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UPSC Civil Services GK Questions 2026

Static general knowledge is six of the seven lines of the General Studies Paper-I syllabus in the UPSC CSE notice: History of India and the Indian National Movement; Indian and World Geography; Indian Polity and Governance; Economic and Social Development; Environmental Ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change; and General Science. The Commission tests understanding rather than recall, through statements to be judged correct or incorrect, pairs to be matched and assertion-reason items, and it likes the edges of a topic: a lesser-known provision of the Constitution, a river's tributary, a species' conservation status, the mandate of a statutory body. This page holds GK24's topic-wise GK notes for UPSC, written as short facts and tables, in English and Hindi, with each note linked to the current affairs and previous-year questions on the same topic. Start with Polity and Modern History, which carry the most questions, then Geography, the Economy, Environment, Ancient and Medieval culture and Science. Read a note, solve its PYQs, take its quiz, and come back to it in your monthly revision. A candidate who knows these notes and reads the daily current affairs has covered the syllabus the notice prescribes for Paper-I.

UPSC Civil Services GK Questions with Answers

Q2161.Static GKAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2026, GKMedium

Consider the following statements with regard to the UN Peacekeeping Operation :

1. The power to authorize a Peacekeeping Operation is exclusively vested with the General Assembly.

2. UN Peacekeeping Operations are deployed with the consent of the main parties to the conflict.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

  1. A.1 only
  2. B.2 only
  3. C.Both 1 and 2
  4. D.Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 2 only

UN peacekeeping missions are set up by resolutions of the Security Council, the organ that the UN Charter makes primarily responsible for international peace and security, so the power does not rest exclusively with the General Assembly and statement 1 is wrong.

Q2162.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2017, GKHard

Which one of the following statements about the Sayyid brothers during the period of Later Mughals is not true?

  1. A.They brought Jahandar Shah to power.
  2. B.They wielded administrative power.
  3. C.They followed a tolerant religious policy.
  4. D.They reached an agreement with King Shahu.
Show answer
Correct answer: A. They brought Jahandar Shah to power.

Jahandar Shah won the throne in 1712 with the help of Zulfiqar Khan, and the Sayyid brothers, Abdullah Khan and Husain Ali Khan, helped his nephew Farrukhsiyar defeat and kill him in 1713.

Q2164.Indian HistoryAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2019, GKEasy

Who were Alvars ?

  1. A.Those who immersed in devotion to Vishnu
  2. B.Devotees of Shiva
  3. C.Those who worshipped abstract form of God
  4. D.Devotees of Shakti
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Those who immersed in devotion to Vishnu

The Alvars were twelve Tamil poet-saints, active roughly between the 6th and 9th centuries, whose name means 'those who are immersed' in devotion to Vishnu.

Q2165.Indian PolityAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2020, GKMedium

Which one of the following statements with regard to the appointment of the Members of the Parliamentary Committees is correct?

  1. A.The Members are only appointed.
  2. B.The Members are only elected.
  3. C.The Members are only nominated.
  4. D.The Members are appointed or elected on a motion made and adopted or nominated by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha or the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
Show answer
Correct answer: D. The Members are appointed or elected on a motion made and adopted or nominated by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha or the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.

This is part of the very definition of a parliamentary committee: it is appointed or elected by the House or nominated by the presiding officer, works under the presiding officer's direction, reports to the House, and has a secretariat provided by the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha secretariat.

Q2166.Art & CultureAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2022, GKHard

Which among the following are Charvaka Schools of Philosophy?

1. Dhurtta

2. Nyaya

3. Sushikshita

4. Vaisheshika

Select the correct answer using the code given below :

  1. A.1,2 and 3
  2. B.2 and 3 only
  3. C.2 and 4 only
  4. D.1 and 3 only
Show answer
Correct answer: D. 1 and 3 only

Charvaka, also called Lokayata, is the materialist school of Indian philosophy linked with the sage Brihaspati. It accepts perception as the only valid source of knowledge, denies the soul, rebirth and the authority of the Vedas, and holds that the body is made of four elements.

Q2169.Indian EconomyAsked in: CDS · CDS-I 2026, GKMedium

Which of the following statements about 'Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana' (SAGY) is/are correct?

1. It comes under the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, Government of India.

2. It was launched in 2014 on the birth anniversary of Jayaprakash Narayan.

3. Mahatma Gandhi's vision of Gram Swaraj is the inspiration behind this scheme.

Select the answer using the codes given below :

  1. A.1 and 2 only
  2. B.2 and 3 only
  3. C.1, 2 and 3
  4. D.1 only
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 2 and 3 only

SAGY is run by the Ministry of Rural Development, not the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, so statement 1 is wrong.

