Indian Polity and Governance · UPPCS (Uttar Pradesh)

What the official syllabus says

UPPCS Preliminary Examination, Paper I: General Studies-I:

Indian Polity and governance: Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues etc.
Indian Polity and Governance - Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.: In Indian Polity, Economic and Culture, questions will test knowledge of country's political system including Panchayati Raj and Community Development, broad features of Economic policy in India and Indian Culture.
Note: Candidates are expected to have general awareness about the above subjects with special reference to Uttar Pradesh.

Topics in detail

The official note names the country's political system, including Panchayati Raj and Community Development. Learn the Constitution Article by Article for the main institutions, and the working of each institution in practice.

Making of the Constitution

Constitutional history in outline (Acts of 1858 to 1947)
The Constituent Assembly: composition, committees, Dr B.R. Ambedkar and the Drafting Committee; adoption (26 November 1949) and commencement (26 January 1950)
Sources of the Constitution; its salient features; Parts and Schedules
The Preamble and its key words; the 42nd Amendment's additions

Rights and duties

Union and its territory (Articles 1 to 4); citizenship (Articles 5 to 11, the Citizenship Act 1955)
Fundamental Rights (Articles 12 to 35) and the writs; Directive Principles of State Policy (Articles 36 to 51); Fundamental Duties (Article 51A)
Amendment of the Constitution (Article 368); the basic structure doctrine (Kesavananda Bharati, 1973) and later cases

The Union and the States

The President, Vice-President, Prime Minister and Council of Ministers; Attorney General
Parliament: Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, sessions, law-making, money bills, committees, privileges
The Supreme Court and High Courts: appointment, jurisdiction, judicial review, public interest litigation
State executive and legislature: Governor, Chief Minister, Council of Ministers, Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council (Uttar Pradesh has both houses)
Centre-state relations: legislative (Seventh Schedule), administrative and financial; inter-state councils and zonal councils
Emergency provisions (Articles 352, 356, 360); special provisions for some states; Union Territories; Fifth and Sixth Schedules

Constitutional and other bodies

Constitutional: Election Commission, UPSC and State Public Service Commissions, Finance Commission, CAG, Advocate General, National Commissions for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes, GST Council
Statutory and executive: NITI Aayog, National Human Rights Commission and state commissions, Central Vigilance Commission, CBI, Lokpal and Lokayuktas, National Commission for Women, information commissions

Panchayati Raj and Community Development

Community Development Programme (1952) and National Extension Service
Committees: Balwant Rai Mehta (1957), Ashok Mehta (1977), G.V.K. Rao, L.M. Singhvi
73rd Amendment (Part IX, Eleventh Schedule) and 74th Amendment (Part IXA, Twelfth Schedule): structure, reservation, State Election Commission, State Finance Commission
PESA Act 1996; gram sabha; issues of devolution of funds, functions and functionaries

Elections and parties

Election Commission; Representation of the People Acts 1950 and 1951; delimitation
Anti-defection law (Tenth Schedule); electoral reforms; model code of conduct
National and state political parties: recognition criteria; pressure groups

Public policy, governance and rights issues

Policy making and implementation; role of civil services
Transparency and accountability: Right to Information Act 2005, citizens' charters, social audit, e-governance
Rights issues: human rights, rights of women, children, Scheduled Castes and Tribes, minorities and persons with disabilities; Right to Education Act 2009; consumer protection
Important judgments on rights and governance

Overlaps

The state's own polity is on Uttar Pradesh: Polity and Administration. In the Main Examination, the Constitution and governance are General Studies II, and the political system of Uttar Pradesh is in General Studies V.