General Knowledge

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
The question asks for the theme of the 18th G20 Summit.
Step 2: Key Concept:
The 18th G20 Heads of State and Government Summit was held in New Delhi, India, on 9-10 September 2023. The host country sets the theme for the summit.
Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
Under India's presidency, the theme for the 18th G20 Summit was "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam".
This is a Sanskrit phrase which translates to "One Earth · One Family · One Future".
This theme affirms the value of all life – human, animal, plant, and microorganisms – and their interconnectedness on the planet Earth and in the wider universe. It highlights India's pro-planet approach and its focus on inclusive and sustainable development.
Step 4: Final Answer
The main theme of the 18th G-20 summit was "One Earth One Family One Future".

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
The question asks for the date on which the International Day of Non-Violence is observed.
Step 2: Key Concept:
This international day was established by the United Nations General Assembly to disseminate the message of non-violence. The date chosen is the birthday of the most prominent icon of non-violence in modern history.
Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
The International Day of Non-Violence is observed on 2nd October, which is the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi.
Mahatma Gandhi was the leader of the Indian independence movement and a pioneer of the philosophy and strategy of non-violence (Ahimsa).
On 15 June 2007, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution to declare 2nd October as the International Day of Non-Violence.
- 30th January is observed as Martyrs' Day in India, marking the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.
Step 4: Final Answer
International Non-violence Day is celebrated on 2nd October.

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
The question asks for the date on which National Panchayati Raj Day is celebrated in India.
Step 2: Key Concept:
This day commemorates a landmark event in the history of local self-governance in India, specifically the day the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act came into force.
Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992, which gave constitutional status to Panchayati Raj institutions, came into force on 24th April 1993.
To mark this historic occasion and to celebrate the decentralization of power to the grassroots level, the Government of India decided in 2010 to declare 24th April as the National Panchayati Raj Day.
Step 4: Final Answer
National Panchayati Raj Day is celebrated on 24th April every year.

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
The question asks for the date on which Kargil Vijay Diwas (Kargil Victory Day) is celebrated in India.
Step 2: Key Concept:
Kargil Vijay Diwas commemorates India's victory in the Kargil War against Pakistan in 1999. The war was fought in the Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir (now in Ladakh).
Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
The Kargil War started in May 1999 when Pakistani troops and militants infiltrated into Indian territory along the Line of Control (LoC). The Indian Army launched 'Operation Vijay' to recapture the occupied posts.
The war officially came to an end on 26th July 1999, with the Indian forces successfully evicting the Pakistani intruders.
To honor the bravery and sacrifice of the Indian soldiers, this day is celebrated annually as Kargil Vijay Diwas.
Step 4: Final Answer
Kargil Vijay Diwas is celebrated on 26th July every year.

An ordinance has the same force as an Act but must be laid before the legislature and will cease to operate six weeks after reassembly unless passed into law. It cannot contravene the Constitution and is limited to the law-making competence of Parliament/State legislature; judicial review applies to test necessity and constitutionality (≈58 words).

They are managed through international law to prevent overuse, militarisation and pollution, applying principles like the \textit{common heritage of humankind} and sustainable use. Key regimes include UNCLOS for oceans, the Antarctic Treaty System, the Outer Space Treaty and climate agreements for the atmosphere, requiring cooperative stewardship by all states (≈56 words).

Under Articles 15(4) and 16(4), OBCs receive reservations in education and public employment—27% at the Union level—subject to the creamy layer exclusion. The policy followed the Mandal Commission recommendations (1990) and was affirmed, with limits, by the Supreme Court in \textit{Indra Sawhney} (1992) (≈55 words).

Step 1: Establishment year.
The Planning Commission was constituted by a Government of India resolution on 15 March 1950 to steer national economic planning.
Step 2: Avoid the common confusion.
1951 marks the launch of the First Five-Year Plan, not the creation of the Commission itself.
Step 3: Conclude.

Step 1: Political context.
Post-Emergency elections (1977) produced a Janata Party victory—the first non-Congress government at the Centre.
Step 2: PM selection.
Morarji Desai became Prime Minister (1977–1979).
Chaudhary Charan Singh became PM later (1979); Jagjivan Ram was a senior leader; Jayaprakash Narayan led the movement but never held the PM’s office.
Step 3: Conclude.

It pursues distributive justice and economic security via universal or targeted programmes—health care, education, pensions, food security, unemployment relief and housing. In India, the Constitution’s Preamble and the Directive Principles of State Policy guide the State to build a welfare order ensuring equality, human dignity and opportunities for all (≈55 words).

