Key Terms & Concepts

The constitutional body chaired by Arvind Panagariya that recommends Centre-state tax sharing for 2026-27 to 2030-31.

US semiconductor packaging firm founded 2010, originating Photo-Definable Glass technology from Sandia National Labs, signed Odisha MoU on May 29, 2026 for India's first glass substrate facility.

The third confirmed interstellar object to enter our solar system, discovered July 2025, with methane and other molecules detected by the James Webb Space Telescope

The constitutional freeze that locked Lok Sabha seat allocation to the 1971 Census population to prevent states with successful family planning from losing representation

The amendment that gave urban local bodies constitutional status, inserting Part IXA and the Twelfth Schedule into the Constitution.

The framework for the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge, governed globally by the Nagoya Protocol and implemented in India under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.

Advisory Committee on National Accounts Statistics, the expert body that recommends GDP methodology and base year changes

A government HR scheme granting time-bound pay-scale upgrades to employees who have not received a promotion within specified service periods, addressing career stagnation.

India's strategic foreign policy framework prioritising active engagement with Southeast Asian and Indo-Pacific nations through trade, connectivity, and cultural links

A proactive public health strategy where health workers systematically screen high-risk populations for tuberculosis instead of waiting for patients to seek care

A tax levied as a percentage of the value of a good, service, or transaction, rather than as a fixed amount per unit of quantity, so that collections rise with price changes even when physical volume is unchanged.

An International Atomic Energy Agency instrument that permits short-notice inspections to verify the absence of undeclared nuclear activity, going beyond standard comprehensive safeguards.

A legal document in which a competent adult specifies their medical treatment preferences, particularly regarding life support, to guide healthcare decisions if they later become incapacitated

India's classified, decades-long programme to indigenously design and build nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs), producing INS Arihant and INS Arighat, to complete India's nuclear triad and enable a survivable second-strike capability.

India's regulatory body for nuclear and radiological safety, established on November 15, 1983.

A central legislation granting special powers to armed forces personnel operating in 'disturbed areas', including the power to arrest without warrant and immunity from prosecution without Central Government sanction.

A UNESCO-designated biosphere reserve in the southern Western Ghats spanning Tamil Nadu and Kerala, housing one tiger reserve and exceptional biodiversity

AI systems that pursue multi-step goals autonomously, taking a sequence of actions toward an objective without requiring prompting or approval at each step, as distinct from generative AI, which responds to a single prompt at a time.

A short-tenure recruitment model for the armed forces under which soldiers, called Agniveers, serve for four years.

A dual land-use technology that integrates elevated solar panels with crop cultivation underneath to produce both electricity and food

A land-use system that deliberately integrates trees and shrubs with crops or livestock on the same land for ecological and economic gains

Specialised district-level police units tasked with investigating human trafficking, child trafficking and missing-persons cases.

The regulatory requirement that platforms disclose how algorithms determine work allocation, pay, ratings and deactivation decisions for gig and platform workers.

MNRE-notified list restricting government-supported solar PV projects to use only domestically-approved modules and cells.

India's indigenous fifth-generation stealth fighter programme, for which the Ministry of Defence issued RFPs to three Indian consortia on May 27, 2026.

The extent to which households and firms believe a central bank will keep inflation close to its stated target over time, which itself influences whether temporary price shocks become permanent shifts in the price level.

A 2010 crisis of over-indebtedness and coercive door-step loan recovery among microfinance borrowers in Andhra Pradesh, prompting emergency state regulation of MFIs.

A government-run village-level child care and mother care centre under India's ICDS programme, the frontline unit delivering nutrition, health, pre-school education, and counselling to children under 6 and pregnant/lactating women.

A pending Delhi High Court suit (filed November 2024) testing whether training an AI model on copyrighted Indian news content without a licence constitutes copyright infringement.

West Bengal's revamped women's cash-transfer scheme that began crediting Rs 3,000 per month from June 3, 2026, replacing the Lakshmir Bhandar scheme.

Landmark March 2023 SC verdict directing a CJI-led panel for ECI appointments, subsequently diluted by the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023.

State laws prohibiting religious conversions achieved through coercion, inducement, fraud, or misrepresentation, upheld by the Supreme Court since 1977

Constitutional provision under the Tenth Schedule that disqualifies legislators who defect from their party by voting against party directions or voluntarily giving up party membership.

A protective tariff imposed on imports sold below their normal value in the exporting country to prevent unfair trade practices

An immunological phenomenon in which prior antibodies to one virus serotype help, rather than hinder, a subsequent infection with a different serotype, worsening disease severity.

The ability of microbes to withstand the drugs designed to kill them, making infections harder to treat and threatening modern medicine

The Central Act that bifurcated Andhra Pradesh to create Telangana, made Hyderabad a joint capital for 10 years, and placed obligations on the Centre for AP's development, amended in 2026 to designate Amaravati as the sole capital.

Underground layer of permeable rock, sediment, or soil that stores and transmits groundwater

The practice of simultaneously buying and selling an asset in different markets to profit from a price difference; or ...

India's principal law governing arbitration and conciliation as alternatives to court litigation, including the narrow procedure for challenging an arbitral award.

The Supreme Court judgment laying down safeguards against automatic and mechanical arrest under Section 498A IPC and similar offences carrying up to seven years' imprisonment.

A classical Sanskrit treatise on statecraft, economic policy and administration attributed to Kautilya, notable for treating official corruption as an institutional-design problem rather than only a moral failing.

The constitutional provision establishing the Supreme Court of India, fixing a floor of the Chief Justice plus seven other judges that Parliament may raise by ordinary law.

Constitutional provision establishing the Supreme Court as a court of record with the power to punish for contempt of itself

Constitutional provision requiring a minimum of 5 SC judges to decide cases involving substantial questions of constitutional interpretation.

The constitutional provision under which a High Court's strength is fixed by the President 'from time to time,' rather than by a statutory ceiling as with the Supreme Court.

The constitutional provision empowering Parliament to form new states, alter areas, boundaries, or names of existing states by simple majority, making India a 'Union of States' that is indestructible while individual states are not.

Constitutional provision making it the duty of the Union to protect every state against external aggression and internal disturbance, and to ensure that state governments are carried on in accordance with the Constitution.

Constitutional provision allowing the President to assume direct governance of a state when constitutional machinery fails, subject to parliamentary approval and judicial review.

A special constitutional provision empowering the Governors of Maharashtra and Gujarat to establish separate development boards for backward regions like Vidarbha, Marathwada, Saurashtra, and Kutch, and to ensure equitable allocation of funds and adequate facilities for technical education, vocational training, and employment.

A Directive Principle mandating the State to provide free legal aid so no citizen is denied justice due to economic disability

A Directive Principle of State Policy directing the State to secure a Uniform Civil Code for citizens throughout India

Directive Principle mandating organisation of agriculture and animal husbandry on modern scientific lines, with specific instruction to prohibit slaughter of cows, calves and other milch and draught cattle.

Constitutional provision requiring Parliament to readjust Lok Sabha seat allocation and constituency boundaries after every Census

Joint venture between NPCIL (51%) and NTPC (49%) for nuclear power generation, approved by the Union Cabinet on September 11, 2024.

DRDO's upgraded indigenous beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile with a dual-pulse motor extending range toward 200 km, with trials advancing through 2026.

A lack of equality or equivalence between corresponding parts or roles in a relationship, system, or conflict

Aggregate Technical and Commercial losses: India's standard metric for combined power-distribution inefficiency, blending electricity lost in transmission with revenue lost to billing and collection failure.

₹6,000 crore World Bank-assisted central scheme (2020-25, extended) for community-led groundwater management in 8,220 over-exploited gram panchayats across 7 states.

The specialised kerosene-based fuel used in aircraft turbine engines, whose pricing directly impacts airline operating costs and ticket prices

Private ISS mission on which IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla became the first Indian to visit the International Space Station.

India's programme to build a digital health ecosystem, giving every citizen a unique health ID and consent-based access to their records

Judicial principle that Parliament cannot amend the Constitution to destroy its essential features

The first legally binding international agreement for conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (the high seas)

The governance overhaul of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) mandated by the Supreme Court based on the Lodha Committee recommendations, introducing age/tenure limits, conflict-of-interest norms, and greater accountability to the world's richest cricket board.

The process of concentrating a mined mineral by removing waste rock and impurities, the intermediate industrial step between mining and full refining.

