Introduction

Indian Economic/Statistical Services Exam is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission to recruit Grade IV officers for the Indian Statistical Service (ISS) and Indian Economic Service (IES). Indian Economic/Statistical Services Exam is generally conducted in the month of November.

ISS and IES are central government services which are involved in economic planning and analysis through state boards, planning commission and other government owned bodies in the country.

Out of several careers offered by the Government Sector, Indian Economic/Statistical Service offers a very attractive opening to graduates in Economics and Statistics. Selected candidates are placed in the planning commission, planning board, ministry of economic affairs, National sample survey and other allied offices where specialists in economics and statistics are required.

Eligibility

a Age

A candidate should have attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 28 years on the 1st January of the year of examination.

The upper age limit may be relaxed in respect of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and such other categories of persons as may from time to time be notified in this behalf by the Government of India to the extent and subject to the conditions notified in respect of each category.

b. Educational Qualifications

A candidate for Indian Economic Service must have obtained a degree with Economics or Statistics as a subject and a candidate for the Indian Statistical Service must have a degree with Statistics or Mathematics or Economics as a subject from any of the Universities incorporated by an Act of the Central or State Legislature in India or other educational institutions established by an Act of Parliament or declared to be deemed as Universities under Section 3 of the Universities Grant Commission Act, 1956 or possess an equivalent qualification.

Scheme Of The Examination

The examination comprises:

a. Written Examination

b. Viva-Voca test of such candidates as may be called by the commission carrying a maximum of 250 marks.

Written Examination

The subjects of written examination, the marks allotted to each subject will be as under:

i. Each Paper is of 3 hours duration

ii. All question papers will be of conventional (essay) type

Standard of Papers

The standard of papers in General English and General Studies will be that of a graduate of an Indian University. The standard of papers of other subjects will be that of the Masters degree examination.

General English

Candidates will be required to write an essay in English. Other questions will be designed to test their understanding of English and workmanlike use of words. Passages will usually be set for summary or precise.

General Studies

General Knowledge including knowledge of current events and of such matters of everyday observation and experience in their scientific aspects as may be expected of an educated person who has not made a special study of any scientific subject. The paper will also include questions on Indian Polity including the political system and the Constitution of India, History of India and Geography of a nature, which a candidate should be able to answer without special study.

General Economics-I

Theory of consumer’s demand: Indifference curve analysis. Revealed preference approach.

Theory of production: Factors of production. Production function. Laws of return. Equilibrium of the firm and the industry.

Theory of value: Pricing under various forms of market organization. Public utility pricing.

Theory of distribution: Pricing of factors of production. Theories of rent, wages, interest and profit. Macro distribution theory. Adding up problem. Inequalities in income distribution.

Welfare-economics: Old and new welfare economics. The compensation principle, policy implications.

Concept of national income: Social accounting.

Theory of employment output and inflation the classical and neo-classical approaches. Keynesian theory of employment. Post-Keynesian developments.

General Economics-II

Concept of economic growth and its measurement. Theories of growth.

Characteristics and problem of developing countries. Population growth and economic development.

Planning: Concept and methods. Planning under capitalist and socialist forms of economic organization. Planning in a mixed economy. Perspective planning. Regional Planning. Investment criteria and choice of techniques.

International economics: Theories of international trade, gains from trade. Terms of trade. Trade policy. International trade and economic development. Theory of tariffs.

Balance of payments. Dis-equilibrium in balance of payments. Mechanisms of adjustments. Foreign trade, mixltiplier. Exchange rates. Import and exchange controls.

I.M.F. and international monetary reforms. GATT; International aid for economic growth; I.B.R.D. and its affiliates.

Money: Its value and functions. Monetary policy, Functions of central and commercial banks.

Fiscal Policy and its objectives: Theories of taxation and expenditure. Objectives and effects of public expenditure. Effects and incidence of taxation. Deficit financing. Theories of public debt.

Use of statistics in economics, statistical average and measure of dispersion. Index numbers of prices and quantities-their limitations.

Indian Economics

Basic features of the Indian Economy: Development strategy; Role of agriculture and industry; Role of foreign trade; Concept of balanced growth.

