A-25

IMPORTANT APPOINTMENTS 2015

JANUARY
Sindhushree Khullar--- Chief Executive Officer of NITI
1-Jan-15
Aayog
5-Jan-15 Sutirtha Bhattacharya ---- CMD of Coal India Limited
12-Jan-15 Alur Seelin Kiran Kumar---Chairman of ISRO
Divya Prakash Sinha --- Security Secretary in the Union
25-Jan-15
Cabinet Secretariat
28-Jan-15 S Jaishankar ---- Foreign Secretary of India
30-Jan-15 Hanumanthu Purushotham --- CMD of NRDC
FEBRUARY
1-Feb-15 Ashok K Agarwal --- General Manager Southern Railway
4-Feb-15 LC Goyal ----- Union Home Secretary
MO Garg ---- Director General of Council of Scientific &
5-Feb-15
Industrial Research
21-Feb-15 Tapan Misra ---- Chief of ISROs Space Application Centre
Takahiro Hachigo----President and CEO of Honda Motor
23-Feb-15
Co Limited
MARCH
1-Mar-15 Steve Easterbrook----CEO of McDonalds Corporation
3-Mar-15 Baldev Sharma ----- National Book Trust
16-Mar-15 Abid Ali Neemuchwala--- COO and Group President Wipro
APRIL
Neeraj Kumar ----- Chief Adviser of Anti-Corruption &
20-Apr-15
Security Unit of BCCI

MAY
8-May-15 Achal Kumar Jyoti ---- Election Commissioner
KV Kamath --- First President of New Development Bank of
11-May-15
BRICS Nations
28-May-15 S Christopher--- Director General of DRDO
30-May-15 Pradeep Kumar Sinha --- Cabinet Secretary to Union Government
A-26 Important Appointments 2015

JUNE
1-Jun-15 Meena Hemchandra ----- Executive Director of RBI
1-Jun-15 Pawan Munjal ----- CMD of Hero MotoCorp Ltd
8-Jun-15 Vijai Sharma ----- Chief Information Commissioner of India
9-Jun-15 Dr. Srivari Chandrasekhar--- Director of CSIR-IICT
Archana Ramasundaram---- Director of National Crime
18-Jun-15
Records Bureau
JULY
Bhanu Pratap Sharma ---- Chairperson of Food Safety and
20-Jul-15
Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
21-Jul-15 Maurice Obstfeld--- Chief Economist of IMF
25-Jul-15 Ajay Mathur -- Director-General of TERI
AUGUST
3-Aug-15 Roland S Folger--- CEO and MD of Mercedes-Benz India
11-Aug-15 Sanjay Jalona--- MD and CEO of L&T Infotech
13-Aug-15 OP Rawat ---- Election Commissioner of India
18-Aug-15 Kishor Piraji Kharat--- MD and CEO of IDBI Bank
SEPTEMBER
Stuti Narain Kacker----Chairperson of National Commission
24-Sep-15
for Protection of Child Rights
OCTOBER
4-Oct-15 Shashank Manohar ---- BCCI President
9-Oct-15 Tapan Ray--- Board of Securities and Exchange Board of India
16-Oct-15 MK Surana --- CMD of Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd
Najib Shah ---- Chairman of Central Board Excise and
28-Oct-15
Customs
NOVEMBER
18-Nov-15 Justice T S Thakur ----Chief Justice of India
Swati Dandekar --- Executive Director to the Asian
20-Nov-15
Development Bank (ADB)
Sunil Kanoria -----President of The Associated Chamber of
25-Nov-15
Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM)
DECEMBER
3-Dec Justice Tirath Singh Thakur ----- 43rd Chief Justice of India
Gautam H Bambawale --- Indias High Commissioner to
24-Dec
Pakistan
 A-27

BOOKS AND AUTHORS 2015

Transcendence: My Spiritual Experiences with Pramukh Swamiji: Abdul

Kalam
Unbelievable Delhi to Islamabad: Prof Bhim Singh
Two Years Eight Months and Twenty Eight Nights: Salman Rushdie
Globalisation, Democratization and Distributive Justice: Professor Mool
Chand Sharma
Making India Awesome: Chetan Bhagat
Flood of fire: Amitav Ghosh
Education of Muslims: Islamic Perspective of Knowledge and Education:
J.S. Rajput
Neither a Hawk nor a Dove: Khurshid M Kasuri
The Red Sari: Javier Moro
Sourav Ganguly: Cricket, Captaincy and Controversy: Saptarshi Sarkar
China Confucius in the Shadows: Poonam Surie
Ahmedabad : A city in the world: Amrita Shah
30 Women in Power: Their Voices, Their Stories: Naina Lal Kidwai
Mrs Funnybones: Twinkle Khanna
R.D. Burman: The Prince of Music: Khagesh Dev Burman
Ghosts of Calcutta: Sebastian Ortiz
Beyond Doubt: A Dossier on Gandhis Assassination: Teesta Setalvad
Benazir Bhutto: A Multidimensional Portrait: Dr Anna Suvorova
Modi - Incredible emergence of a star: Tarun Vijay
The Accidental Prime Minister The making and unmaking of Manmohan
Singh: Sanjaya Baru
Hard Choices (Autobiography): Hillary Rodham Clinton
I am Malala (Autobiography): Malala Yousafzai
And Then One Day: Naseerudin Shah
Playing It My Way: Sachin Tendulkar
The Narrow Road To the Deep North: Richard Flangan
Go Set a Watchman: Harper Lee
Editor Unplugged : Media, Magnates, Netas and Me: Vinod Mehta
Super Economies: Raghav Bahl
Family Life: Akhil Sharma
A-28 Books and Authors 2015

Lucknow Boy: A Memoir: Late Vinod Mehta

A Brief History of Seven Killings: Marlon James
Beyond 2020: A Vision for Tomorrows India: A. P. J. Abdul Kalam and
Y. S. Rajan
Leading: Alex Ferguson With Michael Moritz
The Outsider: Frederick Forsyth
The Courage to Act A Memoir of a Crisis and Its Aftermath: Ben S.
Bernanke
Ruled or Misruled: Story and Destiny of Bihar: Santosh Singh
Hungry Bengal: War, Famine, Riots and the End of Empire: Janam
Mukherjee
To the Brink and Back: Indias 1991 Story: Jairam Ramesh
Complete Story of Indian Reforms: 2G, Power & Private -Enterprise:
Pradeep Baijal
The Pakistan Paradox: Christrophe Jaffrelot
Crusader or Conspirator: P.C. Parakh
Born Again On the Mountain: Arunima Sinha
The China Model: Daniel A bell
Scion of Ikshvaku: Amish Tripathi
Purity: Jonathan Franzen
God Help the Child: Toni Morrison
Love + Hate: Stories and Essays: Hanif Kureishi
The Heart Goes Last: Margaret Atwood
Because We Say So: Noam Chomsky
Deep South: Paul Theroux
The Country of First Boys: Amartya Sen
Hubris: Meghnad Desai
Unbound: 2,000 Years of Indian Womens Writing: Annie Zaidi
Farewell Kabul: How the West Ignored Pakistan and Lost Afghanistan:
Christina Lamb
A Strangeness in My Mind: Orhan Pamuk
The House that BJ Built: Anuja Chauhan
Alfred Hitchcock: Peter Ackroyd
Autumn of the Matriarch: Indira Gandhis Final Term in Office: Diego
Maiorano
Gods of Corruption: Promilla Shankar
Restart: The Last Chance for the Indian Economy: Mihir S. Sharma
The Tears of the Rajas: Ferdinand Mount
Awards & Honours 2015 A-29

AWARDS & HONOURS 2015

62nd National Awards

Best Feature Film: Court (Marathi, Hindi, English,
Gujarati)
Best Debut Film of a Director: Asha Jaoar Majhe(Bengali)
Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment:
Mary Kom (Hindi)
Best Childrens Film: Kaaka Muttai(Tamil), Elizabeth
Ekadashi(Marathi)
Best Direction: Srijit Mukherji for Chotushkone (Bengali)
Best Film on Other Social Issues: Chotoder Chobi (Bengali)
Best Film on Environment / Conservation / Preservation: Ottaal
(Malayalam)
Best Actor: Sanchari Vijay for Naanu Avanalla...Avalu (Kannada)
Best Actress: Kangana Ranaut for Queen (Hindi)
Best Supporting Actor: Bobby Simha for Jigarthanda (Tamil)
Best Supporting Actress: Baljinder Kaur for Pagdi The Honour (Haryanvi)
Best Child Artist: J. Vignesh and Ramesh for Kaaka Muttai (Tamil)
Best Male Playback Singer: Sukhwinder Singh for Bismil from Haider
Best Female Playback Singer: Uthara Unnikrishnan for Azhage from
Saivam
Best Cinematography: Sudeep Chatterjee for Chotushkone (Bengali)
Best Screenplay (Original): Srijit Mukherji for Chotushkone (Bengali)
Best Screenplay (Dialogues): Vishal Bhardwaj for Haider
Best Editing: Vivek Harshan for Jigarthanda (Tamil)

Gandhi Peace Prize 2014

Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2014was awarded to the Indian Space
Research Organization (ISRO) for its contribution to the countrys
development through space technology and satellite-based services.
A-30 Awards & Honours 2015

National Sports Awards

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award 2014-15:Sania Mirza was the recipient
of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award. It is Indias highest honour given
for achievement in sports. It carries a medal, a scroll of honour and a cash
prize of Rs. 750,000.
Dronacharya Award 2015: Naval Singh- Athletics (Javelin throw) Para-
sports coach, Anoop Singh- Wrestling coach, Harbans Singh- Athletics
coach, Swatantar Raj Singh- Boxing coach, and Nihar Ameen- Swimming
coach. The award is given for excellence in sports coaching.The award
comprises a bronze statuette of Dronacharya, a scroll of honour and a
cash component of Rs 500,000.
Arjuna Award 2015: Sandeep Kumar- Archery, M R Poovamma-
Athletics (4X400 metres relay), Kidambi Srikanth- Badminton, Mandeep
Jangra- Boxing, Rohit Sharma- Cricket, Dipa Karmakar- Gymnastics,
Sreejesh P R- Hockey, Manjeet Chhillar- Kabaddi, Abhilasha Mhatre-
Kabaddi, Swaran Singh- Rowing, Anup Kumar Yama- Roller Skating,
Jitu Rai- Shooting, Sathish Kumar- Weightlifting, Bajrang- Wrestling,
Babita Kumari- Wrestling, Y Sanathoi Devi- Wushu, and Sharath M
Gayakwad- Para-Swimming were the recipients of Arjuna Award. The
award is given to recognize outstanding achievement in National sports.
The award carries a cash prize of Rs 500,000 a bronze statue of Arjuna
and a scroll.
Dhyan Chand Award 2015: Romeo James- Hockey, Shiv Prakash Mishra-
Tennis, and P Nair- Volleyball.It is Indias highest award for lifetime
achievement in sports and games.The award carries a cash prize of INR
500,000, a plaque and a scroll of honour.

Ramanujan Prize 2015

Mathematician Dr. Amalendu Krishna was awarded the Ramanujan Prize
for year 2015 for his outstanding contributions in the area of algebraic
K-theory, algebraic cycles and the theory of motives.
Pl fill in the pictures of awards in the blank places against each award (as
per below)
Awards & Honours 2015 A-31

Bharat Ratna 2015

Bharat Ratna (also known as Jewel of India) is the highest
civilian award in India. It was instituted on 2nd January
1954, to be conferred in recognition of exceptional
service/performance of the highest order, without any
discrimination on the basis race, occupation, position, or
sex.
1. Acclaimed educationist and freedom fighter Madan Mohan Malviya
was conferred with the award posthumously.
2. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was also conferred with
the honour.

Padma Vibhushan 2015

Padma Vibhushan is the second highest civilian award in India. It consists
of a medal and a citation. It was established on 2nd January 1954 to
recognize a persons exceptional and distinguished service to the nation in
any field, including government service.
1. LK Advani(Public Affairs-Gujarat); 2. Amitabh Bachchan(Art-
Maharashtra); 3. Prakash Singh Badal(Public Affairs-Punjab);
4. Dr D Veerendra Heggade(Social Work- Karnataka); 5. Dilip
Kumar(Art-Maharashtra); 6. Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Swami
Rambhadracharya(Others- Uttar Pradesh); 7. Prof Malur Ramaswamy
Srinivasan( Science and Engineering-Tamil Nadu); 8. Kottayan K.
Venugopal(Public Affairs- Delhi); 9. Karim Al Hussaini Aga Khan(Trade
and Industry- France/UK)

Padma Bhushan 2015

Padma Bhushan is Indias third highest civilian award, after Bharat Ratna
and Padma Vibhushan. The award was instituted on 2nd January 1954 by
the President of India to award people for their distinguished service to
the nation, in any field.
Jahnu Barua(Art- Assam); Dr Vijay Bhatkar(Science and Engineering-
Maharashtra); Shri Swapan Dasgupta(Literature and Education-
Delhi); Swami Satyamitranand Giri(Others-Uttar Pradesh); N
Gopalaswami(Civil Service-Tamil Nadu); Dr Subhash C Kashyap(Public
Affairs- Delhi); Gokulotsavji Maharaj(Art- Madhya Pradesh);
Dr Ambrish Mithal(Medicine Delhi); Sudha Ragunathan(Art-
Tamil Nadu); Shri Harish Salve(Public Affairs- Delhi); Dr Ashok
Seth(Medicine- Delhi); Rajat Sharma(Literature and Education- Delhi);
Satpal(Sports- Delhi); Shivakumara Swami(Others- Karnataka); Dr
Kharag Singh Valdiya(Science and Engineering- Karnataka); Prof Manjul
Bhargava(Science and Engineering- USA); David Frawley(Others- USA);
Bill Gates(Social Work- USA); Melinda Gates(Social Work- USA);
Saichiro Misumi(Others- Japan)
A-32 Awards & Honours 2015

Padma Shri 2015

Padma Shri (also Padmashree) is the fourth highest civilian award in India, instituted
to reward people for their distinguished contribution in various spheres of activity
comprising of Arts, Education, Industry, Literature, Science, Sports, Medicine, Social
Service and Public Affairs.
Dr Manjula Anagani- Medicine- Telangana; S Arunan- Science and Engineering-
Karnataka; Kanyakumari Avasarala- Art- Tamil Nadu; Dr Bettina Sharada
Baumer- Literature and Education- Jammu and Kashmir; Naresh Bedi- Art-
Delhi; Ashok Bhagat- Social Work- Jharkhand;Sanjay Leela Bhansali- Art-
Maharashtra; Dr Lakshmi Nandan Bora- Literature and Education- Assam; Dr
Gyan Chaturvedi- Literature and Education- Madhya Pradesh; Prof (Dr) Yogesh
Kumar Chawla- Medicine- Chandigarh; Jayakumari Chikkala- Medicine- Delhi;
Bibek Debroy- Literature and Education- Delhi; Dr Sarungbam Bimola Kumari
Devi- Medicine- Manipur; Dr Ashok Gulati- Public Affairs- Delhi; Dr Randeep
Guleria- Medicine- Delhi; Dr KP Haridas- Medicine- Kerala; Rahul Jain- Art-
Delhi; Ravindra Jain- Art- Maharashtra; Dr Sunil Jogi- Literature and Education-
Delhi; Prasoon Joshi- Art- Maharashtra; Dr Prafulla Kar- Art- Odisha; Saba
Anjum- Sports- Chhattisgarh; Ushakiran Khan- Literature and Education- Bihar;
Dr Rajesh Kotecha- Medicine- Rajasthan; Prof Alka Kriplani- Medicine Delhi; Dr
Harsh Kumar- Medicine- Delhi; Narayana Purushothama Mallaya- Literature &
Education- Kerala; Lambert Mascarenhas- Literature and Education- Goa; Dr Janak
Palta McGilligan- Social Work- Madhya Pradesh
30. Veerendra Raj Mehta- Social Work- Delhi; Tarak Mehta- Art- Gujarat; Neil
Herbert Nongkynrih (Art), Meghalaya; Chewang Norphel- Others- Jammu and
Kashmir; TV Mohandas Pai- Trade and Industry- Karnataka; Dr Tejas Patel-
Medicine- Gujarat; Jadav Molai Peyang- Others- Assam; Bimla Poddar- Others-
Uttar Pradesh; Dr N Prabhakar- Science and Engg- Delhi; Dr Prahalada- Science
and Engg- Maharashtra; Dr Narendra Prasad- Medicine- Bihar; Ram Bahadur Rai-
Literature and Education- Delhi; Mithali Raj- Sports- Telangana; PV Rajaraman-
Civil Service- Tamil Nadu; Prof JS Rajput- Literature and Education- Uttar
Pradesh; Kota Srinivasa Rao- Art- Andhra Pradesh; Prof Bimal Roy- Literature and
Education- West Bengal; Shekhar Sen- Art- Maharashtra; Gunvant Shah- Literature
and Education- Gujarat; Brahmdev Sharma- Literature and Education- Delhi; Manu
Sharma- Literature and Education- Uttar Pradesh; Prof Yog Raj Sharma- Medicine-
Delhi; Vasant Shastri- Science and Engg- Karnataka; SK Shivkumar- Science and
Engg- Karnataka; PV Sindhu- Sports- Telangana; Sardara Singh- Sports- Haryana;
Arunima Sinha-Sports- Uttar Pradesh; Mahesh Raj Soni- Art- Rajasthan; Dr Nikhil
Tandon- Medicine- Delhi; H Thegtse Rinpoche- Social Work- Arunachal Pradesh;
Dr Hargovind Laxmishanker Trivedi- Medicine- Gujarat; Huang Baosheng- Others-
China; Prof Jacques Blamont- Science and Engg- France; Late Syedna Mohammad
Burhanuddin- Others- Maharashtra (Posthumous); Jean-Claude Carriere- Literature
and Education France; Dr Nandrajan Raj Chetty- Literature and Education-
France; George L Hart- Others- USA; Jagat Guru Amrta Suryananda Maha Raja-
Others- Portugal; Late Meetha Lal Mehta- Social Work- Rajasthan (Posthumous);
Tripti Mukherjee- Art- USA; Dr Dattatreyudu Nori- Medicine- USA; Dr Raghu
Rama Pillarisetti (Medicine), USA; Dr Saumitra Rawat- Medicine- UK; Prof
Annette Schmiedchen (Literature and Education), Germany; Late Pran Kumar
Sharma alias Pran- Art- Delhi (Posthumous); Late R Vasudevan- Civil Service- Tamil
Nadu (Posthumous)
Awards & Honours 2015 A-33

Oscar Awards 2015

Best Picture: Birdman
Best Director: Alejandro G. Irritu
Best Actor: Eddie Redmayne (The Theory
of Everything)
Best Actress: Julianne Moore (Still Alice)
Best Original Screenplay: Alejandro G. Irritu, Nicols Giacobone,
Alexander Dinelaris Jr. and Armando Bo for Birdman
Best Animated Feature Film: Big Hero 6
Best Foreign Language Film: Ida (Poland)
Best Original Song: Glory from Selma
Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki for Birdman
Best Film Editing: Tom Cross for Whiplash
Best Visual Effects: Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter and
Scott Fisher for Interstellar

International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards 2015

Best Film: Queen (Phantom Films)
Best Director: Rajkumar Hirani for PK
Best Actor in a Leading Role: Shahid Kapoor for
Haider
Best Actress in a Leading Role: Kangana Ranaut for
Queen
Male Debutant Star: Tiger Shroff for Heropanti
Female Debutant Star: Kriti Sanon for Heropanti
Best Performance in a Comic Role: Varun Dhawan for Main Tera Hero
Best Performance in a Negative Role: Kay Kay Menon for Haider

Annual Grammy Awards 2015

Album of the Year: Morning Phase, Beck
Song of the Year: Stay With Me (Darkchild Version), James Napier,
William Phillips & Sam Smith, songwriters (Sam Smith)
Best New Artist: Sam Smith
Best Pop Solo Performance: Happy (Live), Pharrell Williams
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:Say Something, A Great Big World
With Christina Aguilera
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: Cheek To Cheek, Tony Bennett &
Lady Gaga
Best Pop Vocal Album: In The Lonely Hour, Sam Smith
A-34 Awards & Honours 2015

Nobel Prize 2015

The Nobel prize is bestowed to various intellectuals around the world in
recognition of their academic, cultural and/or scientific advances. The
will of the Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel was used to institute the prizes
in 1895.
Nobel Prize in Physics 2015: Takaaki Kajita and Arthur B. McDonald
Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2015: Tomas Lindahl, Paul Modrich and Aziz
Sancar
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2015:
William C. Campbell, Satoshi Qmura and Youyou Tu
Nobel Prize in Literature 2015: Svetlana Alexievich
Nobel Peace Prize 2015: National Dialogue Quartet
Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred
Nobel 2015: Angus Deaton

2015 Cannes Film Festival

Cannes Film Festival, held in Cannes, France, previews new films of all
genres, including documentaries, from around the world. The festival was
founded in 1946 and is one of the most prestigious film festivals in the
world.
Best Director- Hou Hsiao-hsien for The Assassin
Best Screenplay- Michel Franco for Chronic
Best Actress- Rooney Mara for Carol and Emmanuelle Bercot for Mon
roi
Best Actor- Vincent Lindon for The Measure of a Man
Jury Prize- The Lobster by Yorgos Lanthimos
Palme dOr Dheepan by Jacques Audiard
Grand Prix Son of Saul by Lszl Nemes

DSC Prize for South Asian Literature for 2015

Indian-American author Jhumpa Lahiri won the $50,000 DSC Prize for
Literature for 2015. The prize was instituted in 2011 by DSC Limited, an
Indian infrastructure and construction company which also sponsors the
Jaipur Literature Festival.
Awards & Honours 2015 A-35

Pulitzer Prize 2015

The award was established in 1917 to reward
people and organisations for achievements in
newspaper and online journalism, literature,
and musical composition in the US in
accordance with the provisions in the will of
American (Hungarian-born) publisher Joseph Pulitzer.

Journalism Letters, Drama, and Music

Public Service Fiction
The Post and Courier, Charleston, SC All the Light We Cannot See
Breaking News Reporting by Anthony Doerr
The Seattle Times Staff Drama
Investigative Reporting Between Riverside and
Crazy by Stephen Adly
Eric Lipton of The New York Times and Guirgis
The Wall Street Journal Staff
History
Explanatory Reporting
Encounters at the Heart of
Zachary R. Mider of Bloomberg News the World: A History of the
Local Reporting Mandan People by Elizabeth
Rob Kuznia, Rebecca Kimitch and Frank A. Fenn
Suraci of the Daily Breeze, Torrance, CA Biography or Autobiography
National Reporting The Pope and Mussolini:
Carol D. Leonnig of The Washington Post The Secret History of Pius
XI and the Rise of Fascism
International Reporting
in Europe by David I.
The New York Times Staff Kertzer
Feature Writing Poetry
Diana Marcum of the Los Angeles Times Digest by Gregory Pardlo
Commentary General Non-fiction
Lisa Falkenberg of the Houston Chronicle The Sixth Extinction:
Criticism An Unnatural History by
Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Elizabeth Kolbert
Times Music
Editorial Writing Anthracite Fields by Julia
Kathleen Kingsbury of The Boston Globe Wolfe
Editorial Cartooning
Adam Zyglis of The Buffalo News
Breaking News Photography
St. Louis Post-Dispatch Photography Staff
Feature Photography
Daniel Berehulak, freelance photographer,
The New York Times
A-36
OBITUARY IN 2015
29th January: Subhash Ghising,
the President of Gorkha National
Liberation Front (GNLF)
2nd February: Mrinalini Mukherjee,
Acclaimed Indian sculptor and artist
14th February: Louis Jourdan,
French film and television actor
27th February: Leonard Nimoy,
acclaimed US actor
12th March: Terry Pratchett, author
of Discworld series of 41 novels
24th March: Malli Mastan Babu,
Indias ace mountaineer
1st April: Misao Okawa, Worlds
oldest person(117 years and 27 days)
10th April: Richie Benaud, Veteran
Australian Cricket legend and
former Captain
11th April: Retired Lieutenant General
Hanut Singh awarded Mahavir Chakra
for his role in the battle of Basantar in
the 1971 Indo Pak war.
13th April: Gunter Grass, German
Nobel laureate novelist and playwright
2nd May: Michael Blake, Oscar-
winning author and screenwriter
7th May: Amalendu Guha, historian,
economist and poet from Assam
18th May: Aruna Shanbaug, face of
mercy killing in India
2nd June: Irwin Rose, Nobel Prize
Winner in Chemistry
2nd June: Irwin Rose, American
biologist and winner of 2004 Nobel
Prize in Chemistry
13th June: Sheila Kaul, former
Governor of Himachal Pradesh
21st June: Shashi Bala, Former
Indian women hockey captain
23rd June: Sister Nirmala Joshi,
successor of Nobel laureate Mother
Teresa
23rd June: Praful Bidwai, Veteran
Journalist and activist
26th June: Matti Makkonen,
Finnish engineer also known as
Father of SMS technology
25th July: APJ Abdul Kalam, Former
Indian President and Aerospace
scientist
25th July: Santasilan Kadirgamar,
eminent Sri Lankan historian
25th July: R.S. Gavai, Former
Governor of Bihar and Kerala
21st July: EL Doctorow, renowned
US novelist, editor, and professor
13th August: Om Prakash Munjal,
the founder and chairman of Hero
Cycles
18th August: Suvra Mukherjee,
First Lady of India
30th August: Dr.M. M. Kalburgil,
Senior Kannada writer
5th September: Adesh Shrivastava,
Eminent Music composer and singer
9th September: Ramaswamy Iyer,
renowned Water policy expert
12th September: Frank D Gilroy,
Pulitzer prize-winning playwright
19th September: Jackie Collins,
Novelist
22nd September: Yogi Berra,
American professional baseball
catcher, manager, and coach
27th September: Dr. Syed Ahmad,
Manipur Governor, politician, and
author
5th October: Henning Mankell,
renowned Swedish crime writer,
childrens author, and dramatist
10th October: Manorama, Veteran
Tamil actress
18th October: Gamal al-Ghitani,
Eminent Egyptian novelist
1st Nov: Brijmohan Lall Munjal,
Indian businessman, founder and
the chairman of Hero Motocorp
(Hero group of companies)
15 Nov: Saeed Jaffrey, Indian-born
British actor
22 Dec: Sadhana, Renowned
Bollywood Actress
 A-37

Where is Modi Government

Heading?

M uch has been said about

the performance of the
present government headed
by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi. The comments and
opinions have been both
positive and negative. It often
so happens that when one
is too close to the subject he
or she is saying, the subject
loses its sharpness and looks
disproportionate. It is so with
the case of peoples view on Modis government. What one needs is a birds
eye view to see what has the government actually done and what still remains
to be done. The question to ask is: Did they address the most pressing matters
at first? Or did they attempt to present a glorious and shining dream to India
with Smart cities and Bullet trains while the basic issues of gender inequality,
poverty and communalism were brushed under the carpet?
Promises versus Execution
The Modi Government arrived bearing a lot of promises very much
like any other government. The initial onset of actions pertaining to the
flood relief work at Jammu and Kashmir and the clean-up of bureaucracy
were a promising sign. The Modi government displayed hints of efficiency
and swiftness. In the past one and half years of the Government, various
initiatives like BetiBachaoBetiPadhao, Selfie with Daughter, Make in India,
SAGY (SaansadAdarsh Gram Yojna) in which a member of parliament has
to make one village of his or constituency a model village by the year 2016,
have been taken up. The government had also succeeded in passing 47 bills
barring the GST and the Land Acquisition Bill. One can say that it appears
to be more transparent and its actions are more visible to the general public.
In this short span of time, Prime Minister Modi has made 29 foreign
trips. India external policy is seeing a phase. Modis visit to various nations
is a statement emphasizing on the fact the India is ready and capable to
engage with other nations. He portrays India as a nation which has the seeds
of becoming a world power rather than a country which lies on the sidelines.
Despite the different initiatives taken by the government, it comes out as
the most polarized government where public support is concerned. Either
the masses love it or they hate it. There is no middle ground and therefore
A-38 Where is Modi Government Heading?

there is little scope for a reality check. Ever since this government came
into power and even during the time of campaign, one sees a palpable rift
forming between different sections of the society. Secularity has taken a
back seat and certain hotheads have become the mouthpiece of the party,
issuing anti-secular sentiments and spewing hatred. Such people are only
maligning the partys image.
Another significant setback to the Modi government was the stalling of
the Land Acquisition Bill. The Prime Ministers dream of Make in India
cannot be fulfilled without this bill. If the government wants other nations
to engage in the economy growth of India by putting up factories here, they
will need to provide land. Providing land becomes a possibility only when
the land acquisition bill is passed in the parliament. So, rather than dictating
terms to the opposition parties, the Modi Government should be concerned
about the best interest of the nation.
Apart from this, the inflating prices of vegetables and pulses have
disillusioned the masses with the government. The general public is not so
much interested in smart cities, Make in India projects or foreign policies.
Their primary concern is the prices of the day to day commodities. The
prices of petrol and pulses interest them more.
Right now India is at the brink or a glorious future. But that future
should not be at the expense of Indian people, striving hard to survive
each day. Basic needs and interests of people should be taken into account
first. What Modi government needs presently is political astuteness and
foresightedness. They should be able to foresee a future where the grandiose
and the banal go hand in hand. The gap between a promise and its execution
should be eliminated to make such future a possibility.
There is a burst of activity where Indian foreign policy is concerned
ever since Mr. Narendra Modi came
into power. This feat of visiting 29
countries in such a short span was
unprecedented. Not only did he
revitalize Indias connections with
smaller, neighboring states, but
he also forged connections with super
powers like the United States of
America. Some of the significant
consequences of these ties are- The
land boundary agreement with Bangladesh, a healthy relationship
between U.S and India. Rescue and post-disaster operations in Nepal is
another significant initiative taken by this government. Another
important initiative is the engagement of the current government with
the Indian Diaspora. Rather than just praising the Indian diaspora
settled in various countries, Modi government has tried to do
something for them. For example- the announcement of daily direct
flights from Ahmedabad to London. But some critics are of the view that
few of these initiatives are new, rest are just conclusions to an otherwise
finished national agenda.
 A-39

Nehruvian Era

Nehruvian Era what found, what lost?

P andit Jawaharlal Nehru

was the sole architect in
shaping Indias destiny and
leading it to prominence on the
world stage. He has always been
a figure that has attracted social
scientists all over the world.
These were the people who
critiqued him the most for his
policies of nation-building and
the mark those policies left on
India. It is generally reckoned
that no politician has had an
arduous task as Nehru. In the
wake of its independence, the
post-colonial India woke up to
multiple challenges demanding
urgent attention and resolution;
to name a few- communal
violence, food shortage, integration of princely states and resettlement of
millions of refugees. All this was to be followed by an equally daunting task
of nation-building- a mammoth task of framing the constitution, devising
the election system, a foreign policy and an economic policy to take India
into the modern age. It has been argued that it was Nehru who was most
directly identified with the new nation state with his ideas of democracy,
non-alignment, socialism and secularism, ideas that one often comes across
in his writings and speeches.
Yet, Jawaharlal Nehru is castigated today by many for his elitism and
identified with the upper caste and upper class English-speaking intelligentsia.
Different political parties have continued their attacks on Nehruvianism from their
own vantage point. For instance, he is condemned for initiating industrialization,
internationalizing the Kashmir issue, and his pseudo-secularism which rested
on the appeasement of the minorities according to Guha (2005). The other
line of argument is made by the Gandhians who argue that Nehru devastated
rural India because of his imposition of a model of industrial development
that centralised power in the cities. His planned industrialization fuelled
environmental degradation as opposed to Gandhis decentralised approach
to economic development.
A-40 Nehruvian Era

It is argued that the Nehruvian era witnessed certain distortions in Indias

nation-building process. It has been debated that much of the present day
dichotomies in Indian polity are rooted in these distortions. One of the biggest
flaws in the nation-building process was the element of continuity with the
British-style governance. The Indian government led by Nehru in many respects
reflected British attitudes and maintained the state apparatus of the British
Raj. The government decided against developing an alternative state structure
and so retained the same repressive police, paramilitary forces and other civil
organisations inherited from the British. The status quo was viewed by Das
(2001) as colonial systems imperfections.
What was socialism for Nehru?
The following quote embodies Nehrus undeterred faith in socialism as a
solution to world problems.
I am convinced that the only key to the solution of worlds problems and
Indias problems lies in socialism and when I use this word I do not use it
in a vague humanitarian way but as a scientific economic doctrine.... I see
no way of ending the poverty, the vast unemployment, the degradation and
subjection of Indian people except through socialism.
The weakest point in the Nehruvian legacy for India was that it failed to
create a movement that brought about the socio-economic transformation
because the social forces created in the quest for freedom proved inadequate
to qualitatively transform a country as large as India. Though, Nehru opted
in the Industrial Policy Resolution of 1956 for a socialistic pattern of society,
there was a move towards state capitalism with considerable participation
by the private sector, despite his leftist pretensions.
It is argued that from 1954 to 1964, socialism to Nehru largely meant a
planned mixed economy dominated by the public sector. His emphasis on
planning was neither so much on the socialist basis of equitable redistribution
nor providing the basic needs of the people. It represented a scientific and
efficient way of utilising the limited available resources with overall state control
of the economy. It has been said that although, he welcomed the private sector
because it brought competition
and keeping the public sector
from being sluggish. It was
believed that only the state
had the ability to generate
vast resources needed to set up
huge industries in the country.
Hence, the authoritative role of
the public sector was justified
on both economic and political
grounds. Nehru was more
Nehruvian Era A-41

concerned about transforming the country into a future socialist society and
his focus was on increasing production rather than eliminating poverty. The
five-year plans gave low priority to eliminate endemic undernourishment,
banish illiteracy, provide basic medical facilities, and ensure safe drinking
water and economical food. It makes one wonder why the sectors such as
education and health that could yield high long term dividends were neglected
and not seen as vital social and economic investments.

Educational priorities for Nehru

On the issue of education,
there have been mixed views
on how Nehru viewed it.
Some argue that Nehru never
appreciated the significance
of education as a driver of
national integration. Unlike
Europe which relied strongly
on education for integration
of its citizens into the state
and to develop a shared
civic culture, Nehru largely saw education as a means of churning trained
manpower rather than a cultural and nation-building activity. His focus was
higher education and hence he ignored primary education which was evident
from his devotion of massive resources to universities, technical institutes
such as Indian Institutes of Technology, National Science laboratories and
research institutes.
Others were of the view that Nehru was acutely aware that India lagged
behind in science and technology, an area intentionally left barren in the colonial
era. He, therefore, made massive efforts to overcome this shortcoming. The
result was an unprecedented increase in the educational opportunities in science
and technology in the universities and institutes. Mukherjee (2015) is of the
view that the national expenditure on scientific research and development kept
growing rapidly with each plan. For example, it increased from Rs 10 million
in 1949 to Rs 4.5 billion in 1977. In roughly the same period, Indias scientific
and technical manpower increased more than 12 times from about 1,90,000 to
2.32 million; a spectacular growth by any standards, a growth whose benefits
India reaps today as the world moves towards a know ledge society.

Internationalization of Kashmir issue

The issue of Kashmir, a princely state was a complex one. Kashmir was
ruled by a Hindu maharaja and consisted of a majority of Muslim subjects. As
the maharaja wavered about the accession, tribesmen from Pakistan invaded
the region. Troops from both countries entered into a conflict which even
continues today. Lord Mountbatten prevailed upon Nehru to refer the issue
A-42 Nehruvian Era

of Pakistan invasion to the United

Nations. This meant involving
the world community with its
political cross-currents in a local
dispute. Hence, Pandit Nehru
internationalised the Kashmir issue
which was an internal issue against
the will of Sardar Patel. He had
ample time in hand to pre-empt
Pakistans military intervention in the Kashmir Valley. But his primacy to
idealistic considerations over strategic led him to take that decision.
Though Kashmir was Nehrus ancestral homeland, what was utmost
important for him was the future of Kashmir as part of India. He was of the
view that Kashmir was vital for Indias relations with its Muslim citizens
(Brown 1999) and felt that the identity of the Indian nation was at stake.
Despite a formal ceasefire in 1949, the situation served to make the issue a
non-negotiable one for the Indian government.

Nehruvian Legacy Today

Nehrus role in setting India firmly on the path of modern, secular and
democratic development against the odds was quite significant. Yet today,
that legacy stands seriously challenged.
And the challenge is coming from the
leaders and the state machinery and
not so much from the public. Today
when the Nehruvian ideals are facing
threat, it becomes more imperative to re-
analyse his vision, his fierce imagination,
to understand his vision for India and
to examine the ideals and values that
went into making this nation. It becomes
important to pose fresh questions and ponder whether Nehru was an undisputed
hero of his age or a lesser patriot. Are we aware that there are efforts to make
him an outcast and why?
References
x Brown J (1999) Nehru: Profiles in Power, Routledge: United States of
America
x Das S (2001) The Nehru Years in Indian Politics, Edinburgh Papers In
South Asian Studies no. 16
x Guha R (2005) Verdicts on Nehru, Economic and Political Weekly
x Parekh B (1991) Nehru and the National Philosophy of India, Economic
and Political Weekly
x Mukherjee A (2015) Nehrus Legacy Inclusive Democracy and Peoples
Empowerment, Economic and Political Weekly, 1(16)

DIARY OF NATIONAL EVENTS IN 2015
JANUARY
1st January: Planning commission
replaced by NITI Aayog.
1st January: Former Minister of
State (MoS) for External Affairs
Kamala Sinha passed away in the
United States.
2nd January: IAS officer R.K
Srivastava took over as the new
chairman of Airports Authority of
India (AAI).
2nd January: Union Government
launches integrated women safety
app called Himmat.
2nd January: A.K. Mittal appointed
as Chairman of Railway Board by
the Central Government.
3rd January: PM Narendra Modi
inaugurated the 102nd Indian
Science Congress 2015 at Mumbai
University.
3rd January: PK becomes highest
grossing Bollywood film by
collecting Rs. 278.52 crore since its
release on December 19.
3rd January: Union Sports Ministry
gives nod to Boxing India (BI) as the
new governing body for the overall
functioning and activities of boxing.
5th January: Freedom fighter and
National Flag designer Pingali
Venkayya was honored by naming
All India Radio (AIR) Vijayawada
building after him.
5th January: Columbia University
professor and eminent economist
Arvind Panagariya appointed as the
vice-chairman of the NITI Aayog.
5th January: Union Petroleum
Minister Dharmendra Pradhan
A-43
launched the sale of subsidised 5
kg LPG Cylinder scheme for BPL
families.
7th January: Bollywood actor
Amitabh Bachchan appointed as
the brand ambassador for the health
sector in Andhra Pradesh.
8th January: MLA Dinesh Oraon
of the Bhartiya Janta Party elected
as the Speaker of Jharkhand
Legislative Assembly.
9th January: M. Karunanidhi was
re-elected as Dravida Munnetra
Kazhagam(DMK) Chief for 11th
time.
10th January: Aziz Qureshi was
sworn-in as the Governor of
Mizoram.
10th January: Former Planning
Commission Secretary Sindhushree
Khullar was appointed as the first
CEO of the NITI Aayog.
10th January: World Hindi Day was
celebrated.
12th January: National Youth Day
was observed all over the nation.
15th January: Former IAS officer
HS Brahma appointed as the 19th
Chief Election Commissioner of
India. He will take charge of his
office on 16th January 2015.
17th January: President Pranab
Mukherjee launched the Pulse Polio
Immunization (PPI) Programme.
21st January: Union Government
launches Heritage City Development
and Augmentation Yojana
(HRIDAY) scheme.
22nd January: Union Government
launches Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao
campaign.
A-44
22nd January: Haryana governor
Prof Kaptan Singh Solanki was
sworn-in as the 34th Governor of
Punjab.
23rd January: Popular Telugu
comedian and director Mylavarapu
Surya Narayana passed away.
26th January: 66th republic day
celebrated with US President Barack
Obama as the chief guest.
26th January: Death of cartoonist,
illustrator, and humorist, R.K.
Laxman due to multi-organ failure.
31st January: First Canister-based
Agni-V missiles successful third test
flight.
FEBRUARY
1st February: 29th Surajkund
International Crafts Mela started
in Faridabad district of Haryana.
The theme state of this year is
Chhattisgarh.
3rd February: Acclaimed Indian
sculptor Mrinalini Mukherjee
passed away in New Delhi.
6th February: Kolkata to become
Indias first Wi-Fi-enabled metro
city to have a 4G-enabled free Wi-Fi
service.
10th February: Aam Aadmi Party
wins the Delhi Legislative Assembly
election by winning 67 of 70 seats.
10th February: Vodafone India
appoints Naveen Chopra as Chief
Operating Officer (COO).
14th February: Aam Aadmi Party
chief Arvind Kejriwal sworn-in as
8th Chief Minister of Delhi.
14th February: 23rd edition of the
New Delhi World Book Fair began
at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.
19th February: India successfully
test-fired Nuclear-capable surface
Diary of National Events in 2015
to surface Prithvi-II missile from
Chandipur in Balasore district of
Odisha.
22nd February: Nitish Kumar
sworn in as the Chief Minister (CM)
of Bihar for the 4th time.
24th February: Ranchi Rays clinch
the Champions of Hero Hockey
India League 2015 by defeating
Jaypee Punjab Warriors.
26th February: Union Railway
Minister Suresh Prabhu presents
the Railway Budget 2015-16 in the
Parliament.
27th February: Justice Amitava Roy
sworn in as the judge of the Supreme
Court.
28th February: Celebrated
as National Science Day in
remembrance of the Raman Effect.
28th February: Finance Minister
Arun Jaitley presents the Union
Budget in the Parliament.
MARCH
1st March: Mufti Mohammad
Sayeed of Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) was sworn in as the chief
minister of Jammu and Kashmir for
the second time.
2nd March: Lok Sabha passed the
Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2015
by voice vote.
3rd March: Election Commission
of India launches the National
Electoral Roll Purification and
Authentication Programme.
3rd March: MC Mary Kom to retire
from boxing after the Rio Olympic
Games 2016.
3rd March: Worlds largest and
tallest Indian flag unfurled at Town
Park in Faridabad, Haryana.
3rd March: Lok Sabha passed the
Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill,
2015 by voice vote.
Diary of National Events in 2015
4th March: President Pranab
Mukherjee gave his assent to the
Maharashtra Animal Preservation
(Amendment) Bill, 1995.
9th March: Haryana Chief Minister
Manohar Lal Khattar launched
Aapki Beti Humari Beti Scheme.
12th March: Defending champion
Karnataka won Ranji Trophy for
season 2014-2015 by defeating
Tamil Nadu.
18th March: Astra, Beyond Visual
Range (BVR) air-to-air missile was
successfully test fired from test range
in Chandipur, Odisha.
24th March: Section 66A of the
Information Technology Act, 2000
declared unconstitutional by the
Supreme Court of India.
27th March: Former Prime Minister
Atal Bihari Vajpayee bestowed with
the Bharat Ratna.
28th March: PSLV-C27 successfully
launches Indias fourth navigation
satellite IRNSS-1D.
30th March: Freedom fighter
Madan Mohan Malaviya awarded
Bharat Ratna posthumously.
APRIL
1st April: Gulshan Rai took charge
as Indias first cyber security chief
under the Prime Ministers Office
(PMO) as Special Secretary for
cyber security.
1st April: Odisha Government
launched Aahar- cheap meal
scheme for providing subsidised
food to the urban poor people.
1st April: The Andhra Pradesh
Government to name the new
capital of the state coming up
in Vijayawada-Guntur region as
Amaravathi, after the ancient seat
of power of the Satavahanas.
A-45
4th April: West Bengal and Bihar
Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi
took additional charge of Mizoram.
5th April: Give it Up campaign
initiated by Petroleum and Natural
Gas Minster, Dharmendra Pradhan,
urging rich people to give up their
LPG subsidy.
7th April: World health Day was
observed all over the world to mark
the anniversary of the founding
of WHO in 1948, and publicize
knowledge and awareness about
human health.
8th April: Telecom Regulatory
Authority of India (TRAI) has
proposed 112 as a multipurpose
emergency number that can be used
all across the country for police, fire
and ambulance departments.
8th April: Prime Minister Narendra
Modi launches Micro Units
Development and Refinance Agency
Bank (MUDRA Bank) for providing
finance to small entrepreneurs.
10th April: Former Australia
captain and legendary cricket
commentator Richie Benaud passed
away. He was 84.
10th April: Arun Kumar Jha
appointed as Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) of Khadi and Village
Industries Commission (KVIC),
Mumbai.
12th April: Sania Mirza becomes
first Indian female tennis player to
be ranked World No.1 in Womens
Doubles.
16th April: Agni-III tested
successfully from Wheeler Island off
Odisha coast.
21st April: Indian Railways
launched E-Samiksha, an online
monitoring mechanism of various
ongoing projects of Indian Railways
A-46
on real-time basis including Rail
Budget proposals.
25th April: A devastating
earthquake measuring 7.9 on
Richter scale strikes Nepal.
MAY
5th May: The Akash missile was
inducted into the Indian Army.
6th May: Lok Sabha passed the
Goods and Services Tax Bill, 2014,
also known as Constitution (122nd
Amendment) Bill.
6th May: Agreement signed during
Transport Minister Nitin Gadkaris
Iran visit, allowing India to develop
the Port of Chabahar.
7th May: Constitution (119th
Amendment) Bill, 2013 passed by
the Parliament to solve the territorial
disputes with Bangladesh.
7th May: Lok Sabha passes Juvenile
Justice (Care and Protection of
Children) Bill, 2014 for trying
juveniles as adults who are between
the ages of 16 and 18 years for
heinous offences.
8th May: Retired IAS officer Achal
Kumar Jyoti appointed as the
Election Commissioner.
9th May: Prime Minister Narendra
Modi launches 3 large-scale social
security schemes, Pradhan Mantri
Suraksha Bima Yojana, Pradhan
Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana,
and Atal Pension Yojana, in Kolkata.
10th May: Veteran actor and film
producer Shashi Kapoor conferred
with the prestigious Dada Saheb
Phalke Award 2014.
11th May: K. V. Kamath of India
nominated as the head of the New
Development Bank (also known as
BRICS Development Bank).
Diary of National Events in 2015
11th May: Lok Sabha passed the
Undisclosed Foreign Income and
Assets (Imposition of Tax) Bill,
2015 by a voice vote.
18th May: Ms. Draupadi Murmu
sworn in as the first woman and
overall 9th Governor of Jharkhand
since the state was granted statehood
status on 15th November 2000.
23rd May: Jayalalithaa sworn in as
the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
for the fifth time.
23rd May: Indian film Masaan won
the prestigious critics prize in the Un
Certain Regard category at the 68th
Cannes Film Festival.
24th May: Mumbai Indians (MI)
wins the eight edition of Indian
Premier League (IPL) 2015 by
defeating Chennai Super Kings
(CSK).
29th May: Eminent scientist
Dr. Selvin Christopher has been
appointed as the Director General
(DG) of Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO)
30th May: Case lodged in Barabanki
court in Uttar Pradesh against
Nestle India over inadequate safety
standards of its product Maggi.
JUNE
1st June: Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa
was sworn-in as the 19th Governor
of Arunachal Pradesh.
2nd June: Meena Hemchandra
appointed as the Executive Director
of Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
5th June: World Environment Day
(WED) observed to raise global
awareness.
9th June: 16th edition of the
International Indian Film Academy
Diary of National Events in 2015
(IIFA) also known as the Bollywood
Oscars, were held in Malaysia.
16th June: Union Government
has launched Augmented Reality
technology based mobile application
named Sakaar.
21st June: First International Yoga
day held.
25th June: Indian spiritual leader Sri
Sri Ravi Shankar has been conferred
with Colombias highest civilian
award, Orden de la Democracia
Simon Bolivar en el grado de cruz
Caballero.
29th June: Legal framework
signed by India with the Asian
Infrastructure Investment Bank and
pledged US$8.3 billion towards it.
JULY
9th July: Nagaland declared a
disturbed region under Armed
Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958
for one year by the Ministry of
Home Affairs, starting from 30 June
2015.
10th July: Shanghai Cooperation
Organisation (SCO) decided to
induct India as a full member.
10th July: 5 UK satellites launched
by ISRO with a total payload of
1,440 kg using the PSLV-C28 launch
vehicle.
21st July: Minister of Consumer
Affairs, Food and Public
Distribution, Ram Vilas Paswan
launches Surakshit Khadya Abhiyan
with the aim to promote food safety
in India.
23rd July: George Baker and
Richard Hay from West Bengal and
Kerala respectively were nominated
as the two Anglo-Indian members
A-47
to the Lok Sabha by the President
Pranab Mukherjee.
27th July: Ram Sevak Sharma was
appointed as the Chairman of the
Telecom Regulatory Authority of
India (TRAI).
27th July: Demise of former
president and scientist, Dr. A. P.
J. Abdul Kalam (83) of a sudden
cardiac arrest.
AUGUST
3rd August: India government
signs peace deal with the leading
Nagaland separatists after 60 years
of war.
5th August: Haryana Chief Minister
launched Thari Pension, Thare Pass
project which will help in directly
transferring pension into the bank
accounts of beneficiaries.
5th August: Lok Sabha passed The
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled
Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities)
Amendment Bill, 2014 by voice vote.
5th August: Mathematician Dr.
Amalendu Krishna has won the
Ramanujan Prize for year 2015.
10th August: Union Government
has launched the School Nursery
Yojana.
14th August: Central Government
has revised the National Solar
Mission target of Grid Connected
Solar Power projects from 20k MW
by 2022 to100k MW by 2022.
14th August: Assam state legislature
passed the Assam Witch Hunting
(Prohibition, Prevention and
Protection) Bill, 2015 to cut down
the rising incidents of witch hunting
cases across the state.
A-48
15th August: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi announced Start-
up India; Stand up India campaign
which is an initiative to promote
bank finance for Start-ups (an
entrepreneurial venture).
17th August: India and Bangladesh
have inked a MoU to tackle the
menace of fake Indian currency
notes (FICN) smuggling.
27th August: ISRO successfully
launches GSAT-6 using the GSLV
D-6 launch vehicle.
31st August: Union Government
has launched SAHAJ scheme
for online release of new LPG
connections for the customers as
parts of its friendly initiative.
SEPTEMBER
5th September: Eminent
Bollywood Music composer Aadesh
Shrivastava passed away in Mumbai,
Maharashtra due to cancer.
5th September: Union Government
has given its assent for the
implementation of the One Rank
One Pension (OROP) scheme for
ex-servicemen.
9th September: President Pranab
Mukherjee conferred the Gandhi
Peace Prize for the year 2014 on
Indian Space Research Organization
(ISRO).
19th September: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi launched National
Integrated Power Development
Scheme (IPDS) in Varanasi, Uttar
Pradesh to provide 247 power
supply to every house.
21st September: Board of Control
for Cricket in India (BCCI) President
Jagmohan Dalmiya passed away in
Kolkata, West Bengal. He was 75.
Diary of National Events in 2015
27th September: Indias champion
cueist Pankaj Advani wins 2015
IBSF World Billiards Championship
(Time Format) in Adelaide,
Australia.
28th September: Indias first
dedicated satellite for astronomy
research Astrosat successfully
launched from Satish Dhawan Space
Centre, Sriharikotta.
29th September: M.R. Poovamma
(Athletics) and Babita Kumari
(Wrestling) have been conferred with
the prestigious Arjuna Award 2015
for their individual achievements in
sports.
OCTOBER
1st October: V Shanmuganthan
sworn in as the 17th Governor of
Manipur.
2nd October: International Day
of Non-violence on the birth
anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
3rd October: DRDO established
worlds Highest Terrestrial Research
Centre near Pengong Lake at
Changla in Ladakh.
4th October: Shashank Manohar
elected as President of Board of
Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
6th October: INS Astradharani
commissioned into Indian Navy at
Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
7th October: Union Cabinet
gives its consent to 3 new AIIMS
which be established at Nagpur
(Maharashtra), Manglagiri (Andhra
Pradesh) and Kalyani in West
Bengal.
9th October: Veteran music director
and lyricist Ravindra Jain passed
away in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Diary of National Events in 2015
9th October: Indias first Dolphin
Community Reserve will be
established in West Bengal.
16th October: Supreme Court
declared National Judicial
Appointments Commission
(NJAC) Act, 2014 and 99th
Constitutional Amendment Act,
2014 unconstitutional and void.
19th October: TRAI makes it
mandatory for telecom operators
to compensate consumers by Rs.1
for call drops with effect from 1st
January 2016.
20th October: Union Government
appoints veteran sports administrator
Vijay Kumar Malhotra as President
of newly established All India
Council of Sports (AICS).
21st October: Former Delhi High
Court judge Reva Khetrapal has
been appointed as Delhis new
Lokayukta.
22nd October: First Car-Free Day
was observed in Delhi.
22nd October: Samardeep
Subandh has been appointed as
Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of
Flipkart.
22nd October: PM Narendra
Modi laid the foundation stone of
Amaravati, the new capital city of
Andhra Pradesh.
23rd October: Union Government
gives consent to the first batch of
projects under the flagship scheme of
Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and
Urban Transformation (AMRUT)
for 89 cities from 3 states.
26th October: Indias archer
Deepika Kumari has won the Silver
medal at the 2015 Archery World
Cup Final held in Mexico City.
A-49
26th October: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi announced that
there will be no requirement of
interview for Group D, C and Group
Bs non-gazetted posts in central
government from 1st January, 2016.
31st October: National Unity Day
observed to commemorate the 140th
birthday of Independent Indias
first Deputy Prime Minister Sardar
Vallabhai Patel.
NOVEMBER
1st November: Indian Railways
launches Vikalp scheme to facilitate
waitlisted passengers to get an
alternative train accommodation.
Ist November: BrahMos missile
successfully test-fired from INS
Kochi off the western coast.
2nd November: India placed at 7th
position in worlds most valuable
nation brands.
4th November: Justice T S Thakur
(63) to be next Chief Justice of India.
5th November: Indian shooter Jitu
Rai has won silver medal in 50 metre
pistol event category at the 13th
Asian Shooting Championship in
Kuwait City.
5th November: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi has been ranked as
Worlds ninth Most Powerful Person
in the Forbes annual ranking of 73
persons list of 2015.
7th November: Indian shooter,
Heena Sidhu has won Gold medal in
10 metre Air Pistol event in womens
category at 13th Asian Shooting
Championships.
7th November: The seventh edition
of India-Russia Joint Military
A-50
Exercise Indra-2015 began in
Bikaner district of Rajasthan.
10th November: Indigenously
developed Communication satellite
GSAT-15 of Indian Space Research
Organisation was successfully
launched from the spaceport of
Kourou in French Guiana.
10th November: Nuclear capable
surface-to-surface Agni-IV missile
successfully test-fired by the Indian
Armys Strategic Forces Command
(SFC).
13th November: Renowned
economist Subir Gokaran appointed
as the Executive Director on the
board of the International Monetary
Fund (IMF).
16th November: Indian shuttler
Saina Nehwal wins silver medal
at 2015 China Open Superseries
Premier Badminton tournament.
16th November: Syed Akbaruddin
appointed as Indias Permanent
Representative to the United
Nations at New York.
19th November: Vijay Keshav
Gokhale has been appointed as
Indias Ambassador to China.
20th November: 7th Central Pay
Commission submits report which
proposes 23.55% salary hike in
pay and allowances of government
employees.
20th November 2015: Nitish Kumar
has sworn in as the Chief Minister
(CM) of Bihar for the record fifth
time.
21st November: Indian cueist
Pankaj Advani wins the 2015 IBSF
World Snooker Championship.
21st November: Harshavardhan
Neotia, Chairman of Ambuja Neotia
group elected as President of FICCI
(Federation of Indian Chambers of
Commerce and Industry) for 2016.
Diary of National Events in 2015
23rd November: Uttar Pradesh
governments ambitious Clean UP,
Green UP initiative earns a place
in the Guinness Book of World
Records.
25th November: Dhanush ballistic
missile successfully test fired from
warship Subhadra, off the Puri coast
of Odisha in the Bay of Bengal.
26th November: National Milk
Day (NMD) observed to mark birth
anniversary Father of the White
Revolution Dr.Verghese Kurien.
30th November: Indian shuttler
PV Sindhu wins the $120,000 2015
Macau Open Grand Prix Gold
Badminton tournament.
DECEMBER
1st December: Union Government
launches Inactivated Polio Vaccine
(IPV) injection as part of the global
polio endgame strategy in New
Delhi.
1st December: President
Pranab Mukherjee gives assent
to Maharashtra Factories
(Amendment) Bill, 2015 of
Maharashtra government which
allows women to work in factories
in night shifts.
2nd December: President Pranab
Mukherjee gives his assent to The
Labour Laws (Gujarat Amendment)
Bill, 2015.
3rd December: Union Cabinet
approves proposal of setting up of 6
new Indian Institutes of Technology
(IITs) across the country.
3rd December: Justice Tirath Singh
Thakur sworn in as 43rd Chief
Justice of India (CJI).
Diary of National Events in 2015
4th December: Lok Sabha passes
The Bureau of Indian Standards
Bill, 2015 by a voice vote to establish
Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
7th December: Union Government
launches Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan,
a nationwide campaign in a bid to
achieve universal accessibility to
persons with disabilities.
8th December: Pune and Rajkot
have become the new interim
franchises in the Indian Premier
League (IPL) to replace CSK, RR.
9th December: Lok Sabha passes
the Indian Trusts (Amendment), Bill
2015 by voice vote.
11th December: India and South
Korea ink a new MoU on suspension
of collection of taxes during
pendency of mutual agreement
procedure.
12th December: National Green
Tribunal (NGT) bans registration
of new diesel-run vehicles in Delhi
to curtail the growing menace of air
pollution in the capital city.
12th December: India and Japan
ink 14 agreements in various fields
to enhance bilateral co-operation
between both countries.
12th December: India and Japan
sign historic Memorandum of Co-
operation (MoC) to introduce High
Speed Rail (HRS) on Mumbai
Ahmedabad sector.
14th December: Ministry of
External Affairs (MEA) appointed
senior IPS officer Ahmad Javed as
Indias Ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
14th December: Legendary actor
Dilip Kumar (93) conferred with the
Padma Vibhushan.
A-51
15th December: Olympic medallist
Vijay Kumar wins gold medal
at the 59th National Shooting
Championship held in New Delhi.
16th December: Apurvi Chandela
wins Gold medal in the 59th
National Shooting Championship
in Delhi.
16th December: Supreme Court
appointed Justice Virendra Singh as
new Lokayukta of Uttar Pradesh.
17th December: (ISRO) successfully
places six commercial satellites from
Singapore in their dedicated orbits.
18th December: Former Defence
Secretary Radha Krishna Mathur
(62) appointed as Chief Information
Commissioner (CIC).
19th December: Indias biggest
Wildlife Rescue Centre, Gorewada
Zoo and Wildlife Rescue Centre
commissioned at Gorewada near
Nagpur.
22nd December: Parliament passes
Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection
of Children) Bill, 2015 for trying
juveniles as adults.
24th December: Union Government
launches mobile apps namely Crop
Insurance and AgriMarket Mobile
to benefit farmers.
24th December: A rare full moon to
appear on Christmas since 1977.
25th December: North Indias first
cable-stayed bridge named Atal Setu
inaugurated in Jammu and Kashmir.
25th December: India and Russia
ink 16 cooperation agreements
to expand cooperation in various
sectors to give a major push to their
strategic ties.
A-52
INTERNATIONAL EVENTS IN 2015
JANUARY
9th January: Maithiripala Sirisena
sworn-in as 7th President of Sri
Lanka.
18th January: Egypts best known
actresses Faten Hamama has passed
away.
18th January: 5th General Assembly
of the International Renewable
Energy Agency (IRENA) begins in
Abu Dhabi.
23rd January: Saudi Arabias King
Abdullah bin Abdulaziz has passed
away.
FEBRUARY
1st February: Father of Birth
Control Pill Carl Djerassi passed
away.
3rd Feb: Sergio Mattarella elected
as Italys 12th President.
15th February: Croatias first female
President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic
sworn-in.
23rd February: Takahiro Hachigo
appointed as new President and
CEO of Honda.
23rd February: Rana Bhagwandas
first Hindu Chief Justice of Pakistan
passes away.
MARCH
2nd March: Worlds first electric
satellites successfully lifted off
by a Space Exploration (SpaceX)
Technologies rocket from Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station, United
States.
7th March: Islamic State (IS)
militants destroy the ruins at the
ancient city of Hatra located in
south-west of Mosul in Northern
Iraq.
14th March: Historic bronze statue
of Father of the Nation Mahatma
Gandhi was unveiled at the
Parliament Square in London.
22nd March: Katherine Viner
appointed as editor-in-chief of The
Guardian newspaper.
23rd March: First Prime Minister
(PM) of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew
passes away.
29th March: Australia wins the ICC
Cricket World Cup 2015 for the
record fifth time.
APRIL
12th April: Asteroid 316201 named
after Malala Yousafzai.
14th April: Turkey begins
construction of its first nuclear
power plant located at Akkuyu in
Mersin province on the shores of the
Mediterranean Sea.
21st April: Pakistan Government
confers Nishan-e-Pakistan, top
civilian award on Chinese President
Xi Jinping.
22nd April: Japans Magnetic
levitation technology (Maglev) train
clocked a new world speed record of
603 kms per hour in a test run near
Mount Fuji.
23rd April: Calbuco volcano in
Southern Chile erupted for the first
time in more than 42 years.
25th April: Earthquake of
magnitude 7.8 on the Richter scale
strikes central Nepal.
International Events in 2015
27th April: Loretta Lynch sworn-
in as United States first African-
American woman Attorney
General.
27th April: Raja Rajeswari became
the first Indian-born woman to be
appointed a judge in New York City.
29th April: Mohammed bin
Nayef appointed as Crown Prince
and Deputy Prime Minister of
Saudi Arabia by King Salman bin
Abdulaziz al-Saud.
MAY
2nd May: Renowned crime writer
Ruth Rendell passed away in
London, United Kingdom
3rd May: Mazen Darwish honoured
with UNESCO-Guillermo Cano
World Press Freedom Prize 2015.
5th May: Oscar-winning writer
Michael Blake of Dances with
Wolves novel passes away in
Tucson, Arizona.
10th May: World Health
Organization (WHO) declares
Liberia Ebola-free.
18th May: India and South Korea
sign 7 agreements to enhance
bilateral relations.
23rd May: Ireland on 23 May 2015
becomes the first country in the
world to constitutionally legalise
same-sex marriage.
JUNE
3rd June: Edward Snowden awarded
Freedom of Expression prize in
Norway.
5th June: Prominent scientist
Ameenah Gurib-Fakim sworn-in
as the first woman president of
Mauritius.
7th June: China conducts the fourth
successful test of the new nuclear
A-53
capable Wu-14 hypersonic strike
vehicle.
15th June: Scientists Create
Worlds Thinnest Light Bulb Using
Graphene.
15th June: Mogens Lykketoft
unanimously elected as the President
of United Nations General
Assembly (UNGA).
19th June: Worlds First
Electric Passenger aircraft BX1E
manufactured in China.
23rd June: James Horner, the Oscar
winning composer of Titanic passes
away in a plane crash in California.
25th June: India pledges assistance
of one billion US dollars to Nepal
for its massive re-construction
programme.
29th June: Russias former PM
Yevgeny Primakov passes away in
Moscow.
30th June: Father of SMS
technology Matti Makkonen passes
away.
30th June: Cuba becomes the first
country in the world to eliminate
mother-to-child transmission of
HIV and syphilis.
JULY
5th July: US win the 2015 FIFA
Womens World Cup.
10th July: ISRO successfully
launches PSLV-C28 carrying 5 UK
satellites.
13th July: India and Georgia sign
a MoU for cooperation in the
field of election management and
administration.
23rd July: UNESCO names
Conakry, the Capital city of the
Republic of Guinea as the World
Book Capital for year 2017.
A-54
24th July: Jorge Sampaio and
Helena Ndume awarded with
the inaugural Nelson Rolihlahla
Mandela Prize.
AUGUST
9th August: 70th anniversary
Atomic bomb dropping on Nagasaki
city of Japan observed across the
world.
18th August: United National Front
for Good Governance (UNFGG)
emerges as largest group by winning
106 seats out of total 225 seats in
Sri Lankan Parliamentary election
2015.
SEPTEMBER
11th September: Peoples Action
Party (PAP) led by Prime Minister
Lee Hsien Loong has emerged
victorious at the 2015 Singapore
General Elections.
16th September: Nepals Parliament
approves new Constitution after
seven years of painstaking efforts
and deliberations.
21st September: Alexis Tsipras of
left wing Syriza party has sworn in
as the Prime Minister of Greece.
OCTOBER
10th October: UNSC adopts a
resolution to authorize the European
Union (EU) and individual countries
to use force to tackle the worst
refugee crisis.
12th October: India grants five
million US Dollars to Palestine as
Budgetary assistance.
19th October: Justin Trudeau of
Liberal Party sworn in as the 23rd
Prime Minister of Canada.
29th October: John Magufuli
elected as President of Tanzania.
International Events in 2015
30th October: China abandons
one-child policy and changed it two-
child policy.
NOVEMBER
4th November: President of
Maldives Abdulla Yameen declares
state of emergency for 30 days
on grounds of threat to national
security.
7th November: World Health
Organization (WHO) officially
declared Sierra Leone as Ebola-free.
10th November: United Nations
General Assembly (UNGA) declares
year 2016 as the International Year
of Pulses (IYP).
16th November: Philippines to
host 2015 Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC) summit from
1819 November 2015.
30th November: IMF approves
Chinas Yuan as elite reserve
currency.
DECEMBER
1st December: China hosts 1st
BRICS media summit in Beijing.
Dec 8: Pakistan successfully test-
fires nuclear capable Shaheen-III
ballistic missile.
19th December: Afghanistan
becomes 164th member nation
of the World Trade Organisation
(WTO).
20th December: Peoples Party
(PP) of Spain led by Prime Minister
Mariano Rajoy wins the 2015
general election of the country.
25th December: PM Narendra
Modi inaugurates new building
of Afghanistan Parliament in the
capital city Kabul built by India.
 A-55

Intolerance in India:
Adding fuel to fire

I ndia is seen as a country that is poised to be the next economic superpower

owing to its rapid growth on the path of free market. It also shares the values
of democracy and diversity with the west. However, it is felt increasingly by
the people of the country that the rise of intolerance in the country is making
this positive image murkier. More and more voices are increasingly being
heard from different parts of the country about growing intolerance amongst
people. And the word has created an outburst and resentment amongst the
people of India.
The intolerance movement began with writers returning awards and gradually
spread to a wider community of scientists, historians and filmmakers. Some
200 academicians teaching in India and abroad have issued a joint statement
against rising intolerance and bigotry. We are all aware that we are living
in an era of intolerance world-wide. But as far as a pluralistic country such
as India is concerned, incidents of intolerance have been seen and heard
since time immemorial. Moreover, one form of intolerance is a consequence
of another. Unfortunate incidents of violence such as murders, lynching,
burning and bombings have always taken place due to communal hatred. We
are also aware that no country on earth can claim to be fully tolerant.
So what kind of intolerance are we referring to? And why debate about
it now? The speculation is coloured with diverse shades as people from
different walks of life hold differing viewpoints. Perhaps, it could be the case
that some people see it as a way of protesting against murders in the name
of intolerance. Or, may be, people are killing each other because theres no
tolerance of each other. Also, the reason may have to do with killing of
people from a particular community. But the point of debate should be why
people are not protesting against increasing crime rate and a tardy law and
order situation in India. It has also been said that the whole phenomenon
of rising intolerance concurred with the Bihar election campaign. Was
it the discernment of a select few that was intentionally used to create an
atmosphere of intolerance to serve narrow political ends? It is also true
that the powerful influence of the media is no longer hushing up things and
bringing them to the limelight as never before.
But what is important to pay heed to the fact that its not about the number
and frequency of incidents and crimes that have taken place but the
direction in which intolerance is moving.
It is disheartening to see that intolerance
these days is taking the form of firstly,
non-acceptance of diverse or alternative
view points and punishing people if their
beliefs and practices did not match those
of the ruling ideology and secondly,
curbing peoples freedom of expression
A-56 Intolerance in India: Adding Fuel to Fire

and punishing them for talking their heart out. It also becomes a matter
of grave concern when progressive voices are made silent. Dr Raghuram
Rajan in his address to the graduating students from IIT Delhi pointed out
that tolerance and respect of alternative viewpoints were imperative for an
economy to advance
The debate on intolerance has emanated out of two separate disconcerting
incidents. Firstly, the murder of the celebrated Kannada writer M.M
Kalburgi in the month of August this year sparked widespread outrage in
the country. Kalburgi was gunned down by a visitor at his residence. In
September, a Muslim was charred to death by his neighbours because of
the rumour that a carcass of a cow was seen nearby. This announcement
was made at a local temple flared up emotions, formed a mob and a horrific
act as lynching was done. Yet in another incident, black ink was spewed on
Sudheendra Kulkarni, chairman of the Observer Research Foundation last
month for organizing a book release event for a former Pakistani foreign
minister.
Why should scholars and writers be chastised for their intellectual views?
A number of intellectuals have rightly
expressed the fear that freedom of
expression has been under threat.
Quite a few returned their prestigious
National and Sahitya Akademi
awards in protest against attempts to
undermine secular values enshrined
in the constitution. Its a matter of
deep concern that freedom of speech, belief and practices for which India
has been long commended are in danger of being lost. All this has generated
an environment of narrowness, intolerance and bigotry.
The rising intolerance against religious groups and intellectuals is smothering
progress which in turn has created an element of doubt over the credibility
of our country. But the solution of the problem does not lie in returning of
awards by the intellectuals. Its true that we can never progress if we are not
allowed to speak. But the gestures of protest such as award wapsi by an
elite few are not enough. The awards have been earned by them with their
efforts and returning them is not the best way to show dissent. It adds fuel to
fire and does not bring about any change. Rather, they should fight for the
cause and do something that would make a difference.
The exact reason for growing intolerance is still unknown but what is known
is that there is no place for it in a democratic republic and that its high time
we brought stability in a highly volatile environment as ours. The people are
the true strength of a country and if they are silenced and threatened for
speaking up, we have only to lose.
What saddens one the most is the way politicians have reacted to the
incidence of returning awards in their own ways. It is said that people
returning the awards have been long forgotten implying that this was an
attempt on their part to come back to limelight. Others were of the view that
the ones returning the awards were also the ones who didnt want to see the
rise of NDA to power in the year 2014 implying that the motive may have
been purely political and not humanitarian as it is being made out to be.
Hence, it becomes imperative that any time we have a national debate, its
important to approach it in as apolitical manner as possible.
 A-57

Global Warming and Climate

Change

T he Earths climate system has witnessed changes in its average

temperature since 1950s and these changes have been alarming to an
extent that has led to global warming. But, over the globe the temperature
changes vary. The measure of global warming indicates the rise of near-
surface atmospheric temperature and scientific studies have proved that this
increase in atmospheric temperature has resulted into the transfer of this
additional energy from the climate system to the oceans further leading to
oceanic warming. Melting of ice and warming of continents are what we have
been facing lately due to this climatic shift and in 2014 the Intergovernmental Panel
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a panel comprising of more
than 1,300 scientists from the United States and other countries. It has forecasted that
over the next century there would be a temperature rise of 2.5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit.

on Climate Change (IPCC) reported the greenhouse gases to be the major

cause of global warming. It has been reported by NASA scientists that
human-made carbon dioxide is increasing beyond limits not observed in
hundreds of thousands of years. About half of the carbon dioxide produced
post burning of fossil fuels persists in the atmosphere at present and this
amount remains unabsorbed by the vegetation and the oceans.
A-58 Global Warming and Climate Change

Causes of Temperature Changes

External Forces
These include changes in the external forcing which are external to the
climate system but not external to the Earth; like changes in the atmospheric
composition. Examples of such forcing include increased concentrations of
greenhouse gases, solar luminosity, volcanic eruptions and variations in
Earths orbit around the Sun.
Radiative forcing from CO2, methane, tropospheric ozone CFCs and nitrous
oxide has also increased with the increase in amount of greenhouse gases
in the atmosphere due to human activity since the Industrial Revolution.
Over the past 20 years, burning of fossil fuels has produced three-quarters
of increase in CO2 from human activity. Changes in land use, particularly
deforestation have been another reason for the rest of the increase.
Environmental Effects
 Some of the observed changes owing to the anthropogenic forcing are
sea level rise, changes in climate extremes like number of warm and cold
days, declines in Arctic sea ice extent, greening of the Sahara and glacier
retreat.
 The widespread retreat of glaciers and snow cover is projected to continue.
The Arctic summer is also predicted to be ice-free as early as 2025-2030.
 There might be plausible increase in the frequency and severity of some
extreme weather events like heat waves. Greater warming over land might
also occur due to changes in regional climate, where Southern Ocean and
parts of North Atlantic Ocean may experience least warming while high
northern latitudes may be most warmed.
 Recent years have also seen the sea level rise, which if sustained might
bring widespread coastal flooding. More than 2C of global warming
can cause the sea level to rise eventually from 1to 4 m due to the thermal
expansion of sea water and melting of glaciers and small ice caps. Certain
ecosystems may also be affected leading to extinction of many species
and reduced diversity.
 As carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere dissolve in the ocean,
the pH level of the oceans decrease leading to oceanic acidification;
which adversely affects many marine species like plankton, shellfish
and corals. Increase in ocean acidification leads to decline in calcium
carbonate which is the key building block for the shells and skeletons of
many marine organisms. The continuous rise in CO2 level will lead to
combined effect of global warming along with ocean acidification further
slowing the coral growth by nearly 50% by 2050.
Retorting to Global Warming at Global scale
In order to combat this issue, priority should be given to reduce greenhouse
gas (GHG) emissions which can be achieved by enhancing the capacity of
carbon sinks which would absorb the GHGs from the atmosphere. Energy
conservation and increased energy efficiency may reduce emissions. Besides
these, the use of low-carbon technologies like renewable energy, nuclear
energy and carbon capture and storage will potentially reduce emissions to
a greater extent. Reforestation and discouraging deforestation will further
enhance carbon sinks.
Global Warming and Climate Change A-59

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

(UNFCCC) is a convention agreed in 1992 involving participation of many
countries and aims at preventing dangerous human interference in the climate
system. It states to maintain the GHG concentrations in the atmosphere at a
level where ecosystems can adapt naturally to climate change without letting
food production be threatened and economic development being slowed.
The objective of the UNFCCC was implemented by Kyoto Protocol held in
Kyoto, Japan. This international treaty sets binding treaty on industrialised
countries to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases. The Protocol was
adopted by the parties to the UNFCCC in 1997 in Kyoto, Japan and came
into force in 2005. It was based on the principle of common but differentiated
responsibilities and put an onus of reducing current emissions on developed
nations owing to their historical responsibility for contributing to the current
levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Its commitment period started
in 2008 and ended in 2012. It was not that effective in curbing the climate
change.
In 2012, a second commitment period was agreed to extend the life of
Kyoto Protocol, which was termed as the Doha Amendment which saw
participation of 37 countries participating with binding targets. Based on
the concept of loss and damage, it focused on the principle that failure
of richer nations to reduce carbon emissions would make them financially
responsible to other nations. After objections from Russia and many other
nations, the conference culminated into a package of documents called The
Doha Climate Gateway; which enforced on extending the Kyoto Protocol
until 2020. As per this, India and Brazil are not subjected to any emission
reductions. Little progress towards the funding of Green Climate Fund was
also made in this conference.
The Paris Climate Conference, which took place from November 30 to
December 11, looked to achieve a legally binding and universal agreement
on climate for checking global warming. India has been much in focus of
developed nations and also been said to be a challenge by the US Secretary
of State John Kerry. India however has remained proactive in forging the
consensus on the issue
through its firm belief in
Future ice, Paris to abide by all the
snowpack and
permafrost
principles like CBDR,
historical responsibility,
polluter to pay and equity;
Loss of Future sea
Biodiversity level change which were added in the
new Paris agreement and
finally accepted as well.
Increasing
greenhouse Future Climate Change
gases
Continued emissions of
Future greenhouse gases will
Ocean precipitation cause future climate
Aci di fication and storm
events changes that include
warmer atmosphere,
A-60 Global Warming and Climate Change

warmer and more acidic ocean, higher sea levels and larger changes in
precipitation patterns. What we do now will determine the future climate
changes accordingly. More emission will lead to larger changes.
Our stand along with the world
According to the World Health Organizations survey of 1600 world cities;
Delhis air quality has been recorded to be the worst of any major city in
the world. The poor quality of air in Delhi damages the lungs of 2.2 million
or 50% children. As a solution to this, the AAP government has come up
with the odd-even formula for private vehicles which is said to be enforced
from January 1, 2016. This would lead to nearly 10 lakhs private vehicles
staying off roads. The proposal would allow private vehicles, including
two-wheelers with odd and even registration numbers on roads of national
capital only on alternate days.
The recent COP21- 21st Conference of Parties Climate Summit held in Paris
focused on negotiations based on the principles of equity and common but
differentiated responsibilities. China has been noted to emit about 30% of
the worlds greenhouse gases and the U.S. about 16%.
At the opening session of the World Climate Change Conference 2015
at Le Bourget near Paris, in his speech the Indian Prime Minister, Mr.
Narendra Modi has pointed out Indias ambitious target of producing 175
GW of renewable energy. He also urged the developed nations to fulfil their
responsibilities of making clean energy affordable and accessible to all in the
developing world and further quoted $100 billion a year plan for assistance
from the rich to poor nations by 2020. These funds are necessitated to clean
up coal-based generation. He said that our nation is working to take forward
development and protect environment together. He also released a book
on Indias climate friendly and sustainable practices, titled- Parampara. He
further stated that by 2030, 40% of our installed capacity will be based on
non-fossil fuel. In his words, we need to look beyond climate change and
focus on Climate Justice.
An amount of $7 billion has been pledged for clean energy research by
Mr. Bill Gates and other investors. Other backers and potential investors in
new energy technologies include U.S. President Barack Obama, Facebook
founder Mark Zuckerberg, billionaires George Soros and Saudi Prince
Alaweed bin Talal, Jack Ma of Chinas Alibaba and Indian industrialist
Mukesh Ambani.
United States, Canada and nine European countries have pledged nearly
$250 million as help to vulnerable countries so that they can adapt to rising
seas, droughts and other consequences of climate change.
The fight against climate change has become a major global challenge
after terrorism and it needs to be battled through united and strong global
agreement of working together through binding objectives. It is only possible
when we all think of a greener tomorrow and use our resources judiciously
without compromising the needs of future generations.

UNION BUDGET 2015-16
The Union Minister for Finance,
Shri Arun Jaitley presented the
Union Budget 2015-16 in front of
the Parliament on 28th February,
2015. The Budget was presented in
two parts which include Railway
Budget and General Budget, giving
an overall picture of financial
position of the Government.
The budget was primarily focussed on
growth, promoting entrepreneurship
and manufacturing, rationalizing
tax regime and announcing some
relief to the common man.
Highlights of the Union Budget
2015-16 (Sector-wise)
Taxation
 :HDOWKWD[DEROLVKHG
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the super-rich with income
exceeding ` 1 crore.
A-61
 &RUSRUDWHWD[UDWHWREHUHGXFHG
to 25% from 30% for the next 4
years period
 6HUYLFH WD[ WR EH LQFUHDVHG
12.36% to 14%
 6ZDFKK %KDUDW $EKL\DQ DQG
Clean Ganga plan to get 100%
exemption.
Education
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Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab,
Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh,
Bihar and Assam.
 ,,7V WR EH VHW XS LQ .DUQDWDND
and the Indian School of Mines,
Dhanbad to be upgraded to an
IIT.
 7ZR QHZ ,,0V IRU -DPPX DQG
Kashmir and Andhra Pradesh.
 3* ,QVWLWXWH RI  +RUWLFXOWXUH
Research and Education for
Amritsar
A-62 Union Budget 2015-16

 7KUHH QHZ 1DWLRQDO ,QVWLWXWHV  )RUZDUG 0DUNHWV &RPPLVVLRQ

of Pharmaceutical Education
and Research to be set up in
Maharashtra, Rajasthan and
Chhattisgarh.
 7ZR QHZ LQVWLWXWHV QDPHO\
Apprenticeship Training
Institute for Women to be
established for Haryana and
Uttarakhand.
Welfare Schemes and
programmes
(FMC) to be collaborated with
the Securities and Exchange
Board of India (SEBI).
 `25,000 crore financed in
favour of Rural Infrastructure
Development Bank.
 `5,300 crore allocated to
maintain the Micro Irrigation
Programme.
new  8QGHUWKHQHZWRXULVPVFKHPH
renovation and development of
 *67 *RRGV DQG 6HUYLFH 7D[
and JAM trinity (Jan Dhan
Yojana, Aadhaar and Mobile) to
be launched in order to improve
the quality of the common man.
 6L[FURUHWRLOHWVWREHFRQVWUXFWHG
across the country under the
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
 `5,000 crore additionally
allocated for MGNREGA.
 +RXVLQJIRUDOOby the year 2020
 08'5$ EDQN WR SURYLGH
finance to first generation SC/
ST entrepreneurs for their
encouragement.
churches and convents in old
Goa; Hampi, Elephanta caves,
Jallianwala Bagh, Forests of
Rajasthan, Leh palace, Varanasi
Qutb Shahi tombs at Hyderabad.
 $OORFDWLRQ RI  C  FURUH IRU
production of electric cars.
 ` 9,000 crore to be used by the
Government in concern with
unclaimed funds in PPF/EPF
for Senior Citizens Fund.
 5HQHZDEOH HQHUJ\ FDSDFLW\
target revised to 175000 MW till
2022, comprising 100000 MW
Solar, 60000 MW Wind, 10000
 'LUHFW%HQHILW7UDQVIHU'%7WR
be expanded from 1 crore to 10.3
crore.
 8QGHUWKH$WDO3HQVLRQ<RMDQD
the government will contribute
50% of the premium limited to
` 1,000 a year.
 *RYHUQPHQWWRODXQFKXQLYHUVDO
social security system for all
Indian citizens.
MW Biomass and 5000 MW in
small hydro plants.
Defence
 $OORFDWLRQ RI  ` 2,46,726 crore
which means an increase of 9.87
per cent in consideration with
last year.
 0DNH in India campaign to be
focussed for quick manufacturing
of defence equipment.
Infrastructure
 9LVDRQ$UULYDO9R$VHUYLFHWR
 ,QFUHDVHLQRXWOD\VRI URDGVDQG
be increased upto 150 countries railways with capital expenditure
from the current number of 43 on the rise in the public sector
countries. units.
Union Budget 2015-16 A-63

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A-64
RAILWAY BUDGET 2015
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu
presented the 2015 Railway Budget
in the Parliament on 26th February
2015. The budget focuses on Prime
Minister Narendra Modis most
important initiatives which include
Swachh Bharat Mission, Make in
India and Digital India.
Some of the key highlights of the
Railway Budget are as follows:
1. No hike in the rail fares for the
passengers.
2. Train tickets can be booked 120
days in advance.
3. An investment of Rs 8.5 lakh
crore was proposed over the next
five years.
4. Operation 5-minute
introduced, which will allow
ticket bearer passengers to
purchase tickets within 5
minutes of entering the station.
5. Facility of SMS alerts introduced
in regards with the arrival and
departure of trains.
6. 200 stations to be allied with the
Adarsh Station Scheme which
will provide for basic facilities
like toilets, drinking water,
catering services, waiting rooms
etc.
7. Professional cleaning agencies
to be hired under the Swachh
Rail Swachh Bharat scheme for
cleaning of stations and trains.
8. All India 24/7 helpline
introduced - 138 from March
2015; Toll free No.182 for
security.
9. Installation of CCTV cameras
in selected trains and ladies
compartment of suburban trains
to ensure women safety.
10. Speed on nine railway corridors
to go up to 200 km per hour.
11. Introduction of bar coded/
RFID for tracking of parcels and
freight wagons.
12. Wi-Fi facility to be made
available in more stations and
mobile phone charging facilities
in all train compartments.
13. Building bio toilets and airplane-
type vacuum toilets in trains.
14. Four dedicated freight corridors
will be completed in 2015 and
6608 km of tracks would be
electrified.
15. Indian Railway to raise Rs 17,655
crore from the market through its
two companies Indian Railway
Finance Corporation (IRFC)
and Rail Vikas Nigam Limited
(RVNL).
16. A sum total of Rs 856,020 crore
will be spent on the Railways in
the period 2015-19.
17. Satellite based stations to be built
around 10 major stations for
reduction of overcrowding.
 A-65

Start-up India; Stand up India

New initiative to create jobs

In the coming days, start-ups will be promoted in every corner of the

country. We want a startup network to be established in India. We must be
number one in start-ups.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Startup?

S ince 2009, India has seen a spate of investments in tech-enabled

companies that have disrupted the way we shop. Ecommerce has made a
huge difference in peoples lives today. This has been made possible because
of the advent of the startup model of business. The startup model is a style
of doing business which goes beyond the accepted norms, challenges the
existing ideas and ultimately improves or significantly alters an aspect of life
on the planet. A startup cannot be defined per se, but can be understood to
be a company that is currently in the transition stage trying to search for a
repeatable and scalable business model. In India, this is a relatively newer
way of understanding entrepreneurship and supporting it.

Entrepreneurship
The startup idea has entered public discourse because of the regular high-
decibel pitch that is experienced when rich people want to popularize
something. Entrepreneurship as an idea is age-old for India. Indian trade
was well known for centuries and Indian traders were considered to be some
of the most street-smart people. Entrepreneurs all around the world are
A-66 Start-up India; Stand up India New Initiative to Create Jobs

considered to be a breed that challenges the norm to walk on a new path of

their own choosing. Why is there all this recent talk about startups then? Its
because of a couple of reasons.
One is that entrepreneurship is a lonely road and mostly a thankless one. People
perceive entrepreneurs as different and since working hard on a new product
requires cutting yourself up from a thriving social life, one leads a secluded,
focused lifestyle. This recent startup focus has made entrepreneurship the
flavour of the season. People have started understanding and sympathizing
with the pains of entrepreneurship. This normalization gives confidence and
ascertains a place for the entrepreneur in the society.
The other is that investors have identified young companies as a smart
vehicle to park their money in. The kind of valuation that these companies
receive is beyond what the globe has seen till now. This is all because of the
disruptive style of working which is needed right now in a planet that is
quickly getting engaged in an ever-widening network of technologies. The
need of the hour iscompanies that are huge in scale and can reach that level
fast. For this, two things are needed, one finance and the otherconsumer
interest. Finance is provided by private equity investors/institutions who in
turn want these products to be used by as many as possible. For this end,
discourse about startups is created which generates huge interest in peoples
minds about these new technologies. Today, we have been exposed to the
term start-up so much that we have accepted the culture of dropping out of
educational institutes or leaving MNC jobs to starting-up as a norm. This,
even though is a rare enterprise, still has become a normal state of action.

Standing with the startups?

PM NarendraModi has always wanted/tried to connect to the youth of
India. Today, when start-ups are hugely created by the young brilliant minds
of the country, then why should his government not seize the opportunity
Start-up India; Stand up India New Initiative to Create Jobs A-67

and extend hands to support entrepreneurship amongst the youth. It is not

only good for the startups but also great for the country. There are policies
that are being bandied around, like the GOI is looking forward to a system
wherein all the branches of the bank would provide funds to at least one
startup initiated by tribals and dalits and one initiated by a woman.But
nothing has been prepared on the floor yet.
On the 10th July 2014, ArunJaitley, the finance minister of India, announced
the allocation of INR 10,000 crore funds for supporting startups around the
nation in all walks of life. The MSDE (Ministry of Skill Development and
Entrepreneurship), a relatively new ministry created by the NDA government
was given charge of this fund. Till date, the progress towards identifying
startups and utilizing the funds has been slow. There has not been prepared
any single policy or guideline that would help the startup ecosystem as a
whole.

Indias startups
India is home to a vibrant community of startups and it is proliferating fast.
According to a NASSCOM report, there were more than 3000 startups
functional in India in 2014, which is predicted to increase to more than
11,500 by 2020. Every year, more than 800 startups are coming up. In a
growing culture of entrepreneurship, it is disappointing that India is ranked
130th in the World Banks Ease of Doing Business Report 2016. Even though
our Finance Minister goes on record to say that this ranking should have been
much higher, is it not true that most of these startups are located majorly in
a couple of cities, viz. Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi? Also, is it not true that
most of them are designing products that cater to the target audience present
A-68 Start-up India; Stand up India New Initiative to Create Jobs

in these metro cities alone? How many Indian startups are pursuing social
goals? Also, how many of these private equity funds are putting their backing
behind social enterprises even when they mean business? These problems are
prevalent because we do not realize the change in the proper light. We see the
spate of newer technological companies, we hear newer terms like startups,
we see a quicker way to the riches and we think this is the new West story.
But the truth is, the game has changed very little for those entrepreneurs who
are not in the technology/mobile business. The endearment has created an
aura around entrepreneurship and glamorized it, but it has also decreased
the sanctity and seriousness associated with the lifestyle. This is welcome but
only to a certain extent.
The Government has its heart in the right place when it says it wants to support
startups. But there should be more than just talk. You cannot be serious when
you declare a budget for startups and then do nothing about itfor a year.
Startups are the fastest companies. They grow by the day. Bureaucratic or
political hurdles will make them look at other avenues for help. And they will
not appreciate the slow pace. The government should invest in accelerators/
incubators whichsupport initial ideas by seed funding them. They should
also focus on making key investments in later-stage companies which have
shown a clear business model. It is a stretch, but if instead of providing debt
to startups, the government could make equity based investments, it would be
hugely productive for the sector as a whole.

BILLS AND ACTS IN 2015
Arbitration and Conciliation
(Amendment) Bill
 8QLRQ&Dbinet headed by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi gave
its nod for amendments to the
Arbitration and Conciliation
Act 1996 by introducing the
Arbitration and Conciliation
(Amendment) Bill, on 26th
August 2015.
 3DUWLHVWRWKHGLVSXWHPD\DJUHH
that their dispute be resolved
through fast track procedure
and the verdict shall be awarded
within six months period.
 'XULQJ WKH H[WHQVLRQ RI  WKH
period the court might reduce
the fees of the arbitrators which
may not exceed 5% for every
months delay, only if the court
finds the reason behind the delay
in proceedings attributable to
the arbitral tribunal.
 6HFWLRQ $ DGGHG WR PHHW
the complete requirements
of the costs regime which
will be applicable to both, the
arbitrators as well as to the
related proceedings of the
course.
 $PHQGPHQW RI  6HFWLRQ  WR
ensure that only filing of the
forms to challenge the award
cannot automatically put a
stay on the execution of the
award. In fact the stay order can
come to effect only if a specific
judgement is passed on the
application filed by the party.
A-69
The Constitution (119th
Amendment) Act
 7KH 3DUOLDPHQW RI  ,QGLD SDVVHG
the 119th constitutional
amendment bill 2013 on 7th
May 2015 after the consent of
the President of India Pranab
Mukherjee.
 &RQVWLWXWLRQ WK
Amendment) Act, 2015 is
related to the Land Boundary
Agreement (LBA) between
India and Bangladesh.
 7KH ELOO DLPV WR DPHQG WKH VW
schedule of the constitution
for the exchange of disputed
territories occupied by both
the nations in agreement with
the 1974 bilateral LBA(Land
Boundary Agreement)
 7KLV ZLOO SXW D VWRS WR WKH
illegal immigration and various
criminal acts going on across
the border.
 ,W ZLOO VROYH WKH ERUGHU UHODWHG
disputes involving the north-
eastern states like Meghalaya,
Tripura, Assam and West
Bengal and improve the
development works of the
region.
 $OVR ZLOO SURYLGH UHOLHI  WR
stateless citizens living in the
isolated lands of the countries
by granting them citizenship
and basic government services.
Bureau of Indian Standards Bill
 7KH 8QLRQ &DELQHW FKDLUHG
by the Prime Minister, Shri
A-70
Narendra Modi introduced a
new Bureau of Indian Standards
Bill, on August 07, 2015.
 7KH%LOOUHplaced the Bureau of
Indian Standards Act, 1986
 7KH %XUHDX ZLOO ZRUN XQGHU
a Governing Council which
will work for the general
superintendence, direction and
management of the Bureau.
 7KH\ ZLOO VHW XS DQG PDLQWDLQ
testing laboratories for quality
guarantee of goods, articles,
services, etc, and will act as the
licensing authority for quality
standards.
 7KH %LOO JUDQWV SRZHU WR
the central government for
mandatory certification of
certain goods and precious
metals to confirm whether they
meet the standard mark or not.
Negotiable Instruments
(Amendment) Bill
 7KH 1HJRWLDEOH ,QVWUXPHQWV
(Amendment) Bill, 2015 was
introduced in the Lok Sabha on
May 6, 2015 and passed by the
same on 13th May 2015.
 7KH%LOOZDVLQWURGXFHGWRDPHQG
the Negotiable Instruments Act,
1881.
 ,W GHILQHV SURPLVVRU\ QRWHV
bills of exchange, cheques and
creates penalties for issues such
as bouncing of cheques.
 ,QVWDQFHV ZKHUH PRUH WKDQ RQH
case is filed against the same
person in different courts, then
the case will be transferred to
the court with the appropriate
jurisdiction.
 7KH%LOODPHQGVWKHH[SODQDWLRQ
of cheque in the electronic
form which means a cheque
drawn in a electronic medium
Bills and Acts in 2015
using any computer source and
is signed in a secure system with
a digital signature, or electronic
system.
 7KH%LOOZDVZLWKGUDZQRQ-XO\
24, 2015 for further amendment
of the same.
Citizenship (Amendment) Bill
 7KH %LOO ZDV LQWURGXFHG LQ WKH
Lok Sabha by the Minister
of State, Ministry of Home
Affairs, Mr. Haribhai Partibhai
Chaudhary on February 27,
2015 for the amendment of the
Citizenship Act, 1955.
 7KH ELOO ZDV SDVVHG E\ WKH /RN
Sabha on 2nd March 2015
and by the Rajya Sabha on 4th
March 2015.
 7KH %LOO DOORZV WKH FHQWUDO
government to register a person
as an Overseas Citizen of India
cardholder even if s/he does not
satisfy the given eligibility under
special circumstances only.
 ,Q DFFRUGDQFH ZLWK WKH $FW DQ\
person who is/has been a citizen
of Pakistan or Bangladesh or
any other country notified by
the central government will
be deemed ineligible to apply
for Overseas Citizenship of
India. In addition to this the
Bill extends the provision
to cover persons whose
parents/grandparents/ great-
grandparents were citizens of
any of the above countries.
 ,W LV D 0HUJHU RI  WKH 2YHUVHDV
Citizen of India (OCI) and
Persons of Indian Origin (PIO)
schemes. The Bill empowers
the central government to
notify that Persons of Indian
Origin cardholders who will
be considered to be Overseas
Bills and Acts in 2015
Citizen of India cardholders
starting from a specific date.
 7KH %LOO DOVR DOORZV WKH FHQWUDO
government to cancel the
Overseas Citizenship of India
card in cases when the marriage
is dissolved by a court, or the
spouse enters into another
marriage even while the first
marriage has not been dissolved.
Motor Vehicles (Amendment)
Bill
 7KH ELOO ZDV SDVVHG E\ WKH /RN
Sabha on 3rd March 2015 and
consequently by the Rajya
Sabha on 11th March 2015.
 7KH %LOO UHFHLYHG WKH DVVHQW
of the President on the 19th
March, 2015.
 7KH %LOO DLPV WR DPHQG WKH
Motor Vehicles Act, 1988
and replace the ordinance
promulgated in this regard.
 7KH ELOO GHVFULEHV HFDUW RU
e-rickshaw as a special purpose
battery powered vehicle of
power not exceeding 4000 watts,
having three wheels for carrying
goods or passengers.
 7KH ELOO HPSRZHUV 8QLRQ
Government to make the rules
on the specifications for e-carts
and e-rickshaws with conditions
and manner for issuing driving
licenses.
 2QH RI  WKH SULPDU\ DLPV WR
bring the E-cart and E-rickshaw
under the ambit of MV Act
will provide employment to
innumerable people who have
upgraded from the manually
pulled rickshaws to the electric
powered three-wheeled vehicles.
A-71
Regional Rural banks
(Amendment) Bill
 7KH 5HJLRQDO 5XUDO %DQNV
(Amendment) Bill, 2014 was
introduced by Mr. Arun Jaitley,
the Minister of Finance, in
Lok Sabha on December 18,
2014. The Bill seeks to amend
the Regional Rural Banks Act,
1976.
 7KH%LOOVHHNVWRUDLVHWKHDPRXQW
of authorised capital from ` 5
crore to ` 2,000 crore and states
that it cannot be reduced below
` one crore.
 7KH %LOO VWDWHV WKDW WKH FHQWUDO
government may by notification
raise or reduce the limit of
shareholding of the central
government, state government
or the sponsor bank in the RRB.
 7KH %LOO VWDWHV WKDW DQ\ SHUVRQ
who is a director at an RRB is
not eligible to be on the Board
of Directors for another RRB.
 7KH %LOO UDLVHV WKH WHQXUH RI 
office for a director (excluding
the Chairman) from two years
to three years with the provision
that no director can hold office
for a total period exceeding six
years.
 7KHELOOFKDQJHVWKHFORVLQJDQG
balancing dates of the books of
RRB from December 31st of
every year to March 31st which
will bring the Act in uniformity
with the financial year.
The Undisclosed Foreign Income
and Assets (Imposition of Tax)
Bill
 7KH %LOO ZDV LQWURGXFHG LQ /RN
Sabha on March 20, 2015 by
Mr. Arun Jaitley, the Minister
of Finance.
A-72
 7KH %LOO ZDV SDVVHG E\ WKH /RN
Sabha on 11th May, 2015 and
by the Rajya sabha on 13th
May, 2015.
 7KH%LOODSSOLHVWRDOOWKH,QGLDQ
residents and seeks to replace
Income Tax (IT) Act, 1961 for
taxation on foreign income.
 &RQFHDOPHQW RI  IRUHLJQ LQFRPH
and evading taxes related to the
same will be treated as criminal
offence.
 7KH ILQH IRU QRW GLVFORVLQJ
foreign income or assets will be
equal to three times the amount
of tax with an addition of 30%
to it. Also the penalty for not
filing income tax returns in
relation to the foreign income
or assets will be ` 10 lakh but it
will not be valid for assets worth
` 5 lakh or less.
 7KH SXQLVKPHQW IRU ZLOIXO
evasion of tax can lead to
imprisonment of 3 to 10 years
along with a fine. The failure
to furnish returns in relation to
the foreign assets can lead to
imprisonment of 6 months to 7
years along with a fine.
The Scheduled castes and the
Scheduled tribes (Prevention of
Atrocities) Amendment Bill
 7KH 6FKHGXOHG &DVWHV DQG
Scheduled Tribes (Prevention
of Atrocities) Amendment Bill,
2014 was introduced in the Lok
Sabha by Mr Thaawar Chand
Gehlot, the Minister of Social
Justice and Empowerment on
July 16, 2014. The bill was
passed by the Lok Sabha on 4th
August, 2015
 7KH %LOO VHHNV WR DPHQG WKH
Scheduled Castes and the
Bills and Acts in 2015
Scheduled Tribes (Prevention
of Atrocities) Act, 1989 which
prohibited the commission
of offences against members
of SCs and STs and holding
of special courts for the trial
of these offences and the
rehabilitation of victims.
 7KH %LOO DGGHG FHUWDLQ WHUPV
to the offence of assaulting
or sexually exploiting a SC
or ST female, which include:
(a) deliberately touching an
SC or ST woman in a sexual
way without her consent, or
(b) using lewd remarks, acts or
gestures in any sexual manner,
or (c) compelling an SC or ST
woman to act as a devadasi of
a temple, or any related practice
which will also be considered
an offence.
 6RPH RI  WKH QHZO\ DGGHG
offences against the SCs or
STs under the Bill include:
(a) garlanding with footwear,
(b) forcing them to carry
human or animal carcasses,
or do manual scavenging, (c)
verbal abuse of the SCs or STs
by caste name in public, (d)
attempting to spread feelings
of ill-will against SCs or STs or
dishonouring any dead person
held in high admiration, and (e)
commanding or intimidating a
social or economic boycott.
 7KH %LOO VSHFLILHV WKDW DQ
Exclusive Special Court must
be setup at the district level for
the trial of offences under the
Bill and a Public Prosecutor and
Exclusive Public Prosecutor
must be appointed for every
Special Court and Exclusive
Special Court correspondingly.
 7KH %LOO PHQWLRQV WKH SURYLVLRQ
for the rights of victims and
Bills and Acts in 2015
witnesses which endows the
state to make arrangements for
the protection of victims, their
dependents and witnesses.
Consumer protection Bill
 7KH &RQVXPHU 3URWHFWLRQ %LOO
2015, was introduced in Lok
Sabha on August 10, 2015 by
Mr. Ram Vilas Paswan, the
Minister of Consumer Affairs,
Food and Public Distribution.
 7KH %LOO VHHNV WR UHSODFH WKH
Consumer Protection Act,
1986 to widen the range and
modernise the law on consumer
protection following the
changes in the market.
 7KH FHQWUDO JRYHUQPHQW ZLOO
set up the Central Consumer
Protection Authority (CCPA)
to promote, protect and enforce
the rights of consumers.
 7KH GHIHFWV LQYROYHG LQ WKH
manufacture, construction,
design, testing, service
marketing etc. of a product
resulting in any sort of damage
or individual injury to a user,
the manufacturer will be held
responsible for the action taken
against the product.
 7KH 'LVWULFW &RPPLVVLRQ LV
empowered to pass orders in
relation with the complaints
regarding the removal of defects,
replacing of goods, stopping
the sale or manufacture of
hazardous products, refunding
the loss undergone by a
consumer.
 7KH %LOO LQWURGXFHG PHGLDWLRQ
as a way of consumer
dispute resolution with the
Consumer Mediation Cells to
be established and attached to
A-73
the redressal commissions at
the district, state and national
levels.
 7KHGHIDXOWHUVZKRIDLOWRFRPSO\
with the Commissions orders
will have to face imprisonment
ranging from one month to
three years, or inclusive of fine
from 10,000 rupees to 50,000
rupees.
The Rights of Transgender
Persons Bill
 5DM\D 6DEKD SDVVHG 7KH 5LJKWV
of Transgender Persons Bill
2014 on 24th April, 2015 which
is the first private members Bill
to be passed in 45 years by the
House.
 7KH %LOO JXDUDQWHHV UHVHUYDWLRQ
in education, jobs, financial aid
and social inclusion.
 7KH%LOOSURPLVHVIRUFUHDWLRQRI 
welfare boards at the Centre and
State level for the community
with two per cent reservation
in government jobs along with
providing for pensions and
unemployment allowances; and
establishment of Transgender
rights courts.
 1R WUDQVJHQGHU FKLOG ZLOO EH
separated from their biological
parents on the basis of being a
transgender except on an order
from a competent court.
 3XQLVKPHQW IRU GHOLYHULQJ
hate speeches against the
Transgender community can
face imprisonment up to one
year with fine.
Insurance Laws (Amendment)
Bill
 7KH ,QVXUDQFH /DZV
(Amendment) Bill, 2015 was
passed by the Lok Sabha on 4th
A-74
March, 2015 and by the Rajya
Sabha on 12th March, 2015.
 7KH DPHQGment Act aims to
eliminate archaic and redundant
provisions in the legislations
and incorporates certain
provisions to provide Insurance
Regulatory and Development
Authority of India (IRDAI)
with the flexibility to carry out
its functions more effectively
and efficiently.
 7KH$PHQGPHQWZLOOKDQGRYHU
the responsibility of selecting
insurance agents to insurers
and provides for IRDAI to
standardize their eligibility,
qualifications and other aspects.
It allows agents to work for
variety of companies in various
business categories; upholding
the conflict of interest that
would not be allowed by IRDAI
via suitable rules.
 7KH DPHQGPHQWV SURYLGH D
comparatively easier process
for payment to the nominee of
the policy holder, as the insurer
would be discharged of its legal
liabilities once the payment is
made to the nominee.
 7KH DPHQGPHQW KDV OHG WR
several provisions for charging
higher penalties ranging from
`1 Crore to ` 25 Crore for
violations like mis-selling and
misrepresentation by the agents
/ insurance companies.
Witch Hunting (Prohibition,
Prevention and Protection) Bill
 7KH VWDWH $VVHPEO\ RI  $VVDP
unanimously passed the Assam
Witch Hunting (Prohibition,
Prevention and Protection) Bill,
2015 on August 13th 2015 to
cull down the rising cases of
witch hunting in the state.
Bills and Acts in 2015
 7KH %LOO VHHNV WR HOLPLQDWH
the superstition from society
by making any such offence
under the Act as non-
bailable, cognizable and non-
compoundable.
 7KH %LOO KDV PDGH SURYLVLRQV
for anyone found guilty of
imprisonment up to seven
years along with a fine up to ` 5
lakh for declaring and calling a
person witch.
 6SHFLDO FRXUWV WR EH VHW XS DV
proposed under the Bill in
session with the high court for
trial of such offences.
Delhi High Court Amendment
Bill
 7KH %LOO ZDV SDVVHG LQ 5DM\D
Sabha in May 2015 and by the
Lok Sabha on 5 June 2015 by a
voice vote and finally received
assent of the President on the
11th August, 2015.
 7KH %LOO VHHNV WR IXUWKHU DPHQG
the Delhi High Court Act, 1966
to reduce the workload of the
Delhi High Court.
 7KH ELOO LQWHQGV RQ LQFUHDVLQJ
the pecuniary jurisdiction of
the Delhi high court from the
present 20 lakh rupees to 2 crore
rupees.
 7KH ELOO HPSRZHUV WKH &KLHI 
Justice of the Delhi High
Court to transfer any suit or
proceedings which are pending
in the High Court immediately
to any subordinate court.
Juvenile Justice (Care and
Protection of Children) Bill
 7KH -XYHQLOH -XVWLFH %LOO 
was introduced on 12th August,
2014 and passed by the Lok
Sabha on 7th August, 2015.
Bills and Acts in 2015 A-75

