General Knowledge: Odisha and Indian Polity
General Knowledge
The GK section checks Odisha-specific awareness plus Indian polity, geography, economy and current affairs. Odisha questions reward exact facts: dates, numbers, state symbols and institutions.
Odisha facts to anchor
- Odisha became a separate province on 1 April 1936, celebrated as Utkal Dibasa; Bhubaneswar is the capital.
- The state has 30 districts, 21 Lok Sabha seats and 147 Assembly seats; the legislature is unicameral.
- State symbols: Sambar (animal), Indian roller or Neelakantha (bird), banyan (tree) and Ashoka (flower).
- Chilika is Asia’s largest brackish-water lagoon; Similipal is a biosphere reserve; the Konark Sun Temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Major rivers include the Mahanadi, Brahmani, Baitarani and Subarnarekha.
Indian polity essentials
- Fundamental Rights sit in Part III; Article 21A guarantees free and compulsory education for ages 6–14, inserted by the 86th Amendment (2002).
- Fundamental Duties are in Article 51A; Directive Principles are in Part IV and are non-justiciable.
- The President is elected by an electoral college; money bills originate only in the Lok Sabha.
Worked example
Question: Which provision makes elementary education a fundamental right? Reasoning: eliminate Part IV because DPSPs are not enforceable; Article 21 covers life and personal liberty, but the specific education right is 21A, created by the 86th Amendment. Answer: Article 21A, operationalised by the RTE Act, 2009.
Traps
Mixing 15 August 1947 with 26 January 1950; saying Odisha has 30 Lok Sabha seats; confusing the state flower with the state tree; and treating DPSPs as enforceable in court.