news article

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-IHistory 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. Thegeneral trend is that there are no repetitionsfrom last year's papers, but once in a whilestudents 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 UnitedNations 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, studentsneed to know in detail issues like imposition ofPresident's Rule in Bihar, why it was imposedand under what circumstances, significanceof Bommai Judgment while implementing thesame are important.Current National issues and topics ofsocial relevance

Students should go through majorhappenings at the national level during the lastone calendar year. National newspapers,news magazines, journals and periodicals aregood 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 WorldIndia's relations with major world powers

like 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 importantrole 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 taxationand spending pattern. There is more emphasison the social sector, winding up of Ministry ofDisinvestment, issues related to privatisationor 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 likeearthquakes 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 paper

Students should be focussed in termsof 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 ofjustification in a jiffy. Repetitive and elaboratereplies should be strictly avoided

Taming of the prelimsV P GUPTA OFFERS THE LAST MINUTE DO AND I DON'T

FOR THE FORTHCOMING CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMS


Here are a few last-minute tips for thestudents appearing at the Civil ServicesPrelim Exam on May 15, 2005.Remember to retain your cool and go inwith the attitude of a winner.

Looking at the pattern in whichquestions have been framed in GeneralStudies (GS) from 1985 onwards, one istempted to say that possibly the principledesign of the examiners is to eliminatecandidates rather than test their mentalcalibre. Moreover, examiners have notcorrectly followed in all the years thepattern of allotting specific number ofmarks specified for each syllabus expectfor the area on Mental Ability.

Such being the current trend ofsetting the GS paper in the PreliminaryExam, candidates have no option but tobank upon chosen optional subjectswhile making reasonable amount ofpreparation for all areas of GS. Besides,it is wise to prepare these areas from theview-point of the Main Examination. Theareas to be taken care of are ModernIndia, Polity, Indian Economy,Geography, Current Events andGeneral Science.

Considering the generalnature of the examination thetactics must be to focus ongreater rather than intensivecoverage. One is expected toknow history, science, polity,geography, economy and othersuch disciplines, all at the sametime. However, only basics ofeach of the disciplines isneeded. Hence one mustconcentrate on basics andacquire as much facts aboutbasics as possible but avoidingthe element of over-kill in

preparations.While preparation for the Prelims

large coverage is the key word. By goingthrough large source of information it isexpected that an image is built in themind which will reflect the details. Doremember that human memory skillswork 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 lowscore.

� 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 becovered.

� Be analytical in response.� Do not overstretch yourself on area of

coverage-wise.

� Revise your stuff a number of times. IAcalm mental state is most important.

� Since there is no negative marking inthe exam, it is suggested not to leaveany questions unanswered.

� An intelligent guess can be madewherever necessary.

� Do not get stuck at any question. Moveon from question to question andattempt the difficult ones at the end.

� In the first round, attempt only theanswers which you are sure, of.

� In the next round, try to eliminate asmany options as you can and darkenthe ovals which are the only one leftout after elimination.

� If you are confused between just twooptions, it is advisable to make anintelligent guess.

� If you are left with about five to 10minutes, select one option out of A,B,Cor and go on dealing with the left outquestions.

After a two weeks break get downfor the Main preparation with confidence.Chase the success in the exam with thesingle mindedness of a cricketer whowants to win at least the 'Man of the Match'award if not the 'Man of Series'.

Dynamics of SubsidiesV P Gupta Simplifies the Matrix of Subsidy


The current national affairs are animportant segment of General StudiesPaper I. While preparing for this paper,one must go/look for importantdevelopments affecting the nation as awhole or a large section of people. Onehas to keep track of the important policyannouncements of theGovernment besidesjudgements of theSupreme Court. In thisand subsequentarticles we shall discusssome of the relevantissues in brief.

One such current affairs issue issubsidies. India, being a welfare state,has been providing assistance to varioussections of the society in the form ofsubsidies. The main beneficiaries havebeen the farmers, needy people andthose using various forms of publicservices. Over the years these subsidieshave come under scrutiny and there havebeen demand to phase out thesesubsidies as they are considered as aburden on the state exchequer.Consequently, the ratio of all directsubsidies paid by the CentralGovernment to GDP has actually fallenfrom around 1.85 percent in 1990-91 to1.6 percent in 2003-04. It seems that themain concern has been the indirectsubsidies which remain quite high.Indirect subsidies are subsidiesadministered through inputs like fertiliser,electricity, diesel and irrigation, among

others.

The report of Central Governmentabout Subsidies in India: A Report, 2004by the Ministry of Finance, prepared withassistance from the National Institute ofPublic Finance and Policy, calls forreducing Minimum Support Prices for

farmers, suggestingthe removal of thepresent two-tiersystem of prices in thePublic DistributionSystem (PDS) alongwith a system of foodcoupons for below

poverty line (BPL) population. Fertiliserprices should be raised. LPG andkerosene subsidies, presumablyaffecting large middle class and poorhouseholds, require further reduction. Infact, their prices have been alreadyraised recently since the UPAgovernment came in power.

Those who support the continuingof subsidies for the time being argue thatthe focus on reducing subsidies onlycomes about because of theGovernment's failure to raise taxrevenues. For them the subsidies areessentially negative taxes. Such negativetaxes would mean that instead of beingraised from the people they are givenback to certain target groups among thepopulation of the country.

One has to take note that subsidiesare a global phenomena and developedcountries of the West give directsubsidies in the form of unemployment

benefits and social security. Health andother social facilities are state funded andthere are direct export subsides to theexporters who export agriculturalproducts, often termed as farm subsidies.India has been a vocal critic of farmsubsidies that lead to anomalies in worldtrade. The subsidies cheapen their farmproducts in the international market. Infact the total farm subsidies given by theUS and European Union account toalmost two third of India's total GDP. Thedifference of opinion on these subsidiesbetween the developed and developingcountries even resulted in the failure ofCancun Summit of WTO. Whilecountries like India were ready to reducethe tariff barriers on imports, thedeveloped countries remained noncommittal about phasing out thesubsidies given to the exporters of farmproducts. Some developed countrieseven wanted that developing countriesshould have more transparency in theirprocurement policies.

Reverting back to subsidies inIndia, it seems that some of the essentialsubsidies will continue while otherscould be phased out, particularly thoseon petroleum products like dieselkeeping in view India's huge oil pooldeficit. The subsidies on food and otherbasic amenities like health andeducation should continue, but thegovernment must ensure the properidentification of the beneficiaries. Thesharp targeting of subsidies is indeed themost important as well as the mostdifficult aspect to achieve in a largecountry like India, since even theadvanced economies like USA and EUare not able to do this successfully.

NGOs, an important fact of public lifeV P GUPTA CHECKS AND BALANCES THE ROLE OF NGOs,

FOR THE ESSAY PAPER


An important theme which is essentialfor the students to know for the EssayPaper in Civil Services Main Exam is theRole of NGOs in a democratic societylike ours.

The existence of NV P GUPTA CHECKSAND BALANCES THE ROLE OF NGOs,FOR THE ESSAYPAPER GOs is aglobal phenomenon.Growing resentmentor dissatisfaction withthe performance ofgovernments all overthe world is acausative factor in the growth of theNGOs in public domain. Thus as acorrective step to this universal weak-ness in governance provided bypoliticians, the Non-GovernmentOrganisations or NGOs have become animportant fact of our public life today.

The factors that have fuelled thegrowth of NGOs are plenty. NGOs todayspeak to and speak for the poor, thedisenfranchised, the minorities and othermarginalised groups in society to makesure that the needs and desires of thesepeople are heard and responded to bythe Government agencies.

The idea of good governancerequires that the distribution of power andresources be held open to account. CivilSociety globally and NGOs in particular

are increasingly seen as part of anapparatus of checks and balances inrespect of the operations of anydemocratic system of governance. TheNGOs are able to recognise and manageany tensions that arise in society in aprofessional, sensitive and maturemanner. In reality NGOs act as support

system to thegovernments to ensuregood governance andsecure the highestcommon good for thepeople.

While on one hand, theNGOs supplement government action onthe other hand they may have to publiclycriticise governments should theirstandards of operation or the integrity ofpublic servants decline. The reverse istrue as well. Governments too may feeljustified in criticising NGOs for their short-comings or excessive bickering. So, cana partnership between the NGOs andgovernments sustain this tension? Thesimple answer is that it has to. There arechallenges on this road ahead. TheGovernments and NGOs must learn tomeet them together in the spirit of truepartnership and trust.

A very important aspect whichneeds special mention about the role ofNGOs is disaster management.Governments cannot deal with crisis

situations alone. When disaster strikes,governments need assistance from thepublic and private sectors. Ofteninternational disasters involve complexemergencies such as wars or otherconflicts. NGOs have the best knowledgeof local communities and their needs,but lack the material resources totransport relief supplies that thegovernments provide. Thus, there isalways a need for a sort of strategicpartnership between governments andNGOs.

The NGOs can innovate fasterthan governments and maintain the vitalenergy in the service of people becauseof their abiding faith in service.

They have helped to focusattention on the social andenvironmental implications of bigbusinesses and their activities.Multinational companies have beenacutely susceptible to pressure fromNGOs, eager to challenge their labour,environmental or human rights record.Even those businesses that do notspecialise in highly visible brandedgoods feel the pressure, as NGOsdevelop techniques to target theirdownstream customers andshareholders. The big businesses have,therefore, been made to realise theirsocial responsibilities towards thecommunities on whose shoulder theystand. However, the success or failure ofNGOs would ultimately depend on theirinnate sense of justice and the goodnessof each individual who works for them.

Everyone wants to win but few have thewill to give all that it takes to win. We allseek success in life. But have not realizedwhat success is made of. Well, in simplelanguage success happens whenpreparation meets performance. Wespend more time in planning ordinary dayto day things than planning our lives. Theroad-map for success can be briefly putlike this: Plan, Prepare, Practice, Performand Win. In short, success takes morethan just slogging. Now I propose to .takeyou on a conducted tour of how toprepare for "the career", i. e. a career inCivil Services or simply put, IAS.The Nature of the Examination

The Civil Services Exam offerswidest range of jobs in our country and isconducted by the Union Public ServiceCommission (UPSC). Some of the topservices offered by this examination are:Indian Administrative Service, IndianPolice Service, Indian Foreign Service,Indian Revenue Service and IndianCustoms and Central Excise Servicesetc. There are in all about twenty-sixservices offered through this singleexamination. A three-level exam isconducted to achieve this purpose.The Structure of the Examination

The candidates are put throughthree kinds of testing to ensure that thepersons selected have: (a) wide rangeof general awareness, (b) analytical abilityand content retention capacity, (c) acheerful mental disposition even understressful conditions and some otherofficers' like qualities. Each one of theserequirements is tested respectivelythrough Preliminary Exam (objective typequestions), Main Exam (descriptive typequestions) and Interview test.

The Preliminary Examination is

conducted in the month of May everyyear and it comprises of two papers, onefor optional subject which is selected bythe students and one for General Studieswhich is a compulsory paper for all. Here,candidates are given multiple choicetype questions. There is no negativemarking; hence students are advised toattempt all the questions. The questionsare of graduation level. There are in allabout 120 questions asked and theycarry 300 marks.

The second paper in thePreliminary Examination is GeneralStudies comprising six segments in all.These include: General Science,Current Events of National andInternational Importance, History of Indiaand Indian National Movement, India andWorld Geography, Indian Polity andEconomy and General Mental Ability.There are usually 150 questions askedwhich carry a total of 150 marks.

Now coming to the majorsegments of General Studies paper,questions on general science includethe basics and scientific awareness ofrelated areas. It comprises themes suchas: Physics, Astrophysics, Chemistry,Botany, Zoology, Agriculture, Medicine& Life Sciences etc. Though, each oneof these is a fully developed discipline;but the questions asked here are theones that can be' expected from a well-educated person without any specialknowledge of these disciplines. Currentevent of national and internationalimportance questions generally revolvearound such happenings that may havetaken place during the previous 12months. History of India and the IndianNational Movement questions includesocial, economic and political aspects

of ancient, medieval and modern Indianhistory. Special emphasis should begiven to 19th century resurgence and theattainment of the Indian independence.Geography questions usually coverIndian geography, with regards tophysical, social and economic aspects.Indian polity and economy together makea very large chunk of the questions. Ananalysis of the previous year's questionssuggest that majority of the questionscover the themes related to the IndianConstitution and the existing politicalsystem. Recent developments in the fieldof economic priorities are also a favouritearea for questioning. The candidates arethus tested apart from their basicknowledge of economy, polity, scienceand history, but for their general mentalability also. Some questions onreasoning, analytical ability, logicalconclusion and pictorial interpretationare asked here.

Considering the organisation andnature of the Preliminary Examinationone can see the relative importance ofoptional subject paper which carries 300marks, is far more greater than theimportance of the General Studies papercarrying 150 marks. However, studentsare cautioned that it does not mean onecan overlook the significance of GeneralStudies paper and it too needs to beapproached seriously through asystematic orientation accompanied byan appropriate mindset.

The Main Examination comprisesof two types of papers; non-ranking andthe ranking ones. There are two papers(of the total nine) that are non-ranking innature which include one paper of theIndian language to be selected by thecandidate as per his mother tongue andthe second paper is of English. Boththese paper are of very simple nature andin a way mentally prepare the candidatefor writing the subsequent examination.Among scoring or ranking papers thereare three groups of papers, which are:


A Road-Map to CivilServices

V P GUPTA

two optional subjects - 4 papers in all(comprising of a total of 1200 marks),Essay - one paper (200 marks) and theGeneral Studies - two papers (total 600marks).

For the optional papers UPSC hasa list of about twenty six subjects out ofwhich two subjects have to be selectedby every candidate. However, a fewcombinations belonging to disciplineshaving substantial overlaps in content arenot allowed.

Main Examination also includestwo papers of General Studies. Both ofthese papers are further subdivided innine segments, four segments in paperone and five in paper two. The foursegment of Paper-I include History ofModem India and Indian Culture,Geography of India, Indian Polity andCurrent National Issues and Topics ofSocial Relevance. The five segments ofPaper-II include the topics on India andthe World, Indian Economy, InternationalAffairs and Institutions, Developments inthe field of Science and Technology,Communications & Space andStatistical Analysis of Graphs andDiagrams.

The Main Examination, apart fromoptional subjects and General Studiespapers also includes an Essay paper. Itcarries 200 marks. The candidates areadvised to prepare for this paper keepingsome major themes in mind. Apart fromthe preparation for the content, studentsare also advised to polish their basicskills for essay-writing.The Strategy for PreparationThe strategy for General Studiespreparation is a bit different from theoptional subjects as the word "General"is very difficult to define. But if one

proceeds with right approach andstrategy it becomes fairly organised.Then the next question is "what is theright approach and strategy"? Well, forthat one needs to keep in mind the basicfact that if the goal is to reach the highestlevel of achievement, then one must havenot only ample patience for details butshould be able to keep the big pictureregarding any theme in his mind at thetime of study. Thus the preparationstrategy is to follow a mix of both microand macro level approaches.

The first step in this direction is theunderstanding of the syllabus. One mustlook at the Syllabus closely and in detail.After that one should analyse the pastyear's question papers that indicate theimportant areas as well as the real scopeof the syllabus. Then comes the next stepof apportioning of time depending on theimportance and length of each area.

The next step would cover theselection of right books and an efficientmethod to study them. The basicguideline at the start of the preparationsfor both P.T. and Main Exam is to readN.C.E.R.T. books on related subjects.There is no substitute for it. One shouldrefrain in the beginning from readingguidebooks as they load you withinformation but very little concept.Interview test is the final 'lap of the A Road-Map to Civil Services Civil Servicesselection process. Though it carries only300 marks, one can not afford to take itlightly because a candidate's selectionor ranking is likely to be affected by themarks that he/she gets in it. This test isnot a cross examination, but somethingwhich appears between the twilight of aquestion and answer session and apurposive conversation.

Well, let me tell you that the mostimportant part of the Interview is "you".Everything else that goes on in aninterview is peripheral or secondary.Talking about oneself is not easy foranyone in such a situation. Yet that iswhat precisely you are required to do inan interview. Your achievements,interests and vision is what you must beready to talk about in a clear headedmanner. An interview is a celebration of"you" from start to finish.

The interviewers usually have twomajor enquiries in their mind: (a) thepersonality issues and (b) the knowledgebase of a candidate. Now, in case of CivilServices Exam the knowledge aspect istaken care of by an elaborate writtenexam which is already over by the timeyou go for the interview. What remains tobe evaluated is the personality aspectsof a candidate. And it is for this reasonthe interview has been at times also callthe personality test.