Planning: Objective, priorities and problems. Five-Year Plans. Problems of resources mobilization.

Agriculture: New agricultural strategy; land relations and land reforms; rural credit, role of irrigation and fertilizer; agricultural marketing. Prices of agricultural produce. Crop planning. Community development. Subsidiary occupations and rural industries.

Cooperation: Its role in rural development.

Growth of cooperative movements in India:

Industry: Strategy of industrial development. Problems of location. Problems of large and small-scale industries. Industrial policy. Industrial estates. Sources of industrial finance. Role of foreign capital. Public Enterprises: Organization, Management Control and Accountability. Price policy.

Labour: Employment, unemployment and underemployment Industrial relations and labor welfare. Labor policy. Wages, prices and economic policy.

Foreign Trade: Salient features of India’s foreign trade. Foreign trade policy. State trading, Balance of payments.

Money and Banking: Organization of the Indian money market. Functioning of the commercial banks and the Reserve Bank of India: Monetary policy.

Public Finance: Fiscal Policy, Growth of public expenditure. Tax policy. Main sources of revenue of Union and State Governments. Public debt policy: Deficit financing. Union State financial relations:

Statistics-I

Probability (40 per cent weight)

Elements of measure theory. Classical definitions and axiomatic approach. Sample space. Laws of total and compound probability. Probability of m events out of n. Conditional probability. Bayes’ theorem. Random variables-discrete and continuous. Distribution function. Standard probability distributions-Bernoulli, uniform, binomial, Poisson, geometric, rectangular, exponential, normal, Cauchy, hyper-geometric, multinomial, Laplace, negative binomial, beta, gamma, lognormal and compound Poisson distribution, Convergence in distribution, in probability, with probability. one and in mean square. Moments and cumulants, Mathematical expectation and conditional expectation. Characteristic function and moment and probability generating functions. Inversion, uniqueness and continuity theorems. Tchebycheffs and Kolmogorov’s inequalities. Laws of large numbers and central limit theorems for independent variables.

Statistical Methods (45 per cent weight)

Collection, compilation and presentation of data, charts, diagrams and histogram. Frequency distribution. Measures of location, dispersion and skewness. Bivariate and multivariate data. Association and contingency. Curve fitting and orthogonal polynomials. Bivariate distributions. Bivariate normal distribution. Regression-Linear, polynomial. Distribution of the correlation coefficient. Partial and multiple correlation. Intraclass correlation. Correlation ratio.

Standard errors and large sample tests. Sampling distributions of x; s2, t, chi-square and F; tests of significance based on them.

Non-parametric test-sign; median, run, Wilcoxon, Mann- Whitney, Wald-Wolfowitz, etc. Rank order Statistics-minimum, maximum range and median.

Numerical Analysis (15 per cent weight)

Interpolation formulae (with remainder terms) due to Lagrange, Newton-Gregory, Newton (Dividend difference), Gauss and Stirling: Euler-Maclaurin’s summation formula. Inverse interpolation. Numerical integration and differentiation. Difference equations, of their first order. Linear difference equations with constant, Coefficients.

Statistics-II

Linear: Models (25 per cent weight) Theory of linear estimation. Gauss-Markoff set up. Least square estimators. Use of g-inverse. Analysis of one-way and two-way classified data-fixed, mixed and random effect models. Test for regression coefficients.

Estimation (25 per cent weight)

Characteristics of a good estimator. Estimation method of maximum likelihood, minimum chi-square moments, and least squares. Optimal -properties of maximum likelihood estimators. minimum variance, unbiased estimators. Minimum variance bound estimators. Cramer-Rao inequality. Bhattacharya bounds. Sufficient estimator. Factorization theorem. Complete statistics Rao-Blackwell theorem. Confidence interval estimation. Optimum confidence bounds.

Hypothesis Testing (25 per cent Weight)

Simple and composite hypothesis Two kinds of error. Critical region. Different types of critical regions and similar regions. Power function. Most powerful and uniformly most powerful tests. Neyman-Pearson fundamental lemma. Unbiased pest. Randomized test. Likelihood ratio test. Wald’s SPRT. OC and ASN functions. Elements off decision and game theory.

