UPSC

Umemployment       Contents of the Chapter

• Demand-Deficient or Cyclical Unemployment
• Seasonal unemployment
• Frictional or Search Unemployment Structural Unemployment
• National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO)
• National Sample Survey Organization Concept of work
• Labour Sector Reforms
• Trade Union Law Changes
• 12th Plan Strategy
• Growing Inequalities
• Broader Picture
• 12th Plan Some Employment-Related Ideas
• The Areas to Concentrate are

    An important objective of development planning in India has been to provide for gainful employment opportunities. The level, quality and growth of wages. Incomes and employment in the economy as measured by GDP, as also growth in population and consequent additions to the labour force. Thus, growth is the primary driver of employment. The employment created is none if growth is planned in labour intensive way. A number of specifically designed poverty alleviation programmes are in operation in rural and urban areas in order more...

India - Location       Contents of the Chapter

• Structure and Physiography
• The Peninsular Block
• Indo-Ganga-Brahmaputra Plain
• Physiography
• North and North Eastern Himalaya
• The Himalayan Mountains
• Karewas
• Longitudinal division
• Kashmir or Northwestern Himalayas
• The Himachal and Uttaranchal Himalayas
• The Arunachal Himalayas
• The Eastern Hills and Mountains
• The Northern Plains
• The Northeastern Plateau
• The Indian Desert
• The Coastal Plains
• The Islands

    The mainland of India, extends from Kashmir in the north to Kanniyakumari in the south and Arunachal Pradesh in the east to Gujarat in the west. India's territorial limit further extends towards the sea upto 12 nautical miles (about 21.9 km) from the coast. (See the box for conversion).   Statute mile= 63,360 inches   Nautical mile= 72,960 inches   1 Statute mile= about 1.6 km (1.584 km)   1 Nautical mile= about 1.8 km (1.852 km)   Our southern boundary more...

Drainage System       Contents of the Chapter

• Drainage system of India
• Important Drainage Patterns
• The Himalayan Drainage
• Evolution of the Himalayan Drainage
• The river Systems of the Himalayan Drainage
• The Indus system
• The Ganga System
• The Brahmaputra System
• The peninsular drainage system
• The Evolution of Peninsular Drainage System
• River systems of the peninsular drainage
• Smaller Rivers flowing towards the West

    A river drains the water collected from a specific area, which is called its ‘catchment area’.   The flow of water through well-defined channels is known as 'drainage' and the network of such channels is called a "drainage system’. The drainage pattern of an area is the outcome of the geological time period, nature and structure of rocks, topography, slope, amount of water flowing and the periodically of the flow.   An area drained by a river and its tributaries more...

Climate       Contents of the Chapter

• Factors determining the climate of India
• Mechanism of Weather in the Winter Season
• Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)
• The Nature of Indian Monsoon
• Onset of the Monsoon Rain-bearing Systems and Rainfall distribution
• The Cold Weather Season
• Role of Westerly Jet Stream
• The Southwest Monsoon Season
• Monsoon Winds of the Bay of Bengal
• Characteristics of Monsoonal Rainfall
• Season of Retreating Monsoon
• Distribution of Rainfall

    Climate refers to the sum total of weather conditions and variations over a large area for a long period of time (more than thirty years). Weather refers to the state of the atmosphere over an area at any point of time.   The elements of weather and climate are the same, i.e. temperature atmospheric pressure, wind, humidity and precipitation. You may have observed that the weather conditions fluctuate very often even more...

Natural Vegetation       Contents of the Chapter

• Types of Forests
• Tropical Evergreen and Semi Evergreen Forests
• Tropical Deciduous Forests
• Tropical Thorn Forests
• Montane Forests
• Littoral and Swamp Forests
• Forest cover in India
• Forest Conservation
• Social Forestry
• Farm Forestry
• Wildlife
• Wildlife Conservation in India
• Biosphere Reserves
• Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve
• Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve
• Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve
• Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve

    Natural vegetation refers to a plant community that has been left undisturbed over a long time. So as to allow its individual species to adjust themselves to climate and soil conditions as fully as possible.   India is a land of great variety of natural vegetation. Himalayan heights are marked with temperate vegetation; the Western Ghats and the Andaman Nicobar Islands have tropical rain forests, the deltaic regions have tropical forests and mangroves; the desert and semi desert areas of more...

