful mental disposition even under
stressful conditions and some other
officers' like qualities. Each one of these
requirements is tested respectively
through preliminary exam, which
includes objective-type questions, main
exam that comprises descriptive-type
questions and personal interview.
Conducted in the month of May
every year, the preliminary examination
comprises two papers, one on an
optional subject which is selected by a
candidate and another one on general
studies which is a compulsory paper for
all. The examination encompasses
multiple-choice questions and since
there is no negative marking, students
are advised to attempt all the questions.
The questions asked are of graduation
level. There are in all about 120
questions asked in this section, which
are of 300 marks in total.
The second paper of the
preliminary examination is on general
studies comprising six segments in all,
including: General science, current
events of national and internationalimportance, history of India and Indian
national movement, Indian and world
geography, Indian polity and economy,
and general mental ability. These
segments need to be carefully
understood by the candidates in the
backdrop of the previous years questions.
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Dealing with GeographyAPART FROM KNOWING ABOUT THE CLASSICAL FORM OF
GEOGRAPHY IT IS IMPORTANT FOR AN ASPIRANT TO BEABREAST WITH THE CONTEMPORARY DEVELOPMENTS IN
THE DISCIPLINE, SAYS V P GUPTA
Times of India Education Times 15.11.2004
Geography is an important component
of the 'general studies' segment in the
Civil Services main examination.
Geography as a discipline is
continuously evolving. The present form
of geography is fairly contemporary in
nature dealing with the diverse range ofphenomena that touches upon various
aspects of life. One can see that
geography has unfolded in the
dimensions of the environmental
geography, political geography, social
geography, urban geography and many
- more facets beyond its classical form,
which you might have studied in school.
Geography for the main
examination is important as questionsworth 30 marks are usually being asked.
While the focus in this segment is
primarily on geography of India, it does
not restrict the examiner from asking
questions beyond classical parameters
such as physiography of India, climate of
India, soils and drainage pattern of India.
Geography has a set of basic concepts
which are of common interest and
candidates are expected to be aware ofthem. Plate tectonism, mountain
building, sea floor spreading, isostasy
and related concepts are touched upon
in the examination directly or indirectly.
Candidates while preparing for this
segment should try and keep in mind the
orientation of Indian scene.
Resources play a vital role in the
economic prosperity of a country. There
are various kinds of resources such ashuman resources as well as natural
resources. One may expect questions on
various kinds of resources, their potential
and the
problems in
their utilis-
ation. The
forests resou-
rces, their
depletion, soil resources, their potentialand problems, water resources in terms
of their chemistry and their ever depleting
levels are some of the major concerns of
the present time. Questions relating to
the planning aspects of geography
themes have become fairly popular off
late. Questions dealing with
programmes like command area
development programme, watershed
development programme, integratedrural development programme, drought
prone area programme and desert
development programme, among
others, are often asked.
Economic development has much
to do with the resources and
geographical parameters. It is moreover,
a significant area for questions, India
being primarily an agricultural economy,
all those parameters that affectagriculture attract the attention of
examiner on a regular basis. Monsoon
and its variability, dependability, genesis,
distribution and off late forecasting
techniques have been common as
questions. India with its geographical
diversity has been bestowed with a
diverse range of hazards as well. Hazards
not merely affect the economic
component but the social anddemographic parameters as well.
Various kinds of hazards such as flood,
drought and cyclones form questions on
a regular basis, Here the candidates
must take into account causative
dimension of hazards, prognostic
dimensions of hazards and hazard
mitigation techniques, for instance, One
must be prepared about the regional
distribution of hazards as well.
Some of the recent technological
advancement in geography have
attracted the attention of the examiner.
The candidate should prepare itself with
the remote sensing techniques, major
achievement in these directions and
some of the basic usages they can beput to. The GIS techniques have been in
news in the recent time and they as
remote sensing not merely help in
keeping eye on the resources of the
country but moreover, continuously
accessing their potential by periodic
reconnaissance of a given region. Space
technology is a major forte of Indian
scientists and every educated person is
expected to be aware about the basicadvancements in these areas. The
candidates however, while preparing
must not loose touch with the Atlas,
probably the first technological aid of
geographical enquiry. Geopolitical
concerns have always been important
but they have been acquiring new
dimensions with the passage of time.
The relationship of India with its
neighbouring countries, particularly withregard to the border areas is of major
concern. Geopolitics of the Indian ocean
has always been important and new
dimensions need to be looked upon by
the candidates while preparing for the
examination. Reorganisation of the
states, while on the surface appears to
be a typical political event, actually has a
deep geographical context. The demand
for new states and their geographicalcontext are indeed topics of interest for
the students of geography.
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Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is an
important source to supplement
domestic investment for achieving a
higher level of economic development
in India. FDI directly impacts on output
growth by augmenting the available
capital for investment. For instance, FDI
typically serves to increase competitionin markets, bring new technology into
India, foster skill acquisition amongst
domestic labour and moreover, pave the
way for strong exports growth.
