Formation, the three ranges, regional divisions, the Purvanchal, and their five-fold significance.
Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra — sources, tributaries, and why they’re perennial and antecedent.
The Sahyadris — biodiversity hotspot, orographic rainfall, Anamudi, and the Gadgil/Kasturirangan debate.
Source, tributaries, major dams, and the four-state Krishna water dispute.
Talakaveri to the delta, and the Cauvery water dispute (2018 verdict, CWMA).
Alluvial, black, red & yellow, laterite and more — distribution, crops and conservation.
Kharif, rabi & zaid seasons, types of farming, the Green Revolution and its legacy.
Distribution of coal, iron, bauxite, mica & oil — and the critical-minerals turn (lithium, KABIL).
The ocean drivers of the monsoon — ENSO, the Walker circulation, and the Indian Ocean Dipole.
Formation, why the Bay of Bengal dominates, naming, and India’s early-warning success.
Why India shakes, the four BIS seismic zones, and earthquake risk reduction.
Types of drought, flood causes, the most-affected regions, and disaster management.
From Warren Hastings to Mountbatten — who ruled, and the reforms tied to each.
Naoroji’s drain theory, deindustrialisation, land-revenue systems and famines.
From the Regulating Act 1773 to the GoI Act 1935 — the landmark acts.
The ‘black act’, the 1919 massacre, and the turn to Non-Cooperation.
Tilak & Annie Besant’s leagues and the demand for self-government.
Two phases of the Congress, Lal-Bal-Pal, and the Surat Split of 1907.
Indigo, Champaran, Bardoli, Santhal and Birsa Munda’s ulgulan.
Phule, Ambedkar, the Mahad Satyagraha and the Poona Pact.
From Rani Lakshmibai to Sarojini Naidu, Aruna Asaf Ali and Lakshmi Sahgal.
Truth, ahimsa, satyagraha, trusteeship and Sarvodaya.
1946-47 — the Cabinet Mission, Mountbatten Plan and partition.
The AITUC, the CPI, the Congress Socialist Party, and labour politics.
India’s first great uprising — its four-fold causes, the leaders and centres, and how it ended Company rule.
The 19th-century awakening — Brahmo Samaj, Arya Samaj, Ramakrishna Mission, Aligarh, Phule and more.
From the 1885 founding through Moderates, Extremists (Lal-Bal-Pal), the Surat Split and Lucknow Pact.
The 1905 divide-and-rule move, the Swadeshi & Boycott movement, and the 1911 annulment.
Champaran, Ahmedabad and Kheda satyagrahas, the Rowlatt agitation and Jallianwala Bagh.
India’s first mass movement (1920-22), its programme, and the withdrawal after Chauri Chaura.
The Dandi Salt March, the Round Table Conferences, the Poona Pact and the GoI Act 1935.
The “Do or Die” call, the leaderless mass uprising, and the parallel governments.
The armed struggle — Ghadar, HSRA, Bhagat Singh, the Assembly bomb and the Chittagong raid.
Netaji, the Forward Bloc, Azad Hind, “Give me blood…”, “Dilli Chalo” and the INA trials.
Cabinet Mission, the Mountbatten Plan, the Indian Independence Act and the Radcliffe Line.
Sardar Patel, V.P. Menon, the Instrument of Accession, and Junagadh, Hyderabad & Kashmir.
All eight classical dances — Bharatanatyam to Sattriya — with states, features and the Natya Shastra.
Hindustani vs Carnatic, raga and tala, the Carnatic Trinity, gharanas and instruments.
Vedas, epics & Puranas, Kalidasa, Sangam works, and Buddhist/Jain texts.
Bhakti vernaculars, Tagore & Premchand, the 8th Schedule and the Jnanpith.
The criteria for classical status and India’s recognised classical languages.
The six orthodox (astika) schools and the heterodox (nastika) systems.
Harvest, religious & tribal festivals, and great fairs like the Kumbh Mela.
The Natyashastra, Koodiyattam, and folk forms — Jatra, Nautanki, Yakshagana.
Kalaripayattu, Silambam, Gatka, Thang-Ta and other warrior traditions.
From Dadasaheb Phalke to Satyajit Ray — cinema as culture and soft power.
Banarasi, Kanjeevaram, Pashmina, Chikankari, Bandhani and GI-tagged weaves.
Arches, domes & charbaghs — the Sultanate, provincial and Mughal styles.
The ASI, the Akademis, and UNESCO World & Intangible Heritage.
Numismatics & epigraphy — Ashokan edicts, Gupta gold, and historical sources.
Nagara, Dravida and Vesara styles — shikhara, vimana, gopuram — and the patron dynasties.
Barabar, Ajanta, Ellora’s monolithic Kailasa and Elephanta’s Trimurti.
The stupa and its parts, Sanchi & Amaravati, and the chaitya–vihara distinction.
Mauryan court art, the Gandhara–Mathura–Amaravati schools, and Gupta classicism.
From Ajanta’s murals to the Mughal, Rajput, Pahari and Deccan miniatures, and the Bengal School.
Madhubani, Warli, Pattachitra, Kalamkari, Phad, Gond, Tanjore and Kalighat — by region.
Famous handlooms and crafts, the GI Act 1999, and Darjeeling tea as India’s first GI.
The four puppet types and folk theatre — Yakshagana, Nautanki, Tamasha, Jatra, Koodiyattam.
India’s 40+ cultural, natural and mixed sites, the 1972 Convention, and recent inscriptions.
Alvars & Nayanars, nirguna vs saguna saints, the Sufi silsilas, and their message of harmony.
Consequentialism, deontology (Kant) & virtue ethics (Aristotle) — strengths & uses.
Meaning & dimensions of integrity, threats, and how to build an ethical administration.
Facts vs bias, equal treatment, and political neutrality — and how to uphold them.
Empathy vs sympathy, compassion toward weaker sections, and pluralist tolerance.
The inner voice, the three sources of guidance, and Kohlberg’s moral stages.
Right-vs-right clashes, common admin dilemmas, and a resolution framework.
Values vs rules, India’s conduct rules, and the Nolan principles.
Actual/potential/perceived, the revolving door, and managing it (recusal, disclosure).
Conscience vs loyalty, the Whistle Blowers Protection Act, and the retaliation risk.
Organisational values, the citizen’s charter, and citizen-centric service delivery.
Anthropocentric vs ecocentric, intergenerational equity, and Indian traditions.
Rawls’ veil of ignorance, Sen’s capabilities, and the rights-duties balance.
Essence of ethics, ethics vs morals vs values vs law, the dimensions, and the determinants of ethics.
Sources of values and the role of family, society and education — with lessons from great lives.
ABC components, Katz’s functions, persuasion & attitude change, and moral and political attitudes.
Integrity, impartiality & non-partisanship, objectivity, dedication, empathy, tolerance & compassion.
Goleman’s five components, EI vs IQ, and its application in administration and governance.
Indian and world thinkers — Gandhi, Kautilya, Kant, Mill, Rawls, Kohlberg — and the three schools.
Ethical concerns and dilemmas, and laws, rules, regulations & conscience as sources of guidance.
Types of accountability, ethical governance, and tools that strengthen moral values in governance.
Concept of public service, RTI & transparency, codes, citizen’s charters and use of public funds.
Types of corruption, Klitgaard’s formula, effects, and the anti-corruption framework.
Ethical issues in international relations and funding, plus corporate governance and CSR.
A six-step framework — facts, stakeholders, dilemma, options, evaluation, justified decision.
One nation, one tax — CGST/SGST/IGST, the GST Council (Art 279A), slabs, and what GST subsumed.
Direct vs indirect taxes, progressive vs regressive, tax-GDP ratio, and the CBDT/CBIC.
Article 112, revenue vs capital budget, and the revenue, fiscal & primary deficits.
Expansionary vs contractionary, counter-cyclical policy, and the FRBM Act 2003.
Repo, reverse repo, MSF, CRR, SLR, OMO — and the MPC’s 4% ±2% inflation target.
Current vs capital account, the CAD, forex-reserve components, and rupee convertibility.
Money market vs capital market, primary vs secondary, and the RBI/SEBI divide.
RBI, SEBI, IRDAI and PFRDA — who regulates what — and the FSDC.
Poverty estimation (Tendulkar/Rangarajan, MPI), unemployment types, and the PLFS.
Balance of trade, Foreign Trade Policy, and FDI vs FPI (automatic & government routes).
MSP & CACP, FCI procurement, buffer stocks, and the PDS/NFSA 2013.
The Planning Commission and Five Year Plans (Mahalanobis), and the 2015 shift to NITI Aayog.
Legislative, administrative & financial relations, the three lists, and Sarkaria/Punchhi.
Article 324, composition & independence, the Model Code of Conduct, and recent reforms.
The Tenth Schedule, grounds for disqualification, the 91st Amendment, and Kihoto Hollohan.
Article 148, the guardian of the public purse, audit types, and the CAG–PAC link.
Articles 315-323, composition, the advisory role, and removal under Article 317.
Article 76, the highest law officer — qualifications, duties, rights, and AG vs Solicitor General.
Articles 5-11, single citizenship, the Citizenship Act 1955, and the OCI scheme.
Articles 63-71, the electoral college, Rajya Sabha Chairman, and acting as President.
Kesavananda Bharati (1973), Article 368, the elements, and Minerva Mills.
All twelve Schedules — from the First (states) to the Twelfth (municipalities).
Municipalities, the three urban-body types, the Twelfth Schedule, and SEC/State Finance Commission.
Articles 214-231, the wider Article 226 writ power, and India’s integrated judiciary.
RBI, NEFT, RTGS, IMPS, UPI, CRR, SLR, NPA, NBFC and more — with one-line meanings.
GDP, GNP, GST, FDI, FPI, IPO, SEBI, MSME, PLI, BoP, CAD and more.
RTI, PIL, CAG, CVC, UPSC, NHRC, IAS/IPS/IFS, NITI and more.
CBI, ED, NIA, RAW, IB, NDMA, NDRF, TRAI, UIDAI and more.
UN, UNSC, WHO, WTO, IMF, World Bank, SAARC, ASEAN, BRICS, OPEC and more.
DNA, RNA, AI, ML, LASER, RADAR, SONAR, GPS, LED and more.
ISRO, DRDO, PSLV, GSLV, HAL, NAVIC, IRNSS, INS, CDS and more.
UNFCCC, IPCC, COP, NDC, CITES, CBD, IUCN, NTPC, ONGC, ISA and more.
UGC, NCERT, CBSE, AICTE, NTA, NEET, JEE, CUET, NEP, NIRF and more.
WHO, ICMR, AIIMS, NMC, AYUSH, NHM, ASHA, ANM, ECG, MRI and more.
HTTP, HTML, URL, IP, VPN, OTP, UPI, DBT, JAM, ONDC and more.
MGNREGA, PMAY, PMJDY, PM-KISAN, PMGSY, PMUY, PMFBY, APY and more.
Evaporation & condensation, relative humidity, cloud types, and the three rainfall types.
Forest types by rainfall — evergreen, deciduous, thorn, montane and mangrove.
Himalayan vs Peninsular rivers, drainage patterns, and antecedent drainage.
Reef types & coral bleaching, mangrove blue-carbon ecosystems, and conservation.
18% population vs 4% freshwater — groundwater stress, irrigation, and conservation.
Coal/oil/gas/hydro/nuclear & renewables — energy security and the 500 GW transition.
Location factors, the major industrial belts, and corridors like the DMIC.
