Times of India

Education Times

1.8.2005
providing direction on different policy matters like social work. International Affairs and Institutions Reforms in United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and formation of G-4 to bid for permanent seats in the Security Council and US role during the entire process will be important this year. Developments in the fields of S&T, communications and space Scientific development during the last one year, focus on development of AIDS vaccine, stem cell research, focus on non-renewable sources of energy and manned space are must during

General fundas
Director Rau's IAS Study Circle, V. P. Gupta, speaks to Education Times on the strategy required to prepare for General Studies in the next few months
Paper-I History of Modern India and Indian Culture The subject is like a story and there could be linkages between two questions. Students thus need to ensure that the entire syllabus is covered in detail while revising history. They can, however, do without preparing portions which appeared last year in the main stage of the examination. The general trend is that there are no repetitions from last year's papers, but once in a while students could be in for a surprise. The part relating to Indian culture will cover all aspects from ancient to modern times. Geography of India Students should concentrate on human and economic geography. Human section includes issues related to population. There will be questions based on the Human Development Report prepared by United Nations Development Programme. The World Development Report of World Bank deals in different aspects of economic geography like safe drinking water. Students should emphasise less on classical geography like types of soil and rocks. The stress should be on preparing cultural and economic geography and issues related to it. Indian Polity Different aspects of the Constitution like Supreme Court judgment during the past one year are important. At macro level, students need to know in detail issues like imposition of President's Rule in Bihar, why it was imposed and under what circumstances, significance of Bommai Judgment while implementing the same are important. Current National issues and topics of social relevance Students should go through major happenings at the national level during the last one calendar year. National newspapers, news magazines, journals and periodicals are good source of information to prepare topics related to national issues. Issues of social relevance which affect the lives of people should always be dealt in detail. Paper-II India and the World India's relations with major world powers like US, China, Russia, France, UK and European Union should be covered in detail. The recent positive developments in Indo-US relations particularly in areas like civilian nuclear energy deal, space cooperation and education will be important in this year's examination. Immediate neighbours like Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Myanmar too play an important role in India's foreign policy. Disputes with Pakistan and China on the one hand and Bangladesh and Nepal on the other have come to play an important role in India's tryst to create a space in world politics. There should be focus on India's role in her neighbour's internal politics like maoist insurgency and return of democracy in Nepal. Issues related to illegal immigrants from Bangladesh too are important in this year's paper. Indian Economy The change of guard at the Centre has brought an ideological shift in how we manage our economy and issues related to taxation and spending pattern. There is more emphasis on the social sector, winding up of Ministry of Disinvestment, issues related to privatisation or profit earning and loss-making PSU entities. Queries related to disinvestment of government entities in a transparent manner too have come to play an important role during the past one year. The role of government in our public life like running utility services too has become a matter of debate during the last few years. Areas like atomic energy, manufacturing of military goods should continue to remain in the public sector but the government should not own enterprises. The role of the government should be limited to budgetary support and

the revision. Geological disasters like earthquakes are still not being predicted inspite of technological advancements. Is it then justified to spend heavily on space research? Statistical analysis, graphs and diagrames This section tests the candidates ability to draw conclusions from information presented in statistical, graphical or diagrammatical form and to point out deficiencies therein. Writing the paper Students should be focussed in terms of language, and they should ensure that the answers are as close as possible. The examiner is usually in a hurry and if provided with facts and coherent replies his job becomes easier. The answers should not be lengthy and written in a precise manner. Word limit should be adhered to, wherever mentioned. Students should focus on providing their side of justification in a jiffy. Repetitive and elaborate replies should be strictly avoided

Times of India

Education Times

9.5.2005
Revise your stuff a number of times. IA calm mental state is most important. Since there is no negative marking in the exam, it is suggested not to leave any questions unanswered. An intelligent guess can be made wherever necessary. Do not get stuck at any question. Move on from question to question and attempt the difficult ones at the end. In the first round, attempt only the answers which you are sure, of. In the next round, try to eliminate as many options as you can and darken the ovals which are the only one left out after elimination. If you are confused between just two options, it is advisable to make an intelligent guess. If you are left with about five to 10 minutes, select one option out of A,B,C or and go on dealing with the left out questions. After a two weeks break get down for the Main preparation with confidence. Chase the success in the exam with the single mindedness of a cricketer who wants to win at least the 'Man of the Match' award if not the 'Man of Series'.

Taming of the prelims

V 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 the students appearing at the Civil Services Prelim Exam on May 15, 2005. Remember to retain your cool and go in with the attitude of a winner. Looking at the pattern in which questions have been framed in General Studies (GS) from 1985 onwards, one is tempted to say that possibly the principle design of the examiners is to eliminate candidates rather than test their mental calibre. Moreover, examiners have not correctly followed in all the years the pattern of allotting specific number of marks specified for each syllabus expect for the area on Mental Ability. Such being the current trend of setting the GS paper in the Preliminary Exam, candidates have no option but to bank upon chosen optional subjects while making reasonable amount of preparation for all areas of GS. Besides, it is wise to prepare these areas from the view-point of the Main Examination. The areas to be taken care of are Modern India, Polity, Indian Economy, Geography, Current Events and General Science. Considering the general nature of the examination the tactics must be to focus on greater rather than intensive coverage. One is expected to know history, science, polity, geography, economy and other such disciplines, all at the same time. However, only basics of each of the disciplines is needed. Hence one must concentrate on basics and acquire as much facts about basics as possible but avoiding the element of over-kill in preparations. While preparation for the Prelims large coverage is the key word. By going through large source of information it is expected that an image is built in the mind which will reflect the details. Do remember that human memory skills work better when there are less emotional in-puts or anxiety about inability to recall on account of exam-related stress. Here is a brief do and don'ts: Final preparation must start by testing self with the revision-type Model Test' Papers. Do not get discouraged by initial low score. Emphasis on your weak-spots. Keep testing yourself at a regular interval. Make a mental note of areas you have covered and what remains to be covered. Be analytical in response. Do not overstretch yourself on area of coverage-wise.

Times of India

Education Times

21.2.2005
benefits and social security. Health and other social facilities are state funded and there are direct export subsides to the exporters who export agricultural products, often termed as farm subsidies. India has been a vocal critic of farm subsidies that lead to anomalies in world trade. The subsidies cheapen their farm products in the international market. In fact the total farm subsidies given by the US and European Union account to almost two third of India's total GDP. The difference of opinion on these subsidies between the developed and developing countries even resulted in the failure of Cancun Summit of WTO. While countries like India were ready to reduce the tariff barriers on imports, the developed countries remained non committal about phasing out the subsidies given to the exporters of farm products. Some developed countries even wanted that developing countries should have more transparency in their procurement policies. Reverting back to subsidies in India, it seems that some of the essential subsidies will continue while others could be phased out, particularly those on petroleum products like diesel keeping in view India's huge oil pool deficit. The subsidies on food and other basic amenities like health and education should continue, but the government must ensure the proper identification of the beneficiaries. The sharp targeting of subsidies is indeed the most important as well as the most difficult aspect to achieve in a large country like India, since even the advanced economies like USA and EU are not able to do this successfully.

Dynamics of Subsidies
V P Gupta Simplifies the Matrix of Subsidy
The current national affairs are an important segment of General Studies Paper I. While preparing for this paper, one must go/look for important developments affecting the nation as a whole or a large section of people. One has to keep track of the important policy announcements of the Government besides judgements of the Supreme Court. In this and subsequent articles we shall discuss some of the relevant issues in brief. others. The report of Central Government about Subsidies in India: A Report, 2004 by the Ministry of Finance, prepared with assistance from the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, calls for reducing Minimum Support Prices for farmers, suggesting the removal of the present two-tier system of prices in the Public Distribution System (PDS) along with a system of food coupons for below poverty line (BPL) population. Fertiliser prices should be raised. LPG and kerosene subsidies, presumably affecting large middle class and poor households, require further reduction. In fact, their prices have been already raised recently since the UPA government came in power. Those who support the continuing of subsidies for the time being argue that the focus on reducing subsidies only comes about because of the Government's failure to raise tax revenues. For them the subsidies are essentially negative taxes. Such negative taxes would mean that instead of being raised from the people they are given back to certain target groups among the population of the country. One has to take note that subsidies are a global phenomena and developed countries of the West give direct subsidies in the form of unemployment

One such current affairs issue is subsidies. India, being a welfare state, has been providing assistance to various sections of the society in the form of subsidies. The main beneficiaries have been the farmers, needy people and those using various forms of public services. Over the years these subsidies have come under scrutiny and there have been demand to phase out these subsidies as they are considered as a burden on the state exchequer. Consequently, the ratio of all direct subsidies paid by the Central Government to GDP has actually fallen from around 1.85 percent in 1990-91 to 1.6 percent in 2003-04. It seems that the main concern has been the indirect subsidies which remain quite high. Indirect subsidies are subsidies administered through inputs like fertiliser, electricity, diesel and irrigation, among

Times of India

Education Times

21.3.2005
situations alone. When disaster strikes, governments need assistance from the public and private sectors. Often international disasters involve complex emergencies such as wars or other conflicts. NGOs have the best knowledge of local communities and their needs, but lack the material resources to transport relief supplies that the governments provide. Thus, there is always a need for a sort of strategic partnership between governments and NGOs. The NGOs can innovate faster than governments and maintain the vital energy in the service of people because of their abiding faith in service. They have helped to focus attention on the social and environmental implications of big businesses and their activities. Multinational companies have been acutely susceptible to pressure from NGOs, eager to challenge their labour, environmental or human rights record. Even those businesses that do not specialise in highly visible branded goods feel the pressure, as NGOs develop techniques to target their downstream customers and shareholders. The big businesses have, therefore, been made to realise their social responsibilities towards the communities on whose shoulder they stand. However, the success or failure of NGOs would ultimately depend on their innate sense of justice and the goodness of each individual who works for them.

NGOs, an important fact of public life

V P GUPTA CHECKS AND BALANCES THE ROLE OF NGOs, FOR THE ESSAY PAPER
An important theme which is essential for the students to know for the Essay Paper in Civil Services Main Exam is the Role of NGOs in a democratic society like ours. The existence of NV P GUPTA CHECKS AND BALANCES THE ROLE OF NGOs, FOR THE ESSAY PAPER GOs is a global phenomenon. Growing resentment or dissatisfaction with the performance of governments all over the world is a causative factor in the growth of the NGOs in public domain. Thus as a corrective step to this universal weakness in governance provided by politicians, the Non-Government Organisations or NGOs have become an important fact of our public life today. The factors that have fuelled the growth of NGOs are plenty. NGOs today speak to and speak for the poor, the disenfranchised, the minorities and other marginalised groups in society to make sure that the needs and desires of these people are heard and responded to by the Government agencies. The idea of good governance requires that the distribution of power and resources be held open to account. Civil Society globally and NGOs in particular are increasingly seen as part of an apparatus of checks and balances in respect of the operations of any democratic system of governance. The NGOs are able to recognise and manage any tensions that arise in society in a professional, sensitive and mature manner. In reality NGOs act as support system to the governments to ensure good governance and secure the highest common good for the people. While on one hand, the NGOs supplement government action on the other hand they may have to publicly criticise governments should their standards of operation or the integrity of public servants decline. The reverse is true as well. Governments too may feel justified in criticising NGOs for their shortcomings or excessive bickering. So, can a partnership between the NGOs and governments sustain this tension? The simple answer is that it has to. There are challenges on this road ahead. The Governments and NGOs must learn to meet them together in the spirit of true partnership and trust. A very important aspect which needs special mention about the role of NGOs is disaster management. Governments cannot deal with crisis

Times of India

Education Times

11.12.2004
of ancient, medieval and modern Indian history. Special emphasis should be given to 19th century resurgence and the attainment of the Indian independence. Geography questions usually cover Indian geography, with regards to physical, social and economic aspects. Indian polity and economy together make a very large chunk of the questions. An analysis of the previous year's questions suggest that majority of the questions cover the themes related to the Indian Constitution and the existing political system. Recent developments in the field of economic priorities are also a favourite area for questioning. The candidates are thus tested apart from their basic knowledge of economy, polity, science and history, but for their general mental ability also. Some questions on reasoning, analytical ability, logical conclusion and pictorial interpretation are asked here. Considering the organisation and nature of the Preliminary Examination one can see the relative importance of optional subject paper which carries 300 marks, is far more greater than the importance of the General Studies paper carrying 150 marks. However, students are cautioned that it does not mean one can overlook the significance of General Studies paper and it too needs to be approached seriously through a systematic orientation accompanied by an appropriate mindset. The Main Examination comprises of two types of papers; non-ranking and the ranking ones. There are two papers (of the total nine) that are non-ranking in nature which include one paper of the Indian language to be selected by the candidate as per his mother tongue and the second paper is of English. Both these paper are of very simple nature and in a way mentally prepare the candidate for writing the subsequent examination. Among scoring or ranking papers there are three groups of papers, which are:

A Road-Map to Civil Services

V P GUPTA
Everyone wants to win but few have the will to give all that it takes to win. We all seek success in life. But have not realized what success is made of. Well, in simple language success happens when preparation meets performance. We spend more time in planning ordinary day to day things than planning our lives. The road-map for success can be briefly put like this: Plan, Prepare, Practice, Perform and Win. In short, success takes more than just slogging. Now I propose to .take you on a conducted tour of how to prepare for "the career", i. e. a career in Civil Services or simply put, IAS. The Nature of the Examination The Civil Services Exam offers widest range of jobs in our country and is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Some of the top services offered by this examination are: Indian Administrative Service, Indian Police Service, Indian Foreign Service, Indian Revenue Service and Indian Customs and Central Excise Services etc. There are in all about twenty-six services offered through this single examination. A three-level exam is conducted to achieve this purpose. The Structure of the Examination The candidates are put through three kinds of testing to ensure that the persons selected have: (a) wide range of general awareness, (b) analytical ability and content retention capacity, (c) a cheerful mental disposition even under stressful conditions and some other officers' like qualities. Each one of these requirements is tested respectively through Preliminary Exam (objective type questions), Main Exam (descriptive type questions) and Interview test. The Preliminary Examination is conducted in the month of May every year and it comprises of two papers, one for optional subject which is selected by the students and one for General Studies which is a compulsory paper for all. Here, candidates are given multiple choice type questions. There is no negative marking; hence students are advised to attempt all the questions. The questions are of graduation level. There are in all about 120 questions asked and they carry 300 marks. The second paper in the Preliminary Examination is General Studies comprising six segments in all. These include: General Science, Current Events of National and International Importance, History of India and Indian National Movement, India and World Geography, Indian Polity and Economy and General Mental Ability. There are usually 150 questions asked which carry a total of 150 marks. Now coming to the major segments of General Studies paper, questions on general science include the basics and scientific awareness of related areas. It comprises themes such as: Physics, Astrophysics, Chemistry, Botany, Zoology, Agriculture, Medicine & Life Sciences etc. Though, each one of these is a fully developed discipline; but the questions asked here are the ones that can be' expected from a welleducated person without any special knowledge of these disciplines. Current event of national and international importance questions generally revolve around such happenings that may have taken place during the previous 12 months. History of India and the Indian National Movement questions include social, economic and political aspects

Times of India

Education Times

11.12.2004
Well, let me tell you that the most important part of the Interview is "you". Everything else that goes on in an interview is peripheral or secondary. Talking about oneself is not easy for anyone in such a situation. Yet that is what precisely you are required to do in an interview. Your achievements, interests and vision is what you must be ready to talk about in a clear headed manner. An interview is a celebration of "you" from start to finish. The interviewers usually have two major enquiries in their mind: (a) the personality issues and (b) the knowledge base of a candidate. Now, in case of Civil Services Exam the knowledge aspect is taken care of by an elaborate written exam which is already over by the time you go for the interview. What remains to be evaluated is the personality aspects of a candidate. And it is for this reason the interview has been at times also call the personality test. The personality of a person has been variously defined to include a vast number of qualities of head and heart. The personality of any person is the sum total of what one has experienced, seen, heard, read or felt from the very moment one starts being award of himself in the society. In short what UPSC is looking for in a candidate is a man of substance who has the intelligence and courage to take on any job and give his best to it without fear or favour. Briefly, they are looking for a person who will hold his ground and stand by his colleagues in the difficult situations with complete sincerity and commitment. Finally remember, winning is an event, but being a winner is a spirit. To win you will have to understand this spirit of deserving something; before getting it. The mantra for success in an exam like Civil Services is to cultivate the real joy of learning as a precondition for any learning to start impacting your mind.

