History * History books of Classes XI and XII NCERT * Freedom Struggle (NET) Bipin Chandra Geography * Principles of Geography

phy (Class XII-Part I, II) * General Geography of India (Class XII) Part I NCERT * Geography of India Resources and Regional Development Part II (Class XII) NCERT * Physical Geography G.C. Leong * Geography of India- Khullar * Atlas from Oxford and Orient Longman. Indian Polity* Introduction to Indian Constitution D.D. Basu but personally i think Subhash Kashyap is better than D D Basu or * Our Constitution Subash Kashyup Indian Economy* Evolution of Indian Economy NCERT * Indian Economy Dutt and Sundaram. * Indian Economy Mishra and Puri Science & Technology* NCERT books on Science. * Science and Technology supplements in the Newspapers and magazines. Current Events of National and International importance* One major National Daily Either the Times of India or The Hindu. * Newsweeklies like India Today or/and Outlook * Monthly Magazines like Wizard, Frontline, Yogna and others * Current Events Spectrum

Right to Education in India

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Recently Indias parliament passed Right to Education Bill on 4th August 2009. This act describes the modalities of the provision of free and compulsory education for children between 6 and 14 in India under Article 21A of the Indian Constitution. Some Silent Features of Education Bill

Every child between the ages of 6 to 14 years has the right to free and compulsory education This is stated as per the 86th Constitution Amendment Act added Article 21A. The right to education bill seeks to give effect to this amendment The government schools shall provide free education to all the children and the schools will be managed by school management committees (SMC) Private schools shall admit at least 25% of the children in their schools without any fee The National Commission for Elementary Education shall be constituted to monitor all aspects of elementary education including quality No child shall be held back, expelled, or required to pass a board examination until completion of elementary education Calls for a fixed student-teacher ratio Will apply to all of India except Jammu and Kashmir Provides for 25 percent reservation for economically disadvantaged communities in admission to Class I in all private schools Mandates improvement in quality of education School teachers will need adequate professional degree within five years or else will lose job School infrastructure (where there is problem) to be improved in three years, else recognition cancelled Financial burden will be shared between state and central government

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Paper I

History of Modern India.

Usually we limit our history books to only one and then read again and again to remember the facts and dates. But by going through previous year question papers, you will realize that their choices of questions have become widely varied, asking the most direct question and also the most indirect question. So I had read history from two three sources and even referred a British author book available at Questia Online Book Store. According to him, only a dozen violent people were killed in Jalianwala incident (which itself was a non-incident according to the author) and the subsequent deaths happened due to rioting in Punjab. I also read a lot about Jinnah (no-where to be found in our books even though he dominated the Indian political scene for 3 decades).

History of Modern India by Bipan Chandra: It is the same old NCERT book. I would suggest you at least go through. New NCERT Text : I did not read this, though I had this with me. A Brief History of Modern India by Spectrum : A very good resource. There was a direct question from this book this time. ISC History by Maity and Banerjee : A decent book. Easy to read as it is made for Class XII students. One question in CSE 2010 directly came from this. Made two line notes on freedom fighters from different states who are forgotten in the mainstream history. Especially of North-Eastern States, Jharkhand, Orissa, Southern States etc. As our Mainstream history is dominated by Western and Northern freedom fighters. Also made notes on prominent Women. I also had other books like India's Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra, India after Independence by Bipan Chandra, Women Pioneers in India's Renaissance by Sushila Nayar etc, which I hope to read in the future ;) Indian Culture

This I find is the most ignored part of Civil Service Preparation as it is a dry topic and a vast ocean at the same time. But I would suggest to read through at least a book as questions are sure going to come from this topic. You can also see videos of the art forms in youtube. A recent addition to the resource base here is Indian Diplomacy on Facebook.

Facts of Indian Culture by Spectrum: This is a very good book. Gives a very sound basics of all art forms, festivals etc and also is given in an interesting way (as far as possible) Cultural India by Jawahar Publishers. Went through in bits and pieces. Cursory Outline of Indian Culture and Cultural Forms Please try to search on Culture of North-East India as well as they are not given due importance in the books.

Constitution of India and Indian Polity

Spectrum's Constitution of India and Indian Polity : A very good book. Read most of the chapters. Indian Polity by Laxmikanth : Again a very book. Read cover to cover. Our constitution by Subhash Kashyap : A good book. Read a few chapters. For important bills pending/passed/amended : PRS India - Bill Track. For recent and proposed constitutional amendments : PRS India - Constitutional Amendments I also had other books like D.D.Basu, P.M.Bakshi, Shibani Kinkar Chaube etc. with me. Not very sure of reading them though.. :) Geography of India

Oooooooh !!! Geography is something I am yet to come to terms with and look at my luck, no question from Geography in CSE-2011. So Money and Luck. What more I could have asked for. In hindsight, I should have taken a lottery. I referred to NCERT books only, and that too somehow completed a reading once during the course of preparation. Never went back to that dreaded zone.

NCERT Book 1. India - Human Geography NCERT Book 2 .India - Physical Geography

Environmental Issues

This topic has gained in importance in recent years and we do not have a standard resource base as of yet. I tried to maximize my information from net. Made notes on most of international conferences, protocols etc.

Read selectively from Mother of all resource bases Environmental Education for Class X by Beeta Publications : A cursory reading.

Economic Issues.

As India is becoming an economic super power, UPSC's interest in economy also increases. So be prepared on this topic. Best resources are all available for free. :)

NCERT - Macroeconomics : Must read for a non-economic background student. Clarifies the basics.

NCERT - Indian Economic Development Economic Survey - Must read. It is not just an authentic survey of state of economy. It also explains various economic terms, debates on economic concerns, provides possible solutions and gives an indication on future direction of the economy. Forget everything else, questions are coming direct from this. Don't miss the boxes and the new chapters added. Economic Perspective of C.P.Chandrasekhar - A weekly opinion column in The Hindu. Economic and Business articles in Indian Express. India Explained column which is in Q&A format more often than not deals with economic issues. Imagining India by Nandan Nilekani. - If you wonder despite all the convincing arguments in 'The Hindu' why the government is moving forward with the so called 'neo-liberal' policies, then this is a must read. Used to read while travelling in metro. Directly got two questions from this book. Professor Simply Simple by Tata Mutual Fund : Click toh karke dekh lo. Social Issues

EPW and Frontline - To get a socialist hang of socio-economic problems. Imagining India - To get a neo-liberal hang of socio-economic problems. India Seminarr - More relevant for Sociology students.

Paper II

What we normally do not emphasize enough on paper II, is the importance of international relations. There are three chapters out of five from this particular domain constituting more than 180 marks. Do not merge them in to one. Each one is a domain in itself and give them the due respect.

India and the World.

India's relation with other countries - What the Government Says : Look for any foreign visits, joint declarations and then read specifically those topics India and International Organisations: Ministry of External Affairs Take. Institute for Defense Study and Analysis: A very good resource. Do keep in touch with the articles here. You might find many of them asked in the paper. Independent think thank. Indian Council for World Affairs: A Government sponsored think thank. Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies: Studies and articles with security focus. India and the Dynamics of World Politics by Sharma and Goria Mishra : A very good book. Provides information in lucid and effective manner. Topics also selected in good contours.

India's international Relations by Vivek Kumar Singh: Current Affairs focused. I have India's Foreign Policy Since Independence by V.P.Dutt. Yet to open :)

India's Economic Interaction with the World

All about India and WTO: Best resource you will find on the India and WTO. The institute was established to help India negotiate with WTO. Awesome FAQs. Economic Survey: Read the parts related India, macroeconomic fundamentals and also India and the World. IMF and World Bank. There is a difference.. there is a difference... GI, Patents, Copyrights, Trademarks and what not...: From our own Himachal Pradesh. If you care about what World Bank thinks about India

International Affairs and Institutions

Institute for Defense Study and Analysis: A very good resource. Do keep in touch with the articles here. You might find many of them asked in the paper. Independent think thank. International Organisations by Spectrum : Selective reading. The Hindu Editorials.

Developments in the Field of Science and Technology, IT and Space.

Science and Technology by Spectrum: I went through selectively. Good book though. Science Reporter: A must read. Questions coming directly from this, like the one on International Year of Chemistry. Consumer Electronics and Home Appliances: Just browse through mixer grinders and cameras and other appliances in you free time. ( What, you still have free time ??? )