Maharashtra HSC General Knowledge key terms

The upper house of India's Parliament, with a maximum strength of 250 members. Members are elected indirectly by state and union territory legislators for six-year terms, and one-third retire every two years.

The directly elected lower house of Parliament, with a maximum strength of 552 members. Its members serve five-year terms, and the council of ministers is collectively responsible to it.

A bill dealing only with taxation, borrowing, or the Consolidated Fund, introduced solely in the Lok Sabha on the President's recommendation. The Rajya Sabha may delay it for 14 days but cannot amend or reject it.

A temporary law promulgated by the President or a Governor when the legislature is not in session. It must be approved by the legislature within six weeks of reassembly, or it lapses.

The constitutional provision allowing President's Rule in a state when its government cannot function per the Constitution. Parliament must approve it within two months, and it can last a maximum of three years.

The three-tier rural local government system of village, block, and district councils given constitutional status by the 73rd Amendment Act of 1992, with one-third seats reserved for women.

An autonomous constitutional body established in 1950 that conducts elections to Parliament, state legislatures, and the offices of President and Vice-President, and registers political parties.

The Tenth Schedule, added in 1985, disqualifies legislators who voluntarily give up party membership or defy a party whip on key votes. The presiding officer decides such disqualification cases.

The opening statement of the Constitution declaring India a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic and listing justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity as its objectives. It was amended once, in 1976.

Guidelines in Part IV of the Constitution directing governments to promote welfare, reduce inequality, and secure livelihoods. They are not enforceable in courts but are fundamental in governance.

Eleven obligations of citizens added by the 42nd Amendment in 1976 under Article 51A, covering respect for the Constitution, national symbols, the environment, and public property. They are non-justiciable.

The principle from the 1973 Kesavananda Bharati judgment that Parliament cannot amend the Constitution in ways that destroy its essential features such as secularism, federalism, or judicial review.

The power of courts to examine laws and executive actions and declare them unconstitutional if they violate the Constitution. It is exercised by the Supreme Court and High Courts.

A petition filed in court by any person on behalf of those unable to approach it themselves, such as the poor or environment-affected groups. Courts relax ordinary standing rules in such cases.

Gandhi's 1920-22 mass campaign of boycotting British institutions, titles, courts, and schools. It was withdrawn after the Chauri Chaura violence in February 1922.

The 1930 Dandi March, when Gandhi walked about 240 miles to make salt in defiance of the British monopoly. It launched the Civil Disobedience Movement across India.

The August 1942 mass agitation demanding immediate British withdrawal, launched from Bombay with the slogan 'Do or Die'. The government arrested the entire Congress leadership within days.

The 1932 agreement between Gandhi and B. R. Ambedkar replacing separate electorates for Dalits with reserved seats in provincial legislatures, following Gandhi's fast against the Communal Award.

Founded in 1885 in Bombay, it became the principal vehicle of the freedom struggle, shifting from moderate petitions to mass agitation under Gandhi and later demanding full independence.

B. R. Ambedkar's 1927 campaign in Raigad district, Maharashtra, asserting Dalits' right to draw water from the public Chavdar Tank, a landmark in the anti-caste movement.

A 13th-century Marathi saint of the Varkari tradition who wrote the Dnyaneshwari, a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita, and helped make spiritual knowledge accessible in the common language.

A 17th-century Marathi poet-saint of the Varkari tradition whose abhangs express devotion to Vithoba of Pandharpur and critique social hypocrisy. His verses remain central to Marathi devotional literature.

A devotional movement centred on Vithoba of Pandharpur in Maharashtra, whose followers undertake annual pilgrimages and sing abhangs by saints such as Dnyaneshwar and Tukaram.

Buddhist rock-cut cave monuments in Aurangabad district, Maharashtra, dating roughly from the 2nd century BCE to the 5th century CE, famed for ancient Indian mural paintings. They are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A complex of 34 rock-cut Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain caves near Aurangabad, Maharashtra, built between the 6th and 10th centuries CE. It includes the monolithic Kailasa temple.

A place of outstanding cultural or natural value inscribed on an international list maintained under a 1972 convention, giving it recognition and access to conservation support. India has over 40 such sites.

