How to Prepare Backward/Forward Linkages from The Hindu for Current Affairs
UPSC CSE preparation demands not just being aware about the News related to any topic published on a particular date,
but also everything related to it that was in News in the past some time or will be in News till the exam date.
This is known as maintaining track of ‘Backward/Forward Linkages’ related to all the current affairs topics.
Also, there are instances when for some subjects you need to keep updating your UPSC study material in sync
with the happenings taking place at present.
The best way to do this is to make short notes from the newspaper by maintaining a separate register or a folder/file
of paper sheets for newspaper notes.
Divide the file into separate parts based on various sub-topics of UPSC syllabus.
For example, have a separate section for Agriculture related topics of GS III syllabus.
More often than not, newspaper articles cover only specific aspects of an issue or topic.
On that particular day, make notes on the most important points covered in that article.
Thereafter, whenever you come across more articles on that topic or related topics, try to add those points in your notes.
Either fortnightly or on a monthly basis, take out time for revision of those notes and organize/re-compile
all the points under a topic into a more structured form.
In this process you will learn how to establish the links between various topics and how to prepare backward
as well as forward linkages on any given topic. For example,
on the topic of Food Processing Industry, try to link this syllabus topic to the problems of agriculture and
how to make agriculture remunerative for the farmers, how FPI can lead to value addition of agricultural products,
whether Contract Farming can be a solution to the supply chain problems of FPI, etc.
Remember that questions asked by UPSC involving backward linkages, require you to have a holistic understanding of the topic.
The intention behind asking such questions is to assess whether the aspirant has a good background knowledge of the
surrounding issues, what are the problems, wherein lies the solution,
how to approach an issue to be able to have a comprehensive and sustainable impact in the future, etc.
Thus, even though the issues/topic may be a part of current affairs, but to prepare them holistically for the exam,
you will need to supplement the newspaper articles with other preparation material such as Yojana magazines,
Economic Survey, government reports, etc. which in turn will help you frame the best answers in exam.
All The Best!