Monday, December 5, 2011

UPSC to reform Civil Services (main) exam

[ Date - 04 December 2011 ]
[ Source - http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/UPSC-to-reform-Civil-Services-main-exam/Article1-777887.aspx ]
[ For more information visit http://IASaspirants.com  ]

 
The Civil Services (Main) Examination is next on the UPSC’s reforms agenda. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has constituted a high-powered committee to suggest changes in the pattern of this examination. The move comes after the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2011 in
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its new format sought to test the aptitude of the candidates as well and not just their knowledge.

The changes in the preliminary exam weren’t as drastic as the UPSC had originally hoped. This is one reason why the government was reluctant to rename the preliminary test as the civil services aptitude test.

At the third UPSC foundation day function this week, UPSC chairman Prof. DP Agrawal said the changes had been well received as they provided the candidates a level playing field leading to improved quality of selection.

Agrawal — who has been pushing reforms at the commission — went on to announce that the UPSC was looking at changes that needed to be made in the Civil Services (Main) examination as well as other exams.

“Consistent with the need for selecting the right kind of person from a huge pool consisting of multiple languages, creeds, culture and communities, the commission has now constituted a high-power committee to suggest possible changes in the pattern of Civil Services (Main) Examination,” he said.

Agrawal also said that the commission’s endeavour was to ensure that “candidates are judged on the basis of in-depth knowledge and understanding rather than information gathered at the last moment.”

In six decades, UPSC has selected nearly quarter of a million candidates after examining over 46 million applicants. This is equivalent to the population of South Africa or England.

Minister of State for Personnel and PMO V. Narayanasmay agreed that the recruitment policies of the commission needed to be reviewed and revised to make recruitment faster and also to ensure induction of the civil servants with the right aptitude.

Agrawal agreed, pointing that the commission was looking at other examinations to bring them in tune with the present scenario of country’s development and aspirations.

Similarly, he said, the commission had recommended an alternative system to the government to improve the process of induction of civil service officers from different streams into the All India Service.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Analysis of Civil Services Mains Examination 2011 General Studies Papers


Below is the analysis of Civil Services Mains Examination 2011 General Studies papers:
  •     Lesser number of options
  •     More number of questions
  •     Mix of different sections in one question
  •     5-markers were compulsory
  •     No minimum number of questions or marks from any topic
  •     Emphasis on ecological issues

Mix and Match
As in 2010 there were questions from different sections under a single major question. For instance, question no. 1 consisted of four sub-questions, two on Polity, one on nutrition, and one on health. Fortunately question no 2 exclusively focused on modern Indian History.

This implies that IAS aspirants cannot afford to leave out any topic as the questions will be asked from different sections.

Lesser Number of Options
This is another reason why the GS Mains paper is getting harder progressively. Earlier a candidate had to attempt 3 out of 5 questions or had the liberty of at least one option in all questions except the 2-markers.

But now the 5-mark questions are compulsory which is again a slight disadvantage as not attempting even three or four 5-markers can make a big difference to your final GS score.
 
Emphasis on Ecological Issues
As in the 2011 Prelims paper, the Mains General Studies paper had a high focus on ecological aspects as well. For instance a question was asked about “evolution of Green Benches in the higher judiciary” that combined polity and environment.

Similarly a question on the melting of the Arctic ice was asked in paper 2. It is advisable to cover the environmental aspects in detail when preparing for Geography. This was you can cover two topics simultaneously while preparing for the General Studies paper.
 
More Number of Questions
This trend is visible in the optionals as well not just the GS paper. Earlier there used to be 30 mark questions but now they have been replaced by 20 mark questions. Also while the 2-markers have been retained there is addition of 5-markers which cannot be neglected without compromising on the final score.

The 10 mark questions seem to have replaced by 12 mark ones with 150 word limit instead of 125 words for the 10-markers.

Get prepared for some heavy writing in the GS papers. But more than writing what consumes increased time with the addition of more questions is the thinking required for each question.

It takes more time to think for three 20 mark questions than it does for two 30 markers even though the total marks are the same in both instances.
 
Statistics was Easy
I’ve mentioned this in my earlier analysis that statistics follows a see-saw pattern. One year the questions seem very difficult, the next quite easy. Fortunately this year Statistics was quite comfortable to attempt provided you had enough time in hand.

