UPSC Civil Services Syllabus

• Current events of national and international importance.
• History of India and Indian National Movement.
• Indian and World Geography — Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World.
• Indian Polity and Governance — Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
• Economic and Social Development — Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector initiatives, etc.
• General issues on Environmental Ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change — that do not require subject specialisation.
• General Science.

• Comprehension.
• Interpersonal skills including communication skills.
• Logical reasoning and analytical ability.
• Decision making and problem solving.
• General mental ability.
• Basic numeracy — numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc. (Class X level).
• Data interpretation — charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency, etc. (Class X level).

Candidates write essays on multiple topics across two sections. They are expected to keep close to the subject of the essay, arrange ideas in an orderly fashion and write concisely. Credit will be given for effective and exact expression.

• Indian culture — salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.
• Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present — significant events, personalities, issues.
• The Freedom Struggle — its various stages and important contributors from different parts of the country.
• Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country.
• History of the world — events from 18th century such as Industrial Revolution, world wars, redrawal of national boundaries, colonization, decolonization.
• Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India.
• Role of women and women’s organization, population and associated issues, poverty and developmental issues, urbanization, their problems and remedies.
• Effects of globalization on Indian society.
• Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism.
• Salient features of World’s Physical Geography.
• Distribution of key natural resources across the world (including South Asia and the Indian sub-continent); factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries.
• Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone, geographical features and their location.

• Indian Constitution — historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure.
• Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure.
• Separation of powers, dispute redressal mechanisms and institutions.
• Comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other countries.
• Parliament and State legislatures — structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these.
• Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary.
• Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act.
• Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies.
• Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies.
• Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors.
• Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections by the Centre and States; performance of these schemes.
• Issues relating to health, education, human resources, poverty and hunger.
• Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance, citizen charters, role of civil services in democracy.
• India and its neighbourhood relations; bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

• Indian Economy — planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment.
• Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.
• Government Budgeting.
• Major crops, cropping patterns, irrigation systems, storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce, e-technology in aid of farmers.
• Food processing, location, scope and significance, upstream and downstream requirements, supply chain management.
• Land reforms in India.
• Effects of liberalization on the economy — industrial policy changes and their effects on industrial growth.
• Infrastructure — Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.
• Investment models.
• Science and Technology — developments, applications and effects in everyday life. Indigenisation of technology, IT, Space, Computers, Robotics, Nanotechnology, Bio-technology, IPR.
• Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
• Disaster management.
• Linkages between development and spread of extremism.
• Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security.
• Challenges to internal security through communication networks, role of media and social networking sites, cyber security, money laundering.
• Security challenges and their management in border areas; linkages of organized crime with terrorism. Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate.

• Ethics and Human Interface — essence, determinants and consequences of Ethics in human actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics in private and public relationships.
• Human Values — lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and administrators; role of family, society and educational institutions in inculcating values.
• Attitude — content, structure, function; its influence and relation with thought and behaviour; moral and political attitudes; social influence and persuasion.
• Aptitude and foundational values for Civil Service — integrity, impartiality, non-partisanship, objectivity, dedication to public service, empathy, tolerance, compassion towards the weaker sections.
• Emotional intelligence — concepts and their utilities and application in administration and governance.
• Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and the world.
• Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration.
• Probity in Governance — concept, philosophical basis, information sharing & transparency in government, RTI, codes of ethics, codes of conduct, citizen charters.
• Case Studies on above issues.

Candidates may choose one Indian language from the 8th Schedule of the Constitution. Pattern: comprehension of given passages, précis writing, usage and vocabulary, short essays, translation from English to the chosen language and vice-versa.

Same pattern as Paper A — comprehension of given passages, précis writing, usage and vocabulary, and short essays — but in English.