General Knowledge and Current Affairs
This domain tests general awareness and recent developments: constitutional and statutory bodies, government schemes, appointments, awards, sports, summits and economic indicators. The current-affairs portion is time-bound, so anchor durable facts and verify changing names near the exam.
Core rules
- Separate constitutional bodies (Election Commission, CAG, UPSC, Finance Commission) from statutory and executive bodies.
- For schemes, learn nodal ministry, beneficiary, benefit and delivery channel; many questions test the ministry, not the slogan.
- For appointments, remember the appointing authority and tenure, not only the person.
- For reports and indices, match the publishing agency: Economic Survey (Ministry of Finance), NITI Aayog reports, RBI publications.
- For sports and awards, link the event, venue, winner and year; do not mix runner-up with winner.
- Use PIB releases, the Economic Survey and Maharashtra government resolutions as revision sources.
Worked example
Question: “PM-KISAN is implemented by which ministry?” Reason: PM-KISAN provides direct income support to landholding farmer families through the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. The clue is the beneficiary and the DBT mode. Matching the scheme to the department that handles agriculture and farmer welfare is safer than guessing from the scheme name.
Traps
- Similar names: PM-KISAN (income support) vs PM Kisan Maan-Dhan (pension).
- Confusing central schemes with state schemes that have similar goals.
- Remembering an officeholder without the designation or tenure.
- Using outdated district, division or institution names after a renaming.
- Treating a monthly compilation as permanent fact; check dates.