FDI provides for investment in Indian
companies or setting up wholly-owned
subsidiaries in the areas which are
otherwise not under the prohibitive
categories such as telecommunications,civil aviation, banking, insurance, real
estate, agriculture and plantations, to
name the prominent ones. FDI in India is
invited through two channels - the
automatic approval route under which
foreign investment in areas identified and
up to the limits of foreign equity
prescribed, companies can issue shares
and receive inward remittances with thereporting requirement to Reserve Bank
of India within a period of 30 days. In all
other cases, proposals are considered
by the Foreign Investment and Promotion
Board (FIPB) serviced by the Department
of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance.
The share of FDI inflows in total foreign
investment rose sharply from about 56
per cent in 2000-01 to almost 80 per centin 2002-03. This indicates that longer-
term FDI inflows have been the main
contributors to foreign investment in
recent years. FDI inflows for the full year
of 2003-04 have been estimated at US$
4.5 billion, which are slightly lower than
US$ 4.7 billion recorded during 2002-03
However, during the first three quarters
of 2003-04, FDI inflows accounted for
less than 25 per cent of total foreign
investment, while portfolio flows
constituted 75 per cent of total foreign
investment. The total portfolio investment
inflows during the year 2003-04
amounted to US$ 11.4 billion, which far
higher than US$ 1 billion recorded during
2002-03 The rapid rise in portfolio inflows
has much to do with the buoyant state of
domestic capital markets. The main
difference between FDI and portfolio
investment is in the lasting interest
expressed by a non-resident direct
investor in a resident enterprise of the
domestic economy.
The FDI Attractiveness Index, a
summary measure of India's
attractiveness as a FDI destination,
which has registered a gain of just 8 per
cent that is from 3.6 in 2002-03 to 3.9 in
2003-04. The paltry upward movement
in the index implies that the perception
of foreign investors about India as an
investment destination has not improved
significantly. In fact, security andterrorism concerns weigh heavily on the
minds of foreign investors. Factors like
exchange rate volatility, hardening
commodity prices and higher interest
rates in home country can in addition,
play spoilsport. Global and regional trade
initiatives would, on the other hand, give
a boost to FDI inflows into India. The top
motivating factors for the entry of foreigninvestors into India are market size and
highly skilled manpower.
When a foreign investor considers
any new investment, it goes through four
stages in the decision making process
and action cycle, namely, (a) screening,
(b) planning, (c) implementing and (d)
operating and expanding. Our
promotional effort is quite often of ageneral nature and not corporate
specific. On the other hand, China is
viewed as 'more business oriented'. Its
decision making is faster and it has more
FDI friendly policies.
India has the potential to attract
much larger FDI, provided that it ensures
fast approvals of FDI at entry level and
initiates reforms in the direction of investorfriendly labour laws, efficient
infrastructure, which includes electricity
and transport, and fiscal incentives.
Strengthening EconomyV. P. Gupta Elaborates on the Role and Significance
of Foreign Direct Investment in theEconomic Development of India
Times of India Education Times 25.10.2004
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FINAL CALL FOR CIVIL
SERVICESby V P Gupta
Times of India Education Times 11.10.2004
A serious worry in the minds of the civil
services examinee, as the exam day
draws closer, is how to, write a good
answer or simply put - how to please the
examiner. The examiner is a man in a
hurry. So, if you make his life easy, he will
make your life easy. A few last-minute
suggestions to strike such a trade off are
given below.
Trust your preparation, memory
and your ability to recall what you have
read. In total, trust yourself.
Now coming to the exam, my first
suggestion to students is to read each
question two or three times with a cool
head and then decide what are the
requirements of the question by giving a
fair interpretation to each word used in
the question.
Next you should decide the points
that you are going to mention in youranswer. These points should be
classified as major and minor points with
major points coming in the beginning of
an answer and minor points being used
to finally supplement the thrust of the main
argument.
Your answers should be crisp. You
should not use any quotations as far as
possible. Do not quote names of authors,
books and articles, among others, with
the intention to impress the examiner.
Do not use any type of high-lighting
techniques or methods like use of
underlining, inverted commas, capital
letters, different colours of ink, when notrequired by the situation. Finally, the
secret of writing a good answer is to strip
every sentence to its cleanest
components. Every word, adjective or
adverb that serves no function should be
removed or better still not used in the first
place.
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Safeguarding InterestsIndia's foreign policy in the post cold war era has been
dominated by the need to develop better relations witheconomic powers, says V P Gupta
Times of India Education Times 27.9.2004
The end of Cold War and beginning of
economic liberalisation and
globalisation has forced India to reframe
on its foreign policy. The 90s witnessed
an end of the single-party rule and
beginning of coalition politics in India.
Faced with conflicting and divergentideological impulses, foreign policy
making became more of a balancing act
and gradually lost individualistic
influences evident in an
earlier era.
A greater thrust on
economic diplomacy
called for closer ties withthe US and the
European nations. The
realisation perhaps sank among policy
makers that the world was fast moving
towards unipolarity and that there was
no Soviet Union to fall upon. Moreover,
mutual economic interests or a common
cause against international terrorism led
India and the US into discovering natural
allies in each other. At the same time,
Russia has proved to be India's time-
tested friend. Other countries of Central
Asia who have broken out of the Soviet
Union are rich in natural resources and
are strategically placed. They share
close and old links with India dating back
to the Soviet era.
