Syllabus for UPSC Pondicherry Civil Service

UPSC Pondicherry Civil Service Syllabus

The UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) Pondicherry Civil Service exam is part of the larger Civil Services Examination conducted by UPSC for various administrative services in India, including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), and more. The exam is highly competitive and includes three stages: Preliminary Examination, Main Examination, and Interview.

1. Preliminary Examination

The Preliminary Examination serves as a screening test. It consists of two objective-type papers:

Paper I: General Studies (200 Marks)

• Current events of national and international importance
• History of India and Indian National Movement
• Indian and World Geography – Physical, Social, and 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, Biodiversity, and Climate Change
• General Science

Paper II: CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test) (200 Marks)

• 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.) and data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency, etc.)

2. Main Examination

The Main Examination is descriptive and consists of nine papers, including two qualifying papers and seven papers counted for merit.

Qualifying Papers

• Paper A: Indian Language (300 Marks) – (Qualifying)
• Paper B: English (300 Marks) – (Qualifying)

Papers Counted for Merit

Paper I: Essay (250 Marks)

• Candidates may be required to write essays on multiple topics, with a focus on clarity of thought and articulation.

Paper II: General Studies I (250 Marks)

Indian Heritage and Culture, History, and Geography of the World and Society

• Indian culture – Art forms, Literature, Architecture from ancient to modern times
• Modern Indian history from the 18th century, significant events, personalities, issues
• The Freedom Struggle – its various stages and contributors/contributions from different parts of the country
• Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country
• History of the world – events from the 18th century such as industrial revolution, world wars, redrawal of national boundaries, colonization, decolonization, etc.
• 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 their remedies
• Effects of globalization on Indian society
• Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism
• Salient features of the world’s physical geography
• Distribution of key natural resources across the world (including South Asia and the Indian subcontinent); factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world (including India)
• Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, tsunamis, Volcanic activity, cyclone, etc., geographical features and their location-changes in critical geographical features (including water bodies and ice caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes

Paper III: General Studies II (250 Marks)

Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice, and International Relations

• 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, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein
• Separation of powers between various organs, 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 – 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
• 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 and issues arising out of their design and implementation
• Development processes and the development industry – the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders
• 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
• Issues relating to the development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources
• Issues relating to poverty and hunger
• Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency & accountability, and institutional and other measures
• Role of civil services in a democracy
• India and its neighborhood- relations
• Bilateral, regional, and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests
• Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora
• Important International institutions, agencies, and fora, their structure, mandate

Paper IV: General Studies III (250 Marks)

Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management

• Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, resources, growth, development, and employment
• Inclusive growth and issues arising from it
• Government Budgeting
• Major crops-cropping patterns in various parts of the country, different types of irrigation and irrigation systems storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers
• Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices; Public Distribution System- objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping; issues of buffer stocks and food security; Technology missions; economics of animal-rearing
• Food processing and related industries in India- scope and significance, location, upstream and downstream requirements, supply chain management
• Land reforms in India
• Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth
• Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways, etc.
• Investment models
• Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life
• Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology
• Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights
• Conservation, environmental pollution, and degradation, environmental impact assessment
• Disaster and 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 in internal security challenges, basics of cyber security; money-laundering and its prevention
• Security challenges and their management in border areas – linkages of organized crime with terrorism
• Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate

Paper V: General Studies IV (250 Marks)

Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude

• 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 behavior; moral and political attitudes; social influence and persuasion
• Aptitude and foundational values for Civil Service, integrity, impartiality and non-partisanship, objectivity, dedication to public service, empathy, tolerance, and 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: Status and problems; ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions; laws, rules, regulations, and conscience as sources of ethical guidance; accountability and ethical governance; strengthening of ethical and moral values in governance; ethical issues in international relations and funding; corporate governance
• Probity in Governance: Concept of public service; Philosophical basis of governance and probity; Information sharing and transparency in government, Right to Information, Codes of Ethics, Codes of Conduct, Citizen’s Charters, Work culture, Quality of service delivery, Utilization of public funds, challenges of corruption
• Case Studies on the above issues

Paper VI & VII: Optional Subject (250 Marks each)

Candidates can choose one optional subject from a list provided by UPSC. The subjects include various disciplines such as:

• Agriculture
• Anthropology
• Botany
• Chemistry
• Civil Engineering
• Commerce and Accountancy
• Economics
• Electrical Engineering
• Geography
• Geology
• History
• Law
• Management
• Mathematics
• Mechanical Engineering
• Medical Science
• Philosophy
• Physics
• Political Science & International Relations
• Psychology
• Public Administration
• Sociology
• Statistics
• Zoology

Literature of any one of the following languages:

• Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, and English.

3. Personality Test/Interview 

• The interview is intended to assess the personal suitability of the candidate for a career in public service. The test is not merely a test of intellectual qualities but also social traits and interest in current affairs. Some of the qualities judged include mental alertness, critical powers of assimilation, clear and logical exposition, balance of judgment, variety and depth of interest, ability for social cohesion and leadership, and intellectual and moral integrity.