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Please read a copy of my blog from my website:nofrillsacademy.com:GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: TOPICSIt is a misconception to equate GK with knowledge of current affairs. 80% of GK is of a static nature & only 20% is related to current knowledge. If you understand the geography and economy of India well it will make it easier for you to understand the nature of problems facing India and also the possible solutions. To develop insight into “stone pelting” by Kashmiri youth it is vital to know what all had happened in the past in Kashmir since independence. To help students prepare for competitive exams a list of GK topics is given below.India SpecificGeography: Physical features, states, capitals & major rivers.Major ministries and their performance.Indian economy. Contributions of Services, Manufacturing & Agriculture Sectors to GDP. % population engaged in various sectors. What are the ways to encourage growth? How can inflation be controlled?Ranks of Services.Chiefs of Services, current, past, future, if due to take over soon.Pakistan: President, Army chief. Problem areas with India, future of relations.China: President, Premier; future of relations.Relations with US.Relations with EU & Japan.Relations with Russia.New schemes started by PM Modi.Relevance of MNREGA.Relevance of crop insurance scheme.Utility of Gold schemes.PVC awardees.Knowledge about Service opted for.Relations with Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan & Myanmar.India’s act East Policy.Discuss OBOR, CPEC and impact on India.Discuss the relevance of SAARC. How can other India and other SAARC countries overcome the problem posed by Pakistan?Comment on India contemplating abrogation of ‘Indus Water Treaty’.GeneralISIS problem & how it concerns India.G7 nations.Syrian crisis.European refugees’ crisis.Impact of Iran’s nuclear deal on the world.Iran- Saudi Arabia struggle in West Asia.Fourth Industrial revolution.Changing approach of America towards the world.Discuss India and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.How to tackle the menace of global terrorism?Implications of International Tribunal rejecting China’s claim on South China Sea. What is the likely future in the region?How to solve the problem of Global terrorism?Discuss implications of Trump as US President for the US and the world.Discuss the major progress in the recent BRICS meet and comment on the future of BRICS.Discuss the importance of Kigali agreement.Comment on the “Heart of Asia” Conference in 2017.Discuss the significance of Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement between US and India.Is NAM irrelevant?Should India worry about Pakistan’s nuclear threat?Indian public wants strikes against Pakistani terrorist camps in POK. Should India be deterred by China in doing so?Discuss the Doklam standoff.Topics related to Economics:Problems of world economy.Why ‘Make in India’ is important?Why reduction in RBI interest rates is important for growth?Why domestic reforms are important for India?What is disinvestment? Why it is important for India?What is fiscal deficit?How can India reduce fiscal deficit?Comment on the future of agriculture sector in India.India & WTO.Budgeting process. Why deficit budget is sensible for developing economies.Will a larger fiscal deficit be good for India?What reasons have caused a slowdown in Global economy?How China became the manufacturing hub of the World?Why China likes to keep the value of yuan low?Why subsidies do not make economic sense?The growing significance of Africa for India.Impact of falling commodity prices on the world’s economy.How can India reduce dependence on coal for power generation?Analyze the economic stupidity of ‘Demonetization’.Is ‘Bullet Train’ good for India?Is GST good for India?Discuss: For sustainable development inclusive growth is essential for India.The planning commission has been replaced by NITI Ayog. Comment on the concept and efficacy of NITI Ayog.How to reduce India’s dependence on monsoon rains?Why entry into the NSG is important for India?Was it sensible to scrap the Rail Budget?Should India introduce GM Mustard?Global analysis on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), health performance has ranked India 143/188 among nations. Should India do something about it?Write in favour of Globalization.Write in favor of protectionism.India has moved one rank up to the 130th position in the World Bank’s ‘ease of doing business’ ranking for 2017. What should India do?India has approximately only 24 lac tax payers, while 25 lac cars are bought each year, including 35,000 luxury cars. Analyze the problem and suggest solutions.Is implementation of Universal Basic Income (UBI) in India a good idea?Is the proposal to abolish Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) a good idea?Why corporate houses are keen on the defence sector?Social & General TopicsAre introduction of a strong Lokpal and transparency in funding of political parties and election expenses the biggest reforms needed by India?Discuss euthanasia.Is juvenile justice in India okay?What are the advantages for China being a communist country?Why communism failed in erstwhile USSR?Why ordinances are not considered a good way of making laws?Why politicians & elections are the prime reason for creation of black