Current events play an important role in all the stages of UPSC preparation. The significance of current affairs has increased predominantly, as seen with each passing year. The percentage of questions and the manner in which current affairs are embedded keeps varying. Being efficiently updated on current affairs will get you multiple steps closer to your IAS vision.
Current affairs dominate all other areas of the syllabus and, in fact, pervades the entire syllabus by referencing the domains concerning other subjects. Now, we do understand and comprehend the importance of Current Affairs, but we also need to know what are the relevant sources that ensure full coverage of this section.
Hence, in this article, we have come up with some really important sources to cover current affairs for the UPSC exam. If you are an aspirant of the Civil Services Exam, then you surely cannot afford to miss these current affairs study materials.
Best Sources to Cover Current Affairs in UPSC Exam
- Newspapers –The first and foremost is the newspapers. It forms a vital part of one’s UPSC preparation and consumes a considerable amount of time. By having a glance at the UPSC syllabus and the questions asked in previous years, one can easily find out the importance of newspapers. One needs to be aware of contemporary developments and should be able to relate to the core subjects like Geography, History, Economics, etc.. One can rely on The Hindu, The Indian Express and Business Line ,which have the best and most relevant content. The Hindu happens to be one of the best sources to prepare for socio-economic and political issues. The editorials and opinions give elaborate and holistic perspectives on most of the burning issues. Articles on International Relations in Indian Express are one of the best in comparison to other newspapers.
- Prepare Notes – A candidate is advised to not just read the paper but prepare brief notes as well. These notes come in handy while revising prior to exams. It is better to organise the notes into different categories such as – national, international, economy, environment, science and tech and social welfare issues.
- Frontline – Known for highlighting several important national, international, economic, social and political issues, Frontline is a bi-monthly magazine that provides detailed analysis.
- The Yojana magazine – It is a magazine by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. It is focused on current issues and usually corresponds with the present government’s policies and schemes. Being an aspirant of the UPSC exam, you all know very well that government schemes form an important part of the exams.
- Kurukshetra magazine – Another magazine helpful in covering current affairs is Kurukshetra. This magazine is published by the Ministry of Rural Development. It is published as a monthly journal and mainly focuses on rural governance and upliftment. It comprises articles on various topics from the social to economic domains, which are useful in both mains exam as well as personal interview. It helps a candidate in forming a well-rounded opinion about the key issues, which can be used in answer writing by stating examples, case studies, outcomes, etc.
- India Year Book and Economic Survey – Being annual government publications, these contain information about all relevant government schemes and policies for the bygone year. The India Year Book and Economic Survey contain sector-wise information and an in-depth analysis of the country’s financial condition. Although the books are pretty voluminous, selective reading can help one in both prelims and mains.
- Press Information Bureau – PIB is a news portal maintained by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. It is the best source to get accurate and up-to-date information with regard to the programmes and policy updates of the government.
- Websites of various ministries – Websites of ministries and departments can be extremely helpful for understanding government schemes and practices. The FAQs on government websites can be very helpful in understanding technical issues. For example, the RBI website, CSO website, Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of External Affairs, etc.
- Think tanks: PRS Legislative Research provides you with an analysis of the bills and policies of the government. Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis (IDSA) gives a brief summary of India’s national security, internal security and relations, and it is a good source for paper-3 – Internal and External Security.
As an aspirant, you invariably spend hours collecting the right material from diverse sources to cover the current affairs part of the examination, but here we have given the names of all the important sources in one place. Take help from these sources to keep yourself up to date with national and international events and ace the coveted exam smoothly.
When talking about current affairs and important topics, candidates are advised to go through one such important topic, the Sardar Sarovar Dam. The facts on Sardar Sarovar Dam are important from the IAS exam point of view.
