How to read Yojana magazine

Read Yojana Magazine in one day for UPSC

There are certain myths about Yojana magazine among aspirants that do not buy Yojana and throw away. Please DO NOT throw Yojana away. Because there are only 12 Yojana's per year and you can keep all of them together and still if you want to throw them away then you can download Yojana from www.yojana.gov.in (free of cost). So, read it with The Hindu July to July for Civil Services Prelims examination, and similarly for Civil Services Main exam preparation read it from November to November.

http://www.iasplanner.com/civilservices/images/Yojana.jpgDO NOT subscribe to any other magazine like Kurukshetra, any other Economic and Political Weekly, CST/Chronicle/WF/SAP etc. Please note that these all are good magazines but we do not have that much time to read them all.

Why to read Yojana magazine


Because of the keywords and topics which are regularly being covered in its reports and articles.
For example -
Country Development, Commissions, Electoral reforms, Environment and Ecology, Global Warming, Geography, Disaster, Tsunami, Landslide, Draught, Flagship schemes and policies of Government of India, AADHAR, Food Bill, MGNREGS, JNNURM etc.

Another reason is that Yojana is published by Government of India, so authenticity and credibility is extremely high. Their articles are always politically neutral and have a balanced view on particular point or issue. Another interesting fact is that the articles of this magazines are written by highly experienced scholars (both national and international level), ministers, bureaucrats and Phd. students. It has an underline tone of pessimism followed by overarching optimism and constructive criticism with redressal mechanism.

Yojana always published as a theme specific approach for each month of the year, For example in year 2013-14 it came on following pints:

  • Good Governance (read related books)
  • Direct Benefit Transfer (read DBT related articles and understand the issue from both negative & positive aspects)
  • Union Budget (try to concise your study and focus on key point & keywords)
  • Disability (study about disability acts)
  • Social Media (important from science & tech and essay paper exam point of view)
  • Sustainability and environmental issues (most important from exam point of view)
  • Public Service Broadcasting (leave this safely)
  • Inclusive Democracy (very important from exam point of view)
  • Education for all (important from exam point of view)
  • Growth, Employment and Poverty (data information and key facts)
  • Land and Natural Resources (just skim thought it)
  • Right to Food (extremely important from exam point of view and essays as well come from these topics)
  • Tribal and Marginalised Communities (no need to go in details)
  • Public Health (extremely important)
  • Administrative Reforms (good to read)
  • Indian economy - Performance, challenges and prospects (very very important)
  • Energy security (extremely important)
  • Indian agriculture (good to read)
  • Urban planning (extremely important)
Take above strategy as an example of how to read a Yojana.

How to read (EXPLAINED)


First you have to select 5 to 6  articles from magazine which you will be reading. You have to go through the the Definition of the theme then all the Basics, remember the Facts and analyse both Pros and Cons then you have to come with Constructive Criticism followed by Redressal Mechanism. While reading Yojana you need to write key phrases, words and facts from the articles, no need to make extensive notes.

For example here we are taking an Issue in order to evaluate the preparation aspects.

Topic: Financing India's Quest for Universal Health Coverage


Pointed to be covered

  • What is UHC
  • Health expenditure with respect to GDP in India
  • What all schemes already exist like NRHM
  • As a district collector how will you integrate them
  • What are the points in favour and against UHC
Take above strategy as an example of how to cover an article or report in Yojana.

What to avoid in Yojana Magazine (non-upsc stuff)

  • Any individual achievement being emphasised
  • Any local area where a concept or technology was first applied
    • Transforming Rural India with Digital Technologies
    • Child Health: Some inconvenient fact
    • Non communicable diseases and development in India
  • Repeat reading.
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