The personality of a person hasbeen variously defined to include a vastnumber of qualities of head and heart.The personality of any person is the sumtotal of what one has experienced, seen,heard, read or felt from the very momentone starts being award of himself in thesociety. In short what UPSC is looking forin a candidate is a man of substance whohas the intelligence and courage to takeon any job and give his best to it withoutfear or favour. Briefly, they are looking fora person who will hold his ground andstand by his colleagues in the difficultsituations with complete sincerity andcommitment.

Finally remember, winning is anevent, but being a winner is a spirit. Towin you will have to understand this spiritof deserving something; before getting it.The mantra for success in an exam likeCivil Services is to cultivate the real joy oflearning as a precondition for anylearning to start impacting your mind.


A Road-Map to CivilServices

V P GUPTA

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


We all seek success in life but do notrealize what success is made of. Well, insimple language, success happenswhen preparation meets performance.We spend more time in planning ordinarythings than planning our lives. The road-map for success can be briefly put likethis: Plan, Prepare, Practice, Perform andWin. In short, success takes more thanjust slogging. And it definitely takes muchmore if you are aspiring for a career inthe most coveted services in the country,the civil services.

Nature of the examination

The civil services examinationoffering widest range of jobs in ourcountry, is conducted by the Union PublicService Commission (UPSC). Some ofthe services offered by this examinationare: Indian Administrative Service, IndianPolice Service, Indian Foreign Services,

Indian Revenue Service and IndianCustoms and Central Excise Service, toname the prominent ones. There are inall about 26 services offered through thissingle examination. Considering theimportance and nature of these jobs,UPSC takes utmost care in selecting theright people. A three-level exam inconducted to achieve this purpose.

Structure of the exam

The candidates are put throughthree kinds of testing to ensure that thepersons selected have (a) wide range ofgeneral awareness, (b) analytical abilityand content retention capacity, and (c) acheerful mental disposition even understressful conditions and some otherofficers' like qualities. Each one of theserequirements is tested respectivelythrough preliminary exam, whichincludes objective-type questions, main

exam that comprises descriptive-typequestions and personal interview.

Conducted in the month of Mayevery year, the preliminary examinationcomprises two papers, one on anoptional subject which is selected by acandidate and another one on generalstudies which is a compulsory paper forall. The examination encompassesmultiple-choice questions and sincethere is no negative marking, studentsare advised to attempt all the questions.The questions asked are of graduationlevel. There are in all about 120questions asked in this section, whichare of 300 marks in total.

The second paper of thepreliminary examination is on generalstudies comprising six segments in all,including: General science, currentevents of national and internationalimportance, history of India and Indiannational movement, Indian and worldgeography, Indian polity and economy,and general mental ability. Thesesegments need to be carefullyunderstood by the candidates in thebackdrop of the previous years questions.

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


Geography is an important componentof the 'general studies' segment in theCivil Services main examination.Geography as a discipline iscontinuously evolving. The present formof geography is fairly contemporary innature dealing with the diverse range ofphenomena that touches upon variousaspects of life. One can see thatgeography has unfolded in thedimensions of the environmentalgeography, political geography, socialgeography, urban geography and many- more facets beyond its classical form,which you might have studied in school.

Geography for the mainexamination is important as questionsworth 30 marks are usually being asked.While the focus in this segment isprimarily on geography of India, it doesnot restrict the examiner from askingquestions beyond classical parameterssuch as physiography of India, climate ofIndia, soils and drainage pattern of India.Geography has a set of basic conceptswhich are of common interest andcandidates are expected to be aware ofthem. Plate tectonism, mountainbuilding, sea floor spreading, isostasyand related concepts are touched uponin the examination directly or indirectly.Candidates while preparing for thissegment should try and keep in mind theorientation of Indian scene.

Resources play a vital role in theeconomic prosperity of a country. Thereare various kinds of resources such ashuman resources as well as naturalresources. One may expect questions onvarious kinds of resources, their potential

and theproblems intheir utilis-ation. Theforests resou-rces, theirdepletion, soil resources, their potentialand problems, water resources in termsof their chemistry and their ever depletinglevels are some of the major concerns ofthe present time. Questions relating tothe planning aspects of geographythemes have become fairly popular offlate. Questions dealing withprogrammes like command areadevelopment programme, watersheddevelopment programme, integratedrural development programme, droughtprone area programme and desertdevelopment programme, amongothers, are often asked.

Economic development has muchto do with the resources andgeographical parameters. It is moreover,a significant area for questions, Indiabeing primarily an agricultural economy,all those parameters that affectagriculture attract the attention ofexaminer on a regular basis. Monsoonand its variability, dependability, genesis,distribution and off late forecastingtechniques have been common asquestions. India with its geographicaldiversity has been bestowed with adiverse range of hazards as well. Hazardsnot merely affect the economiccomponent 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 candidatesmust take into account causativedimension of hazards, prognosticdimensions of hazards and hazardmitigation techniques, for instance, Onemust be prepared about the regionaldistribution of hazards as well.

Some of the recent technologicaladvancement in geography haveattracted the attention of the examiner.The candidate should prepare itself withthe remote sensing techniques, majorachievement in these directions andsome of the basic usages they can beput to. The GIS techniques have been innews in the recent time and they asremote sensing not merely help inkeeping eye on the resources of thecountry but moreover, continuouslyaccessing their potential by periodicreconnaissance of a given region. Spacetechnology is a major forte of Indianscientists and every educated person isexpected to be aware about the basicadvancements in these areas. Thecandidates however, while preparingmust not loose touch with the Atlas,probably the first technological aid ofgeographical enquiry. Geopoliticalconcerns have always been importantbut they have been acquiring newdimensions with the passage of time.The relationship of India with itsneighbouring countries, particularly withregard to the border areas is of majorconcern. Geopolitics of the Indian oceanhas always been important and newdimensions need to be looked upon bythe candidates while preparing for theexamination. Reorganisation of thestates, while on the surface appears tobe a typical political event, actually has adeep geographical context. The demandfor new states and their geographicalcontext are indeed topics of interest forthe students of geography.

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is animportant source to supplementdomestic investment for achieving ahigher level of economic developmentin India. FDI directly impacts on outputgrowth by augmenting the availablecapital for investment. For instance, FDItypically serves to increase competitionin markets, bring new technology intoIndia, foster skill acquisition amongstdomestic labour and moreover, pave theway for strong exports growth.

FDI provides for investment in Indiancompanies or setting up wholly-ownedsubsidiaries in the areas which areotherwise not under the prohibitivecategories such as telecommunications,civil aviation, banking, insurance, realestate, agriculture and plantations, toname the prominent ones. FDI in India isinvited through two channels - theautomatic approval route under whichforeign investment in areas identified andup to the limits of foreign equityprescribed, companies can issue sharesand receive inward remittances with thereporting requirement to Reserve Bankof India within a period of 30 days. In allother cases, proposals are consideredby the Foreign Investment and PromotionBoard (FIPB) serviced by the Departmentof Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance.

The share of FDI inflows in total foreigninvestment rose sharply from about 56per cent in 2000-01 to almost 80 per centin 2002-03. This indicates that longer-term FDI inflows have been the maincontributors to foreign investment in

recent years. FDI inflows for the full yearof 2003-04 have been estimated at US$4.5 billion, which are slightly lower thanUS$ 4.7 billion recorded during 2002-03However, during the first three quarters

of 2003-04, FDI inflows accounted forless than 25 per cent of total foreigninvestment, while portfolio flowsconstituted 75 per cent of total foreigninvestment. The total portfolio investmentinflows during the year 2003-04amounted to US$ 11.4 billion, which farhigher than US$ 1 billion recorded during2002-03 The rapid rise in portfolio inflowshas much to do with the buoyant state ofdomestic capital markets. The maindifference between FDI and portfolioinvestment is in the lasting interestexpressed by a non-resident directinvestor in a resident enterprise of thedomestic economy.

The FDI Attractiveness Index, asummary measure of India's

attractiveness as a FDI destination,which has registered a gain of just 8 percent that is from 3.6 in 2002-03 to 3.9 in2003-04. The paltry upward movementin the index implies that the perceptionof foreign investors about India as aninvestment destination has not improvedsignificantly. In fact, security andterrorism concerns weigh heavily on theminds of foreign investors. Factors likeexchange rate volatility, hardeningcommodity prices and higher interestrates in home country can in addition,play spoilsport. Global and regional tradeinitiatives would, on the other hand, givea boost to FDI inflows into India. The topmotivating factors for the entry of foreigninvestors into India are market size andhighly skilled manpower.

When a foreign investor considersany new investment, it goes through fourstages in the decision making processand action cycle, namely, (a) screening,(b) planning, (c) implementing and (d)operating and expanding. Ourpromotional effort is quite often of ageneral nature and not corporatespecific. On the other hand, China isviewed as 'more business oriented'. Itsdecision making is faster and it has moreFDI friendly policies.

India has the potential to attractmuch larger FDI, provided that it ensuresfast approvals of FDI at entry level andinitiates reforms in the direction of investorfriendly labour laws, efficientinfrastructure, which includes electricityand transport, and fiscal incentives.

Strengthening EconomyV. P. Gupta Elaborates on the Role and Significance

of Foreign Direct Investment in theEconomic Development of India


FINAL CALL FOR CIVILSERVICES

by V P Gupta


A serious worry in the minds of the civilservices examinee, as the exam daydraws closer, is how to, write a goodanswer or simply put - how to please theexaminer. The examiner is a man in ahurry. So, if you make his life easy, he willmake your life easy. A few last-minutesuggestions to strike such a trade off aregiven below.

� Trust your preparation, memoryand your ability to recall what you haveread. In total, trust yourself.

� Now coming to the exam, my firstsuggestion to students is to read eachquestion two or three times with a cool

head and then decide what are therequirements of the question by giving afair interpretation to each word used inthe question.

� Next you should decide the pointsthat you are going to mention in youranswer. These points should beclassified as major and minor points withmajor points coming in the beginning ofan answer and minor points being usedto finally supplement the thrust of the mainargument.

� Your answers should be crisp. Youshould not use any quotations as far aspossible. Do not quote names of authors,

books and articles, among others, withthe intention to impress the examiner.

� Do not use any type of high-lightingtechniques or methods like use ofunderlining, inverted commas, capitalletters, different colours of ink, when notrequired by the situation. Finally, thesecret of writing a good answer is to stripevery sentence to its cleanestcomponents. Every word, adjective oradverb that serves no function should beremoved or better still not used in the firstplace.

Safeguarding InterestsIndia's foreign policy in the post cold war era has beendominated by the need to develop better relations with

economic powers, says V P Gupta


The end of Cold War and beginning ofeconomic liberalisation andglobalisation has forced India to reframeon its foreign policy. The 90s witnessedan end of the single-party rule andbeginning of coalition politics in India.Faced with conflicting and divergentideological impulses, foreign policymaking became more of a balancing actand gradually lost individualisticinfluences evident in anearlier era.

A greater thrust oneconomic diplomacycalled for closer ties withthe US and theEuropean nations. Therealisation perhaps sank among policymakers that the world was fast movingtowards unipolarity and that there wasno Soviet Union to fall upon. Moreover,mutual economic interests or a commoncause against international terrorism ledIndia and the US into discovering naturalallies in each other. At the same time,Russia has proved to be India's time-tested friend. Other countries of CentralAsia who have broken out of the SovietUnion are rich in natural resources andare strategically placed. They shareclose and old links with India dating backto the Soviet era.

There has been a marked change

in India's West Asian policy. In 1993, Indiaopened up its ties with Israel. The twocountries have some common securityconcerns, as both have been victims ofterrorism and Islamic fundamentalism.Israel has moreover, emerged as India'smajor defence partner. At the same time,India has not abandoned its stand onPalestinian cause. The friendly ties withIran and other Arab states have been a

major achievement asit has successfullycountered Pakistan'santi-India agenda in theIslamic countries andrest of the world.

In the east, India isseeking to develop closer economic andpolitical ties with countries of South-EastAsia. With its own SAARC proving be anon-starter, India has been lookingtowards other regional economicgroups. The success of Association ofSouth East Asian Nations (ASEAN) andgeographic factors has prompted Indiato vigorously follow the policy famouslyknown as look east-policy. Thoughstarted during the period of P V NarsimhaRao, it has received greater thrust in earlyyears of new century.

Coming back to South Asia, Indiahas had rather troubled ties withneighbouring countries. After the bitter

experiences of past involvement in SriLankan ethnic crisis, India hasmaintained a position of neutrality whilesupporting Norwegian efforts to brokerpeace there. Nepal has been facing apolitical crisis emanating from rise of theMaoists violence. India has no otherchoice but to seen an early end to thisconflict in the Himalayan state as therebel group has a definite anti-Indiastand. Border skirmishes and theunresolved issue of 'Chakma' refugeeshave led to some undesired troubles withBangladesh. Though some seriousefforts have been made recent past tosort out the border disputes with China.

On the other hand, the ties withPakistan reached on an all time low inrecent past due to a series of terroristviolence targeting innocent civilians toparliamentarians. Kashmir remains themain bone of contention. After 9/11 Indiahas made some serious efforts toinclude terrorism in Kashmir within theambit of international terrorism. ThoughIndia failed to get desired results, butthere has been greater realisationamong the world community that Indiahas been at the receiving end and itcould spark off a military conflict betweenthe two nuclear powers of South Asia,resulting in unaccountable andunimaginable human sufferings.

Crack EconomicsWhile Studying Indian Economy for Main Examination,

It is important to make a study of all sectors of theeconomy, says V P Gupta


The Indian economic regime underwhich development was sought to bepromoted in the post independenceperiod has recorded significanttransformation in the recent times. Theeuphoria generated about the economicrecovery since 1993-94 period hasbrought economic issues once again inthe limelight.

The students preparing for themain examination 2004 are in particularadvised to take note of the economicissues which have had strong politicalinterfaces that have undergonetransformation. Socio-economicdevelopmental plans have a newbeginning with the onset of the NationalCommon Minimum Programme(NCMP). The issues of 7 to 8 per cent ofgrowth universal access to quality basiceducation and health, generating gainfulemployment in agriculture,manufacturing and services andpromoting investment have come toacquire center stage of our economicendeavours. Generating 100 daysemployment for the breadwinner of eachfamily at minimum wages, agriculturalinfrastructure and efficient fiscaldevolution are some of the issues whichthe present government aims to focuswith priority.

Social infrastructure in particulareducation related efforts are given toppriority and exclusive corpus of 4,000 to5,000 crores is being generated formeeting the constitutional obligations offundamental rights with regards toeducation. Agriculture despite the fact hasprogressively been loosing itsparticipation in the GDP yet it continuesto be the most significant activity

engaging about 3/4th of the countriespopulation. For the productiveengagement of the farmers of the countrynational agriculture policy has called forincreasing investment in agriculturebecause continuously increasing load ofsubsidy can be ill afforded by the

government and at the same time anyshortfall in production is beyond thecomprehension of any planner. Toattend to such scenarios agriculturalcredit has been given due priority.Institutions like NABARD, Co-operativebanks and Regional rural banks playcrucial role and they have been dulyacknowledged as part of the agriculturalrestructuring. Rural housing has alsobeen singled out for the purpose ofmeeting the basic requirement of thepeople. Foreign investment plays acrucial role in infrastructure promotionand economic transformation per se.New institutions are being conceived in

addition to the existing ones so thatdifferent kinds of foreign investment - likeFDI and FII have easy and intensifiedpresence in the Indian economy.

Industrial restructuring is anothercrucial issue that need to be accordedsignificance while preparing for theIndian economy. While the big industriesare being restructured the economicsignificance of small and medium scaleindustries cannot be forgotten.

The banking sector and theproblems faced by them in the form ofNPA cannot be ignored and RBI hasdone quite a lot in this direction. Thecapital market reorganization and theprivatization of insurance are some of theother issues of the Indian economy thatshould be given importance. While thedebate on the change of the FDI limit ininsurance has still not settled thetransaction tax in the capital marketoperations have kept the whole issue inthe center stage of discussions on capitalmarket reforms leading to greatertransparency in capital markets.

The year 2005 is going to be awatershed year in the tax administrationof the country because of the deadline ofVAT is coming due. There are lots ofdiscussions going on around this andone must be prepared to write on them.The simplification of taxation, wideningof the tax base, the service tax andreduction of the peak duty of the customsare the other component of economicscenario.

