Indian Society in Depth – UPSC GS1

GS Paper 1 begins its society section with the "salient features of Indian society" and "diversity of India". These ideas run through every other topic – women, population, poverty, urbanisation, globalisation, communalism, regionalism and secularism…

The GS Paper 1 syllabus names the "role of women and women's organisation" directly, and questions on women appear in GS1, GS2 (welfare schemes, vulnerable sections), GS3 (labour force), GS4 (ethics of gender justice) and…

In April 2023, according to UN estimates, India overtook China as the world's most populous country, with about 1.43 billion people; by 2025 the figure is around 1.46 billion. India holds about 18 per cent…

The GS Paper 1 syllabus lists "poverty and developmental issues" under Indian society, while GS Paper 3 covers the economics of poverty. In GS1 the focus is on the social face of poverty: who is…

The syllabus asks about "urbanisation, their problems and their remedies" and the "effects of globalisation on Indian society". The two are linked: globalisation since 1991 speeded up the growth of cities, services and the middle…

The last part of the GS1 society syllabus reads "social empowerment, communalism, regionalism and secularism". These are linked by one question: how does a diverse society give every group dignity and a fair share while…