money?Discuss the drug menace in Punjab.Discuss the “Khap panchayats” of Haryana.Discuss the matrilineal societies of Kerala & Meghalaya.Discuss the feudal culture in UP, Bihar & MP.Why the North Eastern states were not enthusiastic about independence in 1947?What are the problems of Meiteis in Manipur?Why there is rampant illegal immigration from Bangladesh & cattle smuggling from India into Bangladesh?Is the growing population of India a major problem?Why it make sense to take care of our environment?What are the unique challenges for women in Defence Services?Why girl education is vital for population control, development of the society & economic growth?Why AFSPA cannot be removed from Kashmir or Manipur in the foreseeable future?Are castes relevant in India today?What is the future of communists in India?Why is the study of history relevant?Is reservation required for women in Parliament?Why it is difficult to remove caste/tribe based reservations?How can sports be promoted in India?Why illegal constructions often get legalized in India?What is the problem of making laws through ordinances?Should minimum education be a criterion for elected posts?Discuss India’s skewed sex ration.Discuss the problem of crime against women in India.Was odd-even policy in Delhi a sensible way to reduce pollution?Discuss criminalization of politics in India.Match fixing in IPL- is there a permanent solution?Why India is unable to get medals in track and field in Olympics?What will be the long term effects of promotion of ‘Hindutva’ and divisive politics of BJP?Comment on the promotion of prohibition in states.Benefits of organic farming.Discuss: Road accidents the biggest killer in India.Discuss implications of declaration of ‘Triple Talaaq’ illegal by the Supreme Court.What lessons emerged from the BHU incident of violence against women students?How to increase women participation in India’s economy?Discuss India’s hosting of the under-17 Football World Cup.Why government must focus more on health and education?How should India respond to the Rohingya crisis?How can a common man discern the truth when Modi & ministers lie consistently to the nation and media pursues economic agenda rather than factual reporting?Does the information age pose a threat to our culture and society?How can we permanently resolve inter-state water disputes?Is the nexus between doctors and pharmaceutical companies a concern for the government?Discuss acid attacks on women.Discuss the misuse of Article 356.Discuss the socio-economic impact of migration from other countries into India.Why local militants are heroes for Kashmiris?Suggest measures to fight the problem of droughts in India.How to resolve the problem of pending cases in Indian courts?How to resolve the problem of grant of reservations in India?Discuss India’s own GPS.Can elections be won by buying votes?Discuss the problem of caring for the old in India.Discuss the problem of child obesity in India.Parrikar had proposed, “All women battalion and girls in Sainik Schools”. Discuss.Discuss: “Government allocates Rs 12,000 crore to skill one crore people.”Discuss the Supreme Court’s control of BCCI.Discuss the use of drugs in sports.Discuss the implications of legalization of betting in sports in India.Chief Justice of India TS Thakur had told government on 12 Aug 2016: “Break logjam soon or we will step in, CJI tells government” on the issue of appointment of judges. Discuss reasons for delay in appointment of judges by Modi government.Is Phelps the greatest athlete ever?Discuss the “Surrogacy Bill”.Government has accepted the recommendations of a parliamentary panel to impose stringent accountability on celebrities for endorsing products and for misleading advertisements. Discuss the subject.Discuss India’s poor performance in Olympic Games. What should we do?Is India ready for a uniform civil code?Is the charge of sedition being misused by ‘self- styled nationalists’ in India under the present government?Analyze the Maratha agitation in 2016.Is it time for India to have a uniform civil code?Is it correct to ban Pakistani artists from working in India?How to reduce Diwali pollution in India?Significance of burning schools in Kashmir.Is forcing citizens to stand and listen to the “National Anthem” in cinema halls in India a good idea?Comment on the revival of Hockey in India.Discuss the promotion of Kabaddi in India.Discuss the impact of high tax on petrol and diesel in India.Discuss the Disabilities Bill.Discuss: 10th board exam is back.Discuss: Agni-V tested.Section 123(3) of the Representation of People Act, 1951 was in news recently for a judgment. Please discussIs the demand for delay in presentation of budget by the opposition parties justified?Does India need a regulatory body for media content as argued by Prashant Bhushan recently in the Supreme Court?Comment on the “Jallikattu” problem in Tamil Nadu in Feb 2017.Army Chief,Gen Rawat said: “While our aim has been to conduct people-friendly operations, the manner in which the local population is preventing us from conducting the operations, at times even supporting the terrorists to escape, it is these factors which are leading to higher casualties among the security forces. We would now request the local population, local boys if they want to continue with the acts of terrorism, displaying flags of IS and Pakistan, then we will treat them as anti-national elements and go helter-skelter for them… If they do not relent and create hurdles, then we will take tough action.” Please comment.Jayalalithaa deserved to be punished for corruption. However, now Sasikala, her partner in corruption will be alone in jail. Please comment.Discuss: PSLV-C37 successfully launches 104 satellites in a single flight.Discuss: Violence in Ramjas College.Discuss the politics of vandalism of statues.Discuss the politics of bans on books and movies.

