✅ The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 was approved by the Union Cabinet in July 2020. It replaced the earlier NEP of 1986 and aims to transform India’s education system by 2030.

✅ NEP 2020 introduces a 5+3+3+4 curricular structure: Foundational (5 years), Preparatory (3 years), Middle (3 years), and Secondary (4 years), replacing the old 10+2 system.

✅ NEP 2020 aims to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education to 50% by 2035, from the current level of about 26%.

✅ NEP 2020 recommends that the medium of instruction be the home language/mother tongue at least up to Class 5, and preferably till Class 8 and beyond, to improve learning outcomes.

✅ The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 provides protection to women from physical, emotional, sexual, and economic abuse within a domestic relationship.

✅ Kanyashree Prakalpa, launched by the West Bengal government in 2013, provides conditional cash transfers to adolescent girls to prevent child marriage and encourage education. It won the UN Public Service Award in 2017.

✅ The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 — known as the POSH Act — was based on the Vishakha Guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court in 1997.

✅ Article 15 prohibits discrimination on grounds of sex, religion, race, caste, or place of birth. Article 16 ensures equality of opportunity in public employment, irrespective of gender.

✅ Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (2018) is an integrated scheme that merges three earlier schemes: Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA), and Teacher Education (TE).

✅ The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 (RTE Act) guarantees free and compulsory education to all children aged 6 to 14 years as a fundamental right under Article 21A.

✅ Lothal is one of the most prominent cities of the Indus Valley Civilisation and is located in present-day Gujarat, India. It is famous for its ancient dockyard.

✅ Huen Tsang (Xuanzang) visited India during the reign of Harshavardhana (7th century CE). His travelogue, “Si-Yu-Ki,” is a valuable historical source on ancient India.

✅ The Qutub Minar was begun by Qutbuddin Aibak around 1193 CE and completed by his successor Iltutmish in 1220 CE. Additional storeys were added by Firuz Shah Tughlaq.

✅ The Doctrine of Lapse was introduced by Lord Dalhousie (1848–1856). Under this policy, any princely state under British control would be annexed if the ruler died without a natural heir.

✅ Lord Mountbatten was the first Governor-General of independent India (August–June 1948). C. Rajagopalachari (Rajaji) became the first and last Indian Governor-General in 1948.

✅ The Poona Pact (1932) was signed between Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar to resolve the issue of separate electorates for Depressed Classes (Dalits), agreeing instead on reserved seats in joint electorates.

✅ Swami Dayananda Saraswati founded the Arya Samaj in 1875 in Bombay. It advocated the authority of the Vedas, monotheism, and opposed idol worship and casteism.

✅ The Rowlatt Act (1919) — also called the “Black Act” — allowed British authorities to imprison political suspects without trial. It sparked massive protests led by Gandhi.

✅ The Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817–1818) ended Maratha power and established British supremacy over India. The Peshwa surrendered, and the Maratha Confederacy was dissolved.

✅ The painting ‘Bharat Mata’ was created by Abanindranath Tagore in 1905, during the Swadeshi Movement. It depicted Mother India as a four-armed goddess holding paddy, cloth, book, and rosary.

✅ Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly. He is revered as the “Father of the Indian Constitution.” Rajendra Prasad was the President of the Constituent Assembly.

✅ The concept of a Welfare State is embodied in the Directive Principles of State Policy (Part IV). They direct the state to promote social, economic, and political justice for all citizens.

✅ The 10th Schedule (added by the 52nd Amendment, 1985) contains provisions regarding disqualification of members on grounds of defection — the Anti-Defection Law.

✅ There are currently 11 Fundamental Duties in the Indian Constitution. Originally 10 duties were added by the 42nd Amendment (1976); an 11th duty was added by the 86th Amendment (2002).

✅ Each member of the Rajya Sabha serves a term of 6 years. One-third of its members retire every two years, making Rajya Sabha a permanent body that is never dissolved as a whole.

