Current Events of Regional, National and International Importance

What the official syllabus says

GPSC Main Examination, Paper V: General Studies-II:

(C) Current Events of Regional, National and International Importance.

The syllabus gives this heading without a list of topics. In this paper, current events are best read through the polity, governance and social justice themes of parts (A) and (B). The list below suggests what to follow; it is the academy's own guide, not the Commission's.

Topics in detail

Regional (Gujarat)

• New laws and amendments passed by the Gujarat Legislative Assembly
• Important judgments of the Gujarat High Court
• Elections to panchayats and municipalities; new municipal corporations or districts
• New State policies and schemes in health, education, social welfare and e-governance
• Reports of the CAG on Gujarat; reports of State commissions
• Gujarat's performance in national indices (health, education, governance)

National

• Constitutional amendments and major Acts of Parliament
• Landmark Supreme Court judgments and constitution bench references
• Centre-State issues: Governors and bills, GST Council decisions, Finance Commission
• Electoral reforms and the working of the Election Commission
• Appointments and reports of constitutional and statutory bodies
• New national schemes and policies in the social sector
• National reports on poverty, nutrition, health and education

International

• International reports on human development, hunger, gender and governance (read for concepts and India's issues, not just ranks)
• Global debates on democracy, human rights and digital governance
• International commitments that shape domestic policy, such as the Sustainable Development Goals

Linking events to the syllabus: examples

• A new State law on services or grievances: right to public services, good governance
• A Supreme Court ruling on Governors and State bills: federal structure, functions of State governments
• A new regulator or a change in its powers: statutory and regulatory bodies
• A national survey on nutrition or learning: poverty and hunger, social sector management
• Local body elections: local self-government, State Election Commission

How to prepare

• Link each event to a line of the official syllabus
• Keep notes on the constitutional provision, the law and the institution involved
• Follow primary sources: Press Information Bureau releases, the texts of bills and Acts, State government releases, the Gujarat Assembly and High Court websites

Overlaps

Among the Mains papers, only General Studies-II has this heading. The Prelims paper General Studies ends with a similar line: General knowledge and Current Events of Regional, National and International Importance.