There has been a marked change
in India's West Asian policy. In 1993, India
opened up its ties with Israel. The two
countries have some common security
concerns, as both have been victims of
terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism.
Israel has moreover, emerged as India's
major defence partner. At the same time,India has not abandoned its stand on
Palestinian cause. The friendly ties with
Iran and other Arab states have been a
major achievement as
it has successfully
countered Pakistan's
anti-India agenda in the
Islamic countries and
rest of the world.
In the east, India is
seeking to develop closer economic and
political ties with countries of South-East
Asia. With its own SAARC proving be a
non-starter, India has been looking
towards other regional economic
groups. The success of Association of
South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and
geographic factors has prompted India
to vigorously follow the policy famously
known as look east-policy. Though
started during the period of P V Narsimha
Rao, it has received greater thrust in early
years of new century.
Coming back to South Asia, India
has had rather troubled ties with
neighbouring countries. After the bitter
experiences of past involvement in Sri
Lankan ethnic crisis, India has
maintained a position of neutrality while
supporting Norwegian efforts to broker
peace there. Nepal has been facing a
political crisis emanating from rise of the
Maoists violence. India has no otherchoice but to seen an early end to this
conflict in the Himalayan state as the
rebel group has a definite anti-India
stand. Border skirmishes and the
unresolved issue of 'Chakma' refugees
have led to some undesired troubles with
Bangladesh. Though some serious
efforts have been made recent past to
sort out the border disputes with China.
On the other hand, the ties with
Pakistan reached on an all time low in
recent past due to a series of terrorist
violence targeting innocent civilians to
parliamentarians. Kashmir remains the
main bone of contention. After 9/11 India
has made some serious efforts to
include terrorism in Kashmir within the
ambit of international terrorism. Though
India failed to get desired results, but
there has been greater realisation
among the world community that India
has been at the receiving end and it
could spark off a military conflict between
the two nuclear powers of South Asia,
resulting in unaccountable and
unimaginable human sufferings.
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Crack EconomicsWhile Studying Indian Economy for Main Examination,
It is important to make a study of all sectors of theeconomy, says V P Gupta
Times of India Education Times 6.9.2004
The Indian economic regime under
which development was sought to be
promoted in the post independence
period has recorded significant
transformation in the recent times. The
euphoria generated about the economic
recovery since 1993-94 period has
brought economic issues once again in
the limelight.The students preparing for the
main examination 2004 are in particular
advised to take note of the economic
issues which have had strong political
interfaces that have undergone
transformation. Socio-economic
developmental plans have a new
beginning with the onset of the National
Common Minimum Programme
(NCMP). The issues of 7 to 8 per cent ofgrowth universal access to quality basic
education and health, generating gainful
employment in agriculture,
manufacturing and services and
promoting investment have come to
acquire center stage of our economic
endeavours. Generating 100 days
employment for the breadwinner of each
family at minimum wages, agricultural
infrastructure and efficient fiscaldevolution are some of the issues which
the present government aims to focus
with priority.
Social infrastructure in particular
education related efforts are given top
priority and exclusive corpus of 4,000 to
5,000 crores is being generated for
meeting the constitutional obligations of
fundamental rights with regards to
education. Agriculture despite the fact has
progressively been loosing its
participation in the GDP yet it continues
to be the most significant activity
engaging about 3/4th of the countries
population. For the productive
engagement of the farmers of the country
national agriculture policy has called for
increasing investment in agriculture
because continuously increasing load of
subsidy can be ill afforded by the
government and at the same time any
shortfall in production is beyond the
comprehension of any planner. Toattend to such scenarios agricultural
credit has been given due priority.
Institutions like NABARD, Co-operative
banks and Regional rural banks play
crucial role and they have been duly
acknowledged as part of the agricultural
restructuring. Rural housing has also
been singled out for the purpose of
meeting the basic requirement of the
people. Foreign investment plays a
crucial role in infrastructure promotion
and economic transformation per se.
New institutions are being conceived in
addition to the existing ones so that
different kinds of foreign investment - like
FDI and FII have easy and intensified
presence in the Indian economy.
Industrial restructuring is another
crucial issue that need to be accorded
significance while preparing for the
Indian economy. While the big industries
are being restructured the economicsignificance of small and medium scale
industries cannot be forgotten.
The banking sector and the
problems faced by them in the form of
NPA cannot be ignored and RBI has
done quite a lot in this direction. The
capital market reorganization and the
privatization of insurance are some of the
other issues of the Indian economy that
should be given importance. While thedebate on the change of the FDI limit in
insurance has still not settled the
transaction tax in the capital market
operations have kept the whole issue in
the center stage of discussions on capital
market reforms leading to greater
transparency in capital markets.
The year 2005 is going to be a
watershed year in the tax administration
of the country because of the deadline ofVAT is coming due. There are lots of
discussions going on around this and
one must be prepared to write on them.
The simplification of taxation, widening
of the tax base, the service tax and
reduction of the peak duty of the customs
are the other component of economic
scenario.
Candidates are advised that they
should try and make sense of the new
economic order both in terms of their
coping mechanism as well as their
underlying rationale.
