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Glossary Terms
| Term (EN) | Definition | Exam Relevance |
|---|---|---|
| Instrument of Accession | Legal document by which princely state rulers ceded defence/foreign/communications to India | PYQ 2023, 5-mark |
| Razakars | Paramilitary militia of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen under Qasim Razvi in Hyderabad; opposed integration | PYQ 2023, 5-mark |
| Operation Polo | Indian Army "Police Action" against Hyderabad, 13–17 Sep 1948 | PYQ 2023, 5-mark |
| Operation Vijay | Military operation liberating Goa, Daman & Diu from Portugal, 18–19 Dec 1961 | 5-mark prediction |
| Privy Purse | Annual payments to erstwhile rulers in exchange for accession; abolished by 26th Amendment, 1971 | 5-mark prediction |
| Fazl Ali Commission | States Reorganisation Commission (1953–55); recommended linguistic states | 5-mark prediction |
| States Reorganisation Act | Act of 1956 creating 14 states + 6 UTs on linguistic basis | High priority |
| Potti Sreeramulu | Telugu activist who fasted unto death (56 days); death triggered Andhra State creation | 2-mark / 5-mark |
| Scientific Policy Resolution | 1958 Parliament resolution — India's first formal science policy | 5-mark prediction |
| Operation Smiling Buddha | Codename for India's first nuclear test, Pokhran, 18 May 1974 | 5-mark prediction |
| Operation Shakti | Five nuclear tests at Pokhran, 11–13 May 1998; India declared nuclear weapons state | 5-mark prediction |
| No First Use (NFU) | India's commitment not to use nuclear weapons first | 5-mark prediction |
| Three-Stage Nuclear Plan | Bhabha's plan: PHWR (U) → FBR (Pu) → AHWR (Th); exploits thorium reserves | 10-mark prediction |
| INCOSPAR | Indian National Committee for Space Research, 1962; precursor to ISRO | 5-mark prediction |
| Hindu Marriage Act | 1955; mandated monogamy; granted divorce rights to women | Women empowerment |
| Hindu Succession Act | 1956 (amended 2005); daughters' equal share in ancestral property | Women empowerment |
| 73rd | ||
| Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam | Women's Reservation Act, 2023; 33% reservation in Lok Sabha and state assemblies | High priority |
| Kudumbashree | Kerala's SHG-based women empowerment model (1998); 4.5 million members | 5-mark prediction |
| Apsara Reactor | India's (and Asia's) first nuclear research reactor; went critical 4 Aug 1956, BARC Trombay | S&T history |
| V.P. Menon | Secretary, Ministry of States; co-architect of princely state integration; drafted the IoA | 5-mark |
| Mahagujarat Movement | Agitation for a separate Gujarati-speaking state; led to Maharashtra-Gujarat split (1960) | 2-mark |
| Line of Control (LoC) | Ceasefire line in J&K established after 1948 war; formalised in 1972 Simla Agreement | Kashmir context |
| Pratibha Patil | India's first woman President (2007–2012) | Women in power |
| Self-Help Group (SHG) | Women's credit cooperative group linked to banking; 12 million in India; backbone of rural women's economic empowerment | Women empowerment |