 7KH %LOO UHSODFHG WKH -XYHQLOH being held or transferred, and a

Justice (Care and Protection of beneficial owner as the person
Children) Act, 2000. It focuses who benefits from the property
on children in conflict with law being held by the benamidar.
and children who are in ardent  7KH %ill established four
need of care and protection. authorities for conducting
 7KH ELOO SHUPLWV IRU WKH WULDO RI  inquiries or investigations
juveniles between the ages of concerning benami transactions
16-18 as adults for committing which include: (i) Initiating
heinous crimes such as rape. Officer, (ii) Approving
 -XYHQLOH -XVWLFH %RDUGV --%
and Child Welfare Committees
(CWC) to be established in each
district. The JJB will inquire
whether a juvenile offender is
to be sent for rehabilitation or
be tried as an adult whereas
the CWC will provide for
institutional care of children in
need of care and protection.
 7KH HOLJLELOLW\ FULWHULD IRU WKH
adoption of children are
included in the bill.
 7KH ELOO LQFOXGHV SHQDOWLHV IRU
crimes against children and
other illegal activities involving
offering of narcotic substances
and abduction or selling of
children.
The Benami Transactions
(Prohibition) (Amendment) Bill
  0LQLVWHU RI  )LQDQFH 0U $UXQ
Jaitley introduced The Benami
Transactions (Prohibition)
Amendment Bill, 2015 in the
Lok Sabha on May 13, 2015.
 7KH %LOO VHHNV WR DPHQG WKH
Benami Transactions Act,
1988 which prohibited benami
transactions and provided
for confiscation of benami
properties.
 7KH %LOO GHVFULEHV EHQDPLGDU
as the person under whose
name the benami property is
Authority, (iii) Administrator
and (iv) Adjudicating Authority.
 $FFRUGLQJWRWKH%LOOWKHSHQDOW\
for giving out false information
can be rigorous imprisonment
ranging from six months to
five years, and a monetary fine
which may extend up to 10% of
the market value of the benami
property.
Land Acquisition Rehabilitation
and Resttlement (Amendment)
Bill
 7KH5LJKWWR)DLU&RPSHQVDWLRQ
and Transparency in Land
Acquisition, Rehabilitation and
Resettlement (Amendment)
Bill, 2015 was introduced on
11th May, 2015.
 7KH %LOO VHHNV WR DPHQG WKH
principal Act (LARR Act, 2013)
passed in 2013.
 7KH %LOO HPSRZHUV WKH
government to excuse five
categories of projects including
defence, rural infrastructure,
affordable housing, industrial
corridors and infrastructure
including PPPs, from the
requirements of: (i) social
impact assessment, (ii)
restrictions on acquisition of
multi-cropped land, and (iii)
consent for private projects
A-76
and public private partnerships
(PPPs) projects.
 7KH %LOO HOLPLQDWHG WKH
provisions from the principal
act which deemed the head of a
government department guilty
for an offence conducted by
the department and added the
requirement of a prior sanction
to take legal action against a
government employee.
 7KH JRYHUQPHQW DOORZHG
its ordinance on the land
acquisition act to lapse on 31st
August 2015.
The Delhi Special Police
Establishment (Amendment) Bill
 7KH 'HOKL 6SHFLDO 3ROLFH
Establishment (Amendment)
Bill, 2014 was introduced by the
Minister of Personnel, Public
Grievances and Pensions, Mr.
Jitendra Singh in the Lok Sabha
on November 25, 2014.
 7KH %LOO ZDV LQWURGXFHG WR
amend the Delhi Special
Police Establishment Act, 1946
which constitutes a special
investigation police force
alternatively known as the
Central Bureau of Investigation
(CBI).
 7KH FRPPLWWHH LV WR PDNH
recommendations to the central
government for appointment
of the committee comprising
of the Prime Minister
(Chairperson), the Chief Justice
of India or a Supreme Court
judge nominated by him, and
the Leader of Opposition in the
Lok Sabha faced amends under
the new bill which states that
in the absence of a opposition
Bills and Acts in 2015
leader, the Leader of the single
largest Opposition Party in the
House would become the part
of the committee.
 7KH %LOO VWDWHV WKDW WKH
appointment of a Director
would not be invalid on the
grounds of vacancy or absence
in the Committee.
Maharashtra Animal
Preservation Amendment Bill
 3UHVLGHQW 3UDQDE 0XNKHUMHH
gave his consent to the
Maharashtra Animal
Preservation (Amendment) Bill,
1995 on 4th March 2015.
 7KLV ELOO VHHNV WR DPHQG
Maharashtra Animal
Preservation Act 1976 which
bans slaughter of bulls and
bullocks in the state.
 $FFRUGLQJWRWKH%LOODQ\SHUVRQ
found to be selling beef or in
possession of it can be jailed for
five years and fined ` 10,000.
 7KHQHZ$FWDOORZVWKHVODXJKWHU
of water buffaloes, which
provides carabeef - which is
considered as an inferior quality
meat amounting to only 25 per
cent of the total beef market of
the state.
The Constitution (122nd
Amendment) (GST) Bill
 7KH &RQVWLWXWLRQ QG
Amendment) Bill 2014 was
introduced in the Lok Sabha on
December 19, 2014 by Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley. It was
passed by the Lok Sabha on 6th
May, 2015.
 7KH %LOO VHHNV WR DPHQG WKH
Constitution for introduction
Bills and Acts in 2015
of the goods and services tax
(GST) which will include
various Central indirect taxes,
including the Central Excise
Duty, Countervailing Duty,
Service Tax, etc.
 7KH *67 &RXQFLO ZLOO GHFLGH
which taxes to be levied by the
Centre, States and local bodies
will go into the GST; which
goods and services will be
subjected to GST; and the basis
and the rates at which GST will
be applied.
 7KH %LOO LQVHUWV D QHZ $UWLFOH
in the Constitution, making
legislation on the taxation of
goods and services a concurrent
A-77
allows it to include bauxite, iron
ore, limestone and manganese
ore as notified minerals.
 7KH YDOLGLW\ RI  WKH OLFHQFHV ZLOO
be increased to 50 years from
the previous validity of 30
years and on the other hand no
licences will be renewed, only
re-auction.
 7KH ELOO ZLOO PDNH LOOHJDO
mining, trespassing and
violation of norms, cognisable
offences punishable by 2 years
imprisonment and/or fine.
Warehousing Corporations
(Amendment) Bill
 7KH :DUHKRXVLQJ &RUSRUDWLRQV
power of the Centre and the
States.
 ,W HPSRZHUV WKH FHQWUH WR OHY\
an extra one per cent tax on the
supply of goods in the course of
inter-State trade, which will go
to the states for two years or till
when the GST Council decides.
 $OFRKROIRUKXPDQFRQVXPSWLRQ
has been exempted from the
purview of GST. GST will
apply to five petroleum products
at a later date.
Mines and Minerals (Development
and Regulation) Amendment Bill
 7KH $PHQGPHQW %LOO VHHNV WR
amend the Mines and Minerals
(Regulation and Development)
Act, 1957 and replace the
ordinance promulgated in
January 2015.
 ,WVHHNVWREULQJWUDQVSDUHQF\WR
the allocation of mining licence
process by auctions.
 7KH %LOO DGGV D QHZ )RXUWK
Schedule to the Act which
$PHQGPHQW %LOO  ZDV
introduced in the Lok Sabha
by Mr. Ram Vilas Paswan, the
Minister for Consumer Affairs,
)RRGDQG3XEOLF'LVWULEXWLRQRQ
0DUFK    7KH %LOO VHHNV
WR DPHQG WKH :DUHKRXVLQJ
Corporations Act, 1962.
 7KH %LOOV 6WDWHPHQW RI 
Objects and Reasons states
WKDW WKH &HQWUDO :DUHKRXVLQJ
Corporation has been
awarded a Mini-Ratna Public
Sector Enterprise status by
the Department of Public
Enterprises.
 2QHRI WKHFULWHULDWREHD0LQL
Ratna enterprise is that there
should be no financial support
from the government to the
enterprise.
 7KH %LOO VHHNV WR GR DZD\ ZLWK
WKH &HQWUDO *RYHUQPHQWV
responsibility of being a
financial guarantor to the central
warehousing corporation.
A-78
POLICIES AND SCHEMES IN 2015
 7KHVFKHPHDLPVDWFRQVWUXFWLQJ
more than two crore houses
across the length and breadth
of the nation within a span of
next seven years. This means
the scheme would conclude
successfully in the year 2022.
 7KH WDUJHW EHQHILFLDULHV RI 
the scheme would be poor
and people living under EWS
and LIG categories in urban
establishments of the country.
 7KH *RYHUQPHQW WR SURYLGH
interest subsidy of 6.5% on
housing loans to the beneficiaries
for a term of 15 years.
 +RXVHV WR EH FRQVWUXFWHG XQGHU
the scheme will be allotted
preferably in the name of the
female head of the family or in
the joint name of the male head
of the family.
 8QGHU WKH 30$< VFKHPH WKH
ground floor will be preferably
allotted to the differently-abled
and older people.
 7KH PLVVLRQ HQFRXUDJHV
adoption of modern and green
technologies for faster and
quality construction of houses
with the deployment of disaster
resistant and environment
friendly technologies.
SAHAJ Scheme
 8QGHU WKH 6$+$- VFKHPH
people are required to fill up
forms online for a new LPG
connection and avoid visiting
the LPG distributors. It
involves filing the KYC form by
uploading bank account details
and photographs.
 2Q VXEPLVVLRQ RI  WKH GHWDLOV
customer will receive a
registration number for enquiring
about the status of the new
connection with an additional
option of offline or online mode
of payment for the connection.
 $IWHUWKHFRPSOHWLRQRI SD\PHQW
an electronic subscription
voucher will be mailed to the
new customer and a physical
delivery of the gas cylinder,
regulator with hose pipe will be
made to the customer.
 7KHWZHOYHFLWLHVLQYROYHGXQGHU
the scheme are Ahmedabad,
Bhubaneswar, Bengaluru,
Bhopal, Chennai, Chandigarh,
Kolkata, Hyderabad, Lucknow,
Patna, Mumbai and Pune.
Smart Cities Project
 8QLRQ *RYHUQPHQW QDPHG 
cities under the Smart Cities
Project.
 2XW RI  WKH WRWDO  FLWLHV
13 cities were selected from
Uttar Pradesh, 12 cities from
Tamil Nadu, 10 cities from
Maharashtra, 7 cities from
Madhya Pradesh, 3 cities each
from Bihar and Andhra Pradesh.
 7KHFLWLHVFRQVWLWXWHFURUH
people which covers around 35%
of the urban population of India
under the mission.
 7KHVHOHFWHGFLWLHVZLOOUHFHLYHD
sum of two crore rupees each for
Policies and Schemes in 2015
the execution of the smart city
plan with the primary aim being,
enhancement of the urban life
under a practical and realistic
approach.
 7KH 8QLRQ *RYHUQPHQW KDV
sanctioned 48,000 crore rupees
with the purpose to financially
support the project over the next
five years.
Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana
(SAGY)
 6DQVDG $GDUVK *UDP <RMDQD LV
focused on the development of
the rural areas which involves
social and cultural development,
and spreading motivation among
the villagers for the betterment
of the village community.
 03V DUH UHTXLUHG WR DGRSW RQH
village each with a population
of 3000-4000 in plains and 1000-
3000 in hills with the criteria
that the village doesnt belong to
them or their spouses.
 7KH\RMDQDUHTXLUHVWKH03VWR
prepare a village development
plan and motivate the residents
for participation in growth
oriented activities, channelizing
MPLAD funds to generate
further resources specifically
from the CSR initiatives of
various corporate houses, in the
field of sanitation and water
supply.
 ,PSURYLQJ XSRQ WKH VWDQGDUG
and quality of the mid-day meal
schemes, Aadhaar enrolment,
setting up smart schools with
IT-enabled classrooms and
e-libraries, and development
of the infrastructure of the
Panchayat under schemes like
A-79
MGNREGA and Backward
Regions Grants Fund etc.
 'HYHORSPHQW RI  VRFLDO OLIH DQG
harmony to be encouraged via
activities celebrating a village
day, formation of a village
song and implementation of
alternative methods for resolving
disputes.
 7KH IXQFWLRQLQJ RI  WKH \RMDQD
will be ensured by web-based
monitoring with an initial
5-month assessment by an
independent organisation and
ground-level survey by the
District Collectors to monitor
the progress.
PAHAL Scheme
 7KH VFKHPH ZDV UHYLVHG DQG
reintroduced as PaHal in
November 2014 and launched in
54 districts. Later on the scheme
was implemented all over the
nation on 1 January 2015.
 7KH VFKHPH LQYROYHV VDOH RI 
subsidized LPG cylinders at
market rates and consumers are
allowed to collect LPG subsidy
straight into their bank accounts.
 7KH SURFHVV RI  UHFHLYLQJ WKH
subsidy is either via the bank
account or Aadhaar linkage
covering around 9.75 crore LPG
consumers across the nation.
 7KH VFKHPHV SULPDU\ PRWLYH
involves elimination of duplicate
or bogus LPG connections.
Suraksha Bandhan drive
 8QLRQ*RYHUQPHQWKDVODXQFKHG
Suraksha Bandhan drive with an
objective of creating a universal
social security system in the
country, particularly for the poor
and the deprived sections.
A-80
 7KH GULYH ZLOO DVVRFLDWH WKH
poor and deprived sections with
social security schemes such as
Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima
Yojana (PMSBY) and Pradhan
Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima
Yojana (PMJJBY).
  7KH SDUWLFLSDWLQJ ,QVXUDQFH
Companies will support the
respective banks to work jointly
towards local outreach and
create awareness in order to
facilitate enrolments during this
drive.
 3HRSOH ZKR HQURO GXULQJ WKLV
drive will be exempted from
submitting a certificate of good
health for the PMJJBY.
 7KH GULYH HPSRZHUV SHRSOH WR
present social security to their
near and dear ones in the form of
Jeevan Suraksha gift cheques of `
351 which is one-year premium
for PMJJBY and PMSBY.
SAMANVAY portal
 6$0$19$< ZHE SRUWDO
was launched by the Union
Ministry of Rural Development
to supervise the progress
and execution of the Sansad
Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY)
for development of Gram
Panchayats.
 7KHDLPRI WKHSRUWDOLVWRDVVLVW
Members of Parliament (MPs)
to utilise relevant schemes in the
planning and implementation of
SAGY.
 6$0$19$< KDV KHOSHG LQ WKH
documentation of around 1800
state schemes from across all
states.
Surakshit Khadya Abhiyan
 8QLRQ *RYHUQPHQW ODXQFKHG
Surakshit Khadya Abhiyan with
Policies and Schemes in 2015
the focus on creating awareness
and capacity building for safe
and hygienic food.
 7KH Fampaign complements
the widely popular multi-media
campaign Jago Grahak Jago
which empowers the consumers
of their rights and demands.
 8QGHUWKHFDPSDLJQQDWLRQZLGH
sensitisation sessions will be
organized across the country on
cleaning, hygiene & sanitation
for safe food, Walkathons
and Media dissemination
programmes for Consumers and
Street Food Industries.
 7KH PLQLVWU\ DOVR ODXQFKHG
a website and a logo for the
campaign and signed a pledge for
adoption of safe food practices.
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee
Yojana (PMKSY)
 30.6< DLPV SULPDULO\ DW
providing irrigation facilities to
every village in the country by
converging ongoing irrigation
schemes implemented by various
ministries.
 7KH <RMDQD HQVXUHV SURWHFWLYH
irrigation to all agricultural
farms in the country in order to
produce per drop more crop
ensuring rural prosperity.
 7KH VFKHPH HQVXUHV WKDW VWDWH
and district irrigation plans
are equipped on the basis of
availability of water and agro-
climatic conditions in the
respective regions.
 7KH30.6<IRFXVHVRQHQGWR
end solution in irrigation supply
chain by implementing the new
programme in a project mode
with decentralised state-level
planning and execution.
Policies and Schemes in 2015
 30.6< IXQGV ZLOO EH JLYHQ WR
states as 75% grant by the central
government and the rest 25%
share is to be taken up by the
state government. And in case
of the north-eastern region and
hilly states, the grant would be
90:10.
Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram
Jyoti Yojana
 7KH VFKHPH ZDV ODXQFKHG E\
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
with the primary aim to provide
247 uninterrupted electricity
supply to each rural household
across the nation by 2022.
 7KH \RMDQD ZDV SODQQHG WR
separate agriculture and non-
agriculture feeders facilitating
judicious rostering of supply to
agricultural and non-agricultural
consumers in rural areas.
 ,WDOVRVHHNVWRVWUHQJWKHQWKHVXE
transmission and distribution
infrastructure in rural areas
which includes metering
of transformers/feeders/
consumers.
 7KHVFKHPHKDVWKHWRWDORXWOD\
of 76,000 crore rupees for
execution of the projects for
which the Union Government
will provide grant of 63,000
crore rupees.
Sakaar
 8QLRQ*RYHUQPHQWODXQFKHGDQ
Augmented Reality technology
based mobile application
named Sakaar to showcase the
achievements of the Department
of Space.
 7KH DSSOLFDWLRQ LV GHYHORSHG E\
Development and Educational
Communication Unit (DECU)
of ISRO.
A-81
 7KH DSSOLFDWLRQ VKRZFDVHV '
models of Mars Orbiter Mission
(MOM), RISAT, indigenous
rockets such as PSLV, GSLV
Mk-III; videos of INSAT
3D-predicting cyclones, MOM
launch and orbit insertion videos,
360 degree animated view of
MOM, GSLV D5/Cryo and
Anaglyph of Mars surface which
are purely for representational
and educational purposes.
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana
 3UDGKDQ 0DQWUL -DQ 'KDQ
Yojana (PMJDY) was launched
as a nationwide scheme by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
on 28th August 2014 which
seeks to provide a bank account
for every individual who does
not have one.
 7KH VFKHPH IDFLOLWDWHV WKH
account holders with a zero-
balance bank account with
RuPay debit card, with an
additional accidental insurance
cover of ` 1 lakh.
 7KH DFFRXQW KROGHUV FDQ WDNH D
loan benefit of
  IURP WKH EDQN DIWHU DQ
interval of six months from
opening of the account.
 7KH IDFLOLW\ RI  PRELOH EDQNLQJ
available for the poor through
National Unified USSD
Platform (NUUP) by the
combined efforts of all banks
and mobile companies.
 7KH VFKHPH DOORZV WKH DFFRXQW
holders to avail the facilities
of checking balance and
transferring funds through a
normal cellphone which was
earlier limited to smart phones
A-82
only, with the introduction of
new age technology introduced
by National Payments
Corporation of India (NPCI).
 7KH DFFRXQW KROGHUV ZLOO EH
awarded an insurance coverage
worth ` 30000 if they comply
with certain condition of the
scheme, including opening an
account by 26th January, 2015
and possessing an accidental
insurance coverage worth `
200000.
USTAAD Scheme
 7KH 867$$' VFKHPH ZDV
launched in order to improve
the degrading condition of the
world renowned Banaras Saree
weavers belonging to various
minority communities.
 7KH 6FKHPH VHHNV WR XSJUDGH
the Skills and Training of
the minority communities by
preservation of their customary
ancestral Arts and Crafts.
 ,W DOVR IRFXVHV RQ LPSURYLQJ
upon the skills of craftsmen,
weavers and artisans who
are already engaged in the
traditional ancestral work.
 867$$' DOVR VHHNV WR ZRUN
on the skill development and
imbibing better marketing
strategies to the weavers and
artisans of traditional crafts.
Namami Gange Project
 1DPDPL*DQJH3URMHFWKDVEHHQ
launched as an intergrated effort
by the Union Government for the
conservation and improvement
of the Ganga River.
 7KH*RYHUQPHQWKDVVDQFWLRQHG
a sum of
Policies and Schemes in 2015
` 2,037 crore for the integrated
programme with the aim to
cover 8 states, 47 towns & 12
rivers under the project.
 6HYHUDO PLQLVWULHV DUH HQJDJHG
with nodal Water Resources
Ministry in relation with the
project including - Environment,
Urban development, Shipping,
Tourism & Rural Development
Ministries with the prime focus
on connecting people living on
the rivers banks in this project.
 7KHVFKHPHDOVRLQYROYHVVHWWLQJ
up river centric urban planning
process in order to establish
better citizens connect through
interventions at Ghats and River
fronts along with expansion of
sewerage infrastructure in 118
cities on banks of Ganga.
 7KH SURMHFW DOVR LQYROYHV
ensuring ecological rejuvenation
by conservation of aquatic life
and biodiversity, and side by side
promoting tourism and shipping
in a rational and sustainable
manner.
Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti
Bima Yojana
 3UDGKDQ 0DQWUL -HHYDQ -\RWL
Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) was
launched by the Union finance
minister Arun Jaitley with the
aim to extend life insurance
cover to people both in the cases
of natural deaths or accidents.
 7KH <RMDQD ZLOO EH DYDLODEOH WR
people who have an Aadhaar
number linked with a bank
account and within the age
group of 18-50 years.
 7KH DQQXDO SUHPLXP IRU WKH
scheme is ` 330 which will be
Policies and Schemes in 2015
auto-debited in one instalment
from the subscribers bank
account.
 7KH VFKHPH ZLOO EH SULPDULO\
offered by LIC and other life
insurers who are willing can join
the scheme.
MUDRA Bank
 0LFUR 8QLWV 'HYHORSPHQW DQG
Refinance Agency Bank (or
MUDRA Bank) was launched
by the Prime Minister Narendra
Modi on 8th April, 2015.
 7KH SULPDU\ IRFXV RI  WKH EDQN
is to provide loans at low rates
to microfinance institutions
and non-banking financial
institutions which then offer
credit to MSMEs.
 7KH EDQN ZLOO DOVR PRQLWRU WKH
people who have taken up loans
to regulate his/her activities
if they are under any debts
and become a liability for the
government.
 7KH DJHQFLHV ZLOO VHW XS D
method using the last-mile credit
agent scheme system for small
and micro businesses.
 08'5$ %DQN ZLOO RIIHU
financing in 3 stages- Shishu,
Kishore and Tarun.
PRAGATI platform
 35$*$7, LV D GLVWLQFWLYH
multipurpose platform aimed
at addressing common mans
grievances, and at the same
time monitoring and reviewing
important programmes and
projects of the Government of
India along with the projects
flagged by State Governments.
A-83
 7KHSODWIRUPLQYROYHVDWKUHHWLHU
system which includes the PMO,
Union Government Secretaries,
and Chief Secretaries of the
States.
 7KH LVVXHV WR EH KLJKOLJKWHG LQ
front of the PM will be taken
from the available database
regarding Public Grievances, on-
going Programmes and pending
Projects.
 7KH V\VWHP ZLOO VWUHQJWKHQ DQG
re-engineer the data bases of the
CPGRAMS for grievances along
with the Project Monitoring
Group (PMG) and the Ministry
of Statistics and Programme
Implementation.
Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao
campaign
 8QLRQJRYHUQPHQWODXQFKHGRQH
of its most ambitious projects
Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao (BBBP)
on 22nd January 2015 whose
prime objective is to create
awareness about the diminishing
child sex ratio in the country.
 7KH VFKHPH ZDV ODXQFKHG E\
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
from Panipat in Haryana.
Haryana was chosen to launch
the scheme due to its low sex
ratio i.e. 879 girls per 1000 boys,
which is below the national sex
ratio that stands at 918 girls per
1000 boys.
 7KH FDPSDLJQ LV WR EH
implemented in 100 districts
of the country, including 12
districts of Haryana where the
number of girl child is drearily
low.
 &HQWUH KDV provided an initial
investment of 100 crore rupees
for it.
A-84
HRIDAY scheme
 8QLRQ *RYHUQPHQW ODXQFKHG
the Heritage City Development
and Augmentation Yojana
(HRIDAY) on 21st January
2015 for the preservation and
rejuvenation of the invaluable
heritage of our country.
 8UEDQ GHYHORSPHQW PLQLVWHU
Shri Venkaiah Naidu launched
the scheme in New Delhi.
 C  FURUH KDV EHHQ VDQFWLRQHG
for the HRIDAY scheme.
 7KH  KHULWDJH FLWLHV WR EH
renovated and developed
under the HRIDAY scheme
are Amritsar, Varanasi,
Gaya, Puri, Ajmer, Mathura,
Dwarka, Badami, Velankanni,
Kanchipuram, Warangal and
Amaravati.
 +5,'$< ZLOO EH ZRUNLQJ LQ
collaboration with Tourism
Ministrys Pilgrimage
Rejuvenation and Spiritual
Augmentation Drive (PRASAD)
scheme which aims at renovating
the infrastructure of various
pilgrimage sites over the country.
Atal Pension Yojana
 $WDO 3HQVLRQ <RMDQD ZDV
launched for all those who come
from the unorganised sector to
make them self-dependent after
they have spent their lifetime
working for a non-pensionable
job.
 8QGHU WKH VFKHPH D SHUVRQ
can receive a fixed amount of
pension starting from ` 1000 to
` 5000 per month depending on
the contribution made by them.
 7KH PLQLPXP DJH RI  MRLQLQJ
the scheme is 18 years and the
Policies and Schemes in 2015
maximum age is 40 years.
 7KH PLQLPXP SHULRG RI 
contribution by the person under
the scheme is 20 years or more.
 7KH JRYHUQPHQW ZLOO FRQWULEXWH
50% to the pension fund of the
nominee for every contribution
made by him/her for a period of
5 years.
One Rank One Pension
 7KH8QLRQ*RYHUQPHQWJDYHLWV
consent for the implementation
of One Rank One Pension
(OROP) scheme for ex-
servicemen on 5th September
2015.
 7KH VFKHPH SURPLVHV WR
provide uniform pension to ex-
servicemen of the same rank
and the same length of service,
regardless of their date of
retirement.
 7KH VFKHPH ZLOO EHQHILW DOO
the three branches of services
including army, air force and
navy.
 $OO WKH 2523 DUUHDUV ZLOO
be paid in four half yearly
instalments and all the widows
including war widows will be
paid arrears in one instalment.
 7KHJRYHUQPHQWKDVDQQRXQFHG
the revision of the pension after
every five years.
Unnat Bharat Abhiyan
 8QQDW %KDUDW $EKL\DQ LV
launched with the purpose to
connect institutions of higher
education, including IITs, NITs
and Indian Institutes of Science
Education & Research (IISERs)
with the local communities
to overcome development
Policies and Schemes in 2015
challenges and bring about rural
development.
 (DFK ,,7V DQG 1,7V ZLOO
choose 10 villages from their
neighbourhood and solve the
gravest issues of the region by
using technology.
 7KH +5' PLQLVWU\ DQG WKH
educational institutes along
with other ministries like rural
development and various NGOs
working for the development of
the villages are most likely to be
included in the scheme.
 7KHKLJKSULRULW\SUREOHPVWREH
looked after during the scheme
are: supply of potable water,
sanitation, energy consumption
and construction of houses at a
low cost.
Sukanya Samridhi Yojana
 6XNDQ\D 6DPULGKL <RMQD ZDV
launched by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on 22nd January
2015 as a girl child prosperity
scheme to ensure the bright
future of the girl child in India.
 7KH6XNDQ\D6DPULGGKLDFFRXQW
can be opened anytime in
between the birth of the girl
child and till the time she attains
the age of 10 years under her
name.
 2QO\RQHDFFRXQWLVSHUPLVVLEOH
for every girl child.
 8QGHUWKHVFKHPHSDUHQWVQHHG
to deposit
` 1,000 at the time of her birth and
thereafter deposit multiples of `
100 with the maximum deposit
of ` 1,50,000.
 7KH\RMDQDSHUPLWVWKHJLUOFKLOG
to access her account after she is
10 years old and a withdrawal
A-85
of 50% from the account is
permitted at the age of 18 years
for higher education purpose.
 7KH account reaches the
maturation period when she
attains the age of 21 years.
Minority Ministry launches
OAMS for Nai Roshni
 8QLRQ 0LQLVWHU IRU 0LQRULW\
Affairs, Dr. Najma Heptulla
launched the Online Application
Management System (OAMS)
for Nai Roshni in order to
bring the scheme into public
domain which will facilitate
transparency and quick delivery.
 7KH SURFHGXUHV LQYROYHG DQG
benefits of the system include:
(a) Submission of online
application and generation
of an application ID with
date.
(b) Online screening of
applications.
(c) Online receipt of
documents.
(d) No loss of documents
due to postal or human
negligence.
(e) Curtailment of procedural
delays.
(f) Minimized paper work.
(g) Time saving.
(h) The applicant can check the
status of their applications
with their ID.
(i) Online project approval,
sanctions and release of
funds.
(j) Online monitoring of
projects.
A-86
(k) Reports on trained women,
location of projects etc.
available in public domain.
 7KH VFKHPH ZDV ODXQFKHG
for Leadership Development
of Minority Women in 2012-
13, to empower and instil
self-confidence in women by
providing knowledge, tools and
techniques for interacting with
Government systems, banks and
intermediaries at all levels.
Nai Manzil scheme launched by
the Union Government
 'U 1DMPD +HSWXOOD WKH 8QLRQ
Minister for Minority Affairs
launched Nai Manzil scheme in
Patna on 8th August, 2015 for
empowering minorities.
 7KH VFKHPH VHHNV WR GHDO ZLWK
educational and livelihood
needs of minority communities
in general and Muslims in
particular as it lags behind other
minority communities in terms
of educational attainments.
 7KH IRFXV RI  WKH VFKHPH LV WR
provide educational intervention
by offering bridge courses to the
trainees, getting them certificates
for class XII and X through
distance educational system and
facilitate them with trade basis
skill training in 4 courses namely
Manufacturing, Engineering,
Services and Soft skills.
 7KHVFKHPHZLOOFRYHUSHRSOHLQ
the age group of 17 to 35 years
from all minority communities
as well as Madrasa students.
The scheme will also provide
avenues for continuing higher
education and will also open up
employment opportunities in the
organized sector.
Policies and Schemes in 2015
Start up India, Stand up India
 3ULPH 0LQLVWHU 1DUHQGUD 0RGL
announced the Start-Up India
initiative while addressing
the nation on the eve of 69th
Independence Day.
 7KHcampaign aims to encourage
entrepreneurship among the
youth and create employment
opportunities in India. PM
urged 1.25 lakh bank branches
to provide finance to at least one
Dalit or Adivasi and at least one
woman entrepreneur.
 7KH LQLWLDWLYH ZRXOG EH
beneficiary in giving a new
dimension to entrepreneurship
and will help in setting up a
network of start-ups in the
country.
 7KH FDPSDLJQ DLPV WR HVWDEOLVK
India as the number one start up
country. The Prime Minister has
also promised to do away with
the current practice of interview-
based selections for low-skilled
government jobs.
 $V SDUW RI  WKH 6NLOO ,QGLD DQG
Digital India initiative, the
PM announced that a package
of incentives will be given
to manufacturing units for
generating jobs.
Union Government launches
School Nursery Yojana
 7KH 6FKRRO 1XUVHU\ <RMDQD
was launched by the Union
Government with the sole
purpose to bring school students
closer to nature by involving
them in raising saplings in the
nurseries created inside their
school campuses.
Policies and Schemes in 2015
 7KH VFKHPH DLPV WR FRYHU WHQ
thousand schools in the coming
three years, which will receive
a grant of Rs 25,000 in the first
year and Rs 10,000 per year for
the subsequent two years.
 7KHVWXGHQWVZLOOVRZVHHGVDQG
nurture the saplings in the school
nursery as a part of their extra-
curricular activities and practical
exercise for Biology classes.
 7KH VFKRRO QXUVHULHV ZLOO KDYH
minimum of 100 sq metres for
preparation of beds for raising
saplings and for nursery-related
activities.
 7KH \RMDQD ZLOO HQFRXUDJH
schools to practice composting,
rainwater harvesting and water
recycling to inspire best practices
in the young minds.
 7KH VFKHPH VHHNV WR
inculcate best environmental
responsiveness practices in
young minds.
Thari Pension, Thare Pass
 +DU\DQD &KLHI  0LQLVWHU
Manohar Lal Khattar launched
the Thari Pension Thare Pass in
Chandigarh, seeking to directly
transfer pension into the bank
accounts of beneficiaries.
 2YHU  ODNK EHQHILFLDULHV IURP
1,744 villages and 81 towns in the
state would get pensions through
banks and post offices under the
first phase of the scheme.
 7KHEHQHILFLDULHVZRXOGJHWWKHLU
pension through different modes,
including bank branches, post
offices, business correspondent
agents (BCAs), additional BCAs,
primary agricultural cooperative
society (PACS), Vodafone
A-87
M-Pesa, common service centres
and gramin dak sewaks.
 7KHUH DUH FXUUHQWO\ RYHU 
lakh beneficiaries getting pension
under various social security
schemes entailing a monthly
expenditure of Rs 270 crore.
The residents of other villages
would, for the time being, get
their pension manually.
 7KH EHQHILFLDULHV DUH OLDEOH WR
withdraw the amount as per their
requirement and also trace their
account online to be acquainted
with the balance in his or her
account.
Spices Board launches Subsidy
Scheme
 6SLFHV %RDUG RI  ,QGLD ODXQFKHG
various subsidies for farmers
to sensitize them to enhance
the quality of spices and boost
production of spices in the
country.
 8QGHUWKHQHZVFKHPHILQDQFLDO
aid to be given to farmers for
irrigation, land development,
mechanisation, replanting, soil
conservation, organic farming of
various spices (especially small
cardamom) and purchasing
modern irrigation and farming
equipment and tools.
 7RLQFUHDVHSURGXFWLRQRI VSLFHV
especially of small cardamom,
cultivators of small cardamom
in Kerala and Tamil Nadu
will receive up to Rs 70,000
for replanting, while farmers
in Karnataka will get up to Rs
50,000.
 $OVR WKHUH LV SURYLVLRQ RI 
financial assistance up to 25 per
cent of actual cost for acquiring
A-88
irrigation pump sets, sprinkler
sets, equipment for gravity-fed
irrigation system along with
financial aid of 50 per cent for
water storage structure.
 7KH ERDUG KDV DOVR DQQRXQFHG
subsidy of Rs.1 lakh for
purchasing improved cardamom
curing devices and 50 per
cent subsidy for GAP (Good
Agricultural Practices) kits and
bee-keeping boxes.
Aapki Beti Hamari Beti scheme
 +DU\DQD JRYHUQPHQW ODXQFKHG
the Aapki Beti Hamari Beti
scheme aiming to combat the
problem of declining child
sex ratio and promote girls
education.
 $FFRUGLQJ WR WKH VFKHPH
the first girl child born on or
after 22ndJanuary, 2015 in a
scheduled caste or below poverty
line family would be eligible to
receive a onetime grant of Rs
21,000.
 7KHVFKHPHLVWREHLPSOHPHQWHG
in both rural and urban areas of
the state covering first-born girl
child of Scheduled Caste (SC)
and Below Poverty Line (BPL)
families.
 7KH JUDQW ZLOO EH LQYHVWHG ZLWK
the Life Insurance Corporation
of India in the name of the girl
child, and the sum would be
given to the beneficiary when
she turns 18.
 7KH SDUHQWV VKRXOG EH UHVLGHQW
of Haryana, to be eligible for the
scheme.
 ,I  WKH DSSOLFDQW IDLOV WR VXEPLW
the application form within
the stipulated time, it can be
Policies and Schemes in 2015
submitted within one year after
the birth of the child.
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas
Yojana
 3ULPH 0LQLVWHU 1DUHQGUD 0RGL
launched Pradhan Mantri
Kaushal Vikas Yojana, which
aims to offer 24 lakh Indian
youth meaningful, industry
relevant, skill based training.
 8QGHU WKLV VFKHPH WKH WUDLQHHV
will be offered a financial reward
and a government certification
on successful completion of
training and assessment, which
will help them in securing a job
for a better future.
 $Q DOORFDWLRQ RI  5V  FURUHV
has been done for training of
youth from the Northeast region.
Green Highways Policy 2015
 8QLRQ 0LQLVWHU RI  5RDG
Transport & Highways and
Shipping Shri Nitin Gadkari
launched the Green Highways
(Plantation, Transplantation,
Beautification and Maintenance)
Policy, 2015.
 7KH DLP RI  WKH SROLF\ LV WR
promote greening of Highway
corridors with participation of
the community, farmers, private
sector, NGOs, and government
institutions.
 7KH WDUJHW IRU WKH ILUVW \HDU LV
to plant trees along 6,000 km
of highways, for which 12,000
hectares of land allotted.
 7KH*UHHQ+ighway Policy will
help in making India pollution
free and lessen the number of
road accidents in the country.
 A-89

E-commerce vs. Brick and mortar

retailers

L ast two decades have witnessed a series of changes in the way we

communicate, learn, read, express, consult, buy, sell and run business.
E-commerce has emerged as a totally new concept. Presently, High dependency
on internet and mobile phone usage has revolutionized the way business reach
people.
E-commerce connotes a method of conducting business through
electronic means rather than through physical means. The term takes into
account not just the act of purchasing goods through online platform but
also other activities associated with transaction such as delivery, payment
facilitation and service management. This means it is a click and buy
method using computers and mobile phones.
With the massive adaptation of common man to technology, the e-commerce
industry continues to evolve and experience high growth in both developed
and developing markets. The largest population within that market segment is
23-year-olds. That means millennials are big consumers of this market. Since,
they have their prime earning years still ahead of them - about 30 of them, those
30 years should make millennials tempting targets for any e-commerce strategy.
The digital commerce market in India has shown remarkable growth from
$4.4 billion in 2010 to $13.6 billion in 2014 whereas the global market is
forecasted to reach $1.5 trillion in 2016. The emanation of non-banking players
in the payments industry and exhilarated emergence of innovative start-ups mark
the expansion of the
Indian e-commerce
market at a rapid pace.
Nowadays, many
people are working
for longer hours than
before and more
people are entering or
re-entering the labour
market working part
time. Lifestyles are
A-90 E-commerce vs. Brick and Mortar Retailers

changing. And this change has led to increased consumer demand for a choice
of high quality goods and services which can be purchased and delivered
quickly. In recent past, the e-commerce revolution has latched on to country
to the extent that it has taken the shape of recent paradigm which the physical
retailers have to confront. E-commerce or e-tailing is the recent challenge in
the face of retailers and it has left them with no choice but to adapt to the
changing ways of doing business.
Around 75 per cent of retailers have already adopted e-commerce in some
form. Globally, retailing has already graduated to a multi-channel, omni-channel
retail industry. According to a new study, the shopping malls are already
witnessing lesser footfalls, leading to increase in vacancy rate at 25 percent,
along with a 30 percent drop in rentals during the last year. In view of such
developments, over 45 percent of shopping malls are expected to be converted
into non-retail space within next 15 years, as per the reports of Assocham.

Challenges confronted by brick and mortar retail

Flipkart, Snapdeal, Myntra and Jabong are confronting resistance from all
stakeholders of modern retail - from consumer goods makers and distributors
to offline retailers - as they try and grab a larger share of the consumers wallet
by swaying deals and discounts to attract customers.
The Assocham -PWC report has concluded the challenges of suburban
sprawl, bad automotive traffic, rising fuel prices and the difficulty of time
management in modern families have made visiting to the malls a difficult
activity. To the contrary, improvement in logistics, broadband and Internet-
ready devices have increased the number of consumers buying online from
40 million to 65 million in 2015.
Similarly, as per the report, while the share of e-tail is expected to plunge
from 2 percent in 2014 to 11 percent in 2019 (more than five times), the share
of brick and mortar modern retail is expected to fall from 17 percent to 13
percent during the same period.

In Billion USD

29% 12.6
32% 9.5
29% 7.0 10-20
37% 5.3
3.8 53% 1.0 57% 1.5 53% 2.3 CAGR
0.4 58% 0.6 40-50%
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2017-20 (E)
E-tailing E-Commerce
E-commerce vs. Brick and Mortar Retailers A-91

Heavy discounting from festival sales and daily deals, more online loyalty
programs and growing popularity of smartphones and tablet computers among
consumers are the key factors contributing to the growth of e-commerce.
According to Knight Frank India CMD Shishir Baijal, The e-commerce
industry is booming like never before and this coupled with high disposable
incomes have led to a spurt in the internet culture that aims to change the
dynamics of the brick and mortar modern retail segment.
Lately E-retailers have been able to attract significant customers to online
buying. These are not just limited to very exclusive categories such as consumer
electronics, apparels, jewellery and lifestyle, books, music and video but also
other categories such as food and beverages, departmental store, household
services, home furnishings, healthcare, home cleaning, maintenance and
office equipments.

Commodity Distribution in E-tailing

Healthcare Baby products

Home
3% 2%
Furnishing
6%
Beauty &
Personal
15% Electronics
34%

Books
15%

Appareis & Accessories

34%

FDI issue
The online retailers are allowed 100 per cent FDI, as most of them are
run on the marketplace model, providing a platform for vendors. Multibrand
A-92 E-commerce vs. Brick and Mortar Retailers

retailers, on the other hand are eligible for 51 per cent FDI, based on the consent
of state. Eminent Physical retailer and other chains argue that their stores should
be regarded as similar in nature as they are also marketplace because some
22,000 small and medium companies sell their products through their stores.
They questioned why (100 %) FDI couldnt be allowed in their business as
well. The law says FDI is allowed only in B2B (business to business) whether
its online or offline, but in case of online business, ecommerce transactions
are happening between business and consumer. This remains an unresolved
issue for physical retailers.
Future of Retailers
Retailers are hampered
with huge physical spaces that
they are bound to pay rents
for. Unlike the e-commerce
players, they arent getting
heavy funding from private
equity investors; in any case,
not for their brick-and-mortar
business model. Due to the
excessive discounts in sales offered by the e-commerce channels, the margins
of retailers have been impacted to a great extent. Although, it is expected that
discounting will continue for 12-18 months, the players are moving beyond
discounts and thinking about building customer loyalty. In the light of this
intensified competition and consolidation, retailers are forced to adapt to the
e-commerce opportunity.
The existing scenario portrays future, where India is going to see a model
that is not completely online nor completely offline. The retailers are likely to
function through omni-channel where they are able to address a customers
needs through multiple touch points.
 A-93

What is Terrorism?

A ny act,with political/religious or any other objective which causes terror

amongst the mass is termed as terrorism. Exploiting human fear to meet
political objectives is not a new thing. It has been in practice by many political
organizations, religious groups, revolutionaries, ruling governments, nationalist
groups and by both right and left-wing political parties. To reach some political,
religious or ideological goals, these terror groups use violence or threat to coerce
the population or the government. Terrorism bifurcates into two kinds: Political
and Criminal. Political creates panic to the mass at larger extent and criminal
targets kidnapping for taking heavy ransom or raising unlawful demands.
The impact of terrorism has been world-wide but we see it scattered in groups and
often hear of disturbances or blasts in selected states or places. These activities
tend to disturb the normal routine of the people and spread its vehement face
to create fear and panic in the mindset of the mass.

Terrorism in India
Depending on what their objectives are, terrorism in India is subdivided in
four major groups:

Ethno-nationalist terrorism
This type focuses on underlining the response of one ethnic group against
another and also looks forward to creating a separate state within India or
independent of India or in a neighbouring nation.
Eg. The insurgent tribal groups in North East India

Religious terrorism
Charged with religious imperatives, these groups fightfor specific religious
groups with their presumed duties and solidarity. Eg. The attack on Taj and
MumbaiAttacks on 26/11, by the Islamic terror group of Pakistan is a kind
of religious terrorism.

Left-wing terrorism
This group opposes the prevalent socio-political structure which according
to it creates a disruptive impact on the economy. Their aim henceforth lies in
bringing revolutionary changes by means of violence. Eg. Maoist violence in
Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh

Narco- terrorism
This group indulges in drug trafficking by creating illegal narcotics traffic zones.
Eg. drug violence in northwest India is an example of such type.
A-94 What is Terrorism?

Effects

Terrorism is an attack on humanity and civilization as a whole. It is an evil

and poses a great challenge to the world. The horrific killings of innocent
hostages in Syria are the recent turbulence created by the terror group named
ISIS. Thousands of people are forced to leave their homes and run away to
safe places in Germany and European states.
The Indian states of Jammu & Kashmir, east-central and south-central India
(Naxalism) and the Seven Sister States have been in persistent threat of long-
term terrorist activities. As per the State Department of the United States,
there were 11, 098 terror-caused deaths worldwide while 231 civilians died
in the terror attacks in 2012 in India. As many as 800terrorist cells have been
operating in India, as per the data collected in August 2008 by the National
Security Council.
India is the 4th most terror affected country in the world, with an average of
500persons dying especially due to terrorism every year. It not just affects our
economy and degrades our position in the world but also creates insecurity
among people.
There is not just financial loss but inflow of foreign funds also gets reduced,
once we face such threats. This affects our tourism industry to a great extent
and thereby the countrys economy faces a setback.
With no respect for any religion, no ideology and no nation, terrorism is a
malady which has been prevailing in India since long, making it one of its oldest
victims. The rise of Islamic state (IS) militants in West Asia is a threatening
call to Indias security and might also cause unrest in the subcontinent. Other
groups like al-Qaida and Indian Mujahideen are some of the top terror groups
which have always focused on creating huge turmoil in Indian states. With no
specific boundary, these groups present ugly face of menace. They are very
specific of what they want and pose greatest threats to mankind. They know
What is Terrorism? A-95

no friends and recognize no rules. Through acts of stray shooting or explosions

and their most preferred flight hijacking; they have aimed at spreading dread
amongst the masses.
Of all the kinds, political terrorists stand to be the most violent as they are
well-trained and pose a great challenge to the law enforcing agencies. Their
acts are well-planned under days and months of preparation. Terrorists recruit
young people and brainwash them in a manner that they start to believe in
the power of bombs and guns. They are taught that dying as a terrorist is a
sacred and holy act, which further makes them more determined and willing
to do anything and everything under the sun, in order to meet their purposes.
The best example that can be cited here is the training of hundreds of terrorist
in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). Pakistan also supplies weapons and
training to terrorists in Punjab. Assam in the northeast is the sole region
affected by terrorism and regional terrorism has proved to be more fatal and
violent of all kinds.
The serial explosion of thirteen bombs during the 1993 Bombay Bombings
is quoted as one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in India. Considered as the
most destructive bomb explosions in Indias history, these explosions were
believed to be synchronized by Dawood Ibrahim, a terrorist group leader
opposing India.
Terrorism with its different forms in different countries is a war that is neither
fought openly nor in a fair manner. Pirates in Somalia have been hijacking lots
of ships every now and then to get hefty ransom which has been interrogated
by UNO and it has asked the member nations participation in combating
the terror through active involvement of their respective forces. The brutal
attack on Twin Tower in USA in September 2011, followed by an attack by
USA in Afghanistan to demolish Mulla Omars regime are some of the eye
openers for us.
The fight over the common border shared by Afghanistan and Pakistan and
the seeking of right by Talibans has seen a series of disruptions in specific
zones of the concerned nations.
Steps by government
The recent visit of our Prime Minister to US saw him presenting his concerns
over the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. He said that US troops
should be withdrawn slowly to stop the rise of Taliban. Also, for the newly
formed government in Afghanistan to function democratically; he said that
Afghanistan should be allowed to stand on its feet. It was when he rejected
any distinction between good and bad terrorism in context to a previous
statement by Pakistan over the issue of Afghan Taliban (bad Taliban) vs.
Pakistan Taliban (good Taliban).
Many steps have been taken by our government like revamping of the old
A-96 What is Terrorism?

security steps into new and more Terrorism is simply terror, not good or bad Spread across
world and in India
complicated security systems at
airports. More strict laws like
POTA (Prevention of Terrorist
activity Act) have been made.
POTA is an anti-terrorism
legislation which was enacted in
2002 by the Parliament. POTA
has replaced the Prevention of
Terrorism Ordinance (POTO) of
2001. There has been a reduction
of criminal terrorism by 10%
after implementation of these
measures, though not much
difference in political terrorism
has been noticed.

Globally what needs to be done?

Being a global threat, terrorism requires a control from the grass roots level to
the international level. The world needs to unite as a single power to face this
threat that is growing by leaps and bounds. We need to come up with ideas on
how to mobilize the world and take concrete actions to mitigate and end this
nuisance. Before safeguarding humanity, we need to come to an agreement on
what constitutes terrorism and thereby make it defunct step by step.
As our Prime Minister very well quoted at the SAP centre in September this
year that United Nations need to define terrorism such that the confusion
and delusion amongst people regarding good or bad terrorism gets evaded.
Terrorism is terror and cant be justified by labelling it as good terrorism even
if it originates for a cause like asking for ones religious or social rights. It
cant be distinguished in two parts because it is a massive destruction caused
to the people and doesnt spare anyone or shows any mercy. Today terrorism
has become a major global issue which needs to be resolved through the joint
effort of each nation. It is time we talk straight and come to terms with the
truth rather than citing such illogical quotes. Humanity needs to understand
that terrorism involves violent acts which aim to spread threat and anything
that feeds upon human blood just to satisfy ones ego cant be considerable
for categorizations as good or bad. Its simply venomous and malevolent.
A-97
A-98
JANUARY
Shekhar Sen appointed as Chairman of
Sangeet Natak Akademi: Renowned
singer and theatre
director Shekhar Sen
became the new
chairman of Sangeet
Natak Akademi this
January, as the place
remained vacant since
Leela Samson resigned on 30 september,
2014.
Sangeet Natak Akademi is
countrys premier institution for the
performing arts in India set up by
the Indian Education Ministry on
May31, 1952. He was also honored
with Padma Shri by the government
of India on this Republic Day for
his contribution to the arts. Shekhar
Sen began his career in Mumbai in
1979 with objective of becoming
a music composer. He has been
involved as a singer, a lyricist and
a composer in various bhajan
albums since 1983. He is famous
for his monoact musical plays Tulsi,
Kabir, Vivekanand, Saahab and
Soordas. He has performed not only
in India but also abroad such as
US, England, Belgium, Suriname,
Singapore, Jakarta, Hong Kong,
Johannesburg, Sharjah, Mauritius,
Trinidad and Tobago, and received
great praises for his work. He has
been appointed for a term of five
years with immediate effect.
Arundhathi Subramaniam wins
prize for poetry: A poet and a
writer on spirituality and culture,
Arundhathi Subramaniam, won
the inaugural Khushwant Singh
Memorial Prize for Poetry for her
work When God is a Traveller.
People
She was given this honour at the
the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival
on 24 January 2015. The event was
attended by over 2,500 poetry lovers.
She was awarded a cash prize of Rs.
2 lakh. The award was established
in the year 2014 by Suhel Seth in
memory of the late Khushwant
Singh. The finalists for the prize
included works of poetry - Escape
Artist by Sridala Swami, Central
Time by Ranjit Hoskote, When
God is a Traveller by Arundhathi
Subramaniam, Fire Altar by
Keki N Daruwalla and Selected
Poems by Joy Goswami translated
by Sampurna Chatterji. The prize
is open to Indian poets writing
in English or Indian language
translation. The award was instituted
during the annual Khushwant Singh
Literature Festival, set in the hills of
Kasauli. It was given for poetry by a
single author published between 15
September 2013 and 15 September
2014. The event was adjudged by
Ashok Vajpeyi, Jeet Thayil, Namita
Gokhale, Pavan K. Varma and Soli
Sorabjee.
Legendary Cartoonist R K Laxman
Dies: Born in Mysore on 24 October
1921, famous Indian cartoonist,
illustrator, and humorist, Rasipuram
Krishnaswami Iyer
Laxman, passed away
at the age of 94 in
Pune on 26 January
2015. Laxman was
critical and was on
ventilator support
after he suffered a multi-organ
failure. His father was a headmaster
and Laxman was the youngest of six
sons. Hes remembered for his
creation The Common Man and
People
daily cartoon strip, You Said It in
The Times of India which started in
1951. Through several decades, his
cartoons captured the politicians
peculiarities and mood of India in
its various political and economic
situations and brought smiles to
millions of faces. His works
expressed the weird perception of
the common man with sarcasm were
published in renowned magazines
such as The Strand Magazine,
Punch, Bystander, Wide World and
Tit-Bits. After suffering from a stroke
in September 2003, Laxman had his
left side paralysed, though he kept
drawing his daily cartoons with the
right hand. The Government of
India had honoured Laxman with
two civilian awards Padma Bhushan
and Padma Vibhushan in 1973 and
2005 respectively.
Major Mukund Varadarajan, Naik
Neeraj Kumar Singh posthumously
awarded with Ashok Chakra:
President Pranab Mukherjee on
26 January 2015, honoured two
Indian heroes - Major Mukund
Varadarajan and Naik Neeraj
Kumar Singh - with the Ashok
Chakra, the highest peacetime
military honour of the country. The
awards were received by their wives
as both the armymen sacrificed their
lives battling groups of militants
in separate operations in Shopian
and Kupwara districts of Kashmir.
Major Mukund Varadarajan, an
officer in the 44th Battalion of the
Rashtriya Rifles was killed by three
terrorists in an encounter in Shopian
district of Jammu and Kashmir. On
the other hand Naik Neeraj Singh
died in heavy firing during a search
operation in general area Gurdaji of
Kupwara district. He used to serve
the 57th Battalion of the Rashtriya
Rifles.
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Ashok Chakra is a gallantry award
which can be given to bothmilitary
personnel and civilians and can be
given posthumously. This medal is
circular gold gilt with the chakra
(wheel) of Ashoka in the centre
surrounded by a lotus wreath and
with an ornate edge.
Arvind Panagariya becomes Vice-
Chairman of NITI Aayog: Noted
economist Arvind Panagariya,
took charge on 13 January 2015 as
the first Vice-chairman of newly
created NITI Aayog. Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, is the Chairman.
Economist Bibek Debroy and
former DRDO chief V K Saraswat
are full-time members.
National Institution for
Transforming India (NITI) Aayog,
approved by the Prime Minister, has
replaced the 65-year old Planning
Commission.
Panagariya is an Indian-American
economist and professor of
Economics at Columbia University.
Panagariya is recognized for his
market-friendly views and is a
close associate of well-known
trade economist Jagdish Bhagwati.
Panagariya has been the
chief economist of the Asian
Development Bank and a
professor of economics and co-
director, Centre for International
Economics, University of
Maryland. He is PhD in Economics
from Princeton University.
He also worked for the World Bank,
International Monetary Fund,
World Trade Organisation, and
UNCTAD in various capacities.
FEBRUARY
Sumitra Mahajan named in Limca
Book of Records: Sumitra Mahajan
is an Indian politician who has been
A-100
Speaker of the Lok Sabha since
2014. Her name has been included
in the Limca Book of Records in
the first week of February 2015 for
being the longest-serving woman
member of the country to represent
the same Lok Sabha constituency on
the same party ticket for eight times
in a row. She was elected to the Lok
Sabha for the first time in 1989.
Since then she has been re-elected to
the Lok Sabha in 1991, 1996, 1998,
1999, 2004, 2009 and finally to the
16th Lok Sabha on 18 May 2014.
As a leader of Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP), she represents the
Indore constituency of Lok Sabha
in Madhya Pradesh. Throughout
her life she has acknowledged
the work of social reformer
Ahilayabai Holkar. Among the
16th Lok Sabhas women members
of Parliament, she is the eldest
and senior most and has handled
various portfolios such as Human
Resources, Communications and
Petroleum as a minister since 2002
to 2004. She is the second woman
after Meira Kumar to be elected as
Lok Sabha Speaker. Shes also an
avid debater and spirited questioner
inside the house, who with her calm
and strong intervention stands up for
whats right.
Tintu Luka Wins Gold in 800m
in 35th National Games: Tintu
Lukka, a Middle-distance runner,
won gold in 800m in 35th National
Games. She has broken the 18 years
old record of Rosa Kutty of Kerala
in 800m race. Tintu finished the race
in 2:01.186 sec to win gold.
Tintu is a silver medal winner in
the 800m at the Asian Games 2014.
She has won a gold medal winner in
4X400 m relay in the 2014 Incheon
Asiad. Born on 26th April 1989,
People
Tintu Luka is a track and field
athlete who competes in the 800m
and 400 metres. She is the national
record holder in the womens 800m
race. She is coached by P.T Usha at
the Usha School of Athletics and
supported by Olympic Gold Quest.
She was awarded Arjuna Award by
Government of India in 2014.
Women Scientists Tessy Thomas,
Geeta Varadan selected for Dr.Y.
Nayudamma Memorial Award
2014: Two women scientists, Project
Director (Mission) Agni V Tessy
Thomas and Director, Advanced
Data Processing Research Institute
of ISRO Geeta Varadan were
presented with the Y Nayudamma
Memorial Award for the year 2014,
for their contribution in the fields of
missile technology and remote
sensing. Former Head of the
N a t i o n a l
Commission
for Protection
of Child Rights
and Ramon
Magsaysay
Award recipient Shanta Sinha
presented the award on March 1,
2015 at Tenali, Andhra Pradesh.
Dr Tessy Thomas the Missile
Women Of India is a director of
Advanced Systems Laboratory of
the state-run DRDO, Hyderabad.
Varadan, the Programme Director
of ISRO has developed 2A/2B and
GSAT-7 programmes for remote
sensing and communications
respectively.
Dr. Thomas and Dr. Varadan
deliverd lectures on- Make in India
- Defence needs and initiatives and
Remote sensing technology for
national needs respectively.
Scientist Tapan Misra appointed as
Director of ISROs Space Application
People
Centre: Odia Scientist Tapan Misra
has been appointed
as the chief of
ISROS Space
Applications Centre
(SAC), Ahmedabad.
Misra was been given
this responsibility due
to his experience for more than three
decades. A S Kiran Kumar who
previously headed SAC, was
appointed the chairman of ISRO.
He joined ISRO in 1984 as a digital
hardware engineer. Misra is an
electronics and tele-communication
engineering graduate from Jadavpur
University, Kolkata. He began his
career at SAC as a digital hardware
engineer where he undertook the
responsibility for the development
of Quick Look Display System
of X-band Side Looking Airborne
Radar.
He was awarded the Hari Om
Ashram Prerit Vikram Sarabhai
research award in 2004 and Isro merit
award in 2008 for his contribution to
development SAR technology. He
was elected as fellow of the Indian
National Academy of Engineering
in 2007.
Justice Amitava Roy sworn in as
Supreme Court judge: Justice
Amitava Roy was sworn in on 27
February 2015 as a
judge of the Supreme
Court. With the
elevation of Roy,
who was chief justice
of the Orissa High
Court, the strength
of the apex court has gone up to 29
against a sanctioned strength of 31
judges.He will have tenure of three
years.
Justice Roy from Kolkata, started
practice in the district courts in
Dibrugarh and Tinsukia in Assam,
A-101
before shifting to the Gauhati High
Court.
He was elevated as judge in the high
Court in 2002 and elevated as chief
justice of the Rajasthan High Court
in 2013.He was shifted to the Odisha
High Court in 2014.
Any judge of high court for at least
five years or an advocate for ten
years, or a distinguished jurist is
eligible. Appointment is done by the
President.
MARCH
Mufti Mohammad Sayeed the Chief
Minister of Jammu & Kashmir:
Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the
leader of Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) was sworn in as the Chief
Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.
Sayeeds swearing-in as the 12th
Chief Minister brought an end to the
49 days long Governors rule which
was imposed on the state after the
resignation of Omar Abdullah.
The coalition government has
eleven Cabinet Ministers from PDP,
including Sayeed himself, while the
BJP has six. Sayeed will be heading
a coalition government for the
second time. In 2002, he led a PDP-
Congress alliance and was the Chief
Minister for three years.BJP leader
Nirmal Singh was sworn as the
Deputy Chief Minister of the PDP-
BJP alliance government.
Arun Singh, new Indian
Ambassador to US: Arun Singh,
Indias Ambassador to France,
has been named as the Indian
Ambassador to United States. He will
replace Jaishankar Subrahmanyam,
Indias Foreign Secretary. He is the
1979-batch IFS officer.
Mr. Singh has previously served
as the joint secretary in-charge of
Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan
A-102
division in the Ministry of External
Affairs. He has also served in Japan
and Israel. He has also served as
the Deputy Chief of Mission in
Washington for nearly five years
and is seen as an expert on Indo-US
strategic ties.
Bharat Ratna to Atal Bihari Vajpayee:
Former Prime Minister (PM) Atal
Bihari Vajpayee was conferred with
Indias highest civilian
award Bharat Ratna
by the President on
27th March, 2015.
Union Government
had chosen Atal Bihari
Vajpayee along with
late educationist and freedom fighter
Madan Mohan Malviya
(posthumously) for the prestigious
award in December 2014.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee had served
as the PM for the first time for just
13 days in 1996 and second time
for 13 months in 1998-1999. In his
third term as PM he completed his
full five-year term and became first
PM from outside the Congress party
to serve a full term. Vajpayee is the
founder member of Bharatiya Jana
Sangh which later became known
as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In
2009, he retired from active politics
due to health concerns. Some of
the major projects launched under
him as the PM were the National
Highway Development Project
and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak
Yojana, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.
Union government led by Narendra
Modi has declared his birthday as
Good Governance Day.
He was the 11th Prime Minister of
India, served from 1998 to 2004.
Vajpayee was elected nine times to
the Lok Sabha and twice to Rajya
Sabha. He served as a Minister of
External Affairs in the cabinet of
People
Morarji Desai.Vajpayee is regarded
as one of the most charismatic
leaders and also he was lauded as
a statesman politician.Vajpayee is
famous for his bold initiatives such
as Lahore Declaration and Nuclear
Tests at Pokhran.
Madan Mohan Malviya conferred
with Bharat Ratna Posthumously:
Eminent freedom fighter and
educationist Madan Mohan Malviya
was conferred with Bharat Ratna
posthumously. Madan Mohan
Malviya was an eminent educationist
and politician who is known for his
role in Indias freedom struggle. He
was the founder of Banaras Hindu
University (Asias largest residential
university) established in 1916. He
was also the President of Indian
National Congress (INC) for the
term of 1909 and 1918. He was one
of the initial leaders of the right-wing
Hindu Mahasabha. He also served as
the Chairman of Hindustan Times
from 1924 to 1946 and his efforts
resulted in launching of its Hindi
edition named Hindustan Dainik in
1936. He also popularised the slogan
of Satyameva Jayate which was later
adopted as the national motto.
Balbir Singh Sr. awarded with
Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime
Achievement Award: Former
hockey player Balbir Singh Senior
was conferred with the Major Dhyan
Chand Lifetime
Achievement Award
by Hockey India.
The award was
presented to Balbir
Singh at the
inaugural Hockey
India Annual Awards ceremony
held at New Delhi. During his stint
as a hockey player, Balbir Singh
Senior had represented Indian team
in three Olympics games including
People
London Olympics (1948), Helsinki
Olympics (1952) and Melbourne
Olympics (1956). In all three
Olympics the team had won the gold
medal. He was also the captain of
Indian team during Melbourne
Olympics. His record of most goals
(five) in an Olympics final in 1952
still remains unbeaten and he also
figures in the list of 16 iconic
Olympians of all-time.
The Major Dhyan Chand award is
Indias highest award for lifetime
achievement in sports and games,
given by the Ministry of Youth
Affairs and Sports, Government
of India. The award was instituted
in 2002 after the legendary Indian
hockey player Dhyan Chand. The
award carries a cash prize of Rs
500,000, a plaque and a scroll of
honour.
Vice Admiral Cheema appointed
as the New Commanding-in-chief
of Western Naval Command: Vice
Admiral Surinder Pal Singh Cheema
took over the reins of the Western
Naval Command as the Flag
Officer Commanding-in-chief on
31st March, 2015. He took charge
from Vice Admiral Anil Chopra at
a ceremonial parade held at INS
Shikra in Mumbai.
Vice Admiral Cheema holds the
unique distinction of shouldering
responsibilities as a Commander-in-
Chief for the fourth time, a record
in the Indian armed forces. He has
also served in Mumbai in various
capacities in the past four decades
and has commanded five frontline
ships, including the missile boat INS
Nishank, the guided missile frigate
INS Trishul and the only aircraft
carrier of the Indian Navy at that
time, INS Viraat, all three based in
Mumbai.
Vice Admiral Cheema has been
honoured with the Param Vishist
A-103
Seva Medal, the Ati Vishist Seva
Medal, and the Nau Sena Medal for
Gallantry while commanding INS
Nishank.
Dolly becomes the Youngest Archer:
Merely three year old Dolly Shivani
Cherukuri from Vijayawada, Andhra
Pradesh has set
history by becoming
the youngest archer
to enter India Book
of Records. During
an event in Vijayvada
she scored 388
points after shooting 72 arrows in 24
attempts from two distances, seven
and five meters,with two minutes
duration for three arrows for both
distances. For her outstanding
performance, she has been awarded
with a medal and certificate by India
Book of Records. The event at the
Volga Archery Academy in
Vijayawada was judged by esteemed
members from India Book of
Records and the Archery Association
of India (AAI). Shivani was
conceived through surrogacy after
the death of her elder brother, in
2010, Cherukuri Lenin who was
renowned International Archer and
coach. Her father, Cherukuri
Satyanarayana, had trained Shivani
since her childhood to become an
ace archer. Also, during her initial
days of learning, he had specially
made arrows of light carbon so that
she did not have to struggle while
carrying them. Shivani is committed
towards her goal of becoming a
champion archer.
Aditi Arya Wins Miss India 2015
Title: New Delhis Aditi Arya was
crowned the Femina Miss India
2015 crown at the 52nd edition of
the beauty contest. Aafreen Rachel
Vaz from Mangaluru was the 1st
runner-up, and Vartika Singh from
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh was the
A-104
2nd runner-up. The 2014 Miss India
winner Koyal Rana crowned Aditi
Arya with the Miss India 2015 title
at Yash Raj Studio in Mumbai. 21
contestants from various parts of
the country had participated in the
contest.
Miss India also known as Femina
Miss India is a national beauty
pageant held in India. The event
is organised annually by Femina,
a womens magazine published by
Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. The
winner of the Miss India contest
proceeds ahead to represent the
nation globally at the Miss World
contest. The first and second runner
up goes to compete globally at Miss
International and Miss Continental
respectively.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni First Indian
Captain to Register 100 ODI Wins:
The captain of the Indian Cricket
team Mahendra Singh Dhoni has
become first Indian Cricket team
Captain to register 100 One Day
International (ODI) match wins. He
achieved this feat after Indian team
defeated Bangladesh in the 2015
ICC World Cup quarter-final match
by 109-run in Melbourne Cricket
Ground (MCG), Australia.
Dhoni is the third captain in the
history of the world cricket to record
100 wins. The other two captains
to achieve this feat are Australians
Allan Border (107 wins) and Ricky
Ponting (165 wins). Mahendra Singh
Dhoni had started his captaincy in
2007 after he took over from Rahul
Dravid. Under Dhonis captaincy,
Indian Cricket team has won 2007
World T20, CB Series of 2007-
08, Asia Cup 2010, ICC Cricket
World Cup 2011, and Champions
Trophy 2013. Dhoni has surpassed
former Indian Captain Mohammad
Azharuddins record of 90 wins in
People
ODIs, followed by Sourav Ganguly
with 76 wins.
APRIL
Gulshan Rai takes charge as Indias
First Cyber Security Chief:
Gulshan Rai took charge as Indias
first cyber security chief under the
Prime Ministers Office (PMO) as
Special Secretary for
cyber security. This
new post was created
by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on
March 2015 in PMO
and Rai was
appointed as its head.
Rai has been working since 1998
in the area of evolving legal
framework to address issues arising
out of cyberspace. Prior to this
appointment, he was heading the
computer emergency response team
at the department of electronics and
information technology (DeitY). He
also heads the E- Security and Cyber
law division in the Union Ministry of
Communications and Information
Technology. He has over 25 years
of experience in different areas of
Information technology.
Cyber security is fast becoming
a nightmare for the government.
Reported attacks on Indian websites
have increased nearly five times in
the past four years. Until mid-2014,
more than 60,000 incidents were
recorded. Experts believe that a
special secretary for cyber security
under the PMO will help India
secure its digital assets in a better
way.
UP government confers Sahitya
Shiromani Samman to Gopal Das
Neeraj : On 9th April 2015, Uttar
Pradesh government conferred
popular Hindi poet Gopal Das
People
Neeraj with Sahitya Shiromani
Samman. UP chief minister
Akhilesh Yadav presented Neeraj
the award containing 21 lakh rupees.
CM Akhilesh Yadav also announced
to give Rashtra Ratn- Sitara-e Hind
award to Neeraj for his lifelong
service to Hindi literature.
Veteran Hindi litterateur Uday
Pratap Singh was also conferred
with Sahitya Shiromani award and
cash prize of 21 lakh Rupees in the
same ceremony.
Born on 4th January 1925, Gopal
Das Neeraj has written many poems
giving the pen name Neeraj. He is
also a famous poet of Hindi Kavi
Sammelan. He also was Professor
of Hindi Literature in Dharma
Samaj College, Aligarh and also
a chancellor of Mangalayatan
University, Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh.
He was awarded with the Padma
Bhusan in 2007.
Novelist Siddhartha Gigoo wins
2015 Commonwealth Short Story
Prize in Asia region: On 28th April
2015, Novelist Siddhartha Gigoo won
2500 pounds 2015 Commonwealth
Short Story Prize in Asia region for
his novel Umbrella Man. With this
win he will compete
with the other four
regional winners for
the 5000 pounds
grand prize which
will be announced in
London on 8 Union Minister of Finance, Minister
September 2015.
Gigoo was born in 1974 in Srinagar,
Jammu & Kashmir. He had studied
English Literature at Jawaharlal
Nehru University. Gigoos first novel
was The Garden of Solitude,
first published in 2011. He also has
written two poetry books, Fall
and Other Poems (1994) and
A-105
Reflections (1995). Gigoo also
had produced and directed a short
film The Last Day. His recent film
is titled Goodbye, Mayfly.
The Last Day was selected for the
6th International Documentary and
Short Film Festival of Kerala, the
7th Annual FilmAid Film Festival
(Kenya), the International Film
Festival of Cinematic ArtsShort
and Micro Cinema (Los Angeles),
the 11th International Exile Film
Festival (Sweden), the Kala Ghoda
Arts Festival (Mumbai) and the
Lucerne International Film Festival
(Switzerland).
Yashwant Sinha gets highest
French honour of Officier de la
Lgion dHonneur: On 27th April
2015, French Government honoured
former Union Finance Minister
and veteran BJP leader Yashwant
Sinha with Officier de la Lgion
dHonneur (Officer of the Legion of
Honour).
The honour was given to Sinha
by French Ambassador to India
Franois Richier in Delhi. Sinha
as External Affairs (from 2002-
2004) had chaired Indo-French
Parliamentary Friendship Group
since its very inception (from 2009-
2014).
It is the highest French civilian
distinction bestowed upon him in
recognition of his international
action taken during his stint as
External Foreign Affairs and for
his invaluable contribution to
international issues.
Officier de la Lgion dHonneur
(Officer of the Legion of Honour)
was created in 1802 by first emperor
of France Napoleon Bonaparte.
Yashwant Sinha was born on 6
November 1937 in Patna, Bihar.
A-106
He received his Masters degree
in Political Science in 1958.
Subsequently, he taught the subject
at the University of Patna till 1960.
Sania Mirza becomes first Indian
female tennis player ranked World
No.1 in Womens Doubles: On 12th
April 2015 Sania
Mirza created
history by becoming
the first female
tennis player from
India to achieve the
world number one
rank in doubles. She also won the
WTA Family Circle Cup with
partner Martina Hignis.
The top Indo-Swiss pair beat Casey
Dellacqua and Darija Jurak with
score (6-0) (6-4) in just 57 minutes in
the lop-sided final.
Sania took 470 points from the
win to take her tally to 7965 as she
jumped past Italys Sara Errani
(7640) and Roberta Vinci (7640) to
sit atop the ranking table.
Before Sania, only Leander Paes
and Mahesh Bhuapthi had achieved
the top rank when they dominated
mens doubles circuit in the last 90s.
Sania Mirza was born in India on
15 November 1986. From 2003 until
her retirement from singles in 2013,
she was ranked by the Womens
Tennis Association as Indias No. 1
player, both in singles and doubles.
She has established herself as the
most sucessful woman tennis player
in India.
Dr Pramod Patil and Dr Ananda
Kumar win 2015 Whitley Award:
Two Indians, Dr Ananda Kumar
and Dr Pramod
Patil, were awarded
with the esteemed
Whitley Award on
29th April,2015.
The ceremony was
People
held in Royal Geographical Society,
London.The Whitley Awards are
sponsored by the Whitley Fund for
Nature (WFN) to encourage
effective national and regional
conservation leaders across the
world. Dr pramod Patil received the
prestigious award named Green
Oscar for protecting the Great
Indian Bustard [GIB] in Thar desert.
Dr Ananda Kumar, another
conservationist from India, was
awarded Whitley Award in honour for
developing innovative communication
systems called Elephant Information
Network [EIN], enabling human-
elephant co-existence in southern
India. In India, almost 400 people
and around 100 elephants are killed
every year. This system would help
people in alerting them about the
elephants and know if elephants
are nearby. HRH the Royal Princess
presented the awards and each
winner received the Whitley Prize
worth 35000 pound.
K.N Tripathi sworn in as the
Governor of Mizoram : Keshari
Nath Tripathi, Governor of West
Bengal and Bihar, was sworn in as
the 16th governor of Mizoram.
Justice Michael Zothankhuma of
the Gauhati High
Court administered
the oath of office to
Tripathi, 80, at the
Durbar Hall of the
Raj Bhavan here.
Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla,
his cabinet colleagues, assembly
Speaker Hiphei, parliamentary
secretaries, legislators, leaders of
various political parties and top
security and civil officials were
present at the swearing-in ceremony.
Chief Secretary Lalmalsawma
conducted the programme.
People
Tripathi replaces Aziz Qureshi,
who was sacked in March. His
term would have ended in 2017.
Tripathi practised as a lawyer in the
Allahabad High Court from 1956 till
2014 except for the three times when
he was speaker of the Uttar Pradesh
assembly - in 1991, 1997 and 2002.
Article 153 of the constitution
says that there shall be a governor
for each state. 7th Constitutional
Amendment Act, 1956 facilitated
the appointment of the same person
as a governor for two or more states.
Congress-ruled Mizoram has seen
seven governors in eight months.
Nasim Zaidi Assumed Charge as
Chief Election Commissioner:
Syed Nasim Ahmed Zaidi assumed
the charge as Chief Election
Commissioner of India with effect
from 19th April 2015. He succeeded
Hari Shankar Brahma to serve as the
20th Chief Election Commissioner
(CEC) of India till July 2017. Dr.
Zaidi is an IAS officer from Uttar
Pradesh cadre of the 1976 batch.
He has a Masters degree in public
administration from Kennedy
School of Government, Harvard
University and a post-graduate
diploma in business finance from
Indian Institute of Finance along
with a doctorate in bio-chemistry
in his credentials. He has also
been a Mason Fellow for Public
Policy at Harvard Institute for
International Development. Also,
Dr Zaidi has been an esteemed
Permanent Representative of India
on the Council of ICAO from
November 2005 to October 2008.
He retired from IAS as Secretary
to the Government of India in
Ministry of Civil Aviation on 31
July 2012. While serving in aviation
security, Mr Zaidi was involved
with development of legislative
framework and contingency plans to
deal with terrorism threats.
A-107
MAY
Indian-Origin Harbhajan Kaur
Dheer elected As Mayor In Uk:
Indian-origin councillor Harbhajan
Kaur Dheer of
Labour Party became
the first Asian woman
to hold the title of
Mayor of Ealing, the
West London town.
She was elected as
Mayor in United Kingdom on 12th
May 2015. Taking over from Tej
Ram Bagha, the Greenford
Broadway Councillor, 62 year old
Dheer was officially appointed as
Ealings new Mayor in a ceremony
held at Ealings town hall in London.
Punjabi by origin, Dheer had
migrated to Britain in 1975. Her early
years in Britain were difficult and she
had to work very hard to establish
herself and raise two children. She
studied Social Sciences at Kingston
University and obtained a degree in
1995. She worked as an Approved
Mental Health Professional in Surrey
County Council until 2003 and is a
rights activist advocating for rights of
children and elderly. Her husband
RanjitDheer is presently councillor
of Ealing Council and is a former
Mayor of Ealing from 2001-2002.
Ealing Council serves the residents
and businesses of Londons third
largest borough, which is located in
the heart of west London.
Tathagata Roy sworn in as
Governor of Tripura : Tathagata
Roy was sworn-in as the 16th
Governor of the
North-East regions
smallest state,
Tripura, by Chief
Justice of the High
Court Deepak Gupta
on 20th May 2015 at
Raj Bhavan. Tathagata Roy was
A-108
born on 14 September 1945 in
Kolkata. He had a distinguished
academic career, and studied Civil
Engineering in Bengal Engineering
College, Shibpur. Later, he joined
Indian Railways Service of
Engineers. He worked as General
Manager, RITES and as Chief
Engineer -Design of Metro
Railways, Calcutta. He also holds a
Law Degree of Calcutta University.
He was BJPs West Bengal unit
president from 2002 to 2006 and had
unsuccessfully contested twice for
Lok Sabha elections on party ticket.
Tathagata Roy has been a
controversial figure particularly for
his anti-Muslim tweets but he
promises to stop pertaining to the
demand of his new office. The
Governor is said to have a soft corner
for the state and Bangladesh that
surrounds it on three sides as his
forefathers had migrated from
erstwhile East Pakistan.
KV Kamath appointed as President
of New Development Bank : ICICI
Bank Chairman K V Kamath has
been appointed on
May 10 as the first
president of the New
Development Bank
set up by BRICS
nations. Kamath will
have a five year term at the bank,
which is supposed to be operational
in one year time. He was ICICI
Banks managing director and CEO
from 1996 to 2009. The bank will
start off with an initial paid-in-
capital of USD 50 billion with every
BRICS country contributing USD
10 billion. BRICS is the short form
for the alliance of five major
emerging national economies which
includes Brazil, Russia, India, China
and South Africa. These nations
account for nearly USD 16 trillion in
People
GDP and 40 per cent of the worlds
population. The chairmanship of
the bank will be rotational and its
first President will come from India
for the first 5 years followed by
Brazil and Russia. Kamath has an
experience of working with Asian
Development Bank, Manila, in the
Private Sector department in1988
after serving at ICICI for more than
a decade. His work at ADB was in
various projects in China, India,
Indonesia, Bangladesh and other
emerging nations.
Prannoy Roy honoured with the
RedInk Lifetime Achievement
Award 2015: NDTV Group
executive Co-chairman Dr Prannoy
Roy has been awarded the 2015
RedInk Award for Lifetime
Achievement for Excellence in
Journalism for his consistent and
pioneering contribution to news
television in India. Some of the
other awardees
include Sreenivasan
Jain of NDTV who
was awarded
Journalist of the
Year Award to
honour his consistent investigative
work in his series Truth versus Hype.
The Impact Editor of the Year
Award was given to Arnab
Goswami, Editor-in-Chief of Times
Now for his innate ability to expand
the audience reach with his show.
The News Start-Up of the Year
Award was awarded to Scroll.in for
increasing its influence rapidly as an
alternative source of news and
features. Apart from these, as many
as 24 journalists awards were also
presented in the categories of crime,
politics, courts, health, environment
and science. The RedInk Lifetime
Achievement Award was instituted
in 2010 by the Mumbai Press Club
People
to encourage good, ethical
journalism that impacts people and
society. It comprises of a trophy and
a citation.
Dada Saheb Phalke Award conferred
upon Shashi Kapoor: Shashi Kapoor
became the 46th
person to be conferred
the most prestigious
Dada Saheb Phalke
Award for his
lifelong contribution
in enriching the
Indian cinema. He is the third person
in his family after Prithviraj Kapoor
and Raj Kapoor to have received this
award. Shashi Kapoor is
remembered for his performances in
films like Deewar, Junoon and Christopher worked for Bharat
Satyam Shivam Sundaram.
Born in 1938, Shashi Kapoor started
his career as child actor at the age
of four. He has acted in about 160
movies; 12 English and rest Hindi.
He has been bestowed the National
Film Award for Best Feature Film in
Hindi (1979) for Junoon, Lifetime
Achievement award (2010) and
Padma Bhushan (2011).
Dada Saheb Phalke Award is the
highest award in Indian cinema. It
was named after the famous screen
writer, producer director Dhundiraj
Govind Phalke popularly known
as the Father of Indian cinema.
The award was introduced in the
year 1969 and is conferred for
outstanding contribution to the
growth and development of Indian
cinema. The awards comprises of
a Golden Lotus (swarna kamal), a
shawl, a medallion and a cash prize
of 1,000,000. The first recipient of
the award was actress Devika Rani.
S. Christopher appointed as the
new Director General of DRDO:
S. Christopher who presently heads
the centre for airborne systems
A-109
is appointed as the new Director
General of DRDO with the rank of
a secretary on 28th May, 2015. This
was in line with the Govt.s concept
of dividing top post into two parts.
Christopher obtained his BE (Hons)
in Electronics & Communication
Engineering from University of
Madras and M.Tech in Microwaves
and Radar Engineering from IIT,
Kharagpur. He joined IIT Madras,
as Project Associate in 1980, and
carried out research in Microwave
Antenna Design and Near-field
Measurement Techniques. He then
obtained PhD in Antennae and
Measurement Techniques from IIT,
Madras.After completing his PhD,
Electronics, Ghaziabad, as Senior
Eng. He led a team to create the
Automated Planar Near Field
Measurement Facility at LRDE for
the first time in the country, which
paved way for the electronically
scanned array antenna evaluation
at LRDE. He has been the first
Indian scientist who has pioneered
the manufacture of Indias first
indigenous AEW and C system.
He has been awarded the Padma
Bhushan; the third highest civilian
award after Bharat Ratna and
Padma Vibhushan and also DRDO
outstanding scientist award.
Shanmuganathan appointed as the
new Governor of Meghalaya : V.
Shanmuganathan, was sworn in as
the 17th Governor
of Manipur. He
succeeded Dr. Syed
Ahmed who died in
September, 2015.
Chief Justice of
Manipur High
Court LaxmikantaMohapatra
administered the oath of office as
per the provisions of Article 159 of
the Constitution of India. He is
A-110
given the additional charge of
Manipur. Article 153 of the Indian
Constitution provides for a governor
for each state. By the 7th
Constitutional Amendment Act,
1956 same person can be appointed
as a governor for two or more states.
V. Shanmuganthan is an avid writer
and has written three books related
to culture and social aspects in
Tamil.
JUNE
Pawan Munjal appointed as the
CMD of Hero MotoCorp Ltd:
Two-wheeler manufacturer Hero
MotoCorp Ltd has
appointed Pawan
Munjal as the new
Chairman of Hero
MotoCorp. The
decision was taken
by the companys
board unanimously as they
appointed Munjal as the Chairman,
CEO & Managing Director of Hero
Moto-Corp in place of his father,
Brijmohan Lall. This brought down
the curtains on the distinguished
career of the Hero Group patriarch.
Munjal has successfully steered the
company to maintain its vital
position in the aftermath of the
separation from partner Honda four
years ago. Lall has been chairman
of Hero MotoCorp since its
inception in 1984. This switch
successfully concludes the
companys top management
succession plan, which was initiated
in August with the elevation of
Pawan as vice chairman. Dr
Brijmohan Lall will continue to be
part of the board as a non-executive
director. Hero Motocorp Ltd also
formerly called as Hero Honda, is
an Indian motorcycle and scooter
producer based in New Delhi, India.
The company is the largest two
wheeler manufacturer in India.
People
JULY
Ajay Mathur appointed as Director-
General of TERI: Ajay Mathur
has been appointed as the new DG
(Director General) of the TERI (The
Energy Research Institute) on 24th
July 2015. Previously, Ajay Mathur
has served in leadership positions at
different places such as World Bank
as a Director, Interim Secretariat,
Green Climate Fund in Bonn, and in
many private sector firms in India.
Before getting this position, he was
working as the Director General of
Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE)
of the Union Government.
TERI was established in 1974 as
TATA Energy research Institute
and renamed in 2003 as The Energy
Research Institute. It is a non-profit
research institute that works in the
field of energy, environment and
sustainable development. TERIs
main aim is to focus on formulating
local and national level strategies for
shaping global solutions to critical
issues.
Before Ajay Mathur, Environmentalist
RK Pachuri was the TERI Chief who
served for 33 years and was removed
from the position on July 23, 2015
because of accusation of harassment
charges.
Ramachandra Guha chosen for
Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize 2015:
Ramchandra Guha was selected for
the prestigious
Fukuoka Prize 2015
in Academic
Category. He was
awarded on
September 17, 2015
at the Fukuoka
International Congress Centre in
Japan.
People
Ramchandra Guha is an acclaimed
historian and biographer. He
also writes columns in various
newspapers and magazines such as
The Telegraph, Hindustan Times,
The Outlook etc.
Previously, he has also been awarded
with Padma Bhushan Award in
2009, Sahitya Akademi Award
in 2011 for his famous biography
India After Gandhi: The History
of the Worlds Largest Democracy.
His other biographies are Gandhi
before India, Patriots and Partisans,
Makers of Modern India.
Fukuoka prize is an annual
prize awarded to the person or
organization for their outstanding
work in preserving or creating Asian
culture across world. The award
ceremony is held every year in the
month of September by Japanese
city of Fukuoka and the Yokatopia
Foundation. The Fukuoka Prize is
given in three categories viz. Grand
Prize, Academic Prize and Arts and
Culture Prize.
Ram Sevak Sharma appointed
as Chairman of TRAI: Tech
Savvy, Mr Ram Sevak Sharma
has been appointed as the newly
chairman of Telecom regulatory
Authority of India. Before getting
this position in TRAI, Ram Sevak
Sharma was serving as a secretary
for department of electronics and
information technology. However,
he got retired from this position of
DietY in September 2015. Before
him, Mr Rahul kulhar was the
chairman of TRAI who got retired
on May 14, 2015.Mr Ram Sevak
Sharma is an IAS Officer of batch
1978 of Jharkhand State and was
chief secretary of the Jharkhand
Government. He worked in the
Department of Economic Affairs
dealing with bilateral & multilateral
development agencies such as World
A-111
Bank and Asian Development Bank.
Moreover, he has also served in
various financing of infrastructure
projects in highways, ports, airports
and telecom sectors. He was also
awarded by Prime ministers Award
in 2008 for Excellence in Public
Administration.TRAI (Telecom
Regulatory authority of India) is
an independent regulator of the
telecommunications business and
also fixes or revises the tariffs of
telecom services in India.
AUGUST
Sania Mirza honoured with Rajiv
Gandhi Khel Ratna Award:
Ace tennis player Sania Mirza
was conferred the prestigious
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award
(the countrys highest sporting
honour) in a splendid ceremony at
the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New
Delhi. Sania was honoured despite
clarifications sought by Karnataka
High Court from the Union Sports
Ministry following a petition
from Paralympian H.N. Girisha
challenging the Ministrys decision.
Sania is a multiple Grand Slam
champion, the second tennis player
after Leander Paes to get the honour,
and the first tennis player to receive
the award from the President Pranab
Mukherjee.
Sania attracted the loudest applause
from the esteemed gathering at the
Rashtrapati Bhavan, received a
medal, certificate and cash prize
of Rs. 7.5 lakh. She had flown to
Delhi a day ahead of the US Open
to receive the award. The award
was instituted in the year 199192
to be conferred for outstanding
sporting performance, whether by
an individual or a team, across all
sporting disciplines in a given year.
A-112
Sundar Pichai named as the CEO
of Google: Chennai-born Sundar
Pichai, 43, has been
named CEO of the
new restructured
Google by the
companys founders
Larry Page and
Sergei Brin. Founder
of the company Larry Page - will
hold his previous title at Alphabet
Inc. (the new parent company) and
Co-founder Sergey Brin will be the
president at Alphabet who will be in
charge of the companys newer
ventures such as research arm X
Lab, investment unit Google
Ventures and health and science
operations.
Pichai is a graduate from IIT
Kharagpur in Metallurgical
Engineering. He pursued his MS
from Stanford University in Material
Sciences and Engineering and MBA
from the Wharton School of the
University of Pennsylvania, where
he was named a Siebel Scholar and a
Palmer Scholar, respectively.
Pichai has worked with some of the
companys best-known products,
starting from the Chrome browser
to the Android mobile software.
He joined Google in 2004, the
year the company launched Gmail
and was in charge of the product
and engineering for the companys
internet businesses.
Om Prakash Rawat appointed
as new Election Commissioner:
Former IAS officer Om Prakash
Rawat appointed as the Election
Commissioner (EC) in the Election
Commission of India (ECI) by
President Pranab Mukherjee.
Following Rawats appointment, the
sole vacancy in the three- member
poll body has been filled. The other
two members are Nasim Zaidi
(Chief Election Commissioner) and
People
A K Joti (EC). He will have tenure
of more than three years which will
end in December, 2018 i.e. till he
attains the age of 65 years.
His appointment has come days just
before the poll watchdog takes a
decision on announcing the schedule
for Bihar assembly polls. Rawat is a
former IAS officer of the 1977 batch
from the Madhya Pradesh cadre. He
served at various posts in Madhya
Pradesh and at Centre including the
post of Secretary, Ministry of Heavy
Industries and Public Enterprises,
Department of Public Enterprises.
Election Commissioner of India is
a member of Election Commission
of India, a body constitutionally
empowered to conduct free and
fair elections to the national and
state legislatures. He is usually
a member of the Indian Civil
Service and mostly from the Indian
Administrative Service.
Cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin
awarded the Arjuna Award:
Ravichandran Ashwin was
facilitated with Arjuna Award by the
Union Sports Minister Sarbananda
Sonowal at a special
function organized
in the chamber of the
Sports Minister. The
off-spinner was
conferred the award
on August 29th 2014,
but he was unable to make it to the
National Sports Awards function as
he was in England playing the One-
Day International series.
Ashwin, who took 18 matches
to complete 100 Test wickets,
became the fastest Indian to reach
the milestone on November 2013,
going past the record of spin legend
Erapalli Prasanna who achieved the
feat in 20 Tests. He is the fifth fastest
bowler in Test history to bag 100
wickets.
People
Arjuna award was instituted in
1961. The award is presented by
the Ministry of Youth Affairs and
Sports to sportsperson in recognition
of their outstanding achievement in
National sports. The award includes
a bronze statuette, a citation and Rs.
five lakh.
Dr. M Veerappa Moily conferred
Saraswati Samman : Dr. M
Veerappa Moily was awarded the
24th Saraswati Samman for the year
2014 by the President of India, Shri
Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi. He
was presented this award for his Epic
Sri Ramayana Mahanveshanam
written in Kannada. Dr. Moily
became the second Kannada writer
to receive this prestigious award after
S. L. Bhyrappa (2010).
The President congratulated Dr.
Moily for contributing to literature
through his prolific writings along
with having a successful political
career. Dr Moily served as the Chief
Minister of Karnataka from 1992 to
1994. He has also held several other
ministerial portfolios under the UPA
government at the Centre including
Corporate Affairs, Petroleum and
Natural Gas, Law and Justice.
The Saraswati Samman was
instituted in 1991 by the K. K.
Birla Foundation. It consists of Rs
10 lakh, a citation and a plaque.
Harivansh Rai Bachchan was the
first recipient of this award for his
four volume autobiography.
Suhasini Haidar wins Prem
Bhatia Award: Suhasini Haidar
was awarded the Prem Bhatia
Memorial Award for the Best
Political Reporting-2015. Haidar
is Diplomatic and Strategic Affairs
Editor with The Hindu. She was
A-113
awarded for her 21-year-long
reporting career and her analysis
on many bewildering variety of
conflicts and surges around the
world.
The award was instituted by the
Prem Bhatia Memorial Trust, carries
a cash prize of Rs. 200,000 and a
citation. Prem Bhatia, former Chief
Editor of The Tribune, was one
of Indias eminent and influential
journalists, whose career spanned
six decades.
Some of the previous award-
winners include Harish Khare, P.
Sainath, Gargi Parsai, Nirupama
Subramanian, Pallavi Aiyar,
Smita Gupta, Shalini Singh and
Amit Baruah for their valuable
contribution in The Hindu.
Kalam Award for ISRO scientist N.
Valarmarthi: Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO) scientist N.
Valarmathi was
conferred the Dr.
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
Award by the Tamil
Nadu Chief Minister
Jayalalithaa. Valarmathi
has been working with
the ISRO since 1984 and involved in
any missions including Insat 2A,
IRS IC, IRS ID, TES. She became
project director of Indias first
indigenously-developed Radar
Imaging Satellite RISAT-1, which
was launched successfully in 2012.
Valarmarthi is the first person to
receive the Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
Award, instituted by Government of
Tamil Nadu in honour of the former
president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam after
his death in 2015, in recognition
of contributions in the areas of
scientific development, humanities
and students welfare. The award
includes a sum of five hundred
thousand Indian rupees (about
US$7,700), a certificate and a gold
A-114
medal weighing eight grams. The
award is scheduled to be given out
every year on Independence Day in
India starting with 2015.
SEPTEMBER
Tejinder Pal Singh named as
Australian of the Day: Tejinder
Pal Singh, an Indian-origin migrant
driver in Australia has been named
Australian of the Day for feeding
the homeless in Darwin for the
past three years. He has dedicated
the Sundays of the month to feed
the poor and homeless locals of
northern Darwin after he finishes his
shift as a cabbie. He cooks up 30 kg
of Indian cuisine which comprises
chickpeas, rice and vegetarian curry
to feed the homeless after his night
shift. The van that carries the food
bears a signature written as Free
Indian food for hungry and needy
people. Commonwealth Bank has
sponsored the Australian of the Year
Awards for over 35 years, recognising
extraordinary Australians who have
made a big difference to the country.
OCTOBER
AR Rahman conferred with
2015 Hridaynath Mangeshkar
Award: Eminent music composer
A.R. Rahman was honoured with
Hridaynath Mangeshkar Award
on the 78th birthday of Pandit
Hridaynath Mangeshkar. Pandit
Hridaynath Mangeshkar is a famous
music composer and younger brother
of Lata Mangeshkar. The award was
presented to Rahman by the skilled
filmmaker Subhash Ghai. It was the
fifth award presented to a renowned
person. Subhash Ghai expressed at
the ceremony that Rahman was a
beautiful soul. The two masters of
their fields had worked together in
the movie Taal. Ghai shared that
Rahman did not know Hindi and
People
Punjabi but worked for 70 nights
on the music of Taal and proved
he is the best musician. Hridaynath
Mangeshkar expressed that Rahman
made the country proud for the
contribution he had made to music.
Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Grammy
Award winner of Hindustani
classical music and Ricky Kej, 2014
Grammy award winner attended the
ceremony. Earlier Lata Mangeshkar,
Asha Bhosle, Amitabh Bachchan
and Sulochana received this award
in the past prior to Hridaynath
Mangeshkar. A.R. Rahman has also
won Oscar for Best Original Score
and Best Original Song.
Jack Dorsey appointed as permanent
CEO of Twitter: Twitter Inc announced
Jack Dorsey, the co-
founder of Twitter
and Square, as its
permanent CEO.
The announcement
was followed by a
rise of 6 percent in its
shares. The board decided to
separate the roles of chair and CEO
and so the quest for new chairperson
continues. Dorsey was fired from his
position as Twitter CEO in the year
2008, making it doubtful for the
investors about Dorseys
effectiveness in his roles with both
Twitter and Square while others find
him to be an effective leader. Dorsey
was said to have made mathematical
errors in the track keeping of
Twitters expenses. Twitter was
spending about 6-figures per month
for the partnerships Dorsey had set
up with texting companies whose
SMS fees were really high. But
having successfully led Square, his
past mistakes, according to some
investors, should not be held against
Dorsey. The decision of Dorseys
hire was made on Wednesday,
September 30. Besides Dorseys
positioning of full-time CEO, Adam
People
Bain was promoted to COO, who
was previously acting as the
president of global revenue.
NOVEMBER
Harshavardhan Neotia elected as
President of FICCI: Harshavardhan
Neotia has been chosen as President
of Federation of Indian Chambers
of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
He is serving as the Vice President
at the moment and he will serve for
one year as the President for the year
2016. Presently, Jyotsna Suri is the
acting President of FICCI. FICCI
is the oldest and the largest business
organisation in India. It was
established in the year 1927 and has
its headquarters at New Delhi. It is a
non-profit organisation. The mission
of the FICCI Group is to increase
business opportunities for domestic
as well as foreign markets by
providing special services and global
linkages. Strengthening efficiency
and worldwide competitiveness of
Indian industry is also part of the
groups mission. Harshavardhan
Neotia chairs the Ambuja Neotia
Group. The group covers a wide
business of Real Estate industry like
housing, health care and education.
Harshavardhan is also a member of
the Core Committee on industry led
by West Bengal Chief Minister. He
is also part of the Advisory Council
of Rajasthans Chief Minister.
For his outstanding initiative in
social housing, Harshavardhan
has been bestowed Padma Shri by
Government of India.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra
Modi emerged as Worlds ninth
most powerful person in the Forbes
annual ranking: In the Forbes
annual ranking of list of 73 persons
of the year 2015, Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi has taken
the ninth Most Powerful Person.
The ranking is given on the basis of
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every rankers financial resources,
number of people they influenced
and the scope of power. While in the
year 2014, Forbes had PM Narendra
Modi at position 14. Earlier, only
Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of
Reliance Industries could manage a
position at the 36th place. A growth
of 7.4 percent in the Indian GDP
was seen in the first year of Modis
holding the PMs office. Modis
initiative of Make in India has been
the major effort of the PM that has
brought about the growth. Forbes
communicated that they considered
a huge number of candidates from
around the world before giving
away the final list. Vladimir Putin,
President of Russia, sustains the top
most position in the Forbes list for
the third consecutive year with the
President of United States, Barack
Obama holding the third position.
DECEMBER
P K Singh Takes Charge as SAIL
Chairman: P K Singh took charge
as the chairman of the domestic steel
giant SAIL. He had been serving as
the Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
of Durgapur Steel Plant since 2012.
Singh started his career in SAIL
at the Bokaro Steel Plant in 1980.
He also worked at the IISCO Steel
Plant, Durgapur Steel Plant and
Bokaro Steel Plant. Singh took over
from MSME Secretary Anup Pujari
who held the additional charge of
SAIL Chairman. Steel Authority
of India Limited (SAIL) is one of
the largest state-owned steel making
company based in New Delhi and
one of the top steel makers in world.
It has an annual turnover of 50627
crore (US$7.6 billion) (FY 2014-
15). It is a public sector undertaking
which trades publicly in the market
is largely owned by Government
of India and acts like an operating
company.
A-116
JANUARY
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic sworn-
in as President of Croatia: In the
history of Croatia, 46 year old
Kolinda Grabar-
Kitarovic became
the first women
President since 19
February, 2015. She
happens to be the
4th President of the former Yugoslav
republic after its independence in
1991. She defeated left-wing
predecessor Ivo Josipovic in an
election run-off on 11 January, 2015.
Grabar-Kitarovic served as Assistant
Secretary General for Public
Diplomacy at NATO during 2011-
2014. Before this she was positioned
as Croatias ambassador to the
United States from 2008 to 2011 and
also served as the Minister of
Foreign Affairs in 2005. She started
her political career as an advisor in
international cooperation
department of the Ministry of
Science and Technology in 1992 and
within a year joined Croatian
Democratic Union.
Under her presidency, she has not
only called for preventing organized
crime and co-operation on matters
of security, but also a more vigorous
fight against corruption, media
freedom, democratic systems,
control and the proper usage of the
intelligence in accordance with the
law.
Saudi Arabia King Abdullah Bin
People
pneumonia. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz
Al Saud was the King of Saudi
Arabia and Custodian of the Two
Holy Mosques from
2005 to his death on
23 January 2015. He
was ascended to the
throne on 1 August
2005 after the death
of his half-brother,
King Fahd. His successor is his half-
brother Crown Prince Salman who
has vowed to maintain the same
approach as his predecessors.
Throughout most of his adult life,
Abdullah has held vital political
positions. In his first public office, he
was appointed as a Mayor in 1961
and in the following year he was
appointed Commander of the Saudi
Arabian National Guard, which he
was still holding as a king. He has
also worked as Deputy Defense
Minister. As a king he managed
close and amicable relations with
the United States and Britain and
bought billions of dollars worth of
defense equipment from both states.
He had also stood up for providing
women the rights to compete in
Olympics and also vote for municipal
councils.
Maithiripala Sirisena sworn-in as
7th President of Sri Lanka:
On January 9, 2015, Pallewatta
Gamaralalage Maithripala Yapa
Sirisena (Maithiripala Sirisena)
was sworn-in as the 7th President
      
to Maithiripala Sirisena was
administered by Sri Lankas
Supreme Court judge, K Sri Pawan
in the oath  
Abdulaziz passes away: King     
Abdullah of Saudi Arabia died at in Colombo. Sirisena won the
the age of 90 after suffering from     
People A-117

whereas Rajapaksa, the opposition reconstructing the international

    payment system. The organisation
Sirisena ente   works to promote global monetary
   cooperation, secure financial
       stability, facilitate international
Lankan Freedom Party and was trade, promote high employment
 and sustainable economic growth,

 and reduce poverty around the
party in the year 2001. After three world.
     
 APRIL
   
     Muhammadu Buhari elected as
    President of Nigeria: Muhammadu
    Buhari was sworn in as Nigerias
new president at a boisterous

ceremony in the
of Cabinet Minister of Health in the
capital of Abuja. He

won the elections in
     
March 2015 and
   
was nominated as

the president in May
for presidential position again.
amongst dignitaries,
drummers and dancers. Crowds
MARCH clapped while others used brooms to
Sunil Sabharwal re-nominated as sweep to the beat, a reference to
Alternate Executive Director at Buharis campaign slogan, new
IMF: Indian-American investor broom.
Sunil Sabharwal has been re- Muhammadu Buhari was born on 17
nominated as the Alternate December 1942, in Daura, Katsina
Executive Director State, to his father Adamu and
at the International mother Zulaihat. He is the twenty-
Monetary Fund third child of his father. Buhari was
(IMF). He was re- raised by his mother, after his father
nominated to key died when he was about four years
post at IMF by US old.
President Barack Buhari joined the Nigerian Army by
Obama. Sabharwal was first enrolling in the Nigerian Military
nominated as the Alternate Training College (NMTC) in 1961.
Executive Director at IMF in April He retired from Nigerian Army as a
2014. He has also served as the Major General and was the Head of
Senior Vice President of Strategic State of Nigeria from 31 December
Investments at First Data Corporation/ 1983 to 27 August 1985, after
Western Union from 2003 to 2006. taking power in a military coup. He
IMF is an international organization unsuccessfully ran for the office of
headquartered in Washington, DC. President in the 2003, 2007 and 2011
It was formed in 1944 at the Bretton general elections.
Woods Conference, and came into Raja Rajeswari, first Indian-
formal existence in 1945 with 29 American woman judge of New
member countries and the goal of York : On 28th April 2015, Chennai
A-118
born Raja Rajeswari was sworn in as
a criminal court judge in New York
by mayor Bill de
Blassio. She became
the first Indian born
woman to be
appointed as a judge
in New York City.
Rajeswari, who is
43 now, immigrated to the USA
from India as a teenager. She
has previously worked with the
Richmond County District Attorney
in several bureaus including Criminal
Courts, Narcotics, Supreme Court
and the Sex Crimes Special Victims
Bureau. She served as a deputy chief
there.
Rajeswari took the oath of office
along of 27 other judges who have
been appointed earlier this month to
the Family Court, Criminal Court,
and Civil Court, which are part of
the New York State Unified Court
System.
The mayor appoints judges to 10-
year terms in the New York City
Criminal Court and the Family
Court within the city.
Pedro Cateriano Bellido appointed
as Prime minister of Peru : On
2nd April 2015 Pedro Cateriano
Bellido was appointed as the seventh
Prime minister of Peru by President
Ollanta Humala in a ceremony
which took place in Lima, Peru. He
replaced Anna Jara who was sacked
after losing the vote of confidence in
Congress on 30th March 2015. She
also faced allegations of spying and
corruption.
Bellido formerly practiced as a
lawyer in constitutional court. At
the time of appointment he was
56 and served as Defense minister
of Peru. He has been the Defense
minister since July 2012. He served
People
as deputy justice minister from 2001
to 2002. He served as an agent of the
Peruvian state to the Inter American
Court of Human Rights in the
Chavin de Huanter case in 2012.
He was the member of parliament
of Peru 1990-1992 and served as
deputy Justice Minister from 2001
to 2002.
Pedro Alvaro Cateriano Bellido was
born on 26th July 1958. He is from
the Peruvian Nationalists Party.
Loretta Lynch sworn-in as first
black female Attorney General of
US : On 27th April 2015, Loretta
Lynch was sworn in as the new U.S.
attorney general, replacing Eric
Holder. She is the first African-
American woman
to serve in the role.
Her nomination
held up more than
five months over
politicking in the
Senate. The highly
politicized five-month battle to
choose Obamas next attorney
general came to a close Thursday
when the Senate finally voted 56-43
to confirm Lynch.
A two-time U.S. attorney for the
Eastern District of New York,
Lynch takes on the high-profile
job at time when America faces a
series of challenges, from dealing
with strained relations and deep
distrust in some cities between the
police and the communities they
serve, to criminal justice reform, to
confronting the ongoing threat of
terrorism.
Loretta Elizabeth Lynch was born in
May 21, 1959 in Greensboro, North
Carolina. Lynch has graduated
from Harvard and grew up in North
Carolina during the civil rights
movement in 1960s.
People
Mohammed bin Nayef appointed
as Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia :
Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz
appointed his nephew, Deputy
Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Nayef, as the new heir apparent on
29th April,2015.
The King replaced
his half brother with
Mohammed bin
Nayef. King Salman
said that he has
followed thepath of
his late brother, King Abdullah bin
Abdulaziz in appointing the best
employees for the top jobs in the
worlds top oil exporter.
By appointing Mohammed bin
Nayef the new Crown Prince of
Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin
Salman, Deputy Crown Prince,
Saudi Monarch has strengthened his
branch of the empire.
The new Crown Prince has been the
Interior Minister since 2012 and was
the head of the kingdoms security
forces for a decade earlier. That
was the period in which he burnt
down an Al Qaeda uprising in Saudi
Arabia and had developed closed
ties with the United States.
The changes come at the time of
unprecedented regional turmoil, as
Saudi Arabia navigates the messy
aftermath of the Arab spring. It has
departed from decades of backroom
politics by launching a military
campaign in Yemen.
Chhurim Sherpaclimbs Everest
twice in a week: Chhurim Sherpa is
a proficient Nepali mountaineer
who got her name entered in the
prestigious Guinness Book of World
Records as the first
female mountaineer
to successfully scale
Mount Everest
twice in a single
climbing season on
12th and 19th May
A-119
2012. A Sherpa from Taplejung in
east Nepal, Chhurim, like most
Sherpas, uses one name instead of a
first and last name. After the
expedition she said, People have set
different kinds of climbing records
for Everest, but no one has ever
climbed it twice in a week. So, I just
climbed with the sole motive of
making a world record. While
growing up, she sketched her plan
for climbing Mount Everest
whenever she saw tourists trekking
through her village. She got highly
inspired by Pasang Lhamu Sherpa,
the first Nepali woman to climb
Everest, who died during her
descent. Chhurim Sherpa had again
began her journey, for the third time,
to climb the 8,850 metre (29,035
feet) high Everest in April 2015 but
this time she took a cricket bat and
two jerseys belonging to late
Australian cricketer Phil Hughes to
the summit as a mark of tribute to
the player.
MAY
Hungarian Writer Laszlo
Krasznahorkai Won Booker Prize:
Lszl Krasznahorkai became the
first author from
Hungary to receive
the Sixth Man
Booker Prize 2015.
He was felicitated at
an award ceremony
at the Victoria and
Albert Museum in London on 20th
May. Krasznahorkai was chosen
from a list of ten eminent contenders
from around the world. The prize
was given to recognize his
achievement in fiction on the world
stage. Laszlo Krasznahorkai was
born in 1954 in Gyula, Hungary and
gained recognition in 1985 after he
had published his debut novel
Satantango. His novels are known to
be complex and demanding a
A-120
single sentence can extend to a page
and deal with dystopian and
apocalyptic themes where an
impending civilisational crisis
threatens the world. The Man
Booker Prize is worth 60,000. It is
presented once every two years to a
living author of any nationality for a
body of work published either
originally in English or translated in
the English language.
Krasznahorkais other eminent
novels include The Melancholy of
Resistance (1989, English
translation 1998), and SeioboDown
Below (2008, English translation
2013).
JUNE
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar conferred
with Colombias highest civilian
award : Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi
Shankar has been conferred with
Colombias highest civilian award
for his contribution to peace issues
around the world.
He was conferred
with Orden de la
Democracia Simon
Bolivar en el grado
de cruz Caballero
by Fabio Raul Amin Saleme, Presi-
dent of the House of Representa-
tives, Congress of Colombia. He
was conferred with the special hon-
our for spreading the message of
peace in society, inter-mediation in
war, reducing stress and combating
violence through yoga and breathing
exercises. Sri Sri was congratulated
by Prime Minister Narendra Modi
on being conferred with Colombias
highest civilian award.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is a humanitar-
ian leader, a spiritual teacher, and an
People
ambassador of peace. He is a spirit-
ual leader and founder of the Art of
Living Foundation created in 1981,
which aims to relieve individual
stress, societal problems, and vio-
lence. In 2009, Shankar was named
by Forbes Magazine as the fifth most
powerful leader in India.
JULY
Anisa Rasouli nominated first
female Judge of Afghanistan
Supreme Court: A woman made
history in Afghanistan. Anisa
Rasouli, the Head of Afghan
Women Judges
Association and a
former Juvenile
Court Judge, was
nominated as the
first female judge of
Afghanistan Supreme Court by
Afghan President Asraf Ghani.
This has happened for the very first
time in Afghanistan ever since the
Taliban rule ended. The country has
been slowly becominga developing
country. Afghan President is
concerned about the womens right.
This is the biggest example of it.
Along with Rasouli, President Asraf
Ghani also appointed four women
as cabinet ministers and two women
as governors.
Anisa Rasouli may serve a 10 year
term in the Supreme Court alongside
8 other Justices but her nomination
needed to be approved by the
countrys parliament. She needed 97
votes out of 193 to win, but managed
to get only 88 votes with the MPs
approving another male member of
the Supreme Court and the governor
of the central bank.
People
92-year Harriette Thompson
became oldest woman to complete
a marathon: Harriette Thompson,
aged 92, became the oldest woman
to complete the Rock n Roll
marathon of 26.2 miles with a time
of 7:24:36 in San
Diego. She started
at 6:15:03 am and
finished at 1:39:38
pm. She is a cancer
survivor and ran
approx 7 hours and
24 minutes.
Previously, the oldest woman to
complete a marathon was Gladys
Burrill, who was 92 years and 19
days old when she completed the
2010 Honolulu Marathon whereas
Thompson is 92 years and 65
days old. She has raised more
than $100,000 for Leukemia and
Lymphoma Society by running
in marathons. She enjoys raising
money for cancer research.
This is the second consecutive year
Thompson downed one of the
Burrill records. She has still a long
way to go to beat the all comers
record. This record is currently held
by Fauja Singh, an India born man
who lives in Ilford, England who ran
in Toronto marathon in 2011 at the
age of 100.
Maurice Obstfeld appointed as
Chief Economist of IMF : Maurice
Obstfeld, 63, is appointed to
President Barack Obamas Council
of Economic Advisers as the Chief
Economist of International
Monetary Funds. He replaced
Olivier Blanchard
who is retired.
Obstfeld took over
the charges on
September 8, 2015.
Maurice Obstfeld
A-121
took the responsibilities for the
funds world economic outlook,
which has proved to be over optimist
in recent years.
Maurice Obstfeld is a prolific author
of research papers on exchange
rates, international financial crises,
global capital markets and monetary
policy. Obstfeld also served as a
chair of Berkeleys Department of
Economics.
Maurice Obstfeld studied and
took degree from MIT, the
University of Cambridges Kings
College and the University of
Pennsylvania. He is also a co-
author of widely used economics
textbook by undergraduate students
International Economics with
Krugman and Marc Melitz and also
co-wrote leading graduate textbook
on international macro economics
Foundations of International
Macroeconomics with Kenneth
Rogoff.
Maurice Obstfeld was awarded
the John von Neumann Award
in 2003 for outstanding scholar
in the exact social science, by the
Rajk Laszlo College for Advanced
studies, Budapest, Hungary.
Mauritius gets its first woman
President: Bibi Ameenah Firdaus
Gurib-Fakim, a renowned biodiversity
scientist was designated as the first
women president of
Mauritius, the land
nation in the Indian
Ocean. She is the
perfect example
which proves that
women in science can also reach the
worlds top political echelons. She
was born on 17th October 1959 in a
A-122
humble Mauritian Family. Her
mother was a housewife and her
father was a primary school teacher.
She is an exceptional role model for
women in science around the world,
and also a living example that
perseverance and hard work can
lead to success. It was really difficult
for Gurib to reach at this stage and
also very surprising to find herself
for the presidential nomination.
Mauritius is the richest and least
corrupt country in Africa. Having
population of around 1.3 million
people and GDP is just over $9000
i.e. 7200 euros. Indian Ocean Island
gained independence from Britain in
1968 and which replaced Britains
queen Elizabeth II as its head of
state in 1992.
Professor Kamal Bawa elected to
Royal Society of London : Professor
Kamal Bawa, a scientist and ecologist
of Indian origin, has been elected
to the prestigious Royal Society in
recognition of his incredible work
in the field of conservation science.
The Royal Society in London is a
self-governing fellowship of worlds
most distinguished scientists in
areas of science, engineering and
medicine.
Professor Bawa, 76, is a distinguished
Biology professor at the University
of Massachusetts, Boston. He has
been contributing in the area of
conservation science. His discoveries
of unusual breeding system, novel
pollination mechanisms and long
distance gene flow in tropical
forest trees changed the prevailing
notions about population biology
and evolution of these trees. He
discovered new hypotheses for the
evolution of almost every major type
of breeding system in plants.
People
Professor Bawa has also won the
Gunnerus Sustainability Award in
2012, as well as MIDORI Prize in
Biodiversity in 2014. Also, he has
established ATREE (Ashoka Trust
for Research in Ecology and the
Environment), a Bangalore-based
NGO that works in the field of
biodiversity).
Russian cosmonaut makes World
Records for spending 804 days on
ISS : Russian spaceman Gennady
Padalka created a
world record by
spending 804 days
in International
Space Station (ISS).
ISS was launched in
1998,the largest artificial body that
orbits earth nearly 400 km above the
surface, and can be seen with naked
eyes.
He officially set a new world record
by breaking the record of cosmonaut
Sergei Krikalev, former Russian Air
Force Officer who spent 803 days
and nine hours and 41 minutes in the
International Space Station. Padalka
was schedule to return to earth in
September, by then he would have
spent a total of 877 days in space.
Gennady Padalka was born on June
21, 1958 in Kransnodar, Russia.
He graduated from Eisk Military
Aviation College in 1979. He served
as a pilot and a senior pilot in the
Air Force. In 1989, he was selected
as a cosmonaut candidate to start
training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut
Training centre. In 1991, he was t
qualified as a test Cosmonaut.
Sir Fazle Hasan Abed of Bangladesh
wins 2015 World Food Prize : Sir
Fazle Hasan Abed has been
People
honoured with 2015 World Food
Prize. This is a
highly prestigious
prize, also known as
the Nobel Prize for
food and agriculture.
He was honoured
for his outstanding contribution for
enhancing the production and
distribution of food to the needy and
alleviating hunger and providing
pathways out of poverty.
He is the founder and chairperson
of BRAC (Bangladesh Rural
Advancement Committee) which is
one of the most accomplished village
level civil society organizations.
BRAC, whose headquarter is
in Bangladesh and operates
programmes in 10 other countries
around the globe, aims to reduce
poverty in developing countries and
ensure food security for all.
This Non profit organization has
provided the opportunity to over
100,000 people, 70 per cent of them
are women, and also touched the
lives of an estimated 135 million
people. BRAC is committed to
enhance food security and follow the
pathway out of poverty through its
dynamic and effective development
programmes.
US President Barack Obama enters
Guinness Book of World Record :
President of the United States of
America (USA) Barak Obama broke
the Guinness world
record of Iron Man
star Robert Downey
Jr. for reaching the
millions of followers
on Twitter in a span
of only 5 hours after going live on
20th may 2015.
A-123
The account is named @POTUS
which features tweets directly from
the president. Robert Downey Jr.
reached 1 million followers in less
than 24 hours after joining Twitter
where as Obama reached 1 million
followers in just 5 hours.
The president already has the
account named @BarackObama,
which is his personal account
and has crossed nearly 60 million
followers. @POTUS account stays
with the office.
At present, Obama is on the third
place for highest following on
Twitter with 59.3 million followers.
Singer Katy Perry is on the first
position with 70 million followers
and singer Justin Bieber is on the
second position with 64 million
followers.
AUGUST
Ranil Wickremesinghe sworn in as
PM of Sri Lanka (21st August):
United National Party (UNP) leader
Ranil Wickremesinghe was on
sworn in as the Prime Minister of Sri
Lanks for the fourth
time. President
Maithripala Sirisena
administered oath
of office to Mr.
Wickremesinghe at
a brief ceremony
attended by leaders of various
parties including former President
Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Mr. Wickremesinghe, who has
been a Member of Parliament since
1977, has also served as the Prime
Minister of the country on three
occasions previously. He held the
post from 1993-94, 2002-2004 and
since January 2015.
A-124
SEPTEMBER
Acclaimed writer Jhumpa Lahiri
awarded with 2014 National
Humanities Medal by White
House: Jhumpa Lahiri, in
recognition of her beautifully
wrought narratives of estrangement
and belonging which highlighted
the Indian-American experience
has been conferred with the
prestigious National
Humanities Medal
to Pulitzer Prize.
The US President
Barack Obama
presented the medal
on September 11 in the East Room
of the White House in the presence
of luminaries from the field of arts
and humanities.
In her works of fiction, Dr Lahiri
has illuminated the Indian-
American experience in beautifully
wrought narratives of estrangement
and belonging, the White House
citation read. The first National
Humanities Medal was awarded in
1996. Since then, the medal has been
bestowed upon 163 individuals and
12 organisations including recipients
of 2014. Jhumpa Lahiri is an Indian
Bengali American author. Her debut
short story collection, Interpreter
of Maladies (1999), won the 2000
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and her
first novel, The Namesake (2003),
was adapted into the popular film of
the same name.
Queen Elizabeth II becomes
longest-reigning UK monarch:
Queen Elizabeth II has become the
People
longest reigning monarch in British
history. She beats the record set by
her great-great-
grandmother Queen
Victoria 63 years
and 7 months
more than a century
ago. Elizabeth has
lived longer than
any of her predecessors. She saw a
dozen prime ministers come and go,
and presided over six decades of
British history from war with
Germany to the death of Princess
Diana and terror attacks on London.
Elizabeth has been the constant
heart of British life since she came
to the throne as a young lady aged
25. When Elizabeth married Prince
Philip in 1947, Britain was still
in the grips of post-World War II
austerity. Born April 21, 1926 in
London, the queen was christened
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary of York
and was known as young Lilibet to
her family. At the time it seemed
unlikely that she would become
queen that is until Edward VIII,
her uncle, unexpectedly abdicated in
order to marry American divorcee
Wallis Simpson. Elizabeths father
reluctantly became King George VI,
and she was the heir when he died
in 1952.
Malcolm Turnbull sworn in as
Prime Minister of Australia: New
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm
Turnbull was sworn
in as Australias
29th prime minister
on 15th September
after a surprise
ballot of his
People
conservative Liberal Party colleagues
voted 54-44 to replace Tony Abbott.
The new prime minister has
promised to focus on stability and
improving a faltering economy.
Mr Turnbull is expected to
make significant changes to the
Governments ministry as he moves
to reset the Coalitions economic
narrative. Mr Turnbull is expected
to make significant changes to the
Governments ministry as he moves
to reset the Coalitions economic
narrative. There is also a push for Mr
Turnbull to promote more women
and thrust younger talented Liberals,
who currently hold junior roles, into
the limelight.
Turnbull was elected Leader of
the Liberal Party in September
2008 and became Leader of the
Opposition. In November 2009, his
support for the Carbon Pollution
Reduction Scheme proposed by the
Labor Government split the Liberal
Party. Turnbull challenged Abbott
in September 2015 for the Liberal
leadership, and won the subsequent
ballot with 54 votes to Abbotts
44. He succeeded Abbott as prime
minister the following day and
formed the Turnbull Government.
NOVEMBER
Justin Trudeau of Liberal Party
sworn in as 23rd Prime Minister of
Canada: Justin Trudeau has become
Canadas second youngest Prime
Minister. A former school teacher
A-125
and a member of parliament since
2008, Trudeau is the
son of former Prime
Minister, Pierre
Trudeau. His father
remained Prime
Minister until 1984
and has been among the few
Canadian politicians famous in
America. The 43-year-old Prime
Minister has now the opportunity to
restore his fathers Liberal legacy.
The new ministers in his cabinet
aged between 35 and 50, took oath
of office at Rideau Hall disclosed
the official residence of the countrys
governor general, David Johnston.
The new Prime Minister and his
cabinet arrived shortly after the
departure of Stephen Harper. Mr
Johnston administers the oath of
office to government ministers as the
representative of Queen Elizabeth
II. The ceremonies do not entail
much pomp than those of United
States presidents. Some of the
cabinet minister positions are still
occupied by the previous Liberal
governments while the key positions
are taken by the ministers of
Trudeaus party. Mr Trudeau, being
the first child of a prime minister to
become the head of a government in
Canada, has conveyed that he has
appointed a cabinet that looks like
Canada.
DECEMBER
Sir Venkatraman Ramakrishnan
Assumed Presidency of the Royal
Society: Sir Venkatraman
Ramakrishnan assumed Presidency
of the Royal Society
in London. He was
elected to the office
in March 2015 by
the societys council
and will serve for up
A-126
to five years. With this appointment,
he became the 61st president of the
society. And, he joined the elite club
that has included Christopher Wren,
Samuel Pepys, Isaac Newton,
Joseph Banks, Humphry Davy, and
Ernest Rutherford. In 2009, he
shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
with Thomas A. Steitz and Ada
Yonath for studies of the structure
and function of the ribosome. He
was elected as a member of the
European Molecular Biology
Organization (EMBO) in 2002 and a
Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in
2003. He also received Indias
second highest civilian honour, the
Padma Vibhushan, in 2010.
Nobel Peace Prize to Tunisias
National Dialogue Quartet
: The Norwegian Nobel Committee
has decided that the Nobel Peace
Prize for 2015 is to be awarded to the
Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet
for its decisive contribution to the
building of a pluralistic democracy
in Tunisia in the wake of the Jasmine
Revolution of 2011 aka Tunisian
Revolution. National Dialogue
Quartet was formed in 2013 when
the process of democratisation was
in danger of collapsing because
of widespread social unrest. The
quartet established an alternative
and peaceful political process as
Tunisia was on the brink of civil war.
Tunisia adopted a new constitution
in January 2014 and held democratic
elections at the end of last year.
Angela Merkel Named 2015 Times
Person of the Year: Time magazine
named German Chancellor Angela
Merkel its Person of the Year 2015
for the annual honour because her
leadership has helped preserve and
People
promote an open, borderless Europe
in the face of economic turmoil and
an ongoing refugee crisis. Other
contenders include Islamic State
leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi and
Republican presidential hopeful
Donald Trump, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, Reliance Industries
chairman Mukesh Ambani and
Googles India-born CEO Sundar
Pichai. Mr. Modi was a contender
for the honour last year also and
while he was not chosen the Person
of the Year by Time editors, he was
named winner of the readers poll.
Indian-origin Politician Designated
to S Africas Finance Mister: Widely
respected South Africas finance
minister (2009-2014) and 66-year-
old Veteran Indian-origin politician
Pravin Gordhan has been appointed
South Africas new Finance Minister
by President Jacob Zuma. He will
replace David van Rooyen who
was appointed on 10 November
2015. Gordhans appointment raised
the Rand up almost 5%. Gordhan
would be responsible to ensure fiscal
discipline in government spending
and work with the financial sector to
bring about stability.
Serena Named as Sportsperson of
2015: Serena Williams, the star of
tennis world now
has been named
Sports Illustrateds
2015 Sportsperson
of the Year. The
winner of 3 Grand
Slam titles (Australian Open, French
Open and Wimbledon before losing
at the U.S. Open) dominated
womens tennis this year. Williams is
the first individual woman to be
selected to the honor since track
champion Mary Decker in 1983.
 A-127

Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan: Has it

flopped?

T he Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan(or Swachh Bharat Mission, SBM) was

started by Prime Minister NarendraModi on 2nd October 2014 at
Rajghat, New Delhi. It aims at making India a clean place to live in which
includes reducing the amount of waste on the streets and pavements,
inculcating a sense of personal hygiene with the focus being on creation
of public toilets, along with the creation of a solid waste management
facility in each town and city.The biggest challenges include curbing open
defecation,conversion of traditional toilets to pour flush toilets andproviding
access to clean water supply to every person by 2019.After a complete year,
people of India question how fruitful has the scheme been?

Why couldnt it have happened before?

A clean country is not just achieved by changing the mindset. This is
what Mahatma Gandhi tried to achieve post-independence. India was
a country infested with diseases and epidemics were virulent. In his trips
abroad, Gandhi had seen, lived and admired the cleanliness prevalent in
the countries under British rule including S. Africa and Britain itself. This is
what he had to say about it:
A-128 Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan: Has it flopped?

I learnt 35 years ago that a lavatory must be as clean as a drawing-room.

