The UPSC syllabus for prelims states ‘polity and governance’ as important topics. Polity is basically the structure of the government. It includes the entire government machinery, the system that runs the government. This talks about the Union, states, Parliament, local administration, Constitution, etc. Governance means how citizens are governed by the state. As you can see, these are relevant topics especially for the civil services because after all, the exam is meant to select civil servants of the country. Administration, governing, managing affairs of implementing laws and services to the people – all these form the major functions of the civil servant. Hence it is necessary to have a good understanding of the functioning of the system. Civil servants are vital parts of the system. They are the human resources that are directly responsible for executing the various yojanas and programs the government brings about for the people. Download Polity Science Notes Here...