India's roadmap to become a leading global contributor to the design, standards and rollout of sixth-generation (6G) telecom technology by 2030

AI-driven multilingual digital public infrastructure for farmers, launched February 17, 2026, with scheme integration rolling out through mid-2026.

The criminal procedure code that replaced the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, governing investigation, arrest, and trial in India from 1 July 2024.

The substantive penal code that replaced the Indian Penal Code, 1860, defining crimes and punishments in India from 1 July 2024.

The law of evidence that replaced the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, governing what counts as admissible proof in Indian courts from 1 July 2024.

India's flagship programme to provide broadband internet connectivity to all 2.5 lakh gram panchayats using optical fibre infrastructure

The outcome document of the 11th BRICS Culture Ministers' Meeting, adopted in Bhopal on 8 August 2026, covering creator-rights protection against unauthorised AI training and restitution of cultural property.

The landmark Supreme Court case holding that students who stand respectfully but do not sing the National Anthem, for reasons of religious conscience, commit no punishable offence.

A treaty between two countries that protects cross-border private investment through guarantees like fair treatment and Investor-State Dispute Settlement, with India now revising its restrictive 2016 Model BIT to be more investor-friendly.

A reciprocal agreement between two central banks to exchange specified amounts of their domestic currencies to provide short-term liquidity support and stabilise forex markets during stress

A common digital marketplace for comparing and purchasing insurance products across insurers, the central distribution-side reform in IRDAI's 2026 insurance package.

A seven-member regional grouping linking South and Southeast Asia around the Bay of Bengal for economic and technical cooperation.

Gradual accumulation of chemical substances or toxins in the tissues of a living organism over time

A stable, carbon-rich charcoal made by heating biomass without oxygen, used to enrich soil and lock away carbon for centuries

Economic activity derived from biological sciences including biotechnology, biopharmaceuticals, biofuels, and bio-agriculture

Organisms whose presence, absence, or abundance reflects the health or pollution status of an ecosystem

India's primary legislation for biodiversity conservation and regulation of Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) of genetic resources, establishing a three-tier governance structure: NBA, SBBs, and BMCs.

The regulatory framework governing the approval, manufacturing, and market entry of complex biologic medicines and their near-identical copies (biosimilars)

The biological process of converting organic waste into biogas (primarily methane) through anaerobic digestion by microorganisms

The systematic search for biological organisms, plants, animals, microbes, in natural environments to discover comme...

Near-identical copies of approved biologic medicines, comparable in quality, safety, and efficacy to the original

A decentralized, distributed ledger technology that records transactions in an immutable chain of blocks, eliminating the need for a central trusted authority.

A hierarchical framework of cognitive learning objectives, revised in 2001 into six levels from Remember through Create, used to distinguish rote recall from higher-order thinking in assessment design.

Carbon captured and stored by coastal and marine ecosystems, mangroves, seagrasses, and salt marshes, at rates far exceeding terrestrial forests

Sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth while preserving the health of ocean ecosystems

The eight-member statutory body created under the Bodh Gaya Temple Act, 1949 to manage the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya, a UNESCO World Heritage Site marking the place where Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree.

The central legislation enacted under Article 3 that bifurcated the bilingual Bombay State into the two unilingual states of Maharashtra and Gujarat with effect from May 1, 1960, a date now celebrated as Maharashtra Day and Gujarat Day.

A supersonic cruise missile (Mach 2.8, 450+ km range) jointly developed by India's DRDO and Russia's NPOM, with ship, submarine, air, and land-based variants.

The first international treaty addressing crimes committed via the internet and other computer networks, which India has declined to join since 2001.

One of six known Ebola virus species, first identified in Uganda (2007), with historic case-fatality rate of ~25-50%, strain behind the May 2026 DRC outbreak.

The right to operate transport services (sea, air, or road) within a particular territory; specifically, the transport...

Relating to official records or maps showing land ownership, boundaries, and value

A fleet-average, not per-model, regulatory limit on carbon dioxide emissions and fuel consumption across all passenger vehicles a manufacturer sells in a year, notified under the Energy Conservation Act, 2001 and administered by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency.

Government spending that creates long-term productive assets, roads, railways, ports, power infrastructure, hospitals, and schools, as distinguished from revenue expenditure which funds day-to-day operations and salaries.

A trade measure that imposes a carbon price on imports from countries with weaker climate policies to prevent carbon leakage

A set of technologies that trap carbon dioxide from industrial sources or the air and either reuse it or store it permanently underground

India's compliance carbon market under the Energy Conservation Act; binding emission-intensity targets for energy-intensive sectors took effect from FY2026, with first trading expected during 2026.

Tradeable certificates representing the right to emit one tonne of carbon dioxide or equivalent greenhouse gas

A natural or artificial reservoir that absorbs and stores more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than it releases

A trading strategy of borrowing in a low-interest-rate currency to invest in a higher-yielding one, which mechanically weakens the funding currency and strengthens the target currency.

The interval between rainfall occurring within a river catchment and the resulting peak flow reaching a point downstream, a function chiefly of catchment size, slope and river length.

A foundational UNFCCC principle requiring developed nations to take the lead in climate action given their historical emissions and greater financial capacity

Sensor-driven, AI/ML-supported maintenance paradigm shifting aircraft fleets from scheduled overhauls to real-time condition-based interventions.

International arrangement enabling mutual recognition of IT security product certifications across signatory countries.

India's 16th census and first-ever digital census; House Listing began April 2026, with caste enumeration returning for the first time since 1931.

Five central paramilitary forces under India's Ministry of Home Affairs, BSF, CRPF, CISF, ITBP, and SSB, responsible for border security, internal security, and industrial/critical infrastructure protection.

Apex national agency under Ministry of Jal Shakti for groundwater monitoring, assessment, and management, flags ~30% of India's blocks as critical or over-exploited.

A deep-water port in southeastern Iran on the Gulf of Oman, developed by India as a strategic connectivity gateway to Afghanistan and Central Asia bypassing Pakistan.

A semiconductor fabrication process that deposits thin films of material onto silicon wafers by chemically reacting gaseous precursors

An economic model that eliminates waste by keeping materials in use as long as possible through recycling, reuse, and regeneration, in contrast to the traditional linear take-make-dispose model.

An international treaty that regulates and monitors the global trade in wild animal and plant specimens to ensure it does not threaten their survival.

Six Indian languages designated 'Classical' by the Government of India for their ancient literary heritage, independent development, and scholarly tradition

An official classification system defining which economic activities qualify as green or climate-aligned

A rapid oscillation between hydrological extremes, typically an unusually wet period followed quickly by severe heat and drought, that produces compounding hazard risk.

India's primary statute governing liability for nuclear incidents, controversially establishing supplier liability under Section 17(b).

A sudden, extremely intense burst of rainfall over a small area, defined by the IMD as more than 100 mm of rain in one hour

A United Nations environmental treaty that obligates member states to protect wild animals that migrate across national boundaries, coordinating conservation action between countries that share migratory routes

A telecom service displaying a caller's verified name, drawn from KYC records, on the recipient's phone screen, India's structural response to spam and fraud calling.

The process by which workers, through their trade unions, negotiate with employers on wages, working conditions, and employment terms

The judge-led mechanism through which the higher judiciary in India appoints and transfers its own judges.

Brazil's oldest major criminal organisation, founded 1979 in Rio de Janeiro's Cândido Mendes Prison, designated SDGT by the US on May 28, 2026.

Government spending on obligations that cannot easily be reduced or deferred, primarily salaries, pensions, and inter...

Mandatory replacement of forest land diverted for non-forest purposes by afforesting equivalent non-forest land

A contract granting a private entity the right to build, operate, and profit from a public infrastructure asset for a fixed period

Involving reduced rates, subsidised terms, or special favourable conditions, especially in the context of loans, finan...

The list of subjects in the Seventh Schedule on which both Parliament and State Legislatures can make laws

Two protected-area categories introduced by the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2002, created specifically for landscapes where people live and work: Conservation Reserves over government land and Community Reserves over private or community land.

The proposed constitutional amendment to expand Lok Sabha from 543 to 850 seats based on 2011 Census data, reigniting the North-South federal equity debate and its linkage to Women's Reservation implementation

The formal mechanism prescribed under Article 368 of the Indian Constitution for altering its text, which varies in stringency depending on the nature and sensitivity of the provision being amended.

The adherence to the core principles and transformative spirit of the Constitution, not merely its text but its fundamental values of liberty, equality, fraternity, and dignity, even when these conflict with popular or social morality.

