Preparation

Best Books for IAS Mains GS Paper I

It should be noted that static portion does not mean direct fact based questions from standard books but opinion-based questions are per the given syllabus. It can be divided into three subjects, Indian History, Indian Geography and Indian Society. It can further be subdivided into following topics (these topics are in the precedence of importance in the examination):

Indian History: You can’t create a water tight boundary on history section and hence it’s important to study both in a generalized as well as specialized way. Major sources or books for History are NCERTs, both old and new.

Ancient History by R.S Sharma (Old NCERT):This book has vast coverage of time periods and dynasties but only the social-cultural and religious outlook from each chapter is important and should be noted separately.

Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania: This book has relevance in Prelims as well as mains. It is advisable to read the whole book at least once because it is written in a very easy and exam oriented format.

Indian Culture from Centre for Cultural Resources and Training Website: This is useful for updating notes with some ongoing cultural events and issues in the country and studying it accordingly.

Modern history by Bipin Chandra (Old NCERT): This Ncert provides an overview or a brief introduction on the beginning of modern times and struggle years. According to the exam point of view a good read of this book can help to comprehend and summarize topics. For Modern history from 1750-1857, this book is the best reference.

Spectrum on modern India by Rajiv Ahir: This book is a must for very aspirant as it proves to be a high yielding book in the prelims as well as mains. Especially, the modern history chapters for freedom struggle are excellently written (1857-1947). Moreover, after every chapter there is summary section which is very beneficial for a quick revision.

Tamil Naidu board 12th class history book:  In this book only chapters on contributions from southern leaders in freedom struggle is important. It is also a good read if someone wishes to prepare notes on one or two specific leader.

Politics in India since Independence (NCERT): This is new NCERT on Political developments in India since independence. Topics like administrative and political changes like Emergency times, Punjab crisis, and all the wars that India was associated with since independence can be done from here.

India since Independence by Bipin Chandra (Old NCERT): This is a very big book and it is advisable to make notes from this only on chapters on social and economic consolidation on the nation after independence and few chapters on constitution building, princely state consolidation and social changes.

World History Ncerts by Arjun Dev (Old NCERT): This class 12 ncert is very comprehensive of all the topics in world history impacting India from the world wars to the cold war era. World history is a very much subjected to perceptions and hence it should only be read from ncerts which are a neural source.

Indian geography: All the four new NCERTs of class 11tha d 12th are the most primary source for geography as they cover maximum portion of the subject in a very fundamental and comprehensive manner.

Fundamentals of Physical Geography (NCERT):  This is a very basic book for understanding the geographical phenomenons and some very specific topics like Salient features of world’s physical geography as mentioned in the syllabus.

Fundamentals of Human Geography (NCERT): This has specific chapters on primary, secondary and tertiary activities existent in different locations in the world depending on the geological activities which is very important for examination. Sometimes direct questions are asked from this Ncert.

India: Physical Environment (NCERT): Basics of Indian physical geographical features and ecological interactions can be easily prepared from this book. It covers topics like Indian Climate and vegetation in a holistic manner making it easy to grasp.

India People and Economy (NCERT): This book will cover how Indian physical environment impact the human activities and how depending on our primary resources development is taking place in various sectors of our economy.

Indian Society: This has proven to be a very scoring section in GS paper 1. The Questions are quite direct and can be answered easily by a candidate who is through with social issues current affairs. This section can be more progressively prepared via newspapers.

Indian Society (NCERT):  evolution of Indian society and diverse classes impacting the growth of Indian society can be easily covered from this ncert. This will give you an evolutionary outlook on how Indian society customs and trends came into existence. It can give the required depth in the answers written.

Social Change and Development in India (NCERT): relevant topics like globalization, Indian family dynamics and women organizations can be prepared from this book. It gives a progressive viewpoint on social issues impacting the development in the nation and vice versa.

To streamline your Mains preparation after prelims, it’s advisable to finish all the overlapping syllabus of this paper with prelims itself. Maintain separate notes for current social and geographical issues impacting the polity and economy of India.

Best Recommended Books for IAS Mains GS Paper 2

Paper 2 is the most dynamic and challenging portion of the whole general studies syllabus of IAS Mains exam. Questions asked from this paper are mostly analysis based which requires both current as well as fundamental Concepts. Paper mostly consists of Indian Constitution, Governance and International Relations.

This paper requires a good understanding of static political concepts coupled with application based issues. In this regard, the following books/sources can prove to be very productive:

Indian Constitution at Work (NCERT):  Aspirants from the science background who are totally new to the concept of Indian Polity and how it functions in a general fashion should read this book first. It will help to devise the basic answers to why constitution is read and how to proceed to study the lengthiest constitution in the world. It is although expected that you read Ncert’s before the Prelims exam itself.

Indian Polity by Laxmikanth: Perhaps, the most important source for Indian polity for the IAS Prelims as well as Mains exam. It has excellent content coupled with good examples from famous judicial case to give a detailed account on Indian constitutional machinery. Any going event’s static part can be covered from this book. Read the book from the first to last page and try to recall as much as possible. All the conventional topics for mains can be covered from this book.

