PCS Syllabus

• History of the world : Events from 18th century; industrial revolution, world wars, redrawal of national boundaries, colonization, decolonization, political philosophies like Communism, Capitalism, Socialism etc. -their forms and effect on society.
• Indian culture- Salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.
• Modern Indian history from the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities and issues.
• Socio-religious reform movements with special reference to Punjab.
• The Freedom Struggle – its various stages and important contributors /contributions from different parts of the country with special reference to Punjab.
• Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country.
• History of Punjab: Ranjit Singh’s rise to power, civil and military administration and relations with the British, Annexation of Punjab with special reference to the causes and consequences of the Anglo-Sikh wars.

• Physical Geography: Salient features of world’s physical geography. Distribution of key natural resources across the world (including South Asia and the Indian subcontinent); factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world (including India)
• Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location- changes in critical geographical features (including water-bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes. 11
• Geography of Punjab: Physiographic details of Punjab; Geomorphic features of Punjab, Punjab’s strategic location with reference to International Border; Crops of Punjab; Modern concepts of Farming; Problems faced by agriculturists/ Issues in Agriculture: Depletion of ground water, etc;

• Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India.
• Role of women and women’s organization, population and associated issues, poverty and developmental issues, urbanization, their problems and their remedies
• Effects of globalization on Indian society
• Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism
• Ethics and Society: Essence, determinants and consequences of Ethics in human actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics in private and public relationships.
• Human Values – Role of family, society and educational institutions in inculcating values; lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders and reformers- Gautam Buddha, Mahavira, Kabir, Guru Nanak; Swami Vivekananda, Jyotibha Phule, Ishwar Chandra Vidya Sagar and Mahatma Gandhi.
• Vulnerable sections of the population – Welfare schemes by the Centre and State of Punjab and their performance; Mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for their protection and betterment.
• Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector- Health, Education, Human Resources; Issues relating to Poverty and Malnutrition.

• Indian Constitution- historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure.
• Functions and responsibilities of Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein.
• Separation of powers between various organs; Dispute redressal mechanisms and institutions.
• Comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other countries
• Parliament and State Legislatures – structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these.
• Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary; Ministries and Departments of the Government; pressure groups and formal/informal associations and their role in the Polity.
• Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act.
• Appointment to various Constitutional posts; Powers, functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies
• District Administration – Evolution of District Administration; Panchayati Raj Institutions and Urban Local Bodies.

• Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies
• Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation; Development processes and the development organizations- the role of NGOs, SHGs, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders
• Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance- applications, models, successes, limitations and potential; citizens charters, transparency & accountability and institutional and other measures; Role of civil services in a democracy; Changing trends in Governance
• Values and Ethics in Governance- Ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions; laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance; accountability and ethical governance; strengthening of ethical and moral values in governance; ethical issues in international relations and funding.
• Probity in Governance: Concept of Governance; Philosophical basis of governance and probity; corporate governance; Information sharing and transparency in government, Right to Information, Codes of Ethics, Codes of Conduct, Citizen’s Charters, Work culture, Quality of service delivery, Utilization of public funds, challenges of corruption.

• India and its neighborhood- relations
• Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests;
• Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian Diaspora
• Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure and mandate.

• Issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment; sustainable development; Inclusive growth and issues arising from it; Government Budgeting;
• Major crops, cropping patterns in various parts of the country, different types of irrigation and irrigation systems; storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce- issues and related constraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers; Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices; Technology missions; economics of animal rearing.
• Public Distribution System- objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping; issues of buffer stocks and food security;
• Food processing and related industries in India- scope and significance, location, upstream and downstream requirements, supply chain management
• Land reforms in India; Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth.
• Infrastructure- Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc; Investment models
• Human Resource Development: Importance of Human capital in economic development; Nature, types and problems of unemployment in India, Trends of Employment in India, Skill development and demographic dividend
• Punjab Economy: Planning- various aspects of developmental planning; Industry; Infrastructure.

This part will test the candidate’s ability to draw conclusions from information presented in statistical, graphical or diagrammatical form and to interpret the same.

• Linkages between development and spread of extremism;
• Role of external, State and non-State actors in creating challenges to internal security; Challenges to internal security through communication networks; role of media and social networking sites in internal security challenges,
• Basics of cybersecurity; money-laundering and its prevention;
• Security challenges and their management in border areas; linkages of organized crime with terrorism.
• Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate

• Science and Technology: Developments and applications of science and technology and their effects in everyday life; Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology; Recent developments in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, etc.; Issues relating to intellectual property rights.
• Modern Trends in Life Sciences: Progress of Agricultural Science and its impact– Introduction to Biotechnology and its applications; Veterinary and Animal Scienceslatest developments; Introduction to and applications of Genetic Engineering & Stem Cell Research; Human Diseases and Microbial infections; Common infections and preventive measures; preventive measures during out breaks; Immunity and vaccination

• Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, Issues related to Climate change; environmental impact assessment
• Water management- Issues in India; Present scenario, Methods and importance of water conservation
• Definition, nature, types and classification of disasters
• Natural Hazards: Floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, etc., Risk reduction and mitigation measures

• Tackling situations of Natural disasters/ Major Accidents/ Law and order
• Controlling riots, Handling public protests and dharnas
• Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation, Designing Projects
• Implementation of National Flagship Schemes/ Programmmes; Public Private Partnership in effective service delivery; Managing and financing Municipal services e.g. Solid waste management
• Conservation of natural resources- water, forests, etc; Pollution control
• Reviving a loss making PSU, Planning and target achievement
• Gender sensitization and women empowerment; Empowerment of vulnerable sections of the society
• Improving Education and Enhancing Skill development
• Urban settlement, Slums and Housing issues
• Managing Issues related to Urban/ Rural drinking water supply and sanitation, etc.