Road/rail/water/air/pipelines — Golden Quadrilateral, Sagarmala, UDAN, BharatNet.
Distribution & density, the demographic transition, and push-pull migration.
Mountains/plateaus/plains, endogenic vs exogenic forces, and the agents of gradation.
The geographic grid, key parallels, the 15°=1hr rule, the IDL, and IST.
Subsistence vs commercial farming, plantation & shifting cultivation, and crop belts.
The mechanism (ITCZ, differential heating), the two branches, and El Niño/La Niña links.
Crust, mantle and core; seismic-wave evidence; the Moho and asthenosphere.
Continental drift, sea-floor spreading, plate boundaries, and how the Himalayas formed.
How they form, shield vs composite, volcanic landforms, and the Ring of Fire.
Igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks — formation, examples and the cycle.
Atmospheric layers, pressure belts, planetary winds, jet streams and local winds.
What drives them, warm vs cold currents, and their effects on climate and fisheries.
Ocean-floor relief, temperature and the salinity of ocean water.
Equatorial, monsoon, Mediterranean, desert, tundra and more — plus Köppen.
Distribution & density, the demographic transition, and the demographic dividend.
Trends, the settlement classification, the challenges, and Smart Cities/AMRUT.
Continents & oceans, major mountains, rivers, deserts, straits and canals.
Humanism, the printing press, Martin Luther — and the dawn of the modern age.
No taxation without representation, the Declaration of 1776, and the first modern republic.
Causes, the Bastille, the Rights of Man, and Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.
February & October revolutions, Lenin’s “Peace, Land, Bread,” and the birth of the USSR.
Mazzini, Cavour, Garibaldi and Bismarck’s “blood and iron” — the age of nationalism.
Mussolini and Hitler, the role of Versailles and the Depression, and the road to WWII.
The Wall Street Crash, the causes, the New Deal, and the rise of fascism.
The linguistic-states demand, the Fazl Ali Commission, and the SR Act 1956.
The Sino-Indian War, the 1965 war (Tashkent), and 1971 & the birth of Bangladesh.
Non-alignment, Panchsheel, the founding of NAM, and strategic autonomy today.
The proclamation, rights suspended, the 42nd Amendment, and the 44th Amendment safeguards.
The BoP crisis, Liberalisation/Privatisation/Globalisation, and the end of the License Raj.
India’s climate roadmap — the eight national missions, SAPCCs, NDCs and net-zero 2070.
Carbon pricing, cap-and-trade, Article 6, India’s CCTS, and climate-finance funds.
The ozone layer, CFCs & the ozone hole, the Montreal Protocol and Kigali Amendment.
MoEFCC, CPCB & NGT, NBA — and global bodies UNEP, IPCC and IUCN.
The CRZ notification, the four categories, the CZMAs and the 2019 changes.
Buffer ‘shock-absorbers’ around protected areas — activities and conflicts.
Causes & impacts, the UNCCD, Land Degradation Neutrality, and India’s status.
The ‘kidneys of the landscape’ — functions, the Ramsar Convention and threats.
Biological invasions — spread, impacts, Indian examples, and biosecurity management.
Linear vs circular, the R-principles, EPR, and India’s resource-efficiency steps.
Sources & effects, the Noise Rules 2000, soil contamination and remediation.
Namami Gange & the NMCG — the river-basin approach, e-flows, and the challenges.
The greenhouse effect, UNFCCC/Kyoto/Paris, IPCC & COP, CBDR, and India’s net-zero-2070 goal.
Ecosystem components, food chains & webs, trophic levels, the 10% law and pyramids.
Levels of biodiversity, the HIPPO threats, and in-situ vs ex-situ conservation.
The Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and the types of protected areas.
Pollutants (PM2.5), the AQI, sources including stubble burning, and the NCAP.
Sources, eutrophication, BOD/COD/DO, the Water Act 1974, and Namami Gange.
Waste types, the 3Rs, the SWM/Plastic rules, single-use ban and EPR.
EPA 1986, the Water/Air/Forest/Wildlife Acts, the Biodiversity Act and the NGT.
Stockholm, Rio, CITES, Ramsar, Montreal, Basel, Stockholm POPs and Minamata.
Project Tiger, Elephant, Lion, Dolphin & Snow Leopard, plus the IUCN Red List.
The EIA process & stages, the 2006 Notification, project categories and criticisms.
The Brundtland definition, the three pillars, the 17 SDGs, and India’s SDG Index.
The three-tier structure, the NHM, the spending gap, and the road to UHC.
NHP 2017, the two Ayushman Bharat pillars (HWC + PM-JAY), and ABDM digital health.
The four major NCDs, the ~2/3 death share, risk factors, and the NP-NCD response.
MMR/IMR/U5MR indicators, determinants, and schemes like JSY and Mission Indradhanush.
The triple burden, stunting/wasting/anaemia, and POSHAN Abhiyaan & the first 1,000 days.
India as the ‘pharmacy of the world’ — generics, CDSCO/NPPA, API dependence & PLI.
One Health, zoonoses & AMR, and India’s preparedness after COVID-19.
The 5+3+3+4 structure, FLN, higher-ed reforms (HECI, GER 50%), and the 6%-GDP target.
Article 21A & the RTE Act, the access-to-learning shift (ASER), and Samagra Shiksha.
Regulators (UGC/AICTE/HECI), the GER, quality & research gaps, and NEP reforms.
DIKSHA, SWAYAM & PM eVIDYA, the digital divide, and blended learning.
NMC & NEET, AICTE & the IITs, the workforce shortage, and reforms.
Unity in diversity, pluralism, the key institutions, and tradition meeting modernity.
Varna vs jati, the features of caste, Sanskritisation, and caste in modern politics.
Meaning, causes (colonial, political, socio-economic), effects and remedies.
Forms (statehood, autonomy, sons-of-soil), causes, and its positive & negative sides.
The Indian model (principled distance) vs the Western model, and its constitutional basis.
Sex vs gender, key issues, patriarchy, and the dimensions of women’s empowerment.
SC/ST/OBC, minorities, PwD, elderly & transgender — safeguards and welfare.
Scheduled Tribes, PVTGs, the 5th/6th Schedules, PESA & the Forest Rights Act.
Economic, cultural and social impacts — the positives, negatives and glocalisation.
Types and examples (Chipko, Narmada Bachao, Dalit, women’s) and their democratic role.
Joint vs nuclear family, marriage rules, kinship, and the forces of change.
Language families, the Eighth Schedule, classical languages and the three-language formula.
The double-edged role — fake news, online radicalisation, deepfakes & IT Rules.
Drivers, online recruitment, and counter- vs de-radicalisation strategies.
Golden Crescent/Triangle, the narco-terror nexus, the NDPS Act & NCB.
CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP, SSB, Assam Rifles & NSG — mandates and challenges.
The CDS, theatreisation, defence indigenisation and the Agnipath scheme.
State-sponsored proxies, cross-border terror, and the FATF response.
The fifth domain, threats to critical infrastructure, and India’s cyber architecture.
Hazard × vulnerability ÷ capacity; natural vs man-made/CBRN classification.
How tsunamis form, the 2004 disaster, INCOIS early warning, and coastal hazards.
Why cities flood, the impact, and sponge-city/blue-green resilience.
From relief to prevention — the Sendai Framework, CDRI and early-warning systems.
Communities as first responders — bottom-up, participatory resilience.
The dimensions, the development-extremism linkage, and India’s security architecture.
Types and causes of terrorism, and India’s framework (UAPA, NIA, NATGRID) plus the CCIT.
The three laundering stages, PMLA/ED/FIU, hawala, and the FATF grey/black lists.
India’s borders, the challenges, the guarding forces (BSF/ITBP/SSB), and CIBMS.
Causes, the AFSPA debate, peace accords, and development under Act East.
Features and types, the crime-terror nexus (narco-terrorism), and counter-measures.
Armed forces vs CAPFs (CRPF/BSF/CISF/ITBP/SSB), the NSG, and IB/RAW/NIA.
The Disaster Management Act, the NDMA/SDMA/DDMA/NDRF structure, and the DM cycle.
Causes & vulnerable areas, mitigation/early warning, and the Odisha zero-casualty model.
Seismic zones, building codes & retrofitting, and landslide mitigation.
Types of drought, mitigation, and Heat Action Plans (the Ahmedabad model).
The Sendai Framework (2015-2030), its Hyogo predecessor, and the India-led CDRI.
Meaning, the eight attributes, the “minimum government” idea, and the tools to achieve it.
Types (G2C/G2B/G2G), NeGP→Digital India, the India Stack, and the digital divide.
RTI, social audit (MGNREGA), citizen charters and whistle-blower protection.
Citizen charters, the Sevottam model, grievance redress (CPGRAMS) and reforms.
The permanent executive, neutrality & anonymity, challenges, and reforms.
Advocacy, service delivery and watchdog roles, FCRA regulation, and the funding debate.
SHGs, microfinance, women’s empowerment, the NRLM, and the Kudumbashree model.
Meaning, types, techniques, democratic role, and how they differ from political parties.
Constitutional vs statutory vs regulatory vs quasi-judicial — with examples.
The ombudsman idea, the 2013 Act, structure & jurisdiction, and the challenges.
GST Council & NITI (cooperative) vs ranking-driven competition among states.
Design & targeting, implementation gaps (leakages, last-mile), and DBT/JAM reforms.
From estrangement to strategic partnership — defence pacts, iCET, Quad, and the irritants.
The LAC boundary dispute, Galwan, the skewed trade, and strategic competition.
Partition, the wars, Kashmir, cross-border terrorism and the Indus Waters Treaty.
The 1971 legacy, the Land Boundary Agreement, connectivity, and the Teesta issue.
Open border & roti-beti ties, transit & hydropower, and the Kalapani dispute.
Trade & crisis assistance, the fishermen issue, the Tamil question, and the China factor.
A Special Strategic Partnership — ODA, the bullet train, defence and the Indo-Pacific.
Energy, diaspora & remittances, the I2U2 and IMEC, and balancing regional rivalries.
Connect Central Asia, energy & uranium, INSTC/Chabahar, and the SCO.
A trusted strategic partner — Rafale & Scorpène, the Indo-Pacific, and the ISA.
India’s UN role, peacekeeping contribution, and the G4 bid for UNSC reform.
The 2023 presidency — Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, the AU’s entry, IMEC, and governance reform.
The Voice of Global South Summit, development partnerships, and the vishwaguru aspiration.
SAGAR, the IPOI, the Quad, freedom of navigation, and the China factor.
Net security provider, IORA, island diplomacy, and the China challenge in the IOR.
Quad, I2U2, BRICS, IBSA, SCO & BIMSTEC — issue-based coalitions and multi-alignment.
CEPAs & FTAs (UAE, Australia), the RCEP opt-out, and India’s WTO stance.
Yoga, cinema, democracy & the diaspora — the ICCR and cultural diplomacy.
CBDR & climate justice, the ISA & CDRI, LiFE, and the Global-South stance.
Import dependence, oil & gas diplomacy, the SPR, and the clean-energy transition.
INSTC, Chabahar & IMEC — and India’s response to China’s BRI.
The high seas, Antarctica, space & cyber — governance regimes and India’s stakes.
Principles, the tools (connectivity, assistance, SAGAR), and the China challenge.
BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal), why it beats a stalled SAARC, plus IORA, BBIN and Mekong-Ganga.
Tackling the child sex ratio — survival, protection & education of the girl child.
