India 2013 Yearbook: Introduction and approach to Environment and Biodiversity (EnB) (part 1 of 6)

The India 2013 (also known as India yearbook) is made up of

Overview of topics (like cement industry, Animal husbandry etc.)
Organizations: structure function (like Competition Commission of India, NABARD etc.)
Policies, laws Schemes, projects, missions. (like MNREGA, PMGSY, NRLM etc.)
Some facts, GK (mostly chapter 1, 2, 3, 30, 32).
Truckload of dates, numbers and tables (most of them useless from exam point of view).

Anyways, India Yearbook has specific utility in each stage of UPSC civil service exam.

Utility in Prelims (CSAT)

UPSC often asks MCQs based on

Functions/ Jurisdiction of organizations: "which of the following ministry / organization looks after xyz matter?" and options given.
Salient features of schemes: "which of the following are correct statements regarding XYZ schemes". Then you're given 2,3 or 4 statements and you've to identify the correct or incorrect statements.
MCQ based on some absolute fact/GK given in yearbook.

Utility in Mains

In last two years, we can see the trend developing

Type	Question	Yearbook provides
Long questions (20, 25 markers)	Often asking you to "analyse" or "evaluate" some topic.	Fodder material.
Medium question (10, 12, 15 marks)	Salient features of a scheme/policy/organization etc. Or "discuss" xyz thing.	Direct answers (with followup point from net/newspapers).
2-markers (2, 5 marks)	You're given some name/term, and you've to write a few lines on it.	Direct answers. (if the term is asked from yearbook).

The schemes/terms with catchy names/short-forms = important for MCQ (prelims)/2markers (in mains). (e.g.SABLA, UJJWALA etc.) so better just maintain a note/MS excel file of it for quick revisions for prelims.

Utility in Interview

Chapter 30 of yearbook provides you information about your home state and neighboring states = important for profile based questions.
The "organization –functions- jurisdiction" angle very important. Because if Board-member asks you "what should be done to improve electricity output for Industries?" and you say "Power ministry should do xyz thing." But actually that xyz matter falls under jurisdiction of coal ministry / environment ministry = you're ruining your impression.
The "Schemes" angle. If Board-member asks you "what should be done for Development of North Eastern states?" and you say "xyz thing should be done". But that xyz thing is already being done under some scheme for last 10 years. Now Board-member thinks that You're not aware of the realities. Your knowledge/understanding/reading is shallow.

So overall, yearbook helps you in above areas. But at the same time

Limitations of yearbook

For private companies, success = how much money made. Similarly for Government, success = how much money spent. So whenever yearbook talks about a particular scheme, they give you a paragraph/table full of "xyz crores rupees were allotted during 2012-13" and so on….
Such data Is hardly useful for exam (brain's memory storage capacity). And because of such useless data, book is very bulky.
Yearbook is written by Government. They want to paint a rosy picture. So, Yearbook won't generally tell you problems / limitations / shortcomings associated with any scheme/organization.
That's why you've to follow newspaper columns on regular basis and maintain a dairy collecting the fodder points. (which you can cite during mains/essay/interview, when questions about "analyse, evaluate, suggest reforms" etc are asked.)
Coverage is not "exhaustive" for every topic. You'll still need to dig internet/ old newspaper articles to gather more points. (e.g. SEZ, or petro pricing etc.)

General guidelines while using India Yearbook

#1: Skipping sentences

Any statement or table given in yearbook, is important only IF it gives you one or more of the following information:

Some fact/ feature/reason that can be asked in MCQ, 2m or descriptive.
Some fancy name that can be asked in MCQ, 2m (e.g. Annapurna, Swadhar, Ujjwala etc.)
Some Fodder point that can be cited in descriptive answer, essay, interview

^if the statement doesn't contain any of these, then it's a useless statement.

Don't bother finishing the sentence, move to next sentence. Otherwise you cannot finish this 1200+ pages book in time, If you're going to read it line by line, word by word.

some risk taking is also necessary.

#2: Organizations

In the introductory part of every chapter, the yearbook will tell you about the "evolution" that xyz ministry was earlier known as abc ministry and then it was renamed in 1989 and it was merged with def department and so on….skip "evolution", just find what functions are performed by the ministry right now?

The organization that affects more lives, is more important.

Small time organizations are not really important. E.g. Rajiv Gandhi flight training academy etc. (cost benefit is not good + gives diminishing rate of returns + you've to take some risk, else you can't finish syllabus.)

Whenever you read about an "organization" ask yourself

Where does it fall in the hierarchy?
What are the functions of this organizations?
What type of organization is it?= executive, statutory, constitutional, society etc.?
Who is the boss, how is he selected? (although not always relevant).

