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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.

Rajya Sabha

In the news 11x

The Rajya Sabha (Council of States) is the upper house of India's bicameral Parliament. Unlike the Lok Sabha (directly elected), Rajya Sabha members are...

Women's Reservation

In the news 11x

The Women's Reservation Bill had a long and contentious parliamentary history spanning nearly three decades before its 2023 passage.

*Kihoto Hollohan v. Zachillhu* (1992)

In the news 10x

This five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court is the foundational precedent on the Tenth Schedule. It upheld the constitutional validity of the...

106th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2023 (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam)

In the news 10x

The Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023 — commonly called the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam — was passed by both Houses of Parliament in...

Article 334A

In the news 10x

Article 334A was inserted into the Constitution by the 106th Amendment Act, 2023. It specifies that the reservation of seats for women (under Articles 330A...

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA)

In the news 10x

The CCEA is one of the Cabinet Committees of the Union Government, the highest decision-making body for major economic and infrastructure proposals that...

Caste Enumeration

In the news 10x

Comprehensive caste enumeration was last conducted during British India between 1881 and 1931. After independence, independent India's Census counted only...

Centre-State Relations

In the news 10x

The Indian Constitution, while federal in structure, is described as 'quasi-federal' with a strong unitary bias. The Seventh Schedule divides legislative...

Common Cause v. Union of India (2018)

In the news 10x

The 2018 Common Cause judgment by a nine-judge bench is the foundational precedent for passive euthanasia in India. It held that the right to die with...

Constitutional Basis

In the news 10x

Judicial infrastructure directly serves constitutional guarantees. Article 21 of the Constitution guarantees the right to life and personal liberty, which...

Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940

In the news 10x

The Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 (DCA) is the principal legislation governing the import, manufacture, distribution, and sale of drugs and cosmetics in...

Essential Religious Practices (ERP) Doctrine

In the news 10x

The ERP doctrine was developed by the Supreme Court to distinguish between practices integral to a religion (which receive constitutional protection) and...

Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC)

In the news 10x

A JPC is a temporary ad hoc committee constituted by Parliament to examine a specific Bill or matter requiring multi-party, bicameral scrutiny. It consists...

Legislative Process

In the news 10x

An Amendment Bill follows the same procedural stages as any ordinary legislation. Introduction (First Reading) requires only a motion for leave to...

PM Surya Ghar

In the news 10x

Launched in February 2024, PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana is a flagship rooftop solar scheme targeting one crore (10 million) households with rooftop...

Right to Information Act, 2005

In the news 10x

The Right to Information Act, 2005, enacted on October 12, 2005, provides citizens the right to access information held by public authorities. The RTI Act...

Supplementary Demands for Grants

In the news 10x

The Constitution provides a clear mechanism for additional government spending beyond the regular Union Budget. Article 115 governs Supplementary...

Uniform Civil Code

In the news 10x

Article 44 of the Constitution, located in Part IV (Directive Principles of State Policy), directs the State to 'endeavour to secure for the citizens a...

Women's Political Representation

In the news 10x

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) tracks women's representation in national parliaments globally. The global average as of 2025 stands at 26.9%. Regional...

2026 Amendment

In the news 9x

The 2026 amendment increases the deterrent value of the 2024 Act by raising minimum and maximum sentences and fine amounts, and by introducing time-bound...

Aravalli Range

In the news 9x

The Aravalli Range, stretching approximately 692 km from Gujarat through Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi, is one of the oldest fold mountain ranges in the...

Article 94(c)

In the news 9x

Article 94(c) of the Constitution provides that the Speaker of the Lok Sabha can be removed from office by a resolution passed by a majority of all the then...

Companies Act, 2013

In the news 9x

The Companies Act, 2013 replaced the Companies Act, 1956 and introduced comprehensive compliance requirements for all registered companies. Two of the most...

Comparison

In the news 9x

UPSC frequently tests distinctions between analogous constitutional provisions for different offices. The mechanism for removing the Lok Sabha Speaker under...

Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950

In the news 9x

The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 (C.O. 19), issued under Article 341(1) of the Constitution, specifies which communities are to be treated as...

Contempt of Court

In the news 9x

The power to punish for contempt is both a constitutional and statutory right of Indian courts. Under the Constitution, Article 129 declares the Supreme...

Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)

In the news 9x

Digital Public Infrastructure refers to shared digital systems — built on open standards and protocols — that provide essential services to an entire...

Environment (Protection) Act, 1986

In the news 9x

The Environment (Protection) Act (EPA), 1986 is an umbrella legislation enacted under Article 253 of the Constitution (Parliament's power to legislate to...

Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 (FCRA)

In the news 9x

FCRA was enacted to regulate the acceptance and utilisation of foreign contributions by individuals, associations, and companies to prevent foreign money...

IN-SPACe

In the news 9x

IN-SPACe is an autonomous, single-window nodal agency under the Department of Space (Government of India), established in 2020 following the Union Cabinet's...

Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025

In the news 9x

The Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025 (Act No. 13 of 2025) came into force in September 2025, replacing four colonial-era laws: the Foreigners Act, 1946...

India's LPG Import Dependence and Energy Security

In the news 9x

India is the world's second-largest LPG importer, with domestic production meeting only about 41% of demand. Approximately 83% of India's LPG imports...

India's Pharmaceutical Sector

In the news 9x

India is the world's third-largest pharmaceutical producer by volume and holds approximately 20% of the global generics market by volume. The sector...

Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968

In the news 9x

The Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968 provides the procedural framework for conducting inquiries under Articles 124(4) and 217(1)(b). It supplements the...

Legislative Competence

In the news 9x

Personal laws governing marriage, divorce, inheritance, and adoption fall under Entry 5 of List III (Concurrent List) of the Seventh Schedule. Both...

Precedent

In the news 9x

Opposition leaders specifically cited the 2022 J&K delimitation and the 2023 Assam delimitation as evidence that delimitation under the current government...

Right to Die with Dignity

In the news 9x

Article 21 of the Indian Constitution guarantees the right to life and personal liberty. Through a series of progressive interpretations, the Supreme Court...

SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989

In the news 9x

The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, is a special legislation enacted to prevent atrocities against members of SC...

Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967

In the news 9x

The UAPA, originally enacted in 1967 and substantially amended in 2004, 2008, and 2019, is India's primary anti-terror legislation. Section 43D(5)...

Anoop Baranwal v. Union of India (2023)

In the news 8x

Before the 2023 Act, the CEC was appointed by the President on the sole advice of the Prime Minister — there was no statutory or constitutional framework...

Anti-Defection Law

In the news 8x

The Tenth Schedule, introduced by the Constitution (52nd Amendment) Act, 1985, is the constitutional mechanism to curb defections. ONOE proponents argue...

Article 123

In the news 8x

Article 123 empowers the President to promulgate ordinances when Parliament is not in session, provided the President is satisfied that circumstances...

Article 17

In the news 8x

Article 17 of the Constitution of India abolishes untouchability and makes its practice in any form a punishable offence. It is a Fundamental Right —...

Article 262 and the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956

In the news 8x

Inter-state river water disputes in India are governed by Article 262 of the Constitution, which empowers Parliament to provide for adjudication of disputes...

Article 341

In the news 8x

Article 341 of the Constitution vests the power to specify Scheduled Castes in the President, exercised via a Presidential Order after consultation with the...

Article 356

In the news 8x

Article 356 of the Constitution empowers the President to assume the functions of a state government if the Governor reports (or the President is otherwise...

Article 371

In the news 8x

Article 371 and its sub-clauses (371A to 371J) provide special provisions for specific states, protecting their land rights, employment, and cultural identity.

Assembly of Experts

In the news 8x

The Assembly of Experts (Majles-e Khobregan) is an 88-member deliberative body of Islamic jurists elected by popular vote for eight-year terms. It holds the...

Census in India

In the news 8x

The Census of India is a comprehensive demographic survey conducted by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India under the...

Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP)

In the news 8x

The CACP is a statutory body set up in 1965 under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare. It recommends minimum support prices (MSPs) for major...

Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024

In the news 8x

This Bill operationalises 'One Nation, One Election' by inserting new Article 82A to synchronise Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assembly elections, and by...

Delimitation Freeze

In the news 8x

Delimitation is the process of redrawing constituency boundaries and reallocating seats based on population, carried out under Article 82 (for the Lok...

Historical Precedents

In the news 8x

No Lok Sabha Speaker has ever been removed through the constitutional process. All three prior attempts failed, establishing an unbroken precedent of the...

India's Energy Security and West Asia Dependence

In the news 8x

India imports nearly 90% of its crude oil requirements, and over 60% of this comes from West Asian producers — primarily Saudi Arabia, Iraq, UAE, and...

India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement

In the news 8x

The India-US interim trade deal of February 2026 represents the most significant bilateral trade liberalisation India has undertaken in the agricultural...

Indra Sawhney v. Union of India (1992)

In the news 8x

This nine-judge Constitution Bench judgment (decided November 16, 1992) is the foundational ruling on reservation policy in India. Key holdings relevant...

Inter-State River Water Disputes

In the news 8x

India's constitutional and legal framework for resolving inter-state water disputes is elaborate but has historically resulted in prolonged litigation....

Payments Banks

In the news 8x

Payments Banks are a differentiated banking category introduced by the Reserve Bank of India in 2015 based on the recommendations of the Nachiket Mor...

Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016

In the news 8x

The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 replaced the earlier Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full...

Sagarmala Programme

In the news 8x

Sagarmala is the Centre's flagship port-led development initiative launched in 2015, aiming to harness India's 7,516 km coastline and 14,500 km navigable...

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These concepts move with the news. The daily brief explains each one in the story where it appears.
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