Collateral-free micro-credit for street vendors, with a digital-payments push.
Bank loans of ₹10L–₹1cr for SC/ST and women entrepreneurs (greenfield ventures).
Basic urban infrastructure — water, sewerage & green spaces; AMRUT 2.0.
Area-based development & pan-city solutions, SPVs and ICCCs across 100 cities.
Universal household electrification — free last-mile connections and solar for off-grid.
The rural livelihoods mission — SHGs, the Lakhpati Didi goal, and DAY-NULM.
Hot cooked meals in schools — boosting nutrition, enrolment and retention.
APY pension + PMJJBY & PMSBY insurance for the unorganised sector.
Solar power for farmers — the three components and annadata-to-urjadata.
The nine pillars, the India Stack/DPI, BharatNet, and the digital-divide challenge.
Pensions for the poor elderly, widows & disabled — the Article 41 (DPSP) safety net.
Housing for All — PMAY-Urban & Gramin, the CLSS subsidy, and woman-ownership.
Free LPG for poor women, clean cooking fuel, Ujjwala 2.0, and the refill challenge.
ODF, SBM-Urban & Gramin, and the shift to SBM 2.0 (waste management).
PMKVY, NSDC, the demographic-dividend rationale, and the quality/placement challenge.
DPIIT recognition, tax & angel-tax relief, the Fund of Funds, and the unicorn ecosystem.
Manufacturing + FDI + ease of doing business — the pillars, 25 sectors, and PLI link.
Self-reliant India — the five pillars, the stimulus, and the self-reliance-vs-protectionism debate.
The National Master Plan for multi-modal connectivity — GIS platform, 16+ ministries.
Production-Linked Incentives — how they work, the 14+ sectors, and value-addition concerns.
Har Ghar Jal — functional tap water to every rural home, Pani Samitis, and sustainability.
Support for artisans in 18 trades — recognition, toolkit incentive, and collateral-free credit.
Collateral-free micro-loans — Shishu/Kishore/Tarun categories and the NPA challenge.
The UN system, the P5 and veto, why the Council needs reform, and India’s case (G4 vs Uniting for Consensus).
Members (19 + EU + AU), structure (troika, two tracks), and India’s 2023 presidency & New Delhi Declaration.
MFN & national treatment, key agreements, the Appellate Body crisis, and India’s food-security stance.
Surveillance, lending & capacity-building; the quota system, SDRs, and India’s 1991 programme.
IBRD, IDA, IFC, MIGA, ICSID — and how the Bank differs from the IMF.
Origin, members (India 2017, Iran 2023), RATS, and India’s balancing act in a China-Russia bloc.
Structure, the IHR and pandemic treaty, and India as the “pharmacy of the world.”
The eight members, structure, SAFTA, why it stalled after 2016, and the pivot to BIMSTEC.
Look East → Act East, ASEAN centrality, the EAS/ARF forums, and connectivity to the east.
The strategic partnership, the relaunched FTA, the Trade & Technology Council, and CBAM friction.
IAFS, lines of credit, ITEC, Vaccine Maitri, and the AU’s entry into the G20.
The world’s largest diaspora — NRI/PIO/OCI, record remittances, and diaspora diplomacy as soft power.
The 2020 opening, IN-SPACe and NSIL, the Indian Space Policy 2023, FDI, and the NewSpace boom.
The 2023 lunar south-pole landing, Vikram & Pragyan, National Space Day, and India’s first solar mission.
India’s first human spaceflight — crew module, escape system, Vyommitra, and the road to a space station.
AI/ML & generative AI, the IndiaAI Mission and #AIforAll, and the ethics/jobs debate.
Red/green/white branches, GM crops & the GEAC, the BioE3 policy, and bioethics.
The nanoscale, graphene & carbon nanotubes, applications, and India’s Nano Mission.
Robots, cobots & Industry 4.0 — applications and the jobs-vs-reskilling question.
Distributed ledgers, public vs private chains, use-cases beyond crypto, and the CBDC.
Sensors + connectivity + data, the 5G enabler, smart cities, and IoT security.
UAVs, the Drone Rules 2021 & PLI, Kisan/SVAMITVA drones, and counter-UAS security.
Threat types, critical information infrastructure, CERT-In & NCIIPC, and the way forward.
How CRISPR-Cas9 works, gene therapy & edited crops, and the germline-editing ethics.
Satellite types, remote sensing & GIS, NavIC, and space for governance & development.
Patents/copyright/trademark/GI, TRIPS, the IPR Policy, and Section 3(d)/evergreening.
From the 1958 SPR to STIP & ANRF, the key research bodies, and the low-R&D challenge.
The ₹6,000-cr push into quantum computing, communication, sensing and materials — and why it matters.
Bhabha’s PHWR → fast breeder → thorium path, the PFBR, and small modular reactors.
Green vs grey/blue hydrogen, the 5 MMT-by-2030 target, SIGHT incentives, and decarbonising hard sectors.
Sequencing Indian genomes for precision medicine, and the BioE3 policy for a bio-economy.
Atmanirbhar Bharat — positive lists, defence corridors, iDEX, DRDO/DPSUs, and record exports.
The RBI’s e₹ — wholesale & retail, and how it differs from UPI and from cryptocurrency.
India’s regional navigation system (IRNSS) — constellation, coverage, services and strategic autonomy.
The 2022 5G rollout, the indigenous stack, and the Bharat 6G Vision for standards leadership by 2030.
The National Supercomputing Mission, the indigenous PARAM series, and the AIRAWAT AI system.
The six categories (Articles 12-35), reasonable restrictions, Article 32, and the landmark cases.
Part IV (36-51) — the Gandhian/socialist/liberal classification and the FR-vs-DPSP balance.
Part IVA, the Swaran Singh Committee, the eleven duties, and their non-justiciable nature.
How the Constitution was framed — committees, key dates and sources.
Lengthiest written, quasi-federal, parliamentary — what makes it unique.
The two systems, the differences, and why India chose parliamentary.
The Speaker, Deputy Speaker & RS Chairman — powers and independence.
Vidhan Sabha & Parishad, Council creation (Art 169), and state law-making.
Article 110, money vs financial bills, and the budget stages.
Articles 123/213, the limits, and the re-promulgation bar.
UT administration, LGs, Delhi/J&K special status and reorganisation.
The Fifth & Sixth Schedules, autonomous councils, and PESA.
Hindi & English, the Eighth Schedule, and the three-language formula.
The NCW — statutory basis, powers and limitations.
The multi-party system, ECI recognition, and party-funding reforms.
The keywords, the 42nd Amendment additions, and the Berubari→Kesavananda story.
Habeas Corpus, Mandamus, Prohibition, Certiorari, Quo Warranto — and Article 32 vs 226.
The three types of amendment, the procedure, and the basic-structure limit.
The electoral college, the range of powers, the three vetoes, and the nominal-executive role.
The real executive — the PM’s role, collective responsibility, and the categories of ministers.
Lok Sabha vs Rajya Sabha, the money-bill rules (Article 110), and parliamentary devices.
The three commissions — Articles 338/338A/338B, composition, powers and the 102nd Amendment.
Statutory basis (PHR Act 1993), the ex-CJI chair, civil-court powers, and its limitations.
Article 263, the Sarkaria-born ISC, the 5 Zonal Councils, and cooperative federalism.
Money & muscle, VVPAT/NOTA, the electoral-bonds verdict, and the pending agenda.
Standing vs ad hoc, the PAC/Estimates/COPU financial committees, and the 24 DRSCs.
Articles 105/194, individual vs collective privileges, breach of privilege and codification.
Kesavananda, Maneka, Bommai, Indra Sawhney, Puttaswamy — the cases that shaped India.
Articles 13/32/226, the scope over laws & executive action, and India’s synthesis model.
Relaxed locus standi, epistolary jurisdiction, contributions, and the overreach debate.
The Three Judges Cases, the NJAC verdict, the MoP debate, and judicial independence.
Articles 323A/323B, CAT/NGT/NCLT, advantages, and the ‘tribunalisation’ concern.
The doctrine, India’s non-rigid model, basic-structure status, and checks & balances.
The four jurisdictions, judicial review, and the collegium-vs-NJAC debate.
Appointment, powers, Article 200 bill assent, and the discretion-misuse debate.
The three-tier system, Part IX & the Eleventh Schedule, reservations, and the “3 Fs” gap.
The monsoon type, controlling factors, the four seasons, and the monsoon mechanism (ITCZ, ENSO, IOD).
The concept and criteria, and India’s four hotspots — Himalaya, Western Ghats, Indo-Burma, Sundaland.
Evergreen, deciduous, thorn, montane and mangrove forests — by rainfall, species and location.
The UNESCO MAB concept, core-buffer-transition zoning, and India’s 18 reserves (Nilgiri the first).
The Special & Privileged Strategic Partnership — defence, energy, and the strategic-autonomy balance.
Bilateralism, the Line of Control, the 1971 POWs, and its contested status today.
India’s apex integrity body — statutory status, composition, and superintendence over the CBI.
The telecom regulator — TRAI Act 1997, TDSAT, tariffs and quality, and the net-neutrality ruling.
WEF’s four sub-indices, the toppers, and why India lags most on economic participation.
The four indicators, India’s rank and “serious” band, and the methodology debate.
RSF’s five indicators, the toppers, and India’s rank among 180 countries.
How passports are ranked by visa-free access, the toppers, and India’s position.
GDP vs employment mismatch, the allied sectors, challenges, and doubling farmers’ incomes.
From license raj to 1991 liberalisation, the stagnant mfg share, Make in India & PLI.
Services-led growth, IT-BPM & GCC exports, jobless-growth concern and the gig economy.
The 2020 classification, share in jobs/exports, the credit gap, and Udyam/MUDRA support.
BOT/HAM/TOT models, the NIP & NMP, NaBFID, InvITs and the financing challenge.
The twin-balance-sheet problem, the 4R strategy, IBC 2016, mergers and the bad bank.
IRDAI & PFRDA, low penetration, the NPS & APY, OPS debate, and FDI reforms.
The APMC mandi system, e-NAM, FPOs, contract farming and the 2020 farm-laws episode.
The four components, why ceilings/tenancy failed, success cases, and SVAMITVA today.
The cooperative movement, the PACS–NABARD–RRB structure, and the new Ministry of Cooperation.
India Stack & DPI, UPI, the Account Aggregator, ONDC, the digital rupee, and the risks.
Growth with equity — its dimensions, the inequality/jobless-growth challenge, and strategies.
Functions of money, the aggregates M0–M3, money creation and the multiplier.
Short-term instruments — T-Bills, commercial paper, CDs, call money & repo.
Primary vs secondary, equity & debt, NSE/BSE, and SEBI’s role.
Mutual funds & SIPs, ETFs, REITs/InvITs and AIFs — financialising savings.
Deficit financing, G-secs, internal vs external debt, and sustainability.
Reserve components, import cover, external debt and the BoP cushion.
Fixed vs floating vs managed float, depreciation, REER and convertibility.
GDP, GVA, GNP, NNP, the three methods, and nominal vs real GDP.
The 40% mandate, the categories & sub-targets, and PSLCs.
Duty-free enclaves, the SEZ Act 2005, incentives, and the DESH reform.
Food/fertiliser/fuel subsidies, leakages, and JAM-enabled DBT.
Systemic risk & contagion, macroprudential regulation, and the FSDC.
GVA vs GDP, nominal vs real, the base year, and how India’s NSO measures national income.