I learnt this in the West.
But there is no denying the fact that howsoever hard he tried, Indian
situation would not become better. It wasnt because of a lack of conviction.
Rather this was a case of the administration not being prepared for a willing
India. Enticed by the Mahatmas urgings, people wanted to bring about a
change, but for ensuring far-reaching effects, the administration was not
equipped to provide the requisite sanitation facilities to the people.

Is it happening now?
Some people claim that the SBM is a pet project of PM NarendraModi
and is his first fight towards changing India. This scheme is as much important
(or not) to the Government as any other populist scheme out there. The Jan
DhanYojna, Adarsh Gram Yojna, and others are all treated at a similar plane
along with the SBM. The only difference is that the campaigning for the
scheme has been on a much higher note compared to other schemes. It is
true because this is one scheme that creates the most photo opportunities for
the ruling party and other helping associates. Remember that the Mahatma
championed the plight of the manual scavengers and would go on to do it
for the innumerable others who couldnt think of cleaning their own feces.
Comparing this picture with politicians and actors holding brooms over a
mess of fresh leaves is indecent. We need to focus on the real talk behind the
loud noise of propaganda.
The idea of a clean India as viewed from the lens of the Swachh Bharat
Abhiyaan puts enormous pressure on the scheme and starts attributing all
existing problems on its shoulders. If we take the idea with a pinch of salt,
after a year, we cannot say that all the garbage outside our society doors is
because of a failure of the SBM. Neither can we go out there and celebrate
that the scheme is successful. A scheme such as this, which would impact
more than a crore households would take time to complete and start showing
results.
The completion of a year of the scheme has led to mixed results though.
The target for this year was to ensure complete collection and transportation
of waste in 1000 cities, to attain 100% processing and disposal of waste
in 100 cities, to construct 2,500,000 individual toilets along with 100,000
community and public toilets. The toilet construction pace has been
extremely slow in the cities, with only 20-25% of the target being achieved.
Although in the villages, 80% or more of the target has been achieved, but
about half of this is accomplished through other schemes like NREGA and
others which have been functioning at their own pace for all this time.
The reasons for the dismal growth are cited as limited administrative
capabilities of the municipalities, deficiency of adequate funds for the
astronomical task, and a clear lack of interest shown by the private sector.
Remember that the SBM is succeeding the NBA (Nirmal Bharat Abhiyaan)
which was trying to achieve more or less similar results except it had a longer
timeline (2022) and achievable targets.
Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan: Has it flopped? A-129

The problem of lack of funds for

the scheme is glaring and one which
has been identified by the government
too. This is why, it introduced the
Swachh Bharat Cess, a tax imposed on
all taxable services. The rate was fixed
as 0.5% because of which the effectual
Service Tax rate shot up from 14% to
14.5%. This was initiated beginning
from 15 November 2015, and in a
months time about 329.6 crores had
been raised. It is predicted that by
the end of this financial year, in March 2016, the cess would have raised
funds of the order of INR 3,750 crores. Looking at the way Indians have
taken the added tax burden in stride, it seems that the government has hit the
right chord with this move. All that remains to be seen is how long can the
additional tax rate be kept up.

Can it happen in the future?

All large populist schemes in India which promise surprising results have
ended up disappointingly, to say the least. The lack of practical planning
and the practice of overpromising are two key elements which determine the
future of these schemes. The Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan is going to be utilized
by politicians to capture local imagination whenever the discourse needs to
be diverted from the regular issues. The idea is to present a good initiative
in spirit, which the opposition cannot dispute without hurting themselves
in the foot. When the elections come closer, the efforts will be doubled and
temporary measures will be adopted to present a rosy picture to the voters.
These techniques are so old that nowadays all Indians can spot them at an
arms length.

A better route
India is a large and diverse country with a huge population base. Any
scheme that impacts everyone in the country cannot really achieve the results
without drawing a lot of flak. The best way that India can become clean is by
following the development route. With an increase in the purchasing power
and the living standards of the people, the demands for a cleaner society
would go up. Companies with better solutions would get promoted which
in turn would remove the filth from our streets. A government initiative is
always that of a push whereas a free-market initiative is always that of
a pull. Take for example, the FDI opportunities presented by the Keep
Singapore Clean scheme as a backdrop. SBM needs to catch the publics
eye and drum up private participation. It has done the former till now but
the latter has seen lacklustre growth. It would be interesting to see how the
Government takes it forward in the coming years.
A-130

Do we really need smart cities in

India?

I ndia is a land of smarts. Our smartness is visible in the classrooms,

where the students are pushing the boundaries of learning everyday.
Our smartness is visible in the business field, where the world is witnessing
Indians taking over some of the key companies and decision making seats.
Our smartness is visible on the streets, where people all around the world
come to admire our capabilities and vigour to survive in a densely crowded
country. We are smart. Our society is smart. I didnt know we lacked smart
cities till now.
Smart City
Typically, a smart city is a mesh of ICT (Information & Communication
Technologies) that covers a city wide area and facilitates better
communication between the people and the Government. For example, if
the local administration offers a newer, better public transportation scheme,
then it is in everyones interests that more and more people get to know
about it. It would be wiser to get the public more connected with online
booking of the tickets, real-time display of transport, stations, interchanges,
congestion, routes, available alternatives, etc. all on their own devices, viz.
cell phones.
This is merely an example to illustrate the ease of living when ICT blends
management with the customer (Government with the civilians). With more
Do we Really Need Smart cities in India? A-131

connectivity, more solutions can be provided to reduce operational waste and

increase participation from the people in key decisions that affect them. The
idea of a data driven decision making style for urban development is a strong
allure. Some projects that can excite include (as identified by MIT):
Multi-modal mobility recommendation engines
Personalized, transformable urban housing
Electronic nervous systems, from the scale of the human body to the city
Dynamic smart grids that respond to human mobility and behaviour
patterns
New urban vehicles including electric scooters, automobiles, bike-lane
vehicles, etc.
Crystal Clear Advantages
The impact of including ICT into
governance is unmatched. Today, in
India, a transactional relationship
exists between the Government and
the governed. This means that a decree
is passed and the people are told to
adjust. It isnt all that autocratic, but the
system is such that it leaves much to be
desired. Where is the feedback? How
does it reach the policymakers? There
are processes that enable feedback, for
instance, public outreach, the media,
platforms like jan-samwad (known by
different names in different states), etc. but things are not streamlined. The
feedback from the people is not included in improving the systems. Or if it
is included, it is not really told/shown to the people. If you dont show the
people that their voices are heard, the inputs dry down and what remains is
frustration.
In product technologies, one thing is certain. You need to have an
amazing feedback mechanism to improve. The whole concept of A/B testing
depends upon feedback. How can the Government analyze what is working
and what isnt until they talk to the people? ICT helps here. With growing cell
phone and internet penetration, India is sitting on top of a ripe infrastructural
advantage. We need more companies that can match the peoples needs with
clear-cut advantages. A smoother ICT will help in getting more and more
people to participate in governance. This will in turn, enable better products
and systems.
Also consider that living in touch with the environment and mitigating
waste is a key concern for developing urban ecosystems. Cities like New
Delhi, which have been identified as having an extremely high level of air
pollution must work with nature as opposed to against it. The idea of an
eco-city is much closer to the idea of a smart city.
A-132 Do we Really Need Smart cities in India?

The Indian connotation

There is a particular affection
towards the term smart. When the
Government announces that India is
going to develop smart cities, no one
is going to start proclaiming that they
want to live in un-smart places. With
this branding of white and black, and
right or wrong, anyone standing up
and saying that probably the smart
city concept isnt what we need, would
be identified as a naysayer. Take
for instance, how Facebook marketed its Facebook.org idea. They asked
people a loaded question: Do you want India to have free basic online
services? And then they changed the name facebook.org to free basics.
This kind of connotation branding would isolate the people who question
the implications of the policies. A smart city may be a good idea but there
needs to be a debate about whether the increase of technology based services
would really improve the situation or would cause a spiralling increase in the
already existing urban angst.
The affectation continues with more weight being put on rhetoric than
actual practice. India, or any country, needs smarter cities, but the onus of
the implementation lies with the bureaucrats. Bureaucracy is infamous for
being rigid and not open to newer ideas. For example, the PRT (Public Rapid
Transit) system has never taken off in the world, mainly due to multiple
factors like lack of public interest among others. But a major factor was also
the lack of confidence shown by many city administrations. The Indian
bureaucracy has its own limitations. The way the Net Neutrality issue has
been handled, the manner in which multiple other schemes related to internet
technologies are being worked out, shows that the Indian bureaucracy is not
in sync with the fast pace of ICT development. Take a cue from this.
What about the disconnect with the villages? According to the 2011
census, India has more than 600,000 villages. About 70% of India still
lives in the rural areas. If the majority of Indian population is rural, then
why would you focus on creating smart cities and not smart villages? Is
it because the contribution of agriculture to the GDP of India is less than
15%? Is it because the villages do not figure prominently in the pro-industry
policies of the Modi Government? It may be the reason, and keep in mind
that most industrialized societies went through the same route. So, yes we
want smart cities, but we also know that its not a low-hanging fruit. For
becoming smart, India will need more time than is being touted.
The article focuses on the technicalities of smart cities but doesnt talk
as to why smart cities should be on govts priorities while there are a host
of issues such as increasing poverty rate, lack of infrastructure and basic
amenities like implementing a proper drainage system, providing good
water, sanitation and healthcare facilities etc to attend.
The article is full of technical terms. Should be written in Plain English,
avoid using big words
 A-133

India & its neighbours: Conflict

and Cooperation
Love your neighbour as yourself; but dont take down the fence.
Carl Sandburg

F oreign relations are the pinnacle of diplomacy. You shake the extended
hand today that you condemned yesterday. Tact is the name of the game.
With both eyes on their own countrys benefits, governments join together
or lock heads on issues of global concern. India is a major force in its own
right and even more so when we talk of its strategic position in the South
Asian region.
With globalization and the recent changes in the government policies, Indian
foreign policy has been altered to make space for ideological neighbours who
are more in sync with Indias global efforts. These countries see India as an
ally for the coming decades which is a good sign for our own future. With a
stable government in place, and a growing economy, India is in a sweet spot.
It can discuss trade more openly with countries that are interested in safer
and smoother economic ties. And it can wield the iron hand when a country
shows aggressive tendencies.

Territorial Neighbours
In the South Asian region, India was perceived as a big player with benevolent
intentions. With the formation of SAARC (South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation) and the active advocacy of NAM (Non-Aligned
Movement), India was looked up to by the other SAARC members as a
A-134 India & its Neighbours: Conflict and Cooperation

benevolent big brother. But after becoming a nuclear power, the power
dynamics have changed. Nowadays, with the achievements that India has
scaled, including a healthy GDP growth rate, successful space programs,
increasing world presence, the other smaller SAARC members have started
viewing India as no more benevolent. Indias suggestions are also being
treated as infringing their political freedom.
For the smaller nations that surround India, it always makes sense to have
treaties with India that protect their economic and military interests. For
India, treaties like these inhibit any manipulative influence that a major
political power like China can have in the future.India and Nepalsigned
a similar treaty in 1950. The Indo-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship
created a sense of camaraderie which was hard to obtain otherwise.From
that time onwards, India has seen its upheavals and Nepal has moved on
from an autocracy to a democracy through a tumultuous route, but both
countries have stayed true to each other. There have been some clashes of
interests though. Nepal never liked that Sikkim was added to the Indian
polity and that India has not been supportive of the policy which claims that
Nepal be declared as a Zone of Peace. The time after that has been a topsy-
turvy ride and even now, when Nepal has instituted a new Constitution in
2015, India has been left blind-sided and trying to cope with it by pressurizing
Nepal to make changes that are more harmonious for the region as a whole.
India and Myanmar relations have always been overshadowed by two
influences, one the military (Myanmar had the worlds longest surviving
military rule till when it was dissolved in 2011) and the other China (China
has always maintained cordial relations with Myanmar and this has been a
major point of concern to India).
Still, after 1993, India started approaching the country with a more economic
mindset than a political one. Both P.V. Narsimha Rao and AtalBehari
Vajpayee governments agreed with this.
With Sri Lanka, India has a complicated tussle. On one hand, India has
maintained a policy of non intervention after burning its hands with the
tussle against LTTE. On the other, India has to negate the growing influence
of Pakistan and
China over Sri
Lanka in order to
ensure safe waters
for its territory. India
is Sri Lankas only
close neighbour and
as rightly pointed out
by the current PM,
Mr. NarendraModi,
the destinies of the
two countries are
intertwined.
India & its Neighbours: Conflict and Cooperation A-135

Pakistan and China are two of Indias neighbours who will continue to
thwart any developmental efforts that India makes towards even a win-win
situation. Pakistan has prevalent institutions that foster and propagate a
genuine hatred towards India among the populace. These institutions will
continue to operate this way. For India to move on, we have to acknowledge
their presence while forming policies. For the last 60 years, China has claimed
Arunachal Pradesh as its own. They aggressively patrol the surrounding area
to provoke action. They even deny visas to Indian residents who are from
this region claiming that these people are not Indians. According to them,
they are Chinese residents and hence the visa cannot be issued to a Chinese
citizen. Border issues with both the countries are created because of differing
reasons. For Pakistan, border issues are a way of manipulating power within
the countrys own power circles. Also, economically, Pakistan is in that state
where it needs help from so many quarters of the world. Depending on
outside help for internal development leaves it exposed to manipulation from
these countries. This was what the USA had been doing for all this long by
providing foreign aid in the guise of arm-twisting the country and using it as
an army base among other indirect strategic advantages. China on the other
hand, uses border skirmishes as a way of disciplining its own people and
changing the countrys discourse towards a common enemy. In China, with
the communist government, it is important to indulge in activities like these
that prove to the country that the enemy of the state is on its borders and
not inside. India has secured its borders all along the Chinese and Pakistan
regions and even with the other neighbouring nations.
India shares scintillating ties with Bhutan and Maldives. India has always
helpedthese countries with foreign aids for developmental projects. As of
2015-16, Bhutan is the largest beneficiary of Indian aid.
India and Bangladesh have a complicated relationship which most often
stays on the positive side. There were some border issues but after the signing
A-136 India & its Neighbours: Conflict and Cooperation

of the 2011 treaty things have been moving in the positive direction. The last
major development in this regard was the signing of the Land Boundary Act
(LBA) which rested all border issues between the two countries. India and
Bangladesh have a healthy trade and the current Indian government has a
keen eye on energy investments in the region.

Ideological Neighbours
Neighbours dont always mean territorial ones. Nowadays, it is more
ideological than anything else. India has always had a trusting relationship
with Russia and a rather dicey one with America. Today, the country is
poised towards creating a much smoother kinship with USA and Europe.
India is also finding strong support from countries like Japan and Israel,
who have always supported India but were never prominent players (foreign
policy wise). Even the South-East Asia is now acknowledging Indias
strong presence and according accolades where it is due. For example,
the Afghanistancarried a 100 meter long Indian flag along with their own
national flag to show their gratitude towards Indian efforts to reconstruct the
Salma Dam. Theseare smart moves by the present government which will
bear fruit in the coming years.
A-137
A-138
JANUARY
India successfully test-fires
canister-based ICBM Agni-V
missile: India on 31th January,
2015 successfully tested third
developmental trial of its long range
missile Agni-V at Wheelers Island
off Odisha coast. The first and
second tests were conducted on 19
April 2012 and 15 September 2013
from the same location. Agni-V
will be inducted into the services
after few more trials. Agni-V is an
indigenously developed canister-
based intercontinental ballistic
missile (ICBM) developed by the
Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO), India. It is
a surface-to-surface nuclear capable
missile which is about 17 metres
long, 2 metres wide and has a launch
weight of around 50 tonnes. It can
strike up to a range of 5,000- 5,800
km and capable of carrying nuclear
warhead of over one tonne. The
Agni series of India includes Agni-
1 with 700 km range, Agni-II with
2000 km range, Agni-III and Agni-
IV with 2500 km to more than 3500
range.
Way back in 2007, senior defence
scientist M. Natrajan unveiled
DRDOs working on an upgraded
version of the Agni III, known
as the Agni-V. At that time this
was not considered a threat by the
government of other countries
especially by our neighbours like
Pakistan and China.
World Bank report on Social
Inclusion and Sustainable
Development: A World Bank report
highlighted the progress of Himachal
Pradesh towards social inclusion
and Sustainable Development. The
Events
State has achieved both economic
growth and human development
which have reduced poverty level
among different groups in the state.
It has covered the issues such as
declining female child sex ratio,
undernutrition in children and
an ageing population. Its poverty
level has dropped by fourfold
between 199394 and 2011. The
achievements are remarkable as far
as rural poverty is concerned. This
progress is seen in both rural and
urban areas of Himachal Pradesh.
Its per capita income was recorded
to be second highest in India and
people have life expectancy of 3.4
years longer than an average Indian.
Further, according to the report
Himachal has highest work
participation rate in India. Half of
the male and one-third of female
population in working age group are
regular salaried personnels in urban
area. The state is predominantly
an agricultural economy which
tends to have higher labour force
participation rates. More than 60 per
cent of females in rural Himachal
Pradesh are involve in labour force.
\13th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas
2015 concluded in Gujarat: Pravasi
Bharatiya Diwas (PBD) is an event
of Ministry of Overseas Indian
Affairs (MOIA). The 13th event of
PBD started on January 7, 2015 and
completed on January 9, 2015 in
Ahmedabad, Gujarat. It is said to
be a day to honour the contribution
of the Indian community to the
development of India. The theme
of the event was Apna Bharat,
Apna Gaurav. Pravasi Bharatiya
Samman awards were given away
to 15 members of Indian Diaspora
during the event. Vice-President,
Events
Hamid Ansari, presented the awards
to the members. Donald Ramotar,
President of Republic of Guyana,
attended the event as the chief guest.
The event marked the 100th year
of Mahatma Gandhis return to
India. The event is also a medium
of reminding the citizens of the
Independence struggle. Cultural
evenings, exhibition of books
and paintings were some of the
A-139
medals to the Nobel Laureates in the
Congress. Discussions took place
on ancient sciences, ancient Indian
aviation technology, biodiversity
conservation, space application and
other topics. Issue of Genetically
Modified crops in India was also an
important discussion at the congress.
Periyar Tiger Reserve won NTCA
biennial award: The Periyar Tiger

captivations of the event. The next 
Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (PBD) 2016   
is to be held on January 10, 2016    

at Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra, New 
Delhi. It will be the 7th conference  
being organised in New Delhi after and Climate Change. It aims at
those in the years 2003, 2004, 2007, 
2008, 2010, 2011 and 2014. 
102nd Indian Science Congress      
held in Mumbai: From January 3 to 
January 7, 2015 was held the 102nd 
Indian Science Congress in Mumbai.       
Inaugurated by Prime Minister 
Narendra Modi and organized by       
Indian Science Congress Association 
(ISCA), the congress was themed The Periyar Foundation was set up
Science and Technology for in the year 2006; it was a model
Human Development. Childrens    
Science Congress, Womens Science   
Congress and Science Exhibition     
were also part of the congress.    
APJ Abdul Kalam inaugurated   
the Childrens Science Congress.     
University of Mumbai played a      
vital role in organizing the event. 
Esteemed scientists, tech experts    
and research students from India   
and abroad were among the active 
participants of the congress. A     
total of 16,000 delegates attended it     
indicating a growth in the number    
of attendants which was only 108     
in the first year. Padmashri Vasant    
Gowarikar was given homage by the    
Prime Minister for his contribution 
to space, population and weather     
research. He requested the eminent      
scientists to guide the PhD students.     
Prime Minister also awarded gold Foundation.
A-140 Events

PM inaugurated Dandi Kutir Karunakaran, Essop Goolam Pahad,

museum:     Shah Bharatkumar Jayantilal, Ashraf
      
inaugurated a state-of-the-art     
museum Dandi Kutir in Gandhinagar,     
   
      
inauguration was done on the 
th     
    th
   
  

   

of Mahatma Gandhis famous Dandi Minister, Sushma Swaraj, was
 also present there along with the
 Gujarat Chief Minister, Anandiben
         

       

    the highest honour presented to
      
     Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) or
Mahatma Gandhis life in the form to organisation or institution run
           
   
  
    
      
 medallions miniature in a lapel
 pins form.
     
   Saina Won Syed Modi Grand
       Prix Gold 2015: Saina Nehwal the
in the museum where the Prime badminton player has been ranked
Minister penned his thoughts after as worlds number three clinched
      the womens singles of Syed Modi
on Gandhis life. Prime Minister has Grand Prix Gold badminton
taken a deepinterest in the work of tournament on 25 January 2015.
setting up the museum to honour The tournament is named after the
the father of nation, Mahatma famous Indian badminton player
Gandhi. Syed Modi, an eight-time National
Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Badminton champion. In an
Awards 2015: ebullient comeback, she defeated
   
  the seventh ranked world champion
2015 to January 9, 2015 at Mahatma Carolina Marin of Spain (19-21,
Mandir in Gandhinagar. 15 members 25-23, 21-16) in the finals played at
of Indian Diaspora were awarded Babu Banarasi Das Indoor Stadium
   resident, Mohammad in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. Saina
     did start off firmly as Carolina raced
Donald Rabindernauth Ramaotar away to a 5-2 lead. However, in
(President of Guyana), Mala Mehta, the next few minutes, Saina took a
Dr Rajaram Sanjaya, Kanwaljit Singh vital 15-7 advantage. The Spaniard
Bakhshi, Rajmal Parakh, Duraikannu carried the momentum with some
Events
deceiving shots that helped her to
bag the first game 19-21. But it was
Saina who got the better of Carolina
and managed a neck-and-neck affair
of the game which eventually led
to her win. With this strenuous
win, Saina managed a hat trick of
wins and maintained her 100% win
record against Carolina over the
three competitions played till date.
Indigenously-built Light Combat
Aircraft Tejas handed over to IAF
The first indigenously -built Tejas
Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) was
handed over by Defence Minister
Manohar Parrikar to IAF chief
Air Marshal Arup Raha on 17th
January 2015. It was a great day for
Indian defence and aerospace sector
thirty-two years after sanctioning of
project. It was initiated in 1983 to
replace the ageing MiG-21s in IAFs
fleet.
Tejas has successfully demonstrated
weapon delivery capability during
trials at Jamnagar and Jaisalmer.
The entire project is estimated
to cost over Rs 30,000 crore. It
expected that 20 Aircrafts will be
built by 2017-2018, to make the first
squadron of the aircraft.
The LCA is significant for its
lighter weight, greater agility
and manoeuvrability. The lighter
weight is achieved by use of
higher percentage of Carbon Fibre
Composites. Other significant
features are the Digital Fly-By-Wire
System, Flight Control Systems,
Open Architecture Computer.
PETA announces Indias first fenced
elephant sanctuary: Bannerghatta
Biological Park, Karnataka became
the first fenced elephant sanctuary
of India as announced by People for
the Ethical Treatment of Animals
(PETA). PETA consultant along
with elephant expert Carol Buckley
designed the model of 49.5 hectare
A-141
(122 acres) fenced sanctuary. The
sanctuary has solar-fencing running
all along the specially designed
enclosure and a state-of-the-art
emergency corral made from steel
pipes. This provided the elephants
free movement within the secured
area without chains. They can even
bathe in ponds and socialize with
other animals. It is now home to
15 elephants, including 15-year-old
Sunder who got liberated from a
harsh life at a temple in Maharashtra
in 2014 by Indian Supreme Court
following public support from
Paul McCartney. Workshops were
organized to give training to the
local caregiver in the principles
of protected contact, ensuring
safe interaction between humans
and elephants by keeping them
separated by a sturdy barrier under
the guidance of Margaret Whittaker,
director of elephant programmes at
the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee
and Gail Laule, co-founder of Active
Environments.
18th National Conference on
e-Governance held in Gujarat: A
two day conference on e-governance
theme under Digital Governance-
New Frontier was held on 30-31
January, 2015 at Gandhinagar,
Gujarat. It was organised by the
Department of Administrative
Reforms & Public Grievances
(DARPG) and Department
of Electronics & Information
Technology (DeitY), Government
of India in collaboration with
the Department of Science &
Technology, Government of
Gujarat. Inaugurated by Chief
Minister of Gujarat, Anandiben
Patel, it provided a platform for
policy makers, practitioners,
industry leaders and academicians to
deliberate, interact and recommend
strategy for good governance.
The conference focused on Skill
development and Employability.
A-142
Main discussion emphasized on
building stronger relationship
between the government, industry
and academia to create programmes
and institutes as it may bring about
empowerment, equity, efficiency
in India, besides being the most
economic mode of governance.
PM launches Sukanya Samridhi
Yojana under BBBP campaign: On
January 22, 2015, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi announced the
launching of a small deposit
scheme for girl child called
Sukanya Samridhi Yojana under
the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao
(BBBP) campaign. Girls have been
discriminated against boys with
regard to savings of a family. The
scheme is an initiative to eliminate
this discrimination. The scheme
enables parents to open bank
accounts for their girls who are under
the age of 10 years. Deposits in the
account opened under the scheme
will receive an interest rate of 9.1
percent and would get income tax
rebate. The account can be opened
from the time of the birth of the girl
to the time she reaches the age 10
years and with a minimum amount
of 1000 rupees. The account will
remain active till the marriage of
girl or completion of 21 years from
the date of opening of the account.
The account has a limitation on
the maximum amount that can be
deposited during a single financial
yearit is limited to 1.5 lakh rupees.
However, for the higher education
of the girl, 50 percent of the amount
can be withdrawn from the bank if
she has reached the age of 18 years.
Shanta Kumar Committee report
on FCI restructuring: Shanta
Kumar chairs the High Level
Committee (HLC) set up by the
Government of India on August 20,
2014. The committee has submitted
a report to the Prime Minister for
Events
restructuring of Food Corporation
of India (FCI). The report has made
recommendations on procurement,
stocking and movement, NFSA
and PDS and leakage related issues.
In the report, Shanta Kumar has
proposed that the FCI should entrust
all operations of paddy, wheat and
rice to Andhra Pradesh, Haryana,
Odisha, Chattisgarh, Madhya
Pradesh and Punjab expressing
that these states have considerable
experience and reasonable
infrastructure for acquisition. It
also advocates computerization of
food management system so that
leakages may be monitored and
hence avoided. Various agencies
like State Warehousing Corporation
should be entrusted with stocking
operations. Various stakeholders
should be invited and bidding
should be conducted among them
to lower down the cost of storage
of food grains. Containers should
be used instead of gunny bags to
transfer the grains to reduce losses
during transits. The report also
recommended cutting down the
taxes that are levied on food grains
from 14.5% to 3%.
J & K selected for the National
Award of e-Governance for Best
District Level initiative: Jammu
and Kashmir has won the National
Award for e-Governance for the best
district-level initiative in the country.
Project e-Panchayat was selected
among 53 nominees for spot-study
carried by PriceWater Coopers
Ltd and officers of Department of
Administrative Reforms, PMO at
New Delhi on December 22, 2014.
The award for the project
e-Panchayat was shared by Deputy
Commissioner Kathua, Shahid
Iqbal Choudhary, and Assistant
Commissioner Development Reasi
& Joginder Singh Rai.
Events
Project was launched in 2013-
2014 in J&K to strengthen 147
Panchayats. Service delivery shifted
from block level to Panchayat
level as a decentralised regime of
Panchayats has been established.
The award was presented during
the 18th National Conference on
e-Governance held at Gandhinagar
on January 30 and 31, 2015. J&K
has bagged the award for the first
time in 18 years since 1997.
FEBRUARY
Arvind Kejriwal Sworn-in as 8th
C.M of Delhi: Following a sweeping
win of Aam Admi Party (AAP)
in the Delhi Assembly elections,
partys National Convener, Arvind
Kejriwal was sworn as the Chief
Minister of Delhi on 14th February
2015, exactly an year after Kejriwal
quit after a short regime of 49-
days. AAP had won 67 of the 70
seats in Delhi, wiping out Congress
completely and leaving only three
seats for the Bhartiya Janta Party
(BJP). Lieutenant Governor Najeeb
Jung administered the oath of
office and secrecy at the historic
Ramlila Maidan to Arvind Kejriwal,
Manish Sisodia, Asim Ahmed
Khan, Sandeep Kumar, Satyendar
Jain, Gopal Rai and Jitender Singh
Tomar. Soon after taking the oath,
the 46 year old Arvind Kejriwal
announced the priorities of his
government which included steps
against corruption, communal
elements, VIP culture. He also
guaranteed the Delhiites to fight
for full statehood for the national
capital. He called his win as miracle
of god and warned his party
leaders and workers to refrain from
arrogance as that was the reason of
defeat for Congress and BJP.
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Delhi Assembly Elections 2015
Results Declared: The result of
Delhi Assembly polls, held on 7th
February 2015, was announced by
the Election Commission of India
on 10th February 2015. In a sweeping
victory, Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam
Aadmi Party (AAP) completely
wiped out Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) and the Congress by securing
67 of the 70 seats in Delhi Assembly
elections. This election result showed
a win percentage of more than 90,
a feat achieved only twice before in
Sikkim and Bihar. Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) won 3 seats, Indian
National Congress (INC), Bahujan
Samaj Party (BSP), Shiromani Akali
Dal (SAD), Indian National Lok Dal
and Independents did not win any
seat. This year the Delhi Legislative
Assembly elections recorded the
highest ever voter turnout of about
67.14% in the history. The former
revenue service officer Arvind
Kejriwal had a sensational victory in
the New Delhi constituency whereas
BJPs amateur candidate, Nupur
Sharma and Congress leader Kiran
Walia came in second and third
respectively. BJP even had a loss
of face with their chief ministerial
candidate Kiran Bedi losing out in
the traditional stronghold of Krishna
Nagar which was long held by party
veteran Harsh Vardhan.
MP Awarded for Excellent Work in
MGNREGA: On 2nd February 2015,
Union Rural Development Minister
Virendra Singh gave away the 10th
National Award for excellent work
done under Mahatma Gandhi
National Rural Employment
Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA)
to Madhya Pradesh. The award
was received by Madhya Pradesh
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Panchayats and Rural Development
Minister Gopal Bhargava. The
award was given at the MGNREGA
summit held in New Delhi.
MGNREGA is an Indian labour
law and social security measure
that aims to guarantee the right to
work. The scheme came in action
from 2 February 2006 in 200 districts
but w.e.f. 1 April 2008 is covering
all districts of India. MGNREA
was launched with the objective
to ensure secure livelihood in rural
areas by providing at least 100 days
of wage employment in a financial
year to every household whose adult
members volunteer to do unskilled
manual work. The award was given
to Madhya Pradesh for combining
MGNREGA and other schemes
for construction of permanent
assets and providing permanent
employment opportunities to the
needy.
Indian Army and State Bank of
India inked MoU on Defence
Salary Package: The Indian Army
and State Bank of India (SBI) signed
a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) on Defence Salary Package
on the 23rd of February, 2015. The
first MoU between SBI and Indian
Army was signed in the year 2011.
The revised MoU is suited to the
requirements of the soldiers and their
families. A number of additional
facilities have been added in the
revised MoU. Free/concessional
services like free funds transfer to
any bank in India through RTGS /
NEFT, free ATM cards, free cheque
books and free drafts are some of
the facilities that entail the MoU.
It also includes Personal Accident
Insurance (PAI) enhancement,
linking it to the savings account
rather than the debit card. Exemption
percentage of margin money for
car and house loans has been
enhanced. The processing charges
Events
on the loans were waived off. Instant
fund transfers to Nepal for Nepali
Domicile Gorkha Soldiers serving
the Indian Army were made easy
under the Nepal Express Remittance
Scheme. Modern banking facilities
will also be accessible. Almost 10
lakh serving personnel and 19.5 lakh
pensioners will be benefitted by the
revised MoU.
Government accepted 14th Finance
Commission recommendations:
Union government accepted
the 14th Finance Commission
recommendations on Tuesday,
the 24th of February, 2015. The
recommendations were made to
devolve an unusual 42 percent of
the divisible pool of states during
the years 2015-16 to 2019-20 against
the 32 percent which was suggested
earlier by the previous commission.
Accordingly, in 2015-16, states would
receive INR 5.79 lac crore of the
Centres expected gross tax receipts
of INR 15.67 lac crore. While the
14th Finance Commission promised
to give sufficient space to the Union
Government to have its fiscal debit at
the recommended level which is 3.6
percent for next financial year and
3 percent for each of the following
four years, the Centre said that its
fiscal elbow room would be reduced.
The Finance Commission also
communicated that the government
would have INR 49.14 lac crore left
from the divisible pool during the
five-year period. The 14th Finance
Commissions recommendations
have been taken in a positive spirit
as noted in the Prime Ministers
message to the chief ministers. The
Finance Commissions, previously,
had recommended only 1-2 percent
increase in the devolution.
Government launched portal
MADAD to redress consular
grievances: The launch of e-portal
MADAD took place at the MEA
Events
headquarters by External Affairs
Minister, Sushma Swaraj. It
has made easy for the Indian
citizens living abroad to file their
consular grievances online. The
salient features of the e-portal
are to improve the tracking and
redressal of grievances, handle and
forward complaints and escalate
unresolved cases. The cases related
to bringing back mortal remains of
any national would be dealt with
as the major priority. Linking of
similar grievances would be done
on the basis of passport number to
avoid duplication and automated
escalation. Colour code system
of red-amber-green would be
implemented; green would indicate
the case has been addressed well
while a red colour would show
pending cases. The red colour would
escalate the case to the high level
officials and would then be looked
into and resolved. The portal will
also aid in keeping a watch on the
performances of the authorities.
A call centre is also expected to be
linked with the Ministry of Overseas
Indian Affairs and a mobile
application, too, is being worked on
to allow people to use the portal on
the go.
Prime minister launched soil health
card scheme: Soil Health Card
Scheme is a scheme launched by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
behalf of Government of India on
19th February 2015. This nationwide
launch was held at Suratgarh
town of Sriganganagar district,
Rajasthan. Under this scheme, the
focus will be on health of soil in
agricultural areas across the country
to boost productivity and bring
about increased prosperity. The
government plans to issue Soil Card
to farmers that will carry crop-wise
recommendations for nutrients and
fertilizers required for the individual
farms to help farmers to improve
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productivity through judicious use
of inputs. The Soil Health Card
Scheme was announced in the
first budget presented by Union
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in
July 2014, who allotted a budget of
Rs 100 crore for issuing cards along
with supplementary Rs 56 crore
for setting up over 100 mobile soil
testing laboratories across India.
Further, the PM gave a slogan
Swasth Dharaa Khet Haraa
(Healthy Earth Green Farm). Krishi
Karman Awards were also given on
the occasion by the Prime Minister
who said that the government has
come out of the national capital to
distribute these awards.
Chhattisgarh awarded renewable
power development: The
Chhattisgarh Government was
felicitated for being the best
performing states in Renewable
Power Development in the state. The
state was adjudged for the award
on the basis of the criteria fixed up
by the 13th Finance Commission
headed by Vijay Kelkar.
The state is generating 45 MW off
Grid Solar power and 200 MW
through rice husk. Solar power is
being used in 600 primary health
centres, 100 community health
centres, 350 police stations, 1800
tribal hostels, 27 collectorates. In
addition 1,700 villages of the state
have been electrified. These villages
are using 3,000 solar power pumps
for drinking water and 1,500 for
irrigation purpose.
The alternative sources of energy
are being promoted by Chhattisgarh
State Renewable Energy
Development Agency (CREDA).
The state has won the award earlier
also for these projects.
35Th National Games Mascot
Ammu Named in Limca Book of
Records: 35th National Games
mascot Ammu, the Great Hornbill,
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has made into the Limca Book of
Records. It has made into the records
book owing to a play Kalikkunna
Kuttikalkkayi Bharatham Kathirik-
kunnu (India Awaits Children Who
Play) in which Ammu is featured as
lead role. According to the Limca
Books 2015 Special Literature
Edition, this play is about a mascot,
which had been staged in most
number of schools. By 6th April,
2014, the play had been staged in
147 schools across seven districts of
Kerala. Kalikkunna Kuttikalkkayi
Bharatham Kathirikkunnu is
scripted and directed by theatre artist
Anil Karetee and enacted by a team
of police officers. It was envisaged
to promote sports among children
and persuade them to take up sports
along with academics.
The Great Hornbill is the State bird
of Kerala and was selected as the
games mascot to reflect on states
concern for conservation of this
species which is facing extinction.
It also expresses Keralas concern
to preserve its rain forests and
regenerate the lost habitat of this
precious bird. The feminine name
Ammu was chosen for the mascot
as tribute to women of Kerala and
is a reminder that Kerala is proud to
have a gender ratio that is tilted in
favour of women.
Union Government approved
revised Guidelines for Pradhan
Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana:
The centre has given approval to
amendments to Pradhan Mantri
Gram Sadak Yojana(PMGSY) to
accord priority in the selection of
roads to new connectivity as well as
upgradation, leading to the eligible
habitations in the Gram Panchayat
identified by the Members of
Parliament under Sansad Adarsh
Gram Yojana (SAGY).
The decision was taken at a meeting
chaired by the Union Minister
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for Rural Development. This is in
accordance with the decision of the
Cabinet wherein all the Ministries/
Departments of the Central
Government have been to take
necessary action to make changes to
guidelines of their respective Central
sector and centrally sponsored
schemes to enable priority to be
given to Gram Panchayats selected
under the Adarsh Gram Yojana.
As per the revised guidelines,
the state governments shall give
priority to all roads leading to Gram
Panchayats identified under SAGY
irrespective of Comprehensive New
Connectivity Priority List (CNCPL)
to include all eligible unconnected
habitations in the selected Gram
Panchayats.
In case of up gradation of roads,
priority shall be given to the roads
which have Pavement Condition
Index (PVI) Value I and II identified
under SAGY.
The length required for up gradation
of these roads should be within the
overall target allocated to various
states under PMGSY-I and PMGSY-
II.
In case of roads already built under
PMGSY, in the Gram Panchayats
identified under SAGY, states
should carry out maintenance as
suggested in the Operations Manual
and Rural Roads Manual; even if the
maintenance period of five years is
over.
Adequate funds for this purpose will
be provided by the respective state
governments.
The Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak
Yojana or PMGSY is a nationwide
plan in India to provide good
all- weather road connectivity to
unconnected villages.
This centrally sponsored scheme
was introduced in 2000, by the then
Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari
Vajpayee and Prabhjot Singh.
Events
Single window eBiz portal
launched: The Union Minister
of Finance Arun Jaitly launched
a single window eBIZ portal for
11 central government services in
New Delhi on Saturday. eBIZ is a
Government- to- Business (G2B)
portal and was launched with a aim
to bringing transparency and ease of
doing business in the country.
The portal will cater to 11Central
Government services: four services
of Ministry of Corporate Affairs
(MCA), two services of Central
Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT),
two services of Reserve Bank of
India (RBI), one service each from
Directorate General of Foreign
Trade(DGFT), Employees Provident
Fund Organization (EPFO), and
Petroleum and Explosives Safety
Organization(PESO).
A business user can avail of this
service any time from the day of
launch either from the portal of
respective Ministry/ Department or
by submission of forms.
National Institute of Smart
Government (NISG) as a consulting
partner conceptualised the eBIZ
and Infosys Limited, Bangalore
developed it. It was developed in a
Public Private Partnership (PPP)
model for a period of 10 years.
In the first three years eBiz portal
will be implemented on a pilot basis
during which 50 services (26 central
and 24 states) will be covered. These
10 states will be Andhra Pradesh,
Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra,
Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Punjab,
Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and West
Bengal.
One of the salient features of eBiz
is Payment Gateway Solution. It has
been set up in collaboration with
all the Public Sector Banks s(PSB)
to transfer government fees on T+1
basis.
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For eBIZ transactions, an electronic
PAO system has been set up in
Department of Industrial Policy
and Promotion to make booking
and reconciliation of all central fees
received through eBIZ portal.
The eBIZ portal has been approved
by the Comptroller and Auditor
General (CAG) of India and it is
the first time that collection of fees
through credit and debit cards for
different services has been permitted
making it very convenient for
business to deposit fees.
10 February as National
Deworming Day declared: 10
February was declared as the
National De-worming Day by
Union Minister for Health & Family
Welfare Mr. Jagat Prakash Nadda.
A path breaking initiative focused
mainly to reduce the threat of
parasitic and other forms of stomach
worm infections seen in millions of
children across the nation.
Worms in small children interfere
with nutrient uptake and can cause
severe complications resulting in
anemia, malnutrition and improper
mental and physical development.
The Union Minister declared that
target is to make India worm free
by de-worming all pre-school and
school age children between 1 to 19
years.
The day will be observed in 11 states
and Union Territories including
Assam, Bihar, Chattisgarh, Dadra
& Nagar Haveli, and Haryana. The
initiative will be aimed at providing
Albendazole tablets to children (half
tablet to 1-2 years children and full
tablet to 2-19 years).
Prime Minister Constitutes 3
Sub-Groups of Chief Ministers
Within NITI Aayog: The Prime
Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, has
announced that the NITI Aayog
would constitute three sub groups of
Chief Ministers. The themes behind
this are, Sub-group to study the 66
A-148
Centrally Sponsored Schemes and
suggest which to carry on, which
to shift to states, and which to cut
down.
Sub-group to advise how NITI
Aayog can encourage skill
development and creation of skilled
manpower inside states.
Sub-group to decide on institutional
mechanisms to be evolved and
technological inputs, for ensuring
that commitment to Swachh Bharat
becomes a part of life.
The Prime Minister asked all states
to create two task forces under the
guidance of the NITI Aayog. One
would focus on poverty alleviation,
and the other would focus on
development of agriculture in states.
Sub-groups will be decided once
the Chief Ministers indicate their
preferences.
MARCH
Stree Shakti Puraskar 2014:
President Mr. Pranab Mukherjee
awarded the Stree Shakti Puraskar
for the year 2015 to six illustrious
women on the eve of International
Womens Day for their exemplary
services in the upliftment of women.
The awardees of Stree Shakti
Puraskar 2015 are Sister Mariola
(Rajasthan) for the Rani Gaidinliu
Zeliang Award; Seema Prakash
(Madhya Pradesh) for the Rani
Lakshmibai Award; Astha
Sansthan- NGO (Rajasthan)
for the Rani Rudramma Devi
Award; Chandraprabha Bokey
(Maharashtra) for the Mata Jijabai
Award; P. Bhanumati (Kerala) for
the Kannagi Award; and Anay Rahit
Zindagi- NGO (Goa) for the Devi
Ahilyabai Holkar Award.
The awards were given in six
categories which are named after
eminent women personalities in
the Indian history. The award was
Events
instituted in 1991 and carries a
reward of Rs.300,000 and a citation.
Indias First Indigenously
Developed Rotavirus Vaccine
(Rotavac) Launched: The first
indigenously developed and
manufactured Rotavirus vaccine-
Rotavac was launched on 9th
March, 2015. The vaccine seeks
to boost Indias efforts to combat
infant mortality due to diarrhoea. It
is the third vaccine of its kind which
is available globally to fight against
Rotavirus. The Rotavac vaccine was
developed by the joint association
between India and the United States
in the area of medical research. It
was developed under the public-
private partnership (PPP) model
that involved Union Ministry of
Science and Technology, institutions
of the US Government and NGOs
in India supported by the Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation. The
Bharat Biotech India Limited
(BBIL) and the Gates Foundation
had contributed immensely
towards vaccine development and
testing. Rotavirus is one of the
most common causative agents
of moderate-to-severe diarrhoea
(MSD) among infants below the
11 months age group in India. It
spreads from person to person due to
bacterial and parasiting agents that
are primarily transmitted through
contaminated food or water.
Indigenously Developed Astra
Successfully Test-fired: Indias
indigenously developed Beyond
Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air
missile Astra developed by Defence
Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) was
successfully tested on 18th March,
2015 from a Sukhoi-30 fighter
aircraft. The test was undertaken at
the Integrated Test Range located at
Chandipur in Odisha. The missile
Events
successfully hit a simulated target
and also proved its manoeuvring
capability against a virtual target;
validating its various subsystems.
Missiles all subsystems like
propulsion, navigation; guidance
and separation from the aircraft
were also successfully tested. Single
stage solid fuelled and has payload
capacity of 15 kg conventional
explosives. Capable of engaging
and destroying highly manoeuvrable
supersonic aerial targets and destroy
enemy aircraft at supersonic speed
of 1.2 Mach to 1.4 Mach. It can
engage targets in head-on up to
80 km and tail-chase up to 20 km
modes. The missile can reach up to
110 km when fired from an altitude
of 15 km and 44 km when launched
from an altitude of 8 km and 21
km when fired from sea level. The
missile can be integrated with fighter
aircraft including Sukhoi-30 MKI,
Mirage-2000, MiG-29, Jaguar and
the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft
(LCA).
President Pranab Mukherjee gives
away Chakra Awards: President
conferred a Kirti Chakra award
and 11 Shaurya Chakra awards
to the armed forces personnel on
21st March 2015. In the list of the
11 awardees, three were conferred
posthumously for their gallantry.
The Kirti Chakra was awarded
to Captain Jaidev of Parachute
Regiment. The Shaurya Chakra
was awarded posthumously to
Subedar Prakash Chand, Lieutenant
Commander Manoranjan Kumar,
and Major Abhijai of Corps of
Engineers. The other Shaurya
Chakra awardees were Major Mukul
Sharma, Commander Gosavi
Kaustubh Vijaykumar, Major R
Vamshi Krishnan, Rifleman Manga
Ram, Wing Commander Huvey
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Upadhyaya, Major Abhishek
Kumar, Major Satnam Singh, Naik
Ansaigra Basumatary.
The Kirti Chakra is Indias second
highest peace gallantry award given
for valour, courageous action or
self-sacrifice away from the field of
battle. Shaurya Chakra is the third
highest peacetime gallantry award
for valour, courageous action or self-
sacrifice while not engaged in direct
action with the enemy.
ISRO Named for Gandhi Peace
Prize: Gandhi Peace Prize for
the year 2014 was awarded to the
Indian Space Research Organization
(ISRO) for its contribution to the
countrys development through
space technology and satellite-based
services.
ISRO is engaged in making space
technology and acts as a catalyst
of development to bring about
societal transformation. Its mission
is to provide the nation with space-
based services and to develop the
technologies to achieve the same.
ISRO recently sent its satellite
to Mars (Mars Orbit Mission),
becoming the fourth country to
reach Marss orbit, and first nation
to do so in first attempt. It has
emerged as one of the six largest
space agencies of the world.
The Gandhi peace prize was
established in 1995, on the 125th
birth anniversary celebration of
Mahatma Gandhi. The award is
presented annually to individuals and
institutions for their contributions
towards social, economic and
political transformation through
non-violence and other Gandhian
A-150
principles. The award carries a cash
prize of Rs. 1.00 crore, a plaque and
a citation.
ISRO Successfully Launches
Fourth Navigation Satellite IRNSS
1D: ISRO successfully launched the
fourth navigation satellite called the
Indian Regional Navigation Satellite
System (IRNSS)-1D on 28th March,
2015. The satellite was launched by
the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle
(PSLV) C-27 into the orbit from
Satish Dhawan Space Centre,
Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. It
weighs around 1,425 kg and carries
a navigation payload and CDMA
ranging payload in addition with a
laser retro-reflector.
IRNSS is a navigation system which
will cover India, and will also extend
1,500 kms from its boundaries. The
IRNSS system will include three
satellites in geostationary orbit and
four satellites in geosynchronous
orbit at the height of 36,000 km
above the Earth. The use of all
the satellites was expected to be
completed by 2015 at a cost of Rs.
1,420 cr. IRNSS is similar to other
navigation service providers like
USAs GPS (Global Positioning
System), Russias Glonass, Europes
Galileo, Japans Quasi Zenith and
Chinas Beidou.
APRIL
Mudra Bank to Provide Credit to
Small Entrepreneurs: On 8th August
2015 Prime Minister Narendra Modi
launched Micro Units Development
Refinance Agency (MUDRA) bank
in New Delhi. The bank will provide
credit upto Rs 10 lakhs to small
entrepreneurs and act as a regulator
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for Micro Finance Institutions
(MFIs) involved in manufacturing,
trading and service activities to
promote their growth. The Pradhan
Mantri MUDRA Yojana will be
the main support of the bank for
developing and refinancing.
MUDRA targets young, educated,
skilled workers and entrepreneurs,
mostly women. Finance Minister
Arun Jaitley had proposed that
MUDRA will have a corpus of Rs.
20,000 crores and credit guarantee
corpus of Rs. 3,000 crores. MUDRA
has basically three interventions:
Shishu, Kishore and Tarun. Shishu
is the first step when the business is
starting up with a loan cover upto
Rs. 50,000. Kishore is the middle
stage of business where loan cover
ranges from Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh.
Tarun is the last and final stage
which provides loans upto Rs 10
lakh.
MUDRA will also take up other
initiatives such as supporting
financial literacy, creating a
framework for small business
finance entities where it will work
with credit bureaus and rating
agencies among others.
India successfully test-fires nuclear-
capable Agni-III: On 16th April
2015, India successfully test-fired
its nuclear-capable Agni-III ballistic
missile with a strike range of more
than 3,000 km from Wheeler Island
off Odisha coast. According to the
defence sources, the indigenously
developed surface-to-surface
missile was test-fired from a mobile
launcher at launch complex-4 of
the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at
Wheeler Island by army at about
0955 hrs.
Logistic support for the test was
provided by the Defence Research
and Development Organisation
(DRDO). The Agni-III missile
Events
is powered by a two-stage solid
propellant system. With a length of
17 metres, the missiles diameter is 2
metres and launch weight is around
50 tonnes. It can carry a warhead
of 1.5 tonne which is protected by
carbon all composite heat shield.
The first developmental trial of
Agni-III was carried out on July
9, 2006 and it could not provide
desired result. Subsequent tests held
on April 12, 2007, May 7, 2008,
February 7, 2010 as well as the first
user trial on September 21, 2012 and
next on December 23, 2013 from the
same base were all successful.
India hosts 5th meeting of SAARC
Health Ministers: The 5th meeting
of the SAARC Health Ministers
hosted at New Delhi on 8 April,
2015. Approximately 50 delegates
from all SAARC countries,
including India, comprising officials
and experts will participate in the
technical and official level meetings.
The meetings, to be chaired by India,
will deliberate and provide guidance
and a roadmap for strengthening
collaboration among SAARC
countries on a number of issues and
challenges faced by these countries.
Some of the prominent health issues
to be discussed include prevention
and control of communicable
and non-communicable diseases,
disease surveillance network, health
infrastructure, human resources for
health, immunization for vaccine
preventable diseases, HIV/AIDS,
mental health, improving access
to medicines and anti-microbial
resistance etc. The Health Ministers
will also discuss for adoption the
Delhi Declaration affirming their
commitment to work together
in identified areas and further
strengthen health collaboration
with agreed roadmap and timelines.
The purpose of the meetings is to
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find out ways and means to synergize
collective efforts, share strategies and
implement identified best practices
to provide better health and a better
quality of life to the citizens of
SAARC countries. These meetings
also signal Indias commitment to
promote health cooperation in a
more effective manner through the
SAARC platform in keeping with
the new policy of the Government
of India to promote cooperation
among the neighboring countries.
50th Jnanpith Award conferred on
Marathi litterateur Bhalchandra
Nemade: Modi awarded the 50th
Jnanpith Award to eminent Marathi
litterateur Bhalchandra Nemade
whose several books, including
Kosala and Hindu, have influenced
Indian writing. As a critic, Nemades
contribution rests in initiating
Deshivad, a theory of nativism that
negated globalisation, asserting the
value of a writers native heritage,
and language.
His novel, Kosala (Cocoon), 1963
was considered as a path breaking in
Marathi literature. His other novels
include Bidhar, Hool, Jarila and
Jhool. Melody and Dekhani are his
compilations of poems.
He had earlier been awarded with th
Sahitya Academy Award in 1990 for
his critical work Teenka Swayanvar.
Seventy-six-year-old Nemade, who
hails from Jalgaon, spoke about
the need for the Indian society to
stop thinking that progress would
come only with adopting foreign
influences.
ISRO Successfully Tests Indigenous
Cryogenic Engine: Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO)
successfully tested the powerful
version of the cryogenic engine
on 28th April,2015. The test was
conducted at ISRO propulsion
A-152
complex at Mahendragiri in
Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu .
This engine can carry a satellite of
up to four tonnes in geostationary
orbit. It will make India independent
of foreign support in sending heavier
satellites in the orbits.
There are few considerable facts
about the cryogenic engine. The
engine provides excess of thrust for
every kilogram of propellant burnt.
Cryogenic fuels are clean, they do
not emit any kind of harmful gas but
only water while burning.
Till now, Russias cryogenic engines
powered Indias GSLV. India had
been working hard to develop its
own indigenous cryogenic engine
which begun almost 30 years ago.
The first GSLV was launched in
January 2014 which was GLSV-D5.
This was the first successful launch
of a vehicle with indigenous engine.
Odisha government launches Aahar
scheme: Odisha Chief Minister
Naveen Patnaik launched subsidised
Aahar scheme on the occasion of the
States Foundation Day. The scheme
was launched in Bhubaneswar,
Cuttack, Berhampur, Sambalpur
and Rourkela in the first phase. The
Chief Minister launched the scheme
in two towns first at the Capital
Hospital premises in Bhubaneswar
followed by Government Hospital in
Rourkela.
On the day of its launch, even
Hospital staffs purchased meal from
there.
Four Aahar outlets each have been
opened in five towns where meal
consisting of rice and Dalma is
being provided at a subsidised rate
with financial assistance from three
State run corporations and Tata
Steel. Each Aahar outlet caters to a
thousand people daily between 11
am and 3 pm.
Events
The scheme is supported by Odisha
Mining Corporation (OMC) in Cut-
tack and Bhubaneswar, Odisha Pow-
er Generation Corporation (OPGC)
in Rourkela and Odisha Industrial
Infrastructure Development Corpo-
ration (IDCO) in Sambalpur. Tata
Steel is sponsoring the scheme in
Berhampur.
Opposition Parties have been
criticising the State government for
launching the cheap meal scheme by
seeking assistance from companies
and not making budgetary provisions
Amaravathi named as new capital
of Andhra Pradesh: Amaravathi
was approved as the new capital
of Andhra Pradesh by the Andhra
Pradesh government. The city
is known for its historical and
spiritual significance and is located
in the Vijayawada-Guntur region.
Amaravathi, located on the banks of
river Krishna, derives its name from
Lord Amareswara temple in the
village and it is known as Dakshina
Kashi (Kashi of the south).
Amaravathi has a lot of Buddhist
significance as well with Lord
Buddha believed to have visited
the village, besides King Ashoka
and famed Chinese traveller Hsuan
Tsang were also believed to have
visited the place.
The foundation for the city was
laid at Uddandarayunipalem on 22
October 2015 by Prime Minister
of India, Narendra Modi, Chief
Minister of Andhra Pradesh,
N. Chandrababu Naidu, Chief
Minister of Telangana, Kalvakuntla
Chandrashekar Rao, the Japanese
minister for economy trade and
industry, Yosuke Takagi, and the
Singaporean Minister for Trade and
Industry S. Iswaran.
Events
The Resolution to This Effect
Was Passed By The State Cabinet
Which Met Under Chief Minister
N Chandrababu Naidu Here. He
Said That The Government Would
Like to Develop The Capital As A
Modern City That is Convenient To
Poor People As Well.
Union Government Unveils New
Foreign Trade Policy: Union
Government has unveiled new
Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) to make
India an exporting powerhouse in
the next five years. The new trade
policy will incorporate governments
ambitious initiatives such as Make
in India, Digital India Mission, Skill
India Programme, Ease of Business
in order to boost jobs and take
Indias exports to 900 billion dollars
by 2020.
Five different schemes Focus
Product Scheme, Market-linked
Focus Product Scheme, Focus
Market Scheme, Agri-infrastructure
Incentive Scrip and Vishesh
Krishi Gram Udyog Yojana for
rewarding merchandise exports
with different duty scrips have been
merged into the MEIS and there
would be no conditionality attached
to it.
The policy came amid a moderation
in global demand and the resultant
dip in Indias exports, which fell for
the third month in a row in February,
declining by over 15 per cent to
$21.54 billion. Exports during April-
February stood at $286.58 billion
compared with $314.40 billion in
2013-14.
Government launches Give it up
campaign: On 4th April 2015, Union
Minister of State for Petroleum and
Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan
launched the Give It Up campaign
in Karnataka. The campaign appeals
the rich people to give up the subsidy
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amount given on liquefied petroleum
gas (LPG) cylinders. The money
surrendered in this process will be
used to provide LPG connections
in rural areas where people still use
firewood for cooking.
Earlier, the Give It Up campaign
was launched by the Prime Minister
Narendra Modi at the annual energy
focused summit, Urja Sangam 2015.
During the aforementioned summit,
the Prime Minister had asked
companies and banks to encourage
their employees to give up the
subsidies on LPG for the benefit of
the people who require it more.
PM also mentioned that the Give It
Up campaign should be taken up on
the lines of the Union Government
initiatives like Swachh Bharat
Abhiyan and Beti Bachao, Beti
Padhao Mission.
India, Japan ink action agenda
to boost trade, investment: Japan
and India have signed a five point
action agenda on Thursday, 30th
April, 2015 to support Narendra
Modis Make in India initiative.
This move would increase bilateral
trade and investment between the
two countries. The action agenda
was signed between Japans Minister
for Economy,Trade and Industry
Miyazawa and Indias Commerce
and Industry Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman.
The action agenda includes the
process of developing selected
townships in India similar to
Japanese industrial townships,
investment promotion and
infrastructure development, Asia-
Pacific economic integration, further
development and cooperation in IT
sector and enhancing cooperation
A-154
strategic sectors.
This five-point action agenda is
a follow-up of Prime Minister
Narendra Modis visit to Japan in
2014 and will play an important role
in improving the trade relationship
between India andJapan. Between
April 2000 and February 2015, India
has received $18 billion as foreign
direct investment from Japan and
the bilateral trade stood at $16.29
billion in 2013-14.
MAY
BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile
test-fired: India successfully test-
fired BrahMos Supersonic Cruise
Missile from the Car Nicobar Islands
in Andaman and Nicobar. The
advanced version of the land-to-land
configuration of BrahMos Block-III
version was test-fired from a Mobile
Autonomous Launcher (MAL).
The supersonic cruise missile is
developed by BrahMos Aerospace
as a joint venture between DRDO
and NPO Mashinostroeyenia of
Russia. The 8.4-meter long missile
can fly at 2.8 times the speed of
sound and is capable of carrying
conventional warheads of up to 300
kgs for a range of 290 km. BrahMos
Aerospace is currently working to
develop the submarine launched, air
launched and hyper-sonic version
of the missile. The name BrahMos
is formed from the names of two
rivers, the Brahmaputra of India and
the Moskva of Russia.
Akash Weapon System (AWS)
inducted into Indian Army: Indian
Army inducted the indigenously-
developed supersonic surface-to-
air missile Akash which is capable
of targeting enemy helicopters,
aircrafts and UAVs for maximum
range of 25 kms. The missiles
which are developed by the Defence
Events
Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) will be
strengthening the Army Air Defence
Corps, who have been struggling
for years with outdated air defence
weapons. The Akash Weapon
System will be deployed towards the
western borders which will employ
command to line of sight guidance
and relies on sophisticated radars
and control systems to guide the
missile to its targets. The Army
had previously ordered two Akash
regiments along with six firing
batteries. The total price of the
order which consists of hundreds
of missiles is about Rs 19,500 crore.
Akash is one of the five core missile
systems of the integrated guided
missile development programme
which was launched by DRDO in
1984. The missile system has 96 per
cent indigenisation. It is capable of
simultaneously engaging multiple
targets in all weather conditions and
also providing comprehensive short
range missile cover to the vulnerable
assets in the field.
Two Highway Projects dedicated
to the Nation: Union Minister of
Road Transport and Highways Shri
Nitin Gadkari dedicated two major
Highway projects in the North East
at a ceremony during his visit to
Shillong. The projects aim to ease
the travel from Guwahati to Shillong
and other parts of the North East.
These include Shillong Bypass and
four laning of Jorabat-Barapani
Section of NH-40. The bypass
connecting NH 40 and NH 44 (New
NH 6) will decongest the traffic
in the city of Shillong from heavy
number of trucks and other heavy
vehicles coming from or moving
towards North Eastern parts of
Assam and other states-- Mizoram
and Tripura. The four laning of the
61.80 km Jorabat-Barapani section
Events
will strengthen the connectivity
between Guwahati and Shillong.
The project was constructed by the
NHAI on Design Build Finance
Operate & Transfer (DBFOT) Mode
on annuity basis. The projects seek
to improve the connectivity inside
the Northeast (NE) region and to
other parts of the country in order
to tackle the regions isolation
and improve the socio economic
conditions.
Himachal Pradesh to Host
Paragliding World Cup 2015:
For the first time, India will be
hosting the Paragliding World
Cup in Himachal Pradesh from
23 October to 31 October 2015 at
Bir Billing in Kangra valley with
participation from over 50 countries.
The World Cup will be held under
the guidance of Paragliding World
Cup Association, France. The state
was selected to host the World Cup
after it successfully conducted the
paragliding pre-World Cup-2013.
The week-long event - one of five
such gatherings around the globe
that act as qualifiers for the Super
World Cup - will also include
a number of other aero-sports.
Announcing the participation of
the worlds best 130 pilots, including
an Indian team of seven, the
organisers have also unveiled the
AAI Paragliding World Cup Trophy
and the mascot based on Himachals
state animal, the snow leopard. Also
to ensure the success of the event,
the state government has formed
the Billing Paragliding Association
(BPA) under the chairmanship of
Urban Development Minister of
HP, Mr Sudhir Sharma. Besides, the
state government has directed to ban
construction activities near the take-
off and landing sites.
SBI Launches Contactless Card
Called Sbiintouch : On 14th May
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2015 State Bank of India (SBI)
launched contactless credit and
debit cards called sbiINTOUCH.
Empowered with NFC (Near Field
Communication) technology, these
contactless debit and credit cards
are more secure and hassle-free to
use at merchant outlets or ATMs
allowing users to make payments
by waving or tapping the card near
the contactless reader instead of
swiping or dipping it. These cards
come with a fraud liability cover
of Rs.1 lakh. These cards will be
especially targeted towards fast-
food outlets, coffee shops and
supermarkets where customers
make quick transactions. Currently,
the bank has 2.5 lakh Point of Sale
terminals, out of which 1 lakh in the
top eight metros will be upgraded so
that they are NFC enabled. SBI has
already issued 1.08 lakh new cards
to its customers in the eight largest
metros and the remaining customers
will get the cards in the following
months. Also, private lenders ICICI
Bank and HDFC Bank have already
launched such NFC cards.
Supreme Court Issues Guidelines
On Regulating Government
Advertisements: The Supreme
Court (SC) on 13 May 2015 issued
guidelines on regulating government
advertisements. A bench comprising
Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice
Pinaki Chandra Ghose accepted the
majority of the recommendations
made by an expert committee
established by a court order dated
23 April 2014. The apex court
framed these guidelines with a view
to discourage such advertisements
from creating personality cults
and it applies to the frequent
advertisements that are placed by
the centre and state governments to
publicise schemes. According to the
guidelines set up by Supreme Court,
only photographs of the President,
A-156
Prime Minister (PM) and Chief
Justice of India (CJI) can feature
in the newspaper advertisements
released by state and central
government departments only
after prior approval. Besides these
three, the photos of late leaders like
Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal
Nehru can also be used in the
government advertisements. The
use of photo of any politicians other
than these personalities was banned
by the apex court. Other than
politicians, the photos of even Chief
Ministers and bureaucrats were
also banned from being featured in
newspaper advertisements.
Government Allocates 5000 Crore
For Development Of Ayush:
The Government of India has
created the new portfolio AYUSH
(Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy,
Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy)
and allocated Rs 5,000 crore for
the same on 17th May 2015. It also
launched an independent National
AYUSH Mission aimed at capacity
building for the sector. Besides, for
creating awareness about Ayurveda,
the Ministry is considering to
observe Ayurveda Day. The Union
Government on 19 November
2014 had approved and notified
National AYUSH Mission (NAM)
as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
Currently, India and China are the
largest consumer of medicinal plants
in the world. However, traditional
Chinese medicines have gained easy
acceptance worldwide, whereas the
Indian Ayurvedic medicines have
seen a 25 per cent rise in its sales
in the last ten years, the highest
such increase in the world, are
yet to gain global acceptance. The
allocation of additional funds to
Department of AYUSH will help it
Events
to create awareness about Ayurveda
and promote traditional Ayurvedic
medicines at international level.
Kayakalp Award Scheme to
Improve Cleanliness: Kayakalp-
an initiative for awards to public
health facilities was launched by
the Union Minister for Health and
Family Welfare, Shri J. P. Nadda
on 15th May 2015. The Scheme
is intended to encourage and
incentivize Public Health Facilities
(PHFs) . The objectives of the
scheme are:
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such public healthcare
facilities that show exemplary
performance in adhering to
standard protocols of cleanliness
and infection control
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assessment and peer review of
performance related to hygiene,
cleanliness and sanitation
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practices related to improved
cleanliness in public health
facilities linked to positive health
outcomes
Under this scheme, five awards will
be given: Best two district hospitals
in each state (Best district hospital
in small states), best two community
health centres/sub district hospitals
(limited to one in small states) and
one primary health centre in every
district. The prize winners will
receive a cash award with a citation.
First rank and second rank awardees
at district level hospital will get Rs. 50
lakhs and Rs. 20 lakhs respectively.
Events
Ustaad Scheme For Traditional
Artisans Launched: The Union
Ministry of Minority Affairs on
14th May 2015 formally launched
USTAAD - Upgrading the Skill and
Training in Traditional Arts/Crafts
for Development. USTAADis a
flagship welfare scheme aimed at
upgrading and promoting the skills of
artisans from minority communities.
The scheme, linked to the Make in
India campaign, was launched by
Union Minister of Minority Affairs
Dr. Najma Heptullah in Varanasi,
Uttar Pradesh. It is the first scheme
being drafted to improve degrading
conditions of world famous Banaras
Saree weavers who belong to
minority communities. It is fully
funded by Union Government and
Union Ministry of Minority Affairs
is nodal agency in implementing it
across the country. It also envisages
boosting the skill of craftsmen,
weavers and artisans who are
already engaged in the traditional
ancestral work. Under the scheme,
support will be provided to
traditional artisans to sell their
products catering the need of both
national and international markets.
Furthermore, it will help provide
employment opportunities and a
better future to the youths belonging
to the minority community.
Pradhan Mantri Suraksha
BimaYojana launched: Pradhan
Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana,
a government-backed accident
insurance scheme was formally
launched by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on 9th May in
Kolkata. According to the scheme
the person who suffers accidental
death or full disability will be given
Rs 2 lakh, whereas if the person
has suffered partial disability will be
given Rs 1 lakh. Full disability has
been defined as loss of eyes, hands
or feet. Partial disability has been
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defined as loss of one eye, hand or
foot. The yojana will be offered to
those bank account holders which
are between the age group of 18 to 70
years. The premium will be collected
through auto debit facility. This
scheme is to be linked to the bank
accounts opened under the Pradhan
Mantri Jan DhanYojana scheme.
Most of these accounts had zero
balance initially. The government
aims to reduce the number of such
zero balance accounts by using
schemes like this.
RuPay Platinum Debit Card
launched: State Bank of India
launched a RuPay Platinum debit
card in association with National
Payment Corporation of India
(NPCI). The card has come with
special features for the convenience
of customers and will be easily
accepted at all payment channels
such as ATMs, PoS and eCommerce.
The card will be initially issued free
of cost to its customers who maintain
a quarterly balance of Rs 50,000.
State Bank has 19.7 crore debit cards
in circulation and of which 4.5 crore
are RuPay cards. The card offers
multiple benefits like 5 per cent cash
back on utility bills, complimentary
airport lounge access, personal
accident death and permanent
total disability insurance cover
of Rs 2 lakh. National Payments
Corporation of India (NPCI) is an
umbrella organization for all retail
payments system in India. It was set
up with the guidance and support of
the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and
Indian Banks Association (IBA).
It will soon launch international
RuPay debit cards which will allow
its customers to use them outside the
country by January 2016.
DD News Mobile App launched:
Union Minister for Information &
A-158
Broadcasting Arun Jaitley launched
the Mobile Application of DD
News, E-version of India 2015 and
Bharat 2015 and E-book of Ministry
of Information and Broadcasting.
The launch of the application by
DD News is a significant milestone
for PrasarBharati as it will cater
to the information needs of pan-
Indian audience. It will also provide
DD News a platform to instantly
communicate the objective news on a
24x7 basis and add a new dimension
to its profile in addressing the vast
needs of the Indian audience. The
DD News Mobile App has a user
friendly interface and is available
even in poor network conditions.
Both Android and i-Phone versions
of the app are available. The App
will make it possible for people in
India to keep in touch with the latest
activities around them. The App
will enable the user to watch news
updates and trending news videos
on their mobile phone.
GPS Aided Geo Augmented
Navigation (Gagan) System
Operationalised: The GPS aided
GEO Augmented Navigation
(GAGAN) is a Satellite Based
Augmentation System (SBAS)
developed jointly by the Airports
Authority of India (AAI) and
Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO). Its primary objective is
to establish, deploy and certify
satellite based augmentation system
for safety-of-life civil aviation
applications for the Indian air space.
This will improve the accuracy
of a GNSS receiver by providing
reference signals. This can be viewed
as the first step towards introduction
of modern communication,
navigation, surveillance/ Air Traffic
Management system over Indian air-
space.
Events
On 25th May the Indian Space
Research Organisation announced
the complete Operationalization
of GPS aided Geo Augmented
Navigation (GAGAN) System.
With this India become the fourth
country after the US, Europe and
Japan to have interoperable Satellite
Based Augmentation System
(SBAS). GAGAN is also the first
SBAS system in the world to serve
the equatorial region. This project
has established 15 Indian Reference
Stations, 3 Indian Navigation
Land Uplink Stations, 3 Indian
Mission Centres, and installation
of all associated software and
communication links. It will enable
the pilots to navigate in the Indian
airspace by 3m accuracy. It will
be helpful in landing aircraft in
tough weather regions like Leh and
Mangalore.
Astrosat Launched: ISRO launched
Indias first dedicated satellite
for astronomy research, named
ASTROSAT on 28 September, 2015.
It was launched from the first launch
pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre
at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
Astrosat is Indias major scientific
mission after the highly acclaimed
Chandrayaan-I and Mangalyaan
and this attempt of ISRO will help
it to set up an observatory in space,
a place from where it can study
cosmological phenomena. This
launch and its success makes India
a member of elite group of nations
having their own space observatory
after the US, Japan, Russia and
Europe. This is the third time that an
Indian rocket carried seven satellites
in a single mission. In 2008, ISRO
launched 10 satellites in one go
including Indias Cartosate-2A
satellite.
Events
Guidelines on Net Stable Funding
Ratio For Banks: The Reserve Bank
of India released draft guidelines
for Net Stable Funding Ratio under
Basel III framework for liquidity
standards for banks. The RBI
proposed to make NSFR applicable
to all banks from January 2018.
The main objective of Net Stable
Funding Ratio NSFR is to make sure
that banks maintain a stable funding
profile in relation to their asset and
off -balance sheets activities. A
sustainable funding structure can
reduce the probability of erosion
of banks liquidity positions due to
disruptions in its regular source of
funding that would increase the
risk of its failure and potentially
lead to broader economic stress. It
reduces the over reliance on short
term whole sale funding, encourages
better assessment of funding risk
across on all off balance sheet items
and promotes funding stability.
In the backdrop of 2007 global
crises the Basel Committee on
Banking Supervision proposed
certain reforms to strengthen global
capital and liquidity regulations
with the objective of promoting a
more resilient banking sector. In this
regard the Basel III International
framework for liquidity risk
management, standards and
monitoring was issued in December
2010 which presented details of
global regulatory standards on
liquidity.
Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) and
Net Stable Funding Ratio (NSFR)
are two standards prescribed by
the Basel Committee to achieve
two separate but complementary
objectives. The draft guidelines
issued by the RBI are based on
the final rules published by the
A-159
BCBS taking into account Indian
conditions.
JUNE
Indian Railways, Indian Army
among Worlds Biggest Employers:
According to the research published
by the World Economic Forum
(WEF) the two Indian organisations
Indian Army and Indian Railways
are among the worlds biggest
employers. Both organisations put
together have employed around 2.7
million people together.
Indian Railways is ranked at the
eighth place in the list of worlds
biggest employers with 1.4 million
staff. Immediately after Indian
Railways is the Indian Armed Forces
with 1.3 million employees. The
United States department of defence
is the worlds biggest employer
with over 3.2 million employees
on its roster. In the second place is
the Peoples Liberation Army (the
Chinese military) with 2.3 million,
while in the third position is the US
supermarket giant Walmart with
2.1 million workers. McDonalds is
the 4th biggest employer with 1.9
million employees. UKs National
Health Service was ranked at the 5th
place, with 1.7 million employees,
followed by state-run China
National Petroleum Corporation
with 1.6 million. The State Grid
Corporation of China was ranked
7th with 1.5 million. And the Hon
Hai Precision Factory (also known
as Foxconn) comes in at 10th place
with 1.2 million people.
Famous Writer Vishwanath
Tripathi Chosen for 28th Moorti
Devi Award: Veteran Writer
Vishwanath Tripathi was selected
for the 28th Moorti Devi Award
for the year 2014 for his book
Vyomkesh Darvesh. Vyomkesh
A-160
Darvesh is a lifetime story of
Acharya Hazari Prasad Dwivedi.
The award was announced after a
selection board inclusive of many
illustrious personalities met at the
India International Centre under
chairmanship of M Veerappa Moily.
Some of Tripathis famous works
include Lokwadi Tulsidas,
Meera Ka Kavya, Desh ke is
Daur Main, Kuch Kahaniyan
Kuch Vichar, Ped Ka Hath,
Jaisa Kaha Saka and Nagatlai
Ka Gaon.
The Moortidevi Award constituted
by the Bhartiya Jnanpith is presented
annually for a contemplative and
perceptive work which expresses
underlines and illumines human
values rooted in the broad vision
of Indian philosophy and cultural
heritage. Books written in English
and all Indian languages are
considered for the Prize, which
comprises a cash award of four
lakhs rupees, a statue and a citation
plaque.
Sahitya Akademi announced Bal
Sahitya Puraskar for the year 2015:
Sahitya Akademi announced the
Bal Sahitya Puraskar for the year
2015. The winners list includes
five novelists, four writers of
short stories, and three authors of
poetries. The winners have been
awarded for their contribution
to childrens literature. The five
novelists comprise of Tiren Boro
(Bodo), Sowmya Rajendran and
Nivditha Subramaniam (English),
Ramnath G Gawade (Konkani),
Ramdeo Jha (Maithili) and Mukti
Upadhyay Baral (Nepali). Those
who have won for their short stories
are Nayeem Kashmiri (Kashmiri),
Thokchom Thouyangba Meitei
Events
(Manipuri), Krishna Kumar Ashu
(Rajasthani) and Janardhan Hegde
(Sanskrit). Tara Chand Kalandri
(Dogri), Srikanta Saren (Santali) and
Sella Ganapathi (Tamil) have been
awarded for their poetry collections.
Bano Sartaj (Urdu) has been
honoured for her book on a one
act play. Eli Ahmed (Assamese)
and Kartik Ghose (Bengali), were
among the others who have been
honoured with the Bal Sahitya
Puraskar 2015 for their contribution
to Childrens Literature. The Bal
Sahitya Puraskar was nstituted by
the Sahitya Akademi, the award
comprises Rs 50,000 and a casket
containing an inscribed copper
plaque and a citation.
Nadia wins the UN Public Service
Award 2015 for eliminating open
defecation: District Magistrate of
Nadia along with Sabhapati of Nadia
Zilla Parishad of West Bengal was
conferred with United Nations Public
Services Award 2015 for eliminating
open defecation in the district.
The award was given by acting
Secretary General of the UN Lenni
Montiel along with Head UN Women
Stefani Senese, on the concluding
day of the United Nations Day
Celebrations 2015, on 26th June at
Medellin, Republic of Columbia.
Nadia is the first open defecation
free district in India. The district
had achieved this feat by making
toilets available for all under state
governments flagship programme
Sabar Shouchagar (Toilets for All).
The scheme Sobar Souchagar,
meaning toilets for all, was launched
a year before Prime Minister Narendra
Modi launched the Swachh Bharat
campaign. The scheme is estimated
to cost over Rs 62,000 crore with a
time period of five years to achieve
the target of toilets for all.
Events
United Nations Public Service
Awards is one of the most prestigious
international recognition of excellence
in public service. It rewards the creative
achievements and contributions of
public service institutions that lead to
a more effective and responsive public
administration in countries worldwide.
RBI Extends Deadline For
Exchanging Pre-2005 Currency
Notes By 6 Months: Reserve Bank
of India extended the deadline for
the exchange of pre-2005 currency
notes of various denominations,
including of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000,
till December 31st 2015. RBI had
set the last date for the public to
exchange of these notes till June
2015. Currency notes issued before
2005 do not have the year of printing
on the reverse side. On the other hand
the notes issued after 2005have the
year of printing visible at the bottom
on the reverse. The reason behind
the withdrawal of banknotes printed
prior to 2005 is to remove them
from the market because they have
fewer security features compared
with banknotes printed after 2005.
RBI promised that the notes can be
exchanged for their full value. And
it will continue to monitor as well
as review the process so that the
public is not inconvenienced in any
manner.
Khoya Paya Web Portal Launched:
The Union Minister of Women and
Child Development, Smt Maneka
Sanjay Gandhi and Union Minister
of Communication & IT, Shri Ravi
Shankar Prasad together launched
the Khoya Paya web portal at a
gathering organised at National
Media Centre in New Delhi. The
Khoya Paya portal is a citizen based
A-161
website to exchange information on
the missing and found children. It
has been developed by the Ministry
of Women and Child Development
and the Department of Electronics
and Information Technology
(DeitY). The KhoyaPaya website
is an enabling stage, where citizens
can file a report of missing children,
as well as sightings of their
whereabouts without wasting much
time. According to the working
procedure of the portal, before
uploading information to Khoya
Paya web portal, this website suggest
to first dial 100 for police or 1098
for CHILDLINE and then go to the
Police station and register an FIR.
The new Khoya Paya web portal
establishes citizen to citizen contact
and allows India to take part in
search for missing children.
Weather Alert Service Nowcast
Launched: Union Agriculture
Minister Shri Radha Mohan Singh
launched the Insurance Portal and
Weather alert service NOWCAST.
NOWCAST weather alert system
will send free SMS service alerts
on severe weather conditions (ex-
hailstorm) to more than one crore
registered farmers on their mobile
phones. The free SMS alerts will
be sent in different languages
including Hindi, English and
regional languages according to the
farmers request. The SMS alert
system will be issued to farmers
whose mobile phones are already
registered on the governments
mKisan portal. The information for
NOWCAST service will be taken
from the India Meteorological
Departments (IMDs) 146 weather
stations. Under this scheme, the
extreme weather data originated
from IMD will be updated on
mKisan portal using a web service.
Then the data from the mKisan
A-162
portal will issue warnings regarding
extreme weather conditions which
will be automatically transmitted by
SMS to farmers located at district
and block level. A portal named
Insurance Web-Portal (www.farmer.
gov.in/insurance) will be used to
create awareness and encourage
farmers to insure their crops by
taking advantage of three schemes
like Modified National Insurance
Scheme (MNAIS), National
Agriculture Insurance Scheme
(NAIS) and Weather based Crop
Insurance Scheme (WBCIS).
JULY
PM Concludes his 6-nation
Tour: Prime Minister Narender
Modi returned to India after his
6-nation tour to Russia and five
other Central Asian countries
namely Kazakhastan, Krygistan,
Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and
Tajikistan. The highlights of his
visit were his attendance of 7th
BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India,
China and South Africa) summit
and SCO (Shanghai Cooperation
Organization) summits ; the main
objectives of the visit were energy
cooperation and voicing for India
to join Uzbekistan- Turkemistan-
Oman Iran transit treaty to get a
share of Turkeministans natural
reserves.
 ' XULQJKLVHLJKWGD\YLVLW3ULPH
Minister also held a meeting with
his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz
Sharif; Indo-Pak statement was
released at Ufa, Russia. He met
the leaders of five countries
namely President of Tajikistan
EmomaliRahoman, President
of Kyrgyz Republic Almazbek
Atambaev, President of n, the
possible spill over effects of
militant threat from Afghanistan
and implementation of the
Events
contract to supply Uranium
from mineral rich Uzbekistan.
 % 5,&6 ZDV KHOG ZLWK WKH
theme of BRICS partnership-A
powerful Factor of Global
Development.
 5 XVVLDQ'LUHFW,QYHVWPHQW)XQG
(RDFI) signed Framework
Agreements for equity
investments in BRICS countries.
 3 ULPH 0LQLVWHU SURSRVHG D
ten point initiative named
DusKadam or ten steps for
the future. This would enhance
cooperation among the BRICS
countries
India Ranked 12th in terms of
power generation from nuclear
source: There are thirty one
countries in the world which
generate power from nuclear source
and among these, India ranked on
12th position in terms of power
generation from nuclear source
according to the data published by
Power Reactor Information System
(PRIS) od International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA). Moreover,
India ranked at 6th position in terms
of number of reactors in operation
country-wise, globally.
Total power generation of India
from nuclear reactors at 5308 MWe.
Also, India is expecting increase
in power generation to 10080 MW
on completion of projects which
are under construction and are
commissioning till 2019.
At present, India is under gone
with two different nuclear projects
at Gorakhpur Haryana (Fatehabad
District) Units I and II with total
capacity of 700 MW each. Another
is at MithiVirdi Bhavnagar Units
II and IV with total capacity of
1250 MW each. At Tamil Nadu,
Kalpakkam, Units II and III fast
reactor (FBR) of 500 MW capacities
Events
is in the stage of commissioning.
India has signed agreement with
different countries in order to meet
nuclear fuel demand. Countries
include US, Canada, Kazakhstan,
Russia, France, Australia, Namibia,
Mongolia, South Korea, Argentina,
United Kingdom and Sri Lanka.
Indias first Railway-line built
under PPP model inaugurated in
Gujarat: On 14th July, 2015, Indias
first railway-line built under PPP
model which was inaugurated in
Gujarat by Minister of Railways,
Suresh Prabhu. This is the first rail
line of India which was built with
private sector participation under
Non- Government Railway (NGR)
Policy 2012 of Indian railway. The
broad Gauge railway line is built
between Gandhidham, a town in a
Kutch and Tuna-Tekra Port, a port
20 km west of Kandla in Gulf of
Kutch,at at a cost of approximately
185 crore rupees which was funded
by M/s Kandla Port Trust (KPT)
and Western Railway Zone of
Indian Railways coordinated and
launched it.
The project was approved by
Railway Board in October 2013 and
construction was completed in the
record time of 12 months in May
2015 and was done in two parts i.e.
the first part is 11 km Gandhidham-
Tuna rail line was completed by
western Railway Zone as deposite
work and the second part i.e. 6
km line between tuna-Tekra was
completed by M/s kandla Port
Trust.
Under this, Railway board has
undertaken connectivity to four
ports i.e. Dhamra Port, Tuna Port,
Jaigarh port, Dighi Port.
Indigenously developed helicopter-
launched Nag Missile Test Fired:
A-163
On 12th July 2015, indigenously
developed helicopter- launched Nag
missile test fired at the Chandhan
firing range in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.
HeliNa (Helicopter-launched Nag)
is a variant of Nag anti-tank guided
missile (ATGM) and developed
by the Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRD)
under the integrated Guided Missile
Development Programme (IGMDP)
with the budget of 300 crore. HeliNa
missile will also be integrated with
the Advanced Light Helicopter
(ALH) Dhruv Produced by HAL
Light Combat helicopter produced
by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. Out
of the three trials, only two were
successful in hitting the target. The
missile was aimed at hitting the
targets at varied distances of up to 7
km. It is a third generation fire and
forgot missile and can be used during
night and day. It weights 42 Kg in
mass and having length of 1.90m.
It can be fired against moving as
well as fired targets. It land version
has been developed for the army i.e.
NAMICA or Nag Missile Carrier.
National Investment and
Infrastructure Fund Approved:
The Union Cabinet headed by the
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has
approved the creation of National
Investment and Infrastructure Fund
(NIIF), a sort of sovereign fund,
for development of infrastructure
projects, including the stalled ones.
For this, initial corpus of INR
20,000 crore is proposed by the
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in
the budget for 2014-15. It was also
decided in the cabinet meeting that
the government would contribute
49% of the subscribed capital of
NIIF so that it can be seen as a
sovereign fund. NIIF is also able to
take independent decisions on its
planned investments.
A-164
Besides this, the cabinet also gave
its approval to foreign investment
in the AIF (Alternative Investment
Funds) for facilitating domestic
investments in registered trusts,
incorporated companies or limited
liability partnerships.
NIIF is established with the
aim to boost the infrastructure
development in the country with
the commercially viable projects,
both green field and brown field. It
could also reduce the pressure on
the banking system, provide equity
support to non-banking financial
companies and institutions to fund
infrastructure projects across the
sectors.
Patnitop, Indias Longest Road
Tunnel opens in 2016: Indias
longest road tunnel, being built on
Jammu-Srinagar highway is set
to open in 2016. This tunnel will
reduce the distance between the two
cities by 30 Kms.This 9.2 Km tunnel
is a part of 286 km long-four-laning
project of the Jammu-Srinagar
National Highway.Once this tunnel
starts operating it will reduce the
traffic jams on national highway
1-A that occur due to snowfall and
avalanche in winter at Patnitop.
The tunnel will reduce the distance
between two points on the highway
41 to 10.89 km.It connects Chanani
in Udhampur district with Nashri
in Ramban district. It is being
completed at a cost of 2,500 crore.
The two tubes of the tunnel will
be internally connected through
29 cross-passages( each after a
gap of 300 meters) and the escape
tunnel would be exclusively used
for pedestrians. There is also a
provision for ventilation, keeping
in view the distance of the tunnel.
Events
This state-of the-art project will also
bring the regions of Jammu and
Kashmir closer and thus would end
the isolation of the valley from the
rest of the country.
Hriday Scheme Launched: On
14th July, 2015, Union Ministry
of Urban Development launched
HRIDAY (Heritage Development
and Augmentation Yoajna) scheme
for 12 cities throughout the country
including Amritsar in Punjab.
The scheme was launched in
Amritsar by Finance Minister Arun
Jaitley in the presence of Union
Minister of Urban Development
Venkaiah Naidu and Chief Minister
of Punjab Prakash Singh Badal. This
scheme is launched to preserve and
renovate the rich culture Heritage of
the country .
HRIDAY scheme aims to
promote inclusive and sustainable
development of the heritage
sites including renovation and
maintenance of the monument. For
this scheme, Union Government
is to provide INR 500 crore to 12
cities to create good infrastructure
and provide full facilities around
the heritage sites which will attract
more tourist.
The 12 cities are Varanasi, Amritsar,
Warangal (Telangana), Ajmer, Gaya
(Bihar), Mathura, Kanchipuram
(Tamil Nadu), Vellankini (Ta-
mil Nadu), Amaravati (Andhra
Pradesh), Badami (Karnataka),
Dwarka (Gujarat) and Puri (Odi-
sha).
UFA Declaration at 7Th BRICS
Summit: Head of BRICS nations
released the UFA Declaration after
the 7th BRICS summit held in the
Russian city of Ufa, Bashkorostan,
from 8th to 9th July 2015. The theme
Events
for the 7th BRICS summit was-
BRICs Partnership-A powerful
Factor of Global Development.
Main Highlights Of the Ufa
Declaration were:
1. Ufa Declaration saw the resolve
of the BRICS states to step
coordinated efforts in responding
to emerging challenges,
ensuring peace and security and
promoting development in a
sustainable way.
2. China and Russia supported
Brazil, India and South Africa to
play a bigger role in UN Security
Council.
3. It welcomed the Kenyas hosting
of 10th WTO Ministerial
Conference (MC10) on 10th-
15th December, 2015, in
Nairobi. It will advance the
working together to strengthen
an open, transparent, non-
discriminatory and rule based
multilateral trading system
based on WTO.
4. In the economic sphere the
BRICS countries expressed
support for the development
of action oriented economic
cooperation and systematic
strengthening of economic
partnership for the recovery of
global economy and resisting
protectionism.
5. BRICS Inter-Central Bank
Agreement that sets technical
parameters of operations within
the BRICS CRA was signed.
6. Adoption of strategy for BRICS
economic partnership to foster
trade, trade, economic and
investment cooperation among
BRICS nations. In this regard
ministers/ sherpas were asked
to prepare a roadmap for the
period till 2020.
A-165
BRICS is an acronym for the
association of five emerging
economies, Brazil, Russia, India,
China and South Africa. Currently
Russia holds the chair of BRICS
group. The seventh Summit was
held in Russia.India will be hosting
the 8th summit in 2016.
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee
Yojana (PMKSY): The Cabinet
Committee on Economic Affairs
(CCEA), chaired by the PM
Narender Modi, has given its
approval to a new scheme the other
water saving technologies (More
crop per drop), enhance recharge of
aquifers and introduce sustainable
water conservation practices by
exploring the feasibility of reusing
treated municipal based water for
urban agriculture and attract greater
private investment in precision
irrigation system.
The scheme aims at reducing farm
sectors dependence on monsoon.
In India 65 per cent of the total of
142 million hectares of land is not
covered by irrigation. The scheme
also aims at bringing concerned
Ministries/ Departments/
Agencies/ Research and Financial
institutions engaged in creation/
use/ recycling/ potential recycling
of water, brought under common
platform so that a comprehensive
and holistic view of the entire
Water Cycle is taken into account
and proper budgeting is done for all
sectors; household, agriculture and
industries.
This programme aims at
decentralising state level planning
and execution; to allow states to draw
up a District Irrigation Plan (DIP)
and a State Irrigation Plan (SIP).
Dip will have a holistic development
A-166
perspective of the district outlining
medium to long term developmental
plans integrating three components
namely, water sources, distribution
network and water use application
of the district to be prepared at two
levels; block and the district.
The government has already
undertaken several farmer-friendly
initiatives like Soil Health Card,
ParamparagatKrishiVikasYojana
and a dedicated Kisan Channel by
Doordarshan.
Corporation Bank Launches
Mudra Card: The state owned
Corporation Bank has launched
Micro Units Development and
Refinance Agency (MUDRA)
card for small enterprises. It
was launched by the Financial
Services Secretary HasmukhAdhia
at Mangalore. PradhsnMantri
MUDRA Yojana (PMMY) aims to
fund the unfunded and formalise
the informal under non-farm Micro
Units in manufacturing, trading and
services with affordable credit up to
Rs. 10 lakh.
Three loan schemes are offered to
the entrepreneurs based on their
capacity to repay:
1. Shishu Scheme offers a loan up
to Rs. 50,000.
2. Kishore Scheme will provide a
loan up to Rs. 5 lakh.
3. Tarun Scheme will provide a
loan up to Rs. 10 lakh.
As part of the Digital India
Programme, Corporation Bank
also launched a high- tech paperless
Point of sales (POS) terminal in
association with M/s MRI Posnet
and the Remit to India portal for
inward remittance by non-resident
Indians. Corporation Bank is the
first bank to start this scheme.
Mharagaon- Jagmaggaon Scheme
Launched: Haryana government
announced to launch a voluntary
scheme MharaGaon-JagmagGaon
Events
aimed at providing 24- hour
uninterrupted power supply to rural
domestic consumers and improving
electricity and improving electricity
bills collections in order to reduce
huge accumulated losses of power
utilities. Haryana is the first state to
have started this voluntary scheme.
The scheme will be implemented in
three phases as follows:
 , QWKHILUVWSKDVHRI WKHVFKHPH
83 feeders have been identified
covering 310 villages having
minimum line losses between 25
to 70 per cent and which have
made payment of their electricity
bills.
 3  RZHU VXSSO\ ZRXOG EH HQVXUHG
for 15 hours in these villages
from 12 hour power supply they
were getting until now.
 7  KH FRQVXPHUV LQ WKHVH 
villages falling under these 83
feeders would now be urged to
install their meters outside their
houses and their old electricity
wires replaced with insulated
wires.
 /  DWHU WKH SRZHU VXSSO\ ZLOO EH
further increased to 21 hours on
those feeders where payment of
bills would be 90 per cent.
 )  LQDOO\ WKH IHHGHUV ZKHUH
the outstanding amount of
electricity bills has been paid
in five equal instalments, their
penalty and interest would be
waived off and power supply for
24 hours would be ensured on
these feeders.
 %LMOL 3DQFKD\DWV ZRXOG EH
organised in the villages falling
under these feeders. The officers
of the electricity departments
would be present in these
panchayats who would resolve
the complaints of the consumers
on the spot.
Events
Digital India Week Launched:
The PM Narender Modi on1st July,
2015 launched the Digital India
week to spread awareness about
Digital India Programme launched
in August 2014. Digital India has
been visualised as an ambitious
umbrella programme to transform
India into a digitally empowered
society and knowledge economy.
The vision of Digital India
Programme also aims at inclusive
growth in areas of electronic
services, products, manufacturing
and job opportunities etc. The vision
of Digital India is centred on three
key areas:
1. Digital Infrastructure as a Utility
to Every Citizen
2. Governanceand Services on
Demand
3. Digital Empowerment of
Citizens
Gagan Launched: Union
Government has launched GPS-
Aided Geo Augmented Navigation
(GAGAN) system, for aviation
navigation. It is a joint endeavour of
Indian Space Research Organization
(ISRO) and Airports Authority of
India (AAI). It is projected to provide
augmentation service for GPS over
India, Bay of Bengal, South-East
Asia and Middle East along with
expansion up to Africa. The system
with the help of reference and uplink
station will provide corrections to the
GPS signal in order to improve air
traffic management. It is believed to
be 10 times more accurate compared
to GPS and radio navigation aids
used for precision landing.
GAGANs primary objective is
to establish, deploy and certify
satellite based augmentation
system for safety-of life civil
aviation applications for the Indian
A-167
airspace. It is believed to make
airline operations more efficient by
increasing fuel savings, direct routes,
ease of search and rescue operations,
reduced workload of flight crew
and Air Traffic Controllers and cost
savings due to withdrawal of ground
aids.
With this launch of GAGAN India
will become the fourth country in
the world to have inter-operable
Satellite Based Augmentation
System (SBAS) after US, Europe
and Japan. It is inter-operable with
US-WAAS, Europe-EGNOS and
Japanese MASAS.
India And Georgia Sign MoU For
Cooperation In Field Of Election
Management: On 13th July 2015,
India and Georgia Signed a Memo-
randum of Understanding (MoU)
for cooperation in the field of elec-
tion management and administra-
tion. The memorandum of under-
standing for Cooperation was signed
by Nasim Zaidi, Chief Election
Commissioner of India and Tamar
Zhvania, Chairperson of Central
Election Commission of Georgia.
During the signing ceremony, Elec-
tion Commissioner of India, A.K
Joti and senior official and diplo-
mats were also present. Till date,
India has signed twenty Memoran-
dum of understanding for Coop-
eration with Election Management
Bodies and International Organiza-
tion across the world. International
Signed MoU of India is with Kyr-
gyzstan, Egypt, Venezuela, Yemen,
Mauritius, South Korea etc.
The major aims of Signing the MoU
between India and Georgia is to
promote exchanges of knowledge
and experiences in electoral
processes, to exchange of material
expertise information and training
of personnel for electoral purpose.
Production and distribution of
A-168
materials in the field of electoral
systems, voting technology, voters
education and awareness and to
promote the participation of women
and minorities in the electoral
processes is also the main purpose
of signing MoU.
India And World Bank Sign
Financing Agreement For Andhra
Pradesh Disaster Recovery Project:
India and World Bank (WB) signed
a Financial Agreement to raise US
250 Million Dollars for Andhra
Pradesh Disaster Recovery Project
(APDRP) which was signed by
the Union Government, Andhra
Pradesh Government and the
World Bank (WB) in New Delhi
on 16th July, 2015. This fund is
loan for an implementation of a
project for the period of 5 years
and Andhra Pradesh Government
will be the implementing agency of
the project. The deal was signed by
Selva Kumar. Acting joint Secretary,
Department of Economics Affairs,
Ministry of Finance, on the behalf
of the government of India and on
the behalf of revenue department,
JC Sharma, the Principal Secretary
and on the behalf of World Bank,
Mr OnnoRuhl, Company director of
World Bank, signed the agreement
The objective of the project is
t restore, improve and enhance
resilience of public services,
livelihoods and environmental
facilities in targeted communities of
Andhra Pradesh. The beneficiaries
of the project include approximately
3 Million populations in 4 widely
impacted districts of the state
i.e. Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam,
Vizianagarm and East Godavsri.
India Sign Loan Agreement Of $300
Million With ADB: On 28th July
2015, Indian Government signed
a loan agreement of $300 Million
Events
with Asian Development Bank
(ADB) with the aim for improving
the health status of countries Urban
Population. This is the first project
of ADBs in India and the loan
funds will be used to boost the health
system and to deliver the quality
health to the urban society.
For this, government launched
a programme named NUHM
(National urban Health Mission)
which mainly focus on urban
Development, Housing and Urban
Poverty relief, Human Resource
Development and Women &
child development. It will lead to
strengthen the coordination between
health and urban sectors. NUHM
is the submission of NHM i.e.
National Health mission. Under this
mission, approx 779 cities with the
total population of 50000 and above
will cover.
ADB (The Asian Development
bank) established in 1966 and based
in Manila, which aims to reduce
poverty in Asia and the Pacific
through inclusive economic growth,
environmentally sustainable growth
and regional integration which tends
to improved quality of life of people.
India is urbanizing briskly with the
huge growth of number of poor
people.
Indias 1st indigenously designed
cryogenic rocket engine tested:
Indias first indigenously designed
and developed High Thrust cryogenic
rocket engine Geosynchronous
Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV)
Mark lll is successfully endurance
hot- tested by Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO). This High
Cryogenic engine is capable of
generating a nominal thrust of 19
tonnes.
The test meets all its parameters
and was conducted on 16th July
Events
2015, at Indian Space Research
Organisations (ISROs) Liquid
Propulsion system centre at
Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu for
800 seconds time frame which
produces 25 per cent more thrust
than the burn duration of the engine
during flight. The engine designed is
totally in-house efforts with experts
from various fields such as fluid
dynamics, combustion, thermal,
structure, metallurgy, fabrication,
rotor dynamics, control components
etc working together.
The Cryogenic Rocket engine is
the Liquid Hydrogen and Liquid
Oxygen high speed turbo pump
system, which rotates at the speed
of 36,000 rpm with a power level
of 2 MW. The engine will be used
for generating power for the upper
cryogenic stage (C25) of the next
generation GSL V MK-lll launch
vehicles of ISRO.
National Policy For Skill Develop-
ment And Entrepreneurship
2015: On 15th July 2015, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi formally
launched National Policy for Skill
Development and Entrepreneurship
2015 in New Delhi. After
independence, this is the first such
policy and is proposed to supersede
the National Policy on Skill
Development which was formulated
in 2009 and would form the backbone
of National Skill Development
Mission. This policy aims to promote
entrepreneurship culture, enhance
support for potential entrepreneurs
through mentorship and incorporate
entrepreneurship education in the
formal education system among
others which will provide job growth
and facilitate the development of a
skilled workforce to create Skilled
India. This policy is launched
A-169
with the motive to make quality
vocational training aspirational for
young ones and employee.
National Policy for Skill
Development and Entrepreneurship
2015 focuses on the approach
towards quality skilling, increasing
the capacity as well as quality
infrastructure. It also aims to establish
an IT base duality infrastructure for
accumulating demand and supply
of skilled workforce and promote
more women to participate in the
workforce.
RBI To Issue Coins To
Commemorate International
Day Of Yoga: Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) is about to issue coins
of 10 rupee denomination to
commemorate International Yoga
day which is observed every year on
21st June throughout the world. The
design of the coin has been notified
by the Finance Minister in June.
The coin will bear the ion capital of
Ashoka Pillar in the centre and the
legend Satyamev Jayate inscribed
below this. And below the lion
&DSLWDOUXSHH6\PERO DQGLQ
international numerals will also be
engraved. The other side of the coin
will bear the logo of International
Day of Yoga with the inscription
Samanjasya Evam Shanti Ke liye
Yog in Devnagri font and Yoga
for Harmony and Peace around the
logo. The date of International Yoga
day i.e. 21st June is also engraved
at the bottom of the logo. The year
2015 is also written on the lower
periphery in international numerals
below the logo.
RBI permitted CBS-enabled
Cooperative Banks to issue ATM
Cards: Cooperative Banks are now
being able to issue ATM Cards/
A-170
ATM cards cum debit cards with a
bigger bank as a sponsor Bank.
On 16th July, 2015 Reserve Bank
Of India (RBI) permitted enabled
Core Banking Solution (CBS) with
Cooperative Banks to issue ATM
Cards/ ATM-cum-debit cards in
tie-up with a sponsor Bank. The
outcome of this decision is to move
towards a less cash economy. It
aims to impart the habit of using
electronic payment channels among
customers.
For this, bank needs to set up their
very own provisions for issuing and
authorization of cards, customer
support and to make sure to provide
uninterrupted services to their
customer.
It is mandatory if carrying out such
transaction, to become sub-member
of the National Financial Switch
(NFS) as per RBI Guidelines.
National Financial Switch is a
mechanism introduced by National
Payment Corporation of India
which allows transactions like
money transfer, direct payments,
and account balance checking etc.
SBI Launches Project Tatkal:
State Bank of India, Indias largest
commercial bank has launched
an initiative to provide doorstep
services and expedite home loans
application process. This project
will help get the loan within 10 days
after receipt of application form and
relevant supporting documents. The
implementation will be done at large
centres with sizeable home loan
business.
The project Tatkal will be rolled out
across all the Home loan marketing
and processing units in the bank
in a phased manner. The bank has
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also introduced Online Customer
Acquisition Solution (OCAS) for
instant e-approval of Home loan
Applications. State Bank has over 3
million home loan customers with a
portfolio of over Rs. 16, 60,000 crore
- the largest amongst all scheduled
Commercial Banks and Housing
Finance Companies in the country.
The Bank considers Home Loan
central to its overall Retail Business
strategy and has consistently
introduced innovative products and
simplified loan delivery systems to
ensure that its products and services
meet the ever rising expectations of
the customers.
Panagariya Committtee to Classify
Caste Census Data, 2011 approved:
Union Cabinet gave its approval on
setting up of Panagariya Committee
to classify Caste names returned
in the Socio Economic and Caste
Census data (SECC), 2011 on 16th
July 2015. The cabinet was chaired
by the Prime Minister, Narendra
Modi. SECC was conducted by the
representatives of the State/UT
governments.
According to the SECC data
released on 3rd July 2015,the expert
group will be tasked with classifying
about 46 lakh Caste/Sub Caste
names/ Synonyms/Surnames/
Clan/ Gothra Names The Socio
Economic and caste census data of
the rural areas has been released by
thw Ministry f Rural Development
(MoRD). The caste census was the
first since 1932. After the completion
of task, it will make public at an
appropriate time.
The approval of setting up
Panagariya Committee is given
in respect of the states who are
unsuccessful in consolidating
different categories and is in line
with the one taken by the UPA
government on May19, 2011.
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Interest Subvention Scheme To
Banks Extended: The Union
Government extended ISS (Interest
Subvention Scheme) to public sector
banks, Private sector banks (PSBs),
Private Sector commercial Banks,
Rural regional Banks (RRBs),
Cooperative Banks and NABARD
to assure availability of crop loan up
to 3 Lakhs Rupees to farmers at a
rate of 7 percent per annum.
An additional interest subvention
of 3 percent per annum is also
approved by cabinet for those
farmers who repay the loan on time.
Moreover, the agriculture credit is
raised by 8, 50,000 from 8, 00,000.
Interest subvention is also decided
to provide to small and marginal
farmer with Kisan Credit Cards
(KCC) for loans against negotiable
warehouse receipts post-harvest at
annual interest of seven percent for
six month. For the farmers, who are
affected by natural calamities will
be provided interest subvention of
2 percent from the banks who are
covered in the interest subvention
scheme. A central Agriculture
university at Samsatipur in Bihar is
also approved. As per the approval,
the agriculture university at Pusa,
which already exists, is to be
converted into an international level
institution through strengthening of
infrastructure, manpower and other
provisions.
National Mission For Skill
Development Launched: On 15th
July 2015, on the occasion of the
first ever World Youth Skills Days,
the Union Government of India
launched National Mission for Skills
Development (NMSD). The event
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was held at Vigyan Bhawan, New
Delhi and Prime Minister Narendra
Modi has consented to be the Chief
Guest.
The National Mission for Skill
Development (NMSD) was
launched to promote the overall
institutional framework to rapidly
implement and scale up skill
development efforts across India.
Under this mission, apporx 300
million skilled people will be train
by the year 2022.
The main aim of this mission is
to create a framework for skill
development which will create
lifelong learning opportunities,
to establish and accomplish
cross sectoral nationality and
internationally acceptable standards
for skill training in the country. 1000
Crore Rupees For Indo-Bangla
Rail Link Sanctioned: After PM
Narendra Modis Dhaka visit on
June 6-7and discussion with the
Bangladesh Prime Minister Seikh
Hasina, the approval has been made
on 25th July, 2015, the government
of India has passed the sanction
of INR 1000 crore for the purpose
of paying 15.06 km long tracks to
connect Bangladesh and North East
with Indian Railways.
The Indo-Bangla Rail Link would
be completed by year 2017. The
route will also impact the distance
between different places in India.
The project will connect Agartala
with Akhaura, Bangladesh railway
junction. This will reduce the
distance from Agartala to Kolkata
from 1650 km to 515 km. Moreover,
by this, difficult hilly area will also
be avoided from the route.
This is the step that has been taken
by Indian Government towards
brotherhood and to boost the socio-
economic, trade and commerce
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between the North- East region of
India and Bangladesh. People from
two countries would connect each
other easily by this.
AUGUST
NABARD accredited as National
Implementing Entity: National
Bank for Agriculture and Rural
Development (NABARD) received
accreditation by the Green Climate
Fund as the national implementing
entity for undertaking climate
change related projects in India.
Green Climate Fund (GCF) was
set up under the framework of
the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) in 2010 to aid the
developing countries finance clean
energy, other mitigation efforts and
adaptation to climate change.
NABARD is the only National
Implementing Entity (NIE) in the
country for undertaking climate
change projects. NABARD has
submitted a proposal to GCF for
financial support on Mitigating
climate change and enhancing
adaptation for farmers through
agro-forestry project set by Haryana
Government. The Haryana state
government plans to cover an area
of 30,000 hectare under the agro-
forestry plantation of fast growing
canal eucalyptus species. The plan
includes lowering of ground water
table in Haryana on account of
water logging due to excess canal
irrigation and mitigation of climate
change by sequestering carbon
dioxide from atmosphere.
Indias First Harbour Defence
System Commissioned In Kochi:
Indias first Integrated Underwa-
ter Harbour Defence and Surveil-
lance System (IUHDSS) was com-
missioned in Kochi, Kerala. The
Events
state-of-the-art automated system
is capable of detecting, identifying,
tracking and generating warning for
surface and underwater threats. It
was commissioned by Vice-Admiral
Sunil Lanba, Flag Officer Com-
manding-in-Chief of the Southern
Naval Command.
IUHDSS was designed by Israeli
Aerospace Industries (IAI) ELTA.
It consists of electro-optic sensors,
surveillance radars and sound
navigation and ranging (SONAR)
systems. The system was contracted
by Integrated Headquarters of
Ministry of Defence in 2012 and
will operate under the control of the
Naval Officer-in-Charge (Kerala).
ELTA Systems Ltd is an Israeli
provider of defence products and
services specializing in radar,
C4ISTAR, RF, SIGINT and EW
products. It is one of Israels leading
defence electronics companies
and a global leader in the field of
Intelligence, Surveillance, Target
Acquisition and Reconnaissance
(ISTAR), Early Warning and
Control, Homeland Security (HLS),
Self-Protection and Self-Defence,
and Fire Control applications.
Indias first witness protection
scheme launched (1st August):
Delhi became the first state in the
country to announce a scheme in
concern with protection of witness
as notified by the Delhi Witness
Protection Scheme, 2015. For
implementation of this scheme
the government is willing to make
budgetary provisions in its annual
budget.
The Government decided to start
the scheme for protecting witness
in criminal cases in regards with the
directions of the High Court after
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the Jessica Lal and Nitesh Katara
murder cases.
The scheme prohibits revealing or
publication of name, address and
other details of witnesses in any
manner, either directly or indirectly.
The witnesses will have a changed
identity in order to protect their
identity. The scheme also provides
for in-camera proceedings and
live link, in which a witness can
depose without coming to court.
Government has appointed Delhi
State Legal Services Authority
(DSLSA) as the competent authority
for implementation of the scheme,
which will take all decisions and
reviews.
Mobile App Disha For Digital
Literacy Launched: Telecom
Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad
launched the new mobile app called
Disha to aid digital literacy in Bihar
on 10th August. The app is primarily
designed to educate the tribal and
Dalit women. The mobile app is
prepared to spread digital literacy
through self-learning modules and
is free and available on Google Play
Store.
The Telecom Ministry also launched
Disha Handbook that has
pictographic lessons on computer
operations, framed by the Common
Service Centres (CSCs) for the
purpose of digital literacy. This
initiative was taken by the Ministry
to spread out digital literacy in
women from tribal and Dalit
background of the state.
The Digital Saksharta Abhiyan
(DISHA) was launched on August
21, 2014, to provide digital literacy to
non IT literate citizens. The scheme
imparts IT training to 52.5 lakh
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persons that include Anganwadi
and ASHA workers and authorized
ration dealers in all the states/UTs
across the country.
Kochi Becomes The First Indian
City To Join WTCF Council:
Kochi has become the first city in
India to be a member of Beijing-
headquartered World Tourism
Cities Federation Council (WTCF).
The Kerala Tourism Department
accepted the Councils invitation to
join the league of leading tourism
cities across the world on 10th
August 2015.
The document of acceptance of the
membership was handed over by
the Kochi Mayor Tony Chammany
to Chinese Ambassador to India Le
Yucheng at a function held in Kochi
in the presence of Chief Minister
Oommen Chandy, Chief Secretary
Jiji Thomson, Kerala Tourism
Secretary G Kamala Vardhana Rao
and Tourism Director P I Sheik
Pareeth.
The Beijing-headquartered World
Tourism Cities Federation Council
is a non-profit, non-governmental
international organization
voluntarily formed by tourism
cities and organizations of various
countries and regions from around
the world. It was founded in Beijing
on September 15, 2012, and is
the first international tourism
organization to focus on cities
around the world.
Saral-Rural Housing Loan Scheme
Launched: Industrial Credit and
Investment Corporation of India
(ICICI) Bank has launched ICICI
Bank Saral-Rural Housing Loan
Scheme for the weaker sections
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of the society. Under the scheme
applicants from various rural areas
and borrowers from the weaker
sections can avail home loans at the
ICICI Bank Base Rate (also known
as I-Base) which is currently at 9.7%.
Loan amount ranging from 5 to 15
lakhs can be provided to eligible
customers for the tenure of 320
years and the loan can be up to 90
per cent of the property value. The
scheme will be available in 189 cities
across the country. The loan facility
can also be available for purchasing,
construction, repairs, renovation of
houses in rural areas.
The scheme will aid the socio-
economic development of a larger
section of the society. It will also
empower customers including
women borrowers in the rural
locations to fulfil the dream of
owning a home at an affordable
interest rate.
Union Government to form Bank
Board Bureau: Union Government
has decided upon setting up of
a Bank Board Bureau (BBB) to
supervise the key performance
indicators of around two dozen
Public Sector Banks (PSBs).The
plan was announced by the Union
Finance Minister Mr. Arun Jaitley as
part of a seven point revamp plan for
PSBs dubbed as the Indradhanush
plan.
The Bank Board Bureau (BBB)
will be headed by a Chairman and
will comprise six other members
three government officials and
three experts, two of which will be
from the private sector. The Bureau
will make recommendations for
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senior appointments and also advise
banks on strategies for consolidation
among themselves including mergers
and acquisitions.
The Bureau will replace existing
system of Appointments Board
in which appointments for top
level jobs at PSBs are made by an
appointments committee led by
the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
Governor.
This initiative by the Government is
welcomed by the banking industry
as the first step towards a holding
company structure for public sectors
banks.
Education Loan Portal Launched:
The Government has launched a
website, vidyalakshmi.co.in, for
students seeking educational loans.
This portal was launched with an
aim to administer and monitor
scholarship as well as educational
loan schemes under the Pradhan
Mantri Vidya Lakshmi Karyakram
(PMVLK).
The portal aims to ensure that the
students do not miss out on higher
education due to the lack of funds
and the launch of the portal is the
first step towards achieving this
objective. The portal will provide
information about educational
loan schemes of banks; common
educational loan application form
for students; facility to apply to
multiple banks for educational loans;
and facility for banks to download
students loan applications.
Finance Ministry announced
that 13 banks have registered for
22 educational loan schemes in
accordance with the Vidya Lakshmi
Portal and banks like SBI, IDBI
Events
Bank, Bank of India, Canara Bank
and Union Bank of India have
integrated their system with the
portal for providing loan processing
status to students.
The Pradhan Mantri Vidya Lakshmi
Karyakram (PMVLK) was launched
on 15th July 2015 under the
governments ambitious National
Skill Development Mission.
Worlds First Solar-Powered
Airport: Adding a golden feather
to the cap of achievements of
India, Cochin International Airport
in Kerala became the worlds
first fully solar-powered airport.
Kerala Chief Minister Oommen
Chandy inaugurated the project. It
constitutes a 12 MW solar power
plant with 46,150 solar panels
laid across 45 acres. This power
generated will range from 50,000 to
60,000 thousand units of electricity
every day.
The airport is the first airport in
India to be constructed in a public
private partnership (PPP) model. It is
owned by a public limited company
called Cochin International Airport
Limited (CIAL). The state holds
33.36% stake in it, while the non-
resident Indians and investors own
38.03% stake and the rest of stakes
are held by various companies. The
green power project will cull down
the emission of carbon dioxide from
the coal-fired power plants by more
than 300,000 metric tons, which is
the same as planting three million
trees.
The contract was awarded to Bosch
Ltd, Bangalore and the project was
completed in a short span of six
months.
500 Mw Thermal Power Plant
commissioned: Bharat Heavy
Electricals Limited (BHEL) has
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successfully commissioned the 500
MW Unit-13 of Vindhyachal Super
Thermal Power Station (STPS),
Stage-V of NTPC in Vindhyanagar
in Singrauli district of Madhya
Pradesh.
BHEL has commissioned seven units
of 500 MW each at the Vindhyachal
power station aggregating to
3,500 MW, the highest by BHEL
in a power project. BHELs
primary focus in the contract
envisaged design, engineering,
manufacture, supply and erection &
commissioning of steam generator
and steam turbine generator
along with associated auxiliaries
and state of the art controls and
instrumentation. The equipment for
the project were manufactured at
BHELs Tiruchi, Ranipet, Haridwar,
Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Bhopal
plants, while the companys Power
Sector - Western Region undertook
erection and commissioning of the
equipment.
BHEL has made 76 sets of 500 MW
rating class each across the country.
In the financial year 2015-16 it has
commissioned power plants with a
cumulative capacity of 2,480 MW.
Super Thermal Power Stations
(STPS) are a series of ambitious coal
based power projects planned by the
Government of India in 1990. The
capacity of such thermal plant is
1000 MW and above.
SEPTEMBER
Warship INS Kochi Commissioned
into the Indian Navy: Indias
biggest, indigenously-built warship
INS Kochi was on September 30
commissioned into the Indian Navy.
The 7,500-tonne vessel, capable of
speeds of more than 30 knots, is
equal to any foreign ship. INS Kochi
was built as the second of the three
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Kolkata Class (Project 15A) Guided
Missile Destroyers at the Mazagaon
Docks Ltd (MDL) in Mumbai at a
cost of Rs 4,000 crore, and joined
the Indian Navy fleet as its 10th
destroyer.
The first of the Kolkata Class
destroyers, INS Kolkata was
commissioned in August 2014,
while the third and final - INS
Chennai - is due for induction by
the end of 2016. INS Kochi is the
second ship in the Indian Navy to
have multi-function surveillance
and threat alert radar to provide
information about targets for a long-
range surface-to-air missile system.
Designed by the Navys in-house
organisation, Directorate of Naval
Design, the ship is named after the
vibrant port city of Kochi.
Asian Air Gun Championships:
Indian pistol shooter Heena Sidhu
on 30 September won the gold
medal in womens 10 meter air
pistol event at the 8th Asian Air
Gun Championships in New Delhi.
Heena, Indias first pistol shooter to
be ranked number one in the world,
shot a total of 197.8 points to finish
at the top of the podium on the final
day of the Championships. Another
shooter Shweta Singh won the silver
medal by aggregating 197.0. Korean
shooter Seon A Kim took the bronze
with a total score of 175.8. Indian
shooter Yashaswini Singh Deshwal,
playing her first international final,
finished fourth.
With winning an impressive 17
medals, Indias tally includes six
gold medals to finish as toppers in
the continental event. In the overall
standings, Iran took the second
place with 12 podium finishes,
including six gold and five silver
medals, followed by Taipei, winning
one gold, two silver and two bronze.
Events
India wins UNESCOs Award
of Excellence 2015 for Sree
Vadakkunnathan Temple: India on
September 1 won the top UNESCO
prize Award of Excellence 2015
in the Asia Pacific Heritage Award
for Cultural Heritage Conservation
for the remarkable conservation
efforts of the majestic Sree
Vadakkunnathan Temple in Kerala.
The award recognises the remarkable
conservation effort undertaken at the
sacred site which employed age-old
rituals and conservation techniques
drawn from vastu shastra focusing
on architecture and construction.
Sdaring Xieng Thong Temple in
Luang Prabang won the Award of
Merit and became the first project in
Lao Peoples Democratic Republic
to receive the UNESCO Asia-Pacific
Heritage Award. A 150-year-old
Sino-Portuguese former residence
of a Thai aristocrat, which has been
converted into a historic inn and
local museum, has been awarded
UNESCOs Award of Merit in
Heritage Award. Vadakkunnathan
Temple is an ancient Hindu temple
dedicated to Shiva at city of Thrissur
of Kerala. The temple is a classic
example of the architectural style of
Kerala and has monumental towers
on all four sides.
Global Investors Meet 2015
held in Tamil Nadu: The Tamil
Nadu Global Investors Meet
(GIM) 2015 was on September 10
inaugurated by Tamil Nadu Chief
Minister Jayalalithaa which is
believed to attract investments to
the tune of Rs. 1 lakh crore (US$
16 billion). Though the target was
one lakh crore, the Investors Meet
2015 received Rs 2,42,160 crore
investment commitment.
Of the total investment proposals, Rs
1,04,286 crore is in manufacturing
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sector, mainly focusing at the large
scale availability of land in states
southern districts. Power sector got
Rs 1,07,136 crore worth proposals.
Rs 10,950 crore in IT sector, Rs
1,955 crore in handloom sector, Rs
800 crore in agriculture sector and
Rs 500 crore in fisheries.
Medium and Small Enterprises
have signed MoUs worth Rs 16,533
crore. Solar energy sector alone
has received proposals worth Rs
35,356 crore, which would add a
total capacity of 5,345 mega watt
if implemented. Establishment of
an LNG terminal at Thoothukudi,
along with the LNG terminal at
Ennore, would secure the long term
energy security of the state.
Indias first dedicated satellite
ASTROSAT launched:Indias first
dedicated satellite for astronomical
research, Astrosat, has been
launched on 28th September from
here at 10am. The Polar Satellite
Launch Vehicle PSLV-C30 carried
it into a low earth equatorial orbit
after its take-off from the first launch
pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre,
along with six small satellites of
international customers. PSLV has
flown in its extended configuration
this time, keeping in view the total
payload weight of 1631 kg. The
Astrosat has the ability to observe
celestial bodies like distant stars and
cosmic X-Ray sources in different
wavelengths simultaneously. Four
identical nano-satellites of Spire
Global Inc., the US, a micro-satellite
from Indonesia and a nano-satellite
of the University of Toronto,
Canada Along with Astrosat, had
also taken off.
It lobbed Astrosat in its 650 km
orbit within 22 minutes 33 seconds
of ignition of the PSLV followed by
the smaller payloads. The science
research mission Astrosat with five
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years of intended operational life
will serve as a space observatory.
PM Narendra Modi visits Ireland:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
arrived in Dublin on 24th September
for a brief visit to Ireland enroute
to the US to strengthen bilateral
ties and cooperation. He is the first
Indian Premier to visit the country in
almost 60 years. He held talks with
Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Enda
Kenny at the Government Buildings
in Dublin City Centre followed by a
working luncheon hosted by Kenny
in honour of Modi. The talks also
covered global challenges like terror
and radicalisation. Prime minister
hoped that Irelands visa policy will
be sensitive to the requirements of
Indias IT firms.
The Prime Minister also sought
Irelands support for the reforms
of the UNSC within a fixed time
frame in particular, for successful
conclusion of inter-governmental
negotiations in the 70th year of the
United Nations. He then travelled on
to the West Coast of the US, where
he addressed the Indian community
in Silicon Valley and held meetings
with top tech CEOs as part of this
two-nation, three-city tour which
concluded on September 29.
National Health Profile 2015
Released: Ministry of Health
and Family Welfare has released
National Health Profile (NHP)
2015, which provides comprehensive
information related to health sector.
The 11th edition of the document has
been prepared by Central Bureau of
Health Intelligence (CBHI). It was
released in e-book (digital) version
for the first time in lines with Digital
India initiative. Union Minister
for Health and Family Welfare J P
Nadda released it in New Delhi.
The key facts of NHP focuses on
health information under six major
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indicators viz. demographic, socio-
economic, health finance and health
status indicators, comprehensive
information on health infrastructure
and human resources in health in
India. Demographic indicators
give information about population
statistics and vital statistics.
Socio-economic indicators
provide the information on
education; Economic indicators,
Employment, Social Indicators,
Drinking Water and Sanitation
and Housing and Amenities.
Health Status Indicators showcase
on incidence and prevalence of
common Communicable and Non-
Communicable Diseases. They
also provide a short overview of
National Programme for Prevention
and Control of Cancer, Diabetes,
Cardio-vascular Disease and Stroke
(NPCDCS) and vital information of
Reproductive and Child Health of
respective states and UTs.
Health Finance gives an overview
of Public Expenditure on Health,
Health Coverage and Insurance.
Human Resources give an overview
of availability of human resource
or manpower working in the
Health Sector in the country.
Health Infrastructure gives detailed
information of various medical
institutes in the country including
of medical and dental Colleges,
Nursing Courses, AYUSH Institutes
and Paramedical Courses.
Telangana-Chhattisgarh inked
Power Supply pact: The Telangana
and Chhattisgarh governments
signed a power purchase agreement
on 22nd September for supply of
1000 mw of power. This power
supply arrangement will be for 12
years and apart from 1000 mw of
power supply agreement signed by
the two States earlier.
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The supply pact was made following
request made by Chief Minister of
Telangana K Chandrasekhar Rao
to his counterpart Raman Singh.
It is aimed at bridging the demand
supply gap in the State particularly
when the demand spikes up during
the rabi crop season and summer
months as well as meeting projected
demand.
The State Government is planning
to develop a transmission network to
evacuate power from Chhattisgarh.
The line is coming up along Wardha
and Dichpalli. The 765-kv double-
circuit line will have capacity
to handle 4,350 mw of power,
according to a statement.
National Tourism Awards 2013-14
presented: The National Tourism
Awards 2013-14 were presented by
President Pranab Mukherjee on 18
September 2015 at a function held
at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi.
The National Tourism Awards
are presented annually by Union
Ministry of Tourism to various
segments of the travel, tourism and
hospitality industry. The awards are
being given since the early 1990s.
The awards are given to State
Governments, Union Territories,
hotels, travel agents, tour operators
and individuals in recognition of
their performance in their respective
fields.
The national tourism awards are
awarded in several categories
including Comprehensive
Development of Tourism, Best Rural
Tourism Project, Medical Tourism
Facilities, Best Heritage City, Best
Heritage Walk, Best Hotels, Awards
to Inbound Tour Operators and
Travel Agents for their outstanding
work.
Some of the important recipients
of awards include the state of
Gujarat for the best State/UT
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for Comprehensive Tourism
Development, Heritage City
Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh as
the Best Heritage City, Municipal
Council of Maheshwar (Distt.
Khargone) in Madhya Pradesh
for Best Civic Management of a
Tourist Destination in B Category
and Department of Tourism of
Kerala for most innovative use of
information technology.
Hindi Divas Observed: Hindi Divas
is an annual literary-day celebrated
on 14 September across India. It
is celebrated in the remembrance
for commemorating the occasion
of adopting Hindi as the official
language of Constituent Assembly
on 14 September 1949, though it
came into effect since 26 January
1950. Under the Article 343 of the
Indian Constitution, the Devanagri
script of Hindi was adopted as the
official language.
It seeks to propagate Hindi language
and its cultural heritage and values.
It also seeks to promote the Matra
Bhasha i.e. mother tongue of
India and show its importance as
a language in the country and the
world at large. On the occasion,
President Pranab Mukherjee
presented Rajbhasa awards in
various categories at a function
held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. These
Rajbhasa awards are instituted by
the Rajbhasha Vibhag of Union
Ministry of Home Affairs and
recognize Ministries, Departments
and Nationalized Banks and others
for their excellent contribution in the
field of Hindi.
Under the Article 343 of the Indian
Constitution, Hindi written in
Devanagri script was adopted as the
official language. However, presently,
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there are 2 official languages Hindi
and English.
India Signs Loan Agreement
With Asian Development Bank:
India signed a 123.51 million US
dollar loan agreement with Asian
Development Bank (ADB) to
upgrade tourism infrastructure and
services in Punjab, Uttarakhand and
Himachal Pradesh. The agreement
was signed by M Teresa Kho,
Country Director for ADB in India
and Raj Kumar, Joint Secretary
(Multilateral Institutions), Union
Ministry of Finance.
The loan will be used for develop-
ment and conservation of the
places of tourist attractions. It
will also be used to improve basic
tourism facilities and to build the
capacity of sector agencies and
local communities in the States of
Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand
and Punjab. The loan will also
support conservation of important
heritage structures including
some century-old structures, new
facilities including centres for arts
and crafts in the three states. Eco-
parks and eco-tourism will also be
developed to help the states attract
more tourists. Besides, to improve
income opportunities for the local
communities, more than 4000
community members will be trained
in tourism-related skills such as
guides, crafts, and other recreational
activities.
Green Highways Policy, 2015
Launched: Union Minister of Road
Transport & Highways and Shipping
Shri Nitin Gadkari on September
29 launched the Green Highways
(Plantation, Transplantation,
Beautification & Maintenance)
Policy, 2015. The aim of the policy
is to promote greening of Highway
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corridors with participation of the
community, farmers, private sector,
NGOs, and government institutions.
As per the policy, 1% of the total
project cost of all highways projects
will be kept aside for the highway
plantation and its maintenance.
About Rs. 1000 crore per year will be
available for plantation purpose. The
policy will generate employment
opportunities for about five lakh
people from rural areas. There will
be strong monitoring mechanism in
place by using ISROs Bhuvan and
GAGAN satellite systems. Every
planted tree will be counted and
auditing will be done. The agencies
performing doing their best will
be awarded. The Green Highway
Policy will help in making India
pollution free and will also help
in curtailing the number of road
accidents in India.
Four Brand Ambassadors
For Digital India Programme
Appointed: Union Government on
29 September 2015 announced that
four brand ambassadors for Digital
India programme were appointed.
The appointments had taken place
in the first week of July 2015 as part
of the Digital India Week campaign.
The list of Brand Ambassadors
includes:
1. Satwat Jagwani, All India IIT-
JEE Advanced Topper -2015
(Student)
2. Krati Tiwari, All India IIT-JEE
Advanced Girl Topper -2015
(Student)
3. Ankit Fadia, Author & Ethical
Hacker
4. Pranav Mistry, Samsung USA
(Computer Scientist & Author
of 6th Sense)
In order to generate mass awareness
for the programme, the services of
these Brand Ambassadors will be
Events
used for a period of one year since
their nomination.
Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy
Statement 2015-16 Announced:
Fourth bi-monthly monetary policy
statement 2015-16 was announced
on 29 September 2015 by Raghuram
Rajan, the Governor of Reserve
Bank of India (RBI).
The monetary policy cut the repo
rate, the rate at which RBI lends to
commercial bank, by 0.50 percent
from 7.25 percent to 6.75 percent
with immediate effect.
As a result, the reverse repo rate,
the rate at which RBI borrows from
commercial banks, stands adjusted
to 5.75 percent, and the marginal
standing facility (MSF) rate and the
Bank Rate to 7.75 per cent.
However, the cash reserve ratio
(CRR) of scheduled banks was
kept unchanged at 4 percent of net
demand and time liabilities (NDTL).
Further, RBI will continue to
provide liquidity under overnight
repos at 0.25 percent of bank-wise
NDTL at the LAF repo rate and
liquidity under 14-day term repos
as well as longer term repos of up
to 0.75 percent of NDTL of the
banking system through auctions;
and continue with overnight/term
variable rate repos and reverse repos
to smooth liquidity.
Comment
The RBI lowered the repo rate
against the backdrop of deflationary
tendencies-lowering inflation and
decelerating nominal GDP-in the
economy.
As the headline consumer price
index (CPI) inflation reached its
lowest level in August 2015 since
November 2014, except high prices
of onion and pulses, and is expected
Events
to reach 5.8 percent in January
2016 the RBI shifted its focus to
augmenting supply side economic
activity.
As a result, the repo rate was
decreased by 50 basis points or
0.50 percent to give boost to the
decelerating merchandise exports
and increase the investor confidence
on the Indianeconomy amidst
sluggish growth trends across the
world.
SBI & ICICI declared as Domestic
Systemically Important Banks: The
Reserve Bank of India announced on
August 31 the designation of State
Bank of India and ICICI Bank Ltd.
as Domestic Systemically Important
Banks (D-SIBs). The Reserve Bank
had issued the Framework for
dealing with Domestic Systemically
Important Banks (D-SIBs) on July
22, 2014.
These banks have been identified as
D-SIBs based on the methodology
provided in the D-SIB Framework
and data collected from banks as on
31 March 2015. Further, these banks
have been put under associated
bucket structure as required under
the D-SIB Framework and each
bucket corresponds to the higher
loss absorbency requirements that
they would be required to hold
from January 2016. As a result,
SBI has been put under Bucket 3
with additional Common Equity
Tier 1 (CET1) requirements as a
percentage of Risk Weighted Assets
(RWAs) placed at 0.6percent.
The additional Common Equity Tier
1 (CET1) requirements applicable to
D-SIBs will be applicable from April
1, 2016 in a phased manner and
would become fully effective from
April 1, 2019. The additional CET1
requirement will be in addition to
the capital conservation buffer.
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India Partners With UNs Better
Than Cash Alliance For PMJDY:
India on September 1 has joined
the UN-based Better Than Cash
Alliance, which promotes transition
from cash to digital payments to
reduce poverty and drive inclusive
growth. The new partnership with
the Better Than Cash Alliance, made
up of governments, companies, and
international organisations, is an
extension of Indian governments
commitment to reduce cash in its
economy.
India has joined the Alliance for
digitisation of payments to achieve
financial inclusion and to share
success stories from PMJDY, the
worlds largest financial inclusion
programme. Under PMJDY, as
many as 180 million new accounts
had been opened in one year, with
deposits totalling more than USD3.4
billion (223 billion Rupees).
Managing Director of Better Than
Cash Alliance Ruth Goodwin-
Groen termed Indias leadership and
progress inspirational for countries
around the world while commenting
on the development.
Forward Markets Commission
Merged With SEBI: The Union
government on September 2
notified the merger of commodities
market regulator Forward Markets
Commission (FMC) with Sebi with
effect from September 28. The
merger was on the cards Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley, in his Budget
speech, had announced its merger
with the capital market regulator
Sebi to strengthen the regulation of
commodity futures market.
Forward Contracts Regulation
Act (FCRA) 1952 gets repealed
and Regulation of Commodity
Derivatives Market will shift to
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Securities and Exchange Board
of India (Sebi) under Securities
Contracts Regulation Act (SCRA)
1956 with effect from 28th
September, 2015, the Finance
Ministry said in a statement.
In the wake of a Rs 5,500-crore
payment crisis at the National
Spot Exchange Ltd, FMC was
brought under Finance Ministry
in 2013. Currently, there are three
national and six regional bourses for
commodity futures in the country.
The Financial Sector Legislative
Reforms Commission (FSLRC)
had recommended that Sebi, IRDA,
PFRDA and FMC should be merged
into a single entity into a unified
financial agency (UFA).
G20 Launches W20 to Enhance
Role of Women in Business: The
worlds 20 leading economies the
G20 grouping on 6 September 2015
launched the W20 (Women20)
in Ankara, Turkey. The focus of
the W20 is to enhance the role of
women in business.
G20 is a group of major economies
formed to bring together systemically
important industrialized and
developing economies to discuss
key issues in the global economy.
The group aims to work toward
empowering women and ensuring
their participation in economic
growth.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu said that womens
participation was paramount to
economic growth and one of the
best indicators for the prosperity of
a country was the smile on the face
of its women. The launch event
was also addressed by IMF chief
Christine Lagarde, Organisation
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for Economic Cooperation and
Development secretary-general
Angel Gurria, deputy executive
director of U.N. Women Lakshmi
Puri, International Trade Centres
executive director Arancha Gonzz,
among others.
Constitution of 21st Law
Commission Approved: The Law
Commission of India is a non-
statutory body constituted by the
Government of India from time to
time. The Constitution of the 21st
Law Commission of India was
approved by the Union Cabinet
chaired by the Prime Minister
Narendra Modi for a period of three
years w.e.f. 1 September 2015 to 31
August, 2018. The term of the 20th
Law Commission headed by former
Delhi High Court Chief Justice A P
Shah ended on 31 March 2015.
The task entrusted upon the Law
Commission is to undertake research
in law and review of existing laws
in India for making reforms therein
and enacting new legislations either
on a reference made to it by the
Central Government or suo-motu.
Commission also has to undertake
studies and research for bringing
reforms in the justice delivery
systems for elimination of delay in
procedures, speedy disposal of cases,
reduction in cost of litigation etc.
INS Vajrakosh Commissioned
At Karwar: Defence Minister
Manohar Parrikar on 9th September
commissioned INS Vajrakosh, the
latest Indian Navy establishment
at Karwar base, which will handle
missiles and ammunition. INS
Vajrakosh will be a special storage
and servicing facility for missiles as
well as armaments for naval ships
operating off the Karwar coast.
Events
Karwar is going to emerge as Navys
most significant base on the western
seaface.
Vajrakosh will function under
the Flag Officer Commanding
Karnataka Naval Area and will
be in the forefront of providing
armament, missiles and related
technical support to the naval ships
in Karwar.
This establishment has some of the
most significant naval assets already
in service or being inducted. With
the ongoing expansion of the Indian
Navy, there has been increase in the
number of ships, submarines and
aircraft equipped with specialised
armament and missiles. These need
to be maintained in the best possible
manner throughout their service life.
Apache Attack and Chinook
Heavy-Lift Helicopters Deal
With US Cleared: The Cabinet
Committee on Security (CCS) on
22nd September cleared a multi-
billion dollar deal for 22 Apache
attack helicopters and 15 Chinook
heavy-lift choppers with American
aviation giant Boeing.
The deal for Apache is a hybrid
one, with one contract to be signed
with Boeing for the helicopter and
the other with the US government
for its weapons, radars and electronic
warfare suites. American companies
have over the last decade got defence
contracts from India worth around
USD 10 billion, including for aircraft
like P-8I maritime surveillance
planes, C-130J Super Hercules
and C-17 Globemaster-III in the
transport category.
The 22 Apache AH 64D Longbow
helicopters are one of the most
advanced multi-role combat
helicopters, featuring all-weather
and night fighting features, ability to
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track up to 128 targets in less than a
minute and engage with 16, besides
stealth characteristics, advanced
sensors and beyond visual range
missiles.
Integrated Power Development
Scheme launched: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on September 18
launched the National Integrated
Power Development Scheme (IPDS)
from Varanasi to provide 24-hour
power supply to each and every
house of the nation.
The 45 thousand crore rupees
scheme will enlighten the entire
urban population of the country
ensuring 24-hour power supply to
every house. Under IPDS, Varanasi
will get 572 crore rupees. Prime
Minister Modi said that IPDS is
the beginning to make Varanasi
a smart city and appealed to the
people to use LED bulbs in order
to reduce their electricity bills. Mr
Modi also said that only public and
private sector cannot accelerate the
process of economic development
in the country. The foundation stone
of seven developmental projects
for Varanasi was laid by the Prime
Minister.
Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra
Kalyan Yojana (Pmkkky)
Launched: The Union government
on September 17 announced the
launch of the Pradhan Mantri
Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana
(PMKKKY). The programme is
aimed to provide for the welfare
of areas and people affected by
mining related operations, using the
funds generated by District Mineral
Foundations (DMFs).
The Mines and Minerals
(Development & Regulation)
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Amendment Act, 2015, mandated
the setting up of District Mineral
Foundations (DMFs) in all districts
in the country affected by mining
related operations.
60% of funds will be allocated for
high priority areas like drinking
water supply, health care, sanitation,
education, skill development, women
and child care, welfare of aged and
disabled people, skill development
and environment conservation. Rest
of the funds will be spent on making
roads, bridges, railways, waterways
projects, irrigation and alternative
energy sources.
NXT Digital-Headend in The Sky
Platform Launched: The Union
Minister of Finance Arun Jaitley
on 15 September 2015 launched the
Headend In The Sky (HITS) digital
platform initiative, under the brand
name NXT DIGITAL promoted
by Hinduja Group. The platform
is set to provide viewers access to
over 500 television channels of their
choice whether it is international,
national, regional and local. Apart
from these, a host of other services
like e-applications and TV will be
available.
Viewers in Andhra Pradesh,
Telangana, Maharashtra, Punjab
and Karnataka will now have
greater access to channels of their
choice. Other states will soon join
in. The customers will now pay for
what they want to see and it will
also increase in revenues to the
government due to full transparency.
The NXT DIGITAL Broadcast
Centre is a state-of-the-art next-
generation MPEG-4 facility that
has been designed and purpose-built
to provide a variety of services to
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the cable distribution fraternity and
their customers all across India.
RBI grants approval to 10
Applicants For Small Finance
Banks: The Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) has on 16 September decided
to grant in-principle approval to
the following 10 applicants to set
up small finance banks under the
Guidelines for Licensing of Small
Finance Banks in the private sector
(Guidelines) issued on November
27, 2014.
The selected applicants include
1) Au Financiers (India) Ltd.,
Jaipur 2) Capital Local Area
Bank Ltd., Jalandhar 3) Disha
Microfin Private Ltd., Ahmedabad
4) Equitas Holdings P Limited,
Chennai 5) ESAF Microfinance and
Investments Private Ltd., Chennai
6) Janalakshmi Financial Services
Private Limited, Bengaluru 7)
RGVN (North East) Microfinance
Limited, Guwahati 8) Suryoday
Micro Finance Private Ltd., Navi
Mumbai 9) Ujjivan Financial
Services Private Ltd., Bengaluru and
10) Utkarsh Micro Finance Private
Ltd., Varanasi.
The in-principle approval granted
will be valid for 18 months to enable
the applicants to comply with the
requirements under the Guidelines
and fulfill other conditions as may
be stipulated by the RBI. Having
been satisfied that the applicants
have complied with the requisite
conditions laid down by it as part
of in-principle approval, the
RBI would consider granting them
a licence for commencement of
banking business under Section
22(1) of the Banking Regulation
Act, 1949.
Events
OCTOBER
3rd India-Sri Lanka Joint Training
Exercise Mitra Shakti-2015
Concludes: In the interest of
strengthening the long time bond
of advisory shared between the two
nationsIndia and Sri Lanka
armies of both the nations meet
once a year for a joint military
exercise, MITRA SHAKTI. The
meeting takes place in Aundh
Military Station, Pune. This year the
two armies met for the third time
to discuss policies of military co-
operation and training. The training
went on for 14 days and concluded
on September 29, 2015. The
MITRA-SHAKTI exercise intends
to build collaborative understanding
and share military expertise with
one another to counter threats like
those of terrorism. To eradicate
doubts between India and Sri Lanka
is yet another motive of MITRA-
SHAKTI. The two countries have
been linked to each other from
ancient past, evidences of which
can be seen in the linkage that the
two countries share in terms of
mythologies. Both nations armies
have clear agreement of their
principles and plan of actions.
During war, India can benefit Sri
Lanka with its strong foot soldiers
while Sri Lanka can support India
with its intelligent stealth.
First car-free day observed in
Delhi: On October 22, 2015, was
observed the first Car-Free Day was
observed in Delhi. The day was
an encouragement to use public
transportation instead of using
cars. From 7 am to 12 noon on the
road connecting Red Fort to India
Gate. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister
Manish Sisodia also participated in
the cycle rally and rode the bicycles
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from Red Fort to Bhagwan Das Marg
appealing others to participate in the
rally. Other cabinet ministers also
participated in the rally. Delhi Chief
Minister encouraged participants
to make riding bicycle a habit as it
offers many health benefits especially
for those suffering from diabetes.
Additional buses were deployed by
the DTC and the frequency of the
buses was short of about one to two
minutes on this route to facilitate the
commuters. A huge population of
Delhi participated in the cycle rally.
Mr Kejriwal appealed to the people
to make the city roads safer and
communicated that his government
is working on redesigning the roads.
The government of Delhi has
decided to have Car-Free Day on
22nd of every month to reduce the
pollution measure.
Green India Mission Plans of
Four States Approved: Annual
plan of National Mission for Green
India (GIM) of four states has been
approved by the Union Environment
Ministry. The four states include
Kerala, Mizoram, Manipur
and Jharkhand. The National
Executive Council (NEC) gathered
for a meeting that was attended
by its members, Principal Chief
Conservator of Forest (PCCFs),
state nodal officers of the four states,
inter-ministerial experts and mission
director. GIM is one of the eight
missions outlined under the National
Action Plan on Climate Change
(NAPCC). NAPCC recognises
the importance of forests for food
security, biodiversity conservation,
climate change mitigation and
livelihood security for those living
in the forests and aims at protecting,
strengthening and reinstating the
declining forest covers of India. The
NEC has approved the Perspective
A-186
Plans (PP) for the four states and has
given a total financial aid of INR 902
crore for a period of five to ten years
plan. They have also been given an
amount INR 112 crore against the
present financial year. GIM will
take a total of 1,08,335 hectares
of area that covers both forest and
non-forest land. Out of this, 81,939
hectares will be utilised in upgrading
density of the existing forests while
16,393 hectares will be new land.
INS Kochi Latest Stealth Warship
Commissioned: On September 9,
2015, Defence Minister, Manohar
Parrikar, commissioned Naval
warship INS Kochi at the Naval
Dockyard in Mumbai. Directorate
of Naval Design, the in-house
organisation of Navy, designed
the warship. It was constructed by
Mazagon Dock Ship builders Ltd.
in Mumbai. The ship has been
equipped with advanced weapons
and sensors. It has new concepts
of stealth, manoeuvrability and
improved survivability. The ship has
a length of 164 metres and four gas
turbines for propelling. The turbines
are designed in a way to achieve high
speed of about 30 knots. To enhance
the sonar acoustic performance,
a bow mounted sonar dome has
been introduced in the design. The
dome is second of its kind in naval
platform. Vertical missile launch
system is yet another outstanding
feature of the ship. The system
can engage in shore and sea based
targets. The ship is fitted with Multi-
Function Surveillance and Threat
Alert Radar (MF-STAR) that offers
data of its target to Long Range
Surface to Air Missile System (LR-
SAM). These systems (MF-STAR
and LR-SAM) have jointly been
built by Israel Aerospace Industries
Events
Ltd. and DRDO. The ship has been
armed with 76mm and 30mm gun
mounts to protect against incoming
threats of both air and surface. It is
second ship of Kolkata-class (Project
15A).
INS Astradharani commissioned
into Indian Navy: The Indian
Navy commissioned the first
indigenously-designed and built
torpedo launch and recovery vessel
INS Astradharani at the Naval Base
in Visakhapatnam. This 50-metre
twin-hulled warship is also the first
to be built at a private yard with
armament fixtures.
The ship was collaboratively
designed by Naval Science and
Technological Laboratory (NSTL)
of DRDO, Shoft Shipyard and
IIT Kharagpur. The design of the
ship was tested at the facilities
at the NSTL. It is an advanced
replacement for INS Astravahini
which was decommissioned on 17
July 2015. After commissioning, the
ship entered the Eastern Fleet.
Union Government sets-up R.V.
Easwar Committee to simplify the
provisions of IT Act, 1961: Union
Government has constituted a
committee to simplify the provisions
of the Income Tax Act (IT), 1961
under the Chairmanship of former
Delhi High Court Judge, Justice
R.V. Easwar. Other 9 Members: V.K.
Bhasin, Vinod Jain, Rajiv Memani,
Ravi Gupta, Mukesh Patel, Ajay
Bahl, Pradip P. Shah, Arvind Modi,
Dr. Vinay Kumar Singh. Term of
the Committee: It shall be for a
period of one year from the date of
its constitution. Terms of Reference
of the Committee To study and
identify: Provisions in the IT Act,
1961 which are leading to litigation
Events
due to different interpretations. The
areas and provisions of the Act
which needs simplification in the
light of the existing jurisprudence.
Provisions which are impacting the
ease of doing business. Suggest:
modifications and alternatives
to the existing provisions and
identified areas in order to bring
predictability and certainty in tax
laws without substantial impact on
the revenue collection and tax base.
Recommendations: The Committee
will set up its own procedures for
regulating its work and will put its
draft recommendations in the public
domain in batches after consulting
stakeholders. The First Batch shall
be submitted by 31st January,
2016 and shall contain as many
recommendations as possible.
India moves up in ease of doing
business ranking: Indias Ranking
for Ease of Doing Business Rises to
the 130th spot, out of 189 countries
in the Doing Business 2016 report
of World Bank. Last year, India was
ranked 134th. China is now ranked
84, moving up six spots. Singapore,
New Zealand and Denmark
occupied the first three spots in the
list.
The rankings are based on 10
indicators such as how easy it is to
start a business and sometimes form
the basis of foreign investments
in a country. The 10 parameters
are - starting a business, dealing
with construction permits, getting
electricity, registering property,
getting credit, protecting minority
shareholders, paying taxes, enforcing
contracts, trading across borders
and resolving insolvency. The rise
in the 2016 ranking was primarily
on account of improvement in two
areas - ease of starting a business and
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securing an electricity connection.
According to the new report, it takes
29 days to start a business in India.
It took 127 days in 2004. In May
2015, the government eliminated
the minimum capital requirement to
start a business and also ended the
requirement to obtain a certificate
to commence business operations,
which helped it improve its rankings.
World Bank Chief Economist
Kaushik Basu said that India can be
in the top 100 countries next year if
it continues with the set of planned
economic reforms, including the
crucial goods and services tax
(GST).
Plans Approved for 89 Cities
Under AMRUT: Atal Missions
for Rejuvenation and Urban
Transformation (AMRUT) was
approved by Ministry of Urban
Development. The aim of AMRUT
is to supply water according to the
norm and provide water supply and
sewerage to all urban households.
Plans worth INR 2,786.28 crore
were passed by Madhusudhan
Prasad, chairman of an inter-
ministerial Apex Committee of
AMRUT. These plans have been
approved for 89 cities of Andhra
Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
First time, a state level plan like
AMRUT has been approved by the
Urban Development Ministry. There
are a total of 143 projects in 89
AMRUT cities. Sewerage projects
have managed to get a major share
of INR 1,471.07 crore while water
supply related schemes received an
amount of INR 1,225 crore. State
Annual Action Plans (SAAP) was
approved by the Apex Committee
of AMRUT for the year 2015-16.
Investment of 1,204.42 crore, INR
919 crore and INR 662.86 crore
A-188
for SAAP have been proposed by
Gujarat, Rajasthan and Andhra
Pradesh respectively. Gujarat will
commence sewerage projects in 25
AMRUT cities and water supply
schemes in 11 cities. 6 cities will be
taken up by Rajasthan for sewerage
projects and 10 for watery supply
scheme. While Andhra Pradesh will
have sewerage projects implemented
in 26 cities and green space parks in
30 cities.
Punjab to Set Up Bio-Ethanol
Refinery: 
  procedure for administration of
     substantive criminal law in India.
     
