Key Terms & Concepts

The Constitution (Forty-second Amendment) Act, 1976 — nicknamed the **"Mini-Constitution"** — is the most sweeping amendment in Indian constitutional history. Enacted during the In...

The Constitution (Forty-fourth Amendment) Act, 1978, enacted by the Janata Party government under Prime Minister Morarji Desai as a direct response to the misuse of emergency power...

The fifth generation of mobile telecommunications standards, offering peak theoretical speeds up to 20 Gbps (100x faster than 4G), ultra-low latency as low as 1 millisecond (vs 30-...

The Constitution (Seventy-third Amendment) Act, 1992, which added Part IX (Articles 243 to 243O) and the Eleventh Schedule (29 subjects) to the Constitution, granting constitutiona...

The Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 — which added Part IX (Articles 243 to 243-O) and the Eleventh Schedule (29 subjects) to the Constitution — giving constitutional status...

The Constitution (Seventy-fourth Amendment) Act, 1992, which added Part IX-A (Articles 243P to 243ZG) and the Twelfth Schedule (18 functions) to the Constitution, granting constitu...

The Constitution (74th Amendment) Act, 1992 — which added Part IX-A (Articles 243P to 243ZG) and the Twelfth Schedule (18 subjects) — providing constitutional recognition to Urban ...

A national-level digital repository that stores academic credits of students from across higher education institutions, enabling multiple-entry/exit from degree programmes and tran...

India's foreign policy initiative — upgraded from the "Look East Policy" (1991) to "Act East Policy" at the East Asia Summit in November 2014 by PM Modi — that prioritises strength...

India's strategic foreign policy doctrine that upgrades the earlier Look East Policy (1991) into an action-oriented, project-based engagement with Southeast Asia, East Asia, and th...

Policies and measures -- including reservations in education, employment, and political representation -- designed to promote the advancement of historically disadvantaged groups a...

The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, is a parliamentary act that grants extraordinary powers to the Indian Armed Forces in areas officially declared as "disturbed" by the C...

A complex of 30 rock-cut Buddhist caves in Aurangabad district, Maharashtra (UNESCO World Heritage Site, 1983), renowned for their exquisite fresco secco paintings — including the ...

The comprehensive system of state-regulated price controls, anti-hoarding measures, and centralised market oversight instituted by Sultan Alauddin Khalji (r. 1296–1316) across four...

The political upheaval (1765–1783) in which thirteen British colonies in North America rejected imperial rule, declared independence on 4 July 1776, fought the Revolutionary War, a...

A government scheme providing basic urban infrastructure — water supply, sewerage, urban transport, parks — launched in two phases; AMRUT 2.0 (2021-22 to 2025-26) covers **all 4,37...

Annual confidential document recording a civil servant's performance, integrity, and potential, used for promotion and career advancement decisions; replaces the old Annual Confide...

The constitutional provision contained in the Tenth Schedule — added by the 52nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1985 — that provides for disqualification of elected members of Parli...

The ability of microorganisms -- bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites -- to evolve and survive exposure to antimicrobial drugs (antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, antiparasit...

The ability of microorganisms — bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites — to survive and multiply in the presence of antimicrobial drugs (antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals) that...

A scheme providing subsidised food grains at the most concessional rates to the poorest of the poor households; currently entitled to 35 kg per family per month under NFSA 2013.

The system of institutionalised racial segregation and discrimination enforced by the white minority National Party government in South Africa from 1948 to 1994 — it classified all...

An audit conducted by the CAG to verify whether money granted by Parliament has been spent on the specific purposes for which it was sanctioned.

An ancient Sanskrit treatise on statecraft, economics, military strategy, and law, attributed to Kautilya (Chanakya), serving as the foundational manual for Mauryan governance.

The science and engineering of creating machines and software systems capable of performing tasks that typically require human intelligence, including learning from data (machine l...

A Hindu reform movement founded on 10 April 1875 in Bombay by Swami Dayananda Saraswati, advocating a return to the Vedas as the sole scriptural authority while rejecting idol wors...

A collection of 33 inscriptions carved on rocks, pillars, and cave walls across the Mauryan Empire by Emperor Ashoka (r. c. 268–232 BCE), proclaiming his policy of Dhamma, administ...

The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom, denoted by Z, which uniquely identifies a chemical element and determines its position in the periodic table. In a neutral atom, th...

Literally "August Revolution," the popular name for the Quit India Movement launched on 8 August 1942, when the All India Congress Committee at Gowalia Tank Maidan in Bombay ratifi...

The military alliance of Germany, Italy, and Japan — formalised by the Tripartite Pact of September 1940 — that opposed the Allied Powers in World War II; later joined by Hungary, ...

India's flagship universal health protection scheme, launched on 23 September 2018 at Ranchi, Jharkhand, comprising two pillars: (1) Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) -- 1.5 lakh ...

India's national digital health ecosystem launched in September 2021 by the National Health Authority (NHA), creating a unified framework of health IDs (ABHA), electronic health re...

The Provisional Government of Free India, proclaimed by Subhas Chandra Bose on 21 October 1943 in Singapore, which was recognised by nine Axis-aligned nations, issued its own curre...

A systematic double-entry record of all economic transactions between the residents of a country and the rest of the world during a given period, compiled by the Reserve Bank of In...

A constitutional doctrine holding that Parliament's amending power under Article 368 does not extend to altering the "basic structure" of the Constitution. The doctrine has no fixe...

The Third Battle of Panipat (14 January 1761), fought between the Maratha Confederacy under Sadashivrao Bhau and Ahmad Shah Durrani (Abdali) of Afghanistan with Rohilla and Awadh a...

The decisive engagement on 23 June 1757 at Palashi (Bengal), where Robert Clive's East India Company forces defeated Nawab Siraj ud-Daulah — largely through the betrayal of his com...

The decisive battle fought on 23 January 1565 (also called the Battle of Rakkasa-Tangadi) in which a combined alliance of four Deccan Sultanates — Ahmadnagar, Bijapur, Bidar, and G...

China's mega-infrastructure and connectivity programme launched in 2013 by President Xi Jinping, encompassing the overland "Silk Road Economic Belt" and the maritime "21st Century ...

The fortified concrete barrier erected by East Germany on 13 August 1961 to encircle West Berlin and prevent emigration to the West — it stood for 28 years as the foremost physical...

A devotional reform movement originating among the Alvars and Nayanars of Tamil Nadu (c. 6th–9th century CE) and spreading across India by the 15th–17th century, which emphasised p...

One of India's oldest classical dance forms, originating in Tamil Nadu's temple tradition, characterised by a fixed upper torso, bent-knee stance (*aramandi*), intricate footwork, ...

A regional organisation of seven countries bordering the Bay of Bengal (Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal, Bhutan) focused on trade, investment, energy, connec...

A biogeographic region that simultaneously meets two strict criteria — it must contain at least 1,500 species of vascular plants as endemics (more than 0.5% of the world's total) A...

The natural pathway by which essential chemical elements and compounds circulate between living organisms (biosphere), the atmosphere, water bodies (hydrosphere), and rocks/soil (l...

An area designated under UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme that combines nature conservation with sustainable human development, structured into three concentric zones...

The doctrine, derived from Otto von Bismarck's speech of 30 September 1862 to the Prussian Budget Committee, that the great questions of the day would be decided not by speeches an...

A monotheistic Hindu reform movement founded on 20 August 1828 in Calcutta by Raja Ram Mohan Roy, advocating the worship of one formless God while rejecting idol worship, caste rig...

A supersonic cruise missile developed as a joint venture between India's DRDO and Russia's NPO Mashinostroyeniya (now NPO Mash), capable of being launched from land, sea, air (Su-3...

An intergovernmental grouping of major emerging economies — originally Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa — now expanded to ten full members (with Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran...

India's only approved GM crop (since 2002), containing the *cry1Ac* gene from *Bacillus thuringiensis* that produces insecticidal proteins toxic to bollworm larvae. Covers ~95% of ...

