29 September 2026
Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian asked the Centre for a timely and uninterrupted supply of 5.5 lakh metric tonnes of DAP and 15 lakh MT of urea for the coming Rabi season.
He placed the demand at the National Conference on Agriculture for Rabi Season 2026 in Delhi.
The requirement is critical for the State's major Rabi crops, wheat and potato.
Punjab has about 41 lakh hectares of cultivable land.
The State contributes nearly 40 per cent of the wheat and 22 per cent of the paddy that go into the national foodgrain pool.
The minister said earlier delays in fertiliser supply had caused hardship to farmers.
DAP sought:
5.5 lakh MT
Urea sought:
15 lakh MT
Cultivable land:
41 lakh hectares
Share of wheat in national pool:
nearly 40 per cent
Why it matters for exams: Fertiliser demand figures and Punjab's share in the national foodgrain pool are standard agriculture-economy questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
Background
The district administration of Ludhiana in Punjab publishes its demographic profile as per Provisional population figures of 2011 Census. The district covers an area of 3967 Sq Km. It is organised into 7 Sub Divisions, 7 Tehsils, 6 Sub-Tehsils, 44 Kanungo Circles and 13 Blocks. It contains 916 villages, of which 893 are inhabited and 23 un-habited, together with 11 towns and 941 Gram Panchayts. The population is 3498739, made up of 1867816 male and 1630923 female residents. Females per thousand stands at 873 and the literacy figure at 82.02. The district accounts for 1 Parliament seat and 14 Assembly seats, 1 Municipal Corporation, 9 Nagar Councils and 13 Market Committees.
Area:
3967 sq km
Population:
3498739
Females per thousand:
873
Literacy:
82.02
Blocks:
13
Why it matters for exams: District-level area, population, sex ratio and literacy figures from an official district profile are the standard form in which state geography questions are set.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
Background
Patiala district in Punjab forms a part of the Indo-Gangetic plain and is described as three types of region: the Upland Plain, the Cho-infested Foothill Plain and the Floodplain of the Ghaggar River. The river Ghaghar is the most important water channel of the district and is essentially a seasonal stream, remaining dry during most part of the year. During the rains it remains in spate, often flooding the adjoining villages and damaging crops and livestock. The subsidiary rivulets that join the Ghaggar River include the Tangri Nadi, Patiala-Wali-Nadi, Sirhind Choe and the Jhambowali Choe. Apart from the natural drainage line the district has three important canals: the Bhakra Main Line canal, the Nawana Branch and the Ghaghar Link. Before these canals were constructed Patiala district was a water scarce area, and the canals helped to transform the parched fields into fertile, double-crop lands. The district lies between 29°49’ and 30°47’ north latitude and 75°58’ and 76°54’ east longitude, and is sub-divided into 6 sub-divisons/tehsils, 2 sub-tehsils and 9 blocks.
Main water channel:
Ghaggar River
Canals:
Bhakra Main Line canal, Nawana Branch, Ghaghar Link
Subsidiary rivulets:
Tangri Nadi, Patiala-Wali-Nadi, Sirhind Choe, Jhambowali Choe
Sub-divisions/tehsils:
6
Blocks:
9
Why it matters for exams: Examiners pair a seasonal river with the canal network built to replace it, because it shows why canal irrigation, not rainfall, underpins double cropping in this part of the plains.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
The craft of the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru constitutes the traditional technique of manufacturing brass and copper utensils in Punjab. UNESCO inscribed it in 2014 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The metals used are copper, brass and certain alloys. The process begins with cooled cakes of metal that are flattened into thin plates and then hammered into curved shapes, producing small bowls, rimmed plates, larger pots for water and milk and huge cooking vessels. Careful temperature control is achieved by using tiny wood-fired stoves, aided by hand-held bellows, buried in the earth. Utensils are manually finished by polishing with traditional materials such as sand and tamarind juice, and designs are made by hammering a series of tiny dents into the heated metal. The process of manufacturing is transmitted orally from father to son, and the element is listed under the domain of Traditional craftsmanship.