The power of courts to punish acts that obstruct justice administration or scandalise judicial authority, governed by the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971

A judicial technique in which a court retains a case rather than delivering a final decision and closing it, issuing successive directions over years to monitor and secure compliance with its earlier orders.

The UK's nuclear deterrence policy of maintaining at least one nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine on patrol at all times since 1969, ensuring a second-strike capability that can never be wiped out in a first strike.

A nuclear deterrence posture in which a nation maintains at least one nuclear-armed submarine on patrol at all times, ensuring that the nuclear second-strike capability is never vulnerable to a pre-emptive first strike.

A model of federalism where central and state governments work together on shared goals through mutual cooperation rather than competition

Eight key industries, coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement, and electricity, whose combined output forms the Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI)

A non-governmental international scientific body, established in 1958 under the International Science Council, that promotes global cooperation in space research and convenes a biennial Scientific Assembly.

India's primary tobacco control legislation banning smoking in public places, tobacco advertising, and sale to minors

The first legally binding international treaty on artificial intelligence, human rights, democracy and the rule of law, adopted in May 2024.

The relatively well-off and socially advanced sections within OBC communities who are excluded from the benefits of reservation, based on the principle that reservation should reach only those who genuinely need it.

A rise in the level of educational qualification required for a given job over time, driven by an increasing supply of credentialed workers rather than by any actual increase in the skill the job requires.

The proportion of a bank's total deposits that has been lent out as loans, indicating banking system liquidity and credit aggressiveness

A 1942 British proposal offering post-war dominion status and a Constituent Assembly, rejected by Congress and Gandhi as 'a post-dated cheque on a crashing bank.'

Minerals deemed essential for modern technology and clean energy transition, with high economic importance and supply risk

A quantum computer powerful enough to break classical asymmetric cryptography (RSA, ECC) in polynomial time, expected to emerge 2030-2040 by NIST/NSA/GCHQ consensus.

An international treaty banning all nuclear explosions for both civilian and military purposes, opened for signature in 1996 but not yet in force due to non-ratification by key states.

The shortfall when a country's total imports of goods, services, and transfer payments exceed its total exports, a key indicator of external sector vulnerability.

Physical or psychological abuse, torture, or death inflicted on a person while in the lawful custody of the state, including police, prison, or judicial custody, constituting a serious violation of constitutional rights and human dignity.

Banks designated by the RBI as too-big-to-fail due to their critical importance to India's financial system, currently SBI, HDFC Bank, and ICICI Bank

IRDAI's framework to identify and specially supervise insurers whose failure could trigger systemic financial instability, analogous to RBI's D-SIB framework for banks.

The Supreme Court judgment that laid down the four-fold test for what qualifies as a 'relationship in the nature of marriage' under Indian law.

Binding procedural safeguards laid down by the Supreme Court in D.K. Basu v. State of West Bengal (1997) against custodial abuse during arrest and detention.

Posthumous UN award honouring peacekeepers killed in service, named after the 2nd UN Secretary-General who died in a 1961 plane crash during a Congo mission.

The requirement that certain categories of data collected within a country must be stored and processed on servers physically located within that country's borders

The Data Protection Board of India (DPBI), the quasi-judicial adjudicatory body established under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 to hear complaints, investigate data breaches, and impose penalties on Data Fiduciaries.

Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer, a PPP model where the private partner handles all project phases before transferring the asset to the government

The standard international framework for transitioning former combatants out of armed conflict, comprising weapons handover, stand-down of armed cadres, and civilian reintegration.

The ability of a government (or economy) to service its existing and future debt obligations without requiring debt restructuring or defaulting, while maintaining growth and essential public spending.

A specialised rescue submersible capable of docking onto a distressed submarine at depth to evacuate its crew, distinct from surface diving-support ships.

The policy framework governing how the Indian Ministry of Defence procures weapons systems, equipment, and platforms for the armed forces

A representation principle where larger states get more seats but at a decreasing rate relative to population, protecting smaller states from underrepresentation

Law-making power that Parliament confers on the executive to make rules, regulations or notifications under a parent statute, subject to defined procedural limits.

A high-powered body that redraws Lok Sabha and State Assembly constituency boundaries based on Census data

Economic growth potential arising from a shift in population age structure when the working-age population is larger than dependents

The act of discouraging or preventing an action by instilling fear of consequences; in strategic affairs, the preventi...

The transfer of power, authority, or resources from a central government to lower levels of government or local bodies

Investigating arm of the Ministry of Commerce that conducts anti-dumping, countervailing duty, and safeguard investigations under WTO rules.

A 10-character alphanumeric digital address system developed by India Post that assigns a unique code to every 4 metre by 4 metre grid in India, enabling precise geo-coded location identification for delivery, emergency response, and digital public infrastructure.

A cyber-fraud scam, with no legal basis in Indian law, in which criminals impersonate law-enforcement officials over video calls to falsely confine and extort money from victims.

The European Union regulation, in force since 2022, that imposes upfront conduct obligations on designated 'gatekeeper' digital platforms before any abuse is proven.

India's first comprehensive data protection legislation, enacted in August 2023, governing how personal data of individuals (Data Principals) is collected, processed, and stored by organisations (Data Fiduciaries).

Shared digital building blocks, identity, payment, and data exchange systems, that governments build as open platforms for society-wide use

A nation's right and capacity to govern its own digital infrastructure, data flows, and technology ecosystem independently, free from foreign corporate or state control.

The routing of government subsidies and welfare payments straight into beneficiaries' bank accounts to cut leakage.

Non-justiciable constitutional directives in Part IV (Articles 36-51) that guide the state towards establishing a welfare state, drawn from the Irish Constitution.

The central legislation that created India's institutional architecture for disaster management, establishing the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs), District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs), and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

A systematic approach to identifying, assessing, and reducing risks of disaster to build resilient communities and nations

A placeholder name for an unknown pathogen that could cause the next serious epidemic or pandemic, used to drive preparedness

Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice, the Central Sector umbrella scheme for technology-driven legal aid

A trust funded by mining royalties to benefit communities in mineral-rich districts affected by mining operations

A non-profit trust established in every mining-affected district in India, funded by a levy on mining lessees, intended to route a share of mineral rent to the people and areas directly affected by mining.

A vaccine and diagnostic design principle requiring that a serological test be able to distinguish an animal that was vaccinated from one that was naturally infected, which is essential for a country to certify disease-free status for trade purposes.

The process by which the government or a company sells off assets, subsidiaries, or shareholdings

A bank designated by RBI as 'too big to fail' whose collapse would cause significant disruption to the Indian financial system and economy

The coexistence of undernutrition (stunting, wasting) and overnutrition (obesity, NCDs) in the same population, household, or individual

A GDP measurement method that separately deflates both outputs and intermediate inputs to get accurate real value-added at industry level

The structural feature of urban and rural cooperative banks in India whereby banking functions are regulated by the Reserve Bank of India while registration, management and governance remain under State or Central Registrars of Cooperative Societies, historically leaving the banking regulator unable to act on the governance failures that most often cause bank collapse.

The steep evening ramp-up in electricity demand that occurs just as solar generation drops off at sunset, now the binding operational constraint on further solar-capacity growth.

The first-ever centralised national database of unorganised workers in India, launched on August 26, 2021 by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, providing a 12-digit Universal Account Number (UAN) and serving as the gateway to social security schemes for over 30 crore registered workers.

The mandatory blending of 20% ethanol derived from agricultural feedstocks into petrol, a policy target India aims to achieve by 2025–26 to reduce fossil fuel imports, cut carbon emissions, and support farmers

A composite index (formerly published by the World Bank) ranking countries on the regulatory environment faced by small and medium enterprises across the business lifecycle, from starting a business to resolving insolvency.

A buffer area notified around a protected area under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, within which specific activities are regulated or prohibited to cushion the core protected area from surrounding land-use pressure.

The large-scale, severe, and widespread destruction or damage to ecosystems, proposed as an international crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court alongside genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity

Using the conservation and restoration of natural ecosystems to help people adapt to climate change

A pan-India mission-mode project of the Department of Justice that uses information and communication technology to computerise district and subordinate courts, digitise case data, and provide citizen-facing services like e-filing, virtual hearings and the National Judicial Data Grid.

The constitutional list of India's 22 officially recognised languages, whose speakers have the right to use them before official bodies and whose literature the Sahitya Akademi must recognise

A periodic warming and cooling cycle of the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean that is one of the most significant natural drivers of year-to-year global climate variability.

