Indian Government Bodies

Indian Government Bodies – Complete GK Capsule for Railway Exams

1. Constitutional & Statutory Bodies at a Glance

Body Established (Year) Article / Act Headquarters Current Chairman (2024)
Election Commission of India 25 Jan 1950 Art. 324 New Delhi Rajiv Kumar
Union Public Service Commission 1 Oct 1926 (as Fed. PSC) / 26 Jan 1950 Art. 315–323 New Delhi Dr. Manoj Soni
Finance Commission 1951 Art. 280 New Delhi N. K. Singh (15th FC)
Comptroller & Auditor General 1949 Art. 148 New Delhi Girish Chandra Murmu
National Human Rights Commission 28 Sept 1993 Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 New Delhi Justice V. Ramasubramanian (Acting)
National Commission for Women 31 Jan 1992 NCW Act, 1990 New Delhi Rekha Sharma
National Commission for Scheduled Castes 19 Feb 2004 Art. 338 New Delhi Vijay Sampla
National Commission for Scheduled Tribes 19 Feb 2004 Art. 338A New Delhi Anusuiya Uikey
Lokpal 19 Mar 2019 Lokpal & Lokayuktas Act, 2013 New Delhi Justice Pradip Kumar Mohanty (Acting Chairperson)
Central Vigilance Commission 1964 (Statutory 2003) CVC Act, 2003 New Delhi Praveen Kumar Srivastava
Central Bureau of Investigation 1 Apr 1963 DSPE Act, 1946 New Delhi Subodh Kumar Jaiswal (Director)
NITI Aayog 1 Jan 2015 Govt. Resolution New Delhi Suman Bery (Vice-Chairperson)
Goods & Services Tax Council 1 July 2017 101st Constitutional Amendment New Delhi Union FM (Nirmala Sitharaman) (Chairperson)
Securities & Exchange Board of India 12 Apr 1992 SEBI Act, 1992 Mumbai Madhabi Puri Buch
Reserve Bank of India 1 Apr 1935 RBI Act, 1934 Mumbai Shaktikanta Das (25th Governor)
Staff Selection Commission 4 Nov 1975 Dept. of Personnel New Delhi S. Kishore (Chairman)
Railway Recruitment Boards 1986 (re-structured) Ministry of Railways 21 Regional Boards Chairman – respective RRBs

2. Key Facts & Figures

  • Election Commission of India

    • 1st CEC: Sukumar Sen (1950)
    • Multi-member since 1993 (CEC + 2 ECs)
    • Present strength: 1 CEC + 2 ECs
  • Finance Commission

    • 15th FC tenure: 2021-26
    • Devolution share to States: 41 % (15th FC)
  • CAG

    • Tenure: 6 yrs or 65 yrs age (whichever earlier)
    • Salary = SC judge (₹2.5 lakh/month)
  • Lokpal

    • 1st Chairperson: Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose (2019)
    • Maximum 8 members (4 Judicial, 4 Non-Judicial)
  • NITI Aayog

    • Replaced Planning Commission (1951-2014)
    • 1st Vice-Chairperson: Arvind Panagariya
    • CEO: B. V. R. Subrahmanyam (2023-till date)
  • GST Council

    • 33 members (31 States/UTs + 1 Centre + 1 Empowered Committee)
    • Quorum: 1/3 members; Decision: 75 % weighted vote

3. One-Liner Quick Revision

  • ECI celebrated 14th National Voters’ Day on 25 Jan 2024 (theme: Nothing Like Voting, I Vote for Sure).
  • UPSC conducts CSE, ESE, CDS, NDA, CAPF, IES/ISS.
  • CVC is Single Directive authority for CBI cases against Joint-Secretary & above officers.
  • RBI prints notes via Security Printing & Minting Corp. of India Ltd. (SPMCIL) & Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran (BRBNMPL).
  • SEBI received Statutory status in 1992, became fully autonomous in 1999.
  • GST Council met for the 50th time on 11 July 2023 at New Delhi.
  • NHRC recommendations are not binding but government must reply within 8 weeks.
  • Central Bureau of Investigation operates under Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946.
  • Staff Selection Commission originated from the recommendations of Kothari Committee, 1976.
  • Railway Recruitment Control Board (RRCB) was created in 1998 to coordinate 21 RRBs.

4. 15+ Railway-Exam Level MCQs

1. Who is the current Chief Election Commissioner of India (as on 1 Jan 2024)?

Ans: Rajiv Kumar

2. The 15th Finance Commission’s recommendation period is:

Ans: 2021-26

3. Under which Article of the Constitution is the Comptroller & Auditor General appointed?

Ans: Article 148

4. The first Chairperson of the Lokpal of India was:

Ans: Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose

5. NITI Aayog replaced which body on 1 January 2015?

Ans: Planning Commission

6. The GST Council is constituted under which Constitutional Amendment Act?

Ans: 101st Constitutional Amendment Act

7. Who is the ex-officio chairperson of the GST Council?

Ans: Union Finance Minister

8. The Central Vigilance Commission got statutory status in:

Ans: 2003 (CVC Act, 2003)

9. The headquarters of SEBI is located at:

Ans: Mumbai

10. Who is the 25th Governor of Reserve Bank of India?

Ans: Shaktikanta Das

11. Election Commission of India became a multi-member body in:

Ans: 1993

12. The National Human Rights Commission is a:

Ans: Statutory body

13. Which of the following is NOT a constitutional body?

Ans: NITI Aayog

14. The maximum tenure of the CAG of India is:

Ans: 6 years or up to 65 years of age, whichever is earlier

15. The Staff Selection Commission was established in the year:

Ans: 1975

16. The Central Bureau of Investigation derives its power from:

Ans: Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946

17. The 1st Finance Commission was constituted in:

Ans: 1951 (Chairman: K. C. Neogy)


Revision Tip: Memorise the years, Articles/Acts and HQ for every body; 60 % questions in RRB NTPC/Group-D are directly from these three data points.