UPSC Syllabus for GS Paper 2 with Infographics [250 marks]

Read the IAS Mains - GS Paper 1 Syllabus already? Click Here.

The Civil Services Main examination is designed to test the academic talent of the aspirant, also his/her ability to present his/ her knowledge in a clear and coherent manner.

The Main Examination is intended to assess the overall intellectual traits and depth of understanding of candidates rather than merely the range of their information and memory.

Polity and IR has a healthy mix of static + dynamic portions which makes it an interesting topic to prepare! Be wary of one thing – Do not get into Politics. Polity has nothing to do with the masala around Politics 🙂

#1. Indian Polity and Its Constituents

1. Indian Constitution – Historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure.
2. Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein.
3. Comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other countries.
4. Parliament and State Legislatures – structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these.
5. Structure, organisation and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary Ministries and Departments of the Government; pressure groups and formal/informal associations and their role in the Polity.
6. Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act.
7. Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies.
8. Development processes and the development industry – the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders.
9. Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States.
10. Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability.
11. Role of civil services in a democracy.

As you can see, this part of the UPSC Syllabus is very detailed one. It is so well described that beyond a point it’s exhaustive to even list it up in full!

We would suggest that you take up Indian Polity by Lakshmikanth and read it full. Then read it again. Keep up with News at Civilsdaily’s App and read our explainers when we try to break down issues for you.

For advanced readers, you would have developed an eye for the trending issues. No need to slug it out on daily newspapers – just maintain key points of the major themes on news.

Civilsdaily.com focuses on Current Polity News here - Stories @Polity

#2. International Relations & World Institutions

Truth be told, most of the aspirants neglect this part of the syllabus even though it forms a small part of the Prelims Exam. The reason is that foreign treaties are so dynamic – diplomatic relations so complex that we have no clue what UPSC can ask about it!

Moreover, one would have little idea where to start from – how to connect the web – and with Modi Sahab doing the *Around The World In 80 Days* feat, you have more to fear <kidding>!

At Civilsdaily, you can get help with our aggregation and curation of news items in one single place.

Bookmark this page on WORLD NEWS  STORIES. Start with the stories that we have curated over here and then build up on your understanding.

We are thinking of releasing full infographs of all the UPSC Syllabus in a pdf so that you may store offline and refer when you wish. Would that be cool?