GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT AND POVERTY ALLEVIATION

• Growth and Development
• GDP-GVA GAP
• Human Development Report (HDR)
• Poverty Alleviation
• Poverty Estimates
• Developments on financial inclusion
• Concepts and Information on Growth, Development and Poverty Alleviation

FISCAL POLICY  

• Status of Government Finances
• Current Account Deficit (CAD)
• Strengthening State Finances
• State’s Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM)
• Municipal Financing
• Taxation
• Goods and Services Tax (GST)
• Digital Tax
• Taxation of Virtual Digital Assets (VDAs)
• Non-Tax Revenues
• Key Concepts and Information on Fiscal Policy

BANKING  AND MONETARY POLICY

• Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs)
• Regional Rural Banks (RRB)
• Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs)
• Amendment to Nidhi Rules, 2014
• Financial Services Institution Bureau (FSIB)
• Banking System Liquidity
• Asset Quality and Restructuring
• Non-Performing Assets (NPAs)
• Recovery and Restructuring Measures
• Debts Recovery Tribunals (DRTs)
• Asset Reconstruction Companies (ARCs)
• Monetary Policy
• Inflation in India
• Inflation Targeting
• Price Monitoring Centres (PMC)
• Standing Deposit Facility (SDF)

.             PAYMENT          SYSTEMS            AND      FINANCIAL MARKETS                                               

• Payment Systems
• Indian Payment System
• FinTech
• Central Bank Digital Currency
• Tokenisation
• Unified Payments Interface (UPI)
• Digital Banking Units (DBUs)     
• Digital Lending
• Financial Markets
• Credit Rating
• Social Stock Exchange (SSE)
• Sovereign Green Bonds (SGrB)
• Institutions and systems in the Financial Sector
• Other concepts in the Financial Sector
• Insurance Sector
• New Insurance Rules
• Pension Sector
• Pension System in India

EXTERNAL SECTOR        

• Trade
• Internationalization of Rupee
• World Trade Organization (WTO)
• Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA)
• Investment
• Foreign Direct Investments (FDI)
• Other Developments Related to Foreign Investment
• Exchange Rate Dynamics
• Indian Rupee (INR) Depreciation
• India’s Forex Dynamics
• Global Institutions
• International Monetary Fund (IMF)
• World Bank Group

INNOVATION, SKILL DEVELOPMENT and ENtrepreneurship       

• Innovation
• Global Innovation Index (GII)
• Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Regime in India
• National Intellectual Property Awareness Mission (NIPAM)
• Skill Development
• National Initiative for Promotion of Upskilling of Nirman workers (NIPUN)
• Entrepreneurship
• Unicorns in India
• Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal
• Technical textiles (TT)
• Pharmaceutical Industry and Medical Devices
• Medical Devices Industry in India
• Bulk Drug Park (BDP)
• Toy Sector in India
• Ease of Doing Business (EoDB)
• Competition Law and Big Technology Companies

AGRICULTURE  

• Agricultural Inputs
• Minimum Support Price (MSP)
• Tobacco Cultivation
• Allied Sector
• India’s Dairy Sector
• Food Processing
• Food Processing Sector in India
• Agricultural Marketing          and Entrepreneurship                               
• Asian Palm Oil Alliance (APOA)
• Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS)
• Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC)
  International Year of Millets (IYM) 2023
• Rice/Paddy Acreage
• Sugarcane Production in India
• E-Commerce
• Promotion and Regulation of E-Commerce
• Cotton Cultivation
• Jute Cultivation
• Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC)
•  

SERVICES SECTOR          

• Tourism Sector in India
• National Strategy for Sustainable Tourism

INDUSTRY          AND      ASSOCIATED DEVELOPMENTS                               

• Mining
• District Mineral Foundation (DMF)
• Gold Mining in India
• Steel Industry in India
• Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)
• Semiconductor Industry
•  

• Telecom Sector
  • GatiShakti Sanchar Portal
  • Other Services Sector Developments
  • Software as a service (SaaS)