Executive SummaryFor the vast, vast majority of payment transactions today in China, I do not think a decentralized, blockchain-based technology like Bitcoin can compete with a centralized platform like WeChat Wallet or Alipay.The structural and technical advantages that centralized approaches hold over Bitcoin are decisive while the advantages of the decentralized approach may only apply in certain niche payment channels and/or are neutralized by different behaviors and preferences exhibited by Chinese users.However, Bitcoin and the blockchain eco-system are new and rapidly evolving and it is too early to rule out the disruptive effects they may have on future behavior — potentially in completely novel ways that we cannot even imagine today.I also want to highlight the distinction between Bitcoin (and the idea of it or another crypto-currency replacing fiat) and its underlying blockchain technology and future applications of the more generalized “decentralized approach”. While I do not think Bitcoin has particularly bright prospects in China, I do very much see the promise and disruptive power of blockchain-based technologies in many other areas. In the future, I expect to see significant deployment of blockchain-based technologies in China and I even expect Chinese technology companies themselves to take the lead in many of these efforts.This answer is quite long, so I’ve structured it into four sections:Reviewing the structural advantages and disadvantages of centralized and decentralized payment platforms.Looking at the major transaction categories and evaluating which approach is the better fit.Putting perspective on the size of these transaction categories.Looking at the future, potential paths forward for both centralized and decentralized approaches.(1) The structural advantages & disadvantages of centralized vs. decentralized technology approaches in paymentsLet’s first review the structural and technical advantages of centralized vs. de-centralized payment platforms:Centralized payment platforms (e.g. Alipay and Wechat Payments)Cost: Marginal cost to record a ledger transaction of effectively zero. This is particularly significant to enable micro-payments.Transaction throughput:Alipay demonstrated transaction throughput of 256,000 transactions per second in its peak minute during the last Singles Day. Scaling up is a simple matter of deploying additional Aliyun cloud servers.Bitcoin has a theoretical ledger processing throughput of seven transactions per second. As I understand, I do not think that Moore’s Law or “throwing computing power at the problem” can close the order-of-magnitude gap on this metric.While lots of very smart people are working on addressing its fundamental scalability issue, I think there will always be an order-of-magnitude difference between a centralized vs. decentralized system, because structural inefficiency is central to the idea of enabling decentralization itself.“Native” [1] integration with the “fiat world”:First-mover advantage — Alipay and Wechat payment nodes are already widely distributed across hundreds of millions of nodes.Simple integration with the banking system — near real-time transfers between wallet and the banking system.Supported by regulators.Interest may be paid on deposits.Works alongside traditional payments infrastructure like physical cash.For domestic payments (i.e. the same economy / currency zone), fiat currency is a far superior unit of account (just imagine if everything were priced in US Dollars while your salary and assets are in Renminbi).Dispute resolution: Relatively easy to reverse transactions and address fraud.Decentralized blockchain-based payment platform (e.g. Bitcoin)Not controlled by a single authority: hard (albeit not impossible) for the Chinese government to stop you from using Bitcoin.Cross-border: Bypasses traditional “red tape”, regulatory authorities and national boundaries with ease.Relative anonymity: With Alipay and Wechat Payments your identity is tied to your wallet account by decree.“Native” [1] integration into the “blockchain economy” which is open-source and rapidly evolving.