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Get your facts rightV P Gupta tells students what and how to prepare for
science and technology segment for the coveted exam
Times of India Education Times 16.8.2004
Science & technology is an importantsegment of General Studies (Main)Paper II. Science & technology havealways been part of the developmentprocess that is inherent in acivilisation. Economicdevelopment is closely relatedto and dependent on thescientific and technological
research and progress madeby a nation.
The 10th Plan(2002-2007) hasobserved that in thecontext of the globaleconomic order, thefocus of the planshould be on thescience & technologysector, so as to
s t r e n g t h e napplication-oriented R& D for technologyg e n e r a t i o n ;encourage researchin and application ofscience & technologyfor forecasting,prevention andmitigation of natural hazards; assimilationof the developments in science &
technology with all spheres of nationalactivities; and harnessing science &technology to improve livelihood;environment protection and ecologicalsecurity.
This segment can be divided intoa number of themes. The first suchtheme is environment. Technologicaladvance- ment has accelerated theprocess of exploitation of the naturalresources. Interestingly, now one has todepend on technological means topreserve the environment. This leads toemphasis on sustainable development.Sustainable development is a processthat combines maintaining ecological
balance and continuing evolutionaryprocess referred to as bio-diversity.
India has been designated as oneof the 12 mega diversity states in the
world. At the sametime, there are majorconcerns regardingreversing the processof environ-mental
degradation in the formof soil, air, noiseand waterpollution, whichharmfully affectshuman life andother species.
H e a l t haccording toWHO is not merelyabsence of
diseases, but it isa state of physical,mental and socialwell-being. AfterIndependence, anumber of nation-al healthprogrammes havebeen launched for
the eradication of major communicablediseases like malaria, tuberculosis,
cancer, iodine deficiency disorders,leprosy and polio, among others. Inrecent times, major thrust has been ongenerating awareness about preventionand control of AIDS.
Energy is another important themeof this segment. Coal, petroleum andnatural gas are non-renewableresources. The renew-able resourcesare sunlight, wind, water, bio-mass andgeothermal heat. But the technologyrequired to extract energy from them iscostly and not yet available for consumeruse. We need to encourage theseresources as conventional resources arefast depleting.
Nuclear science has been a themethat gets constant attention in thequestion papers. The atomic energy isof use not only in agriculture & industry,but even in medicine. India's aim asdefined in the Atomic Energy Act of 1948is to develop nuclear research forpeaceful purposes. At the same time, onemust address the apprehensions raisedabout nuclear safety and related issueslike radiation hazard, waste disposal anddisastrous accidents.
Information technology is thebuzzword in modern times. It facilitates.politico-economic process calledglobalisation. Computers and IT related
terms are often asked in this segment.Various usages of Internet along with theissues of viruses, spam and internetsecurity provided through cyber lawsrequire special emphasis.
Defence research anddevelopment (R & D) includes India'sIntegrated Missile DevelopmentProgramme and other indigenousprojects like Brahmos - in collaborationwith Russia, Pinaka, Arjun MBT, Radar
Systems, LCA Project.Lakshya, to name a few. Space
has caught the imagination of mankindfrom the times of 'Aryabhatta' Afterindependence, the primary objective ofour space programme has been toachieve self-reliance in various fields likesatellite based resources survey andenvironmental monitoring, satellitecommunications, meteorologicalapplications; development of indigenous
satellite launch vehicle, among others.Biotechnology is the industrial use ofmicro-organisms and living plant andanimal cells to produce substances orchanges in the body cells that arebeneficial to humans. It includes themanufacture of i antibiotics, vitamins andvaccines. Biotechnology has its usagesin DNA fingerprinting, genetic mapping,cloning, medicine, stem-cell research,agriculture, environment, animalhusbandry and health.
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India and the worldForeign Policy is one of the vital components of study for
the civil services' main examination, says V P Gupta
Times of India Education Times
Paper two of General Studies in the Main
Examination starts with the segment -
India and the world. It accounts for
around 50 marks out of 300 in this paper.
Earlier this was part of a wider segment
called issues of national and
international importance. But in recent
years, realising the significance of India's
foreign policy, it has been segmented asa separate area' and with focus on India's
interaction with rest of the world.
Pandit Nehru, the first Prime
Minister of India is regarded as the
architect of our foreign policy. He used
foreign policy as an instrument to defend
and strengthen India's newly-won
independence, territorial integrity and
sovereignty. His principles of
'Panchsheel' and non-alignment
remained the guiding principles forsuccessive prime ministers. During the
time of Indira Gandhi, a growing
assertiveness was quite evident in the
Indian Foreign Policy, be it victory in the
Bangladesh war of 1971 or merger of
Sikkim in 1975 inspite of the Chinese
protest. Her son Rajiv Gandhi believed
in 'travel diplomacy'. As he had no
ideological baggage to carry when he
entered politics, he could interact with
both superpowers - USA and USSR, with
equal ease during the Cold war.
The end of Cold War heralded a
new era for India too. With the beginning
of economic reform, India started giving
emphasis to 'economic diplomacy'.
Consequently, India's relationship with
major economies of the world like USA,
E U, ASEAN improved considerably.
India and Pakistan continue to
have a relationship that can be summedup as that of 'blow hot - blow cold'.
