HPSC HCS key terms

A centrally sponsored scheme launched in 2001 to make free and compulsory elementary education available to all children aged 6-14, later subsumed under Samagra Shiksha.

The 2009 law (Article 21A) that made elementary education a fundamental right for children aged 6-14 and set minimum school infrastructure and teacher norms.

A Haryana portal where farmers register crop details and land records so they can receive direct benefit transfers, procurement payments and crop insurance claims.

Haryana's online procurement system for wheat and paddy that links farmer registration, mandi gate entry, weighing and payment to reduce delays and manual records.

A regulated agricultural market where farmers bring produce for auction to licensed commission agents under the supervision of a market committee, with statutory weighing and fee rules.

A floor price announced by the central government for notified crops, based on CACP recommendations, to protect farmers from steep market falls during harvest.

A Haryana district and pilgrimage town associated with the Mahabharata war and the Bhagavad Gita discourse; it hosts the annual international Gita Jayanti festival.

A large rectangular sacred tank in Kurukshetra, mentioned in Puranic literature, where pilgrims bathe during solar eclipses and the Gita Jayanti celebrations.

A Haryana heritage site near Faridabad with a reconstructed ancient sun temple and reservoir, best known for hosting an annual international crafts mela.

A bird sanctuary in Gurugram district, Haryana, declared a national park in 1991; it attracts migratory waterfowl in winter, including species from Siberia and Central Asia.

A river of Vedic literature that is now largely seasonal; its palaeochannel is traced through Haryana districts such as Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra and Sirsa.

A former Chief Minister of Haryana (2014-2024) and senior BJP leader; he represented the Karnal assembly seat before moving to national politics.

The Chief Minister of Haryana from March 2024, representing the Ladwa constituency in Kurukshetra district; he earlier served as state BJP president.

A state agricultural university at Hisar, established in 1970, known for wheat and rice research and for transferring improved seed varieties to farmers.

A constitutional provision allowing the President to assume the functions of a state government when constitutional machinery in that state has failed, on the Governor's report.

The situation in which a state's elected government is suspended and the state is administered under central authority, usually invoked through Article 356.

The constitutional head of a state, appointed by the President, who exercises executive power on the advice of the state council of ministers except in limited discretionary matters.

A bill dealing only with taxation, borrowing or the Consolidated Fund, certified by the Speaker and introduced only in the Lok Sabha with the President's recommendation.

A bill containing both money-bill matters and other provisions, requiring the President's recommendation for introduction but not subject to the strict money-bill procedure.

The upper house of Parliament with a maximum strength of 250 members, elected indirectly by state legislators; it cannot amend or reject a Money Bill but may recommend changes within 14 days.

The Tenth Schedule provisions that disqualify legislators who voluntarily give up party membership or vote against a party whip on key issues, with the Speaker deciding.

The presiding officer of the lower house, elected by its members, who controls proceedings, certifies Money Bills and decides disqualification petitions under the anti-defection law.

A climate with a marked dry season and a wet season driven by seasonal reversal of winds, hot summers and moderate winters, typical of most of the Indian subcontinent.

A low-pressure system originating over the Mediterranean and moving east, which brings winter rain and snow to north-west India, including Haryana, aiding rabi crops.

An ancient fold-mountain range running south-west to north-east across north-west India; its Haryana section lies mainly in the south, around Gurugram and Faridabad.

The gap between total government expenditure and total receipts excluding borrowings; it measures how much the government must borrow to fund its spending.

The excess of revenue expenditure over revenue receipts; it shows the shortfall in meeting day-to-day spending from routine income such as taxes and fees.

The fiscal deficit minus interest payments; it indicates the current year's borrowing need before servicing past debt and is used to assess fresh fiscal pressure.

The rate at which the Reserve Bank of India lends short-term funds to commercial banks against government securities, used as a key tool of monetary policy.

Cash Reserve Ratio: the share of a bank's net demand and time liabilities that must be held as cash with the Reserve Bank of India, earning no interest.

A six-member RBI committee, chaired by the Governor, that sets the policy repo rate to meet a flexible inflation target of 4 percent within a 2-6 percent band.

The process by which green plants use sunlight, water and carbon dioxide to make glucose and release oxygen, with chlorophyll absorbing light in chloroplasts.

The movement of water molecules across a semi-permeable membrane from a region of lower solute concentration to one of higher solute concentration.

Membrane-bound cell organelles that produce most of the cell's ATP through aerobic respiration and contain their own circular DNA.

A form of deductive reasoning with two premises and a conclusion; questions test whether the conclusion necessarily follows from the given statements.

A reasoning puzzle type where family relationships are described through statements or symbols, and the candidate must identify how two people are related.

A puzzle where people or objects must be placed in a row or around a table using clues about position, facing direction and relative order.

Summarising a passage in a compact form that preserves its central idea and tone, using the candidate's own words and roughly one-third of the original length.

A descriptive answer task requiring a structured composition with an introduction, developed paragraphs and a conclusion on a given topic within a word limit.

A comprehension exercise in which words are removed from a passage and the candidate selects the option that best restores meaning and grammatical fit.