Full FormsFull forms: government, law and services
75 full forms, each with a line on what it means.
Newspapers, government forms and competitive examination papers assume that the reader knows these short forms: the commissions that recruit, the services and ranks, the investigating agencies, the forces, the offices of a district, and the terms of law and welfare schemes. This page is useful both for general knowledge preparation and for making sense of an official letter. Some laws were replaced recently. The Indian Penal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure gave way to new codes on 1 July 2024; the entries note this, because old and new names will both be met for years. Several short forms here have a second meaning in another field, which the entry mentions.
Explained in full: UPSC IAS ISRO FIR NGO LPG
UPSC
Union Public Service Commission
The constitutional body that holds the Civil Services Examination and other recruitment for the central government.
SSC
Staff Selection Commission
The body that recruits staff for central government departments through examinations such as CGL and CHSL.
IAS
Indian Administrative Service
The top administrative service of India; its officers serve as collectors, secretaries and heads of departments.
IPS
Indian Police Service
The all-India service whose officers lead the police forces of the states and the central police organisations.
IFS
Indian Foreign Service
The diplomatic service of India. The same letters are also used for the Indian Forest Service.
IRS
Indian Revenue Service
The service that administers income tax and customs and indirect taxes.
PSC
Public Service Commission
The body that recruits officers for a state government; each state has its own.
CGL
Combined Graduate Level
The Staff Selection Commission examination for graduate-level posts in central government offices.
CHSL
Combined Higher Secondary Level
The Staff Selection Commission examination for posts open to those who have passed class 12.
RRB
Railway Recruitment Board
One of the boards that recruit staff for Indian Railways.
IBPS
Institute of Banking Personnel Selection
The body that holds common recruitment examinations for public sector banks.
PO
Probationary Officer
The entry-level officer post in a bank. PO is also short for Post Office.
ISRO
Indian Space Research Organisation
India's national space agency, which builds and launches satellites and space missions.
DRDO
Defence Research and Development Organisation
The government agency that develops military technology for India.
BARC
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
India's main nuclear research centre, in Mumbai.
CSIR
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
A national network of research laboratories.
ICMR
Indian Council of Medical Research
The apex body for biomedical research in India.
ICAR
Indian Council of Agricultural Research
The apex body for agricultural research and education in India.
NITI
National Institution for Transforming India
As in NITI Aayog, the policy think tank of the Government of India that replaced the Planning Commission in 2015.
CAG
Comptroller and Auditor General
The constitutional authority that audits the accounts of the central and state governments.
ECI
Election Commission of India
The constitutional body that conducts elections to Parliament and the state legislatures.
EVM
Electronic Voting Machine
The machine on which votes are cast in Indian elections.
VVPAT
Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail
The printer attached to a voting machine that shows the voter a slip of the vote cast.
EPIC
Electors Photo Identity Card
The official name of the voter ID card.
UIDAI
Unique Identification Authority of India
The authority that issues Aadhaar numbers.
NRC
National Register of Citizens
A register of Indian citizens.
RTI
Right to Information
The right of citizens, under the Right to Information Act, 2005, to ask public authorities for information.
PIL
Public Interest Litigation
A court case filed for the benefit of the public, not for a private grievance.
FIR
First Information Report
The first written record made by the police when they are told of a cognisable offence.
IPC
Indian Penal Code
The criminal code of India from 1860 until it was replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita in 2024.
BNS
Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita
The criminal code of India that replaced the Indian Penal Code on 1 July 2024.
CrPC
Code of Criminal Procedure
The law on criminal procedure, replaced in 2024 by the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita.
CBI
Central Bureau of Investigation
The main investigating agency of the central government.
CID
Crime Investigation Department
The branch of a state police force that investigates serious crimes.
ED
Enforcement Directorate
The central agency that investigates money laundering and foreign exchange offences. Its full name is Directorate of Enforcement.
NIA
National Investigation Agency
The central agency that investigates terrorism-related offences.
RAW
Research and Analysis Wing
India's external intelligence agency.
IB
Intelligence Bureau
India's internal intelligence agency.
MLA
Member of the Legislative Assembly
An elected member of a state's legislative assembly.
MLC
Member of the Legislative Council
A member of the upper house of a state legislature, in the states that have one.
MP
Member of Parliament
A member of the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha. MP is also the short form of Madhya Pradesh.
PM
Prime Minister
The head of the government of India. In clock time, PM means post meridiem.
CM
Chief Minister
The head of the government of a state. In length, cm means centimetre.
DM
District Magistrate
The senior officer in charge of a district, also called the collector. On social media, DM means direct message.
SDM
Sub-Divisional Magistrate
The officer in charge of a sub-division of a district.
BDO
Block Development Officer
The officer in charge of development work in a block.
SP
Superintendent of Police
The officer who heads the police of a district.
DSP
Deputy Superintendent of Police
A state police officer ranking below the superintendent.
DGP
Director General of Police
The highest-ranking police officer of a state.
SHO
Station House Officer
The officer in charge of a police station.
ASI
Assistant Sub-Inspector
A police rank below sub-inspector. ASI also stands for the Archaeological Survey of India.
PWD
Public Works Department
The government department that builds and maintains roads and public buildings. PwD also means persons with disabilities.
BPL
Below Poverty Line
A category of households identified for government benefits.
APL
Above Poverty Line
The category of households not classed as below the poverty line.
PDS
Public Distribution System
The system of ration shops that supplies subsidised food grains.
LPG
Liquefied Petroleum Gas
The cooking gas supplied in cylinders, mainly propane and butane.
PNG
Piped Natural Gas
Natural gas supplied to homes through pipes. In computing, PNG is an image format.
CNG
Compressed Natural Gas
Natural gas stored under pressure and used as a vehicle fuel.
OBC
Other Backward Classes
A category of socially and educationally backward classes recognised for reservation.
SC
Scheduled Caste
Castes listed under the Constitution for special safeguards. SC also stands for the Supreme Court.
ST
Scheduled Tribe
Tribes listed under the Constitution for special safeguards.
EWS
Economically Weaker Section
A category for reservation based on family income, for those not covered by other reservations.
NGO
Non-Governmental Organisation
A non-profit organisation that works independently of the government.
PSU
Public Sector Undertaking
A company owned by the central or a state government.
GoI
Government of India
The central government of the country.
UT
Union Territory
A territory administered by the central government, such as Chandigarh or Ladakh.
NCR
National Capital Region
Delhi together with the surrounding districts of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
NCT
National Capital Territory
The official name of the territory of Delhi.
LoC
Line of Control
The military control line between the Indian and Pakistani administered parts of Jammu and Kashmir.
BSF
Border Security Force
The force that guards India's borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh.
CRPF
Central Reserve Police Force
The largest central armed police force, used for internal security.
CISF
Central Industrial Security Force
The central force that guards airports, metro systems and major industrial sites.
NDRF
National Disaster Response Force
The specialist force for rescue and relief in disasters.
NDA
National Defence Academy
The joint training academy of the armed forces at Khadakwasla, Pune. In politics NDA is the National Democratic Alliance.
CDS
Chief of Defence Staff
The senior-most military officer of India. CDS is also the Combined Defence Services examination.
How to read an entry
The letters in bold are the short form as it is normally written. Under it is the full form, and then a line of meaning in plain words. Where the same letters mean something else in another field, the entry mentions it. "Copy" puts the short form, the full form and the meaning on your clipboard, ready to paste into notes or a message.
Check what matters. These pages explain names and terms in general. Rules, dates, fees and limits change: take them from the official body. Read on 12 November 2026.
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