Indian Year Book (IYB) - An Overview of Effective Tips

The India Yearbook (IYB) is published by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting every year. It contains important facts about the various schemes and projects of the Government and its different departments.This article tells you how to read the India Yearbook effectively while preparing for UPSC Civil Service Exam.

Aspirants would find this article very helpful while preparing for the IAS Exam.

What Does the IYB Contain?

The IYB is basically a compilation of the information that is available on the websites of various ministries and government department. It contains department-wise or ministry-wise chapters. It covers issues in news from January to November of a year. It is generally released in February/March of the following year. In total there are 32 chapters.

The IYB is an authoritative book containing information about the Government’s developmental activities from rural to urban, finances to infrastructure, industry to agriculture, art and culture, science and technology, mass communication and human resources development.

Why is the IYB Important for UPSC Exam?

The IYB is important because many times the UPSC has asked factual questions that seem to be directly taken from this book.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Reading the IYB for the IAS Exam

1. It is advisable to first read the basic books like NCERTs before starting the IYB.
2. Read every chapter in the IYB and select the relevant information from them. It is better not to skip any chapter.
3. Don’t attempt to mug up each and every fact given in the IYB. This is not only impossible but also a waste of your time and efforts.
4. Always visit the related government website when you read a particular chapter from the IYB.
5. It is recommended that you don’t read any summary of the IYB as they might not contain all the relevant data.

India Year Book (IYB) – Focus Areas

When you read different categories of topics, it is advisable to focus on some points and facts which are explained below.

When you Read about Organizations, Focus on the Following Three Things

1. Nature of the organization (whether constitutional/statutory/executive/PSU, etc.)
2. Head of the organization
3. Functions of the organization

When you Read About Schemes, Remember to Focus on

1. Start date
2. Head of the scheme/project
3. Funding
4. Important features

The location of unimportant organizations is not important anymore for the UPSC exam.

For Policies, your Focus Areas Must be the Following

1. Year
2. Head (department or ministry in charge of the policy)
3. Methods (the projects or schemes that have been launched to discharge the policy
4. Features of the policy
5. Analysis (for the IAS mains and interview)

While Reading about Bills or Laws, Keep in Mind to Concentrate on the Following

1. Year
2. Head
3. Features
4. Analysis

The above details would help candidates prepare for UPSC 2022.

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