BharatNotes Consolidated Fund
noun (countable; proper noun in Indian constitutional usage)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
Antonyms
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.
How This Word Works in UPSC Writing
The principal government account. Under Article 266 all revenues received by the government, loans it raises and money received in repayment of loans form the Consolidated Fund of India, with a corresponding fund for each State, while other public moneys go to the Public Account. The constitutional discipline is the part to state precisely: no moneys may be appropriated from the Consolidated Fund except in accordance with law and for the purposes and in the manner the Constitution provides. That single rule is the foundation of legislative control over the purse.
Don’t Confuse It With
The Consolidated Fund receives revenues, loans and loan repayments and requires legislative authorisation for withdrawal. The Public Account holds other public moneys where the government acts more as a banker. The Contingency Fund meets unforeseen expenditure pending authorisation. Charged expenditure is met from the Consolidated Fund but is not subject to a parliamentary vote, though it may be discussed.
Hindi Meaning
संचित निधि (sanchit nidhi); लोक लेखा is the Public Account.
Common Questions
- What is the Consolidated Fund of India?
- The principal government account, into which all revenues received, loans raised and loan repayments received by the Union are credited, under Article 266.
- Can money be withdrawn from the Consolidated Fund freely?
- No. Article 266 provides that no moneys may be appropriated from it except in accordance with law and for the purposes and in the manner provided by the Constitution.
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.
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