At a glance
PaperPaper ISubjectGeneral Knowledge
Book DigestStatic GKLucentMiscellaneousAbbreviationsOrganisations
A recall list of the cross-cutting "GK" that does not fit a single subject silo: important days, books and authors, abbreviations, organisations, the armed and paramilitary forces and national symbols. The forces and security-organisation section is the most CAPF-relevant. Verify any current office-holder or latest organisational head.
- National days: Republic Day (26 January), Independence Day (15 August), Gandhi Jayanti (2 October), Constitution Day (26 November), National Sports Day (29 August, Dhyan Chand's birthday), National Science Day (28 February, the Raman effect), Teachers' Day (5 September, Dr S. Radhakrishnan), Children's Day (14 November, Nehru).
- International days: Human Rights Day (10 December), World Environment Day (5 June), International Women's Day (8 March), World Health Day (7 April), International Yoga Day (21 June), World Earth Day (22 April).
- Indian classics and figures: Arthashastra (Kautilya / Chanakya), Discovery of India and Glimpses of World History (Jawaharlal Nehru), The Story of My Experiments with Truth (M.K. Gandhi), Gitanjali (Rabindranath Tagore), India Wins Freedom (Maulana Abul Kalam Azad), Poverty and Un-British Rule in India (Dadabhai Naoroji).
- These are high-frequency recall pairs; learn the author-and-title link, not the contents.
- Defence and security: NSG (National Security Guard), NIA (National Investigation Agency), IB (Intelligence Bureau), RAW (Research and Analysis Wing), NSA (National Security Adviser), DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation), NCC (National Cadet Corps).
- Science and space: ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation), NASA, GSLV and PSLV (launch vehicles), NavIC (the Indian regional navigation satellite system).
- Economy: GDP, GST, RBI, SEBI, NABARD, NITI (National Institution for Transforming India). International: UN, UNESCO, WHO, WTO, IMF, UNICEF, UNHCR.
- The three armed forces (under the Ministry of Defence): the Army (Chief of the Army Staff), the Navy (Chief of the Naval Staff) and the Air Force (Chief of the Air Staff). The Chief of Defence Staff heads the Department of Military Affairs.
- The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), under the Ministry of Home Affairs, into which the CAPF examination recruits Assistant Commandants:
- BSF (Border Security Force): guards the borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh.
- CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force): the largest, used for internal security and counter-insurgency.
- CISF (Central Industrial Security Force): guards critical infrastructure (airports, ports, power plants, the metro).
- ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police): guards the border with China in the Himalayas.
- SSB (Sashastra Seema Bal): guards the borders with Nepal and Bhutan.
- Related forces: the Assam Rifles (the oldest, guards the Myanmar border, under Home Ministry administrative and Army operational control) and the NSG (the elite counter-terror force). The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is drawn from the CAPFs.
- Recall: the CRPF is the largest paramilitary force; the CISF secures the country's industrial and aviation infrastructure; the parent ministry of all the CAPFs is the Ministry of Home Affairs (whereas the armed forces are under the Ministry of Defence).
- National flag: the Tiranga, with the Ashoka Chakra (24 spokes) in the centre. National emblem: the Lion Capital of Ashoka from Sarnath, with the motto Satyameva Jayate.
- National anthem: Jana Gana Mana (Tagore); national song: Vande Mataram (Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay). National animal: the tiger; national bird: the peacock; national flower: the lotus; national tree: the banyan; national fruit: the mango; national river: the Ganga; national aquatic animal: the river dolphin.
- The United Nations was founded in 1945; its headquarters is in New York. It has six principal organs, including the General Assembly and the Security Council (five permanent members with the veto: the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia and China). India is a long-standing aspirant for a permanent seat.
- Specialised agencies and their cities: WHO (Geneva), UNESCO (Paris), UNICEF (New York), ILO (Geneva), FAO (Rome), the IAEA (Vienna), the International Court of Justice (The Hague).
This page concentrates the single most examinable security cluster for CAPF: the five central armed police forces, their full names, their specific border or security mandate, and the fact that all sit under the Ministry of Home Affairs, distinct from the armed forces under the Ministry of Defence. The intelligence and counter-terror agencies (IB, RAW, NIA, NSG) and the disaster-response framework (NDRF) round out the picture. Expect these in both Paper I (recognition) and the interview (where the candidate's understanding of the force they wish to join is tested).
- The Central Armed Police Forces, including the BSF, CRPF, CISF, ITBP and SSB, function under which Union ministry? (Answer: the Ministry of Home Affairs.) Authored practice, not a verbatim PYQ.
- Which central armed police force is primarily responsible for guarding the India-China border in the Himalayas? (a) BSF (b) CISF (c) ITBP (d) SSB. (Answer: c, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police.) Authored practice, not a verbatim PYQ.