A 1946 British proposal by three Cabinet ministers — Lord Pethick-Lawrence (Secretary of State for India), Sir Stafford Cripps (President of the Board of Trade), and A.V. Alexander...

The classical music tradition of South India (Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana), characterised by a predominantly vocal orientation, structured composit...

The tax-on-tax problem in indirect taxation where each successive stage of production or distribution levies tax on a value that already includes taxes paid at earlier stages, resu...

A hereditary social stratification system historically rooted in Hindu social organisation, dividing society into hierarchical endogamous groups (*jātis*) theoretically based on th...

Kant's supreme moral principle — an unconditional moral obligation binding on all rational beings, independent of personal desires or consequences; the most famous formulation: "Ac...

A 1979 UN treaty called the "international bill of rights for women," obligating state parties to eliminate discrimination against women in political, economic, social, cultural, a...

The 15th national census of India, conducted under the Census Act of 1948 in two phases — house listing from April 2010 and population enumeration from 9-28 February 2011 — which r...

A settlement in India that meets all three Census-defined urban criteria -- minimum population of 5,000, at least 75% of male main workers engaged in non-agricultural occupations, ...

India's apex statutory anti-corruption advisory body established under the Central Vigilance Commission Act, 2003, comprising a Central Vigilance Commissioner and up to two Vigilan...

The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team, established in January 2004 and given statutory backing under Section 70B of the Information Technology Act, 2000 (inserted via the 200...

The standard classification of Indian forests published by H.G. Champion and S.K. Seth in their 1968 work *A Revised Survey of the Forest Types of India*, dividing India's forests ...

The most popular and influential Sufi order (*silsilah*) in the Indian subcontinent, founded by Abu Ishaq Shami in Chisht, Afghanistan (c. 930 CE) and brought to India by Khwaja Mu...

The maritime military force of the Chola dynasty, most notably under Rajendra Chola I, who in 1025 CE launched an unprecedented naval expedition against the Srivijaya Empire in Sou...

The organ system comprising the heart (a four-chambered muscular pump in humans), blood vessels (arteries, veins, and capillaries totalling ~100,000 km in length), and blood (~5 li...

A public document issued by a government agency or service provider that specifies the standards of service delivery, quality benchmarks, timelines for each service, grievance redr...

A written document issued by a public organisation committing to specific service standards — including timelines, quality, and grievance redressal mechanisms — and acknowledging c...

A document that sets out the rights of citizens with respect to a public service, specifying standards of service, entitlements, redress mechanisms, and accountability of the servi...

An amendment to the Citizenship Act, 1955 that provides persons belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, or Christian communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan...

The mass campaign launched by Gandhi on 12 March 1930 with the Salt March from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi (387 km), in which Indians deliberately broke unjust British laws — beginni...

The foundational ethical principles that guide the conduct of government officials in serving the public interest — encompassing integrity (consistency between words and actions, e...

A designation granted by the Government of India (since 2004) to languages that meet criteria of high antiquity (recorded history of 1,500-2,000 years), a body of ancient literatur...

The probability of harmful consequences — loss of life, injury, infrastructure damage, livelihoods disruption — arising from the interaction of climate hazards (heatwaves, floods, ...

A formal document setting out specific, prescriptive, legally binding rules, standards, and expectations that define what a government servant or member of a profession may or may ...

The constitutional principle under Article 75(3) whereby the entire Council of Ministers is jointly and severally accountable to the Lok Sabha — all ministers "swim and sink togeth...

The judicially evolved mechanism for appointing and transferring judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts, whereby a collegium headed by the Chief Justice of India and the four ...

Parliamentary committee that examines the working of public sector undertakings (PSUs) to assess their commercial viability and operational efficiency.

A statutory body established under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016 (effective 2018), to manage funds collected from user agencies that divert forest land — funds (com...

The statutory body established under Section 7 of the Competition Act, 2002, comprising a Chairperson and not less than 2 and not more than 6 members (maximum 7), appointed by the ...

A simplified GST compliance scheme under Section 10 of the CGST Act, 2017, for small taxpayers with aggregate turnover up to Rs. 1.5 crore (Rs. 75 lakh for special category states ...

Climate-related events that combine multiple hazards simultaneously or sequentially (e.g., drought followed by wildfire, heatwave during a flood) producing impacts greater than ind...

The supreme audit authority of India, established under Article 148 as the guardian of the public purse, appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal, who audits a...

Constitutional authority under Article 148 who audits the accounts of Union and State governments, certifying whether funds were spent on authorised purposes and with financial pro...

A situation in which a public official's private or personal interests — including financial interests, family relationships, personal affiliations, and future employment prospects...

An ethical theory holding that the morality of an action is determined solely by its outcomes — the action that produces the greatest good for the greatest number is morally right.

A statistical measure compiled by the NSO that tracks the average change in prices paid by households for a fixed basket of consumer goods and services over time, with the current ...

The comprehensive consumer protection legislation enacted on 9 August 2019 (effective 20 July 2020), replacing the Consumer Protection Act, 1986. It codifies six consumer rights (p...

The gently sloping, submerged extension of a continental landmass beneath the ocean, extending from the coastline to the shelf break at an average depth of about 100 metres (though...

The apparent deflection of moving objects (including wind, ocean currents, and projectiles) caused by Earth's rotation on its axis, deflecting them to the right of their direction ...

The obligation of companies to integrate social, environmental, and ethical concerns into their business operations and stakeholder interactions, going beyond mere profit maximisat...

The gradual destruction of a metal or alloy by chemical or electrochemical reaction with its environment, most commonly involving oxidation in the presence of moisture, oxygen, and...

The body of ministers headed by the Prime Minister that aids and advises the President under Article 74 and exercises real (de facto) executive power in India's parliamentary syste...

Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System — an online platform for citizens to lodge grievances against Central Government ministries and departments, with time-bo...

The socially advanced and economically well-off section within the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) that is excluded from the benefits of OBC reservation, as mandated by the Supreme C...

A macroeconomic condition where a country's total imports of goods, services, and transfer payments exceed its total exports and inward transfers on the current account of the Bala...

A structured set of guidelines, standards, and best practices designed to help organisations assess, manage, and reduce cybersecurity risks to their information systems and critica...

The 24-day, 387-kilometre march led by Gandhi with 78 volunteers from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi on the Gujarat coast (12 March - 6 April 1930), where he broke the British salt mono...

The right of individuals to control how their personal information is collected, stored, processed, and shared by governments, corporations, and other entities, and the correspondi...

A large triangular plateau in southern India extending over approximately 422,000 sq km (163,000 sq mi), bounded by the Western Ghats to the west, Eastern Ghats to the east, and th...

One of the largest volcanic features on Earth — a massive lava plateau in west-central India covering approximately 500,000 km² (originally ~1,500,000 km²), formed by flood basalt ...

A foundational document of the French Revolution, adopted by the National Constituent Assembly on 26 August 1789, comprising a preamble and 17 articles that proclaimed the natural ...

The series of five successive Muslim dynasties — Mamluk, Khalji, Tughlaq, Sayyid, and Lodi — that ruled large parts of the Indian subcontinent from Delhi between 1206 and 1526, end...

The accelerated economic growth potential that can result from a decline in a country's birth and death rates and the subsequent change in the age structure of the population — spe...

The potential boost to economic growth that arises when a country's working-age population (15-64 years) is significantly larger than the dependent population (children and elderly...

An ethical theory that judges the morality of actions based on adherence to rules, duties, and obligations — an action is right if it conforms to a moral rule, regardless of its co...

A body of social science theory arguing that resources flow from a "periphery" of poor, underdeveloped states to a "core" of wealthy states — enriching the latter at the expense of...

The historical practice of dedicating women to the service of a temple deity, where they performed ritual dance and music as part of daily worship; the Devadasi system preserved cl...

