UPSC Syllabus 2024: Download IAS Prelims and Mains Syllabus PDF

Current events of national and international importance.

History of India and Indian National Movement

Indian and World Geography-Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World

Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc

Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc

General issues on Environmental ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change - that do not require subject specialization

General Science

Comprehension

Interpersonal skills including communication skills;

Logical reasoning and analytical ability;

Decision making and problem solving;

General mental ability;

Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.) (Class X level), Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc. — Class X level).

Salient features of the world's physical geography.

Distribution of key natural resources across the world (including South Asia and the Indian subcontinent); factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world (including India).

Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclones etc., geographical features and their location-changes in critical geographical features (including water-bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.

Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India.

Role of women and women’s organization, population and associated issues, poverty and developmental issues, urbanization, their problems and their remedies.

Effects of globalization on Indian society.

Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism.

Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.

Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues.

The Freedom Struggle — its various stages and important contributors/contributions from different parts of the country.

Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country.

History of the world will include events from the 18th century such as industrial revolution, world wars, redrawal of national boundaries, colonization, decolonization, political philosophies like communism, capitalism, socialism etc.— their forms and effect on the society.

Indian Constitution—historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure.

Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein.

Separation of powers between various organs dispute redressal mechanisms and institutions.

Comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other countries.

Parliament and State legislatures—structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these.

Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary—Ministries and departments of the government; pressure groups and formal/informal associations and their role in the Polity.

Development processes and the development industry —the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders.

Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.

Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

Issues relating to poverty and hunger.

Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency & accountability and institutional and other measures.

Role of civil services in a democracy.

India and its neighborhood- relations.

Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora.

Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.

Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act.

Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies.

Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies.

Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment

Inclusive growth and issues arising from it

Government Budgeting

Major crops-cropping patterns in various parts of the country, different types of irrigation and irrigation systems storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers

Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices; Public Distribution System- objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping; issues of buffer stocks and food security; Technology missions; economics of animal-rearing

Food processing and related industries in India- scope’ and significance, location, upstream and downstream requirements, supply chain management

Land reforms in India

Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth

Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc

Investment models

Science and technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life

Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology

Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights

Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment 

Disaster and disaster management

Linkages between development and spread of extremism

Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security

Challenges to internal security through communication networks, the role of media and social networking sites in internal security challenges, basics of cybersecurity; money laundering and its prevention

Security challenges and their management in border areas - linkages of organized crime with terrorism.

Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate

Ethics and Human Interface: Essence, determinants and consequences of Ethics in-human actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics - in private and public relationships. Human Values - lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and administrators; role of family society and educational institutions in inculcating values.

Attitude: content, structure, function; its influence and relation with thought and behavior; moral and political attitudes; social influence and persuasion.

Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: Status and problems; ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions; laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance; accountability and ethical governance; strengthening of ethical and moral values in governance; ethical issues in international relations and funding; corporate governance.

Emotional intelligence: Concepts, and their utilities and application in administration and governance.

Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and the world. 

Probity in Governance: Concept of public service; Philosophical basis of governance and probity; Information sharing and transparency in government, Right to Information, Codes of Ethics, Codes of Conduct, Citizen’s Charters, Work culture, Quality of service delivery, Utilization of public funds, challenges of corruption. 

Aptitude and foundational values for Civil Service, integrity, impartiality and non-partisanship, objectivity, dedication to public service, empathy, tolerance and compassion towards the weaker-sections.

Case Studies on the above issues.

Management

Law

Mathematics

Medical Science

Mechanical Engineering

Philosophy

Political Science and International Relations

Physics

Psychology

Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science

Agriculture

Anthropology

Chemistry

Botany

Civil Engineering

Economics

Commerce and Accountancy

Electrical Engineering

Geology

Geography

History

Sociology

Public Administration

Statistics

Zoology

Maithili

Manipuri

Malayalam

Marathi

Odia

Nepali

Punjabi

Santhali

Sanskrit

Assamese

Bodo

Bengali

Dogri

Hindi

Gujarati

Kannada

Konkani

Kashmiri

Urdu 

Telugu

Tamil

Sindhi

English