If you didn’t already know it, I always advise to attempt Statistics in the end as you might waste precious time if you get stuck on one question should you attempt it first. Of course, statistics requires constant practice to tackle the questions correctly and quickly. But if you can, these are some sure marks that can make up for low score in the first paper.
 
Overall Difficulty of the 2011 GS Paper was Moderate
Yes, although it can’t be termed an easy paper, it was not too difficult either. Science and Technology was divided into numerous 5-markers that were pretty straightforward provided you were aware of the current developments in S&T.

The questions on modern History were also of moderate difficulty and were not difficult to understand unlike the History questions in 2009 and 2010.

It seems UPSC was aware that many first timers are attempting this year’s Mains due to the changes in the Prelims pattern and accordingly kept the GS paper to manageable difficulty levels.
 
How Was Your Experience?
If you’ve attempted the 2011 Mains I would love to know your opinion and experience in the GS paper. So share them in the comments below.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

How to get 140 marks in Essay in Civil Services Exam Part 2

This article has been written by Dr. Bijay Ketan Upadhyaya, IAS (All India Rank 5 in CSE 2008, Orissa cadre)  in his blog (http://bijayketanupadhyayaias.blogspot.com/2010/04/how-to-get-140-marks-in-essay-in-cse.html). For the benefits of IAS aspirants, we have copied the article away here. Please read the disclaimer at IASaspirants.com for more details.
 

• Now I will turn to SHORT-TERM PREPARATION which everybody wants:-

2. SHORT-TERM PREPARATION:-

• For this you need 4-6 months in hand. Plz read:-

1. The Hindu articles & analysis (At least read some 500-1000 Articles from Hindu & in one FILE keep the best 100-150 Articles & Revise them.)
2. The Times of India Editorials (Sunday Edition. The SUNDAY TIMES & “NOT” the DELHI TIMES!!! )
3. The Oxford Book of Essays edited by John Gross( Read some good Essays) (Selective reading)
4. The Penguin Book of Essays(Read some good Essays) (Selective reading)
5. The Book of Essays by Spectrum & quotations given at the back. Remember 200-300 good Quotations which you can use in any Essay & use them liberally.
6. Oxford Book of Twentieth Century Quotations
7. Oxford or Rupa Book of Quotations
8. Competition Success Review Book of Essays (2 Vols for Juniors & 2 Vols for Seniors). CSR publishes GOOD Essays in Essay Competitions. So you can pick points from them …
9. Read sometimes The Economic Times Editorials (Left hand side only. The 3rd editorial on the left lower corner helps in Essay. Also “The Debate” (for, against & neutral) that comes in Tuesday )
10. Make 2-3 diaries full by QUOTATIONS, DIFFICULT WORDS & their meaning, Who said what etc.

• Try to write in simple, effective & in an expressive manner. Every sentence of your essay must have a FORCE which should shake the examiner …If you have mastery over FLOWERY language, then go for it. Or else write in a simple, straightforward & concise manner.
• I write in a flowery language with LOTS OF QUOTATIONS & difficult words.

Hope this detailed guideline on Essay helps …

How to get 140 marks in Essay in Civil Services Exam Part 1


This article has been written by Dr. Bijay Ketan Upadhyaya, IAS (All India Rank 5 in CSE 2008, Orissa cadre)  in his blog (http://bijayketanupadhyayaias.blogspot.com/2010/04/how-to-get-140-marks-in-essay-in-cse.html). For the benefits of IAS aspirants, we have copied the article away here. Please read the disclaimer at IASaspirants.com for more details.

 Hi, I have got 140 in Essay in 2006 Mains & also 140 in 2008 Mains. Many candidates are confused about How to PREPARE ESSAY … So writing this piece …

Essay preparation for Civil Services Exam can be of two types:-

1. LONG-TERM PREPARATION
2. SHORT-TERM PREPARATION

I will first write about long-term preparation. It can be done by those aspirants who have 1 yr or 2 yr or 3 years in their hands i.e. before Mains exam …

1. LONG-TERM PREPARATION
(The Path Less Trodden):-

• These things should be done when you are doing your GRADUATION these days or u have enough time say 10 months at least to go for Extra-Curricular reading :-

• For long-term preparation be regular with any two national newspapers. I would recommend THE HINDU & THE TIMES OF INDIA. The Hindu gives you simple & effective writing style while TOI gives u stylish English & increases your vocabulary. Both are needed to write a good Essay.