Candidates are advised that theyshould try and make sense of the neweconomic order both in terms of theircoping mechanism as well as theirunderlying rationale.

Get your facts rightV P Gupta tells students what and how to prepare for

science and technology segment for the coveted exam


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 technologicalresearch 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 tos 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-mentaldegradation in the form

of soil, air, noiseand waterpollution, whichharmfully affectshuman life andother species.

H e a l t haccording toWHO is not merelyabsence ofdiseases, 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 relatedterms 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, RadarSystems, LCA Project.

Lakshya, to name a few. Spacehas 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 indigenoussatellite 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.

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 MainExamination starts with the segment -India and the world. It accounts foraround 50 marks out of 300 in this paper.Earlier this was part of a wider segmentcalled issues of national andinternational importance. But in recentyears, realising the significance of India'sforeign policy, it has been segmented asa separate area' and with focus on India'sinteraction with rest of the world.

Pandit Nehru, the first PrimeMinister of India is regarded as thearchitect of our foreign policy. He usedforeign policy as an instrument to defendand strengthen India's newly-wonindependence, territorial integrity andsovereignty. His principles of'Panchsheel' and non-alignmentremained the guiding principles forsuccessive prime ministers. During thetime of Indira Gandhi, a growingassertiveness was quite evident in theIndian Foreign Policy, be it victory in theBangladesh war of 1971 or merger ofSikkim in 1975 inspite of the Chineseprotest. Her son Rajiv Gandhi believedin 'travel diplomacy'. As he had noideological baggage to carry when heentered politics, he could interact withboth superpowers - USA and USSR, withequal ease during the Cold war.

The end of Cold War heralded anew era for India too. With the beginningof economic reform, India started givingemphasis to 'economic diplomacy'.Consequently, India's relationship withmajor economies of the world like USA,E U, ASEAN improved considerably.

India and Pakistan continue tohave a relationship that can be summedup as that of 'blow hot - blow cold'.Kashmir remains the most contentiousissue, but the two countries finally seem

to agree on a 'composite dialogue' withinthe sphere of bilateral ties. India'srelationship with other smallerneighbouring countries of South Asiaimproved considerably in the mid 1990slargely because of the 'Gujral Doctrine'.This doctrine, which became as famousas its propounder enjoined upon India togive unilateral concessions to the smallerneighbouring countries like Nepal,Bhutan, Maldives, Sri Lanka andBangladesh without expecting any gainsin reciprocity. A significant change seenin the recent times is the thrust givento normalising the relationship withChina. Though we have outstandingborder disputes but they have been kepton the back burner for the time being. Atthe same time, there has been moreemphasis on enhancing the bilateraleconomic ties.

Our relationship with the USA isthe hallmark of Indian foreign policy afterthe Cold War. The two countries havefound 'natural allies' in each other mainlybecause of their common economicinterests, common threats frominternational terrorism and commonviews on international security. On theother hand, India continues to havecordial ties with her time-tested friendRussia. It remains our biggest defencepartner followed by Israel. Post-Cold Warperiod has witnessed a change in India'sforeign policy on West Asia. In 1993, Indiaestablished diplomatic ties with the stateof Israel keeping in view our securityconcerns. At the same time India has notabandoned the cause of PalestinianArabs. Finally, India's nuclear policy isan integrated part of our foreign policy.For India, its nuclear weapons are moreas a deterrent or an insurance againstextreme threats than weapons usable

during war.The General Studies (Main) Paper

II includes international organisationstoo. The United Nations is the world'slargest and most-vital organisation. It isformed of six main organs, which are theGeneral Assembly, Security Council,Economic and Social Council(ELDSOC); Trusteeship Council,International Court of Justice (ICJ) andSecretariat, alongwith specialisedagencies like WHO, UNICEF, UNESCO,UNHRC and others. Then, there arevarious other international organisationslike G-B or a group of world's mostindustrialised nations, G-77 or a groupof world's developing countries and G-15 or a more compact version of G-77.There are organisations too which focuson certain other subjects like OPEC, OIC,NATO, NAM, among others. One mustknow the outcome of their latest summitsor meets, among others.

SAARC is an exclusiveorganisation of seven South AsiaCountries. One can see that it hasbecome a victim of political rivalrybetween India and- Pakistan, its twobiggest members. Still efforts are beingmade to save it and the latest 'IslamabadSummit' has ignited that process. TheEuropean Union is perhaps the world'smost successful regional bloc along withASEAN and NAFTA. Finally, one canexpect questions on leadinginternational non-governmentalagencies like Amnesty International, RedCross, World Wide Fund for Nature andGreenpeace. Needless to say, India'sinvolvement in these organisationsshould be emphasised while preparingthis segment for General Studies PaperII of Main Exam.

Modern Indian history requires achronological study. To put it straightand simple, it will be advisable toprepare for the revised themes unit-wise.British conquests and IndianreactionsThe syllabus mentionsMysore, Punjab, the Marathasand their resistance againstthe colonial power. Youshould study the political,social and economiccircumstances leading to the1857 revolt and otheruprisings, such as tribal, civiland peasants.

British economic policyAn important aspect of Britishcolonisation was economicexploitation of India and its ruinousimpact on Indian society. In this regardpro-nationalistic and Leftist ideologicalviewpoints must be taken into account.

Socio-cultural aspectsIt can include sub-topics like IndianRenaissance, Christian missionaryactivities, evolution of educational andsocial policies and its role in rise ofnationalism in India. Other sub-topics,such as on literary personalities likeTagore, Premchand, S Bharati andothers; film and theatre are importantas well. It reflects a shift towards culturalevolution of modern India.

Freedom struggleA thorough and in-depth study of historyof Indian nationalism from 1885-foundation of Congress to 1947 -partition and freedom is a must. Thissection accounts for 90-100 marks in

Main General Studies paper too. Sub-divide the particular unit into followingsection: 1885 to 1916, which includesearly 'Indian nationalism upto 'HomeRule' movement; 1916 to 1945, which isthe 'Gandhian era: You can start form'Champaran experiment' to 'Quit India

movement'. The Gandhian thought andmethods of mass mobilisation should begiven special emphasis; 1945 to 1947 -a chronological study of this portion willbe the right approach. Analyse how andwhy Indian nationalism, at the endyielded a paradoxical result, which ispartition and freedom together; otherstrands of nation-al movement, which ranparallel to the Congress movement; riseand growth of the revolutionary terrorism;Swarajist movement; social andcommunist movements; Indian NationalArmy -role of Subhash Chandra Bose andrise and growth of communalism.Independence to 1964This unit includes the Nehruvian era anddevelopment of an independent Indianpolity, Constitution, planned economyand foreign policy.World historyThere has been a shift towardsconceptualisation and generalisation ofevents than factual study of individual

events them-selves. You can start withRenaissance, enlightenment andsocialist ideas. Similarly under-take astudy of all the major revolutions thatshaped the modern world history.Moreover, the two World Wars have tobe studied as total wars. Going through

the new syllabus, one can safelyconclude that mastering theEuropean history can fetchmore marks now. The secondhalf of this section makes worldhistory more contemporary andrelevant. This section nowcovers important portions ofGeneral Studies' paper too.

A good book on internationalpolitics or contemporary historywill suffice for this portion. You

are now expected to have detailed andin-depth under-standing of the post-World War II developments, such as the'Cold War' and division of world into twomili-tary blocs, NATO and Warsaw pact;emergence of the 'Third World' and theirdecision to remain non-aligned; UnitedNations; decolonisation and factorsconstraining development of the newly-independent Latin American and Africancountries.At the same time you should study thecircumstances leading to the end of the'Cold War' and the US ascendancy inthe world, as well as the disintegration ofSoviet Union, fall of Berlin wall and theUS and the UN victory in the Golf war.Another important strand ofcontemporary history is process ofintegration deciding fate of nationsacross the globe, which is 'Globalisation'.Continent-wise, Europe has alreadyachieved a major success in this regardin 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


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 amongthose who take the Civil Services MainExamination. If you are not intimidatedby a big syllabus, this subject has anumber of advantages: it is easier tograsp, there is no dearth of study materialand it covers an important segment ofGeneral Studies paper on account ofoverlapping themes.

A judicious mix of 'hard work' and'right strategy' can see one through. I shallconcentrate here on second aspect, the'right strategy'. In contrast to the PrelimExam which seeks to stress more on factsand extensive coverage of themes, theMain Exam stress on conceptualisationbehind the facts of historical happenings.

Ancient Indian historyIn the new syllabus, there is greateremphasis on sources of early Indianhistory. The archaeological study of

ancient India, from the prehistoric timesto the Iron Age has gained currency now.In archaeology, one has to keep oneselfabreast with the latest findings. Thepolitico-administrative history from pre-Mauryan period - rise of Mahajanapadas,to post-Gupta period-beginning offeudalism and centrifugal trends hasbeen given more significance in therevised syllabus. You should start fromIndus civilisation and trace the evolutionupto the post-Gupta period; MajorPhilosophical thinkers and schools,wherein you should take into accountBrahmanical, Buddhist and Jainphilosophical schools. In science andmathematics, you can start from thecontribution of the Harappans toAryabhatta.

Medieval Indian HistoryTo make things simpler in this section,you should categorise it into five

subsections: This part of the syllabusgives greater emphasis on contemporaryhistorians and sources of the medievalIndian history. Prepare them for shortquestions; whereas study the Delhisultanate in totality. Likewise treat theMughals holistically, giving specialemphasis on the age of Akbar; in this unit,include all the provincial dynasties whilethe Cholas, the Vijayanagar and theMarathas should be prepared for a majorquestion and for the last which is perhapsthe most important unit from theexamination point of view, you must havea comparative and evolutionaryapproach. Important topics of this unitare: Society during medieval times;Bhakti movement: Sankaracharya,Ramanuja, Chaitanya, Kabir, Bhaktimovement in South India, Lingayats,Maharashtra Dharma; Sufi-movement;architecture from early Sultanatearchitecture to the Lodis, to name a few.


A case for politicsThe Constitution is a document that the

people of India have given themselves toempower themselves, says V P Gupta


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 witha 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 during1946-49 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 andaspirations of the people who

constitute 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 democraticgovernance 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 TerritoriesThe 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 powerfuljudiciary 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 acaring society through changing times.The form of governmentOur 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 realexecutive, 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. Fromthis 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.

The right choice of a proper optionalsubject for Civil Services' PreliminaryExamination is very crucial for success.In this context, sociology has becomequite popular In Civil ServicesExamination due to its interestingsubject-matter, scoring nature and thecontent of the syllabus prescribed by theUPSC. No formal degree is required foropting sociology as an optional paper forthe Preliminary and Main Examination.The subject matter of Sociology is thestudy of society itself in which we live.The field of Sociology covers interestingrange of themes that touch every aspectof man's life in society.

Sociology in the youngest of therecognised social sciences. AugusteComte 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'. Theetymological meaning of Sociology' isthus the 'science of society'. Thesuccessful emergence of sociology as aseparate discipline was due to the failureof other social sciences to adequatelygive a complete picture of society. Thus,sociology appeared when it was felt thatthe other fields of human knowledge donot fully explain man's social behaviour.

Sociology is often defined as thescientific study of man's social life.Human beings behave differently whencompared .to other animals. They haveunique forms of group life, they pursue

customs, develop institutions, and createvalues. Sociology applies scientificmethods to the study of thesephenomena. It also analyses theinfluence of economic, political,technological, cultural and other forcesand factors on man and society. It throwslight on various social problems likebeggary, overpopulation, crime, suicide,among others.

Sociology has developed as avalue neutral discipline. It is concernedwith what is and not with what ought tobe. The values which a society upholdsand which influence the social behaviourof man are accepted by sociologist as'facts' and these are analysed objectively.

Several perspectives are used insociology. Each views society from adifferent view point. The 'evolutionaryperspective' concentrates upon thesequences through which changingsocieties pass, the 'interactionistperspective' focuses on actual day to dayinter-actions and behaviour of personsand groups, the 'functionalist perspective'sees society as an inter-related systemin which each group plays a part andeach practice helps the system tooperate, the 'conflict perspective' seescontinuous tensions and group strugglesas the normal condition of society, withstability and value consensus beingcarefully contrived to create illusionswhich protect privileged groups. Eachperspective is used, to some degree, bymost sociologists and is needed for a fullunder-standing of the society.

The syllabus of sociology forprelims is divided into 10 units which are:Basic concepts pertaining to society,community, social groups, status & role,among others; marriage family andkinship; social stratification; types orsociety; economy and. society; industrialand urban society; social demography;political process; weaker section andminorities and social change. Broadly,the whole syllabus can be divided intothree main parts, namely concepts,institutions and theories.

The general strategy for thepreparation of sociology especially for thePrelims' Exams includes: The first andthe foremost task should be to preparethe specific concepts, theories andinstitutions mentioned in the syllabus;refer to some good sociology dictionarieswhenever you find a concept difficult tounderstand; at the same time, one mustkeep in mind the model and format ofthe previous years' question papers; oneshould solve Model Test Papers andevaluate himself; one must pay attentionto the time management aspect andthere should be an overall time limit forattempting the model tests; it is essentialto complete study of the entire syllabusin a balanced manner without neglectingany section.

Familiarity with the thinkers likeAugust Comte, Karl Marx, HerbertSpencer, Emile Durkhiem and MaxWeber who made notable contributionto establishing Sociology as anindependent discipline is essential.

INTERESTING READINGSOCIOLOGY IS ONE OF THE POPULAR SUBJECTS OF

STUDY IN THE CIVIL SERVICES' EXAMINATION,SAYS V P GUPTA


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 andreverential than a career in Civil Services(CS). That is why lakhs of aspirantsappear for the Civil Services Examination(CSE) each year and strive for a fewhundred seats. Conducted by the UnionPublic Service Commission (UPSC), theCSE is considered as thetoughest exam in the country.

In an endeavour toprovide an insight into theexamination as well as theservices, Education Times inassociation with the Rau's IASStudy Circle organised aseminar titled 'Mission - IAS2005', at the India HabitatCentre on May 26. Addressedby V P Gupta, director, Rau'sStudy Circle; A R Khan,consultant at the institute; and NeerajSinha, faculty member, the four-hourseminar witnessed the presence of over500 students and their parents.

Providing an overview on theexamination, Khan said: "The CSEthrows a lot of opportunities to theaspirants while offering a diverse rangeof jobs. There are in all 24 servicesincluding Indian Administrative Service,Indian Police Service, Indian ForeignService, Indian Revenue Service andIndian, Customs and Central ExciseService, to name some, offered throughthis single examination."

Cracking the UPSE. is not a pieceof cake. Since the introduction of IndianCivil Services examination in 1855,

things have changed beyond imaginationand the selection procedure to the CShas 'become much more rigorous.Today, the UPSC conducts three stagesof tests - preliminary exam, main examand finally a personal interview. Khanmade presentations on compulsory and

optional papers. Speaking on themarking scheme, he remarked, "Thepreliminary exam consists of twoobjective type papers and carries amaximum of 450 marks where as, theGeneral Studies (GS) is for 150 marksand anyone of the optional subjectscomprises 300 marks. Here, to get ascore of 325 in total is considered goodenough."

According to Khan, the actualexam starts at the mains level, for itconsists of nine papers including anIndian languages (300 marks), Englishlanguage (300 marks), Essay (200marks), two. papers on General Studies(300 marks each), two papers of chosenfirst subject (300 marks each) and two

papers of second optional subject (300marks each). The four optional subjectsare to be selected from the list of 26optional subjects.

The total marks for the written papers ofthe main exam, for ranking purpose, is2000; without counting the marks of twolanguage papers, which are merelyqualifying in nature. The other papers ofonly those candidates are evaluated whohave obtained minimum qualifyingmarks, as fixed by the commission, inthe papers on Indian language andEnglish.

As far as eligibility to appear forthe preliminary exam isconcerned, a candidate musthold a degree of any universityincorporated by an Act of theCentral or State legislature inIndia or recognised by theUniversity Grant Commission.He or she must have moreover,attained the age of 21 years andmust not have attained the ageof 30 year on August 1 of the yearof the examination. The upper

age limit is relaxable up to five years incase of SC/ST; three years for OBCs; and10 years for physically challengedpersons.

Speaking about the examinationpreparation, Gupta explained, "Anybodywho works systematically and seriously,will get through the exam in his first orsecond attempt at the maximum. One ofthe basic problems confronted by theaspirants of the CSE is regarding theselection of optional subject. One shouldnormally select at least one subject,which one has studied during graduationor postgraduation or the one whichinterests you. While preparing,candidates must follow the pattern ofprevious years' question papers."



