General Studies (Governance, Constitution, Geography, Current Affairs)
What the exam tests
General Studies covers Nepal's Constitution, federal governance, geography, public administration and current affairs relevant to agriculture and rural development.
Core rules
- The Constitution of Nepal (2072 BS) establishes three tiers: federal, provincial and local, with 7 provinces, 77 districts and 753 local units.
- Powers are listed in Schedules 5–9. Local levels have powers over agriculture and livestock development, agro-products management, animal health and cooperatives; provinces also have agriculture and livestock development.
- Federalism is a constitutional division of powers, not simply administrative decentralisation.
- Geography matters for agriculture: Terai (alluvial, warm, irrigation potential), Hill (terraced, maize/millet), Mountain (cold, pastoral, limited cropping).
- The Agriculture Development Strategy (ADS) 2015–2035 is Nepal's long-term framework; PMAMP uses zone and super-zone approaches for commodity specialisation.
Worked example
A farmer wants a small irrigation pond and a cooperative for vegetable marketing approved locally. Reasoning: local government has jurisdiction over agriculture and livestock development, agro-products management and cooperatives, so the ward or municipality is the first contact. The province supports broader agriculture development, and the federal ministry sets policy and national programmes. This is a governance-competency question, not a technical irrigation question.
Traps
Assuming all agriculture matters are federal; confusing districts with local units; and answering current-affairs items with outdated ministry names.