Central Services through Civil Services

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Central services are classified into two groups :

GROUP A

01.Indian Foreign Service (IFS)
02.Indian Railway Service
03.Indian Postal Service
04.Accounts and Auditing Services (including
     The Indian Audit and Accounts Service,
     The Indian Civil Accounts Service,
     The Indian Defence Accounts Service,
     The Indian Revenue Service.)
05.Indian Customs and Central Excise
06.Indian Ordinance Factories Service
07.Indian Defence Estates Service
08.Indian Revenue Service
09.Indian Information Service
10.Central Trade Services
11.Central Industrial Security Force
12.Indian Post & Telecommunication Accounts & Finance Service
13.Railway Protection Force (RPF)
14.Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS)
15.Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS)
16.Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS)


GROUP B

01.Central Secretariat Services
     (Section Officer Grade)
02.Railway Board Secretariat Services
     (Section Officer Grade)
03.Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Services
    (Assistant Civilian Staff Officer Grade)
04.Customs Appraisers’ Services
05.The Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands,
      Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and
      Dadra & Nagar Haveli Civil Services
06.The Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands,
      Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and
      Dadra & Nagar Haveli Police Services
07.Pondicherry Civil Services
08.State Civil Services

Indian Forest Service Exam Application Form

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Instructions to candidates for filling up the Application Form for the Indian Forest Service Examination, 2011.

Side 1 of Application Form 
Column 1 : Examination for which applying 

Darken the circle against "IFS", in the box pertaining to Name of examination, write IFS starting from the first box on the left. Also write 2011 in the boxes meant for year of examination. 

Column 2 : Fee

If you have paid the requisite fee of Rs. 100/- (Rupees One hundred only), darken circle 1 and write 1 in the box; or 

If you have not paid the fee and are claiming fee remission as SC, ST or Physically Handicapped, darken circle 2 and write 2 in the box. 

N.B. : Fee is payable only in the form of Central Recruitment Fee Stamp, as per instructions against Column 12. 

Column 3 : 

 (I) Whether Physically Handicapped?

If you are not a physically handicapped person, darken circle 1 for No and write 1 in the box; or 

If you are a physically handicapped person, darken circle 2 for yes and write 2 in the box. 

(II) If yes, indicate category 

Fill up this Column only if your answer to Column 3(I) is yes. 

If you are Orthopaedically handicapped, darken circle 1 and write 1 in the box; or 

If you are Blind, darken circle 2 and write 2 in the box; or 

If you are Deaf-Mute, darken circle 3 and write 3 in the box. 

 Column 4 : Community 

If you belong to SC, darken circle 1 and write 1 in the box; or 

If you belong to ST, darken circle 2 and write 2 in the box; or 

If you belong to OBC, darken circle 3 and write 3 in the box; or 

If you belong to General Category (Others), darken circle 4 and write 4 in the box. 

Note 1 : Candidates belonging to OBCs but comming in the Creamy Layer and thus not being entitled to OBC reservation should indicate their community as "General Category (Others) Code No. 4". 

Note 2 : Candidates belonging to neither SC, ST, nor OBC communities should write Code No. 4 (General Category) against the Column for Community and not leave it blank. 

Note 3 : No change in the community status indicated by a candidate in his/her application form for the Examination will ordinarily be allowed by the Commission at a subsequent stage.

Column 5 : Sex 

If you are Male, darken circle 1 and write 1 in the box; or 

If you are Female, darken circle 2 and write 2 in the box; 

Column 6 : Nationality

If you are an Indian national, darken circle 1 and write 1 in the box; or 

If you are not an Indian national, darken circle 2 and write 2 in the box. 

Column 7 : Name of the candidate 

For filling up this column, first write in the boxes your full name (in English) in capital letters exactly as recorded in your Matriculation/High School/Secondary or equivalent examination certificate. Write a single letter in a box. Leave a box blank between any two parts of the name. Then darken the corresponding circle below each letter. Do not darken a circle below a blank box. Do not overshoot the boxes. Abbreviate name only if necessary. Do not use any prefix such as shri, Kum., Dr. etc with your name. 