• Read 2-3 hours everyday. Specially focus on the Editorials & other Analytical & Critical articles. Say in Hindu focus on Magazine, Book Review, Literary Review, Business Review, Open Page, 2 page OP-ED Page etc & in The Times of India focus on its Editorial Page. Whenever you encounter a DIFFICULT PHRASE, EDIOM, PART OF SPEECH etc just see the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary or Chambers Dictionary & in a Diary note down that word, its meaning, its usage in sentence etc. This MUST be done within 1-2 minutes. Don’t keep it pending.

• Or else one word is lost from your vocabulary. By doing this your VOCABULARY will increase & you will know HOW TO USE THAT WORD IN A DIFFERENT CONTEXT. This is a gradual & continuous process and it will take 12-18 months to make your vocabulary very strong & have command over the language & expressive power.

• In addition to newspapers read as many articles from GOOD MAGAZINES as possible. The following magazines can be referred to.
a. FRONTLINE ( Must )
b. THE ECONOMIC & POLITICAL WEEKLY ( Must )
c. MAINSTREAM (Optional)
d. WORLD FOCUS (Optional)
e. THE ECONOMIST (Optional)
f. TIME or LIFE ( If you have access to a good library)

• I am not saying that you should try to finish all these magazines in one month. But try to read as many HIGH QUALITY ARTICLES as possible. This will increase the RANGE & VARIETY of your thinking & will make you knowledgeable about the happenings around the world & different streams of thought. (For Example: - What is “Stream of Consciousness”? What is “Theatre of Absurd”? What is “Objective Correlative” in T S Eliot’s poems? What is The Revival Movement? Etc)

• Jot down POWERFUL & EFFECTIVE sentences that you come across in a Diary. Any Quotations or Important Sentences said by Intellectuals like Amartya Sen, Manmohan Singh, Noam Chomsky, Edward Said, Bertrand Russell, Arundhati Roy etc should be noted down.

• Revise your Diary in free time many times so that you can remember these quotations, important words, sentences etc & use them at relevant places in your Essay in Mains Exam.

• Apart from these things read a lot of NOVELS, POEMS, PLAYS, SHORT STORIES etc

• I am giving a list of some of the books that I read. You can pick up some of them …

1. R K NARAYAN’S NOVELS (SWAMI & FRIENDS,THE ENGLISH TEACHER,THE GUIDE,THE DARK ROOM,THE BACHELOR OF ARTS,WAITING FOR MAHATMA,THE PAINTER OF SIGNS etc)
2. WAITING FOR GODOT ----- by SAMUEL BECKETT
3. T S ELIOT ----- SELECTED POEMS
4. THE GOLDEN TREASURY
5. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE ( MACBETH,KING LEAR,TEMPEST … ETC)
6. ENGLISH AUGUST ------ by UPAMANYU CHATTERJEE
7. GEORGE ORWELL ----- THE ANIMAL FARM,1984
8. BERTRAND RUSSELL ----- SCEPTICAL ESSAYS, PHILOSOPHICAL ESSAYS, HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY
9. THE DISCOVERY OF INDIA --- JAWAHARLAL NEHRU
10. THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS ---- ARUNDHATI ROY
11. MIDNIGHT’S CHILDREN ---- SALMAN RUSHDIE
12. PLAYS OF HAROLD PINTER or at least know about his works.
13. ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE ---- by GABRIEL GARCIA MARQUEZ
14. NOVELS OF CHARLES DICKENS like GREAT EXPECTATIONS, A TALE OF TWO CITIES, HARD TIMES etc
15. Search TOP 100 NOVELS OF ALL TIME in Google & read some 5-10 novels of any author “WHOM YOU LIKE” …


The basic idea is to make yourself “well-read” & with a COMMAND over ENGLISH … For this READ SOME GOOD QUALITY novels or poems mentioned above or after searching Google (For ex. Best 100 Poems of Twentieth Century, Best 100 Plays of All Time etc. )

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Welcome IASaspirants / Civil Services Examination aspirants

Civil Servants are the livewires of India and carry great respect and responsibilities. India's best brains vie for entry into the Indian Civil Services as officers. Even though corporate jobs may offer the best of salaries and perks, a majority of youngsters and their parents still crave entry to the prestigious Indian Civil Services. The very fact that a big share of every year's top posts in the civil services exams are bagged by professionals from various streams, shows that the IAS is still the dream job for many. 

