ENGLISH
Grammar
Vocabulary
Analytical and Quantitative Ability
Indian Economics:
Understanding the Economy: Scarcity, opportunity cost, resource allocation, economic systems and their characteristics, features of market economies, forces of demand and supply, elasticity of demand and supply.Main Features of Indian Economy: Natural resources; human resources- population size and composition, literacy and education, occupational distributionMajor Economic problems: Poverty, Unemployment and Inequality - concepts, measurement, trends, sectoral distribution and policies, inflation - trends, causes and remedies.Economic Growth and Development: Meaning and measurement of economic growth, stages of development, national income concepts and trends, trends in savings and investment; human development index, national policy on education, health and health care policiesPlanning in India: Five-Year Plans- objectives, priorities and problems Sectoral Development: agriculture - green revolution and technological changes, current issues and policies; industry- evolution of industrial policies in India (from 1948), strategies for industrial development, public and private sectors, small and cottage industries, infrastructure, transport and communication, service sector, consumer awareness Foreign Trade and International Economy: balance of payments, foreign exchange reserves and trade policy, I.M.F., W.T.O., international aid for economic growth
Indian Society:Structure of Indian Society -- Indian Social Demography - Social and Cultural Differentiations: caste, class and tribe - Institutions of marriage, family and kinship - Political Institutions. Social Change in India -- Sanskritization, Westernization and Secularization - Social Movements and Regionalism -- Panchayatraj Institutions - Affirmative Action Programme of the Government - Various reservations and Commissions. History and the Making of Indian Society -- Mughal era and the social changes - British Raj - Sepoy Mutiny - Reform Movements in the 19th century - Freedom Movement - Independence and the emergence of India.Indian Philosophy and Indian Thinkers -- Jainism and Mahavira - Budhha and His teachings - Vedanta and Shankara - Sikhism - Sufism - Gandhi and Non-violence.
Contemporary World Affairs (post-World War II):
The aftermath of the Second World War - Emergence of the US and the USSR - the cold war and the nuclear race - disintegration of the Soviet Union and the decline of communism - Arab-Israel conflict - NAM and the role of India - Sino-Indian conflict - Indo-Pak relations and wars
Democracy and Development-Challenges to democracy- UN and the Permanent Five Nuclearisation and Non- Proliferation - India and SAARC -Rise of International terrorism and fundamentalism - War against terror- Indo- US relations- New centers of power in Asia, Latin America and Africa.Hunger and poverty - Environmental degradation and environmental movements -social movements - Race and ethnicity - Gender discrimination - Deprived classes and minority politics-Communal violence-Religion in the contemporary world-Culture and civilization - Globalization and culture - Mass media and cultural change - Leftist movements.Literature and art - Popular culture and film - Developments in Information Technology - Weather and climate - Natural disasters - social and economic dimensions of AIDS.