✅ Article 32 guarantees the Right to Constitutional Remedies — the right to move the Supreme Court for enforcement of Fundamental Rights. Dr. Ambedkar called it the “heart and soul” of the Constitution.

✅ The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) was established in 1993 under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993. It addresses complaints of human rights violations in India.

✅ The Cabinet System of government, Parliamentary form of government, and the concept of collective responsibility have been borrowed from Britain (UK) by the Indian Constitution.

✅ The Supreme Court of India is established under Article 124 of the Constitution. Article 214 establishes High Courts in the States.

✅ The Finance Commission (Article 280) is constituted every 5 years. It recommends the distribution of taxes between the Centre and States, and grants-in-aid to states.

✅ The Chipko Movement (1973) started in Uttarakhand under Sunderlal Bahuguna and Chandi Prasad Bhatt. It was a non-violent movement to protect forests (trees) from commercial logging by hugging/embracing trees.

✅ Sulphur Hexafluoride (SF₆) has the highest global warming potential — approximately 23,500 times that of CO₂ over 100 years. It is used in electrical equipment as an insulator.

✅ The Ozone layer is located in the Stratosphere, approximately 15–35 km above Earth’s surface. It absorbs most of the Sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV-B and UV-C) radiation.

✅ Diamond is the hardest natural substance, scoring 10 on the Mohs hardness scale. It is a form of carbon with a crystal structure that gives it its exceptional hardness.

✅ Bharatanatyam is one of the oldest classical dance forms of India, originating from Tamil Nadu. It was traditionally performed in Hindu temples and derives from the ‘Sadir’ dance tradition.

✅ Baul is a tradition of mystic minstrels from West Bengal (and Bangladesh). UNESCO recognised Baul songs as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008.

✅ C.V. Raman discovered the Raman Effect (inelastic scattering of light) in 1928, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930 — the first Asian to receive a Nobel Prize in Science.

✅ National Science Day is celebrated on 28 February every year to mark the discovery of the Raman Effect by Sir C.V. Raman on 28 February 1928.

✅ Coal is a non-renewable fossil fuel formed over millions of years. Solar, wind, tidal, and hydroelectric power are renewable sources of energy that can be replenished naturally.

✅ The Paris Agreement (2015) is an international treaty on climate change, adopted at COP21. It aims to limit global temperature rise to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

✅ O− (O Negative) is the Universal Donor blood group because it lacks A, B, and Rh antigens, making it compatible with all blood types. AB+ is the Universal Recipient.

✅ A Barometer measures atmospheric pressure. Thermometer measures temperature, Hygrometer measures humidity, and Anemometer measures wind speed.

✅ India won its first Olympic Gold Medal in Field Hockey at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. India dominated Olympic hockey from 1928–1956, winning 6 consecutive gold medals.

✅ The Durand Cup is associated with Football. Established in 1888, it is one of the oldest football tournaments in the world and Asia’s oldest. It is now held in Kolkata.

✅ Neeraj Chopra won India’s first Olympic Gold in Athletics at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (held in 2021) in the Javelin Throw event, with a throw of 87.58 metres.

✅ The 2028 Summer Olympic Games will be hosted in Los Angeles, USA. Paris hosted the 2024 Olympics, and Brisbane will host the 2032 Summer Olympics.

✅ WWW stands for World Wide Web, invented by Tim Berners-Lee in 1989. It is an information system where documents and resources are identified by URLs and interlinked via hypertext.

✅ Shift + Delete permanently deletes a file in Windows, bypassing the Recycle Bin. Pressing just ‘Delete’ moves the file to the Recycle Bin first.

✅ INS Arihant is India’s first indigenously built nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN). Commissioned in 2016, it completes India’s nuclear triad (land, air, sea-based nuclear capability).

✅ The White-breasted Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis), also called White-throated Kingfisher, is the state bird of West Bengal. It is locally known as “Mashranga.”