The preparation for the CSEshould commence at least one year priorto the preliminary test and must devoteequal time to all subjects and generalstudies. Gupta said: "You have to have aflexible as well as achievable timetable,not a rigid one, Things should definitelybe planned, but at the same time, yourtimetable must allow some time forunplanned things."

Gupta said: "Students mustunderstand that output of each persondiffers from the other. So, to give an exacttime slot for a day is not possible. But onan average seven to eight hours of studyper day is considered good enough for astudent provided he enjoys the act ofaccumulating knowledge."

Besides, Gupta stressed on sometechniques for effective learning and notemaking. "A deep insight into a subject isvital. Notes are a must to prepare for theexam, but they should not be copieddown from books. Point-wise strategicnotes with key words are enough tomemorise chapters. Notes should befriendly, crisp and precise. You can evenhighlight important lines in books andmore-over, write key points on the marginof chapters," added Gupta; Sinha spokeat length on the strategy for thepreparation of the preliminary test, mainexam and the much dreaded interview.He mentioned the combination ofsubjects, which a candidate is notallowed to opt for. Talking about anoptional paper at the prelims level, hesaid: "Subjects like Sociology,Psychology and Public Administration

are the most popular choicesamongst students."

Khan said:"Considering the vastsyllabus, the GS exam istough to score and needs athorough study. Studentsmust refer to the previousyears' question papers whilepreparing for the GS exam."The GS includes sevensegments - general science,current events of national andinternational importance,history of India and Indian nationalmovement, India and world geography,Indian polity, Indian economy, andgeneral mental ability.

As far as attempting the essaypaper is concerned, it was said that one'swriting should be based oncomprehension and clarity of thought."The evaluation of the paper dependsupon one's originality of thought; clarityof expression and integrated thinking withassimilation of ideas," said Khan.

The personal interview carries 300marks, where the suitability of acandidate for a career in public serviceis assessed not merely through hisintellectual qualities but in addition,social traits and his interest in currentaffairs. The technique of the interview isnot that of a strict cross-examination butof a natural, though directed andpurposive conversation that intends toreveal the personality of a candidate.What the UPSC interview board seeks tojudge through the exercise is the

Mission-IAS 2005contd...

administrative potential of an aspirant.

Total of marks obtained in themain exam and interview determinesplacement in the final merit list andallocation of service, keeping in view theindicated choices. Gupta said: "The jobdoes seem like a dream, but it can beturned into reality provided you work hard.You will be surprised to know that youyourself stand as an obstacle inaccomplishing your goals. If you feel youare worth more, then prove it."

The presentation was followed byan interactive question and answersession where the audience put forwarddifferent kinds of questions on the CSEto the panelists.

Know your factsHistory is one of the most popular choice for preliminary

test of civil services exams, says V P Gupta


As mentioned in one of my earlier articles,the preliminary test is the first hurdle inthe Civil Services Examination. One hasto choose subjectmentioned in the list of 23subjects allowed by theUPSC. General studiespaper is compulsory foreveryone and the pastexperiences suggest that Indian Historyis one of the most popular optionalsubjects elected by the candidates.

Indian History can be divided intothree phases: ancient, medieval andmodern. Equal number of questions areasked from each segment with somevariations here and there. In ancientIndian history, the first topic is related tothe prehistoric age. It is important to knowthe features of each phase of this age.The important sites along witharchaeological findings and theirlocation on historical map must beprepared. Similarly, collectarchaeological facts about the IndusValley Civilization and its major sites.Questions are generally asked on 'vedic'literature and socio-religious; economicand political conditions of that era.Knowledge of important 'vedic' terms isneeded as well.

In the study of the pre-Mauryanage, apart from 16 'Mahajanapadas',place more emphasis on new heterodoxsects like Buddhism and Janism. Manyquestions are asked from the Mauryanage, particularly from the Mauryan

administration and society. Asokanpolicies and edicts are often asked. Withregard to the pre-Gupta through to post

Gupta period, one has toemphasize on socio-cultural history more thananything else. In the studyof the post-Mauryanperiod collect facts about

the newly set up dynasties, both foreignas well as Brahmin. Economic conditionsincluding foreign trade must be studiedhere. Another significant feature of thisperiod is the rise of religious sects likeMahayana Buddhism, Vaishnavism andthe Sangam age. Apropos the Guptaperiod, make a collection of importantliterary works and their authors. And inthe chapter, the post-Gupta period, studyall about Harsha, Pallavas andChalukyas.

In medieval Indian history, firsttopics are related to the Rajputs, Cholasand the triangular conflict for Kanauj.Next is the Delhi Sultanate. Apart frompolitical history of the Sultanate period,questions may be asked on itsadministration, economy and culturaldevelopments like literature, music"architecture, among other questions.

Usually maximum questions areasked from the Mughal period. Onceagain, collect information about theMughal rulers, particularly Akbar and hispolicies, administration and culturaldevelopments. Many questions areasked on the Mughal architecture,

painting, literature and music. Medievalhistory consists of provincial dynastieslike Vijayanagar, Bahamani and theMarathas too.

The last section of Indian history isModern Indian history. It can be dividedinto two sub-phases: 1757 to 1857 and1857 to 1947. In the first phase, preparefor questions on British conquest ofIndian states like Bengal, Punjab, Awadh,Mysore and others. Then one has to seethe economic, administrative, judicial,educational and social policies adoptedby the British.ers to consolidate their rulein India. This brings us to the next topic,which is, how the Indians reacted tothese policies? The Indians' reaction inthe form of various revolts like peas-ant,civil and tribal rebellions. The first phaseincludes the socio-religious movementsas well. The second phase starts withthe 'Revolt of 185T.One has to give moreemphasis on this part of Modern Indianhistory, as this section in relevant for theMain Examination too.

More questions are asked on thenational movement led by the IndianNational Congress. At the same time, theparallel movements like that of the Leftparties and the revolutionary movementsshould be prepared as well.

There is no dearth of good textbooks on Indian history. One must startwith the NCERT books and then consultother advanced books like 'Wonder thatwas India' by A L Basham and S A Rizvi,besides reading books by SatishChandra, Bipan Chandra and SumitSarkar. More emphasis should be on thecollection of relevant facts in accordancewith the pattern of questions asked in thePreliminary Examination.

Gearing up for Civil ServicesPREPARING FOR A LARGER NUMBER OF TOPICS RATHER THANGOING IN FOR IN-DEPTH STUDY OF SOME, IS THE SOLE WAY TO

COVER THE VAST CURRICULUM OF THE GENERAL STUDIESPAPER, SAYS V P GUPTA


The opening battle for the Civil ServicesExamination (CSE) is the preliminary test,conducted by the Union Public ServiceCommission in the month of May everyyear. While your 'optional subject' for thepreliminary examination may vary fromIndian history to zoology or mechanicalengineering to philosophy, a commonhurdle for all candidates is the 'general

studies' paper.

About 150 questions asked in thispaper can decide your fate in the CSE.Demarcating the syallbus for the generalstudies paper can be a daunting task.However, past trends reflect that it canbe prepared with some insight. First inthe list is the 'history of India', which coversall three periods - ancient, mediaeval,and modern. For the first two phases ofIndian history the emphasis could bemore on the socio-cultural aspectswhereas, in the modern history thechronological study is a must. Questionson the Indian national movement will

relate to the nature and character of 19thcentury resurgence, growth ofnationalism and attainment ofindependence.

Indian economy has receivedspecial attention from the questionframers in recent times. Start pursuingnews on major developments in Indianeconomy to develop a genuine interest

in the subject. Apart from keeping a basictext book on Indian economy handy,consulting a good dictionary oneconomic terms will be useful.

For the 'general science' section,starting with your high school, text bookswill be a good idea. The questions hereneed general appreciation andawareness of the subject, expected froma well-educated person, who may nothave formally studied any particularscientific discipline. The questions onbiology may have more weightageattached whereas, the questions onphysics and chemistry are practical and

functional in nature. The questions on'geography of India' will relate to thephysical, social and economicgeography of the country, including themain features of the Indian agriculturaland natural resources. Perusing a goodatlas will moreover, help. The questionon Indian polity will essentially test yourknowledge of country's political sys-temand the Constitution of India.

In the 'current events' segment, acandidate's knowledge of prominentnational and international affairs isexamined. Look around for newsaffecting India and the world at large"important treaties and their venues,personalities and countries involved,major sporting events and their winnersand books and their authors.

To start with, pursue a nationaldaily regularly without fail. Develop a habitof making point-wise notes in yournotebook everyday. Supplement this withfew standard current affairs magazinesand journals. In the 'general mentalability' segment, you are tested for yourreasoning and analytical abilities. Thissection requires regular practice ofprevious years' questions. Finally,remember - the harder you work, theluckier you get.

Interview bluesThe purpose behind a personal interaction is not to grill a

candidate but to find out more about his or her overallpersonality, says V P Gupta


It's interview season again. The civil

services (main) exam results are out and

the short-listed candidates are looking

forward to the interview with bated breath.

The most important ingredient in an

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 past

achievements, present inclinations and

vision for future is what you must be ready

to talk about in a clear-headed manner.

The preparation for an interview,

therefore, should begin by keeping

yourself at the centre.

The interviewers have two major

concerns in their mind, the personality

issues and the knowledge aspects of a

candidate. Now, in the case of civil

services examination the knowledge

aspects are taken care of by an elaborate

written exam which has been already

administered. What remains to be

evaluated is the personality aspect of a

candidate. And it is for this reason the

interview has been at times called the

personality test as well. In a situation like

civil services, the personality aspects

worry the selectors more than the

qualification part since civil services do

not require any critical technical

qualifications for the day to day

administrative functioning of the

government.

The personality of a person has

been broadly defined to include a vast

number of qualities of head and heart. In

short what the government is looking for

in a candidates a man of sub-stance who

possess the mind and courage to take

on any job and gives his best to it without

flinching even for a second. We all

experience fear at the time of appearing

for an interview, and it is quite natural.

However, what is not acceptable is fear

morphing into a panic which can

diminish a performance in many ways. It

is, therefore, perfectly natural to be a bit

nervous before an interview and

interestingly, there is energy present even

in this nervousness, which if harnessed

properly can help you to present yourself

with agility, passion and conviction.

Before the interview, you should try

to visualise an enthusiastic interviewer,

who is reacting positively to your

responses. Picture yourself delivering a

clear and interesting presentation, admit

to yourself that you may be nervous but

that you are going to use this in a positive

way.

Remember that the interviewers

are not your adversaries and they are not

attending the inter-view in order to pull

you apart. Their interest lies in knowing

you in a better manner.

Steel Frame of BureaucracyTo be an IAS, IPS or IFS is a dram for many Indians. But the

prestige and power come at a cost, says V P Gupta


How nice would it be to travel in an officialvehicle with a revolving light on the top? Well,it's not all that easy. Conducted by the UnionPublic Service Commission (UPSC), the CivilServices' Examination (CSE) is probably themost sought after professional examination inthe country. Consider this: In 2002, the totalnumber of candidates who applied were3,01,585 for 310 vacancies of which 1,57,486appeared and 286 candidates wererecommended.

The Indian Civil Services form thebackbone of our administrative setup.Popularly known as the 'bureaucracy', it givespermanency to policy-making and itsimplementation and serves as an advisorybody to the ministers as well. Right from thecollector to the IPS officers, telecom and postaldepartments, revenue and railway officers, allare responsible for implementing policiesconcerning the economic, human and naturalresources of the country.

The All India Services follow a cadresystem wherein the officers are allotted variousstates or cadres during their probationaryperiod, to which they remain affiliatedthroughout their career. The most sought after

posts are the Indian Administrative Servicefollowed by the Indian Foreign Service andthe Indian Police Service respectively. Theother preferred posts are the Indian PostalService, Indian Customs and Central ExciseService, The Indian Information Service andthe Indian Revenue Service.

There are three successive stages inthe examination: Preliminary examination forthe selection of candidates for the mainexamination, and main examination for theselection of the interview phase for the finalselection of candidates. One must beginpreparations of the main exam along withpreliminary exam. This is because there islittle time for the main exam, if one waits for theresults of the preliminaries.

The preliminary examination consistsof two papers: Paper I - General Studies of150 marks; Paper 11- an Optional of 300marks. Subjects for Paper II (one subject tobe selected) are agriculture, animalhusbandry and veterinary science, botany,chemistry, civil engineering, commerce,economics, electrical engineering, geography,geology, Indian history, law, mathematics,mechanical engineering, medical science,philosophy, physics, political science,psychology, public administration, sociology,statistics and zoology.

While the examination pattern ofpreliminary test-exam is of multiple-choicequestions, the main examination pattern is ofconventional or essay type. Each paper is ofa three-hour duration. The main examinationof 2,000 marks includes general sectionpapers for 600 marks, two optional subjectsof 600 marks each and an essay paper of200 marks.The main examination consists of the followingpapers� Paper I - One Indian language(selected by the candidate) 300 marks .� Paper II- English 300 marks� Paper III- Essay 200 marks� Paper IV and V - General Studies 300marks each

� Paper VI-IX - Any two subjects (optionalpapers to be selected by the candidate) withtwo papers each. Each paper is of 300 marks.Moreover, each paper is of three hours'duration.

Coming to the General Studies paper,as a part of the main examination, it comprisestwo papers of 300 marks each. The foursegments of the first paper include history ofmodern India and Indian culture, geographyof India- physical, economic and social, Indianpolity and current national issues and topics ofsocial relevance.The five segments of paper two include: Indiaand the world, Indian economy, internationalaffairs and institutions, developments in the fieldof science and technology, communication andspace, statistical analysis graphs anddiagrams.

The period for the history of modernIndia and Indian culture is up to the middle ofthe 19th century, Indian polity is the most vitalsegment of the entire general studies segment.The first segment of the paper II is India andthe world. In this segment, students'awareness is tested with regard to the countryand the rest of the world.

The Indian economy questions havereference to the Indian planning commitmentand issues, programmes and priorities ofeconomic development and the internationaleconomic and financial institutions. Questionsare asked about international affairs andinstitutions too. It contains questions on themajor global changes that are taking place.Science and technology is a major componentof the second paper.

The final stage of selection is theinterview. Candidates will be asked questionson matters of general interest.

The object is to assess the personalsuitability and judge the mental calibre of thecandidate. The candidate must exhibit anintelligent interest in events happening aroundhim, so that he or she appears to be a completepersonality.

Apart from having more than anaverage intelligence and an ability to slog forhours together, you should have a keeninterest in general studies and current affairs.A regular habit of detailed reading of nation-oral newspapers and magazines are a must,alongwith an in-depth knowledge in the subjectof specialisation.