A Road-Map to Civil Services

V P GUPTA
two optional subjects - 4 papers in all (comprising of a total of 1200 marks), Essay - one paper (200 marks) and the General Studies - two papers (total 600 marks). For the optional papers UPSC has a list of about twenty six subjects out of which two subjects have to be selected by every candidate. However, a few combinations belonging to disciplines having substantial overlaps in content are not allowed. Main Examination also includes two papers of General Studies. Both of these papers are further subdivided in nine segments, four segments in paper one and five in paper two. The four segment of Paper-I include History of Modem India and Indian Culture, Geography of India, Indian Polity and Current National Issues and Topics of Social Relevance. The five segments of Paper-II include the topics on India and the World, Indian Economy, International Affairs and Institutions, Developments in the field of Science and Technology, Communications & Space and Statistical Analysis of Graphs and Diagrams. The Main Examination, apart from optional subjects and General Studies papers also includes an Essay paper. It carries 200 marks. The candidates are advised to prepare for this paper keeping some major themes in mind. Apart from the preparation for the content, students are also advised to polish their basic skills for essay-writing. The Strategy for Preparation The strategy for General Studies preparation is a bit different from the optional subjects as the word "General" is very difficult to define. But if one proceeds with right approach and strategy it becomes fairly organised. Then the next question is "what is the right approach and strategy"? Well, for that one needs to keep in mind the basic fact that if the goal is to reach the highest level of achievement, then one must have not only ample patience for details but should be able to keep the big picture regarding any theme in his mind at the time of study. Thus the preparation strategy is to follow a mix of both micro and macro level approaches. The first step in this direction is the understanding of the syllabus. One must look at the Syllabus closely and in detail. After that one should analyse the past year's question papers that indicate the important areas as well as the real scope of the syllabus. Then comes the next step of apportioning of time depending on the importance and length of each area. The next step would cover the selection of right books and an efficient method to study them. The basic guideline at the start of the preparations for both P.T. and Main Exam is to read N.C.E.R.T. books on related subjects. There is no substitute for it. One should refrain in the beginning from reading guidebooks as they load you with information but very little concept. Interview test is the final 'lap of the A RoadMap to Civil Services Civil Services selection process. Though it carries only 300 marks, one can not afford to take it lightly because a candidate's selection or ranking is likely to be affected by the marks that he/she gets in it. This test is not a cross examination, but something which appears between the twilight of a question and answer session and a purposive conversation.

Times of India

Education Times

13.12.2004
exam that comprises descriptive-type questions and personal interview. Conducted in the month of May every year, the preliminary examination comprises two papers, one on an optional subject which is selected by a candidate and another one on general studies which is a compulsory paper for all. The examination encompasses multiple-choice questions and since there is no negative marking, students are advised to attempt all the questions. The questions asked are of graduation level. There are in all about 120 questions asked in this section, which are of 300 marks in total. The second paper of the preliminary examination is on general studies comprising six segments in all, including: General science, current events of national and international importance, history of India and Indian national movement, Indian and world geography, Indian polity and economy, and general mental ability. These segments need to be carefully understood by the candidates in the backdrop of the previous years questions.

Aspiring for the Top slot

Civil Services Examination does not merely test the knowledge and aptitude of a candidate but, his attitude and strength of character as well through an extensive three-tier system, says V P Gupta
We all seek success in life but do not realize what success is made of. Well, in simple language, success happens when preparation meets performance. We spend more time in planning ordinary things than planning our lives. The roadmap for success can be briefly put like this: Plan, Prepare, Practice, Perform and Win. In short, success takes more than just slogging. And it definitely takes much more if you are aspiring for a career in the most coveted services in the country, the civil services. Nature of the examination The civil services examination offering widest range of jobs in our country, is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Some of the services offered by this examination are: Indian Administrative Service, Indian Police Service, Indian Foreign Services, Indian Revenue Service and Indian Customs and Central Excise Service, to name the prominent ones. There are in all about 26 services offered through this single examination. Considering the importance and nature of these jobs, UPSC takes utmost care in selecting the right people. A three-level exam in conducted to achieve this purpose. Structure of the exam The candidates are put through three kinds of testing to ensure that the persons selected have (a) wide range of general awareness, (b) analytical ability and content retention capacity, and (c) a cheerful mental disposition even under stressful conditions and some other officers' like qualities. Each one of these requirements is tested respectively through preliminary exam, which includes objective-type questions, main

Times of India

Education Times

15.11.2004
a regular basis, Here the candidates must take into account causative dimension of hazards, prognostic dimensions of hazards and hazard mitigation techniques, for instance, One must be prepared about the regional distribution of hazards as well. Some of the recent technological advancement in geography have attracted the attention of the examiner. The candidate should prepare itself with the remote sensing techniques, major achievement in these directions and some of the basic usages they can be put to. The GIS techniques have been in news in the recent time and they as remote sensing not merely help in keeping eye on the resources of the country but moreover, continuously accessing their potential by periodic reconnaissance of a given region. Space technology is a major forte of Indian scientists and every educated person is expected to be aware about the basic advancements in these areas. The candidates however, while preparing must not loose touch with the Atlas, probably the first technological aid of geographical enquiry. Geopolitical concerns have always been important but they have been acquiring new dimensions with the passage of time. The relationship of India with its neighbouring countries, particularly with regard to the border areas is of major concern. Geopolitics of the Indian ocean has always been important and new dimensions need to be looked upon by the candidates while preparing for the examination. Reorganisation of the states, while on the surface appears to be a typical political event, actually has a deep geographical context. The demand for new states and their geographical context are indeed topics of interest for the students of geography.

Dealing with Geography

APART FROM KNOWING ABOUT THE CLASSICAL FORM OF GEOGRAPHY IT IS IMPORTANT FOR AN ASPIRANT TO BE ABREAST WITH THE CONTEMPORARY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE DISCIPLINE, SAYS V P GUPTA
Geography is an important component of the 'general studies' segment in the Civil Services main examination. Geography as a discipline is continuously evolving. The present form of geography is fairly contemporary in nature dealing with the diverse range of phenomena that touches upon various aspects of life. One can see that geography has unfolded in the dimensions of the environmental geography, political geography, social geography, urban geography and many - more facets beyond its classical form, which you might have studied in school. Geography for the main examination is important as questions worth 30 marks are usually being asked. While the focus in this segment is primarily on geography of India, it does not restrict the examiner from asking questions beyond classical parameters such as physiography of India, climate of India, soils and drainage pattern of India. Geography has a set of basic concepts which are of common interest and candidates are expected to be aware of them. Plate tectonism, mountain building, sea floor spreading, isostasy and related concepts are touched upon in the examination directly or indirectly. Candidates while preparing for this segment should try and keep in mind the orientation of Indian scene. Resources play a vital role in the economic prosperity of a country. There are various kinds of resources such as human resources as well as natural resources. One may expect questions on various kinds of resources, their potential and the problems in their utilisation. The forests resources, their depletion, soil resources, their potential and problems, water resources in terms of their chemistry and their ever depleting levels are some of the major concerns of the present time. Questions relating to the planning aspects of geography themes have become fairly popular off late. Questions dealing with programmes like command area development programme, watershed development programme, integrated rural development programme, drought prone area programme and desert development programme, among others, are often asked. Economic development has much to do with the resources and geographical parameters. It is moreover, a significant area for questions, India being primarily an agricultural economy, all those parameters that affect agriculture attract the attention of examiner on a regular basis. Monsoon and its variability, dependability, genesis, distribution and off late forecasting techniques have been common as questions. India with its geographical diversity has been bestowed with a diverse range of hazards as well. Hazards not merely affect the economic component but the social and demographic parameters as well. Various kinds of hazards such as flood, drought and cyclones form questions on

Times of India

Education Times

25.10.2004

Strengthening Economy
V. P. Gupta Elaborates on the Role and Significance of Foreign Direct Investment in the Economic Development of India
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is an important source to supplement domestic investment for achieving a higher level of economic development in India. FDI directly impacts on output growth by augmenting the available capital for investment. For instance, FDI typically serves to increase competition in markets, bring new technology into India, foster skill acquisition amongst domestic labour and moreover, pave the way for strong exports growth. FDI provides for investment in Indian companies or setting up wholly-owned subsidiaries in the areas which are otherwise not under the prohibitive categories such as telecommunications, civil aviation, banking, insurance, real estate, agriculture and plantations, to name the prominent ones. FDI in India is invited through two channels - the automatic approval route under which foreign investment in areas identified and up to the limits of foreign equity prescribed, companies can issue shares and receive inward remittances with the reporting requirement to Reserve Bank of India within a period of 30 days. In all other cases, proposals are considered by the Foreign Investment and Promotion Board (FIPB) serviced by the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance. The share of FDI inflows in total foreign investment rose sharply from about 56 per cent in 2000-01 to almost 80 per cent in 2002-03. This indicates that longerterm FDI inflows have been the main contributors to foreign investment in recent years. FDI inflows for the full year of 2003-04 have been estimated at US$ 4.5 billion, which are slightly lower than US$ 4.7 billion recorded during 2002-03 However, during the first three quarters attractiveness as a FDI destination, which has registered a gain of just 8 per cent that is from 3.6 in 2002-03 to 3.9 in 2003-04. The paltry upward movement in the index implies that the perception of foreign investors about India as an investment destination has not improved significantly. In fact, security and terrorism concerns weigh heavily on the minds of foreign investors. Factors like exchange rate volatility, hardening commodity prices and higher interest rates in home country can in addition, play spoilsport. Global and regional trade initiatives would, on the other hand, give a boost to FDI inflows into India. The top motivating factors for the entry of foreign investors into India are market size and highly skilled manpower. When a foreign investor considers any new investment, it goes through four stages in the decision making process and action cycle, namely, (a) screening, (b) planning, (c) implementing and (d) operating and expanding. Our promotional effort is quite often of a general nature and not corporate specific. On the other hand, China is viewed as 'more business oriented'. Its decision making is faster and it has more FDI friendly policies. India has the potential to attract much larger FDI, provided that it ensures fast approvals of FDI at entry level and initiates reforms in the direction of investor friendly labour laws, efficient infrastructure, which includes electricity and transport, and fiscal incentives.

of 2003-04, FDI inflows accounted for less than 25 per cent of total foreign investment, while portfolio flows constituted 75 per cent of total foreign investment. The total portfolio investment inflows during the year 2003-04 amounted to US$ 11.4 billion, which far higher than US$ 1 billion recorded during 2002-03 The rapid rise in portfolio inflows has much to do with the buoyant state of domestic capital markets. The main difference between FDI and portfolio investment is in the lasting interest expressed by a non-resident direct investor in a resident enterprise of the domestic economy. The FDI Attractiveness Index, a summary measure of India's

Times of India

Education Times

11.10.2004

FINAL CALL FOR CIVIL SERVICES

by V P Gupta
A serious worry in the minds of the civil services examinee, as the exam day draws closer, is how to, write a good answer or simply put - how to please the examiner. The examiner is a man in a hurry. So, if you make his life easy, he will make your life easy. A few last-minute suggestions to strike such a trade off are given below. Trust your preparation, memory and your ability to recall what you have read. In total, trust yourself. Now coming to the exam, my first suggestion to students is to read each question two or three times with a cool head and then decide what are the requirements of the question by giving a fair interpretation to each word used in the question. Next you should decide the points that you are going to mention in your answer. These points should be classified as major and minor points with major points coming in the beginning of an answer and minor points being used to finally supplement the thrust of the main argument. Your answers should be crisp. You should not use any quotations as far as possible. Do not quote names of authors, books and articles, among others, with the intention to impress the examiner. Do not use any type of high-lighting techniques or methods like use of underlining, inverted commas, capital letters, different colours of ink, when not required by the situation. Finally, the secret of writing a good answer is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components. Every word, adjective or adverb that serves no function should be removed or better still not used in the first place.

Times of India

Education Times

27.9.2004

Safeguarding Interests
India's foreign policy in the post cold war era has been dominated by the need to develop better relations with economic powers, says V P Gupta
The end of Cold War and beginning of economic liberalisation and globalisation has forced India to reframe on its foreign policy. The 90s witnessed an end of the single-party rule and beginning of coalition politics in India. Faced with conflicting and divergent ideological impulses, foreign policy making became more of a balancing act and gradually lost individualistic influences evident in an earlier era. A greater thrust on economic diplomacy called for closer ties with the US and the European nations. The realisation perhaps sank among policy makers that the world was fast moving towards unipolarity and that there was no Soviet Union to fall upon. Moreover, mutual economic interests or a common cause against international terrorism led India and the US into discovering natural allies in each other. At the same time, Russia has proved to be India's timetested friend. Other countries of Central Asia who have broken out of the Soviet Union are rich in natural resources and are strategically placed. They share close and old links with India dating back to the Soviet era. There has been a marked change in India's West Asian policy. In 1993, India opened up its ties with Israel. The two countries have some common security concerns, as both have been victims of terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism. Israel has moreover, emerged as India's major defence partner. At the same time, India has not abandoned its stand on Palestinian cause. The friendly ties with Iran and other Arab states have been a major achievement as it has successfully countered Pakistan's anti-India agenda in the Islamic countries and rest of the world. In the east, India is seeking to develop closer economic and political ties with countries of South-East Asia. With its own SAARC proving be a non-starter, India has been looking towards other regional economic groups. The success of Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and geographic factors has prompted India to vigorously follow the policy famously known as look east-policy. Though started during the period of P V Narsimha Rao, it has received greater thrust in early years of new century. Coming back to South Asia, India has had rather troubled ties with neighbouring countries. After the bitter experiences of past involvement in Sri Lankan ethnic crisis, India has maintained a position of neutrality while supporting Norwegian efforts to broker peace there. Nepal has been facing a political crisis emanating from rise of the Maoists violence. India has no other choice but to seen an early end to this conflict in the Himalayan state as the rebel group has a definite anti-India stand. Border skirmishes and the unresolved issue of 'Chakma' refugees have led to some undesired troubles with Bangladesh. Though some serious efforts have been made recent past to sort out the border disputes with China. On the other hand, the ties with Pakistan reached on an all time low in recent past due to a series of terrorist violence targeting innocent civilians to parliamentarians. Kashmir remains the main bone of contention. After 9/11 India has made some serious efforts to include terrorism in Kashmir within the ambit of international terrorism. Though India failed to get desired results, but there has been greater realisation among the world community that India has been at the receiving end and it could spark off a military conflict between the two nuclear powers of South Asia, resulting in unaccountable and unimaginable human sufferings.

