First in India – Static GK for Competitive Exams (with Memory Tricks)

Introduction

“First in India” covers historical milestones, constitutional posts, awards, women achievers, defence, science, and governance.
This topic is repeatedly asked in SSC CGL/CHSL, IBPS, SBI, UPSC Prelims, CDS, AFCAT, Railways, and State PCS because answers are fixed and factual.

Political & Constitutional Firsts

• First President of India – Dr. Rajendra Prasad
• First Prime Minister of Free India – Jawaharlal Nehru
• First Vice-President of India – Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
• First Chief Election Commissioner – Sukumar Sen

Why asked in exams?
These are constitutional basics frequently used in match-the-following questions.

Freedom Movement & Modern History Firsts

• First President of INC – W. C. Banerjee
• First Muslim INC President – Badruddin Tyabji
• First British Viceroy of India – Lord Canning

Why it matters?
INC-related questions are UPSC + SSC favourites.

Awards & Honours – First Achievers

Women Firsts in India (Highly Repeated)

• First Woman PM – Indira Gandhi
• First Woman Supreme Court Judge – M. Fathima Beevi
• First Woman Governor – Sarojini Naidu
• First Woman IPS Officer – Kiran Bedi

Why famous?
Women achievers dominate SSC, State PCS, and Banking GA.

Defence & Space Firsts

• India’s First Man in Space – Rakesh Sharma
• First Indian Commander-in-Chief – K. M. Cariappa
• First Field Marshal – Sam Manekshaw

Science, Education & Governance Firsts

• India’s First University – Nalanda University
• First Open University – Andhra Pradesh Open University
• First Test Tube Baby – Indira (Harsha)

Firsts Related to Economy, Banking & Administration

These are Banking Awareness + Static GK goldmines.

• First Indian Governor of RBI – C. D. Deshmukh
• First Indian Finance Minister – R. K. Shanmukham Chetty
• First Public Sector Bank of India – State Bank of India (1955)
• First Indian Bank to open a branch abroad – Bank of India (London)
• First Woman Chairperson of SBI – Arundhati Bhattacharya

Why important?
Frequently asked in IBPS PO/Clerk, SBI PO, RBI Grade B exams.

Firsts in Sports & Games (Highly Asked in SSC & Railways)

• First Indian to win individual Olympic Gold – Abhinav Bindra
• First Indian woman to win Olympic medal – Karnam Malleswari
• First Indian to win Wimbledon title – Leander Paes
• First Indian chess Grandmaster – Viswanathan Anand
• First Indian to score a Test century – Lala Amarnath

Why asked?
Sports GK is a sure-shot scoring area in SSC & State-level exams.

Firsts in Science, Technology & Innovation

Often framed as current-static linkage questions.

• First Indian satellite – Aryabhata (1975)
• First Indian rocket launch site – Thumba (Kerala)
• First Indian supercomputer – PARAM 8000
• First Indian woman scientist to win Nobel Prize – Mother Teresa (Peace Prize – often confused)
• First digital payment system in India – ECS (Electronic Clearing Service)

Firsts Related to Judiciary & Law

Very useful for UPSC Polity + SSC Legal GK.

• First Chief Justice of India – H. J. Kania
• First Woman Advocate in India – Cornelia Sorabji
• First Indian Judge of International Court of Justice – Nagendra Singh
• First High Court of India – Calcutta High Court (1862)

Firsts in Education, Literature & Culture

• First Indian English novel – Rajmohan’s Wife by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
• First Indian woman graduate – Kadambini Ganguly
• First Jnanpith Award winner – G. Sankara Kurup
• First Indian film – Raja Harishchandra by Dadasaheb Phalke

Firsts Related to Geography & Exploration

• First Indian to climb Mount Everest – Avtar Singh Cheema
• First woman to climb Everest twice – Santosh Yadav
• First Indian to reach Antarctica – Lt. Ram Charan
• First Chinese pilgrim to visit India – Fa-Hien

Firsts in Transport & Infrastructure

Very useful for SSC, Railways, State PCS.

• First Railway Line in India – Bombay to Thane (1853)
• First Railway Zone of India – Southern Railway
• First Metro Rail in India – Kolkata Metro
• First Expressway of India – Mumbai–Pune Expressway
• First Inland Waterway of India – Allahabad–Haldia (NW-1)

Why important?
Transport-related firsts are repeatedly asked in Railway Group D, JE, SSC JE exams.

Firsts in Media, Press & Journalism

High-probability topic for SSC & UPSC Prelims.

• First Newspaper in India – Hicky’s Bengal Gazette
• First Indian Language Newspaper – Samachar Darpan (Bengali)
• First Woman Editor in India – Kamala Devi Chattopadhyay
• First Indian Journalist – Bal Gangadhar Tilak
• First Press Commission of India – 1952 (Chairman: Justice Rajadhyaksha)

Firsts in Environment, Ecology & Conservation

Important for UPSC, State PCS, Forest Exams.