Soils       Contents of the Chapter

• Classification of Soils
• Alluvial Soils
• Black Soil
• Red and Yellow Soil
• Laterite Soil
• Arid Soils Saline Soils
• Peaty Soils
• Forest Soils
• Soil Degradation
• Soil Erosion
• Soil Conservation
• Water Resources
• Water Resources of India
• Surface Water Resources
• Groundwater Resources
• Demand of Water for Irrigation
• Prevention of Water Pollution
• Watershed Management
• Rainwater Harvesting
• Highlights of India’s National Water Policy, 2002

    Soil is the most important layer of the earth’s crust. It is a valuable resource.   Soil is the mixture of rock debris and organic materials which develop on the earth’s surface. The major factors affecting the formation of soil are relief, parent material, climate, vegetation and other life-forms and time. Besides these, human activities also influence it to a large extent. Components of the soil are mineral particles, humus, water and air. The actual amount more...

Land use and Agriculture       Contents of the Chapter

• Land-use Changes in India
• Agricultural Land Use in India
• Primitive Subsistence Farming
• Intensive Substance Farming
• Commercial Farming
• Types of Farming
• Cropping Pattern
• Growth of Agricultural Output and Technology

    Different types of lands are suited to different uses. Human beings thus, use land as a resource for production as well as residence and recreation.   Land-use records maintained by land revenue department. The land use categories add up to reporting area, which is somewhat different from the geographical area. The Survey of India is responsible for measuring geographical area of administrative units in India. The difference between the two concepts are that while the former changes somewhat depending on the estimates of the land revenue records, the latter does not change and stays fixed as per Survey of India measurements.   The more...

Mineral and Energy Resources       Contents of the Chapter

• Mode of Occurrence of Minerals
• Agencies Involved in the exploration of minerals
• Distribution of Minerals in India
• Major Industries
• The Iron and Steel Industry
• Integrated Steel Plants
• Visvesvaraiya Iron and Steel Works Ltd. (VISL)
• Rourkela Steel Plant
• Bhilai Steel Plant
• The Cotton Textile Industry

    India is endowed with a rich variety of mineral resources due to its varied geological structure. Bulk of the valuable minerals are products of pre-Paleozoic age mainly associated with metamorphic and igneous rocks of the peninsular India. The vast alluvial plain tract of north India is devoid of minerals of economic use.   The mineral resources provide the country with the necessary base for industrial development. The availability of various types of mineral and energy resources in the country.   Mode of Occurrence of Minerals   Minerals more...

Sugar Industry       Contents of the Chapter

• Location of the Sugar Industry
• Petrochemical Industries
• Knowledge based Industries
• Liberalization, Privatization, Globalization (LPG) and Industrial Development in India
• Industrial Region and Districts
• Industrial Regions in India
• Mumbai-Pune Industrial Region
• Hugli Industrial Region
• Bangalore-Chennai Industrial Region
• Gujarat Industrial Region
• Chotanagpur Region
• Vishakhapatnam-Guntur Region
• Kollam-Tiruvanantapuram Region

    The sugar industry is the second most important agro-based industry in the country. India is the largest producer of both sugarcane and cane sugar and contributes about 8 per cent of the total sugar production in the world. Besides, khandasari and gur or jaggery are also prepared from sugarcane. This industry provides employment for more than 4 lakh persons directly and a large number of farmers indirectly. Sugar industry is a seasonal industry because of the seasonality of raw materials.   Development of the industry on modern lines more...

Transport and Communication       Contents of the Chapter

• Land Transport
• Indian Road Network (2005)
• Rural Boards
• Other Roads
• National Highways Development Projects
• Rail Transport
• Water Transport
• Inland Waterways
• Oceanic Routes
• Air Transportation
• History of Indian Airlines
• Mass Communication System
• International Trade
• Direction of Trade
• Ports Tourism as a Trade

    The use of transport and communication depends upon our need to move things from place of their availability to the place of their use.   Land Transport Road Transport: India has one of the largest road network in the world with a total length of 33.1 lakh km (2005). About 85 per cent of passenger and 70 per cent of freight traffic are carried by roads every year. Road transport is relatively suitable for shorter distance travel.   Road transport in modern sense was very limited in India before World War-II. more...