Kashmir remains the most contentious
issue, but the two countries finally seem
to agree on a 'composite dialogue' within
the sphere of bilateral ties. India's
relationship with other smaller
neighbouring countries of South Asia
improved considerably in the mid 1990s
largely because of the 'Gujral Doctrine'.
This doctrine, which became as famous
as its propounder enjoined upon India to
give unilateral concessions to the smallerneighbouring countries like Nepal,
Bhutan, Maldives, Sri Lanka and
Bangladesh without expecting any gains
in reciprocity. A significant change seen
in the recent times is the thrust given
to normalising the relationship with
China. Though we have outstanding
border disputes but they have been kept
on the back burner for the time being. At
the same time, there has been more
emphasis on enhancing the bilateraleconomic ties.
Our relationship with the USA is
the hallmark of Indian foreign policy after
the Cold War. The two countries have
found 'natural allies' in each other mainly
because of their common economic
interests, common threats from
international terrorism and common
views on international security. On the
other hand, India continues to have
cordial ties with her time-tested friend
Russia. It remains our biggest defence
partner followed by Israel. Post-Cold War
period has witnessed a change in India's
foreign policy on West Asia. In 1993, India
established diplomatic ties with the state
of Israel keeping in view our security
concerns. At the same time India has not
abandoned the cause of Palestinian
Arabs. Finally, India's nuclear policy is
an integrated part of our foreign policy.For India, its nuclear weapons are more
as a deterrent or an insurance against
extreme threats than weapons usable
during war.
The General Studies (Main) Paper
II includes international organisations
too. The United Nations is the world's
largest and most-vital organisation. It is
formed of six main organs, which are the
General Assembly, Security Council,
Economic and Social Council
(ELDSOC); Trusteeship Council,International Court of Justice (ICJ) and
Secretariat, alongwith specialised
agencies like WHO, UNICEF, UNESCO,
UNHRC and others. Then, there are
various other international organisations
like G-B or a group of world's most
industrialised nations, G-77 or a group
of world's developing countries and G-
15 or a more compact version of G-77.
There are organisations too which focus
on certain other subjects like OPEC, OIC,NATO, NAM, among others. One must
know the outcome of their latest summits
or meets, among others.
SAARC is an exclusive
organisation of seven South Asia
Countries. One can see that it has
become a victim of political rivalry
between India and- Pakistan, its two
biggest members. Still efforts are being
made to save it and the latest 'Islamabad
Summit' has ignited that process. The
European Union is perhaps the world's
most successful regional bloc along with
ASEAN and NAFTA. Finally, one can
expect questions on leading
international non-governmental
agencies like Amnesty International, Red
Cross, World Wide Fund for Nature and
Greenpeace. Needless to say, India's
involvement in these organisations
should be emphasised while preparingthis segment for General Studies Paper
II of Main Exam.
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Modern Indian history requires a
chronological study. To put it straight
and simple, it will be advisable to
prepare for the revised themes unit-
wise.
British conquests and Indian
reactions
The syllabus mentions
Mysore, Punjab, the Marathasand their resistance against
the colonial power. You
should study the political,
social and economic
circumstances leading to the
1857 revolt and other
uprisings, such as tribal, civil
and peasants.
British economic policy
An important aspect of Britishcolonisation was economic
exploitation of India and its ruinous
impact on Indian society. In this regard
pro-nationalistic and Leftist ideological
viewpoints must be taken into account.
Socio-cultural aspects
It can include sub-topics like Indian
Renaissance, Christian missionary
activities, evolution of educational and
social policies and its role in rise of
nationalism in India. Other sub-topics,
such as on literary personalities like
Tagore, Premchand, S Bharati and
others; film and theatre are important
as well. It reflects a shift towards cultural
evolution of modern India.
Freedom struggle
A thorough and in-depth study of history
of Indian nationalism from 1885-foundation of Congress to 1947 -
partition and freedom is a must. This
section accounts for 90-100 marks in
Main General Studies paper too. Sub-
divide the particular unit into following
section: 1885 to 1916, which includes
early 'Indian nationalism upto 'Home
Rule' movement; 1916 to 1945, which is
the 'Gandhian era: You can start form
'Champaran experiment' to 'Quit India
movement'. The Gandhian thought and
methods of mass mobilisation should be
given special emphasis; 1945 to 1947 -
a chronological study of this portion will
be the right approach. Analyse how and
why Indian nationalism, at the end
yielded a paradoxical result, which is
partition and freedom together; other
strands of nation-al movement, which ran
parallel to the Congress movement; rise
and growth of the revolutionary terrorism;
Swarajist movement; social and
communist movements; Indian National
Army -role of Subhash Chandra Bose and
rise and growth of communalism.
Independence to 1964
This unit includes the Nehruvian era and
development of an independent Indian
polity, Constitution, planned economy
and foreign policy.
World historyThere has been a shift towards
conceptualisation and generalisation of
events than factual study of individual
events them-selves. You can start with
Renaissance, enlightenment and
socialist ideas. Similarly under-take a
study of all the major revolutions that
shaped the modern world history.
Moreover, the two World Wars have to
be studied as total wars. Going through
the new syllabus, one can safely
conclude that mastering theEuropean history can fetch
more marks now. The second
half of this section makes world
history more contemporary and
relevant. This section now
covers important portions of
General Studies' paper too.