Civil Services to get afaceliftby V P Gupta


A career in Civil Services remains the moredesired dream of a large number of youngaspirants today. In fact, the present dynamismof social and economic challenges before thesociety has made Civil Services even moremeaningful. You find yourself in a position fromwhere your work can touch the lives of themillions by treating those 'primary maladies'that afflict our society and the nation.Since the introduction of an open competitiveexamination for the selection of the ICS officialsunder the Charter Act of 1853 (al-most 150years ago), the pattern of the examination haswitnessed a procession of changes in theseyears. These changes have been facilitated inthe context of fast manging socio-cultural milieu.Therefore; they are considered to be not onlydesirable 'but also essential for ensuring aharmonious relationship between theadministration and its external ecology, i.e. thesociety and its people.In recent times, there has been a lot of de-bateand discussion in the media on the subject ofexpected changes in the pattern of CivilServices examination. In the past too, therehave been periodic review of the whole pattern,normally carried out after a gap of10 years. There was the Kothari Committee in1974, Satish Chandra Committee 1988.Accordingly; a high-level expert committeeunder the chairmanship of noted educationistand economist Dr Y K Alagh was constitutedby the UPSC in July 2000, to review the presentscheme of selection to the higher Civil Servicessuch as IAS, IPS and the central servicesthrough the Civil Services Examination. TheCommittee submitted its report to the UnionPublic Services Commission on October 21,200l.Taking an over all view of the emerging role ofthe Civil Services, Dr Alagh Committee hasattempted to review the scheme in all its aspectsincluding eligibility parameters, desiredcharacteristics in terms of knowledge, skillsand attitudes or values, besides, the testinstruments and modalities necessary foridentifying the most suitable candidates for thehigher Civil Services.The picture that emerges after taking into

account the various inputs and UPSCChairman's interview recently on the subject,indicates that the thrust. of some majorchanges would be some what on the followinglines:The upper age limit could be reduced to 26years for the candidates belonging to generalcategory with the usual relaxation of three yearsto OBCs, five years to SCs & STs, and 10years for the physically handicapped. It seemsthat minimum age limit for appearing in the CivilServices Examination should continue to be21 years.The number of attempts permissible in CivilServices Examination can be reduced to' threefor general category candidates, five for OBCcandidates and six for SC & ST candidateswith slightly more for physically handicappedcandidates.In the Preliminary Examination, the presentcompulsory General Studies paper may havea new look with greater emphasis on basicawareness, problem solving analytical skills,logical reasoning, decision-making skills anddata analysis ability.One optional paper on anyone of the presentoptional subjects for Prelim Exam may continueto be there along with the General Studiespaper. However, its standard may be upgradedto that of honours level.A significant change can be that of making boththe Preliminary papers scoring, i:e. theirmarks may be added to those of .MainExamination and the Personality Test for thepurpose of final ranking of candidates'performance.In the Main Examination, the compulsorypapers of English and one language mayprobably continue to be of matriculationstandard and of qualifying nature with al-mostno or little changes.There may be some big changes in the

remaining papers of the Main Examination. Itis likely that the two optional subjects andGeneral Studies papers may be replaced bythree papers of compulsory nature, with greateremphasis on contemporary themes likesustainable development, social justice, humanrights and other basic rights, dynamics ofdemocracy and good governance,globalisation, new developments in scienceand technology and their application for thesocio-economic betterment of the commonman, particularly in Indian context, right toinformation and probity in public life and e-governance. One feels there would be greateremphasis on immediate challenges, bothglobal and local, in all areas of human concerns.The Alagh Committee may propose tointroduce a far more elaborate and objective Imethodology for personality assessment as Iagainst the present interview based personalitytest. There has been a long-standing demandfor inclusion of psychological tests to identifythe desired traits in a civil servant.On the basis of the recent interview of theChairman of the UPSC it can be safely inferredthat these recommendations would beimplemented after allowing a reasonable timegap of three -years to the stuc1ents to -switchover to the new pattern of the Exam' with fairamount of confidence and preparation.These changes would impart the presentscheme of Civil Services Examination a freshand new look, which is already over due. Atthe same time, the recommendations of thiscommittee would do away with some otheranomalies as well, in the existing sys-tem. Areduction in the maximum age is certainlygoing to help younger yet brighter students toenter the services. By making the preliminarypapers scoring, the Commission will ensurethat all that hard work done for the first hurdledoes not go down the drain. Moreover,introduction of all compulsory papers, commonfor all candidates, at the Main Examination levelwill certainly give equal chance to all candidates,irrespective of their academic background.Finally; there is a welcome realisation that theInterview Board needs to spend some moretime with the probable candidates to assesstheir personality. This has already worked quitesuccessfully in case of selection of candidatesfor the armed forces. A final word! Whether ornot this facelift to the pattern of the Civil ServicesExamination gives a new direction and purposeto our bureaucracy; it will definitely make thewhole system of selection more objective,humane and transparent.

Elections in IndiaThe Right to vote is one of the cherished rights of every

Indian Citizen By V P Gupta


One of the greatest achievements ofindependent India is survivability of thedemocratic fabric of its polity inspite ofall the backwardness, poverty andilliteracy seen in a large section of ourpopulation. Moreover, the electoralsystem has proved to be a unifying factoras framers of the Indian Constitutiondiscarded the system of separateelectorates based on religion introducedduring the British rule. Every citizen ofIndia, above the age of 18, if not otherwisedisqualified by any law, has the right tovote in an election. No person shall beineligible for inclusion in the electoral rollon grounds of religion, race or caste.

Article 327 vests legislative powerin Parliament to make laws relating to allmatters concerning elections, to eitherHouse of Parliament or to the Houses oreither House of a state legislature,including the preparations of electoralrolls, the delimitation of Constituenciesand all other matters necessary forsecuring the due constitution of suchHouse or Houses. In this context, the statelegislature had a subordinate role. It canenact a law in respect of election to statelegislature only to the extent thatParliament had not made any provisions.Therefore, state acts are subject to theprovisions of the Constitution and of theParliamentary Acts.

To ensure free and fair electionsthe constitution establishes an ElectionCommission (Act 324). The ElectionCommission is primarily responsible tohold, direct and control all elections toParliament and to the state 1egislaturesand to the offices of the President andthe Vice President. The Chief ElectionCommissioner and such number of otherelection commissioners, as deemed fitcan be appointed by the President. In

1993, two electioncommissioners were appointedby an ordinance and were giventhe same position and status asthe Chief ElectionCommissioner. Also, theCommission was required to actas a body taking decisionsunanimously or by majority.Article 324 also provides for theappointment of RegionalCommissioners at the time of generalelections after consultation with the ChiefElection Commissioner.

Keeping in view the pivotal role thatthe Election Commission has to play, theConstitution itself has ensured itsindependence. Though the ChiefElection Commissioner is appointed bythe President, he is exempted from thegeneral rule that a public servant holdsoffice during the pleasure of thePresident. He has a fixed term of six yearsor till the age of 65 years, whichever isearlier. The Chief ElectionCommissioner cannot be removed fromhis office except in like manner and onlike grounds as a Judge of the SupremeCourt and the conditions of his servicecannot be varied to his disadvantageafter his appointment. Other electioncom-missioners, if any, can be removedonly on the recommendation of the ChiefElection Commissioner.

One of the primary functions of theElection Commission is to prepareelectoral rolls for the elections andsuitably revise them after every decennialcensus and before every general electionto the Union and the state legislature.The Commission also supervises themachinery of elections throughout thecountry so that the elections are held in afree and fair manner. It notifies the dated

and schedules of elections, so thatnominations papers are filed andproperly scrutinised before the electionstake place. Further, it appoints officersfor enquiring into disputes relating to

electoral arrangements. TheCommission can also make requests tothe President of India and the Governorof a State for requestioning the staffnecessary for conducting election. It hasthe power to cancel polls in the event ofmass-scale rigging or other irregularities.

Election Commission issues acode of conduct to be observed by allpolitical parties and people at the time ofelections. It can act like a court for settlingmatters as giving recognition to a politicalparty or allotting symbol for electoralpurposes as well. The Commission canadvise the President or the Governor, asthe case may be, on a matter relating todisqualification of a legislature.

Inspite of all these constitutionalprovisions, there remains room forimprovement. Money and musclepowers combined with religious andcaste considerations have been dilutingthe integrity of the efforts made by theElection Commission to assure everycitizen of India that he or she can expresshis or her political opinion freely andwithout any fear. Long-term strategies tocreate social and political awarenessamong the masses coupled with morestringent electoral reforms and laws canmake our democracy healthier and trulyrepresentative of the will of our people.

Weaving magic through wordsAttempting to be a man of prose? Here are some tips from

V P Gupta on skilful writing


Writing for most of us is a laborious andslow process. The mind travels faster thanthe pen. Writing, therefore, becomes aquestion of learning to bring down thebird of thought before it flies away. A writeris like a shooter waiting in the blind forsomething to come in. And, like allshooters a writer must cultivate patienceand work on various possibilities to bringdown one partridge. Here are somesuggestions that may help a beginner tofind the simple way of writing fair prose.

There is a French saying, 'You arethe style'. To achieve a style in writing donot push any type of ornamentation in yourwriting. The style will slowly emerge asyou continue to write without trying toimpress anybody. The very act ofcomposition is a creative process thatwill give rise to a natural style of your own.

Decide upon a simple structure foryour composition. You must havea rough sketch for the themes/issues you wish to touch upon inthe piece you are going to write.You can raise a tent from onetype of vision, but for a cathedralyou may have to use a differentvision.

Long introductions canmar the interest of the readers.Come to the real issue directlywithout beating about the bush.Avoid overwriting, you can saymore in fewer words. It is alwaysa good idea to re-read what youhave written and freely delete theexcess. Remember less is more.

Do not overstate your

position. Overstatement is a commonfault among students. It spoils the reader'sappreciation for what you are trying to sayand thus diminishes the wholecomposition. Slight understatementalways does a better job.

The excessive use of adjectives andadverbs rather dilutes the impact of whatis being said. It can unnecessarily cluttera sentence and annoy the reader if youwrongly select qualifiers that may deflectthe essence of what you are trying toconvey. Remember to alert the readeras soon as there is any change in thethought. At least a dozen words are thereto do this job, like - but, yet, however, still,thus, instead, now, later, subsequentlyand many more. Such an opening to asentence makes the job of the readermuch more easier while processing themeaning of a sentence where a shift inthe direction of the thought is taking

place.

Your paragraphs should be short.Writing is visual. It catches the eye beforeit has the chance to catch the brain. Shortparagraphs look inviting, whereas longones look like a big task to read. Manystunts feel chilled by the thought that theyare competing with everybody else whois trying to write and perhaps they aredoing it better. However, I have oftenfound that the "hares" who write formagazines for instance, are over-takenby the "tortoises" who move slowlytowards their goal of mastering the craftof writing. Hence my advice is forget thecompetition and go at your own pace.Your sole competition is with yourself.

Finally to write well, one must readwell. When you read good books andarticles by great authors you learn, bywatching their style, an elegant way ofexpressing oneself. You must get usedto trusting your material and ability toexpress. Then simply go ahead andwrite, your expression will be your style.

Appointing of JudgesLike Ausralia, India too should have a judicial commissionfor finalising appointment of judges to preserve judiciary,

says V P Gupta


One of the unique features of the IndianFederation is the single integrated judicialsystem with Supreme Court at the apex.Article 124 provides for a Supreme Courtof India consisting of a Chief Justice andseven - now 25 other judges. The judgesof Supreme Court are appointed by the

President in 'consultation' with the ChiefJustice of India. The word 'consultation'itself has generated considerable debateas to whether it is mere consultation or itamounts to concurrence.

In the Second Judge's Case(1993), the Supreme Court introducedthe cocnept of the primacy of the ChiefJustice of India (CJI) in the matter ofrecommending persons for appointmentto higher judiciary. It, however, led tomisgivings whether during consultationto select judges, the CJI's individualopinion, if found arbitrary, could still

prevail over that of the government. In theThird Judge's Case (1998), a nine judgebench of the Supreme Court, exercisingits advisory jurisdiction under Article 143of the Constitution, created the presentsystem of a collegium of the CJI's andtwo senior judges of the Supreme Court

to recommend names forappointment as judges ofthe Supreme Court. Thebench created acollegium comprising theCJI and four senior judgesto reviewrecommendations madeby a similar collegium inthe high courts in the caseof appointment of judges

to these courts.

While making appointment of theChief Justice of India, seniority shouldalone be considered. In the SecondJudge's Case, Supreme Court was of theopinion that the senior most judge ofSupreme Court if considered fit to holdoffice should be appointed as the ChiefJustice of India.

According to various constitutionalexperts and former judges, theperformance of the collegium has hardlybeen creditable. "It has often beendilatory, arbitrary, and smeared by

favourites:' says former Supreme Courtjudge V R Krishna Iyer.

In this context, the suggestion forcreation of a National JudicialCommission (NJC) has been given fromtime to time. Australia already has aJudicial Commission for finalisingappointment of the judges. Recently, the98th Constitutional Amendment Bill hasbeen introduced in Parliament whichseeks to constitute a NJC which will bein charge of appointing judges to thehigher judiciary and for transferring highcourt judges.

The Bill seeks to empower theNJC to draw up a code of ethics forjudges, inquire into cases of misconductor deviant actions of a judge other thanthose that are punishable with his or herremoval. According to the Bill, the NJCwould consist of the UI, who would be itschairperson; two judges of the SupremeCourt next to the CJI in seniority; the Unionminister for Law and Justice; and oneeminent citizen to be nominated by thePresident in consultation with the primeminister, who will hold office for a periodof three years. The Bill envisages that inthe case of appointment or transfer ofhigh court judges, the chief justice of thatcourt and the chief minister of the state -or the governor, if the state is underPresident's rule, shall be associated withthe NJC. Thus, the proposed NJC aimsto provide the effective participation ofboth the executive and the judiciary andensure transparency.

Premier calls the shotsThe Prime Minister is the key person in the union cabinet,

upon whom the constitution has vested unequivocalpowers, says V P Gupta


The framers of our Constitutionenshrined the foundation of the Cabinetsystem in the body of the writtenConstitution itself, though, of course, thedetails of its working had necessarily tobe left to be filled by convention andusage. Article 74 of the' Constitution statesthat a Council of Ministers w ill be headedby the Prime Minister to aid and advisethe President.

Dynamics of a coalitiongovernment are quite different from asingle party government and the PrimeMinister has to search for consensus allthe time between his own party and othermembers of the coalition on every issuewhile running the government. TheConstitution is silent on how thePresident shall choose the PrimeMinister. The convention is that the headof the state summons the leader of theparty or group commanding a majority inthe House of People to form the ministry.On the advice of the Prime Minister, otherministers of the council are appointed bythe President. Thus, the Prime Ministerbecomes the 'keystone of the Cabinetarch'. He forms the Council of Ministers,determines its size, decides the personsto be included in the council, names theministers who constitute the Cabinet andallocates ministries. He may even selecthis colleagues from outside the ranks ofhis party.

The Prime Minister supervisesand coordinates policies of the severalministers and ministries. He has the rightto be consulted on all matters, importantor minor, controversial or otherwise. Hecontrols the agenda for the Cabinetmeetings. He has special responsibility

towards foreign, defence, finance, homeand political affairs. He heads thePlanning Commission too.

The Prime Minister is the leaderof the House of People. All principalannouncements of policy and businessof the Government are made by him andall functions of non-departmental affairsand critical issues relating to national andi n t e r n a t i o n a lmatters areaddressed tohim. He acts asa channel ofc o m -m u n i c a t i o nbetween thePresident andhis Council ofMinisters (Art 78).

The individual minister's resignationdoes not affect other ministers but if PrimeMinister resigns, the Council of Ministersgets dissolved automatically. The PrimeMinister has the exclusive right to advisethe President of India to dissolve the 'LokSabha'. It is not necessary for him to bringthis matter for a Cabinet decision beforethe President is requested to dissolve theHouse.

The Council of Ministers consistsof four types of ministers: (1) CabinetMinister - 44th Amendment Act, 1978institutionalised the term 'Cabinet' byrecognising it and distinguishing it formother ministers of the council. A Cabinetminister heads a ministry allocated tohim by the Prime Minister and can attendall the meetings of the Cabinet. (2)Ministers of State with independent

charge - he does not work under aCabinet minister. When any matterconcerning his ministry is on agenda ofthe Cabinet, he is invited to attend themeeting. (3) Minister of State -he doesnot have independent charge of anydepartment of ministry and works undera Cabinet minister. (4) Deputy Minister -He works under a Cabinet minister or aMinister of State with independentcharge. In practice, the Council ofMinisters seldom meets as a body. It isthe Cabinet. and inner body within thecouncil, which shapes the policy of thegovernment. Decisions taken by thecabinet is binding on the Council of

Ministers.

The Cabinet is primarily adeliberative and policy formulating bodyand also the supreme executive. Thepower of delegated legislation hasenlarged the executive authority of theCabinet. The Cabinet always attemptsto reach unanimous agreementsembodying government's policy so that itpresents to the Parliament and to thecountry, a unified policy of action. Underthe system of collective responsibility,solidarity is prerequisite condition ofCabinet. The Rules of Procedure andconduct of Business in Parliament, 1950,provide for a motion of no confidence inthe Council of Ministers and not in anindividual minister. Thus the Council ofMinisters along-with the Prime Ministerstands and fall together.

By all accounts Rau's IAS Study Circlehas over the years become a legendwhich is looked upon by many studentswith awe and admiration throughout thecountry. According to many, its teachingtechniques have become the "goldstandards" in the field of IAS coaching.Through its journey lasting over fivedecades, the Study Circle has been atthe cutting edge of actionable learning.Today it is known as the most specialisedinstitution of its type in the country,performing at very high levels, and hasacquired the rare distinction of achievingconsistently the highest success rate inthe Civil Service Examinations for over50 years.