     
straw burning. In this regard, state
    
   
Events
Act, 1973 and empowers Delhi
Government to initiate a magisterial
inquiry to cover any other cases
in police custody, suspicious
death, rapes in police custody and
suspicious disappearances.
The bill enacted by Parliament is a
subject in the concurrent list (having
52 items) in the 7th schedule to the
constitution of India and having the
power to amend it.
The code of Criminal Procedure
(CrPC) is the main act on the
This act enacted by parliament in
1973 and came into effort with effect
from 1st April 1974. It ensures the
equipment for the investigation of
the crime, suspicion of suspected
criminals, collection of evidence,
   
determination of guilt or innocence
    
of the implicated person and the
    
determination of punishment of
   
the guilty. Moreover, it also deals
    
with public nuisance, prevention of
bio-e    
offences and maintenance of wife,
 child and parents
 Indias GSAT-15 Communication
 Satellite Launched Successfully:
     On November 11, 2015, Indias
 latest communication satellite
 GSAT-15 was successfully launched
 by the European Ariane-5 VA-227
 launch vehicle. It is a high power
      satellites being inducted into the
 INSAT/GSAT system. The GSAT-
15 weighing 3164 kgs and designed
NOVEMBER to deliver telecommunications
services as well as a GPS Aided
Delhi assembly passes CrPC (Delhi GEO Augmented Navigation
Amendment) Bill, 2015: Code of (GAGAN) and emergency services,
Criminal Procedure (CrPC) (Delhi into space in a flawless flight. The
Amendment) Bill, 2015 has been launch GSAT 15 will enable ISRO
passed by Delhi Assembly. The bill to provide continuity of service to
amends section 176 (1) of the CrPC Indian users in Ku Band.
Events
GSAT-15 is the 19th payload
launched into a Geosynchronous
Transfer Orbit (GTO) after its co-
passenger Arabsat-6B (BADR-
7). GSAT-15 carries a total of 24
communication transponders in
Ku-band beacon as well to help in
accurately pointing ground antennas
towards the satellite. Indian Space
Research Organisations Master
Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan
in Karnataka took over all the
commands and control of GSAT 15
after its separation from the launched
rocket. GSAT- 15 will be positioned
at 93.5 deg East longitude in the
geostationary orbit along with the
operational INSAT 3A and INSAT
4B Satellites.
India and Bangladesh sign Standard
Operating Procedure (SOP): On
15-11-2015, India and Bangladesh
signed Standard Operating
Procedure (SOP) to operationalize
agreement on coastal shipping. It
will enable a vast saving in logistic
costs of export-import transport
between the two countries.
The aim for signing of SOP
is to pave the way to promote
coastal shipping between the two
countries and enhance bilateral
trade by bringing down the cost of
transportation of EXIM cargo. Both
the countries have also agreed upon
the use of vessels of River Sea Vessel
(RSV) category for Indo-Bangladesh
coastal Shipping.
It will enable the deep draft
ports on the eastern coast of
India can be hub ports for the
onward transportation of cargo to
Bangladesh. By this Indian port
will attract enhanced cargo and
also the overall transportation cost
to Bangladesh will get reduced.
Moreover, the Indian ports serving as
trans-shipping ports for Bangladesh
cargo will derive benefits by way of
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enhanced throughput as a result of
Indo-Bangladesh coastal trade.
India Emerges top FDI
Destination: India has emerged as
the top destination for foreign direct
investment in 2015 leaving behind
countries like China and the Unites
States. Chinas and USs inflows
during January-June were $28
billion and $27 billion respectively
while Indias stood at $31 billion,
making India the most favoured
in the FDI. Published in Financial
Times, the report forwarded by the
Finance Ministry acknowledged
India grabs investment league pole
position. India made a more than
a double of the investment levels
than previous year where India had
only attracted $12 billion inflow in
the first half of the year. In terms of
capital investment, India was ranked
fifth after China, the US, the UK and
Mexico. Indias newly experienced
growth rates even increased the
number of its projects by 47%.
Prime Minister, Modis visit and
meetings with the top global CEOs
in the United States attracted a large
number of investments. India has
also turned into the fastest growing
economy in the world causing
shocks across the world. The Make
in India initiative made the country
friendly to the investors and rectified
the processes that kept the country at
the bottom of World Banks ease of
doing business list.
India Successfully Test Fires
Nuclear Capable Agni-IV: On 9th
November 2015, India successfully
test-fired a Nuclear Capable Agni
IV, from APJ Abdul Kalam Island,
formerly known as wheeler Island,
Off Odisha Coast in the Bay of
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Bengal by the Indian Armys
Strategic Forces Command (SFC).
This missile is capable of hitting
a target at a distance of 4000 km.
Over the past 5 years, this test has
undergone 1 failed and 4 successful
tests. This was the fifth test of the
Agni IV. The last test was successfully
conducted in December 2014.
During the test, the missile has
met all the parameters of mission
and it was monitored by all radar
stations, telemetry and electro-
optical systems along the East
Coast during the entire operation.
The originally developed surface-
to-surface Agni-IV missile is a two
weapon system weighing 17 tonnes
and is 20 metres long. The missile
has a maximum range of 2,500
miles and is capable of carrying a
payload of approximately 2,200.
Agni IV is equipped with modern
and advance ring laser gyro-based
inertial navigation system (RINS)
and supported by reliable redundant
micro navigation system (MINGS)
which gives it two digit accuracy.
Justice T.S. Thakur becomes Chief
Justice of India (CJI): Justice T.S.
Thakur was appointed as the Chief
Justice of India (CJI) by Indian
President, Pranab Mukherjee as per
the provisions laid down in Article
124 of the Indian Constitution.
T.S. Thakur has been an eminent
advocate who later served as a
judge in Jammu and Kashmir High
Court. Later, he also served as the
union minister. He was given the
designation of a senior advocate in
1990. He fulfilled the duties of judge
in the High Courts of Karnataka and
Delhi. At the time of his elevation
to the Supreme Court in November
2009, T. S. Thakur was serving as
the Chief Justice of Punjab and
Events
Haryana High Court. T.S. Thakur
even headed the team of justices
that dealt with match-fixing scam of
IPL and the Saradha chit fund scam.
The incumbent CJI, H.L. Dattu
recommended Justice Thakurs
candidature for CJI as he was the
senior-most judge of the apex court.
The recommendation was forwarded
to the Union Law Ministry which
had further forwarded Thakurs
candidature to Prime Ministers
Office (PMO). On PMs approval,
Thakurs final approval for the post
of CJI was then approved by the
President.
N-capable Dhanush Test-fired:
The nuclear capable Dhanush is
successfully tested from warship
Subhadra, off the Puri coast of
Odisha in the Bay of Bengal. The
test was conducted by Defence
Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO). It is one
of the five missiles developed by
DRDO under the Integrated Guided
Missile Development Programme
(IGMDP). It is a perfect mission
as it hit the target point with high
degree of accuracy.
This is the 13th test of the anti-ship
missile. It is indigenously developed
naval version of Prithvi short range
ballistic missile (SRBM). It has a
length of 8.53 meters and 0.9 meter
wide. It range up to 350 km and can
carry single warhead, conventional
or nuclear up to 500 kg.
This missile already has been
inducted into the armed Services.
Naval variant of the missile was first
successfully tested in 2012.
The N- capable Danush missile can
be used as an anti ship weapon. It
can destroy land targets depending
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on the range. This missile gives the
Indian Navy the capability to strike
enemy targets with great precision.
President Pranab Mukherjee
launched (IMPRINT): President
Pranab Mukherjee and Prime
Minister Narendra Modi have
together launched Impacting
Research Innovation and
Technology (IMPRINT) India. The
INR 1,000 crore project has been set
up to provide a platform for boosting
the scientific research within the
country. Research proposals from
institutes across India will be
considered and screened for approval
if found worthy. The proposals will
then receive funds for their research
work. During the conference of
Chairmen, Board of Governors and
Directors of Indian Institutes of
Technology, the idea of launching
Imprint India arose. The objectives
of the platform are to identify and
prioritise the areas of relevance to
society and impact of the research
on the standard of living in rural
and urban areas. Ten themes of IIT/
IISc will be focussed by IMPRINT
India: Health care (IIT Kharagpur),
water resources and river systems
(IIT Kanpur), Computer science
and ICT (IIT Kharagpur), advance
materials (IIT Kanpur), sustainable
urban design (IIT Roorkee), defence
(IIT Madras), manufacturing(IIT
Madras), nano-technology hardware
(IIT Bombay), environmental
science and climate change ( IISc,
Bangalore) and energy security
(IIT Bombay). The participants and
attendants of the function included
top officials and researcher from
across Central Universities, NIFT,
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NITs, IISc, NIPERs and IIEST.
India was placed at 7th position
in worlds most valuable nation
brands report: India was placed at
7th position in worlds most valuable
nation brands report among the 100
assessed nations. It was revealed
in recently released annual report
compiled by Brand Finance. India as
a worlds seventh most valued nation
brand is having its brand value to 2.1
billion dollars. It has moved by one
position compared to year 2014. It
has brand value of 2.1 billion dollars
with an increase of 32 per cent. It is
highest surge among all the top-20
countries on the list. United States
had topped this edition of list with
a brand valuation of 19.7 billion
dollars. Top 7 countries: United
States, China, Germany, United
Kingdom, Japan, France and India.
Among BRICS nations: India is the
second most valued brand country
among BRICS emerging economies
after China and followed by Brazil,
Russia and South Africa. Worlds
most valuable nation brands report
of Brand Finance measures the
strength and value of the nation
brands of 100 leading countries.
Its method is based on the royalty
relief mechanism employed to value
the worlds largest companies. The
valuation is based on 5 year forecasts
of sales of all brands in each nation
and follows a complex process in
which Gross domestic product
(GDP) is used as a proxy for total
revenues.
UDAY (Ujwal DISCOM
Assurance Yojana) Launched: The
Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime
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Minister of India Narendra Modi
has today given its approval to a new
scheme moved by the Ministry of
Power Ujwal DISCOM Assurance
Yojna or UDAY.
UDAY provides for the financial
turnaround and revival of
Power Distribution companies
(DISCOMs), and importantly also
ensures a sustainable permanent
solution to the problem.
UDAY is a path breaking reform
for realizing the Honble Prime
Ministers vision of affordable and
accessible 247 Power for All.
It is another decisive step furthering
the landmark strides made in the
Power sector over the past one and a
half years, with the sector witnessing
a series of historic improvements
across the entire value chain, from
fuel supply (highest coal production
growth in over 2 decades), to
generation (highest ever capacity
addition), transmission (highest ever
increase in transmission lines) and
consumption (over 2.3 crore LED
bulbs distributed).
7th Pay Commission Recommends
23.5 % hike: 7th pay commission
led by Justice A.K Mathur ,
recommended 23.55% hike in
allowance, pays and pensions for
nearly 47 lakh centeral government
employees and 52 lakh pensioners in
the report submitted to the Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley.
The suggested hike in the salary,
pensions and allowance would came
into effect from very beginning
of the 2016 calendar year i.e.
1st January 2016. It proposes
16 percent hike in basic pay, 63
percent rise in allowances and 24
percent hike in pension to INR 1,
76,300. Under the new policy, the
Events
maximum salary would be INR
2.5 lakh per month and minimum
would be INR 18000 has been fixed
for central government employees.
Ceiling of gratuity improved from
INR 10 lakh to INR 20 lakh with
ceiling on gratuity to be raised by
25 percent whenever DA rises by 50
percent. The implementation of the
seventh pay commission will impact
the fiscal deficit by 0.65 per cent
of GDP. It will also ensure more
money in the hands of the people.
Moreover, the hikes are expected to
boost sales of affordable homes and
consumer durables, which in turn
will drive demand in the economy.
DECEMBER
The Bureau of Indian Standards
Bill, 2015: Lok Sabha has passed
The Bureau of Indian Standards
Bill, 2015 by a voice vote to establish
Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
The bill has proposed to make
BIS as the National Standards
Body of India and enable the
government to bring more products,
systems and services under ambit
of standardisation. The bill on
standardization was pending for
over 30 years and will replace the
Bureau of Indian Standards Act,
1986. The Bill was approved by
the Union Cabinet chaired by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in
June 2015. The bill will allow the
central government to authorize
any other agency having necessary
accreditation for the purpose of
conformity assessment against
Indian standards. The Bill will
allow multiple types of conformity
Events
assessment schemes in tune with
global best practices. The Bureau
would be a national body which will
formulate, certify and implement
certain standards of quality for
goods, articles, processes, etc.
National Good Governance Day:
Good Governance Day is observed
annually on the 25th December in
India to mark the birth anniversary
of former-Prime Minister Atal
Bihari Vajpayee. Good Governance
Day was established in 2014 to
honour Prime Minister Vajpayee
by fostering awareness among the
Indian people of accountability in
government. The health ministry
launched four information
technology driven initiatives to
mark good governance day. Kilkari
Audio-based mobile service that
delivers weekly audio messages
and is being supported by Tata
Consultancy Services as part of its
CSR initiative. M-Cessation IT-
enabled tool to help tobacco users
to quit tobacco. Mobile Academy
Mobile App developed through
which about 90,00,000 Accredited
Social Health Activists (ASHAs)
will be imparted training. Nadda
also inaugurated the new IT-enabled
OPD registry block at AIIMS.
Sikkim Declared Organic Farming
State: Sikkim will be the countrys
first state to produce everything
from maize and rice to orchid and
ginger though organic farming.
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There are 77,190 hectares of
farm land in Sikkim where both
agricultural and horticultural
crops such as rice, maize, orchids,
cardamom, ginger, mandarin are
grown. Out of that, around 44,000
hectares are currently certified as
organic while the remaining will
get certified by December 31. These
areas are registered with agricultural
and processed food products export
development authority. The state
has already enacted the Sikkim
Agricultural and Horticultural Input
and Livestock Feed Regulatory Act
effective from January this year,
which prohibits use of chemicals
fertilizers. Violation of the law
attracts imprisonment of three
months and a fine of Rs 1,00,000.
The state has 185 clusters where it is
mandatory to hold four awareness
campaigns in a year so that all
farmers get the latest information
on organic farming. Though maize
and rice are grown in about 50,000
hectares, the main cash crops are
cardamom, flowers and mandarins.
If the state is to achieve 100 per cent
organic, the yield is just one aspect;
the income levels of farmers will
go up, as they will get a premium
for their produce. The soil health
will improve and air and water will
be free of chemicals. The number
of tourists will go up when the
state will be environmentally clean
with air and water and it will also
generate more employment.
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JANUARY
First organ transplant from a
newborn baby: A newborn baby
gave life to two sick patients in
the United Kingdom. The doctors
at Imperial College successfully
performed the first organ transplant
from a new born baby. The baby,
a girl, was born at Hammersmith
Hospital, London. The mother
had an emergency caesarean in the
neonatal unit of the hospital. The
baby weighed nearly three kilograms
but was sick as her brain had been
starving for oxygen during the
course of pregnancy resulting into
incurable brain damage. It was clear
that the baby would not survive long.
The doctors of organ donation team
along with the hospitals psychologist
discussed with the babys parents the
possibility of organ donation. The
parents understood how their baby
could benefit sick patients, and so,
gave their consent for the transplant.
Her kidneys were transplanted in a
patient dying with renal failure while
her liver cells helped yet another sick
patient. Her death was confirmed six
days after her birth and her tissues
were recovered by the National
Organ Retrieval Service for future
use. Her parents, though saddened
by her death, were happy to have
saved the lives of two.
Sergio Mattarella sworn-in as
the President of Italy: Sergio
Mattarella, a constitutional court
judge, was sworn in on 31st January
2015 as Italys new president.
Mattarella aged 73, was elected
by lawmakers to succeed Giorgio
Napolitano, who stood down two
years into his second term citing
Events
fatigue at the age of 89. He became
Italys 12th president since the
country became a Republic after
World War-II. His election has been
seen as a political coup for Prime
Minister Matteo Renzi.
He is a member of Renzis
Democratic Party, but started his
carrier as a Christian Democrat.
In Italy, The President usually
play ceremonial role but become
significant at the time of political
crises, which is a regular feature in
Italy for last half century.
He is Sicilian who is closely
associated with the fight against
organised crime. But till he became
president, he was little known to
ordinary Italians.
ILO report on World Employment
and Social Outlook Trends 2015:
International Labour Organisation
(ILO) published a report on January
20, 2015 on World Employment and
Social Outlook (WESO) Trends
2015. The report was released as a
means of warning of unemployment
continuing to rise in the years
to come. It is a consequence of
a slowing growth and widening
inequalities the global economy
facing. By the year 2019, it is foreseen
that over than 212 million humans
will be unemployed.. Though the
employment circumstances in
countries like United States and
Japan have considerably improved
yet the situation remains different for
a number of advanced economies,
especially Europe. The decline in
the oil and gas prices may favour
employment opportunities in several
Asian countries, communicated
some forecasts. Workers aged
Events
between 15 and 24 are the most
affected ones. The middle class in
the developing countries have been
making development. The income
inequality is forecasted to widen in
the coming years leading to social
unrest particularly in countries with
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life. An alien planet that orbits a
     Lyra is
found to be an Earth-like planet.
It has been named Kepler 438b. It
is slightly larger than Earth and
und a small orange star.
acute unemployment. The middle-    days to orbit around its
skilled jobs like those of clerks and star, 10 times faster than Earth.
libraries would be the most declining It is one planet outside the solar
ones. system that has been found to
Raghuram Rajan received     
Governor of the Year Award: In the       
Central Banking Awards for 2015,     
     
            

    Kepler 438b
of the Year. The Central Bank of the      
     
     Kepler
be presented to Raghuram Rajan on 442b     
       
 about two third of starlight and has
             
      
         
       
       
    
position.
singled him out of the nominations.
      Bhakti set world record by
 swimming 1.4 miles in 52 minutes
were among the judging panel. Mr in the Antarctic Ocean: On 10th
 January 2015, Indias open water
     swimmer Bhakti Sharma has set
that his work still has a long way to a world record by swimming 1.4
 miles in 52 minutes in one degree
      temperature at Antarctic Ocean
        breaking the record of Lynne Cox
 (USA) and Lewis Pugh (Great
 Britain).
Euromoney. Bhakti is the youngest in the world
    and the first Asian girl to have
     achieved this feat. Bhakti has swum
     in all the five oceans of the world,
      besides swimming in or across eight
 other seas and channels.
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Bhakti started swimming at a young
age of 2 year and half years. Her
mother Leena Sharma coached her.
Her first open water (Sea) swim was
at the age of 14 when she swam 16
km from Uran port to Gateway of
India in 2003.
She was awarded the Tenzing
Norgay National Adventure Award
in 2010.
FEBRUARY
Gayle becomes first cricketer to
score Double Century in World
Cup: The master blaster, Chris
Gayle, rediscovered his own self in
match against Zimbabwe by hitting
a double century in Cricket World
Cup for the first time in history. The
match between the two countries
took place in Canberra. The West
Indies player batted in a spectacular
fashion with 16 sixes and 10 fours
in 147-ball innings. Gayle scored a
total of 215 run in the match that
helped West Indies win victory over
Zimbabwe in Pool B clash. Gaye
played 105 balls to score the first
century and for the next, he batted
33 balls. His strike rate per hundred
balls was 146.25. He broke the
record of 188 run by South Africas
Gary Kirsten against United Arab
Emirates at Rawalpindi in 1996.
Marlon Samuels and Gayle scored
a 372-run partnership. The 35 year
old cricketer finished the inning by
hitting the last ball of the match. The
rain shortly interrupted the match,
trimming the chase to 363 from 48
overs for Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe
played well initially but the wickets
soon began to fall and they were all
out in 45 overs with 289 run.
Forbes released Asias 50 Power
Business women 2015: On February
26, 2015, 50 women of Asia were
Events
recognised as the most powerful
businesswomen by Forbes. These
women have been said to be the ones
driving a change in business across
the continent. The recognition has
knocked down the traditional male
dominance and power in business.
Six Indian women-Arundhati
Bhattacharya (head of State Bank
of India), Chanda Kochchar (CEO,
ICICI), Akhila Srinivasan (MD/
Non-Executive Director, Shriram
Life Insurance/Shriram Capital),
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw (Founder,
Chariman and MD, Biocon), Shikha
Sharma (CEO and MD of Axis
Bank) and Usha Sangwan (MD of
Life Insurance Corp. of India) were
noted as powerful businesswomen
among the other 50 on the 2015
list. Women from fast growing
economies like that of China have
also begun to find authoritative place
in business. These include Maggie
Wu (Chief Financial Officer) and
Lucy Peng (Co-founder)the top
women decision-makers of Alibaba.
Two women, Win Win Tint and
Garamjav Tseden from developing
countries Myanmar and Mongolia,
have also taken place in the list. The
full list is available in Forbes Asia
Magazine.
MARCH
Three South Asian Women Win
International Women of Courage
Award 2015: Three women
from South Asian countries have
been selected for the prestigious
International Women of Courage
Award for the year 2015.
Captain Niloofar Rahmani from
Afghanistan Air Force, Nadia
Sharmeen Journalist and womens
rights activist from Bangladesh
and Tabassum Adnan founder of
Events
Khwendo Jirga from Pakistan are
the awardees that will be conferred
the prestigious award. They will
receive the award in the presence
of US First Lady Michelle Obama
in Washington DC on 10th March
2015.
The International Women of
Courage Award is an American
award presented annually by the
United States Department of State
to women around the world who
have demonstrated exceptional
leadership, courage, resourcefulness,
and willingness to sacrifice for
others, especially in promoting
womens rights.
The award was instituted by the U.S.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
on International Womens Day in
2007. Every U.S. embassy has the
right to recommend one woman as
a candidate for the award.
India and Spain Agree to
Mutual Protection of Classified
Information: Mutual Protection
of Classified Information is a key
pact that a country agrees to get
involved in before negotiating on
further important talks on defence
cooperation. India and Spain signed
an agreement on Mutual Protection
of Classified Information on 5th
March, 2015. The agreement will
provide a boost to the framework for
enhanced cooperation in the defence
sector between the two countries.
Span has revealed clean interest in
participating in the Make-in-India
initiative especially in the defence
sector of Indian government.
Spanish companies have shown
keen interest in taking part in
Indias P75I project under which
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six conventional submarines will be
built. In addition to this agreement,
both countries also have agreed to
work on enhancing bilateral defence
cooperation.
Carolina Marin Wins Womens
Singles Title in All England Open
Badminton Championships 2015:
Spains Carolina Marin Martin won
the prestigious Womens Singles
Title in the All England Open
Badminton Championships 2015
by defeating Indias Saina Nehwal
in the final match. Carolina Marin
became the first Spanish player to
win this prestigious title. Indias
Saina Nehwal is the first ever Indian
woman badminton player to reach
finals of the All England Badminton
Championship. Saina had defeated
Chinas Sun Yu in straight-game in
the semi finals.
All England Open Badminton
Championships is one of the oldest
as well as the prestigious badminton
tournaments across the world. The
first championship was held in 1898
in Guildford. The championship
was started in only three categories-
Mens Doubles, Womens Doubles
and Mixed Doubles, but in 1900
the individual Mens Singles
and Womens Singles titles were
added. Indian badminton legends
Prakash Padukone (in 1980) and P
Gopichand (in 2001) have won this
prestigious title in Mens Singles
category.
Rajendra Singh Wins 2015
Stockholm Water Prize (21st March):
Rajendra Singh, the renowned water
conservationist and environment
activist has been conferred with
the 2015 Stockholm Water Prize.
He was awarded this prize for
his innovative water restoration
efforts and consistent attempts to
improve the water availability in
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villages of India. He had played
an important role in rejuvenating
Arvari River after johads and check
dams were constructed on it. It has
helped the Arvari River to become
a Perennial River and was awarded
the International River Prize. He
was also member of National Ganga
River Basin Authority (NGRBA)
from 2009-12. Singh has been
awarded with Ramon Magsaysay
Award for Community Leadership
in 2001.
Stockholm Water Foundation
laid foundation of the prize and
the award is administered by the
Stockholm International Water
Institute (SIWI). It recognizes people
for their outstanding achievements
in conservation and protection of
the worlds water resources. The
award carries 150,000 US dollars
and a designed sculpture. Rajendra
Singh is the fourth Indian to win the
prestigious global award. Madhav
Chitale (1993), Sunita Narain
(2005), and Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak
(2009) have previously won the
award.
India and Qatar Agree to Boost
Trade and Investment: India and
Qatar signed six pacts to increase
the commercial and economic
exchanges between both the nations.
The list of Agreements/MoUs
signed between nations is:
1. Agreement on Transfer of
Sentenced Persons
2. MoU for Cooperation in the
field of Information and Com-
munication Technology (ICT).
3. MoU between Union Ministry
of Earth sciences and Qatar
Meteorological Department
for Scientific and Technical
cooperation
Events
4. MoU between Diplomatic Insti-
tute of Foreign Service Institute,
MEA and MOFA, Qatar
5. MoU for cooperation in the field
of Television and Radio
6. Agreement for Mutual Coopera-
tion and Exchange of News
Australia Wins ICC Cricket World
Cup (29th March): Australia, the
four time winner of the ICC Cricket
World Cup once again proved their
dominance over the World cricket by
defeating New Zealand in the 11th
edition of the Cricket World Cup to
bag their 5th World Cup title which
was jointly hosted by Australia and
New Zealand. Australia beat New
Zealand in a nail biting finale by 7
wickets in day night match played at
the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
7.8 magnitude earthquake struck
Nepal: A magnitude 7.8 earthquake
struck Nepal on April 25, 2015 at
6:11:26 UTC which damaged several
buildings in the countrys capital
Kathamandu. Tremors were felt in
India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan as
well. Death toll rose up to 4,800. In
neighboring Tibet, roads buckled,
buildings collapsed and at least 13
people were killed.
Reportedly about 100 aftershocks
have occurred since then every 15-
20 minutes including one of 7.3
magnitude and another of 6.5.
The epicenter of the earthquake
was located about 50 mi (80 km)
northwest of Kathmandu, which is
the most populated city of Nepal.
The quake stuck Nepal just before
noon.
More than 6.6 million people are in
the area affected by the earthquake.
The earthquake is the second huge
earthquake of the world.
Events
Nepal is an earthquake prone area
considering its proximity with
Everest.
Dubai ATP Tennis Championship
2015: Switzerlands Roger Federer
defeated Novak Djokovic of Serbia
by the score of 63, 75 to clinch the
ATP Tennis Championship Mens
single title held in Dubai. This was
Roger Federers seventh win at the
Dubai ATP Tennis mens singles
title.
Simona Halep of Romania won
the ATP Tennis Championship
womens single title held in Dubai.
She defeated Karolna Plkov of Shah Hockey Tournament 2015:
Czech Republic by the score of 6-4,
7-6 in the final match. The duo of
Rohan Bopanna (India) and Daniel
Nestor (Canada) won the mens
doubles title by defeating the pair of
Aihsan-Ul-Haq Qureshi (Pakistan)
and Nined Zimonjic (Serbia) by the
score of 6-4, 6-1.
The team of Tmea Babos (Hungary)
and Kristina Mladenovic (France)
won the womens doubles title.
They defeated the pair of Garbie
Muguruza (Spain) and Carla Surez
Navarro (Spain) by the score of 6-3,
6-2 in the final match.
Kerala Tourisms Campaign
Wins Silver Prize in Golden Gate
Award: Kerala Tourism has won the
silver prize in the prestigious Golden
Gate Award at the Internationale
Tourismus-Brse Berlin (ITB-
Berlin), 2015. It received the prize
in the category of multimedia-
campaign for its global multimedia
The Great Backwaters Campaign
in the television-commercial
medium. This campaign has been
conceptualised by Kerala Tourisms
creative and marketing agency Stark
Communications. Earlier, The
Great Backwaters campaign had
won the Golden Gate Gold Prize in
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the Print category at the ITB-Berlin
2014. Kerala Tourism had won the
Golden Gate Silver Prize for its
hugely successful ad campaign Your
Moment is Waiting in the print
category.
Golden Gate Award is entitled as
Oscar in tourism communication.
It is awarded for the ultimate
recognition in global tourism
communication and presented every
year at the ITB-Berlin.
APRIL
New Zealand wins Sultan Azlan
The 24th Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey
Tournament held in Malaysia was
won by New Zealand. New Zealand
beat Australia in the Shoot out stages
with score 3-1. The two teams were
locked at 2-2 at the end of full time.
It was the second win for team New
Zealand, the first one being in the
year 2012 against Argentina. It is
third time Australia came as runner-
ups position in tournament (1999,
2006 and 2015). Austalia has won
the tournament for record 8 times in
1983, 1996, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2011,
2013 and 2014. Other participating
teams include India, South Korea,
Malaysia, Canada. India beat Korea
by 4-1 in the penality shoot out and
ended up winning a bronze medal.
Both teams were tied at 2-2 at
regulation time
Azlan Shah Hockey tournament was
established in 1983 and is named
after 9th king of Malaysia and father
of Malaysian hockey Sultan Azlan
Shah.
Agreement between India and
Jordan on maritime transport
Approved: On 22nd April 2015,
the Union Cabinet meeting chaired
by Prime Minister Narendra Modi
A-200
gave its approval for a shipping
arrangement between India and
Jordan. It will strengthen the
relationship and co-operation
between the nations in the area of
shipping. It will provide sustained
mutual assistance and advice on
merchant shipping and other related
maritime matters.
It will also help in exchange and
training of staff and students from
various maritime establishments,
exchange of information necessary
for accelerating and facilitating
flow of commercial goods at sea
and at ports. Establishment of joint
ventures in maritime transportation,
shipbuilding and repairs, maritime
training, information technology,
including development of
simulators, port facilities and related
activities is also expected to take
place by this shipping pact.
Lewis Hamilton wins Chinese
Grand Prix of Formula One: Lewis
Hamilton gains his fourth Chinese
Grand Prix victory on 12th April
2015. He put up an exceptional
display of race management during
the Formula One race. The double
Formula One champions drive at the
Shanghai International Circuit was
befitting of his status to underline a
thoroughly dominant weekend after
topping every practice session ahead
of claiming his 41st pole and 35th
win.
Hamilton finished ahead of
Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg
and Ferrari duo Sebastian Vettel
and Kimi Raikkonen. Hamilton
was 10 seconds clear of Rosberg,
with Vettel and Raikkonen just over
20 seconds adrift, his win was quite
clear. Teenager Max Verstappens
Toro Rosso blew on lap 54 of the 56
and he died in that accident.
The Chinese Grand Prix is a
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round of the formula one world
championship. Completed in 2004,
it is the most expensive Formula
One circuit facility, costing $240
million. The track is 5.451 km long.
It was designed by Hermann Tilke.
Russia, Argentina sign agreements
on economic & energy co-
operation: Russia and Argentina
signed a series of framework
agreements on economic and energy
co-operation on 24th April 2015.
These agreements were signed
following talks between Argentine
President Cristina Fernandez de
Kirchner and her counterpart
Russian leader Vladimir Putin in
Moscow. Both leaders hailed their
co-operation as a comprehensive
strategic partnership.
The signed agreements include
Russian investment in a
hydroelectric plant in Argentinas
Neuquen River, Russias Rosatom
nuclear corporation to build a new
reactor at Argentinas Atucha 3
nuclear power plant, Memorandum
of co-operation (MoC) on defense
between both nations.
Argentina is looking for foreign
investment as its battles US hedge
funds thwarting its effort to
restructure defaulted debt.
Xi Jinping conferred with Nishan-
e-Pakistan award: Chinese president
Xi Jinping was conferred with
Pakistans top civilian award Nishan-
e-Pakistan on 21st April 2015 due
to his outstanding contribution in
promoting of relationship between
the two countries.
The ceremony was organised at the
President House where President
Mamnoon Hussain conferred the
award on Mr. Xi. The ceremony
was attended by Prime Minister
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Nawaz Sharif, Federal Ministers,
Members of National Assembly and
Senate, Services Chiefs and Chinese
delegation.
The award is awarded to a person for
his highest degree of service to the
country and nation of Pakistan. It is
conferred on them for their merit and
distinguished services to the country,
foreign relations and international
community. It was established on
19 March 1957. Former Prime
Minister of India Morarji Desai is
only Indian to receive this award.
He was awarded this award in 1990.
Xi Jinping was born on 15 June 1953
in Beijing. He is the son of veteran
communist Xi Zhongxun and rose
through the ranks politically in
Chinas coastal provinces. He served
as the governor of Fujian between
1999 and 2002, then as governor and
part secretary of the neighboring
Zheingjia between 2002 and 2007.
India to chair 9th International
Renewable Energy Agency council
meet: The 9th International
Renewable Energy Agency
(IRENA) council meeting to be held
in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirate
(UAE) will be chaired by India. The
9th IRENA meeting will be starting
from 10th June 2015 and will be a
two-day event. 21 member nations
of IRENA will be participating in
the meet. They will be guiding the
agencys future programmes and
activities.
IRENA is an intergovernmental
organization that promotes adoption
and sustainable use of renewable
energy. It was founded in 2009 and
started working in full force from
8th June 2010. The headquarters
are located in Abu Dhabi. It has a
total of 140 members. India is one
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of the permanent 33 members and
founders of IRENA.
IRENA has two governing
structures, IRENA assembly and
IRENA Council. The assembly takes
decisions at the macro level and
gives policy guidance. The council
is the main governing body which
is responsible for implementing
various decisions of the assembly.
India and US sign MoC on
Transportation: India and United
States signed Memorandum
of Cooperation (MoC) on
transportation between both
countries on 9th April 2015. It was
signed by Union Minister of Road
Transport & Highways and Shipping
Nitin Gadkari and Anthony Foxx,
US Secretary of Transportation in
New Delhi. it is believed that the
initiative would enable India to make
use of worlds latest technology
available with the USA for projects
like developments of waterways and
multi-modal hub.
The aim of MoC is to foster co
operative work between both nations
on key issues of mutual interest
for all modes of transportation,
coordinating public and private
sector resources and expertise to
advance safe, secure, efficient and
integrated transportation systems.
It seeks to cover areas like
urban transportation, highway
transportation, safety and
environmental protections. It will
also cover rail transportation, fuel
efficiency, vehicle and behavioral
safety, intermodal transportation
and maritime shipping. The
MoC will enable India to make
use of worlds latest technology
which is available with the US
for developments of waterways
and multi-modal hub projects.
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Lewis Hamilton wins Bahrain
Grand Prix of Formula One: Lewis
Hamilton won the Bahrain Grand
Prix of Formula One on 19th April
2015.This is his third win in four
races, extending his lead in the
championship to 27 points over his
Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg.
He had beaten Rosberg, a specialist
in Bahrain, in the qualifying and
final race.
In the championship standings,
Hamilton now has 93 points to
Rosbergs 66, Vettels 65 and
Raikkonens 42, while Mercedes have
159 to Ferraris 109 and Williams 61.
Rosberg battled the Ferraris
throughout and lost second to
Raikkonen with a braking problem
with two laps to go. Ferraris
Sebastian Vettel wrecked his
podium chances by going off track
and damaging his car while racing
Rosberg.
Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton
was born in 7th January 1985 in
Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England.
He races for the team Mercedes
AMG Petronas from England. His
car number is 44.
MAY
David Granger sworn-in as eighth
President of Guyana: David Arthur
Granger, a 69-year-old former army
Brigadier, was sworn in as the eighth
President of Guyana on 16th May
2015. Granger was sworn into office
by the Chancellor of the Judiciary,
Justice Carl A. Singh, just over an
hour after the Guyana Elections
Commission (GECOM) declared
the final results of the national
elections. In the national elections
held on 11 May 2015, his coalition
APNU Alliance for Change
(AFC) defeated the ruling Peoples
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Progressive Party (PPP) and ended
the 23 year old grip on power of
Indo-Guyanese PPP. Earlier Donald
Ramotar, the PPP veteran and
incumbent President, had forced
an early election after suspending
and dissolving the parliament in
November 2014 to avoid a no-
confidence vote. The retired army
veteran who was trained in Britain,
Brazil and Nigeria, had campaigned
on a platform of increased security
and fighting drug and human
trafficking. During the swearing
in ceremony, before thousands of
Guyanese nationals, members of
the diplomatic community as well
as religious leaders, Granger vowed
to end race politics in Guyana and
pledged to be a President for all the
people.
PM Modi inaugurated ICICIS
First Branch In China: The
countrys largest private sector
bank, ICICI Bank, has sharpened
its global ambitions by having its
first branch in China. Honourable
Prime Minister of India, Shri
Narendra Modi, inaugurated the
branch in Shanghai in the presence
of Ms. Chanda Kochhar, MD &
CEO, ICICI Bank on 16th May
2015. Senior Chinese and Indian
government officials and business
representatives were also present at
the occasion. With this branch, the
bank aims to provide greater support
to Chinese and Indian corporates in
their cross-border business interests.
ICICI Bank had first opened its
representative office in Shanghai in
2003 and in March 2015 it got the
regulatory approval to expand it into
a branch. This branch will engage in
banking activities permitted under
the guidelines of the China Banking
Regulatory Commission and would
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also facilitate international trade
between China and other countries
and support Chinese firms and
contractors bidding for infrastructure
projects and funding requirements
in India. Apart from this, it will also
handle remittances from China to
India. The branch will begin with
17 banking professionals spread
across different functions including
corporate banking, operations,
finance and treasury.
Pm Narendra Modi concluded his
Three-Nation Tour: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi arrived in Delhi
on 19 May 2015 after concluding a
six-day, three-nation tour of China,
Mongolia and South Korea. He is the
first Indian Prime Minister to visit
Mongolia to commemorate the 60th
year of diplomatic relations between
India and Mongolia and the silver
jubilee of Mongolias democracy.
During his 6 day tour from 14th
19th May he held bilateral talks
and signed several pacts to bolster
Indias relations with the three
countries. South Korea decided to
provide USD 10 billion to India for
infrastructure, development of smart
cities, railways, power generation
and other diversified areas as the two
countries agreed to upgrade their
bilateral relationship to a Special
Strategic Partnership. Also, 21
business agreements worth 22 billion
US dollars have been signed between
Indian and Chinese companies.
Furthermore, India announced to
provide one billion US dollar Line
of Credit to Mongolia and signed 13
agreements including enhancement
in cooperation in border defence, air
services, cyber security, renewable
energy and others.
2015 UNESCO Guillermo/Cano
World Press Freedom Prize:
Syrian journalist and rights activist
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Mazen Darwish was honoured
with UNESCO/Guillermo Cano
World Press Freedom Prize 2015.
UNESCO awarded its prize to
Darwish in recognition of the work
he had carried out in Syria for more
than 10 years at great personal
sacrifice, enduring a travel ban,
harassment, as well as repeated
detention and torture. Darwish was
arrested on February 16, 2012 along
with Hani Zaitani and Hussein
Ghreir, his colleagues at the Syrian
Centre for Media and Freedom
of Expression. They are accused
of promoting terrorist acts. The
annual UNESCO/Guillermo Cano
World Press Freedom Prize honours
a person, organisation or institution
that has made a contribution to the
defence and, or promotion of press
freedom anywhere in the world.
The award was created in 1997 and
is named in honour of Guillermo
Cano Isaza, a Colombian journalist
who was assassinated in front of
the offices of his newspaper, El
Espectador, in Bogota in 1986. It
carries a monetary award of US
$25,000.
Indo-French Naval Exercise
VARUNA 2015: The fourteenth
edition of Indo-French naval exercise
(VARUNA) concluded in Goa. The
ten day long exercise commenced on
23rd April 2015 and included both
a harbour and sea phase. The event
was graced by the presence of Mr
Laxmikant Parsekar, Chief Minister
of Goa, French ambassador Mr.
Franois Richier along with Vice
Admiral SPS Cheema, Flag Officer
Commanding-in-Chief, Western
Naval Command and other senior
naval officers embarked the French
Navys Aircraft Carrier, Charles de
Gaulle on the concluding day of the
sea phase of the exercise. During
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the exercise, French Navy was
represented by the Aircraft Carrier
Charles de Gaulle and Indian side
was represented by Aircraft carrier
INS Viraat. The exercise seeks to
enhance interoperability between
the two navies and also showcases
the close ties between the two
countries. The establishment of
strategic partnership in 1998 has
led to significant progress in all
areas of bilateral cooperation and
exchanges including naval exercises.
The Indian Navy and the French
Navy have been conducting naval
exercises since 1983 and since the
strategic partnership, these exercises
were christened as VARUNA in
2001.
MESSENGER Mission to Mercury
ends: National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA) ended
the operations of MESSENGER
Mission on 30th April 2015. The
planetary exploration mission came
to a planned when it slammed into
Mercurys surface at about 8,750
mph and created a new crater on
the planets surface. It was the first
craft to orbit Mercury and, after four
years and 4,105 orbits, delivered a
stunningly long list of discoveries,
which changed views of the entire
inner solar system. MESSENGER
was launched on 3rd August, 2004,
and it began orbiting Mercury on
March 17, 2011. Even after the
completion of its primary science
objectives by March 2012, the
spacecrafts mission was extended
two times, allowing it to capture
images and information about the
planet in unprecedented detail.
The messenger managed numerous
accomplishments which include the
MESSENGER mission determining
Mercurys surface composition,
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revealing its geological history,
discovering its internal magnetic
field.
International Day For Biological
Diversity: The United Nations
observed 22nd May as International
Day for Biological Diversity. The
theme for year 2015 is Biodiversity
for Sustainable Development. This
years theme reflects the importance
of efforts made at all levels to
establish a set of Sustainable
Development goals (SDGs) as part
of the United Nations Development
Agenda for the period of 2015-30
and the relevance of biodiversity for
achieving sustainable development.
The selection of this particular
theme also underlies the adoption
of the Gangwon Declaration. The
Gangwon Declaration welcomed
the importance given to biodiversity
and called for the further integration
and mainstreaming of biodiversity in
the Post-2015 Development Agenda.
The UN General Assembly, by its
resolution of 20th December, 2000,
proclaimed 22nd May, as the day
for Biological Diversity, to increase
awareness and understanding on
biodiversity issues and also to
commemorate the adoption of
Convention on Biological Diversity
by the Nairobi Final Act on 22nd
May, 1992. Earlier, 29th December,
was chosen by UN General
Assembly as the Day for Biological
Diversity.
JUNE
Ameenah Gurib-Fakim Sworn-in
as President of Mauritius: Well-
known scientist Ameenah Gurib-
Fakim was sworn in as president of
Mauritius. After her swearing she
became the first woman to hold the
ceremonial position in the Indian
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Ocean island nation. Gurib-Fakim
is the first female president of the
island, after it gained independence
from Britain in 1968 and replaced
Britains Queen Elizabeth II as
its head of state in 1992. Gurib-
Fakim is at present director of the
Mauritius-headquartered Centre for
Phytotherapy Research (CEPHYR),
which carries out research on plants
for use in cosmetics, nutrition and
therapy. Mauritius is one of the
richest, and least corrupt, countries
in Africa. The country is a middle-
income nation of some 1.3 million
people with a per capita GDP of
just over $9,000 (7,200 euros).
Fakim has authored numerous
academic and research papers. She
has received several accolades and
honours including Laureate for
the LOreal-UNESCO Women in
Science Award for Africa (2007),
African Union Award for Women
in Science for the Easter African
Region (2009) etc.
Worlds first electric passenger
aircraft BX1E launched: China has
manufactured and launched worlds
first electric passenger aircraft that
will be used for various purposes
including pilot training, tourism,
meteorology and rescue operations.
The passenger aircraft BX1E has
a 14.5-metre wingspan and an
utmost payload of 230 kilograms.
The aircraft can fly at an altitude
of 3,000 meters. The charging of
the machine is completed within
two hours, allowing a flight time
ranging from 45 minutes to one
hour, at a maximum speed of 160
km per hour. The plane has received
airworthiness certificate and was
designed by Shenyang Aerospace
University and Liaoning general
aviation academy in the north-
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eastern Liaoning Province. Each
aircrafts estimate priced is about
one million Yuan ($163,000). The
figure of advance orders for the
aircraft has reached to about 28. The
plane also participated in the 10th
China International Aviation and
Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai,
Guangdong Province in November
2015. The aircraft can be used in
pilot training, tourism, meteorology
and rescue operations.
41st G7 summit held: The 41st G7
summit was held in Schloss Elmau,
Krn, Bavaria, Germany on June
78, 2015. The theme for the summit
was Think Ahead. Act Together. The
attendees included the leaders of the
seven G7 member states, as well
as representatives of the European
Union. The summit focussed on the
global economy as well as on key
issues regarding foreign, security
and development policy. Some
others issues discussed during the
summit included protection of
the marine environment, marine
governance and resource efficiency,
antibiotic resistance, neglected and
poverty-related diseases, and Ebola,
and also empowering self-employed
women and women in vocational
training. The leaders also committed
to international greenhouse gas
emissions reduction target of 40
to 70% by 2050.These greenhouse
gases absorb and emit radiations
within their thermal infrared
ranges. They are responsible for the
greenhouse effect. G7 is the group
of seven major advanced economies
of the world and includes Canada,
France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the
United Kingdom, and the United
States.
First International Day of Yoga
Observed Globally: The opening
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International Yoga Day (IYD)
was celebrated across the world
on 21st June 2015. This version
of IYD was led by India and was
marked by 192 countries across the
globe. Prime Minister Narendra
Modi motivated thousands of
participants from various age
groups at the Rajpath yoga event.
The festivities were also held at the
United Nations headquarter in New
York which was led by External
affair minister Sushma Swaraj.
Several such mass events were held
in various cities across the world
including New York, London,
Tokyo and Sydney. The thought
of celebrating the International
Yoga Day was suggested by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi at the
United Nations General Assembly
(UNGA) in September 2014.
UNGA had unanimously adopted
India-led resolution to observe 21st
June as International Day of Yoga
on December 2014. This resolution
was adopted under the agenda of
Global Health and Foreign Policy.
The reason behind the selection of
21st June as International Yoga day
because it represents one of the two
solstices and it is the longest day in
the Northern Hemisphere which has
special significance in many parts of
the world.
ISRO Gets with 2015 Space Pioneer
Award for Mars Orbiter Mission:
Indias low-cost Mars mission has
been presented with the Space
Pioneer award for the year 2015 by
the US National Space Society. The
Space Pioneer award for the year
2015 was presented to Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO) in the
Science and Engineering category
during the 34th Annual International
Space Development Conference
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held at Toronto in Canada during
May 20-24, 2015. National Space
Society (NSS) of USA presented
the award in recognition of ISROs
hard work in accomplishing Mars
Mission in its very first attempt.
The ISRO spacecraft was launched
on its nine-month-long odyssey on
a home-grown PSLV rocket from
Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on
November 5, 2013 and had escaped
the earths gravitational field on
December 1st. The Space Pioneer
Award consists of a silvery pewter
Moon globe cast by the Baker Art
Foundry in Placerville, California,
from a sculpture originally created
by Don Davis, the well-known space
and astronomical artist.
World No Tobacco Day Award
2015: Uttarakhand Health and
Family Welfare Minister Surendra
Singh Negi was conferred with the
World No Tobacco Day Award 2015
by the World Health Organsiation
(WHO). The Director General
presented special award to Marcelo
Fisch, who is the Head of the Fiscal
Special Control Division, Federal
Revenue Secretariat, and Ministry of
Finance in Brazil. The World Health
Organization (WHO) Director
General also presented special
Recognition Certificates to Saira
Afzal Tarar, Minister of state for
National Health services, Regulation
and Co-ordination of Pakistan, Luk
Joossens of Belgium, WHO expert
group on illicit Tobacco Trade, Mr.
Amal Pusp, Director, Ministry of
Health and Family Welfare, Republic
of India also awarded this award
on the occasion of No Tobacco
Day. Every year, the World Health
Organization recognizes individuals
or organizations from the six regions
for their accomplishments in the area
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of tobacco control such as research,
capacity building, promotion of
policy or legislation and advocacy to
enhance tobacco control.
JULY
Fortune 500 list released: Fortune
released 61th edition of list of
top 500 companies on 22st July
2015. All the companies listed in
the magazine having 12.5 trillion
US dollar in revenues, 17 trillion
US dollar in the market value, 945
billion US dollar in profit and having
26.8 million people globally. Among
these 500 top companies, 7 Indian
companies are in the list. They are
Indian Oil ranked on 119th position
with 74 billion dollars of revenue,
Reliance Industries on 158th rank
with 62 billion dollars of revenue,
Tata motors on 254th rank with 42
billion dollars of revenue, State
Bank of India (SBI) on 260th rank
with 42 billion dollars of revenue,
Bharat Petroleum on 280th rank
with 40 billion dollars of revenue,
Hindustan petroleum on 327th rank
with 35 billion dollars of revenue,
Oil and natural gas on 449th rank
with 26 billion dollars of revenue.
This magazine is published globally
by times inc and complies of annual
ranking of the wealthiest companies
of the world.
SaniaMirza-Martina Hingis win
womens doubles: Indias tennis
star Sania Mirza won her second
consecutive Grand Slam title of the
season with Swiss partner Martina
Hingis. The top seeded Indi-Swiss
team outplayed the fourth seed
team of Cassey Dellacqua and
Yaroslava Shvedpva 6-3, 6-3 in the
final. Kazakhastans Shvedova and
Australias Dellacqua struggled to
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hold serve, making it too easy for
Sania and Hingis. The contest was
over in just 70 minutes.
It was Sania and Hingis second
major title in a row, having won
Wimbledon championships earlier
this season. Sania now has five
Grand Slam titles in her bag. Martina
Hingis won her first Wimbledon title
since 1998 when she and her partner
SaniaMirza captured the womens
double trophy.
The championships, Wimbledon,
commonly known as Wimbledon
is the oldest tennis tournament in the
world, and is widely considered the
most prestigious. It has been held at
the all England Club in Wimbledon,
London since 1877. The tournament
takes place every two weeks in late
June and early July.
Inderjeet wins Gold at World
University Games: Indian shot-
putter Inderjeet Singh on 8th July
2015 came up with a best throw of
20.27 meter in the final attempt to
win the Gold medal of mens shot
put event at the World University
Games in Gwangju South Korea.
He created history to become the
first Indian to win a gold medal at
the World University Games.
The silver medal was won by Andrei
Marius Gag of Romania with a
throw of 19.92m while Alexander
Bulanov of Russia won the bronze
with a throw of 19.4m. Earlier in
June 2015, he won gold at the first
leg of the Asian Athletics Grand
Prix in Bangkok, Thailand. On 3rd
June 2015 he won gold at Asian
Championships in Wuhan, China.
In the Mens 25m Rapid Fire Pistol
Team Event of AchalPratap Singh
Grewal, Amrender Pal Singh
Chauhan and Akshay Jain won the
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bronze medal. The Gold and Silver
medal were won by Korea and
Russia respectively. The Universiade
is an international multi-sport event,
organized for university athletes by
the International University Sports
Federation (FISU). The Universiade
is the 2nd largest multi-sporting
event in the world, second only to
the Olympic Games.
ISRO launches British satellites:
The Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO) successfully
placed into orbit five British satellites
using its Polar Satellite Launch
Vehicle, PSLV-C28, from Satish
Dhawan Space Centre (SHAR)
Sriharikota. Three identical DMC3
commercial Earth Observation
Satellites along with two smaller
satellites from United Kingdom
were launched into the Polar Sun
Synchronous Orbit which were
very close to the intended orbit of
647 km height.This is the heaviest
commercial launch ever taken by a
PSLV rocket till date with the five
satellites weighing around 1,440 kg.
These five satellites were launched
as part of an agreement entered
into between DMC International
Imaging (DMCii) and wholly
owned subsidiary of Surrey Satellite
Technology Limited (SSTL), UK
and Antrix Corporation Limited
the commercial arm of ISRO, under
the Department of Space (DOS).
This was the 30th successful flight
of PSLV also known as ISROs
workhorse. The agency had used XL
version for the ninth time.
Each satellite weighing about 447
kg is aimed at capturing any target
on the earths surface every day
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and is expected to help in surveying
resources, environment and urban
infrastructure apart from its primary
aim of monitoring disasters. The
320 tonne (320,000 Kilograms)
rocket is as tall as a 15-storey
building and will hoist, apart from
a constellation of three disaster-
monitoring satellites into space.
India has launched 40 satellites from
19 countries on a commercial basis,
till date.
USA win Womens FIFA World
Cup: The US defeated former
champion Japan to win the Womens
FIFA World Cup title at BC Place
Stadium in Vancouver, Canada. Led
by midfielder Carli Lloyds three
goals, the game ended up as the
highest scoring final of Womens
World Cup, since its beginning in
1991.
This years tournament featured
52 games played by 24 teams in 6
different Canadian cities.
It was the third time that the U.S.
team appeared in the World Cup
Final, having won the world Cup
in 1991 and in 1999. The American
midfielder put the U.S team two
goals up within five minutes in a
stunning start to the match. Japan,
who had made it to the final after
defeating England were outshined
from the start and were not able to
cope up with the USAs set-pieces.
The USA is the only country to win
three Womens World Cup and the
only country to score the most goals
(five) in a WWC final- no other team
could score more than two.
With this Carli Lloyd is the first
US player to score in four straight
games in a World Cup. She scored
a goal against China, Colombia and
Germany and three against Japan.
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She became the first woman in a
FIFA WWC to score a hat trick in a
Final match and also the fastest hat
trick in Womens World Cup history.
World Population Day observed:
The world Population Day was
observed on 11th July with
theme Vulnerable Populations in
Emergencies. At present the United
Nations Population Fund is working
around the globe to respond to rights
of women and girls, and help them
to maintain their dignity by securing
their safety and restoring their access
to sexual and reproductive health
care.
The event was established by the
Governing Council of United
Nations Development Programme
(UNDP) in 1989; it recommended
that, in order to focus attention
on the urgency and importance of
population issues in the context
of overall development plans and
programmes and the need to find
solutions for these issues, 11th July
be observed by the International
community as the World Population
Day.
The world population in 2011
crossed the mark of 7 billion
people. A world of 7 billion is both
a challenge and an opportunity
with implications on sustainability,
urbanisation, and access to health
services and youth empowerment.
Earth-like exoplanet Kepler
452b discovered: NASA finally
announced the discovery of a Earth-
like planet called Kepler 452b in our
galaxy, also known as Earth 2.0.
This newly discovered planet or
Earths twin has everything i.e.
from size to length of its year, from
estimated conditions on its surface
to environment is similar to earth.
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This planet is located 1400 light years
away in the Cygnus constellation of
the Milky Way. Also, this planet
is 1.6 times bigger than Earth.
Scientists told that Kepler 452b
whirls around its star once every 385
days, tantalizing close to Earths 365
days.
According to scientists, Kepler 452b
has been at the perfect distance from
its star for many billions of years. It
will be too hot to host life on a planet
if it is too close to its star. Similarly,
it will be too cold, if it is too far from
its star. So, it means it is possible to
host life on newly discovered planet,
Kepler 452b as it has a perfect
distance from its star.
Helena Ndume, Jorge Sampaio
awarded Nelson Rolihlahla
Mandela Prize: On 24th July 2015,
Helena Ndume and Jorge Sampaio
of Portugal were awarded with the
first-ever Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela
Prize. The award ceremony was held
at United Nations Headquarters in
New York. This award is for those
who have dedicated their life for
the service of humanity and in the
development of community and
social cohesion.
Dr. Helena Ndume of Namibia is
an ophthalmologist who devoted her
life for treating blindness and eye-
related illnesses in Namibia, South
West Africa and throughout the
developing world.
Jorge Sampaio is the former Mayor
of Lisbon, from 1989 to 1995, who
became the President of Portugal
and served the country from 1996
to 2006. He became the leader
in struggle for the restoration of
democracy in Portugal and was
awarded for the same.
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize
was established in 2014 by the
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UNGA (UN General Assembly) to
pay homage to Nelson Mandelas
extraordinary life and legacy of
reconciliation, political transition
and social transformation
Ramon Magsaysay Awards for
2015: On 29th July, 2015, the board
of trustees of RMAF (Ramon
Magsaysay Award Foundation)
announced the list of awardees
for the year 2015. It is very proud
and honourable moment for India
as there are two Indians - Sanjiv
Chaturvedi and Anshu Gupta -
among five awardees.. The award
ceremony was held at Manila,
Philippines on 31st August, 2015.
Sanjiv Chaturvedi is a whistleblower,
a social worker, a bureaucrat and
also an Indian Forest Service officer
of batch 2002. He is awarded
for his efflorescent leadership
and commendable courage in a
protracted battle with the Centre
over alleged harassment for his
tough stance on graft.
Anshu Gupta, the founder of NGO
named Goonjwhich was established
in 1999 and works in 21 states
across the nation for disaster relief,
humanitarian aid and community
development.
Ramon Magsaysay Award is the
Asias most prestigious prize and
considered equivalent to the Nobel
Prize. It was established by the
trustees of the New York based
Rockefeller Brothers Fund and
Philippine government in 1957 in
the memory of Ramon Magsaysay,
3rd President of Philippines.
Golden Peacock Environment
Management Award 2015: Tata
Steels West Bokaro Division has
been conferred with the Golden
Peacock Environment Management
Award (GPEMA) for the year 2015.
Events
It has done commendable job for the
responsible environment practices
and resource management along
with training the employees with
new technologies.
GMR Hyderabad International
Airport Ltd has also been selected for
the Golden Peacock Environment
Management Award (GPEMA) for
the year 2015 for achievements in the
field of environment management at
Rajiv Gandhi International Airport.
Krishnapatnam Port in Andhra
Pradesh has received the GPEMA
for its initiative and achievements in
the field of environment.
The awards were given by Prakash
Javadkar, Minister of Forest and
Climate Change. The business
award is given in 15 categories,
one of them is GPEMA. Golden
Peacock Awards were instituted by
the Institute of Directors, India, in
1991 are regarded as the benchmark
of Corporate Excellence Worldwide.
The award winners can use the
Golden Peacock awards logo on
their promotional literature for the
next one year and thus the logo itself
speaks for the quality of the material
UNSC adopts resolution endorsing
Iran nuclear deal: The United
Nations Security council (UNSC)
which was co-sponsored by 15
countries unitedly adopted a
resolution 2231 (2015) endorsing
Joint comprehensive Agreement
on Iran Nuclear historic deal. The
joint comprehensive Plan of Action
(JCPOA) which reached between
Tehran and five permanent members
of Security Council plus Germany
and the European Union and Iran
(P5+1) group, signed in Vienna
on 14th July, after 18 days of talk
that capped almost two years of
momentous negotiations. In the
agreement, Iran cleared that it will
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under no circumstances ever seek,
develop or acquire any nuclear
weapon. This resolution cleared
that path for international sanctions
crippling Irans economy. This
also guarantees the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will
continue to verify Irans compliance
with its nuclear related commitments
under the Joint Comprehensive plan
of Action. The security also decided
by the resolution that as defined in
the agreement on the date ten year
after the joint comprehensive plan
of Action (JCPOA) adoption day, all
the provision of this action shall be
terminated and none of the previous
resolution shall be applied.
AUGUST
Japan restarts Nuclear Reactor:
Japan has restarted its first nuclear
reactor under new safety rules
after two years, following the 2011
Fukushima disaster. All Japanese
nuclear plants were gradually shut
down after a series of meltdowns
at the Fukushima plant sparked by
the tsunami and earthquake which
forced the evacuation of 160,000
people, many of whom might never
return home.
Kyushu Electric Power Company
reactivated its No. 1 reactor Sendai
nuclear power plant in Kagoshima
Prefecture, on the southern island of
Kyushu. The 30-year-old reactor is
expected to reach full capacity next
month. The plants second reactor
could be restarted in October. Japans
nuclear operators have applied for
approval to restart 25 reactors; the
regulators have cleared only five to
go back online.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe has pushed for the return to
nuclear energy, arguing it is vital to
the countrys economic recovery,
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by reducing the skyrocketing utility
bills associated with energy imports.
The government assured that the
nuclear power will help cull down
both import bills and growing CO2
emissions.
SEPTEMBER
World Tourism Day observed:
Under the theme One billion
tourists, one billion opportunities,
World Tourism Day 2015
emphasizes the impact of the sector
on economic growth, job creation
and development. On the occasion,
the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki
Moon states in his message let
us work together to maximize the
immense potential of tourism to
drive inclusive economic growth,
protect the environment and
promote sustainable development
and a life of dignity for all.
At present, international tourism
contributes $US 1.5 billion to global
trade representing 30% of the
worlds service exports, a share that
goes up to 45% in Least Developed
Countries (LDCs). Tourism has been
a major contributor to the economic
recovery with five consecutive
years of growth creating jobs and
opportunities for communities in
many parts of the world.
World Tourism Day is celebrated on
27 September since 1980. This date
coincides with the anniversary of the
adoption of the UNWTO Statutes
on 27 September 1970. As part
of this years World Tourism Day
celebrations, UNWTO invites all
to join its Instagram Campaign by
sharing images of the transformative
potential tourism.
Chinas Long March-11 Carrier
rocket launched: China successfully
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launched a new model of carrier
rocket, the Long March-11 on
25th September from the Jiuquan
Satellite Launch Centre in the
northwestern province of Gansu.
The rocket carried four micro-
satellites into space, which will be
used mainly for testing. The solid
propellant rocket was developed
by the China Academy of Launch
Vehicle Technology with the China
Aerospace Science and Industry
Corporation. The rocket will
mainly be used for launching micro-
satellites.
In a statement the academy said
the successful launch of the rocket
marked a major breakthrough for
the nation in key technology for
solid propellant rockets. The trip
was the 211th mission for the Long
March rocket family. Long March
11 is the 211th launch of the Long
March series. The first rocket, Long
March 1 was launched in April 1970
when Chinas first satellite Dong
Fang Hong 1 was placed in orbit.
Long March 11 is the eighth launch
of China following the sending of
Gaofen-8, Gaofen-9 and Yaogan
Weixing-27 earth observation
satellites into space. Long March 6
recently lofted 20 small satellites on
20th September 2015.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development: The 193-Member
United Nations General Assembly
on 25th September formally
adopted the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development, along
with a set of bold new Global
Goals. The Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon hailed them as a universal,
integrated and transformative vision
for a better world.
Events
The new framework is composed
of 17 goals and 169 targets to wipe
out poverty, fight inequality and
tackle climate change over the next
15 years. The Goals aim to build on
the work of the historic Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs),
which had rallied the world around
a common 15-year agenda to tackle
the indignity of poverty.
The Summit began with a full
program of events, including a
screening of the film The Earth
From Space, performances by UN
Goodwill Ambassadors Shakira
and Angelique Kidjo, as well as
call to action by female education
advocate and the youngest-ever
Nobel Laureate, Malala Yousafzai
along with youth representatives as
torch bearers to a sustainable future.
Indra Nooyi, Shobhana
Bhartia awarded with 2015
Global Leadership Award:
PepsiCo Chairman Indra Nooyi
and Hindustan Times Group
chairperson Shobhana Bhartia
have been presented with the 2015
Global Leadership Award of the
US India Business Council, for
their commitment to driving a
more inclusive global economy
and their roles as women leaders.
Nooyi and Bhartia were honoured
with this prestigious annual award
last evening during the annual gala
of the USIBC, the apex advocacy
group for India and American
companies in the US.
Renowned Indian-American artist,
Natvar Bhavsar who is known for
his abstract expressionism and
color-field painting was awarded
the Artistic Achievement Award.
9th Regional Pravasi Bharatiya
Diwas (RPBD): The 9th Regional
Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (RPBD)
Events
is to be held at Los Angeles,
California, USA from 14 November
to 15 November 2015. The Theme
for RPBD Los Angeles will be The
Indian Diaspora: Defining a New
Paradigm in India-US Relationship,
capturing the ethos of ongoing
relationship between India and USA
and the important role being played
by Diaspora in this regard.
This session of RPBD will be
organised by Consulate General
of India, San Francisco, and the
Embassy of India, Washington DC
in collaboration with the major
community organizations of People
of Indian Origin in the USA and the
Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs
(MOIA).
RPBDs are important Diaspora
engagement meets conducted
annually by the Union Government
outside the country as part of a
comprehensive program to reach
out to the growing Indian Diaspora
community globally.
Sherif Ismail sworn in as Prime
Minister of Egypt: Former
Egyptian oil minister Sherif Ismail
was sworn in on September 19th as
the new prime minister. Ismail took
oath before President Abdel-Fattah
El-Sisi. The new cabinet includes
15 new faces, with the ministers of
foreign affairs, defence, interior,
justice and finance retaining their
portfolios.
Sisi accepted the resignation of the
cabinet headed by Prime Minister
Ibrahim Mehleb on September 12
after agriculture minister Salah
Helal was arrested for corruption.
The new cabinet was sworn in as
Egypt is preparing for a long-delayed
parliamentary election in October.
Electing a new parliament, scheduled
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to be completed by end of 2015,
is the final phase of a three-stage
road-map, including the presidential
election and the new constitution
announced by Sisi on the removal of
former Islamist President Mohamed
Morsi.
Nepals Parliament Passes New
Constitution: Nepals parliament
passed a new national constitution
on September 17, weeks after
political leaders reached a historic
agreement to create a federal state.
The long-delayed bill was passed
after violent protests that had killed
more than 40 people and shut down
large swathes of the south. In all,
507 of the young republics 598
lawmakers came out in favour of the
bill in the marathon vote.
The new charter will replace an
interim constitution in place since
the end of a decade-long civil war
that led to the abolition of the
Hindu monarchy. It will divide the
Himalayan nation of 28 million
people into seven federal provinces,
a move aimed at devolving power
from the centre.
Prime Minister Sushil Koirala
has already stepped down and a
new government is expected to be
formed. The process of drafting the
constitution began after the Maoists
ended their insurgency and turned
to politics, winning a 2008 general
election and forming a government.
However, they were unable to muster
enough support from rival parties
to push a new constitution through
parliament and the assembly finally
collapsed in May 2012 after missing
a series of deadlines to pass the bill.
Ruling Peoples Action Party wins
Singapore general elections: The
ruling Peoples Action Party (PAP)
on 12 September 2015 won the
general elections to the Parliament
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of Singapore. The party is headed
by the incumbent Prime Minister
Lee Hsien Loong. The PAP won 83
seats of the 89 constituency elected
seats in the Parliament of Singapore,
representing 69.86% of total votes
cast while the opposition Workers
Party got just six seats, one less
than it held in the last election. The
PAP registered its win for record
12th time since independence from
Malaysia in 1965.
This was also the first elections
held after the death of Lee Kuan
Yew, father of Prime Minister Lee,
who was the Prime Minister of the
country between 1959 and 1990. The
PAP, a centre-right political party
in Singapore and also Singapores
longest-ruling party, has been the
countrys ruling party since 1959.
Ever since, the PAP has dominated
Singapores parliamentary
democracy and has been central to
the city-states rapid political, social,
and economic development.
Sania Mirza-Martina Hingis win
2015 US Open Womens Doubles
title:Indian ace Sania Mirza and
Switzerlands Martina Hingis won
their second successive womens
doubles Grand Slam title on
September 14 after defeating Casey
Dellacqua and Yaroslava Shvedova
in the US Open final in New York.
The duo took little more than an
hour to finish the game as they
continue to raise the profile of an
otherwise limited event on the tour.
They won the final match in straight
sets 6-3, 6-3 in front of relatively
sizeable Arthur Ashe Stadium
crowd. The pair had also won the
Wimbledon title in July, defeating
Ekaterina Makarova and Elena
Vesnina in the final.
With it being Sanias first US Open
womens doubles title and fifth
Events
Grand Slam victory overall, she
had won the mixed doubles title last
year with Brazilian Bruno Soares.
The 28-year-old Sania has won titles
in all Grand Slam tournaments
Wimbledon (2015 - Doubles),
US Open (2014 - Mixed doubles,
2015 - Womens doubles), French
Open (2012 - Mixed doubles) and
Australian Open (2009 - Mixed
doubles). Mirza is currently the top-
ranked doubles player, while her
partner Hingis is second.
Leander Paes, Martina Hingis
win US Open 2015: Leander Paes
with Swiss partner Martina Hingis
created history by winning the U.S.
Open mixed doubles title. He outdid
compatriot and former partner
Mahesh Bhupathis record. Paes now
has won nine Grand Slam mixed
doubles titles, against Bhupathis
eight. The fourth seeded India-Swiss
pair edged past unseeded Americans
Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sam
Querrey 6-4 3-6 10-7 in a final to
win their third Major title together
this season.
Paes is now only to catch up with
legendary Martina Navratilova, who
has won 10 mixed doubles trophies.
Of those 10, two came with Paes,
when they won Australian Open
and Wimbledon in 2003.
With this win, Paes and Hingis,
who also won Australian Open and
Wimbledon titles early this season,
have become the first mixed doubles
team since 1969 to win three Grand
Slam mixed doubles titles in the
same year. It was Paes 17th Grand
Slam title overall and Hingis 19th.
Hingis has won four Grand Slam
titles and all of them have come
with Indians.
US-India-Japan Trilateral
Ministerial dialogue held: With
growing assertiveness of China in
Events
the South China Sea, India, Japan
and the United States at their first-
ever trilateral ministerial dialogue
here called for a peaceful settlement
of disputes, freedom of navigation
and unimpeded lawful commerce in
that area. The three countries also
agreed to work together to maintain
maritime security through greater
collaboration while highlighting
the growing convergence of their
interests in the Indo-Pacific region.
The meeting was attended by
External Affairs Minister Sushma
Swaraj, her Japanese counterpart
Fumio Kishida and US Secretary of
State John Kerry.
The three ministers highlighted
the growing convergence of their
respective countries interests in the
Indo-Pacific region. Representing
a quarter of the worlds population
and economic production power,
the three countries highlighted
their shared support for peace,
democracy, prosperity, and a rules-
based international order.
Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina
wins the United Nations
Champions of the Earth Award
2015: Prime Minister of Bangladesh
Sheikh Hasina on 14 September has
been declared as one of the winners
of the United Nations Champions
of the Earth award in recognition of
her countrys initiatives to address
climate change. Serving as Prime
Minister of Bangladesh one of the
worlds least-developed countries
Sheikh Hasina has proven that
investing in climate change is
conducive to achieving social and
economic development, said the
announcement conferring the award
issued by the UN Environment
Programme (UNEP).
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The award cites, among other
initiatives, the progressive
Bangladesh Climate Change
Strategy and Action Plan of 2009,
which made it the first developing
country to frame such a coordinated
action plan. Besides Sheikh Hasina,
the other winners are the National
Geographic Society (Science and
Innovation); Brazilian cosmetics
firm Natura (Entrepreneurial
Vision); and South Africas Black
Mamba Anti-Poaching Unit
(Inspiration and Action).
Mount Aso, the largest volcano of
Japan erupts: Mount Aso, Japans
largest active volcano erupted on
September 15 sending plumes of
smoke two kilometres into the air
prompting tourists to evacuate. The
footage of the massive eruption
was streamed live with volcanic
ash visibly filling a large area. No
immediate damage or injuries were
reported but local authorities have
described the danger level to three
out of five.
Mount Aso is located on Japans
southernmost main island, Kyushu,
and is a popular hiking destination
for tourists. It is also the second
largest mountain in Japan and is one
of the biggest calderas in the world,
encompassing an area 25 kilometers
north to south and 18 kilometers
east to west.
Around 30 people happened to be
near the peak when the volcano
erupted, but they were evacuated.
Overall, about 100 tourists were
taken to safety. According to
meteorologists, there had been no
clue that an eruption was coming.
International Literacy Day
celebrated: International Literacy
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Day was celebrated across the world
on 8 September, with this years
theme being literacy and sustainable
societies. The day was designated as
such by UNESCO and first observed
in 1966.
A special event was organized on
8-9 September 2015 at UNESCO
Headquarters in the presence of
the Director-General of UNESCO.
It intends to prepare the ground
for literacy action in the post-2015
era, in particular. The key issues
addressed in light of the Education
2030 Framework for Action at the
World Education Forum 2015 were
monitoring of literacy progress and
effective global coordination to
ensure sustained and coordinated
efforts for literacy.
OCTOBER
Chinas first lunar rover Yutu
longest stays on Moon: Chinas first
lunar rover, Yutu, has been reported
to have operated on the moon for
almost two years. It has set a record
of a rover having stayed on moon
for the longest duration. In 2013,
the rover was deployed and landed
on the moon by Chinas Change-3
lunar probe. Earlier, the rover to
set the record of longest stay on
moon was the Soviet Unions in
the year 1970. It spent 11 months
on the moon. Mechanical control
abnormality was reported in Yutu
in the year 2014 but within a month
it was fixed. The rover continues to
collect data despite it is unmovable
now. It sends and receives signals,
and record images. The major
objectives of Change-3 have
Events
majorly been surveying the lunar
surface topography and geology,
composition of lunar surface material
and resource, space environment
detection of Sun-Earth-Moon, and
the astronomical observation of the
lunar. After United States, France,
Japan and Soviet Union, China is
the fifth nation to launch a domestic
satellite via domestic rocket.
India and Germany sign MoUs:
A deal for making it smooth
for companies of Germany to
operate in India was announced
by the Chancellor Angela Merkel
during her visit to New Delhi.
Both Indian Prime Minister and
Merkel are to have a continued
discussion in a business forum,
in Bangalore. The partnership
between the two nations is said
to grow in fields like intelligence,
countering terrorism and radicalism,
defence manufacturing and trade
in advanced technology in order to
expand relationship between the two
countries. The deals signed between
the two nations comprised of Joint
Declaration of Intent between HRD
ministry and the Federal Foreign
Office of Germany. Its objective
is to promote German as a foreign
language in India and to promote
modern Indian languages in
Germany. The pacts signed between
the two countries, is worth 2 billion
Euros ($2.25 billion). Germany
would invest in developing solar
energy industry and clean energy
sector of India. Germany has also
acknowledged sharing its knowledge
of vocational education with India
especially for Modis Make in
India campaign.
Events
7.5 magnitude earthquake
hits Hindu Kush Region of
Afghanistan: Northern Afghanistan
and Pakistan were hit by a deadly
earthquake. The magnitude of the
earthquake was recorded to be 7.5
on the Richter scale. It shook the
buildings throughout South Asia.
The epicentre of the earthquake was
Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan.
Tremors were felt in northern India
as well. About 260 people were
reported dead. It was the second
major earthquake of the year
after the earthquake of Nepal that
killed more than 8,000. Mobile
phones were disrupted, houses
collapsed in Pakistan. Northern
Pakistan reported major damage
post earthquake. Landslides made
it difficult for the rescue teams in
their mission. Office buildings were
evacuated in New Delhi when
tremors were felt. About 228 people
were killed in Pakistan with an
injured count of more than 1,000
while Afghanistan experienced
casualties of about 200 and deaths
of 33. The Indian subcontinent is
pushing northward into the main
Asian plate which causes most of the
biggest mountains to develop. Such
pushes of the plates are responsible
for these earthquakes. Washington
also offered assistance to help in the
rescue missions. The earthquake
was reported to be the biggest after
1949 to hit Afghanistan.
Typhoon Koppu hits Northern
Philippines: Mighty Typhoon
Koppu hit Northern Philippines
on October 10, 2015. It destroyed
many homes and displaced 10,000
people according to the disaster
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agency officials. Koppu caused
heavy rain followed by flooding and
damaging of roads and bridges. No
casualties were reported but almost
a fourth of the town of Casiguran
were moved to evacuation centres.
Footage of a hospital building
having its roof ripped off was
aired on local television channels.
Surfing competition in Baler
had to be cancelled and about
2,000 participants were made to
stay indoors. President Benigno
Aquino appealed the nation to
not to panic and make necessary
preparations. Landslides and
floods in northern Luzon were
reported by the national disaster
council. Commercial aviation was
also affected with 30 flights being
cancelled while ferry services were
suspended to avoid any damages.
Local commuter bus services were
grounded in the mountain regions
due to the landslides. The damaged
electric posts made it difficult for
the emergency and rescue teams
to reach outlying areas. In 2013,
Philippines was hit by typhoon
Haiyan that killed over 6,300 people
and left many homeless. Philippines
has been reported to experience an
average of 20 typhoons every year.
NOVEMBER
ASEAN leaders sign declaration for
ASEAN Economic Community:
The leaders of ASEAN (Association
of Southeast Asian Nations) signed
a declaration for the launching of
ASEAN Economic Community
(AEC). The declaration was signed
in the presence of world leaders
including Prime Minister of India,
Narendra Modi. ASEAN, comprises
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of 10 members: Thailand, Brunei,
Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos,
Singapore, Indonesia, Myanmar,
Philippines and Vietnam, 5 of which
founded the ASEAN on August
8, 1967. The motto of ASEAN is
One Vision, One Identity, One
Community. ASEAN, according
to AEC, would be made a single
market entailing free flow of capital,
skilled labour and goods within the
region. Tariffs on imports would
be cancelled within the member
countries while the liberalization of
service industries such as tourism
will be encouraged. More free
movement of skilled labours such as
doctors will be boosted. Focus will
be laid, according to the declaration,
on the creation of a well-connected
economy of the member nations of
ASEAN. December 2015 will mark
the launching of the new economic
bloc making ASEANs GDP the 4th
largest in the world.
BRICS Countries Sign Moscow
Declaration for Supporting
Multilateral Science Projects:
BRICS nations include Brazil,
Russia, India, China and South
Africa signed Moscow Declaration
of partnership to address common
regional and global socio-economic
challenges by making use of science,
technology and innovation (STI).
At the third meeting of BRICS
Ministers for Science, Technology
and Innovation, the declaration was
signed. Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union
Minister of Science, Technology and
Earth Sciences, India, delegated the
meeting. The nations of BRICS have
mutually agreed to collaborate for
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cooperation in large research based
infrastructures like mega-science
projects in agreement with the
fellow member nations. Multilateral
research projects would be funded
jointly by BRICS. The meeting also
entailed the Action Plan for 2015-
18 on BRICS Science, Technology
and Innovation. The event demands
about 50-75 young STI delegates to
work on the projects. The delegates
required would primarily fall in
the age group of 22-35 and from
varied disciplines like science and
engineering. The joint working of
the young STI experts from all five
nations of BRICS would increase
the connectivity among them. It
would further encourage knowledge
sharing, discussions and learning on
common societal challenges lending
itself to improving the skills and
research competencies of each one
of them.
IMF approve Chinas Yuan as Elite
Reserve Currency: International
Monetary Fund (IMF) included
Chinas Yuan into its elite reserve
currency basket. Yuans entry
into the basket takes effect from 1
October 2016. Yuan also known as
the Chinese Renminbi (RMB) was
included in the basket after it met the
existing criteria for its inclusion. The
action was taken after the executive
board at IMF completed the regular
five-yearly review of the basket of
currencies that make up the Special
Drawing Right (SDR). Yuan will be
a freely usable currency and will be
included in the SDR basket as a fifth
currency, along with the US Dollar,
Euro, Japanese Yen and British
Pound.
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The inclusion of the RMB will
enhance the attractiveness of the
SDR by diversifying the basket and
making it more representative of the
worlds major currencies. Inclusion
of Yuan in the SDR is considered
as a big political victory for China
as Yuans desirability as a reserve
currency for investors will increase
and undermine the hegemony of the
dollar as a global reserve currency.
The decision an important milestone
in the integration of the Chinese
economy into the global financial
system. It also recognises the
progress that the Chinese authorities
have made in the past years in
reforming Chinas monetary and
financial systems.
2015 G-20 Antalya Summit: The
2015 G-20 Antalya summit was the
tenth annual meeting of the G-20
heads of government. It was held
in Antalya, Turkey, a southwestern
city, which is the most visited
destination in Turkey and the tenth
in the world, on 1516 November
2015. The venue for the Leaders
Summit was Regnum Carya Hotel
Convention Centre.The Antalya
summit is the 10th edition of the
G20 leaders meeting. Together,
the G20 members represent around
90% of global GDP, 80% of global
trade and two-thirds of the worlds
population.
Agenda was to discuss the worlds
biggest political and security crises,
including Syria and the mass
migration of refugees. The G20
summit was focused on political
rather than economic issues due
to the terrorist attacks in Paris, in
which 132 people were killed. As
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an organization dealing with global
issues of financial and economic
cooperation, the G20 decided to
change the format of the session.
According to the summit results,
in addition to the pre-planned
communiqu, the parties adopted a
declaration on fighting terrorism.
Ground Zero Summit 2015:
Rajnath Singh, the Union Home
Minister, inaugurated Ground Zero
Summit 2015, the Asias foremost
information Security Conference.
Its theme is Digital India Securing
Digital India. To deal with the cyber
security challenges, the summit has
been organised by the Indian Infosec
Consortium (ICC). ICC is a not-for-
profit organisation constituted by
experts in the fields of cyber security.
Being the largest collaborative
platform in Asia, Ground Zero
Summit provides opportunities
for establishing and strengthening
relationship between corporate,
public, government and defence
organisations. Rajnath shared that
cyber terrorism is a worldwide
danger. Cyber security is the fifth
dimension of security among the
other dimensionsland, air, water
and space. There will be more than
thirty sessions in the summit. Among
the eminent professionals who would
be addressing the summit include
Dr K.d. Naya (DG, DRDO), Air
Marshal S.B. Deo (Chief Western
Air Command) and Dr Gulshan
Rai (National Cyber Security
Coordinator). Demonstration and
sessions on concerns related to cyber
security in hospitals, security related
to Digital India and telecom security
will be focused. Investigation
challenges and crime cases will also
be discussed in the summit.
A-220
India-ADB Sign Loabankn
Agreement: The Government of
India and Asian Development
Bank (ADB) has inked an USD 273
million loan agreement with the
Asian Development Bank (ADB)
for Rural Connectivity Investment
Program. The aim of this program
is to improve rural roads in the state
of Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya
Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal
which will improve and sustain
the connectivity of selected rural
communities in the investment
program states to markets, districts,
headquarters, and other centres of
economic activities and facilitates
education. It will also ensure
improved road designs, road safety
and asset management measures
and training with women activity
involved in all aspects.
Under this program, over 6000
kilometres of all-weather rural
roads will be constructed and it
will be benefiting over 4,200 rural
habitations. The loan represents the
third tranche which is also the last
tranche of the USD 800 million
financing facility under the Rural
Connectivity Investment Program
(RCIP). It is a multi-tranche
financing facility (MTFF) started by
Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The third tranche is expected to be
completed by December 2017.
India and Australia have sealed
Nuclear-deal procedures for
supply of uranium: A Nuclear-deal
procedure for supplying uranium
has been sealed between India
and Australia. A bilateral meeting
between Indian Prime Minister,
Narendra Modi, and Australian
Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull
in Antalya, Turkey, followed the
sealing of Nuclear-deal. Despite
Events
not being a signatory to the Nuclear
Non-proliferation Treaty, India
is the first country to purchase
uranium from Australia. The
supply of uranium is being done for
peaceful power generation in India.
Indias talks with Australia on Civil
Nuclear Cooperation Agreement
had begun in 2012. The cooperation
agreement was accepted by both
the countries in September of 2014.
Australia owns about 40% of the
worlds uranium resource. Around
7,000 tons of uranium is exported
annually by Australia. India has
signed nuclear energy agreements
with 11 countries. India is presently
getting uranium from Russia, France
and Kazakhstan. Indias nuclear
energy contributes only 3% of its
electricity generation. The uranium
imported is sent to two dozen of
Indias small reactors that are set
up at 6 sites that have a capacity of
4780MW accounting for 2% of the
total power capacity.
India, Russia sign Defence
Cooperation Agreement: In follow
up to the India-Russia, a military-
technical cooperation agreement
was signed by the Russian and
Indian defence ministers. Indian
defence minister, Manohar Parrikar,
called Moscow a privileged
strategic partner in the military field
during his talks with the Russian
defence minister, Sergei Shoigu. The
defence cooperation agreement has
been signed to fasten up the process
of ongoing projects. The agreement
would develop a bilateral Russian-
Indian relation in military-technical
ground. The two countries have
finalised the most powerful defence
pact ever for the acquisition of S-400
Events
anti-ballistic missile systems from
Moscow for somewhere around INR
70,000 crore. The system is capable
of detecting and killing enemy
missile from a range of 400kms.
To get another nuclear submarine
and the deal to get missile systems
will formally be signed during
Modis vist to Russia. The nuclear
submarine would be taken on a lease
for ten years from Moscow. Before
Indias decision to acquire S-400
missile system from Russia, China
had already decided to acquire six of
such systems from Moscow. Parrikar
in his statement said that Russia has
been and remains Indias leading
partner till date.
India-born Swati Dandekar has
been appointed as the United States
director of the Asian Development
Bank: Swati A. Dandekar, student
of Nagpur and Bombay University
was nominated as the United States
director of the Asian Development
Bank by the President of United
States, Barack Obama. She has
been honoured with the rank of
ambassador. Her nomination will
replace Robert M. Orr announced
the White House. Another eight
key administration posts were taken
along with Dandekars. Obama
expressed his faith in the experienced
and hardworking individuals whom
he sees as important team who
would help the nation in tackling
important challenges. He also
communicated his willingness to
work with them. According to her
records with the White House, Swati
Dandekar is a former Iowa state
legislator and member of the Iowa
Utilities Board. She had received
her BS from Nagpur University
A-221
and Post-graduate diploma from
Bombay University. She served the
Iowa Utilities Board from 2011 to
2013. She had served as the Senate
in the Iowa State from 2009 to 2011
and from 2002 to 2008 in the Iowa
State House of Representatives.
She fulfilled duties at Linn-Mar
Community School District Board
of Education from the year 1996 to
2002 and remained a member of the
Iowa Association of School Boards
from 2000 to 2002.
Subir Gokaran Appointed as
Executive Director of IMF: Subir
Gokaran, Former Deputy Governor
of Reserve Bank of India, was
appointed as an Executive Director
on the board of the International
Monetary Fund (IMF). The role
of the 56-year-old economist
was appointed on the approvals
of Appointments Committee of
Cabinet led by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi after an order
was issued by the Department of
Personnel and Training. Gokarans
role would be representing India,
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan
on the Washington-based IMF
Executive Board. The board is
responsible for the conduct of
business in the day-to-day world.
The IMF Executive Board comprises
24 Directors. Their appointments
are made by the member countries
and the Managing Director. The
managing director serves as the
chairman of the executive board.
The meetings of the board are held
several times in a week to carry out
their work on the papers prepared
by their staff and management. The
total casting vote represented by
A-222
Gokaran for the Indian Constituency
(India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and
Bhutan) would be 2.8 percent.
Countries like US, Japan, Germany,
UK and France have their individual
representatives. US has the highest
vote percentage of 16.74.
DECEMBER
2015 United Nations Climate
Change Conference (COP 21)
Held: 2015 United Nations Climate
Change Conference or COP 21
was held in Paris, France from 30
November to 12 December 2015. It
was the 21st yearly session of the
Conference of the Parties with a
proposal of achieving zero GHG
emissions growth by 2060-80. The
conference reached its objective for
the first time to achieve a global
agreement on reduction of climate
change in the Paris Agreement,
which was adopted with acclamation
by nearly all states. On the sidelines
of summit 189 parties had
submitted their Intended Nationally
Determined Contributions (INDCs)
on climate actions.
Gambia Declares Itself an Islamic
Republic: Gambia is a popular
beach destination for British tourists.
About 90 per cent of Gambias 1.8
million people are Muslim. The
country gained independence from
Britain in 1965. Gambias President
Yahya Jammeh has declared the tiny
West African country an Islamic
republic as because Islam is the
majority religion of its citizens and
is an attempt to break away from the
countrys colonial past. However,
Events
rights of Gambias Christian
community will be respected who
make up about eight percent of the
countrys population. There will be
no mandates on dress.
16th India-Russia Annual
Summit in Moscow: PM Modi
was in Russia for two days to
attend the annual India-Russia
Summit in Moscow with Russian
President Vladimir Putin to further
strengthen the already close bilateral
strategic partnership. The two
countries signed memorandums of
understanding (MOU) on technical
cooperation in the railway sector,
building solar energy plants in India,
investment cooperation in Russias
Far East.
India and Russia signed 16
Agreements/Memorandum of
Understandings (MoUs) to deepen
bilateral cooperation in the fields of
energy, security, technology, etc.
The agreements include protocol
amending the agreement, which
was signed on 21 December 2010,
between India and Russia on
simplification of requirements for
mutual travels of certain categories
of citizens of the two countries.
Agreement between India and
Russia on Cooperation in the field of
Helicopter Engineering was signed.
Programme of Action Agreed
Between the Department of Atomic
Energy of India and the Russian
State Atomic Energy Corporation
Rosatom for Localization of
Manufacturing in India for Russian-
Designed Nuclear Reactor Units.
 A-223

Floods in India: Are we prepared

enough to manage the disasters?