A subordinate order made by the Election Commission of India under its Article 324 powers that reserves symbols for recognised political parties and, under Paragraph 15, empowers the Commission to decide which rival faction of a split party is entitled to the party's name and symbol.

An anonymous instrument for political funding in India, struck down by the Supreme Court in February 2024

The constitutional list of 29 functional items that State legislatures may assign to panchayats, inserted by the 73rd Amendment.

Constitutional provisions (Articles 352-360) empowering the President to proclaim different types of emergencies that temporarily alter the federal balance and suspend certain rights to protect national security, state constitutional breakdown, or financial stability.

A measure of greenhouse gas emissions per unit of GDP, allowing emissions to rise in absolute terms while declining relative to economic output

The uninterrupted availability of energy sources at an affordable price to sustain economic growth and national security

Genetic material shed by an organism into its surrounding soil, water or air, which can be collected and analysed to detect the organism's presence without ever sighting or capturing it.

A mandatory scientific evaluation of the potential environmental effects of a proposed project before it receives government clearance

The biological process by which red blood cells (erythrocytes) are produced in bone marrow

An advanced semiconductor manufacturing technique using 13.5 nm wavelength light to print nanometre-scale circuit patterns on silicon wafers

10% reservation in government jobs and higher education for Economically Weaker Sections among general category citizens, introduced by the 103rd Constitutional Amendment Act of 2019.

A regulatory approach that imposes conduct obligations on a firm in advance, based on its designated status, rather than only after a specific harm is investigated and proven.

The conservation of threatened species outside their natural habitat through captive breeding centres, gene banks, botanical gardens, and zoos

India's first-ever 13-nation multilateral Army exercise, held at FTN Umroi, Meghalaya (May 18–31, 2026), under India's SAGAR doctrine for IOR security cooperation

A planet that orbits a star outside our solar system, key to the search for habitable worlds and life beyond Earth

A 2026 DGFT framework creating a legally recognised intermediary, the Exporter-on-Record, that carries customs and export compliance on behalf of Indian manufacturers (Sellers-on-Record) for cross-border e-commerce, while passing seller-attributable rebates back to them by FOB value.

A security guarantee under which a nuclear-armed state commits to deter or respond to an attack on an allied state as though it were an attack on itself, extending its own nuclear deterrent to cover a partner rather than only itself.

A policy principle that makes manufacturers, importers, and brand owners responsible for the end-of-life collection and recycling of their products, shifting the waste management burden from government and consumers to producers

Loans raised by eligible Indian entities from foreign lenders in foreign or Indian currency under the RBI framework.

A statutory exception under Section 52 of the Copyright Act, 1957 permitting limited use of copyrighted material without infringement, now being tested against AI model training.

A 1996 India-Bangladesh treaty apportioning the Ganga's dry-season flow at the Farakka Barrage, expiring 12 December 2026.

A nuclear reactor that uses fast neutrons to generate more fissile material (plutonium) than it consumes, forming Stage 2 of India's three-stage nuclear power programme.

A nuclear reactor that uses fast (unmoderated) neutrons to both sustain a chain reaction and 'breed' new fissile material (plutonium-239) from fertile uranium-238, producing more fuel than it consumes.

Courts established in 2019 to expedite specific case categories, initially rape and POCSO cases, now proposed for extension to examination paper-leak offences.

An inter-governmental body that sets global standards for combating money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing, and monitors countries' compliance through a mutual evaluation and listing system.

A pending 2026 amendment to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 that creates a centrally appointed Designated Authority empowered to take charge of the foreign-funded assets, not just the funds, of organisations whose FCRA registration ends.

Legislation regulating the acceptance and utilisation of foreign contributions by NGOs, associations, and individuals in India, administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

A system of government where power is constitutionally divided between a central authority and constituent units

Specialised teams of women military personnel in UN peacekeeping missions that engage local women and children to gather intelligence, build trust and advance protection mandates.

A person or institution legally and ethically obligated to act in another party's best interest; relating to such a re...

Constitutional schedule (under Articles 244 and 244A) governing the administration and control of Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes in states other than Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram.

A constitutional body (Article 280) constituted every five years to recommend distribution of Union tax revenues between Centre and states

An RBI-permitted risk-sharing arrangement, capped at 5% of a loan portfolio, in which a digital lending app guarantees a regulated lender's defaults.

A phased, pre-announced trajectory for reducing the fiscal deficit and public debt over several years.

The gap between total government expenditure and total government revenue (excluding borrowings)

The financial dimension of federalism, how taxing powers, spending responsibilities, and transfers are divided between the Union and states

A NITI Aayog benchmarking tool that ranks Indian states across five dimensions of fiscal performance using CAG-verified data to identify structural fiscal stress and best practices

India's central national agency for receiving, processing, analysing and disseminating information on suspicious financial transactions, established in 2004 under the Department of Revenue.

India's monetary policy framework anchoring the RBI's policy rate decisions to a 4% CPI inflation target with a 2-6% tolerance band

Ministry of Education's biannual assessment under ULLAS, conducted by NIOS, certifies adults aged 15+ as literate when they pass three sections (Reading, Writing, Numeracy).

Protection of the migratory routes and habitats used by birds and other species as they travel between breeding and wintering grounds

Legislation recognising and vesting forest rights in forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers who have been living in and depending on forests for generations.

The reduced genetic diversity of a population descended from a small number of original ancestors, which persists and compounds susceptibility to disease and inbreeding depression regardless of how large the population later grows.

India's consolidation of 29 central labour laws into four codes, on Wages, Industrial Relations, Social Security, and Occupational Safety, passed in 2019–2020 but largely unimplemented due to states not notifying rules.

A small, agile, low-cost drone piloted through goggles streaming a live camera feed, used as a precision strike weapon in modern warfare

The Supreme Court judgment holding that the right to life under Article 21 includes the right to live with human dignity, not merely physical survival.

The right of ships and aircraft of all nations to transit international waters and airspace freely, enshrined in UNCLOS as a core principle of international maritime law.

Mandatory nutritional warning labels on the front of packaged food products to inform consumers about high sugar, salt, or fat content

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, the apex regulatory body for food safety, standards, and labelling in India

Section 219, Immigration and Nationality Act designation by US Secretary of State, criminalises material support worldwide and triggers asset/immigration consequences.

The most efficient and most difficult liquid rocket engine cycle, in which both propellants are fully gasified before entering the main combustion chamber.

A statutory framework under India's Income Tax Act that allows tax authorities to deny benefits of any arrangement whose primary purpose is tax avoidance, based on the doctrine that substance must prevail over legal form.

ISRO's first human spaceflight programme; the uncrewed G1 flight carrying the Vyommitra robot is slated for the second half of 2026, with a crewed flight planned for 2027.

Wide-bandgap compound-semiconductor microwave chip, indigenously developed by DRDO-SSPL Delhi, placing India in a 7-nation club from May 2026.

The reference year against which all subsequent GDP is measured, with its prices treated as constant (=100)

A fiscal tool that analyses government budgets through a gender lens to ensure that public expenditure and revenue policies address gender gaps and advance women's empowerment.

The legal principle allowing individuals to determine and declare their own gender identity without medical or judicial gatekeeping

A precise molecular tool that edits an organism's own DNA at targeted sites without necessarily inserting foreign genes

A legal marker identifying a product as originating from a specific geographical region with qualities, reputation, or characteristics attributable to that origin

The total amount spent on research and development in a country in a year, from all funding sources combined (government, private industry, higher education, and non-profit institutions), the standard international measure of national research intensity, usually expressed as a percentage of GDP.

A region of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir that India holds to be an integral and inalienable part of its territory

A sudden, catastrophic flood released when a natural dam holding back a glacial lake fails, common in the Himalayas

An India-led international coalition of governments, industries and organisations to accelerate the global adoption of sustainable biofuels

An offshore subsidiary unit set up by a multinational company in India to deliver high-value functions, technology, analytics, finance, legal, for its global operations

A periodic assessment under the Paris Agreement that evaluates collective global progress on climate action every five years

A drug class mimicking the gut hormone GLP-1 to stimulate insulin release and reduce appetite, approved first for type 2 diabetes and later for weight loss, now central to India's dual-use drug-access policy debate.