A mountain range running parallel to India's western coast across Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, recognised as a global biodiversity hotspot and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A region with exceptionally high numbers of endemic species that has lost a large share of its original habitat. India contains parts of four such hotspots, including the Western Ghats and the Eastern Himalaya.

A centrally sponsored conservation scheme launched in 1973 to protect tigers through dedicated reserves, habitat management, and monitoring. It is administered by the National Tiger Conservation Authority.

A specialised statutory body set up in 2010 to hear environmental disputes and grant relief quickly, guided by sustainable development and the polluter-pays principle. It is not bound by civil procedure rules.

The seasonal reversal of wind direction that brings heavy summer rain to India between June and September from the southwest, and light winter rain from the northeast. Agriculture depends heavily on its timing.

The drier leeward side of a mountain range that receives little rainfall because moisture-bearing winds release rain on the windward slopes. In Maharashtra, the rain shadow lies east of the Ghats.

A crop sown with the onset of the southwest monsoon and harvested in autumn, such as rice, cotton, jowar, and sugarcane. Kharif output depends closely on monsoon rainfall.

A crop sown in winter and harvested in spring, such as wheat, gram, and mustard, which relies on residual soil moisture and irrigation rather than monsoon rain.

The total market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given period. It is the standard measure of the size of an economy.

A sustained rise in the general price level, which reduces the purchasing power of money. In India it is commonly tracked through the Consumer Price Index and the Wholesale Price Index.

The interest rate at which the Reserve Bank of India lends short-term funds to commercial banks against securities. Raising it typically cools inflation by making credit costlier.

India's central bank, established in 1935 and nationalised in 1949, which issues currency, manages monetary policy, regulates banks, and holds foreign exchange reserves.

International awards given annually since 1901 in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, peace, and later economics, funded by Alfred Nobel's estate. Indian laureates include Tagore, Raman, and Amartya Sen.

India's highest civilian award, instituted in 1954 and given for exceptional service in any field. It carries no cash prize and is not a title under the Constitution.

India's highest literary honour, given annually since 1965 to a writer for outstanding contribution to Indian literature in a scheduled language. Marathi writers such as V. S. Khandekar have won it.

An annual literary prize given by India's national academy of letters for books in recognised Indian languages, including Marathi. It is among the country's most respected literary recognitions.

India's highest award in cinema, presented for lifetime contribution to Indian film. It is named after the Marathi filmmaker Dadasaheb Phalke, who made India's first feature film in 1913.

India's premier domestic first-class cricket championship, launched in 1934 and named after cricketer K. S. Ranjitsinhji. Maharashtra and Mumbai are among its long-standing competing teams.

A central government programme launched in 2018 to revive grassroots sports, identify young talent, and fund training through accredited academies and scholarships across states.

The High Court for Maharashtra and Goa, established in 1862, with its principal seat in Mumbai and benches at Nagpur, Aurangabad, and Panaji. It is one of India's oldest high courts.

The lower house of the Maharashtra legislature, with 288 directly elected members serving five-year terms. It meets in Mumbai and Nagpur and is led by a Speaker.

A 1944 proposal by leading Indian industrialists for state-led investment in heavy industry and infrastructure after independence. It influenced the mixed-economy direction of early national planning.

A historic railway station in Mumbai, formerly Victoria Terminus, built in the Victorian Gothic style and completed in 1888. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the headquarters of Central Railway.

A memorial in Nagpur, Maharashtra, where B. R. Ambedkar converted to Buddhism with thousands of followers in October 1956. It is a major pilgrimage site and heritage monument.

A far-left armed movement that began with a 1967 peasant uprising at Naxalbari in West Bengal and spread to tribal and forest districts of central India, including parts of eastern Maharashtra.

A grouping of major advanced and emerging economies that coordinates on global finance and policy. India held the presidency in 2023 and hosted the leaders' summit in New Delhi.

Computer systems that perform tasks normally needing human intelligence, such as learning, language processing, and pattern recognition. India promotes AI use in governance and public services.

A material such as silicon whose conductivity can be controlled, forming the basis of transistors, chips, and electronics. India runs an incentive scheme to build domestic chip fabrication units.

Energy from naturally replenished sources such as sunlight, wind, water, and biomass. India targets 500 gigawatts of non-fossil capacity by 2030 under its climate commitments.