Civil Services .. Grit, Grace & Poise

I. A.S. -- these are not mere three lettersof the English alphabet. For some, itremains a childhood dream, for some, aroute to the corridors of powers and forothers a divine opportunity to serve fellow-countrymen who need help in a hundredways. Nothing is more charming andalluring than a career in the CivilServices. It gives you a "Midas touch"which can change the lives of millions.Since the introduction of the ICSexamination in 1855 (then held inLondon), things have changed beyondimagination. But one thing that has notchanged is the magnetism of the CivilServices. Even today they attracts lakhsof students to test their grit, determinationand merit. The power, perks, privilegesand social status accompanying theseservices justify all the hard work. The aurabestowed on this "priesthood ofbureaucracy" is undoubtedly too hard toresist.

But as they say, "it takes one per cent

inspiration and ninety-nine per centperspiration". It is a tough nut to crack.Take this examination with a single-minded devotion. Only that can ensuresuccess in this hyper-competition whereonly the fittest survive.

Before taking a leap into the fray, take apause and ask yourself whether you havewhat it takes to be a civil servant? If yourheart and mind together say an emphatic

'yes', then there's no time to look back.Take your first step with confidence anda positive frame of mind. Invest your mostprecious possession, your intellectualcapital, into it and find a new andmeaningful life in return.

Have trust in yourself and yourability. If you think you can do it, you cancertainly do it. Leave no room for doubtsin your mind. Many have done it before.Here is a blueprint of the Civil ServicesExamination and the right way toapproach this battle. The Structure of theExamination

The Civil Services Examination consistsof two successive stages:

i. Civil Services Preliminary Examination(Objective Type) for the selection ofcandidates for the Main Examination;and

ii. Civil Services Main Examination(Written and Interview) for the selectionof candidates for the various services andposts such as Indian AdministrativeService, Indian Police Service, IndianForeign Service, Indian RevenueService; and Indian Customs and CentralExcise Services etc. There are in all 26services (as per Gazetteer 2001) offeredthrough this single examination.

The candidates are put through threekinds of testing to ensure that thoseselected have: (a) wide range of generalawareness, (b) analytical ability andcontent retention capacity, (c) a cheerfulmental disposition even under stressfulconditions and some other officer-likequalities. Each one of these requirementsis tested respectively through Preliminary,Main and Interview tests.

Preliminary Examination:

The Union Public Service Commissionholds the Preliminary Examination inMay. The notification for the PreliminaryExamination in generally issued in themonth of December every year. Acandidate must hold a degree of any ofthe universities incorporated by an Act ofthe Central or State legislature in India,or recognised by the University GrantsCommission. He or she must have also

In the Vanguard of IASCoaching


attained the age of 21 years and mustnot have attained the age of 30 year on1st August of the year of the examination.The upper age limit is relaxable up to amaximum of five years in case of SC/ST,three years for OBCs, and 10 years forphysically challenged persons.

The Preliminary Examination consists oftwo papers of objective type (multiple-choice questions) and carry a maximumof 450 marks. The two papers are:

a. General Studies for 150 marks,consisting of 150 multiple - choicequestions;

b. Anyone of optional subjects from a listof various optional subjects viz.Agriculture, Animal Husbandry andVeterinary Science, Botany, Chemistry,Civil Engineering, Commerce,Economics, Electrical Engineering,Geography, Geology, Indian History, Law,Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering,Medical Sciences, Philosophy, Physics,Political Science, Psychology, PublicAdministration, Sociology, Statistics andZoology. This second paper is for 300marks, consisting of up to 120 objectivetype questions.

The course content of the syllabifor the optional subjects is of degreelevel. This examination is meant to serveas a screening test only; thus, the marksobtained in the Preliminary Examinationby the candidates who are declaredqualified for admission to the MainExamination are not counted fordetermining their final order of merit.

. Main Examination:

The second and most crucial stage ofselection is the Main Examination. The

number of candidates admitted to theMain Examination is roughly around 11or 12 times the approximate number ofvacancies existing in a year. The MainExamination is usually held from the lastweek of October every year. Thisexamination consists of the followingnine papers:

Paper I - One of the IndianLanguages to be selected by thecandidates from the languages includedin the Eighth Schedule of theConstitution. This paper is of matriculateor equivalent standard and is of qualifyingnature; the marks obtained in this paperare not counted for ranking purpose.This paper is of 300 marks.

Paper II - The English languagepaper too is compulsory and is ofmatriculation standard and qualifyingnature. The marks (out of 300) obtainedin this paper are also not counted forranking purpose.

Paper III - This is a compulsory Essaypaper, consisting of 300 marks.

Paper IV & V - These are two compulsorypapers on various segments of GeneralStudies, each consisting of 300 marks.

Paper VI & VII - Two papers of chosenfirst optional subject, each carrying 300marks.

Paper VIII & IX - Likewise, two papers ofsecond optional subject, each carrying300 marks.

. Interview Test:

The UPSC interview test for CivilServices Exam is the third and final lapof the three-part process to evaluate theadministrative potential of the candidates

in order to find their suitability for joiningone of the Civil Services.

Areas normally covered by theInterview Board are:

a. Every detail in the application formincluding the meaning of your surname;

b. Current issues of interest, primarilynational;

c. Good knowledge of one's own stateand district;

d. Whenever required, you may have tobring into focus the knowledge of yourown specialised field of study whiletalking on current problems;

e. Also be prepared for probing questionson your own special field of study,including the papers that you haveoffered for the Main Examination - onlythe fundamentals of the subjects studied;momentous developments of today, ifany; and a lively panoramic grasp of theoptional subjects.

Last but not the least, a sincere andtime-tested advice to the aspirants is thatthere is no substitute for hard work. Astrong determination and patience shallsee you through. One should never feeldiminished by failures but insteadintensify the preparations morevigorously. Rage like a river which flowsfaster and more furious after dealing withevery obstacle that comes in its way. Soroll up your sleeves, take a deep breath &start the work....

In the Vanguard of IASCoaching


Power of imaginationBY V P Gupta


During the course of my lecturingstudents for the civil servicesexamination, I have been repeatedlyasked to suggest some methods to takethe boring grind out of preparations forthe exam which would at least make thejob of preparing notes a bit more lively

and interesting. It is in this context that Istarted recommending a new techniquecalled mind-map-ping which was like abreath of fresh air for students, in thestale atmosphere while studying with fatbooks.

Let's start with the obviousquestion - what is mind map-ping? Mindmapping is a new path-breaking learningtechnique that enables us to make thebest possible use of our brainpower. It isa visual tool of learning that allows us tomake fullest use of our skills by makingus more creative, organised and fast

learners.Mind map is a word-picture drawn

with the help of lines, logic, colours andin Mind mapping ages to stimulate ourbrain and to speed up learning. It helpsus to even convert our random thoughtsinto a creative structure and thus pro-

duce a usable picture of various bits andpieces of information, available to us byweaving them into a fascinating matrixof thoughts, ideas and information. It hasbeen it alternately called radiant thinking.Through its radiating structure, a mindmap allows us the freedom of roamingthe infinite expanse of our mind,expanding and exploring ideas whilemaintaining a clear focus on a centraltheme. Someone said, "Seeing isbelieving," well, mind map can help uslook at a universe of ideas through asingle picture.

Tips� The subject is represented by a

central image� The main themes of the subject

radiate from the central image asmain branches

� Minor themes are linked to themain themes through sub-branches

� Colours, pictures, shapes andsymbols and lines are used withkey words written around them incapital letters as 'shown in theactual mind map, to addemphasis and show, associationamong various ideas and sub-ideas of a theme.

Advantages of mind map� Eliminates unnecessary words� Emphasizes links and

connections between ideas� Easy recall� Clarifies thinking� Allows planning before writing� Focuses on the main theme and

gives secondary focus to sub-themes

� A huge amount of information ofone page

� Easy to read over and over againfor a quick revision

� Does not waste time� Allows ideas to flow� Additions can made easily

It's a graphic-driven method oftaking or making notes, brainstormingand or ganising your thoughts or pointsfound in a text-book chapter into amemorable tree-like diagram. So if youare looking for a way to improve yourperformance by learning fast, mind-mapis a sure fire method for you. Studentsacross are using mind-maps for takingnotes during classroom study, planningterm papers and making a picture-likesummary of any new topics or chaptersfrom textbooks.

Role of a state governorThe governor of a state enjoys similar powers as the

president of the country but at a smaller levelBy V P Gupta


While preparing for the General Studies(Paper-I) for Civil Services Main Examan important part of the preparation isthe segment called 'Polity of India', whichwe were discussing in this column a fewweeks ago. Continuing the same themewe shall now consider the role of 'StateGovernors' in our country as it is one ofthe most crucial aspects of our politytoday.

The governor of a state is therepository of the executive powers of thestate, which are exercised by him inaccordance with the Constitution of India.He has the right to be kept in-formed ofthe decisions of the state ministry. Heappoints the chief minister and on hisadvice, other ministers and severalimportant state officials such as theadvocate general, the chairman andmembers of the State Public ServiceCommission. Though the Governor hasno powers to appoint the judges of theState High Court, but it is provided by theArticle 217 that he will be consulted bythe president before such anappointment is made.

Among the legislative powers ofthe governor is the right to address thelegislature and to send messages to it.He can summon the state legislature,prorogue either house or dissolve thelegislative assembly. Every bill passed bythe state legislature must receive thegovernor's assent before it can becomea law. He may give his assent to a bill orwithhold it or he may reserve it for theconsideration of the president. He mayalso return a Bill, other than a money bill,to the legislature for reconsideration, butif it is passed a second time, the governormay not withhold his assent to it. At thesame time, no money bill can beintroduced in the legislative assembly

except on the governor'srecommendation.The constitution authorises the governorto promulgate ordinances during theperiod when the state legislature is not insession (Article 213). An ordinancepromulgated by a governor has the same

force as an act passed by the statelegislature but it ceases to be effective atthe expiration of six weeks from the datewhen the state legislature re-assemblesor before the end of the period if aresolution is passed by the legislaturedisapproving the said ordinance.Ordinance making power of thegovernor has been often misused by statechief ministers. In D. C. Wadhwa vs Stateof Bihar (1987) it was brought to the noticeof the Supreme Court that between 1967-1981 the governor of Bihar promulgated256 Ordinances. Some Ordinanceswere kept alive for periods ranging fromone to 14 years by repromoulgating themagain and again. The Supreme Courtconsidered such promulgation as anabuse of the power and a fraud on theConstitution. Finally, the governor, like the

President, has the power to nominatecertain members to the state legislature.He nominates some members in theState Legislative Council, if the state hasbicameral legislature, who have specialknowledge or practical experience in thefield of art, science, literature, cooperativemovement and social services. He canalso nominate one member in the StateLegislative Assembly from the Anglo-Indian community if he is feels that theyare not adequately represented.

The judicial powers of the

governor includes the power of grantingpardon, or reducing or commutingsentences of any person convicted ofany offence against any law relating tomatters to which the executive powers ofthe state extends. The governor has thepower to make a report to the presidentwhenever a situation arises in which thegovernment of a state cannot be carriedon in accordance with provisions of theConstitution (Article 356), thereby invitingthe president to impose 'President Rule'.It is important to note here that merelythe governor of Jammu & Kashmir hasthe power to impose 'Governor's Rule'under section 92 of the Constitution ofthat state. However, it may be noted thatthe president of India is not bound to acton the governor's advice in this or anyother matter.

Preparing for EnglishV P GUPTA


English is one of the most widely spokenand understood languages in India.Keeping in view the all India nature ofthe Civil Services Examination, test ofEnglish language has been included byUPSC in the format of the mainexamination as a compulsorypaper. The aim of this paper isto test the candidate's ability toread and understand seriousdiscursive prose, and to expresshis ideas clearly and correctlyin this language. The paper isof matriculation standard andof qualifying nature in which thecandidates are required toobtain merely a minimumnumber of marks and thesemarks are not counted for theirfinal selection or ranking. Thepattern of the paper includes:Comprehension of given passages;Precise writing; Usage and vocabulary;and short essay.

Comprehension passageThe word comprehension is the nounform of comprehend, which implies tograsp mentally in order to have fullunderstanding of a thing. Candidatesoften find some difficulty while attemptingthis question because of time constraint.Therefore, it is advisable that instead ofindulging in slow reading to educate

yourself, skim through paragraphs andlook for answers to the questions asked.Read the passage and answer thequestion on the basis of what is stated orimplied in the given passage. Generally,

three types of questions are asked. Themain idea in the passage; some specificdetails: and ideas that can be logicallyinferred or drawn from the passage. Thefollowing points should be kept in mindwhile answering the questions set on apassage.

Underline the main or central idea.Try to answer in your own words.The answers can contain some

crucial phrases used in the passage.Do not invent a fact, which is not

there in the passage, while answering

the questions.Precise writing

For the questions on precisewriting one should write in one's ownlanguage, which means that one shouldconstruct his/her own sentences. Noparticular thought/point should beelaborated or exhaustively dealt with.

One should moreover, try to followthe logically order of the ideas foundin the original passage.Short Essay

The paper includes a question onwriting a short essay of about 300words as well. To do well in thisquestion a candidate must keephimself abreast of the latestdevelopments in various fields.Before writing an essay, one mustprepare an outline. Introductionshould be short and crisp. Thecandidate should be able todemonstrate his understanding of

the essence of the topic of the essay inthe first paragraph of the essay. Themain part must include the various facetsof the issue. Concluding paragraph ofan essay should indicate the consideredopinion of the candidate in respect ofthe issue under discussion.

One should not forget to gothrough last years' question papers. Oneshould always take this paper withutmost sincerity as any lapse could leadto a situation where no paper of his/hermain examination is evaluated.

Art of essay writingby V P Gupta


The Webster Dictionary defines essay as,"a literary composition, analytical allinterpretative in nature dealing with itssubject from a more or less limited orpersonal stand point and permitting aconsiderable freedom of style andmethod. Commonly, essays are brief,suitable for reading in one sit-ting".

Since 1994, the essay paper hasbeen included in the civil services mainexamination. It carries 200 marks andthus, anything above 100-120 marks inthis paper puts one in a comfortableposition, The evaluation of this paper isbased on comprehension; originality ofthought or freshness in thinking; clarity ofexpression and integrated thinking withassimilation of ideas.

In this paper, the candidates arerequired to write an essay on a specifictopic. The choice of subjects is given.Students are expected to maintain focuson the subject of the essay and to arrangethe ideas in an orderly fashion and writeconcisely. Credit is given for effective andexact expression.

Essay writing is as much a craft asan art. While art depends for Itsexpression on inspiration, the craftrequires preparation and regularpractice. However, writing style Is entirelyindividualistic and reflective of one'spersonality. Broadly speaking, all thetopics in the essay paper can be dividedinto two categories: (a) Reflective topics:Under this class, a statement, either in

the form of a slogan or a phrase is given,like: 'A useless life is an early death', 'Truthis lived, not taught', 'True religion cannotbe misused. While attempting thesetopics, analysis and interpretation mustby backed, by facts, examples orillustration to make your essay moreeffective. (b) Thematic topics: Thesetopics may be found currently beingdebated, discussed and written about invarious forums and media.

Art of essay writingby V P Gupta


While attempting topics, a thoroughunderstanding of the subject matter inall its shades is essential. Besides, youmust be able to form and hold an opinionand convincingly put it across.

One should normally de-vote onehour in studying the various choices ofthemes, selecting the topic and notingdown points for writing. It is essential toarrange the ideas in a proper sequence.Select a topic where you can expressyourself with conviction and confidence.

Then, you should elaborate thoseideas in next one-and-a-half-hour in asystematic manner. An essay has threeessential segments: 'Introduction' shouldbe short and simple. It must-give theexaminer a feel of things to come; 'Body'of the essay should be in the form ofparagraphs to elaborate each sub-theme. While changing the paragraphs,you should be able to make them flowinto one another and 'Conclusion' shouldsum up the discussion. One should

always end on a positive note.One should try to cultivate a lucid

writing style, which has flow and issmooth to read. Logical and effectivewriting is a matter of training. Noguidebook can turn you into a good essaywriter. Anyone who does the writingpractice over a period of time can surelyhone his' writing skills, thus making aneffective impression on the examiner.

Strategise IdeasWanting to take the Civil Services exam, plan out your

strategy to emerge successful By V P Gupta


The competition for the success in thefabled Civil Service Exam is no doubtfought out by the keenest of players totest their academic might. Hence everycontestant needs to have a clear strategyfor sailing to the shores of success. Wehave, therefore, planned a series ofarticles to be called Strategy Ideas onevery facet of Civil Services Exam. In thefirst phase, we shall be dealing with issuesrelating to Prelim Exam - GeneralStudies syllabus.