The branch of applied ethics that examines moral principles and standards governing responsible behaviour by individuals, organisations, and governments in the creation, use, and r...

A flagship programme of the Government of India launched on 1 July 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, built on nine pillars — (1) Broadband Highways, (2) Universal Access to Mob...

A short-lived syncretic spiritual order promulgated by Emperor Akbar in 1582, drawing elements from Islam, Hinduism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, and Christianity, with no scriptures, ...

A government reform initiative launched on 1 January 2013 that transfers subsidies, scholarships, pensions, and other welfare payments directly into beneficiaries' Aadhaar-linked b...

The concept and practice of preventing new and reducing existing disaster risk through systematic efforts to analyse and manage the causal factors of disasters, including hazard ex...

The rallying call given by Mahatma Gandhi on 8 August 1942 at the launch of the Quit India Movement — "Here is a mantra, a short one, that I give you... The mantra is 'Do or Die'. ...

A policy of territorial annexation applied by the British East India Company (most aggressively under Governor-General Lord Dalhousie, 1848–1856) whereby any princely state under C...

The ninth and latest round of multilateral trade negotiations under the WTO, launched at the Fourth Ministerial Conference in Doha, Qatar, in November 2001, with the stated objecti...

The apparent change in the frequency (and wavelength) of a wave -- sound, light, or any electromagnetic radiation -- perceived by an observer when there is relative motion between ...

An economic theory, articulated by Dadabhai Naoroji in 1867 and elaborated in his 1901 book *Poverty and Un-British Rule in India*, arguing that Britain systematically transferred ...

The economic thesis, propounded by Dadabhai Naoroji and elaborated by R.C. Dutt, that British colonial rule systematically transferred a portion of India's wealth and resources to ...

The spatial arrangement of a river and its tributaries as determined by the slope, underlying rock structure, and tectonic history of an area, classified into types including dendr...

The temple architectural tradition of South India (south of the Krishna River), characterised by a pyramidal stepped tower (vimana) over the sanctum, elaborate gateway towers (gopu...

The Defence Research and Development Organisation, India's premier military research and development agency under the Ministry of Defence, responsible for designing and developing ...

An official determination by a state government that drought conditions exist in a specified area, based on a composite assessment across five index categories -- rainfall (25% or ...

India's unique concurrent dual GST model where both the Central Government (CGST) and State Governments (SGST/UTGST) levy tax simultaneously on the same intra-state supply of goods...

An integrated system comprising four interrelated elements -- (1) disaster risk knowledge, (2) detection, monitoring, analysis and forecasting of hazards, (3) dissemination and com...

A joint-stock company chartered on 31 December 1600 by Queen Elizabeth I, originally formed for trade with the East Indies, which gradually transformed into a territorial power gov...

The holistic development of children from birth to 8 years covering cognitive, physical, socio-emotional, and cultural development, forming the "Foundational Stage" of the NEP 2020...

A graphical representation of the trophic structure of an ecosystem showing the relative amounts of organisms (pyramid of numbers), biomass (pyramid of biomass), or energy (pyramid...

The benefits that humans derive from ecosystems, classified into four categories by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005): Provisioning (food, water, timber), Regulating (clim...

The direct and indirect benefits that humans derive from functioning ecosystems, classified by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA, 2005) into four categories: provisioning se...

A schedule of the Indian Constitution (referenced in Articles 344(1) and 351) that lists the officially recognised languages of India; it originally contained 14 languages in 1950 ...

A coupled ocean-atmosphere climate phenomenon in the tropical Pacific Ocean that oscillates between three phases — El Nino (anomalous warming of central/eastern Pacific SSTs, weake...

A permanent and autonomous constitutional body established under Article 324, consisting of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and two Election Commissioners (ECs), vested with ...

The production of an electromotive force (EMF) and hence an electric current across an electrical conductor caused by a changing magnetic flux through it. Faraday's Law states that...

The entire continuous range of electromagnetic radiation, ordered by frequency (or inversely by wavelength), extending from radio waves (longest wavelength, lowest frequency/energy...

The 21-month period (25 June 1975 to 21 March 1977) during which President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, on PM Indira Gandhi's advice, proclaimed a state of Emergency under Article 352 on ...

The capacity to recognise, understand, manage, and effectively use one's own emotions while also perceiving and influencing the emotions of others — comprising five learnable compe...

The network of ductless glands that secrete hormones directly into the bloodstream (unlike exocrine glands that secrete through ducts) to regulate metabolism, growth, reproduction,...

A systematic process of evaluating the likely environmental consequences of a proposed project or development before a decision is made to proceed, ensuring that environmental conc...

The minimum speed an object must reach to break free from a celestial body's gravitational field without any further propulsion, independent of the escaping object's own mass. It d...

Parliamentary committee of 30 Lok Sabha members that examines budget estimates *before* expenditure, suggesting economies and improvements in policy implementation.

A system of rules, practices, and processes by which organisations and governments conduct themselves in a manner guided by moral principles — including transparency (open decision...

The European Union's Artificial Intelligence Act, adopted in June 2024 and entered into force on 1 August 2024, establishing the world's first comprehensive, legally binding regula...

A maritime zone extending up to 200 nautical miles (370 km) from a coastal state's baseline, within which the state has sovereign rights over all natural resources (living and non-...

A multi-disciplinary committee constituted by MoEFCC under the EIA Notification 2006, comprising experts in environmental science, ecology, engineering, health, and social sciences...

A policy approach under which producers, importers, and brand owners are made financially and operationally responsible for the entire life-cycle of their products — including coll...

Fabricated or misleading content deliberately designed and disseminated under the guise of legitimate news reporting in order to deceive readers, manipulate public opinion, inflame...

Constitutional schedule (Article 244(1)) that provides for the administration and control of Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes in states other than Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, an...

A schedule under Article 244(1) of the Indian Constitution that provides a framework for the administration and governance of Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes in ten states (An...

An inter-governmental body headquartered in Paris, France, comprising 39 member jurisdictions (Russia's membership suspended in February 2023) and two regional organisations (Europ...

A series of centralised national socio-economic programmes formulated by the Planning Commission (1950-2014), setting specific growth targets, development priorities, and resource ...

The demarcation of areas along rivers and water bodies into zones based on their susceptibility to flooding of varying magnitudes and frequencies, with regulations governing the ty...

The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act that recognises and vests individual and community forest rights of forest-dwelling Sc...

Military installations positioned close to a contested front line to enable rapid offensive and defensive operations, typically used in mountainous terrain where supply lines are d...

The core ethical principles that guide civil servants in ethical decision-making and ensure fair, accountable, and service-oriented governance — specifically: integrity (consistenc...

The foundational teaching of Buddhism set forth by the Buddha in his first sermon at Sarnath, comprising: (1) Dukkha — life involves suffering; (2) Samudaya — suffering arises from...

The Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2003, enacted by the Indian Parliament to institutionalise fiscal discipline by targeting elimination of revenue deficit and re...

The eleven constitutional obligations of every citizen of India enumerated in Article 51A (Part IV-A), originally introduced as 10 duties by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, ...

An international forum of 19 countries, the European Union, and the African Union (admitted as a permanent member in 2023), representing approximately 85% of global GDP and 75% of ...

India's first crewed orbital spaceflight programme, designed to send a crew of two or three astronauts (called "Gaganauts" or "Vyomanauts") to low Earth orbit at approximately 400 ...

A school of Buddhist sculpture that flourished in the northwestern Indian subcontinent (modern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan) from the 1st to the 5th century CE, characterised b...

Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807--1882), the Italian general and nationalist hero who led the Expedition of the Thousand (1,089 Redshirt volunteers) in 1860, conquering the Kingdom of the ...

A government budgeting approach that analyses the differential impact of public expenditure on women and men, presenting allocations in a Gender Budget Statement (two parts: 100% w...

The deliberate alteration of an organism's DNA using laboratory techniques — including insertion of foreign genes (transgenic), deletion of existing genes, or site-specific modific...