(2) The major payment categories today and figuring out how these map to the relative advantages/disadvantages of centralized vs. decentralized approachesHere are a list of the major (albeit non-exhaustive) transaction categories or instances where value is transferred:Consumer-to-merchant paymentsIllustrative transactions: Buying something on Tmall; re-charging your SIM card; buying fruit from the fruit stand; renting a shared bike.Key success factors: high throughput; ability to do micro-payments; low cost.Centralized systems win on technical merits (high throughput and low cost) and first-mover advantage (already embedded in hundreds of millions of nodes in China).P2P (person-to-person) paymentsIllustrative transaction: Sending a digital red envelope to a friend.Key success factors: high throughput; micro-payments; low cost.Centralized systems win again on technical merits and first-mover advantage.B2B (business to business) paymentsIllustrative transaction: A factory paying its supplier.Key success factors: cost; speed; stable currency value.For domestic transactions (both businesses do business in RMB), centralized or “fiat” approach wins.For cross-border transactions, decentralized may be better positioned on a relative basis because there could be significant “red tape” / foreign exchange costs depending on the currency pair. But “relative” is italicized because you really need to do a side-by-side comparison of costs by currency-pair to make a proper assessment.Black/gray market paymentsIllustrative transaction: Buying illegal goods and services; evading taxes and capital controls.Key success factor: anonymity.This is where decentralized transactions shine especially for online transactions where physical interaction never takes place. Here it is less decentralized competing against a centralized platform and more decentralized vs. physical fiat cash.This is not meant to be an exhaustive list of all transaction types or all ways that value can be transferred. For example, money/value is transferred whenever employees get paid salaries, when people take out loans, when insurance companies make payments etc. But these are some of the larger, more common categories today.As I alluded to in the bullet on cross-border transactions, there are sub-segments of these categories that cater more to the relative strengths of decentralized payment platforms [2].For example, cross-border P2P (i.e. “remittances”) appear to be an area where a decentralized system might make more sense because existing payment channels (e.g. Moneygram, informal Hawala channels) are fairly manual. This is especially true for payment channels that are relatively niche: Converting Chinese Renminbi to Korean Won is relatively efficient and straightforward; converting Renminbi to Rwandan Francs, not so much.(3) Putting perspective on the relative size of these major payment categoriesFirst, let’s see how big the categories are where centralized systems have a distinct advantage:In 2017, mobile payments in China were estimated to close to $15 trillion.This figure includes:your typical consumer-to-merchant interactions (where Alipay is dominant);person-to-person transactions (where WeChat is stronger); andbusiness-to-business transactions (where the traditional banking system is dominant, although for small merchants and payment sizes, Alipay can also be used).This figure is growing very fast and could double to $30 trillion by next year (2019).Total retail (online and offline) sales in 2016 came in at $4.8 trillion and probably grew another 10% in 2017.Now let’s take a look at the payment categories for some categories where decentralized payments platforms may be better positioned on a relative basis:The black market (including everything from drugs to prostitution to counterfeit goods) in China is estimated to be around $260 billion [3].Capital flight estimated in the ~$200 billion range at its peak in 2016 [4]. Capital flight pressure has come down significantly in 2017, although it could certainly rise again in the future. There could also be capital inflow pressure if the Renminbi appreciates.Cross-border remittances in the $100–150 billion per year range (counting both outflows and inflows) [5].The first thing that jumps out is that the transaction payments market where a centralized platform appears to hold greater advantages is one or two orders of magnitude larger than the transaction payment types where decentralized platforms may work better. We are talking figures measured in the tens of trillions of dollars compared to figures measured in the hundreds of billions.The other thing is that it is not even clear how big a role decentralized payment platforms have played in the markets where they have a relative technical/structural advantage over centralized systems:Remember that it is not only competing against existing centralized payment platforms, but the entire “fiat system” including physical cash.Old school physical cash can be superior to a decentralized payments platform for anonymity — so for physical black/gray market transactions it could be considered superior.For cross-border remittances, the purported advantage that decentralized platforms like Bitcoin have is that they are more efficient. But I would challenge that assumption:First, cross-border remittances are dominated by a small number of currency pairs, e.g. RMB-USD, RMB-JPY and RMB-EUR. Traditional ways of conducting these transactions is actually quite efficient. For example, on cash withdrawals (RMB-USD) using an international ATM card, the implicit fee/FX spread was less than 1% for me.For cross-border remittances involving less affluent (i.e. the “un-banked”) who do not have say an international ATM card, decentralized platforms might make more sense. But this is a fairly small sub-segment of that $100–150 billion market.For cross-border transactions with uncommon currency pairs (e.g. Renminbi and the Rwandan Franc), the transaction costs using traditional methods can be very high and Bitcoin could be a very good alternative. But these uncommon currency pairs probably make up a very small proportion of overall cross-border transactions by volume.