UPSC Syllabus
Syllabus of Geography Optional for UPSC CSE
Union Public Service Commission has divided the Syllabus of Geography Optional into two sections :
- Paper 1 - Containing Physical Geography and Human Geography
- Paper 2 - Containing Indian Geography
Physical Geography :
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Factors controlling landform development.
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Endogenetic and exogenetic forces.
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Origin and evolution of the earth‘s crusts.
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Fundamentals of geomagnetism.
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Physical conditions of the earth‘s interior.
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Geosynclines.
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Continental drift.
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Isostasy
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Plate tectonics.
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Recent views on mountain building.
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Volcanicity.
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Earthquakes and Tsunamis
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Concepts of geomorphic cycles and Land scape development.
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Denudation chronology.
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Channel morphology.
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Erosion surfaces.
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Slope development.
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Applied Geomorphology; Geomorphology, economic geology and environment.
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Temperature and pressure belts of the world.
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Heat budget of the earth.
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Atmospheric circulation.
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Atmospheric stability and instability.
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Planetary and local winds.
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Monsoons and jet streams.
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Air masses and frontogenesis.
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Temperate and tropical cyclones.
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Types and distribution of precipitation.
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Weather and Climate.
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Koppen‘s Thornthwaite‘s and Trewartha‘s classification of world climate.
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Hydrological cycle.
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Global climatic change, and role and response of man in climatic changes.
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Applied climatology and Urban climate.
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Bottom topography of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans.
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Temperature and salinity of the oceans.
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Heat and salt budgets.
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Ocean deposits.
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Waves, currents and tides.
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Marine resources; biotic, mineral and energy resources.
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Coral reefs coral bleaching.
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Sea-level changes.
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Law of the sea and marine pollution.
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Genesis of soils.
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Classification and distribution of soils.
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Soil profile.
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Soil erosion, Degradation and conservation.
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Factors influencing world distribution of plants and animals.
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Problems of deforestation and conservation measures.
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Social forestry.
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Agro-forestry.
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Wild life.
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Major gene pool centres.
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Principle ecology.
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Human ecological adaptations.
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Influence of man on ecology and environment.
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Global and regional ecological changes and imbalances.
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Ecosystem, their management and conservation.
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Environmental degradation, management and conservation.
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Biodiversity and sustainable development.
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Environmental policy.
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Environmental hazards and remedial measures.
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Environmental education and legislation.
Human Geography :
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Areal differentiation.
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Regional synthesis.
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Dichotomy and dualism.
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Environmentalism.
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Quantitative revolution and locational analysis.
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Radical, behavioural, human and welfare approaches.
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Languages, religions and secularisation.
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Cultural regions of the world.
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Human development index.
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World economic development: measurement and problems.
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World resources and their distribution.
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Energy crisis.
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The limits to growth.
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World agriculture: typology of agricultural regions.
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Agricultural inputs and productivity.
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Food and nutritions problems.
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Food security.
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Famine: causes, effects and remedies.
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World industries: location patterns and problems.
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Patterns of world trade.
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Growth and distribution of world population.
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Demographic attributes.
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Causes and consequences of migration.
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Concepts of over-under-and optimum population.
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Population theories.
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World population problems and policies.
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Social well-being and quality of life.
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Population as social capital.
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Types and patterns of rural settlements.
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Environmental issues in rural settlements.
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Hierarchy of urban settlements
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Urban morphology.
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Concept of primate city and rank-size rule.
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Functional classification of towns.
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Sphere of urban influence.
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Rural-urban fringe.
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Satellite towns.
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Problems and remedies of urbanization.
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Sustainable development of cities.
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Concept of a region.
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Types of regions and methods of regionalisation.
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Growth centres and growth poles.
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Regional imbalances.
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Regional development strategies.
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Environmental issues in regional planning.
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Planning for sustainable development.
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System analysis in Human geography.
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Malthusian, Marxian and demographic transition models.