Types, WPI vs CPI, and the RBI’s 4% ±2% flexible inflation-targeting framework.
RBI at the apex, scheduled vs non-scheduled, commercial & cooperative banks, SFBs and payments banks.
Jan Dhan–Aadhaar–Mobile, Direct Benefit Transfer, and how India banks the unbanked.
India’s policy think tank — composition, functions, and how it differs from the Planning Commission.
Article 280, vertical & horizontal devolution, grants-in-aid, and the 16th Finance Commission.
The rural right to work — 100 guaranteed days, social audit, women’s participation, and the wage debate.
₹6,000-a-year direct income support to landholding farmers via DBT — design, eligibility, exclusions.
The world’s largest financial-inclusion drive — zero-balance accounts, RuPay, and the JAM foundation.
Crop insurance at low premiums (2% kharif, 1.5% rabi), the risks covered, and the tech-driven reforms.
The right to food — priority households, AAY, the PDS, and One Nation One Ration Card.
Assuring MSP for oilseeds & pulses — price support, price-deficiency payment, and private procurement.
Palaeolithic to Chalcolithic — tools, Bhimbetka, the Neolithic Revolution.
Literary, archaeological & foreign-account sources — and how we know the past.
Megasthenes, Hiuen Tsang, Al-Biruni, Ibn Battuta — and whom they visited.
The gurukul, and Takshashila, Nalanda & Vikramshila.
Zero & decimals, Aryabhata, Charaka/Sushruta, and the Iron Pillar.
Varna→caste, ashramas, the position of women, and the agrarian economy.
The Silk Route, Indo-Roman trade, ports, and guilds (shrenis).
Iqta & mansabdari, land revenue (Todar Mal), and the textile-rich economy.
Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb — the Bhakti-Sufi synthesis, Urdu, and Indo-Islamic art.
Mughal decline and the successor, new & Rajput states.
Portuguese to British — trading companies, Carnatic Wars and Plassey.
Changing status, women rulers & saints, and social practices.
Early vs Later Vedic period — the four Vedas, sabha & samiti, and the rise of varna.
The sixteen great states, monarchies vs republics, and the rise of Magadha.
Mahavira & the 24 Tirthankaras, the Three Jewels, five vows, and the Digambara–Svetambara split.
Gautama Buddha, the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, the councils and schools.
Chandragupta & Kautilya, Ashoka’s Dhamma and the Kalinga war, and the decline.
Shungas, Indo-Greeks, Sakas, Kushanas (Kanishka) and the Satavahanas.
The Golden Age — Samudragupta, Vikramaditya, Aryabhata and Kalidasa.
Harsha of Kannauj, Hiuen Tsang, and the tripartite struggle.
Rajaraja & Rajendra, local self-government (Uttaramerur), Dravidian temples and bronzes.
The five dynasties, Alauddin Khilji, Muhammad bin Tughlaq, and the iqta system.
Babur to Aurangzeb, mansabdari & zabt revenue, Akbar’s sulh-i-kul, and the decline.
Shivaji & the Ashta Pradhan, the Peshwas, and the Third Battle of Panipat.
Harappan cities — town planning & drainage, the undeciphered script, key sites and the decline.
Sangam literature, the Cheras, Cholas & Pandyas, and the Indo-Roman trade of early Tamilakam.
Muhammad bin Qasim, Mahmud of Ghazni and Muhammad Ghori — the road to the Delhi Sultanate.
Kanchi & Mahabalipuram, Narasimhavarman, and the cradle of Dravidian architecture.
Pulakeshin II, the Vesara style, and the temples of Aihole & Pattadakal.
Amoghavarsha, the tripartite struggle, and the Kailasa temple at Ellora.
Pratiharas, Chauhans & Chandelas — Khajuraho, Dilwara, and why they fell to the Turks.
Mahmud Gawan’s reforms, the Vijayanagara rivalry, and the break-up into Deccan Sultanates.
Bijapur, Golconda & the rest — Talikota (1565), Gol Gumbaz, and Mughal absorption.
Nirguna vs Saguna, Kabir & Nanak, the Alvars/Nayanars, and devotional reform.
The Chishti & Suhrawardi silsilas, khanqahs & dargahs, and cultural synthesis.
Guru Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh — the ten Gurus, the Adi Granth and the Khalsa.
The four dynasties, Hampi, the golden age of Krishnadevaraya, and the Battle of Talikota (1565).
Bengal’s great Buddhist dynasty — Gopala’s election, Vikramshila & Nalanda, and the Tripartite Struggle.
The all-white commission, “Simon Go Back”, Lala Lajpat Rai, and the Nehru Report.
Iron Man of India — Bardoli Satyagraha, first Home Minister, integrated 565 princely states.
Revolutionary martyr — HSRA, Saunders, Assembly bomb 1929, Lahore conspiracy and 23 Mar 1931.
Lokmanya, ‘Swaraj is my birthright’, Home Rule League and the Lucknow Pact.
Grand Old Man — the Drain of Wealth theory, 3x Congress President, first Indian MP in Britain.
Lion of Punjab — Lal-Bal-Pal Extremist, founded PNB, killed by Simon Commission lathi-charge.
Revolutionary & mystic — Bande Mataram, Alipore Bomb Case, Pondicherry, Integral Yoga.
Scholar & statesman — Al-Hilal, youngest Congress President, first Education Minister.
Rajaji — C.R. Formula, last Governor-General of India and founder of the Swatantra Party.
Gurudev — Nobel 1913 for Gitanjali, Visva-Bharati, renounced his knighthood.
Nightingale of India — first Indian woman Congress President, Dharasana salt raid, first woman Governor.
Frontier Gandhi — Khudai Khidmatgars, opposed Partition, Bharat Ratna 1987.
Mahamana — founded BHU (1915), 4x Congress President, posthumous Bharat Ratna 2014.
The Moderate statesman, the Servants of India Society, and Gandhi’s political guru.
The Widow Remarriage Act 1856, women’s education, and the reform of Bengali prose.
The Lingayat movement, the Anubhava Mantapa of spiritual democracy, and Vachana literature.
The Dakshina Ganga — source, tributaries, the largest peninsular basin, and Polavaram.
The west-flowing rift-valley river, why it forms an estuary, Sardar Sarovar and the Andolan.
Old, rain-fed drainage; the Western Ghats divide; east vs west flowing; vs Himalayan rivers.
India’s mineral heartland — coal, the Damodar valley, the steel belt, and the tribal homeland.
Project Tiger, the NTCA, the core-and-buffer model, and the latest tiger census.
Ladakh in the Himalayan rain shadow — high-altitude ecology, the snow leopard, and the biosphere reserve.
Women’s safety in the Malayalam film industry — findings, the POSH gap, and protecting informal-sector women workers.
The nine papers, the 1750-mark structure, and a practical answer-writing strategy.
Year-wise essay topics, the two-section pattern, evaluation, and how to practise.
All eight topics across Section A and B, with a brief analysis and approach for each.
The famously tough GS paper — pattern, the low cutoff, themes, and how to practise.
Pattern, the economy-heavy themes, and how to use the paper for timed practice.
How the cutoff is set, why it fluctuates, and how to target a safe score.
The full optional list, the 500-mark structure, and how to choose your optional.
Why it’s popular, the two-paper structure, core thinkers, and a scoring strategy.
What actually makes a topper’s answer score — and the mistakes to avoid when learning from them.
How to make and use notes that actually work — and why collecting others’ notes doesn’t.
Exam stages, the GS papers, the decisive UP-specific GK, and how to prepare.
Unity in diversity, family and kinship, caste, religious pluralism and “principled distance” secularism — the GS-1 society foundation.
Census 2011 (943), the declining child sex ratio (919), NFHS-5, the PCPNDT Act and Beti Bachao Beti Padhao.
From the calorie norm to Tendulkar and Rangarajan, and the shift to the multidimensional poverty index.
Himalayas, Northern Plains, Peninsular Plateau, Thar Desert, Coastal Plains and Islands — India’s six macro regions.
Tamilakam, the Chera-Chola-Pandya kingdoms, Sangam literature, the tinai eco-zones and Indo-Roman trade.
Author of Vande Mataram and Anandamath, pioneer of modern Indian fiction and cultural nationalism.
Father of the Indian Renaissance — Brahmo Sabha (1828), abolition of Sati (1829), English-education advocate.
Disciple of Ramakrishna — 1893 Chicago Address, founded Ramakrishna Mission (1897); 12 Jan National Youth Day.
Founded Arya Samaj (1875), Shuddhi movement, “Back to the Vedas”, Satyarth Prakash.
Mahatma — Satyashodhak Samaj (1873), opened first girls’ school in 1848, “Gulamgiri”.
India’s first woman teacher — Bhide Wada (1848), Mahila Seva Mandal; died nursing plague patients (1897).
Self-Respect Movement, Vaikom Satyagraha, Dravidar Kazhagam (1944) — root of Dravidian politics.
Netaji — Forward Bloc (1939), INA / Azad Hind (1943), Red Fort trials; Parakram Diwas 23 Jan.
Architect of the Constitution — Mahad (1927), Poona Pact (1932), Drafting Committee Chair; Buddhist conversion at Deekshabhoomi (1956).
Theosophical Society, Home Rule League (1916), first woman Congress President (1917, Calcutta).
Dharti Aba — Ulgulan (1899-1900), Chotanagpur Tenancy Act (1908); Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas 15 Nov.
Prarthana Samaj, Indian National Social Conference (1887), Deccan Education Society; Gokhale’s mentor.
Kakori (1925), founded HSRA (1928) with Bhagat Singh; died fighting at Alfred Park (1931).
First anti-British tribal rebel — Damin-i-Koh resistance (1771-85), killed Augustus Cleveland (1784), hanged Bhagalpur.
Led the Santhal Hul (1855-56) — Bhognadih 30 June (Hool Divas), led to Santhal Pargana District (Act XXXVII of 1855).
The Indian Robin Hood — Bhil resistance in Nimar (MP) 1878-89, hanged Jabalpur 1889; India Post stamp 2008.
Gondwana queen of Garha-Mandla — Battle of Narrai (1564) vs Akbar’s Asaf Khan; Balidan Diwas 24 June.
Naga heroine of the Heraka Movement — 14 yrs in colonial prison, Padma Bhushan 1972.
“Manyam Veerudu” — Rampa Rebellion (1922-24) against Madras Forest Act, killed by Major Goodall 1924.
Gond hero of Adilabad — “Jal Jangal Zameen” against Nizam of Hyderabad; killed at Jodeghat 1940.
Non-violent Oraon revivalist movement (April 1914) — predated Gandhi’s satyagraha by 5 years.
Khasi Syiem of Nongkhlaw — Anglo-Khasi War (1829-33), died in Dhaka prison 1835; U Tirot Sing Day 17 July.
Binjhwar Gond zamindar of Sonakhan — first Adivasi martyr of 1857; hanged Jaistambh Chowk Raipur 10 Dec 1857.
Oraon leader of the Larka Kol Rebellion (1831-32) — killed Silagain village; led to South-West Frontier Agency 1833.
Bhumiya tribal Congress leader — Mathili police-station march (21 Aug 1942), hanged Berhampur jail 29 Mar 1943.
Created the Ninth Schedule, added 19(2) free-speech restrictions, protected zamindari abolition. Limited by I.R. Coelho 2007.
States Reorganisation — abolished Part A/B/C/D classification; 14 states + 6 UTs on linguistic lines, after Fazl Ali Commission.