(4a) The future of centralized vs. decentralized paymentsThe big thing going for Bitcoin is that there is a vibrant global community of developers that are actively contributing to improving the efficiency and capabilities of the code. Moreover, the meteoric rise in the price of various crypto-assets in the past couple years has raised its visibility with hundreds of millions of people around the globe which should help tremendously with market adoption as people figure out how to use Bitcoin and other blockchain-based technologies in novel ways.So while I am quite pessimistic about the possibility of a Bitcoin-based payments platform replacing Alipay or Wechat Payments on a large-scale, I do see the possibility for application for certain areas:Niche cross-border trade relationships: There are many niche currency pairs today that are not heavily used because there is very little cross-border trade today. As a result, the implied foreign exchange spreads can be very high. If Bitcoin can be used to streamline the cross-border payment cost, it could very well lead to an increase in economic activity.Accessing the un-banked population: Many countries involved in China’s “One Belt One Road Initiative” have significant “un-banked” populations that are not tied into the traditional banking system. Bitcoin could — theoretically at least — enable the “flower store in Shanghai” to make a direct payment to the “local flower seller in Addis Ababa” that doesn’t have a bank account.There is also the idea that Bitcoin is “natively” embedded within the broader blockchain ecosystem so the success of the ecosystem will drive usage of Bitcoin or other crypto-assets and indeed create a whole new transaction category on its own. So to the extent the “blockchain ecosystem” becomes massive as multiple real-world applications for blockchain-based technologies are discovered, the market size for blockchain-driven transactions will be similarly massive. I understand this argument but I also think it is too early to draw any hard conclusions on it. For example, at this point I am not sure the success of the “blockchain economy” is necessarily tied to the success of Bitcoin (or any other specific crypto-currency) or vice versa.Decentralized payments technologies can also co-exist alongside a centralized payments platform and even be integrated within the platform. For example, if Bitcoin becomes used widely on a global level, I can see a scenario where it is integrated into the Alipay wallet as another payment option, just like any other foreign currency could be integrated into the wallet today.That said, Ant Financial and Tencent are also pushing their centralized approach very hard right now into other countries, whether it is via direct proliferation of their technology platforms (WeChat passes 100 million users outside China ) or through equity investments in local equivalents (e.g. Ant Financial’s investment in Paytm in India). And these centralized payment platforms are rapidly gaining market share all around the developing world and even making inroads in developed countries as well (Alipay, China’s top mobile payment service, expands to the U.S.).Finally, it goes without saying that — on top of evaluating the technical merits of centralized vs. decentralized payments technology — we also must take into account the role of the Chinese government in all of this. Judging from the exchange bans in early 2017 and the recent ban on Bitcoin mining, Chinese regulators are clearly against the idea of Bitcoin or any other crypto-currency asset taking root in China. This provides sanctioned payment platforms like Alipay and Wechat Payments just that much more of an advantage over their decentralized cousins.(4b) The future of blockchain-based technologyLooking beyond just Bitcoin and crypto-currencies, believe it or not I am actually quite optimistic about the applicability of blockchain-based technologies to solve fundamental inefficiencies in many areas, including in China.The $64,000 (actually more like $64 billion) question is where and how? It could very well be that mass consumer payments is not the ideal place but there are plenty of other functions in the world it can disrupt — perhaps areas where transaction throughput speed is not such a critical factor (e.g. insurance contracts, asset tracking etc.).Drawing this distinction between Bitcoin and its underlying blockchain technology is an idea that is also echoed in China. Here is what Jack Ma had to say about Bitcoin and blockchain when asked the question at a recent panel:The question about Bitcoin. Honestly, I am not that big a fan of Bitcoin. But I pay special attention to the cashless society, to blockchain technology. Bitcoin, the thing I want to know, what value, what things can Bitcoin bring to society. But, behind Bitcoin, the technology is very powerful. So, my job ... Alibaba and Alipay's job ... is to try to make sure that the world will move into a cashless society. Society can make everybody equal, make everyone inclusive to get the money they need and make sure it is sustainable, inclusive and transparent.Here is the full video:A cynic might point out that as the largest individual shareholder in Alipay, he is merely talking his book. But a realist would point out that with the rapid proliferation of Alipay and Wechat