Important full forms - General knowledge 

A

ABM: Anti Ballistic Missiles
ABVP: Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad
AC: Alternating Current; Ashoka Chakra
ACU: Asian Currency Union

AD: anno Domini; in the year of Lord Christ
ADB: Asian Development Bank
ADC: Aide-de-Camp; Access Deficit Charge
ADF: Asian Development Fund
ADS: Air Defence Ship
AJT: Advanced Jet Trainer
AG: Accountant General; Adjutant General
AI: Air India
AIDS: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
AIIMS: All India Institute of Medical Sciences
AIR: All India Radio; Annual Information Report
AITUC: All India Trade Union Congress
AJT: Advanced Jet Trainer
ALH: Advanced Light Helicopter
AM: ante meridiem; before noon
AMC: Army Medical Corps; Asset Management Companies
AME: Associate Member of the Institute of Engineers
APC: Agricultural Prices Commission
APEC: Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
APPLE: Ariane Passenger Payload Experiment
APPU: Asian Pacific Postal Union
ARC: Asset Reconstruction Company
ARDR: Agricultural and Rural Debt Relief
ASAT: Anti-Satellite weapon
ASC: Army Service Corps
ASCI: Advanced Strategic Computing Initiative
ASCII: American Standard Code for Information
ASEAN: Association of South-East Asian Nations
ASEM: Asia-Europe Meeting
ASIMO: Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility
ASLV: Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle
ASMA: Antarctica Specially Managed Area
ASSOCHAM: Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry
ATA: Air Time Authority; Allen Telescope Array
ATC: Air Traffic Controller
ATM: Automatic Teller Machine
ATR: Action Taken Report
ATV: Automatic Transfer Vehicle
AUM: Assets Under Management
AVC: Army Veterinary Corps
AVM: Additional Volatility Margin
AWACS: Airborne Warning and Control System

B
BARC: Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
BBC: British Broadcasting Corporation
BC: Before Christ; Board of Control; British Columbia; Battery Commander
BCG: Bacillus Calmette Guerin—Anti-Tuberculosis Vaccine
BICP: Bureau of Industrial Costs and Prices
BIFR: Board of Industrial and Financial Reconstruction
BIOS: Basic Input Output System
BKU: Bharatiya Kisan Union
BMD: Ballistic Missile Defence System
BOLT: BSE On-Line Trading (System)
BOSS: Bharat Operating System Solutions
BPO: Business Process Outsourcing
BPR: Bottom Pressure Records
BRO: Border Road Organisation
BSE: Bombay Stock Exchange
BSF: Border Security Force
BSNL: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd

C
CA: Chartered Accountant
CABE: Central Advisory Board of Education
C & AG: Comptroller & Auditor General
CAIR: Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics
CAPART: Council for People’s Action and Advancement of Rural Technology
CAPES: Computer-Aided Paperless Examination System
CAS: Chief of Army Staff; Chief of Air Staff; Conditional Access System
CB: Citizen Band (Radio)
CBI: Central Bureau of Investigation
CBFC: Central Board of Film Certification
CCPA: Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs
CD: Conference on Disarmament
C-DAC: The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing
CDMA: Code Division Multiple Access
CECA: Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement
CERN: European Organisation for Nuclear Research (Pronounced CERN in French)
CFC: Chlorofluro Carbon
CFS: Container Freight Station
CHOGM: Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
CIA: Central Intelligence Agency (of U.S.A.)
CIBIL: Credit Information Bureau (India) Ltd
CIC: Chief Information Commissioner
CID: Criminal Investigation Department
C-in-C: Commander-in-Chief
cif: cost, insurance and freight
CIS: Commonwealth of Independent States
CISF: Central Industrial Security Force
CITES: Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
CITU: Centre of Indian Trade Unions
CLASS: Computer Literacy and Studies in Schools
CLAWS: Centre for Land Warfare Studies
CM: Command Module; Chief Minister
CMP: Common Minimum Programme
CNG: Compressed Natural Gas
CNN: Cable News Network
CNS: Chief of the Naval Staff
CO: Commanding Officer
COD: Central Ordnance Depot; Cash on Delivery
CPCB: Central Pollution Control Board
CPI: Communist Party of India
CPI(M): Communist Party of India (Marxists)
CPU: Central Processing Unit
CR: Central Railway
CRAC: Cyber Regulation Advisory Council
CRDi: Common Rail Direct injection
CRISIL: Credit Rating Information Services of India Limited
CRM: Customer Relationship Management
CRR: Cash Reserve Ratio
CRPF: Central Reserve Police Force
CSIR: Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
CTBT: Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
CTT: Commodities Transaction Tax
CVRDE: Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment

D
DA: Dearness Allowance; Daily Allowance
DAVP: Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity
DC: Deputy Commissioner; Direct Current in Electricity
DDT: Dichloro-Diphenyl Trichloro-ethane (disinfectant)
DIN: Director Information Number
DM: District Magistrate; Deputy Minister
DMIC: Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor
DMK: Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (a regional political party of Tamil Nadu)
DNA: deoxyribonucleic acid
DO: Demi-official (letter)
DOD: Department of Ocean Development
DPEP: District Primary Education Programme
DPI: Director of Public Instruction
DRAM: Dynamic Random Access Memory
DRDO: Defence Research and Development Organisation
DST: Daylight Saving Time
DRES: Department of Renewable Energy Sources
DTH: Direct to Home (broadcasting)

E
ECG: Electro Cardio-gram
ECS: Electronic Clearing Service
ECT: Electro-convulsant Therapy (electric shock treatment)
EDUSAT: Education Satellite
EEG: Electro-encephalography
EET: Exempt Exempt Taxation
EFA: Education for All
EFF: Extended Fund Facility
e.g.: exempli gratia; for example
EHTP: Electronic Hardware Technology Parks
ELISA: Enzyme-Linked Immuno Solvent Assay (used for testing AIDS)
EMI: Equated Monthly Instalment
EMS: European Monetary System
EMU: Electric-Multiple Unit; Extra-vehicular Mobility Unit; (European) Economic and Monetary Union
E & OE: Errors and Omissions Excepted
EPROM: Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory
ER: Eastern Railway
ERM: Exchange Rate Mechanism
ERNET: Educational and Research Network
ESA: European Space Agency
ESCAP: Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
ESMA: Essential Services Maintenance Act
ESOP: Employee Stock Option Programme
etc.: et cetera (and other things)
EU: European Union
EVM: Electronic Voting Machine

F
FAO: Food and Agriculture Organisation
FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation (of the U.S.A.)
FCNR: Foreign Currency (non-resident) Accounts Scheme
FDR: Flight Data Recorder; Fixed Deposit Receipt
FEMA: Foreign Exchange Management Act
FERA: Foreign Exchange Regulations Act
FICCI: Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry
FII: Foreign Institutional Investors
FIPB: Foreign Investment Promotion Board (of India)
FLAG: Fibre Optic Link Around the Globe
FM: Field Marshal; Frequency Modulated
FPSB: Financial Planning Standards Boards (India)
FRBM: Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management
FSSA: Food Safety and Standards Authority (of India)
FTA: Free Trade Area
FTP: File Transfer Protocol

G
GAGAN: GPS-aided Geo-augmented Navigation
GAIL: Gas Authority of India Limited
GAIN: Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition
GATS: General Agreement on Trade in Services
GATT: General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
GCA: General Currency Area
GCC: Gulf Cooperation Council
GCM: Greatest Common Measure
GEF: Global Environment Fund
GHQ: General Headquarters
GIC: General Insurance Corporation
GIST: Graphics and Intelligence based Script Technology
GMPS: Global Mobile Personal Communications System
GMRT: Giant Meterwave Radio Telescope
GMT: Greenwich Mean Time
GNSS: Global Navigation Satellite System
GNP: Gross National Product
GOC: General Officer Commanding
GPO: General Post Office
GPRS: General Packet Radio System
GPS: Global Positioning System
GSLV: Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle
GSP: Generalised Special Preferences
GST: Goods and Service Tax
GSTP: Global System of Trade Preferences

H
HAWS: High Altitude Warfare School
HCF: Highest Common Factor
HDI: Human Development Index
HDTV: High Definition Television
HE: His (or Her) Excellency; His (or Her) Eminence; High Explosive; Horizontal Equivalent
HITS: Headend In The Sky
HMMWV: High Mobility Multipurpose-Wheeled Vehicle
HMS: Hybrid Mail Service
HP: Himachal Pradesh; Horizontal Plane; Horse Power
HTML: HyperText Markup Language
HTTP: Hypertext Transfer Protocol
HUDCO: Housing and Urban Development Corporation
HVDC: High Voltage Direct Current

