I recieved this useful info from Chisty, am just copy pasting it here. hope it helps you all.

" Hi, I would like to bring to your notice that Planning Department of Karnataka is giving away free Economic Survey Reports to those selected for KPSC Gazetted Probationers Mains Exam. All you need to do is give a copy of your Mains application form and a letter requesting for a copy of the Economic Survey Report. The Letter is to be addressed to The Director, ADB Division, Planning Department, MS Buildings, Bangalore. It is suggested that a personal visit may be better than a communication by mail. Please bring this to the attention of your readers. This book is expected to be of major help for the upcoming KPSC Mains exams.
"

Thank you so much Chisty

Regards,
AshviniSekar

Rural Development Optional books

I came to know through internet that these are the books for rural development optional Subject.I have not gone through any of these books Except Yojana and Kurukshetra , but over internet these were the mostly mentioned ones for RD.

Rural Sociology - K.singh
Rural Development in India - Vasanth Desai
Rural Development in India - Venkata Reddy
Agricultural Economics and Rural Development - B.P Tyagi
Cooperation theory and Practice - B.S.Mathur
Karnataka Panchayath Raj Manual
Karnataka Economy
Some selected topics from IGNOU Booklets/Study material for Rural Development.
Yojana and Kurukshetra periodicals should be referred.

Note: Yojana is available in kannada also. You can subscribe for the same from Bangalore regional Office(Kannada Yojana only) For English you have to approach Delhi Off.

Buy Books of Rural Development at Flipkart.com!

KPSC KAS Prelims 2011 Results are out

List   of  the  candidates  eligible for  Main examination for recruitment to Gazetted Probationers Group 'A' & 'B' services, 2011 for which the Preliminary examination was conducted by KPSC on 22-04-2012
is available now at:

http://kpsc.kar.nic.in/ELGLIST%20GP2011.HTM

Wish you all the best for results.

Foreign Direct investment:

Foreign direct investment is investing by buying a company in another country or extending its operations in other country's.

More simply we can say Investing in another country for profit reasons. FDI in India has played an important role in developing our economy to a great extent.

There are 2 ways through which others can invest in India.

1.Automatic Route & 2.Govt Route

Automatic route:

Investment in these areas do not require prior approval either by the Government or RBI.

Govt Route:

FDI in activities not covered under the automatic route requires prior approval of the Government which are considered by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance.

Sectors Prohibited for FDI in India:

FDI is prohibited under the Government Route as well as the Automatic Route in the following sectors:
i)  Retail Trading (except single brand product retailing)

ii) Atomic Energy

iii) Lottery Business

iv) Gambling and Betting

v) Business of Chit Fund

vi) Nidhi Company

vii) Agricultural (excluding Floriculture, Horticulture, Development of seeds, Animal Husbandry, Pisciculture and cultivation of vegetables, mushrooms, etc. under controlled conditions and services related to agro and allied sectors) and Plantations activities (other than Tea Plantations)

viii) Housing and Real Estate business (except development of townships, construction of residen­tial/commercial premises, roads or bridges to the  extent specified by Govt.

ix) Trading in Transferable Development Rights (TDRs).

x ) Manufacture  of cigars , cheroots, cigarillos and cigarettes , of tobacco or of tobacco substitutes.

Rural Development Initiatives

Rural Development Programmes by Govt of India comprises :

Rural Infrastructure Development
Increaseing Agricultural Productivity
Providing Social Services like Health, Education and Emplyment opportunities.Various schemes in this Direction are as listed below.

Rural Infrastructure development Schemes:

• Bharath Nirman
• Pradan mantri Gram Sadak Yojna
• Rural Housing
• Rural Water Supply Programme
• Central Rural Sanitation Programme
• National Institue of Rural Development
• Indira Awas Yojana

Rural Employment Schemes:

• National Rural Employment Guarantee Act
• Sampoorna Grameen Rojgar Yojna
• National Food for Work Programme
• Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojna
• National Social Assistance Programme(NSAP)

River Systems of Karnataka

There are seven river systems in Karnataka which with their tributaries, drain the state. The names of these river systems are:

Godavari
Krishna
Cauvery
North Pennar
South Pennar
Palar And
West Flowing rivers
　
Godavari River System:

The river Godavari rises in the Nasik district of Maharashtra about 80km from the shore of Arabian sea, at an elevation of 1067m , after flowing for about 1465km in a general south-easterly direction, through Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, Godavari falls into the Bay of Bengal above Rajamundry. The Godavari has a drainage area of about 3,12,813 sq.kmsThe principal tributaries of Godavari are the Pravara, the Purna, the Manjra, the Pranahita, the Indravathy and the Sabari, Manjra River is having its partial catchment area in Karnataka

Krishna River System:The river Krishna is an Inter-State river in Southern India. It is the second largest river in Peninsular India, rises in the Western Ghats at an altitude of 1337 m. near Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra State. It flows across the whole width of the peninsula, from west to east, for a length of about 1400 km, through Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The entire catchment area of Krishna basin is 2,58,948 sq km. including the other basin states

The principal tributaries of Krishna in Karnataka are Ghataprabha, Malaprabha, Bhima and Tungabhadra. All these rivers except the Malaprabha River having their catchment area both in Karnataka and Maharashtra

1.Ghataprabha raises at a height of 884 Mtrs in western ghats and flows through Maharashtra and Karnataka
2.MalaPrabha raises at a height of 792.48 Mtrs in western ghats and flows in Karnataka.
3.Bhima Nadi Raises at 945 Mtrs in western ghats and flows through Maharashtra and Karnataka.
4.Tungabhadra 1198 Mtrs western ghats at Gangamula and drains Karnataka and Andrapradesh.


CAUVERY RIVER SYSTEM:

The river Cauvery is an Inter-State river in Southern India. It is one of the major rivers of the Peninsular flowing east and running into the Bay of Bengal.

The Cauvery rises at Talakaveri on the Brahmagiri Range of Hill in the Western Ghats, presently in the Coorg district of the State of Karnataka, at an elevation of 1.341m (4,400 ft.) above mean sea level.

The catchment area of entire Cauvery Basin is 81,155 sq. km. including the other basin states of Cauvery River System i.e it flows and covers Karnataka,Kerla,Tamilnadu and Karaikal region of Pondicherry with hieghest catchment area in Tamilnadu and Karnataka Next to it.

The principal tributaries of Cauvery in Karnataka are the Harangi, the Hemavathy, the Lakshmanathirtha, the Kabini, the Shimsha, the Arkavathi and the Suvarnavathy. All these rivers except the Kabini River, Arkavathy River and Suvarnavathy River rise and flow fully in Karnataka.

1. Harangi River 1067 mtrs above Pushpagiri Hills of western ghats and drains only Karnataka.
2.Hemavathy 1219 Mtrs high, at Bellarayana Durga in western ghats and draining area is karnataka.
3.Kabini 2140 Mtrs High, Western ghats in kerla, and drains Karnataka Kerla and Tamilnadu
4.Suvarnavathy originates at Nasrur Ghat range and drains karnataka and Tamilnadu
5.Lakshmanathirtha raises at 1950 Mtrs Height in Western Ghats and drains Karnataka.
6.Shimsha 914 Mtrs height at Tumkur District and drains Karnataka
7.Arkavathy raises at a height of 1480 Mtrs in Nandidurga and drains Karnataka and Tamilnadu

NORTH PENNAR RIVER SYSTEM :

Originates from Nandi hills of Kolar ->Uttara Pinakini (North Pennar River ) It is an inter state river covering Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh

SOUTH PENNAR RIVER SYSTEM
 Raises from Nandi hills of Kolar also an inter state river of Karnataka and Tamilnadu

PALAR RIVER SYSTEM :Origin at Talagavara village in Kolar, 900 meters, Palar is also an interstate river i.e Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh Tamil Nadu

WEST FLOWING RIVER SYSTEM :

The Western Ghats provides a principal geographical barrier in the path of the Arabian Sea branch of the Southwest monsoon, and is principally responsible for the heavy rainfall over the western coastal belt. The Southwest monsoon season (june to september) is the principal rainy season, over 90 % of annual rainfall is realised in this period.