Payments, China is already well on its way to achieving this digital, cashless ideal while Bitcoin continues to be used almost exclusively for speculation or as a store of value and relatively little for legitimate payment transactions regardless of whether you are talking about China or anywhere else in the world.Meanwhile, he appears to be quite bullish on efforts to figure out how to apply the underlying blockchain technology and approach in different industries. Here’s an example of that: Alibaba Deploys Blockchain to Secure Health Data in China.And here’s another example from another Chinese company that literally just flashed across my Quora feed: Coindesk: Search Giant Baidu Launches Blockchain-as-a-Service Platform by Paul Denlinger on China's Future (also h/t to Paul Denlinger for the A2A).EpiloguePerhaps there is another basic, root explanation for why Bitcoin is ultimately unsuccessful taking root in China: Chinese people are just different.Whereas many vocal proponents of Bitcoin and other crypto-currencies often tout that these systems cannot be controlled by a central authority and do a much better job of preserving privacy as major advantages, the reality is that Chinese people just don’t seem to place a lot of value on these features — except in situations (e.g. skirting capital controls) where it can be useful or practical.In other words, these features are arguably the most unique advantages of using crypto-currencies — yet Chinese users and businesses have demonstrated that they place significantly more value on other factors like convenience and low cost. This is evidenced by the fact that hundreds of millions of Chinese people have signed up for Alipay and Wechat Wallet and use these platforms to process trillions of dollars worth of transactions every month. In doing so, they have willingly given up anonymity and agreed to play along with the system. Moreover, this transition was completed in a timetable that was shockingly quick.So I want to conclude with this final thought.There appears to be a distinct philosophical difference between Chinese citizens and citizens in western liberal democracies where greater weight is placed on values like individual privacy — and where perhaps the government is viewed with a higher degree of skepticism and with less trust (especially post-GFC). And it is this philosophical difference that could indeed be the most difficult structural impediment for a decentralized payments platform like Bitcoin to take root in China.Related:What is Alibaba's strategy regarding blockchain and cryptocurrencies?What does the bike-sharing mania say about the Chinese economy?Why aren’t credit cards popular in China, the world's second largest economy?How does Alipay compare with Paypal?Notes:[1] By “native” I mean that you do not have to convert from one to another. With Alipay, you can withdraw Renminbi sitting in your digital wallet to your bank account quickly and then convert it to cash without having to do a currency conversation. With Bitcoin you would have to go through the additional step (at some point) of converting it to fiat currency and paying associated spreads and fees.Similarly, it is more efficient to invest in Initial Coin Offerings (part of the “blockchain economy”) using crypto assets as opposed to fiat currency.[2] However, on an absolute basis I am still trying to figure out exactly how much better they are than existing alternatives. For example, I am still waiting for some answers on this question I recently posed on Quora: How much more or less expensive is it to transfer money from one country to another using Bitcoin than the traditional banking system?[3] Source: Havocscope Country Risk Ranking[4] Source: U.S. Federal Reserve paper on Chinese Capital Flight (June 2017)[5] Based on analysis of China’s detailed Balance of Payments as I discussed in an old Quora answer: Glenn Luk's answer to Why does China have such huge foreign exchange reserves? How largely could China affect the dollar value in lieu of its huge reserve?

Iam giving you topics considering that you are preparing for SSB.GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: TOPICSIt is a misconception to equate GK with knowledge of current affairs. 80% of GK is of a static nature & only 20% is related to current knowledge. If you understand the geography and economy of India well it will make it easier for you to understand the nature of problems facing India and also the possible solutions. To develop insight into “stone pelting” by Kashmiri youth it is vital to know what all had happened in the past in Kashmir since independence. To help students prepare for competitive exams a list of GK topics is given below.India Specific1. Geography: Physical features, states, capitals & major rivers. 2. Major ministries and their performance. 3. Indian economy. Contributions of Services, Manufacturing & Agriculture Sectors to GDP. % population engaged in various sectors. What are the ways to encourage growth? How can inflation be controlled? 4. Ranks of Services. 5. Chiefs of Services, current, past, future, if due to take over soon. 6. Pakistan: President, Army chief. Problem areas with India, future of relations. 7. China: President, Premier; future of relations. 8. Relations with US. 9. Relations with EU & Japan. 10. Relations with Russia. 11. New schemes started by PM Modi. 12. Relevance of MNREGA. 