Sunday, 12 July 2015

Books on Public Administration as Optional subject for IAS Exam are as Follows :

Paper I

  • Chapter-I : Introduction : Mohit Bhattacharya : New Horizons of Public Administration Buy Now
    Nicholas Henry : Public Administration and Public Affairs Special Issues of Indian Journal of Public Administration Buy Now

  • Chapter-II : Theories of Administration: D. Ravindra Prasad, V.S. Prasad and P. Satyanarayana 
    Administrative Thinkers, D. Gvishiani Organisation and Management: A Critique of Western Theories Buy Now

  • Chapter-III : Structure of Public Organizations : R.K. Jain : Public Sector Undertakings 
    and Mohit Bhattacharya : New Horizons of Public Administration Buy Now

  • Chapter-IV : Administrative Behaviour : Paul Hersey : Organisational Behaviour
    Stephen P. Robbin : Organisational Behaviour 

  • Chapter-V : Accountability and Control : Mohit Bhattacharya 
    New Horizons of Public Administration, Special Issues of Indian Journal of Public Administration on Accountability

  • Chapter-VI : Administrative Law: Massey : Administrative Law or M.P. Jain : Administrative Law,

  • Chapter-VII : Administrative Reforms : P.R. Dubbashi 
    Administrative Reforms G.E. Gaiden : Administrative Reforms 

  • Chapter-VIII : Comparative Public Administration 
    Ferrel Heady : Public Administration-A Comparative Perspective 
    R.K. Arora : Comparative Public Administration

  • Chapter-IX : Development Administration : Ferrel Heady : Public Administration - A Comparative Perspective or R.K. Arora : Comparative Public Administration

  • Chapter-X : Public Policy : IGNOU Lessons on Public Policy R. K. Sapra : Public Policy

  • Chapter-XI : Personnel Administration 
    O Glenn Stahl : Public Personnel Administration
    S. L. Goel : Personnel Administration in India.

  • Chapter-XII : Financial Administration
    M. J. K. Thavaraj, Public Financial Administration 
    G.S. Lal : Financial Administration in India
    IGNOU Lessons on Financial Administration 

Paper II

  • Chapter-I : Evolution of Indian Administration
    B.N. Puri Administrative History of India (Vol. I, II )
    (Volume. III) 

  • Chapter-II : Constitutional Framework - D. D. Basu An Introduction to the Constitution of India 

  • Chapter-III : Union Government and Administration - Central Administration by A. Avasthi

  • Chapter-IV : State Government and Administration - J.D. Shukla State Administration

  • Chapter-V : District Administration - T.N. Chaturvedi District Administration and Special Issue of Indian Journal of Public Administration on District Administration

  • Chapter-VI : Local Government - S.R. Maheswari Local Government in India

  • Chapter-VII : Public Sector in India - R. K. Jain Public Sector Undertakings, Annual Survey on Public Sector of Department of Public Enterprises

  • Chapter-VIII : Public Services - S.L. Goel Personnel Administration in India

  • Chapter-IX : Control of Public Expenditure 
    M. J. K. Thavaraj Financial Administration 
    IGNOU Lessons on Financial Administration 

  • Chapter-X : Administrative Reforms
    P.R. Dubbashi Administrative Reforms 
    S. R. Maheswari Administrative Reforms 
    Special Issue of Indian Journal of Public Administration on Administrative Reforms

  • Chapter-XI : Machinery for Planning; A. Avasthi Central Administration

  • Chapter-XII : Administration of Law and Order 
    K. K. Sharma Law and Order Administration in India
    K. J. Guha Roy, District Policing

  • Chapter-XIII : Welfare Administration
    Annual Reports of Department of Social Welfare

  • Chapter-XIV : Major Issues in Indian Administration -Good Governance 
    Special Issue of Indian Journal Public Administration on Indian Administration, Retrospect and Prospect

Topic Wise Books

  1. Indian Administration - Ramesh K. Arora & Rajni Goyal.Buy Now 
  2. Indian Administration - S.R. Maheswari. Buy Now
  3. Administrative Theory - Avasti & Avasti 
  4. Public Administration - Avasti & Maheswari.Buy Now
  5. Administrative Thinkers - R. Prasad and Prasad. Buy Now
  6. Administrative Thinkers - S.R. Maheswari.Buy Now
  7. Public Administration - Sadan and Sharma
  8. Local Government - S.R. Maheswari.
  9. New Horizons of Public Administration - Mohit Bhattacharya. Buy Now
  10. Public Administration Theory and concepts - Rumki Basu Buy Now
  11. Indian Constitution - D.D. Basup (or) Pandey. Buy Now
  12. Public Administration and Public Affairs - Nicholas Henry. Buy Now
  13. Modern Public Administration - Nigro and Nigro.