A good book on international
politics or contemporary history
will suffice for this portion. Youare now expected to have detailed and
in-depth under-standing of the post-
World War II developments, such as the
'Cold War' and division of world into two
mili-tary blocs, NATO and Warsaw pact;
emergence of the 'Third World' and their
decision to remain non-aligned; United
Nations; decolonisation and factors
constraining development of the newly-
independent Latin American and African
countries.
At the same time you should study the
circumstances leading to the end of the
'Cold War' and the US ascendancy in
the world, as well as the disintegration of
Soviet Union, fall of Berlin wall and the
US and the UN victory in the Golf war.
Another important strand of
contemporary history is process of
integration deciding fate of nations
across the globe, which is 'Globalisation'.Continent-wise, Europe has already
achieved a major success in this regard
in the form of the European Union.
Modern historyA STEP-BY-STEP APPROACH IS NECESSARY TO CRACK
THE CIVIL SERVICES' MAIN EXAM, SAYS V P GUPTA
Times of India Education Times 26.7.2004
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Study a Bygone EraBe Diligent in your Approach to Studying History for civil
services main exam, says V. P. Gupta
History, undoubtedly, remains one of the
'most popular' option-al subjects among
those who take the Civil Services Main
Examination. If you are not intimidated
by a big syllabus, this subject has a
number of advantages: it is easier to
grasp, there is no dearth of study materialand it covers an important segment of
General Studies paper on account of
overlapping themes.
A judicious mix of 'hard work' and
'right strategy' can see one through. I shall
concentrate here on second aspect, the
'right strategy'. In contrast to the Prelim
Exam which seeks to stress more on facts
and extensive coverage of themes, the
Main Exam stress on conceptualisation
behind the facts of historical happenings.
Ancient Indian history
In the new syllabus, there is greater
emphasis on sources of early Indian
history. The archaeological study of
ancient India, from the prehistoric times
to the Iron Age has gained currency now.
In archaeology, one has to keep oneself
abreast with the latest findings. The
politico-administrative history from pre-
Mauryan period - rise of Mahajanapadas,
to post-Gupta period-beginning offeudalism and centrifugal trends has
been given more significance in the
revised syllabus. You should start from
Indus civilisation and trace the evolution
upto the post-Gupta period; Major
Philosophical thinkers and schools,
wherein you should take into account
Brahmanical, Buddhist and Jain
philosophical schools. In science and
mathematics, you can start from the
contribution of the Harappans to
Aryabhatta.
Medieval Indian History
To make things simpler in this section,
you should categorise it into five
subsections: This part of the syllabus
gives greater emphasis on contemporary
historians and sources of the medieval
Indian history. Prepare them for short
questions; whereas study the Delhi
sultanate in totality. Likewise treat the
Mughals holistically, giving specialemphasis on the age of Akbar; in this unit,
include all the provincial dynasties while
the Cholas, the Vijayanagar and the
Marathas should be prepared for a major
question and for the last which is perhaps
the most important unit from the
examination point of view, you must have
a comparative and evolutionary
approach. Important topics of this unit
are: Society during medieval times;
Bhakti movement: Sankaracharya,
Ramanuja, Chaitanya, Kabir, Bhakti
movement in South India, Lingayats,
Maharashtra Dharma; Sufi-movement;
architecture from early Sultanate
architecture to the Lodis, to name a few.
Times of India Education Times 19.07.2004
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A case for politicsThe Constitution is a document that the
people of India have given themselves toempower themselves, says V P Gupta
Times of India Education Times 5.7.2004
An important aspect of preparation forGeneral Studies' Papers for CivilServices Main Exam is a properappreciation on the part of students ofthe dynamics of Indian polity of which theIndian Constitution is the central theme.Hence this article is devoted to the studyof this all important document.
The framers of Indian Constitutionfaced a colossal task of coming up with
a document which could satisfy theneeds of riot just a large population but acivilisation comprising hundreds ofsocial, religious and linguistic groupsliving in a highly complicated horizontaland vertical societal matrix. Yes, it was tobe a key document giving doctrines andprinciples, which could satisfy the hopesand aspirations of one sixth of humanity.
The Constituent Assembly thatproduced the Constitution of India during
1946-49 was a reasonably representativebody with an impressive mix of talent inthe form of people like B R Ambedkar,Jawarharlal Nehru, Vallabhai Patel,Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad, B N Rau andRajendra Prasad. The makers of ourConstitution defined India as a sovereigndemocratic republic in the Preamble. Byan amendment in 1976 the words'socialist' and 'secular' were added to thedefinition of Indian State. IndianConstitution is one of the lengthiestConstitution in the world, comprising aPreamble, 395 articles, divided in 22parts and 12 schedules.
The objectives before theConstituent Assembly were notonly to constitute India into asovereign democratic republicbut to secure for the citizens thebasic freedoms, justice, liberty,equality and fraternity. Theultimate idea of any constitutionis to project the aims and
aspirations of the people whoconstitute a nation. The IndianConstitution met this aim in full measure.By incorporating the words, 'give toourselves this Constitution' in thePreamble, the Constitution made it clearthat sovereignty is rested with the peopleof India whose will is supreme. Thus it isa document given by the people of Indiato themselves.
