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Concept Library · GS 2

Polity & Governance

Constitutional provisions, institutions and processes the news keeps testing. 558 concepts, each with its definition, key details and a timeline of every news story that touched it.

Delimitation

In the news 46x

Delimitation is the process of redrawing constituency boundaries to reflect population changes after a census. In India, this is done by the Delimitation...

Election Commission of India

In the news 46x

The Election Commission of India (ECI) is a constitutional body established under Article 324 to superintend, direct, and control the preparation of...

Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019

In the news 45x

The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 was the first comprehensive law in India specifically protecting the rights of transgender persons....

Delimitation Commission

In the news 41x

The Delimitation Commission is constituted under the Delimitation Act (most recently the Delimitation Act, 2002) by the central government. It is chaired by...

Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024

In the news 40x

Parliament enacted the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 in direct response to recurring examination fraud across national-level...

Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Electoral Rolls

In the news 37x

The Special Intensive Revision is a comprehensive exercise conducted by the ECI to update the electoral roll through door-to-door verification, going beyond...

Article 324

In the news 34x

Article 324(1) of the Constitution vests the superintendence, direction, and control of elections to Parliament, State Legislatures, and the offices of...

NALSA v. Union of India (2014)

In the news 34x

The 2014 Supreme Court ruling in National Legal Services Authority v. Union of India is the cornerstone of transgender rights in India. A Constitution Bench...

Essential Commodities Act, 1955

In the news 33x

The Essential Commodities Act (ECA), 1955 empowers the Central Government to control the production, supply, and distribution of commodities deemed...

Article 21

In the news 31x

Article 21 of the Constitution guarantees that no person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law....

Tenth Schedule

In the news 31x

The Tenth Schedule was inserted into the Constitution by the Constitution (Fifty-Second Amendment) Act, 1985, to curb the phenomenon of political defections...

Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023

In the news 28x

The Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023, colloquially known as the Women's Reservation Act or Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, was passed...

NITI Aayog

In the news 28x

The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog), established in 2015, replaced the Planning Commission as India's apex policy think tank. It...

Parliamentary Standing Committees

In the news 28x

Parliamentary Standing Committees are permanent committees that scrutinise government functioning on a continuous basis. There are 24 Departmentally Related...

Article 44

In the news 26x

Article 44 of the Constitution of India is a Directive Principle of State Policy (Part IV) that directs the state to 'endeavour to secure for the citizens a...

Flexible Inflation Targeting (FIT) Framework

In the news 26x

India adopted the Flexible Inflation Targeting framework through amendments to the RBI Act in 2016, giving statutory backing to inflation targeting as the...

Articles 25 and 26

In the news 21x

Article 25 of the Indian Constitution guarantees to all persons the freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practise, and propagate religion...

MGNREGA

In the news 21x

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act was enacted on 23 August 2005 and came into force in February 2006 under the National Rural...

India's Three-Stage Nuclear Power Programme

In the news 20x

India's nuclear programme, conceived by Homi Bhabha in the 1950s, is structured as a sequential three-stage strategy to leverage the country's limited...

Constitutional Framework

In the news 19x

India has a distinction between the National Anthem (Jana Gana Mana) and the National Song (Vande Mataram). The Prevention of Insults to National Honour...

Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010

In the news 19x

The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 (FCRA) regulates the acceptance and utilisation of foreign contributions by Indian individuals...

Finance Commission

In the news 18x

The Finance Commission is a constitutional body established under Article 280 of the Indian Constitution. It is constituted every five years (or earlier) by...

India's Strategic Autonomy Doctrine

In the news 18x

India's foreign policy has evolved through three distinct phases: Non-Alignment (1947-1991), Strategic Autonomy (1991-2014), and Multi-Alignment...

Indus Waters Treaty, 1960

In the news 18x

The Indus Waters Treaty was signed on 19 September 1960 in Karachi between India and Pakistan, with the World Bank as a co-signatory and guarantor. It is...

Article 368

In the news 17x

Article 368 of the Constitution prescribes the procedure for amending the Constitution. Most substantive amendments require a 'special majority': a majority...

Constitutional Amendment Procedure

In the news 17x

Article 368 vests Parliament with the power to amend the Constitution. It lays out three tiers of amendment: (1) by simple majority (not covered under...

Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs)

In the news 16x

CAPFs are federal police organisations under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Unlike the Indian Army (under the Ministry of Defence), CAPFs handle...

Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023

In the news 16x

The DPDP Act, 2023, enacted on 11 August 2023 with rules notified on 14 November 2025, is India's first comprehensive data protection legislation. While...

Kihoto Hollohan v. Zachillhu (1992)

In the news 16x

This is the foundational Supreme Court judgment on the constitutional validity and interpretation of the Tenth Schedule, delivered on February 18, 1992 by a...