General Reference Books for Public Administration

  • Public administration in theory and practice - M.P. Sharma and B.L Sadan
  • Public administration - Mohit Bhattacharya
  • Modern public administration - Nigro and Nigro
  • Theories and principles of administration : Administrative thinkers - Prasad & Prasad
  • Principles of management - Terry and Frankline
  • Administrative Behaviors: Managing organizational behavior - Paul Hersey & Kenneth Blanchard Buy Now
  • Personal Administration - Public personal administration - O. Glennstal
  • Financial administration: Financial administration of India - M.J.K. Thavaray
  • Comparative administration: public administration a comparative perspective - Ferrel Heady or Comparative public administration - Ramesh Buy Now
  • Control over administration: Public administration - Avasthi & Maheswari
  • Central administration in India: Central administration - A. Avasthi
  • Civil Services in India: Indian administration - S.R. Maheswari, State
  • District and local administration: State administration - J.D. Shukla
  • District administration -- S. S. Khera
  • Local Government in India - S.R. Maheshwari
  • Laxmikant's guide (for clearing conepts)
  • IGNOU Study Materials
  • IJPA articles on relevant topics
  • Current News Papers
byUPSC IAS MCQ's
in ,
01:45

Public Administration Books for IAS

Books on Public Administration as Optional subject for IAS Exam are as Follows : Paper I Chapter-I : Introduction : Mohit Bhattachar...
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Wednesday, 3 June 2015

Book List : Books On Botany Of IAS Exam Are As Follows:

   :: Botany ::   

byUPSC IAS MCQ's
in
11:20

Books On Botany Of IAS Exam

Book List :   Books On Botany Of IAS Exam Are As Follows:    :: Botany ::    Cell Biology:  De Robertis & Ambrose and Easy or...
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Sunday, 31 May 2015

Strategy for Anthropology


Strategy for Anthropology

Why Anthropology

My interest in the subject was the most important reason for selecting Anthropology as an optional.I would request all the aspirants to choose optional based on interest as at the end of the day ,its “YOU” who has to sit with those books for long hours and in course of time have to start “living “ that optional as well.Availability of study materials and a background in biology also helped me in choosing Anthropology as my second optional.


The comprehensive list of Anthropology books that I followed was

Topics                                                      Books

Physical Anthropology                   P.Nath/B.M Das

Social Anthropology                     Ember and Ember

           Social Anthropology              Makhan Jha
            Social Anthropology             N.K Vaid
             Social Anthropology            D.N Majumdar & T.N Madan

Indian Anthropology                   Nadeem Hasnain

 Indian Anthropology                 V.S Sahay and Pradeep K SIngh

Anthropological thought            Upadhyay   and Gaya Pandey

Extensive use of the internet for keeping myself updated about any new development in the field of anthropology.

I also took study materials from Brilliant Tutorials(in my first attempt) and Vaid IAS academy,Delhi for this attempt.These materials helped me to systematise my study according to the syllabus.

 Answer writing in Anthropology- For paper 1 ,I ensured that my concepts were very clear and i was able to express and substantiate the theories with adequate presentations and eg's ...Use of diagrams wherever feasible also helped me.
For Paper 2-I tried to substantiate many answers of mine with current developments and since i belong to Jharkhand ,i have seen many of the questions asked as "LIVE examples so could add-on there as well..
I tried to re-read the textbooks as i wanted to make my concepts clear and over a period of time i started enjoying the subject very much.There were several questions this year like the one on impact of industrialization on tribals or Impact of Hindu religion on tribals -in such questions i tried to substantiate my answers with some live eg's (like i have always appreciated the fact that tribal population in jharkhand celebrate 'Sarhul" as well as holi/diwali with equal fervor so there has been beautiful enmeshing of customs and traditions )or relate them with some current issues.Over a period of time if you actually start "living " your optional, it no longer remains a mere study or exam's  part. Hope this helps.

