UKSSSC Group C key terms

The 1990s agitation in the hill districts of Uttar Pradesh demanding a separate Himalayan state, which led to the creation of Uttarakhand on 9 November 2000 as India's 27th state.

9 November, the date in 2000 when the Uttar Pradesh Reorganisation Act carved Uttarakhand out of the hill regions; celebrated as Uttarakhand Sthapna Diwas across the state.

Parliamentary law that divided Uttar Pradesh, creating the new state of Uttarakhand with its capital at Dehradun and a provisional legislature and high court arrangement.

Administrative division of Uttarakhand comprising Chamoli, Dehradun, Haridwar, Pauri Garhwal, Rudraprayag, Tehri Garhwal and Uttarkashi districts, named after the historic Garhwal region.

Administrative division covering Almora, Bageshwar, Champawat, Nainital, Pithoragarh and Udham Singh Nagar districts, the eastern half of Uttarakhand, historically ruled by the Chand dynasty.

Capital city of Uttarakhand, located in the Doon Valley between the Shivalik range and the Mussoorie hills; seat of the state legislature, secretariat and the High Court of Uttarakhand.

Lake town in Kumaon and former summer capital of the United Provinces, now a major hill station and the seat of the Uttarakhand High Court's Kumaon bench.

Town in Uttarkashi district at the source shrine of the Bhagirathi river, one of the four Chardham pilgrimage sites in Uttarakhand and the seat of the Gangotri glacier snout.

Source shrine of the Yamuna river in Uttarkashi district, the westernmost of the Uttarakhand Chardham and reached by trek from Janki Chatti.

Ancient Shiva temple in Rudraprayag district at about 3,580 metres, one of the twelve Jyotirlingas and part of the Uttarakhand Chardham; rebuilt after the 2013 disaster.

Vishnu temple in Chamoli district on the Alaknanda river, the northernmost of the Uttarakhand Chardham and a major pilgrimage centre near the Mana pass route.

High-altitude national park in Chamoli district, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for monsoon alpine meadows of endemic flowers and linked by trek to Hemkund Sahib.

Protected area in Chamoli and Pithoragarh districts around Nanda Devi peak, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and core zone closed to visitors to protect fragile Himalayan habitat.

India's oldest national park, established in 1936 in Nainital district, famous for tiger conservation and as the launch site of Project Tiger in 1973.

Centrally sponsored conservation scheme begun in 1973 to protect tigers and their habitat through designated reserves; Corbett in Uttarakhand was among the first reserves.

Major Himalayan tributary of the Ganga rising near Badrinath, joining the Bhagirathi at Devprayag to form the Ganga; site of hydroelectric and pilgrimage towns in Chamoli.

River originating at the Gangotri glacier, flowing through Uttarkashi to meet the Alaknanda at Devprayag; its upper course is dammed at Tehri.

Pilgrimage town in Tehri Garhwal district where the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda rivers meet; from this confluence the combined river is called the Ganga.

Large rock-fill dam on the Bhagirathi in Tehri Garhwal district, one of India's tallest dams, supplying hydropower and irrigation water and forming a large reservoir.

District in Garhwal division containing Badrinath, Kedarnath approaches, the Valley of Flowers and the site of the 2013 flash flood disaster around Kedarnath.

High court established in 2000 with its principal seat at Nainital, exercising jurisdiction over Uttarakhand and hearing appeals from district courts across the state.

Persian-derived term meaning land between two rivers; in Uttarakhand it describes tracts such as the Doon valley lying between the Ganga and Yamuna drainage systems.

Trans-Himalayan ethnic communities of Uttarakhand such as the Shauka and Tolcha, traditionally trading across passes with Tibet and now settled in districts like Pithoragarh and Chamoli.

Historic Himalayan trade corridors linking Uttarakhand's border valleys with Tibet via passes like Lipulekh and Niti, used for barter of grain, wool and borax before closure in 1962.

High Himalayan pass in Pithoragarh district on the India-China border, historically part of the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage route and a sensitive strategic crossing point.

Easternmost district of Kumaon division bordering Nepal and China, containing the Kali river valley, Lipulekh pass and towns such as Dharchula and Munsiyari.

Border river also called Sharda, forming part of Uttarakhand's boundary with Nepal and flowing south from the Kumaon Himalayas before joining the Ghaghara system.

Three-tier rural local government system of gram panchayat, panchayat samiti and zila parishad, mandated by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment and implemented across Uttarakhand districts.

1992 amendment inserting Part IX and the Eleventh Schedule into the Constitution, giving constitutional status to panchayats and reserving seats for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women.

Body of all registered voters in a village panchayat area, constitutionally recognised as the foundation of the panchayati raj system and empowered to approve local plans and budgets.

Eleven duties listed in Article 51A, inserted by the 42nd Amendment in 1976, asking citizens to respect the Constitution, protect the environment and uphold public property.

Part IV guidelines in Articles 36 to 51 directing the state towards welfare goals such as employment, education and equal pay; non-justiciable but fundamental in governance.

1976 constitutional amendment known as the mini-Constitution, which added Fundamental Duties, modified the Preamble and expanded Directive Principles during the Emergency period.

Law empowering citizens to seek information from public authorities within fixed time limits, with a Central Information Commission and state commissions to hear complaints and appeals.

2005 law guaranteeing at least 100 days of unskilled wage employment per rural household per year, a major welfare scheme implemented through gram panchayats.

1970s forest protection movement in the Garhwal Himalaya, notably at Reni village in Chamoli, where villagers hugged trees to prevent felling by contractors.

Gandhian environmentalist from Uttarakhand and a leader of the Chipko and anti-Tehri-dam movements, known for spreading the message of Himalayan ecological conservation.

Campaign led by environmentalists including Sundarlal Bahuguna opposing large dams on the Bhagirathi and demanding protection of the Ganga's ecological and spiritual flow.

Traditional Kumaoni floor and wall art using white rice paste on red ochre ground, drawn at doorways and during festivals as an auspicious household ritual.

Kumaoni festival honouring goddess Nanda, celebrated with processions and fairs, notably at Almora and Nauti village, reflecting the region's Shakti traditions.