INFRASTRUCTURE SECTOR         

• Logistics Sector
• National Logistics Policy (NLP)
• PM Gati Shakti
• Logistics Ease Across Different States (LEADS) 2022 Report
• Multi Modal Logistics Park
• Innovation in Railways
• Aluminium Wagons
• Civil Aviation Sector
• National Air Sports Policy (NASP) 2022
• Other Developments in the Civil Aviation Sector
• Roadways
• Private Investment Models in Road Infrastructure
• Other developments in the Roadways Sector
• Indian Shipping Industry
• Landlord Port Model
• National Centre of Excellence for Green Port & Shipping (NCoEGPS)

ENERGY SECTOR            

• Power Sector
• Green Energy Open Access Rules
• Coal Bearing Areas (Acquisition & Development) Act

• Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP)
  • Natural Gas Pipeline Tariff, Authorisation and Capacity Regulations

MISCELLANEOUS           

• Nobel Prize for Economics 2022
• Standards National Action Plan (SNAP) 2022
• Corporate Social Responsibility

INDIA AND ITS NEIGHBORHOOD            

• India-China
• One-China Policy
• One Country, Two Systems
• India-Pakistan
• Indus Water Treaty
• The Shimla Agreement
• China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)
• Gilgit Baltistan Region
• India-Bangladesh
• India- Nepal
• India-Sri Lanka
• Katchatheevu island
• India-Afghanistan
• India-Maldives

              INDIA-SOUTHEAST ASIA             

• India-Myanmar
• India-Vietnam
• India-Thailand

              INDIA-WEST ASIA          

• India-Israel
• Two State Solution
• India-Saudi Arabia

              INDIA-EUROPE 

• India- European Union
• INDIA-UK
• India- France
• India- Germany
• India-Denmark
• INDIA-AFRICA
• India-Mauritius
• IBSA Trilateral Ministerial Commission

INDIA-INDO-PACIFIC    

• INDIA-US
• 2+2 Dialogue
• India-Japan
• India Australia
• Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF)
• Bay of Bengal

BRICS   

• New Development Bank
• Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
• Group of Seven (G7)
• Non-Aligned Movement
• Southern African Development Community (SADC)                             
• Multilateral
• Multilateral Organisations/Platforms in News (Of which India is not a Member/Participating)

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS                              

• The United Nations
• United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)
• United Nations Security Council(UNSC)
• UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
• United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)
• Other Important News Related to UN
• Group of 20 (G20)
• QUAD
• Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)
• India-UAE
• India- Israel- United Arab Emirates – USA
• (I2U2)
• Gulf Cooperation Council
• INDIA-RUSSIA and Central Asia
• Eastern Economic Forum (EEF)
• South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
• Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)
• North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
• Geneva Conventions and Russia-Ukraine war
• India-Turkmenistan
• International North-South Transit Corridor (INSTC)
• Chabahar Port

ISSUES RELATED TO SECURITY  

• Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)
• Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
• INTERPOL

 MISCELLANEOUS          

• Indian Antarctic Act, 2022
• Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI)
• Financial Action Task Force
• Mission DefSpace
• Defence Acquisition Procedure, 2020

MILITARY EXERCISES IN NEWS  

Indian geography

Basics of India

• Location, latitude, longitude, time zone, etc.
• Neighbours
• Important straits
• States and their position
• States with international boundaries

Physical features

• The Himalayas –formation, climate, vegetation, soil, biodiversity, physiographic divisions, major passes.
• The Great North Indian Plains –formation, physiographic divisions, climate, vegetation, soil, biodiversity
• Peninsular Plateau –formation, Central Highlands, Deccan Plateau, Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats
• Indian Desert
• Coastal plains and islands
• River systems
• Himalayan rivers
• Peninsular rivers
• River basins
• Regional development and planning
• Hydropower projects, major dams
• West-flowing and east-flowing rivers
• Interlinking of rivers
• Climate
• Monsoons – driving mechanism, El Nino, La Nina
• Seasons
• Cyclones
• Minerals and industries –distribution,policies, location

Agriculture

• Land utilisation
• Types of agricultural practices
• Green revolution
• Soils and crops
• Irrigation
• Land reforms
• Animal husbandry
• Government schemes
• Natural vegetation and fauna

Classification of natural vegetation

• Rainfall distribution in India
• Biosphere reserves, national parks, etc.
• Red-listed species
• Economic infrastructure
• Transportation (highways, inland waterways, etc.)
• Power and energy sector
• Conventional and non-conventional sources of energy
• Energy conservation
• Human Geography
• Demographics
• Recent census