Multivariate Analysis (25 per cent weight)

Multivariate normal distribution. Estimation of mean Vector and covariance matrix. Distribution of Hotellings T2 statistics. Mahalanobis’ D2 statistics, partial and multiple correlation coefficients in samples from a multivariate normal population. Wishart’s distribution its reproductive and other properties. Wilk’s criterion. Discriminant function. Principal components. Cononial variates and correlations.

Statistics-III

Part A (Compulsory for all)

Sampling Techniques (35 per cent weight)

Census versus sample survey. Pilot and large-scale sample surveys. Sample random sampling with and without replacement. Strati8ed sampling and sample allocations Cost and variance functions. Ratio and regression methods of estimation. Sampling with probability proportional to size. Cluster double multi-phase, multi-state and systematic sampling. Interpenetrating sub-sampling on-sampling errors.

Economics Statistics (25 per cent weight)

Components of time series. Methods of their determination variate difference method Yule-Slutsky effect. Correlogram. Autoregressive models of first and second order. Periodogram analysis. Index numbers of pieces and quantities and their relative merits. Construction of index numbers of wholesale and consumer prices. Income distribution-Pareto and Engel curves. Concentration curve. Methods of estimating national income. Inter-sectoral flows Inter-industry table:

Part B (Candidates will be allowed option of answering questions on any one of the following topics)

Statistical Quality Control and Operations Research (40 per cent weight) Different kinds of control charts of variable and attributes.

Acceptance sampling by attributes-Single double, multiple and sequential sampling plans. OC and ASN functions. Concept of AOQL and ATL. Acceptance sampling by variable-use of dodge-Romig and other tables.

Operations research-approach elements of linear programming. Simplex procedure. Transport and assignment problems. Principle of duality. Single and multi-period inventory control models. ABC analysis. Characteristics of a waiting line model. M/M/I, M/M/C models. General simulation problems. Replacement models for items that fail and of items that deteriorates.

Demography and Vital Statistics (40 per cent weight)

The life table, its constitution and properties. Makehams and Gompertz curves. National life tables. U.N. model life tables. Abridged life tables. Stable and stationary populations. Different birth rates. Total fertility rate. Gross and net reproduction rates. Different mortality rates. Standardized death rate. Internal and international migration: net migration. International and post censal estimates. Projection methods including logistic curve, fitting. Decennial population census in India.

Design and Analysis of Experiments (40 per cent weight)

Principles of design of experiments. Layout and analysis of completely randomized, randomized block and Latin square designs. Factorial experiments and confounding in 2n and 38 experiments. Split plot and strip-plot designs. Construction and analysis of balanced and partially balanced incomplete block designs. Analysis of covariance. Analysis of non-orthogonal data. Analysis of missing and mixed plot data.

Econometrics (40 per cent weight)

Theory and analysis of consumer demand-specification and estimation of demand function. Demand elasticity’s: Structure and model. Estimation of parameters in single equation model-classical least squares generalized least-square, heteroscedasticity, serial correlation multicollinearity errors in variable model.

Simultaneous equation models-identification rank and other conditions. Indirect least squares and two stages least squares short-term economic forecasting.

Physical Eligibility :

1. For being considered against the vacancies reserved for them, the physically disabled person should have disability of Forty per cent (40%) or more. However, such candidates shall be required to meet one or more of the following physical requirements/abilities which may be necessary for performing the duties in the concerned Services/Posts:-

2. The functional classification in their case shall be, one or more of the following, consistent with the requirement of the concerned Services/Posts:

Scheme of examination

1. The examination shall be conducted according to the following Plan :

a. Written examination in the subjects as set out in para 2 below.

b. Interview for personality Test of such candidates as may be called by the Commission, carrying a maximum of 200 marks.

2. The following will be the subjects for the written examination :

3. The Examination in all the subjects will be of conventional (Essay) type.

4. All Question papers must be answered in English. The Question Papers will be set in English only.

5. The standard and syllabus of the examination will be as shown in the Schedule.

6. Candidates must write the papers in their own hand. In no circumstances will they be allowed the help of a scribe to write answers for them.

