International Relations and Government Policies

What the official syllabus says

GPSC Preliminary Examination, General Studies, under the heading Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations:

• India's Foreign Policy - International Relations - Important Institutions, Agencies, Various Organizations, their Structure and Functioning, etc.
• Important Policies and Programmes of Central and State Government.

Topics in detail

This page joins the two last lines of the polity area: India's place in the world and the policies of the Central and State Governments. Both change every year, so pair this list with current affairs.

India's foreign policy

• Principles: Panchsheel, non-alignment, strategic autonomy
• Neighbourhood First, Act East, Link West; relations with Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Maldives
• Relations with major powers: USA, Russia, the European Union, Japan; the Gulf and the Indian diaspora (including the Gujarati diaspora)
• India in the Indian Ocean: maritime security, SAGAR, ports and connectivity projects (Chabahar, INSTC)
• Nuclear doctrine and India's place in export control regimes (in outline)

International institutions and organisations

• United Nations: General Assembly, Security Council (India's case for permanent membership), specialised agencies (WHO, UNESCO, ILO, FAO)
• Bretton Woods institutions: IMF and World Bank; the WTO
• Regional and other groups: SAARC, BIMSTEC, ASEAN, SCO, BRICS, G20, Quad, IBSA, Commonwealth, NAM
• New Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
• Structure (members, headquarters, main organs) and functioning of each

Important policies and programmes of the Central Government

• Poverty and employment: MGNREGA, DAY-NRLM, PM Awas Yojana
• Financial inclusion: Jan Dhan, Mudra, social security schemes
• Health and nutrition: Ayushman Bharat, POSHAN Abhiyaan, National Health Mission
• Education and skills: Samagra Shiksha, National Education Policy 2020, Skill India
• Sanitation and water: Swachh Bharat Mission, Jal Jeevan Mission; urban missions (AMRUT, Smart Cities)
• Agriculture: PM-KISAN, crop insurance, soil health cards; Digital India; Make in India
• For each scheme: ministry, aim, target group, how it is funded

Important policies and programmes of the Gujarat Government

• Long-standing state schemes in education, health, agriculture and tribal development (see the Gujarat polity and economy pages)
• State policies by sector: industrial, tourism, solar and renewable energy, electric vehicles, start-ups
• Read the latest state budget and socio-economic review for current schemes

Overlaps

Mains General Studies-II (C) Current Events and (B) Governance and Social Justice build on these. Gujarat's own schemes are on Gujarat: Polity and Administration and Gujarat: Economy.