UPSC SYLLABUS

Part A—Preliminary Examination (objective type)

Paper I - (200 marks) Duration: Two hours

● Current events of national and international importance.

● History of India and Indian National Movement.
● Indian and World Geography-Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the
World.
● Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public
Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
● Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion,
Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
● General issues on Environmental ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change - that do
not require subject specialisation.
● General Science.

Paper II-(200 marks) CSAT Duration : Two Hours

Qualifying paper {33%}

● Comprehension; Interpersonal skills including communication skills;

● Logical reasoning and analytical ability;
● Decision making and problem solving;
● General mental ability;
● Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.) (Class X
level),
● Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc. — Class X level)

Part - B (MAINS)

PAPER- II
General Studies-I: Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World
and Society.

● Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, literature and Architecture
from ancient to modern times.
● Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the
present- significant events, personalities, issues.
● The Freedom Struggle — its various stages and important contributors/contributions
from different parts of the country.
● Post-independence consolidation and reorganisation within the country.
● History of the world will include events from the 18th century such as industrial
revolution, world wars, redrawal of national boundaries, colonisation, decolonization,
political philosophies like communism, capitalism, socialism etc.— their forms and
effect on society.
 ● Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India.
● Role of women and women’s organisation, population and associated issues,
poverty and developmental issues, urbanisation, their problems and their remedies.
● Effects of globalisation on Indian society.
● Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism.
● Salient features of the world's physical geography.
● Distribution of key natural resources across the world (including South Asia and the
Indian subcontinent); factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and
tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world (including India).
● Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity,
cyclones etc., geographical features and their location-changes in critical
geographical features (including water-bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna
and the effects of such changes.

PAPER-III
General Studies- II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice, and International
Relations

● Indian Constitution—historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments,

significant provisions and basic structure.
● Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges
pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local
levels and challenges therein.
● Separation of powers between various organs dispute redressal mechanisms and
institutions.
● Comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other countries.
● Parliament and State legislatures—structure, functioning, conduct of business,
powers & privileges and issues arising out of these.
● Structure, organisation and functioning of the Executive and the
Judiciary—Ministries and Departments of the Government; pressure groups and
formal/informal associations and their role in the Polity.
● Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act.
● Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions and responsibilities of
various Constitutional Bodies.
● Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies.
● Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and
issues arising out of their design and implementation.
● Development processes and the development industry —the role of NGOs, SHGs,
various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other
stakeholders.
● Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States
and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies
constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.
● Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating
to Health, Education, Human Resources.
● Issues relating to poverty and hunger.
● Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance-
applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters,
transparency & accountability and institutional and other measures.
● Role of civil services in a democracy.
● India and its neighbourhood- relations.
● Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or
affecting India’s interests.
 ● Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s
interests, Indian diaspora.
● Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.

PAPER-IV
General Studies-III: Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment,
Security and Disaster Management

● Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation, of resources, growth,

development and employment.
● Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.
● Government Budgeting.
● Major crops-cropping patterns in various parts of the country, - different types of
irrigation and irrigation systems storage, transport and marketing of agricultural
produce and issues and related constraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers.
● Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices;
Public Distribution System- objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping; issues of
buffer stocks and food security;
● Technology missions; economics of animal-rearing.
● Food processing and related industries in India- scope and significance, location,
upstream and downstream requirements, supply chain management.
● Land reforms in India.
● Effects of liberalisation on the economy, changes in industrial policy and their effects
on industrial growth.
● Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.
● Investment models.
● Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in
everyday life.
● Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and
developing new technology.
● Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology,
bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights.
● Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact
assessment.
● Disaster and disaster management.

● Linkages between development and spread of extremism.

● Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security.
● Challenges to internal security through communication networks, role of media and
social networking sites in internal security challenges, basics of cyber security;
money-laundering and its prevention.
● Security challenges and their management in border areas - linkages of organised
crime with terrorism.
● Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate.

