Skip to content
GK24

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

Q14361.Summits & ConferencesMedium

The closing day of the Dryland Congress 2026 coincided with which observance?

  1. A.World Food Day
  2. B.World Soil Day
  3. C.United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation
  4. D.World Day to Combat Desertification
Show answer
Correct answer: C. United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation

The final day of the Congress opened with a commemoration ceremony for this day. Messages were read from the Secretary-General of the United Nations, from the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization and from Ms Dima Al-Khatib, Director of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation.

Q14362.Summits & ConferencesMedium

How many nominations did the first edition of the ISSCA Global Awards receive, and from how many countries?

  1. A.120 nominations from 24 countries
  2. B.170 nominations from 34 countries
  3. C.210 nominations from 44 countries
  4. D.150 nominations from 30 countries
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 170 nominations from 34 countries

The ISSCA Global Awards are an annual flagship initiative that recognises proven agricultural innovations from institutions across the Global South, chosen for their potential to be scaled up and adapted across countries.

Q14363.Summits & ConferencesEasy

Which declaration was adopted at the closing plenary of the Dryland Congress 2026?

  1. A.The New Delhi Declaration on Food Security
  2. B.The Delhi Declaration on Drylands
  3. C.The Global South Charter on Agriculture
  4. D.The Bharat Declaration on Arid Farming
Show answer
Correct answer: B. The Delhi Declaration on Drylands

The three-day Congress ended in New Delhi and its closing plenary endorsed this document, which is written in short as 3D. Participating governments, institutions, partners and delegates backed it.

Q14367.EnvironmentHard

Which institute coordinated the Swachh Sagar Surakshit Sagar 5.0 campaign nationwide?

  1. A.Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, Hyderabad
  2. B.National Institute of Ocean Technology, Chennai
  3. C.National Centre for Coastal Research, Chennai
  4. D.Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi
Show answer
Correct answer: B. National Institute of Ocean Technology, Chennai

The drive at Digha was organised by the Ministry of Earth Sciences and coordinated nationwide by this institute, whose officials also joined the inaugural ceremony at the Marine Aquarium and Regional Centre.

Q14368.EnvironmentMedium

International Coastal Cleanup Day, for which the Digha drive was a prelude, is observed on which date?

  1. A.5 June
  2. B.8 June
  3. C.19 September
  4. D.29 September
Show answer
Correct answer: C. 19 September

The cleanup drive at Digha was described as a prelude to International Coastal Cleanup Day, to be observed on 19 September 2026, and the objective was to build wider awareness about marine pollution and to encourage practices that protect coastal and marine ecosystems.

Q14369.EnvironmentMedium

Which ministry organised the coastal cleanup drive marking the start of Swachh Sagar Surakshit Sagar 5.0?

  1. A.Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
  2. B.Ministry of Earth Sciences
  3. C.Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
  4. D.Ministry of Jal Shakti
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Ministry of Earth Sciences

The drive at Digha in East Midnapore was organised by this ministry, and the campaign was coordinated across the country by the National Institute of Ocean Technology at Chennai, which is an institute under the same ministry.

Q14370.Science & TechnologyHard

Which two institutions carried out the Badri OPU-IVF programme?

  1. A.ICAR-NDRI, Karnal and G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar
  2. B.ICAR-IVRI, Izatnagar and Banaras Hindu University
  3. C.NBAGR, Karnal and Kumaun University, Nainital
  4. D.ICAR-CIRC, Meerut and Doon University, Dehradun
Show answer
Correct answer: A. ICAR-NDRI, Karnal and G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar

The programme was a collaboration between the two, with financial support from the Uttarakhand Biotechnology Council at Haldi.

Q14371.Science & TechnologyMedium

In the Badri breeding programme, the Badri embryo was transferred into a recipient cow of which breed?

  1. A.Gir
  2. B.Tharparkar
  3. C.Sahiwal
  4. D.Red Sindhi
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Sahiwal

Under the programme, oocytes were collected from genetically valuable Badri donor cows through ultrasound-guided ovum pick-up, matured and fertilised in the laboratory with semen from a genetically superior Badri bull, and grown as embryos under controlled conditions.

Q14373.Science & TechnologyHard

Which two institutions jointly pursued the record road and signed a Technology Transfer Agreement at the event?

  1. A.CSIR-CRRI and Jindal Steel Limited
  2. B.IIT Roorkee and Steel Authority of India Limited
  3. C.CSIR-NML and Tata Steel
  4. D.NHAI and Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited
Show answer
Correct answer: A. CSIR-CRRI and Jindal Steel Limited

The CSIR-Central Road Research Institute in New Delhi supplied the scientific guidelines, processing protocols and quality-control framework, while the steel company supplied the processed slag and the site.

Q14374.Science & TechnologyMedium

According to Dr Jitendra Singh, steel slag road technology can reduce road construction cost by roughly how much?

  1. A.10 per cent
  2. B.25 per cent
  3. C.40 per cent
  4. D.60 per cent
Show answer
Correct answer: C. 40 per cent

The Minister said the technology can cut construction cost by around this share while delivering four times the strength of a conventional road, and can stretch the maintenance cycle so that major maintenance is needed only after about fifteen years in suitable applications.

Q14375.Science & TechnologyMedium

The Guinness World Record for the world's longest road built with processed steel slag aggregates was set at which place?

  1. A.Angul, Odisha
  2. B.Raigarh, Chhattisgarh
  3. C.Hazira, Gujarat
  4. D.Bhilai, Chhattisgarh
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Raigarh, Chhattisgarh

The record road runs 1.85 km and was pursued jointly by the CSIR-Central Road Research Institute of New Delhi and Jindal Steel Limited, with the record conferred at an event addressed by Dr Jitendra Singh.

Q14377.Government SchemesHard

The Sanjeevani programme praised by the Union Health Minister belongs to which State, and how many health parameters does it test for?

  1. A.Telangana, 21 parameters
  2. B.Andhra Pradesh, 41 parameters
  3. C.Odisha, 31 parameters
  4. D.Karnataka, 51 parameters
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Andhra Pradesh, 41 parameters

Speaking at the inauguration of the new health facilities in the state, the Union Health Minister praised the Sanjeevani programme for carrying healthcare to people's doorsteps and making testing available for this many health parameters.

Q14379.Government SchemesMedium

Under which mission were the Critical Care Blocks and Integrated Public Health Laboratories in Andhra Pradesh built?

  1. A.National Health Mission
  2. B.Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission
  3. C.Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission
  4. D.Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission

The Union Health Minister said the mission was framed after the COVID-19 pandemic, with the aim of strengthening the ability of the health system to answer future pandemics and public health emergencies while routine healthcare continues without disruption.

Q14380.DefenceHard

MAHASAGAR, the vision with which the exercise was aligned, stands for which of the following?

  1. A.Maritime Harmony and Secure Growth for All Regions
  2. B.Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions
  3. C.Maritime Alliance for Humanitarian Action, Security and Regional Growth
  4. D.Multilateral Action for Shared Growth and Regional Resilience
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions

The Ministry of Defence described the Colombo Security Conclave exercise as aligned with this vision, which frames India's approach to security and development cooperation with its maritime neighbours.