Introduction

NameHarshika Singh
Roll number006368
Rank (CSE 2011)8
Optional Subjects
  • Economics
  • Anthropology
Medium for Mains ExamEnglish
Mains Examination CentreDelhi
Number of Attempts2
Details of Graduation and Post-Grad.
  • B.A Economics(hons)-St.Xavier’s College,Ranchi
  • MSc.Economic History(London School Of Economics and Political Science,London,UK)
Schooling (Medium)English
Extracurricular activities,
hobbies, achievements etc.
  • Classical Dancing(bharatnatyam and Kathak),
  • Debating,
  • Gold medalist in graduation,
  • School head girl,
  • Class representative throughout my college days
Are you a working professional?No
Did you take Coaching?Prelims: No
Mains: No
Interview: No
Did you buy any postal courses?Yes
Did you join any Mock test series?No
Did you appear in any other competitive exams?No
If yes, provide the details:NA

 Your Study plan

CSAT (Paper I) General studies

TopicSource of your preparationremark, if any
Current AffairsThorough and intensive reading of newspapers like TOI,The hindu,IE(only for editorials),ET,magazines like frontline ,CSR,Chronicle,Yojana and the Economist.Always keep yourself updated with issues happening around you.I am a news maniac ..won’t ask you to become one but start loving and following news..i am sure you will start enjoying it as well.
History Ancient/Medieval/ModernSpectrum and Vajiram Yellow book +some NCERTS
Physical GeographyAll the four NCERTS of 11th and 12thBe very thorough with them
Geography of India“
Geography of World
Polity and GovernanceDD Basu/Laxmikant/Vajiram yellow book
Public PolicyInternet and self made notes
Rights issueSame as above
Environment and BiodiversityInternet, IGNOU materials
Economic and social DevelopmentEconomic Survey/PD special issue on Economy/Internet
ScienceSriram notes+internet+chronicle special issue
EconomyEconomic survey/India year book

CSAT (Paper II) Aptitude

Syllabus TopicSource of your preparationRemarks, if Any
Quantitative AptitudeR.S agarwal+Manuals like that of Unique,arihant,intenet sources and even some basic practice papers for CAT
Data interpretationSame as above
Logical reasoning
Reading comprehension
Decision Making and Problem solvingI tried to practice some questions which were available on netDuring exams just read these questions very nicely and calmly .

Mains Examination

Compulsory Language papers

Source of your preparation
EnglishWent through the previous years question papers
Indian language paperWent through previous years question papers and practiced writing essay in Hindi almost like a month before the exam

General Studies paper I

Syllabus TopicSource of your preparation
HistorySpectrum/Vajiram yellow book
CultureSpectrum+internet
Geography of IndiaFour NCERTS of 11th and 12th Std.
PolityDD basu/Laxmikant/Vajiram yellow book
Issues of social relevanceInternet +magazines like chronicle
Indian economy and planningEconomic Survey
Public health
Law and order
Good governance
Environment

General Studies paper 2

Syllabus TopicSource of your preparation
India and the WorldPrepared self notes while reading newspapers
Indian diasporainternet
India’s Economic interaction with worldExtensive reading of Business newspapers
International affairs and institutionsNewspapers
StatisticsPracticed from Spectrum esp the graphs etc(but since I have economics background,did not need much preparation for this)
Science & Tech.Sriram study materials+internet

Optional Subject #1 and #2

For both my optional I emphasized on making my concepts very clear and re-read the textbooks. I read all of these books, different books cater to different portions of the syllabus so i have just enumerated them


Anthropology

  • The comprehensive list of Anthropology books i followed was
TopicBooks
Physical AnthropologyB M das/P Nath
Social Anthropology
Indian Anthropology
Anthropological ThoughtUpadhyay/ Gaya Pandey
Extensive use of internet for keeping myself updated about any new anthropological development.