I
IAAI: International Airport Authority of India
IAAS: Indian Audit and Accounts Service
IADF: International Agricultural Development Fund
IAEA: International Atomic Energy Agency
IAF: Indian Air Force
IAMC: Indian Army Medical Corps
IAS: Indian Administrative Service
IATA: International Air Transport Association
IATT: Inland Air Travel Tax
IBRD: International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
IBEX: Interstellar Boundary Explorer Mission
ICANN: Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
ICAO: International Civil Aviation Organisation
ICAR: Indian Council of Agricultural Research
ICCR: Indian Council of Cultural Relations
ICCW: Indian Council for Child Welfare
ICDS: Integrated Child Development Service
ICJ: International Court of Justice (with Headquarters at the Hague)
ICL: Indian Cricket League
ICMR: Indian Council of Medical Research
ICPA: Indian Cricket Players’ Association
ICRC: International Committee of the Red Cross
IDA: International Development Association
IDBI: Industrial Development Bank of India
IDSA: Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis
i.e.: id est; that is
IEA: International Energy Agency
IES: Indian Economic Service
IEX: Indian Energy Exchange
IFRS: International Financial Reporting Standard
IFS: Indian Foreign Service; Indian Forest Service
IFTU: International Federation of Trade Unions
IFWJ: Indian Federation of Working Journalists
IGNOU: Indira Gandhi National Open University
IIPA: Indian Institute of Public Administration
IISS: International Institute of Strategic Studies
IIT: Indian Institutes of Technology
ILO: International Labour Organisation
IMA: Indian Military Academy
IMET: International Military Education Training Programme
IMF: International Monetary Fund
IMO: International Maritime Organisation
IN: Indian Navy; Intelligent Network
INA: Indian National Army
INK: International Newspaper Kiosks
INMARSAT: International Maritime Satellite Organisation
INMAS: Institute of Nuclear Medicines and Allied Sciences
INS: Indian Naval Ship; Indian Newspaper Society
INSAS: Indian Small Arms System
INSAT: Indian National Satellite
INTERPOL: International Police Organisation
INTUC: Indian National Trade Union Congress
IOC: International Olympic Committee
IP: Indian Police
IPC: Indian Penal Code
IPCC: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
IPEC: International Programme on Elimination of Child Labour
IPR: Intellectual Property Right
IPS: Indian Police Service; Indian Postal Service
IPTV: Internet Protocol Television
IPU: Inter-Parliamentary Union
IQ: Intelligence Quotient
IR: Infra-red
IRA: Insurance Regulatory Authority
IRBM: Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile
IREP: Integrated Rural Energy Planning
IRS: Indian Remote Sensing Satellite; Indian Revenue Service
ISAF: International Stabilization and Assistance Force (in Afghanistan)
ISC: Inter-State Council
ISCS: Integrated Smart Card System
ISD: International Subscriber Dialled (telephone)
ISH: Information Super Highway
ISKCON: International Society for Krishna Consciousness
ISO: International Standardisation Organisation
ISP: Internet Service Provider
ISRO: Indian Space Research Organisation
ISS: International Space Station
IST: Indian Standard Time
ISTRAC: ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network
ITDC: Indian Tourism Development Corporation
ITO: International Trade Organisation; Income-tax Officer
ITU: International Tele-communication Union
IUC: Interconnect User Charge

J, K, L
JCO: Junior Commissioned Officer
JNNURM: Jawahar Lal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission
JPC: Joint Parliamentary Committee
JPEG: Joint Photographic Experts Group
JWG: Joint Working Group
KG: Kindergarten
Kg: Kilogramme
KPO: Knowledge Process Outsourcing
LAC: Line of Actual Control
LCA: Light Combat Aircraft
LDC: Least Developed Countries
LHC: Large Hadron Collider
LIC: Life Insurance Corporation (of India)
LLP: Limited Liability Partnership
LOAC: Line of Actual Control
LTA: Light Transport Aircraft
LTTE: Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

M
MAT: Minimum Alternative Tax
MER: Mars Exploration Rover
MBBS: Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery
MCF: Master Control Facility
MEP: Minimum Export Price
MES: Military Engineering Service
METSAT: Meteorological Satellite
MFA: Multi-Fibre Agreement
MFN: Most Favoured Nation
MIP: Moon Impact Probe
MMS: Multimedia Messaging Service
MMTC: Minerals and Metals Trading Corporation of India
MNC: Multi-national Corporation
MNIC: Multi-purpose National Identity Card
MODEM: Modulator-Demodulator
MRI: Magnetic Resonance Imaging
MRTPC: Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission
MRTS: Mass Rapid Transit System
MSA: Maritime Safety Agency
MSCF: Maritime Security Cooperation Framework
Mss: Manuscript
MTCR: Missile Technology Control Regime
MTO: Multilateral Trade Organisation
MVC: Maha Vir Chakra
MUNO: Maha Vir Chakra