N atural disasters
always strike
without prior notice.
There is all likelihood
that with changing
climate, the frequency
and intensity of
extreme rain and
tropical cyclones will
increase resulting
in conditions that
will make us more
vulnerable and our
lives more hazardous. Disasters are now becoming more common-place and
occurring in least expected places. A pertinent question that often bothers
one is who is responsible for all these? Are we well prepared to handle the
calamity and forewarn people when they strike and therefore blame the
climatic changes or, if unprepared or underprepared, then why?
Floods are one of the most common hazards caused by various factors
such as heavy rainfall, melting of snow, tsunami effects or due to man-made
factors such as failure of dams or levee, urbanization, mismanagement of
reservoir, deforestation, unauthorized construction of buildings, inadequate
drainage infrastructure, etc. Floods cause rivers and waterways to overrun
their normal capacities of flowing and spread out to the surrounding land.
To manage city water systems, there are Flood Control Departments, Public
Health Engineering Departments, Development Authorities and Municipal
Corporations in every state. But how much is being done to plan and manage
the crisis is something to ponder?
Urban Centers
Urbanization in India is accelerating as the economic contribution
of agriculture to Indias Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is unwaveringly
declining with no improvement in economic opportunities in rural areas.
India has witnessed a staggering and unprecedented movement of people
from rural areas into the urban areas in the past few decades. Millions are
migrating to urban centers for employment and better living conditions.
However, most of those migrations are chaotic with no infrastructure in
A-224 Floods in India: Are we Prepared Enough to Manage the Disasters?

place to accommodate immigrants. When people move to urban areas, they

need space to live and work, and that invariably results in construction. It
is a known fact that a large number of unauthorized colonies occupied by
immigrants in different parts of India are without any drainage or sewerage
facilities. And what will befall upon them in an event of flood is anyones
guess. Networks of officers, engineers, contractors and politicians have
always had a tendency to overlook such constructions. Is the political class
myopic and insensitive to city problems? It indeed looks like, otherwise, how
could one allow a plethora of apartments in Dwarka, a locality in Delhi
without any proper access to the city centre. Why should the vehicles on NH
8 highway that connects Delhi to Gurgaon jostle their way or get jammed
most of the evenings because of a few marriage venues? The failure on the
part of the state to manage the exponential growth of our urban centers is
one of the critical factors that have led to the misery of some of the cities in
India. And this can have serious ramifications for human security.
Chennai floods are a perfect example of mismanagement and
unpreparedness towards a disaster of the magnitude that took place in
November 2015. Is blaming climate change or global warming enough? Have
we paid heed to the adverse role played by the governmental institutions
and political actors in creating such havoc and the dire implications it may
have for the country? An important question to reflect upon is: Has the state
failed to manage its urbanization?
Experts are of the view that Chennai floods are a man-made disaster.
According to environmentalists, over the years, water bodies across Chennai
have been filled up and built upon because of the interest of politicians in
the real estate business. A year back, 61 people died after a high-rise building
under construction on the lake bed collapsed. People still plod through knee-
deep to waist-deep waters in the citys low-lying areas. The blame has been
put on state governments for concretizing riverbeds and converting water
bodies into housing societies. Some residents name it vote bank politics
while others say its complicity with real estate developers.

Non-existent Drainage System

The drainage infrastructure reportedly in most of the municipalities
in Chennai is either nonexistent or inadequate barring a handful of
municipalities that have functional drainage systems. The planning
and design of drainage systems is
inappropriate. Moreover, there is
no data on where the drains are.
Environmentalist Satyarupa Shekhar
of Citizen Consumer and Civic
Action Group, Chennai is of the view
that there is no correct map. It is also
Floods in India: Are we Prepared Enough to Manage the Disasters? A-225

is unknown what the lifecycle of the drain is. At many places, sewer lines
have been illegally connected to the drains. When there are intersections
with the sewer networks, complete flooding of the city becomes inevitable. It
is actually sewage water which is flooding it.

Failure of the states bureaucracy

It has been alleged that the flood that swept Chennai was a disaster
caused by the state bureaucracys failure to regulate release of water from
Chembarambakkam reservoir in the city. The forecast by international
agencies that there was a likelihood of 500 mm of rain on December 1st
and 2 was ignored. The public works department officials had advised
the senior bureaucrats to bring down the water level in the reservoir from
22 feet to below 18 feet so that it could absorb heavy inflow that had to
come four days later. But the request to release lake water was entangled in
bureaucratic red tape. It was said by the reliable sources that orders to open
the Chembarambakkam sluice gates were not received till impactful pouring
inundated the city and the reservoir started overflowing. No one had kept a
tab on the amount of water that was overflowing from Chembarambakkam
after the reservoir reached its full capacity of 24 feet. The problem aggravated
with the breaching of Athannur lake releasing about 5000 cusecs (cubic feet
per second) into river Adyar. Hence, Chennai had to bear the brunt because
of unnecessary procrastination by some officials. Some pertinent questions
that remain unanswered are: Whose orders were the bureaucrats waiting
for to open the sluice gates? Who is to blame for the lapses? How will the
government ensure that reservoirs are maintained at appropriate levels?
What action will be taken for people residing on river banks?

Political Mileage
Even as noble individuals and voluntary organizations joined hands
in the rescue and relief operations political actors and miscreants grabbed
the opportunity for self-glorification. Strangely, instead of helping the
government in the timely delivery of relief material to the victim, many
of the lower-level functionaries of the ruling political party tried gaining
political mileage through their unjust actions of ensuring that the material
reached the VIPs ahead of the commoners and the relief packages had the
image of the minister on them. This led to the piling up of relief packages
and delays in their distribution. All this makes one wonder whether some
election gimmick took precedence over a humanitarian act of relieving the
A-226 Floods in India: Are we Prepared Enough to Manage the Disasters?

suffering victims. To top it all, panic spread through misinformation and

rumour-mongering. A few Army officers overseeing the relief operations
expressed their suspicion of being intentionally misled so that the VIPs in
posh localities could be rescued ahead of the commoners.
Similar mistakes of procrastination were made by the Uttarakhand
government in the year 2013. An Environmental Impact Assessment report
2014 for Uttarakhand by Bajpai et al argues that from June 14th to 17th, the
state of Uttarakhand and adjoining areas received the heaviest rainfall in 88
years. The report revealed that 80% of Uttarakhand was flooded, almost
10,000 people lost their lives, and the infrastructural systems suffered lengthy
breakdowns. It has been argued that poor environment management played
an important role. The situation was further magnified by the inadequate
preparedness and response of different disaster management agencies during
the crisis. The India Meteorological Department in Delhi issued flood
warnings for Uttarakhand from June 13th onward. The department issued
warning for extremely heavy rains of more than 244.5 mm for June 16 and
17. But the state paid no heed in spite of the initial warnings. Despite initial
reports of heavy rainfall, it was only on the evening of June 16 that the state
government issued a disaster warning, cautioning people about their travel to
the four pilgrimage centers. Yet there were no orders to halt the pilgrimage.
No sooner did the twelve bridges break down by the morning of June 17
than an alert was issued and rescue operations begun. Uttarakhand has also
witnessed a host of construction activities like building of underground
tunnels, resorts and hotels on river banks and encroachments of riverbeds.
All this intensifies the impact of a natural disaster.

The Way Out

Therefore, its important to remember that floods do not do the damage.
But improper planning and mismanagement does. Therefore, need of the
hour ought to be to put proper flood management systems in place. Measures
such as extensive flood forecasting systems, raising habitations above flood
levels and storing adequate food and fodder on raised platforms are some
of the many important steps that can help mitigate the crisis. It becomes
imperative that strict regulation of building plans is made mandatory and
construction disallowed on ecologically sensitive areas.
It seems a quote by Pandora Poikilos fits well here: Procrastination is
the foundation of all disasters. The apathy of the administrative machinery
in responding in time and the lackadaisical response of the government can
cost us heavily.
 A-227

Indias Bid for Permanent Seat at

UN Security Council

W hen the UN was formed, India wasnt an independent nation, neither

was it powerful or influential enough. Permanent membership of
the UN Security Council requires from a member nation that it provides
the Security Council some sort of foundation that provides the ability to
act and also the ability to maintain order. The member should also have a
strong military base, must be economically vibrant and should be capable
of displaying international influence. During the 1940s when UNSC was
in its early formative stage, India would not have surely met any of these
standards.
Why cant India be a permanent member of the United Nations
Security Council now?
India is not that powerful and its economy in comparison with other
permanent members is not close to being on par. While talking about the
Security Council
reforms, other three
countries (Germany,
Japan and Brazil)
are also discussed;
comparing to
them India stands
neither weaker nor
stronger. Brazil has
more than double
Indias financial
contributions to the UNSC. Russia is outside the top 10 contributors of UN
funding and Indias contribution is far less than them.
All four countries namely, India, Brazil, Germany and Japan have been
backed up by France and the United Kingdom while Russia particularly
supports Brazil and Germany. India would be the poorest out of the current
permanent members and the countries suggested to be added to the Security
Council. Though at present, India surpasses Russia and is shifting closer to
Brazil in terms of overall GDP, the per capita GDP of India would make it
the poorest of all permanent members. Economic power is used as a coercive
force by the Security Council and concerning developing nations, it gets
hard to get them along with accepting and enforcing economic sanctions.
So, adding a new member to the council would require the same to reach a
certain level of economic development.
United Nations Security Council reforms include five key aspects that
are defined as:
A-228 Indias Bid for Permanent Seat at UN Security Council

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Any reform of the council requires agreement of at least two-thirds of
the UN member states and of all the permanent members of the UNSC
enjoying the veto right. The top decision making body of the Security
Council consists of 15 members. It was on 14th September 2015, when a
meeting comprising of nearly 200 member countries of the United Nations
was held, which agreed to negotiate the wording of the document mentioning
the reformations of the council. China strongly opposed the expansion
of the council while different countries submitted written suggestions for
presenting their views of what the resolution must state in.
US, Russia and China secluded them from this exercise with China
demanding to force a veto on UN proceeding with one-year discussion on
framing of reform. It however failed to gain much support.
The Question of equitable representation on Security Council and the
increase in its membership were equally called upon in the draft resolution
for next years UN agenda. If this draft is agreed upon, it will pass on to the
General Assembly for votes and would require a two-thirds vote for final
clearance.

Indias Claim
With the advancements in Indias relationship with like-minded countries
in multilateral organisations, Indias bid for a permanent membership in the
UN Security Council is surely a legitimate claim. A stronger reverberant
is being received by the Council on a worldwide platform. Talking in
terms of foreign policy of India, it has very well conducted the 3rd India-
Africa Forum Summit recently and has been efficacious in involving the
participation of all 54 African countries in the summit. India has henceforth
transitioned from selecting a group of nations to accomplishing the aptitude
and knack for engaging all the African nations so diligently.
Right from the Arctic Council and the Pacific Alliance to the UN
Security Council, India is playing a significant role in strengthening bond
with concurring nations in multilateral organisations. Indias quest to enter
the elite club as a permanent member has been supported by US. During her
visit to India for the maiden India US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue,
the US permanent representative to the UN, Samantha Power has expressed
that US supported the view of a reformed UN Security Council with India
as a permanent member. She also opined that US favours the increased
consultations between the UNSC and the nations that contributed to the
peacekeeper troops.
Indias Bid for Permanent Seat at UN Security Council A-229

India has stood upfront for the UN Security Council reform and views it
as one of the most urgent and pressing needs. It also suggests the inclusion of
more developing nations in the decision making structures of the powerful
world body. The architecture of this body has been questioned by Indias
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj while she addressed the 70th
UN General Assembly. She argued that with the geo-political architecture
of 1945, we cannot have a Security Council in 2015 that doesnt allow a
permanent membership to Africa and Latin America. She also emphasised
on including more developing members to its decision making structure. The
Security Council in her words needs to change the style of its functioning
by discarding its archaic and non- apparent working methods. The Security
Council should thence be divulged with more legitimacy and balance to
restore its credibility and equip it for defying the concurrent challenges.
Though the council has been built for a wider world but it hasnt ever
challenged such unfairness in its system. The UN since its inception had been
successful in preventing a third world war and in promoting democracy and
human rights. It has abetted decolonisation and dismantling of apartheid.
It has also stood strong in battling global epidemics and plummeting global
hunger. But on the other hand, it has not subsisted in preventing conflicts
occurring in several parts of the world; neither has it come up with any
permanent solution for these conflicts. In the areas of international peace
and security, the United Nations seems to remain an ineffective institution
as it has botched in addressing the new challenges.
The negotiations on expanding and reforming the United Nations
Security Council is still under debate and will soon enter a crucial stage in the
coming year. Indias representative at the UNSC, Asoke Kumar Mukerji has
therefore suggested for an international campaign that should be formulated
and propelled for mustering support for its bid from the Indian diaspora, civil
society organisations and businesses around the world.
The final push for reforms will surely need the backing of UN member
nations US, Russia, China, United Kingdom and France. The various
constituencies that can influence their governments and lawmakers should
henceforth be tapped by India.
This decade old logjam in the reform process of the UN needs to be broken
through a negotiating text adopted consistently by the General Assembly.
Tapping the support of Indian diaspora is a must besides reassembling the
identified civil society organisations to the cause. A very strong influence of
the civil society can be marked through the recent climate change conference
held in French capital, Paris where they have buoyed the demands of India
and other developing countries for fair treatment and preserving their rights
to development. A negotiating text is very much essential in laying out
the framework for negotiations without which the UN reform discussion
couldnt further in an eloquent manner. Hence, for candidates like India who
seek a permanent status, it is very much required from the certain current
permanent members to become less and less capable of influencing events
on global level. Until then India should be patient and wait for its turn.
A-230

The Role of Education in a

Knowledge Economy

S ocialist, capitalist, and welfare economies are fast becoming things of the
past as the current world order is rapidly moving towards a knowledge
economy. The 21st century is hailed by many as the Knowledge Age.
The World Bank officially defines a knowledge economy as an economy
that creates, disseminates, and uses knowledge to enhance its growth and
development. In other words, it refers to a nation that uses data as its raw
material, and transforms it into knowledge and expertise using human
intelligence, technology, and analysis tools. In todays highly interconnected
and globalised world, knowledge resources such as trade secrets and
technological expertise are as critical to a countrys growth as other economic
resources. It is therefore in every nations interest to develop its knowledge
capabilities to their full potential so as to be fully prepared to compete in the
global knowledge economy.
The World Bank has recognised the four pillars that form the base of a
knowledge economy: Economic Incentive and Institutional Regime (EIR),
Innovation and Technological Adoption, Education and Training, and
Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) Infrastructure. The
EIR consists of incentives that promote the growth of entrepreneurship
and the efficient use of existing as well as new knowledge. A system of
innovation centres, such as firms, universities, research institutions, think-
tanks, consultancies, and other organisations is required to put the global
stock of knowledge to good use, to adapt it to local and national needs, and
to create new technological solutions. Education and appropriate training
of the population are needed to make it capable of generating, sharing, and
utilising knowledge. And in the end, modern and highly accessible ICT
infrastructure is required to facilitate effective communications and the
dissemination and handling of information, which can be transformed into
valuable knowledge.

India: A growing knowledge economy

The Indian society has traditionally laid great emphasis on knowledge.
Some of the worlds major academic disciplines, religions, ideas, and theories
find their roots in traditional Indian knowledge. Modern estimates suggest
that knowledge will continue to drive growth in India for another 100 years.
Indias swift transition to a knowledge economy is quite evident in the fact
that a majority of the top twenty companies on the countrys stock exchange
are knowledge-based, unlike only a few years before. Moreover, until six
The Role of Education in a Knowledge Economy A-231

years ago, India did not have a single billion-dollar start-up (or unicorn) in
the technology start-up space, and today it has eight. This has taken India
from nowhere to being third in the world in terms of billion dollar start-
ups. While most path-breaking innovations in the world have come from the
developed world, developing countries like China have begun to show their
knowledge prowess on a global scale, as the highest number of international
patents is lately being filed from China. India, with its unique blend of
traditional knowledge and modern spirit of entrepreneurialism, can hardly
be left far behind.
The evolution of economies throughout most of the world has followed a
consistent trend: from pre-industrial agriculture-based economy to industrial
economy, and then on from post-industrial service-intensive economy to the
knowledge economy now. However, the trajectory was slightly different in
India, as the services sector proliferated into the Indian economy at a much
faster pace than the industrial sector. This made India a services-oriented
economy even before the manufacturing sector could develop completely.
According to 2014 estimates, nearly 60% of the Indian population is in the
working age group (18-64). The proliferation of the services sector, paired
with the Indian demographic profile, gives the country a potential edge over
its competitors in the developing world.

The role of education in fostering knowledge economy

Education plays a driving role in promoting knowledge economy.
Primary education ensures literacy and the development of basic cognitive
skills, whereas secondary education lays down the foundation of a healthy,
skilled labour force that is capable of learning new skills and adapting old
skills according to need. Tertiary education further hones the individuals
intellectual capacity to produce knowledge and utilise it. To further
supplement these capacities, there should also be provisions for lifelong
learning that helps countries and populations adapt to changing market
demands. In the industrial age, educational institutions were designed to
produce worker-citizens. In the 21st century, on the other hand, schools
can no longer just produce mindless labour. There is thus an urgent need
for revision in the way education is imparted in order to make way for
inculcation of new skills and the spirit of innovation in young minds. In
India, even though near full enrolment has been achieved at the primary
level, the quality and accessibility of secondary and tertiary education need
serious attention. Once these educational structures are transformed and
made accessible to all, nothing can stop Indias triumphant march into the
global knowledge economy.
A-232 The Role of Education in a Knowledge Economy

Reforming education using ICT

ICT can be used to give access to learning and education to those
sections of the society that face exclusion, such as high school dropouts,
illiterate farmers, and children with disabilities. It can also contribute greatly
in improving the quality of teaching and learning outcomes in existing
educational institutions. The Digital India initiative was launched in July
2015 with the aim of digitally connecting India so as to foster a digitally
empowered society and knowledge economy. The project includes initiatives
like universal access to mobile and broadband connectivity, e-governance,
e-healthcare, National Scholarships Portal, and the electronic delivery
of many other services. Moving ahead, a larger goal for the state is to
transform its role in education from that of the sole provider to a facilitator
and quality assurer. There is also a pressing need to address the political
economy of educational reforms, which often acts as a hindering force in the
implementation of corrective policies and measures in the education sector.

Need to move from knowledge economy to knowledge society

All said and done, it should be kept in view that knowledge economy and
knowledge society are two completely distinct and antithetical terms. While
knowledge economy gives rise to the concept of intellectual property rights,
wherein knowledge can be patented and monopolised by the originator, a
knowledge society can only be established when people at the bottom rungs
of society are able to benefit from this knowledge. Social and digital inclusion
is the fundamental criteria for a society to qualify as a knowledge society.
For instance, while it is imperative that patenting be allowed to make sure
innovation does not get discouraged, at the same time it is also necessary
to reduce the number of years for which patents are granted so as to make
knowledge accessible to all.
Just as the 19th century is touted to have been the European century,
and the 20th century the American century, the 21st century could
potentially be the Indian century. But for that, India needs to look at itself
in a whole new light. The nation needs to expand itself as a knowledge
economy built on innovation, skills, and technology, where the government,
corporates, educators and start-ups come together in the pursuit of economic
collaboration and advancement. And education will undoubtedly play an
essential role in building these institutions and ensuring effective linkages
between them.
 A-233

Environmental Democracy Index

& India

E nvironmental Democracy Index is a powerful tool that works in the wake

of critical moments in environment and sustainability in the current
scenario. In a world where environmental issues are becoming matters of
concern, implementation of good governance and environmental rights are
found to be essential. This will not just help the government but also give the
ordinary citizens opportunity to enjoy the advocacy for more rights concerning
environment. This Index comes as a common objective to understand the
state of environmental democracy for all countries of the world. It also forms
the structure for empowering the laws and promoting the public participation
and involvement in environmental issues.
Environmental Democracy Index evaluates the progress of countries on certain
parameters related to their concerns for environment. It checks the countries
progress in enacting laws for promoting citizens engagement and accountability,
transparency in environmental decision-making. This index does this evaluation
of the countries on the basis of recognised international standards that include
75 legal and 24 practice indicators.
Environmental Democracy is the concept of providing environmental information
available to the public. It expects of the government a simple decree that allows
the citizens to be a meaningful part of the environmental decision-making
process. This access to information, participation and justice for decisions
about the environment in an amalgamated form accounts to the Environmental
Democracy Index (EDI). Developed by The Access Initiative and World
Resources Institute along with the civil society partners from around the world,
this EDI weighs the citizens rights to access environmental information. It
also evaluates their participation about natural resources and the complaints
registered by them or any judicial action taken on those decisions. It also serves
as a review mechanism for environmental agreements.
The Access Initiative (TAI) is the largest network in the world that strives to
ensure that citizens are accessed the right and ability to influence decisions
about their natural resources.
These are the rights which stand interconnected and are basic principles of EDI:
EDI aims to provide the citizens the right to:
x Access information freely on problems and quality of environment
x Participate in decision-making which should be meaningful and realistic
x Pursue enforcement of the environmental laws or seek compensation for harm
While signing the 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, the
governments of 178 nations recognized these rights as part of the Principle 10 of
A-234 Environmental Democracy Index & India

the pact. The minimum standards and obligates parties to the convention required
for implementation of these rights are defined by the Aarhus Convention. It
also provides a compliance mechanism which the citizens of the countries that
are parties to convention can get access to. Central to responsive and effective
environmental governance, these rights need to be systematically measured.
Considering the fact that the environmental democracy is meant to serve
sustainable democracy, these rights to access of information, participation
and justice on matters related to environmental concerns need recognition
and establishment by a countrys law. Once understood the true force of these
rights, thence the extent to establishing and recognizing these rights can be
measured. Measuring the extent includes the breadth of coverage across the
range of these decision making processes and their pre-emptive steps to address
the barriers which act as deterrence to fulfilling these rights.
Based on the objective and internationally recognized standards established
by the United Nations Environment Programmes (UNEP) Bali Guidelines,
the Environmental Democracy Index evaluates 70 countries across 75 legal
indicators and includes a supplemental set of 24 limited practice indicators
that keep an eye on the countrys performance in implementation.
Assessments were held in 2014 and need to be updated every two years. Over
more than 140 lawyers around the world evaluated and scored the national
laws and practices. This unique platform with an objective to spread awareness
to engage audiences for strengthening the environmental laws and public
engagement includes various features. These include:

EDI

In-depth country Country

information Comparisons

Rankings

Government Public & Civil

Feedback Society Engagement

What makes EDI unique?

EDI stands unique in its structure and contributions. It has a broad scope and
valuable gravity for expediting the comparison amongst nations and analysing
their legal frameworks systematically as well.
Environmental Democracy Index & India A-235

Comprehensive
Evaluation of
Environmental
Democracy

International
Up-to-date
Benchmarking
Scoring
Standard
Unique Design
and contributions
of EDI

Assessment of Actionable
Laws in Practice Evidence

Where does India stand?

As per the index released by Washington-based World Resources Institute
(WRI) and Access Initiative, out of the 70 countries in the first Environmental
Democracy Index, Lithuania grabbed the first position while India ranked 24th.

Top 10 Countries with strong environmental Demo

Lithuania 2.42 United Kingdom 2.14
Latvia 2.31 Hungary
Russia 2.25 Bulgaria 2.10
United States 2.16 panama 2.02
South Africa 2.16 Colombia 1.99
All the top performing countries ensured their citizens the right to participate
in major national environmental decisions like infrastructure projects, forest
management planning, pollution permitting and more. Lithuania which marks
an outstanding performance on the justice bar has a good Civil Procedure
Code and Law on Environmental Protection which helps bring environmental
cases in the public interest.
The top ten performers list also indicates something interesting. It depicts that
strong environmental democracy laws do not require wealth for implementation
and formulation. In spite of being resource-strapped, nations like Panama
A-236 Environmental Democracy Index & India

and Colombia which rank ninth and tenth in the list have successfully enacted
strong environmental laws. Even an upper-middle income country like South
Africa has been the fifth nation to set clear-headed environmental policies.

Lowest-Scoring Countries for Environmental Democracy Laws

Belize 0.82 Sri Lanka 0.67
Combodia 0.76 Congo (REP OF) 0.66
Jordan 0.76 Nambia 0.59
Saint Lucia 0.73 Malaysia 0.58
Nepal 0.68 Haiti 0.51

It has been incurred that many countries are still much behind when it comes to
providing its citizens with the right to access information on basic environmental
facts. Out of all the assessed nations:
x Around 79 per cent have earned fair or good ratings for public
participation.
x Nearly half or around 46 per cent of them do not offer any data online
which states the ambient air quality of their capital cities or major cities.
x 73 per cent of the countries hear environmental cases in their judiciary
or courts and
x Only 14 per cent of the assessed nations keep legal mechanism for helping
women to contact courts so that they can get redressal on violation of
their environmental rights.
For the bottom performers, its an indicative that their governments are not very
open to their people. They need to proactively make environmental information
public. India being the 24th on this chart holds a significant position in this regard
and looks forward to ensuring more free and functional public participation
in matters concerning the environment. Its time we strengthen our position
on the global platform more and step towards development keeping an eye on
the environment as a key factor of our holistic approach to overall health and
well-being of our environment and biodiversity. We need to utilise our freedom
and rights in equilibrium so that the overall impact on the environment can
be justified in the end.
A-237
A-238
MARCH
Haryana Government Bans Cow
Slaughter: Haryana Government
passed the Haryana Gauvansh
Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan
Bill, 2015 which bans cow slaughter
in the state. This Bill aims to save and
develop indigenous breeds of cows
in the State. Anyone found guilty
of cow slaughter would be liable
for imprisonment for 3 to 10 years,
along with fine ranging from Rs. 30
thousand to Rs. 1 lakh. If a person
kills a cow in an accident or for
self-defence will not be considered
slaughter.
Sale of beef is completely banned
in the state. Any person found in
violation of the ban is liable to 3 to 5
years of rigorous imprisonment with
fine of up to Rs. 50 thousand. Any
person found guilty of exporting
a cow for the purpose of slaughter
either directly or indirectly will be
imprisoned for 3 to 7 years with a
fine ranging from Rs. 30 thousand to
Rs. 70 thousand.
Worlds Largest and Tallest Indian
Flag Unfurled in Haryana: Worlds
largest and tallest Indian national
flag was unfurled on 3rd March,
2015 at Town Park in Faridabad,
Haryana. The flags dimension is
96 feet by 64 feet and weighs 48
kilograms. It was hoisted at a height
of 250 feet (75 meters) which makes
it the Worlds largest and the highest
hoisted Indian flag. Another similar
flag is located at the Central Park
in Connaught Place, New Delhi.
The dimension of the flag is 60 feet
in width and 90 feet in length and is
hoisted on the top of a 207 feet high
mast.
Issues
APRIL
Lowering of Age of Juveniles from
18 to 16 Years for Heinous Crimes
: On 23rd April 2015, Union Cabinet
approved lowering of age of juveniles
from eighteen to sixteen years for
heinous crimes.
This amendment proposes and adds
special provisions to tackle heinous
offences like murder and rape
committed by juveniles in the age
group of 16-18 year.
The cabinet also approved Amendment
to the Juvenile Justice (Care and
Protection of Children) Bill, 2014.
The amendments in the bill add
provisions that in case a heinous crime
committed by a person between 16 and
18 years, the accused will be examined
by the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) to
assess if the crime was committed as
a child or as an adult. Then the trial
of the accused will take place either
as a juvenile or as an adult on basis
of JJBs assessment and accordingly
it will be decided whether the culprit
should be sent to an observation home
or tried in a regular court.
Amendments in the Prevention
of Corruption Act, 1988 : The
Union Cabinet headed by the Prime
Minister approved the proposal to
bring corruption under heinous crime
category. The approval was given
on 30th April, 2015. The proposed
amendment will ensure speedy trial
on corruption cases, limited to only
two years.
The Prevention of Corruption
(Amendment) Bill, 2013 was
introduced by the UPA government
in the Rajya Sabha. The committee
submitted its report on the bill to the
Rajya sabha in February,2014 but
the Bill was not passed. The latest
Issues
Cabinet decision further amended
the Bill based on the reports of the
Department related Parliamentary
Standing Committee and the Law
Commission of India on the earlier
Bill.
The approved bill includes penal
provisions being extended from
six months to three years and from
maximum five years to seven years.
Non-monetary gratification will also
be taken under the definition of the
word gratification in the proposed
corruption act,1988.
The proposed amendments also
give out a stricter punishment for
offences of bribery. Under this,both-
the bribe giver and bribe taker would
be punished.
MAY
Governors Reshuffied: President
Pranab Mukherjee on 12th May
2015 appointed Governors for four
States, bringing down the number
of Governors who had been holding
the additional charge of more than
two States for the past few months.
These appointments and transfers
were done in accordance with Article
155 of the Constitution of India. V
Shanmuganathan, member of BJP
national executive, was appointed
as the Governor of Meghalaya.
Draupadi Murmu was appointed
as the Governor of Jharkhand. She
is from BJP and was a Member of
Legislative Assembly (MLA) from
Odishas Rairangpur constituency in
2000. Tathagata Roy was appointed
as Governor of Tripura. Roy had
unsuccessfully contested on BJP seat
from Kolkata Dakshin Lok Sabha
constituency in 2014. JP Rakkhowa
was appointed as Governor of
Arunachal Pradesh. He is a 1968-batch
IAS officer. Syed Ahmed, Governor
A-239
of Jharkhand was shifted to Manipur
and his tenure will end in September
2016. Also, Lt General (retd.) Nirbhay
Sharma, who was serving as Governor
of Arunachal Pradesh since May,
2011, was transferred and appointed
as Governor of Mizoram for the
remainder of his term, which ends
in 2018.
JUNE
Literacy Rate 71 Percent In Rural
Areas, 86 Percent In Urban Areas:
NSSO survey According to the NSSO
reports literacy rate in rural areas rose
to 71 per cent last year in comparison
to 86 per cent in urban areas. It was
also found out that among the age
group of seven years and above, male
literacy rate was higher than the female
literacy rate. In the children aged seven
year and above, the male literacy rate
was registered at 83 per cent whereas
the female literacy rate was 67 per cent.
According to the data recorded from
the rural areas, only 4.5 per cent of
males and 2.2 per cent of females are
graduates and above, while in the
urban areas 17 per cent of males and
13 per cent of females have completed
this level of education. It was also
found out that 72 per cent of the
students at primary level, 76 per cent at
upper primary level and 64 per cent at
secondary and higher secondary levels
have attended government institutions.
Whereas in urban areas, 31 per cent
at primary level, 38 per cent at upper
primary level as well as secondary
and higher secondary level attended
government institutions.
The nationwide survey was conducted
by the National Sample Survey Office
(NSSO) under the Ministry of Statistics
and Programme Implementation.
A-240
Union Government hiked national
floor-level minimum wage to 160 rupees
per day: Union Labour and Employment
Minister Bandaru Dattatreya announced
that the National Floor Level
Minimum Wage (NFLMW) has been
increased to Rs. 160 per day from
the current Rs. 137. The revised rate
will be effective from 1st July 2015.
The union minister has written to
the chief ministers and lieutenant
governors to take necessary steps to
fix minimum rates of wages in respect
of all scheduled employments in states
and union territories not below the
revised level.
NFLMW is a non-statutory measure
and after every revision states are
persuaded to fix minimum wages
such that in none of the scheduled
employments the minimum wage
is less than NFLMW. The list of
scheduled employment under the
Minimum Wage Act, 1948, differs
from state to state and covers a
wide spectrum of employment
creating sectors including industry,
construction, agriculture and
services sector. In order to have a
standardized wage structure and to
reduce the discrepancy in minimum
wages across the country, NFLMW
is fixed on the basis of the CPI-IW
(consumer price index for industrial
workers). The NFLMW was last
revised from Rs 115 to Rs 137 per
day in July 2013.
JULY
India to become most populous
nation by 2022: UN Report : The
UN has released a report on 29th
July 2015 named World Population
Prospectus: The 2015 Revision at the
UN Headquarters in New York which
stated India will soon surpass Chinas
Population in less than a decade. At
present, China is the most populous
country of the world with the
population approximately 1.38 billion
Issues
and India is second most populous
country with 1.31 billion people. India
and China cover around 18% and 19%
of the worlds population respectively.
According to this Report, by 2022,
India would become the most
populous nation of the world. It is
also stated that Indias population
will grow for several decades and it
will be around 1.5 billion by 2030 and
1.7 billion by 2050. If we see Indias
population density, it is already more
than double of that of China. Chinas
population density is 141 people per sq
km while Indias population density
is 382 people per sq km.
It is also projected in the report that
the worlds total population at present
is 7.3 billion which will increase up
to 8.5 billion by 2030 and 9.7 billion
in 2050 and by the year 2100, there
will be 11.2
Socio Economic and Caste Census
2011: Union Government released the
first ever Socio-Economic and Caste
Census (SECC) after 80 years on the
lines of the 1931 census. It was released
by the Union Finance Minister Arun
Jaitly and union Minister of Rural
development, Panchayati Raj, Water
supply and Sanitation, Chaudhary
Birendra Singh. The SECC findings
reflect the state of poverty and
deprivation as well as important
social trends in rural India such as
ownership of assets, marital status,
gender dynamics, educational and
employment in rural India.
Following are the indications according
to the census:
x There are 24.39 crore total
number of households in the
country, of which 17.91 crore
live in villages. Of these 10.69
crore households are considered
as deprived 50 per cent or 5.37
crore households in rural areas
are landless and depend on
manual labour for livelihood.
Issues
x Household Size: Average size of
a rural Indian household is 4.93.
Uttar Pradesh has the highest at
6.26 and Andhra Pradesh has
the lowest of 3.86. 2.37 crore
(13.25%) families live in one
room houses with kaccha walls
and roof.
x Literacy: 36 per cent of 884
million people living in rural
India are illiterate. Over one-
third of population living in
rural areas is illiterate. This is
higher than the 32% recorded
in 2011 census. In terms of
percentage Kerala has higher
literacy (88.62), Delhi (86.42),
Goa (84.58), Sikkim (79.88)
and Himachal Pradesh (77.95).
Rajasthan has the lowest literacy
rate (58), Madhya Pradesh
(44.9), Bihar (43.85), Telengana
(40.42) and Chattisgarh (39.59).
x SC and ST Population: Large
proportion of households across
the country belongs to the SC
and ST category, i.e. about 30
per cent of rural households.
x Employment: Rural India has
largely self-employed population
or people are employed mostly
in the unorganised sector.
Around 10 per cent households
are on salaried jobs of which the
majority are in government jobs.
The SECC 2011 was conducted in all
states and union territories of India
and the first findings were revealed
on 3rd July 2015 by Union Finance
Minister Arun Jaitly. SECC 2011 is
also first paperless census in India
conducted on hand-held electronic
devices by the government in 640
districts. The Union Government
has taken a decision to use the SECC
data in all its programmes such as
MGNREGA, National Food Security
Act, Deen Dayal Upadhaya Grameen
Kaushalaya Yojana.
A-241
SEBI Cancelled Certificate of
Registration of Sahara Mutual
Fund : The capital market regulator
SEBI (Securities and Exchange
Board of India) has cancelled the
registration of Sahara Mutual Fund
as it had found that the fund house
and their sponsors are no longer a
fit and proper company to do mutual
fund business. The Sahara group is
a leading privately owned company.
SEBI ordered Sahara to transfer
all the operations and activities of
Sahara India Financial Corporation
Limited (Sahara Sponsor) and Sahara
Asset Management Company Private
Limited (Sahara AMC) to an another
fund house and SEBI approved Asset
Management Company in five months.
The company was also instructed to
return the Certificate of Registration
to SEBI within six months.
SEBI also passed an order that if
Sahara fails to transfer asset to another
asset manager within the given time
frame, then it will be mandatory for
Sahara to redeem the units allotted to
its investors and credit the respective
fund to the investors within 30 days,
that too without any additional cost.
SEPTEMBER
Law Commission submits report on
Death Penalty : The Law Commission
of India on 31 August submitted its
272-page draft report on the Death
penalty to the Union Government.
The report favours speedy abolition
of the death penalty from the statute
books, except in cases where the
accused is convicted of involvement in
a terror case or waging war against the
nation. The report was submitted by
Chairman of Law commission Justice
(retd) AP Shah.
A-242
The report further said that, the
administration of death penalty, even
within the restrictive environment of
rarest of rare doctrine was constitutionally
unsustainable. Continued administration
of death penalty raises constitutional
questions related to the miscarriage of
justice, errors, as well as the plight of
the poor in the criminal justice system.
Main highlights of the report
x The commission questioned the
mercy petition system provided
for under the Constitution.
The exercise of mercy powers
under Articles 72 and 161 of
Indian Constitution have failed
in acting as the final safeguard
against miscarriage of justice
in the imposition of the death
sentence.
x The report stated that from 26
January 1950 till date, successive
Presidents have accepted 306
mercy petitions and rejected 131.
x In focusing on death penalty, as
the ultimate measure of justice
to victims, the restorative and
rehabilitative aspects of justice
are lost sight of.
x It is essential that the state
establish effective compensation
schemes to rehabilitate victims
of crime.
x The voices of victims and witnesses
are often silenced by threats
and other coercive techniques
employed by powerful accused
persons. Hence, it is essential that
a witness protection scheme shall
also be established.
FCRA registration of Greenpeace
cancelled
The Union home ministry on
September 3 cancelled the foreign
contribution registration
Greenpeace India as it continued using
its Foreign Contribution Registration
Act (FCRA) accounts despite the
suspension of the same.
Issues
In an affidavit filed in court, the
ministry of home affairs claimed
that Greenpeace had violated FCRA
by mixing its foreign and domestic
contributions. The affidavit was
filed in a plea moved by the NGO
challenging the suspension of its
FCRA registration and freezing of
its foreign and domestic contribution
accounts. Greenpeace was on 27 May
allowed by the court to use two of its
accounts for the purpose of receiving
and utilizing fresh domestic donations
for its day-to-day functioning. The
ministry had on 9 April suspended
the NGOs registration under FCRA
for 180 days.
Greenpeace India was founded in
2001, and is a registered society with
offices in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore,
Patna, Kolkata and Chennai.
Greenpeace India campaigns to
protect Indias forests, for clean air
and water, to promote solar power,
to prevent the dangerous impacts of
climate change and nuclear power, for
safe food and ecological farming and
to protect freedom of speech.
One Rank One Pension scheme
finally announced
The Union Government on 5
September 2015 announced One Rank
One Pension (OROP) scheme for ex-
servicemen. The scheme was pending
for nearly four decades. This was
announced by the Defence Minister
Manohar Parrikar. The scheme OROP
will be in effect from 1 July 2014.
OROP, (one rank, one pension) scheme
promises to pay uniform pension to
the Armed Forces Personnel retiring
in the same rank with the same
length of service irrespective of their
of
date of retirement and any future
enhancement in the rates of pension
to be automatically passed on to the
past pensioners.
Issues
Highlights of OROP
x Will be in force from July 1, 2014
and the base year will be 2013
x Estimated cost for the
implementation of OROP is
8,000 to 10,000 Crores
x Pension revision after every 5 years
x Soldiers who have died naturally
during war will be a beneficiary
of the OROP scheme
x Arrears will be paid in instalments
4 half yearly
x All widows including war
widows will be paid arrears in
one instalment
x Revised pension will be the
average of the minimum and
maximum pension in 2013
x Those who were drawing above
the average will be protected,
their pension will not be reduced
x A one-member judicial committee
will be constituted which will
report on equalization period in
6 months, for revision of pension
Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban
Mission
Union Cabinet headed by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on 16
September 2015 approved the Shyama
Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission
(SPMRM). The Mission was approved
with an outlay of 5142.08 crore rupees
and facilitates transforming rural
areas to economically, socially and
physically sustainable spaces.
The mission aims to create 300 Rurban
growth clusters over the next 3 years,
across the country. Development of
Rurban growth clusters, which have
latent potential for growth, in all States
and Union Territories to trigger overall
development in the region. These
clusters are essentially Smart Villages.
Rural growth clusters would be
developed by provisioning of
economic activities, developing
skills and local entrepreneurship and
providing infrastructure amenities.
A-243
The funding for Rurban Clusters
will be through various schemes of
the Government converged into the
cluster. The SPMRM will provide an
additional funding support of up to 30
percent of the project cost per cluster
as Critical Gap Funding (CGF) as
Central Share to enable development
of such Rurban clusters.
OCTOBER
Article 370 cant be changed,
abrogated: J&K High Court :
Jammu and Kashmir High Court,
in their judgement, have stated that
Article 370 cannot be abrogated or
amended as it is a permanent feature
of the Constitution. The Article 370
grants special status to the State.
The Judgment Bench comprised
of justices Hasnain Massodi and
Janak Raj Kotwal. They said that
though Article 370 was a temporary
provision, it has gained permanence
in the Constitution. Under Article
370 (1), the President was given the
right to extend any provision of the
Constitution to the State subject to
consultation and agreement of the
State government; he may choose
to amend, alter, delete or omit part
or make additions to a provision
applied to the State. Some general
category government officials filed
petitions to challenge orders released
by the government to promote junior
officials under the Reservation Act and
Rules. These officials are members of
J&K Engineering (Gazetted) Service
Hydraulic Wing, J&K Law officers
(subordinate) Service, J&K Animal
Husbandry (Gazetted) Service. The
court stated that the provisions
of reservation made in terms of
Section 6 of Reservation Act and
Reservation Rules 9, 10 and 34 were
unconstitutional. The Constituent
Assembly of J&K did not recommend
any amendment of Article 370 before
its dissolution in 1957.
A-244
Government test shows 12.5%
food items contain unapproved
pesticides: On October 2, 2015,
traces of pesticides in significant
amount were found in a number of
vegetables, fruits, milk and other food
items by the government. The samples
were collected from wholesale outlets
and retail stores across the country.
Monitoring of Pesticide Residues was
launched in the year 2005 to ensure
that the food items do not contain
any pesticides in them. About 12.50
percent of the 20618 samples gathered
were found adulterated with pesticides
according to the report from the
Monitoring of Pesticide Residues.
1,180 vegetable samples, 225 fruit
samples, 732 spice samples, 30 rice
samples and 43 pulses samples were
tested. Apart from these, wheat, fish,
meat, egg, tea, milk and even surface
water were examined by the ministry.
The pesticides found during the 2014-
15 collection were non-approved
ones like profenophos, metalaxyl
and hexaconazole in rice, triazofos,
metalaxyl, carbaryl and acephate in
pulses, acephate, bifenthrin, triazofos,
acetamiprid, malathion and metalaxyl
in vegetables. The samples taken from
organic outlets and Agricultural
Produce Marketing Committee
(APMC) markets were also found
contaminated with pesticides.
Mortality rate among Indian girls
below age of five higher than the
boys: UN Report : According to the
report released by United Nations
(UN), India is one of the countries
that is experiencing excess of the
male gender when compared to the
girls. More deaths of girl child under
age five, has been noted in India.
The mortality rate of girls in the
Issues
country is directly connected with
the preference of the parents for a
boy child. Vaccinations, parental
care, parental investments, special
treatment are among few benefits that
boys get over girls. Despite banning of
the sex-selective abortions, there has
been little effect on the sex ratio so far.
Eastern Asia has about 50.5 million,
Southern Asia about 49.5 million and
Western Asia has about 12.1 million
of surplus men. The high percentages
of the surplus men in these regions are
mainly due to China, India and Saudi
Arabia and the UAE respectively. The
percentage of labour among women
has decreased from 35 to 27 in India
and 72 to 64 in China. Child marriage
is yet another issue that is practiced in
South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
India holds one-third of the total child
marriages taking place in the world.
NEW BLACK MONEY LAW
x Under the new law, a three
month compliance window has
been given for disclosure of all
undeclared foreign assets fill next
month, for which they would
need to pay 30% tax & 30%
penalty & escape further action.
x After this window, anyone with
undisclosed foreign assets would
have to pay 30% tax & 90% penalty
& they would also be liable/labile
for jail term of upto 10 years.
x The law also provides for
Punishment for abetment. This
provision would be applicable to
everyone who abets or induces
in any manner another person
to make & deliver an account
or a statement or declaration
relating to tax payable under this
Act which is false & which he
Issues A-245

either knows to be false or does month in a row Indias merchandise

not belive to be true or to commit exports dipped 24.33% in September
on offence. The abettor would to USD 21.84 billion, mainly due to
be punishable with rigorous
step fall in shipments of petroleum
imprisonment for a term which
shall not be less than 6 months products, iron ore jens & jewelery, tea
but which may extend to 7 years ,coffee & engineering goods amid tepid
& with fine. global demand.
Last-Minute Rush An overvalued rupee, declining imports
Nearly 300 The total from china & slewer global growth
people have amount are seen as reasons for Indias export
declared assets is close to
woes. The commerce department is
under new black `3,000 cr
money law pressing for more incentives such as
STEEP TAX Fillings can subsidised finance to give a boost to
Those declaring be made on Indias exports.
tax will have to pay line in return
Exports in the first half of the year
30 % tax and 30% they will not
penalty be prosecuted were about $133 billion. In 2014-15,
under the Indias exports totaled $310.5 billion.
harsh law Tobacco, oil meals & cereal
The declarations will be kept secret
preparations have been added to
NOVEMBER the new list of products showing
growth, besides drugs & pharma, jute,
Ten Straight Monthly Decline in
products including floor coverings &
Exports : Contracting for the 10th
handicrafts.
Trade Woes
Contraction in export and import deepens...
0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug
-5
-7.48
19
-11. -9.95
-10
-15.66 -13.4 -10.3
-15 -11
.39
-13.96
-20
-21.06 -20.19
-20.66 -24.33
-25
-25.42
-30
A-246 Issues

NOT MUCH TO CHEER JAN 8.32 ..but trade deficit at

manageable levels
24 out of 30 exports sector FAB 6.84
show contraction MANY ISSUES
MAR 11.79 Global trade growing at a
Among the big items APR 10.99 slow pace
only pharma has reported
growth MAY 10.4
Comeptition tough for
India because of over
JUN 10.82 valued rupee
Engineering goods exports
down 22 % JUL 12.81 Chinas imports falling
12.47
AUG Low crude prices
Petroleum exports decline 10.47 impacting both exports and
60% SEP
imports
Daughters cannot inherit Ancestral new law would apply regardless of the
Property if father died before 2005: date of birth of the girl child.
SC : The Supreme Court of India has DECEMBER
said that right to ancestral property of
India Ranks 130th in Human
a daughter does not apply if the father
Development Index: UNDP: As
died before the year 2005. According
per United Nations Development
to the amended provisions of the
Programme (UNDP) report on account
Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act,
of rise in life expectancy and per capita
2005, it is important for the father to be
income, India has been ranked among
alive on September 9, 2005, to let the
130 among 188 countries in 2014 in
daughter inherit a share in her fathers
Human Development Report 2015
property along with the other male
comparing to 135 in 2014 report. The
siblings. The Hindu Succession Act
2015 Human Development Report
of 1956 originally denied any right
(2015 HDR) was on Rethinking Work
of women on the inheritance of
for Human Development. Between
ancestral property as her brothers
1980 and 2014, Indias HDI value
or male relatives had. However, the
increased from 326 to 0.609 showing
amendment entails a restriction that
an increase of 68.1% or an average
if the property had been alienated or
annual increase of about 1.54%.
partitioned before the date the Bill
Norway topped followed by Australia
was introduced, that it, December
and Switzerland in the list.
20, 2004, the woman or girl child
will not be given any share to the Union Cabinet Gives Nod to Amend
property. The daughters will not be Constitution (Scheduled Castes)
able to make appeal in the court for Order, 1950 : The Union Cabinet,
such properties. The restriction has chaired by Prime Minister, gave its
been the judgement of the apex court. approval for introduction of a Bill
Regarding the applicability of the new for amendments to the Constitution
amendment, it has been said that the (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, in
Issues
order to modify the list of Scheduled
Castes in respect of the five states
Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Kerala,
Odisha and West Bengal. The castes
and communities that were found
eligible for their inclusion in SC
category are Sais from Chhatisgarh
who are also known as Sahis,
Sarathi, Soot-Sarathi and Thanwar.
Two castes from Haryana have also
been included in the SC list. These
are Aheria, also called Aheri, Hari,
Heri, Thori and Turi, and Rai Sikh.
In Kerala, Peruvannan caste has
been included the SC list while
Malayan from certain areas will
also be entitled to the same benefits.
Castes, which have been excluded
from the OBC list consequent upon
their inclusion in SC list include
Bariki and Kummari from Odisha,
while the area restriction of the
inclusion of Chain caste in West
Bengal has been removed. The
proposal also seeks some changes in
the Central List of Other Backward
Classes of the states of Chattisgarh,
Haryana and Kerala. After the Bill
becomes an Act, members of the
communities included in the list
of Scheduled Castes will be able to
derive benefits meant for Scheduled
Castes under the existing schemes.
Nirbhaya Case Juvenile Released
: The woman was found with her
intestines pulled out of her body. She
was dubbed Nirbhaya, one without
fear, as she struggled for survival,
first in Delhi and then in a hospital
in Singapore. She died of her injuries
13 days later. One of six men convicted
of taking part in the savage 2012 gang
rape of an Indian physiotherapy
A-247
student on a moving Delhi bus was
released after completing his full
three-year sentence behind bars. He
had participated in the most heinous
of acts, but because he was just shy
of his 18th birthday on the night of
the rape, he served only three years
in custody, a sentence that many felt
amounted to a severe miscarriage of
justice.
The crime shook the country, stirred
global outrage and brought focus on
Indias attitudes and treatment of
women. The victim died of her injuries
13 days after the brutal attack.
The law states that the under-18
rapist cannot be named. Under
Indias juvenile justice laws, a
minors maximum punishment is
three years at a reform facility. The
Indian government had opposed
his release, but the New Delhi High
Court refused to grant a petition for
prolonged custody.
Indias juvenile justice laws were
drafted with the best of intentions
and aimed at reform for minors. In
the aftermath of the gang rape, a bill
introduced in Parliament sought to
amend the law to make exceptions to
the three-year sentence limit in cases
of heinous crimes. But that bill was
tabled in the upper house. Indian law
enforcement and lawmakers had asked
for continued custody of the minor,
who has been held at an institution
for juvenile reform. But the high court
could not find legal ground on which
to issue a stay. A three-year sentence
seemed vastly disproportionate given
the nature of the rape. The crime was
unimaginably brutal.
A-248
JANUARY
Year 2014 ranked as Earths hottest
year since 1880: The year 2014
was the worlds hottest on record.
Scientist from two federal agencies
monitoring global climate trends,
National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) and the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), conducted
independent analysis based on satellite
and ground readings. It was found that
averaged temperature over land and
ocean surfaces for 2014 was 58.24
degrees Fahrenheit, 1.24F (0.69C)
above the 20th century average,
recorded in1880. This included record
heat in the western United States,
Europe, Australia, and much of the
Pacific Ocean.
The human races inability to
control global warming due to rising
concentrations of carbon dioxide,
soot and other greenhouse gases in
the atmosphere, such as methane
and nitrous oxide, and to land-
use changes has resulted in rising
temperatures and will continue to
do so if a collaborative effort fails to
curb it even now.
MAY
Global Warming Will Make 1 in 6
Species Extinct: Study According
to a new analysis one in six of the
planets species will be lost forever
to extinction if world leaders fail
to take action on climate change.
The change is a result of manmade
emissions of greenhouse gases, such
Issues
as carbon dioxide leading to the
extinction risks to species large and
small. The severe warning on the
global warmings impact on animals
and plants has come just months
before nearly 200 governments
meet for UN climate talks in Paris
in an attempt toforge a global deal
on cutting carbon emissions. The
endemic plants and animals of
Australia, South America and New
Zealand are at greater risk as they
would unable to go to other place
when their only homeland becomes
uninhabitable. The study published
was titled Accelerating extinction risk
from climate change and is authored
by Mark C. Urban who further said
that it was not possible to calculate
how long the extinctions would take,
but the rare species would get extinct
for sure as it would happen due to
the changing climate like habitat
loss and environmental degradation.
The study also revealed that total 16
percent of species in the world would
face the risk of extinction because of
the climatic change.
119th Constitutional Amendment
Bill cleared : The Union Cabinet
chaired by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi approved the 119th
Constitutional Amendment Bill on
Land Boundary Agreement (LBA)
between India and Bangladesh.
The parliament of India passed the
119th constitutional amendment
bill 2013 on 7th May 2015 after
the consent of the President of
India Pranab Mukherjee. The bill
aims to amend the 1st schedule of
Issues
the constitution for the exchange
of disputed territories occupied
by both the nations in agreement
with the 1974 bilateral LBA (Land
Boundary Agreement). This will
put a stop to the illegal immigration
and various criminal acts going on
across the border. It will solve the
border related disputes involving the
north-eastern states like Meghalaya,
Tripura, Assam and West Bengal
and improve the development works
of the region. It will also provide
relief to stateless citizens living in
the isolated lands of the countries
by granting them citizenship and
basic government services. The
bill was placed in the Rajya Sabha
in 2013 and subsequently referred
to a select committee, headed
by Shashi Tharoor of Congress,
which unanimously recommended
implementation of the deal.
JULY
Greece defaults on IMF debt : Greece
has become first developed country
to default on debt of International
Monetary Fund (IMF); an organisation
of 188 nations that tries to keep the
world economy stable. Greece became
a defaulter after it failed to pay $ 1.7
to the IMF. It is the first time in the
history of IMF that an advanced
economy has defaulted on a loan from
the worlds financial backstop, putting
Athens, which has seen its economy
contract by more than 25 per cent
since 2009, in the same bracket as
Zimbabwe, Sudan and Cuba. Greece
will now be cut off from access to IMF
resources until its payment is made.
After default, Greece shut its banks,
imposed capital controls and limited
A-249
ATM withdrawals to prevent the public
from emptying the banks.
The Eurozone finance ministers
refused to extend the bailout to
Greece after it rejected the proposal
given by the troika; International
Monetary Fund (IMF), European
Commission (EC) and European
Central Bank (ECB). According to the
proposal Greece needs to increase its
primary surplus within the next two
years, in order to receive 15.5 billion
Euros funding which in turn required
pension and tax reforms for which the
government is reluctant.
Iran, P5+1 countries reached
agreement on Irans nuclear
programme at Vienna: On 14th
July, 2015, in Vienna, Iran and P5+1
country (United States, The United
Kingdom (UK), Russia, China, France
and Germany made an agreement
on Irans nuclear programme.
The agreement is named as Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPA)
or Vienna Agreement. The agreement
came into existence after 17 days f
uninterrupted negotiations involving
foreign ministers of seven countries in
Vienna. After this, agreement needed
to be approved by the Un Security
Council (UNSC) and came into force
after 90 days.
The deal reached after 12 year
standoff is a significant development
in the global politics. This deal would
probably give a psychological boost
to Iran on two fronts. Moreover, also
lead to greater mutual cooperation
and understanding on various
serious and security challenges in the
Middle East. The deal is a significant
achievement for the president of
A-250
Iran, Hassan Rouhani, with the help
of whom this 12 year old standoff
with western powers came to an
end and also the economy of Iran
will get a major boost in trade and
investment start to flow within and
outside Iran by this deal.
World Day Against Trafficking
in Persons observed: To raise
awareness among worldwide,
UN launched the Day against
Trafficking person for the first time.
The day is now observed on 30th
July worldwide. It is a day for action
and to give victims back their dignity
and enjoy their basic fundamental
human right to live freely and not in
enslavement.
Across the world, human beings
are kidnapped, tricked, blackmailed
and manipulated into slavery such
as children are forced to do labour,
men for organ removal and women
for prostitution. Most targeted
among all are children.
Every country across the world is
affected by human trafficking, so
July 30th is observed as World day
against trafficking which calls to
fight for people for profit crime.
This day is launched for joining
hands together to eliminate the
transnational threat to the roots by
supporting and protecting victims.
Till now, approx 4.5 million peoples
from 152 countries of origin and
124 countries of destination are the
victim by trafficking in person and
among these, 98% are women and
girls and children who are victims of
forced sexual exploitation and child
labour.
Issues
AUGUST
Women in Saudi Arabia to
participate in elections : Women
in Saudi Arabia were finally
awarded the right to cast their votes
and also contest in the elections.
King Abdullah made the official
announcement for the same in 2011
and the decision eventually came
to effect in 2015. The decision is
quite significant in relation with
conservative Islamic kingdom.
Dozens of women are expected to
contest Saudi Arabias municipal
elections for the first time in the
countrys history.
Saudi Arabia and Vatican City are
the countries which encouraged
participation of only men during the
electoral season. With Saudi Arabia
enabling a shift a policy shift to bring
the women in par with the men,
Vatican City is yet to make a call for
a similar change.
Women in the oil-rich Gulf state,
which applies a strict segregation of
the sexes, are banned from driving
and have to cover themselves in
public from head to toe. They also
have to obtain the consent of a male
guardian to travel, work, apply for a
passport or to marry.
SEPTEMBER
21st International Day for the
Preservation of the Ozone Layer :
The UN General Assembly in
1994 proclaimed 16th September
as the International Day for the
Preservation of the Ozone Layer
to commemorate the date of the
signing of the Montreal Protocol on
Substances that Deplete the Ozone
Issues
Layer. The theme and the slogan
for the year 2015 are 30 Years of
Healing the Ozone Together and
Ozone: All there is between you
and UV respectively.
The countries are invited to devote
the day to promote activities in
accordance with the objectives of
the Protocol and its amendments. In
India, the day was celebrated with
organising various competitions for
school children like poster design
competition, painting competition
and slogan-writing competition.
In this regard, Union Minister of
Environment, Forest and Climate
Change, Prakash Javadekar
released a booklet titled Montreal
Protocol: Indias Success Story on
the occasion. The year also marks
the 30th anniversary of the Vienna
Convention for the Protection of the
Ozone Layer that was signed on 22
March 1985.
Russia rejected French proposal
to limit veto power of UNSCs
permanent members : Russia on
September 2 dismissed as populist
a French proposal to limit the use of
the veto at the UN Security Council.
France has launched an initiative
to persuade the other four Security
Council permanent members -
Britain, China, Russia and the United
States - to refrain from using their
veto at least in cases involving mass
atrocities that demands action. The
veto power accorded to the P5 dates
back to the UNs foundation, but calls
for re-thinking its use have mounted
as the world body celebrates its 70th
anniversary this year.
A-251
It was the first time that Russia had
come out in opposition to restricting
the use of the veto. The French
proposal gained traction after Russia
and China used their veto power
last year to block a resolution asking
the International Criminal Court
to investigate crimes committed in
Syria. Russia argued that declaring
that mass atrocities have occurred
could become a political tool,
and raised questions about who
would be empowered to make that
determination.
Frances idea has been welcomed by
some 70 non-veto wielding member-
states at the United Nations. China
and the United States however have
also expressed reservations. France
will host a meeting on September 30
on the sidelines of the UN General
Assembly session to discuss its
proposal, one year after it launched
the idea. Veto power can be termed as
the de-facto control over the UNSC
by the five permanent members also
known as the Permanent Five, Big
Five, or P5 since the creation of UN
in 1945.
OCTOBER
Extreme Poverty to Fall Below
10% for First Time: World Bank
On October 4, 2015, acknowledged
that for the first time the population
living in extreme poverty is to fall
below 10% in the year 2015. Living
on or below $1.25 a day, has been
described as extreme poverty. The
poverty line has however been fixed
at $1.90 by the World Bank on the
basis of cost of living in different
countries. On the basis of the new
data and benchmark, the World
A-252
Bank estimates about 702 million
people of the worlds population will
be living a life under extreme poverty
in the year 2015 as compared to
the year 2012 when the population
living under extreme poverty was
902 million. A clear fall from 12.8%
to 9.6% can be observed. It has been
noted that the fall in poverty has been
due to growth in economic rates,
especially in emerging markets of
India. However, a slower economic
growth, high youth unemployment,
conflicts and the effect of climatic
changes would turn out to be hurdles
for satisfying the target set by the
United Nations to end poverty by
the year 2030.
NOVEMBER
Paris rocked by an Unprecedented
Terrorist Attack: Many Paris residents
and tourists were enjoying a soccer
match between France and Germany
when horror struck Paris. Sites
throughout French Capital including
the match stadium were attacked by
terrorists some of whom carried AK-
47s while some were reported to have
strapped themselves with bombs. 128
persons were reported to have been
killed and over 250 were injured in
the attacks. ISIS claimed to have taken
the responsibility of Paris attacks. The
attacks killed scores and left the nation
mourning and the globe in shock.
Bataclan Theatre was the main target
of the attack. Witnesses said that the
scene in there was a massacre. It was
reported that 87 people were killed after
gunmen barged into the concert hall.
Issues
Eagles of Death Metal, the famous
American rock band was playing the
concert with 1500 guests present.
Ambulances raced back and forth in
the area to help victims. Emergency
was declared in France by the French
President, Francois Hollande. His trip
to the G-20 summit of 2015 had to
be cancelled, too. President Obama
offered his condolences and assistance
for the investigation reported the White
House.
The Global Gender Gap Index 2015
: The Global Gender Gap Index was
first introduced by the world economic
forum in 2006 as a framework for
capturing the magnitude of gender-
based disparities & tracking their
progress. This year is the 10th edition
of the Index, allowing for time-series
analysis on the changing patterns of
gender equality around the world
& comparisons between & within
countries.
The Global Gender Gap Index
examines the gap between men &
women in 4 fundamental categories
(sub indexes):-
1. Economic Participation &
Opportunity.
2. Educational Attainment.
3. Health & Survival.
4. Political Empowerment.
The Global Gender Gap Index
2015 ranks 145 economies with the
highest possible score is 1 (equality)
& the lowest possible score is 0
(inequality).
Issues A-253

INDIAS POSITION GTI RANKS 2015

Gender Gap Index 2015 5GTI RANK COUNTRY
Rank Score 1 Iraq
108 0.664 2 Afghanistan
3 Nigeria
2015 RANK 4 Pakistan
GLOBAL TOP TEN 5 Syria
COUNTRY RANK 6 India
7 Yamen
Iceland 1
8 Somalia
Norway 2
9 Libya
Finland 3
10 Thailand
Sweden 4
President of Maldives Abdulla
Ireland 5
Yameen declared state of
Rwanda 6
emergency:    
Philippines 7 
Switzerland 8 
Slovenia 9 
New Zealand 10 
    
SEX RATIO IN INDIA 
2011 940 Females for every 1000      
Males 
2014 942 Females for every 1000 
Males 
2015 943 Females for every 1000      
Males    

Global Terrorism Index 2015 (GTI)
   
Produced by the Institute for 
economics & peace, the GTI is based 
on data from the global terrorism 
Database which is collected & collated 
bye the National Consortium for the against his arrest by organising a
study of Terrorism & Responses to 
terrorism. The GTI is a comprehensive feared that the supporters in the rally
study which accounts for the direct &       

indirect impact of terrorism in 162
    
countries in terms of its effect on

lives lost, injuries, property damage
It has also been reported that present
& the psychological after-effects of President Abdulla Yameens boat was
terrorism.      
A-254
  Everest have shrunk by 28% over
President Ahmed Adeeb was held
responsible.
DECEMBER
Brazil Entered Longest Recession
since 1930s: The economy of Brazil
is in a shaky condition. The worlds
seventh largest economy Brazils
economy shrank 4.5 per cent year-
on-year in the third quarter that is
sharper than expected recession and
its GDP shrank 1.7 per cent from the
previous quarter. There are many key
reasons for this recession the primary
reasons for recession are constant
global economic slowdown, shrinkage
in exports and unprecedented scandal
at the government-run oil company
Petrobras. All these reasons together
have had impact on economy in
the country and thus diminishing
economy. The unemployment rate is
8.9 per cent during July-September
2015 higher from 6.8 per cent in 2014-
15. Household spending has been cut
down by 4.5 per cent during July-
September 2015. Brazils currency
Real is down about 31 per cent against
the dollar. The inflation is 10 per cent
which is the highest in 12 years.
Glaciers in Mount Everest Shrink
28% in 40 Years: Himalayas
stretch across six nations; Bhutan,
China, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and
Afghanistan. The outer Himalayas
lie between the lease Himalayas and
the Indo Gangetic plain which is a
source of three of the worlds major
river systems: the Indus Basin, the
Ganga-Brahmaputra Basin and the
Yangtze Basin. Chinese Academy
of Sciences (CAS) has released a
report showing Glaciers on Mount
Issues
the past 40 years due to climate
change. Glaciers on Mount Everest
are a major source of Asian rivers
including Brahmaputra and Ganges.
Data was based on long-term remote
sensing and on-site monitoring where
glacial shrinkage area is compared to
the measurements taken in the 1970s.
The shrinking glaciers have resulted in
swelling glacial lakes and higher river
levels. Earlier a group of international
researchers had warned that the
estimated 5,500 glaciers in the Hindu
Kush-Himalayan (HKH) region site
of many of the worlds tallest peaks
including Mount Everest could reduce
their volume by 70-99% by 2100.
Arctic Region Hits Record
High Temperature over Land :
Annual Arctic Report Card of
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), a federal
agency of US for monitoring condition
of the oceans and the atmosphere has
revealed that the average temperature
over Arctic land for the year ending
in September 2015 was the highest
on record indicating that the Arctic
is warming twice as fast as other
parts of the Earth. The Arctic was
3 degrees Celsius above average for
the year ending in September 2015.
The recorded temperature rise is the
warmest since observations began in
1900. Due to temperature rise the
ice in this region is growing thinner
each year. The sea ice coverage in the
Arctic has reached its peak in February
2015 and marked the lowest extent
since record-taking began in 1979.
The newly formed thin ice comprises
about 70% of the winter ice cover in
the Arctic Ocean compared to about
half that in the 1980s.
 A-255

NJAC v/s Collegium System in

Judicial Appointments

T here has been a protracted debate over the National Judicial

Appointments Commission (NJAC) in the past few years, with the
traditional Collegium System of appointments to the higher judiciary in
India facing a lot of criticism. The grounds for this dissent include partiality
and lack of transparency in appointments, and frequent cases of corruption
among members of the higher judiciary. Here we explore the composition
and working of both systems, the main points of contention between the
two, as well arguments from both sides.

What is the Collegium System?

The Collegium System is a judicial innovation originated by the
Supreme Court in 1993 in response to excessive outreach of the executive
into the judiciarys functioning. Under this model, appointments to the
constitutional courts in India are made by the Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court in consultation with the 5 senior most judges. It rests upon a
foundation comprising of three of the Courts own judgements, collectively
known as the Three Judges Cases. The collegium system operates on the
principle of judicial independence, effectively barring all other branches
of the state from intervening in judges appointments. The Constitution of
India makes no mention of it anywhere, and it is often one of the root causes
for confrontations between the judiciary and the executive and parliament.

The NJAC: Composition and Rationale

National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) was a proposed
body which would have been responsible for judicial appointments and
transfers within the higher judiciary in India. It was established under the
Constitution (Ninety-Ninth Amendment) Act, 2014 that was passed by both
houses of the parliament in August 2014. The NJAC was envisaged as a
replacement for the collegium system, with the latent objective of sanctioning
executive intervention in judicial appointments. The composition and
functions of the NJAC were left for the parliament to determine by way
of legislation. As a result, the National Judicial Appointments Commission
Act, 2014 was passed, which came into force in April 2015 along with the
amendment act. NJAC was to be composed of the Chief Justice of India,
A-256 NJAC v/s Collegium System in Judicial Appointments

the Union Law Minister, two SC judges, the Justice Secretary, and two
eminent citizens, who would be nominated by the Leader of the Opposition
in either house, the Prime Minister, and the Chief Justice. The President
would appoint judges to the higher judiciary based on the recommendation
of this body.

What is the contention between the two?

The setting up of NJAC has been considered an important judicial reform
by some members of the legal fraternity. Its supporters contend that the
appointments to higher positions in the judiciary should be transparent and
merit-based. They argue that the collegium system is unconstitutional and
anti-democratic, under which there is wide scope for the judges personal
biases and individual discretion to affect the process of appointments. This
may cause corruption and misuse of power within the judiciary, undermining
the very sanctity of the judicial system of India. On the other hand, the
retractors of the act argue that the governments involvement in judicial
appointments poses a grave threat to the independence of the judiciary. The
principle of judicial independence is enshrined in the Constitution of India,
and the appointments of higher judges are a key aspect of it. Article 124
clearly states that the Chief Justice of India is appointed by the president
in consultation with the senior judges of the Supreme Court and the high
courts. It also specifies that the CJI must be consulted in the appointment of
other judges. There are a number of other provisions in the Constitution that
guarantee judicial independence, such as fixed tenure, fixed salary, right to
punish for its contempt, etc. It is thus evident that the constitution seeks to
prevent the executive from possessing complete discretionary power in the
appointment of the judges. Since the government is the biggest litigator in the
Indian legal scenario, the executive wants to use NJACs power to appoint
pliant and submissive judges.

History of executive intervention in judicial appointments

Up until 1973, it was convention for the senior-most judge of the Supreme
Court to be appointed as the Chief Justice. But this convention was broken
under the Indira Gandhi government when Justice AN Ray was appointed
as the CJI after bypassing 3 more senior judges. This was considered by
the judiciary as an outright assault on its independence. The government
maintained that the word consult in the Constitution did not mean that the
president was in any way bound by the advice; he was free to make his own
decisions. In 1977, in the Union of India v/s Sankalchand Seth case, dealing
with the transfer of a judge from one high court to another under Article
222, the SC also held that the president had the right to differ from the advice
NJAC v/s Collegium System in Judicial Appointments A-257

rendered by the consultants. The SC again upheld its judgement in S P Gupta

v/s Union of India, 1982, effectively curtailing its own powers significantly.
However, in the case of SC Advocates on Record Association v/s
Union of India, AIR 1982, the Court overturned its previous judgement and
adjudged that in the appointments of judges to the SC and HCs, the CJI must
retain primacy and the principle of seniority must be maintained. It also
held that the CJI must consult his two senior most judges and recommend
candidates only if there is a consensus. This is known as the Second Judges
Case.

SCs verdict and the way forward for Indian Judiciary

The Supreme Court had set up a 5-judge bench to examine the
constitutionality of the NJAC, and on 16 October 2015, the bench upheld the
collegium system by a 4:1 majority and declared the NJAC Act and the 99th
Amendment Act to be unconstitutional. Now it is an undeniable fact that
the collegium system has come under fire recently on charges of nepotism,
opacity, and unaccountability. Many senior judges, as well as the legal
fraternity, agree that there are inconsistencies and problems in the judiciary.
But if the history of executive interference in Indian judiciary is anything to
go by, the NJAC doesnt paint a very encouraging picture. Moreover, there
have been many cases recently (e.g. 2G scam, Coalgate), where rigorous
judicial scrutiny and the executives inability to direct the constitutional
authorities to act have caused speculation that the NJAC could actually be an
attempt to crush the independence of the judiciary. It might be more sensible,
therefore, to address the inadequacies of the collegium system to make it
more transparent and robust, rather than shift to the proposed model, which
does not lay down an objective procedure for appointments and leaves out
scope for its unconstitutional use by the executive.
After the Supreme Courts instruction to bring in a new Memorandum of
Procedure (MoP) for appointments to the higher judiciary to the government,
the centre on 24th December has initiated the consultation process. The Union
law ministry has sent letters to all the state governments seeking suggestion
on issues such as eligibility criteria, transparency in appointment process,
secretariat and complaints to improve the collegium system for the selection
of judges to high courts and the Supreme Court.
The debate over the NJAC may have settled somewhat after the Supreme
Courts seminal judgement, but the pursuit of transparency in higher judicial
appointments shouldnt be abandoned. It is only through a transparent,
honest, and upright judiciary that a democracy like India can continue to
function and flourish in the current global political order.
A-258

Who is Opposing The Land

Acquisition Bill?

T he Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition,

Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 (LARR) governs the land
acquisition in India. The Land Acquisition Act of 1894 governed the same
till 2013. An ordinance was proclaimed by the President of India on 31
December, 2014 which carried an official mandate with an objective to work
for farmer welfare and promptly meet the strategic and developmental needs
of the nation. LARR lends the union and state governments the power to
acquire lands for its own use which might include holding or controlling the
land for public purposes. To endorse the Ordinance further, an amendment
bill was passed in the Indian Parliament. Though the bill was passed by the
Lok Sabha, it is still kept on hold by the Rajya Sabha. President of India
promulgated the ordinance for the third time on 30 May 2015.
There are other purposes of Land Acquisition bill as well which include
strategic purposes - naval, military, air force or any work vital to national
security or defence, Infrastructure projects, Projects for project affected
families, projects for housing of such income groups, specified by the
appropriate Government etc.
Immediate consequences of the land acquisition for development projects
are direct and basic in nature- landlessness, joblessness, marginalisation, loss
of access to common property resources, increased morbidity and mortality,
food insecurity, homelessness and social disarticulation. It can also lead to
displacement which further leads to loss of education.
Subtle and indirect effects of this coercive and centralized legal procedure
mostly impair the land reforms and Panchayati Raj institutions. Land
acquisition in West Bengal has gained a lot of national and international
attention owing to the consequences and controversies surrounding it. Land
expropriation by government in Singur of Hoogly district and Nandigram of
East Medinipur district has met severe resistances by peasants. This further
led to the fall of communist party led government in West Bengal. The anti-
communist Trinamul Congress led government which came to power in
2011, enacted a law on 14th June 2011 in West Bengal Assembly named
Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act, 2011; through which
Landlessness
the government intended
Displacement and to return the 400 acres of
loss of education Joblessness
farmland to the unwilling
farmers who roused
Homelessness and
social disarticulation
Marginalisation agitation earlier.
Development-induced
Food insecurity Loss of access to common displacement has been
property resources
widely used in India since
Increased morbidity
and mortality
the era of Independence
which has majorly
Who is Opposing The Land Acquisition Bill? A-259

included displacing land with large-scale projects like dams, canals, thermal
plants, sanctuaries, industrial facilities and mining.
Citizens have been against the process of land acquisition as the amount
reimbursed remains fairly low to the current price index as prevalent in the
economy. Due to low level of human capital of displaced people, adequate
employment is impossible to be found. 75% of the displaced people since
1951 are till date waiting for rehabilitation as estimated by the draft of
the governments National Policy for Rehabilitation. Landless labourers,
fishermen and artisans are not covered in these rehabilitation policies.
About a million Adivasis have been displaced through dam projects and the
same story goes repeated for Dalits as well. The figures say that among the
displaced people, tribal origins form 40% of the lot and out of every ten
Indian tribal, one is a displaced person.
Recently, various industrialists have faced huge social and political
protests against the land acquisition ranging from Bengal, Karnataka and
Uttar Pradesh. The Singur Tata Nano controversy remains one of the most
cited examples where protests rose against the acquisition of 997 acres of
land by Tata motors in Bengal for setting up a factory for the cheapest car in
India. Government gained the power to acquire the private land through the
Land Acquisition Act of 1894 and this legislation in spite of being amended
several times, remained unsuccessful in serving its purpose. As per the 1894
Act, displaced people were accorded just monetary compensation equivalent
to market value of the land acquired and the amount was quite minimal due
to misleading circle rates.
Land Acquisition Amendment Bill driven by the current NDA
government in Lok Sabha on 10 March 2015 has faced severe resistance
from key opposition parties who claim the proposed amendments to be
anti-farmer and anti-poor. The proposed amendment does not state any
requirement to ask for permission from farmers before proceeding with the
land acquisition stated under the five broad categories of projects.
Points of Dispute
These five reasons create disputation:

Original Act New Law/ Amendment

The original Act states the provision This provision will be abolished
to secure the consent of 80% affected and the government will have
people before land acquisition. the power to acquire private land
without the owners permission.

Land Acquisition Act (LAA), 2013 After the amendment, the

focused on completing social impact SIA will lose its meaning and
assessment within six months and the government will have the
SIA meant opinion of Gram Sabha autonomy of acquiring more and
or palli sabha before the acquisition. more land than actually required.
A-260 Who is Opposing The Land Acquisition Bill?

LAA, 2013 stipulated that the land The amendment does not claim
if not used within five years, will be of any such time frame.
returned to the farmers.

As per LAA, 2013 the land can be In 2015 amendment it is stipulated

acquired for the industrial corridors.
that the land can be acquired one
kilometre on both sides of the
corridor and the land along the
corridor would be allotted to the
builders and real estate firms.

Compensation at the rate of The new Amendment will

four times to be given to the remove this provision and the old
land losers who havent received clause will be diluted.
their compensation over the land
acquisition under the 1984 Act.

Opposition parties and farmer organization have opposed the government

for the propositions made in Land Acquisition bill amendments. Opponents
claim this bill to be pro-corporate and anti-farmer and the main focus
of the amendments seems to benefit the large corporate houses. The bill
has been opposed in and out of the Parliament by the opposition Indian
National Congress. Sonia Gandhi has also apparently stated that this bill will
break the backbone of India.
Besides the opposition parties, even those organizations that earlier
supported Bharatiya Janata Party namely the Mazdoor Sangh, Bhartiya
Kisan Sangh and Akhil Bhartiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram have
comprehensively opposed the propositions made in the new amendment by
the Narendra Modi lead NDA government. The Right to Fair Compensation
and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement
Act, 2013 passed by UPA government was supported by the BJP two years
back but the land ordinance proposed by the Modi government appears to
twist the fundamentals of this right.
An unconventional solution to this land acquisition is following a certain
lease period for leasing land from landowners. The governments land
acquisition policies promote swaying of land and further making the projects
expensive as huge investments need to be put in for matching the land
acquisition costs. Political cronyism is another issue which emerges where
land is cheaply acquired through favours from local government bodies and
sold to industries at unreasonable profit prices.
As much as 49% of Indian population is involved in agriculture and in
return agriculture leads to only 13.7% of Indias total GDP. One important
thing that we need to understand is that If we want to move on the path of
development, then we need foreign investors, and that cannot be possible
without the bill getting passed by the government.
 A-261

What is Black Money?

Black Money Compliance Window Ended 30th Sept with a Disclosure
of ` 4,147 core

M oney being the medium of transaction in society is present in

apparent and hidden form. The apparent form is legal and open for
taxation while the second form is not exposed to taxation and is illegal. The
unaccounted money that comes through underhand earning of dishonest
people is termed as black money or evaded money.
The way in which our economy has been operating and the avoidance of
tax had led to concentration of wealth and this has further led to increase of
wealth in the hands of few people. This has encouraged more black money,
black marketing and smuggling etc.
Black money can be in various forms like shares, bonds, securities,
instruments of other forms, real estate houses, shops, plots and other assets
like cars, gold, silver, diamonds or jewellery as well.
Now looking at our country, it has been estimated that over 200 Crores of
black money is created every year. Corruption and prevailing illegal activities
have contributed a large share to this money while avoidance of income and
sales tax is one of the biggest means which leads to increase in black money.
About 627 Indians with their accounts in HSBC bank, Geneva; were
reported to the Supreme Court by the centre. A special investigation team
(SIT) was formed in May comprising of the former SC judge MB Shah and
highest level officials from financial and economic departments and law
enforcement agencies. SIT was assigned the task of probing tax on suspected
black money till March next year. On the same, Prime Minister Narendra
Modi plainly declared the prosecution of tax dodgers and enforced on
bringing the money stashed in tax havens back to the country.
Under the supervision of SIT, around ` 35,000Crores have already been
recovered from some of the account holders. The assessment proceedings
will complete the tenure by March 31st and till then, a net worth ` 6500
Crores is expected to be fetched by the department.
A-262 What is Black Money?

France has shared information of half of the 628 Swiss bank accounts
with India, which were either legitimate accounts or were held by non-
resident Indians. From rest around `10,000 Crores is estimated to be
collected after the completion of assessment proceedings.

Compliance window
The compliance window is a part of the new anti-money law passed
by Parliament in May and notified on May 26 after the assent given
by the President.

Compliance window
The compliance window is a part of the new anti-money law passed by
Parliament in May and notified on May 26 after the assent given
by the President.

What is tax compliance?

The extent to which a taxpayer conforms or fails to conform to the tax
rules of his country. It can be done through filing a return, paying the due tax
in a timely manner or by declaring income. Compliance window to make
voluntarily disclosures ended on September 30th this year and there are three
categories of people who have been barred from availing this compliance
window:
Foreign account holders like those mentioned in HSBC list, against
which information has been collected by the government.
Those availing benefits under Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements
(DTAAs) and Tax Information Exchange Agreements (TIEA) with foreign
countries and jurisdictions.
And those against whom IT-department has initiated proceedings before
June 30th or has carried out searches.

Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) is a Tax Treaty. It is

basically a bilateral agreement between two nations aiming to eliminate or
pass up double taxation of the same income in the two countries.

This 90 day compliance window had disclosures that mentioned about

30% tax and an equivalent of penalty, escaping the criminal prosecution and
jail term. The government has received unreported overseas assets of Rs.
4,147 Crores from total 638 disclosures at the end of compliance window
on September 30, against the earlier reported disclosure of Rs. 3,770 Crores
on October 1.
All the deposits made since opening of bank account will be assessed for
totalling the value of a persons asset, which would also include immovable
property, shares and jewellery. The shares and jewellery would be valued at
fair market price for tax levying and penalty during the compliance window
tenure.
What is Black Money? A-263

Whats the purpose of this compliance?

Its a notification provided under The Black Money (Undisclosed
Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015; which
gives the person with black money a chance to come clean by declaring the
undisclosed foreign assets and income.
Under this law, those having hidden foreign wealth would be punished
with up to ten years of rigorous imprisonment and would have to pay tax
and penalty of 120% of the value of the wealth including its confiscation
as well.
The Black Money and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015, which has come into
effect from July 1, lends 90-days compliance window. This gives the person
having undisclosed foreign assets and income, a chance to come clean by declaring
all such assets and paying a total of 60% tax and penalty.

In order to allay the fears of taxpayers, the Central Board of Direct

Taxes has come out with these sets of guidelines:
In case of disclosure of foreign bank accounts
(a) For foreign bank account holders, any amount withdrawn from such
bank accounts and re-deposited would not be counted. The value for
purposes of declaration will only account to the sum of all the deposits
made in respective bank accounts.
(b) Deposits or non-chargeable income tax credits will not be considered for
valuation.
(c) The person can withdraw from his gross deposit to acquire new assets or
create deposits in another bank account which is being disclosed.
(d) If for a certain period, statements of such foreign bank accounts are
not available; then the taxpayer has to declare that period on his best
A-264 What is Black Money?

estimate basis and obtain a certificate from the bank to show that the
details are actually not obtainable. If however later, the estimate made
is found to be done despite the availability of bank statements, then the
declaration would be treated as void.
(e) Immunities will not be granted and if the value declared on best-estimate
basis is found to be more than the final determination, the excess will not
be refundable.
Key take-aways:
 Those who would fail to declare their overseas assets would be liable to
pay tax and penalty of 120 per cent and would also be facing jail term
of around ten years. Those who have already been notified or received
notices up to June 30, would not be considered to take advantage of the
compliance window.
 Indians, against whom information has been received from foreign
nations or overseas accounts, will not be eligible for filing declaration
under this window.
 The tax and penalties can be paid till December 31. The commissioner
of income tax (International Tax)-2, New Delhi, has been designated the
task of receiving all such declarations.

FEMA, Foreign Exchange Management Act is an act of the

Parliament of India, passed in 1999. It aims at facilitating external trade
and payments. It also amends the law concerning foreign exchange and
helps in promoting foreign exchange market in India.

 The declarations of foreign assets for which taxes and penalties need to
be paid under the Black Money Act, wont be facing any proceedings
under the FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act), 1999. Those
waiting to dispose of assets declared and would want to bring back the
proceeds through banking channel, would be thereby exempted from
prosecution under FEMA.
A-266
JANUARY
Kerala to get first International
Institute of Music: It was
announced in January 2015 by
the Kerala Culture Minister K C
Joseph that an international institute
of music, the very first of its kind,
would be set up on Indian land in
Kerala. The institute is expected
to start within two years. The land
for the institute would be provided
by the state government while the
responsibility of heading the institute
has been assigned to the Trust
run under the guidance of Ustad
Amjad Ali Khan, the well known
Sarod Maestro. The Sarod Maestro
also teaches students at Stanford
University three months every year.
The state government has suggested
Thiruvananthapuram or Kochi or
Kozhikode as the place to build
the institute but the final decision
will be taken by Ustad Amjad Ali
Khan. The institute would provide
opportunity for students from the
state, country and even from abroad.
Various courses related to different
kinds of music, musical systems and
musical instruments will be offered
to students at the institute. Though
the institute is said to be under the
Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi,
it would be managed by a separate
assembly.
RBI relaxed KYC rules for Non-
Banking Financial Companies:
Reserve Bank of India has amended
the rules for non-banking financial
companies (NBFCs) with regard to
Know Your Customer activity. The
amendment of rules was announced
on January 2, 2015. Practical
Ideas
difficulties and constraints faced in
getting the KYC documents updated
at periodic intervals compelled the
RBI to ease the rules. According
to the previous norms, it was
mandatory for NBFCs to update
the KYC documents every 5 years
for low risk section customers and
once in two years for those falling
in the medium and high risk section.
The new norms have eased the
process of updating KYC for low
risk section customers to 10 years
and 8 years for medium and high
risk section customers. Also, RBI
communicated that NBFCs need
not ask the low risk customers to
submit fresh documentsidentity
and address proofs (if the address
remains the same)for opening a
new account with them. RBI has
asked NBFCs to keep a watch on
the transactions of the customers to
analyse business, risk and source of
funds. RBI has also communicated
to NBFCs that fresh photographs
of minor customers turning majors
would be required.
Government launched women
safety app Himmat: On January
1, 2015 was launched Indias first
ever unified mobile application for
the safety of women. The launching
of the app was done by the Union
Home Minister, Rajnath Singh in
the presence of Delhis Lieutenant
Governor, Najeeb Jung and Delhi
Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi. The
application is linked to the Police
Control Room and an immediate
notification will be sent to the PCR
by either shaking the phone or
pressing the power key twice. The
Ideas
information of the victim would also
be transmitted to the Police Patrol
cars in the area and the local SHO.
The location can be traced easily
as the movement of the person will
be updated in every ten seconds. It
is a free application for all and can
be downloaded from the website of
Delhi Police or Google Play Store.
The app also has a feature that
enables the person to send alerts via
sms to minimum five acquaintances.
An alert would even be posted on
social networking sites like Facebook
and Twitter. The applications sole
aim is to strengthen the safety of
women in the country.
Karnataka to amend Karnataka
Compulsory Primary Education
Act, 2012: The Government of
Karnataka decided to amend the
Karnataka Compulsory Primary
Education Act (KCPEA), 2012
to impart primary education in
Kannada language. This was done
in order to strengthen Karnatakas
case before the Supreme Court (SC).
In 1980s the committee headed by
VK Gokak recommended to use
Kannada as the first language in
schools which followed peoples
movement called as Gokak Agitation.
Formal action on this report was
taken in April 1994 by M Veerappa
Moily, Chief Minister then. The
Notification provided two options
to the students: Mother tongue
of the child, which covered eight
languages; and Kannada as medium
of instruction. The Karnataka
Unaided Schools Managements
Association (KUSMA) along with
several others, filed petitions calling
it non-Constitution. On cancellation
of this notification by Karnataka
High Court on 2 July 2008, the State
government challenged the verdict
in the SC where five-judge bench
A-267
of the apex court upheld KUSMAs
petition on 6 May 2014. The
government under the section 19(2)
of the Act tried to incorporate the
words Mother Tongue Kannada
which guarantees compulsory
primary education for children from
class I to V.
GTU Launched E-Raksha Research
Centre to Fight Cybercrime: To
control the rise in cybercrimes,
Gujrat Technological University
(GTU) launched e-Raksha Research
Centre on 28 January 2015 in
Ahmedabad. Former Chhattisgarh
Governor Shekhar Dutt and former
Deputy National Security Advisor
S D Pradhan were present at the
launch. This centre will not only
support research but also increase
the competency to provide latest
techniques of fighting cybercrimes to
build capacity for issues pertaining
to cyber security. The centre has
been set up by GTU in association
with Cyber Peace Foundation (CPF)
with the objective to ensure peaceful
and amicable cyber space for all.
This centre will undertake numerous
activities for faculties, students and
government officials in areas of
research on recent techniques of
cybercrime and enhance capability
to handle such issues. It will also
provide support to Make in India
campaign by manufacturing routers,
switches, firewalls, UTMs (Unified
Threat Management) and similar
network appliances. Furthermore,
the centre will play a fundamental
role to shield critical infrastructure
and mission critical services by
researching on malwares such as
botnet, and setting up malware
analysis test bed.
Gujarat government announced
new industrial policy for 2015: On
January 1, 2015, Gujarat announced
A-268
its new industrial policy for the year
2015. The chief minister of Gujarat,
Anandiben Patel, issued the policy.
The policy aims at creating a
business environment that is friendly
and encourages people to start their
own business rather than to search
job opportunities. Over 60% of the
population will be provided with
opportunities. The target population
would age group between 15
to 59 years. The key areas like
infrastructure development and new
innovations will be encouraged.
Besides, the need for incentives for
youth, women, scheduled castes
and tribes and physically challenged
individuals will be attended on
priority. Reducing the pollution by
promoting use of clean and green
energy is yet another important focus
of the policy. The existing resources
will be given a boost to scale down
the imports of auto components,
drugs, chemicals etc. Special
incentives would also be provided
for establishing new businesses in
sectors like garments, apparel and
food processing. The motive of the
policy is to make the state a global
manufacturing centre, therefore,
contributing to the encouragement
of PMs Make in India dream.
Ministry of Railways inaugurated
Indias first CNG Powered Train:
The Indian Railways has started
its green journey with Indias
first compressed natural gas
(CNG)-powered train which was
innaugrated by Rail Minister Suresh
Prabhu on January 13, 2015 on
Rewari Rohtak link of Northern
Zone.
A milestone in helping to reduce
greenhouse gas emission and also
diesel consumption by adoption of
green fuel in Indian Railways. Main
charecteristics were
Ideas
 7 KH &1* 'LHVHO (OHFWULF
Multiple Unit (DEMU) is based
on dual-fuel i.e. diesel and CNG.
 , WZDVPDQXIDFWXUHGE\&KHQQDL
based Factory (ICF) through
fumigation technology.
 , W ZRXOG KHOS LQ UHGXFLQJ WKH
operating cost by say 50 percent.
 , WZLOODOVRKHOSLQUHGXFLQJ&2
emission by 90 percent, CO2 by
25 percent, nitrogen oxide by
35 percent and non-methane
hydrocarbon emissions by 50
percent.
New technology would come in
handy once India has substantial
reserves of natural gas.
Indias first CNG powered train
inaugurated: The Indian Railways
has started its green journey with
Indias first compressed natural gas
(CNG)-powered train which was
innaugrated by Rail Minister Suresh
Prabhu on January 13, 2015 on
Rewari Rohtak link of Northern
Zone.
A milestone in helping to reduce
greenhouse gas emission and also
diesel consumption by adoption of
green fuel in Indian Railways. Main
charecteristics were
 7 KH &1* 'LHVHO (OHFWULF
Multiple Unit (DEMU) is based
on dual-fuel i.e. diesel and CNG.
 , WZDVPDQXIDFWXUHGE\&KHQQDL
based Factory (ICF) through
fumigation technology.
 , W ZRXOG KHOS LQ UHGXFLQJ WKH
operating cost by say 50 percent.
 , WZLOODOVRKHOSLQUHGXFLQJ&2
emission by 90 percent, CO2 by
25 percent, nitrogen oxide by
35 percent and non-methane
hydrocarbon emissions by 50
percent.
Ideas
New technology would come in
handy once India has substantial
reserves of natural gas.
FEBUARY
ICICI bank launched pockets -
indias first digital bank: In one of its
kind endeavour, ICICI Bank, Indias
largest private sector bank, recently
launched countrys first digital
wallet cum mobile app, Pockets.
Pockets gives any person, be it an
account holder or not, the facility
to download, instantly activate and
use the e-wallet. Currently available
only on mobile phones with android
system, Pockets is a free of cost
app with no usage and registration
charges. This virtual, VISA powered
wallet helps in instant transfer
of money to any email id, bank
account, mobile number, facebook
user or online retailer the user
selects. With its unique one on one
feature, the app ensures safety by
having only one registered user
for each mobile number. The user
also has the advantage of choosing
a zero-balance savings account
to the wallet, which will further
provide the benefit of earning
interest on their idle money. With
a new youth oriented outlook, the
Pockets digital bank offers two
unique products a universal wallet
and a savings account. Initially, the
transaction limit is Rs 10,000 for
non ICICI Bank users. Pockets
also provides its users the option of
having a specially designed physical
card that can be used for shopping or
other payments.
Indias first air quality checking
mobile app launched: To spread
awareness about the hazards of
increasing air toxicity in India,
Indias Earth Sciences Ministry
A-269
launched the countrys first air
quality checking mobile application
to provide the forecast for air
quality and corresponding health
advisories in real time. The mobile
app, SAFAR-Air, developed by
scientists at Pune-based Indian
Institute of Tropical Meteorology,
was launched on 17 February 2015
at the Indian Institute of Tropical
Meteorology in Pune, Maharashtra.
The service is presently for Delhi and
Pune, and by 2017 the forecasting
services will be extended to cover
Chennai and Kolkata. SAFAR is an
acronym for System of Air Quality
Weather Forecasting and Research
which was first launched in Delhi
in 2010 during the Commonwealth
Games. SAFAR-AIR will provide
current and one to three day forecast
based on a colour-coded system
indicating air quality, in which
green is good, yellow is moderately
polluted, orange is poor, red is very
poor and maroon is critical. The app
is initially available on smartphones
operating on Googles Android
system and later on will also be
available on devices using Apples
iOS.
Election Commission to Launch
Electoral Roll Authentication
Mission: The Chief Election
Commissioner (CEC) H.S. Brahma
announced to launch Electoral
Roll Authentication Mission. This
project will use the database of
Unique Identification Authority
of India to link Aadhar number of
citizens with their electoral database
to further authenticate and purify
electoral rolls.
The move will help to erase a large
number of bogus voters from the
list. The move will be started on a
mission mode. This move comes two
A-270
days after the Centre clarified before
the Supreme Court that Aadhar will
be mandatory for the citizens for
availing any social benefit.
The Election Commission has
decided to mark 2015 as the year
of Easy Registration and Easy
Correction. Within this mission
ECI has already launched a National
Voter Service Portal (NVSP) on 25th
January, 2015 on the occasion of
National Voters Day; where people
can feed their Aadhar number for
linking it with the electoral data
base.
RBI to Bring Back One Rupee
Notes: The Reserve Bank of
India announced to bring back
the currency notes of one rupee
denomination into circulation.
Printing of one rupee notes was
discontinued in 1994, mainly due to
higher cost and for freeing capacity
to print currency notes of higher
denomination.
Printing of two and five rupee notes
was discontinued in 1995, since then
only coins have been issued for these
denominations. However, older
currency notes are still in circulation
and remain a legal tender. It has been
decided to reintroduce these notes
in order to meet the gap between
demand and supply of coins in this
denomination.
At present, one rupee coins are
minted. The new currency note will
be predominantly pink green on
obverse and reverse in combination
with other colours.
Unlike other currency notes which
bear the signature of the Governor
of the RBI, one rupee note will have
signature of the Finance Secretary.
These notes will contain the bilingual
signature of Finance Secretary with
Ideas
a replica of New Rupee One Coin
with symbol of 2015, issued with
Satyamev Jayate and capital letter
L inserted in the numbering panel.
On the reverse side these notes will
contain the words Bharat Sarkar
above the words Government of
India with the year 2015 on the
representation of One Rupee coin
with a symbol having floral design
surrounded by a picture of Sagar
Samrat- oil exploration platform
with the authentic rendering of
value in fifteen languages in the
languages panel and the year figure
shown in the centre bottom in the
international figure
Union Government decides
to infuse 6990 crore rupees in
nine Public Sector Banks: The
government has decided to infuse
Rs. 6,990 crore in nine public sector
banks under new criteria which
reward efficient banks with extra
capital to strengthen their position.
In the Budget for 2014-15, amount
has been allocated.
Method used for calculating at the
amount was based on efficiency
parameters.
First parameter is weighted average
of return on assets (ROA) for all
public sector banks for last three
years put together was considered
and all the banks above the average
were considered.
The second parameter used was
return on equity (ROE) for these
banks for the last financial year.
In beneficiaries, largest public
sector lender SBI leads the pack
with Rs 2,970 crore, followed by
Punjab National Bank with Rs
870 crore other banks are Canara
Bank, Syndicate Bank, Allahabad
Bank, Indian Bank, Dena Bank and
Andhra Bank.
Ideas
MARCH
Mc Mary Kom Quits Boxing
After Rio Olympics Games 2016:
Olympic medallist M C Mary Kom
has decided to quit boxing after
the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. She
explained that her body is not being
able to cope up with the rigours
of the sport any further.Mary is
concentrating on setting up her
boxing academy in Imphal. She is
the first Indian woman boxer to win
a Gold Medal in the 2014 Asian
Games held at Incheon, South
Korea. She had also won a bronze
medal in 2012 London Olympics in
the flyweight (51 kg) category and
was the only Indian woman boxer
to qualify for this category. Mary
has been nicknamed as Magnificent
Mary. She is the only woman boxer
to have won a medal in all the six
world championships.She has been
conferred with Padma Bhushan
(2013), Padma Shree (2010) and
Arjuna Award (2003) for her
important contribution to boxing.
APRIL
Rajya Sabha passes The Rights of
Transgender Persons Bill, 2014: On
25th April 2015, a private members
Bill protecting and providing rights for
transgenders was passed by the Rajya
Sabha. The Bill guarantees reservation
in education and jobs, financial aid and
social inclusion. This is the first time
in 45 years that a private members
Bill has been passed by the House.
The bill seeks to provide framework
for formulations and implementations
of laws to ensure overall development
of the transgender people. It demands
for 2 percent reservation in primary,
secondary and higher education and
in government jobs.
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It also protects a transgender childs
rights saying they cannot be separated
from their parents on grounds of being
transgender. Penalty for hate speech
and social discriminations against
transgender include imprisonment
upto one year and fine.
29 nations and leading democracies in
the world including US, UK, Canada,
France, Australia, Italy and Singapore
have legislations protecting rights of
transgender persons.
Indian Railways launches
E-Samiksha to monitor rail
projects online: Indian Railways
based on Rail Budget proposals, on
21st April launched E-Samiksha, an
online monitoring mechanism. It is
a very good beginning and now each
and every project implementation
can be monitored on real-time basis,
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu
said in New Delhi after launching
the system.
The software is designed by NIC
and is currently being used by
Cabinet Secretariat, PMO and
other Ministries for monitoring
progress implementation of various
programmes and follow-up of
meetings. The main objective of
this software is to to monitor the
progress of every project whether
small or big.
Computerization and Information
System (C&IS) of Railway Board
in coordination with NIC and
Department of Electronics and
Information Technology (DeitY)
have developed the software
for ESamiksha. According to
a Railway official involved with
the E-Samiksha, the software
has been developed to make it a
highly interactive web-based, user-
friendly and customised system.
Currently, it is being used by Cabinet
Secretariat, Prime Ministers Office
A-272
and other Ministries for monitoring
progress implementation of various
programmes and follow-up of
meetings.
MAY
RBI Allowed Tap And Pay Without
Pin For Transactions Up to 2000
Rupees: Relaxing norms, the Reserve
Bank of India on 14th May 2015
allowed banks to enable transactions
in contactless cards for values
up to Rs 2,000 without requiring
a separate PIN authentication.
Beyond this transaction limit, the
card has to be processed as a contact
payment and authentication with
PIN will be mandatory. This will
hasten acceptance of `tap and pay
electronic payments at retail outlets,
in transport services and for toll
payments. Tap and pay refers to
the use of near field communication
technology in payment cards where
instead of the traditional swiping of
the card and punching in payment
details, all the customer needs to
do is wave a card in front of an
acceptance device for the bill to be
settled. One of the preconditions set
out by RBI is that the contactless card
should also incorporate the latest
EMV Chip technology for enabling
payment beyond 2000 rupees. RBIs
announcement came on the day
State Bank of India announced the
largest roll-out of contactless card
payments in the country.
SEBI Notifies The Securities And
Exchange Board of India (Mutual
Funds) Regulations, 2015: On
20 March 2015 the Security and
Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
notified the SEBI (Mutual Funds)
Regulations, 2015. They have now
simplified norms for domestic funds
to manage offshore pooled assets
Ideas
by dropping its 20-25 rule, that
required a minimum of 20 investors
and a cap of 25% on investment by
an individual, for funds from low-risk
foreign investors. The relaxation of
the rule is intended to make it easier
for domestic mutual funds to manage
offshore pooled assets. As per the
existing norms, a fund manager who
is managing a domestic scheme is
allowed to manage an offshore fund,
subject to three specific conditions.
The first requires the investment
objective and asset allocation of the
domestic scheme and of the offshore
fund to be the same. The second
condition requires at least 70 % of
the portfolio to be replicated across
both the domestic scheme and the
offshore fund. The third and most
stringent condition required offshore
fund to be broad-based with at least
20 investors with no single investor
holding more than 25% of the fund
corpus.
Government Launched Official
Website of NITI Aayog: The Union
Government replaced the Planning
Commission with National
Institution for Transforming India
(NITI) Aayog on January 1 2015
and on 18 May 2015 launched
official website of NITI Aayog. The
website was launched by Dr Arvind
Panagariya, Vice Chairman, NITI
Aayog. The function was attended
by Chief Executive of NITI Aayog
Sindhushree Khullar and members
Bibek Debroy and V.K. Saraswat.
The website has a unique feature of
blogs section that contains articles,
field reports, work in progress and
opinions by the officials; along with
details of the constitution, functions
and current activities of the NITI
Aayog. Nominated to serve as a
policy think-tank for the central as
well as state governments, NITI
Ideas
Aayog has the Prime Minister as
its chairperson. The website can
be accessed on http://www.niti.
gov.in. However, the final website
is under construction and will be
updated soon. The designing of
the website took a little longer than
usual because it would have a wider
target audience as there would be a
platform for states, experts, citizens
and stakeholders where they can
share their views on different issues
and see others perspectives.
JUNE
Railway Ministry Decides To Run
Suvidha Trains: Railway Ministry
has decided to run Suvidha with
dynamic to address the rush during
peak travel seasons. The railway
ministry has followed a list of terms
and conditions to be followed for the
running of these trains. Tickets will
be issued only for confirmed and
RAC passengers accommodation.
There shall be no provision for
waiting list in the train. The earliest
advance reservation period will
be 30 days while the minimum
Advance Reservation period will
be of 10 days. No concession shall
be relevant on these trains. Full
adult ticket shall be changed for
all passengers irrespective of their
age. No provisions for free passes/
complimentary passes/warrant/
concessional voucher etc. will be
permitted in these trains. Apart
from e-ticketing the sale of tickets
shall also be allowed through PRS
counters. Only General quota
bookings will be applicable and
the up gradation option shall
not be applicable in these trains.
Passenger should produce one of
the prescribed Identity cards during
journey for verification purpose
for both e-ticket and PRS ticket.
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According to the demand pattern,
Suvidha train services will run
during peak seasons like winter
rush, summer rush, Dussehara rush,
Holi rush and on other occasions
as jointly decided by COMs and
CCMs of the zonal Railways.
Delhi Metro got its first driver-less
train: Delhis highly anticipated
Metro received its first driver-less
train, equipped with several highly
developed features. The train was
manufactured at Changwan in
South Korea. The new-age train that
arrived at the Mukundpur depot will
eventually run unattended, guided
by Delhi Metros operations control
centres. The route they would run
on the over 58 km-long Majlish
Park-Shiv Vihar (Line 7) and the
over 38 km-long Janakpuri (West)-
Botanical Garden (Line 8) corridors
of the Phase-III. According to the
latest reports both these sections are
expected to be operational by the
end of 2016. The trains are designed
for a maximum speed of 95 kmph
and operational speed of 85 kmph.
A total of 20 six-coach trains will be
manufactured in South Korea by the
end of this 2015, while 61 are being
manufactured at the Bharat Earth
Movers Limited (BEML) plant in
Bengaluru. Each train will be able to
accommodate 2,280 passengers
240 more than the regular six-coach
Metro train as driverless trains do
not require a cabin for the operator.
JULY
E-Tourist Visa Scheme Extended
To China, Hong Kong And Macau:
On 29th July, the Government of
India has extended e-Tourist Visa
(eTV) scheme for the applicants
from China, Hong Kong and Macau
with effect from 30th July 2015.
A-274
This would bring the total number
of nationalities availing this facility
from 74 to 77. The scheme is about
to be extended to more countries in
a phased manner.
Touristsundere-Tourist Visa scheme
can arrive at nine designated
airports i.e. Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad,
Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore,
Chennai, Cochin and Trivandrum.
After the launch of this scheme,
more than two lakh e-Tourists Visa
have been issued to nationals of
different countries.
Since last three year, a total of 1,
79,873 (One lakh seventy-nine
thousand eight hundred seventy-
three) tourist visas have been
issued to China, Hong Kong and
Macau. The aim of government for
launching e-Tourists Visa scheme
is to boost the tourist arrival from
these countries and strengthen
bilateral ties among people of these
regions.
RBI Releases Guidelines on PPI
For Mass Transit System: The RBI
has released Final Guidelines on
Prepaid Payment Instruments for
Mass Transit System (PPI-MTS) to
enable the issuance of a separate
category of semi-closed prepaid
instruments for mass transit system.
The PPI-MTS will not only enhance
commuter convenience but also
facilitate the transition towards the
countrys vision of moving to a less-
cash society.
The PPI-MTS can be used within
the mass transit systems and will
have a minimum validity of six
months from date of issue. Such
PPIs will be reloadable instruments
subject to an outstanding limit of
2,000/- at any point of time.
This new category of semi-closed
Ideas
PPIs has been introduced taking
into account the requests received
from various segments, including
providers of mass transit services,
such as metro train and road
transport services, indicating the
need for PPIs catering to the
requirements of this segments to
enhance commuter convenience.
MPEDA Launches Mobile-Based
Applications: The Marine Products
Export Development Authority
(MPEDA), a nodal agency for
promotion of marine exports from
India has launched two mobile
based applications to help farmers
get prices on shrimp and capture
data on aquaculture through mobile.
The two mobile- based applications
are:
1. Shrimp price information over
SMS by a missed call.
2. mkrishi-Mobile App for
Aquaculture Operations
MPEDA is providing price related
market information on Vannamei
and Black Tiger shrimp to farmers.
The farmers need to give a missed
call to a predetermined number and
they will get to know the prices of
various grades of these two varieties
of shrimp in major world markets
such as Japan, the U.S. and EU
through an SMS.
This service is being provided at
no cost to farmers all over India
and would enable them to take
an informed decision on harvest
of their produce and get better
price realization. The agency
has launched an Android based
mobile app called mKrishi to
enable farmers get expert guidance
on all operations, besides helping
with book keeping and weather
information.
Ideas
The farmers can see the reports in a
graphical form. An option to view
the trends or reports in the computer
is also provided to give seamless
data entry and visualisation. This
will help in resolving issues quickly
on a more personalised manner.
NDDB Launches Mobile
Application Pashuposhan:
National Dairy Development Board
launched a mobile application
Pashu-Poshan to boost dairy
farmers income by raising milk
yield and reducing feed cost. The
app will recommend a balanced
diet for cows and buffaloes. The app
will be available on both web and
android platforms. This service can
be accessed by registering on the
INAPH portal.
To avail of this service a farmer
needs to provide complete animal
profile; its breed, age, milk
production, fat content in milk apart
from the food items that the animal
is fed on along with the cost in
order to formulate a balanced ration
formula.
This has resulted in reducing the
feed cost by Rs. 5-15 per animal
and an average increase in milk
production by an average 300 ml per
animal per day.
India is the largest milk producer in
the world, but the challenge before
the countrys dairy sector is low
productivity of its bovine population
as compared to developed countries.
Online National Agriculture
Market: Union Cabinet has
approved setting up of an online
National Agriculture Market that
will provide more options to farmers
for selling their produce. For online
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national agriculture market, an
online platform will be set up. On
this platform farmers will be able
to sell and buy vegetables, fruits
and other produce from across the
country. The Union Government
will also establish an agency to
oversee online trading and ensure
that transactions take place
smoothly.
This Online agriculture market will
also focus on creating godowns
and facilitate transportation of the
farm produce after online trade.
The move is expected to give
choice to farmers to sell the farm
produce both in physical mandis as
well as online. The free access to
sell via online trade is believed to
boost their incomes and improve
availability, moderating price rise.
Currently, farmers sell their produce
at traditional mandis or market
committees which charge various
taxes on producers.
1st Earthquake Warning System in
Uttarakhand: Uttarakhand became
the first state to install a system to
detect earthquakes and disseminate
warnings. This system has been
installed in Dehradun which will
issue warnings 1-40 seconds before
earthquakes of magnitude 5 or
more. The system is designed and
manufactured by Italian Company,
Space Dynamics.
Main Features of the Earthquake
Warning System (EWS):
This system has sensors, capable
of detecting P (Primary) and S
(Secondary) waves generated during
an earthquake.
It is capable of detecting the
harmless P wave, which travels
A-276
faster than the S wave for advance
warning.
The system has the earliest detection
among those currently in use
worldwide.
It can generate a variety of alarms
like programmable built-in audio
alert, connected to external alarms
like sirens and public announcement
systems.
It can also trigger visual alerts
and send them via cell phones
and the internet. According to the
Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS),
Uttarakhand falls under seismic
Zone V; a zone of high seismic
activity with magnitude of 6.9 or
larger on Richter scale. Apart from
it, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal
Pradesh, Rann of Kutch (Gujarat),
Northern Bihar and Andaman
and Nicobar islands fall under this
seismic zone.
AUGUST
6 new SEZ proposals approved:
(28th August) The Union
Government approved six new
proposals which include four from
IT and IT enabled Service (ITeS)
sector, for setting up of Special
Economic Zones (SEZs). The
decision was taken by the Board of
Approval (BoA) for SEZ headed by
Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia.
The proposals which got the
approval include the HCL IT City
Lucknow, Loma IT Park Developer
and North Mumbai International
Commodity Township.
The exports from these particular
zones had risen to Rs 4.94 lakh
crore in 2013-14 from the previous
amount of Rs 22,840 crore in 2005-
06. These SEZs account about 25%
Ideas
of the nations total exports.
In total there are 330 notified SEZs
across the country of which 36 are
operational in Tamil Nadu, followed
by Karnatakaand Telangana having
26 each while Maharashtra having
25. The Commerce Ministry has
been taking a number of steps
to boost exports as the value of
countrys shipments in the last four
financial years has been around
$300 billion.
SEPTEMBER
Gold Monetization Schemes
Introduced: The Union Cabinet
chaired by the Prime Minister Modi
on September 9 gave its approval for
introduction of Gold Monetization
Schemes (GMS), as announced
in the Union Budget 2015-16.
The objective of introducing the
modifications in the schemes is to
make the existing schemes more
effective and to broaden the ambit
of the existing schemes from merely
mobilizing gold held by households
and institutions in the country to
putting this gold into productive use.
The long-term objective which is
sought through this arrangement is
to reduce the countrys reliance on
the import of gold to meet domestic
demand.
The long-term objective of the
scheme is to reduce the countrys
reliance on the import of gold to
meet domestic demand. GMS
would benefit the Indian gems and
jewellery sector which is a major
contributor to countrys exports
by accounting 12 per cent of total
exports. It would enable depositors
to earn interest on their on their
gold accounts. These schemes are
in addition to the implementation
Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme
Ideas
(SGBS) which was approved by the
Union Cabinet. Under this scheme,
bonds will be issued with an interest
rate decided by Union Government
and calculated on value at the time
of investment.
BSE Has Highest Number of
Listed Companies in the World:
WFE: Bombay Stock Exchange
(BSE) has the highest number of
listed companies in the world as
announced by the World Federation
of Exchanges (WEF). A total
number of 5689 companies were
listed with the BSE by the end
of June 2015. However, there is
only one foreign company out of
5689. By the end of June 2015, the
National Stock Exchange of India
(NSE) had 1750 listed companies.
The total value of transactions in
the BSE was 94 billion US dollars
during the same period.
AS for Shanghai stock exchange of
China (having 1070 companies), it is
at the top in terms of value of share
trading with 30 trillion US dollars
worth transactions in June 2015.
BSE is followed by TMX Group,
BME Spanish Exchanges, London
SE Group, NASDAQ OMX, NYSE
Euronext (US), Tokyo SE Group,
Australian SE, Korea Exchange
and NSE in the top ten. While
TMX has 3,964 listed companies,
London Stock Exchange has 2,782
companies, NASDAQ OMX has
2,598 and NYSE Euronext (US) has
2,345.
Purchase of 10 Heron TP Drones
From Israel Approved: India on
11 September 2015 approved the
purchase of 10 Heron TP drones
from Israel. This 400 million US
dollars proposal for buying armed
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missile-armed drones from Israel
will enhance Indias cross-border
military strike capabilities. The
Indian Air Force (IAF) which has
also a fleet of Harpy UAVs from
Israel will operate the drones; they
are primarily tasked with taking out
enemy radar positions.
The armed drones are equipped
with air-to-ground missiles which
will carry a payload of 1,000 kg.
The project has been given pace and
the drones may be put into service
within a year. The armed forces had
proposed buying the same armed
drones in 2012. But the proposal
didnt take off due to not getting
support of UPA-2 government. The
project was revived by the Modi
government this year.
The armed drones are the same
as the Predator unmanned aerial
vehicles (UAVs) capable of
reconnaissance, combat and support
roles. India operates unarmed Heron
and Searcher UAVs for surveillance
and intelligence purposes.
Indian Railways & Google
Provide Free Wi-Fi Services:
Indian Railways and Google have
partnered to launch a new project
under the code name Project Nilgiri
on September 13. The project will
deliver free Wi-fi access to around
400 railway stations across India.
Google will be using the Google
Fiber project, thatll provide high
speed internet connection for the
travellers.
Commuters can access Wi-fi only
after mobile number verification
through a one-time password sent
over SMS. Initially, a user will get
high speed internet connectivity for
A-278 Ideas

the first 30 minutes and thereafter, Forbes Releases List Of Indias

the speed will drop and become
slow though the connection of the
users will still be active.
In the first phase, Google and
Indian Railways will set up Wi-
fi hotspots across 400 railway
stations throughout India over a
period of 4 months from now. In
its phase 2 expansion, Google will
provide Wi-fi on board moving
trains Pan India using cutting
edge technology. Presently, Indian
Railways provide Wi-fi connectivity
in moving trains for select routes
like Rajdhani express using satellite
communication technology.
100 Richest People: Forbes list of
Indian richest people is based on
an annual assessment of wealth
and assets compiled and published
by Forbes magazine in 2015. The
combined net worth of the 2015
class of the 100 richest Indians is
US$ 345 billion, down from 346
billion a year ago in 2014. Mukesh
Ambani remains Indias richest
person for the ninth consecutive year
with a net worth of US$18.9 billion,
according to the latest Forbes India
Rich List. The top 10 richest people
of India are as follows:

National World Net worth

Name Source(s) of wealth
ranking ranking (USD)
1 39 Mukesh Ambani 18.9 billion Reliance Industries
2 44 Dilip Sanghvi 18 billion Sun Pharmaceutical
3 48 Azim Premji 15.9 billion Wipro
4 185 S P Hinduja 14.8 billion Hinduja Group
5 108 Pallonji Mistry 14.7 billion Shapoorji Pallonji Group
6 156 Shiv Nadar 12.9 billion HCL
7 208 Godrej family 11.4 billion Godrej Group
8 82 Lakshmi Mittal 13.5 billion ArcelorMittal
Cyrus Poonawalla Group,
9 208 7.9 billion
Poonawalla Serum Institute of India
10 142 Kumar Birla 7.8 billion Aditya Birla Group

Indian Railways Develops
Prototype of Hybrid Vacuum
Toilet: The Indian Railways has
come up with an eco-friendly
sanitation project, under which,
this new kind of toilet has been
set up to save water on trains. A
prototype of the new hybrid vacuum
toilet has been made that comprises
a modified vacuum toilet that is
used in aircraft and a biodigester
tank, which converts the excreta
into water and gas with the help of
anaerobic bacteria.
With the transfer of the discharge of
the vacuum toilets into biodigester,
the need to create separate ground
handling installation and creating
additional sewer load on the
Municipal Corporation will be done
away with. The concept has been
converted into a working prototype
by Indian Railways as a first ever
system of its kind to have been
Ideas
developed and built by any railway
system in the world. This newly
developed toilet has been fitted in
one coach of Dibrugarh Rajdhani
for trial.
The prototype consists of a custom
designed Vacuum toilet adapted
from a commercially available
vacuum toilet that is used in aircrafts
which evacuates its discharge into
a biodigester tank which is now
successfully proven in the biotoilets
of Indian Railways. The biodigester
tank is fitted underneath the coach
and contains anaerobic bacteria that
convert human fecal matter into
water and small amount of gases
before discharging the same on the
ground/track.
Government Provides Additional
50 Days Work Under MGNREGA:
The Union government on
September 14 decided to provide
additional 50 days of work in
drought-hit areas under the
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee Act
(MGNREGA) scheme to provide
relief to farmers on account of
deficit monsoon in various parts of
the country. Currently, 100 days of
work is provided to rural job card
holders under the MGNREGA.
The decision was taken following
monsoon deficit reaching 16 per
cent across the country, which
could affect kharif crops and rural
income. The move will enable
states to provide additional wage
employment to rural poor in drought
affected areas. The poorest rural
households will benefit from this, as
it will help in immediate absorption
of rural seasonal unemployment,
and reduce rural distress.
The government had already
A-279
announced diesel subsidy for
farmers to help save standing crops.
It also enhanced ceiling on seed
subsidy to compensate the farmers
in the drought affected districts for
the additional expenditure incurred
in the re-sowing.
Besides, the government has
made flexible allocation under the
Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana and
other centrally sponsored schemes.
It has put in place crop contingency
plan for 600 districts.
Marathi-film Court as Indias
Official entry to Oscar: Chaitanya
Tamhanes debut Marathi movie
Court, a courtroom drama has been
chosen as Indias official entry for
the Best Foreign Language Film
category at the 88th Academy
Awards. Court had also won a
National Film Award.
The 17-member jury to choose the
entry was headed by veteran actor-
filmmaker Amol Palekar. According
to reports, PK, Masaan, Mary Kom,
Haider, Kaaka Muttai, Baahubali
and Kuttram Kadithal were among
the films that the jury also watched.
Court about a trial which unfolds
in a lower court, where the hopes
and dreams of the citys ordinary
people play out won the National
Film Award in the Best Feature
Film category for 2014.
With impactful performances by
actors Vivek Gomber, Vira Sathidar,
Geetanjali Kulkarni and Shirish
Pawar, the movie did its fair share
of rounds at foreign movie galas.
Last year, Liars Dice, a road drama
starring Geetanjali Thapa and
Nawazuddin Siddiqui in lead roles,
was selected as Indias official entry
to the Best Foreign Film category
of Oscars, but it failed to make
it to the top five at the Academy
A-280 Ideas

Awards. The 88th Academy Awards 

ceremony will be held on February      
28, 2016. 
Four new isotopes discovered at      
Manipal University: Researchers
   
from the Manipal Centre of Natural    
Sciences at Manipal University,     
Karnataka, with collaborators from     
GSI, Germany, have succeeded in     
discovering four new atomic nuclei    
to be added to the Chart of the     
Nuclides. The newly discovered, PFRDA (Pension Fund Regulatory
exotic nuclei are one isotope each of    
the heavy elements berkelium and       
neptunium and two isotopes of the     
element americium.     

