India Year Book is Issued by the Publication Division (media unit) under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. India Year Book is an annual publication comprising of the reports of various ministries working under the Government of India. In true sense this year book reveals the country’s progress in various spheres. Because of this it is an important asset for the preparation of UPSC Civil Services Exam. Skipping or leaving behind India Year Book could lead you to brink of failure in civil services exam.

India Year Book is a voluminous compilation as it is a detailed coverage on various aspects of development. This book brings out data on all possible organs of development in India: from rural to urban, industry to infrastructure, science and technology, art and culture, economy, health, defense, education, and mass communication hence there should be a concrete strategy to cover all aspects from this book. This article is a precise piece of information regarding strategy to cover India Year Book step by step.

Divide and Conquer

A confusion always persists among the students pertaining to the methodology to adopt for studying India Year Book. Some believe that the entire book should be studied while some of them have opined to study significant chapters only. However, an effective way to approach India Year Book is by reading it subject-wise, rather than following the chapter sequencing. The entire book should be divided into subsections such as Indian Polity, Geography and Environment, Economy and Infrastructure, Defence and International Relations, Social Policies and development and Current Affairs and miscellaneous.

An Effcetive Strategy To Cover Year Book

If we scan Previous Year Papers of civil services exam, we will find that every year approximately 15-20 questions are asked directly from Current Events and as much as 60-70% of the General Studies paper in prelims is based on the current events. This makes it important to have a thorough knowledge of the current events. India Year Book is published by publication division so it remains the most authentic and vital source of information for current affairs. The following steps could be adhered to while preparing India Year Book:

• It is to be noted that content of India Year Book should be read once from the book itself. It is better to Rely on the analysis or gist of IYB after scanning the book in original as you will be able to comprehend the gist in a better way after this.
• It is advisable to read the book topic-wise or subject-wise rather than reading it chapter by chapter.
• Divide the book into segments as per importance of the exam. Read the most important chapters first, followed by the fairly important ones. If you have time, then read the less important chapters also.
• Do not try to mug up all the facts and figures, just try to remember the approximate numbers. A fair idea of the facts would be sufficient to answer the questions from India Year Book in UPSC Exam.
• Purpose and prospects of the schemes/acts/bills/committees, etc. should be remembered properly. Try to form a table that will consist of all the schemes, their objectives and targeted beneficiary etc. Budget related facts and figures are of significance only remaining statistics and numbers can be ignored.
• Chapters related to environment, geography, science and technology, energy, defense, international relations, and industry should be given priority for prelims exam. The remaining chapters can be read once the Prelims Exam is over.

Once you go through the India Year Book you find that it is an ocean of information and reading it without any prior planning or strategy can cost your time and hard work both. Releasing this GS Score publishes the Gist of the India Year Book which covers the most relevant chapters in a crisp format to save time and increase efficiency. This gist not only summarize the important data and information but also add value to it by integrating important notes and extra information regarding the concept. Thus, the Gist will not only help improve exam-racing prowess but actually enable one to ace the Civil Services Examination.