Group Discussions on GKToday

Dear Readers,

As we are aware that the Civil Services Examination has consistently evolved implicitly, evident in the kind of questions being asked in General Studies Prelims as well as the Mains examination. However, in last few years, the evolution is evident explicitly in the change of the pattern of examination as well as the selection procedure.

In the times to come, what I foresee is that our optional papers will get eliminated (May be from 2013 onwards) from the selection procedure and the entire onus for selection of the candidates would be on "General Awareness".

But as far as Civil Services is concerned, General Awareness is nowhere related to the abstract data and memory skills. In the Prelims Examination, the UPSC has been focussing on "how" and "why" inquiries while in the mains examination, the UPSC looks for the people who are aware of Indian economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment, Issues arising from the social and economic exclusion of large sections from the benefits of development, Health issues including the management of Public Health, Health education and ethical concerns regarding health-care, medical research and pharmaceuticals, Law enforcement, internal security and related issues such as the preservation of communal harmony, Issues relating to good governance and accountability to the citizens including the maintenance of human rights, and of probity in public life, Environmental issues, ecological preservation, conservation of natural resources and national heritage, India's relationship with the world in various spheres , Developments in the Field of Science & Technology, IT and space and so on. The world of information is unlimited.

We all have limited time and resource to enhance our skills.

The candidates who clear prelims & appear in the mains need a satisfactory level of writing skills on various issues. Then, those who clear the mains need to be full with energy and awareness to speak in front of the Board. From 2013 onwards, grapevine resources hint us towards a Group Discussion to be introduced in the examination.

I would like to introduce the Group Discussion section of GKToday, which takes off from January 20, 2012. This section is for everybody who wants to participate in constructive discussions on national and international issues.

In this section, you can easily register by clicking on the "Login with Facebook Button" and giving GKToday authorization to your basic info such as your name, your profile photograph and your email address. Once you click the "Login with Facebook Button", you shall automatically become an author to write or comment in this section of GKToday, which is a WordPress based blog.

At present, registering has been enabled for Facebook users only, as we believe that most of us have our presence on Facebook.

Once you are a member, you can start a new group discussion. The other members can write their own views and thus we are able to discuss a particular topic and build our own 'refined' view about a topic or issue.

I have placed the following categories in this Group Discussion Section of GKToday:

• Current Affairs
• Economic Issues
  • Agriculture & Industry
  • Banking & Finance
  • Budget & Economic Growth
  • Domestic Trade Policy
  • Foreign Trade Policy
• Environment
  • Biodiversity
  • Climate Change
• International Politics
  • Africa
  • America
  • Asia Pacific
  • Europe
  • Human Rights
  • Middle East
  • Nuclear Trade
  • World Economy
• Political Issues
  • Corruption & Graft
  • Current Political Scene
  • Elections & Democracy
  • Regional Issues of India
  • Terrorism
• Social Issues
  • Education System
  • Gender Discrimination & Women Empowerment
  • Poverty & Unemployment
  • Social Problems

I invite all the readers of GKToday to add you to the new section for Group Discussions and use it for fruitful
Group Discussions.