See sample filled up form in the brochure for guidance. 

Column 8 : Date of Birth 

Darken the appropriate circles for the day, month and year of your birth as recorded in your Matriculation/High School/Secondary or equivalent examination certificate. Then write in the boxes using numerals 01 to 31 for day; numerals 01 to 12 for month and the last two digits for the year of birth. 

See sample filled up form in the brochure for guidance. 

Column 9 : Father’s Name 

Write your father’s name (in English) in capital letters. Write a single letter in each box. Leave a box blank between any two parts of the name. Do not use any prefix such as Shri, Dr. etc. 

Column 10 : Address 

Write your complete mailing address including your name in English capital letters or Hindi within the box provided for the purpose. Also write the PIN Code therein. Write with blue or black ball pen only. Do not write outside the box. Please note that this address will be photocopied as such in all letters to be sent to you and therefore, it should be very clearly and legibly written. 

If you make any mistake in writing the address, cover the whole box with an exact sized white paper slip and rewrite your address on that. 

Column 11 : Photograph

Paste firmly in the space provided your recent photograph of 4 cm. x 5 cm. size (preferably in Black & white). Do not staple the photograph. Photograph should neither be signed by you nor it should be got attested. 

Column 12 : Space for CRF Stamp

Fee to be paid for the Indian Forest Service Examination is Rs. 100/- (Rupees One hundred only). SC/ST and Physically Handicapped candidates are not required to pay any fee. No fee exemption is however available to OBC candidates and they are required to pay the prescribed full fee. 

Fee is payable only through Central Recruitment Fee Stamp (Not postage stamps). No other mode of payment is acceptable. Obtain only one single CRF Stamp of Rs. 100/- denomination from the post office and paste it firmly within the box. After pasting the CRF Stamp on the form, get it cancelled from the post office of purchase in the space provided. Do not staple the CRF Stamp. 

Side 2 of Application Form 

Column 13 : (I) Are you residing in a remote area or abroad 

If you are residing in a remote area specified in Para 6 of the Notice of the Examination or abroad, darken circle 1 against Yes and write 1 in the box; or 

If you are not residing in a specified remote area/abroad, darken circle 2 against No and write 2 in the box.

N.B. : Candidates residing in a remote area specified in the Notice of the Examination or abroad are entitled to one week’s additional time for submission of application form. 

(II) If yes, indicate area code : 

Darken the appropriate circles for the area code as given below and then write the same code in the boxes.

Area
Code
Area
Code
Assam
01
Sikkim
08
Meghalaya
02
Jammu & Kashmir
09
Arunachal Pradesh
03
Lahaul and Spiti District and Pangi Sub Division of Chamba District of Himachal Pradesh
10
Mizoram
04


Manipur
05
Andman & NicobarIsland
11
Nagaland
06
Lakshadweep
12
Tripura
07
Abroad
13

 Column 14 : Examination Centre Code 

Choose the Examination Centre from the list given below where you wish to appear and see its code. Darken the appropriate circles and then write the same code in the boxes. Do not indicate more than one centre.

List of Centres of Examination

Centre
Code
Centre
Code
Centre
Code
Agartala
45
Gangtok
42
Panaji (Goa)
36
Ahmedabad

Hyderabad
10
Patna
15
Aizawal
47
Imphal
44
Port Blair
37
Allahabad
02
Itanagar
48
Raipur
49
Bangalore
03
Jaipur
11
Ranchi
41
Bareilly
54
Jammu
34
Sambalpur
53
Bhopal
04
Jorhat
46
Shillong
16
Chandigarh
35
Kochi
24
Shimla
17
Chennai
12
Kohima
43
Srinagar
18
Cuttack
07
Kolkata
06
Thiruvananthapuram
19
Dehradun
14
Lucknow
26
Tirupati
50
Delhi
08
Madurai
40
Udaipur
52
Dharwar
39
Mumbai
05
Vishakhapatnam
51
Dispur
09
Nagpur
13


 Column 15 : Educational Qualification Code

Codes prescribed for educational qualification are as follows :

Code Educational qualification

01 If you have already passed the requisite qualifying Examination, with prescribed subject;
02 If you have appeared/appearing at the requisite qualifying Examination, with prescribed subject;

Choose the correct code applicable in your case and darken the appropriate circles. Write the same code in the boxes.