National Testing Agency (NTA)

In the news 16x

The National Testing Agency was established in November 2017 as an autonomous body under the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education...

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY)

In the news 16x

Launched in May 2016, PMUY aims to provide clean cooking fuel (LPG) to women from Below Poverty Line (BPL) households, replacing traditional biomass-based...

Special Intensive Revision (SIR)

In the news 16x

SIR is the most comprehensive form of electoral roll revision conducted by the ECI. Unlike ordinary (summary) revision, which updates rolls based on...

Fiscal Federalism

In the news 15x

Fiscal federalism in India refers to the division of financial resources and revenue-raising powers between the Centre and states. The Constitution...

Great Nicobar Island

In the news 15x

Great Nicobar Island is the southernmost and largest island of the Nicobar group in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago. It is located at the junction of...

Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967

In the news 15x

The UAPA is the primary central legislation for designating organizations as 'unlawful associations' and combating terrorist activities in India. In...

Code on Social Security, 2020

In the news 14x

The Code on Social Security, 2020 is one of four labour codes that consolidate 29 pre-existing central labour laws. It subsumes nine earlier acts including...

Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam

In the news 14x

The Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023, commonly known as the Women's Reservation Act or Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, is the most...

Parliamentary Procedure

In the news 14x

Under the Constitution of India and Rules of Procedure of Lok Sabha, a Bill passes through three readings in each House. The introduction (First Reading) is...

Sixth Schedule

In the news 14x

The Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution (Articles 244(2) and 275(1)) provides for the creation of Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) in tribal areas...

UAPA

In the news 14x

The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 is India's primary anti-terrorism law, conferring broad powers to designate organisations and individuals as...

Article 82

In the news 13x

Article 82 currently mandates that upon the completion of each census, Parliament shall by law provide for readjustment of the allocation of seats to each...

Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC)

In the news 13x

Following the 2018 Supreme Court judgment, the Central Government constituted the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and the Cauvery Water Regulation...

Great Nicobar Island Development Project

In the news 13x

The Great Nicobar Island Development Project is a flagship infrastructure initiative conceived by NITI Aayog for Great Nicobar — the largest of the Andaman...

Jal Jeevan Mission

In the news 13x

Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) is a flagship central government scheme launched on August 15, 2019 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the goal of providing safe...

Role and Powers of the Lok Sabha Speaker

In the news 13x

The Speaker of the Lok Sabha is the presiding officer of the lower house of Parliament, elected from among its members under Article 93. The Speaker is...

Sixth Schedule of the Constitution

In the news 13x

The Sixth Schedule (Articles 244(2) and 275(1)) provides for autonomous self-governance for tribal communities in the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura...

Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution

In the news 13x

The Sixth Schedule (Articles 244(2) and 275(1)) provides for the administration of tribal areas in four northeastern states — Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and...

106th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2023

In the news 12x

The Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023, commonly known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (Women's Empowerment Salutation Act), reserves one-third of...

Article 81

In the news 12x

Article 81 of the Constitution defines the composition of the Lok Sabha. It specifies that the House shall consist of not more than 530 members representing...

Article 94

In the news 12x

Article 94 of the Constitution of India provides three scenarios under which the Speaker or Deputy Speaker vacates office: (a) ceasing to be a member of the...

Census of India

In the news 12x

The Census of India is conducted under the Census Act, 1948, and is carried out by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner under the...

Historical Precedent

In the news 12x

When Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini died on June 3, 1989, Iran faced its first-ever Supreme Leader transition. President Ali Khamenei — not considered the most...

Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs)

In the news 12x

PVTGs are the most vulnerable sub-category of Scheduled Tribes, identified by the government as requiring special protection and development attention due...

Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971

In the news 12x

The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 is a parliamentary statute that penalises deliberate disrespect to India's national symbols. It was...

AI Governance

In the news 11x

Artificial Intelligence governance has emerged as a critical domain of international policy. The military use of AI raises the most acute governance challenges.

Article 142

In the news 11x

Article 142(1) of the Constitution empowers the Supreme Court to pass any decree or make any order 'as is necessary for doing complete justice in any cause...

Article 25

In the news 11x

Article 25 guarantees all persons the freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practise, and propagate religion, subject to public order...

Article 3

In the news 11x

Article 3 gives Parliament the exclusive power to form new states and to alter the area, boundaries, or name of an existing state by ordinary legislation —...

India's Foreign Policy Doctrine

In the news 11x

India's foreign policy has historically rested on the principle of 'strategic autonomy' — the freedom to make independent decisions based on national...

Merger Exception

In the news 11x

Paragraph 4 provides that a member shall not be disqualified if their original political party merges with another party, and at least two-thirds of the...

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