UPSC Booklists & Standard Resources

Ancient History and Medieval History

Old NCERT

• Ancient India – R S Sharma
• Medieval India – Satish Chandra

New NCERT

• Our pasts – I
• Our pasts – II
• Themes – I
• Themes – II

New TamilNadu History Textbook – Class XI

Art & Culture

• New TN History textbook
• 6th-12th new NCERT history textbooks (this will not include 12th Fine arts textbook on painting)
• Introduction to Indian art (NCERT class 11th)
• Living Craft Traditions of India (NCERT class 12th)
• Indian Culture by Nitin Singhania
• CCRT – to supplement above sources

Modern India History

• Our past III (Both part 1 & part 2 –NCERT class VIII)
• www.selectionmania.com
• Themes in Indian History – III (NCERT Class XII)
• A brief History of Modern India – Spectrum Publication
• India’s struggle for independence – Bipin Chandra

Post-Independence India

• Politics in India since Independence, NCERT Class 12th
• India since independence – Bipin Chandra

World History

• Themes in World History: NCERT Class XI
• History of the World by Arjun Dev
• Mastering Modern World History – Norman Lowe

Indian Society

• NCERT Class XI – Sociology: Understanding Society
• NCERT Class XII – Indian Society
• NCERT Class XII – Social Change and Development in India
• Insights Secure Synopsis

World Geography

• Our Environment – Class VII
• The Earth Our Habitat – Class VI
• Fundamentals of Physical Geography (NCERT Class XI)
• Fundamentals of Human Geography (NCERT Class XII)
• Goh Cheng Leong – Certificate Physical and Human Geography

Indian Geography

• Resource and Development – Class VIII
• Contemporary India – II – Class X
• India Physical Environment (NCERT Class XI)
• India – People and Economy (NCERT Class XII)

Current affairs: Down to Earth Magazine

General Studies 2

Polity

• Democratic Politics – IX
• Democratic Politics, II. Class X
• Indian Constitution at Work (NCERT Class XI)
• LAXMIKANTH – Indian Polity
• Insights Secure Synopsis

Governance

• Any Basic standard material or Handouts (you can refer Insights secure synopsis also)
• 2nd ARC reports (selective)
• Three Year Action Agenda, 2017- 18 to 2019-20 – NITI Aayog
• Strategy for New India @ 75 – NITI Aayog

Social justice

• Any Basic standard material or Handouts (you can refer Insights secure synopsis also)
• Yojana
• Kurukshetra
• Three Year Action Agenda, 2017-18 to 2019-20 – NITI Aayog
• Strategy for New India @ 75 – NITI Aayog

International Relations

• Class 12th Political Science- Contemporary World Politics
• Challenge and Strategy: Rethinking India’s Foreign Policy by Rajiv Sikri
• Ministry of External Affairs website (Selective Reading)
• Insights Secure Synopsis
• Observer Research Foundation (ORF) (Selective Reading)

General Studies 3

Economy

• Economics – NCERT Class IX
• Understanding Economic Development (NCERT Class 10th)
• Indian Economic Development (NCERT Class XI)
• Introductory Macroeconomics (NCERT Class XII)
• RAMESH SINGH –Indian Economy

Ecology & Environment

• 12th Biology NCERT- Chapter No 13,14,15,16
• 11th Chemistry NCERT – Chapter No 14
• Geography NCERTs – Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Chapters from Std 8-11
• ICSE Environment Education Std 10(Especially for Mains)

Science and technology

• Class VI to ClassX
• Class XI – Chemistry: Unit 14
• Class XI – Biology: Units 4 & 5
• Class XII – Chemistry: Unit 16
• Class XII – Biology: Units 8, 9 & 10
• Current affairs: The Hindu S&T Section

Agriculture

• Any Basic standard material or Handouts (you can refer Insights Secure Synopsis also)
• Yojana & Kurukshetra (Selective Reading)
• Down to Earth (Selective Reading)

Disaster and disaster management

• Any Basic standard material or Handouts (you can refer Insights Secure Synopsis also)
• NDMA guidelines (Selective Reading)

Internal security

• Any Basic standard material or Handouts (you can refer Insights Secure Synopsis also)
• Challenges to Internal Security of India by Ashok Kumar IPS
• IDSA Website (Selective Reading)
• Ministry of Home Affairs Website (Selective Reading)

General Studies 4 – Ethics

• Any standard book like (A Practical Approach to Ethics Integrity and Aptitude By D.K Balaji Or Lexicon for Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude)
• 2nd ARC Reports (Selective Reading)
• Newspaper for contemporary examples