Consolidated Fund

noun (countable; proper noun in Indian constitutional usage)

/ˌkɒnsəlɪˈdeɪtɪd fʌnd/

The primary public account into which all revenues received by the Government of India and all loans raised by the government are credited, and from which all expenditure is met. Established under Article 266 of the Constitution, no money may be appropriated from this fund except under Parliamentary authority. The Consolidated Fund of India is distinct from the Contingency Fund (Article 267) and Public Account (Article 266(2)).

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

Salaries of Supreme Court judges are charged to the Consolidated Fund of India and are thus non-votable in Parliament, a provision designed to secure judicial independence from executive financial pressure.

Synonyms

general revenue fundpublic exchequernational treasury

Antonyms

Contingency FundPublic Accountoff-budget resources

🌱 Word Family

consolidate (verb), consolidation (noun), consolidated (adjective), fund (noun/verb)

🔡 Root

Latin consolidare (to make firm) ← con- (together) + solidus (solid, firm) + Germanic fund (bottom, ground, reserve)

📜 Etymology

The term derives from British practice; the UK Consolidated Fund was created by the Consolidating Fund Act 1816, which merged several separate revenue accounts into one. India adopted the concept directly from the Westminster model at independence, embedding it in Article 266.

🧠 Memory Hook

Imagine the government CONSOLIDATING all its cash into ONE SOLID FUND — the Consolidated Fund. Think of a piggy bank that Parliament holds the key to: nothing goes in or out without its approval.

📝 Seen in UPSC Question Papers

Prelims 2015 — Constitutional Bodies
Prelims 2011 — Government Finance

Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Consolidated Fund” — proof this word earns its place on your list.

⚖️ Polity & Constitution 📖 Seen in: Preamble of the Indian Constitution

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