How to read India Year Book effectively

India Year Book 2022 for UPSC is a recognized book for UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE). This annual publication is issued by the Publication Division (media unit) of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. It includes the report of all the ministries under the Government of India. In short, this compilation is a comprehensive digest of the country's progress in various aspects.

Why to read Indian Year Book?

Indian Year Book covers current events of previous year including all relevant information regarding various programs and policies launched by the government.
Though it is equally important in all the stages of the examination, it assumes greater significance in the Preliminary examinationas it covers all the relevant information regarding Government’s programs and policies; and other important updates of the country in all the different sectors.
Going by the trend of PYQs, it is analyzed that around 10 questions are asked directly or indirectly from this book.

Majorly questions are related to schemes and policies initiated by the government. For Example

Q. Atal Innovation Mission is set up under the: (UPSC 2019) (Planning Chapter of IYB)

Department of Science and Technology
Ministry of Employment
NITI Aayog
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship

Q. With reference to Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, consider the following statements. (UPSC 2018) (Labour, Skill development & Employment Chapter of IYB)

It is the flagship scheme of the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
It, among other things, will also impart training in soft skills, entrepreneurship, financial and digital literacy.
It aims to align the competencies of the unregulated workforce of the country to the National Skill Qualification Framework.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1 and 3 only
2 only
2 and 3 only
1, 2 and 3

Questions are also asked from static information available in IYB. Question from Static portion are mostly asked from Culture & Tourism, Defense, Agriculture, Energy, Industry etc. Some examples are

Q. Why does the Government of India promote the use of 'Neem-coated Urea' in agriculture? (UPSC 2016) (Industry Chapter of IYB)

Release of Neem oil in the soil increases nitrogen fixation by the soil microorganisms
Neem coating slows down the rate of dissolution of urea in the soil
Nitrous oxide, which is a greenhouse gas is not at all released into atmosphere by crop fields
It is a combination of a weedicide and a fertilizer for particular crops

Q. Which one of the following is the best description of ‘INS Astradharini’ that was in the news recently? (UPSC 2016) (Defence Chapter of IYB)

amphibious warfare ship
nuclear -powered submarine
torpedo launch and recovery vessel
nuclear – powered aircraft carrier

How to read/cover India Year Book effectively?

One of the drawbacks of the India Year Book is its bulkiness. With the vast syllabus of UPSC CSE, aspirants cannot spend much time with the book nor can they ignore it due to its importance.
An effective way to approach India Year Book is by reading it subject-wise as given in the UPSC CSE syllabus, rather than following the chapter sequencing.
The art of reading lies in knowing what to read and what to skip to optimize the input-output ratio. Hence, it is important to read the IYB strategically.
You should not read the book chapters in linear fashion but topic-wise or subject-wise
Don’t mug up all the facts and figures, just remember the approximate numbers. That would be sufficient to answer the questions from India Year Book in UPSC exam.
In schemes/acts/bills/committees Purpose, Prospects, Targeted Groups and Nodal Agencies/ Ministry are most important things to remember.
Facts and figures related to budget allocation are important and you can ignore the remaining statistics and numbers.

GS SCORE’S Gist of India Year Book 2022

To save students’ precious time and provide them with the best cost-benefit ratio, GS Score has come up with the Gist of the India Year Book.
GS SCORE’S Gist of the India Year covers:
- The most relevant chapters in a crisp format to save time and increase efficiency.
- Summary of the information and add value to it by integrating important notes and extra information regarding the concept.
- Covers all important data , schemes, acts, bills, committees given in IYB
- It will not only help improve exam-racing prowess but actually enable one to ace the examination.