N
NAA: National Airport Authority
NABARD: National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development. (It helps rural development by providing a re-finance facility).
NACIL: National Aviation Company of India Ltd
NADA: National Anti-Doping Agency
NAEP: National Adult Education Programme
NAFTA: North America Free Trade Agreement
NAG: National Air Guard
NAM: Non-aligned Movement
NAMA: Non-Agriculture Market Access
NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (of the U.S.A.)
NASDAQ: National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation
NATA: Natural Aptitude Test for Architecture
NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
NAV: Net Asset Value
NB: Nota bene; note well, or take notice
NCA: Nuclear Command Authority
NCC: National Cadet Corps
NCEP: National Committee on Environmental Planning
NCERT: National Council of Education Research and Training
NCR: National Capital Region
NDA: National Defence Academy; National Democratic Alliance
NDNC: National Do Not Call (Registry)
NDPS: Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances
NDRF: National Disaster Response Force
NDTL: National Dope Testing Laboratory
NeGP: National e-governance Plan
NEDB: North-Eastern Development Bank
NEP: National Education Policy
NEPA: National Environment Protection Authority
NFO: New Fund Offers
NHDP: National Highways Development Project
NHRC: National Human Rights Commission
NIC: National Integration Council
NIFT: National Institute of Fashion Technology
NIO: National Institute of Oceanography
NIS: National Institute of Sports
NIT: National Institute of Technology
NLMA: National Literacy Mission Authority
NMD: Nuclear Missile Defence
NMDC: National Mineral Development Corporation
NPL: National Physical Laboratory
NPR: National Population Register
NPT: (Nuclear) Non-Proliferation Treaty
NRBI: National Rural Bank of India
NREGA: National Rural Employment Guarantee Act
NREP: National Rural Employment Programme
NRF: National Renewal Fund
NRI: Non-Resident Indian
NRR: National Reproduction Rate
NRSA: National Remote Sensing Agency
NSA: National Security Act
NSC: National Service Corps; National Security Council
NSDL: National Securities Depository Limited
NSE: National Stock Exchange
NSR: National Skills Registry
NTPC: National Thermal Power Corporation
NWDA: National Water Development Agency
NWRC: National Water Resources Council

O
OAS: Organisation of American States
OAU: Organisation of African Unity
OBC: Other Backward Communities
OBU: Offshore Banking Unit
ODA: Official Development Assistance
ODF: Open Document Format
ODS: Ozone Depletion Substances
OECD: Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development
OGL: Open General Licence
OIC: Organisation of Islamic Countries
OIGS: On India Government Service
OIL: Oil India Limited
OM: Order of Merit
ONGC: Oil and Natural Gas Commission
OPEC: Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries
OSCE: Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe
OSD: Officer on Special Duty
OXML: Open Extended Marking Language

P
PAC: Political Affairs Committee; Public Accounts Committee
PACER: Programme for Acceleration of Commercial Energy Research
PAN: Permanent Account Number (of Income-Tax)
PATA: Pacific-Asia Travel Association
PCS: Public Civil Service; Punjab Civil Service
PIB: Press Information Bureau
Pin Code: Postal Index Number Code
PIO: Persons of Indian Origin
PLF: Plant Load Factor
PM: Post Meridiem; after-noon; also Postmaster; Prime Minister; post-mortem (after death)
PMG: Postmaster General
PN: Participatory Note
PO: Post Office; Postal Order
POPs: Persistent Organic Pollutants; Point of Purchase
POTA: Prevention of Terrorism Act
POW: Prisoner of War
PP: Public Prosecutor; Particular Person
PRO: Public Relations Officer
PS: Post Scriptum; PostScript; written after
PSC: Public Service Commission
PSE: Public Sector Enterprises
PSLV: Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle
PTA: Preferential Trade Area
PTI: Press Trust of India
PTO: Please Turn Over; Privilege Ticket Order
PUFA: Poly Unsaturated Fatty Acids
PVC: Param Vir Chakra
PVSM: Param Vishisht Sewa Medal
PWD: Public Works Department

Q, R
QMG: Quarter Master General
QR: Quantitative Restriction
RAF: Rapid Action Force
RAM: Random Access Memory
RBI: Reserve Bank of India
RCC: Reinforced Concrete Cement
RDF: Rapid Development Force
RDS: Radio Data Servicing
RDSS: Radio Determination Satellite Service
REACH: Rehabilitate, Educate and Support Street Children
RLO: Returned Letter Office
RLV: Reusable Launch Vehicle
RPM: Revolution Per Minute
RPO: Recruitment Process Outsourcing; Regional Passport Officer
RRB: Regional Rural Bank
RRPI: Rural Retail Price Index
RSS: Rashtriya Swyamsevak Sangh
RSVP: Repondez s’il vous plait (Fr.) reply, if you please
RTGS: Real-Time Gross Settlement System