The rivers in the Western Ghats region generally originate at an elevation ranging from 400 meters to 1,600 meters above the mean sea level, close to the Western Ghats ridge. The rivers generally flow westward and meet the Arabian Sea after a short run varying from 50 kms to 300 kms. the rivers are very steep in the upper reaches and fairly steep in the middle reaches. It is only near the sea that they have relatively flat gradients and some sort of flood plain.

1. Mahadayi/Mandavi Raises above 600mtrs in Western Ghats, Belgaum District and an inter state river of Karnataka and Goa
2.Kaali nadi Raises above 600 mtrs in Bidi Village Western ghats and drains Karnataka
3.Gangavalli raises 700 mtrs above in western ghats south of Dharwad and drain Karnataka
4.Aghanashini raises above 500 metres in western ghats near Sirsi and drains karnataka alone
5.Sharavathi raises at 700 mtrs height in western ghats Humacha in shimoga distrrict and drains Karnataka
6.Chakra Nadi 600 mtrs Height, East of kodachadri in shimoga District and drainage area is karnataka
7.Varahi nadi (Haladi) originiates at 600 Height Kavaledurga in Shimoga District and drainage area is karnataka
8.Nethravathy Nadi, 1000Mtrs height, At Bellarayanadurga in Dakshina Kannada Distrrict and drains karnataka
9.Barpole (Valapattanam) above 900 Mtrs in Brhamagiri ghat reserve forest in Coorg and drains Karnataka and Kerla.

KAS Prelims Question papers 2012

KAS prelims question papers of the exam conducted on 22nd April 2012 available online at the following link
http://kpsc.kar.nic.in/GP%202011%20PRELIMS%20QUESTION%20PAPERS.htm

Key ansers are also provided in the website.

I have Deleted the post Prelim Calculation and Analysis, Since came to know through Manjunath's Comment that they are providing OMR sheets and there is no chance that the Prelims marks calculation can go wrong. Manjunath thanks for that.
I do not Have any problem in Publishing your Scores anywhere outside This Blog, It is just my opinion that you will not gain much by comparing yourself with 100 or few more scores, the truth is Competing group is little huge than you see on Internet. and i just want to say that Concentrate on future studies not on past.

Once Again My humble Request, Do no Send Cut off Queres here.

Five year plans

Jaikumar sent a very useful link on Five year plans of India long time back. Thanks a lot Jaykumar.

From Comments section
"
Find short notes on Five year Plans here : http://www.scribd.com/doc/82248848/Five-Year-Plans

By Jaikumar. on General Studies on 21/02/12 "

KAS Prelims 2012 Over what Next?

Karnataka Administrative services Preliminary examination was held on April 22nd by KPSC.

What Next ???

For those who did well in the exam and confident you would crack prelims without doubt... Please relax and start Preparing for mains without any long delay, you can take a break of 3 days... and start your work again...

Those who feel "I may pass or may not pass" ... just stop worrying about the results... take a small break and Start preparing for mains as if you have already passed Prelims... Tell me one thing What is the use of worrying that i did not do well, and wait till the results announced, By chance if you pass, you might regret that you wasted a lot of time... Anyways Your preparation will not go waste, there is always a next Great Chance...It is NOT The End, "Picture abhi Baaki hai Dost... "

For those Who wrote the exam without preparation just to check how the paper will be...
There are 2 possibilities - Might feel Paper is OK If I study then can pass , or else Feel that There is so much to study i think it is very tough
In Any of the above 2 cases if you are serious about the exam Want to succeed Then Just thinking about the paper will not help, Leave it aside, now you know the main theme and the style of KPSC. Prepare yourself in that respect.

Do's and Dont's:


First  of All.... Do not calculate the no of correct and wrong answers you attempted... this may reduce your confidence. Lot of people Enter Group discussions on Cut off Marks the no of people wrote etc etc... and Statistics on Cut off and results.... Before you talk about this... just Answer yourself " What is the big deal out of this? "
Whatever happened is gone... cant change... By the way Just because some one said Cut off will be around 250 300...Will you not eat sleep study??? Please don't waste your precious time in such things ... KPSC is the only person who can decide on cut off and correct answers...

Collect all old Mains Question papers, you will get to know the Pattern of Questions and then Prepare answers if you have not done it previously, You can also frame new questions and have answers for the same. 
Avoid Negative thoughts whether i will pass or not, Also avoid people who are Opportunists and who may discourage you in any ways...