13. Relevance of crop insurance scheme. 14. Utility of Gold schemes. 15. PVC awardees. 16. Knowledge about Service opted for. 17. Relations with Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan & Myanmar. 18. India’s act East Policy. 19. Discuss OBOR, CPEC and impact on India. 20. Discuss the relevance of SAARC. How can other India and other SAARC countries overcome the problem posed by Pakistan? 21. Comment on India contemplating abrogation of ‘Indus Water Treaty’.General22. ISIS problem & how it concerns India. 23. G7 nations. 24. BRICS.25. Syrian crisis. 26. European refugees’ crisis. 27. Impact of Iran’s nuclear deal on the world. 28. Iran- Saudi Arabia struggle in West Asia. 29. Fourth Industrial revolution. 30. Changing approach of America towards the world. 31. Discuss India and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. 32. How to tackle the menace of global terrorism? 33. Implications of International Tribunal rejecting China’s claim on South China Sea. What is the likely future in the region? 34. How to solve the problem of Global terrorism? 35. Discuss implications of Trump as US President for the US and the world. 36. Discuss the major progress in the recent BRICS meet and comment on the future of BRICS. 37. Discuss the importance of Kigali agreement. 38. Comment on the “Heart of Asia” Conference in 2017. 39. Discuss the significance of Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement between US and India. 40. Is NAM irrelevant? 41. Should India worry about Pakistan’s nuclear threat? 42. Indian public wants strikes against Pakistani terrorist camps in POK. Should India be deterred by China in doing so?Topics related to Economics:43. Problems of world economy. 44. Why ‘Make in India’ is important? 45. Why reduction in RBI interest rates is important for growth? 46. Why domestic reforms are important for India? 47. What is disinvestment? Why it is important for India? 48. What is fiscal deficit? 49. How can India reduce fiscal deficit? 50. Comment on the future of agriculture sector in India. 51. India & WTO. 52. Budgeting process. Why deficit budget is sensible for developing economies. 53. Will a larger fiscal deficit be good for India? 54. What reasons have caused a slowdown in Global economy? 55. How China became the manufacturing hub of the World? 56. Why China likes to keep the value of yuan low? 57. Why subsidies do not make economic sense? 58. The growing significance of Africa for India.59. Impact of falling commodity prices on the world’s economy. 60. How can India reduce dependence on coal for power generation? 61. Analyze the economic stupidity of ‘Demonetization’. 62. Is ‘Bullet Train’ good for India? 63. Is GST good for India? 64. Discuss: For sustainable development inclusive growth is essential for India. 65. The planning commission has been replaced by NITI Ayog. Comment on the concept and efficacy of NITI Ayog. 66. How to reduce India’s dependence on monsoon rains? 67. Why entry into the NSG is important for India? 68. Was it sensible to scrap the Rail Budget? 69. Should India introduce GM Mustard? 70. Global analysis on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), health performance has ranked India 143/188 among nations. Should India do something about it? 71. Write in favour of Globalization. 72. Write in favor of protectionism. 73. India has moved one rank up to the 130th position in the World Bank’s ‘ease of doing business’ ranking for 2017. What should India do? 74. India has approximately only 24 lac tax payers, while 25 lac cars are bought each year, including 35,000 luxury cars. Analyze the problem and suggest solutions. 75. Is implementation of Universal Basic Income (UBI) in India a good idea? 76. Is the proposal to abolish Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) a good idea? 77. Why corporate houses are keen on the defence sector?Social & General Topics78. Are introduction of a strong Lokpal and transparency in funding of political parties and election expenses the biggest reforms needed by India? 79. Discuss euthanasia. 80. Is juvenile justice in India okay? 81. What are the advantages for China being a communist country? 82. Why communism failed in erstwhile USSR? 83. Why ordinances are not considered a good way of making laws? 84. Why politicians & elections are the prime reason for creation of black money? 85. Discuss the drug menace in Punjab. 86. Discuss the “Khap panchayats” of Haryana. 87. Discuss the matrilineal societies of Kerala & Meghalaya. 88. Discuss the feudal culture in UP, Bihar & MP. 89. Why the North Eastern states were not enthusiastic about independence in 1947? 90. What are the problems of Meiteis in Manipur?91. Why there is rampant illegal immigration from Bangladesh & cattle smuggling from India into Bangladesh?92. Is the growing population of India a major problem? 93. Why it make sense to take care of our environment? 94. What are the unique challenges for women in Defence Services? 95. Why girl education is vital for population control, development of the society & economic growth? 96. Why AFSPA cannot be removed from Kashmir or Manipur in the foreseeable future? 97. Are castes relevant in India today?98. What is the future of communists in India? 99. Why is the study of history relevant? 100. Is reservation required for women in Parliament? 101. Why it is difficult to remove caste/tribe based reservations? 