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Central Place theories of Christaller and Losch.
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Perroux and Boudeville.
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Von Thunen‘s model of agricultural location.
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Weber‘s model of industrial location.
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Rostov‘s model of stages of growth.
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Heartland and Rimland theories.
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Laws of international boundaries and frontiers.
GEOGRAPHY OF INDIA
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Space relationship of India with neighbouring countries.
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Structure and relief.
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Drainage system and watersheds.
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Physiographic regions.
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Mechanism of Indian monsoons and rainfall patterns.
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Tropical cyclones and western disturbances.
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Floods and droughts.
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Climatic regions.
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Natural vegetation.
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Soil types and their distributions.
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Land, surface and ground water resource.
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Energy, minerals, biotic and marine resources.
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Forest and wild life resources and their conservation.
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Energy crisis.
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Infrastructure: irrigation, seeds, fertilizers, power.
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Institutional factors; land holdings, land tenure and land reforms.
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Cropping pattern.
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Agricultural productivity.
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Agricultural intensity.
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Crop combination.
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Land capability.
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Agro and social-forestry.
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Green revolution and its socio-economic and ecological implications.
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Significance of dry farming.
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Livestock resources and white revolution.
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Aqua-culture.
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Sericulture.
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Agriculture and poultry.
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Agricultural regionalisation.
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Agro-climatic zones.
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Agro-ecological regions.
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Evolution of industries.
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Locational factors of cotton, jute, textile, iron and steel, aluminium, fertiliser, paper, chemical and pharmaceutical, automobile, cottage and ago-based industries.
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Industrial houses and complexes including public sector undertakings.
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Industrial regionalisation.
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New industrial policy.
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Multinationals and liberalisation.
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Special Economic Zones.
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Tourism including ecotourism.
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Road, railway, waterway, airway and pipeline net works and their complementary roles in regional development.
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Growing importance of ports on national and foreign trade.
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Trade balance.
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Trade Policy.
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Export processing zones.
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Developments in communication and information technology and their impacts on economy and society.
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Indian space programme.
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Historical Perspective of Indian Society..
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Racial linguistic and ethnic diversities.
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Religious minorities.
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Major tribes, tribal areas and their problems.
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Cultural regions.
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Growth, distribution and density of population.
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Demographic attributes: sex-ratio, age structure, literacy rate, work-force, dependency ratio, longevity.
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Migration (inter-regional, interaregional and international) and associated problems
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Population problems and policies.
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Health indicators.
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Types, patterns and morphology of rural settlements.
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Urban developments.
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Morphology of Indian cities.
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Functional classification of Indian cities.
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Conurbations and metropolitan regions.
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Urban sprawl.
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Slums and asssociated problems.
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Town planning.
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Problems of urbanisation and remedies.
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Experience of regional planning in India.
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Five Year Plans.
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Integrated rural development programmes.
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Panchayati Raj and decentralised planning.
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Command area development.
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Watershed management.
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Planning for backward area, desert, drought-prone, hill tribal area development./
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Multi-level planning.
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Regional planning and development of island territories.
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Geographical basis of Indian federalism.
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State reorganisation.
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Emergence of new states.
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Regional consciousness and inter-state issues.
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International boundary of India and related issues.
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Cross-border terrorism.
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India‘s role in world affairs.
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Geopolitics of South Asia and Indian Ocean realm.
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Ecological issues.
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Environmental hazards.
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Landslides.
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Earthquakes.
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Tsunamis.
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Floods and droughts.
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Epidemics.
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Issues related to environmental pollution.
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Changes in patterns of land use.
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Principles of environmental impact assessment and environmental management.
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Population explosion and food security.
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Environmental degradation.
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Deforestation, desertification and soil erosion.
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Problems of agrarian and industrial unrest.
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Regional disparities in economic development.
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Concept of sustainable growth and development.
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Environmental awareness.
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Linkage of rivers.
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Globalisation and Indian economy.
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