Times of India

Education Times

6.9.2004

Crack Economics
While Studying Indian Economy for Main Examination, It is important to make a study of all sectors of the economy, says V P Gupta
The Indian economic regime under which development was sought to be promoted in the post independence period has recorded significant transformation in the recent times. The euphoria generated about the economic recovery since 1993-94 period has brought economic issues once again in the limelight. The students preparing for the main examination 2004 are in particular advised to take note of the economic issues which have had strong political interfaces that have undergone transformation. Socio-economic developmental plans have a new beginning with the onset of the National Common Minimum Programme (NCMP). The issues of 7 to 8 per cent of growth universal access to quality basic education and health, generating gainful employment in agriculture, manufacturing and services and promoting investment have come to acquire center stage of our economic endeavours. Generating 100 days employment for the breadwinner of each family at minimum wages, agricultural infrastructure and efficient fiscal devolution are some of the issues which the present government aims to focus with priority. Social infrastructure in particular education related efforts are given top priority and exclusive corpus of 4,000 to 5,000 crores is being generated for meeting the constitutional obligations of fundamental rights with regards to education. Agriculture despite the fact has progressively been loosing its participation in the GDP yet it continues to be the most significant activity engaging about 3/4th of the countries population. For the productive engagement of the farmers of the country national agriculture policy has called for increasing investment in agriculture because continuously increasing load of subsidy can be ill afforded by the addition to the existing ones so that different kinds of foreign investment - like FDI and FII have easy and intensified presence in the Indian economy. Industrial restructuring is another crucial issue that need to be accorded significance while preparing for the Indian economy. While the big industries are being restructured the economic significance of small and medium scale industries cannot be forgotten. The banking sector and the problems faced by them in the form of NPA cannot be ignored and RBI has done quite a lot in this direction. The capital market reorganization and the privatization of insurance are some of the other issues of the Indian economy that should be given importance. While the debate on the change of the FDI limit in insurance has still not settled the transaction tax in the capital market operations have kept the whole issue in the center stage of discussions on capital market reforms leading to greater transparency in capital markets. The year 2005 is going to be a watershed year in the tax administration of the country because of the deadline of VAT is coming due. There are lots of discussions going on around this and one must be prepared to write on them. The simplification of taxation, widening of the tax base, the service tax and reduction of the peak duty of the customs are the other component of economic scenario. Candidates are advised that they should try and make sense of the new economic order both in terms of their coping mechanism as well as their underlying rationale.

government and at the same time any shortfall in production is beyond the comprehension of any planner. To attend to such scenarios agricultural credit has been given due priority. Institutions like NABARD, Co-operative banks and Regional rural banks play crucial role and they have been duly acknowledged as part of the agricultural restructuring. Rural housing has also been singled out for the purpose of meeting the basic requirement of the people. Foreign investment plays a crucial role in infrastructure promotion and economic transformation per se. New institutions are being conceived in

Times of India

Education Times

16.8.2004
Nuclear science has been a theme that gets constant attention in the question papers. The atomic energy is of use not only in agriculture & industry, but even in medicine. India's aim as defined in the Atomic Energy Act of 1948 is to develop nuclear research for peaceful purposes. At the same time, one must address the apprehensions raised about nuclear safety and related issues like radiation hazard, waste disposal and disastrous accidents. Information technology is the buzzword in modern times. It facilitates. politico-economic process called globalisation. Computers and IT related terms are often asked in this segment. Various usages of Internet along with the issues of viruses, spam and internet security provided through cyber laws require special emphasis. Defence research and development (R & D) includes India's Integrated Missile Development Programme and other indigenous projects like Brahmos - in collaboration with Russia, Pinaka, Arjun MBT, Radar Systems, LCA Project. Lakshya, to name a few. Space has caught the imagination of mankind from the times of 'Aryabhatta' After independence, the primary objective of our space programme has been to achieve self-reliance in various fields like satellite based resources survey and environmental monitoring, satellite communications, meteorological applications; development of indigenous satellite launch vehicle, among others. Biotechnology is the industrial use of micro-organisms and living plant and animal cells to produce substances or changes in the body cells that are beneficial to humans. It includes the manufacture of i antibiotics, vitamins and vaccines. Biotechnology has its usages in DNA fingerprinting, genetic mapping, cloning, medicine, stem-cell research, agriculture, environment, animal husbandry and health.

Get your facts right

V P Gupta tells students what and how to prepare for science and technology segment for the coveted exam
Science & technology is an important segment of General Studies (Main) Paper II. Science & technology have always been part of the development process that is inherent in a civilisation. Economic development is closely related to and dependent on the scientific and technological research and progress made by a nation. The 10th Plan (2002-2007) has observed that in the context of the global economic order, the focus of the plan should be on the science & technology sector, so as to s t r e n g t h e n application-oriented R & D for technology g e n e r a t i o n ; encourage research in and application of science & technology for forecasting, prevention and mitigation of natural hazards; assimilation of the developments in science & technology with all spheres of national activities; and harnessing science & technology to improve livelihood; environment protection and ecological security. This segment can be divided into a number of themes. The first such theme is environment. Technological advance- ment has accelerated the process of exploitation of the natural resources. Interestingly, now one has to depend on technological means to preserve the environment. This leads to emphasis on sustainable development. Sustainable development is a process that combines maintaining ecological balance and continuing evolutionary process referred to as bio-diversity. India has been designated as one of the 12 mega diversity states in the world. At the same time, there are major concerns regarding reversing the process of environ-mental degradation in the form of soil, air, noise and water pollution, which harmfully affects human life and other species. H e a l t h according to WHO is not merely absence of diseases, but it is a state of physical, mental and social well-being. After Independence, a number of national health programmes have been launched for the eradication of major communicable diseases like malaria, tuberculosis, cancer, iodine deficiency disorders, leprosy and polio, among others. In recent times, major thrust has been on generating awareness about prevention and control of AIDS. Energy is another important theme of this segment. Coal, petroleum and natural gas are non-renewable resources. The renew-able resources are sunlight, wind, water, bio-mass and geothermal heat. But the technology required to extract energy from them is costly and not yet available for consumer use. We need to encourage these resources as conventional resources are fast depleting.

Times of India

Education Times

India and the world

Foreign Policy is one of the vital components of study for the civil services' main examination, says V P Gupta
Paper two of General Studies in the Main Examination starts with the segment India and the world. It accounts for around 50 marks out of 300 in this paper. Earlier this was part of a wider segment called issues of national and international importance. But in recent years, realising the significance of India's foreign policy, it has been segmented as a separate area' and with focus on India's interaction with rest of the world. Pandit Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India is regarded as the architect of our foreign policy. He used foreign policy as an instrument to defend and strengthen India's newly-won independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty. His principles of 'Panchsheel' and non-alignment remained the guiding principles for successive prime ministers. During the time of Indira Gandhi, a growing assertiveness was quite evident in the Indian Foreign Policy, be it victory in the Bangladesh war of 1971 or merger of Sikkim in 1975 inspite of the Chinese protest. Her son Rajiv Gandhi believed in 'travel diplomacy'. As he had no ideological baggage to carry when he entered politics, he could interact with both superpowers - USA and USSR, with equal ease during the Cold war. The end of Cold War heralded a new era for India too. With the beginning of economic reform, India started giving emphasis to 'economic diplomacy'. Consequently, India's relationship with major economies of the world like USA, E U, ASEAN improved considerably. India and Pakistan continue to have a relationship that can be summed up as that of 'blow hot - blow cold'. Kashmir remains the most contentious issue, but the two countries finally seem to agree on a 'composite dialogue' within the sphere of bilateral ties. India's relationship with other smaller neighbouring countries of South Asia improved considerably in the mid 1990s largely because of the 'Gujral Doctrine'. This doctrine, which became as famous as its propounder enjoined upon India to give unilateral concessions to the smaller neighbouring countries like Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh without expecting any gains in reciprocity. A significant change seen in the recent times is the thrust given to normalising the relationship with China. Though we have outstanding border disputes but they have been kept on the back burner for the time being. At the same time, there has been more emphasis on enhancing the bilateral economic ties. Our relationship with the USA is the hallmark of Indian foreign policy after the Cold War. The two countries have found 'natural allies' in each other mainly because of their common economic interests, common threats from international terrorism and common views on international security. On the other hand, India continues to have cordial ties with her time-tested friend Russia. It remains our biggest defence partner followed by Israel. Post-Cold War period has witnessed a change in India's foreign policy on West Asia. In 1993, India established diplomatic ties with the state of Israel keeping in view our security concerns. At the same time India has not abandoned the cause of Palestinian Arabs. Finally, India's nuclear policy is an integrated part of our foreign policy. For India, its nuclear weapons are more as a deterrent or an insurance against extreme threats than weapons usable during war. The General Studies (Main) Paper II includes international organisations too. The United Nations is the world's largest and most-vital organisation. It is formed of six main organs, which are the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council (ELDSOC); Trusteeship Council, International Court of Justice (ICJ) and Secretariat, alongwith specialised agencies like WHO, UNICEF, UNESCO, UNHRC and others. Then, there are various other international organisations like G-B or a group of world's most industrialised nations, G-77 or a group of world's developing countries and G15 or a more compact version of G-77. There are organisations too which focus on certain other subjects like OPEC, OIC, NATO, NAM, among others. One must know the outcome of their latest summits or meets, among others. SAARC is an exclusive organisation of seven South Asia Countries. One can see that it has become a victim of political rivalry between India and- Pakistan, its two biggest members. Still efforts are being made to save it and the latest 'Islamabad Summit' has ignited that process. The European Union is perhaps the world's most successful regional bloc along with ASEAN and NAFTA. Finally, one can expect questions on leading international non-governmental agencies like Amnesty International, Red Cross, World Wide Fund for Nature and Greenpeace. Needless to say, India's involvement in these organisations should be emphasised while preparing this segment for General Studies Paper II of Main Exam.

Times of India

Education Times

26.7.2004

Modern history
A STEP-BY-STEP APPROACH IS NECESSARY TO CRACK THE CIVIL SERVICES' MAIN EXAM, SAYS V P GUPTA
Modern Indian history requires a chronological study. To put it straight and simple, it will be advisable to prepare for the revised themes unitwise. British conquests and Indian reactions The syllabus mentions Mysore, Punjab, the Marathas and their resistance against the colonial power. You should study the political, social and economic circumstances leading to the 1857 revolt and other uprisings, such as tribal, civil and peasants. British economic policy An important aspect of British colonisation was economic exploitation of India and its ruinous impact on Indian society. In this regard pro-nationalistic and Leftist ideological viewpoints must be taken into account. Socio-cultural aspects It can include sub-topics like Indian Renaissance, Christian missionary activities, evolution of educational and social policies and its role in rise of nationalism in India. Other sub-topics, such as on literary personalities like Tagore, Premchand, S Bharati and others; film and theatre are important as well. It reflects a shift towards cultural evolution of modern India. Freedom struggle A thorough and in-depth study of history of Indian nationalism from 1885foundation of Congress to 1947 partition and freedom is a must. This section accounts for 90-100 marks in Main General Studies paper too. Subdivide the particular unit into following section: 1885 to 1916, which includes early 'Indian nationalism upto 'Home Rule' movement; 1916 to 1945, which is the 'Gandhian era: You can start form 'Champaran experiment' to 'Quit India events them-selves. You can start with Renaissance, enlightenment and socialist ideas. Similarly under-take a study of all the major revolutions that shaped the modern world history. Moreover, the two World Wars have to be studied as total wars. Going through the new syllabus, one can safely conclude that mastering the European history can fetch more marks now. The second half of this section makes world history more contemporary and relevant. This section now covers important portions of General Studies' paper too. A good book on international politics or contemporary history will suffice for this portion. You are now expected to have detailed and in-depth under-standing of the postWorld War II developments, such as the 'Cold War' and division of world into two mili-tary blocs, NATO and Warsaw pact; emergence of the 'Third World' and their decision to remain non-aligned; United Nations; decolonisation and factors constraining development of the newlyindependent Latin American and African countries. At the same time you should study the circumstances leading to the end of the 'Cold War' and the US ascendancy in the world, as well as the disintegration of Soviet Union, fall of Berlin wall and the US and the UN victory in the Golf war. Another important strand of contemporary history is process of integration deciding fate of nations across the globe, which is 'Globalisation'. Continent-wise, Europe has already achieved a major success in this regard in the form of the European Union.

movement'. The Gandhian thought and methods of mass mobilisation should be given special emphasis; 1945 to 1947 a chronological study of this portion will be the right approach. Analyse how and why Indian nationalism, at the end yielded a paradoxical result, which is partition and freedom together; other strands of nation-al movement, which ran parallel to the Congress movement; rise and growth of the revolutionary terrorism; Swarajist movement; social and communist movements; Indian National Army -role of Subhash Chandra Bose and rise and growth of communalism. Independence to 1964 This unit includes the Nehruvian era and development of an independent Indian polity, Constitution, planned economy and foreign policy. World history There has been a shift towards conceptualisation and generalisation of events than factual study of individual

Times of India

Education Times

19.07.2004

Study a Bygone Era

Be Diligent in your Approach to Studying History for civil services main exam, says V. P. Gupta
History, undoubtedly, remains one of the 'most popular' option-al subjects among those who take the Civil Services Main Examination. If you are not intimidated by a big syllabus, this subject has a number of advantages: it is easier to grasp, there is no dearth of study material and it covers an important segment of General Studies paper on account of overlapping themes. A judicious mix of 'hard work' and 'right strategy' can see one through. I shall concentrate here on second aspect, the 'right strategy'. In contrast to the Prelim Exam which seeks to stress more on facts and extensive coverage of themes, the Main Exam stress on conceptualisation behind the facts of historical happenings. Ancient Indian history In the new syllabus, there is greater emphasis on sources of early Indian history. The archaeological study of Medieval Indian History To make things simpler in this section, you should categorise it into five ancient India, from the prehistoric times to the Iron Age has gained currency now. In archaeology, one has to keep oneself abreast with the latest findings. The politico-administrative history from preMauryan period - rise of Mahajanapadas, to post-Gupta period-beginning of feudalism and centrifugal trends has been given more significance in the revised syllabus. You should start from Indus civilisation and trace the evolution upto the post-Gupta period; Major Philosophical thinkers and schools, wherein you should take into account Brahmanical, Buddhist and Jain philosophical schools. In science and mathematics, you can start from the contribution of the Harappans to Aryabhatta. subsections: This part of the syllabus gives greater emphasis on contemporary historians and sources of the medieval Indian history. Prepare them for short questions; whereas study the Delhi sultanate in totality. Likewise treat the Mughals holistically, giving special emphasis on the age of Akbar; in this unit, include all the provincial dynasties while the Cholas, the Vijayanagar and the Marathas should be prepared for a major question and for the last which is perhaps the most important unit from the examination point of view, you must have a comparative and evolutionary approach. Important topics of this unit are: Society during medieval times; Bhakti movement: Sankaracharya, Ramanuja, Chaitanya, Kabir, Bhakti movement in South India, Lingayats, Maharashtra Dharma; Sufi-movement; architecture from early Sultanate architecture to the Lodis, to name a few.

Times of India

Education Times

5.7.2004
been delegated to the states and Union Territories. The principle of judicial custodianship allows the powerful judiciary to oversee the working of the Constitution and to ensure its working according to the rule of law. The principle of change and transformation permits the Constitution to be amended from time to time, not only to resolve temporary problems but to allow updating of its provisions, to meet the needs of a dynamic society and thus to ensure that the overall objectives of the Constitution are being pursued and achieved, without any disruption in the task of building a strong nation and a caring society through changing times. The form of government Our Constitution sets up parliamentary government both at the Centre and the states. Parliamentary government embodies the following essentials: The provision of a nominal executive head of the State who acts exclusively with the 'aid and advice' of a Council of Ministers or Cabinet. The Cabinet, which is the real executive, consists of leaders of a party, or of a coalition of parties, who have support of the majority in the lower of legislature. The Prime Minister occupies a dominant position in the Cabinet. He appoints ministers and assigns to them their offices. The responsibility of the 4 Cabinet is collective. The Cabinet acts as a body. Ministers stand and fall together. From this it follows that the Cabinet must, in all circumstances agree. If there is a disagreement among the ministers, either the Cabinet as a whole or the dissenting minister or ministers must resign. Parliamentary government, as it is understood works by the interaction of four essential factors: the principle of majority rule; the willingness of the minority for the time being to accept the decisions of this majority rather than by sectional interest and finally the l. existence of an articulate and clear body of political opinion in the society.