The process by which renovation and improvement of a deteriorated urban neighbourhood attracts wealthier residents, often displacing lower-income residents due to rising rents and ...

An international revolutionary organisation founded on 15 July 1913 in the United States, primarily by Punjabi Sikh and Hindu immigrants, which aimed to overthrow British rule in I...

An annual composite index measuring hunger and food insecurity globally across four indicators — undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting, and child mortality — currently pu...

India's six-tier framework: IBSC (institution) → RCGM (DBT) → RDAC (DBT policy) → SBCC (state) → DLC (district) → GEAC (apex, MoEFCC). Primary law: GMO Rules 1989 under EPA 1986. G...

The 1967 Supreme Court case (*I.C. Golaknath v. State of Punjab*) in which an 11-judge bench ruled 6:5 that Parliament cannot amend Fundamental Rights, treating them as "transcende...

Daniel Goleman's framework of emotional intelligence, presented in his 1995 book *Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ*, which identifies five learnable competenc...

A standard of public administration characterised by eight core attributes identified by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank: (1) Participation, (2) ...

The longest Act passed by the British Parliament (321 sections, 10 schedules), which abolished dyarchy in the provinces, introduced provincial autonomy, established three legislati...

The constitutional position established under Article 153 whereby the Governor serves as the appointed (not elected) head of state for each State, exercising executive powers (Arti...

A large, watertight public tank (12 m x 7 m x 2.4 m deep) at Mohenjo-daro, sealed with bitumen and supplied by a well, believed to have been used for ritual purification — the earl...

The design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances across the entire lifecycle of a product -- from raw material ...

Hydrogen produced by the electrolysis of water using electricity generated from renewable energy sources (solar, wind, or hydropower), resulting in zero carbon dioxide emissions du...

The dramatic increase in food grain production — particularly wheat and rice — achieved in developing countries from the mid-1960s through the adoption of high-yielding variety (HY...

The dramatic increase in food grain production (particularly wheat and rice) achieved in the mid-1960s through the 1970s by the introduction of high-yielding variety (HYV) seeds, c...

The total monetary value of all final goods and services produced within a country's borders during a specific period, serving as the primary aggregate indicator of economic size a...

The total monetary value of all final goods and services produced within the domestic territory of a country during a specified period (usually a financial year), regardless of whe...

The ratio of total enrolment in a level of education (regardless of age) to the population of the official school-age group for that level, expressed as a percentage.

A constitutional guarantee under the 101st Amendment Act, 2016, and the GST (Compensation to States) Act, 2017, that the Centre would compensate states for any revenue shortfall fr...

A foreign policy principle articulated by PM I.K. Gujral (1996) under which India would offer unilateral concessions to smaller neighbours without expecting reciprocity, premised o...

The decentralised governance system of the Gupta Empire, organised into provinces (Bhuktis) under Uparikas, districts (Vishayas) under Vishayapatis, and villages under headmen and ...

A large-scale thermally direct atmospheric circulation cell in the tropics, extending from the equator to approximately 30 degrees N/S latitude, in which intense solar heating caus...

The undeciphered writing system of the Indus Valley Civilization, comprising approximately 400-450 distinct signs found mostly on steatite seals, generally read right to left, with...

A comprehensive, city- or state-level preparedness framework that outlines early warning protocols, inter-agency coordination mechanisms, public awareness campaigns, healthcare pre...

The phenomenon where urban areas experience significantly higher temperatures than surrounding rural areas due to dark impervious surfaces, reduced vegetation, waste heat from vehi...

A form of indirect protection from an infectious disease that occurs when a sufficiently large proportion of a population becomes immune -- through vaccination or prior natural inf...

A revolutionary organisation formed in September 1928 by reorganising the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) under Chandrashekhar Azad, with Bhagat Singh as a key ideologue, di...

The classical music tradition of northern, central, and western India that diverged from the southern Carnatic tradition around the 13th century CE, characterised by extensive impr...

The Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) 2005-2015, subtitled "Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters," was the first internationally agreed-upon plan for disa...

A standardised, scalable management framework for the command, control, and coordination of emergency response operations, providing a common organisational structure, five functio...

India's national programme notified on 21 December 2021 with an outlay of Rs 76,000 crore to develop a comprehensive semiconductor and display manufacturing ecosystem -- covering c...

India's flagship national programme for artificial intelligence, approved by the Union Cabinet on 7 March 2024 with an outlay of Rs 10,372 crore over 5 years, comprising seven pill...

Also known as Azad Hind Fauj ("Free India Army"), a military force formed in Southeast Asia during World War II from Indian POWs and civilian volunteers, first organised by Captain...

India's first pan-national political organisation, founded on 28 December 1885 at Bombay by Allan Octavian Hume with 72 delegates under president W.C. Bonnerjee, which evolved from...

The armed conflict between India and China fought from 20 October to 21 November 1962 over disputed border areas in Aksai Chin (western sector) and NEFA (eastern sector, now Arunac...

The distinctive architectural style that emerged in the Indian subcontinent from the 12th century onwards through the synthesis of Islamic building techniques — true arches, domes,...

A geostrategic framework that treats the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean as a single interconnected strategic space stretching "from the shores of Africa to that of the Americas...

*Indra Sawhney and Others v. Union of India* (1992) — a landmark nine-judge Supreme Court Constitution Bench judgment that upheld 27% reservation for OBCs in Central government ser...

A water-sharing treaty signed on 19 September 1960 between Indian PM Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistani President Ayub Khan, brokered by the World Bank after nine years of negotiations...

A linear geographical zone that links key economic hubs through integrated infrastructure including dedicated freight corridors, expressways, ports, and airports, designed to creat...

The period of rapid technological, economic, and social transformation (c. 1760–1840) originating in Britain, during which hand-production methods gave way to machine manufacturing...

The fourth industrial revolution, characterised by the fusion of digital technologies — IoT, AI, cyber-physical systems, cloud computing, big data, and robotics — with physical man...

A special document issued by the state government that Indian citizens from other states must obtain before entering certain protected states in Northeast India — currently applica...

The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (IBC) is India's consolidated, time-bound insolvency resolution law enacted on 28 May 2016, providing a structured Corporate Insolvency Res...

A multi-modal transport network of ships, rail, and road routes connecting India to Russia and Europe via Iran, reducing cargo transit time from Mumbai to Moscow compared to the Su...

The formal legal document through which the ruler of a princely state agreed to the accession of his state to the Dominion of India (or Pakistan), ceding control over defence, exte...

The legal document introduced under the Government of India Act 1935 and used in 1947 by which each princely state ruler formally ceded three subjects — defence, external affairs, ...

A large-scale Indian civil engineering programme under the National Perspective Plan (1980) that aims to transfer water from surplus river basins to deficit basins through a networ...

A treaty-based international organisation of 120 member and signatory countries, co-founded by India and France at COP21 Paris on 30 November 2015, headquartered in Gurugram, Harya...

A network of physical devices -- vehicles, appliances, sensors, wearables, industrial equipment, and infrastructure -- embedded with software, sensors, and internet connectivity th...

An independent intergovernmental body that assesses the state of biodiversity and ecosystem services worldwide to inform policymakers, often called the "IPCC for biodiversity."

The Information Technology Act, 2000 (Act No. 21 of 2000), India's primary legislation governing electronic commerce, digital signatures, cybercrime, data protection, and intermedi...

A Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) under the Ministry of Home Affairs responsible for guarding India's border with China along the LAC, specialised in high-altitude mountain warfa...

A thermal low-pressure belt encircling the Earth near the equator where the northeast and southeast trade winds converge, producing vigorous uplift, heavy cloudiness, frequent thun...

The world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species, maintained by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (headquartered in...

The structural fiscal crisis of the later Mughal Empire (late 17th–18th century) in which the number of mansabdars and their rank inflation vastly exceeded the available revenue-yi...

