CLAT POST FEBRUARY '25 EDITION - Balance is The Key

Flashcards covering key national and international news, economic updates, legal developments, science and technology breakthroughs, environmental initiatives, and important historical and cultural facts from the CLAT POST February '25 Edition.

Uniform Civil Code (UCC)

A law that seeks to establish a common set of legal provisions for all citizens in India, regardless of their religion or community, standardizing personal laws related to marriage, divorce, inheritance, property rights, and adoption.

Uttarakhand's UCC Implementation Date

Effective from January 27, 2025, Uttarakhand became the first state in India to implement the Uniform Civil Code.

Fiscal Health Index (FHI) 2025

Launched by NITI Aayog on January 24, 2025, it provides a comprehensive assessment of the fiscal health of 18 major Indian states, offering data-driven insights for policy interventions.

NITI Aayog

A policy think tank of the Government of India, established on January 1, 2015, replacing the Planning Commission, focusing on cooperative federalism and sustainable development.

Ban on Begging in Bhopal

Bhopal has implemented a complete ban on begging in public places, including prohibiting giving alms or purchasing goods from beggars, with penalties under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.

SMILE Scheme

Launched in 2022 by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, its objective is the rehabilitation of beggars through medical care, education, and skill training, aiming for a 'beggar-free' India by 2026.

Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act (CLNDA)

An Indian law, introduced in 2010, that established a framework for compensation in case of a nuclear accident, imposing strict liability on nuclear plant operators and, in some interpretations, on suppliers.

Atomic Energy Act, 1962

Enacted to provide for the development, control, and use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes in India, vesting the central government with exclusive rights over atomic energy.

Gyanesh Kumar

Appointed as the new Chief Election Commissioner in 2025, marking the first CEC appointment under the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023.

Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023

An Act passed in December 2023 that redefined the appointment process for the CEC and ECs, establishing a selection committee comprising the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and a Union Cabinet Minister.

Election Commission of India (ECI)

Established on January 25, 1950, under Article 324 of the Indian Constitution, responsible for supervising, directing, and controlling elections to Parliament, state legislatures, and the offices of the President and Vice-President of India.

Marital Rape Exception

A legal provision in Indian law (referencing IPC Sections 376 and 377 before replacement by BNS) that states a husband cannot be charged with rape of his wife if she is over a certain age, reaffirmed by the Chhattisgarh High Court in a 2025 ruling.

Aero India 2025

The 15th edition of Asia’s largest air show and aviation exhibition, held from February 10-14, 2025, at Yelahanka Air Force Station, Bengaluru, Karnataka, themed 'The Runway to a Billion Opportunities'.

Obscenity Laws in India

Governed by Section 294 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (formerly Section 292-294 of IPC), which criminalizes the sale, import, advertisement, or profit generation from obscene material, defined as 'lascivious, appeals to the prurient interest, or tends to deprave and corrupt'.

Hicklin Test

A test derived from Regina v. Hicklin (1868) that defined material as obscene if it tended to 'deprave and corrupt' those susceptible to immoral influences, previously applied by Indian courts.

Community Standards Test

A test adopted by the Supreme Court of India in Aveek Sarkar v. State of West Bengal (2014) to assess obscenity based on contemporary societal norms and the material's overall context rather than its potential impact on susceptible individuals.

Delhi Legislative Assembly Election 2025

An election held in February 2025 for all 70 seats in the Delhi Legislative Assembly, resulting in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) securing a majority and forming the government.

Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013

An Act enacted in India to establish the Lokpal at the central level and mandate the creation of Lokayuktas in states, serving as statutory anti-corruption ombudsman institutions.

President's Rule (Article 356)

A constitutional provision (Article 356) empowering the President of India to impose direct Central rule in a state if its governance cannot proceed per constitutional provisions, typically based on the Governor's report.

S.R. Bommai v. Union of India (1994)

A landmark Supreme Court case that laid down significant guidelines to prevent the misuse of Article 356, mandating the floor test for government majority and subjecting President's Rule to judicial review.

Economic Survey 2024-25

An annual document released by the Ministry of Finance, Government of India, on January 31, 2025, providing a comprehensive analysis of India's economic performance and projections, primarily authored by the Chief Economic Adviser.

Union Budget 2025-26

Presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1, 2025, with the theme 'Sabka Vikas' (Inclusive Growth), focusing on income tax reforms, agriculture, MSMEs, investment, and exports.

Repo Rate

The interest rate at which the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) offers overnight funds to banks, accepting government and other approved securities as collateral under the Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF).

Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)

Formed in 2016, a six-member committee responsible for setting the benchmark policy rate (repo rate) to keep inflation within the target range specified by the government, ensuring a clear mandate in monetary policy.

Income-tax Bill, 2025

Introduced in the Lok Sabha on February 14, 2025, aiming to simplify and replace the Income-tax Act, 1961, by introducing a 'Tax Year' and classifying virtual digital assets as 'property' for taxation.

Direct Taxes Code (DTC)

A legislative proposal first introduced in 2009 by the UPA Government to replace the Income-tax Act, 1961, aiming to simplify tax laws and enhance compliance, though it was never implemented.

Paris AI Action Summit 2025

Held on February 10-11, 2025, co-chaired by PM Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron, it aimed to establish a collaborative framework for the inclusive, ethical, and sustainable development and governance of artificial intelligence (AI).

International Criminal Court (ICC)

Established in 2002 by the Rome Statute, it is a permanent international court with a mandate to prosecute individuals for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, located in The Hague, Netherlands.

American Service-Members' Protection Act (ASPA) of 2002

A U.S. law that allows the Pentagon to take action to free any American or U.S. ally detained by the International Criminal Court (ICC), underscoring the U.S.'s stance against the ICC's authority over its citizens.