Note: For prescribed subjects see para 3 (iii) of Notice.

Column 16: 

(I) Whether claiming age relaxation 

If you are claiming age relaxation, darken circle 1 for Yes and write 1 in the box; or If you are not claiming age relaxation, darken circle 2 for No and write 2 in the box.
 (II) If Yes, indicate category code Fill up this Column only if your response to Column 16(I) is Yes. Darken the appropriate circles for category codes given below and then write the same code in the boxes. 
Category - Codes for Claiming Age Relaxation
 (Refer Para 3(ii) (b) of Commission’s Notice published in the Employment News/Rozgar Samachar)

Code No.
Category
Extent of Age Relaxation Permissible
01.
SC and ST
5 years
02
OBC
3 years
03
Blind, deaf-mute and Orthopaedically handicapped persons.
10 years
04
Blind, deaf-mute and Orthopaedically handicapped persons + SC/ST
15 years
05
Blind, deaf-mute and Orthopaedically handicapped persons + OBC
13 years
06
Defence Services Personnel disabled in operations during hostilities with any foreign country or in a disturbed area and released as a consequence thereof.
3 years
07
Defence Services Personnel(as against Code No. 06) + SC/ST
8 years
08
Defence Services Personnel(as against Code No. 06) + OBC 6 years

09
Ex-Servicemen including Commissioned offices and ECOs/SSCOs who have rendered at least five years Military Service as on 1st January, 2011 and have been released (i) on completion of assignment (including those whose assignment is due to be completed within one year from 1st January, 2011) otherwise than by way of dismi-ssal or discharge on account of misconduct or inefficiency;or (ii) on account of physical disability attributable to Military Service; or (iii) on invalidment.
5 years
10
Ex-Servicemen including Commissioned Officers and ECOs/SSCOs (as against Code No. 09) + SC/ST
10 years
11
Ex-Servicemen including + OBC Commissioned Officers and ECOs/SSCOs (as against Code No. 09)
8 years
12
ECOs/SSCOs who have completed an initial period of assignment of five years of Military Service as on 1st January,2011 and whose assignment has been extended beyond five years and in whose case the Ministry of Defence issues a certificate that they can apply for civil employment and that they will be released on three months notice on selection from the date of receipt of offer of appointment.
5 years
13
ECOs/SSCOs (as againstCode No. 12) + SC/ST
10 years
14
ECOs/SSCOs (as againstCode No. 12) + OBC
8 years
15
Candidates who had ordinarily been domiciled in the State of Jammu & Kashmir during the period from 1st January, 1980 to 31st December, 1989
5 years
16
Candidates who had ordinarily been domiciled in the State of J & K (as against Code No. 15) + SC/ST
10 years
17
Candidates who had ordinarily been domiciled in the State of J & K (as against Code No. 15) + OBC
8 years

(I) Optional subject 

Choose any two optional subject from the list given below and see their codes. Darken the appropriate circles and then write the same code in the boxes. 

(II) No. of attempts already made? 

Write the number of attempts already made by you in the Indian Forest Services Examination in the boxes and darken the appropriate circles. If no attempt has been made by you earlier, darken circles 00 and write ‘00’ in the boxes. 

Columns 21 and 22 : 

Candidates appearing for the Indian Forest Services Examination 2011 are not required to fill any of these columns. They should, therefore, leave these Columns blank. 

Column 23 : Declaration 

The candidate must read the declaration carefully before signing. In Sub-para (i), the candidate must fill up the Examination Notice number viz. 06/2011 and date of publication of Notice in Employment News/Rozgar Samachar viz., 05.02.2011 in the spaces provided before the asterisk marks. 