A case for politics

The Constitution is a document that the people of India have given themselves to empower themselves, says V P Gupta
The objectives before the Constituent Assembly were not only to constitute India into a sovereign democratic republic but to secure for the citizens the basic freedoms, justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. The ultimate idea of any constitution is to project the aims and aspirations of the people who constitute a nation. The Indian Constitution met this aim in full measure. By incorporating the words, 'give to ourselves this Constitution' in the Preamble, the Constitution made it clear that sovereignty is rested with the people of India whose will is supreme. Thus it is a document given by the people of India to themselves. The principle of democratic governance is embodied in a parliamentary system, along the same lines as the British Westminster model, at both the centre level, and at the level of the states and union territories. An indirectly elected President is the head of the State at the Centre and the centrallynominated governors and lieutenant governors are the heads of State of the constituent States and Union Territories The principles of individual freedoms and collective human rights, civil liberties and social justice are declared in the Preamble, enumerated in the chapter on fundamental rights, set up as goals in the chapter on directive principles and reflected in many special provisions for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, other backward classes and others. The principle' of a centralised federation is evident from the distribution of powers and responsibilities between the' Union and constituent states. Certain overriding powers were assigned to the Union, while other crucial powers have

An important aspect of preparation for General Studies' Papers for Civil Services Main Exam is a proper appreciation on the part of students of the dynamics of Indian polity of which the Indian Constitution is the central theme. Hence this article is devoted to the study of this all important document. The framers of Indian Constitution faced a colossal task of coming up with a document which could satisfy the needs of riot just a large population but a civilisation comprising hundreds of social, religious and linguistic groups living in a highly complicated horizontal and vertical societal matrix. Yes, it was to be a key document giving doctrines and principles, which could satisfy the hopes and aspirations of one sixth of humanity. The Constituent Assembly that produced the Constitution of India during 1946-49 was a reasonably representative body with an impressive mix of talent in the form of people like B R Ambedkar, Jawarharlal Nehru, Vallabhai Patel, Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad, B N Rau and Rajendra Prasad. The makers of our Constitution defined India as a sovereign democratic republic in the Preamble. By an amendment in 1976 the words 'socialist' and 'secular' were added to the definition of Indian State. Indian Constitution is one of the lengthiest Constitution in the world, comprising a Preamble, 395 articles, divided in 22 parts and 12 schedules.

Times of India

Education Times

7.6.2004

INTERESTING READING
SOCIOLOGY IS ONE OF THE POPULAR SUBJECTS OF STUDY IN THE CIVIL SERVICES' EXAMINATION, SAYS V P GUPTA
The right choice of a proper optional subject for Civil Services' Preliminary Examination is very crucial for success. In this context, sociology has become quite popular In Civil Services Examination due to its interesting subject-matter, scoring nature and the content of the syllabus prescribed by the UPSC. No formal degree is required for opting sociology as an optional paper for the Preliminary and Main Examination. The subject matter of Sociology is the study of society itself in which we live. The field of Sociology covers interesting range of themes that touch every aspect of man's life in society. Sociology in the youngest of the recognised social sciences. Auguste Comte in France Coined the word 'Sociology' in his 'Positive Philosophy' published in 1838. The word 'Sociology' is derived from the Latin root 'socious' meaning 'society and Greek root 'Logos' meaning 'study or science'. The etymological meaning of Sociology' is thus the 'science of society'. The successful emergence of sociology as a separate discipline was due to the failure of other social sciences to adequately give a complete picture of society. Thus, sociology appeared when it was felt that the other fields of human knowledge do not fully explain man's social behaviour. Sociology is often defined as the scientific study of man's social life. Human beings behave differently when compared .to other animals. They have unique forms of group life, they pursue customs, develop institutions, and create values. Sociology applies scientific methods to the study of these phenomena. It also analyses the influence of economic, political, technological, cultural and other forces and factors on man and society. It throws light on various social problems like beggary, overpopulation, crime, suicide, among others. Sociology has developed as a value neutral discipline. It is concerned with what is and not with what ought to be. The values which a society upholds and which influence the social behaviour of man are accepted by sociologist as 'facts' and these are analysed objectively. Several perspectives are used in sociology. Each views society from a different view point. The 'evolutionary perspective' concentrates upon the sequences through which changing societies pass, the 'interactionist perspective' focuses on actual day to day inter-actions and behaviour of persons and groups, the 'functionalist perspective' sees society as an inter-related system in which each group plays a part and each practice helps the system to operate, the 'conflict perspective' sees continuous tensions and group struggles as the normal condition of society, with stability and value consensus being carefully contrived to create illusions which protect privileged groups. Each perspective is used, to some degree, by most sociologists and is needed for a full under-standing of the society. The syllabus of sociology for prelims is divided into 10 units which are: Basic concepts pertaining to society, community, social groups, status & role, among others; marriage family and kinship; social stratification; types or society; economy and. society; industrial and urban society; social demography; political process; weaker section and minorities and social change. Broadly, the whole syllabus can be divided into three main parts, namely concepts, institutions and theories. The general strategy for the preparation of sociology especially for the Prelims' Exams includes: The first and the foremost task should be to prepare the specific concepts, theories and institutions mentioned in the syllabus; refer to some good sociology dictionaries whenever you find a concept difficult to understand; at the same time, one must keep in mind the model and format of the previous years' question papers; one should solve Model Test Papers and evaluate himself; one must pay attention to the time management aspect and there should be an overall time limit for attempting the model tests; it is essential to complete study of the entire syllabus in a balanced manner without neglecting any section. Familiarity with the thinkers like August Comte, Karl Marx, Herbert Spencer, Emile Durkhiem and Max Weber who made notable contribution to establishing Sociology as an independent discipline is essential.

Times of India

Education Times

7.6.2004
papers of second optional subject (300 marks each). The four optional subjects are to be selected from the list of 26 optional subjects. The total marks for the written papers of the main exam, for ranking purpose, is 2000; without counting the marks of two language papers, which are merely qualifying in nature. The other papers of only those candidates are evaluated who have obtained minimum qualifying marks, as fixed by the commission, in the papers on Indian language and English. As far as eligibility to appear for the preliminary exam is concerned, a candidate must hold a degree of any university incorporated by an Act of the Central or State legislature in India or recognised by the University Grant Commission. He or she must have moreover, attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 30 year on August 1 of the year of the examination. The upper age limit is relaxable up to five years in case of SC/ST; three years for OBCs; and 10 years for physically challenged persons. Speaking about the examination preparation, Gupta explained, "Anybody who works systematically and seriously, will get through the exam in his first or second attempt at the maximum. One of the basic problems confronted by the aspirants of the CSE is regarding the selection of optional subject. One should normally select at least one subject, which one has studied during graduation or postgraduation or the one which interests you. While preparing, candidates must follow the pattern of previous years' question papers."

Mission-IAS 2005
A Comprehensive presentation on the Nature of Preparation Required for Civil Services' Exam, held on May 26, 2004 at the India Habitat Centre Provided an insight into the coveted test, says Pallavee Dhaundiyal-Panthry
Nothing can be more charming and reverential than a career in Civil Services (CS). That is why lakhs of aspirants appear for the Civil Services Examination (CSE) each year and strive for a few hundred seats. Conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), the CSE is considered as the toughest exam in the country. In an endeavour to provide an insight into the examination as well as the services, Education Times in association with the Rau's IAS Study Circle organised a seminar titled 'Mission - IAS 2005', at the India Habitat Centre on May 26. Addressed by V P Gupta, director, Rau's Study Circle; A R Khan, consultant at the institute; and Neeraj Sinha, faculty member, the four-hour seminar witnessed the presence of over 500 students and their parents. Providing an overview on the examination, Khan said: "The CSE throws a lot of opportunities to the aspirants while offering a diverse range of jobs. There are in all 24 services including Indian Administrative Service, Indian Police Service, Indian Foreign Service, Indian Revenue Service and Indian, Customs and Central Excise Service, to name some, offered through this single examination." Cracking the UPSE. is not a piece of cake. Since the introduction of Indian Civil Services examination in 1855, things have changed beyond imagination and the selection procedure to the CS has 'become much more rigorous. Today, the UPSC conducts three stages of tests - preliminary exam, main exam and finally a personal interview. Khan made presentations on compulsory and

optional papers. Speaking on the marking scheme, he remarked, "The preliminary exam consists of two objective type papers and carries a maximum of 450 marks where as, the General Studies (GS) is for 150 marks and anyone of the optional subjects comprises 300 marks. Here, to get a score of 325 in total is considered good enough." According to Khan, the actual exam starts at the mains level, for it consists of nine papers including an Indian languages (300 marks), English language (300 marks), Essay (200 marks), two. papers on General Studies (300 marks each), two papers of chosen first subject (300 marks each) and two

Times of India

Education Times

7.6.2004

Mission-IAS 2005
contd...
are the most popular choices amongst students." Khan said: "Considering the vast syllabus, the GS exam is tough to score and needs a thorough study. Students must refer to the previous years' question papers while preparing for the GS exam." The GS includes seven segments - general science, current events of national and international importance, history of India and Indian national movement, India and world geography, Indian polity, Indian economy, and general mental ability. As far as attempting the essay paper is concerned, it was said that one's writing should be based on comprehension and clarity of thought. "The evaluation of the paper depends upon one's originality of thought; clarity of expression and integrated thinking with assimilation of ideas," said Khan. The personal interview carries 300 marks, where the suitability of a candidate for a career in public service is assessed not merely through his intellectual qualities but in addition, social traits and his interest in current affairs. The technique of the interview is not that of a strict cross-examination but of a natural, though directed and purposive conversation that intends to reveal the personality of a candidate. What the UPSC interview board seeks to judge through the exercise is the The preparation for the CSE should commence at least one year prior to the preliminary test and must devote equal time to all subjects and general studies. Gupta said: "You have to have a flexible as well as achievable timetable, not a rigid one, Things should definitely be planned, but at the same time, your timetable must allow some time for unplanned things." Gupta said: "Students must understand that output of each person differs from the other. So, to give an exact time slot for a day is not possible. But on an average seven to eight hours of study per day is considered good enough for a student provided he enjoys the act of accumulating knowledge." Besides, Gupta stressed on some techniques for effective learning and note making. "A deep insight into a subject is vital. Notes are a must to prepare for the exam, but they should not be copied down from books. Point-wise strategic notes with key words are enough to memorise chapters. Notes should be friendly, crisp and precise. You can even highlight important lines in books and more-over, write key points on the margin of chapters," added Gupta; Sinha spoke at length on the strategy for the preparation of the preliminary test, main exam and the much dreaded interview. He mentioned the combination of subjects, which a candidate is not allowed to opt for. Talking about an optional paper at the prelims level, he said: "Subjects like Sociology, Psychology and Public Administration

administrative potential of an aspirant. Total of marks obtained in the main exam and interview determines placement in the final merit list and allocation of service, keeping in view the indicated choices. Gupta said: "The job does seem like a dream, but it can be turned into reality provided you work hard. You will be surprised to know that you yourself stand as an obstacle in accomplishing your goals. If you feel you are worth more, then prove it." The presentation was followed by an interactive question and answer session where the audience put forward different kinds of questions on the CSE to the panelists.

Times of India

Education Times

17.5.2004
painting, literature and music. Medieval history consists of provincial dynasties like Vijayanagar, Bahamani and the Marathas too. The last section of Indian history is Modern Indian history. It can be divided into two sub-phases: 1757 to 1857 and 1857 to 1947. In the first phase, prepare for questions on British conquest of Indian states like Bengal, Punjab, Awadh, Mysore and others. Then one has to see the economic, administrative, judicial, educational and social policies adopted by the British.ers to consolidate their rule in India. This brings us to the next topic, which is, how the Indians reacted to these policies? The Indians' reaction in the form of various revolts like peas-ant, civil and tribal rebellions. The first phase includes the socio-religious movements as well. The second phase starts with the 'Revolt of 185T.One has to give more emphasis on this part of Modern Indian history, as this section in relevant for the Main Examination too. More questions are asked on the national movement led by the Indian National Congress. At the same time, the parallel movements like that of the Left parties and the revolutionary movements should be prepared as well. There is no dearth of good text books on Indian history. One must start with the NCERT books and then consult other advanced books like 'Wonder that was India' by A L Basham and S A Rizvi, besides reading books by Satish Chandra, Bipan Chandra and Sumit Sarkar. More emphasis should be on the collection of relevant facts in accordance with the pattern of questions asked in the Preliminary Examination.

Know your facts

History 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 in the Civil Services Examination. One has to choose subject mentioned in the list of 23 subjects allowed by the UPSC. General studies paper is compulsory for everyone and the past experiences suggest that Indian History is one of the most popular optional subjects elected by the candidates. Indian History can be divided into three phases: ancient, medieval and modern. Equal number of questions are asked from each segment with some variations here and there. In ancient Indian history, the first topic is related to the prehistoric age. It is important to know the features of each phase of this age. The important sites along with archaeological findings and their location on historical map must be prepared. Similarly, collect archaeological facts about the Indus Valley Civilization and its major sites. Questions are generally asked on 'vedic' literature and socio-religious; economic and political conditions of that era. Knowledge of important 'vedic' terms is needed as well. In the study of the pre-Mauryan age, apart from 16 'Mahajanapadas', place more emphasis on new heterodox sects like Buddhism and Janism. Many questions are asked from the Mauryan age, particularly from the Mauryan administration and society. Asokan policies and edicts are often asked. With regard to the pre-Gupta through to post Gupta period, one has to emphasize on sociocultural history more than anything else. In the study of the post-Mauryan period collect facts about the newly set up dynasties, both foreign as well as Brahmin. Economic conditions including foreign trade must be studied here. Another significant feature of this period is the rise of religious sects like Mahayana Buddhism, Vaishnavism and the Sangam age. Apropos the Gupta period, make a collection of important literary works and their authors. And in the chapter, the post-Gupta period, study all about Harsha, Pallavas and Chalukyas. In medieval Indian history, first topics are related to the Rajputs, Cholas and the triangular conflict for Kanauj. Next is the Delhi Sultanate. Apart from political history of the Sultanate period, questions may be asked on its administration, economy and cultural developments like literature, music" architecture, among other questions. Usually maximum questions are asked from the Mughal period. Once again, collect information about the Mughal rulers, particularly Akbar and his policies, administration and cultural developments. Many questions are asked on the Mughal architecture,

Times of India

Education Times

3.5.2004

Gearing up for Civil Services

PREPARING FOR A LARGER NUMBER OF TOPICS RATHER THAN GOING IN FOR IN-DEPTH STUDY OF SOME, IS THE SOLE WAY TO COVER THE VAST CURRICULUM OF THE GENERAL STUDIES PAPER, SAYS V P GUPTA
The opening battle for the Civil Services Examination (CSE) is the preliminary test, conducted by the Union Public Service Commission in the month of May every year. While your 'optional subject' for the preliminary examination may vary from Indian history to zoology or mechanical engineering to philosophy, a common hurdle for all candidates is the 'general relate to the nature and character of 19th century resurgence, and growth of of nationalism independence. Indian economy has received special attention from the question framers in recent times. Start pursuing news on major developments in Indian economy to develop a genuine interest attainment functional in nature. The questions on 'geography of India' will relate to the physical, social and economic geography of the country, including the main features of the Indian agricultural and natural resources. Perusing a good atlas will moreover, help. The question on Indian polity will essentially test your knowledge of country's political sys-tem and the Constitution of India. In the 'current events' segment, a candidate's knowledge of prominent national and international affairs is examined. Look around for news affecting India and the world at large" important treaties and their venues, personalities and countries involved, major sporting events and their winners studies' paper. About 150 questions asked in this paper can decide your fate in the CSE. Demarcating the syallbus for the general studies paper can be a daunting task. However, past trends reflect that it can be prepared with some insight. First in the list is the 'history of India', which covers all three periods - ancient, mediaeval, and modern. For the first two phases of Indian history the emphasis could be more on the socio-cultural aspects whereas, in the modern history the chronological study is a must. Questions on the Indian national movement will in the subject. Apart from keeping a basic text book on Indian economy handy, consulting a good dictionary on economic terms will be useful. For the 'general science' section, starting with your high school, text books will be a good idea. The questions here need general appreciation and awareness of the subject, expected from a well-educated person, who may not have formally studied any particular scientific discipline. The questions on biology may have more weightage attached whereas, the questions on physics and chemistry are practical and and books and their authors. To start with, pursue a national daily regularly without fail. Develop a habit of making point-wise notes in your notebook everyday. Supplement this with few standard current affairs magazines and journals. In the 'general mental ability' segment, you are tested for your reasoning and analytical abilities. This section requires regular practice of previous years' questions. Finally, remember - the harder you work, the luckier you get.

Times of India

Education Times

5.4.2004

Interview blues
The purpose behind a personal interaction is not to grill a candidate but to find out more about his or her overall personality, 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.

