Hyderabad: This article intends to create awareness about the syllabus and list the references for the TSPSC Group I Mains Examination. The TSPSC Group I Mains Examination is a descriptive examination consisting of the following six papers with each paper having a weightage of 150 marks. · Paper-I General Essay · Paper-II History, Culture and […]
Hyderabad: This article intends to create awareness about the syllabus and list the references for the TSPSC Group I Mains Examination.
The TSPSC Group I Mains Examination is a descriptive examination consisting of the following six papers with each paper having a weightage of 150 marks.
· Paper-I General Essay
· Paper-II History, Culture and Geography
· Paper-III Indian Society, Constitution and Governance
· Paper-IV Economy and Development
· Paper-V Science & Technology and Data Interpretation
· Paper-VI Telangana Movement and State Formation
Paper-I General Essay
The first paper in TSPSC Group I Mains is titled General Essay and the syllabus states that essays on the following topics shall be asked:
1. Contemporary Social Issues and Social Problems – This area is a part of the TSPSC Mains Paper III syllabus. It basically covers all current problems faced by Indian society such as honour killings, casteism, sexual crimes, religious intolerance and so on.
2. Issues of Economic Growth and Justice – This area is a part of the TSPSC Mains Paper VI syllabus. A thorough understanding of the latest developments in the economic sphere such as doubling farmers income, promotion of MSMEs, cryptocurrency, disinvestment of PSEs and so on will help answer questions in this area.
3. Dynamics of Indian Politics – This area is a part of the TSPSC Mains Paper III syllabus. All developments in the political, legal and administration such as – important judgements of Supreme Court on Fundamental Rights like the right to privacy, promotion of good governance, necessity of Lokpal and Lokayukta, electoral reforms, working of the Parliament and so on should be keenly followed to answer any question from this topic.
4. Historical and Cultural Heritage of India – This area is a part of the TSPSC Mains Paper II syllabus. Candidates should be able to identify the broad themes in Indian History on which essays may be asked, like, the Gandhian era, Indian Renaissance, contribution of extremists to the National freedom struggle, India’s composite culture and so on.
5. Developments in Science and Technology – This area is a part of the TSPSC Mains Paper III syllabus. The latest developments and innovations in the fields of space, defence, biotechnology and information technology must be keenly observed. Examples of topics relevant and important in this segment are – Artificial Intelligence, Gene editing, India’s achievements in space technology, vaccine hesitancy, bio-wars and so on.
6. Education and Human Resource Development – This area is a part of the TSPSC Mains Paper III and Paper IV syllabus. This area is small in comparison with the above five topics as it lists only two aspects of development – education and human resources. To comprehensively cover it, candidates must focus on education, skill development, employment, employability, nutrition and health – policies, measures, schemes, challenges and issues.
Candidates may be expected to attempt three essays with a weightage of 50 marks per essay. Special preparation for essay paper must be started only after completing the remaining five papers as
– Basic information related to most of the areas mentioned above will be extensively covered in the remaining papers.
– The essays will be currently based and preparing at the end will help students identify contemporary issues then.
Suggested references – Yojana, Kurukshetra and Telangana Magazine.
Paper-II – History, Culture and Geography
The second paper in TSPSC Group I Mains deals with the following subjects, having a weightage of 50 Marks per area:
1. History and Culture of India, with special reference to Modern Period (1757 to 1947 A.D):
– There are five units in this subject out of which the first unit is on ancient India, the second unit is on Medieval India and the remaining three units are on modern India. Therefore, the syllabus includes the words ‘special reference to Modern Period (1757 to 1947 A.D)’.
– History of any era would have four main spheres namely political, social, economic and cultural. Candidates must focus more on social and cultural history.
Suggested references – NCERT old editions and Tamil Nadu State Board textbooks from Classes 8 to 10.
2. History and Cultural Heritage of Telangana –
There are five units in this subject out of which the first unit is on ancient Telangana History (Satavahanas, Ikshvakus and Vishnukundins), the second unit is on Medieval Telangana History (Kakatiyas and Qutub Shahis) and the remaining three units are on modern Telangana History (Asafjahis). However, candidates must focus more on socio-cultural history as the majority of the areas in the syllabus are related to this sphere.
Suggested references – Telugu Akademi textbooks.
3. Geography of India and Telangana –
Geography has been included for the first time in Mains. There are five units in this subject out of which the first two units are on Indian Geography and the remaining three units are on Telangana Geography. Since this is going to be the first notification after the formation of the state, in order to get an idea of how questions may be asked, candidates are advised to go through previous years question papers of the UPSC Civil Services Mains.
Suggested references – NCERT textbooks of class 6 to 12, Telugu Akademi books on Telangana Geography and Government websites for projects related information (such as Kaleshwaram project, Metro Rail Project and so on).
Paper –III – Indian Society, Constitution and Governance
The third paper in TSPSC Group I Mains deals with the following subjects, having a weightage of 50 Marks per area:
1. Indian Society, Structure, Issues and Social Movements
This area has five units out of which nearly thirty per cent of the syllabus is state-related. Also, the topics in this area overlap with topics in polity, economy, development and change, and formation of Telangana. For example, corruption is mentioned in both society and governance; topics such as development and displacement form part of development and change.
Candidates are therefore advised to read the syllabus, identify the topics that are mentioned under more than one subject and then start preparing so that there is no repetition first thoroughly. Ideally, one should first complete the core part of all the subjects and then start preparing on topics mentioned in more than one area in the syllabus. This will give clarity on how to approach such topics and will also save time.
Also, it is suggested to complete polity first and then start preparing for this area.
Suggested references:
NCERT textbooks Class 11 and 12 of Sociology.
Telugu Akademi book on Society and Social structure.
2. Constitution of India
Polity is one of the core subjects for any competitive examination and is equally important for General Essay as well. It deals with the government, its formation, components, powers, functions and limitations. In short, it is a detailed study of an area called Civics which was a part of Social Studies in schools. Candidates are suggested to complete History and polity first as there are largely static and also are a major part of the syllabus.
Suggested references:
NCERT Class 11 textbook – Constitution at work.
Indian Polity by Laxmikanth.
Our Constitution, Our Parliament and Our Political System by Subash Kashyap.
3. Governance
Governance is an extension of the polity. It deals with the functions of the authorities in government. This area should be studied only after completing polity. Also, knowledge of current happenings is important for this area as it is dynamic in nature. On careful study of the syllabus, the candidates will understand that there are a few topics that are found in other areas as well.
Suggested references:
Yojana on governance and good governance.
Yojana and Kurukshetra on various topics mentioned in the syllabus such as women empowerment and so on.
Government websites for details on PMO and other offices.
— By Deepika Reddy
Director, Shikara Academy.