Q2172.InternationalMedium

Who is the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) who shared the World Maritime Day roundtable platform with Sarbananda Sonowal?

  1. A.Kitack Lim
  2. B.Arsenio Dominguez
  3. C.Moon Seong-hyeok
  4. D.Nam Jaeheon
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Arsenio Dominguez

He was on the roundtable platform with the Indian Minister, who called IMO conventions an operational lighthouse for shipping at a time of geopolitical instability, piracy and disruption in the Red Sea, protecting seafarers, trade and supply chains.

Q2174.NationalHard

Kumartuli Ghat in Kolkata is being restored as a clean public space by which port, working with Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd?

  1. A.Paradip Port
  2. B.Haldia Dock Complex
  3. C.Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port
  4. D.Visakhapatnam Port
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port

The ghat had fallen into a dilapidated state through long neglect, and the plan is to turn it into an inclusive, clean and lasting public space, an example of the campaign reaching beyond office premises to shared civic spaces.

Q2175.NationalMedium

What area did Coal Ministry undertakings clean under Special Campaign 6.0, against a target of 101.80 lakh square feet?

  1. A.88,171 square feet
  2. B.130.16 lakh square feet
  3. C.24,222 square feet
  4. D.98.50 lakh square feet
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 130.16 lakh square feet

The undertakings cleaned 1,696 sites against the 1,565 sites first identified, and the area covered came to 130.16 lakh square feet, comfortably past the 101.80 lakh square feet they had set as the target.

Q2176.NationalMedium

How much revenue did central public sector undertakings under the Ministry of Coal earn from scrap disposal under Special Campaign 6.0?

  1. A.About Rs 9.79 crore
  2. B.About Rs 24.22 crore
  3. C.About Rs 53.94 crore
  4. D.About Rs 65.66 crore
Show answer
Correct answer: C. About Rs 53.94 crore

Coal ministry undertakings disposed of 16,158 metric tonnes of scrap, well above the 10,909 tonnes they had projected, and the sale of that material brought the exchequer roughly Rs 53.94 crore, the largest such figure reported by any ministry that day.

Q2177.NationalEasy

Special Campaign 6.0 for Swachhata and disposal of pending matters is being held during which period in 2026?

  1. A.15 August to 15 September
  2. B.2 October to 31 October
  3. C.1 November to 30 November
  4. D.2 September to 2 October
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 2 October to 31 October

The sixth edition of the Centre’s special campaign on cleanliness in government offices and the clearing of pending matters began on 2 October 2026 and ends on 31 October 2026, with the targets fixed earlier in a preparatory phase.

Q2178.Government SchemesHard

Which three bodies are named as supporting the National SARAS Mela 2026 along with the Andhra Pradesh government?

  1. A.SIDBI, NIFT and Khadi and Village Industries Commission
  2. B.NABARD, NIRDPR and Kudumbashree
  3. C.NITI Aayog, NSDC and SEWA
  4. D.RBI, NABARD and TRIFED
Show answer
Correct answer: B. NABARD, NIRDPR and Kudumbashree

The Mela is an initiative of the Ministry of Rural Development in collaboration with the Government of Andhra Pradesh, with these three lending support.

Q2179.Government SchemesEasy

Who is defined as a Lakhpati Didi?

  1. A.A woman who has taken a bank loan of at least Rs 1 lakh
  2. B.A woman of an SHG household with a sustainable annual household income of at least Rs 1 lakh
  3. C.A woman who has saved Rs 1 lakh in a self-help group account
  4. D.A woman whose enterprise has an annual turnover above Rs 1 crore
Show answer
Correct answer: B. A woman of an SHG household with a sustainable annual household income of at least Rs 1 lakh

The test is household income that lasts, not a single windfall, and the Prime Minister's stated goal is six crore such women by 2029, reached through the skills, credit and market access that the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission provides.

Q2180.Government SchemesMedium

The first National SARAS Mela to be held outside Delhi-NCR is taking place at which venue?

  1. A.Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi
  2. B.Punnami Ghat, Vijayawada
  3. C.Marina Beach, Chennai
  4. D.Sabarmati Riverfront, Ahmedabad
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Punnami Ghat, Vijayawada

The Ministry of Rural Development is holding the Mela there with the State government and with support from NABARD, NIRDPR and Kudumbashree, and this is the first National SARAS Mela to move out of Delhi-NCR.