General Knowledge and Current Affairs
General Knowledge and Current Affairs tests Maharashtra-specific static facts plus a rolling current-affairs window, usually the 12 months before the paper. Expect state symbols, districts, rivers, dams, national parks, polity articles affecting Maharashtra, economy and schemes, and national/international events.
Core areas
- Maharashtra static: 36 districts (Palghar was carved out in 2014); capital Mumbai; winter session at Nagpur; Maharashtra Day 1 May; state animal Indian giant squirrel (shekru), state bird yellow-footed green pigeon (hariyal), state flower jarul, state tree mango.
- Polity: Article 371(2) allows the President to provide development boards for Vidarbha, Marathwada and the rest of Maharashtra; the 73rd and 74th Amendments govern rural and urban local bodies.
- Current affairs: track PIB, the Maharashtra government gazette and official scheme portals; note appointments, awards, sports, defence exercises, summits, and state schemes with launch year and objective.
Worked example
Question: Which constitutional article provides for separate development boards for Vidarbha, Marathwada and the rest of Maharashtra? Reasoning: Article 370 dealt with Jammu and Kashmir and is now abrogated; Article 371 covers Maharashtra and Gujarat; specifically Article 371(2) covers the three regional boards. Answer: Article 371(2).
Traps
- Mixing state symbols: shekru is the state animal, not the state bird.
- Using an old district count; Maharashtra has had 36 districts since Palghar was created.
- Reading only national news and missing Maharashtra schemes.
- Accepting a current-affairs cutoff from an old compilation.
Key points are listed in the key_points field.