102. How can sports be promoted in India? 103. Why illegal constructions often get legalized in India? 104. What is the problem of making laws through ordinances? 105. Should minimum education be a criterion for elected posts? 106. Discuss India’s skewed sex ration. 107. Discuss the problem of crime against women in India. 108. Was odd-even policy in Delhi a sensible way to reduce pollution? 109. Discuss criminalization of politics in India. 110. Match fixing in IPL- is there a permanent solution? 111. Why India is unable to get medals in track and field in Olympics? 112. What will be the long term effects of promotion of ‘Hindutva’ and divisive politics of BJP? 113. Comment on the promotion of prohibition in states. 114. Benefits of organic farming. 115. Discuss: Road accidents the biggest killer in India. 116. Discuss implications of declaration of ‘Triple Talaaq’ illegal by the Supreme Court. 117. What lessons emerged from the BHU incident of violence against women students? 118. How to increase women participation in India’s economy? 119. Discuss India’s hosting of the under-17 Football World Cup. 120. Why government must focus more on health and education? 121. How should India respond to the Rohingya crisis? 122. How can a common man discern the truth when Modi & ministers lie consistently to the nation and media pursues economic agenda rather than factual reporting? 123. Does the information age pose a threat to our culture and society? 124. How can we permanently resolve inter-state water disputes? 125. Is the nexus between doctors and pharmaceutical companies a concern for the government? 126. Discuss acid attacks on women. 127. Discuss the misuse of Article 356. 128. Discuss the socio-economic impact of migration from other countries into India. 129. Why local militants are heroes for Kashmiris? 130. Suggest measures to fight the problem of droughts in India. 131. How to resolve the problem of pending cases in Indian courts? 132. How to resolve the problem of grant of reservations in India?133. Discuss India’s own GPS. 134. Can elections be won by buying votes? 135. Discuss the problem of caring for the old in India. 136. Discuss the problem of child obesity in India. 137. Parrikar had proposed, “All women battalion and girls in Sainik Schools”. Discuss. 138. Discuss: “Government allocates Rs 12,000 crore to skill one crore people.” 139. Discuss the Supreme Court’s control of BCCI. 140. Discuss the use of drugs in sports. 141. Discuss the implications of legalization of betting in sports in India. 142. Chief Justice of India TS Thakur had told government on 12 Aug 2016: “Break logjam soon or we will step in, CJI tells government” on the issue of appointment of judges. Discuss reasons for delay in appointment of judges by Modi government. 143. Is Phelps the greatest athlete ever? 144. Discuss the “Surrogacy Bill”. 145. Government has accepted the recommendations of a parliamentary panel to impose stringent accountability on celebrities for endorsing products and for misleading advertisements. Discuss the subject. 146. Discuss India’s poor performance in Olympic Games. What should we do? 147. Is India ready for a uniform civil code? 148. Is the charge of sedition being misused by ‘self- styled nationalists’ in India under the present government? 149. Analyze the Maratha agitation in 2016. 150. Is it time for India to have a uniform civil code? 151. Is it correct to ban Pakistani artists from working in India? 152. How to reduce Diwali pollution in India? 153. Significance of burning schools in Kashmir. 154. Is forcing citizens to stand and listen to the “National Anthem” in cinema halls in India a good idea? 155. Comment on the revival of Hockey in India. 156. Discuss the promotion of Kabaddi in India. 157. Discuss the impact of high tax on petrol and diesel in India. 158. Discuss the Disabilities Bill. 159. Discuss: 10th board exam is back. 160. Discuss: Agni-V tested. 161. Section 123(3) of the Representation of People Act, 1951 was in news recently for a judgment. Please discuss 162. Is the demand for delay in presentation of budget by the opposition parties justified?163. Does India need a regulatory body for media content as argued by Prashant Bhushan recently in the Supreme Court? 164. Comment on the “Jallikattu” problem in Tamil Nadu in Feb 2017. 165. Army Chief,Gen Rawat said: "While our aim has been to conduct peoplefriendly operations, the manner in which the local population is preventing us from conducting the operations, at times even supporting the terrorists to escape, it is these factors which are leading to higher casualties among the security forces. We would now request the local population, local boys if they want to continue with the acts of terrorism, displaying flags of IS and Pakistan, then we will treat them as anti-national elements and go helter-skelter for them... If they do not relent and create hurdles, then we will take tough action." Please comment. 166. Jayalalithaa deserved to be punished for corruption. However, now Sasikala, her partner in corruption will be alone in jail. Please comment. 167. Discuss: PSLV-C37 successfully launches 104 satellites in a single flight. 168. Discuss: Violence in Ramjas College. 169. Discuss the politics of vandalism of statues. 170. 1 171. 170. Discuss the politics of bans on books and movies.Good luck!