• First National Park of India – Jim Corbett National Park
• First Biosphere Reserve of India – Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve
• First Tiger Reserve of India – Jim Corbett (Project Tiger)
• First State to implement Project Tiger – Uttar Pradesh
• First Environmental Movement in India – Chipko Movement

Why asked?
Environment GK is a core scoring area in UPSC Prelims.

Firsts in Committees, Commissions & Reports

Frequently used in Polity + Governance questions.

• First Finance Commission of India – 1951
• First Planning Commission Chairman – Jawaharlal Nehru (asked separately from PM role)
• First Backward Classes Commission – Kaka Kalelkar Commission
• First Law Commission of India – 1834 (Chairman: Macaulay)
• First Election Commission of India – 1950

Firsts in States & Union Territories

Good for State PCS & SSC.

• First Linguistic State of India – Andhra Pradesh
• First State formed on linguistic basis – Andhra Pradesh (1953)
• First Union Territory of India – Andaman & Nicobar Islands
• First State to have Women CM – Uttar Pradesh
• First State to introduce Panchayati Raj – Rajasthan (Nagaur)

Firsts in International Representation

Often asked in UPSC & SSC CGL.

• First Indian to preside over UN General Assembly – Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit
• First Indian Ambassador to USSR – Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
• First Indian Member of League of Nations – V. S. Srinivasa Sastri

Firsts in Health, Medicine & Science (Extra Edge GK)

• First Medical College in India – Calcutta Medical College
• First Indian to perform heart transplant – Dr. P. Raghu Ram
• First AIDS case in India – Chennai (1986)
• First Indigenous Vaccine of India – Covaxin
• First DNA Fingerprinting Lab – CCMB, Hyderabad
• First Indian Member of League of Nations – V. S. Srinivasa Sastri

High-Probability One-Liners (New & Non-Repeated)

• First Indian Airlines Chairperson (Woman): Sushma Chawla
• First Woman DGP of India: Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya
• First Miss India to Miss Universe: Indrani Rehman
• First Internet Magazine of India: Bharat Samachar
• First Wax Statue of Living Indian: Mahatma Gandhi (1939)
• First Sanskrit University of India: Sampurnanand Sanskrit University
• First Indian city to get electricity: Darjeeling
• First state to implement GST: Assam
• First Indian city to host Commonwealth Games: Delhi
• First Indian language in Supreme Court proceedings: Hindi

The Sticky Memory Zone (Mnemonics)

• “AB-PA-VA” → Abhinav (Olympics), Paes (Wimbledon), Anand (Chess)
• “Arya–Para–Thumb” → Aryabhata (Satellite), PARAM (Supercomputer), Thumba (Rocket site)
• “CD–RK–AR” → Deshmukh (RBI), Shanmukham Chetty (FM), Arundhati (SBI)
• “PRaN” → Prasad (President), Radhakrishnan (VP), Nehru (PM)
• “Ra-Ca-Ma” → Rakesh Sharma, Cariappa, Manekshaw
• “Tag–Ra–Ra” → Tagore (Nobel), Raman (Physics), Radhakrishnan (Bharat Ratna)
• Helps in: Speed revision before exams.
• “BTM” → Bombay–Thane (Rail), Tiger Reserve (Corbett), Metro (Kolkata)
• “NJT” → Nilgiri (Biosphere), Jim Corbett (National Park), Tiger Project
• “CAP” → Calcutta Medical College, Andhra (Linguistic State), Panchayati Raj (Rajasthan)

Don’t Confuse These in Exams

• Don’t confuse Governor-General with Viceroy
• Don’t confuse First President (Rajendra Prasad) with First Vice-President (Radhakrishnan)
• Don’t confuse First Nobel Laureate (Tagore) with First Nobel Physics (Raman)
• Don’t confuse First Railway Line with First Railway Zone
• Don’t mix First National Park with First Tiger Reserve
• Don’t confuse Press Commission with Law Commission

Important One-Liners for SSC / Banking / UPSC Prelims

• First Muslim President of India: Dr. Zakir Hussain
• First Indian ICS officer: Satyendra Nath Tagore
• First Woman CM: Sucheta Kripalani
• First Woman Everest Climber: Bachendri Pal
• First Woman Nobel Laureate: Mother Teresa

Previous Year Questions (PYQ) Analysis

• SSC CGL: Match the following (Awards ↔ Persons)
• Railways: One-liner (First Woman / First Indian)
• UPSC Prelims: Statement-based (correct/incorrect pairs)

Quick-Summary Table (High-Frequency Facts)