In our effort to be of use to the various civil services aspirants here we present you tools and resources to give an edge to your preparation for the Civil Service. The competition being quite tough for the IAS examination, one has to be prepared to put in his best.

The Civil Services Examination is conducted by new Delhi-based Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The examination is also referred to as the IAS exam and thereby the term IASaspirants and henceforth a platform for them IASaspirants.com.

Civil Services Examination (for you Civil Services Examination 2011, Civil Services Examination 2012 or Civil Services Examination 2013) is one of the toughest exams in the country. To stay motivated for the UPSC, Civil Services Exam it is important to focus on the goal of becoming an IAS officer. Also you must set your target time of getting through the IAS exam and join the IAS in the current year. So if you fill the form for IAS 2012 in the year 2011 you must keep it in your mind that you have to make it to IAS 2011 batch, even at the moment you see the UPSC 2011 notification. The IAS exam by UPSC needs utmost dedication and clarity of commitment towards the exam. You must become familiar with the UPSC exam syllabus at the time of filling up your form or even before that, so that as soon as you see the UPSC exam schedule your own schedule for studies is ready and implemented immediately. The worst thing to do is to wait for the UPSC results of the prelims exam to start preparations for the mains. Your IAS preparation has to be continuous. Solving the previous years UPSC question papers is a must, but not an end in itself.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

UPSC aspirants can now choose Indian languages for interview

PTI Jul 12, 2011, 10.01am IST

MUMBAI: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has informed the Bombay High Court that candidates, who opt for an Indian language medium (other than Hindi) for the written Civil Services exam, can henceforth either choose the same Indian language, English or Hindi for the interview.

Similarly, even those candidates, who give the main exam in English, can now choose English, Hindi or any other Indian language for the interview, opted by them for the compulsory Indian language paper in the written part of the test, UPSC said, in an affidavit, recently.

The affidavit was submitted in response to a PIL filed by IAS aspirant Chittaranjan Kumar, challenging the existing rule that requires a candidate to give the interview in English, if he had appeared for the main examination in that language.


The candidates, who are, as per the present policy, exempted from the compulsory Indian language paper, will have to appear for the interview in English or Hindi only, the affidavit said, adding that these were the recommendations submitted by an expert committee, formed specially to look into the issue.

The recommendations had been accepted by the UPSC and forwarded to the Government with a request to send comments or observations. After hearing from the government, the UPSC would incorporate the necessary changes and implement them, the court was told.

Accordingly, Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice G S Godbole disposed of the petition. Kumar, who appeared for the written part of the 2008 civil services examination in English, wanted to give the interview in Hindi.


Wednesday, May 25, 2011

IAS aspirant S Divyadarshini is IAS Topper 2011

UPSC has declared the results of  on 11th May 2011.

Chennai Girl Ms S Divyadarshini has topped this prestigious exam Civil Services Main Exam 2019. She has completed her B.A. B.L. (Hons.) from Dr Ambedkar Law University, Chennai. This was her second attempt at the Civil Services Exam 2010.

Second Position is grabbed by Ms Sweta Mohanty from Hyderabad. Ms Mohanty has completed her B.Tech. (Computer Science) from the Gokaraju Rangaraju Institute of Engineering and Technology, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad.

Mr R V Varun Kumar of Chennai, the topper among male candidates, has secured the overall third rank..Mr Varun had done BDS from the Ragas Dental College, Chennai. Civil services 2010 was his third attepmt.

First 25 Candidates consists of 20 Males and 5 Females. Out of top 25 successful candidates 15 are from Engineering Background, 5 from Commerce, Management, Humanities, Science & Social Sciences and 5 candidates from Medical Science background.


Out of Top 25 candidates, 8 candidates made to the merit list in first attempt. Four Candidates made it to merit list in second attempt, 9 candidates in third attempt and 3 candidates in fourth attempt. One candidate was in merit list in fifth attempt
 
Out of 920 candidates recommended, 28 are physically challenged candidates, 14 orthopaedically challenged; 5 visually impaired and 9 hearing impaired. 
 
 

Thursday, April 21, 2011

After Shah Faesal topped the IAS exam last year ...