Myanmar Military Coup (February 1, 2021)

An event where the Tatmadaw (Myanmar's military) orchestrated a coup d'état, detaining Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior NLD officials, leading to a protracted civil war and political instability.

Five-Point Consensus (5PC)

An initiative by ASEAN aimed at resolving the Myanmar crisis, which has failed to make progress in achieving a ceasefire or dialogue between the military junta and resistance forces.

Immigration and Foreigners Bill, 2025

A comprehensive Indian legislation seeking to replace four outdated acts (Foreigners Act, 1946; Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920; Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939; Immigration (Carriers' Liability) Act, 2000) to streamline and modernize immigration processes.

Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA)

An Indian Act that amended the Citizenship Act, 1955, providing an accelerated pathway to Indian citizenship for persecuted religious minorities (excluding Muslims) from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan who entered India on or before December 31, 2014.

USA-China Trade War

A period of intensifying economic tensions characterized by the imposition of tariffs by the U.S. (under President Donald Trump) on Chinese imports and retaliatory tariffs from China, impacting global trade and supply chains.

India-France Year of Innovation 2026

An initiative launched during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to France in February 2025, symbolizing a shared dedication between the two nations to fostering innovation and scientific collaboration, represented by an official logo.

Indus Waters Treaty (IWT)

A treaty signed on September 19, 1960, between India and Pakistan, with the World Bank as a signatory and mediator, allocating control over six rivers (Eastern rivers to India, Western rivers to Pakistan).

Neutral Expert (NE)

A dispute resolution mechanism under Article IX of the Indus Waters Treaty, where a World Bank-appointed expert decides on technical disputes between India and Pakistan if Permanent Indus Commission discussions fail.

Ramsar Sites

Wetlands designated under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as Waterfowl Habitat, aiming to conserve and sustainably use wetlands through local, national, and international actions.

World Wetlands Day

Observed annually on February 2nd to mark the date of the Ramsar Convention's adoption (1971) and to raise public awareness about the value of wetlands and the need for their conservation.

Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4)

A forthcoming private spaceflight to the International Space Station (ISS), orchestrated by Axiom Space, scheduled for launch no earlier than April 2025, with Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of India as mission pilot.

Gaganyaan Mission

India’s first indigenous crewed spaceflight mission, scheduled for 2026, aiming to send Indian astronauts (Gagannauts) into low Earth orbit and strengthen ISRO’s human spaceflight capabilities.

DeepSeek-R1

A low-cost yet highly advanced AI large language model (LLM) from China, launched in January 2025, which has challenged global AI cost assumptions and demonstrated high performance despite a modest development budget.

IndiaAI Mission

An Indian government initiative (with an outlay of ₹10,370 crore) aimed at developing India’s first domestic foundational AI model within 10 months, providing GPUs, and launching a common compute facility to accelerate AI innovation.

Einstein Ring

A rare phenomenon occurring due to gravitational lensing, predicted by Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, where a massive celestial object bends light from a distant background source, creating distorted arc-like images or a perfect ring.

Euclid Space Telescope

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) space telescope, launched in July 2023, designed to map the 'dark universe' by studying dark matter and dark energy, and recently discovered Altieri’s Ring around the galaxy NGC 6505.

Ratnagiri Site

An ancient Buddhist heritage site in Odisha's Jajpur district, part of the Diamond Triangle (with Udayagiri and Lalitgiri), currently undergoing renewed excavations by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) after the discovery of massive Buddha heads and other artifacts.

Vajrayana (Tantrayana) Buddhism

A school of Buddhism, believed to have had a strong presence at Ratnagiri, which involves mystical practices and concepts, and spread across the Himalayan region and beyond.

National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM)

Approved by the Union Cabinet on January 29, 2025, with a total outlay of ₹34,300 crore over seven years, focusing on 24 critical minerals (like copper, lithium, nickel) for strategic acquisition, stockpiling, and processing.

Article 224A

A constitutional provision that allows the Chief Justice of a High Court, with Presidential consent, to appoint retired High Court judges to act as ad hoc judges to address pending criminal cases, a provision recently relaxed by the Supreme Court in 2025.

World Employment and Social Outlook (WESO): Trends 2025 report

A report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) indicating that global unemployment remained at 5% in 2024, the lowest on record, with slowing economic growth and high youth unemployment.

Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS)

A rare but treatable neurological disorder causing limb weakness, tingling, and difficulty in walking, swallowing, or breathing, with an outbreak reported in Pune in 2025, possibly linked to 'Campylobacter Jejuni' infection.

Sahitya Akademi Award 2024

India's second-highest literary honor, established in 1954 as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Culture, recognizing outstanding literary works in 24 languages (22 Eighth Schedule languages, English, and Rajasthani).

National Mission on Cultural Mapping (NMCM)

Launched by the Ministry of Culture and implemented by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), it aims to preserve and promote India's cultural heritage by documenting traditions of 6.5 lakh villages through the 'Mera Gaon Meri Dharohar' portal.

Indore and Udaipur (Wetland Cities Network)

The first Indian cities to be accredited as Wetland Cities under the Ramsar Convention in 2025, recognizing their prioritization of wetland conservation and sustainable urban development.

Tianshan Shengli Tunnel

China's completed world's longest expressway tunnel, measuring 22.13 kilometers in Xinjiang, a crucial part of the Urumqi-Yuli Expressway, enhancing north-south connectivity and aligning with the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

BRICS Partner Countries

An expanded group of nations that includes Nigeria (admitted in 2025), Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan, aligning with BRICS' focus on South-South cooperation and global governance reforms.