Electronic warfare techniques that disrupt or falsify satellite navigation signals to endanger ships, aircraft, and critical infrastructure

A supplier-imposed nuclear cooperation condition under which a recipient state formally renounces uranium enrichment and spent-fuel reprocessing, first set by the 2009 US-UAE civil nuclear agreement.

An economy characterised by steady growth, low inflation, and stable employment, 'not too hot, not too cold', allowing central banks to maintain accommodative policy without triggering inflationary overheating.

US legislation that restructured the American military command system to strengthen joint operations across services, the standard international comparator for India's own theatre-command transition.

The limited situations in which a state Governor may act on personal judgement rather than on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers.

Ripples in the fabric of spacetime produced by violent cosmic events such as merging black holes, predicted by Einstein and first detected in 2015

The world's largest dedicated climate fund, financing mitigation and adaptation projects in developing countries

A modified measure of economic output that adjusts conventional GDP by subtracting the costs of environmental degradation and depletion of natural resources.

An airport built from scratch on undeveloped land, as opposed to expanding an existing facility

Adversarial activities conducted below the threshold of conventional armed conflict, using hybrid tools like cyber attacks, disinformation, economic coercion, and proxy forces, to achieve strategic objectives while avoiding direct military confrontation.

A levy on select goods created to compensate states for revenue losses during the transition to GST.

A legal writ requiring that a person under detention be brought before a court so the lawfulness of their detention can be examined, a fundamental safeguard of personal liberty against arbitrary arrest.

Cyber-threat model where adversaries collect encrypted data today to decrypt later when Cryptographically Relevant Quantum Computers mature, makes PQC migration urgent now.

A government-prepared framework for early warning, inter-agency coordination, and public response to mitigate heatwave casualties, pioneered in India by Ahmedabad in 2013.

The growing global shortage of helium, a non-renewable, non-substitutable noble gas critical to scientific research, healthcare, and high-tech industries

India's post-2016 hydrocarbon licensing regime offering a single uniform licence covering all hydrocarbons, with revenue-sharing contracts replacing the earlier profit-sharing model.

Foods High in Fat, Salt and Sugar, the standard regulatory category for energy-dense, nutrient-poor processed products targeted by taxation, labelling and marketing-restriction proposals.

MHA committee chaired by Justice (Retd.) P.P. Naolekar, notified May 26, 2026, to assess demographic shifts driven by illegal immigration and other causes in border, urban, industrial and tribal areas.

A rocket-launch technique in which the upper stage ignites its engines before separation from the first stage is complete, rather than coasting through a gap.

A composite statistical index published by the UNDP that measures a country's average achievements in health, education, and standard of living as a multidimensional alternative to GDP-based development measurement.

The certification of a launch vehicle and all its subsystems to a reliability standard sufficient to carry human beings, combined with dedicated systems that let a crew survive a vehicle failure, applied from the design stage rather than as a later modification.

A military and political strategy that blends conventional armed forces with irregular tactics, cyber attacks, disinformation campaigns, economic coercion, and proxy groups to achieve strategic objectives below the threshold of open war.

A minilateral of India, Israel, the UAE and the United States focused on joint investment in food, energy and technology.

The highest-level institutional platform for India-Africa engagement, bringing together the leaders of India and African Union member states roughly every five years to set the agenda for political, economic, security and developmental cooperation.

India-led intergovernmental organisation for the conservation of seven big cat species, headquartered in New Delhi.

A Ministry of Defence initiative that engages startups and MSMEs to develop innovative defence technologies through challenges, grants, and procurement commitments

The first binding global treaty covering gig and platform workers, adopted by the ILO on 12 June 2026, on which India's government abstained despite its own delegates voting in favour.

Multi-modal trade and connectivity corridor announced at the G20 New Delhi Summit (September 9, 2023) linking India to Europe via the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Israel.

India's principal anti-trafficking statute, historically focused on trafficking for sexual exploitation, now under strain from newer forms such as trafficking for forced criminality.

A macroeconomic concept stating that a country cannot simultaneously maintain a fixed exchange rate, free capital movement, and an independent monetary policy

The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre, a single-window autonomous body under the Department of Space that authorises, promotes and regulates private space activity in India.

India's principal short-term composite index measuring the volume of industrial output, compiled by the National Statistical Office and broken down by a use-based classification.

First global AI summit hosted in the Global South, held February 19-20, 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, anchored on the Sutras of People, Planet and Progress.

A Rs 76,000 crore ($10 billion) initiative under MeitY to build a domestic semiconductor and display fabrication ecosystem, offering up to 50% capital subsidy for fab units.

India's long-term nuclear energy strategy conceived by Homi Bhabha in the 1950s, designed to achieve eventual self-sufficiency using India's abundant thorium reserves through three successive reactor types.

Landmark free trade agreement whose negotiations India and the EU concluded on January 27, 2026, described as the largest such deal either side has done.

India's free trade agreement with Oman that entered into force on June 1, 2026, providing duty-free access to 98.08% of Oman's tariff lines

The Government of India's flagship programme for building sovereign AI capability, including subsidised compute access, indigenous model development and AI safety governance.

The Ministry of Home Affairs' coordination and platform body for cybercrime, linking State police forces, banks, and telecom operators on a shared technology backbone.

An east-west seesaw in sea surface temperatures across the tropical Indian Ocean that strongly influences the Indian monsoon

An inter-governmental body of Indian Ocean littoral states promoting cooperation and the blue economy across the region.

The domestic design, development, and manufacturing of military equipment, weapons systems, and platforms to reduce import dependence

A critically endangered freshwater cetacean subspecies found primarily in Pakistan's Indus River system with a tiny relict Indian population of 18–35 individuals in the Beas River, Punjab, functionally blind and navigating by echolocation.

A travel document required by Indian citizens from other states to enter protected northeastern states, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Manipur, designed to protect indigenous tribal populations.

The right of ships to pass through a coastal state's territorial sea without stopping, provided the passage is not prejudicial to the state's peace, order, or security

A 7,200 km multi-modal trade route linking India to Russia and Central Asia via Iran, bypassing Pakistan

A special constitutional and statutory category of institution (like the IITs, IIMs and AIIMS) declared by Parliament under Entry 64 of the Union List, carrying distinctive powers such as the authority to award its own degrees.

A constitutional forum under Article 263 for coordination and dispute discussion between the Centre and the states.

The permanent intergovernmental court established by the Rome Statute (1998) to prosecute individuals for the most serious international crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and aggression.

A legally binding WHO instrument requiring member states to develop core public-health capacities and to report events of international concern, the framework against which national outbreak preparedness is formally measured.

The body of international law, primarily the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, that regulates the conduct of armed conflict and seeks to limit its effects on people and property.

A treaty-based intergovernmental organisation launched by India and France at COP21 (2015) to mobilise over USD 1 trillion in solar energy investment for tropical solar-rich developing countries by 2030.

The ability of systems, institutions, platforms, or forces to work together smoothly

Non-native organisms introduced to an ecosystem that spread aggressively, displace native biodiversity, and cause ecological or economic harm

A multilateral forum of the naval chiefs of Indian Ocean littoral states, established by the Indian Navy in 2008 to foster cooperative maritime security, information sharing, and capacity building across the Indian Ocean Region

Asset-pooling maritime surveillance initiative announced at the 11th Quad FMM (May 26, 2026), building on the 2022 IPMDA information-sharing framework.

The political policy or movement aimed at reclaiming and incorporating into one country territories inhabited by peopl...

India's second major decriminalisation law (2026), amending 784 provisions across 79 Acts and 23 Ministries to remove imprisonment for minor regulatory violations, building on the Jan Vishwas Act 2023 which decriminalised 183 provisions across 42 Acts.

A landmark 2023 law that decriminalised 183 provisions across 42 central Acts, replacing imprisonment with fines for minor regulatory violations to ease business compliance and reduce court pendency

Multilateral country-specific climate-finance arrangements supporting a phase-down of coal, pioneered with South Africa (CoP26, 2021) at USD 8.5 billion.

India's highest literary honour, awarded annually since 1965 by Bharatiya Jnanpith for outstanding contribution to Indian literature

Economic expansion and rising GDP that fails to generate proportionate employment opportunities

A mechanism where a group of WTO members voluntarily negotiate rules on a specific topic outside the formal multilateral negotiation process

A judicial philosophy where courts interpret constitutional provisions expansively to protect rights, fill legislative vacuums, and direct executive action, sometimes going beyond strict textual interpretation.