A fundamental Jain philosophical doctrine of "non-absolutism" or "many-sidedness," holding that truth and reality are complex and can be perceived from multiple valid perspectives,...

The convergence of Jan Dhan bank accounts, Aadhaar biometric identity, and Mobile connectivity as the backbone for Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) and welfare scheme delivery in Indi...

The power of the judiciary to examine the constitutional validity of legislative enactments and executive orders, and to declare void those found to be inconsistent with or in viol...

The deontological moral philosophy of Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), which holds that morality is grounded in duty (*Pflicht*) and rational principles rather than consequences, centred...

The landmark 1973 Supreme Court case (*Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala*), decided on 24 April 1973 by a 13-judge bench with a 7:6 majority, which established the Basic Struc...

An amendment to the Montreal Protocol adopted on 15 October 2016 in Kigali, Rwanda, mandating a global phase-down of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) by 80-85% by the late 2040s -- HFCs, ...

The greatest ruler of the Vijayanagara Empire (r. 1509–1529) of the Tuluva dynasty, who defeated the Bijapur Sultanate at the Battle of Raichur (1520), conquered the Gajapati kingd...

A syncretic empire (c. 1st–3rd century CE) founded by the Yuezhi nomads from Central Asia, which at its peak under Kanishka I controlled territories from Central Asia to the Ganget...

An international treaty adopted on 11 December 1997 at COP3 in Kyoto, Japan, which extended the UNFCCC by setting legally binding greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for 36 i...

A state in which the amount and quality of land resources necessary to support ecosystem functions and services and enhance food security remain stable or increase within specified...

The direct induction of domain experts from private sector, academia, and public sector undertakings into Joint Secretary and Director-level positions in the Central Government wit...

A set of four fundamental physical laws governing heat, energy, and entropy in thermodynamic systems: Zeroth Law (if two systems are each in thermal equilibrium with a third, they ...

An armed insurgency rooted in Maoist ideology that seeks to overthrow the democratic Indian state through a "protracted people's war," exploiting socio-economic grievances — landle...

A national campaign launched on 26 March 2019 by the Climate Resilient Observing Systems Promotion Council (CROPC) with the goal of reducing lightning deaths in India by 80% within...

The de facto boundary separating Indian-controlled territory from Chinese-controlled territory, running approximately 3,488 km across three sectors — Western (Ladakh), Middle (Hima...

The military demarcation line approximately 740 km long between the Indian-administered and Pakistani-administered parts of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir; it is no...

The de facto military control boundary between Indian-administered and Pakistan-administered Jammu & Kashmir, established following the Simla Agreement (1972), stretching approxima...

A rechargeable electrochemical cell in which lithium ions (Li⁺) shuttle between a graphite anode and a lithium metal oxide cathode through a non-aqueous electrolyte during charge a...

A state-level anti-corruption ombudsman institution established in Indian states under their own Lokayukta Acts, empowered to investigate complaints against state government offici...

The central anti-corruption ombudsman institution established under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, with jurisdiction over the Prime Minister, Union Ministers, Members of Parl...

India's national anti-corruption ombudsman established under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, comprising a Chairperson (who must be a former Chief Justice of India or Supreme C...

India's national anti-corruption ombudsman established under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, consisting of a Chairperson (who is or has been a Chief Justice of India, or a Jud...

Statutory anti-corruption ombudsman institutions in India -- the Lokpal at the central level and Lokayuktas at the state level -- empowered to inquire into allegations of corruptio...

India's foreign policy initiative launched in 1991 under Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao to cultivate extensive economic and strategic relations with Southeast Asian nations, ser...

The residual negative impacts of climate change that cannot be avoided through mitigation or adapted to — including both economic losses (infrastructure, crops) and non-economic lo...

The collective term for the three pillars of India's 1991 New Economic Policy — Liberalisation, Privatisation, and Globalisation — which dismantled the License Raj, opened the econ...

A formal agreement between the Indian National Congress and the All-India Muslim League at their joint session in Lucknow in December 1916, in which the Congress accepted the princ...

A policy document presented on 2 February 1835 by Thomas Babington Macaulay, Law Member of the Governor-General's Council, which decisively argued for English as the medium of inst...

An ancient kingdom in the eastern Gangetic plain (modern south Bihar) that rose to dominance among the sixteen Mahajanapadas due to its fertile land, iron ore deposits, strategic l...

A flagship Government of India initiative launched on 25 September 2014 by PM Narendra Modi to transform India into a global manufacturing hub by encouraging domestic and foreign c...

A broad term covering undernutrition (wasting — acute; stunting — chronic; underweight) and overnutrition (obesity), as well as micronutrient deficiencies ("hidden hunger" — iron, ...

The Second Backward Classes Commission, constituted on 1 January 1979 under the chairmanship of B.P. Mandal, which recommended 27% reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in ...

The Second Backward Classes Commission (1979–1980), formally the *Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Commission*, constituted under Article 340 and chaired by B.P. Mandal,...

A column of abnormally hot rock rising from the deep mantle (possibly from the core-mantle boundary at ~2,900 km depth) that creates a stationary "hotspot" of volcanic activity at ...

Amendment extending paid maternity leave in India from 12 weeks to 26 weeks for establishments with 10 or more employees, and mandating crèche facilities in workplaces employing 50...

The three foundational principles of heredity: (1) Law of Dominance -- in a cross between organisms with contrasting traits, only one form (dominant, denoted by capital letter) is ...

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 — India's flagship rights-based rural employment law that legally guarantees 100 days of unskilled wage employment ...

The landmark 1980 Supreme Court judgment (*Minerva Mills Ltd. v. Union of India*, AIR 1980 SC 1789) that struck down Section 4 of the 42nd Amendment (which had expanded Article 31C...

The floor price at which the Indian government guarantees purchase of select crops from farmers, announced before each sowing season on the recommendation of the Commission for Agr...

The National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building (NPCSCB), launched 2020, aimed at transforming the competency of civil servants from rule-based to role-based governance...

An economic system that combines elements of both capitalism (private enterprise and market mechanisms) and socialism (state ownership and planning), with the public and private se...

A six-member statutory body constituted under Section 45ZB of the RBI Act, 1934, responsible for fixing India's benchmark policy rate (repo rate) to achieve the inflation target of...

A Bill that deals exclusively with one or more of the matters specified in Article 110(1) — imposition, abolition, alteration of any tax; borrowing of money by the government; cust...

The constitutional reforms introduced by the Government of India Act 1919, based on the joint report of Secretary of State Edwin Montagu and Viceroy Lord Chelmsford, which establis...

An international treaty adopted on 16 September 1987 under the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, committing its 198 parties to the progressive phase-out of o...

A foundational WTO principle enshrined in Article I of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) requiring that any trade advantage, favour, privilege, or immunity granted ...

The plan announced on 3 June 1947 by Viceroy Lord Mountbatten, providing for the partition of British India into two independent dominions (India and Pakistan), the division of Pun...

The centralised imperial governance system developed under Akbar, structured into provinces (Subahs) under Subedars, districts (Sarkars) under Faujdars, and sub-districts (Parganas...

An international measure of acute poverty that captures simultaneous deprivations across three equally weighted dimensions — health, education, and standard of living — identifying...

The devastating invasion of Mughal India in 1738–1739 by Nadir Shah, the Afsharid ruler of Persia, culminating in his victory at the Battle of Karnal (24 February 1739), the sack a...

The predominant Hindu temple architectural style of northern, central, and western India, characterised by a curvilinear tower (*shikhara*) over the sanctum (*garbhagriha*), crowne...

An ancient centre of Buddhist learning in Bihar, founded during the Gupta period (5th century CE), which attracted scholars from across Asia and functioned as a residential univers...

The Constitution (106th Amendment) Act 2023 that reserves one-third seats in Lok Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies, and Delhi Assembly for women, with sub-reservation for SC/ST w...

India's specialised disaster response force, raised on 19 January 2006 (NDRF Raising Day) under Section 44 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, comprising 16 battalions (expanded ...

