General Awareness and Current Affairs
This paper checks whether you read beyond the technical syllabus: Indian polity, geography, economy, science in the news, sports and awards, plus a heavy dose of Indian Railways. For a Health and Malaria Inspector post, questions on railway organisation and on health-related schemes are the most predictable scorers.
Core areas
- Constitution: Fundamental Rights in Part III (Articles 12–35) are enforceable in court; Directive Principles in Part IV are not; Fundamental Duties are in Article 51A.
- Railways: the Railway Board under the Ministry of Railways heads the system; zones are led by General Managers and divisions by Divisional Railway Managers. Know the PSUs - IRCON, RITES, IRFC, IRCTC.
- Schemes and programmes that touch health and sanitation: Ayushman Bharat, Jal Jeevan Mission, Swachh Bharat Mission, TB and vector-borne disease programmes.
- Geography and environment in the news: rivers, national parks, monsoons, pollution episodes.
Worked example
Which Article protects life and personal liberty, and which Article was added for elementary education? Reasoning: Part III lists Fundamental Rights. Article 21 covers life and personal liberty; the right to health and a clean environment has been read into it by courts. Article 21A, inserted by the 86th Amendment, deals with free and compulsory education for children aged 6–14. Both are Part III rights, so both are enforceable.
Traps that cost marks
- Mixing Article 19, 21 and 21A, or Part III with Part IV.
- Quoting an outdated number of railway zones; if unsure, avoid the option that hinges on the exact count.
- Treating Directive Principles as court-enforceable.
- Losing easy current-affairs marks by confusing the scheme with the ministry that runs it.