Introduction to the Constitution of India by D.D. Basu: It is highly recommended book for topics like making of the Indian constitution, preamble and fundamental rights because of its unique outlook towards constitutional interpretation. The first 5 chapters of this book will help one gain an overall perception of the whole constitution.

PRS Annual Report: only socially and politically relevant bills or acts summary should be read from this annual report because it is the most authentic source after parliament itself. The reports introductory and conclusive pages are also relevant as they give a brief understanding on the overall development in each sector like health, education etc.

Governance in India by Laxmikanth: Topics like Role of civil servants in democracy, transparency in governance and e- governance role in society can be covered from this book. It also gives a detailed view on administrative reforms.

Arc Report: Administrative Reforms Commission Report on local governance, probity in governance, Capacity Building for Conflict Resolution and Organizational Structure of Government of India can give lucid recommendations to be supplemented in the answers.

India Year Book: Only specific chapters on welfare schemes, Education, Health and non- governmental organizations can be read to make notes on new schemes launched by Government of India.

Yojana and Kurukshetra magazine: Some editions of yogana are very lucid for the mains exam like regional development, e-governance, government schemes etc as they provide good conclusive outlook to be added in the answers. Go through all editions from last year and read the topics according to the syllabus.

India since Independence by Bipin Chandra (Old NCERT): This is a very big book and it is advisable to make notes from this only on chapters on social and economic consolidation on the nation after independence and few chapters on constitution building, princely state consolidation and social changes.

Contemporary World Politics (NCERT): For basic understanding of Indian foreign policy just after the independence, this Ncert is a good source. It should be read in one go just to get a rough idea on India’s stand in international politics.

Pax Indica by Shashi Tharoor: This book is a reference book and should definitely be covered while understanding India’s stand in United Nations and other relevant international forum. Some specific chapters for Indian foreign policy after the cold war era, war against terrorism and Indian sub continent is vigorously covered. It is a good read for Internal Security syllabus also.

Ministry of External Affairs Annual Report: This gives a holistic outlook on the foreign policy of India in the ongoing year. It describes the future prospects for India globally and also what India wish to achieve. Notes can be made from the introductory pages of this report to know the accurate policies envisaged by India internationally.

World Focus Magazine: Some editions of world focus which are specifically on the political changes in South Asia are rated highly for IAS preparation for international relations. Topics like India and neighborhood is vigorously covered by this magazine.

To streamline your Mains preparation after prelims, its advisable to finish all the overlapping syllabus of this paper with prelims itself. Maintain separate notes for current Political and International issues impacting the polity and economy of India.

Best Recommended Books for IAS Mains GS Paper 3

Choosing good reference books for IAS Exam is one of the important tasks during IAS preparation if the aspirants able to do so in a short span of time it means they got their right way to become a civil servant. Generally, it has been seen that due to lack of proper information and guidance, IAS aspirants wasting their time in reading craps which never be fruitful for IAS preparation.

So, through this article, we are going to suggest the best books and study materials available for General Studies Paper III of IAS Mains Exam, so, that the aspirants could get help while choosing better and more relevant study materials.

Indian Economy NCERTs of class 11th and 12th: As we have suggested books for General Studies Paper I of the IAS Prelims Exam in our earlier article, same NCERT books will be followed for a basic understanding of economics here also.

Indian Economy for Civil Services Exam by Ramesh Singh: After building the fundamental base with NCERTs, the next level of preparation can be started with this book. It specifically contains all the relevant topics given in UPSC syllabus much helpful UPSC preparation. It can be used by beginners as a substitute of Indian Economy by Mishra and Puri which is difficult to comprehend for aspirants having the non-economics background.

Indian Economy by Uma Kapilla: It is an excellent source for studying Indian economy since independence as it contains a vivid account of economic reforms in the early stage of planning era.

Economic Survey and Fiscal Budget: It has been noticed from the previous year question papers that some of the questions are directly asked from the annual financial statement. Therefore, highlights of the economic survey, as well as financial budget, is a must read. But the aspirants have to be very selective in this part because these resources are so huge and complex to understand.

First of all, aspirants have to find out the topics which have to be covered from these resources otherwise, it will take unnecessary time. For this part, aspirants have to make analyses of the questions previously asked in General Studies Paper III and accordingly they have to choose the topics which have to be covered from these resources.

India People and Economy (NCERT): This book will cover how Indian physical environment impacts the human activities and how depending on our primary resources development is taking place in various sectors of our economy. Basics of Indian climatic features and ecological interactions affecting the cropping pattern in the country can be easily prepared from this book. It covers topics like Indian agriculture and practices in a holistic manner, making it easy to grasp.

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Annual Report: The most advanced state of forest and biodiversity conservation in India is revealed in this report. Some direct point on how current environment issues effects the ongoing economic developments in the country can be extracted from here. This report should be complementary to newspaper reading.