When courts exceed their constitutional role by encroaching on the legislative or executive domain, issuing directions that amount to making policy or law

The power of courts to examine the constitutional validity of legislative and executive actions

The philosophy and theoretical framework of law; the study of legal principles and the body of legal knowledge develop...

A set of twelve devotional shrines of Lord Shiva spread across India, each believed to enshrine a self-manifested 'lingam of light' (jyoti) and considered the holiest pilgrimage centres of the Shaiva tradition.

India's multi-pillar strategy to secure overseas critical mineral assets and reduce dependence on China-dominated supply chains for the energy transition, anchored by the KABIL joint venture

A sponsorship-based migrant labour system, historically used across the Gulf Cooperation Council states, that legally ties a foreign worker's residency and employment status to a specific sponsoring employer.

India's indigenous SIL-4 certified Automatic Train Protection system that prevents train collisions by automatically applying brakes

A runaway chain reaction of orbital collisions in which debris begets more debris, potentially making some orbits unusable

India's flagship grassroots sports development scheme providing talent identification, training, and infrastructure at youth and university levels

Global biodiversity treaty adopted at CBD COP-15 (December 2022, Montreal) with 4 long-term goals and 23 action targets for 2030.

The set of legally mandated procedures by which regulated financial entities identify and verify a customer's identity and understand the nature of the relationship, forming the entry control of India's anti-money-laundering architecture.

South Korea's superconducting fusion research tokamak that set a record of sustaining H-mode plasma for 102 seconds and ion temperature of 100 million°C for 48 seconds

Four consolidated labour codes that replaced 29 colonial-era labour laws, effective 21 November 2025

An invasive alien ornamental shrub that has colonised nearly half of India's forests and degrades wildlife habitat

A specialised closed-loop water tunnel facility used for testing underwater vehicle hydrodynamics, propeller performance, and acoustic signatures, India is constructing one at NSTL Visakhapatnam, with the foundation stone laid in April 2026.

A specialised test facility at NSTL Visakhapatnam that simulates deep-sea pressure and flow conditions to test ship and submarine models for propeller cavitation, hydrodynamic performance, and acoustic signature, critical for India's indigenous submarine programme.

The international space-law treaty under which a launching state bears absolute liability for damage its space object causes on the surface of the Earth or to aircraft in flight.

The geographic concentration of over 50% of global identified lithium reserves in the high-altitude salt flats of Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile, making the region the epicentre of global battery supply chain geopolitics

The legal right or standing of a person or entity to bring a case before a court, the requirement that a petitioner must have a sufficient personal interest in the matter being litigated.

The Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators headed by former Chief Justice of India R.M. Lodha that in 2016 recommended sweeping governance reforms for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

An unmanned aerial weapon that can loiter over an area for extended periods before striking a target, combining characteristics of both drones and missiles

India's national ombudsman body established under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act 2013 to independently inquire into allegations of corruption against high public functionaries including the Prime Minister.

The long-run reference average rainfall figure against which the India Meteorological Department measures and classifies any given season's actual monsoon performance.

A dedicated climate fund established at COP-28 to compensate vulnerable nations for irreversible climate impacts beyond adaptation

Satellites orbiting 200–2,000 km above Earth, offering low-latency broadband internet connectivity at global scale

IMD's benchmark for the Southwest Monsoon: 87 cm of rainfall, derived from 1971-2020 averages, used to classify each season's rainfall as Deficient, Below Normal, Normal, Above Normal, or Excess.

A statistical measure of the distance between a point and a distribution, accounting for correlations between variables, devised by P.C. Mahalanobis.

A condition where electoral constituencies contain unequal populations, resulting in some voters having disproportionately greater or lesser representation than others, a core issue in the South India delimitation debate.

An exchange-rate regime in which a currency's value is primarily market-determined but the central bank intervenes periodically to curb excessive volatility, without defending a specific fixed level.

The landmark Supreme Court judgment holding that the procedure depriving a person of life or personal liberty under Article 21 must be fair, just and reasonable, not merely enacted by the legislature.

The region between 410 km and 660 km depth in Earth's interior, defined by mineral phase transitions and capable of storing vast water reserves

Under the 2013 Act, the statutory offence of manually cleaning, carrying or disposing of human excreta from an insanitary latrine, open drain or pit, or railway track, before it fully decomposes, a category legally distinct from 'hazardous cleaning' of sewers and septic tanks.

The statutory body that promotes and regulates India's seafood exports under the Ministry of Commerce

A framework for managing human uses of marine areas, allocating sea space for fisheries, shipping, energy, conservation, and tourism through a coordinated plan

A mechanism that integrates multiple electricity exchanges to discover a single uniform clearing price, improving efficiency and reducing price disparities across power markets

A proposed mechanism to dispatch electricity across India's national grid based on actual marginal cost, replacing the current fragmented, state-by-state scheduling approach.

The highest concentration of a pesticide residue legally permitted in or on a food product, set by national regulators or the international Codex Alimentarius standard, and a recurring flashpoint in agricultural trade disputes.

A trilateral mutual-defence pact signed by Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan on 7 August 2026, committing each to treat an attack on any signatory as an attack on all three.

Comprehensive approach ensuring access to menstrual hygiene products, education, sanitation facilities, and destigmatisation of menstruation

The fee a merchant pays to accept a digital payment, shared among the acquiring bank, issuing bank and payment network, which funds fraud prevention, dispute resolution and settlement infrastructure.

India's consolidated maritime statute, replacing the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958, and set to carry India's coastal cabotage liberalisation further once notified into force.

A set of spatially separate but ecologically linked populations of the same species, connected by occasional movement of individuals between them, so that a local extinction at one site can potentially be reversed by recolonisation from another.

Plastic particles less than 5 mm in size, either manufactured at that size or created by fragmentation of larger plastics, found in oceans, soil, air, and human tissue

Cooperation among a small, like-minded group of states on specific issues, outside large formal multilateral institutions.

Government-announced floor price at which it pledges to procure specified agricultural commodities from farmers

A ballistic-missile payload technology in which a single missile carries multiple nuclear warheads, each of which can be released towards a different target, dramatically multiplying strike capacity per launcher.

India's dedicated mangrove plantation and coastal livelihood programme, Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats and Tangible Incomes, announced in Union Budget 2023-24 to expand India's blue carbon ecosystems

An informal political arrangement among 36 countries to restrict the export of missiles, drones, and related technology capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction

National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building, launched September 2, 2020, to transform Indian civil service training from rule-based to role-based.

Lifestyle for Environment, India's behaviour-change initiative that became part of its updated NDC in August 2022

RBI's nationwide capacity-building mission for Urban Co-operative Banks, launched on April 28, 2026, targeting about 1.40 lakh participants.

India's planned multi-layered, AI-enabled national air-defence shield, with a pre-feasibility report submitted by April 30, 2026 and Phase-1 deployment targeted for 2028-29.

NIST's first standardised post-quantum key-encapsulation mechanism, published as FIPS 203 in August 2024.

A barrier-less highway toll collection system that uses Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras and FASTag radio-frequency tags to charge passing vehicles without requiring them to slow down or stop at a toll plaza.

Guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India governing the conduct of political parties, candidates, and the government from the announcement of elections until the declaration of results.

RBI's use of interest rates and money supply to control inflation and support economic growth

A six-member statutory body under the RBI Act that decides the policy repo rate to achieve India's inflation target

A Bill defined under Article 110 dealing only with specified financial matters, which can only be introduced in Lok Sabha and over which Rajya Sabha has limited powers, it can only make recommendations, which Lok Sabha may accept or reject.

A register, maintained under the Ramsar Convention, of wetland sites on the Ramsar List whose ecological character has changed, is changing, or is likely to change due to human interference or technological development.

The tendency of an insured or guaranteed party to take on excessive risk because they do not bear the full consequences of their actions.

A WTO principle requiring member countries to extend the same trade terms, tariffs, quotas, and market access, to all other members without discrimination

Interim WTO appellate review mechanism established in 2020 by 26+ members after the WTO Appellate Body went dysfunctional.

WHO's six-measure technical package (2008) to help countries implement the WHO FCTC and reduce tobacco use

A vaccine technology that delivers messenger RNA instructing the body's cells to make a harmless piece of a pathogen and trigger immunity

The aviation industry segment dealing with aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul services, a key component of aviation infrastructure

India's foundational statute for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, defining classification and creating the delayed-payment remedy framework.

A machine-learning tool, jointly developed by the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre and the Reserve Bank Innovation Hub, that detects bank accounts used to launder fraud proceeds.