After Shah Faesal topped the IAS exam last year, Kupwara seems to have taken to civil services with a vengeance. The backward district saw 15 candidates, its highest ever, make it to the coveted KAS in the recently declared results. Shafath Bhat reports.It was neither a marriage ceremony nor any political rally when Sogam village in Lolab valley reverberated with bursting firecrackers and loud drum beating last year. The village was celebrating Shah Faesal’s making it to the coveted Indian Administrative Services (IAS). He became the first Kashmiri to top it. His success motivated many to try to gain entry in the civil services.

Fifteen people have made it to the state’s civil services in the recently announced selection list. The highest for the poor, educationally backward district since it was carved out from Baramulla in 1979.Like last year in Sogam, people were jubilant in the hilly village of Kalarooch where Mohammed Ashraf had cracked the Kashmir Administrative Services (KAS) exam.

Ashraf braved many odds to even graduate. He lost his two brothers to the conflict. Being the only surviving son in the family he discontinued studies to take up a job in the forest department, which he got under SRO-43 - envisaging appointment in the government on compassionate grounds on death of a family member to the turmoil.He did his Bachelors in Arts (B.A) through correspondence from Kashmir University. Ashraf had his schooling from a local school.

“My family conditions, the backwardness of our district and the desire to do something for my society motivated me (to pursue KAS),” says thirty-year-old Ashraf who is married also. “I was inspired by one of my colleagues who qualified KAS while in service.”He says that he was disappointed after failing in the first attempt but somehow managed to get back his resolve. “I started my preparation right from the month I failed, devoted full time (to it) and was enough lucky to get an earned leave, which helped me remain focused on the exam,” he said.

Now, after the success he sits in an airy room in their house situated on a hillock letting the taste of it sink in. Euphoric family and friends, and neighbours all come with greetings. Even strangers make calls to congratulate him. Tears seem to be the only expression of his housewife mother and a shopkeeper father. They are ecstatic.Around 60 percent of the successful candidates from Kupwara are from lower middle class rural families. None of the successful candidates is from Kupwara town. However, with interest generated in civil services the aspirants are making intelligent decisions in choosing subjects.

“I choose Public Administration and Urdu as my optional because I was good at public administration and from the past couple of years Urdu has become very scoring,” says Rafique Ahmad Shah, another successful candidate. Though belonging to a remote Lolab village Rafique was a bright student since childhood. He did his B. Tech in civil engineering from NIT Srinagar and thereafter went to IIT Roorke to pursue M. Tech. Born in a middle class family Rafique’s to motivation for civil services is both personal as well as social. “In engineering you have to be in only one department where chances of excelling are limited but here in the administration you have the option of serving society at different key posts,” he said.
Rafique would have made a lucrative career in his profession but he left it to join thousands of other youths who in tiny, shared rooms amidst stacks of books, guides and old exam papers live in Delhi to prepare for this coveted exam.

“My aim in life is to serve my society. I am not meant for myself or my family only,” says Rafique with a hint of astonishing certainty.

Born to peasant parents, Hilal Ahmad Shah, is the breadwinner of the family. He graduated in science from Government Degree College Sopore only to find himself competing for a low level job in police. “My family’s (financial) condition didn’t allow me to study further,” says Hilal, who works as a wireless operator in police. Earlier he could not make it to the Naiab Tehsildar list.

Taking out time to study between breaks in the duty rooster, he chose History and Urdu as optional subjects for the Mains Exam. “I was good at history and love to read about our past,” he said. Like others Hilal too feels the support of his family was instrumental in keeping him going. “My father couldn’t support me financially but the prayers and moral help given to me by my family is beyond comment,” he said.

Mass communication post graduate from Indra Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Sheikh Junaid Shafi hails from a dusty village of Handwara. A farmer’s son he had to leave his studies halfway. “I had to feed a family of 10 and in rural areas everybody’s contribution to the family income can keep it going,” says Junaid, who worked as teacher in a government school. He sat in the IAS exam but could not clear it. “In KAS too in 2004 I failed but kept on trying till this day,” he adds. Enthusiastic Junaid had taken sociology and Urdu as the optional subjects. On the selection of 15 candidates from Kupwara, he says that it shows Kupwara is a fertile land and it is a big boost for the aspiring candidates. “The trend is changing I would always motivate my students to compete at national level,” says Junaid.

A fan of Nusrat Fatah Ali Khan and Ghazal lover, Arshid, 28, was working as a government school teacher in remote village of Zurhuma. “There are lot of fields where you can make a career but in the civil services I can go to do good for my deprived people,” says Arshid. He was doing M. Phil from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). His father is a shopkeeper. Arshid went for coaching after qualifying for Mains.

PLATFORM
Abdul Gani Mir, the first Indian Police Services officer from Kupwara, and some civil services officers from the district founded Initiative for competitive promotion (ICP) to guide civil services aspirants. The ICP organized various workshops and conducted mock interviews for the candidates who qualified Mains exam.“A. G Mir provided a platform for all of us. It is his kind gesture that I improved my communication skills,” says Mohammed Ashraf.

Dr. Ghulam Hassan Shah, a 1999 batch KAS officer from Kupwara, was also helpful. Shah feels that the awareness generated by electronic and print media and various good coaching institutions have helped bright students to polish themselves. Shah believes that education never ends. He did his PhD from JNU in central Asian studies after joining the administration.

COACHING
Most of those selected had no coaching at all. But they say it helps to compete with better educated candidates as it gives a direction to the way of preparation. Many took it only after their preliminary examination results were declared. Until the late 1960’s the civil service exam was the preserve of the English educated but after that candidates have the choice to take all except one basic qualifying English paper in English. The reduction in the weightage of personality test (interview) has also helped some to make it to the KAS, says one of the successful candidates.

INSPIRATION
Most of the youth term Shah Faesal’s success as their real inspiration. The coverage Shah Faesal got in the national media added to the glamour part of civil services in Kashmir. “Shah Faesal motivated me a lot throughout my preparation and it is his motivation and finally his fruitful results that inspired me,” says Rafique Shah, who stayed with Faesal in Delhi during his preparations. To some, his success was a motivation to remain focussed. “He (Shah Faesal) came to limelight only when we were going through our Mains so his selection was not the main factor but good enough for our interview,” says Arshid.

THE MESSAGE
To motivate the youngsters these qualifying candidates have kept options open for the aspiring youngsters to ask for help. Just after the results were declared various publics meeting were organized where the candidates shared their journey to success. Mohammed Ashraf is himself an ideal example in this case. “I had no coaching, never went to an elite school and not even have a literate background. If I can do it why can’t anybody else,” says Ashraf. Rafique shares his views, “Proper direction and time is very important, you have to concentrate. Only six books with qualitative preparation will make you go through.”

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Civil Services Exam 2011 Notification

Civil Services Examination 2011 Notification
For details visit www.IASaspirants.com

Date of notification: 19 February 2011
Last date for receipt of applications: 21 March 2011
Date of commencement of exam: 12 June 2011 (Sunday)

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

GS: Science & Technology: STEREO (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory)

STEREO (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory) is a solar observation mission. Two nearly identical spacecraft were launched into orbits that cause them to respectively pull farther ahead of and fall gradually behind the Earth. This will enable stereoscopic imaging of the Sun and solar phenomena, such as coronal mass ejections.

Some hot topics for CS(P) 2011

Watch out this space for some hot topics in Civil services (Prelims) Examination 2011.

www.IASaspirants.com

National Knowledge Network - Website (www.nkn.in) and logo launched


National Knowledge Network

Background

The Government's decision to set up National Knowledge Network was announced in the Budget Speech, 2008-09. An initial amount of Rs. 100 crore for FY 2008-09 was allocated to the Department for establishing the National Knowledge Network. A High Level Committee (HLC) was set up under the Chairmanship of Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India to coordinate and monitor the establishment of the National Knowledge Network.
On 25th March 2010 the Government approved the establishment of the National Knowledge Network (NKN) at an outlay of Rs.5990 crore, to be implemented by National Informatics Centre (NIC) over a period of 10 years.

Objective

The objective of the National Knowledge Network is to bring together all the stakeholders in Science, Technology, Higher Education, Research & Development, and Governance.

Features of the National Knowledge Network:

Network will consist of an ultra-high speed Core (multiples of 10Gbps and upwards), and over 1500 nodes. It is scalable to higher speed and more nodes also. The Core shall be complemented with a distribution layer at appropriate speeds. The participating institutions can directly or through distribution layer connect to the National Knowledge Network at speeds of 100 Mbps /1 Gbps.

Application Areas

The application areas envisaged under the National Knowledge Network cover:
  • Agriculture
  • Education
  • Health
  • e-governance
  • Grid Computing (High Performance Computing)


NKN announces the launch of its Website and Logo by Hon'ble Shri Kapil Sibal, Union Minister for Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, on 05th February, 2011 at Vigyan Bhawan at 4 p.m.