Kyoto operationalised common but differentiated responsibilities, created market mechanisms—\textit{Emissions Trading}, \textit{Joint Implementation} and the \textit{Clean Development Mechanism}—and established monitoring, reporting and verification rules. Although limited to Annex I commitments, it pioneered carbon markets and laid institutional groundwork later broadened by the 2015 Paris Agreement’s economy-wide pledges from all parties (≈58 words).

Step 1: Cause–effect linkage.
NATO’s consolidation prompted the Soviet bloc to create the Warsaw Pact (1955) as a counterweight.
Step 2: Eliminate unrelated bodies.
SEATO is Asia–Pacific and U.S.–led but not the specific trigger; OPEC and the UN are not military alliances.
Step 3: Conclude.

Step 1: Identify the treaty.
The 1954 Agreement on Trade and Intercourse between the Tibet Region of China and India embodied the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence (Panchsheel).
Step 2: Parties and date.
It was signed by India and China on 29 April 1954.
Step 3: Conclude.

Step 1: Timeline check.
WWII ended in 1945. NATO was founded in 1949—therefore post-WWII.
Step 2: Why others are wrong.
Treaty of Versailles (A) and League of Nations (D) are post–World War I outcomes (1919–1920).
Russian Revolution (B) occurred in 1917.
Step 3: Conclude.

Step 1: Reason for the epithet. Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, an aerospace scientist, led India’s IGMDP and contributed to development of missiles like {Prithvi} and {Agni}, earning the title “Missile Man of India.”
Step 2: Presidency. He served as the 11th President (2002–2007), widely respected for promoting science and youth engagement.
Step 3: Conclude.

Step 1: Qualifying conditions (Arts. 58, 84). A candidate must be an Indian citizen, 35 years or older, and eligible to be a member of the Lok Sabha. There is no educational qualification prescribed.
Step 2: Nominations. Additionally, nomination requires proposers and seconders from MPs/MLAs and a security deposit, but {degree requirement} is absent.
Step 3: Conclude.

Step 1: Composition rule. The Prime Minister traditionally served as the Chairman of the Planning Commission. On its establishment (1950), Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru was PM and thus the {first Chairman}.
Step 2: Roles of others. V. C. Mahalanobis was an eminent statistician and architect of the Second Five-Year Plan model but not Chairman; John Mathai was Finance Minister; M. Visvesvaraya advocated planning earlier but wasn’t Chair.
Step 3: Conclude.

Step 1: Constitutional process. Article 61 provides for impeachment of the President by Parliament for “violation of the Constitution.” The charge must be preferred by either House and investigated; removal requires a special majority in {both} Houses.
Step 2: Why others are wrong. PM/CJI have no such power; the Lok Sabha alone cannot remove—the Rajya Sabha must also concur with the prescribed majority.
Step 3: Conclude.

Step 1: Group the set. Options (A), (B), (C) are all Presidents of India. Dr. Rajendra Prasad (1st), Dr. S. Radhakrishnan (2nd), Dr. Zakir Husain (3rd).
Step 2: Identify the odd one out. Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Prime Minister, not a President—hence mismatched.
Step 3: Conclude.

Step 1: Base rule under Article 356. President’s Rule (failure of constitutional machinery in a state) is proclaimed for six months at a time.
Step 2: Extensions and upper cap. It can be extended every six months, but not beyond three years, and only if {both} conditions hold: (i) a National Emergency is in operation in the whole or any part of India; and (ii) the Election Commission certifies that elections cannot be held in the concerned state.
Step 3: Conclude.

Step 1: Identify the amendment. The Constitution (106\textsuperscript{th}) Amendment Act, 2023—{Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam}—provides one-third (33%) reservation of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies.
Step 2: Constitutional mechanism. It inserts Articles 330A, 332A (reservation) and Article 334A (sunset/review). Operationalisation is linked to delimitation after a census.
Step 3: Conclude.

Step 1: Identify what changed in the Preamble. The 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976 inserted three words into the Preamble: “Socialist,” “Secular,” and “Integrity” (modifying “unity of the nation” to “unity and integrity of the Nation”).
Step 2: Why the 42nd, not others? 24th (1971) empowered Parliament regarding amendment and made presidential assent mandatory; 44th (1978) rolled back several Emergency-era changes but did not alter Preamble wording; 73rd (1992) concerns Panchayats—no Preamble edit.
Step 3: Conclude.

