Know Your GK: UPSC Current Affairs & General Knowledge

In a federal government system like India's, power and responsibilities are shared between the central government and the state governments. Under normal conditions, both work in their own areas, cooperate with each other, and function independently. But during emergencies or unexpected situations, the Constitution allows the central government to take full control and act like a single, unified government. This helps in managing crises more effectively. Introduction The Emergency provisions in the Indian Constitution are mentioned in Part XVIII, from Articles 352 to 360. These rules were inspired by the Weimar Constitution of Germany and the Government of India Act of 1935. Later, major changes were made to these provisions through two important amendments — the 42nd Amendment in 1976 and the 44th Amendment in 1978. Types of Emergency In India, all emergencies are officially declared by the President , and actions are taken in the President's name. However, the real decisions ...

Revolt of 1857  Background On 10 May 1857 , the Indian soldiers (sepoys) in the Meerut cantonment started a rebellion . It began with the infantry (foot soldiers), quickly spread to the cavalry (horse riders), and then reached the city . The local people from the town and nearby villages also joined the soldiers. The sepoys seized the weapons storage area (bell of arms) where guns and ammunition were kept and then attacked the British officers . They also set fire to and looted government buildings like the record office, jail, court, post office, and treasury . After this, a group of sepoys headed towards Delhi to continue the revolt.The sepoys acquired a kind of legitimacy from the Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah in Delhi. Once the word spread that Bahadur Shah had blessed the rebellion, events moved swiftly. Cantonment after cantonment in the Gangetic valley and some to the west of Delhi rose in mutiny. Major causes The reasons behind the Revolt of 1857 , like the earlier u...