The most crucial part of this examination is to learn every concept. You can excel in this paper if you are well aware of the topics. The Indian Polity syllabus for UPSC is given in this article. You should go through the syllabus once and understand the topics precisely.
The preparation of all the concepts depends on the level of your grasp. If you want, you can start preparing from the beginning of the syllabus or you can start with the topics that you are interested in. The preparation will be fruitful when you will prepare by your conviction.
Every year in the UPSC IAS exam there are roughly 13-20 questions asked in UPSC prelims from Indian Polity. This is a very decent bracket for a subject. That is why Polity is very important from the exam point of view. This subject can bring maximum scores to you and can make you a step closer to your dream. In this article, we will discuss the Polity syllabus for UPSC. Read the article till the end to know all information related to the subject.
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Indian Polity Syllabus for UPSC
The UPSC syllabus for Prelims paper is written below. Consider the topics to prepare for the exam. Go through the syllabus precisely and concentrate on the topics that you need to start at the beginning. It is advisable to either start with the topics that you are interested in or with the difficult ones to understand them better. Below is the syllabus of paper-1.
#1. Preamble
Terms in the Preamble
42nd Amendment
Swaran Singh committee
#2. Constitution of India
Historical Background
Drafting committee and making scheme of the Constitution
Influence of other constitutions
Its salient features
Union and its Territory (Basic idea about Article 1-4, Federal nature, State reorganization, and different Commissions, Recent issues)
#3. Citizenship
Basic idea about Article 5-11
PIO, NRI, OCI and Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
Citizenship Amendment Act 2016
Schemes, new policies, and recent changes in voting.
#4. Fundamental Rights
Basic idea about Article 12-35
44th amendment act
Different types of Writs
Enforcement and Exceptional cases about FR’s
Recent issues about FR
#5. Fundamental Duties
Article 51A
Difference between FR and FD
Significance and Criticism
Enforcement of FD’s
Recent issues about FD
#6. Directive Principles of State Policy
Basic idea about Article 36-51 and Article 368
Sources and key features of DPSP
Classification of DPSP
Comparison or conflicts between Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles
Keshavananda Bharathi, Golaknath Case, Minerva Mills, Maneka Gandhi case.
Important Amendments- 42nd Amendment, 44th Amendment, and 97th amendment
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#7. Union
Basic idea about Article 52-73
Qualification and Election of the President and vice-president
Function and Powers of the president- (Executive, Legislative, Financial, Judicial, Diplomatic, Military and Emergency Powers)
Prime minister and council of minister
Resignation and impeachment of president
Role and responsibilities of the Prime minister, Cabinet ministers, Council of Minister.
Resignation and Removal of vice president
Powers and Functions of Council of ministers
Attorney general
#8. Parliament
Basic idea about Articles related to Role and functions of the Parliament
Motions, Sessions, Parliamentary procedure – Zero Hour, Summoning, Prorogation, and Joint sitting.
Parliamentary proceedings like Adjournment Motion, and Question Hour, etc.
Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha,
Special powers of Rajya Sabha
Anti-defection law and 10th schedule
Parliamentary Privileges
Bill and law-making procedure
Budget, funds, and it’s summary
Parliamentary Committees.
#9. Judiciary
Basic idea about the judiciary.
Powers of High Court and Supreme court
Qualification and appointment
Removal procedure
Recent controversy, verdicts, and constitutional provisions.
#10. State Government- State Executive
Governor- appointment, and special powers.
Executive, Legislative, Financial, Judicial powers and discretionary powers of the governor
7th constitutional amendment
The Chief Minister and the council of ministers
Power of chief minister
#11. State Legislature
State legislature compared to the Parliament about powers, composition, and functions.
Bicameral legislature
Creation and abolition of the Legislative councils
#12. Administration of Special Areas
Basic idea about 5thSchedule and 6th Schedule
Recent problems related to Administration of Special Areas
Special provision for states Article 371
#13. Emergency Provisions
National emergency- Article 352
President’s rule or State emergency- Article 356
Financial emergency- Article 360
44th amendment act
Effects and implications of emergency
Role of President in emergency time
The State of FR, Lok sabha, and Rajya sabha
Revoking emergency
#14. Panchayati Raj and Municipalities
Elections, auditing, powers and authority of panchayats
3 tier structure
73rd Amendment Act and 74th Amendment Act
Relation with FR and DPSP
Schemes introduced
Metropolitan planning committee and urban development
Reservation
#15. Constitutional Bodies
Election Commission
UPSC
SPSC
JPSC
Finance Commission
National Commission for SCs and ST’s,
Composition, Powers and Functions, Removal of the Constitutional bodies
#16. Current Affairs
Recent issues related to the above-mentioned categories
Important schemes, programs, missions, laws, and policies launched by the government.