Interview

How did you prepare for the interview? What questions were asked?
For my interview ,I brushed up every small aspect of my background,my home state,my optional etc(all the information furnished by me in DAF).
I was in Vijay Singh Sir’s Board.Interview board was very cordial and cooperative. Questions were mixture of World economics+my hobbies+world affairs+some decision making questions and some questions on my home state ,Jharkhand

Marksheet

ROLL NO:006368
NAME:HARSHIKA SINGH
CIVIL SERVICES (MAIN) EXAMINATION, 2011
SUBJECTSMARKS
ESSAY (PAPER-III)100
GENRAL STUDIES (PAPER-IV)144
GENRAL STUDIES (PAPER-V)132
OPTIONAL-I(ECONOMICS) (PAPER-VI)133
OPTIONAL-I(ECONOMICS) (PAPER-VII)213
OPTIONAL-II(ANTHROPOLOGY) (PAPER-VIII)196
OPTIONAL-II(ANTHROPOLOGY) (PAPER-IX)175
WRITTEN TOTAL1093
PERSONALITY TEST204
FINAL TOTAL1297
Remarks: Recommended.

Message

Q. What is your message to the aspirants?
Dream a dream and make a determined effort for that….you will surely succeed. Never get disheartened. CSE preparation is a beautiful and life changing experience. Live it and you will enjoy and relish it forever. All the very best for all your endeavors.
Click Here to Download Anthropology Materials and Recent Articles 
byUPSC IAS MCQ's
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09:52

Strategy for Anthropology and Book list By Harshika Singh (AIR 8 /CSE 2011)

Strategy for Anthropology Strategy for Anthropology Why Anthropology My interest in the subject was the most important ...
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Wednesday, 27 May 2015


byUPSC IAS MCQ's
in ,
10:12

Economics Optional Books for IAS Mains Exam

Dictionary of Economics - Ghaham Bannock; T.E. Baxter, Ray Rees (Penguin) Economics (Read Relevant Chapters) - Paul A. Samuelson The...
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My affair with History started when I was really young. I simply fell in love with history, so you may call it, ‘my first love’. But then, probably due to the hierarchy that we have created in our minds regarding the choice of courses after 12th std., I went for Mechanical Engineering and did not opt for History as a full-time subject for graduation. Still, I continued reading a lot of history. So, for me, History was a natural choice for the UPSC. Actually, studying history was one of the many things that kept me motivated during the examination process.
History is a subject that we have actually lived, through many generations and still continue to live everyday. It is full of plots and counter plots, desires and detachments, wars and peace, giant triumphs and utter failures, like a methodical chaos created by actions of different people, at different locations, at different points in time. Studying history is like ‘moving faster than the speed of light’ (Einstein says that if we move faster than light, then we can actually travel back and forth in time). It’s like being in a time machine. But all this is true only if you have a ‘real’ interest in the subject. Otherwise it can be an extremely dry subject, with enormous amount of facts to mug up and a huge syllabus spanning the entire known history of human existence on earth (although, somewhat limited)

History is such a subject on which umpteen books are available on each topic in the market. As the view of the past constantly changes, even the same facts can be interpreted differently. A candidate is not expected to conduct research on the subject but to master the various viewpoints and substantiate the viewpoint that one believe strongly in. E.H.Carr, while defining ‘what is history’, has noted that history is a ‘continuous dialogue’ between the past and the present. So, it is not just the past events that shape our present and our future, but also the present that changes the way we interpret history. This is especially reflected in the Nationalist school of historians as well as in the leftist or Marxist school of historians. So, according to me, having the ability to forge your opinion and sieve through different layers of history is also a necessary art to master the subject. The study of history reveals that there is no clear cut answer for anything. Since understanding history is based on individual--and therefore subjective--interpretation, you must decide for yourself what kind of meaning you will attach to the topic. Go into history with an open mind. Don't expect the answer to be presented to you as if written in stone. It's not.

It is sensible to start with manual for civil services (preliminary) history optional. Manuals by Krishna Reddy, Agnihotri as well as Pearson Manual are very good. Refer any one of these manuals according to your own choice. Apart from this, the most important books are the 11th and 12th std. NCERT books for Ancient India, Medieval India and Modern India. These books are a treasure-trove of information and insights into the subject and are to be read, not once or twice but as many times as time permits. Believe me, it won’t go waste. IGNOU Booklets are also an extremely good source to study history. The approach that I followed was to read the manual first, then read the books on the subject and finally read the manual again. Also constantly keep on solving multiple choice questions on the subject. They help a lot when you have to finish the syllabus in a short time and effectively.