Times of India

Education Times

19.1.2004
Paper VI-IX - Any two subjects (optional papers to be selected by the candidate) with two 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 comprises two papers of 300 marks each. The four segments of the first paper include history of modern India and Indian culture, geography of India- physical, economic and social, Indian polity and current national issues and topics of social relevance. The five segments of paper two include: India and the world, Indian economy, international affairs and institutions, developments in the field of science and technology, communication and space, statistical analysis graphs and diagrams. The period for the history of modern India and Indian culture is up to the middle of the 19th century, Indian polity is the most vital segment of the entire general studies segment. The first segment of the paper II is India and the world. In this segment, students' awareness is tested with regard to the country and the rest of the world. The Indian economy questions have reference to the Indian planning commitment and issues, programmes and priorities of economic development and the international economic and financial institutions. Questions are asked about international affairs and institutions too. It contains questions on the major global changes that are taking place. Science and technology is a major component of the second paper. The final stage of selection is the interview. Candidates will be asked questions on matters of general interest. The object is to assess the personal suitability and judge the mental calibre of the candidate. The candidate must exhibit an intelligent interest in events happening around him, so that he or she appears to be a complete personality. Apart from having more than an average intelligence and an ability to slog for hours together, you should have a keen interest in general studies and current affairs. A regular habit of detailed reading of nation-or al newspapers and magazines are a must, alongwith an in-depth knowledge in the subject of specialisation.

Steel Frame of Bureaucracy

To 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 official vehicle with a revolving light on the top? Well, it's not all that easy. Conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), the Civil Services' Examination (CSE) is probably the most sought after professional examination in the country. Consider this: In 2002, the total number of candidates who applied were 3,01,585 for 310 vacancies of which 1,57,486 appeared and 286 candidates were recommended. The Indian Civil Services form the backbone of our administrative setup. Popularly known as the 'bureaucracy', it gives permanency to policy-making and its implementation and serves as an advisory body to the ministers as well. Right from the collector to the IPS officers, telecom and postal departments, revenue and railway officers, all are responsible for implementing policies concerning the economic, human and natural resources of the country. The All India Services follow a cadre system wherein the officers are allotted various states or cadres during their probationary period, to which they remain affiliated throughout their career. The most sought after posts are the Indian Administrative Service followed by the Indian Foreign Service and the Indian Police Service respectively. The other preferred posts are the Indian Postal Service, Indian Customs and Central Excise Service, The Indian Information Service and the Indian Revenue Service. There are three successive stages in the examination: Preliminary examination for the selection of candidates for the main examination, and main examination for the selection of the interview phase for the final selection of candidates. One must begin preparations of the main exam along with preliminary exam. This is because there is little time for the main exam, if one waits for the results of the preliminaries. The preliminary examination consists of two papers: Paper I - General Studies of 150 marks; Paper 11- an Optional of 300 marks. Subjects for Paper II (one subject to be selected) are agriculture, animal husbandry 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 of preliminary test-exam is of multiple-choice questions, the main examination pattern is of conventional or essay type. Each paper is of a three-hour duration. The main examination of 2,000 marks includes general section papers for 600 marks, two optional subjects of 600 marks each and an essay paper of 200 marks. The main examination consists of the following papers 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 300 marks each

Times of India

Education Times

13.12.2003
remaining papers of the Main Examination. It is likely that the two optional subjects and General Studies papers may be replaced by three papers of compulsory nature, with greater emphasis on contemporary themes like sustainable development, social justice, human rights and other basic rights, dynamics of democracy and good governance, globalisation, new developments in science and technology and their application for the socio-economic betterment of the common man, particularly in Indian context, right to information and probity in public life and egovernance. One feels there would be greater emphasis on immediate challenges, both global and local, in all areas of human concerns. The Alagh Committee may propose to introduce a far more elaborate and objective I methodology for personality assessment as I against the present interview based personality test. There has been a long-standing demand for inclusion of psychological tests to identify the desired traits in a civil servant. On the basis of the recent interview of the Chairman of the UPSC it can be safely inferred that these recommendations would be implemented after allowing a reasonable time gap of three -years to the stuc1ents to -switch over to the new pattern of the Exam' with fair amount of confidence and preparation. These changes would impart the present scheme of Civil Services Examination a fresh and new look, which is already over due. At the same time, the recommendations of this committee would do away with some other anomalies as well, in the existing sys-tem. A reduction in the maximum age is certainly going to help younger yet brighter students to enter the services. By making the preliminary papers scoring, the Commission will ensure that all that hard work done for the first hurdle does not go down the drain. Moreover, introduction of all compulsory papers, common for all candidates, at the Main Examination level will certainly give equal chance to all candidates, irrespective of their academic background. Finally; there is a welcome realisation that the Interview Board needs to spend some more time with the probable candidates to assess their personality. This has already worked quite successfully in case of selection of candidates for the armed forces. A final word! Whether or not this facelift to the pattern of the Civil Services Examination gives a new direction and purpose to our bureaucracy; it will definitely make the whole system of selection more objective, humane and transparent.

Civil Services to get a facelift

by V P Gupta
A career in Civil Services remains the more desired dream of a large number of young aspirants today. In fact, the present dynamism of social and economic challenges before the society has made Civil Services even more meaningful. You find yourself in a position from where your work can touch the lives of the millions by treating those 'primary maladies' that afflict our society and the nation. Since the introduction of an open competitive examination for the selection of the ICS officials under the Charter Act of 1853 (al-most 150 years ago), the pattern of the examination has witnessed a procession of changes in these years. These changes have been facilitated in the context of fast manging socio-cultural milieu. Therefore; they are considered to be not only desirable 'but also essential for ensuring a harmonious relationship between the administration and its external ecology, i.e. the society and its people. In recent times, there has been a lot of de-bate and discussion in the media on the subject of expected changes in the pattern of Civil Services examination. In the past too, there have been periodic review of the whole pattern, normally carried out after a gap of 10 years. There was the Kothari Committee in 1974, Satish Chandra Committee 1988. Accordingly; a high-level expert committee under the chairmanship of noted educationist and economist Dr Y K Alagh was constituted by the UPSC in July 2000, to review the present scheme of selection to the higher Civil Services such as IAS, IPS and the central services through the Civil Services Examination. The Committee submitted its report to the Union Public Services Commission on October 21, 200l. Taking an over all view of the emerging role of the Civil Services, Dr Alagh Committee has attempted to review the scheme in all its aspects including eligibility parameters, desired characteristics in terms of knowledge, skills and attitudes or values, besides, the test instruments and modalities necessary for identifying the most suitable candidates for the higher Civil Services. The picture that emerges after taking into

account the various inputs and UPSC Chairman's interview recently on the subject, indicates that the thrust. of some major changes would be some what on the following lines: The upper age limit could be reduced to 26 years for the candidates belonging to general category with the usual relaxation of three years to OBCs, five years to SCs & STs, and 10 years for the physically handicapped. It seems that minimum age limit for appearing in the Civil Services Examination should continue to be 21 years. The number of attempts permissible in Civil Services Examination can be reduced to' three for general category candidates, five for OBC candidates and six for SC & ST candidates with slightly more for physically handicapped candidates. In the Preliminary Examination, the present compulsory General Studies paper may have a new look with greater emphasis on basic awareness, problem solving analytical skills, logical reasoning, decision-making skills and data analysis ability. One optional paper on anyone of the present optional subjects for Prelim Exam may continue to be there along with the General Studies paper. However, its standard may be upgraded to that of honours level. A significant change can be that of making both the Preliminary papers scoring, i:e. their marks may be added to those of .Main Examination and the Personality Test for the purpose of final ranking of candidates' performance. In the Main Examination, the compulsory papers of English and one language may probably continue to be of matriculation standard and of qualifying nature with al-most no or little changes. There may be some big changes in the

Times of India

Education Times

1.12.2003
and schedules of elections, so that nominations papers are filed and properly scrutinised before the elections take place. Further, it appoints officers for enquiring into disputes relating to

Elections in India
The Right to vote is one of the cherished rights of every Indian Citizen By V P Gupta
One of the greatest achievements of independent India is survivability of the democratic fabric of its polity inspite of all the backwardness, poverty and illiteracy seen in a large section of our population. Moreover, the electoral system has proved to be a unifying factor as framers of the Indian Constitution discarded the system of separate electorates based on religion introduced during the British rule. Every citizen of India, above the age of 18, if not otherwise disqualified by any law, has the right to vote in an election. No person shall be ineligible for inclusion in the electoral roll on grounds of religion, race or caste. Article 327 vests legislative power in Parliament to make laws relating to all matters concerning elections, to either House of Parliament or to the Houses or either House of a state legislature, including the preparations of electoral rolls, the delimitation of Constituencies and all other matters necessary for securing the due constitution of such House or Houses. In this context, the state legislature had a subordinate role. It can enact a law in respect of election to state legislature only to the extent that Parliament had not made any provisions. Therefore, state acts are subject to the provisions of the Constitution and of the Parliamentary Acts. To ensure free and fair elections the constitution establishes an Election Commission (Act 324). The Election Commission is primarily responsible to hold, direct and control all elections to Parliament and to the state 1egislatures and to the offices of the President and the Vice President. The Chief Election Commissioner and such number of other election commissioners, as deemed fit can be appointed by the President. In 1993, two election commissioners were appointed by an ordinance and were given the same position and status as the Chief Election Commissioner. Also, the Commission was required to act as a body taking decisions unanimously or by majority. Article 324 also provides for the appointment of Regional Commissioners at the time of general elections after consultation with the Chief Election Commissioner. Keeping in view the pivotal role that the Election Commission has to play, the Constitution itself has ensured its independence. Though the Chief Election Commissioner is appointed by the President, he is exempted from the general rule that a public servant holds office during the pleasure of the President. He has a fixed term of six years or till the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier. The Chief Election Commissioner cannot be removed from his office except in like manner and on like grounds as a Judge of the Supreme Court and the conditions of his service cannot be varied to his disadvantage after his appointment. Other election com-missioners, if any, can be removed only on the recommendation of the Chief Election Commissioner. One of the primary functions of the Election Commission is to prepare electoral rolls for the elections and suitably revise them after every decennial census and before every general election to the Union and the state legislature. The Commission also supervises the machinery of elections throughout the country so that the elections are held in a free and fair manner. It notifies the dated

electoral arrangements. The Commission can also make requests to the President of India and the Governor of a State for requestioning the staff necessary for conducting election. It has the power to cancel polls in the event of mass-scale rigging or other irregularities. Election Commission issues a code of conduct to be observed by all political parties and people at the time of elections. It can act like a court for settling matters as giving recognition to a political party or allotting symbol for electoral purposes as well. The Commission can advise the President or the Governor, as the case may be, on a matter relating to disqualification of a legislature. Inspite of all these constitutional provisions, there remains room for improvement. Money and muscle powers combined with religious and caste considerations have been diluting the integrity of the efforts made by the Election Commission to assure every citizen of India that he or she can express his or her political opinion freely and without any fear. Long-term strategies to create social and political awareness among the masses coupled with more stringent electoral reforms and laws can make our democracy healthier and truly representative of the will of our people.

Times of India

Education Times
place.

24.11.2003

Weaving magic through words

Attempting 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 and slow process. The mind travels faster than the pen. Writing, therefore, becomes a question of learning to bring down the bird of thought before it flies away. A writer is like a shooter waiting in the blind for something to come in. And, like all shooters a writer must cultivate patience and work on various possibilities to bring down one partridge. Here are some suggestions that may help a beginner to find the simple way of writing fair prose. There is a French saying, 'You are the style'. To achieve a style in writing do not push any type of ornamentation in your writing. The style will slowly emerge as you continue to write without trying to impress anybody. The very act of composition is a creative process that will give rise to a natural style of your own. Decide upon a simple structure for your composition. You must have a rough sketch for the themes/ issues you wish to touch upon in the piece you are going to write. You can raise a tent from one type of vision, but for a cathedral you may have to use a different vision. Long introductions can mar the interest of the readers. Come to the real issue directly without beating about the bush. Avoid overwriting, you can say more in fewer words. It is always a good idea to re-read what you have written and freely delete the excess. Remember less is more. Do not overstate your position. Overstatement is a common fault among students. It spoils the reader's appreciation for what you are trying to say and thus diminishes the whole composition. Slight understatement always does a better job. The excessive use of adjectives and adverbs rather dilutes the impact of what is being said. It can unnecessarily clutter a sentence and annoy the reader if you wrongly select qualifiers that may deflect the essence of what you are trying to convey. Remember to alert the reader as soon as there is any change in the thought. At least a dozen words are there to do this job, like - but, yet, however, still, thus, instead, now, later, subsequently and many more. Such an opening to a sentence makes the job of the reader much more easier while processing the meaning of a sentence where a shift in the direction of the thought is taking

Your paragraphs should be short. Writing is visual. It catches the eye before it has the chance to catch the brain. Short paragraphs look inviting, whereas long ones look like a big task to read. Many stunts feel chilled by the thought that they are competing with everybody else who is trying to write and perhaps they are doing it better. However, I have often found that the "hares" who write for magazines for instance, are over-taken by the "tortoises" who move slowly towards their goal of mastering the craft of writing. Hence my advice is forget the competition and go at your own pace. Your sole competition is with yourself. Finally to write well, one must read well. When you read good books and articles by great authors you learn, by watching their style, an elegant way of expressing oneself. You must get used to trusting your material and ability to express. Then simply go ahead and write, your expression will be your style.

Times of India

Education Times

17.11.2003
favourites:' says former Supreme Court judge V R Krishna Iyer. In this context, the suggestion for creation of a National Judicial Commission (NJC) has been given from time to time. Australia already has a Judicial Commission for finalising appointment of the judges. Recently, the 98th Constitutional Amendment Bill has been introduced in Parliament which seeks to constitute a NJC which will be in charge of appointing judges to the higher judiciary and for transferring high court judges. The Bill seeks to empower the NJC to draw up a code of ethics for judges, inquire into cases of misconduct or deviant actions of a judge other than those that are punishable with his or her removal. According to the Bill, the NJC would consist of the UI, who would be its chairperson; two judges of the Supreme Court next to the CJI in seniority; the Union minister for Law and Justice; and one eminent citizen to be nominated by the President in consultation with the prime minister, who will hold office for a period of three years. The Bill envisages that in the case of appointment or transfer of high court judges, the chief justice of that court and the chief minister of the state or the governor, if the state is under President's rule, shall be associated with the NJC. Thus, the proposed NJC aims to provide the effective participation of both the executive and the judiciary and ensure transparency.