Do not share your style of writing with others and at the same time don't copy others way of writing if you are a huge group and  lot of friends. Just be Unique. That Doesn't mean You should not Help others or discuss with others, Am talking about sharing the style of writing...

Check your speed of writing and Handwriting also...

Prelims is just a Small Step for your success Mains is a Bigger Stepping Stone... Total marks is the major Deciding Factor. Hence Give importance your writing... not just reading...

Wish you all the luck for Mains........:)

Geography some topics

I will keep updating the topic headings which i feel are important for mains as well as Prelims. Prepare notes on them, and don't go through the factual things understand thoroughly so that u can answer any direct or indirect Question.

Earthquake , Plate tectonics, P waves S waves and Surface Waves, Tsunami, Continental drift theory..........

----will be continued

Biodiversity

Bio diversity is all those different forms of life on earth

The United nations held Summit for Biodiversity in Rio de Janerio in 1992 also called as the Earth Summit,  you can even call it Rio summit as it was held in place called Rio de Janerio
UN declared the year 2010 as international year for bio diversity


Coming up next ----> India's contribution to biodiversity and other important topics

Indian National movement Timeline :

Birth of Indian National Congress -> 1885
Phases of Indian National Movement
Moderate Nationalism-> 1885 to 1905
Extremist Nationalism -> 1905 to 1919
partition of Bengal-> 1905
Surat Split-> 1907
Minto Morley reforms or Indian councils act of 1909 -> 1909
Montague Chelmsford reforms or Govt of india Act 1919 -> 1919
Home rule movement-> 1915 - 1916
Rowlatt act and Jallianwala bagh Massacre-> 1919
Non Cooperation movement -> 1920 to 1922
Gandhian Era -> 1919 to 1947
Khilafat movement-> 1919 to 1924
Simon commission -> 1927
Nehru committee report -> 1928
First round table conf -> 1930 Nov to Jan 1931
Gandhi Irwin Pact -> 1931
Civil Disobidience movement -> 1930 to 1934
Communal award and Poona pact -> 1932
Third round table conf -> 1932
White paper of March 1933
Govt of india act 1935
Reserve bank of india -> 1935
August Offer -> 1940
Cripps Mission -> 1942
Quit India movement -> 1942
CR Formula -> 1944
Simla Conf -> 1945
Cabinet mission plan -> 1946
Indian Independence and partition -> 1947

We will discuss whenever time permits the imp events of history

Simply Economy

Everyone stresses on reading the news paper specially The Hindu for GS paper of KAS , IAS or any civil service, But it would seem boring if we do not have the basics cleared, only the Kgs of paper will increase and news reading becomes boring as we find many words as Inflation, deflation, ASI,Purchase power etc etc.

We will deal with these one by one, say Inflation, The Explanation and illustrations may not always be technically perfect, its just for better understanding

Note: Have copied some Pics from Web to make it simpler

Inflation Definition: General raise in the price of goods and commodities,

Why Inflation?

Too much of Liquidity i.e Printing of more currency by Govt or When there is more currency flow in the market
Raise in the production costs or raw materials by manufacturers for Profit sake
Less availability of goods etc i.e when demand for a particular product is more
Tax Raise
Increase in Population
Low Foreign direct investment

Inflation also occurs if Employment rate is high i.e if low unemployment which means purchasing power of people goes up and hence prices go up...

Eg: Because of IT effect in bangalore all Software guys are ready to pay more rent due to good salaries and the real estate spikes up...............
Thus Inflation also depends upon Purchasing power

Liquidity----->
Purchasing power----> is the Peoples Ability to buy goods etc etc


Inflation Some more Ex: Suppose Govt buying oil from Iran, and Iran might increase oil prices for some reasons , if we buy oil for such high prices, will impact in transportation cost, Food and all other things.