S
SAARC: South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation
SAFTA: South Asian Free Trade Area
SAIL: Steel Authority of India Limited
SAPTA: SAARC Preferential Trading Agreement
SARS: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
SATNAV: Satellite Navigation (Initiative)
SAVE: SAARC Audio Visual Exchange
SC: Security Council; Supreme Court; Scheduled Caste
SCI: Shipping Corporation of India
SCO: Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
SCOPE: Standing Conference on Public Enterprises
SDO: Sub-Divisional Officer
SDR: Special Drawing Rights (created by the World Bank)
SEBI: Securities and Exchange Board of India
SFC: Strategic Forces Command
SGPC: Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee
SIDBI: Small Industries Development Bank of India
SIT: Special Investigation Team
SITE: Satellite Instructional Television Experiment
SLR: Statutory Liquidity Ratio
SMS: Short Messaging Service; Subscriber Management System
SOS: Save Our Souls—distress signal
SPG: Special Protection Group
SPIN: Software Process Improvement Networks
SPV: Solar Photo Voltaic
SQUID: Superconducting Quantum Interference Device
SRE: Space Capsule Recovery Experiment
SRV: Submarine Rescue Vessel
SSN: Social Security Number
STARS: Satellite Tracking and Ranging Station
START: Strategic Arms Reduction Talks
STEP: Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Park
STT: Securities Transaction Tax
SWAN: State-wide Area Network
SWIFT: Society for Worldwide Financial Telecommunications

T
TA: Travelling Allowance; Territorial Army
TAAI: Travel Agents Association of India
TACDE: Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment
TADA: Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act
TAPS: Tarapur Atomic Power Station
TB: Tuberculosis
TDC: Transport Development Council
TDS: Tax Deduction at Source
TDSAT: Telecom Dispute Settlement Appellate Tribunal
TERLS: Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station
TIFR: Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
TIN: Tax Information Network
TINXSYS: Tax Information Exchange System
TISCO: Tata Iron and Steel Company
TMC: Terrain Mapping Camera
TMO: Telegraphic Money Order
TNT: Tri-nitro-toluene (high explosive)
TPP: 20-Point Programme
TRAI: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
TRIMs: Trade-Related Investment Measures
TRIPS: Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights
TRP: Television Rating Points; Tax Return Preparer
TRYSEM: Training of Rural Youth for Self Employment
TTE: Travelling Ticket Examiner
TTF: Tourism Task Force

U
UAE: United Arab Emirates
UAV: Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
UF: United Front
UFO: Unidentified Flying Object
UGC: University Grants Commission
ULFA: United Liberation Front of Assam
UN: United Nations
UNCTAD: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
UNDP: United Nations Development Programme
UNEF: United Nations Emergency Force
UNEP: United Nations Environment Programme
UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation
UNFPO: United Nations Fund for Population Activities
UNHCR: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
UNHRC: United Nations Human Rights Commission
UNI: United News of India
UNICEF: United Nations International Children’s (Emergency) Fund
UNIDO: United Nations Industrial Development Organisation
UNRRA: United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration
UNTAC: United Nations Transitional Authority for Cambodia
UPA: United Progressive Alliance
UPSC: Union Public Service Commission
UPTN: Universal Personal Telephone Number
USA: United States of America
USIS: United States Information Service

V
VAT: Value-added Tax
VC: Vice-Chancellor; Vice Counsel; Victoria Cross; Vir Chakra
VDIS: Voluntary Disclosure of Income Scheme
VHRR: Very High-Resolution Radiometer
VIP: Very Important Person
VLSI: Very Large Scale Integration
VOIP: Voice Over Internet Protocol
VPN: Virtual Private Network
VPP: Value Payable Post
VRS: Voluntary Retirement Scheme
VSAT: Very Small Aperture Terminals

W
WADA: World Anti-Doping Agency
WAP: Wireless Application Protocol
WAVE: Wireless Access for Virtual Enterprise
WDF: Wasteland Development Force
WEF: World Economic Forum
WFP: World Food Programme
WFTU: World Federation of Trade Unions
WGIG: Working Group on Internet Governance
WIPO: World Intellectual Property Organisation
WLL: Wireless in Local Loop
WMD: Weapons of Mass Destruction
WR: Western Railway
WTO: World Trade Organisation (previously called GATT); also World Tourism Organisation

X, Y, Z
XML: eXtensible Markup Language
YMCA: Young Men’s Christian Association
YWCA: Young Women’s Christian Association