The principle of democratic
governance is embodied in aparliamentary system, along the samelines as the British Westminster model,at both the centre level, and at the level ofthe states and union territories. Anindirectly elected President is the headof the State at the Centre and the centrally-nominated governors and lieutenantgovernors are the heads of State of theconstituentStates and Union Territories
The principles of individual freedoms andcollective human rights, civil liberties andsocial justice are declared in thePreamble, enumerated in the chapter onfundamental rights, set up as goals in thechapter on directive principles andreflected in many special provisions forthe Scheduled Castes, ScheduledTribes, other backward classes andothers.
The principle' of a centralisedfederation is evident from the distributionof powers and responsibilities betweenthe' Union and constituent states. Certainoverriding powers were assigned to theUnion, while other crucial powers have
been delegated to the states and UnionTerritories. The principle of judicialcustodianship allows the powerful judiciary to oversee the working of theConstitution and to ensure its workingaccording to the rule of law.
The principle of change andtransformation permits the Constitutionto be amended from time to time, not onlyto resolve temporary problems but toallow updating of its provisions, to meetthe needs of a dynamic society and thusto ensure that the overall objectives ofthe Constitution are being pursued andachieved, without any disruption in thetask of building a strong nation and a
caring society through changing times.The form of government
Our Constitution sets up parliamentarygovernment both at the Centre and thestates. Parliamentary governmentembodies the following essentials: Theprovision of a nominal executive head ofthe State who acts exclusively with the'aid and advice' of a Council of Ministersor Cabinet.
The Cabinet, which is the real
executive, consists of leaders of a party,or of a coalition of parties, who havesupport of the majority in the lower oflegislature.
The Prime Minister occupies adominant position in the Cabinet. Heappoints ministers and assigns to themtheir offices.
The responsibility of the 4 Cabinetis collective. The Cabinet acts as a body.Ministers stand and fall together. From
this it follows that the Cabinet must, in allcircumstances agree. If there is adisagreement among the ministers,either the Cabinet as a whole or thedissenting minister or ministers mustresign.
Parliamentary government, as it isunderstood works by the interaction offour essential factors: the principle ofmajority rule; the willingness of theminority for the time being to accept thedecisions of this majority rather than bysectional interest and finally the l.existence of an articulate and clear bodyof political opinion in the society.
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The right choice of a proper optional
subject for Civil Services' Preliminary
Examination is very crucial for success.
In this context, sociology has become
quite popular In Civil Services
Examination due to its interesting
subject-matter, scoring nature and the
content of the syllabus prescribed by theUPSC. No formal degree is required for
opting sociology as an optional paper for
the Preliminary and Main Examination.
The subject matter of Sociology is the
study of society itself in which we live.
The field of Sociology covers interesting
range of themes that touch every aspect
of man's life in society.
Sociology in the youngest of therecognised social sciences. Auguste
Comte in France Coined the word
'Sociology' in his 'Positive Philosophy'
published in 1838. The word 'Sociology'
is derived from the Latin root 'socious'
meaning 'society and Greek root 'Logos'
meaning 'study or science'. The
etymological meaning of Sociology' is
thus the 'science of society'. Thesuccessful emergence of sociology as a
separate discipline was due to the failure
of other social sciences to adequately
give a complete picture of society. Thus,
sociology appeared when it was felt that
the other fields of human knowledge do
not fully explain man's social behaviour.
Sociology is often defined as the
scientific study of man's social life.Human beings behave differently when
compared .to other animals. They have
unique forms of group life, they pursue
customs, develop institutions, and create
values. Sociology applies scientific
methods to the study of these
phenomena. It also analyses the
influence of economic, political,
technological, cultural and other forces
and factors on man and society. It throws
light on various social problems likebeggary, overpopulation, crime, suicide,
among others.
Sociology has developed as a
value neutral discipline. It is concerned
with what is and not with what ought to
be. The values which a society upholds
and which influence the social behaviour
of man are accepted by sociologist as
'facts' and these are analysed objectively.
Several perspectives are used in
sociology. Each views society from a
different view point. The 'evolutionary
perspective' concentrates upon the
sequences through which changing
societies pass, the 'interactionist
perspective' focuses on actual day to day
inter-actions and behaviour of persons
and groups, the 'functionalist perspective'sees society as an inter-related system
in which each group plays a part and
each practice helps the system to
operate, the 'conflict perspective' sees
continuous tensions and group struggles
as the normal condition of society, with
stability and value consensus being
carefully contrived to create illusions
which protect privileged groups. Eachperspective is used, to some degree, by
most sociologists and is needed for a full
under-standing of the society.
The syllabus of sociology for
prelims is divided into 10 units which are:
Basic concepts pertaining to society,
community, social groups, status & role,
among others; marriage family and
kinship; social stratification; types or
society; economy and. society; industrial
and urban society; social demography;political process; weaker section and
minorities and social change. Broadly,
the whole syllabus can be divided into
three main parts, namely concepts,
institutions and theories.