7. The Commission have discretion to fix qualifying marks in any or all the subjects of the examination.

8. If a candidate’s handwriting is not easily legible, deduction will be made on this account from the total marks otherwise accruing to him.

9. Marks will not be allotted for mere superficial knowledge.

10. Credit will be given for orderly, effective and exact expression combined with due economy of words in all subjects of the examination.

11. In the question papers wherever necessary, questions involving the Metric System of Weights and Measures only will be set.

12. Candidates should use only International form of Indian numerals (e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 etc) while answering question papers.

13. Candidates are permitted to bring and use battery operated pocket calculators for answering papers in this examination. Loaning or inter-changing of calculators in the Examination Hall is not permitted.

14. Interview for Personality Test : The candidate will be interviewed by a Board of competent and unbiased observers who will have before them a record of his career. The object of the interview is to assess his suitability for the posts for which he has competed. Special attention will be paid in the Personality Test to assessing the candidate’s capacity for leadership, initiative and intellectual curiosity, tact and other social qualities, mental and physical energy, powers of practical application, integrity of character and aptitude for adapting themselves to the field life.

Standard and Syllabus

The standard of the paper in General English will be such as may be expected of a science graduate. The papers on geological subjects will be approximately of the M.Sc. degree standard of an Indian University and questions will generally be set to test the candidate’s grasp of the fundamentals in each subject.

There will be no practical examination in any of the subjects.

1. General English

Candidate will be required to write a short Essay in English. Other questions will be designed to test their under-standing of English and workmanlike use of words.

2. Geology - Paper I

Section A : Geomorphology and Remote Sensing.

Basic principles. Weathering and soils, Mass wasting. Influence of climate on processes. Concept of erosion cycles. Geomorphology of fluvial tracts, arid zones, coastal regions, Karst landscapes and glaciated ranges. Geomorphic mapping, slope analysis and drainage basin analysis. Applications of geomorphology in mineral prospecting, civil engineering, hydrology and environmental studies. Topographical maps. Geomorphology of India.

Concepts and principles of aerial photography and photogrammetry, satellite remote sensing data products and their interpretation. Digital image processing. Remote sensing in landform and land use mapping, structural mapping, hydrogeological studies and mineral exploration. Global and Indian Space Missions. Geographic Information System (GIS) principles and applications.

Section B : Structural Geology

Principles of geological mapping and map reading, projection diagrams. Stress-strain relationships of elastic, plastic and viscous materials. Measurement of strain in deformed rocks. Behaviour of minerals and rocks under deformation conditions. Structural analysis of folds, cleavages, lineations, joints and faults. Superposed deformation. Mechanism of folding and faulting. Time-relationship between crystallization and deformation. Unconformities and basement-cover relations. Structural behaviour of igneous rocks, diapirs and salt domes. Introduction to petrofabrics.

Section C : Geotectonics

Earth and the solar system, Meteorites and other extra-terrestrial materials, Planetary evolution of the earth and its internal structure. Heterogeneity of the earths crust. Major tectonic features of the Oceanic and Continental crust. Continental drift geological and geophysical evidence, mechanics, objections, present status. Gravity and magnetic anomalies at Mid-ocean ridges, deep sea trenches, continental shield areas and mountain chains. Palaeomagnetism. Seafloor spreading and Plate Tectonics. Island arcs, Oceanic islands and volcanic arcs. Isostasy, orogeny and epeirogeny. Seismic belts of the earth. Seismicity and plate movements. Geodynamics of the Indian plate.

Section D : Stratigraphy

Nomenclature and the modern stratigraphic code. Radioisotopes and measuring geological time. Geological time-scale. Stratigraphic procedures of correlation of unfossiliferous rocks. Precambrian stratigraphy of India. Stratigraphy of the Palaeozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic formations of India. Gondwana system and Gondwanaland. Rise of the Himalaya and evolution of Siwalik basin. Deccan Volcanics. Quaternary Stratigraphy. Rock record, palaeoclimates and palaeogeography.

