In this article let’s take a look at some different ways on how to prepare for current affairs for UPSC exams without reading newspapers.
So if you are confused and do not know what are the alternative sources of getting current affairs knowledge apart from reading newspapers then you should read this article till the end
because the options I mentioned in this article are not only almost equally good of reading newspapers but also are less time consuming and requires less energy, more convenient compared to reading a normal paper news paper.
So without further ADO let’s get started.
How to prepare current affairs for UPSC without reading newspapers?
Yojana magazine
Yojana is basically a monthly journal that focuses on the socio-economic issues. It was initially started in 1957 and now it is published over 13 different languages.
You should read this magazine for a couple of reasons like this magazine presents The point of view of the Government and provides data and analysis and
the main benefit is that reading this magazine will help you a lot in essay paper because any topic will be discussed with different perspectives and
point of views which can help you write answers better in essay paper of mains exam and it is also a monthly magazine which covers all the important issues and
you can also get more information about all the schemes and policies the government has initiated which is also a part of current affair.
What’s really amazing is that you can subscribe to this magazine and get monthly magazines online version by clicking here. And you can purchase the offline version and paperback of this magazine in your near Book Store.
Kurukshetra magazine
Kurukshetra Magazine is a monthly magazine published by the Government of India, as a result, you see the government’s view on an issue.
While Yojana Magazine focuses more on urban developmental issues, Kurukshetra Magazine emphasizes more on social issues, including issues relating to rural governance.
You should read both Kurukshetra and Yojana magazine because they are authentic and they are published by government and
they provide different perspectives towards a particular issue which can be really useful while writing essay answers and it can
also keep you updated with all the government schemes which is also a part of current affairs and you can also subscribe to both magazines and get both online and offline version by clicking here.
Pratiyogita Darpan
Pratiyogita Darpan is an Indian bi-lingual magazine on current affairs and general knowledge specially useful for civil service exams and similar competitive exams, this is another popular monthly magazine you can read for current affairs.
it is a widely read and popular magazine for exams and covers wide areas from current affairs, economy, geography, history, politics and constitution of India. The magazine also has an online version, and is published in English and Hindi languages.
You can purchase this magazine on the official website to get offline version in budget friendly price.
YouTube
YouTube is also a good platform where you can get the knowledge of current affairs and prepare for UPSC exams without reading newspapers.
The fact of the matter is that YouTube is the second largest search engine and social media platform after Google and Facebook and there are so many YouTube channels
you can subscribe to who publish lots of videos regarding current affairs which you can listen to everyday and be aware of instead of reading newspapers everyday.
For example if you can understand Hindi language then world affairs, Pathfinder, study IQ, wifi study, gktoday, adda247, online Study Point and study glows are examples of a few best YouTube channels you can subscribe to learn more about the current affairs and prepare for UPSC exam and
the best thing is that these YouTube channels will explain the topic in detail giving all the perspective you would get in a newspaper editorial and
the best thing is that you can listen to the video anywhere anytime which you cannot do while reading a newspaper and above all you do not need to pay money to get the information and prepare for current affairs in order to watch YouTube videos.
All India radio
All India radio is also a good option you can choose to prepare for current affairs for UPSC.
Listening to all India radio for current affairs is like a podcast and the best thing of listening to a podcast is that you can listen it anywhere doing any work all you need is the device and
earphones and you can listen to the current affairs in the radio while running, traveling, relaxing and doing exercise as well which you cannot do if you want to watch a YouTube video for current affairs.
The best time to listen to All India radio is between 9 pm to 10 pm and there is also a feature of All India radio called Air spotlight which is a great program featured daily on the AIR . In this program, many eminent panellists discuss issues.
Because of this you can find a different perspective is around a particular topic and issue which can be useful while writing the mains exam essay paper and also in the interview section of the civil Service exam.
TV debates
TV debate is also a good alternative option for newspapers to consume current affairs.
Popular TV channels you can watch are NDTV, DD news, Zee news, BBC, fox news, CNN news, Al Jazeera, etc.
The best thing about this is that you can get news channels for different languages for example if your mother tongue is Tamil then you can get a new channel in that language as well so that you can properly understand the topic and issue.
RSTV’s Big Picture, PRS India and India’s World.
RSTV- Rajya Sabha TV, which has been replaced by Sansad TV HD, was a public cable television network channel owned and operated by Rajya Sabha that covered the proceedings of Rajya Sabha. Apart from telecasting live coverage of Rajya Sabha proceedings, RSTV also brought detailed analyses of parliamentary affairs.
This is a good TV channel you can watch to learn more about current affairs and latest schemes of government,
PRS India – Legislative Research, commonly referred to as PRS, is an Indian non-profit independent research institute to make the Indian legislative process more transparent and people can get information about it.
This is also an online magazine Which you can use to keep yourself updated of the current affairs and legislative process which can be helpful in UPSC preparation.
India’s world(ORF) – Set up in 1990, ORF seeks to lead and aid policy thinking at creating a strong India in this world.
It helps discover and inform India’s choices, and carries Indian voices and ideas to forums shaping global debates & ORF provides independent analyses and inputs on matters of security, strategy, economy, development, energy,
This is also an online magazine, blog and website where you can get information of current affairs of India.
Last but not least you can also subscribe to lots of online news websites like Indian Express, NDTV, business standard, India Today, Jagran Josh and Times of India and also subscribe to their online website and get news notifications instead of reading paper newspaper.
These are bunch of alternative sources you can leverage instead of reading newspapers for current affairs but in my opinion you should rather choose reading newspapers instead of the alternative options because of a couple of reasons like,
- Reading newspaper is a good exercise for your brain as it will keep your brain active when you are preparing for the exam and it also increases your concentration and memory
- Reading newspapers will help you learn new words and increase your vocabulary which can be helpful for you while writing the essay paper in mains exam
- Many questions in prelims and mains of the civil Service exam are directly asked from the newspapers like Indian express and The Hindu
- Reading newspapers will give you alternative perspective towards a particular incident through the editorials so that you can write the answer in the essay paper of mains properly and also score good marks
You can for the learn more about the benefits of reading newspapers for UPSC exam in detail by clicking here.
But I agree that not only students but many working people also prepare for UPSC exams who can not spare much time to read newspapers everyday and it can also be boring sometimes to read the newspapers everyday consistently in such a case you should definitely consider the alternative option because
you cannot ignore current affairs importance for UPSC exams in that case my advice would be that you should choose to read newspapers at least on a weekly basis instead of daily so that you can enjoy the benefits of it as well.
With that said let’s conclude the article.
Conclusion
These are all the best ways on how you can prepare for current affairs for UPSC exams without reading newspapers.
Do comment down which is your favourite method of getting information about current affairs apart from reading newspapers in the comment section below and
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