The general strategy for the
preparation of sociology especially for the
Prelims' Exams includes: The first and
the foremost task should be to preparethe specific concepts, theories and
institutions mentioned in the syllabus;
refer to some good sociology dictionaries
whenever you find a concept difficult to
understand; at the same time, one must
keep in mind the model and format of
the previous years' question papers; one
should solve Model Test Papers and
evaluate himself; one must pay attentionto the time management aspect and
there should be an overall time limit for
attempting the model tests; it is essential
to complete study of the entire syllabus
in a balanced manner without neglecting
any section.
Familiarity with the thinkers like
August Comte, Karl Marx, Herbert
Spencer, Emile Durkhiem and MaxWeber who made notable contribution
to establishing Sociology as an
independent discipline is essential.
INTERESTING READINGSOCIOLOGY IS ONE OF THE POPULAR SUBJECTS OF
STUDY IN THE CIVIL SERVICES' EXAMINATION,SAYS V P GUPTA
Times of India Education Times 7.6.2004
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Mission-IAS 2005A Comprehensive presentation on the Nature of
Preparation Required for Civil Services' Exam, held on May26, 2004 at the India Habitat Centre Provided an insight into
the coveted test, says Pallavee Dhaundiyal-Panthry
Nothing can be more charming and
reverential than a career in Civil Services
(CS). That is why lakhs of aspirants
appear for the Civil Services Examination
(CSE) each year and strive for a few
hundred seats. Conducted by the Union
Public Service Commission (UPSC), theCSE is considered as the
toughest exam in the country.
In an endeavour to
provide an insight into the
examination as well as the
services, Education Times in
association with the Rau's IAS
Study Circle organised a
seminar titled 'Mission - IAS
2005', at the India Habitat
Centre on May 26. Addressed
by V P Gupta, director, Rau's
Study Circle; A R Khan,
consultant at the institute; and Neeraj
Sinha, faculty member, the four-hour
seminar witnessed the presence of over
500 students and their parents.
Providing an overview on the
examination, Khan said: "The CSEthrows a lot of opportunities to the
aspirants while offering a diverse range
of jobs. There are in all 24 services
including Indian Administrative Service,
Indian Police Service, Indian Foreign
Service, Indian Revenue Service and
Indian, Customs and Central Excise
Service, to name some, offered through
this single examination."
Cracking the UPSE. is not a pieceof cake. Since the introduction of Indian
Civil Services examination in 1855,
things have changed beyond imagination
and the selection procedure to the CS
has 'become much more rigorous.
Today, the UPSC conducts three stages
of tests - preliminary exam, main exam
and finally a personal interview. Khan
made presentations on compulsory and
optional papers. Speaking on the
marking scheme, he remarked, "The
preliminary exam consists of two
objective type papers and carries a
maximum of 450 marks where as, the
General Studies (GS) is for 150 marks
and anyone of the optional subjectscomprises 300 marks. Here, to get a
score of 325 in total is considered good
enough."
According to Khan, the actual
exam starts at the mains level, for it
consists of nine papers including an
Indian languages (300 marks), English
language (300 marks), Essay (200
marks), two. papers on General Studies
(300 marks each), two papers of chosen
first subject (300 marks each) and two
papers of second optional subject (300
marks each). The four optional subjects
are to be selected from the list of 26
optional subjects.
The total marks for the written papers of
the main exam, for ranking purpose, is
2000; without counting the marks of two
language papers, which are merely
qualifying in nature. The other papers of
only those candidates are evaluated who
have obtained minimum qualifying
marks, as fixed by the commission, in
the papers on Indian language and
English.As far as eligibility to appear for
the preliminary exam is
concerned, a candidate must
hold a degree of any university
incorporated by an Act of the
Central or State legislature in
India or recognised by the
University Grant Commission.
He or she must have moreover,
attained the age of 21 years andmust not have attained the age
of 30 year on August 1 of the year
of the examination. The upper
age limit is relaxable up to five years in
case of SC/ST; three years for OBCs; and
10 years for physically challenged
persons.
Speaking about the examination
preparation, Gupta explained, "Anybody
who works systematically and seriously,
will get through the exam in his first or
second attempt at the maximum. One of
the basic problems confronted by the
aspirants of the CSE is regarding the
selection of optional subject. One should
normally select at least one subject,
which one has studied during graduation
or postgraduation or the one which
interests you. While preparing,
candidates must follow the pattern of
previous years' question papers."
Times of India Education Times 7.6.2004
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Times of India Education Times 7.6.2004
The preparation for the CSE
should commence at least one year prior
to the preliminary test and must devote
equal time to all subjects and general
studies. Gupta said: "You have to have a
flexible as well as achievable timetable,
not a rigid one, Things should definitelybe planned, but at the same time, your
timetable must allow some time for
unplanned things."
Gupta said: "Students must
understand that output of each person
differs from the other. So, to give an exact
time slot for a day is not possible. But on
an average seven to eight hours of study
per day is considered good enough for a
student provided he enjoys the act of
accumulating knowledge."
Besides, Gupta stressed on some
techniques for effective learning and note
making. "A deep insight into a subject is
vital. Notes are a must to prepare for the
exam, but they should not be copied
down from books. Point-wise strategic
notes with key words are enough to
memorise chapters. Notes shou