To enable the discovery of the new

isotopes, scientists used a new,
     
highly sensitive method to create
    
and detect the nuclei and the results
    
of this work constitute the first
 
proof of this new technique. A
     
300-nanometer-thick foil of curium

was bombarded with accelerated

   
calcium nuclei in this experiment.
In the collisions studied, the atomic
nuclei of the two elements touched,
and formed a compound system for
an extremely short time. Before the
compound system could break apart
again, after about a sextillionth of
a second, the two nuclei involved
exchanged a significant number
of their nuclear building-blocks
protons and neutrons to form
various isotopes as the end products.
The newly discovered isotopes have
fewer neutrons and are lighter than
the previously known isotopes of
the respective elements.
OCTOBER
RBI Allows NRIS To Subscribe
To National Pension System: The

     


age. The pension plan was, on May
     

RBI Issues Gold Monetization
Scheme Guidelines for Banks: The
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued
guidelines for banks to implement
the gold scheme that was approved
earlier by the government. The
Gold Monetization scheme would
allow the banks to fix interest rates
on gold deposit according to their
own guidelines. According to the
scheme the interest and the principal
payments on gold deposits will be
done in gold. Subject to a minimum
lock-in period, RBI will give the
      provision of premature withdrawal
    of the deposited gold. An idle gold
    
Ideas
worth about INR 5, 40, 000 crore
has been targeted by the banking
systems for gold monetisation
scheme. The scheme does not have
any limit to the maximum deposit
a person can make however, there
is a minimum deposit set which
is 30 grams. The gold can be in
any formcoins, bars, jewellery
excluding other metals and stones.
There will be two deposit options
available to the customersShort
Term Bank Deposit (1-3years)
and Medium (5-7 years) and Long
Term Government Deposit (12-
15 years). All the deposits will be
made Collection and Purity Testing
Centre (CPTC).
Union Government Launches
KISAN Project and Hailstorm
App for Crop Damage: The
pilot programme, KISAN, was
launched to fasten the payment
process of crop insurance claims
to the farmers. It will make use of
satellite and imaging by drone and
other technology to generate timely
and accurate data on crop yielding.
On the basis of crop cutting
experiments, the payment against
crop insurance is released. To
develop a new index based insurance
approach is yet another feature
incorporated in the program. The
delay in settlements of the insurance
has been of great concern to the
government. Mahalanobis National
Crop Forecast Centre, Indian
Space Research Organisation,
India Meteorological Department,
State Agriculture Departments and
Remote Sensing Centres, Climate
Change, Agriculture and Food
Security will all work together
jointly in this programme. The
newly launched android based
App will enable to collect data
of hailstorm causing damages to
standing crops. Hailstorms have
A-281
been noted to be responsible for
crop damage on a large scale basis.
The App would allow farmers to
send pictures of hailstorms to the
ISROs Bhuvan server giving the
government opportunity to have a
quick assessment of the damages to
the crops.
E-Sahyog Pilot Project of Income-
Tax Department to Facilitate
Taxpayers: The Income-tax
Department is committed to
the Digital India initiative of
the Government of India. The
Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley
launched here today an e-Sahyog
pilot project which furthers the
Departments commitment to work
in an e-environment and reduces the
need for the taxpayer to physically
appear before tax authorities.
The e-Sahyog project launched
on a pilot basis is aimed at reducing
compliance cost, especially for
small taxpayers. The objective of
e-Sahyog is to provide an online
mechanism to resolve mismatches
in Income-tax returns of those
assesses whose returns have been
selected for scrutiny, without
visiting the Income Tax Office.
Under this initiative the Department
will provide an end to end e-service
using SMS, e-mails to inform the
tax assesses of the mismatch. The
taxpayers will simply need to visit
the e-filing portal and log in with
their user-ID and password to view
mismatch related information and
submit online response on the issue.
The responses submitted online
by the taxpayers will be processed
and if the response and other
information are found satisfactory
as per automated closure rules, the
issue will be treated as closed. The
taxpayers can check the updated
status by logging in to the e-filing
portal.
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NOVEMBER
NITI Aayog Initiates New
Nutrition Strategy Development
Idea_india: NITI Aayog conducted
its first initiative towards setting up
a National Nutrition Strategy on
October 28, 2015. It was chaired
by the CEO of NITI Aayog,
Ms Sindhushree Khullar. NITI
Aayog conducted a meeting with
the Ministries of Women and
Child Development and Health
and Family Welfare after having
gathered necessary data on under
nutrition specifically targeting
the poorly performing states and
districts. Professional bodies,
international agencies, voluntary
organisations and experts came
together at one place to discuss
the issue of under nutrition in the
country and the ways to eradicate it.
The NITI officials and the Ministries
of Health and Family Welfare
and Program Implementation and
Additional Registrar General of
India shared important vision and
design of the Nutritional Strategy.
International organisations such
as UNICEF, WHO, UN Women
and UNDP also presented their
views at the meeting. By the end of
December, 2015, NITI Aayog has
been asked to prepare a draft on
Nutrition Strategy in consultations
of the experts. Constitution of an
Inter-Ministerial Group on Health
and Nutrition Data has been seen
as an important requirement to
enable the identification of focus
districts and recommendations to
monitor and track the progress of
the strategy in these areas.
Indian Railways launches Vikalp
scheme for waitlisted passengers:
With effect from November 1, 2015,
Ideas
Indian Railways launches passenger
friendly scheme - Vikalp Scheme for
waitlisted passengers. According
to this newly launched scheme, the
passengers on waitlist will be able
to get confirmed berths in the next
train on the same route subject to
availability. The pilot project of a
new scheme i.e. Vikalp Scheme
is also known as alternative train
accommodation scheme (ATAS)
and is launched on Delhi- Lucknow
and Delhi-Jammu routes. The
facility of this scheme is limited to
the express and mail trains. This
scheme is available only for the
tickets which are to be booked
online i.e. E-ticket.
The objective to launch this
scheme is to provide confirmed
accommodation to the waitlisted
passengers and to ensure the
optimal utilisation of available
accommodation for these
passengers. Under this scheme,
passengers have to pay No extra
charge to avail this facility or any
refund provided for the difference
of fare. In the next available train,
a separate list of the passengers
transferred will be pasted along with
the confirmed and waitlist charts.
DECEMBER
Employers Attestation not
Required for PF Claim: The
Employees Provident Fund
Organisation (EPFO) has allowed its
subscribers to file their applications
directly to the retirement fund body
without employers attestation.
This was earlier mandatory for this
purpose. Employees whose details
like Aadhaar Number and Bank
Account Number have been seeded
Ideas
in their Universal (or portable PF)
Account Number (UAN) and whose
UAN have been activated will be
able to enjoy this benefit given
by EPFO. Claims will have to be
submitted manually by subscribers
and this initiative will make the PF
withdrawals easy for the employees.
National Waterways Bill, 2015:
Union Cabinet has given its approval
to carry out official amendments
in The National Waterways Bill,
2015. The amendments are based
on the recommendations of the
Department related Parliamentary
Standing Committee on Transport,
Tourism and Culture and comments
of State Governments. It provides
for enacting a Central Legislation
to declare 106 additional inland
waterways as the national
waterways by which the total
number of NW goes up to 111
from existing 5. Union Government
is empowered to make laws on
shipping and navigation on national
waterways as per Entry 24 of the
Union List of the 7th Schedule of
the Constitution.
SABLA Scheme to Empower
Adolescent Girls: Rajiv Gandhi
Scheme for Empowerment of
Adolescent Girls (RGSEAG)
Sabla has been implemented by
Govt. which aims at empowering
Adolescent Girls (AGs) between 11-
18 years through nutrition, health
care and life skills education. Nearly
100 lakh adolescent girls per annum
are expected to be benefitted under
the scheme. The scheme will cover
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205 districts selected from all the
States and UTs. An amount of Rs
27486.79 lakhs has been released
to states under SABLA in 2015-16
till date and amount utilised is Rs
7844.49 lakhs.
SETU to Support Start-up
Businesses: Government has
set up a mechanism known as
SETU to support all aspects of
start-up businesses and other self-
employment activities. SETU
(SelfEmployment and Talent
Utilisation) has been established
under NITI Aayog is a Techno-
Financial, Incubation and
Facilitation Programme to support
all aspects of start-up businesses,
and other self-employment
activities, particularly in technology-
driven areas.
Arbitration and Conciliation
(Amendment) Bill, 2015: The
Lok Sabha has today passed the
Arbitration and Reconciliation
(Amendment Bill), 2015 by voice
vote. The Bill seeks to make the
arbitration process more investor-
friendly, cost effective and suitable
for expeditious disposal of cases. It
will also facilitate in making India
a hub of international commercial
arbitration. Courts will also be asked
to decide disputed arbitral awards
within a year. It may be noted that
the President had promogulated an
ordinance for amending the earlier
prevalent act, the Arbitration and
Conciliation Act 1996 related and
for matters connected there with or
incidental thereto.
A-284 Ideas

JANUARY 
     
Project Lettuce: To grow lettuce Yojana was an
on Mars in 2018: Scientists at Janua     
University of Southampton are      
planning to grow lettuce on the     
red planet in year 2018. The team      
will grow some plants on Mars     
to see if the plants can survive the      
atmosphere. Minimum amount      
of resources would be taken from    
Earth while essential gases would
     
be extracted and processed from
subsidy and welfare programmes.
Martian atmosphere for growing
    
the plants. A green house, frozen
seeds of lettuce, several nutrients      
and systems for monitoring and      
processing the atmosphere would be    
taken along to Mars. A not-for-profit 
foundation, Mars One, will launch      
Mars One Lander. The frozen     
lettuce seeds would be reactivated
inside the greenhouse chamber
after Mars One Lander reaches
Mars. The lettuce is reported to be
grown on Mars without any soil.
Water and other nutrients would
be sprayed timely on the plants.
The foundation, Mars One, aims at
establishing a permanent habitat for
humans on the red planet by the year
2026. The project leader, Suzanna
Lucarotti, communicated that
food is important for humans and
so it should be tested if the plants
can thrive on the planet before the
planet can be affirmed fit for human
habitation.
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna
made it to Guinness World
Records:
 The candidates selected from a
   
Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana entered

   planned one-way trip to Mars in

    2024 include 50 men and 50 women
     
Minister, Arun Jaitley was presented
    
issued by the Guinness World
     


FEBUARY
3 Indians Shortlisted For The Trip
to Mars: In a proud moment, 3
Indians - 19-yearl Sharadha Prasad,
29-year Ritika Singh and 29-year
Taranjeet Singh Bhatia - are among
the 100 shortlisted applicants who
were chosen for one-way trip to
Mars under Mars One mission in
the third week of February 2015.
pool of 202586 candidates for a
 dia f  from all around the world - 39
     from America, 31 from Europe,
Ideas
16 from Asia, 7 from Africa and 7
from Oceania. The first troop will
reach the red planet in 2025. These
candidates will now appear in the
second and third round of the Mars
One Astronaut Selection Process to
be conducted by the Netherlands-
based non-profit organization Mars
One. These rounds will focus on
composing teams that can endure
all the hardships of a permanent
settlement on Mars. The candidates
will receive their first shot at training
in the replica of the Mars Outpost
on Earth and will demonstrate their
suitability to perform well in a team.
New 3D vaccine for cancer and
infectious diseases found: National
Institute Biomedical Imaging and
Bioengineering (NIBIB) funded
researchers have developed a novel
3D vaccine that could provide a
more effective way to manipulate
the immune system to fight cancer
and other infectious diseases. The
vaccine is able to self-construct
into a 3D structure and manipulate
immune cells.
The vaccine is composed of many
micro-sized, porous silica rods
dispersed in liquid; When injected
under the skin, the liquid quickly
diffuses leaving the rods to form
a randomly assembled three
dimensional structure resembling
a hayrack. The spaces between
the rods are big enough to house
dendritic cells and other immune
cells, and the rods have nano sized
pores that can be loaded with a
combination of antigens and drugs.
Cancer cells are often ignored by the
immune system because for the most
part- they closely resemble cells that
belong to the body than pathogens,
A-285
such as bacterial cells or viruses. The
goal of cancer vaccines is to provoke
the immune system to recognize
cancer cells as foreign and attack
them.
RWB releases the World Press
Freedom Index 2015: The Reporters
without Borders (RWB) released the
World Press Freedom Index (WPFI)
2015. In the WPFI India was
placed at 136th position out of 180
countries that were surveyed in terms
of Freedom of Press. On the top
of the list were three Scandinavian
countries: Finland on the First
position followed by Norway and
Denmark. At the other end of the
scale were Turkemenistan, North
Korea and Eritrea were the worst
performers securing the last position
in the Index.
World Press Freedom Index
highlights the worldwide
deterioration in the freedom of
information in 2014.
India has shown improvement in its
rank from in 2014. However Indias
score has gone down from 40.34 to
40.49
World Press Freedom Index
is produced by France based
international non-governmental
organization, Reporters without
Borders (RWB). WPFI aims to
promote and defend freedom of
information and freedom of press.
The WFPI ranks countries according
to index calculated based upon
various parameters.
These parameters include media
pluralism and independence,
respect for the safety and freedom
of journalists and the legislative,
institutional and infrastructural
environment in which the media
operate.
A-286
MARCH
RBI Signs $400 million Currency
Swap Pact with Sri Lanka: The
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has
signed a US $400 million currency
swap agreement with the Central
Bank of Sri Lanka. The currency
swap agreement will permit the
central banks of both nations to
make withdrawals of US Dollar or
Euro in multiple tranches up to a
maximum limit of USD 400 million
or its equivalent. The agreement will
be valid for a period of three years
and strengthen the economic co-
operation between the two countries.
During the SAARCFINANCE
Governors meeting held in Nepal
in 2012, the RBI announced that it
will offer currency swap facilities
aggregating USD 2 billion. This
facility will be offered in both foreign
currency and rupee to SAARC
member countries. In this regard,
the swap arrangement are signed to
provide a backstop line of funding
for the SAARC member countries
to meet any balance of payments
(BOP) and liquidity crisis till long-
term arrangements are made.
APRIL
Canada to Supply Uranium to
India: On 15th April 2015, Canada
agreed to supply 3,000 metric tonnes
of uranium to energy-hungry India
from this year under a $254-million
five-year deal to power Indian
atomic reactors, four decades after
bilateral cooperation in this sector
was frozen over Indias nuclear
programme. The agreement for
Ideas
uranium supply came two years after
protracted negotiations following
the 2013 civil nuclear deal between
India and Canada. It was signed
after comprehensive talks between
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and
his Canadian counterpart Stephen
Harper.
Canada is the third country to
supply uranium to India after Russia
and Kazakhstan. The supplies will
be under the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.
Cameco Corporation will supply
3,000 metric tonnes of uranium over
five years to India at an estimated
cost of $254 million and the supply
will start from this year.
Canada is the second-largest
producer of uranium globally, with
exports valued at over $1 billion per
year.
MAY
Japanese scientists Discover new
State of Matter: Scientists at
Tokohu University in Japan, on
14th May 2015, discovered a new
state of matter called the Jahn-
Tellermetal that resembles an
insulator, superconductor, metal
and magnet all rolled into one. The
researchers said that the research
could help develop new molecular
materials that are superconductors
at even higher temperatures.
The study is led by Kosmas
Prassides of Tohoku University
in Japan and provides important
clues about how the interplay
between the electronic structure
of the molecules and their spacing
within the lattice can strengthen
interactions between electrons that
cause superconductivity. The study
shows that the material has a rich
combination of insulating, magnetic,
Ideas
metallic and superconducting phases
- including the otherwise unknown
state, dubbed as Jahn-Teller metal.
In terms of Science Advances, this
research involves caesium fulleride
(Cs3C60) in a face-centred-cubic
lattice with a Cs3C60 molecule at
each lattice site. Jahn- Teller Metal
was found by changing the distance
between neighbouring buckyballs by
doping the material with rubidium.
It is named after the Jahn-Teller
effect, which is used in chemistry to
describe how at low pressures, the
geometric arrangement of molecules
and ions in an electronic state can
become distorted.
Forbes Global 2000 Companies
List: Forbes released Global 2000
Companies list comprising the
worlds biggest, most powerful and
most valuable companies. China
landed five of the top 10 spots for
the second time in a row. The top
five companies include Industrial &
Commercial Bank of China (ICBC);
China Construction Bank (China);
Agricultural Bank of China (China);
Bank of China (China); Berkshire
Hathaway (United States). State
Bank of India (world ranking 152)
topped the Indian companies list
with assets worth $400.6 billion,
followed by Indian Oil (349) in the
second and Coal India (490) in the
third place. The Forbes Global 2000
is an annual ranking of the top 2,000
public companies in the world by
the renowned Forbes magazine.
The criteria for the ranking in the
list included sales, profits, assets
and market value. The list has been
published since 2003. The top five
country-wise breakdown include
US 579, China (mainland and Hong
Kong) 232, Japan 218, Britain 94
and South Korea 66.
State of Food Insecurity in The
World 2015 Report: State of Food
A-287
Insecurity in the World 2015 was
released by Food and Agriculture
Organisation of the United Nations
(FAO), the International Fund for
Agricultural Development (IFAD)
and the World Food Programme
(WFP) by UN hunger report titled
annually.
The report mentions that the
number of undernourished has
reduced significantly; now 795
people are undernourished globally
which is 216 lesser than in 1990-
1992. This has brought the share of
undernourished people in the world
down from 23.3 per cent to 12.9 per
cent. The decline is more marked
in developing nations despite
population growth.
Chinese social media platform
Weibo joined by PM Modi: Prime
Minister Narendra Modi joined
Chinas popular social media
platform Weibo. He became the
first Indian leader to join Weibo.
The site also features accounts
of politicians like British Prime
Minister David Cameron. Modi is
one of the worlds most followed
politicians on social media. His
account had over 7,000 hits in the
first hour after he set up his Weibo
account. PMs Office maintains a
strong presence on social media so
that the prime minister can maintain
the sync with his vision of digital
India in which technology plays
a pivotal role for Governance and
policy making. International social
media sites like Google, Facebook
and Twitter arent available in
China, therefore, local services
possessing similar features have
become immensely popular with
the people of China. Sina Weibo is
a Chinese micro blogging website
A-288
which was launched by SINA
Corporation on 14 August 2009, and
by December 2012 had 503 million
registered users. Sina Weibo has
approximately 100 million messages
posted each day.
JUNE
Wealth-X Releases Worlds
Wealthiest Self-Made Billionaires
List: Microsoft co-founder Bill
Gates was declared worlds richest
self-made billionaire with net
worth USD 86 billion, according to
Wealth-X, global wealth intelligence
and prospecting company. Business
magnate Warren Buffett with USD
70.1 billion took the second slot on
the list. Spains Amancio Ortega
(USD 65 billion) came in next. The
list of the top wealthiest self-made
billionaires includes Larry Ellison
(USD 51.5 billion), Ingvar Kamprad
(USD 48.1 billion), Jeff Bezos (USD
39.8 billion), Carlos Slim (USD
35.4 billion), Mark Zuckerberg
(USD 35.3 billion), Wang Jianlin
(USD 35.2 billion) and Michael
Bloomberg (USD 33.7 billion).
American entrepreneurs dominated
the Wealth-X list by grabbing 14 of
the 25 spots. The joint wealth of the
14 Americans on the list amounted
to USD 514.2 billion, which is
greater than GDP of Norway. The
list also features Googles Larry
Page and Sergey Brin, and Alibaba
chairman Jack Ma.Wealth-X is
the global authority on wealth
intelligence, providing sales and
marketing strategy and compliance
solutions to clients in the financial
services, luxury, and not-for-profit
and education sectors.
India and the US Sign 2015
Framework for the India-US
Defence Relationship: US Defence
Ideas
Secretary Ash Carter and Indian
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar
signed a 10-year defence framework
agreement to strengthen the growth
of defence cooperation between
the two countries. The agreement
was an outgrowth of the meeting
that was held between President
Barack Obama and Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi in January
2015. Both the countries have
finalized two project agreements
for joint development of Mobile
Electric Hybrid Power Sources and
the Next Generation Protective
Ensembles. The also agreed to speed
up discussions to take forward the
cooperation on jet engines, aircraft
carrier design and construction,
and other areas. The agreement
also included plans to cooperate in
developing a mobile solar energy
power source that could be used in
remote areas and in developing a
lightweight protective suit effective
in chemical and biological hazard
environments.The US secretarys
visit also aims at convergence of
Indias Act East policy and the U.S.
rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region.
Under the Act East policy, India
will focus on improving relations
with Association of Southeast
Asian Nations and other East Asian
countries. The two nations have
agreed to continue their efforts to
enhance bilateral cooperation in
areas such as maritime security and
knowledge partnership in the field of
defence.
China Unveil Worlds First Facial
Recognition ATM Machine:
China has unveiled the worlds first
facial recognition ATM, which
wont allow users to withdraw cash
unless their face matches their
IDs. Chinese researchers have
Ideas
successfully developed the first
automated teller machine (ATM)
with facial recognition technology.
The first of its kind ATM was
developed by researchers from
Tsinghua University and technology
firm Tzekwan. The machine has a
camera installed which captures the
facial features of the user and then
compares it with photos stored in
a database for authentication. Its
technology and software looks at
biological features of person and has
potential to identify people even if
their facial features have changed.
The machine combines high-speed
banknote handling, improved
counterfeit-bill recognition and
facial recognition. Cash machines
using fingerprint authentication have
sprung up in countries like Chile and
Colombia, though biometric ATMs
have not been released because of
concerns over cost and privacy.
It provides 20% more accurate
authenticity in verifying multiple
currencies compared to present
conventional ATMs used globally.
JULY
Banks operationalise Contingent
Reserve Arrangement: The Central
Banks of Brazil, Russia, India, China
and South Africa signed Mutual
Assistance Agreement (MAA)
to operationalise the Contingent
Reserve arrangement (CRA) of 100
billion US dollars. The Agreement
was signed after meeting the BRICS
finance ministers and Central Bank
governors in the Russian capital
Moscow.
MAA is an operating system of
mutual support specifying the
procedures to be followed by central
banks of BRICS countries as part
of the CRA and defines their rights
and obligations. The purpose of
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BRICS is to provide mutual support
(monetary funds in US dollars)
in the event of national financial
systems facing liquidity problems.
The CRA along with the New
Development Bank are part of
the BRICS framework aimed at
maintaining financial stability in
BRICS countries. Total committed
resources of CRA are 100 billion
with individual commitment of
China-41 billion, Russia-18 billion,
Brazil -18 billion, India -18 billion,
South Africa -5 billion.
It would also contribute to
strengthening the global financial
safety net and complement existing
international arrangements (from
IMF) as an additional line of
defence.
DusKadam: 10 Steps for BRICS:
To facilitate closer cooperation
and coordination among BRICS
nations, Prime Minister Narender
Modi proposed a ten-point initiative
that includes India hosting the First
Trade Fair for the grouping and
establishing research centres for
railways and agriculture.
Calling it DusKadam: Ten steps
for the future, the Prime Minister
Narender Modi put forward new
initiatives for the BRICS grouping
that is formed by major economies.
The Prime Minister proposed these
points at the BRICS meet attended
by the Russian Prime Minister
Vladmir Putin, Brazilian President
DilmaRousseff and South African
President Jacob Zuma besides
Chinese Premier Xi Jinping.
The Ten Steps proposed by the
Prime Minister are:
A-290
1. BRICS Trade Fair
2. BRICs Railway Research Centre
3. Cooperation among Supreme
Audit Institutions
4. BRICS Digital Initiative
5. BRICS Agriculture Research
Centre
6. BRICS State/Local Govern-
ments Forum
7. Cooperation amongst cities in
the field of urbanisation
8. BRICS Sports Council and
Annual BRICS Sports Meet
9. First Major NDB Project to be in
the field of Clean Energy
10. BRICS Film Festival
The Prime Minister also proposed
that every country should obey
international rules and norms.
BRICS is an association of five major
emerging economies namely, Brazil,
Russia, India, China and South
Africa. The five BRICS nations
represent over 3 billion people, or
42 per cent of the world population.
The five countries have a combined
nominal GDP of US $ 16.039
trillion, equal to approximately 20
per cent of the Gross World product.
Bilateral relations between BRICS
countries are mostly conducted
on non-interference, equality and
mutual benefit.
RBI Signed Special Currency Swap
Agreement with the Central Bank
of Sri Lanka: The Reserve Bank of
India signed a special Currency swap
Agreement with the Central Bank of
Sri Lanka in which it can draw up
to US $1.1 billion for a maximum
period of six months. This special
agreement is in addition to the
existing Framework on Currency
Swap Arrangement for the SAARC
Member Countries.
Ideas
Earlier in 25th March 2015, The
Reserve Bank of India Signed a
currency swap agreement with the
central Bank of Sri Lanka for 400
million US Dollar under the existing
SAARC Swap Framework within
the overall limit of 2 billion US
Dollar.
The Governor of Central Bank of
Sri Lanka stated that the country
will receive the balance of 1.1 billion
US Dollar from the RBI to boost
foreign reserves under a 1.5 billion
US Dollar swap arrangement.
The significance of this is that the
exchange rate would stabilize in the
line with sound macroeconomic
fundamentals and movements of
other currencies of major trading
partners.
White-Fi Technology of Microsoft
to Boost Digital India Initiative:
US Software major Microsoft
Corporation newly introduced
White-Fi technology in the second
week of July 2015. As per the
technology, Microsoft will provide
free WiFi connectivity to a large
section of the Indian population and
give a boost to the Prime Minister
Narendra Modis Digital India
initiative.
White-Fi or television White-
Space technology has potential to
provide free WiFi to approx one
billion Indians with no internet
access through wider coverage and
economical deployment and licence
free access. WiFi has a range of
only 100 meters; however, 200-300
MHz spectrum band is available
in the white space which can reach
up to 10 kms, 93 percent of this
spectrum is not in use. Four world-
class Broadband products developed
by C-DOT launched under Digital
India Programme. It aims to
provide the digital connectivity
to low-income group segments
Ideas
which mostly remain unattractive
to commercial telecom provider.
Other countries than India, where
Microsoft implement this new
technology are Kenya, Singapore,
the US and London.
Science Express 2015: Science
Express has now been redesigned
on the theme Climate Change.
From October 2015, it has been
planned to run it as Science
Express-Climate Change Special
(SECCS). It is a unique collaborative
initiative of Department of Science
& Technology and Ministry of
Environment, Forests and Climate
Change (MOEFCC), and Ministry
of Railway, Government of India.
Climate change is the most
important environmental issue, with
short term as well as long term and
large scale impact. From shifting
weather patterns that threaten food
production, to rising sea levels that
increase the risk of catastrophic
flooding, the impacts of climate
change are not just global in scope
and unprecedented in scale but
more severely affect poor and
marginalized people.
The Science Express is an innovative
science exhibition mounted on a
16 coach AC train which has been
custom-built for Department of
Science & Technology (DST) by the
Indian Railways. This unique mobile
exposition was launched in the year
2007, by DST, in collaboration with
German Government and Max
Planck Society and it travelled across
India in 4 phases of 6-7 months
duration each.
For climate change, 2015 could
be a decisive year, when leaders
of 190 countries meet in Paris to
discuss a new global agreement on
climate change during 21st session
of Conference of the Parties (COP
A-291
21) to the 1992 United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) and the 11th
session of the Meeting of the Parties
(CMP 11) to the Kyoto Protocol.
SEPTEMBER
India, US create Joint Challenge
Coin to mark partnership: India
and US on 17 September jointly
created a Joint Challenge Coin to
symbolise their unique partnership
in creating a next generation aircraft
carrier for the Indian Navy. One side
of the coin reads Forward Together
We Go and Chale Saath Saath in
Hindi, which is the vision statement
of US President Barack Obama and
Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The other side of this coin which
is golden in colour has the flags of
India and the United States and an
aircraft carrier floating on blue water.
The joint challenge coin was created
by the joint working group at their
first meeting in US in August 2015
to symbolise partnership. During
Obamas visit to India in January,
the two countries had announced
the establishment of a working
group for a next-generation aircraft
carrier to bolster the Indian Navys
blue-water capabilities, which held
its first-ever meeting here last month.
18th Edition of Global Innovation
Index 2015 Released: The Global
Innovation Index (GII) 2015,
released on September 17 saw India
ranked a disappointing 81 out of
the 141 countries surveyed. Topping
the list for the 5th year running is
Switzerland, followed by UK and
Sweden. The GII, presently in its
8th edition is an annual report co-
A-292
published by Cornell University,
INSEAD, and the World Intellectual
Property Organization (WIPO).
Using 79 indicators from over
30 international sources and
with a transparent and replicable
computation methodology, it is
widely recognized as the leading
measure of the innovation power of
economies around the world. The
report has been themed Effective
Innovation for Development.
India, receiving a score of 31.74
(out of 100) ranked 81st of the 141
countries surveyed, 8th amongst 34
Lower-Middle Income Countries,
1st from the 11 Central and South
Asian region countries, and 31st
out of 141 countries in terms of
efficiency ratio.
While Indias continually dropping
rank is bound to raise some cause
for worry, it is interesting to note
that the Report refers to India as an
Innovation Achiever a term they
use to describe economies that are
performing at least 10% better than
their peers for their level of GDP.
Hangzhou City chosen to host
2022 Asian Games: The eastern
Chinese city of Hangzhou was
on 16 September chosen by the
Olympic Council of Asia (OCA)
to host the 2022 Asian Games. The
decision was made by the OCA at
its 34th Congress in Ashkhabad,
Turkmenistan. Hangzhou was the
only candidate city for the 2022
Asian Games. Its successful bid
means the regional games will
be staged in China for the third
time following Beijing in 1990 and
southern Guangzhou in 2010.
Beijing was just selected to hold
Ideas
the 2022 Winter Olympics after
hosting the Summer Games in 2008.
The South Korean city of Incheon
hosted the last Asian Games in
2014, while Indonesias Jakarta will
host in 2018.
Asian Games also known as Asiad
is a pancontinental multi-sport
event (44 sports events) among
athletes from all over Asia. It is held
every four years and regulated and
organized by the OCA since 1982. It
was first held in 1951 in New Delhi,
India under the aegis of Asian
Games Federation (AGF).
NASA and ISRO jointly working on
NISAR mission: ISRO and NASA
are jointly working on the NASA-
ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar
(NISAR) mission to co-develop and
launch a dual frequency synthetic
aperture radar satellite. NASA-ISRO
Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR)
mission is a dual frequency (L &
S Band) Radar Imaging Satellite.
In this joint mission, JPL/ NASA
will design and develop L-band
SAR, 12m unfurlable antenna,
GPS system and data recorder.
ISRO will be responsible for design
and development of S-band SAR,
Spacecraft Bus, data transmission
system, Spacecraft integration and
testing, launch using GSLV and on-
orbit operations.
The objectives of NISAR mission
are:
Design, Develop and launch a Dual
frequency (L and S Band) Radar
Imaging Satellite.
Explore newer application areas
using L and S band microwave
data, especially in natural resources
mapping & monitoring; estimating
agricultural biomass over full
Ideas
duration of crop cycle; assessing
soil moisture; monitoring of floods
and oil slicks; coastal erosion,
coastline changes and variation of
winds in coastal waters; assessment
of mangroves; surface deformation
studies due to seismic activities etc.
The cost of the project includes
cost of ISROs work share, which is
estimated to be Rs 788.00 Cr and
cost of JPLs work share, which is
expected to be around USD 808
millions.
Low-Cost Device to Monitor
Air Quality Unveiled: A ground-
breaking air quality measuring
device was unveiled on August 31
in Nairobi by the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP),
expected to cost up to 100 times less
than existing solutions. The device
has the potential to revolutionize air
quality measurement in developing
countries and help prevent deaths
from air pollution.
The device is capable of collecting
all the vital parameters of air quality
and will cost around $1,500 per
unit. It would allow governments to
establish a countrywide network of
mobile and stationary air monitoring
stations for as little as $150,000-
200,000. Presently, around the same
amount of money is necessary to set
up just one monitoring station.
The low cost and ease of use of
UNEPs device will facilitate
community participation in
environmental and health
monitoring, and increase digital
and technological literacy through
the participation of schools. It
can measure the concentration of
particulate matter ranging from 1 to
10 microns in diameter (PM 1 - PM
10), including PM 2.5, considered
A-293
by the WHO to have the greatest
effect on human health.
Liquid Water on Mars: NASA:
Water exists in liquid form on the
surface of Mars, Nasa scientists
have revealed making it possible
for life to be sustained on the Red
Planet. Nasa claimed the strongest
evidence yet of intermittent
flows of briny water on Mars after
scientists found hydrated salts in
dark streaks that ebb and flow down
the planets slopes. The dark marks,
which appear in summer months,
are thought to be caused by the salty
water wicking up from a shallow
flow beneath the surface though the
origins of the briny flows still not
known.
The water appears to exist in the
form of thin layers of wet soil
rather than pools of standing water,
according to Alfred McEwen of
the University of Arizona, one of
the scientists who made the finding
using new imaging techniques.
Water is essential to life as we know
it on Earth and on Earth, wherever
there is water there is also life, the
scientists said. However, it is not
yet known whether the briny water
discovered on Mars may be too salty
to support terrestrial life forms.
NOVEMBER
China ends one child policy: Since
the time draconian family planning
rules were announced, the Chinese
could have only one child. This
rule went on for more than three
decades but the policy of one child
was scrapped. All the couples in
China are now allowed to have two
children. A four-day Communist
A-294
party summit took place in Beijing
following the announcement day.
In the summit, Chinas leaders
deliberated on how the growth could
be maintained at the time of raised
concerns of economy. Some people
took in a positive way, regarding
it to be a step towards a better yet
greater personal freedom in the
country. The human rights activists,
on the other hand, discouraged it
expressing that the Communist
party is continuing to control the
size of Chinese families. Because
of the fear of population increase
going out of control, the one child
policy had been introduced in China
in 1980. The minority families and
rural couples though had received
a relaxation since 2013 for having
a second child in case the firstborn
was a girl. The Communist party
claims to have prevented 400million
births through the one-child policy
that had contributed to a spectacular
economic rise since the 1980s.
Project Loon in India: Google,
govt working on balloon: Internet
giant Google and government
of India are working on Project
Loon. This project involves the
use of hot air balloons at a height
of 20 km above the surface of the
Earth which will provide internet
connectivity. The transmission f
internet services would cover about
40km diameter to beam 4G signals.
Each balloon has a capacity to float
for around 6 months. In the whole
project, Google will play the role
of an enabler and not the ISP. The
Department of Electronics and
Ideas
Information Technology (DeitY)
is also facilitating co-ordination
between various agencies to test this
project.For testing this technology by
using a broadband spectrum in the
2.6 GHz band, Google is believed
to initially partner with BSNL. The
aim to bring this technology is to
replace the mobile towers in the rural
areas and remote areas and designed
to connect people, to eliminated
coverage gaps and bring people back
online after disaster. This technology
has the potential to transmit signals
directly to mobile devices. Google
has already tested this technology in
New Zealand, California and Brazil.
DECEMBER
DTAC Agreement with Japan:
The Double Taxation Avoidance
Convention (DTAC) which was
signed between India and Japan in
1989 has been amended in order by
the Union Cabinet to facilitate tax-
related exchange of information.
The protocol will facilitate exchange
of information as per accepted
international standards on tax
matters, including bank information
and information without domestic
tax interest. The protocol signed
between the countries also has
a provision to offer assistance to
each other country in collection
of revenue claims as well as for
exemption of interest income from
taxation in the source country with
respect to debt claims insured by the
government or government-owned
financial institutions.
 A-295

How far have we been able to

Combat Open Defecation?
What is open defecation?

T he practice of going out in the fields, bushes,open bodies of water, forests

or other open spaces in spite of using toilet to excrete is termed open
defecation. Besides being an uncontrolled practice in India, we also lead in
such population which defecates in the open thereby excreting approximately
65,000 tonnes of faeces into the environment each day. Though it may sound
like we have been following it like a tradition or it has been a part of our very
culture, but the broader picture tells that the prime reason for open defecation
is a shortage of proper public sanitation. Besides the usual public urination
practiced by majority of the male population in India, nearly half of our 590
million people excrete in the open.

Must know Facts

1. Every year 188,000 children under five die due to diseases transmitted
through flies which feed on human waste and one of the major ones is
Diarrhea.
Human waste running through public water streams such as wells
contaminate bathing and drinking water, further leading to water
communicable diseases.
2. Risk of Polio infection increases due to open defecation as the faecal-oral
route is an important polio transmission pathway.
3. One gram of faeces contains:
x 10,000,000 viruses
x 1,000,000 bacteria
x 1,000 parasite cysts
4. Child faeces contain comparatively more germs than adults.
5. India alone accounts for 90% of the South Asian population and 59%
of the total world population (1.1 billion) practicing open defecation.
Diarrhoea and worm infection not only implicate to severe health
conditions but also lead to learning disabilities in children of school-age. On
the other hand, women who feel constrained to relieve themselves only in
the dark to protect their dignity get exposed to encounters like snakebites or
physical attacks.
Open defecation as a term became ubiquitous through Water, Sanitation and
Hygiene (WASH) sector from 2008 onwards after the contribution to growing
awareness stood substantial by the Joint Monitoring Programme for Water
Supply and Sanitation (JMP) and the UN International Year of Sanitation.
A-296 How Far have we been able to Combat Open Defecation?

A joint programme by WHO Predecessor of the Sustainable

and UNICEF to monitor Development Goals (SDGs)
sanitation and water targets for from 2016 onwards.
the Milenium Development
Goals (MDGs).
JMP

Two categories created for Publications of JMP and Un

monitoring purposes : International Year of sanitation
Improved sanitation Uniproved in 2008 aggravated awareness
santitation towards sanitation.
Impacts:
Health Impacts:
Diarrhoea, intestinal worm infections, typhoid, cholera, hepatitis, polio,
trachoma and other diseases are the outcome of the lack of sanitation and
hygiene; further resulting into malnutrition and stunted growth in kids.
Infectious diarrhoea led to 0.7 million deaths in children under five in
2011. Diseases transferred via faecal pathogens in water are the worst cases
to be pondered upon, owing to the fact that a large part of Indian population
resides in rural India which still depends upon surface water and unprotected
wells for everyday water needs.
Moreover, a place with high population is prone to be affected more
through open defecation as it is twice as bad as compared to a place with
sparse population cover.
Safety and Gender impacts:
Women and girls become more vulnerable to violence due to lack of safe
and private toilets. It also acts as a hindrance to girls education further leading
to cases of rapes and sexual molestation while women are out searching for
secluded and private places for open defecation during dark hours.
Quick glance through major reasons and correlated factors:

High levels
of open
Large disparities defecation-
between rich and High child
poor mortality-
High levels of
High levels of undernutrition
poverty- lack
of sanitation
How Far have we been able to Combat Open Defecation? A-297

Wider Picture: the complete scenario

Safe disposal
One in two people of child faeces
uses a toilet and more in Indian rural
than 595 million people population Mothers
defecate openly accounts to mere disposing of
One in two people uses 11% their childrens
a toilet and more than faeces in the
595 million people open- 44%
defecate openly.

Frequent diarrhoea
attack, malnutrition,
People in rural areas stunting and pneumonia
with no access to are major concerns.
toilets - 65% Children suffering from
malnutrition - 43%

The need to combat - How is it met?

The challenge of open defecation is taken seriously by the Government
of India in collaboration with UNICEF and it targets to make India Open
Defecation Free by 2019. The government looks forward to meet this target
through its flagship programme named Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) with
UNICEF as its key partner. Swachh Bharat Mission aims at promoting awareness
through information sharing and influencing behavioural changes in order to
cement the gap between toilets construction and their proper use.
UNICEF is working with the state governments of India through its
national sanitation and hygiene advocacy and communication strategy, in
which it ideates the state governments to develop and implement respective
state sanitation and hygiene related strategies.
UNICEF has joined hands with the Ministry of Human Resource
Development and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to improve the
status of WASH in schools and health centres.
UNICEF has also introduced CATS Pilots Community Approaches to
Total Sanitation in six Indian states. It elaborates on harnessing grassroots
methods to achieve quick and quality open defecation free communities.
WASH compliance in health facilities in the most deprived districts is being
mapped by UNICEF and the Health Ministry. WASH caters to identifying
institutions in need of capacity-building like reforming water and sanitation
missions. It also identifies toilet technologies in accordance with variant climatic
and geographic zones and further lends support in improving the skills of
masons in constructing better quality toilets.
UNICEF, WASH and Advocacy and Communications sections have
collaboratively come up with a campaign named Poo2Looin the largest Indian
cities, which consciously opts to address the young Indian population to have
toilets at home and sensitizes them to the predicament of those lacking toilets.
This way it creates a youth social movement to stand up and advocate the
need for everyone to have a toilet.
A-298 How Far have we been able to Combat Open Defecation?

Prevention
These are the key drivers involved in eradicating this problem:

Focus on
behaviour change

Stronger
public sector Political will
local service
delivery systems

Sanitation Creating
solutions right incentive
offering better structures
value than open
defecation

Initiatives
What remains the most prevailing problem in Indian society is the ignorance
and lack of willingness as can be seen amongst small Indian villages where
people have not inculcated this habit of using private toilets. They would
still go for open sanitation rather than public toilets being available in their
locality. They have varied reasons like witches inside toilets who might kidnap
children or toilets being dilapidated, filthy, dark and unattractive in case of
shared or public toilets.
So, the need to spread awareness is the foremost thing to prioritize and
campaigns on behavioral change, community-led total sanitation would further
the process of clean and hygienic sanitation. Government has numerous
initiatives in its cap to reduce this open defecation menace from our society,
like Total Sanitation Campaign,Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan and Swachh
Bharat Abhiyan to name a few.
Simpler sanitation technology options like mobile sanitation options
(MoSan) can be practiced as an alternative to open sanitation. People can
use plastic bags or flying toilets at night to contain their faeces which as an
advanced concept is promoted by a Swedish company Peepoople, that produces
Peepoo bag, a personal, single-use, self-sanitizing, fully biodegradable toilet that
prevents faeces from contaminating the instant area as well as the surrounding
ecosystem. Schools and urban slums in developing nations are provided with
this bag and is a much applauded practice.
Bucket toilets or portable toilets are also another of the advanced concepts
most common in Kenya and can be opted as an alternative here.
Furthermore, government has increased subsidy on toilet construction to
an amount of Rs. 12000. After this new legislation, a number of industries like
Pronto have taken a lead in developing affordable toilets through prefabricated
techniques in order to match the high demands of quality and perseverance.
A western India city council has planned to pay residents to use public toilets
in order to discontinue the process of urination and defecation in public.
Combining subsidies with targeted community allocation is one of the effective
means amongst communities in combating the open defecation problem.
 A-299

COMINGUP IN 2016

1st January to 15th January: Odd- 10th June to 10th July: 2016 UEFA
Even Scheme Trial for vehicles in European Championship scheduled
Delhi. to be held in France.

20th January: Prime Minister

Narendra Modi to attend World
Economic Forum meeting.

26th January: France President

Franois Hollande to visit India on
the eve of Republic Day.

11th March 3rd April: The 2016

ICC World Twenty20 scheduled to 4th July: NASAs Juno spacecraft is
be held in India. expected to arrive at Jupiter.

March: Assam Assembly Election 10th -14th July: 8th International

Schedule 2016 to be announced.
MayJune 2016: Legislative assembly
election to be held in West Bengal.
Congress on Environmental Congress
on Environmental Modelling and
Software in Toulouse, France.
A-300 Comingup in 2016

August 5th 21st: The 2016 Summer September: China plans to complete
Olympics will be held in Rio de the five hundred meter aperture
Janeiro, Brazil. spherical telescope.

8th September: 58th US presidential

election to be held.

4th -5th September: Prime Minister

Narendra Modi to visit 2016 G-20
Hangzhou summit.

September: PM Narendra Modi

will visit Pakistan to attend the
SAARC summit likely to be held in 31st December: the last remaining
American, British and Australian
September 2016.
troops to be withdrawn from
7th to 18th September: The 2016 Afghanistan.
Summer Paralympics will be held in
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
3$125$0$
` Indian
` World
B-4
Indian Panorama
INDIAN STATES AND UNION TERRITORIES
` Andhra Pradesh
Also known as : Rice Bowl of
India, Egg Bowl of Asia
Capital: Hyderabad
Largest City: Visakhapatnam
No. Of Districts : 13
Chief Minister: Nara Chandrababu
Naidu
Governor: E. S. L. Narasimhan
Area: 160,205sq. km(61,855 sq mi)
Language: Telugu and Urdu
Date of Establishment:1st October
1953
Population: 49,386,799
Sex ratio: 992 females per 1000 males
Literacy Rate: 67.7%
Population Density(per sq km): 308
Forest Area: Total area covered by
the forest are 22,862 sq. km
Agriculture : An exporter of many
agricultural products and about 60
percent of population is engaged in
agriculture and related activities. Rice
is the major food crop and staple food
of the state. Also grow wheat, jowar,
bajra, maize, minor millet, coarse
grain, many varieties of pulses, oil
seeds, sugarcane, cotton, chilli-pepper
and tobacco.
Industry: Home to firms like
PepsiCo, Isuzu Motors, Cadbury
India, Kelloggs, Colgate-Palmolive,
Kobelco etc. Along with the largest
PepsiCo plant in India.
Neighbouring states : Telangana
in the North-West, Chhattisgarh in
the north, Odisha in the North-East,
Karnataka in the West, Tamil Nadu
in the South and the water body of
Bay of Bengal in the East.
Panorama
Art & Culture:
(a) Classical dance forms (Sastriya
Nrutyam) such as Kuchipudi,
Bhamakalapam, Veeranatyam; and
folk dances such as Butta bommalu,
Tappeta Gullu, Lambadi, Dhimsa,
and Chindu exists in Andhra
Pradesh.
(b) Festivals : Sankranti, Maha
Shivaratri, Ugadi or the Telugu
New Year, Sri Rama Navami,
Varalakshmi Vratam, Vinayaka
Chaviti, Dasara, Atla Tadde,
Deepavali, Deepothsavam during
the Deepavali season.
Religious places: Tirupati or
Tirumala is the richest pilgrimage
centre in the world, dedicated to the
god Venkateswara; Simhachalam is
believed to be abode of the saviour-
god Narasimha, who rescued Prahlada
from abusive father Hiranyakasipu;
Srisailam is dedicated mainly to Lord
Shiva and is famous as one of the
locations of the various Jyotirlingams.
Tribes: Andh, Bagata, Bhil, Chenchu,
Gadabas, Bodo, Nakkala, Dhulia,
Koya, Kotia, Jatapus, Kulia, Malis,
Valmiki, Manna, Mukha, Pardhan,
Porja.
Cuisines: Mutton Biryani, Mirchi
Salan, Ghongpura Pickle, Korikoora
Animal: Blackback (Antilope cervicapra)
Bird: Indian Roller (Coracias benghalensis)
` Arunachal Pradesh
Also known as: The Orchid State
of India or the Paradise of the
Botanists
Capital: Itanagar
Panorama
Largest City: Itanagar
No. Of Districts:19
Chief Minister: Nabam Tuki
Governor: Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa
Area: 83,743 sq. km
Language: English
Date of Establishment: 20 February
1987
Population: 1,382,611
Sex Ratio: 920 females per 1000
males
Literacy Rate: 66.95%
Population density:17 per sq. km
Forest Area: 68045 sq. km.
Agriculture:Main crops:rice, maize,
millet, wheat, pulses, sugarcane,
ginger, and oilseeds. Also ideal for
horticulture and fruit orchards.
Industry:Arts and Crafts, weaving,
cane and bamboo, carpet weaving,
wood carving, ornaments, tourism
and horticulture.
Neighbouring States: Borders with
the states of Assam and Nagaland to
the south, and international borders
with Bhutan in the west, Burma in the
east and China in the north.
Art & Culture:
(a) Dance: Bardo Chham is a folk
dance which depicts the victory
of good over evil.
(b) Festivals: Losar or The New
Year festival, is the most important
festival of Tawang District in
Arunachal Pradesh.
Religious places: Parasuram Kunda
attracts lots of devotees in January
during the Parasuram mela Akashganga
Temple is also called Malinithan
temple and associated with the
legend of Daksha Yagya and Satis
self-immolation.
Tribes: Abor, Aka, Apatani, Momba,
Naga, Sherdukp, Nyishi, Galo,
Khampti, Khowa, Mishmi, Idu,
Hrusso, Tagin, Khamba, Adi
B-5
Cuisines: Chinese Cuisine & Apong
(Local Beer)
Animal- Gayal (Bos frontalis)
Bird- Great Hornbill (Buceros bicornis)
` Asom
Capital: Dispur
Largest City: Guwahati
No. Of Districts: 32
Chief Minister: Tarun Gogoi
Governor: Padmanabha Balakrishna
Acharya
Area:78,550 sq. km
Language: Assamese, Bengali, Bodo
Date of Establishment: 1st April 1912
Population density:397 per sq km.
Forest Area:26,832 sq km
Agriculture : Asoms biggest contribution
to the world is Asom tea and has its own
variety of Camellia assamica. The state
produces rice, rapeseed, mustard seed, jute,
potato, sweet potato, banana, papaya, areca
nut, sugarcane and turmeric.
Industry: The industries housed by the
state include a chemical fertiliser plant
at Namrup, petrochemical industries at
Namrup and Bongaigaon, Paper mills
at Jagiroad, Hindustan Paper Corporatio
Ltd. Township Area Panchgram and
Jogighopa, sugar mills at Barua Bamun
Gaon, Chargola, Kampur, Cement plant
at Bokajan and Badarpur, cosmetics
plant of Hindustan Unilever (HUL) at
Doom Dooma, etc.
Neighbouring States: Asom is surrounded
by six of the other Seven Sister States:
Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur,
Mizoram, Tripura, and Meghalaya.
Art & Culture:
(a) Ankia Naat (Onkeeya Naat), a
traditional Vaishnav dance-drama
(Bhaona) popular since the 15th
century AD. Folk dances like Bihu
and the Bagurumba (both danced
during festivals held in the spring),
the Bhortal dance, the Ojapali
dance etc.
B-6
(b) Festivals: Bihu is the most
important and common and
celebrated all over Asom. Durga
Puja is another festival celebrated
with great enthusiasm. Muslims
celebrate two Eids (Eid ul-Fitr
and Eid al-Adha) with great zeal.
Religious places: Kamakhya Temple
is one of the most famous temples.
Tribes: Mikirs, Khasis, Nagas, Barmans,
Boro, Borokachari, Deori, Hojai, .
Kachari, Sonwal, Lalung, Mech, Miri,
Rabha, Dimasa, Hajong, Singhpho,
Khampti, Garo.
Cuisines: Masor Tenga, Pitha
Animal: One-horned rhino (Rhinoceros
unicornis)
Bird: White-winged wood duck
(Cairina scutulata)
` Bihar
Capital: Patna
Largest City: Patna
No. Of districts: 38
Chief Minister: Nitish Kumar
Governor: Ram Nath Kovind
Area:99,200 sq. km
Language: Hindi, Bhojpuri, Magadhi,
Maithili, Urdu
Date of Establishment: 1st April 1936
Population: 103,804,637
Sex Ratio: 916 females per 1000 males
Literacy Rate: 63.4%
Population density:1,102 per sq km.
Forest Area:6,764.14 sq mi (2,612 sq mi)
Agriculture: Largest producer of
vegetables, especially potatoes, onions,
brinjal/egg-plant, and cauliflower.
Largest producer of litchi, the third
largest producer of pineapples and a
major producer of mangoes, bananas,
and guava. Sugarcane,jute cash crops
Industry: Three major firms
United Breweries Group, Danish
Brewery Company Carlsberg Group
and Cobra Beer are to set up new
units in Patna and Muzaffarpur in
2012.
Panorama
Neighbouring States: It is contiguous
with Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal
to the north, the northern part of
West Bengal to the east, and with
Jharkhand to the south.
Art & Culture:
(a) Mithila painting is a style of
Indian painting practised in the
Mithila region of Bihar
(b) Festivals: Chhath, also called
Dala Chhath, is an ancient and
major festival in Bihar.Shravani
mela,Teej and Chitragupta Puja
along with all the major festivals
of India are celebrated in Bihar.
Religious Places: Mahabodhi Temple
is a Buddhist shrine and UNESCO
World Heritage Site;
Mahavir Mandir in Patna; Takht Shri
Harmandir Saheb in Patna and many
more.
Tribes: Gonda, Mundas, Oraon,
Gorait, Ho, Karmali, Kharia , Kha,
Omitted, Binjhia, Birhor, Birjia, Chero.
Cuisines: Litti-Chokha, Sattu Paratha,
Khaja, Khubi Ka Lai, Anarasa, Tilkut
Animal: Gaur (Bos gaurue)
Bird: House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
` Chhattisgarh
Also Known as: Rice bowl of central
India
Capital: Raipur
Largest City: Raipur
No. Of Districts: 27
Chief Minister: Raman Singh
Governor: Balramji Das Tandon
Area:135,194 sq. km.
Language: Chattisgarhi, Hindi
Date of Establishment:1st November
2000
Population: 25,545,198
Sex Ratio: 991 females per 1000
males
Literacy Rate: 71.04%
Population density:189 per sq km.
Forest Area: 41.33% of the total state area
Panorama
Agriculture: The main crops are rice,
maize, kodo-kutki and other small
millets and pulses oilseeds, such
as groundnuts (peanuts), soybeans
and sunflowers, are also grown.
Horticulture and animal husbandry
also engage a major share of the total
population of the state.
Industry: Industries: Bhilai Steel
Plant, Jindal Steel and Power, Bharat
Aluminium Company, Baldev Alloys
Pvt Ltd,Indian Oil Corporation
Engineering: Simplex Casting Ltd,
CHPL-Dream-Homes (Chouhan
Housing Pvt Ltd.), NMDC, South
Eastern Coalfields, NTPC, Lanco
Infratech, KSK Energy Ventures,
Vandana Vidyut, Chhattisgarh State
Power Generation Company and
Jindal Power Limited.
Neighbouring States: Borders the
states of Madhya Pradesh in the
northwest, Maharashtra in the
southwest Telangana and Andhra
Pradesh in the south, Odisha in the
east, Jharkhand in the northeast and
Uttar Pradesh in the north.
Art & Culture: (a) Dances: Panthi,
Rawat Nacha Pandwani, Chaitra,
Kaksar, Saila and Soowa are the
several indigenous dance styles of
Chhattisgarh.
Festival Bastar Dussere, Bhoramdeo
Festival, Madai Festival. Hariyali,
Kora, Navakhani are the major
festival
Religious Places: Bhoramdeo temple,
Rajivlochan temple, Chandrahasini
Devi temple, Vishnu temple, Damudhara
(Rishab Tirth) and Sivarinarayana
Laxminarayana temple, Bambleshwari
Temple, Danteshwari Temple and
many more other ancient temples.
Tribes: Agariya, Andh, Baiga,
Bhaina, Bharia, Halba, Kamar,
Karku, Saur, Sawar, Sawara, Sonr ,
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Majhi, Majhwar, Mawasi , Munda,
Kharia, Kondh, Kol, Kolam, Pao.
Cuisines: Bafauri, Kusli, Red Ant
Chutney
Animal: Wild buffalo (Bubalis arnee)
Bird: Bastar Hill myna (Gracula religiosa)
` Goa
Capital: Panaji
Largest City: Vasco da Gama
No. Of districts: 2
Chief Minister: Laxmikant Parsekar
Governor: Mridula Sinha
Area: 3,702 sq km (1,429 sq mi)
Language: Konkani
Date of Establishment: 30th May, 1987
Population: 1,457,723
Sex ratio: 968 females per 1000 males
Literacy Rate: 88.70%
Population density:394 per sq km.
Forest Area:1,424 sq km (549.81 sq mi)
Agriculture: Rice the main
agricultural crop, followed by areca,
cashew and coconut.
Industry: Tourism is Goas primary
industry as it handles 12% of all
foreign tourist arrival in India.
Neighbouring States:It is bounded
by the state of Maharashtra to the
north and by Karnataka to the east
and south, while the Arabian Sea
forms its western coast.
Art & Culture:
(a) Dance: Some of the traditional
Goan dance art forms are
Dekhnni, Fugdi, Corridinho,
Mando, Dulpod and Fado.
(b) Festivals: The most popular
celebrations in the Indian state
of Goa are Ganesh Chaturthi,
Diwali, Christmas, Easter,
Samvatsar Padvo or Sanvsar
Padvo, Shigmo, Goa Carnival.
Goa known for its New Years
celebrations along with the Goan
Carnival is known to attract a
large number of tourists.
B-8
Religious places: Goa has two holy
World Heritage Sites: the Bom Jesus
Basilica and churches and convents
of Old Goa. The Basilica holds the
mortal remains of St. Francis Xavier,
who is the patron saint of Goa.
Tribes: Dhodia, Dubla (Halpati),
Naikda, Siddi, Varli, Kunbi, Gawda,
Velip.
Cuisines: Vindaloo, Xacuti, Bibinca,
Prawn Balchao
Animal: Gaur (Bos gaurus)
Bird: Black-crested bulbul (Pycnonotus
gularis)
` Gujarat
Also known as: Jewel of the Western
part of India
Capital: Gandhinagar
Largest City: Ahmedabad
No. Of districts:33
Chief Minister: Anandiben Patel
Governor: Om Prakash Kohli
Area:196,204 sq km (75,755 sq mi)
Language: Gujarati
Date of Establishment:1 May 1960
Population:60,383,628
Sex Ratio: 918 females per 1000
males
Literacy Rate:79.31%
Population Density:310/ sq km(800/
sq mi)
Forest Area: 9.7% of the total
geographical area is under forest cover
Agriculture: Gujarats agriculture
is majorly focussed on cotton
production, livestock, fruits and
vegetables, and wheat production.
Industry: Large scale industries such as
Agro Marine Exports, Creative Castings
Ltd., Gujarat Dairy Development
Corporation, Austin Engineering
and JSW Power Co. The Alang Ship
Recycling Yard (the worlds largest),
General Motors manufactures, Tata
Motors manufactures the Tata Nano and
Panorama
AMW trucks are made near Bhuj. Surat
is the hub of the global diamond trade.
According to Forbes list Ahmedabad
ranks 3rd in the worlds fastest growing
cities in the world.
Neighbouring states: The state is
bordered by Rajasthan to the north,
Maharashtra to the south, Madhya
Pradesh to the east, and the Arabian
Sea as well as the Pakistani province
of Sindh to the west.
Art & Culture :
(a) Rass-garba is a folk dance
which is done as celebration of
Navratri.
(b) Festivals: Makar Sankranti,
Navratri, Uttarayana, Diwali,
Holi, Tazia and others are
celebrated with great enthusiasm.
Religious places: Somnath temple
and the Sun Temple are some of the
renowned Hindu temples. Palitana
templesfor the Jain community; Sidi
Saiyyed Mosque and Jama Masjid
are holymosques for Muslims.
Tribes: Bhils, Barda, Bavacha, Charan,
Gond, Dubla, Dhanka, Chodhara,
Chaudhr, Charan, Gamit, Kunbi,
Patelia, Pomla, Rabar, Rathawa, Siddi.
Cuisines: Thepla, Dhokla, Khandvi,
Handvo, Panki
Animal: Asiatic lison (Panthera leo
persica)
Bird: Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus
roseus)
` Haryana
Capital: Chandigarh
Largest City: Faridabad
No. Of Districts: 21
Chief Minister: Manohar Lal Khattar
Governor: Kaptan Singh Solanki
Area: 44,212 sq. km(17,070 sq mi)
Language: Hindi, Punjabi, Haryanvi
Date of Establishment:1 November
1966
Population: 25,351,462
Panorama
Sex Ratio: 877 females per 1000 males
Literacy Rate: 76.64%
Population Density: 73 per sq km
(1,480/sq mi)
Forest Area:1,684 sq km (650 sq mi)
Agriculture: Wheat and rice are the
major crops making Haryana, the
second largest contributor to Indias
central pool of food grains. The main
crops are wheat, rice, sugarcane,
cotton,oilseeds, gram, barley, corn,
millet and many more.
Industry: National and international
companies like Samsung, DB Schenker,
Damco Solutions, Abacus Softech,
Nokia Networks, Mitsubishi Electric,
IBM, Huawei, General Electric, Tata
Consultancy Services and Amdocs
have their branch offices and contact
centres in Faridabad and Gurgaon(also
known as City of millennium). Large-
scale companies like Orient Paper
& Industries, JCB India Limited,
Nirigemes, Agri Machinery Group
(Escorts Limited), India Yamaha
Motor Pvt. Ltd., Whirlpool, ABB
Group, Goodyear Tyres and Knorr
Bremse India Pvt. Ltd.
Neighbouring States: It is bordered
by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to
the north, by Rajasthan to the west
and south. The river Yamuna defines
its eastern border with Uttar Pradesh.
Art & Culture: Festivals: Haryali Teej,
Lohri, Gangore, Makar Sankranti,
Gugga Naumi, Baisaki are some of
the famous festivals of Haryana
Tourism: Surajkund International
Crafts Mela, Sultanpur National
Park, Kalesar National Park, Pinjore
Gardens Resort, and Nahar Singh
Mahal are some of the major tourist
attraction.
Cuisine: Rabadi, Bajre ki Khichdi,
Cholia, Chaach-Lassi, Kachri ki Sabzi
Animal: Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra)
Bird: Black Francolin (Francolinus
francolinus)
B-9
` Himachal Pradesh
Name: Himachal Pradesh
Also known as: State of Apples, Dev
Bhoomi(Abode of Gods)
Capital: Shimla
Largest City: Shimla
No. Of Districts:12
Chief Minister: Virbhadra Singh
Governor: Acharya Dev Vrat
Area: 55,673 sq. km(21,495 sq mi)
Language: Hindi, English
Date of Establishment: 25th January
1971
Population: 6,856,509
Sex Ratio: 974 females per 1000 males
Literacy Rate: 83.78%
Population Density: 123 per sq km
(320/sq mi)
Forest Area: 66.52% of the total area
Agriculture: Agriculture contributes
nearly 45% to the net state domestic
product and 93% of the state
population depends directly upon
agriculture. The main cereals grown
in the state are wheat, maize, rice and
barley. Fruit cultivation has also proved
to be an economic boon,with Apple
farming producing the maximum
income which amounts to 3 billion
annually.
Industry: Textiles, pharmaceuticals,
food procurement and processing,
light engineering, IT and electronics,
cement, tourism and hydropower are
the key industries resident in the state
with Himachal accounting for 25
per cent of the countrys total hydro
power potential.
Neighbouring States: It is bordered
by Jammu and Kashmir on the
north, Punjab on the west, Haryana
on the south-west, Uttarakhand
on the south-east and by the Tibet
Autonomous Region on the east.
B-10
Art & Culture:
(a) Dances: Losar Shona Chuksam,
Dangi, Gee Dance and Burah
dance, Naati, Kharait, Ujagjama
and Chadhgebrikar and Shunto
are some of the known dance
forms.
(b) Festivals: Kullu Dussehra, Shivratri
Fair, Shoolini Mela (Solan), Minjar
Fair, Mani Mahesh Chhari Yatra,
Renuka fair, Lavi Trade Fair,
Vrajeshwari fair, Jwalamukhi Fair,
Holi Fair, and Naina Devi Fair,
and Fulaich are some of the most
celebrated festivals.
Tourism: The state is home to
many famous hill stations such as
Dalhousie, Kullu, Manali, Shimla,
Nainital, Dharamsala, Mcleodganj
and many more.
Tribes: Bhot, Bodh, Gaddi, Gujjar,
Jad, Lamba, Khampa, Kanaura,
Kinnara, Lahaula, Pangwala,
Swangla, Beta, Beda, Domba.
Cuisines: Sidu, Aktori, Dham, Seppu
Vadi, Badana, Babru
Animal: Snow Leopard (Uncia uncia
or Panthna uncia)
Bird: Jujurana Western Irogapa (Trogopan
melanocephalus)
` Jammu and Kashmir
Also known as: Heaven on Earth
Capital: Srinagar
Largest City: Srinagar
No. Of Districts: 22
Chief Minister: Mufti Mohammad
Sayeed
Governor: Narinder Nath Vohra
Area:222,236 sq. km(85,806 sq mi)
Language: English, Urdu
Date of Establishment: 26th October
1947
Population: 12,548,926
Panorama
Sex Ratio: 883 females per 1000 males
Literacy Rate: 66.7%
Population Density: 56 per sq. km
(150/sq mi)
Forest Area: 20230 sq. km
Agriculture: Known for its sericulture
and cold-water fisheries. Wood to make
high-quality cricket bats known as
Kashmir Willow. Kashmiri saffron.
Horticultural includes apples, apricots,
cherries, pears, plums, almonds and
walnuts with an annual turnover of
over 3 billion (US$46 million).
Industry: Horticulture plays a pivotal
role in the economy of the country.
Neighbouring States: It shares border
with the states of Himachal Pradesh and
Punjab to the south, an international
border with China in the north and east,
and the Line of Control separates it
from the Pakistani-controlled territories
of Azad Kashmir and GilgitBaltistan
in the west and northwest respectively.
Art & Culture: Dances: The Dumhal
is a famous dance in the Kashmir
Valley, performed by men of the Wattal
region whereas women perform the
Rouff, another traditional folk dance
of the region.
Religious places: Vaishno Devi
temple, Amarnath, and Raghunath
temple.
Nature Tourism: Gulmarg, Sonamarg,
Leh, Pahalgam and many more are
some of the most frequented hill
stations.
Tribes: Balti, Beda, Bot, Boto, Brokpa,
Drokpa, Dard, Shin, Changpa, Garra,
Mon, Purigpa, Gujjar, Bakarwal, Gaddi,
Sippi.
Cuisines: Gustaba, Tbak Maz, Dum
Aloo, Haak or Karam ka Saag
Animal: Kashmir Stag (Cervus
elaphus hanglin)
Bird: Black-necked crane (Grus nigricollis)
Panorama
` Jharkhand
Also known as: the Land of jungles
and jharis(bushes)
Capital: Ranchi
Largest City: Jamshedpur
No. Of Districts: 24
Chief Minister: Raghubar Das
Governor: Draupadi Murmu
Area: 79,714 sq. km (30,778 sq mi)
Language: Hindi, Santhali, Mundari,
Ho
Date of Establishment: 15th November
2000
Population: 32,966,238
Sex Ratio: 947 females per 1000 males
Literacy Rate: 67.6%
Population Density: 414 per sq km
(1,070/sq mi)
Forest Area: 23,605 sq.km which is
29.61% of the geographical area of
the state
Agriculture: Rice, Pulses, Jackfruit,
Blackberry, Mango and Litchi
Industry: Mining is the primary and
most important source of economy
for the state as it accounts to 40% of
mineral resources of the state.
Neighbouring States: The state shares
its border with the states of Bihar to the
north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh
to the west, Odisha to the south, and
West Bengal to the east.
Art & Culture: Dance: The most
popular foll dances of Jharkhand are
Jhumar, Paika, Chau, Agni, Santhal,
Nanhai, Jamda, Ghatwari, Natwa,
Chaukare, Sohrai, Lurisayro, Uatha
Festivals: Karam festival, Vat savitri
puja, Teej, Sohrai, Jitia Puja, Sarhul,
Makar Sankranti, Deepavali, Durga
Puja and many more are some of the
most celebrated festivals.
Tourism: Sanctuaries: Palamau Tiger
Reserves, Hazaribag Wildlife Sanctuary,
Jawaharlal Nehru Biological Park, and
Betla National Park
B-11
Tribes: Asur, Agaria, Baiga, Banjara,
Bathudi, Bedia, Binjhia, Chero, Chik
Baraik, Gond, Gorait, Ho, Karmali,
Kharia, Kora, Kharwar, Khond,
Kisan, Mudi-Kora, Korwa, Munda,
Oraon, Lohra Santal, Sauria Paharia,
Savar, Bhumij, Kawar, Kol
Cuisines: Thekua, Pua, Pittha,
Marua-ka-Roti
Animal: Indian Elephant (Elephas
maximus indicus)
Bird: Asian koel (Eudynamys scolopacea)
` Karnataka
Capital: Bengaluru
Largest City: Bengaluru
No. Of Districts: 30
Chief Minister: Siddaramaiah
Governor: Vajubhai Vala
Area:191,791 sq. km(74,051 sq mi)
Language: Kannada
Date of Establishment:1st November
1956
Population: 61,130,704
Sex Ratio: 968 females per 1000
males
Literacy Rate:75.60%
Population Density: 320/ sq.km
(830/sq mi)
Forest Area: 38,720 sq.km of forest
area.
Agriculture: The main crops: rice, ragi,
jowar, maize, and pulses (Tur and gram)
besides oilseeds and number of cash
crops. Cashews, coconut, arecanut,
cardamom, chillies, cotton, sugarcane
and tobacco are among the other crops
produced in the state. Karnataka is
the largest producer of coarse cereals,
coffee, raw silk and tomatoes among
the states in India. Karnataka occupies
the second position in India in terms
of production and 700 tons of flowers
(worth Rs.500 million) were produced
in 200405.
B-12
Industry: National Aerospace
Laboratories, Bharat Heavy Electricals
Limited, Indian Telephone Industries,
Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML),
Bharat Electronics Limited, Hindustan
Machine Tools and Indian subsidiaries
of Volvo and Toyota are headquartered
in Bangalore.
Neighbouring States: Karnataka is
bordered by the Arabian Sea and the
Laccadive Sea to the west, Goa to
the north west, Maharashtra to the
north, Telangana to the North east,
Andhra Pradesh to the east, Tamil
Nadu to the south east, and Kerala
to the south west.
Art & Culture: (a) Dance: Mysore
style of Bharatanatyam is the oldest
and most popular dance form and
is widely performed in Karnataka.
Bolak-aat, Ummatt-aat and Komb-
aat are some of the other forms of
folk dances in the state.
(b) Festivals: Mysore Dasara is
celebrated as the state festival of
Mysore. Ugadi (Kannada New Year),
Makar Sankranti (the harvest festival),
Ganesh Chaturthi, Nagapanchami,
Basava Jayanthi, Deepavali, and
Ramzan are the other major festivals
of Karnataka.
Tourism:
National Parks: Bandipur National
Park, Bannerghatta National Park
and Nagarhole National Park.
Waterfalls: Gokak Falls, Unchalli
Falls, Magod Falls, Abbey Falls, Jog
falls and Shivanasamudra Falls
Tribes: Adiyan, Barda, Bavacha, Bhil,
Chenchu, Chodhara, Dubla, Konda,
Koraga, Kurumans, Maha Malasar,
Malaikudi, Malasar, Malayekandi,
Maleru, Maratha Patelia, Rathawa,
Siddi, Sholaga, Soligaru , Toda,
Varli, Vitolia
Cuisines: Bisi Bele Bhaat, Kesari
Bath, Mysore Pak, Dharwad Pedha,
Chiroti
Panorama
Animal: Indian Elephant (Elephas
maximus indicus)
Bird: Indian Roller (Coracias benghalensis)
` Kerala
Also known as: Gods own country
Capital: Thiruvananthapuram
Largest City: Kochi
No. Of Districts:14
Chief Minister: Oommen Chandy
Governor : P. Sathasivam
Area: 38,863 sq.km(15,005 sq mi)
Language: Malayalam, English
Date of Establishment: 1st July 1949
Population: 33,387,677
Sex Ratio: 1,084 females per 1000
males
Literacy Rate: 93.91%
Population Density: 860/sq.km
(2,200/sq mi)
Forest Area: 10,336 sq.km (3,991 sq mi)
Agriculture: Kerala produces 97% of
the national output of black pepper and
accounts for 85% of the area under
natural rubber in the country. Coconut,
tea, coffee, cashew, and spicesincluding
cardamom, vanilla, cinnamon, and
nutmeg comprise a critical agricultural
sector. The key agricultural staple is
rice, with varieties grown in extensive
paddy fields.
Industry: Software giants like Infosys,
Oracle, Tata Consultancy Services,
Capgemini, HCL, UST Global, Nest,
Suntec and IBS have offices in the
state. Thiruvananthapuram is also the
IT Hub of Kerala and accounts for
around 80% of the software exports.
The Grand Kerala Shopping Festival
(GKSF) claimed to be Asias largest
shopping festival was started in the
year 2007.
Neighbouring States: It is bordered
by Karnataka to the north and north
east, Tamil Nadu to the east and
south, and the Lakshadweep Sea to
the west.
Panorama
Art & Culture:
(a) Dance: The classical dance
forms of Kerala are Kathakali,
Mohiniyattam, Koodiyattom,
Thullal and Krishnanattam.
(b) Festivals: Onam is a harvest
festival celebrated by the people
of Kerala.
Tourism:
Beaches: Kovalam, Varkala, Fort
Kochi, Cherai, Payyambalam, Kappad,
Muzhappilangad.
Hill stations: Munnar, Wayanad,
Wagamon, Peermade, Paithalmala,
Nelliampathi and Ponmudi.
National parks and sanctuaries:
Periyar Tiger Reserve, Parambikulam
Wildlife Sanctuary, Chinnar Wildlife
Sanctuary, Thattekad Bird Sanctuary,
Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Muthanga
Wildlife Sanctuary, Aralam Wildlife
Sanctuary, Eravikulam National Park,
and Silent Valley National Park.
Tribes: Adiyan, Arandan, Irular, Kadar,
Cholanaickan, Paniyan, Ulladan ,
Ullatan, Uraly Mavilan, Karimpalan,
Vetta Kuruman, Mala Panickar
Cuisines: Puttu-Kadala, Kappa-Meen
Kari, Sadya Meal, Avial, Malabar
Parotha, Payasam, Irachi Stew,
Karimean Kari
Animal: Indian Elephant (Elephas
maximus indicus)
Bird: Great Hornbill (Buceros bicornis)
` Madhya Pradesh
Also known as: Heart of India
Capital: Bhopal
Largest City: Indore
No. Of Districts: 51
Chief Minister: Shivraj Singh Chauhan
Governor: Ram Naresh Yadav
Area: 308,245 sq.km (119,014 sq mi)
Language: Hindi
Date of Establishment: 1st November
1956
B-13
Population: 72,597,565
Sex Ratio: 930 females per 1000 males
Literacy Rate: 70.60%
Population Density: 236/sq.km
(610/sq mi)
Forest Area: 94,689 sq.km (36,560 sq mi)
Agriculture: The state has an
agrarian economy. The major crops of
Madhya Pradesh are wheat, soybean,
gram, sugarcane, rice, maize, cotton,
rapeseed, mustard and arhar
Industry: Mining and Ordinance
factories comprise the major industries.
Neighbouring States: It borders the
states of Uttar Pradesh to the north-
east, Chhattisgarh to the south-east,
Maharashtra to the south, Gujarat
to the west, and Rajasthan to the
northwest.
Art & Culture:
(a) Dances: Badhai, Rai, Saira,
Jawara, Sher, Akhara, Shaitan,
Tertali, Charkula, Jawara, and
Maanch are some of the majore
dance forms.
(b) Festivals: Shivratri, Navratri,
Dussehra, Diwali, Bahgoriya, Shab-
I-Barat, Krishna Janamashtmi and
many more.
Tourism:
National parks and sanctuaries:
Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pench, Panna,
and Satpura National Park.
Hill Station: Pachmarhi and
Amarkantak
Tribes: Bhil, Bhunjia, Biar, Binjhwar,
Birhul, Damor, Dhanwar, Gadaba,
Gond, Halba, Kamar, Karku, Kawar,
Kondar, Kharia, Kondh, Kol, Kolam,
Korku, Munda, Oraon, Panika, Pao,
Pardhan, Saonta, Saur, Sawar, Sonr.
Cuisines: Lapsi, Bafla, Bhutte ki
Khees, Bhopali Kabab
Animal: Barasingha (Rucervus duvaucelii)
Bird: Asian Paradise Flycatcher
(Trepsiphone paradisi)
B-14
` Maharashtra
Capital: Mumbai
Largest city: Mumbai
No. Of districts: 36
Chief Minister: Devendra Fadnavis
Governor: C. Vidyasagar Rao
Area: 307,713 sq.km(118,809 sq mi)
Language: Marathi
Date of establishment: 1st May 1960
Population: 112,372,972
Sex Ratio: 929 females per 1000
males
Literacy Rate: 82.9%
Population Density: 370/sq.km (950/
sq mi)
Forest Area: 61,939 sq.km (23,915
sq mi)
Agriculture: Agriculture and allied
activities contributes 12.9% to the
states income. Staples such as rice and
millet are the main monsoon crops.
Cash crops include sugarcane, cotton,
oilseeds, tobacco, fruit, vegetables
and spices such as turmeric.
Industry: Mumbai is also known
as the financial capital of India and
houses major corporate and financial
institutions. Maharashtra contributes
25% of the countrys industrial output
and is manufacturing hub for some of
the largest public sector industries in
India, including Hindustan Petroleum
Corporation, Tata Petrodyne and Oil
India Ltd.
Neighbouring States: It shares its
border with Arabian Sea to the west
and states of Karnataka, Telangana,
Goa, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Madhya
Pradesh and the Union territory of
Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
Art & Culture:
(a) Dances: Lavani is the most
popular form of dance in the
state. Koli dance is yet another
form of folk dance.
Panorama
(b) Festivals: Vijayadashami or
Dasara, Navaratri, Holi, Diwali,
Eid, Simollanghan is a ritual
performed on Dasara or Viajaya
Dashami day in Maharashtra.
Religious Tourism: Shirdi, Haji Ali
Dargah, Tuljabhavani temple, Parvati
temples, Chaturshringi Temple,
Pataleshwar.
Nature Tourism: Amboli, Chikhaldara,
Igatpuri, Jawhar, Karjat, Khandala,
Lavasa, Lonavala, Mahabaleshwar,
Matheran, Panchgani, Panhala,
Toranmal
Tribes: Andh, Baiga, Barda, Bavacha,
Bhaina, Bhunjia, Birhul, Kol, Halba,
Kamar, Kathodi, Kolam, Khairwar,
Kharia, Kokna, Parja, Patelia, Pomla,
Rathawa, Sawar, Thakur, Varli, Vitolia
Cuisines: Shrikhand, Thalipeeth,
Vada Pao, Modak
Animal: Indian Giant Squirrel (Ratufa
indica)
Bird: Yellow footed green pigeon
(Treron phoenicoptera)
` Manipur
Also known as: Gateway to the
East
Capital: Imphal
Largest city: Imphal
No. Of districts: 9
Chief Minister: Okram Ibobi Singh
Governor: Syed Ahmed
Area: 22,327 sq.km(8,621 sq mi)
Language: Meeteilon
Date of establishment: 21st Jan. 1972
Population: 2,570,390
Sex Ratio: 987 females per 1000 males
Literacy Rate: 79.21%
Population Density: 120/sq.km
(300/sq mi)
Forest Area: 14,365 dq.km
Agriculture: Manipurs climate and
soil conditions are ideally suited for
horticultural crops. It is home for
Panorama
variety of rare and exotic medicinal
and aromatic plants. Some cash
crops suited for Manipur include
litchi, cashew nuts, walnuts, orange,
lemon, pineapple, papaya, passion
fruit, peach, pear and plum.
Industry: Its economy is primarily
agriculture, forestry, cottage and
trade driven. Manipur has the
highest number of handicrafts units
and number of craftspersons, in the
entire northeastern region of India.
The state is covered with over 3,000
square km of bamboo forests, making
it one of Indias largest contributors
to its bamboo industry.
Neighbouring States: It is bounded
by Nagaland to the north, Mizoram
to the south, and Assam to the west;
Burma lies to its east.
Art & Culture:
(a) Dances: Manipuri dance (Ras
Lila)
(b) Festivals: The various festivals
of Manipur are Lui-ngai-ni
Ningol Chakouba, Yaoshang,
Ganngai, Chumpha, Christmas,
Cheiraoba, Kang and Heikru
Hidongba.
Nature Tourism: Loktak Lake,
Kaina, Keibul Lamjao National Park,
Sadu Chiru waterfall and Thalon
Cave.
Tribes: Aimol, Anal, Angami, Chiru,
Chothe, Gangte, Hmar, Kabui,
Koireng, Kom, Lamgang, Mao,
Maram, Maring, Mizo, , Suhte, Tangkh,
Thadou, Vaiphui, Zou, Kuki.
Cuisines: Iromba, Kabok, Chakkounba
Animal: Sangai (Cervus eldi)
Bird: Mrs. Humes Pheasant (Syrmaticus
humiae)
` Meghalaya
Also known as: the abode of the
clouds
B-15
Capital: Shillong
Largest city: Shillong
No. Of districts: 11
Chief Minister: Mukul Sangma
Governor: V. Shanmuganathan
Area: 22,429 sq.km(8,660 sq mi)
Language: English, Khasi and Garo
Date of establishment: 21 January
1972
Population: 2,964,007
Sex Ratio: 986 females per 1000 males
Literacy Rate: 75.84%
Population Density :130/sq.km
(340/sq mi)
Forest Area: 9,496 sq.km (3,666 sq mi)
Agriculture: Basically an agricultural
state with about 80% of population
depending entirely on agriculture for
their livelihood. Rice, maize, wheat
and a few other cereals and pulses.
The important cash crops potato,
ginger, turmeric, black pepper, areca
nut, tezpatta, betelvine, short-staple
cotton, jute, mesta, mustard and
rapeseed etc. Horticultural crops like
orange, lemon, pineapple, guava,
litchi, banana, jack fruits and fruits
such as plum, pear and peach.
Industry: Meghalaya has a rich base
of natural resources which include
minerals such as coal, limestone,
sillimanite, Kaolin and granite
among others.
Neighbouring States: This state is
bounded to the south by the districts
of greater Mymensingh and the
Division of Sylhet and the west by the
Division of Rangpur of Bangladesh
and the north and the east by Assam.
Art & Culture:
(a) Dances: Nongkrem` is an important
folkdance from the Meghalaya.
(b) Festivals: Shivratri, Nongkrem
Dance Festival, and Wangala or
the harvest Festival.
B-16
Tourism: Mawphlang sacred forest,
limestone and sandstone caves, and
some of the popular waterfalls like
the Elephant Falls, Shadthum Falls,
Weinia falls, Bishop Falls, Nohkalikai
Falls, Langshiang Falls and Sweet
Falls.
Tribes: Chakma, Dimasa, Garo,
Hajong, Hmar, Khasi, Jaintia, Kuki,
Pawi, Synteng, Boro, Koch, Raba,
Lakher, Man, Naga, Mikir, Mizo.
Cuisines: Jadoh, Kyat (local beer).
Bitchi
Animal: Clouded Leopard (Neofelis
nebulosa)
Bird: Hill Myna (Gracula religiosa)
` Mizoram
Also known as: land of the hill
people
Capital: Aizawl
Largest city: Aizawl
No. Of districts: 8
Chief Minister: Pu Lalthanhawla
Governor: Lt General Nirbhay Sharma
Area: 21,087 sq.km(8,142 sq mi)
Language: Mizo
Date of establishment: 20th February
1987
Population: 1,091,014
Sex Ratio: 975 females per 1000 males
Literacy Rate: 91.58%
Population Density: 52/sq.km(130/sq mi)
Forest Area: 1,594,000 hectares
(3,940,000 acres)
Agriculture:55% to 60% of the
working population of the state is
annually deployed on agriculture.
Rice remains the largest crop grown in
the state; fruits are the second largest
category, followed by condiments and
spices.
Industry: Handloom, horticulture
industries, forestry, fisheries and
sericulture
Panorama
Neighbouring States: The state
shares borders with three of the seven
sister states, namely Tripura, Assam,
Manipur and a 722 km border with the
neighbouring countries of Bangladesh
and Myanmar.
Art & Culture:
(a) Dances: Cheraw, Khuallam,
Chheihla, Chai
(b) Festivals: Chapchar Kut,
Thalfavang Kut, Mim Kut, Pawl
Kut, Christmas and Easter.
Tourism:
National parks and sanctuaries:
Murlen National Park, Dampa
Tiger Reserve, Khawnglung Wildlife
Sanctuary.
Hill stations: Hmuifang Tlang, Reiek
Tlang
Tribes: Chakma, Dimasa, Garo,
Hajong, Hmar, Khasi, Jaintia, Kuki,
Mikir, Naga, Pawi, Synteng, Paite,
Lakher, Man.
Cuisines: Zu (a special tea)
Animal: Hoolock gibbon (Hoolock
hoolock)
Bird: Mrs. Humes pheasant (Syrmaticus
humaie)
` Nagaland
Also known as: falcon capital of
the world
Capital: Kohima
Largest city: Dimapur
No. Of districts: 11
Chief Minister: T. R. Zeliang
Governor: Padmanabha Acharya
Area: 16,579 sq.km(6,401 sq mi)
Language: English
Date of establishment: 1st December
1963
Population: 1,980,602
Sex Ratio: 931
Literacy Rate: 80.11%
Population Density: 119/sq.km
(310/sq mi)
Panorama
Forest Area: About one-sixth of the
states area is covered by tropical and
sub-tropical evergreen forests.
Agriculture: The main crops of
the state are rice, millet, maize, and
pulses. Cash crops, like sugarcane and
potato, are also grown in some parts.
Plantation crops such as premium
coffee, cardamom, and tea are grown
in hilly areas in small quantities.
Industry: Forestry is also an
important source of income.
Cottage industries such as weaving,
woodwork, and pottery are also an
important source of revenue.
Neighbouring States: It borders the
state of Assamto the west, Arunachal
Pradesh and part of Assam to the
north, Burma to the east and Manipur
to the south.
Art & Culture:
(a) Dances: Zeliang is the one of
the most artistic dance forms.
(b) Festivals: Nagaland is known
as the land of festivals. The
Hornbill Festival in December,
Sekrenyi, Tsukhenyie, Mimkut,
Bishu, Aoling, Moatsu, Tuluni,
Nyaknylum, Mongmong, Tokhu
Emong and Yemshe are some of
the important festivals celebrated
by the various Naga tribes.
Tribes: Naga, Kuki, Kachari, Mikir,
Garo
Cuisines: Momos, Rice Beer, and
Cherry Wine
Animal: Gaur (Bos gaurus)
Bird:Blyths Tragopan (Tragopan blythii)
` Odisha
Capital: Bhubaneshwar
Largest city: Bhubaneshwar
No. Of districts: 30
Chief Minister: Naveen Patnaik
Governor: S.C. Jamir
Area: 155,820 sq.km(60,160 sq mi)
B-17
Language: Odia, English
Date of establishment: 1st April
1936
Population: 41,947,358
Sex Ratio: 978 females per 1000
males
Literacy Rate: 73.45%
Population Density: 270/sq.km
(700/sq mi)
Forest Area: 48,903 sq.km
Agriculture: Rice is the dominant
crop in Odisha and is grown on 77%
of the area under cultivation. The
state is the fourth largest shrimp
producing state in India.
Industry: Industries like manufacturing;
mining and quarrying; electricity, gas
and water supply; and construction are
dominant in the state. NALCO and
Vedanta, two of the biggest aluminium
plants are in Odisha which makes the
state leading producer of aluminium
in the state.
Neighbouring States: It shares its
borders with states of West Bengal
to the north-east, Jharkhand to the
north, Chhattisgarh to the west and
north-west, Telangana to the south-
west and Andhra Pradesh to the
south.
Art & Culture:
(a) Dances: Odissi is one of the oldest
and most important classical
dance forms in the state. Other
dance forms include: Ghumura
Dance, Chhau dance, Mahari
dance, and Gotipua.
(b) festivals: Durga Puja, Kumar
Purnima, Deepabali, Prathamastami,
Vasant Panchami, Maha Shivaratri,
Ratha Yatra, Ganesh Chaturthi,
Raja Parba are some of the major
festivals celebrated across Odisha.
Religious Places: Lingaraja Temple
at Bhubaneswar, Jagannath Temple,
Puri and the Konark Sun Temple and
Maa Sarala Temple at Tirtol town.
B-18
Nature Tourism: Udayagiri and
Khandagiri Caves, Dhauli, Chilika
Lake, Bhitarkanika National Park,
Simlipal National Park.
Tribes: Bagata, Bathudi, , Birhor,
Didayi, Didayi, Chenchu, Dal,
Desua, Gandia, Ghara, Gond, Ho,
Holva, Kandha, Munda, Kol, Kolah
Laharas, Kol Loharas, Kolha, Koli,
Mahali, Mankidi, Mankirdia, Pentia,
Rajuar, Santal, Saora,
Cuisines: Fish Orly, Khirmohan,
Rsabali, Chhenapodapitha
Animal: Sambar (Rusa unicolor)
Bird: Indian Roller (Coracias
benghalensis)
` Punjab
Also known as: Granary of India,
Indias bread-basket
Capital: Chandigarh
Largest city: Ludhiana
No. Of districts: 22
Chief Minister: Parkash Singh Badal
Governor: Kaptan Singh Solanki
Area: 50,362 sq.km (19,445 sq mi)
Language: Punjabi
Date of establishment: 15th August
1947
Population: 27,704,236
Sex Ratio: 893 females per 1000
males
Literacy Rate: 76.68%
Population Density: 550/sq. km
(1,400/sq mi)
Agriculture: Wheat is the most
important crop of the state. Rice,
sugarcane, fruits and vegetables are
also grown. The state produces 10.26%
of Indias cotton, 19.5% of Indias
wheat, and 11% of Indias rice.
Industry: Industries include the
manufacturing of scientific instruments,
agricultural goods, electrical goods,
financial services, machine tools, textiles,
Panorama
sewing machines, sports goods, starch,
tourism, fertilisers, bicycles, garments,
and the processing of pine oil and sugar.
Punjab also has the largest number of
steel rolling mill plants in India, which
are located in Steel TownMandi
Gobindgarh in the Fatehgarh Sahib
district.
Neighbouring States: The state
is bordered by the Indian states
of Himachal Pradesh to the east,
Haryana to the south and southeast,
Rajasthan to the southwest, and the
Pakistani province of Punjab to the
west. To the north it is bounded by the
Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Art & Culture:
(a) Dances: Bhangra and Giddha
are the major dance forms of the
state.
(b) Festivals: Bandi Chhor Divas
(Diwali), Mela Maghi, Hola
Mohalla, Rakhri, Vaisakhi,
Lohri, Teeyan and Basant.
Religious Places: The Golden Temple
in Amritsar and Sri Anandpur Sahib
are the major religious attraction of
the state.
Cuisines: Dal Makhni, Makke di
Roti-Sarson da Saag, Chana Bhature
Animal: Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra)
Bird: Northern Goshawk (Accipiter
gentilis)
` Rajasthan
Name: Rajasthan
Capital: Jaipur
Largest city: Jaipur
No. Of districts: 33
Chief Minister: Vasundhara Raje
Governor: Kalyan Singh
Area: 342,239 sq.km(132,139 sq mi)
Language: Hindi, Rajasthani
Date of establishment: 1st November
1956
Panorama
Population: 73,529,325
Sex Ratio: 926 females per 1000 males
Literacy Rate: 67.68%
Population Density: 201/sq.km
(520/sq mi)
Agriculture: Wheat, barley, pulses,
sugarcane and oilseeds are cultivated
over large areas. Cotton and tobacco
are the main cash crops. The largest
producers of edible oils in India
and the second largest producer of
oilseeds. The biggest wool-producing
state in India and the main opium
producer and consumer.
Industry: Main industries are
mineral, agriculture, and textile
based. The second largest producer
of polyester fibre in India.
Neighbouring States: It shares a
border with the Pakistani provinces
of Punjab to the northwest and Sindh
to the west, along the Sutlej-Indus
river valley. Elsewhere it is bordered
by the other Indian states: Punjab
to the north; Haryana and Uttar
Pradesh to the northeast; Madhya
Pradesh to the southeast; and Gujarat
to the southwest.
Art & Culture:
(a) Dances: Ghoomar dance from
Udaipur and Kalbeliya dance of
Jaisalmer
(b) Festivals: Deepawali, Holi,
Gangaur, Teej, Gogaji, Shri
Devnarayan Jayanti, Makar
Sankranti and Janmashtami
Religious Places: The Brahma
temple at Pushkar, Dilwara Temples
of Mount Abu, Ranakpur Temple
in Pali District, Mehandipur Balaji
Temple, Karni Mata Temple of
Bikaner, Ajmer Sharif Dargah are
some of the important religious
places in the state.
Cuisines: Dal-Bati-Churma, Ker
Sangari, Lal Maas, Gatte
B-19
Animal: Chinkara (Gazella bennettii)
Bird:Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis
nigriceps)
` Sikkim
Capital: Gangtok Largest city:
Gangtok
No. Of districts: 4
Chief Minister: Pawan Chamling
Governor: Shriniwas Dadasaheb
Patil
Area: 7,096 sq.km (2,740 sq mi)
Language: Nepali, Bhutia, Gurung,
Lepcha, Limbu, Manggar, Newari,
Sherpa, Sunwar, Tamang
Date of establishment: 16th May
1975
Population: 607,688
Sex Ratio: 889 females per 1000 males
Literacy Rate: 82.2%
Population Density: 86/sq.km (220/
sq mi)
Forest Area: 81% of the state area
Agriculture: Crops such as Rice,
maize, millet, wheat, barley, oranges,
tea and cardamom are grown here.
Sikkim is the leading producer of
cardamom in India
Industry: Brewing, distilling,
tanning and watches are the main
industries. The state has also invested
in a fledgling gambling industry,
promoting both casinos and online
gambling. The Playwin lottery has
been a notable success in the state.
Neighbouring States: The state
is bordered by Nepal to the west,
Chinas Tibet Autonomous Region to
the north and east, and Bhutan to the
east. The Indian state of West Bengal
lies to the south.
Art & Culture:
(a) Dances: Singhi Chham is a
masked dance of Sikkim.
B-20
(b) Festivals: Diwali, Dussera, Maghe
Sankranti, Bhimsen Puja, Losar,
Loosong, Saga Dawa, Lhabab
Duechen, Drupka Teshi, Bhumchu,
Eid ul-Fitr, Muharram and
Christmas are the major festivals
celebrated in the state.
Religious Places: Rumtek Monastery,
Tsongmo Lake, Nathu la pass,
Gurudongmar Lake
Tribes: Bhutia, Lepcha, Limboo,
Tamang
Cuisines:Momos, Thukpa, Gundruk,
Phagshapa and Seal Roti
Animal: Red panda (Ailurus fulgens)
Bird: Blood pheasant (Ithaginis
cruentus)
` Tamil Nadu
Capital: Chennai
Largest city: Chennai
No. Of districts: 32
Chief Minister: J Jayalalithaa
Governor: Konijeti Rosaiah
Area: 130,058 sq.km(50,216 sq mi)
Language: Tamil
Date of establishment: 26th January
1950
Population: 72,147,030
Sex Ratio: 995 females per 1000 males
Literacy Rate: 80.33 %
Population Density: 550/sq.km
(1,400/sq mi)
Forest Area: 22,643 sq.km(8,743 sq mi)
Agriculture: Rice is the leading crop
and the Cauvery delta region is known
as the Rice Bowl of Tamil Nadu.
Mango and banana are the leading
fruit crops. The main vegetables
grown are tapioca, tomato, onion,
brinjal(eggplant), and drumstick.
Industry: Textiles, leather, electronics,
heavy industries, engineering,
software, and automobiles are the
leading industries of the state. Integral
Panorama
Coach Factory which is located in
Perambur is the largest producer of
railway coaches in Asia.
Neighbouring States: The state is
bordered by the union territory of
Puducherry and the south Indian
states of Kerala, Karnataka, and
Andhra Pradesh. It also shares a
maritime border with the nation of
Sri Lanka.
Art & Culture:
(a) Dances: Bharatanatyam is the
famous dance forms of Tamail
Nadu. Other forms of folk dances
are Karakattam,Mayilam.
(b) Festivals: Pongal is the most
celebrated festival of the state.
Other major festivals are
Deepavali, Ayudha Poojai,
Saraswathi Poojai (Dasara),
Krishna Jayanthi and Vinayaka
Chathurthi, Eid ul-Fitr, Bakrid,
Milad un Nabi, Muharram, Good
Friday, Easter are celebrated in the
state.
Religious Places: Chidambaram,
Thiruvannaamalai, Brihadishwara
Temple, Gangaikonda Cholapuram,
Madurai Meenakshi Amman
Temple, Sri Ranganathaswamy
Temple, Srirangam, Tiruchirappalli,
and Rameshwaram are the famous
religious places of the state.
Tribes: Adiyan, Aranadan, Eravallan,
Irular, Kadar, Kammara, Kaniyan,
Kanyan, Kattunayakan, Kochu,
Konda, Kondareddis, Koraga, Kota
Muthuvan, Malai, Malakkuravan,
Malasar, Malayali , Palliyar, Paniyan,
Sholaga, Toda.
Cuisines: Appam, Dosai, Idli,
Sambhar, Rasam, Chettinad Chicken,
Pongal
Animal: Nilgiri Tahr (Nilgiritragus
hylocrius)
Bird: Emerald Dove (Chalcophaps
indica)
Panorama
` Telangana
Capital: Hyderabad
Largest city: Hyderabad
No. Of districts: 10
Chief Minister: Kalvakuntla
Chandrashekar Rao
Governor: E. S. L. Narasimhan
Area: 114,840 sq.km(44,340 sq mi)
Language: Telugu, Urdu
Date of establishment: 2nd June
2014
Population: 35,193,978
Literacy Rate: 66.50%
Population Density: 310/sq.km (790
/sq mi)
Agriculture: Rice is the major food
crop and staple food of the state. Other
important crops are Maize, Tobacco,
Mango, Cotton and Sugar cane
Industry: Automobiles and auto
components industry, spices, mines
and minerals, textiles and apparels,
pharmaceutical, horticulture, poultry
farming
Neighbouring States: The state
shares its borders with Maharashtra,
Chhattisgarh to the north, and
Karnataka to the west, and Andhra
Pradesh to the south, east and north
east.
Art & Culture:
(a) Classical dance forms (Sastriya
Nrutyam) such as Kuchipudi,
AndhraNatyam, Bhamakalapam,
Veeranatyam; and folk dances such
as Butta bommalu, Tappeta Gullu,
Lambadi, Dhimsa, and Chindu.
(b) Festivals: Sankranti, Maha
Shivaratri, Ugadi or the Telugu
New Year, Sri Rama Navami,
Varalakshmi Vratam, Vinayaka
Chaviti, Dasara, Atla Tadde,
Deepavali, Deepothsavam during
the Deepavali season.
B-21
Religious Places: Alampur Jogulamba
temple, Gnana Saraswati Temple,
Bhadrachalam Temple, Sri Raja
Rajeswara Swami temple and the
Thousand Pillar Temple are some of
the famous temples of the state.
Cuisines: Gongura Ghosht, Pappuchura,
Gongura Pappu, Hyderabadi Biryani
Animal: Chital (Zinka)
Bird:Pala Pitta (Coracias benghalensis)
` Tripura
Capital: Agartala
Largest city: Agartala
No. Of districts: 8
Chief Minister: Manik Sarkar
Governor: Tathagata Roy
Area: 10,491.69 sq.km(4,050.86 sq mi)
Language: Bengali and Kokborok
Date of establishment: 21st Jan. 1972
Population: 3,671,032
Sex Ratio: 961 females per 1000 males
Literacy Rate: 94.65%
Population Density: 350/sq.km
(910/sq mi)
Forest Area: 57.73% of the state
Agriculture: Rice, potato, sugarcane,
mesta, pulses, and jute are some of the
crops grown in the state. Jackfruit and
pineapple are among the horticultural
products.
Industry: Brickfields and tea industry
Neighbouring States: The state
is bordered by Bangladesh to the
north, south, and west, and Assam
and Mizoram to the east.
Art & Culture: Goria dance, Jhum
dance, lebang dance, mamita dance,
and mosak sulmani dance are some
of the dance forms of the state.
Tourism: Ujjayanta Palace, Kunjaban
Palace, Neermahal Lake Palace,
Laxminarayan Temple, Uma Maheswar
Temple, Jagannath Temple, Benuban
Bihar, Gedu Mian Mosque, Malancha
B-22
Niwas, Rabindra Kanan, Purbasha,
Handicrafts Designing Centre, Fourteen
Goddess Temple, and Portuguese Church
are some of major tourist attractions.
Tribes: Bhil, Bhutia, Chaimal,
Chakma, Garoo, Halam, Khasia,
Kuki, Mag , Munda, Noatia, Orang,
Riang, Santal, Tripura
Cuisines: Chakhwi, Mwkhwi, Muitru
Animal: Phayres Langur
(Trachypithecus phayrel)
Bird:Green Imperial Pigeon (Dacula
genea)
` Uttarakhand
Also known as: Land of the Gods
Capital: Dehradun
Largest city: Dehradun
No. Of districts: 13
Chief Minister: Harish Rawat
Governor: Krishan Kant Paul
Area: 53,483 sq.km(20,650 sq mi)
Language: Hindi, Sanskrit, Garhwali,
Kumaoni
Date of establishment: 9th November
2000
Population: 10,116,752
Sex Ratio: 963 females per 1000 males
Literacy Rate: 79.63%
Population Density: 189/sq.km
(490/sq mi)
Forest Area: 34651 sq.km
Agriculture: Basmati rice, wheat,
soybeans, groundnuts, coarse cereals,
pulses, and oil seeds are the major
crops grown in the state.
Industry: Tourism and hydropower
are the major industries of the state.
Neighbouring States: It borders Tibet
on the north; the Mahakali Zone of
the Far-Western Region, Nepal on the
east; and the Indian states of Uttar
Pradesh to the south and Himachal
Pradesh to the northwest.
Panorama
Art & Culture:
(a) Dances: Langvir Nritya, Barada
Nati, Hurka Baul, Jhora-Chanchri,
Jhumaila, Chauphula, and
Chholiya.
(b) Festivals: Kumbh Mela, Kanwar
Yatra, Kandali Festival, Ramman,
Harela mela, Nauchandi mela,
Uttarayani mela and Nanda Devi
Mela take place.
Tourism: It is home to some
most frequented hill stations like
Mussoorie, Nainital, Dhanaulti,
Lansdowne, Pauri, Sattal, Almora,
Kausani, Bhimtal, and Ranikhet.
National parks in the state include
Jim Corbett National Park, Rajaji
National Park, Nanda Devi National
Park, and Valley of Flowers National
Park. Badrinath and Kedarnath are
one of the most auspicious and holy
pilgrimages housed by the state.
Tribes: Bhotia, Buksa, Jaunsari, Raji,
Tharu
Cuisines: Aloo ke Gutke, Kaapa,
Jhangora (millets) ki Kheer, Chainsoo
Animal: Musk deer (Moschus
cupreus)
Bird:Himalayan Monal (Lophophorus
impejanus)
` Uttar Pradesh
Also known as: Hindi heartland of
India
Capital & Largest city: Lucknow
No. Of districts: 75
Chief Minister: Akhilesh Yadav
Governor: Ram Naik
Area: 243,286 sq.km(93,933 sq mi)
Language: Hindi, Urdu
Date of establishment: 1st April
1937 as the United Provinces
Population: 199,581,477
Sex Ratio: 908 females per 1000
males
Literacy Rate: 69.7%
Panorama
Population Density: 820/sq.km
(2,100/sq mi)
Forest Area: 16,583 sq.km (6,403 sq mi)
Agriculture: Wheat is the major
food crop; and sugarcane is the main
commercial crop with 70% of sugar
produce from the state.
Industry: Major industries include
electronics, electrical equipment,
cables, steel, leather, textiles, jewellery,
frigates, automobiles, railway coaches,
etc
Neighbouring States: The state
shares its border with Rajasthan
to the west, Haryana and Delhi to
the northwest, Uttarakhand and
the country of Nepal to the north,
Bihar to the east, Jharkhand to
the southeast, Chhattisgarh to the
south and Madhya Pradesh to the
southwest.
Art & Culture:
(a) Dances: Kathak is most popular
dance form.
(b) Festivals: Diwali, Buddha Purnima,
Christmas, Rama Navami,
Vijayadashami, Makar Sankranti,
Vasant Panchami, Ayudha Puja,
Ganga Mahotsava, Janmashtami,
Sardhana Christian Fair, Maha
Shivaratri, Mahavir Jayanti,
Moharram, Barah Wafat, Eid,
Bakreed, Chhath puja, Lucknow
Mahotsav, Kabob and Hanuman
Jayanti.
Tourism: Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Bara
Imambara, Fatehpur Sikri, Sarnath,
Kushinagar, Patna Bird Sanctuary
and many more are the major tourist
attractions of the state.
Tribes: Bhotia, Buksa, Jaunsari, Raji,
Tharu, Gonda, Baiga, Parahiya,
Saharya, Chero, Kharwar, Bhuiya,
Pankha, Baiga.
Cuisines: Kabab, Biryanis, Bedmi
Aloo, Kachori, Banarasi Chaat
B-23
Animal: Swamp Deer (Rucervus
duvaucelii)
Bird: Sarus Crane (Grus antigone)
` West Bengal
Capital & Largest city: Kolkata
No. Of districts: 20
Chief Minister: Mamata Banerjee
Governor: Keshari Nath Tripathi
Area: 88,752 sq.km (34,267 sq mi)
Language: Bengali and English
Date of establishment: 15th August
1947
Population: 91,347,736
Sex Ratio: 947 females per 1000 males
Literacy Rate: 77.08%
Population Density: 1,000/sq.km
(2,700/sq mi)
Forest Area: 16,805 sq.km (6,488 sq mi)
Agriculture: Rice, potato, jute,
sugarcane and wheat
Industry: steel, leather, textiles,
jewellery, frigates, automobiles,
electronics, electrical equipment etc
are the major manufacturing industries
of West Bengal.
Neighbouring States: The state
is surrounded by the countries of
Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan, and
the states of Odisha, Jharkhand,
Bihar, Sikkim, and Assam
Art & Culture:
(a) Dances: Chau dance and many
other folk dances.
(b) Festivals: Durga Puja, Poila
Baishakh (the Bengali New Year),
Rathayatra, Dolyatra or Basanta-
Utsab, Nobanno, Poush Parbon,
Kali Puja, Saraswati Puja, Laxmi
Puja, Christmas, Eid ul-Fitr,
Eid ul-Adha, Buddha Purnima,
Muharram, Christmas
Tourism: Dakshineswar Kali
Temple, Tipu Sultan Mosque, St
Pauls Cathedral, Victoria Memorial,
B-24
Howrah Bridge, Vidyasagar Setu are
some of the major tourist attractions.
Popular national parks include
Sundarbans National Park, Buxa
Tiger Reserve, Gorumara National
Park, Neora Valley National Park,
Singalila National Park, and Jaldapara
National Park.
Tribes: Asur, Baiga, Bedia, Chero,
Chik Baraik, Garo, Gond, Gorait,
Haja Mru, Munda, Nagesia, Oraon,
Parhaiya, Rabha, Santal, Sauria
Paharia, Savar, Limbu
Cuisines: Rosogulla, Mishti Doi,
Bhapa Illish
Animal: Fishing cat (Prionailurus
viverrinus)
Bird: White-breasted Kingfisher
(Halcyon smyrnensis)
` Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Capital & Largest city: Port Blair
No. Of districts: 3
Area: 8,073 sq.km(3,117 sq mi)
Language: English, Hindi
Date of establishment:1st November
1956
Population: 379,944
Sex Ratio:878 females per 1,000 males
Literacy Rate:86.27%
Population Density:46 per sq.km
Forest Area: 86.2% of the total land
area.
Agriculture: Paddy, oilseeds and
vegetables
Industry: Small scale industries and
handicraft units; Tourism plays an
important role in the economy of the
union territory.
Tourism: The island serves as an
excellent tourist destination with
major attractions like Havelock
island, Cellular Jail, Mahatma Gandhi
Marine National Park, Andaman
Water sports complex, Chatham
Panorama
Saw Mill, Mini Zoo, Corbyns cove,
Chidiya Tapu, Wandoor Beach, Forest
Museum, Cinque island, Mt Harriet
and Mud Volcano, Neil Island and
many more.
Tribes: Andamanese, Chariar, Chari,
Kora, Tabo, Bo, Yere, Kede, Bea,
Balawa, Bojigiyab, Juwai, Kol, Jarawas,
Nicobarese, Onges, Sentinelese, Shom.
` Chandigarh
Also known as: Wealthiest Town
of India
Administrator: Kaptan Singh Solanki
Mayor: Poonam Sharma
Commissioner: Vivek Pratap Singh
Area:114 sq.km(44 sq mi)
Language: English, Hindi, Punjabi
Date of establishment:1st Nov, 1966
Population:1,054,686
Sex Ratio: 818 females per 1000 males
Literacy Rate: 81.9%
Population Density: 9,300/sq.km
(24,000/sq mi)
Industry: Pharmaceuticals, machinery,
food products, and electrical appliances
are some of the major industries.
Neighbouring states: The union
territory shares its border with
Haryana and Punjab.
Tourism: Kasauli, Sukhna Lake,
Leisure Valley, Rock Garden and
many more are the major tourist
attraction.
Cuisines: Butter Chicken, Tandoori
Chicken, Mutton Pulao
` Dadra and Nagar Haveli
Capital: Silvassa
Administrator: Ashish Kundra
Area: 102 sq.km (39 sq mi)
Language: English, Gujarati, Hindi,
Marathi
Date of establishment: 11th August
1961
Panorama
Population: 342,853
Sex Ratio: 775 females per 1000 males
Literacy Rate: 77.65%
Population Density: 698 per sq.km
Forest Area: 43% of the land is under
forest cover
Agriculture: paddy, ragi, small
millets, jowar, sugarcanes
Industry: Agriculture, Industries,
Forestry, Animal Husbandry and
Tourism
Neighbouring states: It is surrounded
by Valsad District of Gujarat on the
West, North and East and by Thane
District of Maharashtra on the South
and South-East.
Tourism: Vanganga Lake Garden,
Hirwavan garden, Piparia, Tribal
Museum, Vandhara Udyan, Mini
Zoo and Bal Udyan, Ayyappa Temple
,Silvassa, Tapovan Tourist Complex,
Bindrabin are the major tourist
attractions.
` Daman and Diu
Capital: Daman
Administrator: Ashish Kundra
Area: 102 sq.km (39 sq mi)
Language: English, Gujarati, Hindi,
Marathi
Date of establishment: 30 May 1987
Population: 242,911
Sex Ratio: 618 females per 1000 males
Literacy Rate: 87.07%
Population Density: 2169 per sq.km
Industry: Major industries include
distillery, fishing andtourism
Neighbouring states: Gujarat
Tribes: Dhodia, Dubla (Halpati),
Naikda (Talavia), Siddi, Varli.
` Lakshadweep
Capital: Kavaratti
Largest city: Andrott
No. Of districts: 1
B-25
Administrator: H. Rajesh Prasad
Area: 32 sq.km (12 sq mi)
Language: English, Malayalam
Date of establishment: 1st November
1956
Population: 65,473
Sex Ratio: 946 females per 1000 males
Literacy Rate: 92.28%
Population Density: 2013 per sq.km
Agriculture: fishing and coconut
cultivation
Industry: Fisheries, production
of fibre products, tourism and
desalination are major industries
Neighbouring states: Kerala and
Karnataka
Art & Culture: Festivals: Eid-Ul-Fitr,
Muharram, Bakra Eid and Milad-Un-
Nabi are the most celebrated festivals.
Tourism: Bangaram and Kadmat
islands are the most frequented
tourist destinations.
Animal: Butterfly fish (Chaetodon
decussatus)
Bird: House Sparrow (Passer
domesticus)
Bird: Soofy Tern (onychoprion fuscata)
` National Capital Territory of
Delhi
Capital: New Delhi
No. Of districts: 11
Chief Minister: Arvind Kejriwal
Area: 1,484.0 sq.km(573.0 sq mi)
Language: Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu
Date of establishment: 1st Feb 1992
Population: 11,007,835
Sex Ratio: 866 females per 1000
males
Literacy Rate: 86.34%
Population Density: 11,297 per sq. km
Industry: Information technology,
sports goods, medicines, leather
goods, telecommunications, hotels,
banking, media and tourism
B-26
Neighbouring states: Haryana and
Uttar Pradesh
Art & Culture: Festivals: Diwali (the
festival of lights), Mahavir Jayanti,
Guru Nanaks Birthday, Raksha
Bandhan, Durga Puja, Holi, Lohri,
Krishna Janmastami, Maha Shivratri,
Eid ul-Fitr, Moharram and Buddha
Jayanti.
Tourism: Red Fort, Qutab Minar,
Humayuns Tomb, India Gate, Jantar
Mantar, Laxminarayan temple,
Akshardham temple, Lotus temple,
Iskcon temple, Safdarjungs Tomb,
and Jama Masjid are the prominent
tourist attractions.
Cuisines: Chaat, Tandoori Chicken,
Paranthe, Chole Bhature
Bird: House Sparrow (Passer
domesticus)
` Puducherry
Capital & Largest city: Pondicherry
No. Of districts:4
Chief Minister: N. Rangaswamy
Area:492 sq.km (190 sq mi)
Language: French, Malayalam,
Tamil, Telugu
Date of establishment:7 Jan 1963
Population:1,244,464
Sex Ratio:1,038 females per 1000
males
Literacy Rate:86.34%
Population Density:2,500/sq.km
(6,600/sq mi)
Agriculture: Rice, pulses, sugarcane,
coconuts, and cotton
Industry: Fisheries, textile, automobile
parts, computer hardware, cotton yarn
and tourism are the major industries.
Tourism: Promenade Beach, Sri
Aurobindo Ashram, Auroville
Beach, Serenity Beach, French War
Memorial, 19th Century Light House,
Panorama
Bharathi Park, Governors Palace,
Romain Rolland Library, Legislative
Assembly, Pondicherry Museum,
Thirukaameeswarar Temple and
many more are the famous tourist
spots in Puducherry.
Cuisines: Kadugu yerra, Vendakkai,
Patchaddy
Animal: Squirrel Sciuridae ratufinae
Bird: Asian Koel (Eudynamys
scolopaceus)
Four Ends of India
Easternmost point of India is known
as Kibithu; situated on right bank of
river Lohit separating India from
China-Tibet region. It is a small
village with the population at the
altitude of 3,350 metre in Arunachal
Pradesh. Westernmost point is
situated in Kuch area of Gujarat
called as Ghuar Mota. The region
is famous for its harsh climate with
45C in summer and 20C in winter.
During monsoon season this region
looks like tortoise surrounded by
seawater. Northernmost point of
India has been in controversies
ever since Indias independence.
The Siachen Glacier in the state
of J&K is the northern boundary
of India according to the official
division of India during the time of
Independences. The Southernmost
point of the mainland of India is
Kanyakunar District in the state
of Tamil Nadu. Kanniyakumari,
formerly was known as Cape
Comorin. It is the second largest
and urbanized of Tamil Nadu.
Indira Point is a village in the
Nicobar district of Andaman and
Nicobar Islands, India. It is located
in the Great Nicobar tehsil. It is the
location of the southernmost point
of Indias territory.
Panorama B-27

National Symbols of India

National The national flag consists of a horizontal
Flag rectangular tricolour with saffron at the top, white
in the middle and India green at the bottom. The
centre has a navy blue wheel with twenty-four
spokes, known as the Ashoka Chakra. The flag is
designed by Pingali Venkayya.
National The national emblem is the Lion Capital of Asoka
Emblem at Sarnath which was adopted on 26th January
1950. The motto inscribed on the emblem is in
Devana gari script: Satyameva jayate which
means Truth Alone Triumphs.

