PPSC

• Everyday Science

  23 topics

  • States of matter
  • structure of atom
  • versatile nature of carbon
  • Acids, bases, salts
  • corrosion in metals
  • action of soaps
  • Life on Earth – evolution, marine & terrestrial life
  • Human body and life processes
  • nutrition
  • disease - its causes & prevention
  • infectious diseases
  • lifestyle diseases
  • Public health initiatives
  • mother and child health
  • immunisation & vaccination
  • HIV-AIDS, TB, polio
  • Force-laws of motion & gravitation
  • Archimedes principle
  • Energy – kinetic & potential
  • Light – reflection & refraction – concepts and applications
  • Sound – propagation & reflection- concepts and applications
  • Electric current – concepts and applications
  • Computers and telecommunication – concepts and applications

• Environmental studies

  9 topics

  • Composition and structure of the atmosphere
  • Solar system – heat balance & temperature
  • Atmospheric circulation & weather system
  • water cycle
  • Climate change – fossil fuels, greenhouse gases, renewable energy, clean development mechanism, carbon credits
  • Water – oceans, rivers, glaciers, lakes, groundwater etc.
  • Biodiversity & conservation
  • Soil – types, crops, food chain etc.
  • Pollution and toxicity

• Political theory & international order

  3 topics

  • Basic concept of freedom, equality, social justice, rights & duties, citizenship, nationalism, secularism etc.
  • United Nations and its organs/agencies
  • other international organisations like the World Bank, IMF, WTO, EU, G20, BRICS etc. and their role in the World peace, trade & development

• Indian polity

  6 topics

  • Basic features, provisions, schedules of the Indian Constitution, key amendments
  • Panchayati Raj
  • Elections – People’s Representation Act, electoral reforms
  • Rise of regionalism
  • coalition politics
  • Armed challenges to the Indian state since independence

• History of India

  10 topics

  • The Indus valley civilisation
  • The Aryan and the Vedic age
  • Jainism and Buddhism
  • The Maurya Gupta periods
  • Advent of Islam and Sultanate period (political, social & cultural)
  • The Bhakti Movement
  • The Mughals (political, social & cultural till Aurangzeb)
  • The coming of the European Powers and the advent of the British rule
  • The Mutiny of 1857
  • The British rule and the Indian National Movement (1857-1947)

• World History

  5 topics

  • The Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution in Europe
  • The American Revolution 1776
  • The French Revolution 1789
  • The Russian Revolution 1917
  • World Wars I & II

• Indian Economy

  5 topics

  • Indian economic development (1950-1991) – key economic policies, public sector dominance, bank nationalisation etc.
  • Five year plans – key goals and main achievements
  • Liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation era since 1991 – key policies, decisions and results
  • Performance of Indian economy since 1991 – Growth, fiscal & revenue deficits, trade, commerce & balance of payments, inflation, growth of service sector
  • Key challenges and responses – agriculture and food security, industrialisation, poverty alleviation & employment, rural & urban infrastructure, social sector – health, education etc.

• Geography

  12 topics

  • Population – distribution, density, growth and comparison
  • Migration – types, causes and consequences
  • Human development
  • Human settlements
  • Land resources and agriculture
  • Water resources
  • Mineral and energy resources
  • Manufacturing industries
  • Planning and sustainable development in India
  • Transport and communication
  • International trade
  • Geographical perspective on selected issues and problems

Topics pending official syllabus normalization.

• Geography

  6 topics

  • Geographical and agro-climatic regions
  • rivers
  • water resources
  • sharing of waters
  • demographics
  • human development indices

• People, Society and Culture

  7 topics

  • Major personalities in history of Punjab
  • religious movements
  • major religions & spiritual personalities
  • Punjabi literature
  • folklore
  • performing arts
  • fine arts and crafts

• History

  6 topics

  • Sufis, saints and gurus
  • Lodhis and Mughals
  • Sikh rulers
  • the British period
  • nationalist movement in Punjab
  • Punjab in independent India

• Economy

  8 topics

  • Agriculture
  • animal husbandry
  • industrial & service sectors
  • major occupations
  • development & economic growth
  • public finance (including central-state fiscal issues)
  • public sector institutions
  • cooperatives

• Reading comprehension

  3 topics

  • Punjabi and English language comprehension
  • antonyms and synonyms
  • grammar and sentence formation

Topics pending official syllabus normalization.

Topics pending official syllabus normalization.

• Basic numerical skills

  4 topics

  • numbers
  • magnitudes
  • percentages
  • numerical relation appreciation

• Data analysis

  4 topics

  • Graphic presentations
  • charts
  • tables
  • spreadsheets

• SECTION-A

  5 topics

  • Comprehension (Unseen Passage)
  • Precis writing
  • Letter writing
  • Essay writing
  • Translation

• SECTION-B

  1 topics

  • Grammar

Topics pending official syllabus normalization.

Topics pending official syllabus normalization.

• HISTORY

  7 topics

  • 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

  2 topics

  • 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

• GEOGRAPHY

  4 topics

  • 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

• Geography of Punjab

  2 topics

  • 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

• SOCIETY

  8 topics

  • 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 & POLITY

  9 topics

  • 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

• GOVERNANCE

  5 topics

  • 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

• INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

  4 topics

  • 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

• Indian Economy

  7 topics

  • 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
  • Punjab Economy: Planning- various aspects of developmental planning; Industry; Infrastructure

• Human Resource Development

  2 topics

  • 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

Topics pending official syllabus normalization.

• Issues related to Security

  5 topics

  • 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 cyber security; 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

  4 topics

  • 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
  • Issues relating to intellectual property rights

• Modern Trends in Life Sciences

  3 topics

  • Progress of Agricultural Science and its impact– Introduction to Biotechnology and its applications; Veterinary and Animal Sciences- latest 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

• Environment

  4 topics

  • 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

• Situations in Civil Service -Problem Solving and Decision Making

  17 topics

  • 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