Response to Golak Nath — restored Parliament’s power to amend Fundamental Rights (Article 368). Upheld in Kesavananda Bharati 1973.
Abolished privy purses and recognition of former princely rulers after Madhav Rao Scindia case.
The Mini-Constitution — 25 changes including Socialist/Secular Preamble, Fundamental Duties, 6-year terms. Partly struck in Minerva Mills 1980.
Janata’s rollback — Right to Property moved to Article 300A; "armed rebellion" replaces "internal disturbance" for Emergency.
First Anti-Defection Law — added Tenth Schedule after "Aaya Ram Gaya Ram" era. Kihoto Hollohan (1992) trimmed Speaker’s finality.
Voting age lowered from 21 to 18 — added ~50 million 18-20 yr old voters for the November 1989 general election.
Article 21A — free and compulsory education for 6-14 yr olds as a Fundamental Right; led to RTE Act 2009.
Closed Tenth Schedule 1/3rd split loophole; capped Council of Ministers at 15% of legislature size.
Goods & Services Tax — Article 246A concurrent power, GST Council (279A); rolled out 1 July 2017.
10% EWS reservation in education and jobs — Articles 15(6), 16(6); upheld 3:2 in Janhit Abhiyan 2022.
1930 Nobel Physics for the Raman Effect (28 Feb 1928); founded Raman Research Institute; Bharat Ratna 1954. National Science Day 28 February.
Wireless radio waves Nov 1895 (18 months before Marconi); crescograph; founded Bose Institute 1917; FRS 1920.
Father of India’s nuclear programme — founded TIFR (1945), authored Three-Stage Programme; died Mont Blanc air crash Jan 1966.
Father of India’s space programme — founded PRL Ahmedabad (1947), ISRO (Aug 1969); conceived SITE 1975-76.
Missile Man — SLV-3 (1980), IGMDP (Agni/Prithvi), Pokhran-II 1998; 11th President 2002-07; Bharat Ratna 1997.
Derived Planck’s law from first principles (1924, Dhaka); Bose-Einstein statistics + the “boson” named after him by Dirac (1947).
Saha ionization equation (1920) — foundation of stellar spectroscopy; founded SINP Calcutta (1950); chaired Calendar Reform Committee 1952.
Birdman of India — statewide bird surveys, Handbook of Birds of India and Pakistan; key role in Bharatpur (Ramsar 1981). Padma Vibhushan 1976.
Father of India’s Green Revolution — semi-dwarf wheat with Borlaug 1965-66; National Commission on Farmers; Bharat Ratna 2024 (posthumous).
Father of the White Revolution — founded Amul, designed Operation Flood 1970-96; National Milk Day 26 November.
Chandrasekhar Limit (1.44 solar masses, 1930); 1983 Nobel Physics; NASA Chandra X-ray Observatory (1999) named after him.
Led India’s first nuclear test — Smiling Buddha at Pokhran 18 May 1974; Director BARC; AEC Chairman; Padma Vibhushan 1975.
Right to Information — PIO + 30-day reply; CIC/SIC; Section 8 exemptions. 2019 Amendment shifted tenure/salary to the Centre.
Forest Rights Act — IFR (4 ha) + CFR + Community + Habitat rights; Gram Sabha decides; Niyamgiri 2013 upheld veto.
Operationalises Article 21A — 25% private-school reservation, neighbourhood schools, no-detention modified by 2019 amendment.
75% rural + 50% urban coverage; PHH 5kg/person + AAY 35kg; women head of household; PMGKAY extended free till Dec 2028.
Replaced 1956 Act; Section 135 mandatory CSR; One-Person Companies; Independent Directors; Class Action Suits; NCLT/NCLAT/SFIO.
80% consent for private, 70% for PPP; 4× rural / 2× urban compensation; SIA + R&R; 2015 Ordinance attempt failed.
Prevention of Money Laundering — ED powers; §24 reverse burden; §45 twin bail; §50 admissible statements. Vijay Madanlal 2022 upheld.
Time-bound 330-day CIRP; CoC commercial wisdom; §29A bar; NCLT; IBBI regulator. Swiss Ribbons + Essar Steel key cases.
Money Bill; §7 mandatory linking for subsidies. Puttaswamy I (2017 privacy) + Puttaswamy II (2018 4:1 upheld with restrictions).
CGST + SGST + UTGST + IGST — operationalised 101st Amendment; rolled out 1 July 2017. Mohit Minerals 2022 = Council not binding.
Fast-track citizenship for non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan/Bangladesh/Afghanistan arriving before 31 Dec 2014. Rules notified March 2024.
India’s first comprehensive privacy law — Data Principal/Fiduciary; Data Protection Board; Rs 250 cr penalty; §17 State exemption.
Basic Structure doctrine — 13-judge bench, 7:6 verdict; Parliament can amend but not destroy basic structure. Justice H.R. Khanna’s 7th vote was decisive.
Habeas Corpus Case — 4:1 held Article 21 suspended during Emergency; Justice H.R. Khanna sole dissenter. Expressly overruled in Puttaswamy 2017.
7-judge bench expanded Article 21 to include due process; golden triangle of Articles 14-19-21. Overruled A.K. Gopalan 1950.
5-judge bench struck down 42nd Amendment Article 368(4)/(5) — limited amending power and FR-DPSP harmony are basic structure.
Pavement Dwellers Case — right to livelihood is part of right to life under Article 21; fair procedure mandatory before eviction.
9-judge Mandal Case — upheld 27% OBC reservation; fixed 50% cap; introduced creamy-layer doctrine; struck down economic-criteria.
9-judge bench — President’s Rule under Art 356 subject to judicial review; floor test mandatory; secularism & federalism are basic structure.
3-judge bench laid down Vishaka Guidelines on workplace sexual harassment — binding under Art 141 till POSH Act 2013 codified them.
Recognised transgender as “third gender”; right to self-identification of gender; led to Transgender Persons Act 2019.
9-judge unanimous — Right to Privacy is a Fundamental Right under Article 21; overruled M.P. Sharma, Kharak Singh, expressly ADM Jabalpur 1976.
5-judge bench (3:2) struck down triple talaq (talaq-e-biddat) as unconstitutional; led to Muslim Women Act 2019 with 3-yr jail penalty.
5-judge unanimous — read down Section 377 IPC to decriminalise consensual same-sex acts; overruled Suresh Kumar Koushal 2013.
Father of modern Hindi-Urdu fiction; Godaan, Gaban, Karmabhoomi; Soz-e-Watan banned 1909; PWA President 1936.
“Mahakavi Bharathiyar” — Tamil nationalist poet; Vande Mataram, Panchali Sapatham; Pondicherry exile 1908-18; died 1921.
Pioneer of Indian modern painting; Paris Beaux-Arts trained; National Treasure artist 1976; The Story Teller Rs 61.8 cr record.
Shehnai maestro — Red Fort 15 Aug 1947; lifelong Varanasi resident; Bharat Ratna 2001 (3rd musician).
First-musician Bharat Ratna 1998; UN GA concert 23 Oct 1966; Venkateshwara Suprabhatam; Magsaysay 1974.
Pather Panchali 1955; Apu Trilogy; Honorary Oscar 16 Mar 1992 & Bharat Ratna 1992; Dadasaheb Phalke 1985.
“Sudhakantha” bard of the Brahmaputra; Bistirno Parore/Ganga Behti Ho; Dadasaheb Phalke 1992; Bharat Ratna 2019.
Bengali writer-activist; Hajar Churashir Maa, Aranyer Adhikar; Lodha/Sabar tribal rights; Magsaysay 1997, Jnanpith 1996.
Nightingale of India; 36+ languages; Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon (1963); Bharat Ratna 2001 (2nd musician after MS).
Creator of Malgudi; Swami and Friends 1935; The Guide 1958 (Sahitya Akademi); Padma Vibhushan 2000; Graham Greene’s find.
Kirana gharana vocalist; Sawai Gandharva sishya; Mile Sur Mera Tumhara lead voice 1988; Bharat Ratna 2008.
Sitar maestro; Maihar-Senia under Allauddin Khan; Beatles + Concert for Bangladesh 1971; 3 Grammys; Bharat Ratna 1999.
UN Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization — Paris 1945; India 43 World Heritage Sites incl. Moidams Charaideo 2024; 15 Intangible Heritage incl. Garba 2023.
UN Children’s Fund 1946; 1965 Nobel Peace Prize; India since 1949; polio-free 27 Mar 2014; CRC 1989 ratified 1992.
UN Development Programme 1965; Human Development Report since 1990; India HDI rank 134/193 (2025); SDGs 2030 lead agency.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Geneva 1950; Nobel Peace 1954+1981; India NOT party to 1951 Convention, hosts Tibetan/Tamil/Rohingya refugees.
International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna 1957; Nobel Peace 2005; India 14 reactors under safeguards post-2008 NSG waiver; Grossi DG.
Brazil-Russia-India-China-SA founded Yekaterinburg 2009; expanded to BRICS+ Johannesburg 2023; NDB Shanghai 2014; India chairs 2025.
Association of SE Asian Nations — Bangkok 1967; 10 members, Jakarta HQ; India Dialogue Partner 1992, Strategic 2012; Act East 2014.
Quadrilateral — India+US+Japan+Australia; Abe 2007 → Manila 2017 revival → 1st leaders summit 12 Mar 2021; Delaware 2024; India hosts 2025.
Non-Aligned Movement — Belgrade 1961; founders Nehru+Tito+Nasser+Sukarno+Nkrumah; 121 members; Bandung 1955 origin; Kampala 2024 summit.
56-state voluntary association; King Charles III Head; London Declaration 1949 enabled republic-India; Delhi CWG 2010; Samoa CHOGM 2024.
Financial Action Task Force — G7 Paris 1989; 40+9 Recommendations; India full member 2010; Pakistan grey-listed 2018-22; India MER Sept 2024 best category.
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank — Beijing 2016; 109 members; India 2nd shareholder + largest borrower ($10.3 bn / 36 projects).
1st & longest-serving PM (1947-64); Tryst with Destiny; Panchsheel 1954; NAM Belgrade 1961; Pokhran-I not yet; Bharat Ratna 1955.
2nd PM (1964-66); Jai Jawan Jai Kisan; 1965 Indo-Pak War; Tashkent Declaration 10 Jan 1966; died next day. Bharat Ratna 1966 (1st posthumous).
3rd PM (1966-77, 80-84); bank nationalisation 1969; 1971 Bangladesh war; Pokhran-I 1974; Emergency 1975-77; assassinated 31 Oct 1984.
4th PM (1977-79); first non-Congress; Janata Party; 44th Amendment 1978; only Indian with Bharat Ratna 1991 + Nishan-e-Pakistan 1990.
5th PM (1979-80); only PM who never faced Parliament; Kisan Diwas 23 Dec; Bharat Ratna posthumous 2024.
6th & youngest PM at 40 (1984-89); 52nd Amendment Anti-Defection 1985; voting age 18 (61st Amend 1988); assassinated 21 May 1991 at Sriperumbudur.
7th PM (1989-90); implemented Mandal Commission’s 27% OBC reservation 7 Aug 1990; Bofors crusader; collided with Advani’s Rath Yatra.
8th PM (1990-91); Young Turk 1969; 1991 BoP crisis pledged 47 tonnes gold; Bharat Yatra 4260 km 1983-84.
9th PM (1991-96); first South Indian; 1991 LPG reforms with FM Manmohan Singh; 73rd+74th Amendments 1992; Bharat Ratna 2024 (posthumous).