Section E : Palaeontology

Fossil record and geological time-scale. Morphology and time-ranges of fossil groups. Evolutionary changes in molluscs and mammals in geological time. Principles of evolution. Use of species and genera of foraminifera and echinodermata in biostratigraphic correlation. Siwalik vertebrate fauna and Gondwana flora, evidence of life in Precambrian times, different microfossil groups and their distribution in India.

3. Geology - Paper II

Section A : Mineralogy

Physical, chemical and crystallographic characteristics of common rock forming silicate mineral groups. Structural classification of silicates. Common minerals of igneous and metamorphic rocks. Minerals of the carbonate, phosphate, sulphide and halide groups.

Optical properties of common rock forming silicate minerals, uniaxial and biaxial minerals. Extinction angles, pleochroism, birefringenece of minerals and their relation with mineral composition. Twinned crystals. Dispersion. The U-stage.

Section B : Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology

Forms, textures and structures of igneous rocks. Silicate melt equilibria, binary and pernery phase diagrams. Petrology and geotectonic evolution of granites, basalts, andesites and alkaline rocks. Petrology of gabbros, kimberlites, anorthosites and carbonatites. Origin of primary basic magmas.

Textures and structures of metamorphic rocks. Regional and contact metamorphism of pelitic and impure calcareous rocks. Mineral assemblages and P/T conditions. Experimental and thermodynamic appraisal of metamorphic reactions. Characteristics of different grades and facies of metamorphism. Metasomatism and granitization, migmatites. Plate tectonics and metamorphic zones. Paired metamorphic belts.

Section C : Sedimentology

Provenance and diagenesis of sediments. Sedimentary textures. Framework matrix and cement of terrigenous sediments. Definition, measurement and interpretation of grain size. Elements of hydraulics. Primary structures, palaeocurrent analysis. Biogenic and chemical sedimentary structures. Sedimentary environment and facies. Facies modelling for marine, non-marine and mixed sediments. Tectonics and sedimentation. Classification and definition of sedimentary basins, Sedimentary basins of India. Cyclic sediments. Seismic and sequence stratigraphy. Purpose and scope of basin analysis. Structure contours and isopach maps.

Section D : Geochemistry

Earth in relation to the solar system and universe, cosmic abundance of elements. Composition of the planets and meteorites. Structure and composition of earth and distribution of elements. Trace elements. Elementary crystal chemistry and thermodynamics. Introduction to isotope geochemistry. Geochemistry of hydrosphere, biosphere and atmosphere. Geochemical cycle and principles of geochemical prospecting.

Section E : Environmental Geology

Concepts and principles. Natural hazards preventive/precautionary measures floods, landslides, earthquakes, river and coastal erosion. Impact assessment of anthropogenic activities such as urbanization, open cast mining and quarrying, river-valley projects, disposal of industrial and radio-active waste, excess withdrawal of ground water, use of fertilizers, dumping of ores, mine waste and fly-ash. Organic and inorganic contamination of ground water and their remedial measures. Soil degradation and remedial measures. Environment protection legislative measures in India.

4. Geology - Paper III

Section A : Indian mineral deposits and mineral economics

Occurrence and distribution in India of metalliferous deposits base metals, iron, manganese, aluminium, chromium, nickel, gold, silver, molybdenum. Indian deposits of non-metals mica, asbestos, barytes, gypsum, graphite, apatite and beryl. Gemstones, refractory minerals, abrasives and minerals used in glass, fertilizer, paint, ceramic and cement industries. Building stones. Phosphorite deposits. Placer deposits, rare earth minerals.

Strategic, critical and essential minerals. Indias status in mineral production. Changing patterns of mineral consumption. National Mineral Policy. Mineral Concession Rules. Marine mineral resources and Law of Sea.

Section B : Ore genesis

Ore deposits and ore minerals. Magmatic processes of mineralisation. Porphyry, skarn and hydrothermal mineralisation. Fluid inclusion studies. Mineralisation associated with (i) ultramafic, mafic and acidic rocks, (ii) greenstone belts, (iii) komatiites, anorthosites and kimberlites and (iv) submarine volcanism. Magma-related mineralisation through geological time. Stratiform and stratabound ores. Ores and metamorphism cause and effect relations.