I won’t spend any time on discussing the syllabus here. Just keep in mind that one must fine the central issue, tendency or idea in each period of history. It helps in analyzing the period and also in establishing the cause-effect relationships between different events. Eg. During the Mauryan Age, the most important tendency was that of centralization of power despite a huge bureaucracy. When we understand this tendency, it suddenly opens new avenues to analyze Ashoka’s policy of consolidation of the empire after the victory at Kalinga, by the use of Dhamma. Immediately, we start viewing the decision of Ashoka to turn towards Buddhism not as an emotional decision but as a political one. This is just one example. And again, my interpretation may be wrong. That’s why the emphasis on understanding the subject and developing your own opinion.

There is no unique strategy to study this subject. Primarily, this depends on your individual style of study. It is advisable to make notes, so that you can refer to them for prelims as well as mains. But I never had the habit of making notes throughout my student life and hence did not do so for UPSC too. I merely underlined important facts and issues in the book and wrote the gist of the entire paragraph in one or two words in the margin. This helps in making sure that you’ve actually understood the point as well as during revision time. Just keep it in mind, solve as many questions as you can. It helps.

In the Mains exam, there is a Map-marking question for 60 marks in Paper-1, which can help you in coming out with flying colours. To solve this question, keep on referring to the Atlas whenever you come across some site while reading the books and note down the importance of the site. Specially for this question I referred “History through Maps” by Ensemble. It’s a fairly good book, but ultimately nothing can beat your own maps (done while studying the subject).

Another important thing to bear in your mind is that History is an inter-connected subject, where the events occurring in one part of the world can have implications on events taking place in another. Don’t form water-tight compartments in your mind regarding the division of history as Indian History and World History, or Ancient, Medieval and Modern India. There is an invisible web of interconnections that runs though all this and we need to identify that web, which will become the USP of your answers. Eg. If you are asked to write about the Reasons behind the Charter Act of 1813, which substantially abolished the monopoly of East India Company over trade with India and China, everybody will know the events that occurred in India that made this move necessary. Also, most candidates will be aware of the happenings in British Parliament that necessitated this move. But only the person who has deciphered the web of interconnections will know that a main reason for the Charter Act of 1813 was the Continental Policy of Napoleon. Now, if you say that this is a part of world history, you’ll lose the USP of your answer to this question. So, use your knowledge to make the answer as unique as possible and find out the connections and causality.

Another thing about studying history for the UPSC is that we have to get rid of the notion that this is a subject about great kings, emperors, their grand empires and even grander victories or failures. It is actually all of this and much more. There is a saying in Sanskrit, “Yuddhasya katha ramya”, which means ‘we like to hear the stories of war’. They give us some kind of pleasure and arouse a lot of interest. But a major part of history is about society, the most downtrodden man and his life during the period, the condition of women, economy, advancements in culture, science, literature, arts etc. So, undoubtedly, there is a need to develop a ‘subaltern view’ of history. So choose the subject only if you feel interested by all of this.

Finally, all this is for those immortal souls who would like to understand the subject and enjoy mastering it. Keep this in your mind, ‘Master the subject, and marks will follow you’. But is there any other way of just clearing the exam without mastering the subject? Can you clear the exam with history as an optional without having the proper attitude or ever loving the subject? Of course you can. But why make life miserable for ourselves? Why not make the effort. Rather than go through the motions, make history a part of your life. After all, that's exactly what history is--it is your life.



Booklist :-


Ancient India NCERT- Ancient India- R.S.Sharma
D.N.Jha

An Introduction to the study of Indian History - D.D.Kosambi




Early India - Romila Thapar



IGNOU Booklets on Ancient India


The Wonder that was India - A.L.Basham


The National Book Trust book on Ancient India



Medieval India


NCERT - Medieval India- Satish Chandra


Satish Chandra - Volume 1 & 2



J.L.Mehta- Volume 3


The Wonder that was India - Part 2 - S.H.Rizvi



Modern India



 Modern India - Bipin Chandra



India’s Struggle for Independence - Bipin Chandra



India After Independence - Bipin Chandra


A new look at Modern Indian History - Grover

Modern World

L.Mukhejee - Volume 1,2,3 on World history (Basically European history)


World History - Jain and Mathur

For Map question

History through Maps - Ensemble
byUPSC IAS MCQ's
in ,
09:41

History Optional Books And Strategy by Aniket (IFS Officer)

My affair with History started when I was really young. I simply fell in love with history, so you may call it, ‘my first love’. But the...
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