Appointing of Judges
Like Ausralia, India too should have a judicial commission for finalising appointment of judges to preserve judiciary, says V P Gupta
One of the unique features of the Indian Federation is the single integrated judicial system with Supreme Court at the apex. Article 124 provides for a Supreme Court of India consisting of a Chief Justice and seven - now 25 other judges. The judges of Supreme Court are appointed by the prevail over that of the government. In the Third Judge's Case (1998), a nine judge bench of the Supreme Court, exercising its advisory jurisdiction under Article 143 of the Constitution, created the present system of a collegium of the CJI's and two senior judges of the Supreme Court to recommend names for appointment as judges of the Supreme Court. The bench created a collegium comprising the CJI and four senior judges to review recommendations made by a similar collegium in the high courts in the case of appointment of judges President in 'consultation' with the Chief Justice of India. The word 'consultation' itself has generated considerable debate as to whether it is mere consultation or it amounts to concurrence. In the Second Judge's Case (1993), the Supreme Court introduced the cocnept of the primacy of the Chief Justice of India (CJI) in the matter of recommending persons for appointment to higher judiciary. It, however, led to misgivings whether during consultation to select judges, the CJI's individual opinion, if found arbitrary, could still to these courts. While making appointment of the Chief Justice of India, seniority should alone be considered. In the Second Judge's Case, Supreme Court was of the opinion that the senior most judge of Supreme Court if considered fit to hold office should be appointed as the Chief Justice of India. According to various constitutional experts and former judges, the performance of the collegium has hardly been creditable. "It has often been dilatory, arbitrary, and smeared by

Times of India

Education Times

22.9.2003
charge - he does not work under a Cabinet minister. When any matter concerning his ministry is on agenda of the Cabinet, he is invited to attend the meeting. (3) Minister of State -he does not have independent charge of any department of ministry and works under a Cabinet minister. (4) Deputy Minister He works under a Cabinet minister or a Minister of State with independent charge. In practice, the Council of Ministers seldom meets as a body. It is the Cabinet. and inner body within the council, which shapes the policy of the government. Decisions taken by the cabinet is binding on the Council of

Premier calls the shots

The Prime Minister is the key person in the union cabinet, upon whom the constitution has vested unequivocal powers, says V P Gupta
The framers of our Constitution enshrined the foundation of the Cabinet system in the body of the written Constitution itself, though, of course, the details of its working had necessarily to be left to be filled by convention and usage. Article 74 of the' Constitution states that a Council of Ministers w ill be headed by the Prime Minister to aid and advise the President. Dynamics of a coalition government are quite different from a single party government and the Prime Minister has to search for consensus all the time between his own party and other members of the coalition on every issue while running the government. The Constitution is silent on how the President shall choose the Prime Minister. The convention is that the head of the state summons the leader of the party or group commanding a majority in the House of People to form the ministry. On the advice of the Prime Minister, other ministers of the council are appointed by the President. Thus, the Prime Minister becomes the 'keystone of the Cabinet arch'. He forms the Council of Ministers, determines its size, decides the persons to be included in the council, names the ministers who constitute the Cabinet and allocates ministries. He may even select his colleagues from outside the ranks of his party. The Prime Minister supervises and coordinates policies of the several ministers and ministries. He has the right to be consulted on all matters, important or minor, controversial or otherwise. He controls the agenda for the Cabinet meetings. He has special responsibility towards foreign, defence, finance, home and political affairs. He heads the Planning Commission too. The Prime Minister is the leader of the House of People. All principal announcements of policy and business of the Government are made by him and all functions of non-departmental affairs and critical issues relating to national and international matters are addressed to him. He acts as a channel of c o m munication between the President and his Council of Ministers (Art 78). The individual minister's resignation does not affect other ministers but if Prime Minister resigns, the Council of Ministers gets dissolved automatically. The Prime Minister has the exclusive right to advise the President of India to dissolve the 'Lok Sabha'. It is not necessary for him to bring this matter for a Cabinet decision before the President is requested to dissolve the House. The Council of Ministers consists of four types of ministers: (1) Cabinet Minister - 44th Amendment Act, 1978 institutionalised the term 'Cabinet' by recognising it and distinguishing it form other ministers of the council. A Cabinet minister heads a ministry allocated to him by the Prime Minister and can attend all the meetings of the Cabinet. (2) Ministers of State with independent

Ministers. The Cabinet is primarily a deliberative and policy formulating body and also the supreme executive. The power of delegated legislation has enlarged the executive authority of the Cabinet. The Cabinet always attempts to reach unanimous agreements embodying government's policy so that it presents to the Parliament and to the country, a unified policy of action. Under the system of collective responsibility, solidarity is prerequisite condition of Cabinet. The Rules of Procedure and conduct of Business in Parliament, 1950, provide for a motion of no confidence in the Council of Ministers and not in an individual minister. Thus the Council of Ministers along-with the Prime Minister stands and fall together.

Times of India

Education Times

15.7.2003

In the Vanguard of IAS Coaching

By all accounts Rau's IAS Study Circle has over the years become a legend which is looked upon by many students with awe and admiration throughout the country. According to many, its teaching techniques have become the "gold standards" in the field of IAS coaching. Through its journey lasting over five decades, the Study Circle has been at the cutting edge of actionable learning. Today it is known as the most specialised institution of its type in the country, performing at very high levels, and has acquired the rare distinction of achieving consistently the highest success rate in the Civil Service Examinations for over 50 years. Civil Services .. Grit, Grace & Poise I. A.S. -- these are not mere three letters of the English alphabet. For some, it remains a childhood dream, for some, a route to the corridors of powers and for others a divine opportunity to serve fellowcountrymen who need help in a hundred ways. Nothing is more charming and alluring than a career in the Civil Services. It gives you a "Midas touch" which can change the lives of millions. Since the introduction of the ICS examination in 1855 (then held in London), things have changed beyond imagination. But one thing that has not changed is the magnetism of the Civil Services. Even today they attracts lakhs of students to test their grit, determination and merit. The power, perks, privileges and social status accompanying these services justify all the hard work. The aura bestowed on this "priesthood of bureaucracy" is undoubtedly too hard to resist. But as they say, "it takes one per cent inspiration and ninety-nine per cent perspiration". It is a tough nut to crack. Take this examination with a singleminded devotion. Only that can ensure success in this hyper-competition where only the fittest survive. Before taking a leap into the fray, take a pause and ask yourself whether you have what it takes to be a civil servant? If your heart and mind together say an emphatic

The Civil Services Examination consists of two successive stages: i. Civil Services Preliminary Examination (Objective Type) for the selection of candidates for the Main Examination; and ii. Civil Services Main Examination (Written and Interview) for the selection of candidates for the various services and posts such as Indian Administrative Service, Indian Police Service, Indian Foreign Service, Indian Revenue Service; and Indian Customs and Central Excise Services etc. There are in all 26 services (as per Gazetteer 2001) offered through this single examination. The candidates are put through three kinds of testing to ensure that those selected have: (a) wide range of general awareness, (b) analytical ability and content retention capacity, (c) a cheerful mental disposition even under stressful conditions and some other officer-like qualities. Each one of these requirements is tested respectively through Preliminary, Main and Interview tests. Preliminary Examination: The Union Public Service Commission holds the Preliminary Examination in May. The notification for the Preliminary Examination in generally issued in the month of December every year. A candidate must hold a degree of any of the universities incorporated by an Act of the Central or State legislature in India, or recognised by the University Grants Commission. He or she must have also

'yes', then there's no time to look back. Take your first step with confidence and a positive frame of mind. Invest your most precious possession, your intellectual capital, into it and find a new and meaningful life in return. Have trust in yourself and your ability. If you think you can do it, you can certainly do it. Leave no room for doubts in your mind. Many have done it before. Here is a blueprint of the Civil Services Examination and the right way to approach this battle. The Structure of the Examination

Times of India

Education Times

15.7.2003

In the Vanguard of IAS Coaching

attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 30 year on 1st August of the year of the examination. The upper age limit is relaxable up to a maximum of five years in case of SC/ST, three years for OBCs, and 10 years for physically challenged persons. The Preliminary Examination consists of two papers of objective type (multiplechoice questions) and carry a maximum of 450 marks. The two papers are: a. General Studies for 150 marks, consisting of 150 multiple - choice questions; b. Anyone of optional subjects from a list of various optional subjects viz. Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, Botany, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Commerce, Economics, Electrical Engineering, Geography, Geology, Indian History, Law, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Medical Sciences, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Public Administration, Sociology, Statistics and Zoology. This second paper is for 300 marks, consisting of up to 120 objective type questions. The course content of the syllabi for the optional subjects is of degree level. This examination is meant to serve as a screening test only; thus, the marks obtained in the Preliminary Examination by the candidates who are declared qualified for admission to the Main Examination are not counted for determining their final order of merit. . Main Examination: The second and most crucial stage of selection is the Main Examination. The number of candidates admitted to the Main Examination is roughly around 11 or 12 times the approximate number of vacancies existing in a year. The Main Examination is usually held from the last week of October every year. This examination consists of the following nine papers: Paper I - One of the Indian Languages to be selected by the candidates from the languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. This paper is of matriculate or equivalent standard and is of qualifying nature; the marks obtained in this paper are not counted for ranking purpose. This paper is of 300 marks. Paper II - The English language paper too is compulsory and is of matriculation standard and qualifying nature. The marks (out of 300) obtained in this paper are also not counted for ranking purpose. Paper III - This is a compulsory Essay paper, consisting of 300 marks. Paper IV & V - These are two compulsory papers on various segments of General Studies, each consisting of 300 marks. Paper VI & VII - Two papers of chosen first optional subject, each carrying 300 marks. Paper VIII & IX - Likewise, two papers of second optional subject, each carrying 300 marks. . Interview Test: The UPSC interview test for Civil Services Exam is the third and final lap of the three-part process to evaluate the administrative potential of the candidates in order to find their suitability for joining one of the Civil Services. Areas normally covered by the Interview Board are: a. Every detail in the application form including the meaning of your surname; b. Current issues of interest, primarily national; c. Good knowledge of one's own state and district; d. Whenever required, you may have to bring into focus the knowledge of your own specialised field of study while talking on current problems; e. Also be prepared for probing questions on your own special field of study, including the papers that you have offered for the Main Examination - only the fundamentals of the subjects studied; momentous developments of today, if any; and a lively panoramic grasp of the optional subjects. Last but not the least, a sincere and time-tested advice to the aspirants is that there is no substitute for hard work. A strong determination and patience shall see you through. One should never feel diminished by failures but instead intensify the preparations more vigorously. Rage like a river which flows faster and more furious after dealing with every obstacle that comes in its way. So roll up your sleeves, take a deep breath & start the work....

Times of India

Education Times

14.4.2003
It's a graphic-driven method of taking or making notes, brainstorming and or ganising your thoughts or points found in a text-book chapter into a memorable tree-like diagram. So if you are looking for a way to improve your performance by learning fast, mind-map is a sure fire method for you. Students across are using mind-maps for taking notes during classroom study, planning term papers and making a picture-like summary of any new topics or chapters from textbooks.

Power of imagination
BY V P Gupta
During the course of my lecturing students for the civil services examination, I have been repeatedly asked to suggest some methods to take the boring grind out of preparations for the exam which would at least make the job of preparing notes a bit more lively learners. Mind map is a word-picture drawn with the help of lines, logic, colours and in Mind mapping ages to stimulate our brain and to speed up learning. It helps us to even convert our random thoughts into a creative structure and thus pro-

Tips
The subject is represented by a central image The main themes of the subject radiate from the central image as main branches Minor themes are linked to the main themes through subbranches Colours, pictures, shapes and symbols and lines are used with key words written around them in capital letters as 'shown in the actual mind map, to add emphasis and show, association among various ideas and subideas 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 subthemes A huge amount of information of one page Easy to read over and over again for a quick revision Does not waste time Allows ideas to flow Additions can made easily

and interesting. It is in this context that I started recommending a new technique called mind-map-ping which was like a breath of fresh air for students, in the stale atmosphere while studying with fat books. Let's start with the obvious question - what is mind map-ping? Mind mapping is a new path-breaking learning technique that enables us to make the best possible use of our brainpower. It is a visual tool of learning that allows us to make fullest use of our skills by making us more creative, organised and fast

duce a usable picture of various bits and pieces of information, available to us by weaving them into a fascinating matrix of thoughts, ideas and information. It has been it alternately called radiant thinking. Through its radiating structure, a mind map allows us the freedom of roaming the infinite expanse of our mind, expanding and exploring ideas while maintaining a clear focus on a central theme. Someone said, "Seeing is believing," well, mind map can help us look at a universe of ideas through a single picture.

Times of India

Education Times

7.4.2003
President, has the power to nominate certain members to the state legislature. He nominates some members in the State Legislative Council, if the state has bicameral legislature, who have special knowledge or practical experience in the field of art, science, literature, cooperative movement and social services. He can also nominate one member in the State Legislative Assembly from the AngloIndian community if he is feels that they are not adequately represented. The judicial powers of the

Role of a state governor

The governor of a state enjoys similar powers as the president of the country but at a smaller level By V P Gupta
While preparing for the General Studies (Paper-I) for Civil Services Main Exam an important part of the preparation is the segment called 'Polity of India', which we were discussing in this column a few weeks ago. Continuing the same theme we shall now consider the role of 'State Governors' in our country as it is one of the most crucial aspects of our polity today. The governor of a state is the repository of the executive powers of the state, which are exercised by him in accordance with the Constitution of India. He has the right to be kept in-formed of the decisions of the state ministry. He appoints the chief minister and on his advice, other ministers and several important state officials such as the advocate general, the chairman and members of the State Public Service Commission. Though the Governor has no powers to appoint the judges of the State High Court, but it is provided by the Article 217 that he will be consulted by the president before such an appointment is made. Among the legislative powers of the governor is the right to address the legislature and to send messages to it. He can summon the state legislature, prorogue either house or dissolve the legislative assembly. Every bill passed by the state legislature must receive the governor's assent before it can become a law. He may give his assent to a bill or withhold it or he may reserve it for the consideration of the president. He may also return a Bill, other than a money bill, to the legislature for reconsideration, but if it is passed a second time, the governor may not withhold his assent to it. At the same time, no money bill can be introduced in the legislative assembly except on the governor's recommendation. The constitution authorises the governor to promulgate ordinances during the period when the state legislature is not in session (Article 213). An ordinance promulgated by a governor has the same

force as an act passed by the state legislature but it ceases to be effective at the expiration of six weeks from the date when the state legislature re-assembles or before the end of the period if a resolution is passed by the legislature disapproving the said ordinance. Ordinance making power of the governor has been often misused by state chief ministers. In D. C. Wadhwa vs State of Bihar (1987) it was brought to the notice of the Supreme Court that between 19671981 the governor of Bihar promulgated 256 Ordinances. Some Ordinances were kept alive for periods ranging from one to 14 years by repromoulgating them again and again. The Supreme Court considered such promulgation as an abuse of the power and a fraud on the Constitution. Finally, the governor, like the

governor includes the power of granting pardon, or reducing or commuting sentences of any person convicted of any offence against any law relating to matters to which the executive powers of the state extends. The governor has the power to make a report to the president whenever a situation arises in which the government of a state cannot be carried on in accordance with provisions of the Constitution (Article 356), thereby inviting the president to impose 'President Rule'. It is important to note here that merely the governor of Jammu & Kashmir has the power to impose 'Governor's Rule' under section 92 of the Constitution of that state. However, it may be noted that the president of India is not bound to act on the governor's advice in this or any other matter.

Times of India

Education Times

27.1.2003

Preparing for English

V P GUPTA
English is one of the most widely spoken and understood languages in India. Keeping in view the all India nature of the Civil Services Examination, test of English language has been included by UPSC in the format of the main examination as a compulsory paper. The aim of this paper is to test the candidate's ability to read and understand serious discursive prose, and to express his ideas clearly and correctly in this language. The paper is of matriculation standard and of qualifying nature in which the candidates are required to obtain merely a minimum number of marks and these marks are not counted for their final selection or ranking. The pattern of the paper includes: Comprehension of given passages; Precise writing; Usage and vocabulary; and short essay. Comprehension passage The word comprehension is the noun form of comprehend, which implies to grasp mentally in order to have full understanding of a thing. Candidates often find some difficulty while attempting this question because of time constraint. Therefore, it is advisable that instead of indulging in slow reading to educate 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 three types of questions are asked. The main idea in the passage; some specific details: and ideas that can be logically inferred or drawn from the passage. The following points should be kept in mind while answering the questions set on a passage. yourself, skim through paragraphs and look for answers to the questions asked. Read the passage and answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the given passage. Generally,

the questions. Precise writing For the questions on precise writing one should write in one's own language, which means that one should construct his/her own sentences. No particular thought/point should be elaborated or exhaustively dealt with. One should moreover, try to follow the logically order of the ideas found in the original passage. Short Essay The paper includes a question on writing a short essay of about 300 words as well. To do well in this question a candidate must keep himself abreast of the latest developments in various fields. Before writing an essay, one must prepare an outline. Introduction should be short and crisp. The candidate should be able to demonstrate his understanding of the essence of the topic of the essay in the first paragraph of the essay. The main part must include the various facets of the issue. Concluding paragraph of an essay should indicate the considered opinion of the candidate in respect of the issue under discussion. One should not forget to go through last years' question papers. One should always take this paper with utmost sincerity as any lapse could lead to a situation where no paper of his/her main examination is evaluated.

