In competitive exams in India, like UPSC, SSC, and state PSCs, general knowledge is very important. One key area in this section is ‘Important Days and Dates’. These dates are essential not just for remembering historical events or spreading awareness about social, environmental, and health issues, but they also help to build a sense of cultural and global unity. Knowing these dates can show a candidate’s knowledge of both national and international matters, displaying a comprehensive educational background. Additionally, the questions on these dates are usually straightforward, often presented in a simple question format, which can be a chance to gain easy marks with good preparation.
Important Days in a Year: 100+ Days
| Date | Important Day |
|---|---|
| January 1 | Global Family Day, New Year’s Day |
| January 4 | World Braille Day |
| January 10 | World Hindi Day |
| January 12 | National Youth Day (Birthday of Swami Vivekananda) |
| January 15 | Indian Army Day |
| January 24 | National Girl Child Day |
| January 26 | Republic Day of India |
| January 27 | International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust |
| January 30 | Martyrs’ Day (Death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi), World Leprosy Eradication Day |
| February 2 | World Wetlands Day |
| February 4 | World Cancer Day |
| February 6 | International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation |
| February 11 | International Day of Women and Girls in Science |
| February 13 | World Radio Day |
| February 20 | World Day of Social Justice |
| February 21 | International Mother Language Day |
| February 24 | Central Excise Day |
| February 28 | National Science Day |
| March 1 | Zero Discrimination Day |
| March 3 | World Wildlife Day, World Hearing Day |
| March 8 | International Women’s Day |
| March 15 | World Consumer Rights Day |
| March 20 | International Day of Happiness, World Sparrow Day |
| March 21 | World Forestry Day, International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, World Down Syndrome Day, World Poetry Day |
| March 22 | World Water Day |
| March 23 | World Meteorological Day |
| March 24 | World Tuberculosis (TB) Day |
| April 2 | World Autism Awareness Day |
| April 5 | National Maritime Day |
| April 7 | World Health Day |
| April 10 | World Homeopathy Day |
| April 17 | World Hemophilia Day |
| April 18 | World Heritage Day |
| April 22 | Earth Day |
| April 23 | World Book Day |
| April 24 | National Panchayati Raj Day |
| April 25 | World Malaria Day |
| April 26 | World Intellectual Property Day |
| April 28 | World Day for Safety and Health at Work |
| May 1 | International Labour Day, Maharashtra Day |
| May 3 | World Press Freedom Day |
| May 4 | Coal Miners’ Day |
| May 8 | World Red Cross Day |
| May 11 | National Technology Day |
| May 15 | International Day of Families |
| May 17 | World Telecommunication Day |
| May 18 | World AIDS Vaccine Day |
| May 21 | National Anti-Terrorism Day |
| May 22 | International Day for Biological Diversity |
| May 31 | World No Tobacco Day |
| June 1 | Global Day of Parents |
| June 4 | International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression |
| June 5 | World Environment Day |
| June 8 | World Ocean Day |
| June 12 | World Day Against Child Labour |
| June 14 | World Blood Donor Day |
| June 20 | World Refugee Day |
| June 21 | International Yoga Day |
| June 23 | United Nations Public Service Day |
| June 26 | International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking |
| July 1 | National Doctors’ Day |
| July 11 | World Population Day |
| July 26 | Kargil Vijay Diwas |
| July 28 | World Hepatitis Day |
| August 6 | Hiroshima Day |
| August 9 | Nagasaki Day, International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples |
| August 12 | International Youth Day |
| August 15 | Independence Day of India |
| August 19 | World Photography Day |
| August 20 | Sadbhavana Diwas |
| August 29 | National Sports Day (Birthday of Dhyan Chand) |
| September 2 | Coconut Day |
| September 5 | Teachers’ Day (Birthday of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan) |
| September 8 | International Literacy Day |
| September 14 | Hindi Diwas |
| September 15 | Engineers’ Day in India (Birthday of M. Visvesvaraya) |
| September 16 | World Ozone Day |
| September 21 | International Day of Peace |
| September 27 | World Tourism Day |
| October 1 | International Day for Older Persons |
| October 2 | Gandhi Jayanti |
| October 4 | World Animal Welfare Day |
| October 5 | World Teachers’ Day |
| October 8 | Indian Air Force Day |
| October 9 | World Post Day |
| October 10 | World Mental Health Day |
| October 11 | International Girl Child Day |
| October 13 | International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction |
| October 15 | World Students Day; World White Cane Day (guiding the blind) |
| October 16 | World Food Day |
| October 24 | United Nations Day; World Development Information Day |
| October 31 | National Unity Day |
| November 5 | World Tsunami Awareness Day |
| November 7 | Infant Protection Day; National Cancer Awareness Day |
| November 14 | Children’s Day (Birthday of Jawaharlal Nehru); World Diabetes Day |
| November 19 | World Toilet Day; National Integration Day |
| November 20 | Africa Industrialization Day |
| November 21 | World Television Day |
| December 1 | World AIDS Day |
| December 2 | National Pollution Control Day |
| December 3 | World Day of the Handicapped |
| December 4 | Indian Navy Day |
| December 7 | Indian Armed Forces Flag Day |
| December 10 | Human Rights Day |
| December 11 | International Mountain Day |
| December 14 | National Energy Conservation Day |
| December 16 | Vijay Diwas |
| December 18 | Minorities Rights Day in India |
| December 22 | National Mathematics Day |
| December 23 | Kisan Diwas (Farmer’s Day) |
Learning all the important days and dates is very useful for anyone preparing for competitive exams. It helps improve scores in the general awareness section and also increases understanding of different cultures and global issues. Spending time to memorize and understand why these days are celebrated can give you a strategic edge in exams. This thorough preparation can be a dependable way to earn points in various parts of an exam, especially in preliminary rounds that test this type of knowledge.