Section C : Mineral exploration

Methods of surface and subsurface exploration, prospecting for economic minerals drilling, sampling and assaying. Geophysical techniques gravity, electrical, magnetic, airborne and seismic. Geomorphological and remote sensing techniques. Geobotanical and geochemical methods. Borehole logging and surveys for deviation.

Section D : Geology of fuels

Definition, origin of coal. Stratigraphy of coal measures. Fundamentals of coal petrology, peat, lignite, bituminous and anthracite coal. Microscopic constituents of coal. Industrial application of coal petrology. Indian coal deposits. Diagenesis of organic materials.

Origin, migration and entrapment of natural hydorcarbons. Characters of source and reservoir rocks. Structural, stratigraphic and mixed traps. Techniques of exploration. Geographical and geological distributions of onshore and offshore petroliferous basins of India.

Mineralogy and geochemistry of radioactive minerals. Instrumental techniques of detection and measurement of radioactivity. Radioactive methods for prospecting and assaying of mineral deposits. Distribution of radioactive minerals in India. Radioactive methods in petroleum exploration well logging techniques. Nuclear waste disposal geological constraints.

Section E : Engineering geology

Mechanical properties of rocks and soils. Geological investigations for river valley projects Dams and reservoirs; tunnels types, methods and problems. Bridges types and foundation problems. Shoreline engineering. Landslides classification, causes, prevention and rehabilitation. Concrete aggregates sources, alkali-aggregate reaction. Aseismic designing seismicity in India and earthquake-resistant structures. Problems of groundwater in engineering projects. Geotechnical case studies of major projects in India.

5. Hydrogeology

Section A: Origin, occurrence and distribution of water

Origin of water: meteoric, juvenile, magmatic and sea waters. Hydrologic cycle: precipitation, runoff, infiltration and evapotranspiration. Hydrographs. Subsurface movement and vertical distribution of groundwater. Springs. Classification of aquifers. Concepts of drainage basin and groundwater basin. Hydrological properties of rocks - specific yield, specific retention, porosity, hydraulic conductivity, transmissivity, storage coefficient. Water table fluctuations - causative factors, concept of barometric and tidal efficiencies. Water table contour maps. Classification of rocks with respect to their water bearing characteristics. Hydrostratigraphic units. Groundwater provinces of India. Hydrogeology of arid zones of India, wet lands.

Section B: Well hydraulics and well design.

Theory of groundwater flow, Darcys Law and its applications, determination of permeability in laboratory and in field. Types of wells, drilling methods, construction, design, development and maintenance of wells, specific capacity and its determination. Unconfined, confined, steady, unsteady and radial flow conditions. Pump tests - methods, data analysis and interpretation for hydrogeologic boundaries. Evaluation of aquifer parameters using Thiem, Theis, Jacob and Walton methods. Groundwater modelling - numerical and electrical models.

Section C: Groundwater chemistry

Groundwater quality - physical and chemical properties of water, quality criteria for different uses, graphical presentation of water quality data, groundwater quality in different provinces of India - problems of arsenic and fluoride. Saline water intrusion in coastal and other aquifers and its prevention. Radioisotopes in hydrogeological studies. Groundwater contamination.

Section D: Groundwater exploration

Geological - lithological and structural mapping, fracture trace analysis. Hydrogeological - lithological classification with respect to hydrologic properties. Hydraulic continuity in relation to geologic structures. Location of springs. Remote sensing - Hydrogeomorphic mapping of the terrain using different images of different satellite missions. Lineament mapping. Shallow groundwater potential zone mapping using satellite images. Surface geophysical methods - seismic, gravity, geo-electrical and magnetic. Subsurface geophysical methods - well logging for delineation of aquifers and estimation of water quality.

Section E : Groundwater problems and management

Groundwater problems related to foundation work, mining, canals and tunnels. Problems of overexploitation and groundwater mining. Groundwater development in urban areas and rain water harvesting. Artificial recharge methods. Groundwater problems in arid regions and remediation.

Groundwater balance and methods of estimation. Groundwater legislation. Sustainability criteria and managing renewable and nonrenewable groundwater resources.