Current Affairs forms an important module in GS-I of the CSE Prelims Exam. Candidates spent a lot of time (it is not an exaggeration to say that hundreds of hours over a period of one year or so) reading/consulting daily papers, magazines and websites. Many ponder over newspapers, periodicals and make copious notes related to current affairs. However, the UPSC seems to have deemphasized the importance of current affairs in the last couple of years or so. For eg: in the 2021 Prelims GS-I there were only six questions on current affairs; three direct (2 on sports and one on Hyderabad being given the status of a tree-city) and others indirect related to current topics/developments (one on vaccines, one on viruses and the other on palm oil) (may be because of the palm oil mission). Even in 2020, there were not many questions from current affairs.
In our opinion – (a) The exponential increase in the number of candidates and therefore the need to eliminate so that they get only the required number for the main exam (b) Availability of plethora of current affairs sites in the net and (c) voluminous current affairs material given by coaching institutes may have prompted the UPSC to scale down the current affairs module. We do not know whether this trend will be an establishment pattern or it is just a part of the unpredictability related to the kind and number of questions set each year from various modules.
Therefore, in our opinion, it may be advisable to revisit your current affairs preparation strategy. Our advise is as follows:
- Give less importance to fact/data based current affairs like awards, persons & places in news, sports, obituaries, summits and bilateral relations, military exercise etc., unless your memory is perfect. It may not be very profitable to cram all these data. In fact, it may be productive and beneficial to devote more time for the conventional topics like Indian Polity, Indian History, Indian Economy, Environment, S&T and Geography.
- It may be useful if you focus on current developments/topics and sort them out into S&T environment, economy, national and international developments etc.
- Stick to a standard newspaper may be the Hindu; Indian Express is also good- it carries a special column titled ‘explained’ where they elaborates on important topics/issues. In addition of course there are a number of good sites like those run by Vision/Drishti etc.
- For schemes and initiatives launched by the Govt, PIB (Press Information Bureau) is a must; for ongoing schemes of GOI, Vikaspedia is very useful (you have to edit).
- For science topics, Science Daily site (again you should pick & choose) and Dream 2047, a bimonthly web based journal (print edition is also available, if we are not wrong) of Dept of S&T (Vigyan Prasar) are good.
What we have written here is applicable only for CSE (Prelims). Let us make it very clear that the conventional fact/data base preparation for current affairs is in dispensable for the State Civil Services Prelims. Next month we will give you a detailed write-up on how to prepare for CSE Mains current affairs (GS Papers).
Topics/issues that were in news in November 2021.
- Minimum support price for agricultural produce
- Data Protection Bill
- Extending the jurisdiction of Border Security Force in Border States specially Punjab and West Bengal
- New variant of corona virus (Omicron)
- COP 26 of UNFCC and the issues raised there
- Crypto Currency and Digital Currency
- Block Chain Technology
- S-400 anti-defence missile systems
- Hypersonic cruise missiles
- Prompt Corrective Action of RBI
- Findings of National Family Health Survey
- Economic recovery with reference to India
- Planetary Defence Mission of NASA
- Russia, Ukraine tensions and Russia v/s. NATO
- Utopian Civil War
- China-US tensions over navigation rights in Indo-Pacific/South China Sea
- Caste Census – Pros & Cons
- Reworking of salary limits for economically weaker sections