World Geography

• Major natural regions

Physical Geography

• Geomorphology
• Origin of the earth
• Interior of the earth
• Types and characteristics of rocks
• Folding and Faulting
• Volcanoes, earthquakes
• Interior of the earth
• Weathering
• Landforms formed by fluvial, aeolian and glacial actions
• Climatology
• Atmosphere – structure and composition
• Temperature
• Pressure belts of the Earth
• Wind systems
• Clouds and types of rainfall
• Cyclones and anti-cyclones
• Major climatic types

Oceanography

• Ocean relief
• Temperature, salinity
• Ocean deposits
• Ocean currents
• El Nino and La Nina
• Waves and tides

Biogeography

• Soil – origin and types
• Major biomes of the world
• Ecosystem, food chain
• Environmental degradation and conservation

Human Geography

• Man & environment; relationship, growth and development of human geography; determinism and possibilism
• Population, tribes, migration
• Economic activities – agriculture, manufacturing, industries, tertiary activities
• Settlements, urbanisation, functional classification of towns, million-cities and megacities

CLIMATE CHANGE         

• Global Scenario
• IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report
• Emissions Gap Report
• The Adaptation Gap Report 2021: The Gathering Storm
• Greenhouse Gas Bulletin
• Global Methane Assessment
• India on Course to Exceed Paris Climate Change Commitments
• International Conventions and Initiatives

COP26 

• Pledges/Declarations/Agendas released at COP26              
• Major Initiatives launched during COP26
• Global Resilience Index Initiative (GRII)
• Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ)
• Infrastructure for Resilient Island States (IRIS)
• The Green Grids Initiative-One Sun One World One Grid project
• Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021

Reports and Indices      

BIODIVERSITY  

• 15th COP to the Convention on Biological Diversity
• Biological Diversity (Amendment) Act, 2021
• Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021
• Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act, 2001
• Wildlife and Conservation
• Possibly Extinct Species
• Conservation Assured Tiger Standards (CATS)
• All India Elephant and Tiger Population Estimation Exercise
• National Dolphin Research Centre (NDRC)

• Kigali Amendment to Montreal Protocol
• International Solar Alliance
• Other Initiatives in News
• Climate Mitigation and Adaptation
• Climate Finance Mechanisms

POLLUTION       

• Air Pollution
• New Fly Ash Utilization Rules for Coal and Lignite Based Thermal Power Plants
• Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM)
• World Health Organisation (WHO) Air Pollution Standards
• National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)
• Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles (PCFV)
• Water Pollution and Conservation
• Capacity Building Initiative on ‘Making Water Sensitive Cities in Ganga Basin
• Water Commodification
• Bio-monitoring using environmental DNA (eDNA)
• Initiatives in News for Water Conservation and Management
• Land Degradation
• Plastic Pollution

• Cheetah Reintroduction Plan
  • Red Sanders
  • Mahseer
  • India’s first cryptogamic garden
  • Asian Waterbird Census (AWC)
  • World’s first 5-country biosphere reserve
  • Geo-tourism Sites
  • Dihing Patkai National Park
  • Protected Areas in News
  • Key Fauna and Flora in News
  • Forests
  • India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2021
  • Amendments in Forest Conservation Act
  • World Heritage Forests
  • Lakes, Wetlands and Coastlands
  • Coral Reef
  • New Ramsar Sites
  • Blue Flag Certification
  • Amendments to the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification, 2019

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT  

• Gross Environment Product
• Renewable Energy Certificate (REC)
• Green Day Ahead Market (GDAM) Portal
• India Plastics Pact
• Energy Efficiency

Indian Heritage & Culture          

• Indian Art Forms
• Indian Paintings
• Classical Dance Forms
• Folk Dance Forms
• Classical Music
• Puppetry
• Pottery
• Drama/Theatre
• Martial Arts
• Literature
• Ancient Indian Literature
• Classical Sanskrit Literature
• Literature in Pali and Prakrit
• Early Dravidian Literature
• Medieval Literature
• Women Poets of Bhakti
• Trends in Medieval Literature
• Modern Indian Literature
• Architecture
• Harappan Architecture
• Temple Architecture
• Cave Architecture
• Indo-Islamic Architecture
• Medieval Architecture
• Modern Architecture
• Contribution of Buddhism & Jainism to the Development of Indian Architecture
• Rock-Cut Architecture
• Colonial Architecture & the Modern Period