PAPER-V
General Studies- IV: Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude (examples are must)

This paper will include questions to test the candidates’ attitude and approach to issues
relating to integrity, probity in public life and his problem-solving approach to various issues
and conflicts faced by him in dealing with society. Questions may utilise the case study
approach to determine these aspects. The following broad areas will be covered:
 ● Ethics and Human Interface: Essence, determinants and consequences of Ethics
in-human actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics - in private and public relationships.
Human Values - lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and
administrators; role of family society and educational institutions in inculcating values.
● Attitude: content, structure, function; its influence and relation with thought and
behaviour; moral and political attitudes; social influence and persuasion.
● Aptitude and foundational values for Civil Service, integrity, impartiality and
non-partisanship, objectivity, dedication to public service, empathy, tolerance and
compassion towards the weaker-sections.
● Emotional intelligence-concepts, and their utilities and application in administration
and governance.
● Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and the world.
● Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: Status and problems;
ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions; laws, rules,
regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance; accountability and ethical
governance; strengthening of ethical and moral values in governance; ethical issues
in international relations and funding; corporate governance.
● Probity in Governance: Concept of public service; Philosophical basis of governance
and probity; Information sharing and transparency in government, Right to
Information, Codes of Ethics, Codes of Conduct, Citizen’s Charters, Work culture,
Quality of service delivery, Utilisation of public funds, challenges of corruption.
● Case Studies on above issues

PAPER-VI & PAPER VII

Qualifying Papers on Indian Languages and English
The aim of the paper is to test the candidate’s ability to read and understand serious
discursive
prose, and to express his ideas clearly and correctly, in English and Indian language.
The pattern of questions would be broadly as follows:
(i) Comprehension of given passages.
(ii) Precis Writing.
(iii) Usage and Vocabulary.
(iv) Short Essays.
Indian Languages:-
(i) comprehension of given passages.
(ii) Precis Writing.
(iii) Usage and Vocabulary.
(iv) Short Essays.
(v) Translation from English to the Indian Language and vice-versa.

Optional Subject Papers I & II

POLITICAL SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL

RELATIONS

PAPER- I
Political Theory and Indian Politics :

1. Political Theory: meaning and approaches.

2. Theories of state : Liberal, Neo-liberal, Marxist, Pluralist, post-colonial and Feminist.
3. Justice : Conceptions of justice with special reference to Rawl’s theory of justice and its
communitarian critiques.
4. Equality : Social, political and economic; relationship between equality and freedom;
Affirmative action.
5. Rights : Meaning and theories; different kinds of rights; Concept of Human Rights.
6. Democracy : Classical and contemporary theories; different models of
democracy—representative, participatory and deliberative.
7. Concept of power : hegemony, ideology and legitimacy.
8. Political Ideologies : Liberalism, Socialism, Marxism, Fascism, Gandhism and Feminism.
9. Indian Political Thought: Dharamshastra, Arthashastra and Buddhist Traditions; Sir Syed
Ahmed Khan, Sri Aurobindo, M. K. Gandhi, B. R. Ambedkar, M. N. Roy.
10. Western Political Thought : Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, John S. Mill,
Marx, Gramsci, Hannah Arendt.

Indian Government and Politics

1. Indian Nationalism :
(a) Political Strategies of India’s Freedom Struggle : Constitutionalism to mass Satyagraha,
Noncooperation, Civil Disobedience; Militant and Revolutionary Movements, Peasant and
Workers Movements.
(b) Perspectives on Indian National Movement; Liberal, Socialist and Marxist; Radical
Humanist and Dalit.
2. Making of the Indian Constitution : Legacies of the British rule; different social and political
perspectives.
3. Salient Features of the Indian Constitution : The Preamble, Fundamental Rights and
Duties, Directive Principles; Parliamentary System and Amendment Procedures; Judicial
Review and Basic Structure doctrine.
4. (a) Principal Organs of the Union Government : Envisaged role and actual working of the
Executive, Legislature and Supreme Court.
(b) Principal Organs of the State Government : Envisaged role and actual working of the
Executive, Legislature and High Courts.
5. Grassroots Democracy : Panchayati Raj and Municipal Government; Significance of 73rd
and 74th Amendments; Grassroot movements.
6. Statutory Institutions/Commissions : Election Commission, Comptroller and Auditor
General, Finance Commission, Union Public Service Commission, National Commission for
Scheduled Castes, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, National Commission for
Women; National Human Rights Commission, National Commission for Minorities, National
Backward Classes Commission.
7. Federalism : Constitutional provisions; changing nature of centre-state relations;
integrationist tendencies and regional aspirations; inter-state disputes.