10th PM (1996-97); United Front 13 parties; FM Chidambaram “Dream Budget” 1997; Ganga Water Treaty 1996; founded JD(S) 1999.
11th PM (1997-98); United Front; Gujral Doctrine 5 principles of non-reciprocity for neighbours; USSR Ambassador 1976-80.
3-time PM (1996, 1998-99, 1999-2004); Pokhran-II May 1998; Lahore Bus 1999; Kargil War; Golden Quadrilateral; Bharat Ratna 2015.
Central bank; Hilton-Young 1926→RBI Act 1934→1 Apr 1935; nationalised 1949; Gov Sanjay Malhotra Dec 2024; MPC since 2016.
Securities regulator; executive 1988, statutory SEBI Act 30 Jan 1992; Chair Tuhin Kanta Pandey Mar 2025.
Constitutional Art 148-151; “most important officer” (Ambedkar); 6 yr/65; 15th CAG K. Sanjay Murthy Nov 2024.
Constitutional Art 315-323; PSC 1926→FPSC 1937→UPSC 1950; Chair Preeti Sudan Aug 2024; 6 yr/65 term.
Statutory PHRA 1993; Chair V. Ramasubramanian Dec 2024; 3 yr term post 2019; GANHRI A-status under review.
RTI Act 2005; 1+10 max; CIC Heeralal Samariya Nov 2023; 3 yr/65 post 2019 RTI amendment.
Lokpal & Lokayuktas Act 2013; Anna Hazare Jan Lokpal movement; Chair Justice A.M. Khanwilkar Mar 2024.
First law officer Art 76; R. Venkataramani 1 Oct 2022; M.C. Setalvad 1st AG 13 yrs.
Constitutional 102nd Amend 2018 (Art 338B); Mandal lineage; Chair Hansraj Ahir Sep 2022.
NCW Act 1990, commenced 31 Jan 1992; Chair Vijaya Rahatkar Oct 2024; powers of civil court.
Art 263; Sarkaria Comm 1988 → V.P. Singh Presidential Order 28 May 1990; PM chairs; 12 meetings in 34 years.
Art 243K/243ZA; 73rd+74th Amend 1992; conducts local-body polls; distinct from ECI.
Art 165; first law officer of State; appointed by Governor; pleasure tenure.
Indo-Russian supersonic cruise missile; Mach 2.8-3; 290-800 km; Philippines $375 mn 2022 1st export.
IGMDP 1983 ballistic missile family; Agni-I to V (5000+ km ICBM); Mission Divyastra MIRV 11 Mar 2024.
India’s 1st indigenous SRBM; IGMDP 1st project; Army/IAF/Navy variants; phasing out for Agni Prime.
HAL+ADA indigenous 4.5-gen fighter; 1st flight 2001; IAF 2016; Mk-1A 180-order; Mk-2 in dev.
French Dassault 4.5-gen; 36 IAF €7.87 bn 2016; 17 Sqn Ambala 2020; 26 Rafale-M Navy April 2025.
Russian long-range SAM 400 km; India $5.4 bn 2018 5 sqns; CAATSA waiver; Akashteer C2 link.
DRDO IGMDP medium-range SAM; IAF 2014, Army 2015; Armenia $720 mn 2024 1st export.
DRDO ARDE Pune; 38-90 km; 12 rockets/44 sec; Kargil 1999 debut; Armenia 2023 $250 mn 1st export.
1st indigenous aircraft carrier IAC-1; commissioned 2 Sept 2022 PM Modi at Kochi; 88% indigenous.
1st indigenous SSBN; Aug 2016 commissioned; INS Arighat 29 Aug 2024; completes nuclear triad.
5.5-gen stealth fighter; CCS sanctioned 7 Mar 2024 Rs 15000 cr; 1st flight 2028-29; induction 2034-35.
K-15 Sagarika 750 km + K-4 3500 km operational; K-5 5000 km + K-6 8000 km MIRV in dev.
UP DIC 6 nodes + TN DIC 5 nodes (2018 Budget); BrahMos Lucknow; Pinaka Hosur; FY24 exports Rs 21k cr.
Britain 1760-1840; Watt steam engine 1769; Hargreaves spinning jenny 1764; Chartism 1838; de-industrialised India.
1803-15; Waterloo 18 June 1815; Congress of Vienna 1814-15 Metternich; Concert of Europe.
1861-65 Union vs Confederacy; Lincoln Emancipation 1 Jan 1863; Gettysburg; 13th Amendment 1865.
Japan 1868; Charter Oath; Fukoku Kyohei; 1889 Constitution; defeated China 1895 + Russia 1905.
1914-18; Sarajevo 28 June 1914; Allies vs Central Powers; Versailles 28 June 1919; ~20 million dead.
1939-45; Hitler invasion of Poland 1 Sept 1939; Pearl Harbor; Hiroshima 6 Aug 1945; UN 24 Oct 1945.
USA vs USSR 1945-91; Iron Curtain 1946; NATO 1949; Cuba 1962; Berlin Wall fell 9 Nov 1989.
Ghana 1957 (Nkrumah); Year of Africa 1960; Macmillan Wind of Change; OAU 25 May 1963.
India-Pak 1947; Indonesia 1945; Vietnam 1954+1975; Bandung 1955 → NAM 1961.
Xinhai 10 Oct 1911 (Sun Yat-sen); Long March 1934-35; PRC 1 Oct 1949 Mao; Cultural Revolution 1966-76.
Korea 25 June 1950 - 27 July 1953 (DMZ 38th parallel); Vietnam 1955-75 (Fall of Saigon 30 Apr 1975).
Gorbachev glasnost+perestroika 1985; August coup 1991; USSR dissolved 26 Dec 1991; 15 successor states.
SR Act 1 Nov 1956; Potti Sriramulu 15 Dec 1952 martyr; Andhra 1953; 14 States + 6 UTs.
20 Oct - 21 Nov 1962; Aksai Chin + NEFA; Henderson Brooks-Bhagat Report; Nehru’s humiliation.
Op Vijay 17-19 Dec 1961; ended 451 yr Portuguese rule; UN debate USSR veto; Goa state 30 May 1987.
Op Gibraltar+Grand Slam; Battle of Asal Uttar; Abdul Hamid PVC; Tashkent 10 Jan 1966.
Op Searchlight 25 Mar; Mukti Bahini; Indo-Soviet Treaty 9 Aug; Dhaka surrender 16 Dec; Simla 1972.
Allahabad HC 12 June 1975; Article 352; 42nd Amendment; sterilisation; Janata 21 Mar 1977.
1-10 June; Lt Gen K.S. Brar; Bhindranwale killed; Akal Takht destroyed; Indira assassinated 31 Oct.
1-3 Nov 1984; ~3000 killed Delhi; Misra+Nanavati Commissions; Manmohan Singh apology 2005; Sajjan Kumar 2018.
Rubaiya kidnap 8 Dec 1989; Pandit exodus 19 Jan 1990; Art 370 abrogation 5 Aug 2019; Op Sindoor 2025.
Advani Rath Yatra 1990; Demolition 6 Dec 1992; SC verdict 9 Nov 2019; Ram Mandir 22 Jan 2024.
Op Vijay 3 May - 26 July; Tiger Hill 3 July; 4 PVCs (Batra+Pandey+Yadav+Sanjay Kumar); 26 July Vijay Diwas.
14 Feb 2019 CRPF 40 killed; Balakot 26 Feb; Abhinandan 27 Feb; Pahalgam 22 April 2025; Op Sindoor 7-10 May.
2525 km; basin 8.6 lakh sq km; Bhagirathi+Alaknanda; Sundarbans delta; Namami Gange 2014.
1376 km longest Ganga tributary; Yamunotri source; Triveni Sangam Prayagraj; Delhi’s lifeline.
2900 km; Tsangpo→Dihang→Brahmaputra→Jamuna; Majuli world’s largest river island; Sorrow of Assam.
3180 km; Sengge Khabab Tibet source; Indus Waters Treaty 1960 (suspended 23 April 2025).
724 km west-flowing peninsular; Multai MP→Surat Gujarat; Ukai Dam; Burhanpur Mughal trade.
371 km; Aravalli source; Gandhi Sabarmati Ashram 1917-30; Dandi March 12 Mar 1930; Riverfront 2012.
1750 km discontinuous; Arma Konda 1680 m highest; Simlipal+Nallamala+Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserves.
World’s oldest fold mountain Pre-Cambrian 350 cr yrs; 670 km; Guru Shikhar 1722 m Mt Abu; Thar barrier.
1050 km Gujarat-Bihar; divides N+Peninsular India; Sad-Bhaonra 752 m; Bhimbetka UNESCO; Panna diamonds.
43% India land area; Deccan Traps 65-66 mya; Regur soil; Anaimudi 2695 m highest peninsular.
7 lakh sq km; 2400 km Punjab-Assam; Bhabar+Tarai+Bhangar+Khadar; 5 Punjab Doabs; granary of India.
A&N 836 + Lakshadweep 36; Barren active volcano; Indira Point southernmost; Sentinelese; New Moore.
Insurance regulator; IRDA Act 1999; Hyderabad HQ; Chair Debasish Panda Mar 2022; 74% FDI; Insurance for All 2047.
Pension regulator; PFRDA Act 2013; NPS 2004; APY 2015; Unified Pension Scheme 1 Apr 2025; Chair Deepak Mohanty.
Rural finance apex; NABARD Act 1981; Mumbai HQ; Sivaraman Comm 1979; 100% Govt-owned 2018; RIDF since 1995; SHG-Bank Linkage.
MSME finance apex; SIDBI Act 1989; Lucknow HQ; FFS Rs 10k cr; MUDRA refinancer; Chair Manoj Mittal Apr 2024.
Housing finance apex; NHB Act 1987; New Delhi HQ; 100% Govt since Mar 2019; HFC regulation transferred to RBI Aug 2019.
Section 8 co Dec 2008; UPI 11 Apr 2016; 16+ bn txns/mo FY25; RuPay+IMPS+AePS+BHIM+FASTag; UPI international 7 countries.
Trade finance apex; EXIM Act 1981; Mumbai; MD Harsha Bangari Sep 2022 (1st woman); $32 bn LoCs to 65 countries.
Export credit insurer; 30 July 1957 (ERIC); CPSE 100% Govt; Mumbai HQ; Rs 1.73 lakh cr max liability FY24; NIRVIK 2020.
India’s 1st DFI; IFCI Act 1948; established 1 July 1948; converted Co 1993; Govt 71.7%; loss FY24; merger discussed.
Insolvency regulator; Sec 188 IBC 2016; 1 Oct 2016; Rs 3.55 lakh cr cumulative recoveries; Chair Ravi Mital then Nidhi Singh Feb 2024.
Companies Act 2013 Sec 408-414; 1 June 2016; 16 benches; Pres Justice Sudhakar; ~21000 cases pending FY24; replaced CLB+BIFR.
MF SRO; Sec 8 co 22 Aug 1995; Mumbai HQ; Mutual Funds Sahi Hai 2017; AUM Rs 65 lakh cr May 2024; Chair Anthony Heredia Jul 2023.
3 Anglo-French 1746-63; Dupleix vs Clive; Wandiwash 22 Jan 1760; Treaty of Paris 10 Feb 1763.
23 June 1757; Clive 3000 vs Siraj 50000; Mir Jafar betrayal; conventional start of British rule.
22 Oct 1764; Hector Munro vs Mir Qasim+Shuja-ud-Daulah+Shah Alam II; Treaty of Allahabad 1765 → Bengal Diwani.
4 wars 1767-99; Hyder Ali + Tipu Sultan; Mangalore 1784, Seringapatam 1792+1799; Tipu killed 4 May 1799.