Times of India

Education Times

6.1.2003

Art of essay writing

by V P Gupta
The Webster Dictionary defines essay as, "a literary composition, analytical all interpretative in nature dealing with its subject from a more or less limited or personal stand point and permitting a considerable freedom of style and method. Commonly, essays are brief, suitable for reading in one sit-ting". Since 1994, the essay paper has been included in the civil services main examination. It carries 200 marks and thus, anything above 100-120 marks in this paper puts one in a comfortable position, The evaluation of this paper is based on comprehension; originality of thought or freshness in thinking; clarity of expression and integrated thinking with assimilation of ideas. In this paper, the candidates are required to write an essay on a specific topic. The choice of subjects is given. Students are expected to maintain focus on the subject of the essay and to arrange the ideas in an orderly fashion and write concisely. Credit is given for effective and exact expression. Essay writing is as much a craft as an art. While art depends for Its expression on inspiration, the craft requires preparation and regular practice. However, writing style Is entirely individualistic and reflective of one's personality. Broadly speaking, all the topics in the essay paper can be divided into 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', 'Truth is lived, not taught', 'True religion cannot be misused. While attempting these topics, analysis and interpretation must by backed, by facts, examples or illustration to make your essay more effective. (b) Thematic topics: These topics may be found currently being debated, discussed and written about in various forums and media.

Times of India

Education Times

13.1.2003

Art of essay writing

by V P Gupta
While attempting topics, a thorough understanding of the subject matter in all its shades is essential. Besides, you must be able to form and hold an opinion and convincingly put it across. One should normally de-vote one hour in studying the various choices of themes, selecting the topic and noting down points for writing. It is essential to arrange the ideas in a proper sequence. Select a topic where you can express yourself with conviction and confidence. Then, you should elaborate those ideas in next one-and-a-half-hour in a systematic manner. An essay has three essential segments: 'Introduction' should be short and simple. It must-give the examiner a feel of things to come; 'Body' of the essay should be in the form of paragraphs to elaborate each subtheme. While changing the paragraphs, you should be able to make them flow into one another and 'Conclusion' should sum up the discussion. One should always end on a positive note. One should try to cultivate a lucid writing style, which has flow and is smooth to read. Logical and effective writing is a matter of training. No guidebook can turn you into a good essay writer. Anyone who does the writing practice over a period of time can surely hone his' writing skills, thus making an effective impression on the examiner.

Times of India

Education Times

7.10.2002
political aspects. Normally questions are always asked from all the three periods of Indian History - ancient, mediaeval and modern. In recent years, more and more questions are being asked from the

Strategise Ideas
Wanting to take the Civil Services exam, plan out your strategy to emerge successful By V P Gupta
The competition for the success in the fabled Civil Service Exam is no doubt fought out by the keenest of players to test their academic might. Hence every contestant needs to have a clear strategy for sailing to the shores of success. We have, therefore, planned a series of articles to be called Strategy Ideas on every facet of Civil Services Exam. In the first phase, we shall be dealing with issues relating to Prelim Exam - General Studies syllabus. The Preliminary examination is conducted in the month of May every year to screen out the students for the Main examination. This stage consists of two papers of objective (multiple choice) questions - one for the General Studies and another for an optional subject to be chosen from the list provided by the Union Public Services Com. mission. Here, emphasis will be laid on the compulsory paper, i.e. General Studies. To start with, the syllabus given for the General Studies paper is rather too general or undefined in terms of details. Therefore, one requires a wide/extensive approach to tackle this paper. One authors, awards and various must have a general interest sporting and cultural events in the things around us. A curious mental faculty with disciplined approach can do wonders in this paper. Now, we shall take up different segments of the General Studies paper one by one. The questions on General Science cover general appreciation and understanding of science including matters of everyday observation and experience, as may be expected of a well educated person who has not made a special study of any particular scientific discipline. One can start with the NCERT books for all the three sections of Basic Sciences; Physics, Chemistry and Biology. An analysis of previous years' question paper suggests that more questions are asked from biology section. In other two sections, the applied aspects are important than theoretical ones. In current events, knowledge of significant national and international events in tested. A regular perusal of newspapers and magazines goes along in dealing with this segment. Look around for those events, which affect a larger number of people and linger on longer than usual. Also make your own notes on new publications, authors, awards and various sporting and cultural events. In History of India, emphasis is on broad general understanding of the subject in its social, economic and

freedom struggle segment of modern Indian History. Here a chronological study of important events is required. For ancient and medieval Indian History, give more emphasis of socio-cultural aspects. You should also get hold of important historical maps as few questions are based on them also. In Geography give more weightage to Geography of India. Questions relate to physical, social and economic geography of India, including the main features of Indian agricultural and natural resources. Apart from the general NCERT books on geography, you must refer to a good atlas. The questions based on maps are frequently asked and they are scoring as well.

Times of India

Education Times

9.12.2002
ramifications of relevant is-sues. The last segment of General Studies paper tests the candidates ability to draw conclusions from information presented in statistical, graphical or

Attempting general studies

Regularly following newspapers and magazines is the best way to prepare for the paper on general studies By V P Gupta
The General Studies paper-two of the main examination can be the most interesting and scoring section for students having a genuine interest in national and international affairs. The paper starts with the segment called, 'India and the World'. It covers various aspects like the Indian foreign policy, India's external security and nuclear policies, and Indians abroad. India's relationship with neighbouring countries like Pakistan, China, Sri Lanka, Burma, Nepal and other countries of South Asia and major powers like USA, UK, France and Russia is always important. In recent times, India's 'Look East Policy' has become significant as well. You must look at latest developments, various international summits and the areas of discord and cooperation. The next segment is about 'Indian Economy'. In this part, questions are asked on the planning and economic development in India, economic policy and trade is: sues, the role and functions of IMF, World Bank and WTO, besides others. Normally, two types of questions are asked in this section. First, questions are from traditional topics like planning, poverty, unemployment and land reforms and second, questions based on current economic policies and issues. For the former, you can refer to standard books on Indian economy. For the latter part, you may depend on newspapers and magazines apart from latest Economic Survey published by the Finance Ministry. In this era of economic globalisation, India's role and position in various international institutions like WTO, World Bank and IMF requires proper under-standing. The section of 'International Affairs and Institutions' includes questions on important international events. The newspapers and magazines remain the most vital sources of information, news and discussions on TV can be of further help. To start with, make a list of major international events, which have been in news in the past one year. Collect in-formation of their genesis, problems/ issues involved and steps taken to resolve them. There are certain perpetual problems like in West Asia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Chechnya, Western Sahara, Taiwan, Balkans and Korean Peninsula and India's stand on these issues may need a little more emphasis. In international organisations, UNO and its various agencies, regional groupings and organisations like SAARC, EU, NAFTA, AU, ASEAN and others are important. Keep track of their latest meets/ summits and their outcome. India's role in UNO, G-15, SAARC and interaction with ASEAN, EU and G-8 should be studied in particular. 'Science and Technology' section tests the candidates awareness in this field. This segment can be broadly divided into subsections like environment, health, biotechnology, information technology, space and defence studies. India's contributions in these fields is important, apart from the broad features and socio-economic

diagrammatical form and to point out deficiencies therein. Any basic book on statistics will abreast you on fundamentals. Practising the previous 10 years papers can be beneficial. Both speed and accuracy are important here and it comes only from practice. In other segments as well, undertake good amount of writing practice before the actual examination. Follow a simple and straight forward approach while writing answers and stick to the word limits. Avoid inserting too many points in one paragraph. Your answers should be based on your ability to assimilate ideas and analyse situations logically. Finally, do not forget to revise your answers towards the end and make corrections wherever required.

Times of India

Education Times

18.11.2002
Apart from some authoritative books on Indian Constitution, aspirants should regularly go through the newspapers and magazines to find out the ongoing Constitutional issues and debates. The last segment of paper I, Current National Issues and Topics of Social Relevance, is intended to test the candidates' awareness of important developments in contemporary social and national life. Other topics include law enforcement issues, human rights, corruption in public life and communal harmony. Environmental issues like ecological preservation, conservation of natural resources and national heritage have gained currency in recent times. This segment also includes the role of national institutions, their relevance and the need for change. The detailed list of topics mentioned above reflects a changed mindset of the syllabus- framers. There is more emphasis on the contemporary national and social issues confronting us. Keep an eye on various policies and programme of the different ministries and departments of the Government of India.

Score high with GS

The nature of questions in General Studies is such that a well-prepared person can answer them without any specialised study by V P Gupta
The General Studies (GS) papers in the Civil Service Main Exam, can be more scoring than the optional papers if prepared intelligently. The questions test a candidate's general awareness, on a variety of subjects, which have relevance for a career in the Civil Services. To discuss the content and strategy ideas for each segment, I shall start with GS (Paper I) -History of Modern India and Indian Culture. The segment on 'History of Modern India' covers history of the country from about the middle of the 19th century. Modern History is divided into two segments: (1) 1757-1857: For this period, give emphasis on British Policies - economic, social, educational, political and administrative, which helped the consolidation of colonial rule in India. (2). 1857-1964: This section starts with the 'Revolt of 1857', which makes the beginning of nationalism in India and then goes to foundation of Indian National Congress, Swadeshi Movement, Moderates' and Extremists' politics, Home Rule Movement, Non-Cooperation Khilafat Movement, Civil Disobedience Movement, Quit India Movement, Revolutionary Terrorism, Swarajist Politics, rise and growth of Communal-ism, Freedom and Partition and developments during the Nehruvian era are some of the important topics. The part relating to Indian Culture will cover all aspects of Indian Culture from ancient to modern times. Geography of India In this part, questions will be on the physical, economic and social geography of India. Some of the topics like monsoon, soils, vegetation, mangroves, command area development, remote sensing, wasteland development and social forestry are often asked in the examination. The Indian Polity segment will include questions on the Constitution of India, political system and related matters. In order to do well in this area, one must have a clear concept of various themes of the Indian Constitution and its working. Preamble, Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles of State Policy, President, Council of Ministers, Union Parliament, Judiciary, role of Governor, Emergencies and Panchayati Raj are some of the important topics in this part.

Times of India

Education Times

12.8.2002
also be maintained between the State as a whole and the Union. Ultimately, the votes of the States, in the aggregate, in the electoral college for the election of the President shall be equal to that of the people of the country as a whole. In this way, the President is a representative of the nation as well as a representative of the people in different states. It also gives recognition to the status of the states in the federal systems. There was considerable debate in the Constituent Assembly regarding the manner of the election of the President. Finally, the framers of the Constitution opted for an in-direct election for the President. It was decided that since under the system of responsible Government introduced by the Constitution, real power vests in the Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister; it would be improper to provide for direct election of the President without giving him real powers. Furthermore, direct election by such a vast population of the country would mean a tremendous cost in terms of time, energy and money.

The President's Role

The President's election and his functions Some facts By V P Gupta
Our President is the head of the executive as per our Constitution. He is elected for a term of five years. Since India opted for a Parliamentary form of Government, our President is the Constitutional head and the real executive powers are vested in the Council of Ministers. As our Prime Minister is the head of the Council of Ministers, he is the real head of the executive. Thus by drawing a fine legal distinction between the role of Prime Minister and that of the President, he is called the head of State; while the Prime Minister is called the head of Government. The office of the Indian President is neither as powerful as the American President nor as ceremonial as the British Monarch. According to the Indian Constitution, a Presidential candidate must be a citizen of India; should have completed the age of 35 years; be qualified for election as a member of the House of the people; and should not hold any office of profit under the Government of India, or the Government of any State, or under any local or other authority subject to control of any of the State Governments. But a sitting President or Vice-President of the Union or the Governor of any State or a minister either for the Union or for any state is not disqualified for election as President. The President must not be a member of either House of the Parliament or a State legislature, and if he is, he must vacate his seat in that House before he enters upon his office as President. The Constitution vests the superintendence, direction and control functions for the election of President in the Election Commission which, in its turn, is subject to the control of Parliament. The President is indirectly elected, by an electoral college, in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote. The electoral college shall consist of the 'elected' members of both Houses of Parliament and the 'elected' members of the Legislative Assemblies of the State. Nominated members do not take part in the election. The electoral procedure ensures that, as far as practicable, there shall be uniformity of representation of the different states in the election, according to the population and the total number of elected members of the Legislative Assembly of each state. At the same time, parity shall

Times of India

Education Times

26.8.2002
to make appointment to certain offices under the constitution; like the Prime Minister and other ministers of the Union, the Attorney General of India, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, the Governors of various states and other heads and members of various national commissions. The President has the power to remove some of the above mentioned officials. The President has legislative powers as well Article 79 states that the Union Parliament shall consist of the President and the two Houses Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Here our Constitution departs from the theory of separation of power (as given b y Montesquieu). The President of India, who is an executive head, at the same time also remains an integral part of the Union Legislature. T h e President has the power to summon and prorogue each House of the Parliament. He may dissolve the Lok Sabha. The President may summon both the Houses for a joint sitting in case of a deadlock. He may address the two Houses of Parliament jointly or separately. The President nominates two members from Anglo-Indian Community if he feels that they are not adequately represented in the Lok Sabha. Similarly, he nominates 12 members to the Rajya Sabha from different walks of life. The President causes to be laid before the Parliament certain reports and statements including

The President's role

by V P Gupta
As per our Constitution the President is eligible for re-election any number of times. The office of the President may be terminated before the expiry of the five-year term by. The President submits his resignation in writing addressed to the Vice-President The President is removed from office by process of impeachment in the manner provided in Article 61. The impeachment procedure is quasijudicial as well as political. The only ground for impeachment specified in Art. 61 is 'violation' of the Constitution. Under the US Constitution the impeachment may be for treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanours. The charge against the President may be initiated in any House of the Parliament. The notice for moving the resolution must be signed not less than one-fourth of the total number of members of the House. Advance notice of 14 days is required. The resolution must be passed by a majority of not less then two-third of the total membership of the House. After the charge is approved by one House it is investigated by the other House. The President bas the right to appear and be represented in such investigations. The House may delegate the work of investigation to any court or tribunal. If after investigation the House passes the resolution by two thirds majority declaring that the charge is proved, the effect of the same would be that the President shall stand re-moved from his office from the date on which the resolution is passed. The President of India is often

regarded as the conscience-keeper of the nation by adding a sobering effect to the democratic farvour of our political system. The President of India is neither a real executive like the US President nor only a ceremonial head like the British monarch. Article 53 vests the executive powers of the Union in the President. That is, all executive decisions of the Union are taken in the name of the President. These executive decisions, which are administrative in nature, are carried out by the different ministries and departments of the Government. His administrative powers include the power

Times of India

Education Times

26.8.2002
government of the state (Art. 356). The President is empowered to declare emergency on the ground that the financial stability or credit of India is threatened (Art 360). The President enjoys certain discretionary powers. Not everything in our Constitution is written in black and white. There are certain grey areas where President may have to use his wisdom and judgment. For example, in case of a hung Parliament, the President has the power to decide who should be given the first opportunity to form the government and the amount of time to be given to prove majority on the floor of the House. Conventionally, the leader of the single largest party should be invited first to form the Government in case of a hung Parliament. Barring this and other exceptions where the President can exercise his discretionary powers, he has to act according to aid and ad-vise tendered by the Council of Ministers [Art. 74 (1. The 44th amendment Act, 1978 gave the President a new power to return such an advice for reconsideration of the Council of Ministers. He is, however, bound to act on the re-submitted Bill accordingly second time. At the same time, Art 78 makes it mandatory for the Prime Minister to communicate to the President all decisions of the Council of Ministers relating to the administration of the affairs of the Union and proposals for legislative and to furnish him such information as the President may call for. Finally, in a vast country as diverse as India comprising of so many faiths, languages, political and geographical spread - the office of the President acts as a big unifying force.

