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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

Q14743.Government SchemesMedium

To what level does the effective loan interest rate for a PACS fall under the Plan?

  1. A.1 per cent
  2. B.3 per cent
  3. C.4 per cent
  4. D.7 per cent
Show answer
Correct answer: A. 1 per cent

The Plan uses NABARD's special refinance facility to lighten the burden on participating cooperatives, and when that is combined with the 3 per cent interest subvention available under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund, the effective loan interest rate for a PACS comes down to 1 per cent.

Q14745.Government SchemesMedium

Which body is the implementing agency of the Decentralised Grain Storage Plan in Cooperative Sector?

  1. A.Food Corporation of India
  2. B.National Cooperative Development Corporation
  3. C.NABARD
  4. D.Warehousing Development and Regulatory Authority
Show answer
Correct answer: B. National Cooperative Development Corporation

The backgrounder names it as the implementing agency, supported by coordination at the national, state and district levels through an Inter-Ministerial Committee, a National Level Coordination Committee, and State and District Cooperative Development Committees.

Q14746.EnvironmentMedium

The Aawa Paani Jhoki movement, under which farmers set aside 5 per cent of their land for water conservation, is in which district?

  1. A.Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh
  2. B.Korea district, Chhattisgarh
  3. C.Kalahandi district, Odisha
  4. D.Barmer district, Rajasthan
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Korea district, Chhattisgarh

The backgrounder describes farmers there voluntarily dedicating 5 per cent of their agricultural land for recharge ponds and terraced pits under the Aawa Paani Jhoki movement, and holds the model up as proof that sustainable water management needs neither large-scale displacement nor heavy capital.

Q14749.Government SchemesHard

The anti-drug strategy of the Ministry rests on the findings of the first National Survey on Substance Use, which was conducted by which body?

  1. A.National Crime Records Bureau
  2. B.National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre at AIIMS, New Delhi
  3. C.Narcotics Control Bureau
  4. D.Indian Council of Medical Research
Show answer
Correct answer: B. National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre at AIIMS, New Delhi

The release explains that the Ministry runs a comprehensive and evidence-based strategy under the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction, and that the strategy is based on the findings of the first National Survey on the Extent and Pattern of Substance Use in India, carried out by that centre.

Q14751.Government SchemesEasy

When was the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan launched?

  1. A.2 October 2019
  2. B.15 August 2020
  3. C.26 January 2021
  4. D.1 April 2022
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 15 August 2020

The release states that the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment launched the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan on that date to combat the demand for drugs in the country, which is why the campaign is now marking its sixth anniversary with a National Mass Pledge Against Drug Abuse.

Q14752.Science & TechnologyHard

Which structural arrangement is the fundamental requirement for piezoelectricity, according to the study?

  1. A.A centrosymmetric crystal structure
  2. B.An amorphous structure with no order
  3. C.A non-centrosymmetric structure
  4. D.A body-centred cubic structure
Show answer
Correct answer: C. A non-centrosymmetric structure

The release explains that controlled chiral self-assembly aligns the molecular dipoles into such a structure, and calls it a fundamental structural requirement for piezoelectricity.

Q14753.Science & TechnologyMedium

How did the researchers switch on a strong piezoelectric response in the peptide material?

  1. A.By changing the chemical composition of the peptide
  2. B.By adding one per cent of a suitable co-solvent
  3. C.By coating the peptide with a ceramic layer
  4. D.By heating the peptide above 500 degrees Celsius
Show answer
Correct answer: B. By adding one per cent of a suitable co-solvent

The team found that in water the peptide molecules form nanofibers and show no piezoelectric response. Introducing just that small share of a co-solvent reorganised the molecules into a highly ordered supramolecular arrangement, and the piezoelectric response switched on at once.

Q14754.Science & TechnologyMedium

Which institute led the research that made peptides strongly piezoelectric?

  1. A.Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences, Bengaluru
  2. B.Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata
  3. C.Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research
  4. D.Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences, Bengaluru

The release names it as the institute whose researchers took up peptides, and the work was led there by Dr Goutam Ghosh with his doctoral scholar Aparna Ramesh.

Q14755.Awards & HonoursHard

The Green Highways Excellence Awards were instituted by NHAI as mandated in which policy?

  1. A.National Highways Development Policy, 2011
  2. B.Green Highways Policy, 2015
  3. C.National Green Corridor Policy, 2018
  4. D.Bharatmala Plantation Policy, 2022
Show answer
Correct answer: B. Green Highways Policy, 2015

The release states that NHAI instituted the awards in 2025 as mandated in that policy, and describes them as reinforcing the Authority's commitment to joining environmental sustainability with the development of the National Highway network.