3 wars 1775-1818; Salbai 1782, Bassein 1802, Mahidpur 1817; Peshwa pensioned at Bithur 1818.
2 wars 1845-49; Sobraon 1846, Treaty of Lahore; Gujrat 1849, Punjab annexed 29 March 1849.
3 wars 1824-1885; Yandabo 1826, Pegu 1852, Mandalay 1885; Upper Burma annexed 1 Jan 1886.
3 wars 1839-1919; Kabul retreat disaster 1842; Gandamak 1879; Rawalpindi 8 Aug 1919 → Afghan independence.
1814-16 vs Gorkha; Bal Bhadra at Nalapani; Sugauli 4 March 1816; Gorkha regiments raised.
Dalhousie 1848-56; Satara, Jhansi, Nagpur; Awadh 1856 (misrule); major cause of 1857 Revolt.
Wellesley 1798-1805; Hyderabad 1798 1st signatory; 4 standard terms; abolished 1858.
3 battles: Babur-Lodi 1526, Akbar-Hemu 1556, Abdali-Maratha 1761.
COP21 12 Dec 2015; 1.5°C/well-below 2°C; NDCs; India Panchamrit COP26; Net Zero 2070.
Founded 15 Aug 1969 (INCOSPAR 1962); Bengaluru HQ; DOS; Sarabhai; S. Somanath; IN-SPACe + NSIL.
Founded 19 Dec 1966 Manila; 68 members; India 2nd largest borrower; Masato Kanda (Japan).
Bangkok Declaration 6 Jun 1997; Dhaka secretariat 2014; Charter in force 20 May 2024; 7 members.
Founded 30 Sep 1961 Paris; 38 members; India key partner; Pillar 2 global min tax 15% from 1 Jan 2024.
Baghdad 14 Sep 1960; Vienna 1965; 12 + 10 OPEC+; controls ~50% world oil; Angola left 1 Jan 2024.
Durban Summit 9 Jul 2002; replaced OAU 1963; 55 members; AU joined G20 9 Sep 2023 Delhi (Modi).
Maastricht in force 1 Nov 1993; 27 members post-Brexit; 20 Eurozone; India FTA relaunched 2022; CBAM.
Founded Nov 1989 Canberra (Bob Hawke); Singapore HQ 1993; 21 economies; India NOT a member.
Vienna 1923; Lyon HQ 1989; 196 members; CBI is India NCB; 90th GA New Delhi 2022 + Bharatpol 2025.
Versailles 1919; Geneva HQ; 187 members; tripartite governance; Nobel Peace 1969; India 6/8 core conventions.
Stockholm 14 Jul 1967; Geneva HQ; 193 members; PCT + Madrid + Berne + Paris; GRATK Treaty 24 May 2024 (India win).
Quebec 16 Oct 1945 (first UN agency); Rome HQ; 195 members; QU Dongyu; IYM 2023 India-led.
Geneva 1948 / in force 1958; London HQ (only UK UN agency); 176 members; MARPOL + SOLAS + STCW; HK Conv 26 Jun 2025.
22 Oct 2008 PSLV-C11; M3 confirmed water on Moon; MIP 14 Nov 2008 Shackleton; ended 29 Aug 2009.
22 Jul 2019 GSLV Mk III-M1; orbiter healthy; Vikram crash 7 Sep 2019 braking-thruster anomaly.
14 Jul 2023 LVM3-M4; soft landing 23 Aug 2023 18:04 IST south pole; Shiv Shakti Point; LIBS sulphur.
5 Nov 2013 PSLV-C25; Mars orbit 24 Sep 2014 1st attempt; Rs 450 cr; ended 2 Oct 2022.
3-day crewed 400 km LEO; LVM3 HRLV; 4 IAF astronauts unveiled 27 Feb 2024; TV-D1 abort 21 Oct 2023; G4 2027.
2 Sep 2023 PSLV-C57; halo orbit L1 1.5 m km; HOI 6 Jan 2024; VELC 190 kg coronagraph IIA.
7-sat GSO+GEO; ~20 m accuracy; L5 + S band; renamed by PM Modi 2016; NVS-01 (2023) adds L1.
500 kg LEO; 3 solid + VTM; D1 7 Aug 2022 fail; D2 10 Feb 2023 success; HAL-L&T transfer 2024.
4 t GTO / 8 t LEO; CE-20 indigenous cryo; OneWeb 36 sats x 2; Chandrayaan-3; renamed 2022.
4-stage alt solid+liquid; 1750 kg SSO; PSLV-C37 104 sats world record 2017; Chandrayaan-1 + MOM + Aditya-L1.
First dual-freq L+S band SAR; ~$1.5 b; 12 m mesh antenna; launched 30 Jul 2025 GSLV-F16.
11 Dec 1997 COP3; in force 16 Feb 2005; Annex-I 5.2% cut; CDM+JI+IET; USA not ratified; Doha 2012.
Rio 5 June 1992; 3 objectives; 196 parties (USA not); Kunming-Montreal GBF Dec 2022; 30x30 target.
29 Jan 2000; LMO/GMO; AIA procedure; India ratified 17 Jan 2003; GEAC GMO regulator.
29 Oct 2010 CBD COP10; ABS via PIC+MAT; India ratified 9 Oct 2012; Cali Fund DSI 2024.
3 March 1973 Washington DC; 3 Appendices; World Wildlife Day; India ratified 18 Oct 1976.
2 Feb 1971 Iran; oldest MEA; India 89 Ramsar Sites (Aug 2024); Montreux Record; 2 Feb Wetlands Day.
22 March 1989; Khian Sea + Koko triggers; PIC; Ban Amendment 5 Dec 2019; Plastic 2021.
22 May 2001; Dirty Dozen; 36 POPs; India ratified 13 Jan 2006 (DDT exception); Endosulfan ban 2011.
10 Oct 2013 Kumamoto; Minamata Disease 1956 Chisso; India ratified 18 June 2018; ASGM.
17 June 1994 Paris (3 Rio Conventions); India ratified 1996; COP14 Delhi 2019; 26 mha by 2030.
23 June 1979; only migratory species treaty; India ratified 1983; CMS COP13 Gandhinagar 2020.
The MP’s ₹5-crore local-development fund — how it works, the district authority, and the COVID suspension.
NITI Aayog’s saturation drive across the Aspirational Districts and Blocks Programme.
UNDP+OPHI; 3 dimensions, 12 indicators, NITI’s National MPI — poverty beyond income.
WIPO; innovation inputs & outputs — India’s steady rise.
Transparency International; 0–100 perceived public-sector corruption.
World Bank; old EoDB discontinued, replaced by B-READY — India’s reforms.
Yale & Columbia; climate, health & ecosystem — India contests the method.
World Bank; survival, schooling & health — the demographic-dividend stakes.
World Bank; 6 components — India’s push via Gati Shakti.
NITI Aayog; ranks states/UTs on the 17 SDGs — cooperative federalism.
EIU; 5 categories & 4 regime types — India a 'flawed democracy'.
World Inequality Lab (Piketty); income & wealth inequality — India’s picture.
Economist Impact; affordability, availability, quality & sustainability.
Germanwatch/CAN; 4 categories — India among the top performers.
UNDP’s HDI — the three components, India’s value and rank, and how it differs from IHDI, GII and MPI.
The Cantril ladder, six explanatory factors, the global toppers and India’s rank.
IEP’s three domains — societal safety, ongoing conflict and militarisation — and India’s rank.
Honouring the Sahibzades — the history, the date, and why it was declared in 2022.
The three emergencies, the 44th Amendment safeguards and S.R. Bommai — how the Constitution lets the Union override federalism in a crisis.
Grounds, approval, effects on rights (Articles 358 & 359), the three proclamations and the 44th Amendment corrections.
The rulebook of Indian elections — disqualification (Section 8), corrupt practices, Lily Thomas and disclosure reforms.
Composition, powers, JPC vs PAC, and the major JPCs from Bofors and 2G to the Waqf Bill.
The President’s regulation-making power for A&N, Lakshadweep, DNH & DD and Ladakh — within the 239-240 family.
The Montagu-Chelmsford reforms, transferred vs reserved subjects, and the road to the Simon Commission.
Governor-General of India, centralised law-making, the Law Member (Macaulay) and the first Law Commission.
River allocation, the dispute ladder, Kishanganga & Ratle, and India holding the treaty in abeyance in 2025.
Diaspora, Agalega, SAGAR/MAHASAGAR, the revised DTAA and the China factor in the Indian Ocean.
The Rann of Kutch estuary, the thalweg principle, and why a 96-km creek decides a maritime boundary.
The most consequential judicial doctrine in Indian constitutional law. Kesavananda Bharati's 13-judge bench, Minerva Mills, NJAC, the 2024 Electoral Bonds verdict — five decades of constitutional litigation in 16 minutes.
From the 1947 Instrument of Accession to the December 2023 Constitution Bench verdict. The 1954 Order, Article 35A, the 5 August 2019 abrogation, and the J&K Reorganisation Act — neutrally presented for UPSC GS-2 and GS-3.
Article 279A, 101st Amendment, the 3/4-majority voting structure, Supreme Court's 2022 Mohit Minerals verdict on non-binding recommendations, and the COVID compensation cess crisis.
Schedule VII, federal vs unitary features, Sarkaria and Punchhi Commissions, GST Council, NITI Aayog, Inter-State Council, the 2024 Tamil Nadu Governor verdict, and asymmetric federalism (Article 371 series).
The 9-judge Puttaswamy 2017 verdict, the 4-part proportionality test, Aadhaar 2018, Navtej Singh Johar, Joseph Shine, Anuradha Bhasin internet shutdowns, Pegasus, DPDP Act 2023.
Article 19(1)(a) scope, 8 reasonable restrictions under 19(2), Shreya Singhal Section 66A, sedition law from Kedar Nath to 2022 stay, internet shutdowns, hate speech, Electoral Bonds 2024 verdict.
A.K. Gopalan to Maneka Gandhi to the derivative-rights universe — dignity, livelihood, environment, education, food, health, privacy, fair trial, Vishaka, capital punishment, Common Cause 2018 right to die with dignity.
Articles 14-18, reasonable classification, non-arbitrariness. Reservation jurisprudence — Indra Sawhney 50% cap, EWS verdict 2022, the August 2024 Davinder Singh sub-classification verdict that overruled E.V. Chinnaiah.
The 2016 framework shift — RBI Act Section 45ZB, the MPC, the 4% (+/-2%) target, the 2022-24 rate-hike cycle, monetary transmission and the EBLR reform, and contemporary debates over the next target review.
FRBM Act 2003, fiscal deficit and revenue deficit, the N.K. Singh Committee 2017 reforms, the COVID-19 rupture (9.2% deficit), debt-to-GDP target, glide path to 4.5% by FY26, and the missing Fiscal Council.
Current vs capital account, FX reserves at $640B (4th largest globally), the 1991 BoP crisis lesson, Twin Deficits framework, 2013 Taper Tantrum, rupee managed float, FDI/FPI dynamics, capital account convertibility debate.