#3: Schemes

Whenever you read about a scheme/mission/project. Ask yourself following

Who's the boss? (implementing ministry)
Who's the beneficiary?(target group)
What benefits are given?
Is it cash (e.g. scholarship, pension, insurance) or is it kind (e.g. subsidized fertilizer, wheat, rice, kerosene, tools, training) or both?
Is It 100% centrally sponsored scheme?

Don't bother with "year" unless some really big n important scheme. Otherwise just have the timeframe in mind (started in 80s, 90s, 2000s.)

Yearbook Chapter Classification

I've reclassified the Yearbook chapters into following sections (and then given ch.no and page number from where each topic has to be prepared)

Environment and Biodiversity (EnB)
Economy
International relations, Diplomacy, Diaspora
Rights issues (education, welfare, basic polity)
Science Tech, Public Health and Agro
Communication, IT, Mass comm
Culture, Tourism, Youth, Sports and Misc GK.

In this article, I'm providing the reading list for "Environment and Biodiversity". Remaining topics given in other five articles separately.

Environment and Biodiversity (EnB)

Background

How to approach Environment and Biodiversity for General Studies (prelims and mains) explained in separate article already (Click me)
NIOS Study material: (click me for download)
IGNOU Study material: (click me for download)
Articles on various topics of [EnB] can be found at http://www.mrunal.org/enb
Following list contains the essential ENB topics to be studied from India 2013 (aka India yearbook).

EnB: organizations

Ch	Pg no	Topic
12	291	ministry of environment forest
12	291	Botanical survey of India
12	292	Zoological Survey of India
12	292	Forest Survey of India
12	296	Genetic approval Committee: functions
12	300	national board of wildlife (dig net)
12	305	Pollution control board (CPCB)
12	310	national river conservation directorate
12	311	Ganga Basin authority (+ pg 740 planning)
12	323	NEAMA authority
27	958	functions of Ministry of water resources
27	966	water resource council, water board
27	970-71	Centrak water Commission functions
27	973	Central ground water board + RGI scheme
27	975-76	WAPCOS functions
27	976	narmada control authority
27	978	National Perspective plan + Water Development agency

EnB: Important facts for MCQ/2m

12	297	AICOPTAX
12	300	WCCB functions
12	301	central zoo authority : functions
12	303	name of statutory bodies for animal welfare (2nd para)
12	319	IGNFA, Dehradun trains IFS officers.
12	323	ECOMARK dig net
27	961	hydro project II (fact that world bank gives assistance)
27	980	river links
27	974	Farakka, Bansagar, Ganga Flood, Upper Yamuna (mostly MCQs)

Laws/conventions/IR

12	294	biosphere reserve
12	295	Biodiversity Act + overview on pg 743 planning
12	323	Green tribunal (NGT) + pg 741 planning + dig net

Environment : Policies

12	299	forest policy (dig net)
12	304	environment impact assement (dig net)
12	304	policy for abetment of pollution (+ more on page 306) + pg 742 planning
27	958	water policy (2nd para) dig net for more

EnB: Schemes

12	298	IFMS (Forest Management)
12	301	project tiger (dig net) + tables given on pg 301, 302 =important for MCQs)
12	302	project elephant (dig net)
12	306	clean technology and hazard/waste Management (upto pg 310)
12	312	Wetland conservation + Ramsar
12	313-14	Afforestation + eco Development
12	316	Gadgil panel (already discussed click me)
12	321	ENVIS
23	744	National Action plan for climate change (dig net for more)
23	745	Green India mission +low carbon economy

EnB: Overview Topics

These are the topics that don't fall under conventional classification of "organization / scheme", but nonetheless, they provide good facts and fodder points.

1	5	flora overview
1	6	fauna overview
4	73	climate change and agriculture
12	293	Mangrove protection + coral reefs + third para on page 317
12	323	climate change overview
25	888-892	Ocean science and tech
25	892-896	coastal and marine ecology+ coast Management program from pg 741 planning
25	896	climate change research, cloud physics, disaster support
26	941	Sethusamudram project (dig more on net regarding SC orders)
23	740	12th FYP and environment + issues require attention @pg 742
27	962	flood Management
27	963	ground water Development upto pg 965: mostly fodder

Remaining Five parts

Source : http://mrunal.org

For Gist of planning/transport/finance/polity/basic economic data etc. fro India year book-2013, pls visit http://ebookbrowse.com/in/india-year-book

ITCSA (Indian Telugu Civil Servants Association)

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

How to use India year book-2013 for Civil Service exam