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Geography Optional
Paper – II
Geography of India
1. Physical Setting: Space relationship of India with neighbouring countries; Structure and relief;
Drainage system and watersheds; Physiographic regions; Mechanism of Indian monsoons and
rainfall patterns, Tropical cyclones and western disturbances; Floods and droughts; Climatic regions;
Natural vegetation; Soil types and their distributions.
2. Resources: Land, surface and ground water, energy, minerals, biotic and marine resources; Forest
and wild life resources and their conservation; Energy crisis.
3. Agriculture: Infrastructure: irrigation, seeds, fertilizers, power; Institutional factors: land holdings,
land tenure and land reforms; Cropping pattern, agricultural productivity, agricultural intensity, crop
combination, land capability; Agro and socialforestry; Green revolution and its socioeconomic and
ecological implications; Significance of dry farming; Livestock resources and white revolution; aqua -
culture; sericulture, apiculture and poultry; agricultural regionalisation; agro-climatic zones; agro-
ecological regions.
4. Industry: Evolution of industries; Locational factors of cotton, jute, textile, iron and steel,
aluminium, fertilizer, paper, chemical and pharmaceutical, automobile, cottage and agro-based
industries; Industrial houses and complexes including public sector undertakings; Industrial
regionalisation; New industrial policies; Multinationals and liberalization; Special Economic Zones;
Tourism including eco -tourism.
5. Transport, Communication and Trade: Road, railway, waterway, airway and pipeline networks
and their complementary roles in regional development; Growing importance of ports on national
and foreign trade; Trade balance; Trade Policy; Export processing zones; Developments in
communication and information technology and their impacts on economy and society; Indian space
programme.
6. Cultural Setting: Historical Perspective of Indian Society; Racial, linguistic and ethnic diversities;
religious minorities; major tribes, tribal areas and their problems; cultural regions; Growth,
distribution and density of population; Demographic attributes: sex-ratio, age structure, literacy
rate, work-force, dependency ratio, longevity; migration (inter-regional, intra- regional and
international) and associated problems; Population problems and policies; Health indicators.
7. Settlements: Types, patterns and morphology of rural settlements; Urban developments;
Morphology of Indian cities; Functional classification of Indian cities; Conurbations and metropolitan
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regions; urban sprawl; Slums and associated problems; town planning; Problems of urbanization and
remedies.
8. Regional Development and Planning: Experience of regional planning in India; Five Year Plans;
Integrated rural development programmes; Panchayati Raj and decentralised planning; Command
area development; Watershed management; Planning for backward area, desert, drought prone,
hill, tribal area development; multi-level planning; Regional planning and development of island
territories.
9. Political Aspects: Geographical basis of Indian federalism; State reorganisation; Emergence of new
states; Regional consciousness and interstate issues; international boundary of India and related
issues; Cross border terrorism; India’s role in world affairs; Geopolitics of South Asia and Indian
Ocean realm.
10. Contemporary Issues: Ecological issues: Environmental hazards: landslides, earthquakes,
Tsunamis, floods and droughts, epidemics; Issues relating to environmental pollution; Changes in
patterns of land use; Principles of environmental impact assessment and environmental
management; Population explosion and food security; Environmental degradation; Deforestation,
desertification and soil erosion; Problems of agrarian and industrial unrest; Regional disparities in
economic development; Concept of sustainable growth and development; Environmental
awareness; Linkage of rivers; Globalisation and Indian economy.