India's foreign policy posture of engaging multiple great powers and groupings simultaneously without binding itself to any single military or political alliance, a deliberate evolution beyond Cold War-era non-alignment.

A global power structure in which three or more major states or blocs hold significant and roughly comparable economic, military, and diplomatic influence

Bilateral agreements enabling countries to share evidence, legal documents, and judicial cooperation in criminal investigations

India's national anti-doping organisation established in 2005 under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, responsible for testing athletes for prohibited substances and implementing the World Anti-Doping Code in India.

An international treaty under the CBD that establishes a framework for fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources, requiring Prior Informed Consent (PIC) and Mutually Agreed Terms (MAT).

Landmark Supreme Court judgment recognising transgender persons as a third gender with the right to self-identification

National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem, launched in 2023, a Central scheme to mechanise sewer and septic tank cleaning and build occupational safety and welfare cover for sanitation workers.

A central scheme that equips women self-help groups with agricultural drones to provide paid rental services to farmers

The 106th Constitutional Amendment Act reserving one-third of seats in Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies for women

Long-proposed intermediate appellate court between High Courts and Supreme Court, recommended by Law Commission's 125th (1988) and 229th (2009) Reports, not yet implemented.

India's central mission, launched January 2025 with a seven-year outlay of Rs 34,300 crore, to secure critical mineral supply through exploration, processing, recycling and overseas acquisition.

India's flagship mission to make the country a global hub for the production, use and export of green hydrogen produced from renewable energy

Specialised quasi-judicial body for fast-track adjudication of environmental disputes in India

A proposed body to appoint higher-judiciary judges that the Supreme Court struck down in 2015 as unconstitutional.

Government's framework to reduce its own court caseload, first issued by UPA in 2010, revised in 2015, addressing the fact that Centre + States are involved in ~50% of all Supreme Court cases.

India's structured plan to lease out operational government assets to the private sector to unlock Rs 6 lakh crore in 4 years

India's national programme to build quantum computers, secure communication and sensing capabilities by 2031

An apex body to fund, coordinate, and promote research and innovation across all disciplines in India

A national mission to screen tribal populations and eliminate sickle cell disease in India by 2047

The Government of India's policy framework governing National Sports Federations, mandating age limits, tenure restrictions, and transparency norms for sports bodies as a condition for government recognition and funding.

India's first comprehensive sports governance law establishing a National Sports Board, mandating 50% women in SOMs, and creating a National Sports Tribunal

A 2015 joint DST-MeitY mission, implemented through C-DAC, building India's PARAM series of supercomputers toward near-complete indigenisation of HPC capacity.

Climate action plans submitted by each country under the Paris Agreement, updated every five years with progressively higher ambition

A chemical-free, low-cost farming system based on local resources, livestock and traditional ecological knowledge

A set of fundamental procedural fairness principles, primarily the right to a fair hearing and the rule against bias, that must be observed by any authority exercising power affecting individual rights.

India's indigenous regional satellite navigation system providing position and timing services over India and up to 1,500 km beyond its borders

A tier of empowered Central Public Sector Enterprises granted enhanced financial and operational autonomy by the Department of Public Enterprises.

Apex body responsible for command, control, and operational decisions concerning India's nuclear arsenal.

A quasi-judicial body that adjudicates matters related to the Companies Act, 2013 and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016

USD 300 billion/year by 2035 climate-finance target agreed at CoP29 Baku (November 24, 2024), the post-2025 successor to the USD 100 billion/year goal.

Asteroids and comets whose orbits bring them within 1.3 Astronomical Units of the Sun, monitored for potential Earth impact

The principle that internet and telecom service providers must treat all data traffic equally, without blocking, throttling, or granting preferential speed or access to particular content, applications or services.

A state in which greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere are balanced by equivalent removals

A 5G capability that partitions shared physical network infrastructure into multiple logically independent virtual networks, each configured with its own guaranteed bandwidth, latency and reliability characteristics.

The last remaining bilateral nuclear arms-control treaty between the United States and Russia, capping deployed strategic warheads and delivery vehicles with mutual verification; it expired on 5 February 2026 with no successor negotiated.

An independent regulator established under the Companies Act, 2013 to oversee auditing standards and discipline auditors of public interest entities

Joint NASA-ISRO Earth-observation satellite, the world's first dual-frequency radar imaging satellite, launched July 30, 2025 and fully operational by January 2026.

India's declared policy of not being the first to launch nuclear weapons, using them only in retaliation.

A grouping of states not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc, founded in 1961 as a Cold War alternative to the US-led NATO and Soviet-led Warsaw Pact.

Bank loans or advances where the principal or interest payment is overdue for more than 90 days, indicating the borrower has defaulted, a key indicator of banking sector health.

The 3GPP-standardised framework enabling smartphones to connect directly to satellites, particularly Low Earth Orbit constellations, for coverage in areas beyond the reach of ground-based mobile towers

Violent pre-monsoon convective thunderstorms that strike eastern and northeastern India, particularly West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, and Bangladesh, between March and May, characterised by squally winds, lightning, and intense short-duration rainfall.

A ballot option on EVMs allowing voters to formally reject all candidates without boycotting the election, introduced by a Supreme Court direction in 2013 and first used in the November 2013 state assembly elections.

The distinction, under India's disaster-relief operational guidelines, between a hazard on the national notified list, which attracts SDRF/NDRF assistance as of right, and a 'local disaster' a state may declare within its own jurisdiction, funded only from a capped 10 per cent discretionary window of its annual SDRF allocation.

Operational arm of MoSPI created in 2019 by merging CSO and NSSO, releases GDP, IIP, CPI, and other national statistics; rolled out 2022-23 base year in May 2026.

A DRDO laboratory in Visakhapatnam specialising in the development of underwater weapon systems, torpedoes, and naval defence technologies for the Indian Navy.

The technical capacity of a state to produce nuclear weapons relatively quickly, achieved through possession of enrichment, reprocessing or related infrastructure, without an actual weapons programme.

A three-pronged nuclear weapons delivery system comprising land-based ICBMs, air-launched nuclear bombs/missiles, and sea-based submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), ensuring survivable second-strike capability.

A policy letting companies select and bid for hydrocarbon exploration acreage of their own choosing, rather than waiting for government-defined bid rounds.

Government borrowing that is routed through state-owned corporations, special purpose vehicles, or public sector entit...

Concessional financial flows from developed country governments to developing countries, primarily for economic development and welfare

The Supreme Court judgment holding that the right to livelihood is an integral part of the right to life under Article 21, decided in a case brought by pavement dwellers facing eviction.

A banking licensing regime in which applications may be submitted and assessed at any time, rather than only during a periodically opened and closed application window, allowing entities meeting the criteria to apply continuously.

An integrated, unifying approach that recognises the health of humans, animals, and ecosystems are interconnected and must be addressed holistically to prevent and respond to health threats.

The proposal to synchronise Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections so they are held simultaneously.

A Digital Public Infrastructure scheme letting a National Food Security Act beneficiary access their food-grain entitlement from any Fair Price Shop across India, portable across state lines.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, a permanent intergovernmental organisation of 12 oil-producing nations that coordinates petroleum production policies to stabilise oil markets.

RBI's tool of buying or selling government securities in the open market to regulate money supply and liquidity

India's White Revolution, the world's largest dairy development programme (1970–1996) that transformed India from a milk-deficient country into the world's largest milk producer through the cooperative model pioneered by Verghese Kurien and the Anand Pattern.

The series of five nuclear weapon tests conducted by India at the Pokhran range in Rajasthan on 11 and 13 May 1998, which established India as a declared nuclear-weapon state and gave rise to National Technology Day.

A multi-agency counter-terrorism operation launched May 23, 2026 in the Dorimal forest area of Rajouri, Jammu & Kashmir, targeting militants in the Pir Panjal range

India's May 2025 military strikes on nine terror camps in Pakistan and PoK in response to the Pahalgam attack

The executive's power to make laws through ordinances when Parliament or a state legislature is not in session.

A geographically defined area outside formal protected-area designation that is nonetheless governed and managed in ways achieving sustained, effective in-situ biodiversity conservation.

The foundational international space-law treaty establishing that states bear international responsibility for national space activities, including those of private, non-governmental entities.

Five climate action commitments announced by PM Modi at COP26 Glasgow (November 2021) that formed the basis of India's updated NDC 2.0

World's first nationwide framework measuring gram panchayat progress; the PAI 2.0 report released April 24, 2026 graded over 2.59 lakh panchayats on 9 LSDG themes.

