Consider the following events:
- 1.The first democratically elected communist party government formed in a State in India.
- 2.India’s then largest bank, ‘Imperial Bank of India’, was renamed ‘State Bank of India’.
- 3.Air India was nationalised and became the national carrier.
- 4.Goa became a part of independent India.
Which of the following is the correct chronological sequence of the above events?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) 3 – 2 – 1 – 4
The order is Air India (1953), State Bank of India (July 1955), the Kerala communist government (1957) and Goa (December 1961), so the sequence is 3-2-1-4. Fixing the years of these four landmarks of the 1950s and early 1960s settles the question.
- • 3. Air India was created under the Air Corporations Act, 1953, when the government nationalised air transport. This is the earliest event.
- • 2. The Imperial Bank of India passed into state ownership and became the State Bank of India in July 1955.
- • 1. In the March 1957 elections in Kerala the Communist Party won the most seats, and E. M. S. Namboodiripad formed a ministry. It was the first communist government to come to power through elections.
- • 4. Goa, Diu and Daman were liberated by the Indian army in December 1961, the last of the four events.
Remember · Order: Air India nationalised 1953, Imperial Bank to SBI 1955, Kerala's communist ministry 1957, Goa's liberation 1961.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 12 Politics in India since Independence, Ch 2 (practise this chapter) · Class 12 Politics in India since Independence, Ch 7 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- Air-India Limited, Annual Report 2002-03, Chapter 8 (Ministry of Civil Aviation) ↗ “Air India was established in 1953 under the Air Corporations Act, 1953 to provide safe, efficient, adequate, economical and properly co-ordinated international air transport services.”
- From Imperial Bank to State Bank (Reserve Bank of India, history of the RBI) ↗ “The creation of the State Bank of India in July 1955 followed the passage of the Imperial Bank of India into state ownership.”
- NCERT Class 12 · Politics in India since Independence, Chapter 2 “In the assembly elections held in March 1957, the Communist Party won the largest number of seats in the Kerala legislature.”
- NCERT Class 12 · Politics in India since Independence, Chapter 7 “Finally, in December 1961, the Government of India sent the army which liberated these territories after barely two days of action.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2018, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·