Step 1: Recall the three lists. The Seventh Schedule distributes subjects among the Union List, State List, and Concurrent List. On concurrent subjects, both Union and States can legislate; Union law prevails on conflict (Art. 254).
Step 2: Original vs present count. Originally (1950) the Concurrent List had 47 entries. The 42nd Amendment (1976) shifted several items from the State List and expanded the Concurrent List to 52 entries (current standard count).
Step 3: Conclude.

Step 1: Adoption date and authority. The Constituent Assembly adopted the Constitution on 26 November 1949. Certain provisions came into force immediately; the rest commenced on 26 January 1950 (Republic Day).
Step 2: Why not the others? Governor General/President merely promulgated or gave effect to constitutional arrangements; Parliament did not exist before commencement. The act of {adoption} was the Assembly’s sovereign function.
Step 3: Conclude.

Step 1: Recall Article 340 commissions. The First Backward Classes Commission was set up in 1953 under Article 340 to investigate the conditions of socially and educationally backward classes.
Step 2: Name the chair. It was chaired by Kaka Kalelkar (1953–55). The Commission submitted its report in 1955.
Step 3: Distinguish from later figures. B. P. Mandal headed the Second Backward Classes Commission (1979); V. P. Singh implemented Mandal recommendations in 1990 as PM; Karpoori Thakur was a prominent OBC leader/CM but not chair of the first commission.
Step 4: Conclude.

Step 1: Trace the origin. The grassroots RTI movement began in Rajasthan in the early 1990s, led by Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) at Devdungri. Villagers demanded access to muster rolls and bills to expose leakages in local works.
Step 2: Why Rajasthan is credited. Jan Sunwais (public audits) pioneered by MKSS institutionalized social audit practices, forcing disclosure and inspiring state and national laws.
Step 3: Clarify common confusion. Tamil Nadu did pass one of the earliest state RTI laws in 1997, but the {movement’s genesis} is credited to Rajasthan. The national RTI Act came in 2005.
Step 4: Conclude.

Step 1: Commission and recommendation. The Mandal Commission (Second Backward Classes Commission), set up in 1979 under PM Morarji Desai and chaired by B. P. Mandal, recommended 27% reservation for OBCs in central services, taking total reservations to 49.5%.
Step 2: Implementation decision. On 7 August 1990, PM V. P. Singh announced implementation for recruitment to the Central Government services—this is the landmark act asked in the question.
Step 3: Judicial calibration. In {Indra Sawhney (1992)}, the Supreme Court largely upheld OBC reservation, introduced the creamy layer exclusion, and capped total reservations at 50% (with limited exceptions).
Step 4: Conclude.

Step 1: Recall G-7 composition. Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, United States—Japan is the only Asian member.
Step 2: Eliminate others. India and China are not G-7 members; Philippines is not a member either.
Step 3: Conclude.

Step 1: Define. The Euro (EUR) is the common currency used by the Eurozone countries within the European Union.
Step 2: Clear the distractors. It is neither a landmass (A), nor a country name (B), nor an island (D).
Step 3: Conclude.

Step 1: Current allocation.
Bihar sends 40 members to the Lok Sabha. The overall house strength is 543 elected members.
Step 2: Note on delimitation/federal changes.
Post creation of Jharkhand (2000) and subsequent delimitation exercises, Bihar’s current allocation stands at 40.
Step 3: Conclude.

Step 1: Office-bearers of the Assembly.
Dr. Rajendra Prasad was elected {permanent President} of the Constituent Assembly. (Dr. Sachchidananda Sinha acted as the {temporary} President at the first meeting.)

Step 2: Clarify roles of others.
Dr. Ambedkar chaired the Drafting Committee; Nehru moved landmark resolutions (Objectives Resolution); Gandhi was not a member of the Assembly.

Step 3: Conclude.

Step 1: What is “International Day of Non-Violence”?
It is a UN–designated observance that promotes the principles of non-violence and peace, chosen to coincide with the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

Step 2: The official UN date.
The UN General Assembly (Resolution 61/271, 2007) fixed the observance on 2nd October each year—Gandhi Jayanti.

Step 3: Eliminate the given options by meaning.
30 Jan = Martyrs’ Day (India, the day Gandhi was assassinated); 8 Mar = International Women’s Day; 1 May = International Labour Day; 10 Dec = Human Rights Day. None of these equals the UN’s Non-Violence Day.

Step 4: Conclude.