Rajasthan

Appearance

Constitutional Amendments

  • Part and Article:
    • Constitution Part 20, Article 368 (borrowed from South Africa).
  • Status:
    • 106 constitutional amendment acts have been passed.
    • 129th Constitutional Amendment Bill (related to One Nation One Election) was introduced.
  • Key Amendments:
    • 1st CA (1951): Added 9th Schedule (Land Reforms).
    • 7th CA (1956): Related to State Reorganisation Commission.
    • 21st CA (1967): Added Sindhi as the 15th language to the 8th Schedule.
    • 26th CA (1971): Abolished Privy Purses for former royals.
    • 36th CA (1975): Sikkim became a full state of India.
    • 42nd CA (1976) – "Mini Constitution":
      • Preamble amended for the first time: added Socialist, Secular, Integrity.
      • Part IV-A added: Fundamental Duties (Article 51A), based on Sardar Swaran Singh Committee recommendations.
      • Article 39A added: Free Legal Aid.
      • Article 48A added: Environmental and Forest Protection.
      • Part XIV-A added: Tribunals (Articles 323A, 323B).
      • Five subjects moved from State List to Concurrent List: Education, Forests, Wildlife, Weights & Measures, Administration of Justice.
    • 44th CA (1978): Right to Property removed from Fundamental Rights, became a legal right under Article 300A.
    • 52nd CA (1985): Added 10th Schedule (Anti-defection Law).
    • 61st CA (1989): Voting age reduced from 21 to 18 years.
    • 69th CA (1991): Delhi given special status (Article 239AA), made National Capital Region (NCR), Delhi cabinet size limited to 10%.
    • 70th CA (1992): Elected MLAs of Delhi and Puducherry included in Presidential elections.
    • 71st CA (1992): Added three languages to the 8th Schedule: Nepali, Manipuri, Konkani (total 18 languages).
    • 73rd CA (1992): Added Part IX (Panchayati Raj), Articles 243-243O, 11th Schedule (29 subjects), for rural local self-government. Enforced on April 24, 1993.
    • 74th CA (1992): Added Part IX-A (Urban Local Bodies), 12th Schedule.
    • 86th CA (2002): Added Article 21A (Right to Education as a Fundamental Right). Added 11th Fundamental Duty (Article 51A (k)).
    • 89th CA (2003): Article 338A added, forming the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST).
    • 91st CA (2003): Cabinet size limited to 15% of total members in Lok Sabha (Centre) and Assembly (State).
    • 92nd CA (2003): Added four languages to the 8th Schedule: Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, Santhali (total 22 languages).
    • 97th CA (2011): Added Part IX-B (Cooperative Societies), Article 43B.
    • 99th CA (2014): Established the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC), which was later declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
    • 100th CA (2015): India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement (Tin Bigha Corridor).
    • 101st CA (2016): Goods and Services Tax (GST) introduced, implemented on July 1, 2017.
    • 103rd CA (2019): Provided 10% reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), added Articles 15(6) and 16(6).
    • 104th CA (2020): Extended SC/ST reservation in Lok Sabha and state assemblies for 10 years. Abolished reservation for Anglo-Indians (2 seats in Lok Sabha, 1 in state assemblies).
    • 105th CA (2021): Restored states' power to identify and specify socially and educationally backward classes for their respective OBC lists.
    • 106th CA (2023): Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (Women's Reservation Bill) for women's reservation in legislatures (to be implemented after delimitation and census).