National Jana Gana Mana The anthem was composed by Rabindranath

Anthem Tagore; adopted by the Constituent Assembly 24th
January 1950.

National Vande Mataram Vande Mataram was composed by Bankim

Song Chandra Chatterjee. It was adopted as the National
song of India in 1950.

National Indian lotus is the national flower. It is the

Flower representation of purity as it remains flawless
despite growing in mud and water.

National Mango, also known as the King of Fruits, is the

Fruit National Fruit of India.

National Ganga is the national river of India. It is also the

River longest river of the country.

National The Indian Banyan (Ficus bengalensis) is the

Tree national tree.

National Indian peacock (Pavo cristatus) is the national bird

Bird of India.

National The Tiger known as the Lord of the Jungle is the

Animal national animal of India.

National Saka calendar Saka calendar was introduced as the National

Calendar calendar by the Calendar Committee in 1957.
B-28 Panorama

SPACE SCIENCE
Space mission 1975-2015
Satellite Launch Date Launch Vehicle
Aryabhata 19-Apr-75 u-11 Interkosmos
Bhaskara-I 7-Jun-79 C-1 Interkosmos
Rohini Technology Payload 10-Aug-79 SLV-3
Rohini RS-1 18-Jul-80 SLV-3
Rohini RS-D1 31-May-81 SLV-3
Ariane Passenger Payload Experiment 19-Jun-81 Ariane-1 (V-3)
Bhaskara -II 20-Nov-81 C-1 Intercosmos
INSAT-1A 10-Apr-82 Delta 3910 PAM-D
Rohini RS-D2 17-Apr-83 SLV-3
INSAT-1B 30-Aug-83 Shuttle [PAM-D]
Stretched Rohini Satellite Series (SROSS-1) 24-Mar-87 ASLV
IRS-1A 17-Mar-88 Vostok
Stretched Rohini Satellite Series (SROSS-2) 13-Jul-88 ASLV
INSAT-1C 21-Jul-88 Ariane-3
INSAT-1D 12-Jun-90 Delta 4925
IRS-1B 29-Aug-91 Vostok
INSAT-2DT 26-Feb-92 Ariane-44L H10
Stretched Rohini Satellite Series (SROSS-C) 20-May-92 ASLV
INSAT-2A 10-Jul-92 Ariane-44L H10
INSAT-2B 23-Jul-93 Ariane-44L H10+
IRS-1E 20-Sep-93 PSLV-D1
Stretched Rohini Satellite Series (SROSS-C2) 4-May-94 ASLV
IRS-P2 15-Oct-94 PSLV-D2
INSAT-2C 7-Dec-95 Ariane-44L H10-3
IRS-1C 29-Dec-95 Molniya
IRS-P3 21-Mar-96 PSLV-D3
INSAT-2D 4-Jun-97 Ariane-44L H10-3
IRS-1D 29-Sep-97 PSLV-C1
INSAT-2E 3-Apr-99 Ariane-42P H10-3
Oceansat-1 (IRS-P4) 26-May-99 PSLV-C2
INSAT-3B 22-Mar-00 Ariane-5G
GSAT-1 18-Apr-01 GSLV-D1
Technology Experiment Satellite (TES) 22-Oct-01 PSLV-C3
INSAT-3C 24-Jan-02 Ariane-42L H10-3
Kalpana-1 (METSAT) 12-Sep-02 PSLV-C4
INSAT-3A 10-Apr-03 Ariane-5G
GSAT-2 8-May-03 GSLV-D2
INSAT-3E 28-Sep-03 Ariane-5G
RESOURCESAT-1 (IRS-P6) 17-Oct-03 PSLV-C5
EDUSAT 20-Oct-04 GSLV-F01
Panorama B-29

HAMSAT 5-May-05 PSLV-C6

CARTOSAT-1 5-May-05 PSLV-C6
INSAT-4A 22-Dec-05 Ariane-5GS
INSAT-4C 10-Jul-06 GSLV-F02
CARTOSAT-2 10-Jan-07 PSLV-C7
Space Capsule Recovery Experiment (SRE-1) 10-Jan-07 PSLV-C7
INSAT-4B 12-Mar-07 Ariane-5ECA
INSAT-4CR 2-Sep-07 GSLV-F04
CARTOSAT-2A 28-Apr-08 PSLV-C9
IMS-1 (Third World Satellite TWsat) 28-Apr-08 PSLV-C9
Chandrayaan-1 22-Oct-08 PSLV-C11
RISAT-2 20-Apr-09 PSLV-C12
ANUSAT 20-Apr-09 PSLV-C12
Oceansat-2 (IRS-P4) 23-Sep-09 PSLV-C14
GSAT-4 15-Apr-10 GSLV-D3
CARTOSAT-2B 12-Jul-10 PSLV-C15
StudSat 12-Jul-10 PSLV-C15
GSAT-5P / INSAT-4D 25-Dec-10 GSLV-F06
RESOURCESAT-2 20-Apr-11 PSLV-C16
Youthsat 20-Apr-11 PSLV-C16
GSAT-8 / INSAT-4G 21-May-11 Ariane-5 VA-202
GSAT-12 15-Jul-11 PSLV-C17
Megha-Tropiques 12-Oct-11 PSLV-C18
Jugnu 12-Oct-11 PSLV-C18
RISAT-1 26-Apr-12 PSLV-C19
SRMSAT 26-Apr-12 PSLV-C18
GSAT-10 29-Sep-12 Ariane-5 VA-209
SARAL 25-Feb-13 PSLV-C20
IRNSS-1A 1-Jul-13 PSLV-C22
INSAT-3D 26-Jul-13 Ariane-5
GSAT-7 30-Aug-13 Ariane-5
Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) 5-Nov-13 PSLV-C25
GSAT-14 5-Jan-14 GSLV-D5
IRNSS-1B 4-Apr-14 PSLV-C24
IRNSS-1C 10-Nov-14 PSLV-C26
GSAT-16 7-Dec-14 Ariane-5
IRNSS-1D 28-Mar-15 PSLV-C27
GSAT-6 27-Aug-15 GSLV-D6
Astrosat 28-Sep-15 PSLV-C30
GSAT-15 11-Nov-15 Ariane 5 VA-227
Space Centres and Units x SHAR Centre - Shriharikota
x Vikram Sarabhai Space (Andhra Pradesh)
Centre (VSSC) - Thumba x Liquid Propulsion Systems
(Thiruvananthapuram) Centre (LPSC) - Bengaluru
x ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC) - x Space Application Centre -
Bengaluru Ahemdabad
B-30
x Developmental and Educational
Communication - Ahmedabad
unit (DECU)
x ISRO Telemetry Tracking and
Command Network (ISTRAC)
- Bengaluru
x National Remote Sensing
Agency (NRSA) - Hyderabad
x Master Control Facility (MCF) -
Hassan (Karnataka)
x The Antrix Corporation Limited
- Bengaluru
x North Eastern-Space Applications
Centre (NE-SAC) - Shillong
x Physical Research Laboratory
(PRL) - Ahmedabad
Indian Remote Sensing (IRS)
Satellite System
The Indian Remote Sensing (IRS)
satellite system is one of the
largest constellations of remote
sensing satellites in operation in the
world today. The IRS programme
commissioned with the launch of
IRS-1A in 1988 presently includes
eleven satellites that continue to
provide imageries in a variety of
spatial resolutions ranging from
better than one metre upto 500
metres.
Indian Regional Navigation
Satellite System
The new of Navigation Satellite
system was launched in 2013 aimed
at providing accurate real time
positioning and timing services over
India and its surroundings upto a
range of 1500 km. The fully deployed
system consists of 3 satellites in GEO
orbit and 4 satellites in GSO orbits
placed approximately at an attitude
of 36000 km. The constellation has
total 7 satellites.
Panorama
Mars Orbiter Mission is a space
probe, launched on 24 September,
2014. The mission focuses on
developing the technologies
for designing, planning,
management and operations of
an interplanetary mission. The
probe carries five instruments for
gathering knowledge about Mars.
The space craft is now jointly
monitored by ISRO Telemetry,
Tracking and Command Network
(ISTRAC) in Bangalore, and
Indian Deep Space Network
antennae at Byalalu.
GLOBAL SPACE PROBES
x Venus :
Venera 1 USSR Venus flyby,
Feb 12, 1961; Now in a solar
orbit.
Mariner 2 USA Venus flyby,
Aug 27, 1962; Now in a solar
orbit.
Magellan USA Venus orbiter,
May 4, 1989 1994
x Mars :
Mariner 3 USA Mars flyby,
Nov. 5, 1964.
Viking 1 USA Mars orbiter/
Lander, Aug 20,1975.
Phobas 1 USSR Mars orbiter/
Lander, July 7, 1988.
Mars Odyssey USA Mars
orbiter, Apr. 7, 2001
Spirit (MER-A) USA Mars
Rover, June 10, 2003
Opportunity (MER-B) USA
Mars Rover, July 7, 2003.
Mars Phoenix Lander USA
Mars Lander, Aug. 4, 2007.
x Jupiter :
Galileo USA and Europe
probe, Oct. 18, 1989.
Hubble space Telescope USA
and Europe, Apr. 25, 1990.
Panorama B-31

New Horizons USA Kuiper Change 1 Chinas lunar orbiter,

belt flyby, Jan. 19, 2006.
x Moon :
Pioneer O USA Lunar orbiter,
Aug. 17, 1958.
Apollo 17 USA manned lunar
lander, Dec. 7, 1972
Oct 24, 2007.
Chandrayaan 1 India PSLV C
11, Oct 22, 2008. Indias first moon
mission and the cheapest moon
mission in the world.

DEFENCE AND SECURITY

The Republic of India has worlds 4. Southern Pune
3rd largest military force and has the Command
worlds largest volunteer army. The
5. Central Command Lucknow
President of India is the Supreme
Commander of the Indian Armed
Forces and is looked after by the 6. Training Mhow
Ministry of Defence (MoD) is led Command
by the Union Cabinet Minister (added in 1991)
of Defence. It consists of three 7. South Western Jaipur
professional uniformed services: Command
the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and (added in 2005)
Indian Air Force.
The President of India is the Supreme Air Force
Commander of the Armed Force. Headed By Chief of the Air
However, the Cabinet is responsible for Staff
National Defence. The Administrative
control of armed forces is exercised Headquarters New Delhi
by the Ministry of Defence, which Number of Command
constitutes the following. Command Headquarter
(a) Department of Defence
1. Western Air Delhi
(b) Department of Defence
Command
Production and Supplies
(c) Department of Defence Research 2. South-Western Gandhinagar
and Development (DDRD). Air Command
Army 3. Central Air Allahabad
Headed by Chief of the Army Command
Staff 4. Eastern Air Shillong
Headquarters New Delhi Command
Further, the three services Headquarters, 5. Southern Air Thiru-
which were used to be attached offices of Command vanathapuram
Ministry of Defence are now integrated In addition to the above main
with the Ministry and known as command, there are two support
Integrated Headquarters of the Ministry commands, or functional commands,
of Defence. namely:
Number of Commands 1. Training Command Bangalore
Command Headquarter 2. Maintenance Command Nagpur
1. Western Command Chandimandir Today, the Air Force has an
2. Eastern Command Calcutta array of modern aircraft on
3. Northern Udhampur
its inventory besides other hi-
Command
tech electronic and support
B-32 Panorama

equipment. The aircraft fleet INS INS INS

consists of fighter-bombers, air- Sindhushastra Brahamputra Nashak
superiority fighters, interceptors, INS Ghariyal INS Vipul
transport, and logistic aircraft INS Kulish
and helicopters. INS Satpura
INS Talwar
Navy INS
Headed by Chief of Naval Staff Tillanchang
Headquarters New Delhi
Number of Commands
Location of Defence
Establishments
Command Headquarter
Army
1. Western Naval Mumbai Indian Military Dehradun
Command
Academy
2. Eastern Naval Visakhapatnam The College of Kirkee
Command Operational Military Engineering (Pune)
command The School of Signals Mhow
The Infantry School Mhow
3. Southern Naval Kochi used for
Command training
The Corps of Military Faizabad
Police Centre and
Each command is commanded by School
a flag officer commanding- in-chief. The Army Education Pachmarhi
The Indian Navy is a well- Corps and Training
balanced three-dimensional force College
consisting of sophisticated missile- Navy
capable warships, aircraft carriers,
Indian Naval Academy Kochi
minesweepers, advanced submarines,
and the latest aircraft in its inventory. Naval Air Station Garuda Kochi
At present, the Navy has two INS Agrani (Petty Coimbatore
major Naval bases at Mumbai and Officers School)
Visakhapatnam. Goa and Arkonnam Naval Gunnery School Kochi
are the major Naval air bases. Torpedo Anti-Submarine Kochi
School
IMPORTANT SUBMARINES/
Navigation Direction Mormugao
MISSILE BOATS/WARSHIPS
School
Submarines Warships Missile Air Force
Boats
Pilot Training Allahabad
INS Chakra INS Savitri INS Establishment
Vibhuti
Jet Training and Hyderabad
INS Shahkul INS Delhi INS Transport Training
Prahar Wings, Air Force
Station
INS Shalki INS Mysore INS The Air Force Jalahalli
Prashant Technical Training
College
Panorama B-33

Paratroopers Training Agra the pursuit of self-reliance in critical

School technologies of relevance to national
Inter-services Institutes security.
The major achievements towards
National Defence Khadakvasla
indigenous development of defence
Academy weapons and systems are (i)
National Defence New Delhi development leading to production
College of surface-to-surface missile, Prithvi;
Defence Services Wellington (ii) state-of-the-art MBT, Arjun; (iii)
Staff College flight simulators for aircraft; (iv)
School of Land/Air Secunderabad pilotless target aircraft, Lakshya; (v)
Warfare parallel super-computer; and (vi)
Rashtriya Indian Dehradun the submarine sonar and weapon
Military College control system, Panchendriya.
Armed Forces Pune Indian (Space Research Organisation
Medical College (ISRO)) is the parented agency of
DRDO Indian space agencies which was
established on 15th August 1969.
It was established in 1958 by The head quater of this organisation
amalgamating Defence Science is at Bangalore and it was founded
Organization and some of the by Vikram Sarabhai with a vision
Technical Development Institutions. to harness space technology for
It functions under the control national development, while pursuing
of Scientific Adviser to Defence space science research and planetary
Minister who is also secretary, exploration. The first satellite made
Defence R&D. DRDO formulates by ISRO was Aryabhata and it was
and executes programmes of launched by Russia on 19th April
scientific research, design and 1975. Thereafter it has developed
development leading to induction of numerous satellites and spacecrafts for
state-of-the-art weapons, platforms, serving different technology such as
and other equipment required by communication Earths observation,
the Armed Forces. It is engaged in navigation, climatic observations etc.
RANKS OF INDIAN ARMY, NAVY & AIR FORCE
Indian Army Indian Navy Indian Air Force
Field Marshal Admiral of the Fleet Marshal of the Air Force
General Admiral Air Chief Marshal
Lieutenant General Vice Admiral Air Marshal
Major General Rear Admiral Air Vice Marshal
Brigadier Commodore Air Commodore
Colonel Captain Group Captain
Lieutenant Colonel Commander Wing Commander
Major Lieutenant Commander Squadron Leader
Captain Lieutenant Flight Lieutenant
Lieutenant Sub-Lieutenant Flying Officer
Indian Costal Guard (ICG) jurisdiction over the territorial waters
Indian Costal Guard (ICG) of India, including its contiguous
protects Indias maritime interests zone and exclusive economic
and enforces maritime law, with zone. The Indian Coast Guard was
B-34
formally established on 18 August
1978 by the Coast Guard Act, 1978.
The Coast Guard works in close
cooperation with the Indian Navy,
the Department of Fisheries, the
Department of Revenue (Customs)
and the Central and State police
forces.
There are five coastal regions:
Western Region (W) Mumbai; Eastern
Region (E) Chennia; North Eastern
Region (NE) Kolkata; North Western
Region (NW) Ghandhinagar.
Paramilitary Forces:
1. Railway Protection Force (RPF)
(1861)
Mission
x Protect and safeguard railway
passengers, passenger area and
railway property.
x Ensure the safety, security and
boost the confidence of the
traveling public in the Indian
Railways
2. Central Reserve Railway
Protection Force (CRPF) (1949)
Mission:
x Crowd control
x Riot control
x Counter Millitancy / Insurgency
operations.
x Dealing with Left Wing Extremism
x Overall co-ordination of large
scale security arrangement
specially with regard to elections
in distrubed areas.
x Protection of VIPs and vital
installations.
x Checking environmental de-
gradation and protection of local
Flora and Fauna
x Fighting aggression during War
time
x Participating in UN Peace Keeping
Mission
x Rescue and Relief operations at
the time of Natural Calamity.
Panorama
3. Border Security Force (BSF)
(1965)
Mission
x Promote a sense of security among
the people living in the border
areas.
x Prevent trans border crimes,
unauthorized entry into or exit
from the territory of India.
x Prevent smuggling and any other
illegal activity.
x Holding ground in less threatened
sectors so long as the main attack
does not develop in a particular
sector and it is felt that the local
situation is within the capability
of BSF to deal with.
x Protection of vital installations
particular air-fields against enemy
commandoes/para troopers or
raids.
x Providing extension to the flanks
of main defence line by the holding
of strong points in conjunction
with other units.
x Limited Aggressive action against
para military or irregular forces of
the enemy within the overall plan
of the Armed Forces.
x Acting as guides in an area of
responsibility where routes are
known.
x Guarding of prisoners of war cages.
x Assistance in control of refugees.
x Anti-infiltration duties in specified
area.
4. Central Industrial Security Force
-CPF. (1969)
Mission
x Providing total security solutions.
x Exposure to varied security
environments ranging from highly
disturbed areas in J&K, North
East and Andhra Pradesh to mafia
infested coalfields of Jharkhand
and West Bengal.
Panorama
x Rich experience in security and
protection of highly sensitive
establishments, Airports and
Centres of economic growth.
x Protection of heritage monuments
like Taj Mahal.
x Only Force to have a full-fledged
Fire Wing comprising highly
trained personnel.
x Extensive use of latest security
gadgets.
x Excellent training infrastructure.
5. Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)
B-35
x Aims at tracking and neutralizing
activities of terror-groups ,
mafia and other organized
crime syndicates, and detecting
rackets of counterfeit currency
notes and smuggling of narcotic
substances.
Intelligence Bureau(IB) (1887)
x A unit of Indias internal
intelligence agency
x Tasked with intelligence collection
in border areas along with domestic
intelligence responsibilities
(1969)
Mission
x To promote sense of security
among the people living in the
border area.
x To prevent trans-border crimes and
unauthorized entries into or exit
from the territory of India.
x To prevent smuggling and other
illegal activities.
6. Indo-Tibetan Border Police
(ITBP) (1962)
Mission
x Vigil on the northern borders,
detection and prevention of border
violations, and promotion of the
sense of security among the local
populace.
x Check illegal immigration, trans-
border smuggling and crimes.
x Security to sensitive installations,
banks and protected persons.
x Restore and preserve order in any
area in the event of disturbance.
Special Security Forces
Anti Terrorist Squad (1990)
x A unit of government of
Maharashtra to tackle menace
and terrorism in collaboration
with RAW and IB.
$VVDP5LHV
x A unit of paramilitary forces
x Aims at combating counter
insurgency, civil unrest,terrorism,
special weapons operations.
Garud Commando Force
(2004)
x A special unit of the Indian Air
Force
x Garuds perform both war
and peace time duties such
asrescuing downed airmen and
other forces from behind enemy
lines,suppression of enemy of
air defense,provide support to
other air operations,protecting
the air bases and other vital
infrastructure ,counter terrorism,
anti-hijacking, hostage rescue,
aid during natural calamities
and military tasks in the interest
of the nation
Ghatak Force
x A special unit of the an infantry
battalion in the Indian Army
x Performs task such as special
reconnaissance, raids on enemy
artillery positions, airfields, supply
dumps and tactical headquarters.
Rapid Action Force (1991)
x A specialized wing of the Indian
CRPF (Central Reserve Police
Force).
B-36
x They are trained to deal with riots,
riot like situations, crowd control,
rescue and relief operations, and
related unrest.
National security Guard (1984)
x It is a as a Federal Contingency
Deployment Forceunder the
Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
x Aimed at performing counter
hijacking tasks on land, sea,
and air, bomb disposal (search,
detection and neutralization of
IEDs), Post Blast Investigation
and hostage rescue
National Investigation Agency
(2009)
x A federal agency established by
the Indian Government.
x It aims at creating prevention for
existing and potential terrorist
groups/individuals alongside
developinga storehouse of all
terrorist related information.
Marcos (1907)
x A special force unit of Indian Navy.
It is created to conduct special
operations such as amphibious
warfare, counter-terrorism, direct
action, special reconnaissance,
unconventional warfare, hostage
rescue, personnel recovery, combat
search and rescue, asymmetric
warfare, foreign internal defense,
counter proliferation.
INDIAS MISSILE SYSTEM : AT A GLANCE
S.
No. Missile
1 Astra Missile Beyond Visual range air-to-air Missile A range of over 80
2 Shourya Missile Canisterised Surface-to-surface missile 600 km
3 Sagarika Missile Submarine-to-Surface Missile
(K-15)
4 Akash Missile Medium range Surface-to-Air Missile
Panorama
Research and Analysis Wing
(RAW) (1968)
x Its a primary foreign intelligence
agency of India.
x Aims at monitoring political,
military, economic and scientific
developments in countries
which have direct bearing on
Indias national security and
the formulation of its foreign
policy,coveting operations to
safe guard Indias National
interests,moulding international
public opinion with the help of
the strong and vibrant Indian
Diaspora, performing Anti Terror
Operations and neutralizing terror
elements posing a threat to India.
Commando Battalion for
Resolute Action (COBRA)
(2008)
x Its a specialized unit of the CRPF
created to counter the Naxalite
problem in India.
x They are specially trained in
guerilla warfare to tackle the
notorious naxalite groups in
the country. They also master
the techniques of camouflage,
jungle warfare, parachute jumps,
precision strikes and ambushes.
Feature Range
km in head on mode
and 20 km in tail-
chase mode.
More than 700 km
25 km
Panorama B-37

5 Nag Missile Third Generation-fire and forget-anti- 4 to 6 km

tank guided missile
6 Nirbhay Missile Long range subsonic cruise missile 1000 km
7 Dhanush Missile The Ship-based Surface-to-surface 300 to 350 km
ballistic missile
8 Brahmos Missile Supersonic cruise missile (can be 290 km
(Joint Indo- launched from ships, submarines,
Russia Venture) aricrafts and land)

9 (a) Prithvi-I A single stage liquid-fuelled surface-to- 150 km

(Army version) surface missile.
(b) Prithivi- A single stage liquid-fuelled surface-to- 250 km
II (Air force surface missile.
version)
(c) Prithvi-III A two-stage surface-to-surface missile 350 km
(Naval Version) (first stage is solid fuelled and second
stage is liquid fuelled).
10 (a) Agni-I Short range ballistic missile 700-800 km
(b) Agni-II Medium range ballistic missile 2500 km
(c) Agni-III Intermediate range ballistic missile 3500 km
(d) Agni-IV Intermediate 4000 km

(e) Agni-V Range ballistic missile 5500-5800 km

(f) Agni-VI (tested) undu development 600-800 km

TANKS IN INDIA

Quantity
Type Origin Description
(Est.)

The Indian Army ordered 124 'Arjun' Mk1 MBTs

in 2000 and placed another order for additional 124
'Arjun' Mk1 MBTs and 124 'Arjun' Mk2 MBTs in
Ar jun
248 India 2010, after Arjun tank had conclusively outperformed
MBT
the T-90. Indian Army is set to acquire 124 Arjun Mk2
tanks as a follow-on order, according to the Defence
Minister.

Procured in three separate orders. Two batches (310

tanks and knockdown kits in 2000 and a further 300
T-90 1,050 Russia in 2006) were purchased from Russia. A further 1000
were to be produced locally by 2020. Of those, the first
batch of 10 were delivered in August 2009.

Soviet Upgraded to advanced Ajeya Mk1 and MK2 standard

T-72 2,414 Union, mainly based on Polish PT-91 Twardy Tank features
Poland developed by DRDO
B-38 Panorama



Name Type Maximum Status
range (km)
Dhanush Short-range 350 Developed, but not deployed
Sagarika (K-15) SLBM 700 Awaiting deployment on INS
K-4 SLBM3 500 Tested

Class Type Boats Displacement Note
Chakra Attack INS 12,770 tonnes Under a 10 year lease from
(Akula submarine Chakra Russia since 2012.
II)-class (SSN) (S71)
Arihant- Ballistic Missile INS 6,000 tonnes, Undergoing sea trials,
class sub marine Arihant surfaced expected to be commissioned
(SSBN) (S73) by 2014-2015.

AIRCRAFT CARRIERS
Class Type Ships Displacement Description
Centaur Aircraft INS 28,700 tonnes STOVL carrier. Scheduled to
-class carrier Viraat be decommissioned by 2018
(R22) and replaced by INS Vikrant
Modified Aircraft INS 45,400 tonnes STOBAR carrier.
Kiev-class carrier Vikramaditya (R33)
REPLENISHMENT SHIPS
Class Type Ships Origin Displacement
Deepak-class Replenishment INS Italy 27,500 tonnes
oiler Deepak (A50)
INS Shakti (A57)
Jyoti-class Replenishment INS Russia 35,900 tonnes
oiler Jyoti (A58)
Aditya-class Replenishment INS India 24,612 tonnes
oiler & Repair ship Aditya (A59)
RESEARCH AND SURVEY VESSELS
Class Type Ships Displacement
Sagardhwani Research INS Sagardhwani 2,050 tonnes
vessel (A74)
Sandhayak-class Survey INS Nirupak (J14) INS 1,800
vessel Investigator tonnes
(J15) INS Jamuna
(J16)INS Sutlej
(J17) INS Sandhayak
(J18) INS Nirdeshak
(J19) INS Darshak
(J20) INS Sarvekshak (J22)
Makar-class Survey INS Makar 500
vessel (J31) tonnes
Panorama
ATOMIC & NUCLEAR SCIENCE
ATOMIC RESEARCH
Indias atomic research programme is
committed to peaceful uses only, for
example, atomic power, generation of
electricity, development of agriculture
and industry, medical science
application, etc.
Indians journey to atomic energy
research started with establishment of
the Atomic Energy Commission on 10
August 1948 under the chairmanship
of Dr. Homi J. Bhabha. Subsequently,
DAE was established in 1956 with the
following mandate:
(a) To generate safe, economic
electrical power from nuclear
energy.
(b) To build research reactors and to
utilize the radioisotopes produced
in these reactors for applications
in the field of agriculture and
medicine.
(c) To develop advanced technology
in areas such as accelerators,
lasers, biochemistry, information
technology, and materials
including development of non-
nuclear and strategic materials
like titanium.
First Nuclear Implosion
Carried out on 18 May 1974 at
pokhran to Rajasthan (Thar) desert.
The main objective was use of
atomic energy for peaceful purposes,
that is, digging canals, reservoirs, oil
explorations as well as to study rock
dynamics. This successful implosion
made India the sixth nuclear nation
in the world.
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
(BARC) Established in 1957, it is
located at Trombay (Maharashtra),
and is Indias largest atomic research
centre, for R&D.
B-39
(a) BARCs atomic reactors
Aspara Indias atomic reactor
was commissioned on 4 August
1956. One megawatt swimming
pool type reactor produces radio
isotopes. It is also the first atomic
reactor in Asia.
(b) Cirus (canada India Reactor) Built
in 1960, it is a 40 MW reactor.
(c) Zerlina (Zero Energy Reactor for
Lattice Investigation and New
Assemblies) Commissioned on 4
January 1961, used for studies of
uranium heavy water lattice.
(d) Dhruva Commissioned on 15
August 1984, this 100 MW reactor
is a completely indigenous nuclear
reactor with most advanced
laboratories in the world.
(e) Purnima - I (Plutonium Reactor
for Neutronic Investigation
in Multiplying Assemblies)
commissioned on 22 May 1972,
a plutonium fuelled reactor,
modified as Purnima-II that used
uranium as fuel and it is being
further modified as Purnima-III.
(f) Kamini Indias first fast breeder
neutron reactor, it has been set up
at Kalpakkam. Today.
Nuclear power plants
Nuclear power is the fourth-largest
source of electricity in India
after thermal, hydroelectric and
renewable sources of electricity.
India has 21 nuclear reactors in
operation in 7 nuclear power plants,
having an installed capacity of
5308 MW and producing a total
of 30,292.91 GWh of electricity
while seven other reactors are under
construction and are expected to
generate an additional 6,100 MW.
B-40 Panorama

POWER STATION IN INDIA

Power station Operator Establishment Location State
Date
Tarapur Atomic Power NPCIL 1969 Tarapur Maharashtra
Station
Rajasthan Atomic NPCIL 1973 Rawatbhata Rajasthan
Power Station
Kakrapar Atomic Power NPCIL 1993 Kakrapar Gujarat
Station
Kudankulam Nuclear NPCIL 2013 Kudankulam Tamil Nadu
Power Plant
Kaiga Nuclear Power NPCIL 2000 Kaiga Karnataka
Plant
Madras Atomic Power NPCIL 1984 Kalpakkam Tamil Nadu
Station
Narora Atomic Power NPCIL 1991 Narora Uttar Pradesh
Station
Gorakhpur Atomic NPCIL Fatehabad Haryana
Power Station
Talcher Super Thermal NTPC 1995 Kaniha Odisha
Power Station
Sipat Thermal Power NTPC 2008 Sipat Chhattisgarh
Plant
Vindhyachal Super NTPC 2013 Singrauli Madhya
Thermal Power Sta- Pradesh
tion
Mundra Ultra Mega Tata Power 2009 Mundra Gujarat
Power Project
Korba Super Thermal NTPC 1983 Jamani Palli Chattish Gahr
Power Plant
Bhusawal Thermal MA- 1968 Deepnagar Maharastra
Power Station HAGENCO
Satpura Thermal Power MPPGCL 1967 Sarni Madhya
Station Pradesh
Sterlite Jharsuguda Vedanta 2006 Jharsuguda Odisha
Power Station
Durgapur Thermal DVC 1996 Durgapur West Bengal
Power Station

FIRST IN MALE
First governor of Bengal
Last governor of Bengal
The first British Governor General of
Bengal
The first British Governor General of India
The first British Viceroy of India
The first Governor General of free India
Lord Clive(1757-60)
Warren Hastings(1772-74)
Lord Warren Hasting(1774-1885)
Lord William Bentinck(1833-1835)
Lord Canning(1856-62)
Lord Mountbatten(1947-1948)
Panorama B-41

The first and the last Indian to be Governor C. Rajgopalachari(1948-1950)

General of free India
The first President of Indian Republic Dr. Rajendra Prasad
The first Prime Minister of free India Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru
The first Indian to win Nobel Prize Rabindranath Tagore
The first President of Indian National W.C. Banerjee
Congress
The first Muslim President of Indian Badruddin Tayyabji
National Congress
The first Muslim President of India Dr. Zakir Hussain
The first man who introduced printing James Hicky
press in India
The first Indian to join the I.C.S Satyendra Nath Tagore
Indias first man in Space Rakesh Sharma
The first Prime Minister of India who Morarji Desai
resigned without completing the full term
The first Indian Commander-in-Chief of General Cariappa
India
The first Chief of Army Staff Gen. Maharaj Rajendra Singhji
The first Indian Member of the Viceroys S.P.Sinha
executive council
The first President of India who died while Dr. Zakhir Hussain
in office
The first Muslim President of Indian Dr. Zakhir Hussain
Republic
The first Prime Minister of India who did Charan Singh
not face the Parliament
The first Field Marshal of India S.H.F. Manekshaw
The first Indian to get Nobel Prize in C.V.Raman
Physics
The first Indian to receive Bharat Ratna Dr. Radhakrishnan
award
The first Indian to cross English Channel Mihir Sen
The first Person to receive Jnanpith award Sri Shankar Kurup
The first Speaker of the Lok Sabha Ganesh Vasudeva Mavalankar
The first Vice-President of India Dr. Radhakrishnan
The first Education Minister Abdul Kalam Azad
The first Home minister of India Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel
The first Indian Air Chief Marshal S. Mukherjee
The first Indian Naval Chief Vice Admiral R.D. Katari
The first Judge of International Court of Dr. Nagendra Singh
Justice
The first person to reach Mt. Everest Sherpa Anga Dorjee
without oxygen
The first person to get Param Vir Chakra Major Somnath Sharma
The first Chief Election Commissioner Sukumar Sen
B-42 Panorama

The first person to receive Magsaysay Acharya Vinoba Bhave

Award
The first person of Indian origin to receive Hargovind Khurana
Nobel Prize in Medicine
The first Chinese traveller to visit India Fa-hein
The first person to receive Stalin Prize Saifuddin Kitchlu
The first person to resign from the Central Shyama Prasad Mukherjee
Cabinet
The first person to receive Nobel Prize in Amartya Sen
Economics
The first Chief Justice of Supreme Court Justice Hirala J. Kania
The first Indian Pilot J.R.D. Tata (1929)
FIRST IN FEMALE
The first lady to become Miss World Rita Faria
The first woman judge in Supreme Court Mrs. Meera Sahib Fatima Bibi
The first woman Ambassador Miss C.B. Muthamma
The first woman Governor of a state in free Mrs Sarojini Naidu
India
The first woman Speaker of a State Assembly Shanno Devi
The first woman Prime Minister Mrs Indira Gandhi
The first woman Minister in a Government Rajkumari Amrit Kaur
The first woman to climb Mount Everest Bachhendri Pal
The first woman to climb Mount Everest twice Santosh Yadav
The first woman President of Indian National Mrs Annie Besant
Congress
The first woman pilot in Indian Air Force Harita Kaur Dayal
The first woman Graduates Kadambini Ganguly and
Chandramukhi Basu, 1883
The first woman Airline Pilot Durga Banerjee
The first woman Honours Graduate Kamini Roy, 1886
The first woman Olympic medal Winner Karnam Malleswari, 2000
The first woman Asian Games Gold Medal Kamlijit Sandhu
Winner
The first woman Lawyer Cornelia Sorabjee
The first woman President of United Nations Mrs Vijaya Laxmi Pandit
General Assembly
The first woman Chief Minister of an Indian Mrs Sucheta Kripalani
State
The first woman Chairman of Union Public Roze Millian Bethew
Service Commission
The first woman Director General of Police Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya
The first woman Judge Anna Chandy (She became judge in
a district court in 1937)
The first woman Cheif Justice of High Court Mrs Leela Seth (Himachal Pradesh
High Court)
The first woman Judge in Supreme Court of Kumari Justice M. Fathima Beevi
India
Panorama B-43

The first woman Lieutenant General Puneeta Arora

The first woman Air Vice Marshal P. Bandopadhyaya
The first woman chairperson of Indian Airlines Sushma Chawla

The first woman IPS officer Mrs. Kiran Bedi

The first and last Muslim woman ruler of India Razia Sultan
The first woman to receive Ashoka Chakra Nirja Bhanot
The first woman to receive Jnanpith Award Ashapurna Devi
The first woman to cross English Channel Aarti Saha
The first woman to receive Nobel Prize Mother Teresa
The first woman to receive Bharat Ratna Mrs Indira Gandhi
The first woman to receive Jnanpith Award Ashapurna Devi
FIRST IN OTHERS
First Wax statue of a Living Indian Mahatma Gandhi at Madame Tussauds in
1939
First Exclusive internet magazine Bharat Samachar
First Miss India to participate in Miss Indrani Rehman
Universe
First Judge in International Court of Justice Dr. Nagender Singh
First Graduate in Medicine Soorjo Coomar Goodeve Chukerbutty
Indias First University Nalanda University
Indias First Open University Andhra Pradesh Open University
Indias First Lok Sabha Member to be P.V.Narasimha Rao
elected with a record
maximum number of votes
First Indian to reach Antarctica Lt. Ram Charan
First British to Visit India Hawkins
First Test tube baby of India Indira (Baby Harsha)
)LUVW3RVW2IFH2SHQHGLQ,QGLD Kolkata(1727)

SUPERLATIVES Kinnaur district of Himachal

Pradesh.
Structures
x Highest Mountain Peak-
x Highest Tower ( Minaret ) Qutub Kanchenjunga
Minar
x Highest Road- Road at
x Higher Gateway Buland
Khardungla in the Leh-Manali
Darwaza at Fatehpur Sikri near
Agra. Built by Akbar (53.5 m Sector
/175 ft High) x Highest Waterfall- Jog Waterfall,
x Highest Dam Bhakra Dam Karnataka
x Highest Bridge Chenab Bridge x Largest Residence Antilia
x Highest Airport- Leh Air Port in Bhawan built by Mukesh
Ladakh (3256 m/ 16080 ft high) Ambani
x Highest Hydel Power Station- x Largest Cinema Hall Prasad
Rongtong Hydel Project in Max, Hyderabad
B-44
x Largest Museum National
Museum Delhi
x Largest River Barrage Farakka
Barrage
x Biggest Auditorium (Mumbai)
Sri Shanmukhanand Hall
x Largest zoo Arignar Anna
Zoological Park
x Largest Cave Temple Ellora
x Largest Gurudwara Golden
Temple, Amritsar
x Largest Mosque Jama Masjid,
Delhi (built by Shah Jahan in
1644-58)
x Largest Man-made Lake
Govind Sagar (Bhakra)
x Largest Dome Gol Gumbaz
(Karnataka)
x Largest Cantilever Bridge
Howrah Bridge
x Longest Railway Tunnel- Pir
Panjal Railway Tunnel (11 km)
x Longest Road Tunnel - 9.2 km
long tunnel on Jammu-Srinagar
National Highway
x Largest Public Sector Bank- State
Bank of India
x Largest Botanical Garden -
National Botanical Garden in
Kolkata
x Largest Church- Se Cathedral at
Old Goa, 10 km from Panaji.
x Largest Delta- Sunderbans (75,000
sq km) formed by the Ganga and
Brahmaputra in West Bengal and
Bangladesh
x Largest Stupa- Kesariya Stupa in
Bihar
x Largest Library- National Library,
Kolkata
x Largest Planetarium- Birla
Planetarium, Kolkata.
x Largest Prison- Tihar Jail, Delhi
x Largest Concentration of
Scheduled Tribes- Madhya
Pradesh
x Largest Scheduled Caste-
Community Santhal
x Longest River Bridge Bandra-
Worli sea link which is 5.6 km.
Panorama
x Largest Corridor
Rameshwaram Temple Corridor
x Largest irrigation Canal-Indira
Gandhi Canal or Rajasthan
Canal (959 km long)
x Longest Dam-Hirakund Dam on
Mahanadi river in Orissa (24.4
km long)
x Longest Glacier-Siachen Glacier
on the Indo-pakistan border
(75.6 km long and 2.8 km wide)
x Longest Railway Bridge Nehru
Setu Bridge (4.62 km) long
x Fastest Train-Shatabdi Express
between New Delhi and Bhopal
at a speed of 140 kmph
x Tallest Light House Jakhau, light
hour, Gujarat
x Tallest Statues Statue of Jain Saint
Gomateswara at Sravanabelagola
in Karnataka
x Tallest Chimber Hanuman
Swami statue with 135ft. tall.
x Oldest Church- St. Thomas
Church at Palayar in Trichur
district in Kerala built in 52 AD.
x Oldest Monastery- Buddhist
Monastery, (situated at an
altitude of 3,048 m /10,000 ft) at
Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.
x Largest mall- Lulu Mall Kochi
x Most Populous City- Mumbai
Natural
x Longest River Ganges
x Largest Desert Thar ( Rajasthan)
x Largest Lake Wular Rajasthan
x Largest Fresh Water Lake-
Kolleru in Andhra Pradesh
x Largest Cave- Amarnath (about
44 km from Pahalgam in Jammu
and Kashmir)
Founders of Indian Institutions
x Arya Samaj-Swami Dayanand
Saraswathi
x Athmiya Sabha-Raja Ram Mohan
Roy
x Brahma Samaj-Raja Ram Mohan
Roy
x Deccan Education Society-
Panorama B-45

G.G.Agarkar, M.G.Ranade, x TanzaniaJulius Nerera

V.G.Gibhongar x TurkeyMusthafa Kamal
x Dharma Sabha-Radhakanthadev
Founders of Towns in India
x Indian Brahma Samaj-Keshav
Chandra Sen x Agra- Sikkandar Lodhi
x Manavadharma Sabha-Durgaram x Ahmedabad - Ahmed Shah
Manjaram x Ajmeer- Ajaypal Chauhan
x Prarthana Samaj-Athmaram x Allahabad- Akbar
x Culcutta- Job Charnok
Pandurang
x Delhi- Anankapalan
x Pune Sewa Sadan-Smt.Remabhai x Fathepur Sikri - Akbar
Ranade, G.K.Devdhar x Hisar- Ferozshah Tuglaq
x Ramakrishna Mission-Swami x Hyderabad - Quli Qutabshah
Vivekananda x Jodhpur- Rao Jodha
x Sadharan Brahma Samaj- x Mahabalipuram -
Shivananda Sashtri, Anand Narasimhawarman
Mohan Bose x Siri- Alaudden Khilji
x Servants of India Society- x Vijayanagaram - Hariharan 1
Gopalakrishna Gokhale
x Sewa Sadan-Bahuramji M.Malabari List of Revolutions Relating to
x Sewa Samithi-H.N.Kunsru
Products
x Social Service League-N.M.Joshi x Blue Revolution - Fisheries
x Thathwabodhini Sabha- Development
Debendranatha Tagore x Brown Revolution - Leather
x Theosophical Society-Madam Production
x Grey Revolution - Housing
H.P.Blavadski, Col.H.L.Olkott
Development
Leader of Nations-Famous Father x Green Revolution - Agriculture
Production
x AmericaGeorge Washington x Pink Revolution - Drugs &
x BangladeshMujibur Rehuman Pharmaceuticals
x ChinaSunyatsen x Silver Revolution - Egg Production
x IndiaGandhiji x White Revolution - Dairy
x IndonesiaSukarno Development
x MouritiusRamgoolam
x NamibiaSam Nujoma x Yellow Revolution - Oil Seed
x PakistanMuhammad Ali Jinna Production
x SriLankaD.S.Senanayeke
INDIAN HERITAGE SITES RECOMMENDED BY UNESCO
There are 32 World heritage sites in India that are being recognized as World
heritage sites by UNESCO. Some of them are given below.
Ajanta Caves in Ajanta offers a rich tapestry of images that speak of places,
1983 royalty, culture and tales of everyday life of ancient India.
Ellora Caves in 1983 Ellora is the finest example of cave temples with almost 34
caves with intricate interiors and ornamental facades
Taj Mahal1 in 983 The Taj was built to enshrine the remains of Begum Mumtaz
Mahal, the consort of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan
Agra Fort in 1983 The fort is surrounded by a 70 foot high wall. Its houses the
beautiful Pearl Mosque and numerous palaces
Sun Temple at The Sun temple of Konark, also known as Black Pagoda, is
Konark in 1984 the crowning glory of the temple architecture of ancient Orissa
B-46 Panorama

Monuments at Mahabalipuram is world famous for its shore temples and it

Mahabalipuram in was the second capital of the Pallava kings of Kanchipuram
1984
Kaziranga National Kaziranga is one of the last strongholds of the endangered
Park in 1985 Indian one-horned rhinoceros
Manas Wildlife The Manas river divides the lush, mixed deciduous forests that
Sanctuary in 1985 run through India to Bhutan
Keoladeo National The Keoladeo Ghana Bird Sanctuary is situated just 55
Park in 1985 kilometers from the Taj Mahal at Agra
Fatehpur Sikri in Fatehpur Sikri is the one of the finest examples of Mughal
1986 architectural splendour. It was built by Mughal Emperor Akbar
Churches and The churches and cathedrals built during 16th to 17th century
Convents in Goa in A.D. (Basilica of Bom Jesus, etc) at Goa are a legacy of the
1986 Portuguese
Monuments at Khajuraho Monuments were built between 950-1050 A.D. near
Khajuraho 1986 the village of Khajuraho under the patronage of the Chandela
kings of northern central India
Monuments at Hampi, 353 kilometers from Bangalore, are one of the most
Hampi 1986 fascinating historical sites in South India.
Brihadeeshwara The Brihadisvara temple with its 66.5 meters high srivimana
Temple at Thanjavur dominating the city is built of granite.
1987
Sundarbans National The Sunderbans National Park, covering about 1330.10 sq. km,
Park 1987 is the habitat of nearly 200 Royal Bengal tigers
Elephanta Caves Elephanta consists of seven caves of which the most notable is
1987 the Mahesa-murti cave
Monuments at Pattadakal, in Karnataka, illustrates the Chalukyan art which,
Pattadakal 1987 in the 7th and 8th centuries A.D., under the Chalukya dynasty
Nanda Devi The Nanda Devi National Park is one of the most spectacular
National Park 1988 wilderness areas in the Himalayas.
Buddhist Monastery Sanchi is a serene hill crowned by a group of stupas,
at Sanchi 1989 monasteries, temples and pillars dating from 3rd Century BC
to the 12th Cent AD.
Humayuns Tomb at Humayun`s Tomb is an early example of Mughal architecture
Delhi 1993 built in Delhi
Qutab Minar 1993 Qutab Minar with a length of 238 feet, commands a panoramic
view of the green fields extending into a sprawling city of Delhi
Darjeeling This toy train has achieved worldwide fame for engineering
Himalayan Railway excellence, wonderful landscape and tourist attraction.
1999
Bodhgaya Complex A big complex of Buddhist temples that include the site where
of Buddhist Temples Lord Buddha had meditated to get enlightenment
2002
Bhimbetka Rock The very recent addition has been the rock shelters & over 500
Shelters and Caves caves of Bhimbetka, belonging to the Neolithic age, which lies
near Bhopal 2003 46 km South of Bhopal, surrounded by the northern fringe of
the Vindhyan ranges.
Panorama B-47

Chhatrapati Shivaji This is an outstanding example of Victorian Gothic Revival

Terminus (formerly architecture in India, blended with themes deriving from
Victoria Terminus) Indian traditional architecture. The building, designed by the
2004 British architect F.W. Stevens
Champaner A concentration of largely unexcavated archaeological, historic
Pawagarh and living cultural heritage properties cradled in an impressive
Archaeological Park landscape which includes prehistoric (chalcolithic) sites, a hill
in Gujarat in 2004 fortress of an early Hindu capital, and remains of the 15th
century capital of the state of Gujarat.
Red Fort complex, The 17th century Mughal marvel, Red Fort, has joined the
Delhi in 2007 ranks of 26 other Indian sites, to be included in UNESCOs
list of World Heritage Sites. Earlier it almost got nominated
in 1993, but due to the army occupying it that time, the
government deferred nominating it that time.
Jantar Mantar of The Jantar Mantar, in Jaipur, is an astronomical observation
Jaipur,Rajastan in site built in the early 18th century. It includes a set of some
2010 20 main fixed instruments. This is the most significant, most
comprehensive, and the best preserved of Indias historic
observatories.

Hill Forts of Rajasthan The sites consists of six majestic forts Chittorgarh,
(2013) Kumbhalgarh, Sawai Madhopur, Jhalawar, Jaipur, and
Jaisalmer of Rajasthan. They are the major urban centres
which flouriched during 8th to 18th centiry AD.
Rani-ki-Vav (the It is characterized by high alpine peaks, alpine meadows and
Queens step well at riverine forests. It is situated in the northern India state of
patna Gujarat 2014) Himachal Pradesh covering nearly 90,540 ha of area which
include mountain glaciers, snow melt water sources of river,
rich assemblage of fauna species.
Western Ghats (2012) These ghats or (mountain ranges) are older than Himalayan
mountains which cover unique species of non-equatorial
tropical evergreen forest. It is characterised by exceptionally
high level of biological diversity known as one of the eight
hottest spot: in the world.

SOBRIQUETS
A sobriquet is a nickname, Occasionally assumed and often given by anther.
It is usually a familiar name. This significant distinctive is a ample familiarity
that the sobriquet can become more familiar than the original name.
Person Primary Names
Anna C N Annadurai
Badshah Khan/ Frontier Gandhi Abdul Ghaffar Khan
Buddha Siddhartha Gautama
Chacha Jawaharlal Nehru
Deenabandhu C F Andrews
Deshbandhu C. R. Das
Father of the Nation Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
Frontier Gandhi Abdul Gaffar Khan
B-48 Panorama

Grand Old Man of India Dadabhai Naoroji

Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore
Guruji M S Gohlwalkar
Kaviguru Rabindranath Tagore
Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan
Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas K. Gandhi
Man of Peace Lal Bahadur Shastri
Manitas de Plate Flamenco guitarist Ricardo Baliardo
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose
Nightingale of India Sarojini Naidu
Panditji Jawaharlal Nehru
Punjab kesari Lala Lajpat Rai
Rajaji C Rajagopalachari
Saint of the Gutters Mother Teresa
Father of the Nation Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
Haryana Hurricane Kapil Dev
Prince of Kolkata Saurav Ganguly
Places Primary Names
Bengals Sorrow Damodar Rever, India
Blue Mountain Niligiri Hills, India
City of Golden Temple Amritsar, India
City of Palaces Kolkata, India
Diamond City in India Surat, Gujarat
Garden City of India Bengaluru
Garden of India Kashmir
Gateway of India Mumbai
Gods Own Country Kerala
Land of Five Rivers Punjab, India
Pink City Jaipur, India
Queen of Arabian Sea Kochi, India
Spice Garden of India Kerala
The City of Joy Kolkata, India
The City of Palaces Kolkata, India
Venice of East Alleppey, India
Queen of Arabian Sea Kochi, India
Garden City of India Bangalore
Blue Mountains Niligiri Hills, India
Panorama B-49

World Panorama
WORLD COUNTRIES, CAPITAL,
LANGUAGE & THEIR CURRENCY
Country Capital Chief Language Currency
Afghanistan Kabul Pushtu Dari Afghani
Algeria Algiers Arabic, French Algerian Dinar
Argentina Buenos Aires Spanish Argentine Peso
Australia Canberra English Australian Dollar
Azerbaijan Baku Azeri Manat
Bahrain Manama Arabic, English Bahraini, Dinar
Bangladesh Dhaka Bangla Taka
Belgium Brussels Flemish (Dutch), French, Euro
German
Bhutan Thimphu Dzongkha Ngultrum
Bolivia La Paz; Sucre Aymara Spanish, Quechua Boliviano
Bosnia and Sarajevo Serbo-Croatian Conv.Mark
Herzegovina
Brazil Brazilia Portuguese Real
Bulgaria Sofia Bulgarian Lev
Burkina Faso Ouagadougou French Franc
Cambodia Phnom-Penh Khmer Riel
Canada Ottawa French, English Canadian Dollar
Chile Santiago Spanish Peso
China Beijing Chinese (Mandarin) Yuan
Colombia Bogota Spanish Peso
Congo Kinshasa French Congolese Franc
Formerly Zaire
Costa Rica San Jose Spanish Colon
Croatia Zagreb Croatian Kuna
Cuba Havana Spanish Peso
Czech Prague Czech Koruna
Republic
Denmark Copenhagen Danish Krone
Ecuador Quito Spanish United States dollar
Egypt Cairo Arabic Egyptian Pound
Ethiopia Addis Ababa Amharic Birr
Fiji Suva English Fijian Dollar
Finland Helsinki Finnish, Swedish Euro
France Paris French Euro
French Guiana Caine French Euro
B-50 Panorama

Country Capital Chief Language Currency

Georgia Tbilisi Georgian Lari
Germany Berlin German Euro
Ghana Accra English Ghana Cedi
Greece Athens Greek Euro
Guatemala Guatemala City Spanish Quetzal
Guyana Georgetown English Guyana Dollar
Haiti Port-au-Prince French Gourde
Honduras Tegucigalpa Spanish Lempira
Hong Kong Victoria English, Chinese Hong Kong Dollar
Hungary Budapest Hungarian Forint
India New Delhi Hindi (official), English and Rupee
22 officially recognised
regional languages
Indonesia Jakarta Bahasa Indonesian, Dutch, Rupiah
English Javanese
Iran Teheran Persian (Farsi), Turk, Kurdish, Rial
Arabic
Iraq Baghdad Arabic, Kurdish Iraqi Dinar
Ireland Dublin Irish, English Euro
Israel Jerusalem Hebrew, Arabic Shekel
Italy Rome Italian Euro
Japan Tokyo Japanese Yen
Jordan Amman Arabic, English Jordan Dinar
Kazakhstan Astana Kazakh, Russian, German Tenge
Kenya Nariobi Kiswahili, English, Kikuyu Shilling
Korea, North Pyongyang Korean Won
Korea, South Seoul Korean Won
Kuwait Kuwait city Arabic, English Kuwait Dinar
Lebanon Beriut Arabic, French, English Pound
Libya Tripoli Arabic Libyan Dinar
Luxembourg Luxembourg French, German, English, Euro
Luxembourgish
Malaysia Putrajaya Malay, English, Chinese, Ringgit
(formerly Tamil
Kuala Lumpur)
Mauritius Port Louis English, French, Creole, Rupee Mauritian
Hindustani
Mexico Mexico city Spanish, Amerindian Mexico Peso
languages
Mongolia Ulan Bator Mangolian Togrog
Myanmar Naypyidar or Burmeses and tribal lan- Kyat
Pyinmana (for- guages
merly Yangon)
Netherlands Amsterdam Dutch Euro
New Zealand Wellington English and Maori dialect New Zealand
Dollar
Panorama B-51

Country Capital Chief Language Currency

Nigeria Abuja English, Hansa, Ibo, Yoruba Naira
Norway Oslo Norwegian Krone
Oman Muscat Arabic Omani Rial
Pakistan Islamabad Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pakistani Rupee
Pusthu, Baluchi, Brahvi,
English
Peru Lima Spanish, Quechua, Nuero Sol
Aymara
Philippines Manila Filipino, English, Spanish Peso
Poland Wrsaw Polish Zloty
Portugal Lisbon Portuguese Euro
Qatar Doha Arabic, English Riyal (QAR)
Russia Moscow Russian Russian ruble
Saudi Arabia Riyadh Arabic Rial (SAR)
Serbia Belgrade Serbo-Croatian (official), Dinar
Albanian
Singapore Singapore city Malay, Chinese, Tamil, Singapore Dollar
English
Somalia Mogadishu Arabic, English, Italian Somali Shilling
South Africa Capetown Afrikaans, English Rand
Spain Madrid Spanish, Catalan, Basque, Euro
Galician
Sri Lanka Colombo Sinhala, Tamil, English Sri Lankan Rupee
Sudan Khartoum Arabic, English, Dinka, Sudanese Pound
Nubian
Sweden Stockholm Swedish Krona
Switzerland Berne German, French, Italian, Swiss Franc
Romansch
Syria Damascus Arabic, Kurdish, Armenian Syrian Pound
Taiwan Taipei Mandarian Chinese, Taiwan, New Taiwan
Hakka dialects Dollar
Thailand Bangkok Thai, Chinese, English, Malay Thai Baht
Tunisia Tunis Arabic, French Dinar
Turkey Ankara Turkish, Kurdish, Arabic Turkish Lira
Uganda Kampala Englsih, Luganda, Swahili Ugandan Shilling
United Arab Abu Dhubi Arabic Dirham
Emirates
United London English, Welsh, Scots, Gaelic Pound Sterling
Kingdom
United States Washington English Dollar
of America D.C.
Venezuela Caracas Spanish Bolivar
Vietnam Hanoi Vietnamese, French, English, Dong
Chinese
Yemen Sanaa Arabic Rial
Zimbabwe Harare English, Shona, Ndebela Dollar (ZWD)
B-52
LIST OF IMPORTANT GEOGRAPHICAL
DISCOVERIES AROUND THE WORLD
x Amundsen (Norwegian)-Discovered
South Pole in 1912.
x Byrd-American aviator and polar
explorer. Flew over the North
Pole in 1926 and made the first
flight over the South Pole in 1929.
Discovered Edsel Ford mountains
and Morei Byrd land.
x Cabot (Venetian)-Discovered New
Foundland in 1494.
x Captain Cook (English)-Discovered
Sandwich (now Hawaiian) Isles
in 1770.
x Columbus-Discovered West Indies
in 1492 and South America in 1498.
x Copernicus-Discovered Solar
System in 1540. Propounded the
astronomical system which bears
his name.
x David Livingstone-Discovered
course of the Zambesi, the Victoria
Falls and Lake Nyasa in Africa.
x Edmund Hillary-Joint conqueror
of Mount Everest with Tenzing.
He also led a Trans-Atlantic
expedition and reached South
Pole on January 3, 1958.
x Ferdinand de Lesseps-Conceived
the plan of the Suez Canal on
which work was completed in
1869 through his efforts.
x Francis Younghusband-Explored
the frontier regions of India, China
and Tibet.
x Kepler-Discovered the Laws of
Planetary Motion in 1609.
x Lindbergh-Performed the first
solo-flight across the Atlantic in
1927 from New York to Paris.
Panorama
x Magellan-Commanded the first
expedition in 1519 to sail round
the world. Discovered passage
to the Pacific from the Atlantic
through Straits afterwards named
after him.
x Marco Polo-Venetian traveller
who explored China, India,
South Eastern countries and
published the record of his various
explorations. He was the first
European to visit China.
x Nansen-Norwegian explorer who
explored across Greenland and
reached the highest altitude in
the North Polar Region, till then
attained.
x Peary, Robert-First to reach the
North Pole in 1909.
x Pedro Alvares Cabral (Portuguese)
- Discovered Brazil in 1500.
x Shackleton-Arctic explorer,
reached within 160 km of the
South Pole.
x Sven Hedin-Swedish explorer.
Made great contribution to the
geographic and archaeological
knowledge of large areas of
Central Asia.
x Iksman-Dutch navigator, discovered
the Tasmania Island and New
Zealand in 1642.
x Tenzing (Indian)-First to reach
Mount Everest on 29th May, 1953
along with Edmund Hillary. The
expedition was led by Col. Sir
John Hunt.
x Vasco da Gama (Portuguese)-
Rounded the Cape of Good Hope
and discovered the sea route to
India in 1498.
Panorama B-53

NATIONAL ANIMALS OF THE MAJOR COUNTRIES

Country Animals Country Animal
Afghanistan Snow Leopard Nepal Cow
Albania Golden Eagle New Zealand Kiwi
Australia Kangaroo Pakistan Markhor
Bangladesh Royal Bengal tiger South Africa Springbok
Brazil Macaw Spain Bull
Canada North American beaver United Kingdom Barbary Lion
China Panda, Red Crowned Crane United States Bald Eagle
Denmark Mute Swan India Bengal Tiger
Japan Green Pheasant Kuwait Camel
Myanmar Tiger Belgium Lion

Official Books
Blue Book : An official report of the British Government
Green Book : An official publication of Italy and Persia
Grey Book : An official reports of the Government of Japan and Belgium
Orange Book : An official Publications of the Government of Netherlands
White Book : An official Publications of China, Germany and Portugal
Yellow Book : French official Book
White Paper : An official paper of the Government of Britain and India on a
particular issue
Red Data Book: Russian official book which contains lists of species whose continued
existence is threatened
NEW 7 WONDERS OF THE WORLD
Petra, Jordan
Christ the Redeemer, Brazil The Colosseum, Rome, Italy
Great Wall of China, China The Taj Mahal, India
Machu Picchu, Peru Chichen Itza, Mexico

WORLDS MOST POWERFUL INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES

Detective Agency Country Detective Agency Country
Ministry of State Security China VAJA Iran
Australian Secret Intelligence Australia MOSSAD Israel
Service (ASIS)
FSB Russia Egyption Homeland Security Egypt
State Security Agency South Africa PSIA Japan
Inter Service Intelligence Pakistan Iraqi National Intelligence Iraq
(ISI) Service
MI (Military Intelligence) 5 UK Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), USA
and 6, Special Branch, Joint Federal Bureau of investigation
Intelligence org. (FBI)
Research and Analysis wing INDIA DGSE (Direction General Dela France
(RAW), Intelligence Bureau Securite Exterieure
(IB)
B-54
Direction Generale De La Securite
Exterieure (DGSE), France
The General Directorate for External
Security (DGSE) is the intelligence
agency of France. It was founded
in 1982 to gather intelligence from
foreign sources to assist in military
and strategic decisions. It is not
as famous as CIA or Mossad, but
DGSE claims to have prevented
more than 15 terrorist attacks in
France since 9/11. The agency has
a network of around 5000 agents
spread across France and the
world. Its head office is in the 20th
arrondissement of Paris.
The Institute for Intelligence
and Special Operations,
MOSSAD, Israel
One of the most powerful secret
service agencies in the world, the
Mossad, meaning Institute for
Intelligence and Special Operations,
is the national intelligence agency
of Israel. Mossad, like the CIA, has
active agents spread across the world
and are involved in intelligence
gathering, covert operations
and protecting Jews and Jewish
interests. Mossad was formed on
December 13, 1949, as the Central
Institute for Coordination at the
recommendation of Prime Minister
David Ben-Gurion to Reuven
Shiloah.
Federal Security Services
(FSB), Russia
Federal Security Services
is the principal security
agency of Russia and the
foremost successor agency
to the USSRs Committee
of State Security(KGB).
Panorama
Its main responsibilities are within
the country and include counter-
intelligence, internal and border
security, counter-terrorism, and
surveillance as well as investigating
some other types of grave crimes
and federal law violations. It is
headquartered in Lubyanka Square,
Moscows centre, in the main
building of the former KGB. The
Director of the FSB since 2008 is
army general Aleksandr Bortnikov.
Ministry of State Security
(MSS), China
The Ministry of State Security
(MSS) is one of the most powerful
and most active Chinese intelligence
agencies. Its main objective is to
keep track and neutralise enemies
of the Communist Party of China.
It is headquartered near the Ministry
of Public Security of the Peoples
Republic of China in Beijing. MSS
holds the same authority to arrest
or detain people as regular police
for crimes involving state security
with identical supervision by the
procuratorates and the courts.
Military Intelligence Section 6
(MI6), United Kingdom
The Secret Intelligence Service
(SIS), popularly referred to as the
Directorate of Military Intelligence
Section 6 (MI6), is known as the
the secret front line of Britain`s
national security. A century old
organisation, the MI6s presence was
not officially acknowledged till 1994.
The agency is tasked with gathering
foreign intelligence from across the
globe that could impact political and
economic interests in the UK. Since
1995, the SIS headquarters have
been at Vauxhall Cross on the South
Bank of the River Thames.
Panorama
Inter Service Intelligence (ISI),
Pakistan
Established in 1948, Pakistans
Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence
(ISI) is the premier military operated
intelligence service of Pakistan. The
ISI was established as an independent
intelligence service in 1948 in order
to strengthen the sharing of military
intelligencebetween the three branches of
Pakistan Armed Forces in the aftermath
of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947, which
had exposed weaknesses in intelligence
gathering, sharing and coordination
between the Army, Air Force and Navy.
The ISI has headquarters in Islamabad,
Islamabad Capital Venue, and is currently
headed by Lieutenant-General Rizwan
Akhter, who succeeded Zaheerul Islam
in October 2014.
Central Intelligence Agency,
CIA, United States
The Central Intelligence Agency
(CIA) of the United States of
America is indeed the largest secret
service with the maximum reach.
The CIA is known to play a pivotal
role in helping the US maintain its
status as the worlds sole super power.
More importantly, CIA has been
playing a central role in exchange
of intelligence between countries to
combat global terrorism.
Research and Analysis Wing
(RAW, India)
Founded in 1968, the Research and
Analysis Wing (RAW), initially,
focused its activities in Indias
immediate neighbourhood but with
the changing profile of New Delhis
geo-political interests, it has spread
its wings to other regions across
B-55
the world. The primary function
of R&AW is gathering foreign
intelligence and counter-terrorism.
R&AW was formed in September 1968
under the guidance of its first Director,
Rameshwar Nath Kao. Headquartered
in New Delhi, R&AWs current chief
is Rajinder Khanna, a 1978-batch IPS
cadre officer.
Canadian Security Intelligence
Service (CSIS)
Canadian Security Intelligence
Services is Canadas primary national
intelligence service. It is responsible
for collecting, analyzing, reporting and
disseminating intelligence on threats
to Canadas national security, and
conducting operations, covert and
overt, within Canada and abroad.
It also reports to and advises the
government of Canada on national
security issues and situations that
threaten the security of the nation.
Its headquarters is located in Ottawa,
Ontario, in a purpose-built facility
completed in 1995.
Australian Secret Intelligence
Service (ASIS)
The Australian Secret Intelligence
Service (ASIS) is Australias
intelligence watchdog which keeps a
close watch on developments across
the world, especially in the Asia-
Pacific region. Although Australia is
relatively isolated from global terror,
still ASIS works 24X7 to protect the
countrys political and economic
interests. Interestingly, the existence
of ASIS, founded in 1952, was a secret
even from its own government for over
twenty years.Its current Director-
General is Nick Warner.
B-56 Panorama

FATHER OF VARIOUS FIELDS

Field Father Field Father
Atom Bomb Dr. Robert Computer Charles Babbage
Oppenheime
Aviation Sir George Cayley Biology Aristotle
Chemistry Robert Boyle Microbiology Louis pasteur and Rob-
ert koch
Comedy Aristophanes Political Science Aristotle
Economics Adam Smith Modern Philosphy Rene Descartes
English Geoffrey Psychology Wilhelmam Wundt
Poetry Chaucer
Greek Trag- Aeschylus Modern Observational Galileo Galilei
edy Astronomy
Immunology Edward Jenner Modern Physics Science Galileo Galilei
Modern Antoini Modern Science Galileo Galilei
Chemistry Lavoisier
Nuclear Ernest Nano technology Richard Smalley
Physics Rutherford
Sanskrit Panini Indian Nuclear Science Homi Jehangir Bhabha
Grammar
Geography Eratosthenes Anatomy Andreas Vesalius
Sociology Auguste Comte Geometry Euclid
Mathematics Archimedes Internet Vinton Cerf

SOBRIQUETS
A sobriquet is a nickname, Occasionally assumed and often given by another.
The sobriquet can become more familiar than the original name.
Sobriquets Person Primary Names
Angel of Death Josef Mengele
Bard of Avon William Shakespeare
Bard of Twickenham Alexander Pope
Bloody mary Mary I of England
Bonnie Prince Charlie Charles Edward Stuart
Brangelina Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
Caligula Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus
Canuck Canadian, from Johnny Canuck
der Alte (the old man) Konrad Adenauer
Desert Fox Erwin Rommel
Diamond Dave David Lee Roth, Singer
Digger Australian soldier
Dr. Death Jack Kevorkian, proponent of assisted suicide
Panorama B-57

Sobriquets Person Primary Names

Dubya George W. Bush
EI Caudillo Francisco Franco
Father of his country George Washington
Fuhrer Adolf Hitler
Genghis Khan Temjin
Grand Old Man of Britain Willian Ewart Glandstone
Hanoi Jane Jane Fonda
Honest Abe Abraham Lincoln
Ike Dwight David Eisenhower
Iron Duke Duke of Wellington
Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher
King James LeBron James, American basketball player
Lady with the Lamp Florence Nightingale
Little Richard Rev. Richard Wayne Penniman, a prominent
figure in rock n roll.
Madge Madonna
Madiba Nelson Mandela
Maid of Orleans Joan of Arc
Man of Blood and Iron Otto Von Bismark
Man of Destiny Napolean Bonaparte
Old Blood and Guts George S. Patton
Old Blue Eyes Frank Sinatra, entertainer
Old Hickory Andrew Jackson, 7th President of the United
States
Old Kinderhook (OK) Martin Van Buren, 8th President of the United
States
Old Nick Santa
Old Rough and Ready Zachary Taylor
Old St. Nick Santa
Pel Edson Arantes do Nascimento
Prince of the Humanists Desiderius Erasmus
Qaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah
Saint Jimmy Billie Joe Armstrong
Satchmo Louis Armstrong
Slick Willy U.S. President Bill Clinton
Slowhand Eric Clapton
Sting Gordon Summer, British rock musician
The Bard William Shakespeare
The Bird Mark Fidrych, Baseball pitcher
The Boss Bruce Springsteen
The Cincinnatus of the Americans George Washington
The Duke John Wayne
The Fab Four The Beatles
The Godfather of Soul James Brown
B-58 Panorama

Sobriquets Person Primary Names

The Golden Bear
The Great Commoner
The Greatest
The King (of golf)
The King (of Rock and Roll)
The King of Pop
The Lion of the Round Top
The Man from Tennessee
The Material Girl
The New Sinatra
The Rat Pack
The Red Baron
The Rock Chemeleon
The Tiger of France
Tricky Dick
Uncle Sam
Wizard of the North
Yank (a short form of Yankee)
Jack Nicklaus
William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham (Pitt the
elder) or William Jennings Bryan
Muhammad Ali, Boxer
Arnold Palmer
Elvis Presley
Michael Jackson
Col. Joshua L. Chamberlain, commander of
the 20th Maine Regiment, American Civil War
Andrew Jackson
Madonna
Jay-Z
A group of American singers and entertainers
from the late 1950s to the early 1970s
Manfred von Richthofen, World War I,
German flying ace
David Bowie
Georges Clemenceau
Richard Nixon, 37th President of the United
States
The U.S.A. or sometimes the government
Walter Scott
Originally used derogatorily by Southerners but
now only heard outside the USA

PLACES
Beantown Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Blighty Great Britain (used by British servicemen abroad
and expatriates)
Brass Fountain PPSh-41
Brew City Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Brisvegas Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Britain of South New Zealand
Chocolate City Washington, D.C., so named because of its
majority African-American population
City of Brotherly Love Philadelphia
City of Dreaming Spires Oxford, England
City of Golden Gate San Francisco, USA
City of Magnificent Distances Washington D.C., USA
City of Seven Hills Rome, Italy
City of Skyscrapers New York, USA
City of the Golder Gate San Francisco
Cockpit of Europe Belgium
Dark Continent Africa
Panorama B-59

Empire City New York, USA

Eternal City Rome, Italy
Forbidden City Lhasa, Tibet
Frisco San Francisco, California
Garden of England Kent, England
Garrincha Manoel Francisco dos Santos
Gate of Tears Bab-el-mandab, Jerusalem
Gift of Nile Egypt
Gotham New York
Granite City Aberdeen, Scotland
Great White Way Broadway, New York, USA
Hermit Kingdom Korea
Herring Pond Atlantic Ocean
Hogtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Holy Land Palestine
Humming Bird Trinidad
Island of Cloves Madagascar
Island of Pearls Bahrain
Key of Mediterranean Gibraltar
Land of Cakes Scotland
Land of Canals Netherlands
Land of Golden Pagoda Myanmar (Burma)
Land of Lilies Canada
Land of Maple Canada
Land of Midnight Sun Norway
Land of Morning Calm Korea
Land of Rising Sun Japan
Land of the Golden Fleece Australia
Land of the Golden Pagoda Myanmar
Land of Thousand Lakes Finland
Land of Thunderbolt Bhutan
Land of White Elephants Thailand
Land of Windmills Netherlands
Manchester of Japan Osaka
Never Never Land Prairies of N.Australia
Pearl of the Antilles Cuba
Pearl of the Orient Philippines
Perfidious Albion Great Britain
Pillars of Hercules Strait of Gibraltar
Playground of Europe Switzerland
Port of Five Seas Moscow
Powder Keg of Europe Balkans
Quaker City Philadelphia, USA
Queen of Adriatic Venice, Italy
B-60 Panorama

Roof of the World Pamirs, Central Asia

Sick Man of Europe Turkey
Sin City Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Sorrow of China River Hwang Ho
Sugar Bowl of the World Cuba
Taiwan Republic of China
The Antipodes Australia and New Zealand
The Battlefield of Europe Belgium
The Bayou City Houston, Texas, USA
The Big Apple New York City
The Big D Dallas, Texas, USA
The Big Easy New Orleans, Louisiana
The Big Smoke Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The City of Light Paris
The City or The City by the Bay San Francisco, California
The Dragon China (as an economy)
The Emerald City Seattle, Washington, USA
The Emerald Isle Ireland and Puerto Rico
The Enchanted Isle (from la isla del encanto) Puerto Rico
The Federal City Washington D.C.
The Fourth Estate The press
The Mother-in-law of Europe Denmark
The Old Bailey The Central Criminal Court in England
The Old Lady of Threadneedle The Bank of England
Street
The Old Smoke London
The Paris of the South So Paulo and Buenos Aires
The Paris of the West San Francisco, USA
Tie Rock (prison) Alcatraz Prison
The Steel City Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Windy City Chicago, Illinois, USA
Tinseltown Hollywood, California, USA
Venice of the North Stockholm
Westminster The British Parliament
White City Belgrade, Yugoslavia
White House The executive branch of the government of the
United States
White Mans Grave Guinea Coast
Whitehall The British government including Parliament
but excluding the monarchy
Worlds Breadbasket Prairies of N. America
Worlds Loneliest Island Tristan De Gunha (Mid-Atlantic)
Yellow River Hang He (China)
Panorama B-61

ADDITIONAL FACTS x The biggest stadium in the world

x The largest coffee growing
country in the World is - Brazil
x The biggest delta in the World is
the - Sunderbans
x The Japanese call their country
as - Nippon
x The biggest Island of the World
is - Greenland
x The river which carries
maximum quantity of water into
the sea is the - Mississippi
x Mount Everest was named after
Sir George - Everest
is the - Strahov Stadium, Prague
x The worlds largest diamond
producing country is - South
Africa
x The Eggel tower was built by -
Alexander Eiffel
x The Red Cross was founded by -
Jean Henri Durant
x The permanent secretariat
of the SAARC is located at -
Kathmandu
x The earlier name of Sri Lanka
was Ceylon
x The founder of the Republic of
China was - San Yat Sen

FIRST IN THE WORLD

The first person to reach Mount Everest Sherpa Tenzing, Edmund Hillary
The first person to reach North Pole Robert Peary
The first person to reach South Pole Amundsen
The first religion of the world Hinduism
The first country to print book China
The first country to issue paper currency China
The first country to commence competitive China
examination in civil services
The first President of the U.S.A George Washington
The first Prime Minister of Britain Robert Walpole
The first Governor General of the United Trygve Lie
Nations
The first country to win football World cup Uruguay
The first country to prepare a constitution U.S.A
The first Governor General of Pakistan Mohd. Ali Jinnah
The first country to host NAM summit Belgrade (Yugoslavia)
The first European to attack India Alexander, The Great
The first European to reach China Marco Polo
The first person to fly aeroplane Wright Brothers
The first person to sail round the world Magellan
The first country to send man to the moon U.S.A
The first country to launch Artificial satellite Russia
in the space
The first country to host the modern Olympics Greece
The first city on which the atom bomb was Hiroshima (Japan)
dropped
The first person to land on the moon Neil Armstrong followed by Edwin
E. Aldrin
The first shuttle to go in space Columbia
B-62 Panorama

The first spacecraft to reach on Mars Viking-I

The first woman Prime Minister of England Margaret Thatcher

The first Muslim Prime Minister of a country Benazir Bhutto (Pakistan)

The first woman Prime Minister of a country Mrs. S. Bandamaike (Sri Lanka)
The first woman to climb Mount Everest Mrs. Junko Tabei (Japan)
The first woman cosmonaut of the world Velentina Tereshkova (Russia)
The first woman President of the U.N. Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit
General Assembly
The first man to fly into space Yuri Gagarin (Russia)
The first batsman to score three test century in Mohd. Azharuddin
three successive tests on debut
The first man to have climbed Mount Everest Nawang Gombu
twice
The first U.S. President to resign Presidency Richard Nixon

SUPERLATIVES
Tallest Animal on (land)
Biggest Bell
Fastest Bird
Largest Bird
Smallest Bird
Longest Bridge (Railway)
Tallest Building
Tallest office Building
Longest Big Ship Canal
Busiest Canal (Ship)
Biggest Cinema House
Highest City
Largest City (in population)
Biggest City in (area)
Largest Continent
Smallest Continent
Largest Country (in population)
Largest Country (in area)
Largest Coral Formation
Largest Dam
Longest Day
Shortest Day
Largest Delta
Longest Desert (World)
Largest Diamond
Biggest Dome
Biggest Dome (New Archi)
Giraffe
Great Bell at Moscow
Swift
Ostrich
Humming Bird
Lower Zambeji (Africa )
Burj khalifa, Dubai (U.A.E)
Patronas Twin Towers Kuala Lampur (Malaysia)
Seuz Canal (Linkin red sea & Mediterranean)
Baltic White Sea Canal (152 miles)
Roxy (New York)
Wen Chuwan (Tibet, China) 16,732 ft.
Tokyo [(3,42,00000), Est. population in 2006]
Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia (41225 sq. km.)
Asia
Australia
China
Russia
The Great Barrier Reef (Australia)
Grand Coulee- Concrete Dam (U.S.A)
June 21 (in Northern Hemisphere)
Dec. 22(in Northern Hemisphere)
Sundarbans, India (8000 sq. miles)
Sahara, Africa (84, 00,000 sq. km.)
The Cullinan (over 1 1b.)
Gol Gumbaz (Bijapur), (Old archi) 144 ft. diameter.
Astrodome, Sports
Panorama B-63

Longest Epic The Mahabharata

Largest Island Greenland (renamed Kalaallit Nunaat)
Largest Lake (Artificial) Lake Mead (Bouler)
Deepest Lake Baikal (Siberia); average depth2300 ft.
Highest Lake Titicaca (Bolivia) 12645 ft. above sea level.
Largest Lake (Fresh Water) Lake Superior, U.S.A
Largest Lake (Salt Water) Caspian Sea 3, 71,000 sq. km.)
Largest Mosque Jama Masjid, Delhi, (area 10,000 sq. ft.)
Biggest Library National Kiev Library,Moscow & Library of the
Congress, Washington)
Highest Mountain peak (World) Himalayas
Longest Mountain Range Andes (S.America) 5,500 miles in length
Biggest Museum British Museum (London)
Tallest Minaret (Free Standing) Qutub Minar, Delhi 238 ft.
Tallest Minaret Great Hassan Mosque, Casablanca, Morocco
Deepest & Biggest Ocean The Pacific
Largest Palace Imperial Palace (Gugong), Beijing (China)
Largest Park National Park, Greenland
Largest Peninsula Arabic (32,50,000 sq. km.)
Coldest Place or Region Verkhoyansk (Syberia), Temperature 85 C
Driest Place Death Valley (California); rainfall 1 inch.
Hottest Place (World) Al-Aziziyah (Libya, Africa) 136F
Largest Planet Jupiter
Brightest and Hottest Planet Venus
(also nearest to Earth)
Farthest planet (from the Sun) Neptune
Nearest Planet (to the Sun) Mercury
Smallest Planet Mercury
Highest Plateau Pamir (Tibet)
Longest Platform (Railway) Kharagpur W.B, India (833m)
Largest Platform (Railway) Grand Central terminal, New York (U.S.A)
Largest Port Port of New York & New Jersey (U.S.A)
Busiest Port Rotterdam (the Netherlands)
Longest Railway Trans-Siberian Railway (6,000 miles Long)
Longest River Nile (6690 km), Amazon (6570 km.)
Longest River Dam Hirakund Dam (Orissa), India 15.8 miles.
Largest sea-bird Albatross
Largest Sea (inland) Mediterranean
Brightest Star Sirius (also called Dog star)
Tallest statue Statue of Liberty, New York (U.S.A), 150 ft. high.
Tallest Statue (Bronze) Bronze Statue of Lord Buddha, Tokyo (Japan).
Longest Swimming Course English Channel
Tallest Tower C.N Tower Toronto (Canada)
Longest Train nonstop Flying Scoutsman
Longest Tunnel (Railway) Seikan Rail Tunnel (Japan), (53.85 km.)
Longest & Largest Canal Tunnel Le Rove Tunnel (South of France)
B-64
Longest Tunnel (Road)
Highest Volcano
Largest Volcano
Longest Wall
Highest Waterfall
Longest Strait
Broadest Strait
Narrowest strait
Largest Bay
Largest Gulf
Largest Archipelago
Tallest Active Geyser
Largest River Basin
World Rainiest Spot
Largest Gorge
Lightest gas
Lightest Metal
Highest Melting Point
Hardest Substance
Longest Animal
Longest Life Span of an Animal 190 to 200 years, (Giant tortoise)
Largest Land Animal
Fastest Animal
Longest Jump Animal
Longest wing Spread Bird
Slowest Animal
Domestic Dog
Fastest Dog
Longest poisonous snake
Biggest Flower
Largest Stadium
Largest Church
Largest Temple
Largest Diamond mine
Largest River in volume
Longest Corridor
Highest Straight Dam
Highest Capital City
Largest Asian Desert
Largest Democracy
Longest Thoroughfare
Largest Neck Animal
Largest Animal of the Cat Lion
Family
Panorama
Laerdal, Norway
Ojos Del Salado, Andes Argentine-Chile (6,885 m.)
Mauna Lao (Hawaii)
Great Wall of China (1500 miles)
Salto Angel Falls (Venezuela)
Tartar Strait (Sakhalin Island & the Russian
mainland)
Davis Straits (Greenland & Baffin Island, (Canada)
Chaliks-45 yards (Between the Greek mainland the
island of Euboea in the Aegean Sea)
Hudson Bay, Canada (Shore line 7623 miles)
Gulf of Mexico,( shoreline 2100 miles)
Indonesia (over 3,000 Islands)
Giant (Geyser ) yelowstone park U.S.A 200 ft. high
Amazon Basin- 27, 20,000 sq. mile.
Cherrapunji (Mawsynram), India
Grand Canyon, on the Colorado River, U.S.A
Hydrogen
Lithium
Tungsten, 3,410`C
Diamond
Blue Whale, (recorded length 106 ft. weight-195
tons)
African Bush Elephant
Cheetah (Leopard ) 70 m.p.h
Kangaroo
Albatross
Snail
Irish Wolf Hound
Persian Grey Hound (speed 43 m.p.h)
King cobra
Raffesia (Java)
Strahov stadium in prague, (the Czech Republic)
Basilica of st. peter, vetican city, Rome Italy
Angkor Vat (combodia)
Kimbarley (S.Africa)
Amazon, Brazil
Rameshwaram Temples Corridor (5000 ft.)
Bhakhra Dam
La Paz (Bolivia)
Gobi, Mongolia
India
Verazano-Narrows, New York City Harbour
Giraffe
Panorama B-65

Most Intelligent Animal Chimpanzee

Bird, that never makes its nests Cuckoo
Wingless Bird Kiwi
Reptile which changes its colors Chameleon
Largest Mammal whale
FAMOUS LANDMARKS 11. Acropolis of Athens: Greece
AROUND THE WOrld 12. Niagara Falls : Border of Ontario
(Canada) and New York (USA)
1. The Statue of Liberty in New
13. Angkor Wat : Cambodia
Your: USA
14. St. Peters Cathedral : Vatican
2. The Eiffel tower in Paris: France
City
3. St. Basils Cathedral in Moscow : 15. Mount Rushmore: South Dakota
Russia 16. The Grand Canyon : Arizona
4. The Great Sphinx at Giza, The 17. Sydney Opera House : Australia
Pyramids of Giza: Egypt 18. Forbidden City : Beijing
5. Neptune and the Place of 19. The Colosseum: Rome, Italy
Versailles: France 20. The Empire State Building :
6. The Great wall of China : China New York
7. The Taj Mahal in Agra : India 21. Abu Simbel : Egypt
8. Christ the Redeemer: Rio de 22. Tower of Pisa : Italy
Janeiro 23. The Burj al Arab Hotel : Dubai
9. Mecca: Saudi Arabia 24. Stonehenge: Wiltshire, United
10. Brandenburg Gate in Berlin: Kindom
Germany 25. Big Ben : London
THE NATIONAL EMBLEMS OF DIFFERENT COUNTRIES
Country Emblem Country Emblem
Australia Kangaroo Bangladesh Water Lily
Barbados Head of a Trident Belgium Lion
Canada White Lily Chile Candor & Huemul
Denmark Beach Dominica Sisserou Parrot
France Lily Germany Corn Flower
Guyana Canje Pheasant Hong Kong Bauhinia (Orchid Tree)
India Lioned Capital Iran Rose
Ireland Shamrock Israel Candelabrum
Italy White Lily Ivory Coast Elephant
Japan Chrysanthemum Lebanon Cedar Tree
Luxembourg Lion with Crown Mongolia The Soyombo
Netherlands Lion New Zealand Southern Cross, Kiwi, Fern
Norway Lion Pakistan Crescent
Papua New Bird of paradise Spain Eagle
Guinea Sierra Leone Lion
Sri Lanka Lion Sudan Secretary Bird
Syria Eagle Turkey Crescent & Star
U.K. Rose
B-66 Panorama
Panorama
IMPORTANT DAYS OF THE YEAR
9th January: NRI Day
10th January: World Laughter Day
12th January: National Youth Day
15th January: Indian Army Day
23rd January: Netaji Subhash
Chandra Boses birth anniversary
24th January: National Girl Child
Day
25th January: National Tourism
Day
26th January: Republic Day
29th January: National Newspaper
Day
30th January: Martyrs Day
2nd February: World Wetlands Day
4th February: World Cancer Day
13th February: World Radio Day
14th February: St. Valentines Day
21st February: International Mother
Language Day
28th February: National Science
Day
8th March: International Womens
Day and Mothers day
13th March: No Smoking Day
15th March: World Consumer
Rights Day
22nd March: World Water Day
23rd March: World Meteorological
Day
24th March: World Tuberculosis
Day
27th March: World Theatre Day
2nd April: World Autism Awareness
Day
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7th April: World Health Day
18th April: World Heritage Day
22nd April: World Earth Day
25th April: World Malaria Day
30th April: World Jazz Day
1st May: International Labour Day
3rd May: World Asthma Day
5th May: World Athletics Day
8th May: International Red Cross
Day
11th May: National Technology
Day
17th May: World Telecommunica-
tions Day
20th May: World Refugee Day
21st May: Anti-terrorism Day
24th May: Commonwealth Day
31st May: World No Tobacco Day
1stJune: World Milk Day
5th June: World Environment Day
8th June: World Ocean Day
20th June: International Refugee
Day
21st June: International Yoga Day
23rd June: International Olympic
Day
27th June: World Diabetes Day
1st July: World Doctors Day Van
Mahotsav Week (1stJuly to 7thJuly)
11th July: World Population Day
26th July: Kargil Victory Day
28th July: World Hepatitis Day
B-68 Panorama