If in Agricultural production, for a year onion grown is too less to meet the needs of all the 100 crore people, then onion prices will increase

Or else if everyone has sufficient money to buy onions, then demand for onion will increase , hence the prices of goods depending on onion will go up... all these are just every day happenings and condition is Famously called Inflation

Types of inflation                                                                                     






Cost push inflation  
 As the name itself says occurs when there is increase in the cost of production of goods, subsequently the price of Finished products also increases

Eg: Suppose there is increase in the cost of carrot or onion , all fast food centres increase the price of onion dosa, not even these, even Bhel puri tikki puri prices also will go up

Demand pull inflation
 If the Demand for a particular commodity is more than its supply then occurs the demand pull inflation i.e if there is a limited amount of shirts in a shop and the buyers are more than the available stock, then the strategy to decide who gets the shirts is one who can pay higher than others obviously increasing the price of that shirt than usual.
Demand pull inflation depends on the purchasing power of the people. if People have more money then they will rush to buy the goods which might result in raise price of goods to match the supply, hence resulting in demand pull inflation

Fiscal Inflation
When there is excess Govt spending This type of inflation occurs,Situations like disasters occur and govt has to spend more on recovery and rehabilitation.                   Hyperinflation  This type of inflation occurs during war after war is over ,i.e it is an inflation which is out of control

Measures to Control Inflation

Who does it?

Govt, Central Banks,Monetary authorities or Finance ministries.Methods?
Monetary Measures
Fiscal Measures
Other measuresMonetary measures:

• These are the measures taken by Central Bank i.e RBI in india.
• IT will control the money supply by increasing the Bank rates. When there is more interest rate people will not go for loans , stop spending more inturn savings will increase, Thus the circulation of money is less and hence slowly reduces inflation.
• Reserve ratio will be increased (We will discuss this someother time)
• Central bank will sell the Govt securities and bonds to contract supply of money

Fiscal Measures Will be done by Govt through

• Direct Taxes increase(Eg:income tax)reducing the purchasing power of people decreases and thus demand for goods and services also reduces
• Increase in Public borrowing
• Reduce Public expenditure
• Govt can also make Protectionist measures like banning export of essentials like pulses creals to increase domestic consumption, and Encourage imports by reducing the import duties on import items.

Other measures or long term measures

• Population control, more the people more the demand... hence family planning awareness should be created among people.
• Increase the supply of goods by increasing production specially agricultural and industrial products, so that self sufficiency is maintained apart from exporting and inturn reducing the prices. Encourage agriculture and allied activities then most inflation will be reduced.
• Effective planning is needed to taclke inflation such as Control Illegal activities such as smuggling, say if Rice sugar and oil or any other thing is exported illegally toi get higher prices then causes scarcity and increases prices here.

Egs:
1.In many cases Inflation is created artificially to gain more profits by creating insecurity among people
Eg: Rumours spread like gold price is going to hiked on akshaya tritiya day and all people rush to shops and buy gold, which itself increases prices becuase of shortage in gold... and thus inflation occurs.

2.Insecurity in investors should be removed by maintaining peace and harmony, i.e if the workers go on strikes or dharna , it will stop production , causing demand for goods due to shortage of goods.


Finally Good economic planning will reduce inflation... and helps in developing a healthy economy.

Buy Books Online at Flipkart.com!

Choosing an Optional Subject

Many candidates ask me through mail on Optional Subjects, And I Always have only This Answer

Optional Subjects play a critical role in securing good score in the Main Examination, this is the most common thing that every aspirant knows. There are some more basic things which any one who is preparing for the Civil Services must consider ,


Deciding Subjects should be truly on their strength in the same, Not because there is a Popular Quote saying 'It has good Scoring records from past' . I have seen a lot of people carrying the statistics saying Pub Ad is scoring, History and geography are less scoring, Kannada Litt is better than others. I would say None of these are actually true. If you master any Subject and develop good writing Skills in that, None can hold you back from Scoring.
I have been repeatedly saying from my other posts in the blog that Choosing an optional Subject should be made only on ones interest in the subject.
Some subjects might be lengthy or may not have good scoring statistics, but that doesn't mean no one can achieve good scores by choosing such subjects, You can be an exception by trying it .

Optional subjects are a matter of Personal Choice, Do not decide them on a Public forum.

