APPSC Extension Officer key terms

A three-tier system of elected local self-government at village, block and district levels, created by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment to bring democratic decision-making closer to rural citizens.

The assembly of all registered voters residing in a village, which approves plans and accounts and exercises oversight over the village panchayat; it is the constitutional foundation of grassroots participation.

The lowest elected tier of local government covering a village or group of villages, responsible for civic services, local infrastructure and implementation of rural development schemes at the habitation level.

The intermediate tier of rural local government in Andhra Pradesh, coterminous with a revenue mandal, coordinating panchayat activities and implementing schemes across its constituent villages.

The district-level tier of rural local government in Andhra Pradesh, headed by an elected chairperson, responsible for district planning, resource allocation and supervision of lower tiers.

The elected head of a Gram Panchayat who presides over its meetings, signs resolutions and is accountable to the Gram Sabha for implementation of village-level development works.

The 1992 amendment inserting Part IX into the Constitution, making panchayats constitutional bodies and mandating elections, reservations, State Finance Commissions and a five-year term.

A list of 29 subjects, including agriculture, rural housing, drinking water and poverty alleviation, that state legislatures may devolve to panchayats under Article 243G.

The 1957 committee that recommended a three-tier panchayati raj structure and is regarded as the starting point of institutional rural local government in independent India.

The 1977 committee that proposed a two-tier panchayati raj structure and stressed making panchayats viable units of self-government with greater financial powers and political participation.

The exercise of assigning each devolved function to a specific tier of panchayat along with funds, functionaries and accountability, giving practical effect to constitutional devolution.

A body constituted every five years by the Governor under Article 243I to recommend how state taxes and grants should be shared with panchayats and municipalities.

A participatory review of a scheme's records and spending conducted with villagers, commonly used under employment guarantee programmes to expose irregularities and strengthen public accountability.

A national law guaranteeing at least 100 days of unskilled manual wage employment per rural household per year, with demand-driven work, unemployment allowance and mandatory social audit.

The annual estimate of person-days of employment likely to be demanded in a district under the employment guarantee programme, used to plan works and release funds in advance.

The official attendance and wage record of workers at a worksite, listing names, days worked and payment details, and serving as key evidence in audits.

A small voluntary group of mostly rural women who pool savings, lend internally and later access bank credit, functioning as a vehicle for livelihood and empowerment programmes.

A model in which banks lend to self-help groups after they demonstrate regular savings and repayment, extending formal credit to the rural poor without collateral.

A formally or informally organised group of local residents formed around a shared interest or settlement, used to plan, implement and monitor development activities with external support.

A family of field methods in which villagers map resources, rank problems and analyse their situation using diagrams and local materials, with outsiders acting as facilitators rather than instructors.

A quick, multi-method diagnostic survey using interviews, transects and secondary data to understand a rural situation within limited time, later modified into participatory approaches.

A non-formal educational process that helps rural people identify problems, acquire knowledge and skills, and act collectively to improve their livelihoods and living standards.

The process by which a new practice spreads through a social system over time via communication channels, with adopters classified as innovators, early adopters, majority, late majority and laggards.

The mental sequence a farmer passes through before accepting a practice: awareness, interest, evaluation, trial and finally adoption or rejection, each stage needing different extension support.

A locally respected person who is early to adopt and whose advice influences neighbours' decisions, making them an effective channel for spreading recommended practices.

The techniques used to convey information to rural audiences, ranging from individual contacts and group meetings to mass media such as radio, print and mobile advisories.

A report issued after soil testing that lists nutrient status and crop-wise fertiliser recommendations, helping farmers apply inputs based on actual deficiency rather than habit.

A practice combining chemical fertilisers, organic manure, biofertilisers and legumes in balanced proportions to sustain yields while protecting soil health and reducing input costs.

A strategy that combines cultural, mechanical, biological and need-based chemical measures, using economic threshold levels to suppress pests with minimum harm to health and environment.

A shift from a single dominant crop to a wider mix of crops and enterprises to spread price and weather risk, improve soil health and raise farm income.

A whole-farm design linking crops with dairy, poultry, fisheries or horticulture so that waste from one enterprise becomes input for another, raising income and resilience.

A scheme that compensates farmers for yield or income loss from natural calamities, pests or disease, using notified areas, premium subsidy and satellite or field-based assessment.

The combination of activities, assets and entitlements through which a rural household earns a living, analysed in terms of capabilities, seasonality and vulnerability to shocks.

The active involvement of local people in planning, implementing and monitoring activities that affect them, giving them ownership and improving the relevance of development interventions.

The process of enabling women to gain control over resources, decisions and their own lives, measured through mobility, income, political representation and freedom from violence.

The set of reasoning skills tested in competitive examinations, covering series, analogies, coding-decoding, blood relations, direction sense, syllogisms and arithmetic reasoning.

A sequence of numbers generated by a hidden rule such as constant difference, multiplication, squares or alternating patterns, where the candidate must identify the missing term.

A reasoning question type in which words or numbers are converted using a consistent rule, and the candidate must apply or reverse that rule to find the correct answer.

A logical reasoning item presenting two or more premises with quantifiers such as all, some or none, from which the candidate must judge which conclusions necessarily follow.