Year of inscription:
2014
Decision:
9.COM 10.19
Domain:
Traditional craftsmanship
Inscribed as:
Traditional brass and copper craft of utensil making among the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru, Punjab, India
Metals used:
copper, brass and certain alloys
Why it matters for exams: India's entries on the UNESCO Representative List are asked by name, and this is the one that belongs to Punjab rather than to a performing art.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
One High Court serves the two States of Punjab and Haryana, and its principal seat is at Chandigarh, in Sector 1 of the city. Its predecessor, the High Court of judicature at Lahore, was established by Letters Patent dated March 20, 1919 for the provinces of Punjab and Delhi, and the Chief Court of Punjab was abolished on its establishment. After independence the High Court at Lahore ceased to have jurisdiction over Delhi and East Punjab, and the East Punjab High Court of judicature was established at Shimla on August 15, 1947. The seat was later moved because of the inclement weather at Shimla in winter, and the Court started functioning at Chandigarh from its present building with effect from January 17, 1955; Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru formally declared it open on March 19, 1955. The plan of the building was designed by the French Architect Le Corbusier. By the States Re-organisation Act, 1956 the State of Pepsu, the Patiala and East Punjab State Union, was merged in the State of Punjab, the Judges of the Pepsu High Court became Judges of the Punjab High Court, and the strength of the Court rose from 8 Judges to 13. When Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh came into existence from November 1st, 1966, the High Court of Punjab was renamed the High Court of Punjab and Haryana, and it has worked in that form since.
Principal seat:
Chandigarh, Sector 1
Court at Lahore:
High Court of judicature at Lahore
Seat after independence:
Shimla
Architect of the building:
Le Corbusier
Renamed High Court of Punjab and Haryana:
November 1, 1966
Why it matters for exams: A single High Court for two States and a Union Territory is the standard illustration of a common High Court, and its move from Lahore to Shimla to Chandigarh is asked as a sequence.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
Harike is one of the most important Wild Life Sanctuaries of not only Punjab but also of India. It is situated on the confluence of the Beas and Sutlej rivers, and the sanctuary encompasses an area of approximately 86 sq km. The area was declared a Wild Life Sanctuary in 1999, and because of its importance as a wetland of international stature it was declared a Ramsar site in 1990. Around 375 bird species have been recorded; 40 species were long distance migrants which pass through or winter at Harike lake, some from as far off as Siberia and the Arctic. Some 45,000 ducks have been recorded here during the peak migratory season, among them the wigeon, common teal, pintail, shoveller and brahminy ducks. The lake is particularly famous for diving ducks such as the crested pochard, common pochard and tufted ducks. Apart from avifauna, 7 species of turtle and 26 species of fish have been recorded, and the mammals found at Harike include the smooth Indian otter, the jungle cat, jackal, Indian wild boar and the common mongoose. The major problems facing the sanctuary are encroachments on the wetland habitat, widespread infestation of water hyacinth weed, siltation and the drainage of untreated industrial effluents.
Area:
approximately 86 sq km
Declared a Wild Life Sanctuary:
1999
Declared a Ramsar site:
1990
Bird species recorded:
375
Fish species recorded:
26
Why it matters for exams: Wetland questions usually turn on the pairing of a national designation with the Ramsar listing, and Harike is the Punjab site most often set.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
The Rupnagar district administration records that the district was carved out on 1 November 1966 at the reorganisation of the State.
Rupnagar town was formerly known as Ropar, and the name is traced to a Raja called Rokeshar who is said to have named it after his son Rup Sen in the 11th century.
The district page records that the first civilized folk to settle here were the Harappans, who reached the upper Satluj towards the close of the third millennium BC.
The Satluj passes 2 to 5 km from the towns of Nangal, Rupnagar and Anandpur Sahib.
Anandpur Sahib is one of the district's administrative divisions.
In 2006 the Kharar and Majri blocks of Rupnagar were transferred to the new district of S.A.S. Nagar (Mohali).
District formed:
1 November 1966
Former name:
Ropar
River:
Satluj
Blocks transferred in 2006:
Kharar and Majri
Why it matters for exams: Ties the 1 November 1966 reorganisation, the Sutlej and Anandpur Sahib to one verifiable district record.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
Background
The Malerkotla district administration records that the district was carved out of Sangrur as the 23rd district of Punjab on 2 June 2021.