Important Topics in Ancient India

• Indus Valley Civilization
• Rig Vedic period
• Later Vedic period
• Jainism
• Buddhism eg: Sautrantika and Sammitiya sub-sects, Hinaya school
• Mahajanapadas
• Mauryan empire eg: Chandragupta, Bindusara, Asoka’s reign etc
• Post-Mauryan India eg: Satavahanas, Sakas, Kushanas etc
• Gupta Period eg: visit of important foreign travellers, administration etc.
• Harshavardhana
• Sangam period

Important Topics in Medieval India

• Bhakti and Sufi Movement
• The Pratiharas
• The Palas
• Pallavas
• Chalukyas
• Rashtrakutas
• Indian Feudalism
• Cholas
• Early Muslim invasions eg: Mahmud of Ghazni, Muhammad Ghori
• The Delhi Sultanate eg: Khalji Dynasty, Tughlaq Dynasty, Lodi Dynasty etc
• The Battle of Panipat
• Akbar’s rule and religious views
• Jahangir’s rule
• Aurangzeb
• Shivaji
• The Peshwas
• Vijayanagara Empire

Modern Indian History 

• Middle of the Eighteenth Century till the Present
• Socio-economic Condition of the People
• European Penetration of India
• British Conquest of India
• Socio-economic Condition of the People
• European Penetration of India
• British Conquest of India
• The Freedom Struggle The Revolt of 1857         
• Growth of Nationalism in India (1858–1905)
• Political, Economic & Administrative Unification of the Country
• Role of Western Education
• Role of the Press
• Rediscovery of India’s Past
• Early Political Movements
• Formation of INC
• Era of Moderates
• Growth of Militant Nationalism & Revolutionary Activities (1905–18)
• Swadeshi & Boycott Movement
• Surat Split
• International Influence
• Morley-Minto Reforms
• Growth of Communalism
• Beginning of Mass Nationalism (1919–39)
• Mahatma Gandhi – His Ideas & Leadership
• Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms
• Rowlatt Act, Satyagraha, and Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
• Non-Cooperation & Khilafat Movements
• Swarajists & No-Changers
• Emergence of New Forces – Socialistic Ideas, Youth & Trade Unionism
• Revolutionary Activities
• Simon Commission & Nehru Report
• Civil Disobedience Movement
• Round Table Conferences
• Communal Award & Poona Pact
• Participation in Elections to Central Legislature (1934) & Provincial Assemblies (1937)
• Government of India Act, 1935
• Towards Freedom & Partition (1939–47)
• National Movement during World War II
• August Offer
• Individual Satyagraha
• Growth of Communalism
• Peasant Movements
• State People’s Struggle
• Cripps Mission
• Quit India Movement
• Wavell Plan
• INA & Subhash Chandra Bose
• Cabinet Mission
• Nationalist Upsurge Post-World War II
• Independence with Partition

Post-Independence Consolidation         

• Nation Building
• Partition and its Aftermath
• Integration of Princely States
• Reorganization of States
• Issue of Official Language
• Tribal Consolidation
• Regional Aspirations
• Foreign Policy
• Non-Aligned Movement
• Panchsheel Wars with Pakistan & China
• Nuclear Policy
• Economy
• Planned Development
• Green Revolution
• Operation Flood & Cooperatives
• Agrarian & Land Reforms
• Industrial Reforms

Miscellaneous

• The outbreak Industrial Revolution
• Renaissance
• Discovery of Sea Routes
• Reformation
• Counter-Reformation
• European Nations Settle North America
• Rise of the Slave Trade
• American War of Independence
• French Revolution
• Nationalism in Europe
• Rise of Capitalism, Colonialism, and Imperialism

Personalities

• Governor generals and viceroys of India
• Important Personalities include:
• Mahatma Gandhi
• Jawaharlal Nehru
• Sarojini Naidu
• Annie Besant
• Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
• Subhas Chandra Bose
• Rabindranath Tagore
• Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
• Bal Gangadhar Tilak
• Lal Bahadur Shastri
• Jyotiba Phule
• Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
• Swami Vivekananda
• Raja Ram Mohan Roy

Biotechnology  

• Definition and Explanation
• Transgenic and Cisgenic Organisms
• Bt Brinjal
• Bt Cotton
• Genetic Pollution
• Concerns about Genetically Modified Crops

Information Technology             

• Important Terms in IT
• Cyber Warfare
• Blockchain Technology
• Automation
• Artificial Intelligence

Achievements of Indians in Science & Technology          

Awareness in Different Fields   

• IT & Computers
• Space
• Nanotechnology
• Biotechnology
• Robotics
• Defense
• Nuclear
• Issues Related to Intellectual Property Rights(IPR)
• Need for Intellectual Property Rights
• Types of IPR
• IPR Regime in India
• International Agreements Related to IPRs
• Geographical Indicators
• Recent Issues; Evergreening, Compulsory Licensing, Prominent Cases, etc.

Important Topics of Science and Technology for the UPSC 2023 Exam:

• Nanoparticles Types, Production, and Uses
• Future Of Solar Power In India
• Application of Biotechnology
• Applications of Information Technology
• Environmental Impacts of Nanotechnology
• Carbon Footprint
• What is Green Building?
• Women in the Field of Science and Technology
• Ecological And Economic Importance Of Bryophytes
• Kapila Kalam Program
• Triclosan: Uses and Side Effects
• Facts and Fears Associated with Nuclear Energy Programme
• Biorock Technology
• Polar Code
• Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme
• Probiotics And Its Importance
• Deep Ocean Mission
• Tissue Culture Plants
• Compensatory Afforestation
• Artificial Sweetening Agents
• National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research
• Bioenergy for Sustainable Development
• Anti-Radiation Pills
• PM WANI Scheme
• NAFIS – National Automated Fingerprint Identification System
• Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Program
• Liquid Nano Urea
• Rabies Disease: Transmission, Symptoms, Treatment, and Prevention
• Ecological Importance of Algae
• Diseases Caused by Worms
• Common Diseases Caused By Bacteria
• Samudrayaan Mission
• Fixed-dose Drug Combinations (FDCs)
• Major Diseases Caused By Protozoans
• Types Of Diseases Caused By Viruses
• National Mission On Nano Science And Technology
• Agriculture Census of India
• Applications of Genetic Engineering in Agriculture
• Environment Protection Act 1986

INDIA AND ITS NEIGHBORHOOD            

• India-China
• One-China Policy
• One Country, Two Systems
• India-Pakistan
• Indus Water Treaty
• The Shimla Agreement
• China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)
• Gilgit Baltistan Region
• India-Bangladesh
• India- Nepal
• India-Sri Lanka
• Katchatheevu island
• India-Afghanistan
• India-Maldives

              INDIA-SOUTHEAST ASIA             

• India-Myanmar
• India-Vietnam
• India-Thailand

              INDIA-WEST ASIA          

• India-Israel
• Two State Solution
• India-Saudi Arabia

              INDIA-EUROPE 

• India- European Union
• INDIA-UK
• India- France
• India- Germany
• India-Denmark
• INDIA-AFRICA
• India-Mauritius
• IBSA Trilateral Ministerial Commission

INDIA-INDO-PACIFIC    

• INDIA-US
• 2+2 Dialogue
• India-Japan
• India Australia
• Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF)
• Bay of Bengal

BRICS   

• New Development Bank
• Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
• Group of Seven (G7)
• Non-Aligned Movement
• Southern African Development Community (SADC)                             
• Multilateral
• Multilateral Organisations/Platforms in News (Of which India is not a Member/Participating)

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS                              

• The United Nations
• United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)
• United Nations Security Council(UNSC)
• UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
• United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)
• Other Important News Related to UN
• Group of 20 (G20)
• QUAD
• Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)
• India-UAE
• India- Israel- United Arab Emirates – USA
• (I2U2)
• Gulf Cooperation Council
• INDIA-RUSSIA and Central Asia
• Eastern Economic Forum (EEF)
• South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
• Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)
• North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
• Geneva Conventions and Russia-Ukraine war
• India-Turkmenistan
• International North-South Transit Corridor (INSTC)
• Chabahar Port

ISSUES RELATED TO SECURITY  

• Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)
• Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
• INTERPOL

 MISCELLANEOUS          

• Indian Antarctic Act, 2022
• Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI)
• Financial Action Task Force
• Mission DefSpace
• Defence Acquisition Procedure, 2020

MILITARY EXERCISES IN NEWS