The Preliminary examination isconducted in the month of May everyyear to screen out the students for theMain examination. This stage consistsof two papers of objective (multiplechoice) questions - one for the GeneralStudies and another for an optionalsubject to be chosen from the listprovided by the Union Public ServicesCom. mission. Here, emphasis will belaid on the compulsory paper, i.e.General Studies.

To start with, the syllabus given forthe General Studies paper is rather toogeneral or undefined in terms of details.Therefore, one requires a wide/extensiveapproach to tackle this paper. Oneauthors, awards and various must havea general interest sporting and culturalevents in the things around us. A curiousmental faculty with disciplined approachcan do wonders in this paper.

Now, we shall take up differentsegments of the General Studies paperone by one. The questions on GeneralScience cover general appreciation and

understanding of science includingmatters of everyday observation andexperience, as may be expected of a welleducated person who has not made aspecial study of any particular scientificdiscipline. One can start with the NCERTbooks for all the three sections of BasicSciences; Physics, Chemistry andBiology. An analysis of previous years'question paper suggests that morequestions are asked from biology section.In other two sections, the applied aspectsare important than theoretical ones.

In current events, knowledge ofsignificant national and internationalevents in tested. A regular perusal ofnewspapers and magazines goes alongin dealing with this segment. Look aroundfor those events, which affect a largernumber of people and linger on longerthan usual. Also make your own notes onnew publications, authors, awards andvarious sporting and cultural events.

In History of India, emphasis is onbroad general understanding of thesubject in its social, economic and

political aspects. Normally questions arealways asked from all the three periodsof Indian History - ancient, mediaeval andmodern. In recent years, more and morequestions are being asked from the

freedom struggle segment of modernIndian History. Here a chronologicalstudy of important events is required. Forancient and medieval Indian History, givemore emphasis of socio-culturalaspects. You should also get hold ofimportant historical maps as fewquestions are based on them also. InGeography give more weightage toGeography of India. Questions relate tophysical, social and economicgeography of India, including the mainfeatures of Indian agricultural and naturalresources.

Apart from the general NCERTbooks on geography, you must refer to agood atlas. The questions based onmaps are frequently asked and they arescoring as well.

Attempting general studiesRegularly following newspapers and magazines is the best

way to prepare for the paper on general studiesBy V P Gupta


The General Studies paper-two of themain examination can be the mostinteresting and scoring section forstudents having a genuine interest innational and international affairs. Thepaper starts with the segment called,'India and the World'. It covers variousaspects like the Indian foreign policy,India's external security and nuclearpolicies, and Indians abroad.

India's relationship withneighbouring countries like Pakistan,China, Sri Lanka, Burma, Nepal and othercountries of South Asia and majorpowers like USA, UK, France and Russiais always important. In recent times,India's 'Look East Policy' has becomesignificant as well. You must look at latestdevelopments, various internationalsummits and the areas of discord andcooperation.

The next segment is about 'IndianEconomy'. In this part, questions areasked on the planning and economicdevelopment in India, economic policyand trade is: sues, the role and functionsof IMF, World Bank and WTO, besidesothers. Normally, two types of questionsare asked in this section. First, questionsare from traditional topics like planning,poverty, unemployment and land reformsand second, questions based on currenteconomic policies and issues. For theformer, you can refer to standard bookson Indian economy. For the latter part,you may depend on newspapers andmagazines apart from latest EconomicSurvey published by the FinanceMinistry. In this era of economicglobalisation, India's role and position invarious international institutions like

WTO, World Bank and IMFrequires proper under-standing.

The section of 'InternationalAffairs and Institutions' includesquestions on importantinternational events. Thenewspapers and magazinesremain the most vital sources ofinformation, news and discussionson TV can be of further help.

To start with, make a list ofmajor international events, whichhave been in news in the past oneyear. Collect in-formation of theirgenesis, problems/ issues involvedand steps taken to resolve them.There are certain perpetual problemslike in West Asia, Iraq, Afghanistan, SriLanka, Chechnya, Western Sahara,Taiwan, Balkans and Korean Peninsulaand India's stand on these issues mayneed a little more emphasis.

In international organisations,UNO and its various agencies, regionalgroupings and organisations like SAARC,EU, NAFTA, AU, ASEAN and others areimportant. Keep track of their latest meets/summits and their outcome. India's rolein UNO, G-15, SAARC and interactionwith ASEAN, EU and G-8 should bestudied in particular.

'Science and Technology' sectiontests the candidates awareness in thisfield. This segment can be broadlydivided into subsections likeenvironment, health, biotechnology,information technology, space and de-fence studies. India's contributions inthese fields is important, apart from thebroad features and socio-economic

ramifications of relevant is-sues. The lastsegment of General Studies paper teststhe candidates ability to drawconclusions from information presentedin statistical, graphical or

diagrammatical form and to point outdeficiencies therein. Any basic book onstatistics will abreast you onfundamentals. Practising the previous 10years papers can be beneficial. Bothspeed and accuracy are important hereand it comes only from practice.

In other segments as well,undertake good amount of writingpractice before the actual examination.Follow a simple and straight forwardapproach while writing answers and stickto the word limits. Avoid inserting toomany points in one paragraph. Youranswers should be based on your abilityto assimilate ideas and analysesituations logically. Finally, do not forgetto revise your answers towards the endand make corrections whereverrequired.

Score high with GSThe nature of questions in General Studies is such that a

well-prepared person can answer them without anyspecialised study by V P Gupta


The General Studies (GS) papers in theCivil Service Main Exam, can be morescoring than the optional papers ifprepared intelligently. The questions testa candidate's general awareness, on avariety of subjects, which have relevancefor a career in the Civil Services. Todiscuss the content and strategy ideasfor each segment, I shall start with GS(Paper I) -History of Modern India andIndian Culture. The segment on 'Historyof Modern India' covers history of thecountry from about the middle of the 19thcentury. Modern History is divided intotwo segments: (1) 1757-1857: For thisperiod, give emphasis on British Policies- economic, social, educational, politicaland administrative, which helped theconsolidation of colonial rule in India.

(2). 1857-1964: This section startswith the 'Revolt of 1857', which makesthe beginning of nationalism in India andthen goes to foundation of IndianNational Congress, SwadeshiMovement, Moderates' andExtremists' politics, Home RuleMovement, Non-CooperationKhilafat Movement, CivilDisobedience Movement, QuitIndia Movement, RevolutionaryTerrorism, Swarajist Politics, riseand growth of Communal-ism,Freedom and Partition anddevelopments during theNehruvian era are some of theimportant topics.

The part relating to IndianCulture will cover all aspects of

Indian Culture from ancient to moderntimes.

Geography of India

In this part, questions will be on thephysical, economic and socialgeography of India. Some of the topicslike monsoon, soils, vegetation,mangroves, command areadevelopment, remote sensing, wastelanddevelopment and social forestry are oftenasked in the examination.

The Indian Polity segment willinclude questions on the Constitution ofIndia, political system and relatedmatters. In order to do well in this area,one must have a clear concept of variousthemes of the Indian Constitution and itsworking. Preamble, Fundamental Rights,Directive Principles of State Policy,President, Council of Ministers, UnionParliament, Judiciary, role of Governor,Emergencies and Panchayati Raj aresome of the important topics in this part.

Apart from some authoritativebooks on Indian Constitution, aspirantsshould regularly go through the news-papers and magazines to find out theongoing Constitutional issues anddebates. The last segment of paper I,Current National Issues and Topics ofSocial Relevance, is intended to test thecandidates' awareness of importantdevelopments in contemporary socialand national life.

Other topics include law enforcementissues, human rights, corruption in publiclife and communal harmony.Environmental issues like ecologicalpreservation, conservation of naturalresources and national heritage havegained currency in recent times. Thissegment also includes the role of nationalinstitutions, their relevance and the needfor change. The detailed list of topicsmentioned above reflects a changedmindset of the syllabus- framers. Thereis more emphasis on the contemporarynational and social issues confronting us.Keep an eye on various policies andprogramme of the different ministries anddepartments of the Government of India.

The President's RoleThe President's election and his functions

Some facts By V P Gupta


Our President is the head of theexecutive as per our Constitution. He iselected for a term of five years. SinceIndia opted for a Parliamentary form ofGovernment, our President is theConstitutional head and the realexecutive powers are vested in theCouncil of Ministers. As our PrimeMinister is the head of the Council ofMinisters, he is the real head of theexecutive. Thus by drawing a fine legaldistinction between the role of PrimeMinister and that of the President, he iscalled the head of State; while the PrimeMinister is called the head ofGovernment. The office of the IndianPresident is neither as powerful as theAmerican President nor as ceremonialas the British Monarch.

According to the IndianConstitution, a Presidential candidatemust be a citizen of India; should havecompleted the age of 35 years; bequalified for election as a member of theHouse of the people; and should not holdany office of profit under the Governmentof India, or the Government of any State,or under any local or other authoritysubject to control of any of the StateGovernments. But a sitting President orVice-President of the Union or theGovernor of any State or a minister eitherfor the Union or for any state is notdisqualified for election as President.

The President must not be amember of either House of theParliament or a State legislature, and ifhe is, he must vacate his seat in thatHouse before he enters upon his office

as President. The Constitution vests thesuperintendence, direction and controlfunctions for the election of President inthe Election Commission which, in itsturn, is subject to the control ofParliament.

The President is indirectlyelected, by an electoral college, inaccordance with the system ofproportional representation by means ofthe single transferable vote. Theelectoral college shall consist of the'elected' members of both Houses ofParliament and the 'elected' membersof the Legislative Assemblies of theState. Nominated members do not takepart in the election. The electoralprocedure ensures that, as far aspracticable, there shall be uniformity ofrepresentation of the different states inthe election, according to the populationand the total number of electedmembers of the Legislative Assembly ofeach state. At the same time, parity shall

also be maintained between the Stateas a whole and the Union.

Ultimately, the votes of the States,in the aggregate, in the electoral collegefor the election of the President shall beequal to that of the people of the countryas a whole. In this way, the President is arepresentative of the nation as well as arepresentative of the people in differentstates. It also gives recognition to thestatus of the states in the federal systems.

There was considerable debate inthe Constituent Assembly regarding themanner of the election of the President.Finally, the framers of the Constitutionopted for an in-direct election for thePresident. It was decided that sinceunder the system of responsibleGovernment introduced by theConstitution, real power vests in theCouncil of Ministers headed by the PrimeMinister; it would be improper to providefor direct election of the President withoutgiving him real powers. Furthermore,direct election by such a vast populationof the country would mean a tremendouscost in terms of time, energy and money.

The President's roleby V P Gupta


As per our Constitution the President iseligible for re-election any number oftimes. The office of the President maybe terminated before the expiry of thefive-year term by. The President submitshis resignation in writing addressed tothe Vice-President

· The President is removed from officeby process of impeachment in themanner provided inArticle 61.

· The impeachmentprocedure is quasi-judicial as well aspolitical. The onlyground fori m p e a c h m e n tspecified in Art. 61 is'violation' of theConstitution. Underthe US Constitutionthe impeachmentmay be for treason,bribery or other highcrimes and misdemeanours. Thecharge against the President may beinitiated in any House of the Parliament.The notice for moving the resolutionmust be signed not less than one-fourthof the total number of members of theHouse. Advance notice of 14 days isrequired. The resolution must be passedby a majority of not less then two-third ofthe total membership of the House.

After the charge is approved by oneHouse it is investigated by the otherHouse. The President bas the right toappear and be represented in suchinvestigations. The House may delegate

the work of investigation to any court ortribunal. If after investigation the Housepasses the resolution by two thirdsmajority declaring that the charge isproved, the effect of the same would bethat the President shall stand re-movedfrom his office from the date on whichthe resolution is passed.

The President of India is often

regarded as the conscience-keeper ofthe nation by adding a sobering effect tothe democratic farvour of our politicalsystem. The President of India is neithera real executive like the US President noronly a ceremonial head like the Britishmonarch. Article 53 vests the executivepowers of the Union in the President.That is, all executive decisions of theUnion are taken in the name of thePresident. These executive decisions,which are administrative in nature, arecarried out by the different ministries anddepartments of the Government. Hisadministrative powers include the power

to make appointment to certain officesunder the constitution; like the PrimeMinister and other ministers of the Union,the Attorney General of India, theComptroller and Auditor General of India,the Governors of various states and otherheads and members of various nationalcommissions. The President has thepower to remove some of the abovementioned officials.

The President has legislativepowers as well Article 79 states that theUnion Parliament shall consist of thePresident and the two Houses Lok Sabhaand Rajya Sabha. Here our Constitution

departs from thetheory ofseparation ofpower (as givenb yMontesquieu).The President ofIndia, who is anexecutive head,at the same timealso remains anintegral part ofthe UnionLegislature.

T h ePresident has the power to summon andprorogue each House of the Parliament.He may dissolve the Lok Sabha. ThePresident may summon both the Housesfor a joint sitting in case of a deadlock.He may address the two Houses ofParliament jointly or separately. ThePresident nominates two members fromAnglo-Indian Community if he feels thatthey are not adequately represented inthe Lok Sabha. Similarly, he nominates12 members to the Rajya Sabha fromdifferent walks of life. The Presidentcauses to be laid before the Parliamentcertain reports and statements including

the Annual Financial Statement(popularly called the Budget), reports ofCAG, Finance Commission, UPSC, etc.

Moreover, no Parliamentary Billcan become an Act without the assent ofthe President. Except in case of a moneyBill, President has three options beforehim: (a) he may give the assent (in thatcase bill becomes an act); (b) he mayreturn the I Bill for reconsideration of theParliament; (c) may withhold the Bill, i.e.may exercise the veto power.

If a Bill is returned to the Presidentwith or without amendments, he has noother option but to give his assent within14 days. Therefore, by exercising the'suspension veto', he can delay theenactment of a bill for some time. Hemay also exercise 'absolute veto' byrefusing to give assent. Finally, sinceIndian constitution does not prescribe any' time whit within which the President toaccord his assent, he may even keep theBill on his table indefinitely. This isexercise of a pocket veto.

The most important legislativepower enjoyed by the President is theOrdinance making power. An ordinancecan be promulgated when theParliament is not in session and thePresident must be satisfied thatcircumstances exist which requireimmediate action. In R C Cooper VsUnion of India (1970) the Supreme Courtwas of the opinion that the President'ssatisfaction could be questioned in acourt of law on the grounds of malafides.An ordinance promulgated by thePresident has the same force and effect,

as an Act of Parliament. However, it mustbe laid before both the Houses ofParliament within six weeks of their re-assembly.

The President by virtue of hisoffice, is also the Supreme Commanderof the armed forces. He has the power todeclare war and peace and commandthe deployment of the Defence Forces.However, this power is to be exercisedwithin the parameters of the legislativecontrol and on the basis of advicetendered by the Cabinet.

Diplomatic powers of the Presidentinclude the power to appointambassadors and High Commissionertoo and receive them from differentcountries. All the international treaties aresigned in the name of the President ofIndia.

Indian Constitution confers on thePresident certain judicial powers like togrant pardon, reprieves, respite orremission of punishment and to suspend,remit or commute the sentence of anyperson convicted of any offence by eithera court of law or court martial.

Finally, among the major powersenjoyed by the President, IndianConstitution includes the emergencypowers. The President has the power toproclaim emergency on the grounds ofthreat to the security of India by war,external aggression or armed rebellion(Art 352). The President may whensatisfied that the Government of a statecannot be carried on in accordance withconstitution by proclamation assume tohimself all or any of the functions of the

The President's rolecontd...


government of the state (Art. 356). ThePresident is empowered to declareemergency on the ground that thefinancial stability or credit of India isthreatened (Art 360).

The President enjoys certaindiscretionary powers. Not everything inour Constitution is written in black andwhite. There are certain grey areaswhere President may have to use hiswisdom and judgment. For example, incase of a hung Parliament, the Presidenthas the power to decide who should begiven the first opportunity to form thegovernment and the amount of time tobe given to prove majority on the floor ofthe House. Conventionally, the leader ofthe single largest party should be invitedfirst to form the Government in case of ahung Parliament.

Barring this and other exceptionswhere the President can exercise hisdiscretionary powers, he has to actaccording to aid and ad-vise tenderedby the Council of Ministers [Art. 74 (1».The 44th amendment Act, 1978 gave thePresident a new power to return such anadvice for reconsideration of the Councilof Ministers. He is, however, bound to acton the re-submitted Bill accordinglysecond time. At the same time, Art 78makes it mandatory for the Prime Ministerto communicate to the President alldecisions of the Council of Ministersrelating to the administration of the affairsof the Union and proposals for legislativeand to furnish him such information asthe President may call for. Finally, in avast country as diverse as India -comprising of so many faiths, languages,political and geographical spread - theoffice of the President acts as a bigunifying force.