A specialised federal force of 16 battalions (~18,384 personnel) constituted under Section 44 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, composed of personnel on deputation from central...

India's comprehensive education reform framework replacing the 1986 policy, restructuring school education into a 5+3+3+4 model, emphasising mother-tongue instruction, multidiscipl...

An extraordinary constitutional measure under Article 352 whereby the President, on the written advice of the Union Cabinet (not merely the PM — safeguard added by 44th Amendment),...

A landmark Act of Parliament (No. 20 of 2013) that legally entitles up to 75% of rural and 50% of urban households to subsidised food grains through the Targeted Public Distributio...

A rights-based framework entitling up to 75% of rural and 50% of urban population to receive subsidised food grains (5 kg per person per month) at ₹1–3/kg under the Targeted Public...

A statutory judicial body established on 18 October 2010 under the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010, for the effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental ...

A statutory body established on 12 October 1993 under the Protection of Human Rights Act (PHRA), 1993, mandated to investigate complaints of human rights violations (suo motu or on...

A Government of India initiative launched in December 2019 that identifies, aggregates, and tracks social and economic infrastructure projects for implementation between FY 2020 an...

The guiding policy framework for the exploration, extraction, and management of non-fuel and non-coal minerals in India, most recently revised in 2019 (approved by the Union Cabine...

India's official Multidimensional Poverty Index, released by NITI Aayog, measuring poverty across 3 dimensions and 12 indicators — (1) Health: nutrition, child and adolescent morta...

National climate action plans submitted by each country under Article 4 of the Paris Agreement, outlining how it intends to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to climate impact...

The world's stocks of natural assets — soil, air, water, minerals, biodiversity, and living organisms — from which humans derive ecosystem services and other economic benefits.

The fundamental mechanism of evolution by which organisms possessing heritable traits better suited to their environment tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates than those wi...

Actions that protect, sustainably manage, or restore natural and modified ecosystems to address societal challenges (including disaster risk and climate adaptation) while providing...

The foundational Sanskrit treatise on the performing arts attributed to Bharata Muni (c. 200 BCE - 200 CE), comprising 36 chapters and approximately 6,000 verses covering dance, dr...

The National Disaster Management Authority is India's apex statutory body for disaster management, chaired by the Prime Minister (ex officio), with up to nine members including a V...

A constitutional proposal drafted in 1928 by a committee chaired by Motilal Nehru, demanding Dominion Status for India, joint electorates with reserved seats for minorities, 19 fun...

India's foreign policy doctrine prioritising enhanced diplomatic, economic, and security relations with its immediate South Asian neighbours — Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka,...

India's foreign policy framework that prioritises relations with immediate neighbours (Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives, Afghanistan) through enhance...

A chemical reaction in which an acid (H+ donor) and a base (OH- donor) combine in stoichiometrically equivalent quantities to produce a salt and water: Acid + Base -> Salt + Water....

The comprehensive set of economic reforms introduced by the Indian government on 24 July 1991 under PM P.V. Narasimha Rao and FM Dr. Manmohan Singh, which transitioned India from a...

A governance approach (1980s–2000s) that applies private-sector management techniques — performance measurement, competition, outsourcing, and customer orientation — to public admi...

A comprehensive global framework for sustainable urbanisation adopted at the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III) in Quito, Ecuador,...

Three fundamental laws of classical mechanics formulated by Sir Isaac Newton in 1687: First Law (Law of Inertia) -- a body remains at rest or in uniform motion unless acted upon by...

National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy — a mission launched July 5, 2021 to ensure all children achieve foundational literacy and numeracy c...

Supreme Court ruling (Orissa Mining Corporation v. MoEF) requiring gram sabhas of 12 villages in the Niyamgiri hills to decide whether their religious and cultural rights would be ...

A parliamentary motion moved in the Lok Sabha under Rule 198 of the Rules of Procedure (not mentioned in the Constitution itself), requiring the support of at least 50 members for ...

The Seven Principles of Public Life — Selflessness, Integrity, Objectivity, Accountability, Openness, Honesty, and Leadership — articulated in 1995 by the UK Committee on Standards...

A forum of states that refused to formally align with either the Western (US-led) or Eastern (Soviet-led) bloc during the Cold War — founded at the First Summit in Belgrade (1--6 S...

The first nationwide mass campaign (1920–1922) led by Gandhi under the Indian National Congress, in which Indians systematically withdrew cooperation from British institutions — bo...

Not capable of being adjudicated or directly enforced by a court of law; in the Indian Constitution, Article 37 explicitly states that the Directive Principles contained in Part IV...

A loan or advance where interest or principal payment remains overdue for more than 90 days, as classified by the Reserve Bank of India under prudential norms, indicating that the ...

The series of military tribunals held from 20 November 1945 to 1 October 1946 at Nuremberg, Germany, in which the International Military Tribunal tried 22 major Nazi leaders for cr...

A historic resolution moved by Jawaharlal Nehru on 13 December 1946 and adopted unanimously by the Constituent Assembly on 22 January 1947 (with all members standing), laying down ...

The Bolshevik seizure of power on 7 November 1917 (25 October in the Julian Calendar), when Lenin's forces, organised by Trotsky through the Military Revolutionary Committee, captu...

A Central legislation that gave continued official status to English beyond 1965 (when only Hindi was to become the official language under Article 343) for official purposes of th...

A fundamental law of electrical circuits stating that the current (I) through a conductor is directly proportional to the voltage (V) across it and inversely proportional to its re...

A collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary framework that recognises the interconnection between human health, animal health, and the environment to achieve optimal heal...

A scheme allowing National Food Security Act beneficiaries to access their entitled subsidised food grains from any Fair Price Shop in India, enabling portability for migrant worke...

The world's largest dairy development programme, launched on 13 January 1970 under the leadership of Dr. Verghese Kurien, which transformed India from a milk-deficit nation into th...

The Indian Armed Forces operation in April 2015 to evacuate over 4,640 Indian citizens and 960 foreign nationals from 41 countries during the civil war in Yemen, involving Indian N...

A form of permanent residency status (not citizenship) granted by the Indian government to foreign nationals of Indian origin, providing lifelong multiple-entry visa, parity with N...

The five climate action pledges announced by PM Modi at COP26 Glasgow in November 2021, comprising: (1) 500 GW non-fossil energy capacity by 2030, (2) 50% energy from renewables by...

A legally binding international treaty on climate change adopted by 196 parties at COP21 in Paris on 12 December 2015, aiming to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degre...

Permanent committees of Parliament (currently 24 Departmentally Related Standing Committees plus financial committees) that provide continuous oversight of ministries, scrutinise l...

A sub-classification of Scheduled Tribes identified by the government as the most marginalised — characterised by pre-agricultural technology, very low literacy, declining or stagn...

The division of the Bengal Presidency on 16 October 1905 by Viceroy Lord Curzon into Eastern Bengal and Assam (Muslim-majority) and West Bengal (Hindu-majority), ostensibly for adm...

A voluntary transaction in which defined ecosystem service providers (e.g., forest communities, farmers) are paid by ecosystem service beneficiaries (downstream water users, carbon...

The principle that the physical and chemical properties of the elements recur in a systematic and predictable pattern when the elements are arranged in order of increasing atomic n...

An agreement concluded in 1793 by Lord Cornwallis that fixed the land revenue demand permanently with zamindars in Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa, making them proprietors of the land in...

An Act extending the self-governance provisions of the 73rd Amendment to the Fifth Schedule areas, with modifications recognising tribal customs, traditions, and community resource...

The prime minister of the Maratha Empire, a position that became hereditary under the Bhat family from 1713 onwards, with the Peshwa eventually becoming the de facto head of the Ma...

A logarithmic scale ranging from 0 to 14 that measures the hydrogen ion (H+) concentration in an aqueous solution, indicating its acidity (below 7, higher H+ concentration), neutra...

