How to Read The Hindu Newspaper for UPSC CSE

General instructions 

  • Read the newspaper with a clear understanding of the syllabus for the examination.
  • Politics, sports, masala news etc. can normally be skipped.
  • Identify the issue underlying the articles/ news. Issue is important for the exam rather than detailed news.      For example In any report regarding security of aadhar card, the issue underlying is that of  privacy of data and the key points are advantages of direct benefit transfer, privacy as a fundamental right, security threats of data breach etc.  
  • News related to Committees, Commissions, Bills, Acts etc are important. 
  • Making a summary of the editorial is important as it will help to develop your writing skills as well.
  • Factual information are important for Prelims.   
  • Examples of how to deal with articles and what to focus upon are given at the end of this page.  
  • We provide important articles to be read from Indian Express, Hindu everyday with syllabus and sub topic wise break up.  To get instant update join our mailing list.   

​In this section we will see the important pages of the Hindu newspaper and articles therein. We will analyze the  news page by page. 

​Front Page 

  • Most important news of the previous day are usually given in the front page.
  • Front page also contains some state specific news, read the articles which are relevant.  
  • You can ignore political statements, allegations made by political leaders etc.  

Life Page​

  • The articles on this page are not related to any specific subject. They may be related to environment, Science and Technology etc.   
  • You should read all relevant articles especially on Environment, Science and technology etc.

​Sports Page

  • Just have a glance on the important sports events happening in India and around the world.
  • Reading articles are not recommended as questions in prelims are minimal from this section. 
  • If any new technology has been implemented in any of the major sports, such news should be referred to and technology should be studied in depth. 

Business Page

  • The articles of this page help in preparing for Economy Section of the Prelims as well sub-topics related to Economics in General Studies III paper of Mains. 
  • When we see past year question papers we get to know that the questions from Economics sub-topic of Mains generally come from the newspaper articles.

World Page

  • This page gives you information regarding the important events happening around the world.
  • You should read all articles which are relevant for your exam.
  • The selection of articles to be read should be based on the syllabus of General Studies II paper, especially the sub – topics related to International Relations. 
  • Other events happenings around the world should only be read if such an article affects the relationship of that particular country with India or it affects the Indian diaspora living in that country or in any manner directly or indirectly affects India.   

News Page

  • This is a general page with topics of the articles covering almost all spheres. 
  • The important articles of this page will be mainly related to the syllabus of General Studies II and General Studies III of the Mains.
  • News page also provides articles related to appointment of commission, Passing of certain Bills / Acts in the parliament, some important judicial pronouncements etc. Such articles are important for the exam and should be read carefully.  
  • You can skip the political statements / news given on this page as they are not relevant for the exam.

​Editorial Page and OPED Page

  • Generally Editorial page depicts the most important topic in news. The articles of these two pages are written by senior journalists and editors, subject experts, economists, senior Lawyers etc.  
  • In main examination questions asked are mainly opinion based. To answer such questions the in-depth analysis provided in the editorial section will be helpful. 
  • These pages provide important points regarding a particular issue. It also provides the pros and cons, innovative solutions  and futuristic suggestions about a particular issue. These points will be helpful in writing quality answers in Mains as it will make your answer multi dimensional.
  • These pages will also contribute towards your preparation for Essay paper and Interview. 
  • These pages are also important for Preliminary exam as it also consists of facts. 
  • It also helps in increasing your reading speed which will help in comprehension section of CSAT paper. 
  • The FAQ section in OPED page is another important section as it discusses 360 degree analysis of a given issue.
  • Do make notes regularly from OPED and Editorial.

Nation Page

  • This page is general in nature as it covers articles from all spheres. Articles relevant to your syllabus should be read.

South/ West / North / East Page and state / city specific page

  • These pages contain state and region specific news .
  • Sometimes an innovative Policy / Scheme or successful governance model for a particular State is provided.
  • You should read these pages for your interview preparation as these pages focus on the issues and problems of the concerned State. In interview  questions are generally asked on these topics.

Business Review Page (Every Monday)

  • This page provides detailed articles about recent economic problems.
  • You should read those articles which affect the economy as a whole and ignore those which are related to a particular business organisation or entity.
  • This page will be helpful for Mains General Studies -III Economy part and Prelims Economics.

Science and Technology Page (Sunday)

  • This page is very important as recent developments in science and technology are covered in this section.  

Example -1

Article –“Four Supreme Court judges air differences with CJI Mishra” 

Why we should read it

  • The article comes under Indian Polity and Constitution / Judiciary in Prelims cum General studies 2 in Mains. 

What to focus upon

  • Procedure for Appointment and removal of Judges including CJI 
  • What is National Judicial Appointment Commission and why was it unconstitutional
  • What is Collegium system and the judicial rulings leading to the same 
  • Comparison of constitutional provisions in appointment of judges in India and other countries
  • Importance of Independence of judiciary 
  • Judicial activism and Judicial overreach 
  • Number of judges in Supreme Court including the CJI

Example -2 

Article “New US sanctions won’t affect Chahbahar project”

Why we should read it

  • The article comes under current events of National and International importance in Prelims and General Studies 2 in Mains.

What to focus upon

  • What is Chahbahar project
  • Importance of Chahbahar project for India
  • India – Iran relationship
  • Importance of access to Afghanistan for India 
  • US – Iran nuclear deal 
  • Location of Iran, Afghanistan and Chahbahar port on the map

Example -3 

Article “Inflation quickens to 5.21 % on food costs”

Why we should read it

  • It comes under Economics section in Prelims and under General Studies 3 in Mains 

What to focus upon

  • What is inflation
  • Measurement of Inflation
  • Different indices like Wholesale price index, Consumer Price Index, Index of Industrial Production etc, their base year and relevance
  • Relation between inflation and growth 
  • Effects of inflation on general public
  • Inflation targeting, monetary policy and measures undertaken by RBI to control inflation 

Example -4

Article ” Maharashtra clashes worry RSS”

Article –  “Ex – BJP MP Nana Patole joins cong”

What to focus upon

  • Above articles are political in nature and can be safely skipped

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