Performance Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development, the national assessment centre established under NEP 2020 to guide India's shift toward competency-based evaluation.

Financial instrument that pays out based on an objective weather measurement such as rainfall or temperature, rather than on assessed loss.

The landmark 2015 international climate accord under UNFCCC committing nations to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, with efforts to limit it to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Small groups of MPs that scrutinise legislation, budgets and administration in detail on Parliament's behalf.

Special rights and immunities enjoyed by Parliament, its houses, and individual members that are necessary for the free and effective discharge of their legislative and deliberative functions.

The withdrawal or withholding of life-sustaining medical treatment to allow a terminally ill or permanently incapacitated patient to die naturally, as legally permitted in India under strict safeguards

Leave granted to fathers around the time of a child's birth or adoption, aimed at enabling shared parenting and gender equality in caregiving

A reef-building stony coral species; a massive Pavona clavus colony near Kadmat Island, Lakshadweep, known as the 'Potato Patch' (~4,250 sq m), is among the world's largest known living coral colonies

Brazil's largest criminal organisation, founded August 1993 in São Paulo's Taubaté Prison, designated SDGT by the US on May 28, 2026.

India's 2019 law banning the production, import, sale, distribution, and advertisement of e-cigarettes and all Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems

A severe disorder of consciousness in which a patient is awake (eyes may open) but shows no signs of awareness of self...

The Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act 1996, which extends panchayati raj institutions to Fifth Schedule tribal areas with special modifications to protect tribal rights and Gram Sabha powers.

Highest formal alert level under WHO's International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005, declared by the WHO Director-General on the advice of an Emergency Committee.

WHO Director-General's formal declaration under IHR 2005 of an extraordinary event constituting a public health risk to multiple countries, triggers coordinated international response.

A tax levied to make a producer or consumer internalise a cost their activity imposes on others, the standard economic rationale behind sin taxes and health taxes.

The three classical stages by which illicit funds are cleaned into apparently legitimate wealth: introducing them into the financial system, disguising their trail through transactions, and reintroducing them as legitimate assets.

Nine Earth system limits beyond which humanity risks destabilising the planet

The legal responsibility, or immunity, of digital intermediaries such as social media companies for third-party content published on their platforms

The system in Indian cinema where a professional singer records a song in a studio which is then pre-recorded on the film soundtrack, and an actor lip-syncs to it on screen, established in the 1930s and defining Indian film music for nine decades.

A government scheme offering financial incentives to manufacturers based on incremental sales above a base year threshold, aimed at boosting domestic manufacturing, attracting investment, and reducing import dependence across 14 key sectors.

A ready-to-use industrial zone with pre-approved clearances, built infrastructure, and single-window facilitation for immediate factory setup

A WTO agreement that binds only those member states that voluntarily sign it, unlike multilateral agreements that apply to all WTO members

Six-year agriculture scheme approved July 16, 2025, converging 36 central schemes across 100 low-productivity districts with a Rs 24,000 crore annual outlay.

A digital platform integrating 16 ministries' infrastructure data to enable coordinated, multi-modal connectivity planning

India's flagship collateral-free micro-enterprise lending scheme (2015), channelling credit through a refinancing model to non-corporate, non-farm micro and small enterprises across three tiers, Shishu, Kishore, and Tarun.

Centrally-funded rooftop solar scheme providing up to 300 units of free electricity per month to one crore Indian households.

A Central Government scheme launched June 1, 2020 providing collateral-free working capital loans to street vendors affected by COVID-19 lockdowns

India's flagship clean cooking fuel programme that has connected over 10 crore below-poverty-line households to LPG, the world's largest clean cooking fuel programme, but has also deepened India's LPG import dependence and structural vulnerability to Gulf energy supply shocks.

The doctrine that whoever causes environmental harm must bear the cost of remedying it, rather than the cost being socialised or normalised through compliance shortcuts.

Water pressure that builds up within the pores and fractures of a soil or rock mass as it becomes saturated, reducing the material's shear strength until a slope fails, the dominant landslide mechanism in deeply weathered, forested terrain such as the Western Ghats.

India's umbrella nutrition programme launched in 2021, integrating ICDS, POSHAN Abhiyaan, National Creche Scheme, and the Scheme for Adolescent Girls under the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

Government lists of defence items that can only be procured from domestic industry after set deadlines, to boost self-reliance.

India's first Producer Price Index, launched June 15, 2026, measuring prices received by domestic producers, set to gradually replace the Wholesale Price Index (WPI)

Contractual arrangements between government and private entities for building and operating infrastructure, varying in risk allocation and asset ownership

An underground parallel government established in Satara, Maharashtra during the Quit India Movement, led by Krantisinha Nana Patil and surviving until May 1946.

The doctrine that environmental harm should be anticipated and prevented before it occurs, rather than remedied only after the damage is done.

A medical approach that tailors treatment to individual patients based on their genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors

The use of AI, machine learning, and data analytics to forecast where crimes are likely to occur or identify individuals likely to commit crimes, allowing pre-emptive police action

The central statute criminalising insult to India's National Flag, the Constitution and the National Anthem, amended in 2026 to extend the same protection to Vande Mataram.

The fiscal deficit of a government minus the interest payments it owes on past borrowings.

A performance-based government incentive where manufacturers receive cash transfers proportional to their incremental production above a baseline, designed to make Indian manufacturing globally competitive

Central legislation regulating online gaming, prohibiting 'online money games' while permitting social games and esports.

India's most advanced indigenous stealth frigate programme, 7 ships (4 at MDL, 3 at GRSE) with >75% indigenous content, displacing 6,670 tonnes, armed with BrahMos and Barak-8.

An electoral system in which the share of seats won by each party closely mirrors its share of the popular vote, unlike first-past-the-post where winner takes all.

A legal and administrative standard requiring that a measure restricting a right or imposing a burden be no more intrusive than necessary to achieve its legitimate aim, and that its intensity scale to the actual risk or objective involved.

A legal mechanism allowing any public-spirited person to approach the Supreme Court or High Court to enforce constitutional and legal rights on behalf of disadvantaged groups, without the affected party needing to file the petition themselves.

A legal principle that certain natural resources are held by the state in trust for public use and cannot be transferred to private parties

A survey-based diffusion index, compiled monthly, that measures the direction of change in manufacturing or services activity on a 0-100 scale where 50 marks no change.

A rule of statutory interpretation under which courts read a provision in light of the object it was meant to achieve, rather than confining themselves to its literal wording.

A special sub-category of Scheduled Tribes identified by the Government of India as the most marginalised, characterised by declining or stagnant population, pre-agricultural technology, low literacy, and subsistence-level economy, and entitled to targeted welfare interventions.

A fire-generated thunderstorm cloud, formed when an intensely hot wildfire's convective column rises high enough to condense, producing its own lightning and erratic winds.

An informal strategic grouping of India, USA, Australia, and Japan working together on Indo-Pacific security and connectivity

USD 20 billion indicative-corpus initiative unveiled at the 11th Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting (May 26, 2026) to de-risk critical-minerals supply chains.

A computation paradigm that uses quantum mechanical phenomena, superposition and entanglement, to process information in ways that can exponentially outperform classical computers for specific problem types.

The mass civil disobedience movement launched on 8 August 1942 after the AICC's 'Do or Die' resolution, demanding immediate British withdrawal from India.

The classical Indian conception of a ruler's duty, framing political authority as a conditional trust held for the governed rather than an entitlement flowing from the possession of power.

The Supreme Court judgment of 8 November 2024 that struck down Rule 15 of the RPwD Rules, 2017 as ultra vires, holding that accessibility standards which the parent Act made mandatory could not be diluted into merely recommendatory guidelines by subordinate rules.

The intergovernmental treaty for the conservation and wise use of wetlands of international importance

A production-incentive scheme approved November 2025, worth Rs 7,280 crore, to build 6,000 tonnes a year of domestic integrated sintered rare-earth magnet capacity.

The branch of classical Ayurvedic pharmacology dealing with the purification and therapeutic preparation of minerals and metals, including mercury, and the branch most associated with documented heavy-metal toxicity risk.

The counter-terrorism mechanism of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, headquartered in Tashkent

The Reserve Bank of India's five-year strategic roadmap (2025–2028) for transforming India's payments ecosystem through UPI portability, interoperable account aggregators, CBDC expansion, and a unified 'Payments Union' framework