International and National Affairs

  • Operation Sagar Bandhu: India launched this operation to provide aid to Sri Lanka after it was hit by Cyclone Ditwah, which caused floods. 27 tons of relief material was sent using INS Vikrant and INS Udaygiri. Cyclone Ditwah was named by Yemen (meaning "Lagoon").
  • Other Humanitarian/Evacuation Operations:
    • Operation Brahma: Aid to Myanmar (earthquake).
    • Operation Indravati: Aid to Haiti.
    • Operation Ganga: Evacuation from Ukraine.
    • Operation Ajay: Evacuation from Israel.
  • UNESCO Executive Board: India was elected to the UNESCO Executive Board for a 4-year term (2025-2029). The board has 58 members. The Director-General of UNESCO is Khalid Al Anani (from Egypt), and its headquarters are in Paris.
  • International Film Festival of India (IFFI):
    • The 56th IFFI was held in Goa.
    • Golden Peacock Award (Best Feature Film): "Skin of Youth" (Vietnam). Vietnam's capital is Hanoi, currency is Dong.
    • Silver Peacock Award: "Gondal" (Marathi film).
    • UNESCO Gandhi Medal: "Safe House" (Norway).
    • Oscars 2026 (Animated Film Category): "Narasimha" selected as India's entry.
  • Central Ground Water Quality Report 2025:
    • 71.7% of India's groundwater meets quality standards.
    • Most widespread pollutant: Nitrate (causes Blue Baby Syndrome). Highest nitrate contamination found in Rajasthan.
    • Causes of nitrate pollution: Fertilizers and sewage.
    • Other pollutants and top states:
      • Uranium: Punjab
      • Salinity: Rajasthan
      • Fluoride: Rajasthan
      • Lead: Delhi
  • MH-60R Navy Helicopters: India signed a ₹7,995 crore deal with the USA for 24 MH-60R Navy Helicopters (also known as Seahawks). Three helicopters were delivered in 2021. The helicopters are manufactured by Lockheed Martin and are designed for all-weather operations.
  • World AIDS Day: Observed annually on December 1st.
    • First celebrated in 1988 by WHO.
    • Theme: "Overcome Barriers."
    • AIDS: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, caused by HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), a retrovirus that attacks T-lymphocytes.
    • Transmission: Unsafe sexual contact, contaminated needles, infected blood.
    • Testing: ELISA (initial screening), Western Blot (confirmation).
    • India's National AIDS Control Program began in 1992.
  • Deaf Olympics 2025:
    • The 25th Deaf Olympics were held in Tokyo.
    • India participated with 73 athletes.
    • Medal Tally: Ukraine ranked 1st with 100 medals. India secured 6th place with 20 medals (9 Gold, 7 Silver, 4 Bronze).
    • Flag bearer: Jarline.
    • First Gold for India: Dhanush Sreekanth (Shooting).
  • Assam's Moo Juj (Buffalo Fight): The Assam Assembly passed an amendment bill (Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 2025) to allow buffalo fights (Moo Juj). Moo Juj, meaning "buffalo fight," is a part of Assam's Magh Bihu festival.
  • Other Traditional Animal Fights in India:
    • Jallikattu: Tamil Nadu
    • Kambala: Karnataka
    • Rooster fights: Jharkhand
    • Pigeon fights: Punjab
  • Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) New Seismic Zonation Map:
    • BIS released a new seismic zonation map for India, indicating that 3/4 of the population lives in seismically active zones.
    • The map now includes six zones (II, III, IV, V, VI), with Zone VI being the most sensitive.
    • The Himalayan region is identified as the most sensitive (Zone VI) due to it being a geologically young folded mountain range where the Indian and Eurasian plates are colliding.
  • Matrix Initiative: Maharashtra launched the "MATRIX" (Maharashtra Technology Research Incubation eXcellence) initiative to promote technology, research, and startup incubation.
  • Indo-Pacific Region: Australia has designated India as a "necessary partner" in the Indo-Pacific region.

Other Quick Facts:

  • OSIDEX Exercise: Indian Navy conducted with Australia.
  • Asia Power Index: India ranked 3rd.
  • Aravalli Mining: Supreme Court issued a new definition of Aravalli to curb illegal mining.
  • Koti Geeta Lekhan Yagya: PM Modi participated in Karnataka.
  • Indian Test Team: Lost to South Africa by 408 runs.
  • Camycaric Cara (Indian Rum): Won Global Brand of the Year award in London.
  • Viksit Bharat Viksit Thon: Shubhanshu Shukla appointed Brand Ambassador.