The unifying scientific theory in geology holding that the Earth's lithosphere is divided into approximately 15-20 rigid tectonic plates (7 major, several minor) that float on the ...

The Production-Linked Incentive Scheme is a Government of India policy announced in 2020-21 that provides financial incentives of 4-6% on incremental sales to manufacturers who mee...

PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement -- India's flagship scheme for electric vehicle adoption, approved on 11 September 2024 with an outlay of Rs 10,900 c...

The National Master Plan for Multi-modal Connectivity, a GIS-based digital platform that now integrates 57 Central Ministries/Departments (8 infrastructure, 22 social, 27 economic ...

The Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (Act 15 of 2003), India's principal legislation for combating money laundering, which criminalises the process of concealing, possessin...

The ecosystem service provided by pollinators (bees, butterflies, birds, bats) that enables reproduction of ~75% of flowering plants and ~35% of global food crop production, contri...

A chemical process in which small monomer molecules react together to form long polymer chains or three-dimensional networks, occurring by either addition (chain-growth) polymerisa...

The current form of India's National Nutrition Programme — an umbrella scheme merging ICDS, Poshan Abhiyaan, PM POSHAN (school meals), the Scheme for Adolescent Girls, and National...

The flagship housing scheme targeting "Housing for All" for the urban poor by 2022 (extended), with four verticals: In-Situ Slum Redevelopment (ISSR), Affordable Housing in Partner...

A biennial (since 2015) celebratory event organised by the Government of India on 9 January to honour the contributions of the overseas Indian community to India's development, fea...

The imposition of direct Union government control over a state under Article 356 when the President, on the basis of the Governor's report or otherwise, is satisfied that the gover...

The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 — a Central legislation that defines and penalises specific offences of caste-based violence and ...

India's flagship wildlife conservation programme launched on 1 April 1973 by the Government of India under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, initially designating 9 tiger reserves to p...

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, India's third-generation and most reliable expendable launch vehicle, capable of delivering approximately 1,750 kg to a 600 km Sun-Synchronous O...

A Parliamentary standing committee that examines CAG's audit reports after expenditure has occurred, scrutinising whether public money was spent with regularity and economy.

A government-managed food security network that distributes subsidised food grains and essential commodities to economically vulnerable households through approximately 5.4 lakh Fa...

A judicial innovation developed in India in the late 1970s–early 1980s primarily by Justice P.N. Bhagwati and Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer, whereby any public-spirited citizen or orga...

A legal innovation of the Indian judiciary — pioneered by Justices P.N. Bhagwati and V.R. Krishna Iyer in the late 1970s — that relaxes the traditional rule of locus standi to allo...

An economic theory and measurement that compares the purchasing power of different countries' currencies by determining the amount of a standardised basket of goods each currency c...

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue — an informal strategic grouping of India, the United States, Japan, and Australia focused on maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific through c...

Rani Lakshmibai (born Manikarnika Tambe, c. 1828–1858), queen of the princely state of Jhansi, who became one of the foremost leaders of the Revolt of 1857 after the British refuse...

The political and moral philosophy of John Rawls (1921-2002), presented in his landmark 1971 work *A Theory of Justice*, which proposes that just principles of social organisation ...

An empirical ranking of metals in descending order of their tendency to lose electrons (undergo oxidation) and react with other substances such as water, acids, and metal salt solu...

Constitutionally permitted limitations that the state may impose by law on the exercise of Fundamental Rights under Article 19, on specified grounds enumerated in clauses 19(2) thr...

A contiguous belt of forested, mineral-rich, and predominantly tribal districts across eastern, central, and southern India — spanning states such as Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odish...

The period of extreme political repression during the French Revolution (September 1793 to July 1794), in which the Committee of Public Safety under Maximilien Robespierre exercise...

India's commitment to achieve 500 GW of installed non-fossil fuel electricity capacity by 2030 and to source 50% of its cumulative electric power from non-fossil fuel sources, as p...

The shortfall when the government's revenue expenditure (salaries, interest payments, subsidies, grants) exceeds its revenue receipts (tax and non-tax revenue), indicating that the...

A logarithmic scale devised in 1935 by American seismologists Charles F. Richter and Beno Gutenberg at the California Institute of Technology to measure earthquake magnitude based ...

The oldest of the four Vedas, composed c. 1500–1200 BCE in Vedic Sanskrit, consisting of 1,028 hymns (*suktas*) arranged in ten books (*mandalas*) that praise the gods and preserve...

The fundamental right guaranteed under Article 32 of the Indian Constitution that empowers any citizen to approach the Supreme Court directly for the enforcement of Fundamental Rig...

Act under Article 21-A making free and compulsory education a fundamental right for all children between 6–14 years, mandating 25% reservation in private unaided schools for econom...

A landmark Indian statute enacted on 15 June 2005 (effective 12 October 2005) that empowers any citizen to request information from any public authority (Central, State, or local g...

State legislation that mandates time-bound delivery of notified public services and prescribes penalties for officials who fail to deliver within specified timelines.

A horseshoe-shaped belt of intense seismic and volcanic activity stretching approximately 40,000 km around the margins of the Pacific Ocean, from New Zealand through Indonesia, Jap...

A horseshoe-shaped tectonic belt of approximately 40,000 km encircling the Pacific Ocean, containing between 750 and 915 active or dormant volcanoes — approximately 75% of the worl...

A series of three conferences (1930-1932) held in London between British officials and Indian political representatives to discuss constitutional reforms for India, which ultimatel...

The movement of people from rural areas to urban centres, driven by push factors (poverty, lack of employment, poor services, agrarian distress) in villages and pull factors (bette...

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, an intergovernmental organisation of eight sovereign South Asian nations — India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhut...

A regional intergovernmental organisation of eight South Asian nations (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka) established to promote economi...

A more electrochemically reactive metal (typically zinc, magnesium, or aluminium alloy) that is deliberately attached to a less reactive metal structure (iron, steel) to provide ca...

The Ministry of Home Affairs' comprehensive counter-Left Wing Extremism strategy announced in 2017, providing a unified short-term to long-term framework where each letter stands f...

A pan-India initiative of the Ministry of Heavy Industries under the Enhancement of Competitiveness in Indian Capital Goods Sector scheme, designed to promote the adoption of Indus...

The Great Stupa at Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh, originally commissioned by Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE and later enlarged with elaborately carved gateways (toranas) under th...

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (1875–1950), India's first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, who as head of the States Department (est. 27 June 1947) masterminded the diplomatic an...

A constitutionally recognised category of social groups in India — listed in the Schedule to the Constitution Orders issued under Article 341 — historically subjected to untouchabi...

Tribal communities officially recognised under Article 342 of the Indian Constitution, specified by Presidential notification for each state and union territory, making them eligib...

The Securities and Exchange Board of India is the statutory regulatory body established on 12 April 1988 as a non-statutory body and given statutory powers on 30 January 1992 under...

The Second Administrative Reforms Commission, a Commission of Inquiry constituted on 31 August 2005 under the chairmanship of Veerappa Moily (with members V. Ramachandran, A.P. Muk...

The resurgence of urban centres in the Gangetic plain from c. 600 BCE onwards — after the decline of the Indus Valley Civilisation — characterised by the growth of cities like Pata...

The classification of India's landmass into earthquake risk zones by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) under IS 1893, based on seismic intensity, historical earthquake data, and...

Informal voluntary associations of 10-20 persons (typically women from BPL households) from similar socio-economic backgrounds who pool small regular savings (Rs 10-100 per week), ...

The ability to control or redirect one's disruptive impulses, emotions, and moods, and the capacity to suspend judgement, pause before reacting, manage stress without losing effect...

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 is the current global agreement on DRR, adopted on 18 March 2015 at the Third UN World Conference on DRR in Sendai, Japan...

A service delivery excellence model developed by DARPG for assessing and improving the quality of public services through three modules: Citizen Charter, Public Grievance Redressal...