The President's role

contd...
the Annual Financial Statement (popularly called the Budget), reports of CAG, Finance Commission, UPSC, etc. Moreover, no Parliamentary Bill can become an Act without the assent of the President. Except in case of a money Bill, President has three options before him: (a) he may give the assent (in that case bill becomes an act); (b) he may return the I Bill for reconsideration of the Parliament; (c) may withhold the Bill, i.e. may exercise the veto power. If a Bill is returned to the President with or without amendments, he has no other option but to give his assent within 14 days. Therefore, by exercising the 'suspension veto', he can delay the enactment of a bill for some time. He may also exercise 'absolute veto' by refusing to give assent. Finally, since Indian constitution does not prescribe any ' time whit within which the President to accord his assent, he may even keep the Bill on his table indefinitely. This is exercise of a pocket veto. The most important legislative power enjoyed by the President is the Ordinance making power. An ordinance can be promulgated when the Parliament is not in session and the President must be satisfied that circumstances exist which require immediate action. In R C Cooper Vs Union of India (1970) the Supreme Court was of the opinion that the President's satisfaction could be questioned in a court of law on the grounds of malafides. An ordinance promulgated by the President has the same force and effect, as an Act of Parliament. However, it must be laid before both the Houses of Parliament within six weeks of their reassembly. The President by virtue of his office, is also the Supreme Commander of the armed forces. He has the power to declare war and peace and command the deployment of the Defence Forces. However, this power is to be exercised within the parameters of the legislative control and on the basis of advice tendered by the Cabinet. Diplomatic powers of the President include the power to appoint ambassadors and High Commissioner too and receive them from different countries. All the international treaties are signed in the name of the President of India. Indian Constitution confers on the President certain judicial powers like to grant pardon, reprieves, respite or remission of punishment and to suspend, remit or commute the sentence of any person convicted of any offence by either a court of law or court martial. Finally, among the major powers enjoyed by the President, Indian Constitution includes the emergency powers. The President has the power to proclaim emergency on the grounds of threat to the security of India by war, external aggression or armed rebellion (Art 352). The President may when satisfied that the Government of a state cannot be carried on in accordance with constitution by proclamation assume to himself all or any of the functions of the

Times of India

Education Times

13.5.2002

Citizens' obligation
Before talking about your Fundamental Rights, ensure that you know about Fundamental Duties By V P Gupta
The Fundamental Duties enumerated In Article 51A are: to abide by the constitution and respect the national flag and national anthem; to cherish and follow the noble Ideals which Inspired our national struggle for freedom; to protect the sovereignty, unity and Integrity of India; to defend the country; to promote the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of India; to preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture; to protect and Improve the natural environment; to develop the scientific tem-per and spirit of Inquiry; to safeguard public property; to strive towards excellence In all spheres of Individual and collective activity. Many of these Fundamental Duties are enforceable today even without their being specifically Incorporated In the constitution - to abide by the constitution, respect the national flag and the national anthem, to defend the country and render national service when called upon to do so and to safeguard public property. Some of the fundamental, duties are clearly intended to' meet certain specific political threats that democracy in India has to contend with. The Indian charter of Fundamental Duties is unique to include the duty to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform. It has been Incorporated to eradicate superstition in which India is deeply soaked and to remove the bane of religious fanaticism, regional chauvinism linguistic frenzy which have retarded her unification into a cohesive society. The significance of these duties is more than obvious in the light of recent riots in Gujarat. It shows that these words are not mere sacred sermons but represent basic requirements if we are to survive as a self-respecting nation-state and not just a collection of feuding tribes engaged in a holy war.

Times of India

Education Times

6.5.2002

Making a difference in a citizen's life

The Directive Principles of State Policy despite being unenforceable have worked well within the Indian system By V P Gupta
The Directive Principles of State Policy underline the philosophy of democratic socialism with a touch of Gandhian idealism. While the preamble gives the fundamental principles on which the Constitution has been founded the directive principles lay down the fundamental principles on which the Constitution is to be implemented by the state. Our Constitution makers followed the model of the constitution of Eire (commonly called Ireland) which sets forth certain principles of social policy for the guidance of the state but which are not cognisable by any court. The objective of these directives is to secure social, economic and political justice and dignity and welfare of the Individual. These may be classified under several groups - economic Ideals, guidance for legislation rights of citizens though nonjusticiable, state's obligations in educational and cultural matters, Ideals for social development, democratic ideals and Ideals for International peace. Moreover, just after the commencement of the constitution a number of agrarian reforms were effected. Most of the states abolished the class of the intermediaries known as zamindar, jagirdar and malguzar and other hereditary proprietors and land became the property of the cultivator. Agricultural Land Ceiling Acts were passed. All these are relatable to Article 39(b). In 1971. 14 banks were nationalised. During the 1970s, several industries were taken over by the government. This was to Implement the directives contained In Articles 39(b) and (c). Legislation guaranteeing equal pay for equal work Is relatable to Article 39(d). The 26th Amendment Act, 1971 abolished the privy purses which were granted to the rulers of Indian States. The Article 43 states that the state shall frame its policy to promote cottage industries in rural areas. Various boards and commissions established by the state are working to Implement this directive. Prohibition (Article 47) of intoxicating drinks and drugs was an important element of Gandhian philosophy. Haryana imposed prohibition In 1996. However, the dismal failure in Implementation gave rise to rampant corruption. Gradually all states, barring a few were forced to repeal prohibition laws. The Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 has effected the separation of judiciary from the executive (Article 50). Many states have enacted laws to prohibit slaughter of cows, bullocks .and calves In view of Article 48.The numerous acts pertaining to labour, like Minimum Wage Act, Workmen's Compensation Act, Maternity Benefit Act and Factory Act, are all aimed at implementing Articles 41. 42, 43 and 43A. The Water Pollution, Air Pollution, Environment Pollution Acts, Forest Act and the Wild Life Protection Act passed by the parliament are in furtherance of the Directive contained In

Article 48A. The 73rd Amendment Act, 1993 gave effect to the Article 40, to organise village panchayats and endow them with such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as units of self-government. Recently, the Parliament passed the 93rd Constitution amendment Act. The amendment gives education the status of a fundamental right to benefit almost 37 crore children of India, between 6 years and 14 years. The Act becomes Article 21A of the Constitution. The amendment replacing Article 45 now will read that the state "shall endeavour to provide, within a period of 10 years from the commencement of this constitution for all children until II they complete the age of 14 years". According to official sources, the universalisation of elementary education would Involve an expenditure amounting to 0.78 per cent of India's gross domestic product for the next 10 years.

Times of India

Education Times

15.4.2002

A Divine Right
by V P GUPTA
Fundamental Rights are enshrined in the Part III of the Indian Constitution. They are part of those rights which are necessary for the survival of a human being with dignity. Fundamental Rights have been incorporated in the Fundamental Law of the Land, i.e. the Constitution of India and one can approach courts in case of violation of these rights. The fundamental Rights provided by our Constitution have been inspired by the 'Bill of Rights' mentioned in the Constitution of United States of America. These rights reflect a desire of the founding fathers of Indian Constitution to build a new social order. For examine, there are rights declaring practice of untouchability an offence or conferring certain culture and educational rights on the minorities, both linguistic as well as religious. Moreover, the given rights are not absolute but subject to certain reasonable restrictions. For example, the right to freedom of speech and expression can be restricted on grounds of public order, morality or decency and national security. The Fundamental Rights can be suspended during national emergency (Art 352), only exception being right to life. Having discussed the basic features of these fundamental rights, one can find that these rights have been classified under six heads in a logical manner depending upon their scope and nature. Right to Equality (Art 14-18) Right to Freedom (Art 19-22) Right against Exploitation (Art 23-24) Article 15 prohibits discrimination by the State on any of the specified grounds, namely, religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth, whereas Article 16 prohibits discrimination in matters of public employment. State may, however, make positive discrimination in order to facilitate advancement of socially and educationally backward classes, scheduled castes and tribes, woman and children in the same spirit. Article 17 of the Indian Constitution abolishes untouchability, which has been a blemish on the Hindu society for long. The Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955 prescribes stringent punishment for certain acts declared as an offence under the Act. Finally, Article 18 abolishes titles, which have no place in a Republic like India. The national awards like the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushana, the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Shri, cannot be used as prefixes or suffixes to the name of the recipients. Further, Article 20 to 22 deal with certain safeguards which give expression to the concept rule of law and therefore, also Human Rights in India. Articles 23 and 24 provide rights against exploitation. Exploitation is opposed to the dignity of the individual as proclaimed in the Preamble to our Constitution. Next sets of Articles from 25 to 28 and 29 to 30 give a secular character to our polity. Last, but not the least, Article 32 provides right to constitutional remedies. B. R. Ambedkar once called it heart and soul of the Indian Constitution. It gives the courts power to review any law or act made on the grounds of constitutional validity.

Right to Freedom of Religion (Art 2528) Cultural and Educational Rights (Art 29-30) Right to Constitutional Remedies (Art 32) In 1978, right to property mentioned in Art 31 was repealed by the 44th Amendment Act as it was found contrary to other fundamental rights particularly the right to equality. It, however, has been real-located to Art 300A of Part XII as a legal right now. Some of these rights are available to citizens only, like protection of discrimination on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth; equality of opportunity in matters of public employment; freedom of speech, assembly, association, movement, residence and profession; cultural and educational rights of the minorities. A very important dimension of Fundamental Rights is that through them Indian Constitution seeks to establish rule of law in India. Rule of Law is a concept given by A. V. Dicey in his book 'Law of the Constitution. Thus, Art 14 provides for equality before law and equal protection of law.

Times of India

Education Times

25.3..2002
at the Union and the States is the Parliamentary Government of the British type. The primary reason for the choice of this system of government was that, the people had a long experience of this system under the Government of India Acts. Indian Constitution

Glimpses of the Constitution

by V P Gupta
Indian polity forms an important segment of the General Studies paper in the civil services examination, at all the three stages preliminary, main and interview. An aspirant for these prestigious services is expected to be well versed in the Indian Constitution, the fundamental law of the land, along-with the various related themes and issues. This also applies to the candidates opting for optional subjects like political science, public administration and even history. The present discussion intends to give an overview of the facets of our Constitution. Our national leaders during freedom struggle had resolved that India would accept a constitution drawn from the people and drafted only by the Indians. Accordingly, the Constituent Assembly was formed in December 1946 that eventually drafted the Constitution of India, precisely in two years and 11 months. The framers of Indian Constitution gave us world's lengthiest written constitutional document. The original Constitution consisted over 395 articles and eight schedules. It is largely based on the India. Act of 1935, which itself was a lengthy document. At the same time, some innovative provisions were added to reflect the socio-political set up of a vast country with all its diversities. The best elements from various constitution-al documents were drawn and moulded, accordingly to suit Indian conditions. To name a few, we took Federalism, Bill of Rights and Judicial Review from the USA; Directive Principles of State Policy from Ireland, and some other features from Canada and Australia. To start with, we have opted for a federal polity with a strong unitary bias. Inspite of a clear-cut distribution of federal powers into three lists, there Is precedence of the central law over the state law, even during normal times. All India services, appointment of the governor by the President of India, financial dependence of the state on the centre and supremacy of the Planning Commission give more powers to the centre vis-a-vis the states. Secondly, in the working of the Indian Constitution, we have found it to be more flexible than rigid. Most of the provisions of this Constitution can be amended by special majority of the' Union Parliament and yet some by just simple majority.. Only provisions that affect federal structure of our polity require ratification by half of the Indian states. Supreme Court in its various deliberations, has opined that article 368 does not give the Indian Parliament the absolute jurisdiction to amend any part of the Indian Constitution. The sanctity of the 'basic structure' must be honoured. Thirdly, the provision of the Fundamental Rights, as enshrined in the Part III, reflects a desire of the founding fathers of our Constitution to build a new social order. While there are negative injunctions prohibiting the State from commit-ting certain acts, at the same time, there are positive commandments conferring certain benefits upon the individual. Moreover, these rights are not absolute but subject to reason-able restrictions. They can also be suspended - except the right to life, during national emergency (Article 352). And logically enough, these Fundamental Rights come along with certain Fundamental Duties as well. Fourthly, the Directive Principles of State Policy inspired by the Irish precedent, are a unique feature of our Constitution. Most of socio-economic rights of the people have been included under this head. Even though said to be not enforceable in the courts of law, these principles are expected to guide the governance of the country. They are In the nature of ideals set by the founding fathers before the State, and all the organs of the State must strive to achieve them. The form of government introduced by our Constitution both

also superimposes an elected President upon the Parliamentary system of responsible government. But though an elected President is the executive head of the Union, he is to act on the advice of his ministers. B R Ambedkar once said in the Constituent Assembly, By parliamentary democracy we mean one man, one vote." Almost as an act of faith the founding fathers decided to opt for universal adult suffrage with every adult Indian without any distinction, at once having equal voting rights. Finally, no discussion oil the Indian Constitution can be complete without due reference to the single integrated judicial structure. Unlike the US we do not have separate federal and state court systems. The entire judiciary is one hierarchy of courts. It not only adjudicates disputes and acts as the custodian of individual rights and freedom, but may from time to time need to interpret the Constitution and review legislation to determine its vires vis-a-vis the Constitution. And the word of the Supreme Court is the final law of the land. In recent times, there has been a debate on the need to review the Indian Constitution keeping in view the present national realities. A Review Committee has already been set up for the same purpose. At the same time, some have even questioned the need of whole exercise. In the ultimate analysis, it seems that it's we who have failed the Constitution and I not the Constitution that has failed us.

Times of India

Education Times

14.1.2002

The grammar of success

by V P Gupta
The central theme of this article is to introduce the reader to the grammar of success in Civil Services Examinations. It has long been as a game easy to play but difficult to win as for winning you need a workable strategy. Hence each student must integrate the advice tendered here into the method of working. My first advice is that it is less complicated than you think and this idea must be integrated into your mind set before starting the preparations; since there is a lot of hype about the method of preparation to be adopted for success in this exam. This does not mean it is a cake walk, it only means that each candidate must understand that there could be essentially a feeling of quite a bit of chaos as you start preparations for such a prestigious and elaborate exam. But as you proceed in an organised and enthusiastic manner the chaos will melt away and a sense of order will start emerging. As in case of any such task here also the pattern is overlaid with some chaos which is superficial at the best and they start clearing away as you proceed. Thus undue anxiety on ,account of all sorts of stories circulating In the market must be kept In check since there is a general tendency among the students to exaggerate the level of difficulty or complexity of the task ahead.. Some important suggestions When you start reading for any theme remember, It Is essential to first acquire a clear overview or understanding of the big picture before proceeding to the nitty-gritty, or nut and bolt aspects of any topic. But, remember It Is a must that you have enough patience to under-stand any topic or theme both from macro level as well as micro level. This will really give you a proper understanding of the complete picture. Some topics or themes are like Mughal miniature paintings where so many things are happening in the margin space and at times these sideshows have more crucial Implications than the theme depicted in the main or central space of the painting. As you read any theme In any subject please remember you will find the flow of Ideas does not necessarily follow a sequential or hierarchical order. In fact, you will simultaneously have to deal with ideas that move in a parallel or lateral manner; Thus the sum total of the ideas conveyed by the author in any topic is usually both horizontal and vertical in nature except in case of science subjects where Ideas usually move in a vertical manner only. Hence you must be mentally ready to cope with both directions in the flow of information on any theme that you may be preparing. You must be able to recognise and arrange the ideas as major or fundamentals and minor or secondary points while studying a theme. Thus the fundamentals or major points will give you the idea of the big picture while the minor or secondary points will provide the smaller details to complete the picture. It is essential that you enjoy learning or the act of acquiring new knowledge. Since in case of this exam, you will be required to do a lot of reading, you can do this task properly only when you enjoy the whole exercise of gaining new knowledge, which is the most important thing in today's knowledge driven society. In most situations when you are preparing different topics you will have two types of inputs (a) facts (b) analysis or comment or the opinion of the author. A proper understanding of the facts is more important since - if you have clearly under-stood the facts in the shape of cause and effect chain, you can very easily understand, and, remember the analysis or opinion part in any topic, One should try to base his study of any topic only on one or two good text books instead of trying to read very advanced books, or collecting material from many sources. It is usually difficult to make sense out of material coming from several sources and each author has a slightly different view. Thus the advice is to stick to the mainstream view of any topic instead of trying to cater to all shades of opinion, which is not required for the purpose of this exam. Many students have often asked me as to how many hOur8 they must study on an average everyday, for success in this exam. Since they have been told that some students put in 12 hours to 14 hours a day. Here I feel one should take such information with a pinch of salt. As per my experience I can safely suggest that if a candidate can put In six to eight hours of dedicated work or quality time -every day, one should be able to cover the whole syllabus of General Studies and optional papers in one year's time. Also it is advisable to temporarily stop any other courses one may be doing while preparing for Civil Services Exam. The above list can go on for quite a bit more, but I am sure one can make a good start with the suggestions given above. Finally, I wish to make the point that it is less complicated, That's the message to all the brave hearts who wish to write this exam.