HP Patwari flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Himachal Pradesh statehood

Himachal Pradesh became the 18th state of India on 25 January 1971 under the Himachal Pradesh Act, 1970, upgrading it from a Union Territory formed in 1948.

Winter capital of Himachal

Dharamshala in Kangra district was declared the winter capital of Himachal Pradesh in 2017, while Shimla remains the main capital and seat of the High Court.

Shipki La pass

Shipki La is a high mountain pass in Kinnaur district on the Himachal-Tibet border where the Satluj river enters India, historically used for Indo-Tibetan trade.

State bird Western Tragopan

The Western Tragopan, locally called jujurana or king of birds, is the state bird of Himachal Pradesh and is a rare pheasant found in high-altitude forests of the Great Himalayan National Park.

Katoch dynasty of Kangra

The Katoch dynasty ruled the Kangra region for centuries from Kangra fort; Raja Sansar Chand II was its most prominent ruler, known for patronising Kangra miniature painting.

Treaty of Sugauli

Signed in 1816 after the Anglo-Gurkha War, the Treaty of Sugauli ended Gurkha control over hill states including parts of present Himachal Pradesh.

Kullu Dussehra

Kullu Dussehra is a week-long October festival beginning on Vijayadashami in Kullu valley, famous for the assembly of local deities and the international folk festival.

Kath-kuni architecture

Kath-kuni is a traditional Himalayan building style using alternating layers of dressed stone and deodar wood, seen in temples such as Bhimakali at Sarahan.

Article 356

Article 356 allows the President to impose President's rule in a state when constitutional machinery fails; parliamentary approval is required within two months.

73rd Amendment Act

The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992 gave constitutional status to Panchayati Raj institutions by adding Part IX and the Eleventh Schedule with 29 subjects.

Article 32 writs

Article 32 gives the right to move the Supreme Court for enforcement of Fundamental Rights through five writs: habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, certiorari, and quo warranto.

Basic structure doctrine

Established in Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala (1973), it holds that Parliament cannot amend the Constitution so as to destroy its basic structure.

Cold desert of Spiti

Spiti in Lahaul-Spiti district lies in the rain shadow of the Himalayas, receiving very low annual rainfall and experiencing cold desert conditions with sparse vegetation.

Shivalik range

The Shivalik is the southernmost and lowest outer Himalayan range, running parallel to the Lesser Himalaya and forming the foothills of Himachal Pradesh.

Western disturbances

Western disturbances are extra-tropical weather systems from the Mediterranean region that bring winter rain and snow to northwest India, including Himachal Pradesh.

Tropic of Cancer in India

The Tropic of Cancer at 23°30'N passes through eight Indian states, including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura, and Mizoram.

Dandi March

Gandhi began the Dandi March on 12 March 1930 from Sabarmati Ashram to make salt at Dandi, launching the Civil Disobedience Movement against the salt tax.

Jallianwala Bagh massacre

On 13 April 1919, General Dyer ordered troops to fire on an unarmed gathering at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, killing hundreds and galvanising the freedom struggle.

Ashoka's Kalinga war

The Kalinga war of about 261 BCE led Ashoka to renounce conquest and propagate dhamma through rock and pillar edicts across his Mauryan empire.

Quit India Movement

Launched on 8 August 1942 at the Bombay session of the All India Congress Committee, the Quit India Movement demanded an immediate end to British rule.

Repo rate

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

Fiscal deficit

Fiscal deficit is total government expenditure minus total receipts excluding borrowings; it indicates the government's total borrowing requirement in a financial year.

MSP and CACP

Minimum Support Price is a guaranteed price for certain crops, recommended by the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices before the government announces it.

GST slabs in India

India's Goods and Services Tax has main rate slabs of 5%, 12%, 18%, and 28%, with additional cess on specified luxury and demerit goods.

Ohm's law

Ohm's law states that current through a conductor is directly proportional to the potential difference across it, giving V = IR where R is resistance.

Photosynthesis equation

Photosynthesis converts carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen using light energy: 6CO₂ + 6H₂O + light → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂, occurring in chloroplasts.

Mitochondria function

Mitochondria are cell organelles that generate most of the cell's ATP through aerobic respiration, earning them the name powerhouse of the cell.

pH scale

The pH scale runs from 0 to 14, with values below 7 acidic, 7 neutral, and above 7 basic; each unit represents a tenfold change in hydrogen ion concentration.

Compound interest formula

Compound interest is calculated as A = P(1 + R/100)^T, where P is principal, R the annual rate, and T the time in years; CI equals A minus P.

Speed unit conversion

To convert a speed in kilometres per hour to metres per second, multiply by 5/18; to convert metres per second to kilometres per hour, multiply by 18/5.

Blood relation notation

In blood relation puzzles, draw a family tree and mark males with + and females with −; maternal uncle is the mother's brother and paternal aunt the father's sister.

Active to passive voice

In converting active to passive voice, the object becomes the subject, the verb becomes a form of be plus past participle, and the original subject follows 'by'.