Its headquarters is Malerkotla city, and it has three subdivisions: Malerkotla, Amargarh and Ahmedgarh.
The district recorded 429,754 residents in the 2011 Census, with a density of 837 persons per square kilometre.
It is one of five districts in the Patiala Division and is bounded by Ludhiana, Barnala, Patiala and Sangrur.
The district takes its name from a former princely state that merged into the Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU) after independence.
PEPSU was later integrated with Punjab, and the area remained a tehsil of Sangrur district until 2021.
Formed:
2 June 2021
Rank among districts:
23rd district of Punjab
Population (2011):
429,754
Density:
837 persons per square kilometer
Why it matters for exams: Newest-district questions and the PEPSU link are both frequent in State and general studies papers.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
Background
The Tarn Taran district administration records the founding of the town in 1596 by Guru Arjan Dev Ji, the fifth Sikh Guru, with the establishment of the Shri Tarn Taran Sahib temple.
The district covers 2,449 sq. km.
It is bounded by Amritsar district in the north, Kapurthala district in the east, Pakistan in the west and Firozpur district in the south.
It has three tehsils, Tarn Taran, Patti and Khadur Sahib, along with five sub-tehsils and eight development blocks.
The 2001 Census put the district population at 939,057, of which 88.02 per cent was rural.
Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji and Gurdwara Guru Ka Khuh are among its documented historic shrines.
Founded:
1596
Founder:
Guru Arjan Dev Ji
Area:
2,449 sq. km
Rural population:
88.02%
Why it matters for exams: A border district with a Guru-period founding date links Punjab geography and Sikh history in one item.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
Background
The Pathankot district administration records that Pathankot was officially declared a district on 27 July 2011 by the Government of Punjab.
Before that it was a tehsil of Gurdaspur district.
Pathankot stands where Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir converge.
The Chakki river flows near the city.
The district lies between 32 degrees 16 minutes 40 seconds and 32 degrees 21 minutes 21 seconds north latitude.
Its longitude range is 75 degrees 31 minutes 15 seconds to 75 degrees 46 minutes 56 seconds east.
Declared a district:
27 July, 2011
Parent district:
Gurdaspur
River:
Chakki
Why it matters for exams: A tri-junction district with a precise creation date is easy to ask and easy to get wrong.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
Background
The Fazilka district administration traces the town's origin to AD 1844.
It was founded by Mr Oliver and named after Mian Fazil Watoo, an early landowner of the area.
The town lies 11 km off the international border with Pakistan, about 325 km west of Chandigarh and 200 km south of Amritsar.
The Sutlej is the key river near the town.
Before 1947 Fazilka was the biggest wool market in undivided Punjab, and it remains a rice and cotton centre.
The district record notes a destructive flood in 1908 and the impact of the Indo-Pakistan wars of 1965 and 1971.
Origin:
AD 1844
Named after:
Mian Fazil Watoo
Distance from border:
11 km
Distance from Chandigarh:
325 km
Why it matters for exams: Border-district economics and founding dates recur in State geography and history questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
Background
The Amritsar district administration records that Amritsar was founded by Sri Guru Ramdass, the fourth Guru of the Sikhs, in about 1574 AD.
The city was originally called Ramdaspur.
The Guru brought 52 traders to settle the new town, and their families started the first 32 shops in a street still called Batisi Hatta.
Guru Ramdass began the digging of the Amrit Sarovar, the pool that gives the city its name, and his successor completed it.
Sri Guru Arjan Dev built the Harmandir Sahib in the centre of the Amrit Sarovar.
A copy of the Guru Granth Sahib was ceremonially installed there and Baba Buddha Sahib became its first Granthi.
Founded:
about 1574 A.D.
Founder:
Sri Guru Ramdass, the fourth Guru of the Sikhs
Original name:
Ramdaspur
First shops:
32, in Batisi Hatta
Why it matters for exams: The founding sequence of Amritsar and the Harmandir Sahib is a standard art and culture question.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC