Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India

• Features of Indian society
• Diversity (Types – caste, linguistic, social and religious, race, tribe and ethnicity, culture)
• Challenges posed by Diversity
• Unity
• Pluralism
• Unity in Diversity
• Inequality and Exclusion
• Family System
• Examples of above

Role of Women and Women’s Organization

• Women’s organizations in Indian history
• Types of women’s organizations
• Level of penetration
• 19^th Century Social Reform Movements and Early Women’s Organisations –
  • Agrarian Struggles and Revolt
  • Participation in Freedom Struggle
• Women’s organization (With Examples)
• Problems faced by women’s organizations
• Is a larger vocal role possible and ways to achieve the same
• Role of SHGs, Micro finance Institution

Population and Associated Issues

• Basic Demography of India
• Population Trends in India and their Implications
• Causes and Effects of Over Population
• Challenges of Population Explosion
• Changing Age Structure of Indian Population
• Demogarphic Dividend: Boon or Bane for India
• Population Aging in India
• India’s Population Policy & Initiatives

Poverty and Developmental Issues

• Concept of Development and Poverty
• Types of Poverty
• Measurement of Poverty – Poverty Line
• Causes of Poverty
• Poverty as a Social Problem
• Socio-economic Spread of Poverty
• Consequences of Poverty –
  • Inequality
  • Continuation of Vicious Cycle
  • Who is worst affected by poverty?
• Problem of Rising Urban Poverty
• Poverty Alleviation Initiatives
• Policy shifts from “Trickle Down” Economics to Inclusive or Pro-poor Development to Reduce Poverty
• Relation between Poverty Reduction and Development: Poverty-Inequality-Development Nexus

Urbanization, their problems and their remedies

• Urbanisation Trends in India and Their Implications – Demographic and Social Dimensions
• Factors Driving Urbanisation
• State of Service Delivery and Challeges posed by Urbanisation
• Problems of Urban Areas
• Social Consequences of Urbanisation
• Impact of Urbanisation in Rural Areas
• Urban Planning and Role of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)
• Reforms Required and Government Initiatives Taken So Far
• Problems of Slums

Effects of Globalization on Indian society

• Understanding Globalisation – Its Different Dimensions
• Globalisation & Culture – Homogenisation vs. Glocalisation
• Factors Driving Globalisation
• Globalisation & India
• Impact of Globalisation on India – Socio-cultural, economic, on women, agrarian sector etc.
• Does Globalisation cause Poverty?

Social Empowerment

• Which are the Socially Disadvantaged Groups?
• Meaning and concept of social empowerment
• Dimensions of Social Empowerment
• Why do we need social empowerment?
• Government Initiatives to Aide Social Empowerment
• Empowerment in reality and India’s experience

Communalism

• Communalism – Its Characteristics
• Communalism in India in the Past
• Communalism in Contemporqary India
• Causes of Communalism
• Consequences of Communalism
• Measures to Control & Eradicate Communalism
• Secularism as an Antidote to Communalism

Regionalism

• Concept of Region & Regionalism
• Different Forms of Regionalism
• Regionalism in India
• Causes of Regionalism
• Concept of ‘Sons of Soil’
• Consequences of Regionalism
• Federalism & Regionalism
• Role of Regional Parties
• Measures to Contain Regionalism
• Regionalism in the International Sphere

Secularism

• Concept of Secularism
• Indian Model of Secularism
• Secularism in India
• Nature & Practice of Secularism in India
• Uniform Civil Code
• Challenges faced by Secularism in India
• Measures to Make India Truly Secular