Column 24 : Signature of candidate 

Make your usual signature in blue or black ball pen within the box provided. Your signature must not overflow or touch the border of the box provided. Do not merely write your name in capital letters in place of signature. Unsigned applications will be rejected. 

Also write the place and date of signing the form in the spaces provided for the purpose. 

Verify the following before mailing the application 

1. That you have used the application form purchased from the designated Head Post Offices/Post Offices only. 

2. That you have filled in all the relevant columns of the application form by blackening the appropriate circles and also writing the corresponding code(s) in boxes. It may be carefully checked that there is no variation between the entries made by you by darkening the circles and those written in the accompanying boxes. 

3. That you have pasted your recent photograph preferably in black & white (unsigned and unattested) in column 11 of the application form. 

4. That in case you are required to pay fee, you have affixed a Central Recruitment Fee Stamp of Rs. 100/- denomination in column 12 of the application form and have got it cancelled from the Post Office. 

5. That you have signed in column 24 of the application form. 

6. That only one application form and one acknowledgement card is being mailed in the envelope supplied to you with the Brochure and no other enclosure is attached therewith. 

7. That you have written the name of examination viz., "Indian Forest Service Examination, 2011" on the envelope meant for despatch of application form and acknowledgement card. 

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR CANDIDATES 

Special instructions to Candidates for Conventional type of papers 

 Articles permitted inside Examination Hall 

Battery-operated pocket calculators of “non-programmable” type only, mathematical/engineering/drawing instruments, including a flat rule divided on the edges into inches and tens of an inch and into centimeters and millimeters, a slide rule, set squares, a protractor and a pair of compasses, pencils, coloured pencils, mapping pens, eraser, T-square and drawing board for use wherever necessary. Candidates are not allowed to bring with them any “Tables or Charts” for use in the Examination Hall. 

Mobile phones, pagers or any other communication devices are not allowed inside the premises where the examination is being conducted. Any infringement of these instructions shall entail disciplinary action including ban from future examinations. 

Candidates are advised in their own interest not to bring any of the banned item including mobile phones/pagers to the venue of the examination, as arrangement for safekeeping can not be assured. 

 Tables to be supplied by UPSC 

If it is considered necessary for answering the questions set in any paper, the Commission may supply any of the following for reference purpose only:- 

(i) Mathematical/Physical, Chemical and Engineering Tables (including Logarithmic Tables); 
(ii) Steam Table (including Mollier Diagrams for Temperature up to 800 C and Pressure up to 500 Kgf/Cm); 
(iii) National Building Code of India 1970 or 1983 Group 2 Part VI; 
(iv) Any other special articles as may be necessary for the candidates to answer the questions set in the question paper. 

After conclusion of the examination, return the above items to the Invigilator.

 Answers to be written in own hand 

Write the answers in your own hand in ink. Pencil may be used for maps, mathematical drawings or rough work. 

 Check Answer Book 

The candidate must write his roll number (and not his name) only in the space provided for the purpose on every answer book used by him. Before writing in the answer book, please see that it is complete. In case there are any missing pages, it should be got replaced. 

Do not tear out any pages from the Answer Book. If you use more than one Answer Book, indicate on the cover of first Answer Book the total number of Answer Books used. Do not leave any blank, unused spaces between answers. If such spaces are left, score them out.

 Answers in excess of prescribed number will be ignored 

The candidate must attempt questions strictly in accordance with the directions given on each question paper. If questions are attempted in excess of the prescribed number shall be valued and the remaining answers will be ignored.

 Questions relating to graph/ récis should be attempted only on graph/ récis sheets to be supplied on demand by the Invigilators. All loose sheets such as récis sheet, drawing papers, graph sheets etc. whether used or not, should be placed inside the answer books and fastened along with the additional answer book(s), if any. Candidates who fail to observe this instruction will be penalized. 

Do not write your roll number on these sheets. 

