UPSC CDS 2023 PRELIMS - Important Questions & Trends UPSC

PRELIMS 2023

(By IAS PCS Pathshala)

1. Assam is often considered as the land of red rivers and blue hills. It is because the
red refers to the river Brahmaputra, and the blue refers to the hills that shine at a
distance forming a blue cloud.

2. Loktak Lake is a freshwater lake in the Manipur state of Northeast India + hosts
hundreds of floating islands called Phumdis with multiple plant species and Keibul
Lamjao National Park, the only floating national park in the world + natural refuge of
the endangered Sangai (state animal) + designated as a wetland of international
importance under the Ramsar Convention

3. Umiam Lake, also known as Barapani Lake is located in Meghalaya + artificial water
reservoir + lake came into existence in 1965, after the Umiam Umtru Hydro Electric
Power Project (the first hydroelectricity venture in the northeast)

4. Kolleru lake is the largest freshwater lake of India (in Andhra Pradesh) + located
between the deltas of Krishna and Godavari rivers + notified as a wildlife sanctuary in
November 1999 under India’s WildLife (Protection) Act, 1972 + wetland of
international importance in November 2002 under the international Ramsar
Convention.

5. Pulicat Lagoon is the second largest brackish water lagoon in India, after Chilika
Lake. It is present in the Coromandel Region i.e. Andhra Pradesh–Tamil Nadu
Border. The barrier island of Sriharikota separates the lake from the Bay of Bengal
and is home to the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

6. मित्र पर गमछा झार - मि:- मिजोरम ; त्र :- त्रिपरु ा ; प :- पश्चिम बंगाल ; र :- राजस्थान ; ग :-
गज
ु रात ; म :- मध्य प्रदे श ; छा :- छतीसगढ ; झार :- झारखण्ड

7. Provincial elections were held in British India in the winter of 1936-37 as mandated
by the Government of India Act 1935. Elections were held in eleven provinces –
Madras, Central Provinces, Bihar, Orissa, United Provinces, Bombay Presidency,
Assam, NWFP, Bengal, Punjab and Sindh. Except for Bengal, Punjab, and Sindh, the
Congress had fared well in other regions. In Bengal, NWFP, Assam and Bombay,
Congress emerged as the single largest party, whereas in Punjab and Singh its
performance was poor.

8. The Indian National Army (INA) was the brainchild of Giani Pritam Singh Dhillon
along with Major Iwaichi Fujiwara and Captain Mohan Singh in February/March,
1942. The Indian Prisoners of War of the British Army that were captured by Japan
first formed this army + On October 21, 1943, Bose formed the Provisional
government for Free India at Singapore with HC Chatterjee (Finance portfolio), MA
Aiyar (Broadcasting), Lakshmi Swaminathan (Women department) etc + The famous
slogan “Give me blood, I will give you freedom” in Malaya + Women’s regiment
called Rani Jhansi regiment was formed + INA HQ shifted to Rangoon in 1944.
 9. Hampi is situated on the banks of the Tungabhadra River in the eastern part of
central Karnataka near the state border with Andhra Pradesh + Tungabhadra River
rises from the Karnataka state and flows through Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and
Telangana states. The Hampi monuments comprising the UNESCO world heritage
site are a subset of the wider-spread Vijayanagara ruins.

10. Gulbarga(previously known as Kalaburagi) is a region located in Northern part of

Karnataka. Gulbarga was the capital of Bahmani Kingdom and has been ruled by
various dynasties like Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas and Bahmani.

11. Stewart Island is New Zealand's third-largest island + The Bay of Plenty is a
bowl-shaped bite on the eastern side of New Zealand's North Island + Hawke Bay is
also located in New Zealand.

12. Theris were essentially the early female followers of the Buddha who have been
identified to have converted to Buddhism. “Theris” were the elder BUDDHIST Nuns.

13. The Rampa Rebellion of 1922, also known as the Manyam Rebellion, Under the
leadership of Alluri Sita Rama Raju, the tribal movement was fought against the
British as a protest to the 1882 Madras Forest Act in Visakhapatnam. As per the Act,
tribal people were restricted on the free movement in the forest areas and prevented
them from engaging in their traditional Podu (shifting) cultivation and use of the forest
for firewood and toddy.

14. The theme of India’s G20 Presidency in 2023 is ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ or ‘One
Earth One Family One Future’. It is drawn from the ancient Sanskrit text of the Maha
Upanishad.

15. The Solicitor General is the second highest law officer in the country. He is
subordinate to the Attorney General of India, the highest law officer and works under
him.

Note: Office and duties of the Attorney General are created by the Constitution under Article
76. While, Solicitor General and Additional Solicitor Generals’ office and duties are governed
by Law Officers (Conditions of Service) Rules, 1987 and not by Constitution (thus they are
statutory posts and not constitutional). Moreover, attorney generals have the right to
participate in the proceedings of Parliament, but cannot vote. Whereas, Solicitor General
and Additional Solicitor Generals’ do not have these rights wrt to participation in parliament.

16. The titles Rayagajakesari and Dayagajakesari are associated with Kakatiya
Kingdom.

17. The Dastak was the trade permit given to the East India company by Farruksiyar’s
Farman of 1717. Under the terms of this Farman, East India Company was entitled to
trade in Bengal without paying the normal customs duty.
18. Kanaganahalli Buddhist Site - Kanaganahalli is a significant Buddhist site, famous
for an old Buddhist Mahastupa which is located in Chitrapur Taluk, Gulbarga District
in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, on the left bank of Bhima River. The ruins
of Kanaganahalli are as old as the 1st century BC till the 3rd century AD. According
to the 'Hama Chaitya' inscriptions, the stupa at Kanaganahalli was erected during the
1st century BC and was existent during the Mahayana and Hinayana people during
the 3rd and 4th centuries AD. The architectural and sculptural art-forms of
 Kanaganahalli were influenced by the Amaravati School of Art. The portraits of
Satavahana rulers and emperor Ashoka are present on the Kanagahalli Maha Stupa.
Various forms of stupas like pillars, capitals, sculptured slabs, railings, 'Yaksha'
sculptures and idols of Lord Buddha have also been unearthed. Sculptured panels
found in Kanaganahalli consist of 'Jataka' tales and the life of Buddha. The
sculptures of King Ashoka are said to be amongst the most notable discoveries.

19. The Bara Balutedar (English: Twelve Balutedar) system was a hereditary system of
twelve trades used historically in villages of regions that is now the Indian state of
Maharashtra. The balutedars used get paid for the services provided with village
produce under a complex barter system. The system had similarities to the jajmani
system prevalent in North India during the same period.

Some Themes/ Trends to focus on based on CDS 2023 Paper

1. Mapping might get trickier this year in UPSC.

2. Tribal Revolt Question.

3. Wetland of International Importance.(Ramsar Sites)

4. Cheetah Introduction ( India is home to 5 'big cats': Asiatic lion, Royal Bengal tiger,
leopard, snow leopard, and now the cheetah. Learn about their Habitat, Protection
Status, Census (Tiger Census Recently Conducted))

5. Learn everything about the G20 Summit.

6. Indian National Congress and Provincial Elections.

7. Few offbeat topics like - RIN Mutiny, INA Formation, Slogans, Person Involved.

8. Ancient and Medieval India Keywords.

9. Presidential Election/ Model Code Of Conduct/ RPA (1950, 1951)

10. Post Gupta Empire and Regional Kingdom of Medieval India.