Citizens' obligationBefore talking about your Fundamental Rights, ensure that

you know about Fundamental Duties By V P Gupta


The Fundamental Duties enumerated InArticle 51A are:� to abide by the constitution and

respect the national flag and nationalanthem;

� to cherish and follow the noble Idealswhich Inspired our national strugglefor freedom;

� to protect the sovereignty, unity andIntegrity of India;

� to defend the country;� to promote the spirit of common

brotherhood amongst all the peopleof India;

� to preserve the rich heritage of ourcomposite culture;

� to protect and Improve the naturalenvironment;

� to develop the scientific tem-per andspirit of Inquiry;

� to safeguard public property;� to strive towards excellence In all

spheres of Individual and collectiveactivity.

Many of these Fundamental Dutiesare enforceable today even without theirbeing specifically Incorporated In theconstitution - to abide by the constitution,respect the national flag and the nationalanthem, to defend the country and rendernational service when called upon to doso and to safeguard public property.

Some of the fundamental, dutiesare clearly intended to' meet certainspecific political threats that democracyin India has to contend with. The Indian

charter of Fundamental Duties is uniqueto include the duty to develop the scientifictemper, humanism and the spirit ofinquiry and reform. It has beenIncorporated to eradicate superstition inwhich India is deeply soaked and toremove the bane of religious fanaticism,regional chauvinism linguistic frenzywhich have retarded her unification intoa cohesive society.The significance of these duties is morethan obvious in the light of recent riots inGujarat. It shows that these words arenot mere sacred sermons but representbasic requirements if we are to surviveas a self-respecting nation-state and notjust a collection of feuding tribes engagedin a holy war.

Making a difference in a citizen's lifeThe Directive Principles of State Policy despite being

unenforceable have worked well within the Indian systemBy V P Gupta


The Directive Principles of State Policyunderline the philosophy of democraticsocialism with a touch of Gandhianidealism. While the preamble gives thefundamental principles on which theConstitution has been founded thedirective principles lay down thefundamental principles on which theConstitution is to be implemented by thestate.

Our Constitution makers followedthe model of the constitution of Eire(commonly called Ireland) which setsforth certain principles of social policyfor the guidance of the state but whichare not cognisable by any court. Theobjective of these directives is to securesocial, economic and political justiceand dignity and welfare of the Individual.These may be classified under severalgroups - economic Ideals, guidance forlegislation rights of citizens though non-justiciable, state's obligations ineducational and cultural matters, Idealsfor social development, democraticideals and Ideals for International peace.

Moreover, just after thecommencement of the constitution anumber of agrarian reforms wereeffected. Most of the states abolished theclass of the intermediaries known aszamindar, jagirdar and malguzar andother hereditary proprietors and landbecame the property of the cultivator.Agricultural Land Ceiling Acts werepassed. All these are relatable to Article39(b).

In 1971. 14 banks werenationalised. During the 1970s, severalindustries were taken over by the

government. This was toImplement the directivescontained In Articles 39(b)and (c). Legislationguaranteeing equal pay forequal work Is relatable toArticle 39(d). The 26thAmendment Act, 1971abolished the privy purseswhich were granted to therulers of Indian States.

The Article 43 states that the stateshall frame its policy to promote cottageindustries in rural areas. Various boardsand commissions established by thestate are working to Implement thisdirective. Prohibition (Article 47) ofintoxicating drinks and drugs was animportant element of Gandhianphilosophy. Haryana imposed prohibitionIn 1996. However, the dismal failure inImplementation gave rise to rampantcorruption. Gradually all states, barringa few were forced to repeal prohibitionlaws.

The Criminal Procedure Code,1973 has effected the separation ofjudiciary from the executive (Article 50).Many states have enacted laws to prohibitslaughter of cows, bullocks .and calvesIn view of Article 48.The numerous actspertaining to labour, like Minimum WageAct, Workmen's Compensation Act,Maternity Benefit Act and Factory Act, areall aimed at implementing Articles 41.42, 43 and 43A. The Water Pollution, AirPollution, Environment Pollution Acts,Forest Act and the Wild Life ProtectionAct passed by the parliament are infurtherance of the Directive contained In

Article 48A. The 73rd Amendment Act,1993 gave effect to the Article 40, toorganise village panchayats and endowthem with such powers and authority asmay be necessary to enable them tofunction as units of self-government.

Recently, the Parliament passedthe 93rd Constitution amendment Act.The amendment gives education thestatus of a fundamental right to benefitalmost 37 crore children of India,between 6 years and 14 years. The Actbecomes Article 21A of the Constitution.The amendment replacing Article 45now will read that the state "shallendeavour to provide, within a period of10 years from the commencement of thisconstitution for all children until II theycomplete the age of 14 years".

According to official sources, theuniversalisation of elementary educationwould Involve an expenditure amountingto 0.78 per cent of India's gross domes-tic product for the next 10 years.

A Divine Rightby V P GUPTA


Fundamental Rights are enshrined in thePart III of the Indian Constitution. Theyare part of those rights which arenecessary for the survival of a humanbeing with dignity. Fundamental Rightshave been incorporated in theFundamental Law of the Land, i.e. theConstitution of India and one canapproach courts in case of violation ofthese rights.

The fundamental Rights providedby our Constitution have been inspiredby the 'Bill of Rights' mentioned in theConstitution of United States of America.These rights reflect a desire of thefounding fathers of Indian Constitution tobuild a new social order. For examine,there are rights declaring practice ofuntouchability an offence or conferringcertain culture and educational rights onthe minorities, both linguistic as well asreligious. Moreover, the given rights arenot absolute but subject to certainreasonable restrictions. For example, theright to freedom of speech andexpression can be restricted on groundsof public order, morality or decency andnational security. The FundamentalRights can be suspended during nationalemergency (Art 352), only exception

being right to life. Having discussed thebasic features of these fundamentalrights, one can find that these rights havebeen classified under six heads in alogical manner depending upon theirscope and nature.

� Right to Equality (Art 14-18)

� Right to Freedom (Art 19-22)

� Right against Exploitation (Art 23-24)

� Right to Freedom of Religion (Art 25-28)

� Cultural and Educational Rights (Art29-30)

� Right to Constitutional Remedies (Art32)

In 1978, right to property mentionedin Art 31 was repealed by the 44thAmendment Act as it was found contraryto other fundamental rights particularlythe right to equality. It, however, has beenreal-located to Art 300A of Part XII as alegal right now. Some of these rights areavailable to citizens only, like protectionof discrimination on grounds only ofreligion, race, caste, sex or place of birth;equality of opportunity in matters of publicemployment; freedom of speech,assembly, association, movement,

residence and profession; cultural andeducational rights of the minorities.

A very important dimension ofFundamental Rights is that throughthem Indian Constitution seeks toestablish rule of law in India. Rule ofLaw is a concept given by A. V. Dicey inhis book 'Law of the Constitution. Thus,Art 14 provides for equality before lawand equal protection of law.

Article 15 prohibits discriminationby the State on any of the specifiedgrounds, namely, religion, race, caste,sex or place of birth, whereas Article 16prohibits discrimination in matters ofpublic employment. State may, however,make positive discrimination in order tofacilitate advancement of socially andeducationally backward classes,scheduled castes and tribes, womanand children in the same spirit. Article 17of the Indian Constitution abolishesuntouchability, which has been a blemishon the Hindu society for long. TheProtection of Civil Rights Act, 1955prescribes stringent punishment forcertain acts declared as an offence underthe Act. Finally, Article 18 abolishes titles,which have no place in a Republic likeIndia. The national awards like the BharatRatna, the Padma Vibhushana, thePadma Bhushan and the Padma Shri,cannot be used as prefixes or suffixes tothe name of the recipients. Further,Article 20 to 22 deal with certainsafeguards which give expression to theconcept rule of law and therefore, alsoHuman Rights in India. Articles 23 and24 provide rights against exploitation.Exploitation is opposed to the dignity ofthe individual as proclaimed in thePreamble to our Constitution. Next setsof Articles from 25 to 28 and 29 to 30 givea secular character to our polity. Last,but not the least, Article 32 provides rightto constitutional remedies. B. R.Ambedkar once called it heart and soulof the Indian Constitution. It gives thecourts power to review any law or actmade on the grounds of constitutionalvalidity.

Glimpses of the Constitutionby V P Gupta

Times of India Education Times 25.3..2002

Indian polity forms an important segment ofthe General Studies paper in the civil servicesexamination, at all the three stages -preliminary, main and interview. An aspirantfor these prestigious services is expected tobe well versed in the Indian Constitution, thefundamental law of the land, along-with thevarious related themes and issues. This alsoapplies to the candidates opting for optionalsubjects like political science, publicadministration and even history. The presentdiscussion intends to give an overview of thefacets of our Constitution.

Our national leaders during freedomstruggle had resolved that India would accepta constitution drawn from the people anddrafted only by the Indians. Accordingly, theConstituent Assembly was formed inDecember 1946 that eventually drafted theConstitution of India, precisely in two yearsand 11 months. The framers of IndianConstitution gave us world's lengthiest writtenconstitutional document.

The original Constitution consisted over395 articles and eight schedules. It is largelybased on the India. Act of 1935, which itselfwas a lengthy document. At the same time,some innovative provisions were added toreflect the socio-political set up of a vast countrywith all its diversities. The best elements fromvarious constitution-al documents were drawnand moulded, accordingly to suit Indianconditions. To name a few, we tookFederalism, Bill of Rights and Judicial Reviewfrom the USA; Directive Principles of StatePolicy from Ireland, and some other featuresfrom Canada and Australia.

To start with, we have opted for a federalpolity with a strong unitary bias. Inspite of aclear-cut distribution of federal powers into threelists, there Is precedence of the central lawover the state law, even during normal times.All India services, appointment of the governorby the President of India, financial dependence

of the state on the centre and supremacyof the Planning Commission give morepowers to the centre vis-a-vis the states.

Secondly, in the working of theIndian Constitution, we have found it tobe more flexible than rigid. Most of theprovisions of this Constitution can beamended by special majority of the'Union Parliament and yet some by justsimple majority.. Only provisions that affectfederal structure of our polity require ratificationby half of the Indian states. Supreme Court inits various deliberations, has opined that article368 does not give the Indian Parliament theabsolute jurisdiction to amend any part of theIndian Constitution. The sanctity of the 'basicstructure' must be honoured.

Thirdly, the provision of theFundamental Rights, as enshrined in the PartIII, reflects a desire of the founding fathers ofour Constitution to build a new social order.While there are negative injunctions prohibitingthe State from commit-ting certain acts, at thesame time, there are positive commandmentsconferring certain benefits upon the individual.Moreover, these rights are not absolute butsubject to reason-able restrictions. They canalso be suspended - except the right to life,during national emergency (Article 352). Andlogically enough, these Fundamental Rightscome along with certain Fundamental Dutiesas well.

Fourthly, the Directive Principles ofState Policy inspired by the Irish precedent,are a unique feature of our Constitution. Mostof socio-economic rights of the people havebeen included under this head. Even thoughsaid to be not enforceable in the courts of law,these principles are expected to guide thegovernance of the country. They are In thenature of ideals set by the founding fathersbefore the State, and all the organs of the Statemust strive to achieve them. The form ofgovernment introduced by our Constitution both

at the Union and the States is the ParliamentaryGovernment of the British type. The primaryreason for the choice of this system ofgovernment was that, the people had a longexperience of this system under theGovernment of India Acts. Indian Constitution

also superimposes an elected President uponthe Parliamentary system of responsiblegovernment. But though an elected Presidentis the executive head of the Union, he is to acton the advice of his ministers.

B R Ambedkar once said in theConstituent Assembly, By parliamentarydemocracy we mean one man, one vote."Almost as an act of faith the founding fathersdecided to opt for universal adult suffrage withevery adult Indian without any distinction, atonce having equal voting rights. Finally, nodiscussion oil the Indian Constitution can becomplete without due reference to the singleintegrated judicial structure. Unlike the US wedo not have separate federal and state courtsystems. The entire judiciary is one hierarchyof courts. It not only adjudicates disputes andacts as the custodian of individual rights andfreedom, but may from time to time need tointerpret the Constitution and review legislationto determine its vires vis-a-vis the Constitution.And the word of the Supreme Court is the finallaw of the land.

In recent times, there has been adebate on the need to review the IndianConstitution keeping in view the presentnational realities. A Review Committee hasalready been set up for the same purpose. Atthe same time, some have even questionedthe need of whole exercise. In the ultimateanalysis, it seems that it's we who have failedthe Constitution and I not the Constitution thathas failed us.

The grammar of successby V P Gupta


The central theme of this article is tointroduce the reader to the grammar ofsuccess in Civil Services Examinations.It has long been as a game easy to playbut difficult to win as for winning you needa workable strategy. Hence each studentmust integrate the advice tendered hereinto the method of working.

My first advice is that it is lesscomplicated than you think and this ideamust be integrated into your mind setbefore starting the preparations; sincethere is a lot of hype about the method ofpreparation to be adopted for success inthis exam. This does not mean it is acake walk, it only means that eachcandidate must understand that therecould be essentially a feeling of quite abit of chaos as you start preparations forsuch a prestigious and elaborate exam.But as you proceed in an organised andenthusiastic manner the chaos will meltaway and a sense of order will startemerging. As in case of any such taskhere also the pattern is overlaid with somechaos which is superficial at the best andthey start clearing away as you proceed.Thus undue anxiety on ,account of allsorts of stories circulating In the marketmust be kept In check since there is ageneral tendency among the students toexaggerate the level of difficulty orcomplexity of the task ahead..Some important suggestions

When you start reading for anytheme remember, It Is essential to firstacquire a clear overview orunderstanding of the big picture beforeproceeding to the nitty-gritty, or nut andbolt aspects of any topic. But, rememberIt Is a must that you have enough patienceto under-stand any topic or theme bothfrom macro level as well as micro level.

This will really give you a properunderstanding of the complete picture.Some topics or themes are like Mughalminiature paintings where so manythings are happening in the marginspace and at times these sideshows havemore crucial Implications than the themedepicted in the main or central space ofthe painting.

As you read any theme In anysubject please remember you will findthe flow of Ideas does not necessarilyfollow a sequential or hierarchical order.In fact, you will simultaneously have todeal with ideas that move in a parallel orlateral manner; Thus the sum total of theideas conveyed by the author in any topicis usually both horizontal and vertical innature except in case of science subjectswhere Ideas usually move in a verticalmanner only. Hence you must bementally ready to cope with bothdirections in the flow of information onany theme that you may be preparing.

You must be able to recognise andarrange the ideas as major orfundamentals and minor or secondarypoints while studying a theme. Thus thefundamentals or major points will giveyou the idea of the big picture while theminor or secondary points will providethe smaller details to complete thepicture.

It is essential that you enjoy learningor the act of acquiring new knowledge.Since in case of this exam, you will berequired to do a lot of reading, you cando this task properly only when you enjoythe whole exercise of gaining newknowledge, which is the most importantthing in today's knowledge driven society.· In most situations when you arepreparing different topics you will have

two types of inputs (a) facts (b) analysisor comment or the opinion of the author.A proper understanding of the facts ismore important since - if you have clearlyunder-stood the facts in the shape ofcause and effect chain, you can veryeasily understand, and, remember theanalysis or opinion part in any topic,

One should try to base his study ofany topic only on one or two good textbooks instead of trying to read veryadvanced books, or collecting materialfrom many sources. It is usually difficultto make sense out of material comingfrom several sources and each authorhas a slightly different view. Thus theadvice is to stick to the mainstream viewof any topic instead of trying to cater to allshades of opinion, which is not requiredfor the purpose of this exam.

Many students have often asked meas to how many hOur8 they must studyon an average everyday, for success inthis exam. Since they have been told thatsome students put in 12 hours to 14 hoursa day. Here I feel one should take suchinformation with a pinch of salt. As permy experience I can safely suggest thatif a candidate can put In six to eight hoursof dedicated work or quality time -everyday, one should be able to cover thewhole syllabus of General Studies andoptional papers in one year's time. Also itis advisable to temporarily stop any othercourses one may be doing whilepreparing for Civil Services Exam. Theabove list can go on for quite a bit more,but I am sure one can make a good startwith the suggestions given above. Finally,I wish to make the point that it is lesscomplicated, That's the message to allthe brave hearts who wish to write thisexam.

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