NFSA 2013 (80 crore beneficiaries), fertiliser subsidy (~₹1.7L cr), LPG (PAHAL + Ujjwala global model), MGNREGA, PM-KISAN, JAM trinity + DBT revolution (315+ schemes, ₹40L cr cumulative), state subsidies politics.
NDCs at COP26 Glasgow, Panchamrit goals, INDC progress, renewables target, ethanol blending, green hydrogen mission, India's stance on differentiated responsibility.
2007 Abe origin → 2008 collapse → 2017 revival → 2021 Leaders Summit → Working Groups (Vaccines, IPMDA, Critical Tech). Malabar exercise expansion, AUKUS interaction, India's multi-alignment framing, SAGAR doctrine.
McMahon Line, Doklam 2017, Galwan 15 June 2020 (20 Indian soldiers killed), 23 Corps Commander talks, friction points and disengagement, October 2024 patrolling agreement and Modi-Xi Kazan bilateral, India's multi-dimensional response.
PM Jan Arogya Yojana ₹5 lakh cover for 55 crore beneficiaries, Health & Wellness Centres rebranded Ayushman Arogya Mandir, ABDM digital backbone with 70 crore ABHA IDs, achievements and persistent gaps.
NRHM (2005) and NUHM (2013), 10.4 lakh ASHA workers (WHO award 2022), Janani Suraksha Yojana raising institutional deliveries from 38% to 89%, MMR decline 254 → 97, IPHS, PM-ABHIM, and India's public health spending gap.
NMHS 2015-16 prevalence 10.6%, treatment gap 70-92%, NMHP 1982, District Mental Health Programme, Mental Healthcare Act 2017 (decriminalisation of suicide, advance directive, Mental Health Review Boards), Tele MANAS 14416, National Suicide Prevention Strategy 2022.
NFSA 2013 (80 cr beneficiaries), PMGKAY permanent 2024, ICDS / Saksham Anganwadi, PM POSHAN mid-day meal (11.8 cr students), POSHAN Abhiyaan 2018 + POSHAN 2.0, Anaemia Mukt Bharat (6×6×6), 100% rice fortification 2024, NFHS-5 stunting 35.5% anaemia 67%. Closes Health cluster at 4/4.
Twenty years of RTI; PIO 30-day timelines; Section 8 exemptions; Section 4 proactive disclosure; Central + State Information Commissions; the controversial RTI Amendment 2019 (tenure / salary independence); DPDP Act 2023 impact on Section 8(1)(j); 100+ RTI activists killed; landmark cases. Opens Governance cluster.
All-India Services architecture (Article 312); 1st ARC (Morarji Desai); 2nd ARC's 15 reports (Veerappa Moily 2005-09); Mission Karmayogi 2020; Capacity Building Commission; iGOT platform; lateral entry controversy (~63 cumulative entries; August 2024 withdrawal); generalist-vs-specialist debate; tenure stability gap.
Lokpal Act 2013 architecture; CVC since 1964; CBI under DSPE Act 1946; Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 + 2018 Amendment (Section 17A); PMLA 2002 + ED's expanded role; Vijay Madanlal Choudhary 2022 Constitution Bench; Prabir Purkayastha 2024; state withdrawal of consent to CBI; Benami, FEO, Black Money Acts.
Citizen Charter movement (UK 1991 → India 1997); Sevottam quality framework (IS 15700:2018); ~22 states with Right to Public Services Acts (Madhya Pradesh first, 2010); CPGRAMS 7.0 (~24 lakh grievances/yr, 96% disposal); National e-Governance Plan + Digital India + UMANG; ~1,800+ services. Closes Governance cluster at 4/4.
Kashmir militancy 1989-2024; Article 370 abrogation impact (local recruits 250→14); AFSPA 1958 scope and controversy; NIA Act 2008 + 2019 Amendment; UAPA Section 43D(5); 7 CAPFs (~10 lakh personnel); Multi-Agency Centre; SC In Re: Article 370 2023 Constitution Bench. Opens Internal Security cluster (10th).
Naxalbari 1967 origin; CPI (Maoist) formed Sep 2004 (banned 2009); Red Corridor; Operation Green Hunt 2009; Salwa Judum + SC Nandini Sundar 2011; SAMADHAN doctrine 2017; major attacks (Dantewada 2010, Jiram Ghati 2013); decline from 126 LWE-affected districts (2010) to ~38 (2024); Amit Shah's 31 March 2026 elimination target.
CERT-In since 2004 (Section 70B IT Act); NCIIPC since 2014 (Section 70A) — 7 CII sectors; IT Act 2000 + 2008 Amendment (S.66-67); DPDP Act 2023 with ₹250 cr penalty; CERT-In 6-hour reporting rule 2022; AIIMS ransomware Nov 2022; National Cyber Security Policy 2013; Cyber Surakshit Bharat; 13.9 lakh incidents in 2022.
26/11 Mumbai 2008 watershed; three-tier framework (Navy + Coast Guard + Marine Police); Coastal Surveillance Network (~84 radar stations); IMAC Gurugram 2014; NC3I network; IFC-IOR international hub 2018; Sagar Prahari Bal; biometric fisherman IDs; National Maritime Security Coordinator 2022. Closes Internal Security cluster at 4/4.
DM Act 2005 enacted post-tsunami 2004; three-tier NDMA-SDMA-DDMA architecture; NDRF (16 battalions, ~13,500 personnel); NIDM; Sendai Framework 2015-2030 (7 targets, 4 priorities); CDRI launched by India 2019 (40+ countries); financial architecture (NDRF/SDRF + Mitigation Fund); DM (Amendment) Bill 2024. Opens Disaster Management cluster (11th).
Heatwaves (Delhi 49.9°C May 2024, 530+ deaths); cyclone evolution (Phailin → Fani → Amphan → Biparjoy); urban floods (Mumbai 2005, Chennai 2015, Bengaluru 2022); landslides (Wayanad 2024, India's deadliest); GLOF (Sikkim South Lhonak 3 Oct 2023); early warning (IMD, CWC, INCOIS, GSI); DM Bill 2024.
Bhopal 1984 MIC leak (~25,000 cumulative deaths); Warren Anderson never extradited; 1989 SC settlement $470M; Vizag styrene LG Polymers 7 May 2020 (12 deaths); legal framework — EPA 1986, Factories Act 1987, MSIHC 1989, PLI Act 1991, NGT 2010; NDMA Chemical Guidelines; CBRN response; ~1,800 MAH units.
COVID-19 lessons (220 cr vaccine doses; 5.3L official deaths vs Lancet 4.7M); PM-ABHIM ₹64,180 cr 2021-26; One Health (NIOH Nagpur, ICMR); IDSP → IHIP rollout; BSL-3 in every state + BSL-4 at NCDC; 5 regional NCDCs; WHO Pandemic Accord 2024; Epidemic Diseases Act 1897 reform pending. Closes Disaster Management cluster at 4/4.
Mature Harappan 2600-1900 BCE; ~13 lakh sq km; ~2,000 sites; major sites — Harappa (Daya Ram Sahni 1921), Mohenjodaro (RD Banerji 1922), Dholavira (UNESCO 2021), Lothal dockyard, Rakhigarhi (largest, DNA 2019); Great Bath; standardised weights; undeciphered script (400+ symbols); trade with Mesopotamia (Meluhha); Sinauli 2018; decline theories. Opens Ancient & Medieval History cluster (12th).
Chandragupta Maurya 322 BCE; Kautilya Arthashastra; Megasthenes Indica; Ashoka (268-232 BCE); Kalinga War 261 BCE; Dhamma; edicts in Brahmi/Kharoshthi/Greek/Aramaic; Lion Capital → national emblem. Gupta Age (319-550 CE) — Chandragupta I, Samudragupta "Napoleon of India", Chandragupta II Vikramaditya; Faxian visit; Aryabhata (zero, decimal); Kalidasa; Mehrauli Iron Pillar; Nalanda University; decline by Huna invasions.
Five dynasties 1206-1526 (Slave/Khilji/Tughlaq/Sayyid/Lodi); Qutbuddin Aibak 1206; Iltutmish; Razia Sultana; Alauddin Khilji's market regulation (4.75 lakh standing army); Muhammad bin Tughlaq's experiments (Daulatabad capital, token currency); Firoz Shah canals; iqta system; Bhakti (Kabir, Nanak, Mirabai) and Sufi (Chishti, Khwaja Moinuddin, Nizamuddin, Amir Khusro) movements; Vijayanagara & Bahmani in south.
Babur 1526 Panipat I (field artillery + Tulghuma); Humayun & Sher Shah interregnum; Akbar 1556-1605 (Din-i-Ilahi, Sulh-i-Kul, Mansabdari 1571, Todar Mal Dahsala revenue, Navratnas); Jahangir & Nur Jahan; Shah Jahan (Taj Mahal, Red Fort, Peacock Throne); Aurangzeb's Deccan policy; decline 1707-1857 (Nadir Shah 1739, Plassey 1757, Buxar 1764); 1857 First War of Independence; Bahadur Shah Zafar exiled. Closes Ancient & Medieval History cluster at 4/4.
Britain 1760s origins; James Watt steam engine 1769; cotton textiles, iron, coal triad; 1st IR (1760-1820) vs 2nd IR (1870-1914 electricity, chemicals, steel); spread to Belgium, France, Germany, USA, Russia, Japan (Meiji 1868); imperialism drivers (raw materials, markets, civilising mission); Berlin Conference 1884-85 & Scramble for Africa (90% by 1914); Asia colonisation; India's deindustrialisation (25% → 2% world manufacturing share). Opens World History cluster (13th).
WWI MAIN causes (Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism); Franz Ferdinand 28 June 1914 Sarajevo; trench warfare; US entry 1917; Treaty of Versailles 28 June 1919 + League of Nations; interwar (Hyperinflation, Depression, Hitler 1933, Munich 1938, Molotov-Ribbentrop); WWII (1939-45) Blitzkrieg, Pearl Harbor 1941, Stalingrad, D-Day 1944, Holocaust 6M Jews, Hiroshima 6 Aug + Nagasaki 9 Aug 1945; UN founded 24 Oct 1945; India's role (1.3M WWI + 2.5M WWII soldiers, Quit India 1942, INA, Bengal Famine 1943).
Origins (Iron Curtain 1946, Truman Doctrine 1947, Marshall Plan); blocs (NATO 1949, Warsaw Pact 1955); flashpoints (Berlin Blockade, Korea, Cuban Missile Crisis Oct 1962, Vietnam, Prague Spring 1968); Détente (SALT I 1972, Helsinki 1975); Second Cold War (Afghan 1979, SDI 1983); Gorbachev's Perestroika & Glasnost; fall of Berlin Wall 9 Nov 1989; USSR dissolves 26 Dec 1991; NAM Belgrade 1961 (Nehru, Nasser, Tito, Sukarno, Nkrumah); Panchsheel; Indo-Soviet Treaty 1971; 1971 Bangladesh War tilts.
Five forces (economic exhaustion, ideological delegitimation, bipolar pressure, mobilised nationalisms, demonstration effect); Asia first (Philippines 1946, India 1947, Indonesia 1949, Vietnam 1954/75); Bandung 1955 (29 Asian-African states, Ten Principles, Panchsheel); Africa & Year of Africa 1960 (17 nations); UN Resolution 1514; Suez Crisis 1956 (Lester Pearson Nobel); Algeria 1954-62; Apartheid & Mandela (Rivonia 1964, free 11 Feb 1990, President 10 May 1994); NIEO 1974; UNCTAD 1964; ~140 new states; ~$125bn India remittances today.