UNFCCC website updates: This is the most renounced platform for updates on ecology and environment conservation in the world. It contains updates on COP on biodiversity and climate change and relevant decisions taken in the countries conferences. Make special notes on India’s stand on each of the agreements on conservation signed globally. It can be viewed on a weekly basis to upgrade your newspaper notes.

Fundamentals of Physical Geography (NCERT):  This is a very basic book for understanding the geographical phenomenon’s resulting in disasters and some very fundamental topics like earthquakes, volcanism and tsunamis as mentioned in the syllabus.

ARC Report on Disaster Management: The report is one of the best sources to understand India’s current state of Disaster or crisis management. Moreover, it contains important information on the institutional mechanism to handle the crisis. It is highly authentic and direct suggestions on social Mechanisms on crisis management can be quoted from here. Administrative reform commission’s recommendations can help to enhance the conclusion of your answers.

Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses Annual Report: The most up to date state of internal security in India is reflected in this report. Some direct point on how current internal security issues affect the going social and economic developments in the country can be extracted from here. This report should be complementary to everyday newspaper reading. The government published data presented here can be supplemented in your answer to support valid arguments.

IDSA Website updates: It can be viewed on a weekly basis to upgrade your newspaper notes. It also contains data on how foreign relations affect India’s security issues, especially, cyber security and cross-border extremism.

ARC Report on Capacity Building for Conflict Resolution: The report is highly authentic and direct suggestions on social policing; conflict Resolution and cyber secure web can be quoted from here. Administrative reform commission’s recommendations can help to enhance the conclusion of your answers.

South Asia Politics Magazine: It contains relative data on how foreign relations between India and India’s neighbours affect India’s security issues, especially, money laundering, and left wing Extremism and cross-border terrorism.

World Focus Magazine: World Focus Magazine: Some editions of world focus which are specifically on the social-economic changes in South Asia are rated high for internal security. Topics like India and cross-border extremism is vigorously covered by this magazine.

India Year Book: Only specific chapters on welfare schemes, Education, Health, disaster management and internal security concerns can be read from here to make notes on new developments undertaken by the Government of India.

For Science and Technology: It is true that there is no such study material for Science and Technology for GS Paper III available in the market. Some of the publishers are publishing books on it, but it is a waste of both time and money. To cover this section, IAS aspirants have to develop their own sense of extracting important news in terms of science and technological development while preparing for current affairs. For current affairs, best-recommended practices are to read newspaper, magazines or other digital media platforms.

The questions about the topic science and technology asked are usually based on the current technological developments in the country. For the coverage of such topics to refer a separate book is not a good idea. So, if you have a reading habit of newspapers on a daily basis, then you are already in process to cover the topics of science and technology as well.

To streamline your IAS Mains preparation within a time span, it is advisable to finish the entire overlapping syllabus of paper III with other general studies papers like international security concerns and geological phenomenon disasters complementary to one another. Maintain separate notes for current social and International issues impacting the economy of India and keep updating it with the new developments if taking place.

Best Recommended Books for IAS Mains GS Paper 4

Paper 4 is perhaps the most generic portion of the whole general studies syllabus. It consists of topics like happiness, emotional intelligence, aptitude towards services and even behaviour studies which can easily be answered in a general viewpoint.

This paper might seem easy at first, but that doesn’t mean it can be mastered without right efforts. Hence, the following book list and sources will always help to attempt the questions more accurately.

IGNOU Study Material for Ethics Course: This material is designed for students who are totally new to the subject matter of ethics but since it contains the fundaments of ethics and integrity, it holds importance. Moreover, it helps to develop an individualistic concern on each ethical issue independently as it contains challenging and engaging questions at the end of each chapter.

Justice: What’s the right thing to do? – By Michael Sandel:  This gives a real insight into morality and ethical behaviour in human life. It can progressively be used to answer some basic questions like what is ethics and how it influences the ambience around the globe. This is of great help to solve case studies as it widens the range of thinking and perceiving situations.

Psychology NCERT class 12th book: The utility is only for covering specific chapters like Attitude, Aptitude, Thinking and Perception.

Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude for Civil Services Examination by G. Subba Rao: This is not a one time read book, but it requires efforts and time to understand the content. It provides you with good examples from an Indian context so that you are able to supplement the ethical knowledge in case-study applications. It contains more than 100 case studies as examples.

Lexicon for Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude for IAS General Studies by Niraj Kumar: This book is for aspirants having a basic idea of ethics and value system and they need to revise and brush up their answers according to the relevance in the mains exam. It contains all the topics specified in the IAS mains syllabus in a brief summary format which can prove to be very lucid for revision.

Administrative Reforms Commission Report on Ethics: if an aspirant wants to support his/her argument from a logical stand, Administrative reform commission’s recommendations can help to enhance the conclusion of their answers. The report is highly authentic and direct recommendations on social policing, public probity in governance and ethics in governance can be quoted from here.

To streamline your Mains preparation after prelims, it’s advisable to finish all the overlapping syllabus like administration, governance and public probity with Paper 2 itself. Maintain separate notes for current ethical issues impacting the Judiciary system and current value system impacting Indian Society.