Act that mandates establishment of Internal Complaints Committees (ICC) in every workplace with 10 or more employees, and Local Complaints Committees (LCC) in districts, to address...

A bilateral peace treaty signed on 2 July 1972 between Indian PM Indira Gandhi and Pakistani President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto following the 1971 Indo-Pak War, which formalised the cea...

The governance system established by Chhatrapati Shivaji Bhonsale (1630–1680), centred on the Ashtapradhan (Council of Eight Ministers) with specialised portfolios, direct land rev...

The world's highest militarised zone (5,400+ m), located in the Karakoram range, controlled by India since Operation Meghdoot (1984) following Pakistan's attempt to occupy the Salt...

Constitutional provision (Article 244(2)) for the administration of tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram through Autonomous District Councils with legislative, ex...

A heavily populated urban area characterised by substandard housing, inadequate access to safe water and sanitation, insecure residential status, and overcrowding — as defined by t...

A technology-driven approach to border management that integrates sensors, thermal imagers, infrared and laser-based intruder alarms, radars, aerostats for aerial surveillance, una...

A Government of India urban renewal and retrofitting programme launched on 25 June 2015 to develop 100 selected cities by providing core infrastructure, a clean and sustainable env...

A Government of India initiative (2015–2025) to develop 100 selected cities as models of urban liveability, sustainability, and technological governance through Area-Based Developm...

A participatory accountability process in which beneficiaries and community members directly examine official records, physically verify works and assets created, and assess whethe...

A political-philosophical theory that the legitimacy of government and the obligation to obey laws derive from an actual or hypothetical agreement among free and equal individuals ...

A dynamic, multidimensional process by which individuals or groups are systematically denied full participation in the economic, social, political, and cultural life of a society, ...

The body of laws, rules, and institutional mechanisms that govern the conduct of social media platforms and their users, addressing content moderation, data privacy, platform accou...

A flagship Government of India scheme launched on 19 February 2015 under which every farmer receives a Soil Health Card once every two years, containing a printed report of the nut...

A statutory body mandated under Section 14 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, in every Indian state, chaired by the Chief Minister (ex officio), with up to eight additional memb...

A landmark Central legislation that comprehensively reorganised Indian states on linguistic lines, based on the report of the States Reorganisation Commission (SRC, chaired by Just...

A metaphor for the Indian Civil Service (ICS) during British rule, describing the administrative corps as the rigid structural framework that held the colonial empire together — co...

A metaphor for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) coined by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, describing the permanent civil service as the structural backbone holding together India'...

Regenerative medicine using stem cells to repair or replace diseased tissues. Types: embryonic stem cells (pluripotent), adult/somatic stem cells (multipotent), and induced pluripo...

The sale of a substantial portion of the government's equity stake in a Central Public Sector Enterprise along with the transfer of management control to a private sector buyer — p...

A body of literary works in Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, and other languages that express and propagate Sufi mystical thought, including *malfuzat* (recorded sayings of ...

The division of the Indian National Congress at its 1907 session in Surat into two factions — the Moderates (led by Gokhale and Pherozeshah Mehta) and the Extremists (led by Tilak ...

An expert group chaired by economist Suresh Tendulkar, constituted by the Planning Commission in 2009, which revised India's poverty measurement methodology — shifting from calorie...

A nuclear fuel cycle in which fertile thorium-232 (Th-232) absorbs a neutron in a reactor to become thorium-233, which undergoes two successive beta decays (through protactinium-23...

India's long-term nuclear energy strategy conceived by Dr. Homi J. Bhabha in the 1950s, designed to progressively exploit India's vast thorium reserves through three sequential sta...

A device that uses powerful magnetic fields to confine a hot plasma (ionised gas at temperatures exceeding 150 million °C) in a doughnut-shaped (toroidal) chamber for the purpose o...

The complete reflection of a light ray back into a denser optical medium (higher refractive index) when it strikes the boundary with a less dense medium (lower refractive index) at...

The peace treaty signed on 28 June 1919 at the Palace of Versailles that formally ended World War I — it imposed the War Guilt Clause (Article 231), 132 billion gold marks in repar...

The political ideology asserting that Hindus and Muslims of the Indian subcontinent constitute two distinct nations with irreconcilable differences in religion, culture, and social...

A designation by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation for places of outstanding universal value to humanity — cultural, natural, or mixed — that are...

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, an international treaty adopted on 9 May 1992 and opened for signature at the Rio Earth Summit (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro ...

The Annual Financial Statement of the Government of India mandated by Article 112 of the Constitution, presented by the Finance Minister in the Lok Sabha on 1 February (since 2017 ...

One of the six principal organs of the United Nations, bearing primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, with the authority to impose binding ...

A foundational concept of Indian nationhood — articulated by Jawaharlal Nehru in *The Discovery of India* (1946) — holding that India's extraordinary diversity of languages (780+ l...

The foundational principle that India's strength lies in the coexistence of its many ethnic, linguistic, religious, and cultural communities under a shared constitutional framework...

India's nationwide vaccination programme, launched in 1985, that provides free immunisation against 12 vaccine-preventable diseases (tuberculosis/BCG, polio/OPV+IPV, diphtheria, pe...

A phenomenon in which urban areas experience significantly higher temperatures (2–5 C or more) than surrounding rural areas, caused by the absorption and re-radiation of heat by co...

The process by which an increasing proportion of a population comes to live in towns and cities, driven by rural-to-urban migration, natural increase in urban populations, and recl...

A consequentialist ethical theory holding that the morally right action is the one that maximises overall well-being (utility) — "the greatest happiness for the greatest number."

A series of stone inscriptions at Uttaramerur village in Kanchipuram district, Tamil Nadu, dating from the reign of Parantaka Chola I (c. 10th century CE), which describe in remark...

The ancient Indian fourfold social classification — Brahmins (priests), Kshatriyas (warriors), Vaishyas (commoners), and Shudras (servants) — described in Vedic texts, which origin...

A law enacted on 14 March 1878 under Viceroy Lord Lytton that imposed censorship specifically on Indian-language newspapers (while exempting the English-language press), empowering...

A law enacted in 1878 under Viceroy Lord Lytton to control and suppress Indian-language (non-English) newspapers by requiring them to deposit security bonds that could be confiscat...

An ethical framework that focuses on the character and virtues of the moral agent rather than rules or consequences — what kind of person should I be? rather than what should I do?

Supreme Court guidelines issued in Vishakha v. State of Rajasthan making it mandatory for employers to prevent sexual harassment at workplace pending legislation, laying down the b...

The Least Cost Theory of industrial location proposed by German economist Alfred Weber in 1909, which holds that an industry will locate at the point where the combined costs of tr...

Max Weber's ideal-type model of bureaucracy characterised by hierarchy, specialisation, rules-based operation, impersonality, full-time salaried officials, and merit-based recruitm...

A person who exposes information about corruption, fraud, or illegal activity within a public or private organisation, often at personal risk — protected under the Whistle Blowers ...

Legal safeguards that shield individuals who disclose information about corruption, fraud, misuse of power, or wrongdoing within a public organisation from retaliation, victimisati...

The primary legislation for wildlife conservation in India, enacted on 9 September 1972 (Act No. 53 of 1972), which provides for the protection of wild animals, birds, and plants, ...

A landmark or area selected by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as having outstanding universal value — cultural, natural, or mixed — a...

An intergovernmental organisation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, that regulates and facilitates international trade by providing a framework for negotiating trade agreements...

The standardised revenue assessment method introduced by Raja Todar Mal under Akbar (finalised 1580), in which land was measured using iron-ring bamboo rods, crops were classified,...

The second Sustainable Development Goal, targeting end of all forms of hunger and malnutrition by 2030, including food security, improved nutrition, sustainable agriculture, and do...

Supplies taxed at 0% GST under Section 16 of the IGST Act where the supplier retains full eligibility to claim Input Tax Credit (ITC) refund on all inputs, ensuring the entire supp...