 Unfair means strictly prohibited 

Do not copy from the papers of any other candidate nor allow your papers to be copied nor give nor attempt to give nor obtain nor attempt to obtain irregular assistance of any description. It will be responsibility to every candidate to ensure that his answers are not copied by another candidate. Failure to do so will invite penalty, as may be awarded by the Commission for adoption of unfair means.

 Conduct in Examination Hall 

Do not misbehave in any manner or create disorderly scene in the examination hall or harass or bodily harm the staff deployed for the conduct of examination. You will be severely penalized if you attempt to do so. 

 Please read carefully and abide by the instructions printed on the Question Paper and on the Answer Book supplied in the Examination Hall.

Roopa Mishra IAS Success Story

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civil services, civils toppers, ias interviews
Roopa Mishra, the Indian Administrative Service examination topper for 2003, on Saturday said she strongly believed in leading by example.

I aim to make a difference. It is not whether you are a man or a woman, but the kind of person you are what's important," Mishra, 27, said.

"The kind of spirit I have in me, I would do in the same way whether I am a man or woman," she said replying to queries from reporters at her parents' Shahidnagar residence in Bhubaneswar.


Mishra attributed her success to her faith in God and handwork put in for around ten months. She credits her husband Anshuman Tripathy, parents, in-laws and teachers also for the same.

"My husband is my friend and he initiated me into this system of examination," she said. Tripathy is a fellow at the IIM, Calcutta.

On her success in the Union Public Service Commission-conducted examination, Mishra said many factors went intomaking a person successful, but one mistake could make everything crash.

The topper said she had done very well in the exam, but didn't expect to top the list. "It came as a bonus."

The news of her topping the exam came from a career magazine's office."I was thrilled, I wept," Mishra, the daughter of Danda Nirodh Mishra, an IAS officer, said.

Mishra studied science at the plus-two level and then switched to commerce, completing her post-graduation in management from Utkal University.

She briefly worked for a local TV channel anchoring programmers and taught at the Directorate of Distant andContinuing Education of the Utkal University. She married three-and-half years ago. Asked whether she ever dreamt of becoming an IAS officer, a beaming Rupa said: "Not exactly but I had many dreams at different times."

Mishra, who had public administration and psychology as her subjects, stayed in Delhi for ten months to prepare for the exam. "It is very important to chose subjects with care and I chose public administration as it is relevant and psychology as it deals with human behaviour which is interesting," she said.

Replying to a question as to why she chose to join thecivil service when she had adegree in management, Mishra said:"I believe the civil servant is the biggest manager of all."As regards her preparation, she said she did not slog but had a clear idea as to how she would go about it.

Describing poverty in Orissa as an enigma, Mishra said: "It's poverty amidst plenty."

Mishra is the first IAS topper from the state since Prafulla Chandra Mishra in 1982 and Hrusikesh Panda in 1979.

Public Administration Strategy for Civil Services Main Examinations

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Given the time constraint, a well-thought out strategy makes the difference between success and failure. Intensive and focused approach built on analysis needs to be scrupulously adhered to.

Some ingredients of a 'smart strategy' are :

· Building a general overview 
 Perusal of question papers of previous years 
 Identification of 'thrust areas' for concentrated pursuit 
 Examination-bias 
 Adequate writing practice for time management and evolving right content 
 Continuous review of performance and appropriate corrections 
 At least two weeks before the examination, writing exercises should be stopped and the entire attention should be on revision. 

Every candidate appearing for the mains examination should be conversant with the fundamentals of the structure, process, behaviour and environment of the administrative system. It's equally important that the student should be conversant with the contemporary and the current developments of socio-political and economic nature that have a close bearing on the functioning of the administration. For example, changing governors; direct grants to panchayats; economic reforms with a human face; globalisation and administration; second generation reforms and the social infrastructure; right to information and participative development. 

Amassing information is a big 'don't'. Candidates should be able to identify 'core areas' which cannot be avoided in the context of the mains examination and consolidate. Most importantly, study and writing practice should reinforce each other. Writing practice holds the key to success. It ensures legibility, time management and adherence to word limit. Effective introduction, logical build up and balanced conclusion send the right signals to the evaluator. Every question needs to be studied carefully to understand the exact requirements. For instance, some years ago, in the mains examination, the office of the Prime Minister was given and some took it for Prime Minister's Office. Several times, the questions are general in nature and not direct. For example, criminalisation of politics and politicisation of crime; public sector enterprises are neither public nor enterprises;recruitment of recruiters needs to be streamlined and planning in India needs to be depoliticised. 

For short questions, answers should be direct and precise. In a long essay, introduction should be appealing and effective. Elaboration of the theme should be properly prioritised. Sequencing should be done in such a manner that one paragraph logically follows from another. Depending upon the paper I or II, apt illustrations add value. While answering a question on welfare administration, the concept of welfare needs to be supplemented with the initiatives undertaken by the government highlighting the different types of programmes, the coverage and the resource profile. Unlike general studies, public administration requires interpretative skills, ability to correlate theory and practice; and synchronise conventional with the current. For example, presidential activism in India; budget as an instrument of socio-economic transformation; citizen-administration interface and e-governance; regulation and development; development and delivery models.


Paper I 
(Administrative theory)

Section - A

Theories of Administration: Scientific Management, Human Relations' School, Bureaucratic Theory and Systems Approach - These are all essential theories and students need to focus on critical aspects, which is not there in General Studies (GS). Students need to be exhaustive with their preparation, which should be based on 3Cs - comprehensive, clarity and critical approach. 

Structure of Public Organisations: In GS, a general approach to public sector is required whereas in Public Administration, the approach to this is actually amplification of government policy. Few years ago, a question in the main stage in the Public Administration paper was, `Welfare obligation of public sector has been abandoned in the era of liberalisation''.This question will never come in GS.The nature of this question is provocative and you need to respond with a positive attitude. Your reply could begin with:''Public sector still fulfil nation's goal of welfare....'' Or, there might be a question which says, ''Since 1967, position of governor has been politicised''. 

Administrative Behaviour: This topic is a real challenge and students need to be thorough with a concept like motivation. They need to be thorough with atleast three thinkers which include Maslow, Herzberg and Macgregor. They need to make a comparative account of all three of them. The year preceding, a quotation from Macgregor's original book of quotation was given. 

Accountability and Control: We are in a parliamentary system and students need to be clear about Parliament and its functions. They should read books on governance by Arun Shourie and Bimal Jalan. They also must be conversant on how Parliament functions in all aspects.


Section B

Administrative Reforms: This is a dynamic area as the emphasis is on technology. Students need to be thorough with legislations like Right to Information, rendering administration through people-centric institutions like panchayats and nagar palikas. Concepts like social auditing and participatory governance need to be studied in detail. 

Comparative Public Administration: You need to read thinkers like Riggs. Earlier, public administration was centred around Western concepts whereas the focus is now on third world countries like India. Students are expected to be familiar with issues like governance, rural development, privatisation and human rights in Brazil, China and South Africa. 

Development Administration: Students need to approach this topic with an open mind and with some amount of reading. They need to follow international trends on how technology is impacting administration across third world and elsewhere. This is relevant for India as there is a political dimension to the whole concept as it deals in issues like federalism and decentralisation. It has a dimension of administration where you deal with various aspects like poverty alleviation, empowerment, retraining and administration machinery. 

Public Policy: It's a challenging topic and students need to be aware about Dror who spoke maximum on issues related to public policy. Students need to be aware of how the country is developing particularly on issues related to disinvestments. Students need to be aware of anti-poverty programmes and how employment-generation schemes have evolved all these years. 

Financial Administration: This topic is routed in Indian practices. You have issues like Parliament and Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) and how do they function but students have to be absolutely clear on these issues.There is premium on latest knowledge like the PM's and finance minister's recent speeches as well.


Paper II 
(Indian Administration) 

Section - A

Evolution of Indian Administration: Areas which are crucial include criminalisation of politics and politicisation of crime, President's rule, Federal system in context of coalition government, fiscal and monetary policy. 

Constitutional framework: President, Parliament and judiciary: These are important but students should not follow the conventional mode while preparing for main paper. Questions are generally twisted and they need to muster facts while giving right interpretation. Like in GS, the questions will deal with discretionary power of Governor (Article 116) whereas for public Administration, they might ask, ''Governor is an agent of centre''. Similarly in GS, the question might be based on Panchayati Raj System based on 73rd amendment. In Public Administration, they might ask, ''Panchayats are not development delivery vehicle, they are an independent tier of governance in true Gandhian spirit''. Students need to read national dailies to prepare for these kind of topics. 

Union Government and Administration: The focus is on Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and Cabinet Secretariat. The PMO has acquired enormous importance during the last three to four decade. Students should focus on how the relationship between PMO and Cabinet Secretariat has evolved under these c i rc u m s t a n ce s. Newspapers and journals should be good source of information on this issue. 

State Government and Administration: Students need to be thorough with the Sarkaria Commission's report on Centre-State relations and National Commission to Review the Working of Constitution report which was submitted in 2002 

District Administration and Local Government: The changing role of collector vis-a-vis technology, District Rural Development Authority, District Development Authority, structure of panchayats and nagar palikas. There should focus on on issues like Right to Information, Cyber Governance.

Section B

Public Services: There should be focus on UPSC, State Public Service Commissions and how ''recruiters should be properly recruited''. The constitutional aspect and functions of these institutions need to be studied. 

Control of Public Expenditure: Sections like Parliament and CAG have already been dealt in paper I. They need to further focus on Public Interest Litigation, judicial activism which includes extra ordinary intervention by Supreme Court and High Courts in order to restore dwindling public faith in system because of declining public morality at highest level. 

Administrative Reforms: Queries on Right to Information, social audit, panchayati raj, Voluntary R e t i re m e n t Schemes are part of the administrative reforms. 

Machinery for Planning: Student need to focus on Planning Commission and how the role has changed during all these years. They need to find out that whether Planning Commission should be merged with Finance Commission in the context of liberalisation. Students can gather information from national newspapers, periodical and journals. 

Administration of Law and Order: The role of central and state agencies in the maintenance of law and order and articles published on these issues should be given top priority 

Welfare Administration: This is an evolving area and there is no specific reading material available on this issue. Students need to go through annual report of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. 

Writing: Application is the key while writing this paper. Avoid jargon and abbreviation, be precise. Premium is on accuracy, insightfulness and application.

Strategy for Sociology in Civil Services Main Examinations

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Paper I

For short notes, these are the important sections in paper I:

·         Sociology - The Discipline
·         Scientific Study of Social Phenomena
·         Techniques of data collection and analysis
·         Economic System
·         Political System
·         Educational System
·         Science & Technology

To prepare for the long questions in paper I, students are required to thoroughly prepare Pioneering contributions to Sociology. This includes

·         Karl Marx: Historical materialism, mode of production, alienation and class struggle.
·         Emile Durham: Division of labour, social fact, religion and society.
·     Max Weber: Social action, ideal types, authority, bureaucracy, protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism.
·         Talcott Parsons: Social system, pattern variables.
·         Robert K Merton: Latent and manifest functions, anomie, conformity and deviance, reference groups.

While revising Pioneering contributions to Sociology', students need to focus on areas like socio-economic and political background, views of thinkers, their analysis, contemporary perspective and evolution. The section on `Pioneering contributions to Sociology' is the most important part of paper I. It helps to understand the theoretical inferences of paper II. So, if you are thorough with this section, it will be easier for candidates to get a gist of sections like Social Stratification, Economic System, Political System, Educational System, Social Movements and Social Change and Development. 

Candidates are required to understand argumentative aspect of thinkers like Karl Marx, Emile Durham, Max Weber, Talcott Parsons, Robert K Merton, with an eye to use their arguments in other sections of paper I. The theoretical inference of these thinkers need to be carried forward in paper II wherever required. 

For long questions, students need to focus on topics such as Pioneering Contributions to Sociology, Marriage and Family, Social Stratification and Mobility, Political System, Social Movements and Social Change and Development. Students who can thoroughly focus on these sections are expected to answer 70% of queries in paper I. They should, however, have an overall view of the paper with focus on emerging trends like education, religion and economic developments.

PAPER II

While preparing for this paper, students should ensure that they should not confine their preparation in terms of different sections. They need to focus on interrelation between different topics. Students need to have an analytical eye with focus on continuity and change. Like, despite so many changes, why caste system is still prevalent in our country. Or, despite the break-up of the joint family system, the mentality of joint family still exists among Indians. 

For short notes, the important sections are:

·         Historical Moorings of the Indian Society
·         Class Structure
·         Marriage, Family and Kinship
·         Education
·         Political System
·         Population Dynamics
·         Social Movements
·         Social Problems

For long questions, the important sections are:

·         Caste System
·         Class Structure
·         Agrarian Social Structure
·         Industry and Society
·         Political Processes
·         Tribal Societies
·         Social Change
·         Social Movements
·         Women and Society

Apart from these, students need to keep an eye on sections like Caste System, Agrarian Social Structure and Tribal Societies. You can always have short or long questions from these three sections. Paper II actually works like mathematics and it is a high-scoring paper. 

There are many topics in paper II which seem to be essay-type. But in Sociology, they need to be approached through sociological perspectives. Suppose you are asked a question on poverty, this can have theoretical inferences. You need to give empirical or sociological or case studies examples to analyse the topics.

WRITING SHORT NOTES:

You need to directly start answering the question. Avoid flowery language with an eye on all perspectives while answering the question

LONG QUESTIONS:

Perspectives which have been asked needs to be kept in view while answering the question. Theoretical dimension are to be substantiated with analysis.

Zoology Strategy for Civil Services Main Examinations

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The syllabus of Zoology is vast and thus not repetitive. Students are advised to leave those areas which appeared in last year's paper. The answers should be diagrammatic and be less verbose. Students should also not hesitate in drawing colour diagrams.

PAPER I

Section A 

Non-chordata and chordata:

· Students should do classification thoroughly as it's given in Barnes' textbook
· Pay attention to general essays rather than type studies
· Always correlate things from evolutionary viewpoint -Draw as many diagrams and flow charts as possible
· Origin of chordates is an expected topic this year. Students should cover all theories.
· In chordate description, compare the phyla phylogenetically and anatomically. Comparative anatomy diagrams must be coloured.

Section B

The most scoring parts are Economic Zoology, Bio Stats and Bio Instrumentation. Students should prepare Ecology and Animal Behavior only for short notes. India-centric data is must wherever it's required. The section on Ethology can be ignored during final stages of preparation. Students need to focus on topics related to developments in India in Economic Zoology.


PAPER II

Section A

To prepare Cell Biology and Genetics, students need to follow the same advice as provided for these two topics in Botany. However, you need to correlate cellular processes with human physiology and human disease conditions. In Genetics, student should also mention the possible human welfare applications. For this year's mains paper, the human genome project appears important because of media reports on this topic during the last one year. In Evolution, students should prepare exclusively for short notes and identify important topics from previous years' papers. The section on Systematics can be ignored or students just need to stick to the present course structure. No peripheral questions asked.

Section B

Biochemistry and Physiology

Practical Bio-chemical pathway with structural formula of molecules are important in this year's paper. Prepare from medical bio-chemistry and physiology books. Represent most information through flow charts. Always draw relevant anatomical diagrams.

Development Biology

If physiology and biochemistry are prepared thoroughly, then this part can be prepared only for short notes. Colored drawings are a must. Students need to practice them properly.


FOR GENERAL STUDIES (GS)
Topics related to ecology and environment can be ignored while preparing for GS paper. Different aspects of biotechnology are routinely asked in GS for which no separate preparation is required.

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