Before choosing Just look at the syllabus and see If you are comfortable with that and then go for it.
There was a popular Quote ' If Some one has done it Then you can also Do It, If No one has done it Then YOU MUST DO IT '

KAS 2012 Prelims Date Fixed for April 22nd

KPSC has finally put an end to all the confusions mounting over the Exam Date of Prerliminary Exam to be held for Gazetted probationers. Much awaited Feb 26th is ignored and as of now Prelims is decided to be held on April 22, you can have a look at the same news dated today, i.e 2nd Feb Prajavani. There is almost 2.5 months Exteended time to prepare for Prelims.

Small Tip to prepare on Indian Polity

It will be of great help if we are going for Comparative analysis and study Indian Polity

Eg: Read President and then Governor , Compare their Role and Functions. Similarly Supreme court and High court, Parliament and State legislature etc...

KAS notification for 2011 is out Finally...

KPSC has notified recently that KAS exams for 2011 Gazetted Prrobationers will be conducted in the month of Febraury 2012 and  Mains Exam for same will be in June 2012. Applications are available online and you can apply till Dec 12th 2011. Please reead the instructions correctly and apply.

There is very less time and hence speed up your process of preparation.

New Pattern from 2012 and Prelims Syllabus as given in News paper

New Pattern from 2012 and Prelims Syllabus as given in Gazette of Karnataka:

I have Copy pasted from the PDF  you can check it at:

http://gazette.kar.nic.in/15-09-2011/Part-EOG-(Page-4745-4896).pdf 

The Preliminary Examination shall consist of two papers of objective type

(multiple choice),-

(i) each paper carrying 100 questions with each question carrying two marks; and

(ii) each paper shall be of a maximum of 200 marks and of a duration of two hours (Total for two papers

400 marks) in the following description, namely:-

Sl. No.	Subject Area	Number of Questions	Marks
PAPER - I
1	General studies related to National and International importance 40 80	40	80
2	Humanities 60 120	60	120
Total		100	200
PAPER - II
1	General studies related to State importance 40 80	40	80
2	General Science & Technology Environment & Ecology 30 60	30	60
3	General Mental Ability 30 60	30	60
Total		100	200

Note:

1. The question paper shall be set both in Kannada and English.

2. The standard of General Mental Ability questions of preliminary examination (aptitude test) shall be that of

X/SSLC level and the remaining papers are of Degree Level.

3. The number of candidates to be admitted to the main examination shall be 20 times the vacancies notified

for recruitment in the order of merit on the basis of the performance in the preliminary examination subject

to accommodating the same ratio in adequate number of candidates belonging to the categories of

Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, each of the other Backward Classes and others.

(ii) under the heading “Section II”, “Syllabi for the Examination” for Part-A and entries relating thereto,

the following shall be substituted, namely:-

“PART - A

SYLLABI FOR THE EXAMINATION

1. PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION (objective type):

PAPER - I

(i) Current events of National and International importance.

(ii) Humanities – History of India – Emphasis shall be on broad general understanding of the subject

in its social, economic, cultural and political aspects with a focus on Indian national movement

with special emphasis on Karnataka.

(iii) World Geography and Geography of India with a focus on Karnataka.

(iv) Indian polity and economy, including the country’s political system, rural development, planning

and economic reforms in India-sustainable development, poverty alleviation, demographics, social

sector initiatives etc.,

PAPER - II

(i) Current events of State importance and important State Government programmes.

(ii) General Science & Technology, Environment & Ecology-contemporary developments in science and

technology and their implications including matters of everyday observations and experience, as

may be expected of a well-educated person who has not made a special study of any scientific

discipline general issues on Health, environmental ecology, biodiversity and climate change that do

not require subject specialization.

(iii) General Mental Ability,- Comprehension, Logical reasoning and Analytical ability, Decision making,

problem solving, Basic innumeracy (numbers and their relations, order of magnitude etc.,) and

data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc., (class X/SSLC level).”

So Take a Deep Breath ... Only so much to Study :)

Syllabus change and the confusion

There is a lot of confusion on whether syllabus changed for mains also...?
some news papers claim the same that its an open secret that syllabus is changed for mains and they claim the subjects...

Anyways the real owners (i.e The KPSC office) have never come out and said that " Yes We have changed Pattern and syllabi of Mains as well..." as they did for Prelims..

Hence No need too Panic... Just Chill out and prepare as per the old pattern of Mains Exam.