Recent Government Bills and Governance- actions
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UPSC Polity Syllabus Paper- II
The UPSC syllabus for Indian Polity Paper-II encompasses different sections that are given below. The polity section syllabus is given here for all the aspirants to view concentratedly so that they can fetch high scores from the examiners. Ensure your potential learning in each of these concepts to be quintessentially perfect. Let’s start the syllabus for Paper-Il.
Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice
#. Indian Constitution – historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions, and basic structure
#. Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues, and challenges about the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels, and challenges therein
#. Comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other countries
#. Separation of powers between various organs dispute redressal mechanisms and institutions
#. Parliament and State Legislatures – structure, functioning, the conduct of business, powers & privileges, and issues arising out of these
#. Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions, and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies
#. Structure, organization, 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
#. Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act
#. Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation
#. Statutory, regulatory, and various quasi-judicial bodies
#. Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions, and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections
#. Health, Education, Human Resources
Development processes and the development industry the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders
# Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to
#. Important aspects of governance, transparency, and accountability, e-governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency & accountability, and institutional and other measures
#. Issues relating to poverty and hunger
#. Role of civil services in a democracy.
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Indian Polity
The Indian Polity is a very crucial part of the UPSC civil services exam. All the candidates must have information about each of the topics that are included in the syllabus. All the topics give you an understanding of the constitution as well as the system of the nation. Indian polity is considered to be a vital part of the UPSC syllabus whether we talk about the UPSC prelims or the UPSC mains paper. You must know that in the 2020 UPSC prelims exam, 16 questions were asked from the polity section to the candidates.
Therefore, it becomes hugely essential for you to understand the polity topics precisely. When you are well versed and prepared with the syllabus, you not only ace the test but also perform your duties perfectly when you are posted on the authoritative designation. You should make notes to revise them later before the exam.
The notes are also important to let you understand the dates and each incident or constitutional element as we have the bulkiest and lengthiest constitution in the world. If you want to know some tips for preparation, have a glimpse at the points written below.
Polity Preparation Tips
Preparation tips are quite an essential point to know before starting the preparation. This is because everything is not equally important for the examination, you should understand the tips given by the toppers or experts to focus majorly on the areas that are primarily asked in the question paper to do well in the test. Some of the important tips are included in this article. Let’s go through these tips to perform the best.
#1. Read Books
The aspirants preparing for this incredible examination were advised to have a glimpse through the basic books for Polity. These books must include the Indian Polity by M. Laxmikanth as well as the Introduction to Indian Constitution by D.D Basu.
These books are essential to be read by the candidates as they help to develop a deep understanding of the subject in the minds of the candidates. In today’s era, there’s a flood of material for every examination but you should get the best ones to build an understanding of the concepts.
#2. Prefer NCERT
This is a mostly given suggestion to the candidates that they must read the NCERTs to develop the conceptual understanding. The NCERT of Political Science for Classes XI and XII is immensely helpful to make your fundamental concepts strong and never fade. You must purchase these books and start learning from them.
You will find the language easy and comfortable along with the questions at the end that will let you know about your weaknesses and strengths. You can also visit the most authentic online preparation platforms where experts take video lectures to teach the students.
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#3. Newspapers
Well, it is rightly said that newspapers are a solution to almost all the questions of different spheres. The maximum read and preferred newspaper for this paper are “The Hindu“. A lot of questions are asked from the recently announced schemes, policies, announcements, and other information.
This is why you must read the most reliable newspapers to stay updated about the recent happenings and facts. Ensure making short notes from important topics. This would greatly help you to supplement your answers for UPSC Main as well as the interview. Newspapers will prove to be the medicine for your questions in the paper.
#4. Mock Tests
Everyone agrees that the preparation is incomplete without the mock tests because mock tests prepare you to sit in the examination and perform adequately. The candidates must schedule at least 2 mock tests per week. This will enable them to learn about their capabilities and level of preparation. You can perform excellently once you are aware of your abilities.
This activity will also aid your preparation strategy. Apart from these benefits, one more advantage of these tests is that you will be able to make the necessary rectifications in the preparation. You should also solve the sample question papers to be better.
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Conclusion
We hope that through this article we have given valuable content to the aspirants of the UPSC exam. If you want to make proper Polity notes then you need to have a clear understanding of the syllabus first. This article has not only given you the syllabus but also has shifted your mind towards the tips required for this stupendous examination. Talking about the study material, M.Laxmikant is the most recommended book to study polity for UPSC. The book is also easy to read. One of the UPSC toppers says every UPSC aspirant should know every corner of M.Laxmikant. So, if you want to understand the topics in detail to be great at the examination, you should refer to this book.
Just by looking at the syllabus, you might find it is vast, but once you start understanding basic concepts, you will find it convenient to answer the relevant questions. The subject is very easy to memorize and is actually a scoring subject to score maximum marks. If you want to score maximum in the exam, come in contact with the experts and professionals available on the UPSC Pathshala. The experts will make your preparation smooth along with letting you grow exponentially.