8. Planning and Economic development : Nehruvian and Gandhian perspectives; Role of

planning and public sector; Green Revolution, land reforms and agrarian relations;
liberalisation and economic reforms.
9. Caste, Religion and Ethnicity in Indian Politics.
10. Party System : National and regional political parties, ideological and social bases of
parties; Patterns of coalition politics; Pressure groups, trends in electoral behaviour;
changing socio-economic profile of Legislators.
11. Social Movement : Civil liberties and human rights movements; women’s
movements; environmentalist movements.

PAPER-II
Comparative Politics and International Relations

Comparative Political Analysis and International Politics :

1. Comparative Politics : Nature and major approaches; Political economy and political
sociology perspectives; Limitations of the comparative method.
2. State in Comparative Perspective : Characteristics and changing nature of the State in
capitalist and socialist economies, and advanced industrial and developing societies.
3. Politics of Representation and Participation : Political parties, pressure groups and social
movements in advanced industrial and developing societies.
4. Globalisation : Responses from developed and developing societies.
5. Approaches to the Study of International Relations : Idealist, Realist, Marxist, Functionalist
and Systems theory.
6. Key Concepts in International Relations : National interest, security and power; Balance of
power and deterrence; Transnational actors and collective security; World capitalist economy
and globalisation.
7. Changing International Political Order :
(a) Rise of superpowers; Strategic and ideological Bipolarity, arms race and cold war;
Nuclear threat;
(b) Non-aligned Movement : Aims and achievements.
(c) Collapse of the Soviet Union; Unipolarity and American hegemony; Relevance of
non-alignment in
the contemporary world.
8. Evolution of the International Economic System : From Bretton Woods to WTO; Socialist
economies and the CMEA (Council for Mutual Economic Assistance); Third World demand
for new international economic order; Globalisation of the world economy.
9. United Nations : Envisaged role and actual record; Specialized UN agencies—aims and
functioning; need for UN reforms.
10. Regionalisation of World Politics : EU, ASEAN, APEC, AARC, NAFTA.
11. Contemporary Global Concerns : Democracy, human rights, environment, gender justice
terrorism, nuclear proliferation.

India and the World

1. Indian Foreign Policy : Determinants of foreign policy; the institutions of policy-making;

Continuity and change.
2. India’s Contribution to the Non-Alignment Movement Different phases; Current role.
3. India and South Asia :
(a) Regional Cooperation : SAARC-past performance and future prospects.
(b) South Asia as a Free Trade Area.
(c) India’s “Look East” policy.
(d) Impediments to regional cooperation : River water disputes; illegal cross border
migration; Ethnic conflicts and insurgencies; Border disputes.

4. India and the Global South : Relations with Africa and Latin America; Leadership role in
the demand for NIEO and WTO negotiations.
5. India and the Global Centres of Power : USA, EU, Japan, China and Russia.
6. India and the UN System: Role in UN Peace-keeping; Demand for Permanent Seat in the
Security Council.
7. India and the Nuclear Question : Changing perceptions and policy.
8. Recent developments in Indian Foreign Policy : India’s position on the recent crises in
Afghanistan, Iraq and West Asia, growing relations with US and Israel; Vision of a new world
order.

PART - C (Personality Test)

275 marks