29th July: International Tiger Day 31st October: National Integration

30th July: International Day of Day
Friendship 7th November: World Cancer
6th August: Hiroshima Day Awareness Day
12th August: International Youth 11th November: National
Day Education Day
15th August: Indias Independence 14th November: Childrens Day
Day 16th November: National Press Day
19th August: World Humanitarian
21st November: World Fisheries
Day
Day, World Hello Day, World
29th August: National Sports Day Television Day
5th September: Teachers Day 25th November: International Day
8th September: International for the Elimination of Violence
Literacy Day against Women
14th September: Hindi Day 26th November: National
15th September: World Engineers constitution day
Day 26th November: National Milk day
16th September: World Ozone Day 30th November: Flag Day
18th September: International Day 3rd December: World Conservation
of Peace Day
21st September: Biosphere Day 5th December: World Soil Day
24th September: Girl Child Day 7th December: Armed Forces Flag
25th September: Social Justice Day, Day
World Maritime Day
9th December: International Day
27th September: World Tourism against Corruption, National
Day Immunization Day
1st October: International Music 10th December: World Human
Day Rights Day, International
2nd October: Gandhi Jayanti, Broadcasting Day
International Non-Violence Day 11th December: UNICEF Day
3rd October: World Habitat Day
14th December: National Energy
8th October: National Air force Day Conservation Day
9th October: World PostalDay 16th December: Vijay Diwas
National Postal Week (9thOctober
to 14th October) 22nd December: National
Mathematics Day
12th October: World Sight Day
23rd December: Kisan Diwas
16th October: World Food Day (Farmers Day)
0267)$0286
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B-70
Albert Einstein (14th March
-1879 -April 18, 1955) : Albert
Einstein was a German-born
physicist who gave the
theory of relativity. He
is considered the most
influential physicist of
the 20th century and is
best known for his
massenergy equivalence formula E
= mc2. He received the Nobel Prize
in 1921 in Physics for his services to
theoretical physics, in particular the
discovery of the law of the
photoelectric effect.
Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC) :
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher
and scientist born in the Macedonian
city of Stagira, Chalkidice. He
was one of the greatest intellectual
figures of Western history. He
was the author of a philosophical
and scientific system that became
the framework and vehicle for
both Christian Scholasticism and
medieval Islamic philosophy.
Adolf Hitler (20th April- April
30th 1945): Hitler was the leader
of the National Socialist Party
(from 1920/21) and chancellor
(Kanzler) and Fhrer of Germany
(193345). He initiated World War
II and oversaw fascist policies that
resulted in around 6 million deaths.
Hitler committed suicide with wife
Eva Braun on April 30, 1945, in his
Berlin bunker.
Alexander the Great (356-
323 BC): Alexander was the
King (Basileus) of the Ancient
Greek kingdom of Macedon and
a member of the Argead dynasty.
He went on to conquer Persia and
Egypt, his kingdom ranging from
the Mediterranean to the border of
India. He died of malaria when he
Most famous people of all time
was 32. He is regarded as one of
historys brilliant military leaders
and most powerful rulers.
Abraham Lincoln (12th February,
1809- 15th April, 1865): Abraham
Lincoln was the 16th President of
the United States, serving from
March 1861 until his assassination
in April 1865. Lincoln led the United
States through its Civil Warits
bloodiest war and its greatest moral,
constitutional and political crisis. In
doing so, he preserved the Union,
abolished slavery, strengthened the
federal government, and modernized
the economy.
Alfred Nobel (October 21, 1833-
December 10, 1896): Alfred Nobel
was a Swedish chemist, engineer,
entrepreneur and industrialist,
who invented dynamite and other,
more powerful explosives. He
had 355 patents to his name and
posthumously his was assets were
used to institute the Nobel Prizes.
Aryabhatta (476 CE-550 CE):
Aryabhata was an acclaimed
mathematician-astronomer, born in
Kusumapura (present
day Patna) in Bihar. He
contributed immensely in
the field of mathematics,
science and astronomy.
Some of his written
works are Aryabhatiya
and Arya-siddhanta.
Ashoka the Great (August 304
BC- 232 BC): Ashoka was one
of the greatest emperors of the
Maurya dynasty. Ashoka renounced
armed conquest and adopted a
policy called conquest by dharma
and embraced Buddhism after
witnessing the destruction caused
during the Kalinga war.
Most famous people of all time
Annie Besant (1st October 1847
20th September 1933): Annie
Besant was a prominent British
socialist, theosophist, womens rights
activist, and a supporter of Irish and
Indian self-rule. She was appointed
as the first female President of the
Indian National Congress in 1917.
Agatha Christie (15th September
1890 12th January 1976):
Agatha Christie was a novelist, short
story writer, playwright, and a poet.
She is best known for her numerous
detective novels and short story
collections. She has also written
the worlds longest-running play, a
murder mystery, The Mousetrap.
Azim Premji (24th July 1945):
Azim Premji is a business tycoon,
investorand philanthropist. He is the
chairman of Wipro
Limited. Premji owns
73% percent of Wipro
and also owns a private
equity fund called
PremjiInvest.
Alberuni (4/5th September 973
13th December, 1048): Al-Biruni
a Khwarezmian Iranian Muslim
scholar and polymath was a great
philosopher, mathematician and
historian. In 1017 he travelled to the
Indian subcontinent and authored
Tarikh Al-Hind (History of India)
after exploring the Hindu faith
practised in India. He is also called
the founder of Indology.
Andre Agassi (29th April,
1970-):Andre Agassi is an American
tennis player. Agassi is an eight-time
Grand Slam champion and a 1996
Olympic gold medallist in singles
tennis. Agassi was nicknamed as
The Punisher.
B-71
Ang Dorjee (1970-): Ang Dorje
(Chhuldim) Sherpa is a Nepali sherpa
mountaineering guide, climber and
porter from Pangboche, Nepal.
He has climbed to the summit of
Mount Everest 17 times, Cho Oyu
seven times since 1995, Broad Peak
(1995), Gasherbrum II (1997) and
Ama Dablam (1996).
Amir Khusro (12531325 CE):
Amir Khusro was a Sufi musician,
poet and scholar. He is credited for
the invention of the
musical instruments
like tabla and sitar. He
is also regarded as the
father of Qawwali. He
was associated with the
royal empires of seven rulers of
Delhi.
Anne Frank (12th June, 1929
February 1945): Anne Frank was
a German-born diarist and writer.
She is one of the most discussed
Jewish victims of the Holocaust.
Her wartime diary The Diary of a
Young Girl has been the basis for
several plays and films. She gained
international fame posthumously
after her diary was published.
Arnold Schwarzenegger (30th July,
1947-): Arnold Schwarzenegger
is an Austrian-American actor,
producer, director, activist,
businessman, former professional
bodybuilder, and politician. He
was nicknamed the Austrian Oak
as bodybuilder and Arnie as an
actor. Schwarzenegger gained
worldwide fame as a Hollywood
action film icon with his movies
like The Terminator, which was
B-72
a massive critical and box-office
success. He appeared in a number of
successful films, such as Commando
(1985), Predator (1987), Total
Recall (1990) and True Lies (1994).
Schwarzenegger served two terms
as the 38th Governor of California
from 2003 until 2011.
Ala-ud-din Khilji (died 1316):
Ala-ud-din Khilji was the second
ruler of the Khilji dynasty (1296 to
1316). He is considered the most
powerful ruler of the dynasty. He was
a strategist and military commander
who commanded forces across the
Indian subcontinent. He is noted
in history for being one of the few
rulers in the world who repeatedly
defended his empire against Mongol
invasions. Alauddin died in January
1316, of oedema. It is said that his
lieutenant Malik Naib hastened
his death. His tomb and madrasa
exist at the back of Qutb complex,
Mehrauli, in Delhi.
Albert Camus (7th November
1913 4th January 1960): Albert
Camus was a French philosopher
and writer. Born in Algeria, he had
French parents. In 1941, Camus
wrote his first novel, which was
called The Stranger. His other novels
and plays include The Plague and
The Fall. Camus also wrote books
about philosophy (ways of thinking)
which said that life was absurd
(makes no sense, or has no meaning).
Camus won the Nobel Prize in
Literature in 1957 and became the
second youngest recipient of the
Nobel Prize in Literature, after
Rudyard Kipling. He died at an early
age in an automobile accident on 4
January 1960.
Most famous people of all time
Akbar (15 October 1542 27
October 1605): Akbar was third
Mughal Emperor. He succeeded his
father, Humayun, under
a regent, Bairam Khan,
at an early age of 13
years. He expanded his
empire gradually covering
nearly all of Indian
Subcontinent north of Godavari
river.
He was a great administrator and in
order to preserve peace and order in
a religiously and culturally diverse
empire, he adopted policies that won
him the support of his non-Muslim
subjects. He promulgated Din-i-
Ilahi.
Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (15th
December 1832 27th December
1923): Alexandre Gustave Eiffel
was a French civil engineer and
architect. He graduated from the
prestigious cole Centrale des Arts
et Manufactures, France usually
associated with various bridges for
the French railway network most
famously the Garabit viaduct. He
is best known for the world famous
Eiffel Tower, built for the 1889
Universal Exposition in Paris, and
his contribution to building the
Statue of Liberty in New York. After
his retirement from engineering,
Eiffel concentrated on research into
meteorology and aerodynamics.
He died on 27th December 1923 in
Paris, France.
Alfred Hitchcock (13th August
1899 29th April 1980): Sir
Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was an
English film director and producer.
He was nicknamed as The Master
of Suspense as he was pioneer of
many elements related to suspense
and psychological thriller genres. He
Most famous people of all time
pictured many successful silent films
and early talkies. He was known as
Englands best director. Hitchcock
directed more than fifty feature films
in a career. He was named as the
most influential filmmaker of all
time by Movie Maker magazine in
2002. He died on 29 April, 1980 at
Los Angeles in California.
Allan Border (27th July 1955-):
Allan Border was an Australian
former cricketer. His playing
nickname was A.B..
Throughout his career
he played 156 Test
matches. He still holds
the world record of
playing 153 test
matches in a row and the number of
Tests as captain. He was a left hand
batsman but also performed well as
a part-time left arm spinner. Border
amassed 11,174
runs and 27 centuries in his Test
career. He retired as Australias most
capped player and leading run-scorer
in both Tests and ODIs.
Anand Burman (1986-): Dr.
Anand C Burman is an Indian
entrepreneur and chairman of
Dabur. He is also the cofounder of
Asian healthcare fund. He serves as a
board of directors for 33 companies
including Hero Motocorp, Aviva
Life Insurance, Ester Industries
and Interx Laboratories. He is
the chairman of Fresenius Kabi
Oncology Ltd and an Independent
Non-Executive Director of
Hindustan Motors Ltd. He has also
invested in different sectors like
healthcare and education. Sundesh,
a non-profit organisation was set up
by him. He joined his family business
Dabur as manager in Research and
Development department in 1980.
B-73
He entered companys board in 1986
and became chairman in 2007. He
became EY Entrepreneur of the
Year 2011.
Angela Merkel (17th July 1954-)
Angela Dorothea Merkel has been
the Chancellor of Germany since
2005 and the Leader of the Christian
Democratic Union since 2000.
Before beginning her political career
Merkel was a research scientist and
got doctorate degree as a physical
chemist from University of Leipzig.
She became the spokesperson for
the first democratically elected East
German Government in 1990. In
her political career, she served as
Minister for Women and Youth in
1992, Minister for Environment in
1994 and was elected Secretary-
General of the CDU in 1998. On 26
March 2014, she became the longest-
serving head of government in the
European Union. Currently she is
the Senior G7 leader and ranked as
most powerful woman of world by
Forbes.
Anna Hazare (15th June, 1937-):
Anna Hazare is a socialist who
started movements to promote rural
development, increase government
transparency, investigations and
punish corrupt. As a
socialist he organises
and encourages
grassroots movements.
He practises non-
violence following the
path of Gandhi. His strong agitation
led to the development and structuring
of Ralegan Siddhi, a village in
Parner taluka of Ahmednagar
district, Maharashtra. He also
exerted pressure on the Indian
government to enact on anti-
corruption law and Lokpal Bill,
B-74
2011. He was awarded the Padma
Bhushan in 1992 for his efforts in
establishing Ralegan Siddhi village
as a model for others.
Anil Dhirubhai Ambani (4th June
1959-): Anil Dhirubhai Ambani is
a business tycoon and investor. He
serves as the chairman of Reliance
ADA Group. With a degree in
MBA from Wharton, University
of Pennsylvania he joined his
family business, in 1983 as co-chief
executive officer. After the death
of his father he took hold of the
Reliance Group with interests in
Telecom, Entertainment, Financial
Services, Power and Infrastructure.
He has produced a large number
of Bollywood films and is also
associated with 44 FM radio
stations, nationwide DTH business,
animation studios, and several
multiplex cinemas throughout India.
Ambanis net wealth is estimated
to be $5.9 billion according to the
Forbes billionaire list for 2014.
Business India in 1997 announced
him to be Businessman of the Year
1997. Then in 2004 he became the
CEO of the Year 2004 in the Platts
Global Energy Awards.
A. R. Rahman (6th January
1967-) : A. R. Rahman is a
composer and songwriter. He is
renowned for incorporate Eastern
classical music with electronic
music, world music and traditional
orchestral arrangements. Rahmans
film career began with a Tamil
movie Roja. Few of his well known
films are Rangeela, Dil Se, Slum
dog millionaire etc. His award list
includes two Academy Awards, two
Grammy Awards, a BAFTA Award,
a Golden Globe, four National Film
Most famous people of all time
Awards, fifteen Filmfare Awards and
thirteen Filmfare Awards (South).
He is nicknamed as the Mozart of
Madras but Tamil commentators
and fans call him Isai Puyal (the
Musical Storm). Songlines magazine
named him one of Tomorrows
World Music Icons in August 2011.
Arundhati Bhattacharya (18th March
1956-): Arundhati Bhattacharya is
the first woman Chairperson of
State Bank of India.
She started her career
as a probationary
officer by joining State
Bank of India in 1977.
She has served at
various positions in the bank such as
chief executive of the banks
merchant banking arm- State Bank
of India Capital Markets; chief
general manager in charge of new
projects. Different projects which
involved her were SBI General
Insurance, SBI Custodial Services
and the SBI Macquarie Infrastructure
Fund. She has been termed as 30th
most powerful woman in the world
by Forbes and 4th most powerful
woman in Asia Pacific by Fortune in
2015.
Aung San Suu Kyi (19th June
1945-): Aung San Suu Kyi is a
politician and opposition leader of
Myanmar. She is the chairperson of
the National League for Democracy
(NLD) in Burma. She was under
house arrest since 20th July, 1989 till
13th November 2010 and became
one of the worlds most prominent
political prisoners. She has been
bestowed with Rafto Prize, Sakharov
Prize for Freedom of Thought in 1990
and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.
In 1992, government of India and
government of Venezuela honoured
Most famous people of all time
her with Jawaharlal Nehru Award
for International Understanding
and the International Simn Bolvar
Prize respectively. Aung San Suu
Kyi published her books known
as Freedom from Fear, and Other
Writings, and Letters from Burma
(1997; reissued 2010).
Atal Bihari Vajpayee (25th
December 1924-): Atal Bihari
Vajpayee was the 10th Prime
Minister of India. He
was the first Prime
Minister from outside
the Indian National
Congress party who
served for a full tenure
of 5 years. He was
elected to Lok Sabha nine times
from Lucknow constituency serving
parliament for over four decades. In
2009, he retired from active politics
due to his deteriorating health. He
was appointed as a Minister of
External Affairs in the cabinet of
Morarji Desai. His birthday, 25
December, has been declared as
Good Governance Day. Bharat
Ratna was given to him on 27th
March 2015.
Amitabh Bachchan (11th October
1942-): Dubbed as Indias
first angry young man for his on-
screen roles in Bollywood,
Amitabh Bachchan gained
popularity in the Hindi
cinema with movies like
Deewar and Zanjeer. He
has since appeared in
over 180 Indian films in
a career spanning more than four
decades. Bachchan is regarded as
one of the greatest and most
influential actors in the history of
Indian cinema. He was awarded the
Padma Shri in 1984, the Padma
Bhushan in 2001 and the Padma
Vibhushan in 2015.
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Amartya Sen (3rd November
1933-): Amartya Sen is an Indian
economist and philosopher. Sen
is a professor of Economics and
Philosophy at the Thomas W.
Lamont University and the Harvard
University. He was awarded the
Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic
Sciences in 1998 and Bharat Ratna
in 1999 for his work in welfare
economics.
Barack Obama (4th August, 1961-)
Barack Obama is the 44th President
of the United States of America.
He is the first African American to
serve as President of USA. He was
awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in
2009.
Bob Dylan (24th May, 1941-):
Bob Dylan is an American singer,
artist and writer. Blowin in the
Wind, The Times They Are
a-Changing and Like a Rolling
Stone are some of his most popular
songs. He received the Pulitzer Prize
jury in 2008 and the Presidential
Medal of Freedom from President
Barack Obama in May 2012.
Bill Gates (28th October, 1955-):
Bill Gates is an American business
magnate, philanthropist, and
computer programmer.
In 1975, Gates co-
founded Microsoft,
the worlds largest PC
software company
with Paul Allen, and
subsequently became
one of the richest men in the world.
Benito Mussolini (29th July 1883
28th April 1945): Mussolini was
an Italian politician and dictator.
He was the leader of the National
Fascist Party and also considered the
founder of fascism. He was executed
by the Italian partisans when he was
attempting to escape north.
B-76
Benazir Bhutto (21st June, 1953
27th December 2007): Benazir
Bhutto was the 11th Prime Minister
of Pakistan (198890 and 1993
96). Bhutto was assassinated in
a bombing on 27th December
2007. Daughter of Destiny is the
autobiography written by her.
Bachendri Pal (24th May 1954):
Bachendri Pal, an Indian
mountaineer, is the first Indian
woman to scale the summit of
Mount Everest in 1984. She has
authored her autobiography Everest
My Journey to the Top. She is also
the recipient of Padma Shri (1984)
and Arjuna award (1986).
Baichung Bhutia (15th December
1976-): Baichung Bhutia is a
professional Indian footballer of
Sikkimese-Bhutia
descent. Bhutia is
considered to be the
torchbearer of Indian
football in the
international arena.
He is also Indias most capped
player, with 104 international caps
to his name. He is honoured with the
Arjuna Award and the Padma Shri
for his contribution to Indian
football.
Bob Hope (29th May, 1903
27th July, 2003): Bob Hope was a
British-born American entertainer
and comic actor known for his
rapid-fire delivery of jokes and one-
liners. He was successful in almost
all entertainment media and toured
overseas to entertain American
troops. Hope was awarded five
honorary awards by the Academy of
Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Most famous people of all time
Baba Ramdev (25th December,
1965-): Baba Ramdev is a spiritual
leader. However, in
recent years, his
interest in politics and
agriculture has grown.
He was born as
Ramkrishna Yadav in
Haryana. He is best known for
popularising yoga among Indians
through his mass yoga camps. He
also founded the Divya Yog Mandir
Trust in 1995 for this purpose. The
Patanjali Group of Institutions was
established for the promotion and
practice of yoga and ayurveda. Since
2003, he is being featured in morning
yoga slot of Aastha TV. Ramdev has
more recently become a vocal
advocate on Indian political issues.
Bahadur Shah Zafar (28th
September 1837 14th September
1857): Bahadur Shah Zafar was
the last Mughal emperor and the
successor of Akbar II. He was a
poet, musician, and calligrapher. He
had more of an aesthete bend than
a political leader. His pen name was
Zafar. He was a nominal Emperor,
as the Mughal Empire existed in the
name only and his authority was
limited only to the city of Delhi.
He played a part in the revolt of
1857. He was captured and exiled to
Rangoon, Burma by the British.
Ban-ki-moon (13th June 1944-):
Ban Ki-moon is the eighth and
current Secretary-General of the
United Nations. His diplomatic
career started as soon as he
graduated. Bans first overseas
posting was to New Delhi where he
served as vice consul and impressed
many of his superiors in the foreign
ministry with his competence.
He served as foreign minister of
Most famous people of all time
South Korea, from January 2004 to
November 2006. On 1 January 2007,
he succeeded Kofi Annan. Ban
diplomatically took strong outlook
on global warming and issues related
Darfur conflict. He was listed to be
worlds 32nd most powerful person
by the Forbes in 2013 and first
among South Koreans.
Banabhatta (601 649 AD):
Banabhatta was a Sanskrit prose
writer and poet in the court of King
Harsha Vardhana. His principal
works include a biography of Harsha
(the Harshacharita), and one of the
worlds earliest novels, Kadambari.
He died before finishing Kadambari
and later it was completed by his son
Bhusanabhatta. Both these works
are distinguished texts of Sanskrit
literature. His other works include
the Chandikasataka and a drama,
the Parvatiparinaya.
Bhagat Singh (September 28,
1907 - 23 March 1931): Bhagat
Singh was an Indian socialist and a
revolutionary. He was a
leader of Hindustan
Republican Association
(HRA). Bhagat Singh
killed John Saunders a
police officer seeking
revenge the death of
Lala Lajpat Rai. All the efforts of
police had failed to capture him.
Then he along with his companion
Batukeshwar Dutt surrendered to
British police as they threw two
bombs and leaflets which explained
their motives, inside the Central
Legislative Assembly. This led to his
arrest and subsequently jailed on the
charge of murder. He gained
widespread support of people as he
fasted for 116 days demanding equal
rights for Indians prisoners. He was
convicted and subsequently hanged
B-77
for his participation in the murder at
the age of 23 on 23 March, 1931 at
Lahore.
Begum Khaleda Zia (15th August
1945-): Begum Khaleda Zia is a
Bangladeshi politician who served
as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh
for two tenures (1991 to 1996 and
2001 to 2006). Her government
attempted to tackle the countrys
economic problems by privatizing
industry; improving educational
system and expanding the economic
opportunities available to women.
She is the first woman of Bangladesh
and second Muslim woman to head
a democratic government as prime
minister. She even became the
First Lady of Bangladesh during
her husband Ziaur Rahmans
presidentship. At present she is
he chairperson of the Bangladesh
Nationalist Party (BNP). She is also
known as Khaleda Majumdar and
Khaleda Zia ur-Rahman.
Sir Ben Kingsley (31st December
1943-): Sir Ben Kingsley is an
English actor who is known for
his role as Gandhi in film Gandhi
(1982). He got Academy Award
for Best Actor for playing this role.
In a career of 40 years, he has won
an Oscar, a Grammy, a BAFTA,
two Golden Globes and Screen
Actors Guild awards. He is also
known for his performances in the
films Schindlers List (1993), Sexy
Beast (2000), Lucky Number Slevin
(2006), Shutter Island (2010), Prince
of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010),
Hugo (2011), and Iron Man 3 (2013).
Kingsley was made a Commander
of the Order of the British Empire
in 2000, and a Knight Bachelor
in 2002. In 2013 he received the
B-78
BAFTA Los Angeles Britannia
Award for Worldwide Contribution
to Filmed Entertainment.
Bill Clinton (August 19, 1946-):
Bill Clinton is an American
politician who served
as the 42nd President
of the United States
from 1993 to 2001. He
served as Governor of
Arkansas from 1979 to
1981 and 1983 to 1992, and as
Attorney General of state from 1977
to 1979. He created the William J.
Clinton Foundation addressing
international causes such as
prevention of AIDS and global
warming. In 2004, he published his
autobiography My Life. In 2009, he
was named as United Nations
Special Envoy to Haiti, and after the
2010 Haiti earthquake he teamed
with George W. Bush to form the
Clinton Bush Haiti Fund.
Bimal Jalan (17 August 1941-):
Bimal Jalan is a former Governor of
Reserve Bank of India and a
nominated member of
the Rajya Sabha
(20032009). He held
several administrative
and advisory positions
in the government,
namely, Chief Economic Adviser in
the 1980s, Banking Secretary (1985-
1989) and Finance Secretary,
Ministry of Finance. The
government reappointed Jalan as
Governor of the Reserve Bank of
India, firstly between 22 November
2000 to 21 November 2002 and
again commencing from 22
November 2002 and ending 21
November 2004. He is the writer of
many books such as The Future of
India, Indias Politics: A View from
Most famous people of all time
the Backbench, The Future Of
India: Politics, Economics, And
Governance, The Indian Economy:
Problems And Prospects, Indias
Economic Policy, Emerging India:
Economics, Politics and Reforms
and Indias Economic Crisis: The
Way Ahead.
Binny Bansal (17th August 1941-):
Binny Bansal is a co-founder of
e-commerce platform Flipkart with
Sachin Bansal in 2007. He worked
with Sarnoff Corporation for 1.5
years where he developed a lane
sensor device for cars. Then before
getting rejected by Google twice,
he was associated with Amazon.
There he realized that the market
for E-commerce in India was very
small and led the foundation of
Flipkart. There he serves as the
Chief Operating Officer.
Bhisham Sahni (8 August 1915
11 July 2003): Bhisham Sahni was
a Hindi writer, playwright, and actor.
He was awarded the Padma Bhushan
for literature in 1998 and Sahitya
Akademi Fellowship in 2002. He
made his appearance in films like
Saeed Mirzas Mohan Joshi Hazir
Ho! (1984), Tamas (1986), Bernardo
Bertoluccis Little Buddha (1993)
and Aparna Sens Mr. and Mrs.
Iyer (2002). His novel and television
screenplay Tamas (Darkness,
Ignorance) is a powerful and
passionate account of the Partition
of India which in1975, won Sahitya
Akademi Award for literature. Two
of his masterpiece stories, Pali
and Amritsar Aa Gaya Hai, also
elaborate the time of partition. His
other famous Hindi novels include
Jharokhe (1967), Kadian (1971),
Most famous people of all time
Basanti (1979), Mayyadas Ki Madi
(1987), Kunto (1993) and Neeloo,
Nilima, Nilofar (2000). He died on
July 11, 2003, Delhi.
Birbal (15281586): Raja Birbal,
was an advisor in the court of the
Mughal Emperor Akbar. He was
appointed as a poet and singer
in around 15561562. He was
considered one of the navaratnas or
nine jewels in the court of Emperor
Akbar. The folk tales of India has
made him famous as he influenced
Akbar by his witticism. In 1586,
Birbal led an army to crush conflict in
the north-west Indian subcontinent,
which failed tragically when he was
killed along with many troops, in an
ambush by the rebel tribe.
Brijmohan Mishra (4 February
1938-): Birjumohan Maharaj is the
leading exponent of
the Lucknow Kalka-
Bindadin gharana of
Kathak dance in India.
He is a descendant of
the legendary Maharaj
family of Kathak dancers. Even
though dancing is his first love, he
also has an excellent command over
Hindustani classical music and is an
accomplished vocalist as well. He
took Kathak to new heights by
choreographing new Kathak dance
dramas. He remained as the head of
Bhartiya Kala Kendra (Kathak
Kendra) New Delhi till his retirement
in 1998. Then after retirement he
opened his own dance school,
Kalashram, in Delhi. He received
Lata Mangeshkar Puraskaar in 2002
and National Film Award for Best
Choreography Vishwaroopam
(2012).
B-79
Bismillah Khan (21 March 1913
21 August 2006): Ustad Bismillah
Khan was an Indian
musician credited with
popularizing the
shehnai. Khan is
credited with elevating
shehnais status and
bringing it to the concert stage. He
was awarded Indias highest civilian
honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 2001.
He became the third classical
musician after M. S. Subbulakshmi
and Ravi Shankar to receive such an
honour. He was awarded the Padma
Vibhushan way back in 1968 for his
contribution in Indian classical
music. He died on 21 August 2006,
at Varanasi due to a cardiac arrest.
Brijmohan Lall Munjal (1st
July, 1923-1st November 2015):
Brijmohan Lall Munjal is the
founder of Hero Group. He is
considered as a prominent figure of
Indian two-wheeler industry. Hero
cycle was officially born in 1956 at
Ludhiana. Before 1956 he along
with his four brothers was engaged
in bicycle spare parts business. Hero
MotoCorp remained as worlds
largest two-wheeler company for
14 years in a row. In 1984, Hero
joined hands with Honda a Japanese
company and became the worlds
single-largest motorcycle maker.
This partnership ended in 2011. He
was awarded Padma Bhushan in
2005 and Lifetime Achievement for
the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship in
2011. He died on 1 November 2015
in New Delhi.
B-80
B. K. S. Iyengar (14th December
1918 20th August 2014): B.K.S
Iyengar was one of the
most renowned Yoga
gurus in the world. He
is also known the
founder of the style of
yoga known as
Iyengar Yoga. Iyengar was one of
the contemporaries of the Tirumalai
Krishnamacharya, who is often
referred to as the father of modern
yoga. His most popular books
include Light on Yoga, Light on and
Pranayama and Light on the Yoga
Sutras of Patanjali. He has been
awarded the Padma Shri (1991), the
Padma Bhushan (2002) and the
Padma Vibhushan (2014).
Charles Darwin (12th February,
1809- 19th April 1882): Charles
Darwin was an English naturalist
and geologist, is best known for his
work as a naturalist, developing
a theory of evolution to explain
biological change. His studies of
specimens around the globe led him
to formulate his theory of evolution
and his views on the process of
natural selection. In 1859, he
published On the Origin of Species.
He died on 19 April 1882 at the age
of 73 at Kent, England.
Christopher Columbus (1451-
1506): Christopher Columbus was
an Italian explorer who sailed across
the Atlantic Ocean in 1492, hoping
to find a route to India (in order to
trade for spices). He made a total
of four trips to the Caribbean and
South America during the years
1492-1504.
Most famous people of all time
Charles Dickens (7th February,
1812- 9th June, 1870): Charles
Dickens was an English novelist,
and considered the greatest of the
Victorian era. Some of his notable
works are Oliver Twist, A Christmas
Carol, Bleak House, David
Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities
and Great Expectations.
Charlie Chaplin (16th April,
1889- 25th December, 1977):
Charlie Chaplin, a British comedian,
producer, writer, director,
composer is
widely regarded as the
greatest comic artist of
the screen and one of
the most significant
figures in motion picture history.
Chanakya (350 275 BCE): Chanakya
was a philosopher, economist and
royal advisor to the Maurya Empire.
He is also known as Kautilya or
Vishnu Gupta. He authored the
Arthashastra (Economics). He
served as the chief advisor to
Emperor Chandragupta and his son
Bindusara.
Chandragupta Maurya (340 BCE
297 BCE): Chandragupta Maurya
was the founder of the Maurya
Empire. He became the first emperor
to unite most parts of India into one
secular state. Chandragupta was
succeeded his throne by his son
Bindusara.
Charlotte Bronte (21st April 1816
31st March 1855): Charlotte
Bronte was an English novelist and
poet. She is best known for her novel
Jane Eyre and published most of her
works under the pen name Currer
Bell.
Most famous people of all time
Chinua Achebe (16th November
1930 21st March 2013): Chinua
Achebe was a Nigerian novelist,
poet, and professor. His debut
novel Things Fall Apart (1958)
is considered his greatest work.
He was awarded the Man Booker
International Prize (2007) and the
Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize
(2010).
Charles Babbage (26th
December 1791 18th October
1871): Charles Babbage was a
mathematician, philosopher, inventor
and mechanical engineer. He is
also known as the father of the
computer for inventing the first
mechanical computer.
Cyrus Mistry (4th July 1968-):
Cyrus Pallonji Mistry is an
eminent Irish entrepreneur and
the current Chairman of Indias
largest conglomerate, Tata Group
of Companies. The Economist
has described him as the most
important industrialist in both India
and Britain. He is the youngest son
of Indian construction magnate
Pallonji Mistry.
Chanda Kochhar (17th November,
1961-): Chanda Kochhar is the
managing director and chief
executive officer of
ICICI Bank. It is
Indias second largest
commercial bank and
the largest in the
private sector. She
started her career in
Industrial Credit and Investment
Corporation of India (ICICI) as a
management trainee in 1984. It was
after ten years she became Assistant
General Manager (1994) and
Deputy General Manager in 1996.
B-81
She joined Board of Directors of
ICICI Bank in 2001. Under
Kochhars leadership, ICICI
received Best Retail Bank in India
award in 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2005.
Kochhar was selected in Time
magazines list of the 100 Most
Influential People in the World
2015.
Chhatrapati Shivaji (9 February,
1630 -3 April 1680): Chhatrapati
Shivaji was the king of Raigad. He
was of Bhonsle
Maratha clan and
famous for his rivalry
with Aurangzeb. The
Muslim oppression and
religious harassment
on Hindus was witnessed by him
since an early age. At the age of 16,
he got ready to fight for this cause
and pursued it throughout his life.
He was famous for his gorilla war
and won a number of battles against
Mughals following this practice.
Charles Lamb (10 February 1775
27 December 1834): Charles
lamb was a writer and an essayist.
He is best known for his Essays of
Elia and the childrens book Tales
from Shakespeare. He was a member
of literary circle in England. He
published his first poem in 1796.
His best-known poem is The Old
Familiar Faces (1789), although
On an Infant Dying As Soon As It
Was Born (1828) is his finest poetic
achievement. In 1792 Lamb worked
as a clerk at East India House and
got retirement in 1825. He died Dec.
27, 1834, in Edmonton, Middlesex,
England.
Christine Lagarde (1 January
1956-): Christine Lagarde is a
French lawyer and the Managing
Director (MD) of the International
B-82
Monetary Fund (IMF) since 5
July 2011. In past she worked for
French Government as a Minister
of Economic Affairs, Finance
and Employment, before that as a
Minister of Agriculture and Fishing
(2007) and Minister of Trade (2005)
in the government of Dominique
de Villepin. She has the honour of
being first woman finance minister
of a G8 economy and first woman
to head the IMF. On 16 November
2009, the Financial Times ranked
her the best Minister of Finance in
the Eurozone.
Cleopatra (69- 12th August, 30
BC): Cleopatra was the Egyptian
queen succeeding her father Ptolemy
XII. She ruled from 51- 30 BC
successively with her two brothers
Ptolemy XIII (5147) and Ptolemy
XIV (4744) and her son Ptolemy XV
Caesar (4430). She is considered
to be last active pharaoh. After her
reign Egypt went into the hands of
Roman Empire under the kingship
of Octavian. She committed suicide
at the age of 39 on 12th August, 30
BC. She remained as a queen for 22
year.
Cyrus S. Poonawalla (1945-):
Cyrus S. Poonawalla is the chairman
of Poonawalla Group.
This group includes a
biotech company that
manufactures paediatric
vaccines. Forbes ranked
him the 9th and 208th
richest person in India and world
respectively. He was awarded the
Padma Shri in 2005 for his
contribution in medicine. His
interest in horse racing made him
the chairman of the Royal Western
India Turf Club. At the early age he
Most famous people of all time
has also experimented with cars and
built sports car modelled on the
D-type Jaguar.
Dr. B. R Ambedkar (14th April,
1891- 6th December 1956 ): Dr B.
R. Ambedkar also popularly known
as Babasaheb Ambedkar, was one
of the architects of the Indian
Constitution. He was awarded the
Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1990.
He was the nations first law minister
in the cabinet of Jawaharlal Nehru.
Dr APJ Abdul Kalam (15th
October 1931- 27th July, 2015):
A scientist and an administrator,
APJ Abdul Kalam served as the
11th President of India from 2002
until 2007. He was popularly tagged
as the Missile Man of India and
was honoured with great laurels and
awards like Padma Bhushan, Padma
Vibhushan and Bharat Ratna.
Dhirubhai Ambani (28th December,
1932- 6th July, 2002): Dhirubhai
Ambani was an Indian
business tycoon and
visionary. He was the
founder of Reliance
Industries Limited,
established in 1966.
Dhirubhai was named the Man of
20th Century by the Federation of
Indian Chambers of Commerce and
Industry (FICCI).
Dalai Lama (17th November
1950-): The 14th Dalai Lama
(Tenzin Gyatso) is the current Dalai
Lama. He received the Nobel Peace
Prize in 1989. Dalai Lamas are the
monks of the Gelug School which
is the newest school of Tibetan
Buddhism, nominally headed by the
Ganden Tripas.
Most famous people of all time
Dhyan Chand (29th August,
1905- 3rd December, 1979):
Dhyan Chand was one of the
greatest hockey players of all time.
He was the member of the team
which won three Olympic gold
medals in the years 1928, 1932 and
1936. Dhyan Chand was nicknamed
as The Wizard owing to his superb
ball control. He was awarded the
Padma Bhushan in 1956.
Dev Anand (26th September
1923 3rd December 2011): Dev
Anand was an actor, writer, director
and producer. He was
awarded the Padma
Bhushan (2001) & the
Dadasaheb Phalke
Award (2002) for his
contribution to Indian
cinema. His career spanned more
than 65 years with working in 114
Hindi films and 2 English films.
Dr. C.V. Raman (7th November
1888 21st November 1970):
Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman
was an Indian Physicist. He won
the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930
for his ground breaking work on
the scattering of light and for the
discovery of the Raman Effect. India
celebrates National Science Day on
28th February to commemorate his
discovery of the Raman Effect. He
was awarded the Bharat Ratna in
1954.
Dr Rajendra Prasad (3rd
December 1884 28th February
1963): Dr Rajendra Prasad was an
Indian politician and lawyer. He was
the first president of Independent
B-83
India. He was the President of the
Constituent Assembly that drafted
the Indian Constitution.
Don Bradman (27th August
1908 25th February 2001): Don
Bradman was a legendary Australian
cricketer and is acknowledged as the
greatest Test batsman of all times.
During his test career, his batting
average was a staggering 99.4 which
is often highlighted as one of his
greatest achievement.
Dadabhai Naoroji (4 September
1825- 30, June 1917): Dadabhai
Naoroji is known as the Grand Old
Man of India. He is an early Indian
political and social leader known for
criticising British economic policy
in India. He was an intellectual,
educator and Parsi cotton trader. He
presided over the annual sessions
of the Indian National Congress, in
1886, 1893, and 1906. He remained
as a member of Liberal Party
between 1892 and 1895. He was the
first Indian to be a British MP. He is
well known for his writing skills and
wrote number of books of which
Poverty and Un-British Rule in India
became most famous.
David Beckham (2nd May, 1975-):
David Beckham is a
professional English
soccer player. He is
the first English player
to win league titles
in four countries:
England, Spain, the United States
and France. Beckham announced
his retirement in May 2013 after a
20-year career, during which he won
19 major trophies.
B-84
David Cameron (9th October,
1966-): David Cameron is the 53rd
Prime Minister of Britain since
2010. He is the
youngest Prime Minister
ever since 1812. He
is leader of the
Conservative Party
since 2005 and has
been working as the Member of
Parliament for Oxfordshire
constituency of Witney since 2001.
After Winston Churchill of
Conservative Party during Second
World War he is the only one to
form coalition government. His
government introduced Welfare
Reform Act of 2012, the Education
Act of 2011, the Health and Social
Care Act of 2012 and the
Immigration Act of 2014. In 2011
he became the first British Prime
Minister to veto an EU treaty. He
received Order of Abdulaziz al Saud
Medal of Excellence in 2012.
Dara Singh (19th November,
1928-12th July, 2012): An Indian
wrestler and actor, Dara Singh is
famous for his signature
role of Hanuman in
Ramayana (198788).
His debut Bollywood
movie was Saat
Samundar Paar in 1967. He even
directed and produced a number of
movies. Imtiaz Alis Jab We Met
marked the last movie of his career.
In 1996 he was inducted into the
Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall
of Fame. His wrestling earned him
two titles: Rustam-E-Punjab in 1966
and Rustam-E-Hind in 1978. He
announced his retirement from
active wrestling in 1983. From
August 2003 to August 2009 he was
Most famous people of all time
a member of Rajya Sabha. He
passed away on 12 July 2012 in
Mumbai following a protracted
illness.
Derek Walcott (23rd January
1930-): Derek Walcott is a Professor
of Poetry at the University of Essex.
In 1992 he received Nobel Prize in
Literature. Other renowned awards
bestowed on him were 2011 T. S.
Eliot Prize and 2015 Griffin Trust
for Excellence in Poetry Lifetime
Recognition Award. His few of the
famous works include Dream on
Monkey Mountain and Other Plays
(1970), Omeros (1990), Tiepolos
Hound (2000) and White Egrets
(2010). He laid down the foundation
of Boston Playwrights Theatre in
1981.
Desmond Tutu (7th October,
1931-): Desmond Tutu is an
African Archbishop who received
the Nobel Prize for Peace for his
role in the opposition to apartheid
in South Africa. From 1972 to
1975 he served as an associate
director for the World Council of
Churches. He has campaigned
to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis,
poverty, racism, sexism, the
imprisonment of Chelsea Manning,
homophobia and transphobia. He
received the Nobel Peace Prize in
1984; the Albert Schweitzer Prize
for Humanitarianism in 1986; the
Gandhi Peace Prize in 2007; and
the Presidential Medal of Freedom
in 2009.
Dilip Shanghvi (1st October
1955-): Dilip Shanghvi is the
founder and managing director
of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries
Most famous people of all time
Ltd. He is one of the richest
businessmen in India. He started his
career by helping his father in his
wholesale generic drugs business in
Kolkata. In 1997, he acquired USA,
Caraco Pharma and Israels Taro
Pharma in 2007 and brought Sun
Pharmaceuticals to fifth place in the
global generic drugs market. On 19
February 2015, he is said to surpass
Mukesh Ambani as the richest
person of India. He won CNN-
Indian Broadcasting Networks
Indian of the Year award, 2011 in
the business category.
Dr. Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai
(12th August 1919 30th
December 1971): Vikram Ambalal
Sarabhai an Indian
scientist who is widely
regarded as the father
of Indias Space
Programme. He received
Padma Bhushan in
1966 and Padma Vibhushan in 1972.
He built a number of institutions like
the Physical Research Laboratory
(PRL), Indian Institute of
Management (IIM), Ahmedabad;
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre,
Thiruvananthapuram; Electronics
Corporation of India Limited
(ECIL), Hyderabad and many
eminent institutes. Establishment of
Indian Space Research Organization
(ISRO) in 1962 was one of his
greatest achievements. He died on
30 December, 1971 in Kovalam.
Elvis Presley (8th January, 1935
16th August 1977): Elvis Presley
was a musician and actor. He is often
referred to as the King of Rock and
Roll. He has won three Grammys
B-85
and also received the Grammy
Lifetime Achievement Award at the
age of 36. He acted in films such
as Blue Hawaii (1961), Girls! Girls!
Girls! (1962), and Viva Las Vegas
(1964).
Edgar Allan Poe (19th January,
1809 7th October 1849): Edgar
Allan Poe was an American writer,
editor, and literary critic. He is
considered to be the inventor of
detective and science fiction. Some
of his famous works include The
Raven, and The Fall of the House
of Usher.
Edmund Hillary (20th July, 1919
11th January 2008): New
Zealand mountain climber Edmund
Hillary was the first to
reach the summit of
Mount Everest. He
also explored Antarctic
(South Pole) in 1958.
He began climbing
south Alps when in high school only.
He served the Royal New Zealand
Air Force as a navigator during
World War II. From 1985 to 1988 he
served as New Zealands high
commissioner to India, Nepal, and
Bangladesh. The second-highest
mountain range on Pluto is named
in his honour as Hillary Montes. He
was added to the UNESCO Memory
of the world archive in 2013. Hillary
was named by Time as one of the
100 most influential people of the
20th century. He died on 11 January
2008, in Auckland. In 2003, he was
made an honorary citizen of Nepal
as a part of observance of the 50th
anniversary of his climbing to
Mount Everest.
B-86
Edmund Spenser (1552/53- 13th
January 1599): Edmund Spenser
was an English poet known for long
allegorical poem. Spenser is called
as a Poets Poet. His famous work
The Faerie Queene came to be
known as Spenserian stanza. It was
a long epic explaining the Tudor
dynasty and Elizabeth I. He is said
to be a craftsman of nascent Modern
English verse and is considered
as one of the greatest poets in the
English language. He died on 13
January, 1959 in London.
Elizabeth Taylor (27th February,
1932- 23rd March 2011): Oscar
winning Elizabeth Taylor started her
career as a child actress when MGM
Studios signed her to
cast in Lassie Come
Home (1943). She is
considered as a last star
of classical Hollywood
cinema and even
regarded as one of the
first modern celebrities. She won the
Academy Award twice for her
performance in Butterfield 8 (1960)
and Whos Afraid Of Virginia
Woolf (1966). One of her most
famous roles was in Cleopatra
(1961). She was the first celebrity to
take part in HIV/AIDS activism in
1984. She co-founded the American
Foundation for AIDS Research
(amfAR) in 1985 and The Elizabeth
Taylor AIDS Foundation in 1991.
She was honoured by the queen of
England in 1999 as Dame Elizabeth
Taylor. She died on 23rd March,
2011.
Edward Joseph Snowden
(21st June 1983-): Edward
Joseph Snowden is a computer
professional who copied classified
information from the United States
National Security Agency (NSA)
Most famous people of all time
and United Kingdom Government
Communications Headquarters
(GCHQ) while working in CIA.
These informations were related
to numerous global surveillance
programs, many run by the NSA
and Five Eyes with the cooperation
of telecommunication companies
and European governments. In
June 2013, he gave these classified
NSA and GCHQ documents to
journalists Glenn Greenwald, Laura
Poitras and Ewen MacAskill who
published it in The Guardian on 6th
June, 2013. Right now he stays as
a refuge in an undisclosed location
in Russia, seeking for asylum
elsewhere. A documentary on his
story, Citzenfour, won an Oscar in
2015.
Elattuvalapil Sreedharan (12
June 1932-): A retired Indian
Engineering Service officer
Elattuvalapil Sreedharan is popularly
known as the Metro Man. He
is credited with the leadership of
building the Konkar Railways and
bringing Metro to Delhi. In 1970,
he worked as the deputy chief
engineer of the first ever metro in
India, Kolkatta. He worked as a
managing director of Delhi Metro
between 19952012. Sreedharan
was appointed as Principal Advisor
of the Kochi Metro Rail Project
after retiring from Delhi Metro. He
was awarded the Padma Shri by
the Government of India in 2001,
the Padma Vibhushan in 2008, the
Chevalier de la Lgion dhonneur
in 2005. He served in a High level
Advisory Group on Sustainable
Transport (HLAG-ST) by United
Nation for the period of three year.
Most famous people of all time
Ferdinand Magellan (1480 27
April 1521): Magellan was a
Portuguese explorer who organised
the Spanish expedition
in which he assembled
a fleet of ships which
despite huge setbacks
and Magellans death,
accomplished the first
circumnavigation of Earth in a
single voyage.
Franklin D. Roosevelt (30th
January, 1882-12th April, 1945):
Franklin D. Roosevelt, commonly
known as FDR was an American
statesman and political leader who
served as the 32nd President of the
United States. Assisted by his top
aide Harry Hopkins, and with very
strong national support, he worked
closely with British Prime Minister
Winston Churchill and Soviet leader
Joseph Stalin in leading the Allies
against Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy
and Imperial Japan in World War
II. He is often rated by scholars as
one of the top three U.S. Presidents,
along with Abraham Lincoln and
George Washington.
Fa-hien (399-414 AD): Fa-hien
was a Chinese Buddhist monk,
pilgrim traveller, and writer, author
of one of the earliest and most
valuable Chinese accounts of India.
He travelled India during the reign
of Chandragupta II.
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (13th
August, 1926-): Fidel Alejandro
Castro Ruz, is a political leader
of Cuba who won the Confucius
Peace Prize 2014, for his important
contributions in eliminating
B-87
nuclear war after his retirement.
He is politically a MarxistLeninist
and Cuban nationalist. He served
as Prime Minister of Cuba from
1959 to 1976. In 1976 he became
President of Cuba and relinquished
the presidency in February 2008
because of health problems. Ever
since, he has been engaged meeting
the leaders of world emphasizing
the need to eliminate nuclear war.
Castro was the Secretary-General of
the Non-Aligned Movement from
1979 to 1983 and from 2006 to 2008.
Florence Nightingale (12th May
1820 13th August 1910):
Florence Nightingale was a
celebrated English social reformer
and statistician, and
the founder of modern
nursing. She was often
referred to as The
Lady with the Lamp
because she used to
make rounds of wounded soldiers at
night during the Crimean War.
Firdausi (934-1020): Firdausi is
known for his contribution to Persian
poetry. He wrote one of the greatest
national epics in world literature.
Firdausi was the pen name of the
poet called as Mansur ben Hasan
according to al-Bundari. He studied
philosophy, astronomy, poetry,
and astrology. His remarkable
work Shahnameh (Books of King),
consists of epic of nearly 60,000
couplets. It covers the history of
Iran covering four dynasties, the
Pishdadian, the Kayanian, the
Ashkanian, and the Sassanian. He
died in 102026, in Iran.
B-88
Francis Xavier (7th April 1506
3rd December 1552): Francis
Xavier was the co-founder of the
Society of Jesus. He
was a doctorate in law
at the University of
Bologna and severed
as privy counsellor and
finance minister to
King John III of Navarre. Francis
studied theology and arrived in Goa,
then capital of Portuguese India on
6 May 1542. Francis Xavier devoted
much of his life to missions in Asia,
mainly in four centres: Malacca,
Amboina and Ternate, Japan, and
China. He died on 3 December,
1552 at Shangchuan and was buried
there. His relics are kept in a silver
casket, elevated inside the Bom Jesus
Basilica, Goa.
Galileo Galilei (15th February
1564 8th January 1642): Galileo
was an Italian
astronomer, physicist,
engineer, philosopher
and mathematician
who played a major
role in the scientific
revolution during the Renaissance.
Galileo has been called the father of
modern observational astronomy
and the father of modern physics
and the father of modern science.
George Washington was the first
President of the United States,
the Commander-in-Chief of the
Continental Army during the
American Revolutionary War, and
one of the Founding Fathers of the
United States. He presided over the
convention that drafted the United
Most famous people of all time
States Constitution, which replaced
the Articles of Confederation.
Washington was unanimously
elected President by the electors
in both the 17881789 and 1792
elections.
Genghis Khan (1162- 18th
August, 1227): Genghis Khan
was the founder and Great Khan
(emperor) of the Mongol Empire,
which became the largest contiguous
empire in history after his demise.
Many people were slaughtered
in Genghis Khans invasions, but
he granted religious freedom to
his subjects, abolished torture,
encouraged trade and created the
first international postal system.
George Orwell (25th June 1903-
21st January 1950): George
Orwell was one of the sharpest
satirical fiction writers of the 20th
century with works such as Animal
Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four,
the latter a profound anti-utopian
novel that examines the dangers of
totalitarian rule. He was a man of
strong opinions who addressed some
of the major political movements of
his times, including imperialism,
fascism and communism.
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343 25th
October 1400): Chaucer was one
of the greatest English poets of
the Middle Ages. The Canterbury
Tales was his best known and most
acclaimed work. He is also known as
the Father of English Literature.
Graham Bell (3rd March, 1847
2nd August, 1922): Graham Bell
was a Scottish inventor, engineer
and innovator. He was one of the
primary inventors of the telephone
and did some groundbreaking work
Most famous people of all time
in the field of communication for the
deaf. He held more than 18 patents.
Gamal al-Ghitani (9th May
1945 18th October 2015):
Gamal al-Ghitani was an Egyptian
historical and political novelist.
He was also involved in cultural
and political commentaries. He
served as the editor-in-chief of the
literary periodical Akhbar Al-Adab
(Cultural News) till 2011. He
started writing at the early age and
published his first short stories at
the age of 14. He was trained to be
a carpet designer and even received
diploma in it, in1962. Gamal was
imprisoned from October 1966
through March 1967 for his critical
commentary on the regime of
Gamal Abd el-Nasser (President of
Egypt). In 1969 he switched career
and became a journalist for the
Egyptian newspaper Akhbar El Yom
(The Days News). In 1980, he was
awarded with the Egyptian National
Prize for Literature, and in 1987,
the French Chevalier de lOrdre des
Arts et des Letters. He died on 18
October 2015 in Cairo, Egypt at the
age of 70 years.
Garry Kasparov (13th April, 1963):
Garry Kasparov began playing chess
at the age of 6 and became Soviet
youth champion at 13. He won his
first international tournament at
age of 16 in 1979. Kasparov had the
title of international grandmaster in
1980. In twenty years of time (1986
- 2005) he was ranked world No. 1
for 225 out of 228 months. Kasparov
also holds records for consecutive
professional tournament victories
(15) and Chess Oscars (11). He took
his retirement from chess world in
2005.
B-89
George Eliot (22 November 1819
22 December 1880): George Eliot
was as English Victorian novelist.
She is known as Marian Evans and
Marian cross. She developed the
method of psychological analysis
characteristic of modern fiction. Her
major works include Adam Bede
(1859), The Mill on the Floss (1860),
Silas Marner (1861), Middlemarch
(187172), and Daniel Deronda
(1876). The Death of Moses, 1879,
From a London Drawing Room and
Count That Day Lost were few of
hers poems she wrote. She is known
to be writing with a politically astute
pen. She died on 22 December 1880
in Chelsea, Middlesex, England.
Girish Karnad (19th May 1938-)
Girish Karnad is an Indian actor, film
director, writer and playwright. He
predominantly worked for South
Indian cinema but
his contribution to
Bollywood is also
remarkable. His
started his career as a
playwright in 1960s.
His plays are mostly
based on history and mythology
to tackle contemporary issues. He
wrote his first play, Yayati (1961)
followed by Tughlaq (1964) which is
regarded as his best works. His Hindi
movies are Iqbal (2005) and Dor
(2006) as an actor. He directed Utsav
in 1984. He played a role of Swamis
Father in Malgudi Days (1987). He
served as the director of Film and
Television Institute of India (1974
1975) and chairman of the Sangeet
Natak Akademi, (198893). He is
a recipient of many awards such as
Padma Shri (1974), Padma Bhushan
(1992) and Jnanpith Award (1998).
B-90
Graham Greene (2 October 1904
3 April 1991): Graham Greene
was an English novelist and author
regarded as one of the greatest
writers of the 20th century. He
worked as a private tutor for some
time and then turned to journalism.
He first joined the Nottingham
Journal then shifted to Times as a
sub-editor. His first published work
was a book of verse, Babbling April
in 1925. Then his first novel came
out in 1929 The Man Within. He
got his first true success with the
publication of Stamboul Train in
1932. He wrote thriller stories. The
Third Man, the Ministry of Fear and
Brighton Rock were few of his novels
which were later filmed. He died in
1991 at age of 86 of leukaemia, in
Vevey, Switzerland.
Gulzari Lal Nanda (4th July 1898
15th January 1998): Gulzari Lal
Nanda acted as the interim Prime
Minister of India
twice. Firstly in 1964
he succeeded Jawarhal
lal Nehru after his
death and second time
after the death of Lal
Bahadur Shastri in 1966. Nanda
initiated his career as a research
scholar working on labour problems
at Allahabad University (1920
1921), and became a Professor of
Economics at National College in
Bombay (Mumbai) in 1921. In 1922,
he became the secretary of the
Ahmedabad Textile Labour
Association and worked there till
1946. He took part in non-
corporation and was imprisoned for
Satyagraha in 1932, and 1942 to
1944. He was awarded the Bharat
Ratna in 1997. He died on 15
January, 1998, Ahmadabad, Pakistan.
Most famous people of all time
Guru Nanak (15 April, 1469-
1539): Guru Nanak was the first
Guru of the Sikhs. He has been
regarded as one of the greatest
religious innovators of
all time. He travelled
extensively preaching
the concept of One
God dwells in every
one of his creations.
Through his preaching he set up a
unique spiritual, social, and political
platform based on equality, fraternal
love, goodness, and virtue. He
rejected the authority of the Vedas
and attacked the Hindu Caste
System. He also rejected the path of
renunciation (Tyaga or Yoga). He
emphasized a householders (family)
life based on honest conduct, selfless
service (Sewa), and constant
devotion and remembrance of Gods
name. His words are registered in
Guru Granth Sahib in the form of
974 poetic hymns. He died on 22
September 1539 at Kartarpur, India.
Guru Gobind Singh (22th
December 1666 7th October
1708): The tenth and the last Guru
Sikh faith Guru Gobind Singh
was a Prophet and teacher of Sikh
faith. The sacred shrine Takht Sri
Harimandar Sahib, (place where he
was born) is situated at Patna. Five
elements of faith that Khalsa Sikhs
wear at all times (Five Ks), was
initiated by him in 1699. He fought
11 battles. The most famous among
them was Battle of Bhangani.
He died on 7th October 1708 at
Nanded, India and passed Guruship
to Eleventh and Eternal Sikh Guru,
the Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
Most famous people of all time
Guru Dutt (9th July 1925 10th
October 1964): Guru Dutt was a
Hindi motion-picture
producer, director,
writer, and actor. A
postage stamp, bearing
his face, was released
by India Post to
honour him on 11 October 2004. He
made classics such as Pyaasa,
Kaagaz Ke Phool , Sahib Bibi Aur
Ghulam and Chaudhvin Ka Chand.
Pyaasa and Kaagaz Ke Phool are
now included among the greatest
films of all time, both by Time
magazines All-TIME 100 best
movies and by the Sight & Sound
critics and directors poll.
Gopal Krishna Gokhale (9th May
1866 19th February 1915):
Gopal Krishna Gokhale was one of
the social and political leaders during
the Indian Independence Movement
against the British Empire in India.
Gokhale was famously a mentor to
Mahatma Gandhi in his formative
years. He is the founder of the
Servants of India Society (1905).
Gunter Grass (16th October
1927 13th April 2015): Gunter
Grass was a German novelist, poet,
playwright, illustrator, graphic
artist, sculptor, and recipient of
the 1999 Nobel Prize in Literature.
His extraordinary first novel
Die Blechtrommel (1959; The
Tin Drum), became the literary
spokesman for the German
generation that grew up in the Nazi
era and survived the war.
George W Bush (6th July, 1946-):
George Walker Bush served as the
43rd President of the United States
from 2001 to 2009. He acted as
the 46th Governor of Texas from
B-91
1995 to 2000. Bush led the United
States response to the 9/11 terrorist
attacks and initiated the Iraq War.
He is currently a public speaker, has
written a memoir titled Decision
Points.
Hillary Clinton (26th October,
1947): Hillary Clinton is an
American Government Official,
U.S. First Lady,
Womens Rights
Activist. She served
as the 67th United
States Secretary of
State under
President Barack Obama from 2009
to 2013. She is the wife of the 42nd
President of the United States Bill
Clinton.
Hellen Keller (27th June, 1880 1st
June, 1968): Helen Keller was an
American author, political activist,
and lecturer. She was
the first deaf blind
person to earn a
Bachelor of Arts
degree. Her birthday
is celebrated as Helen
Keller Day in the U.S. state of
Pennsylvania.
Ho Chi Minh (19 May 1890 2
September 1969): Ho Chi Minh
was a Vietnamese Communist
revolutionary leader. He became
the Prime Minister (194555)
and President (194569) of the
Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
He started Vietnamese independent
movement from 1941 an established
Communist-ruled Democratic
Republic of Vietnam in 1945.
He achieved a major success by
defeating the French Union in the
battle of Dien Bin Phu (1954).
Though he officially resigned from
B-92
his post in 1965 due to health
problems but remained involved in
motivational work and inspiration
for those Vietnamese fighting for
his cause of a united, communist
Vietnam until his death. He died on
2nd September 1969, of heart failure
at his home in Hanoi, aged 79.
Isaac Newton (25 December
1642 20 March 1727): English
physicist and mathematician Sir
Isaac Newton, most famous for his
law of gravitation, was instrumental
in the scientific revolution of the
17th century. His book Philosophi
Naturalis Principia Mathematica
(Mathematical Principles of
Natural Philosophy), first published
in 1687, laid the foundations for
classical mechanics.
Indira Gandhi (19th November
1917 31st October 1984): Indira
Gandhi was the first female Prime
Minister of India and
also one of the main
figures of the Indian
National Congress.
She was Indias third
Prime minister and
served from 1966 to 1984, when she
was assassinated by her bodyguards.
She was also the recipient of the
Bharat Ratna.
Ian Thorpe (13th October 1982-):
Ian Thorpe is a freestyle Australian
swimmer. He also competes in
backstroke and as an individual
medley. He is the first to win five
Olympic gold medals in Australia.
He also considered as the most
successful athlete at the 2000
Summer Olympics with three gold
and two silver medals. 2001 World
Aquatics Championships was his
major success as an athletic where
Most famous people of all time
he became the first person to win six
gold medals. Till now he has eleven
World Championship gold medals
which the third-highest among the
swimmers. He is the first person
to be named as Swimming World
Swimmer of the Year four times and
had been the Australian Swimmer
of the Year from 1999 to 2003. His
achievements as a swimmer made
him one of Australias most popular
athletes. He was recognised as the
Young Australian of the Year in
2000.
Inder Kumer Gujral (4 December,
1919- 30 November, 2012): Inder
Kumer Gujral was the
prime minister of
India from April 21,
1997, to March 19,
1998. He was the third
Prime Minister who
was elected from the Rajya Sabha.
He is primarily remembered for the
Gujral Doctrine, a policy grounded
on Indias unilaterally reaching out
diplomatically to its neighbours
without the expectation of
reciprocity. He acted as an
Ambassador of India to U.S.S.R.
(Cabinet Rank) from 1976-1980 and
held various ministerial positions
from 1967-1976. During the
government of Prime Minister V.P.
Singh, he happened to be the
Minister of External Affairs and
again in 1996 when Janata Dal-led
United Front government came to
power. He died out of lung infection,
on 30th November, 2012 at Gurgaon,
Haryana.
Ibn Battuta (1304-1369): Ibn
Battuta, was a geographer, explorer
and traveller. In history, he is known
for his extensive journeys. He
travelled different parts of Islamic
Most famous people of all time
world covering North Africa,
West Africa, Southern Europe and
Eastern Europe in the West, to the
Middle East, Indian subcontinent,
Central Asia, Southeast Asia and
China in the East. It took him a
period of almost thirty years. After
his travel he returned to Morocco
and gave account of his experiences
to Ibn Juzay. This account has been
recorded in A Gift to Those Who
Contemplate the Wonders of Cities
and the Marvels of Travelling or
simply called as Rihla. He was
appointed a judge in Morocco and
died in 1368.
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar (26
September 1820 29 July 1891):
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was a
philosopher, academic educator,
writer, reformer and
philanthropist. He
is known for his
efforts to simplify
and modernize the
Bengali Literature. He
simplified and reconstructed the
Bengali alphabet. He even reformed
Bengali typography into an alphabet
(actually abugida) of twelve vowels
and forty consonants. He was very
Liberal in his outlook though born
in an orthodox Brahman family.
Vidyasagar championed the uplift
of the status of women in India. His
Barna Porichoy is still considered
a classic work. His popular books
were Betaal Panchabinsati (1847),
Upakramanika (1851) and Sitar
Bonobas, 1860. He died on 29 July
1891 in North Calcutta, Bengal.
Indra Nooyi (28th October 1955-):
Indra Nooyi Indra Krishnamurthy
Nooyi is a business executive,
currently acting as a chairperson and
chief executive officer of PepsiCo.
B-93
She joined PepsiCo in 1994 and
became its president and CFO in
2001. Nooyi purchased Tropicana
in 1998, Quaker Oats Company
and brought them under PepsiCo.
Padma Bhushan was awarded to her
in 2007. She has consistently been
ranked among the Worlds 100 Most
Powerful Women and in 2014, she
was ranked 13. She is first woman
to lead the soft-drink and snack-food
company.
Indu Jain (8th September 1936-):
Indu Jain, the 79-year-old industrialist
handles the philanthropic genre
of the Times foundation. She is
chairperson of The Times Group
and known for her Oneness Forum.
She is an active supporter of womens
rights. Times Foundation runs
community services, research groups
and relief funds for various disaster
reliefs such as floods, cyclones,
earthquakes and epidemics. She
encourages budding entrepreneurs
and believes in their abilities to shine.
She is also founder President of the
Ladies wing of FICCI. The Oneness
Forum was given the Mahatma-
Mahavira Award. International
Lifetime Achievement Award was
awarded to her by Indian Congress
of Women.
James Watt (19th January 1736-
25th August 1819): James Watt
was a Scottish instrument maker
and inventor whose steam engine
contributed substantially to the
Industrial Revolution
in his native Great
Britain and the rest of
the world. He
developed the concept
of horsepower, and the
SI unit of power, the watt, was
named after him.
B-94
John F. Kennedy (29th May, 1917
22nd November, 1963): John F.
Kennedy was the 35th President of
the United States. He served from
1961 until his assassination in 1963.
Major events during his presidency
include the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the
Cuban Missile Crisis, the building of
the Berlin Wall, the Space Race, the
American Civil Rights Movement
and early events of the Vietnam War.
Javed Aktar (17th January 1945-):
Javed Aktar is an Indian scriptwriter,
lyricist, poet and an accomplished
mainstream writer. He
is a recipient of the
Padma Shri (1999),
Padma Bhushan
(2007), the Sahitya
Akademi Award as
well as thirteen Filmfare Awards.
He along with Salim Khan wrote
classical Sholay which was released
in 1975 and proved to be an all time
hit.
Jawahar Lal Nehru (14th November,
1889- 27th May, 1964): Pandit
Jawahar Lal Nehru became first
Prime Minister of independent
India; a central figure in Indian
politics for much of the 20th century
and one of the main architects of
Non-aligned Movement. He was
very fond of children and they
affectionately called him Chacha
Nehru. In India, his birthday is
celebrated as Childrens Day.
Jackie Chan (7th April 1954-):
Jackie Chan is an actor, martial
artist, film director, producer.
Chan is a UNICEF Goodwill
Ambassador, and has championed
Most famous people of all time
charitable works and causes. He has
received stars on the Hong Kong
Avenue of Stars and the Hollywood
Walk of Fame.
Jan Koum (24th February, 1976-) :
Jan Koum is an internet
entrepreneur and computer engineer
of America. Apart from being CEO
and co-founder with Brian Acton of
WhatsApp, he entered the Forbes list
of the 400 richest Americans in 2014
positing 62nd rank. He was hired by
Yahoo as an infrastructure engineer
way back in 1998. He met Acton
while working at Ernst & Young
as a security tester. In September
2007 Koum and Acton left Yahoo.
Both applied, and failed, to work
at Facebook. Then Feb. 24, 2009,
he incorporated WhatsApp Inc. in
California.
Jagdish Chandra Mahindra
(1892-1951): J. C. Mahindra was
an Indian industrialist who co-
founded Mahindra &
Mahindra. In 1929, he
started with Tata Steel
as his first job. There
he worked as a senior
Sales Manager. World
War II was the critical time of steel
industry it was then when he was
appointed as the first Steel Controller
of India. Later in 1945 he founded
Mahindra along with K. C.
Mahindra and Malik Ghulam
Mohammed. After independence
when Ghulam Mohammad left
India and the company to be first
Finance Minister of Pakistan,
Mahindra brother decided to
manufacture the Willey Jeep form
Mumbai. Soon, the companys
name changed to Mahindra &
Mahindra. He died of a heart attack
in 1951.
Most famous people of all time
Jack Dorsey (19th November,
1976-): Jack Dorsey is an American
CEO and co-founder of Twitter.
He also serves as the founder and
CEO of Square, a mobile payments
company. In 2008, MIT Technology
Review TR35 named him as one
of the top 35 innovators in the
world under the age of 35. He got
Innovator of the Year Award in
2012, for technology. He has been
acting as a board member for Walt
Disney Company since 2013.
Jamshedji Tata (3rd March 1939-
19th May 1904): Founder of Tata
Group, Jamshedji Tata was the
pioneer of industrialization in India.
He worked in his
fathers company till
29 years of age, then
initiated his first
business by founding a
trading company in
1868. Next year he bought an oil
mill and converted it to a cotton mill
and named it as Alexandra Mill. He
sold that mill two years later for
profit. Then again in 1874 he
established another cotton mill at
Nagpur in 1874 and named it as
Empress of India. He had four goals
in life: setting up an iron and steel
company, a world-class learning
institution, a unique hotel and a
hydro-electric plant. He laid down
the foundation of Tata Group, Tata
Sons, Taj Hotels Resorts and
Palaces, Indian Institute of Science.
He died on19th May, 1904 at Bad
Nauheim in Germany.
Jayadeva (1200-): Jayadeva was
an Indian Sanskrit poet famous
for his epic poem Gita Govinda
which is a depiction of the divine
love of Krishna, and Radha. The
poem presents the dramatic form
B-95
of lovers attraction, estrangement,
yearning, and final reconciliation.
Two hymns, composed by Jayadeva,
have been incorporated in the
Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book
of the Sikh religion. He is known
for popularizing Dasavatara, the
ten incarnations of Vishnu. He
also institutionalized the Devadasi
system in Oriya temples. He died in
Odisha, India.
Jean Jacques Rousseau (28th
June 1712 2nd July 1778):
Jean Jacques Rousseau was a
philosopher, writer, and composer.
His novels inspired the leaders of
the French Revolution and the
Romantic generation. It led a way
to development of modern political
and educational thought. His
famous works Emile, Julie, or the
New Heloise, Solitary Walker and
Confessions moulded the opinion
of masses. His works were mostly
related with the notable ideas of
general will, moral simplicity of
humanity, child-centred learning,
civil religion, popular sovereignty,
and positive liberty. He died in 1778
at Ermenonville in France.
Jimmy Wales (7th August 1966-):
Jimmy Wales is a co-founder and
promoter of the online non-profit
encyclopaedia Wikipedia and
the for-profit Wikia web hosting
company. His first job was related in
finance. Later he chose to work as the
research director of Chicago futures
and options firm. In 1996, he with
two other partners founded Bomis (a
male-oriented web portal featuring
entertainment and adult content). It
brought him initial funding for the
peer-reviewed free encyclopaedia
Nupedia (200003) and its successor,
Wikipedia. Wikipedia was available
B-96
in a number of languages and
became one of the Internets most
popular sites by 2006. In 2008 Wales
served as a co-chair of the World
Economic Forum on the Middle
East. Same year he received Global
Brand Icon of the Year Award. In
February 2014, Wales was named as
one of 25 Web Superstars by The
Daily Telegraph.
J.K. Rolling (31st July 1965-):
J.K. Rolling is famous for her novel
Harry Potter series. Earlier she
worked as a researcher and bilingual
secretary for Amnesty
International. One day
on a delayed train from
Manchester to London
in 1990 she conceived
the idea of Harry
Potter series. She completed the first
book of this world famous series in
1997 with the title Harry Potter and
the Philosophers Stone. Then in
2007 she produced the final six
sequels, the last, Harry Potter and
the Deathly Hallows. Since then, she
has written four books for adult
readers, The Casual Vacancy (2012);
the crime fiction novels The
Cuckoos Calling (2013), The
Silkworm (2014) and Career of Evil
(2015). In 1999 she was honoured
with National Book Awards
Childrens Book of the Year.
John F Nash (13th June, 1928-
23rd May 2015): John F Nash
was a mathematician who was
awarded the 1994 Nobel Prize for
his contribution in Economics. His
contribution to game theory made
him Nobel Prize winner and got
the Abel Prize for his contributions
to the study of partial differential
equations. His work in mathematics
includes the Nash embedding
Most famous people of all time
theorem, theory of nonlinear
parabolic partial differential
equations and to singularity theory.
His theories are used in economics,
computing, evolutionary biology,
accounting, computer science,
games of skill, politics and military.
On May 23, 2015 Nash and his wife
were killed in a road accident on
their way home after receiving the
Abel Prize.
John Napier (1st February 1550-
4th April 1617): John Napier was
a mathematician, physicist, and
astronomer. He is best known as the
inventor of logarithms. He invented
Napiers bones and made common
the use of the decimal point in
arithmetic and mathematics. He
also made important contributions
to spherical trigonometry. A Plaine
Discovery of the Whole Revelation
of St. John (1593) is regarded to be
his most important contribution. He
died at Edinburgh in Scotland on 4th
April 1617. The crater Neper on the
Moon is named after him.
Jonathan Swift (30th November,
1667- 19th October, 1745):
Jonathan Swift was an Anglo-Irish
satirist, essayist, poet
and cleric who became
Dean of St Patricks
Cathedral located at
Dublin. He wrote
some of the most
memorable novels such as Gullivers
Travels, A Modest Proposal, A
Journal to Stella, Drapiers Letters,
and The Battle of the Books etc. He
is regarded as the foremost prose
satirist in the English language by
the Encyclopdia Britannica. He
originally published all of his works
under pen name such as Lemuel
Gulliver, Isaac Bickerstaff, Drapiers
Most famous people of all time
Letters as MB Drapier or
anonymously. He is also known for
being a master of two styles of satire
(the Horatian and Juvenalian). He
died on 19th October, 1745 in
Dublin, Republic of Ireland.
Jyoti Basu (8th July 1914- 17th
January 2010): Jyoti Basu was an
Indian politician belonging to the
Communist Party of
India (Marxist) from
West Bengal. He was
the longest-serving
Chief Minister in
countrys history. He
served as a Chief Minister of West
Bengal from 1977 to 2000. He
started his political career as a
student by organizing Indian
students studying in United
Kingdom for the cause of Indian
independence. Basu was elected to
the Bengal Legislative Assembly in
1946, contesting the Railway
constituency. In 1977, Jyoti Basu
became the Chief Minister and held
this position continuously for more
than 23 years. He died on 17 January
2010 at Kolkata due to pneumonia.
Julian Assange (3rd July 1971-):
Julian Assange is an Australian
computer programmer, publisher
and journalist. He is known as
the editor-in-chief of the website
WikiLeaks. In 2006, he co-founded
this company. WikiLeak produces
what is called scientific journalism i.e.
providing primary source materials
with a minimum of editorial
commentary. It came into limelight
in 2010 when it published U.S.
military and diplomatic documents
leaked by Chelsea Manning. He
has been under investigation in the
B-97
United States since then. In the same
year, the Swedish Director of Public
Prosecution opened the case against
him related to four sexual offences
that Assange allegedly committed. In
2012, facing extradition to Sweden,
he sought refuge at the Embassy of
Ecuador in London and was granted
political asylum by Ecuador.
Julius Caesar (13 July 100 BC-
15 March 44 BC): Julius Caesar
was a Roman statesman, general
and notable author of Latin prose.
He is well known for overthrowing
Roman Republic and the rise of the
Roman Empire. He was the first
Roman general to build a bridge
across the Rhine and cross it for
conducting the first invasion to
Britain. He is considered as one of
the greatest military commanders in
history by many historians. Julius
Caesar was posthumously granted
the title Divus Iulius or Divus Julius
by decree of the Roman Senate on 1
January 42 BC.
Karl Marx (5th May, 1818
14th March 1883): The German
philosopher, social scientist,
historian and revolutionary, Karl
Marx, was undoubtedly most
influential socialist thinker to
emerge in the 19th century. In
1848, he published The Communist
Manifesto with Friedrich Engels
and was exiled to London, where
he wrote the first volume of Das
Kapital (1867-1894) and lived the
rest of his life.
Khushwant Singh (2nd February
1915 20th March 2014):
Khushwant Singh was an Indian
novelist, journalist and lawyer. Some
of his acclaimed works include Train
B-98
to Pakistan (1956), Delhi: A Novel He gave up his career as a teacher
(1990), The Company of Women
(1999), Truth, Love and a Little
Malice (2002), and The Good, the
Bad and the Ridiculous (2013). He
was awarded the Padma Bhushan
(1974), Punjab Rattan Award (2006)
and Padma Vibhushan (2007).
Kalpana Chawla (March 17,
1962- February 1 2003): Kalpana
Chawla was the first Indian-born
woman astronaut in space. She first
flew on Space Shuttle
Columbia in 1997 as a
mission specialist and
primary robotic arm
operator. Later in
2003, Chawla was one
of the seven crew members killed in
the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.
Kabir (1398 or 1440 CE-1448 or
1518 CE): Kabir was a saint and a
poet. His writings influenced the
Bhakti movement in Hinduism. He
is revered by Hindus, Muslims, and
Sikhs alike.
Kiran Bedi (9th June 1949-):
Kiran Bedi is an Indian politician,
social activist, former tennis player
and a retired police officer. She was
the first Indian woman to join the
Indian Police Services. She was BJPs
CM candidate for the 2015 Delhi
Assembly elections against Arvind
Kejriwal. She lost the election from
Krishna Nagar constituency.
Kailash Satyarthi (1 January
1954-): Kailash Satyarthi works
for childrens rights and education
in India. He also advocates against
child labour. He is commonly known
for founding the Bachpan Bachao
Andolan in 1980. He has acted
to protect the rights of more than
83,000 children from 144 countries.
Most famous people of all time
to become secretary general for the
Bonded Labour Liberation Front in
1980. He started save the childhood
movement. He has received various
national and international honours
and awards including the Nobel
Peace Prize of 2014, which he shared
with Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan.
In 1999 Satyarthi was among the co-
founders of the Global Campaign
for Education. He came up with a
book Globalisation, Development
and Child Rights in loss in 2006.
Kanishka (127163 AD): Kanishka
was the emperor of the Kushan
dynasty, who was famous for his
military, political, and spiritual
achievements. His devotion and
conquest for Buddhism led to the
development of the Silk Road.
Images of the Buddha based on 32
physical signs were made during his
time. He encouraged both Gandhara
school of Greco-Buddhist Art and
the Mathura school of Hindu art.
The coin of his regime depicted
image standing Buddha.
Kiran Mazundar Shaw (23rd
March 1953-): Kiran Mazundar
shaw is the chairman and managing
director of biotechnology company
Biocon India Group.
She is also the current
chairperson of IIM-
Bangalore. In 2014,
she was awarded the
Othmer Gold Medal
for her outstanding contributions in
the field of science, especially
chemistry. The Financial Times
ranked her among top 50 women in
business list. In 2014, she is listed as
the 92nd most powerful woman in
the world by Forbes. She initiated
her career with a consulting work.
Most famous people of all time
Then in 1978 she became the partner
of Auchincloss (owner of Biocon
Biochemicals) in a new venture,
Biocon India. It produced enzymes
for alcoholic beverages, paper, and
other products. Within a year it
became the first Indian company to
export enzymes to the United States
and Europe.
Kofi Annan (April 8, 1938-): Kofi
Annan served the United Nations
(UN) as secretary-general from
1997 to 2006. He began his career
in 1962 as a budget officer of World
Health Organization. Since then he
has spent whole of his professional
career working with UN at different
administrative levels. He was
appointed as a secretary-general of
UN twice; for the first time in 1997
and then in 2001. He introduced a
reform plan that sought to reduce the
organizations budget and streamline
its operations. His other priorities as
a secretary-general of UN included
restoring public confidence in the
UN, combating the AIDS virus,
especially in Africa, and ending
human rights abuses. He along with
the United Nations was the co-
recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace
Prize for their work for a better
organized and more peaceful world.
He is the founder and the Chairman
of the Kofi Annan Foundation and
chairman of The Elders, a group
founded by Nelson Mandela.
Kumar Birla (14th June 1967-):
Kumar Birla is the Chairman of the
multinational Aditya Birla Group
which operates in 36 countries
across the globe. It is Indias third
largest business group. He also
serves as the Chancellor of the Birla
Institute of Technology & Science.
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He took over Aditya Birla Group
in 1995, after the sudden death of
his father. Under his leadership the
Aditya Birla Group has expanded
into new sectors including telecom,
software and BPO including textile
and garments, cement, aluminium,
fertilizer etc which existed during
his father time. Apart from handling
Aditya Birla Group, he worked as
a Director on the Central Board of
Directors of the Reserve Bank of
India. He was the Chairman of the
Advisory Committee constituted
by the Ministry of Company
Affairs and also served on The
Prime Minister of Indias Advisory
Council on Trade and Industry. At
present he serves National Council
of the Confederation of Indian
Industry and the Apex Advisory
Council of the Associated Chambers
of Commerce and Industry of India.
Kapil Dev (6th January 1959-):
Kapil Dev is a former Indian
cricketer best known
for leading his team to
a World Cup victory in
1983. He is regarded as
one of the greatest all-
rounders of all time.
He has received the Arjuna Award,
Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri and
many more awards for his
contribution to the game of cricket.
He was inducted to ICC Hall of
Fame in 2010.
Leonardo da Vinci (April 15,
1452 May 2, 1519): Leonardo
da Vinci was an Italian polymath,
being a scientist, mathematician,
engineer, inventor, anatomist,
painter, sculptor, architect, botanist,
musician and writer known for his
enduring works The Last Supper
and Mona Lisa.
B-100
Louis Pasteur (27th December,
1822- 28th September 1895):
French Chemist and Microbiologist
Louis Pasteur who came up with
the food preparing process known
as pasteurization also developed
vaccination for anthrax and rabies.
He is popularly known as the father
of microbiology. His scientific
accomplishments earned him
Frances highest decoration, the
Legion of Honour, as well as election
to the Acadmie des Sciences.
Louis Braille (4th January 1809
6th January 1852): Braille was
a French educator and Inventor.
He devised the Braille system of
printing and writing for the blind.
He was blinded accidentally in his
early childhood.
Lata Mangeshkar (28th September
1929-): Lata Mangeshkar is one of
the most renowned female playback
singers in Bollywood. She has also
been nicknamed as Nightingale of
Bollywood. She has been awarded
with numerous awards, including
Bharat Ratna, Padma Bhushan
(1969), Padma Vibhushan (1999),
Dada Saheb Phalke Award (1989),
Maharashtra Bhushan Award
(1997), NTR National Award (1999),
Bharat Ratna (2001), ANR National
Award (2009), three National
Film Awards, and 12 Bengal Film
Journalists Association Awards.
Lakshmi Mittal (15th June 1950-):
Lakshmi Mittal also known as the
Iron Man of Calcutta is the Indian
steel mogul. He is the Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer of Arcelor
Mittal, the biggest steel producing
company of the world.
Most famous people of all time
Lal Krishna Advani (8th November
1927-): Lal Krishna Advani is an
Indian politician and one of the
most senior leaders of the Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP). He served as
Deputy PM of India from 2002 to
2004 under Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He
was awarded the Padma Vibhushan
in 2015.
Lal Bahadur Shastri (2nd October,
1904- 11th January 1966): Lal
Bahadur Shastri was the Prime
Minister of India (196466) after
Jawaharlal Nehru. He was the leader
of the Indian National Congress and
was elected to the legislature of the
United Provinces in
1937 and 1946.
During first five year
plan he served as a
Railways Minister
(195156) followed by
various functions, including Home
Minister (1961-63) and External
Affair Minister (1964-66). He led the
country during the Indo-Pakistan
War of 1965 with the slogan of Jai
Jawan Jai Kisan. The war formally
ended with the Tashkent Agreement
of 10th January 1966. He died there
in Tashkent of a heart attack the
following day.
Larry Page (March 26, 1973-):
Larry Page is the cofounder of
Google Inc. He is the computer
scientist, internet entrepreneur
along with being CEO of Alphabet
(parent company of Google). In
1998, PC Magazine ranked Google
among the Top 100 Websites and
Search Engines. The following year
it awarded Google the Technical
Excellence Award for Innovation
in Web Application Development.
Then, in 2001 Page gave up his
post as CEO of Goggle and
Most famous people of all time
became president of the company.
He announced his rejoining as a
CEO of Alphabet. He is the board
member of the X Prize Foundation
(XPRIZE). The National Academy
of Engineering in 2004 elected him
as the winner of the Marconi Prize.
In October 2015, Forbes named
him as number one Americas Most
Popular Chief Executives.
Lenin (22nd April 1870- 21st
January 1924): Lenin, a Russian
communist revolutionary, served as
head of government of the Russian
Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
from 1917 to 1924 and
of the Soviet Union
from 1922 to 1924. He
was ideologically a
Marxist and his
political theories are
known as Leninism. He promoted
socialization of all property as
public property during his
administration. He overthrew
Provisional Government and brought
in Bolshevik administration. He also
abolished the Russian Constituent
Assembly and suppressed both left
and right-wing rivals and established a
one-party state under the new Russian
Communist Party. In 1921, New
Economic Policy, a mixed economic
system was introduced by him. He is
considered as one of the most
significant and influential historical
figures of the 20th century. He died
on 21st January, 1924 at Gorki in
Russian.
Leo Tolstoy (9th September
1828 20th November 1910):
Leo Tolstoy was a Russian author
and the master of realistic fiction.
He is regarded as one of the worlds
greatest novelists. His first published
B-101
work, Detstvo (1852; Childhood),
was a fictionalized and nostalgic
account of his early years. Tolstoy
is best known for his two longest
works, War and Peace (186569)
and Anna Karenina (187577). In
shorter works, The Death of Ivan
Ilyich (1886) is considered to be his
best novel. Boyhood, and Youth and
Sevastopol Sketches (1855) were
based upon his experiences in the
Crimean War. He even wrote plays
and numerous philosophical essays.
Tolstoys final years have been
presented in the movie The Last
Station based on the novel by Jay
Parini.
Lord Mountbatten (25th June
1900- 27th August 1979): Lord
Mountbatten was the last Viceroy of
India and the first Governor-General
of the independent Dominion of
India (194748). He joined navy in
1913 and subsequently, in 1932 was
promoted to captain. He served as
the Supreme Allied Commander
South East Asia Command during
Second World War, (194346).
Serving as a viceroy of India he very
efficiently administered the transfer
of power from Britain to the newly
independent nations of India and
Pakistan. As the governor-general of
India, he helped in persuading Indian
princes to merge their states into
either India or Pakistan. He became
the admiral in 1956 and governor in
1965. In 1979, Mountbatten along
with his grandson Nicholas, and two
others were killed by the Provisional
Irish Republican Army (IRA).
Larry King (19th November
1933): Larry King is an American
television and radio host, actor,
B-102
and comedian. From 1985 to 2010,
he hosted the nightly interview
television program Larry King Live
on CNN.
Mahatma Gandhi (2nd October
1869- 30th January 1948): Mohandas
Karamchand Gandhi, most
commonly known as
Mahatma was the
preeminent leader of
Indian nationalism in
British-ruled India.
Employing nonviolent
civil disobedience, Gandhi led India
to independence and inspired
movements for civil rights and
freedom across the world. Indians
widely describe Gandhi as the father
of the nation.
Martin Luther King Jr. (15th
January, 1929 4th April, 1968):
Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist
minister and social activist, who led
the Civil Rights Movement in the
United States from the mid-1950s
until his death by assassination
in 1968. King was posthumously
awarded the Presidential Medal of
Freedom and the Congressional
Gold Medal.
Mark Twain (30th November,
1835- 21st 1910): Mark Twain was
a pseudonym of Samuel Langhorne
Clemensas, an American humorist,
journalist, lecturer, and novelist
who acquired international fame for
his travel narratives, especially The
Innocents Abroad (1869), Roughing
It (1872), and Life on the Mississippi
(1883), and for his adventure
stories of boyhood, especially The
Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876)
and Adventures of Huckleberry
Finn (1885).
Most famous people of all time
Munshi Premchand (31th July
1880 8th October 1936):
Munshi Premchand was a novelist,
short story writer, and dramatist.
His famous works include Godaan,
Bazaar-e-Husn, Karmabhoomi and
Shatranj ke khiladi. He is one of the
most celebrated writers of the Indian
subcontinent.
M.S. Dhoni (7th July 1981-):
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is an
Indian cricketer and the captain of
the Indian cricket team in limited-
overs format. The middle order
wicketkeeper and batsman is known
for his attacking batting style. He
was awarded the ICC ODI Player of
the Year award in 2008 and 2009 (the
first player to win the award twice),
the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award
in 2007 and the Padma Shri in 2009.
Mother Teresa (26th August
1910 5th September 1997):
Mother Teresa was a Roman
Catholic religious sister
and missionary and
the founder of the Order
of the Missionaries of
Charity, a Roman
Catholic congregation
of women dedicated to the poor,
particularly to the destitute of India.
She received numerous honours,
including the 1979 Nobel Prize for
Peace.
Mirza Ghalib (27th December
1797 15th February 1869):
Mirza Asadullah Khan Beg was an
eminent Urdu and Persian language
poet. He wrote under the pen names
of Ghalib and Asad. He was one
of the most popular and influential
poets of the Urdu language.
Most famous people of all time
Michael Jackson (29th August,
1958 25th June, 2009): Michael
Jackson was a singer, songwriter,
dancer and an actor.
He is often referred as
the king of Pop. Some
of his awards include
Guinness World
Records, 13 Grammy
Awards, the Grammy Legend Award,
the Grammy Lifetime Achievement
Award and 26 American Music
Awards.
Mukesh Ambani (19th April
1957): Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani
is an Indian business magnate. He
is the chairman, managing director
and largest shareholder of Reliance
Industries Limited (RIL). He also
owns the Indian Premier League
franchise Mumbai Indians.
Mulk Raj Anand (12th December
1905 28th September 2004):
Mulk Raj Anand was a prominent
Indian author who wrote numerous
novels, short stories, and critical
essays in English. He is known
for his realistic and sympathetic
portrayal of the poor in India.
Marie Curie (7th November
1867 4th July 1934): Marie
Curie was a Polish-born French
physicist, famous for her work
on radioactivity. She was the first
woman to win a Nobel Prize, the
first person and only woman to win
twice, the only person to win twice in
multiple sciences. Her achievements
include a theory of radioactivity (a
term that she coined), techniques
for isolating radioactive isotopes,
and the discovery of two elements,
polonium and radium.
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Manna Dey (1st May 1919 24th
October 2013): Manna Dey was an
Indian playback singer. He debuted
in the film Tamanna in 1942, and
went on to record more than 4000
songs from 1942 to 2013. The
Government honoured him with
the Padma Shri in 1971, the Padma
Bhushan in 2005 and the Dadasaheb
Phalke Award in 2007.
Mick Jagger (26th July 1943-):
Sir Michael Philip Mick Jagger is
an English singer, songwriter and
actor. He is best known as the lead
vocalist and the co-founder of The
Rolling Stones. He was knighted for
his services to the music industry in
2003.
Mohammed Rafi (24th December
1924 31th July 1980):
Mohammed Rafi was one of the
most acclaimed playback singers of
the Hindi film industry.
He has won six
Filmfare Awards and a
National Film Award.
He has also been
honoured with the
Padma Shri in 1967.
Marco Polo (15th September,
1254 January 8 1324): He was
an Italian merchant traveller. His
book The Travels of Marco Polo,
1300 A.D. introduces Europeans
to Central Asia and China. He was
the first to leave a detailed chronicle
experience of his China visit. He
died in 1324 and was buried in the
church of San Lorenzo in Venice.
Muhammad Yunus (28 June
1940-): Muhammad Yunus is a
Bangladeshi social entrepreneur,
banker and economist. Yunus and
the Grameen Bank were jointly
awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
B-104
in 2006 for creating economic
and social development from
below. They provided loans to
too poor entrepreneurs to qualify
for traditional bank to establish
a business. He was honoured
with United States Presidential
Medal of Freedom in 2009 and
the Congressional Gold Medal in
2010. Yunus along with three others
in 2011 co-founded Yunus Social
Business Global Initiatives (YSB).
YSB creates and empowers social
businesses to address and solve
social problems around the world.
He was a professor of economics
at Chittagong University in
Bangladesh and he joined Glasgow
Caledonian University in Scotland
as a Chancellor in 2012.
Maria Sharapova (19th April
1987-): Maria Yuryevna Sharapova
a Russian professional tennis player,
who is ranked world
No. 4 by the Womens
Tennis Association
(WTA) is United
States resident since
1994. She has been
ranked world No. 1 in singles by the
WTA on five separate occasions, for
a total of 21 weeks. She is the tenth
women and the only Russian to hold
Grand Slam.
Madame Tussaud (1st December,
1761- 16th April, 1850): Madame
Tussaud was a French and the
founder of Madame Tussauds
museum of wax figures, in central
London. She learned this art of
making wax figures from Philippe
Curtius at an early age. Her first wax
sculpture was of Voltaire, in 1777.
During the French Revolution she
modelled many prominent victims.
Most famous people of all time
In 1802 she exhibited her work
alongside Paul Philidor show at the
Lyceum Theatre in London. She
travelled and exhibited her collection
throughout Britain and Ireland.
Finally, in 1835 she established a
permanent home in Baker Street,
London, where she worked until
eight years before her death. She
died on 16th April, 1850 in London,
England.
Mark Zuckerberg (14th May,
1984-): Mark Elliot Zuckerberg, an
American computer programmer
and Internet entrepreneur is best
known as one of five
co-founders, chairmen
and chief executives of
the social networking
website Facebook. He
launched Facebook
from Harvard Universitys dormitory
rooms. At the age of 23, in 2007,
Facebooks success made him a
billionaire. He was ranked 7th
richest American as his personal
wealth was estimated to be $44.6
billion by Forbes in October 2015.
As CEO of Facebook he receives a
one-dollar salary a year.
Madan Mohan Malviya (25th
December 1861- 12th November
1946): Madan Mohan Malviya
was an Indian educationist and
politician. He was
respectfully addressed
as Pandit Madan
Mohan Malaviya and
Mahamana. He
became the president
of Indian National Congress four
times. He founded Banaras Hindu
University (BHU) at Varanasi in
1916 and served as its Vice
Chancellor from 19191938. He left
Most famous people of all time
Congress in 1934 and joined Hindu
Mahasabha. He acted as the
president of special session of
Mahasabha in Gaya (1922) and in
Kashi (1923). He founded The
leader an English newspaper
published from Allahabad in 1909
and was the Chairman of Hindustan
Times from 1924 to 1946. He was
awarded Bharat Ratan in 2014. He
died on 12th November 1946 at
Varanasi, UP.
Madhubala (14th February 1933
23rd February 1969): Madhubala
was one of the most influential
personalities and beautiful actresses
of Hindi movies. She
worked in Bollywood
between 1942 and
1960. Her performance
in Mughal-e-Azam
established her as an
iconic actress of Hindi Cinema. She
did her first movie Basant (1942) at
the age of nine. Her first lead role
debut was at the age of 14 in Neel
Kamal opposite to Raj Kapoor in
(1947). Mumtaz Jehan Dehlavi was
her real name. After Neel Kamal she
assumed her screen name
Madhubala. She died at the age of
36 years on 23 February 1969 after a
prolonged illness (ventricular septal
and pulmonary pressure of the
lungs) in Mumbai.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh (13th
November 1780 27th June
1839): Maharaja Ranjit Singh
was the founder of Sikh empire in
Punjab which existed between1799
to 1849. He was first Indian in a
millennium to prevent the invasion
of the Pashtuns (Afghans) and
re-conquered the homelands. He
fought a large number of battles
most significant among them were
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fought in 1813, 1823, 1834 and 1837.
For his efforts he has been known as
the Lion of the Punjab. He was free
from religious bigotry, and was mild
in the treatment of his adversaries.
He completely renovated the
Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib)
at Amritsar. He died on 27th June
1839 at Lahore in Pakistan.
Malala Yousafzai (12th July
1997-): Malala Yousafzai is a
Pakistani activist for female
education. She is the
youngest among the
Nobel Prize winners.
Malala is a campaigner
of the right to
education, especially female
education. The movement started in
Swat Valley (her native) a northwest
region of Pakistan, where the local
Taliban had at times banned girls
from attending school, became an
international movement. She was
former blogger for BBC Urdu which
she used to share the prevailing
condition in Swat valley with world.
Time magazine featured her as one
of The 100 Most Influential People
in the World in year 2013, 2014 and
2015.
Manoj Night Shyamalal (6th
August 1970): Manoj Night
Shyamalal is an Indian-American
film director famous for his movies
The Sixth Sense (1999) and
Unbreakable (2000) and Signs
(2002). He worked as screenwriter,
producer and occasional actor.
His first film was a semi-
autobiographical drama Praying
with Anger (1992) as a student.
Wide Awake came in1998 followed
by The Sixth sense in 1999 in which
his work was recognized worldwide.
B-106
He is known for making movies with
contemporary supernatural plots
along with psychological thriller
and science fiction. He is known to
filming his movies in and around
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, his
home town. His films are mostly
co-produced and released by the
Walt Disney Studios Touchstone
and Hollywood film imprints.
Shyamalan in 1998 was awarded the
Padma Shri.
Martina Hingis (30th September
1980-): Martina Hingis is a Swiss
professional tennis player, known for
winning five Grand
Slam singles titles the
Australian Open
(1997, 1998, 1999),
Wimbledon (1997),
and the United States
Open (1997). Throughout her career
she has won 43 singles titles and 37
doubles titles. She has spent a total
of 209 weeks as world No. 1. Hingis
became youngest ever Grand Slam
champion and youngest ever world
No. 1 setting a youngest ever series.
Then in 2002, at the age of 22 she
got ligament injuries in both ankles
which forced her to withdraw
temporarily from professional
tennis. She returned back in 2013,
July to play the North American
hard court season, partnering
Daniela Hantuchov. Time in June
2011 named her among one of the
30 Legends of Womens Tennis:
Past, Present and Future.
Marconi (25th April 1874 20th
July 1937): Marconi was an Italian
electrical engineer who invented
long-distance radio transmission
and a radio telegraph system. He
even developed a law which came
Most famous people of all time
to be known as Marconis law.
He got Nobel Prize in Physics
in 1909 which he shared with
Karl Ferdinand Braun. He even
founded The Wireless Telegraph
& Signal Company (which became
the Marconi Company) in Britain
in 1897. Marconi made radio a
commercial success. He was sent
as plenipotentiary delegate to the
peace conference in Paris (1919),
where he signed the peace treaties
with Austria and with Bulgaria. He
was made marchese and nominated
to the Italian senate (1929) and
chosen president of the Royal Italian
Academy (1930). He died on 20th
July 1937 at Rome, Italy due to heart
attack.
Marry Kom (1st March 1983-):
Marry Kom is an Indian boxer from
Manipur. Her win at the First State
Level Invitation at the womens
boxing championship 2000 in
Manipur initiated her
boxing career. She
won five national
Championships from
2000 to 2005. In 2008,
at the Asian Womens
Boxing Championship in India, she
won a silver medal. In the same year
at AIBA Womens World Boxing
Championship in China she earned
the Gold medal which was her
fourth successive gold medal at the
championship. In 2012 at Summer
Olympics in London she won bronze
medal. In 2014 Asian Games, she
won a Gold Medal in Flyweight
category. She had been given Arjuna
Award (Boxing), 2003, Padma Shree
(Sports), 2006 and Padma Bhushan
(Sports), 2013 along with many
other honours.
Most famous people of all time
Marilyn Monroe (1st June, 1926
5th August 1962): Marilyn
Monroe is an American actress.
She became a major sex symbol in
1950s and began to be considered as
popular culture icon. She stated her
modelling career in the year 1944
after meeting a photographer. Her
acting career started with two short-
lived film contracts with Twentieth
Century-Fox (194647) and
Columbia Pictures (1948). After a
series of minor film roles, she signed
a new contract with Fox in 1951.
She played a lead role in the noir
Niagara, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
and How to Marry a Millionaire
which established her as a star. After
this she was imaged as a dumb
blonde. Monroe was found dead
in the bedroom of her Brentwood
home on 5th August, 1962 due to
acute barbiturate poisoning.
Medha Patkar (1st December
1954-): Medha Patkar is a
renowned Indian social activist and
reformer who initiated
Narmada Bachao
Andolan. She is the
founder of National
Convener of National
Alliance of Peoples
Movements (NAPM). She left her
Ph.D. to take part in the agitation by
tribals and peasants of Maharashtra,
Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. She
was a representative to the World
Commission on Dams. Patkar was a
recipient of Right Livelihood Award
(1991), Human Rights Defenders
Award and Mother Teresa Awards
for Social Justice (2014) along with
many other awards.
Megasthenes (350 290 BC):
Megasthenes was a Greek
ethnographer and explorer. His book
B-107
work Indica became famous. He was
the ambassador of Seleucus I of the
Seleucid of the Mauryan emperor
Chandragupta. He gave a detailed
account of India of that time. He is
regarded as one of the founders of
the study of Indian history in the
West.
Michael Faraday (22nd September
1791 25th August 1867):
Michael Faraday was the most
influential scientists in history.
He began his career as a chemist.
His main contribution is in field
of electricity and magnetism.
He discovered electromagnetic
induction, diamagnetism and
electrolysis. Inventions of
electromagnetic rotary devices
by him formed the foundation of
electric motor technology. Faraday
was the first and leading Fullerian
Professor of Chemistry at the
Royal Institution of Great Britain.
It is a lifetime position. The SI
unit of capacitance is named in his
honour: the farad. He died in 1867
in London.
Michael Schumacher (3rd January
1969-): Michael Schumacher is a
retired German racing driver. He is
known to win the
highest number of
world championship
and races than any
other driver in a career
which spanned 19
seasons. Michael Schumacher is a
seven-time Formula One World
Champion. He was named Laureus
World Sportsman of the Year twice.
Michael won two titles with
Benetton in 1994 and 1995. Then he
shifted to Ferrari and drove eleven
years for them. He won five
consecutive titles between 2000 and
B-108
2004. UNESCO named him as
Champions for sport in 2002 for his
contributions to sport and raising
awareness of child education.
Schumacher played voice role as
Ferrari F430 in the Disney/Pixar
film Cars. The French film Asterix
and Obelix at the Olympic Games
features Schumacher in a cameo
role.
Milkha Singh (1930-): Milkha
Singh has been the greatest Indian
Athlete the nation has
ever had. He has been
nicknamed as the
Flying Sikh. Milkha
Singh initiated
practicing sport after
he joined Army in 1954. Under the
guidance of his mentor Havaldar
Gurdev Singh, he received rigorous
training. Milkha completed 2nd in
the 200m and 400m race events at
Services Athletic Meet 1955. At
Melbourne Olympic Games 1956 he
represented the nation. Milkha won
Gold Medals in Tokyo Asian Games
1958 and 1962. At the Cardiff
Commonwealth Games he won
Gold Medal the same year. In Rome
Olympic Games (1960) he finished
second there. He was awarded the
Padma Shri in 1956.
Michael Phelps (30th June 1985):
Michael Phelps is the most decorated
Olympian of all time who won 22
medals in three Olympiads. He
began swimming at the age of seven.
He held a national record for his
age group at the age of 10. Michael
qualified for the 2000 Summer
Olympics at the age of 15 and
become the youngest male to make
a U.S. Olympic swim team in 68
years. He holds the all-time records
for Olympic gold medals (18, double
Most famous people of all time
the second highest record holders),
Olympic gold medals in individual
events (11), and Olympic medals in
individual events for a male (13).
Mihir Sen (16th November 1930
11th June 1997): Mihir Sen was
a long distance swimmer and the
first Indian to conquer the English
Channel from Dover to Calais in
1958. He became the only man to
swim across the Oceans of the five
continents in the year (1966). Mihir
was inspired by Florence Chadwick,
the first American woman to swim
the English Channel in 1950 and
started learning swimming. He was
awarded the Padma Shri in 1959.
Sen initially practised Criminal Law
at the Calcutta High Court as he
was a law graduate but later became
businessmen. The Government
of India regarded his company as
the countrys second largest silk
exporter and was thus awarded. He
died suffering from Alzheimers and
Parkinsons disease on 11th June
1997.
Mira Nair (15th October 1957-):
Mira Nair is an accomplished film
director, writer and producer. Her
film career began as
an actor and then she
turned to directing
award-winning
documentaries. Nair
made her debut with
Salaam Bombay which won the
Camera DOr (for best first feature)
and the Prix du Publique (for most
popular entry) at the Cannes Film
Festival. Mississippi Masala (1988),
Monsoon Wedding (2001), Vanity
Fair (2004), The Namesake (2006)
and 11901 September 11were few
of her best movies. She won Padma
Bhushan in 2012.
Most famous people of all time
Madurai Subbulakshmi (16th
September 1916-11th December
2004): Madurai Subbulakshmi was
a Carnatic vocalist and
the first musician ever
to be awarded the
Bharat Ratna (1998).
She is the first Indian
musician to receive the
Ramon Magsaysay award, often
considered Asias Nobel Prize, in
1974. At the age of ten she made her
debut at Madurai Sethupati High
School singing a Marathi song
Anada Ja on the request of her
mother. She did her first recording
Maragatha Vadivum for Twin
recording company in the same year.
She was capable of giving solo
performances even at the age of
seventeen. She got Padma Bhushan
in 1954.
Mike Tyson (June 30, 1966-):
Mike Tyson is an American former
professional boxer. He holds the
record of the youngest boxer to
win the WBC, WBA and IBF
heavyweight titles at 20 years, 4
months, and 22 days old. Tyson
successfully defended the world
heavyweight championship nine
times. In 1992, he was convicted
of raping Desiree Washington
and sentenced to six years but was
released after serving three years.
After that he tried to make his
comeback and in 1996, he won the
WBC and WBA titles. These wins
put him in the category of the men
in boxing history who regained a
heavyweight championship after
having lost it. Tyson retired from
professional boxing in 2006. He got
WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2012).
B-109
Muhammad Iqbal (9th November
1877- 21th April 1938): Muhammad
Iqbal was known as a poet,
philosopher, and politician, as
well as an academic, barrister and
scholar. He is widely regarded
as having inspired the Pakistan
Movement. He is regarded as one
of the most important figures in
Urdu and Persian literature. His first
poetry book, Asrar-e-Khudi came
in 1915. Apart from his poetry, his
Urdu and English lectures along
with letters have significant effect
on cultural, social, religious and
political disputes. Iqbal is regarded
as the Shair-e-Mashriq in South
Asia and Urdu speaking world.
The Pakistan government officially
named him a national poet. He
was the one to author the song
Saare Jahaan Se Achcha. He died
on 21st April 1938, at Lahore.
Naina Lal Kidwai (1957-): Naina
Lal Kidwai is an Indian banker. She
is currently the Group
General Manager and
Country Head of
HSBC India. She is the
first woman to guide
the functioning of a
foreign bank in India. Naina is also a
qualified chartered accountant. Her
first job was of an associate in Price
Waterhouse (19771979) and then
worked in ANZ Grindlays Bank
(19821985) as an investment
banker. She worked in Morgan
Stanley (India) between1994-2002.
Naina joined as vice chairman,
managing director, and head of
investment banking in 2002. She has
also received ALL Ladies Leagues
Delhi Women of the Decade
Achievers Award 2013 for
Excellence in Banking.
B-110
Narendra Modi (17th September
1950-): Narendra Modi is an Indian
politician. He is the
15th and current Prime
Minister of India since
26th May 2014. He
served as the Chief
Minister of Gujarat
from 2001 to 2014. He is the Member
of Parliament (MP) from Varanasi
constituency. Modi is known for his
unique initiatives like Swachh
Bharat Mission and Make in India
and Digital India. He was named as
the Best Chief Minister in a 2007
survey by India Today. He was
ranked fifth on Fortune magazines
second annual list of Worlds
Greatest Leaders in 2015.
Niccolo Machiavelli (3 May
1469- 21 June 1527): Niccolo
Machiavelli was an Italian diplomat.
He was a Renaissance historian and
a politician who is known as the
founder of modern political science.
Machiavelli is most notably known
for The Prince containing several
maxims concerning politics. The
Catholic Church banned The Prince.
His other works include On the Art
of War (1521) and satirical The
Mandrake (1524s). He died in the
city of Florence on 21st June, 1527.
Nelson Mandela (18th July, 1918
- December 5 2013): Nelson
Rolihlahla Mandela was a South
African anti-apartheid revolutionary,
politician, activist, lawyer, and
philanthropist who
served as nationalist
and the first black
president of South
Africa (199499). He
was the symbol of
global peacemaking; and won the
Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.
Most famous people of all time
Nitish Kumar (1st March 1951-):
Nitish Kumar has been the Chief
Minister of Bihar since 2005. He
belongs to the Janata Dal (United)
party. He became General Secretary
of the Janata Dal at the national
level. In 2001-04 he became Union
Cabinet Minister for Railways in the
NDA Government of Atal Bihari
Vajpayee. In 2005, he defeated
Lalu Prasad Yadav in the Bihar
assembly elections. He has won
three consecutive Bihar assembly
elections and remained as the Chief
Minister of Bihar since 2005.
Noam Chomsky (7th December,
1928): Noam Chomsky is an
American linguist, political
commentator and social justice
activist. He is known for his
groundbreaking contributions to
linguistics and his penetrating
critiques of political systems. In 1955,
professorial staff at Massachusetts
Institute of Technology invited
him to join their rank. There
he introduced transformational
grammar to the linguistics field.
Chomsky was awarded the Sydney
Peace Prize, 2011. The same year he
was inducted into IEEE Intelligent
Systems AIs Hall of Fame for the
significant contributions to the field
of AI and intelligent systems.
Norgay Tenzing (May 1914- 9th
May 1986): Norgay Tenzing was
a Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer
who is first to climb worlds
highest mountain (Mt. Everest).
He started climbing at the age of
19 years. Norgay participated as a
high-altitude porter in three British
officials attempts to climb Everest
from the northern Tibetan side in
the 1930s. In 1947, Norgay he again
participated in an unsuccessful
Most famous people of all time
summit attempt of Everest. He got
success in climbing Mt. Everest
in 1953, with along with Edmund
Hillary. TIME named him as one
of the 100 most influential people
of the 20th century. He died 7 May,
1986 at Darjeeling, West Bengal.
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose
(23 January 1897- August 18
1945): Subhash Chandra Bose was
one of Indias greatest
freedom fighters. He
revived the Indian
National Army,
popularly known as
Azad Hind Fauj in
1943 which was initially formed in
1942 by Rash Behari Bose.
Napoleon Bonaparte (15th
August, 1769 5th May, 1821):
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French
military and political leader who
rose to prominence during the later
stages of the French Revolution and
its associated wars in Europe. As
Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the
French from 1804 to 1814. Napoleon
dominated European affairs for
over a decade while leading France
against a series of coalitions in
the Revolutionary Wars and the
Napoleonic Wars. He won most
of these wars and rapidly gaining
control of continental Europe before
his ultimate defeat in 1815.
Neil Armstrong (5th August,
1930 25th August, 2012): Neil
Armstrong was an astronaut and the
first man to walk on the moon. He
was the commander of Apollo 11
which was the first manned moon
landing mission in July 1969. He
was awarded the Presidential Medal
of Freedom by President Richard
Nixon.
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N. R. Narayana Murthy (20th
August 1946): Narayana Murthy
is an industrialist and the co-founder
of Infosys. He started
Infosys in 1981 and
served as its CEO from
1981 to 2002 and
served as the chairman
from 2002 to 2011.
Murthy has been awarded the
Padma Vibhushan and Padma Shri
awards.
Nayantara Sahgal (10th May
1927-): Nayantara Sahgal is an
Indian Journalist and author. Her
writings are fictional based on
Indias elite responding to the crises
engendered by political change. She
belongs to the Nehru-Gandhi family
and is the daughter of Jawaharlal
Nehrus sister, Vijaya Lakshmi
Pandit. Some of her notable works
include Rich like us (1985), Plans for
Departure (1985), Mistaken Identity
(1988) Relationship, Extracts from
a Correspondence (1994) and Point
of View: A Personal Response to
Life, Literature, and Politics (1997).
She was awarded the 1986 Sahitya
Akademi Award for English. Sahgal
was recently in news on for returning
her Sahitya Akademi Award to
protest what she called, increasing
intolerance and supporting right to
dissent in the country.
Naseeruddin Shah (20th July
1950-): Naseeruddin Shah is a
renowned Indian film and stage
actor. Shah has acted
in movies such as
Nishant, Aakrosh,
Sparsh, Mirch Masala,
Albert Pinto Ko Gussa
Kyon Ata Hai,
Junoon, Mandi etc. The Government
B-112
has honoured him with the Padma
Shri and the Padma Bhushan. He
has been awarded the life
membership of International Film
and Television Club of Asian
Academy of Film & Television. He
won National Film Award for Best
Actor twice for his role in Sparsh
and Paar. He also played the part in
television series such as Mirza Galib
(as Mirza Galib) and Bharat Ek
Khoj (as Shivaji). He won Sangeet
Natak Akademi Award in 2000. The
same year he also got International
Indian Film Academy Awards
Artistic Excellence for Performance
in a Negative Role for Sarfarosh.
Om Prakash Jindal (7 August
1930 31 March 2005): Om
Prakash Jindal is known for
establishing business enterprise
Jindal Steel and Power. He was
appointed as the Minister of Power
in the Government of Haryana.
He won Legislative Assembly seat
of Haryana for three consecutive
years. He also served as a Member
of the Committee on Food, Civil
Supplies and Public Distribution
from 1996 to 1997. Om Prakash
was elected to Vidhan Sabha of
Haryana in February 2005. He was
in service as the Minister of Power
in the Government of Haryana at
the time of his death in 2005. He
received Life Time Achievement
Award in 2004, for his exceptional
input to the Indian Steel Industry by
the Bengal Chamber of Commerce
and Industry.
Oprah Winfrey (29th January,
1954-): Oprah Winfrey is an
actress, a philanthropist, publisher
and producer. She is famous for
hosting her own talk show from
Most famous people of all time
1986 to 2011 which achieved
internationally popularity. She was
both the youngest news anchor and
the first black female news anchor at
Nashvilles WLAC-TV in 1976. She
even acted in films like The Colour
Purple (1985), Beloved (1998), The
Bee (2007) and The Princess and the
Frog (2009). She became the narrator
of the US version of the BBC nature
program Life for Discovery, 2010.
Winfrey published O, The Oprah
Magazine from 2004 to 2008. She
was awarded the Presidential Medal
of Freedom in 2013.
Osho (11th December 1931-
19th January 1990): Osho is an
Indian spiritual leader with a
worldwide recognition
for his preaching on
doctrine of Eastern
mysticism, individual
devotion, and sexual
freedom. He is also
known as Acharya Rajneesh. He
travelled throughout India in 1960s
as a public speaker. He was criticized
for his views on socialism, Mahatma
Gandhi and institutionalized
religions. He also advocated a more
open attitude towards sexuality. He
took a role of spiritual teacher
having remarkable impact on
Western New Age which increased
markedly since his death. He died
on 19th January 1990 in Pune
because of heart failure.
Oscar Wild (16 October 1854- 30
November 1900): Oscar Wild was
an Irish playwright, novelist, essayist,
and poet. He is remembered for his
great novel The Picture of Dorian
Gray, his plays, as well as the
circumstances of his imprisonment
and early death. He published his
Most famous people of all time
first collection of poems in 1881.
In 1882, he undertook an American
lecture tour, delivered a staggering
140 lectures in just nine months. His
work The Happy Prince and Other
Tales were a collection of children
stories. His most notable plays were
A Woman of No Importance (1893),
An Ideal Husband (1895) and The
Importance of Being Earnest (1895).
Plato (428 BCE- 348 BCE): Plato
was a philosopher, as well as
mathematician, in Classical Greece.
He is considered an essential figure
in the development of
philosophy, especially
the Western tradition,
and founded the
Academy in Athens,
the first institution of
higher learning in the Western
world.
Pope Francis (17th December,
1936- ): Jorge Mario Bergoglio is
the 266th and current Pope of the
Catholic Church (becoming Pope
Francis), a title he holds ex officio as
Bishop of Rome, and Sovereign of
the Vatican City.
Pierre Cardin (2nd July, 1922):
Pierre Cardin is an Italian-born
French fashion designer. He
was appointed as the UNESCO
Goodwill Ambassador in 1991.
News of Pierre Cardins death
spread quickly in December which
was a complete hoax.
Petros Sampras (12th August
1971): Petros Sampras was one of
the greatest American tennis players
who started his career in1988. He
holds the title of world No. 1 earning
the nickname Pistol Pete. He
played his last game against Andre
Agassi in US Opens final and won.
He is the first professional to break
B-113
Roy Emersons pre-Open Era record
of 12 Grand Slam singles titles and
retired with 14 titles which includes
seven Wimbledon, five US Open,
and two Australian Open. He also
won five of ATP World Tour Finals
and two Grand Slam Cups and still
holds the ATP record of six year-
end No. 1 rankings, which were in
consecutive years from 1993 through
1998.
Pele (23rd October 1940-): Pele
is the retied football player who
played forward for Brazil. He is
considered to be most successful
league goal scorer in the world, with
541 league goals. In 1999, Pel was
elected as an Athlete of the Century.
Time named him in their list of 100
most influential people of the 20th
century. In 2013 he received the
FIFA Ballon dOr Prix dHonneur
in recognition of his career and
achievements as a global icon of
football.
Pingali Venkayya (2nd August,
1876- 4th July, 1963): Pingali
Venkayya was an Indian freedom
fighter. He was designer of the
national flag. The AIR (All India
Radio) Vijayawada building was
named after Pingali in 2015 to
honour his contribution in the
designing of the Indian flag.
A postage stamp was issued to
commemorate him in 2009.
Pope Benedict 16th (16th April
1927-): Pope Benedict 16th is a
religious figure and served as Pope
of the Catholic Church from 2005
till his resignation in 2013. He was
elevated to the papacy on 19th
April, 2005, upon the death of Pope
John Paul II, and celebrated his
Papal Inauguration Mass five days
later. He resigned from his post on
February 28, 2013 and became the
B-114
first pope to step down from his post
after Gregory XII in 1415. He was
succeeded by Pope Francis on 13
March 2013.
Pranab Mukherjee (11th December
1935-): Pranab Mukherjee is an
Indian politician and
government official.
He is the 13th and
current President of
India. He succeeded
Pratibha Patil (2007
12), Indias first woman president.
Mukherjee has also served as the
Union Finance Minister from 2009
to 2012. He has authored several
books, including Beyond Survival:
Emerging Dimensions of Indian
Economy (1984) and Challenges
Before the Nation (1993).
Prof. Max Mueller (6th December
1823 28th October 1900): Max
Mueller was a renowned German
indologist and Sanskrit scholar.
He was scholar of comparative
language, religion, and mythology.
Mllers special areas of interest
were Sanskrit philology and the
religions of India. The Goethe
Institutes in India are named Max
Mller Bhavan in his honour. Some
of his most important works include
Essays on the Science of Religion
(1869), vol. 1 of Chips from a
German Workshop; Introduction to
the Science of Religion (1873); and
Lectures on the Origin and Growth
of Religion (1878).
Pythagoras (C 570 C 495 BC):
Pythagoras of Samos was a Greek
mathematician and philosopher. He
is considered as the founder of the
movement called Pythagoreanism.
He is remembered today for his
famous theorem in geometry, the
Pythagoras Theorem.
Most famous people of all time
Pt. Ravi Shankar (7th April 1920
11th December 2012): Ravi
Shankar was an Indian musician
and composer. He is
best known for
popularizing the sitar
and Indian classical
music in Western
culture. After serving
as director of All-India Radio, he
began to tour India and the United
States, winning three Grammy
Awards and collaborating with
many notable American musicians,
including George Harrison and
Philip Glass. Shankar wrote two
autobiographies named My Life,
My Music (1969) and Raga Mala
(1999). He was awarded the Bharat
Ratna in 1999.
P.C. Sorcar (23th February
1913 6th January 1971): P.C.
Sorcar was a famous magician
in the mid-1930s. He preformed
internationally throughout 1950s
and 1960s. He is often regarded as
the Leonardo De Vinci of India as
he was mathematician, musician, an
accomplished aviator and an Indian
classical ballet dancer. He even
wrote a book Histroy of Magic
which was published in 1970. Sorcar
died of a heart attack at the age of
58 in Ashaikawa, Hokkaido, Japan,
on January 6, 1971, where he was
performing.
Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry (1929):
Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry is a
Parsi, Irish Indian construction
tycoon and chairman of Shapoorji
Pallonji Group Forbes Textiles and
Eureka Forbes Limited. He is the
single largest shareholder in Indias
largest private conglomerate Tata
Group. He is titled as the Phantom
of Bombay House. Pallonji is also
Most famous people of all time
the former Chairman of Associated
Cement Companies. He gave up his
Indian citizenship in 2003 to obtain
Irish citizenship, because India did
not yet allow dual citizenship. His
son Cyrus is chairman of Tata Sons.
A short biography of Mistry was
written in a 2008 book by Manoj
Namburu titled The Moguls of Real
Estate.
PT Usha (27th June 1964-): P T
Usha is an Indian field and track
athlete. She is one of
the most famous and
successful female
athlete India has ever
produced. She earned
the titles such as
Queen of Indian Track and Payyoli
Express owing to her extra-ordinary
performance at the track. She has
won 101 international medals so far.
She has been conferred with the
Padma Shri and the Arjuna Award
in 1984.
Panini (450350 B.C.): Panini
is known for his contribution to
classical Sanskrit grammar. Paninis
rules of grammar rely on two simple
concepts: that all nouns are derived
from verbs, and that all words
derivation takes place through
suffixes. Paninis work became
known in 19th century Europe.
India released a stamp in honour of
Panini in 2004.
Paul Allen (21st January 1953-):
Paul Allen is the founder and
chairman of Vulcan Inc but best
known as a co-founder of Microsoft,
alongside Bill Gates. He was
estimated to be the 51st richest person
in the world. He has also invested in
technology and media companies,
B-115
real estate holdings, and stakes in
other companies. Allen has financed
a variety of wildlife conservation
projects. He was conferred with the
Champion for Global Health Award
(2015) by Centre for Infectious
Disease Research, for his leadership
and efforts to fight Ebola.
Rabindranath Tagore (7th May
1861 7th August 1941):
Rabindranath Tagore was a painter,
author, screenwriter,
poet, and playwright.
Tagore became the
first non-European
person to win the
Nobel Prize in
Literature in 1913. Some of his best-
known works are Gitanjali (Song
Offerings), Gora (Fair-Faced) and
Ghare-Baire (The Home and the
World). His compositions were
taken up as the national anthem for
India and Bangladesh.
Rudyard Kipling (30th December
1865 18th January 1936):
Kipling was a poet, novelist and a
short story writer. His famous works
include The Jungle Book (1894),
Kim (1901), and many short stories
including The Man Who Would
Be King (1888). Some of known
poems include Mandalay (1890),
Gunga Din (1890). He received the
Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907.
Raja Rammohan Roy (22nd May
1772 27th September 1833):
Raja Rammohan Roy was an Indian
religious, social, and educational
reformer. He is renowned for his
efforts in the abolishment of the
practice of sati. He is often called the
father of modern India.
B-116
R. K. Narayan (10th October
1906 13th May 2001): R. K.
Narayan was an Indian writer and
journalist. Some of his
notable works include
The English Teacher
(1945), Waiting for the
Mahatma (1955), The
Guide (1958), The
Man-Eater of Malgudi (1961), The
Vendor of Sweets (1967), and A
Tiger for Malgudi (1983). He
received AC Benson Medal from the
Royal Society of Literature, the
Padma Bhushan and the Padma
Vibhushan.
Razia Sultan (1205 13th
October, 1240): Razia Sultan was
the female Muslim female ruler. She
was the Sultan of Delhi from 1236
to May 1240.
Robert Clive (29th September
1725 22nd November 1774):
Robert Clive was the Commander-
in-Chief of British India. He
defeated the French and made
possible 200 years of British rule
in the Indian subcontinent. He
defeated Siraj-ud-Daula at the Battle
of Plassey in 1757.
Richard Branson (18th July
1950-): Sir Richard Charles
Nicholas Branson, founder of Virgin
Group is an English businessman
and investor. His first business
project was a magazine called
Student at the age of sixteen. Then
in 1970, he set up a mail-order record
business and in 1972, he opened
a chain of record stores. Virgin
Records, later came to be known
as Virgin Megastores. In 1980s he
set up Virgin Atlantic expanding
Virgin Records music label. Forbes
listed Bransons estimated net worth
Most famous people of all time
at US $5 billion in July 2015. He
became a founding sponsor of the
International Centre for Missing &
Exploited Children in 1999.
Raghuram Rajan (3rd February
1963-): Raghuram Rajan a financial
economist, is the current and the
23rd Governor of the Reserve Bank
of India. He succeeded Duvvuri
Subbarao on 5th September 2013.
He was appointed as the Economic
Counsellor and Director of Research
at the International Monetary Fund
in 2003. His biggest achievement
as s RBI governor was his success
in bringing down retail inflation to
3.78% in July 2015 from 9.8% in
September 2013. Rajan was awarded
the Fischer Black Prize in 2003.
Raj Kapoor (14th December 1924
2nd June 1988): Raj Kapoor was
a film actor, director
and producer of Hindi
films. He was also
known as the show
man of Indian
Cinema. He has won
two National Film Awards and nine
Filmfare Awards. He was nominated
twice for the Palme dOr grand prize
at the Cannes Film Festival for his
films Awaara (1951) and Boot Polish
(1954).
Rahul Bajaj (10th June 1938-): Rahul
Bajaj is an Indian businessman,
industrialist, politician, and a
member of the Indian Parliament.
Bajaj is the Chairman of the Bajaj
Group, which ranks among the top
10 business houses in India. He
was awarded the Padma Bhushan
in 2001. In 2015, Forbes estimated
his net worth to be US $ 2.7 Billion
making him one of Indias top 50
richest persons.
Most famous people of all time
Raja Ravi Varma (29th April
1848 2nd October 1906): Raja
Ravi Varma was a renowned Indian
painter who greatly influenced
the future generations of Indian
painters. He is known for his
amazing paintings, which revolve
mainly around the great epics of
Mahabharata and Ramayana.
Varma was awarded the Kaisar-
i-Hind Gold by Lord Curzon, on
behalf of the British King Emperor.
In 2013, a crater on Mercury was
named in the honour of this greater
Indian painter.
RK Laxman (24th October 1921
26th January 2015): R. K. Laxman
was an Indian cartoonist who
created the comic strip You Said It,
featuring the Common Mana
silent observer representing the
average Indian. He was awarded
The Ramon Magsaysay Award in
1984 in the category of Journalism,
Literature, and the Creative
Communication Arts (JLCCA).
He was also awarded the Padma
Vibhushan in 2005. He wrote few
novels such as The Hotel Riviera
(1988) and The Messenger (1993),
the short-story collection Servants of
India (2000), and an autobiography,
The Tunnel of Time (1998).
Rakesh Sharma (13th January
1949-): Rakesh is a former Indian
Test Pilot and Cosmonaut. He was
the first Indian, and
the only Indian
national to travel in
space. He was
conferred with the
honour of Hero of
Soviet Union upon his
return from space. The Hero of
Soviet Union and the Ashoka
Chakra Award were two of the
accolades given to honour his
achievements in space travel.
B-117
Ratan Tata (28th December -):
Ratan Tata is an Indian businessman,
investor, philanthropist and
chairman Emeritus of Tata Group
(19912012). He was
succeeded by Cyrus
Mistry on 28th
December, 2012.
Under his leadership,
Tata Tea acquired
Tetley, Tata Motors acquired Jaguar
Land Rover and Tata Steel acquired
Corus. Tata was awarded the Padma
Bhushan in 2000 and Padma
Vibhushan in 2008. He was also
awarded the Lifetime Achievement
Award by Rockefeller Foundation in
2012.
Ram Manohar Lohia (23rd March
1910 12th October 1967): Ram
Manohar Lohia was an Indian
Freedom Fighter, Socialist and
Political Leader. Lohia sparked
controversy when he wrote a
pamphlet 25000 rupees in a day
stating that the amount of money
spent on then prime minister
Jawahar Lal Nehru was way more
than the country could afford when
majority of the population lived on 3
annas a day. He was bestowed with
numerous nobilities including the
naming of Dr. Rammanohar Lohia
Hospital after him to honour his
memory.
Robert Boyle (25th January
1627 31st December 1691):
Robert Boyle was an Anglo-Irish
philosopher, inventor and writer. He
discovered Boyles Law the first of
the gas laws relating the pressure of
a gas to its volume. Boyle is regarded
as the first modern chemist, and
also as one of the founders of
modern chemistry. Among his
most influential writings was The
B-118
Sceptical Chymist (1661) which is
seen as a cornerstone book in the
field of chemistry. As a founder of
the Royal Society, he was elected a
Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS)
in 1663.
Ruskin Bond (19th May 1934-):
Ruskin Bond is an eminent
contemporary Indian writer of
British descent. The Indian Council
for Child Education
recognized his role in
the growth of
childrens literature in
India. Some of other
notable works of
Ruskin Bond include Blue Umbrella,
A Flight of Pigeons, The Room on
the Roof, Vagrants in the Valley, The
Lamp is Lit and Funny Side Up. He
was awarded the Sahitya Academy
Award in 1992 for Our Trees Still
Grow in Dehra, for his published
work in English, the Padma Shri in
1999 and Padma Bhushan in 2014.
Socrates (470 BCE- 399 BCE):
Socrates was a classical Greek
(Athenian) philosopher credited
as one of the founders of Western
philosophy known chiefly through
the accounts of classical writers,
especially the writings of his students
Plato and Xenophon and the plays
of his contemporary Aristophanes.
At the age of 70, he was put to
trial on a charge of impiety and
sentenced to death by poisoning (the
poison probably being hemlock) by a
jury of his fellow citizens.
Rohit Bansal (not available):
Rohit Bansal is one of the youngest
entrepreneurs of India. Bansal
cofounded Snapdeal along with his
school friend Kunal Bahl on 4th
February, 2010. Currently he is the
COO of the e-commerce platform
Snapdeal.
Most famous people of all time
Ronald Reagan (6th February,
1911 5th June, 2004): Ronald
Wilson Reagan was the 40th
President of the United States and
the Governor of California. Reagan
initially had chosen a career in
entertainment, appearing in more
than 50 films. He was honoured
with numerous prestigious awards
worldwide, including American
Presidential Medal of Freedom,
Republican Senatorial Medal of
Freedom, Congressional Gold
Medal, Honorary Knight Grand
Cross of the Order of the Bath- one
of the highest British order, and
Japans Grand Cordon of the Order
of the Chrysanthemum.
Steve Jobs (24th February 1955-
5th October 2011): Steve Jobs was
as an American trailblazer of the
personal computer revolution of
the 1970s along with an engineer,
inventor. He co-founded Apple
Computers with Steve Wozniak.
In 2007, Jobs was named the most
powerful person in business by
Fortune magazine.
Sigmund Freud (6th May, 1856
23rd September, 1939): Sigmund
Freud was a physiologist,
psychologist and influential thinker
of the early twentieth
century. Freud was the
founding father of
Psychoanalysis (the
talking cure), a method
for treating mental
illness and also a theory which
explains human behaviour.
Sarojini Naidu (13th February
1879- 2nd March 1949): A poet,
freedom fighter and great orator,
Sarojini Naidu was the first Indian
woman to become the President
of the Indian National Congress
Most famous people of all time
and also the first woman to be the
governor of a state in India. She
was famously known as Bharatiya
Kokila (The Nightingale of India).
Some of her famous works are The
golden threshold (1905), The bird
of time (1912), and The broken
wing (1912) which attracted huge
readership.
Srinivasa Ramanujan (22nd
December 1887- 26th April 1920):
Noted Indian mathematician and
autodidact Srinivasa Ramanujan
is known for his extraordinary
contributions to mathematical
analysis, number theory, infinite
series, and continued fractions. His
papers were published in English
and European journals. In 1918, he
was elected to the Royal Society of
London.
S. Radhakrishnan (5th September
1888 17th April 1975): Sarvepalli
Radhakrishnan, was a philosopher
and statesman. He was the first Vice
President of India (19521962) and
the second President of India (1962
to 1967). His birthday is celebrated
as Teachers Day on 5th September.
He was awarded the Bharat Ratna in
1954.
Swami Vivekanand (12th January
1863 4th July 1902): Swami
Vivekanand, was a monk and
philosopher. He founded the
Ramakrishna Math and the
Ramakrishna Mission. He is best
known for his speech, Sisters and
brothers of America ..., at the
Worlds Religions in Chicago in
1893. His birthday is celebrated
there as National Youth Day.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (31st
October 1875 15th December
1950): Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was
an Indian barrister and statesman.
B-119
Patel was the first Deputy Prime
Minister and Home Minister of
India. He was also referred to as
Iron Man of India. Vallabhbhai
was posthumously awarded the
Bharat Ratna in 1991. His birthday
is celebrated as Rashtriya Ekta
Diwas (National Unity Day).
Sachin Tendulkar (24th April
1973-): Sachin Tendulkar is a
former Indian cricketer and captain.
He is considered to be the greatest
cricketer in the world of cricket.
He is the first sportsperson and
youngest person to be conferred the
Bharat Ratna. He received a number
of awards including Arjuna Award
(1994), Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna
(1997), Padma Shri (1999) and
Padma Vibhushan (2008).
Salim Ali (12th November 1896
20th June 1987): Salim Ali is one
of the greatest Indian ornithologists
and naturalists of all time. He is also
known as the birdman of India. Ali
was one of the very first scientists to
carry out systematic bird surveys in
India and abroad.
Shabana Azmi (18th September
1950-): Shabana Azmi is a
renowned actress of film, television,
theatre and a social activist. She has
the record of five National Film
Awards for Best Actress. She is also
the Goodwill Ambassador of the
United Nations Population Fund
(UNPFA).
Sabeer Bhatia (30th December
1968-): Sabeer Bhatia is an Indian
entrepreneur and co-founder of
Hotmail, one of the first free e-mail
services in the world.
B-120
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (22nd
May 1859 7th July 1930): Sir
Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was
a British writer and physician.
He is renowned for his fictional
stories about the detective Sherlock
Holmes, which are generally
considered milestones in the field of
crime fiction.
Steffi Graf (14th June 1969-):
Steffi Graf is a former German
tennis player who won 22 Grand
Slam singles titles. She and Margaret
Court are the only players, male
or female, to win 3 grand slams
in a calendar year 5 times (1988,
1989, 1993, 1995 and 1996). Graf
dominated womens tennis in the
late 1980s and 90s.
Satyajit Ray (2nd May 1921
23rd April 1992): Satyajit Ray one
of the greatest filmmakers of the
20th century, started his career as a
commercial artist. He was a director,
producer, screenwriter,
and writer. Ray
directed 36 films,
including feature films,
documentaries and
shorts. Rays first film,
Pather Panchali (1955), won eleven
international prizes, including the
Best Human Document at the 1956
Cannes Film Festival. Ray was
honoured with Bharat Ratna in 1992
and Dadasaheb Phalke Award
in1965 and with the Padma Bhushan
in 1965. He received an honorary
Hommage Satyajit Ray award at On 18th January 2005, the fiftieth
the 1982 Cannes Film Festival. He
died on 23 April 1992 at the age of
71.
Most famous people of all time
Stephen Hawking (8th January
1942-): Stephen Hawking is a
physicist, cosmologist, author and
the Director of Research at the
Centre for Theoretical Cosmology
at the University of Cambridge. He
is the member of the Royal Society
of Arts, a lifetime member of the
Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and
a recipient of the Presidential Medal
of Freedom, the highest civilian
award in the United States. He
authored the book A Brief History
of Time.
Shah Jahan (5th January 1592
22nd January 1666): Shahabuddin
Muhammad Shah Jahan was the
fifth Mughal Emperor of India. He
was son of Jahangir and his Hindu
wife, Taj Bibi Bilqis Makani and
became emperor after the death of
his father in 1627. His reign was
considered as the golden age of
Mughal architecture. The Jama
Masjid, the Wazir Khan Mosque,
the Moti Masjid, the Shalimar
Gardens, sections of the Lahore
Fort, the Jahangir mausoleum are
the renowned building built by him.
Saadat Hassan Manto (11th
May 1912 18th January 1955):
Sadat Hasan Manto was a Pakistani
writer. He was one of the greatest
writers of short stories and author
of over 100 radio plays and features,
remains a model for 21st-century
writers for plot construction, bitter
realism, and whimsical dialogue.
Some of his well-known Urdu
short stories include Bu, Khol Do,
Thanda Gosht, and Toba Tek Singh.
anniversary of his death, Manto
was commemorated on a Pakistani
postage stamp.
Most famous people of all time
Sachin Bansal (5th August 1981):
Sachin Bansal is an Indian
software engineer and a successful
entrepreneur. He is the cofounder
of the Indian e-commerce
giant Flipkart. Sachin won the
Entrepreneur of the Year award for
the year 2012-2013. Sachin along
with Binny Bnasal, the other co-
founder were named the 86th richest
person in India with a net worth of
$1.3 billion by Forbes India Rich
List.
Saeed Jaffrey (8th January 1929
15th November 2015): Saeed
Jaffrey was an Indian actor. He was
considered to be Britains highest-
profile Asian actor and
played the leading
roles in the movie My
Beautiful Laundrette
(1985) and television
series Tandoori Nights
(19851987) and Little Napoleons
(1994). His famous Bollywood
outings include Chashme Buddoor,
Masoom, Kissi Se Na Kehna,
Mandi, Mashaal Ram Teri Ganga Satish Dhawan (25th September
Maili, Ram Lakhan, Ajooba and 1920 3rd January 2002):
Henna. In 1995 he was awarded
an OBE (Order of the British
Empire) in recognition of his
services to drama, the first Asian to
receive this honour.
Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
(31st December 1935-): Salman
bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is the King of
Saudi Arabia, Custodian of the Two
Holy Mosques and the head of the
House of Saud. Salman was crowned
as the new King of Saudi Arabia
on 23rd January 2015 following
the death of his half brother, King
Abdullah. Previously he has served
as the Deputy Governor and then
B-121
the Governor of Riyadh for 48 years
from 1963 to 2011. He was also
appointed as Minister of Defence
in 2011. He received the Lifetime
Achievement Award of Al-Turath
Charity Foundation in the field of
urban heritage in 2013.
Saina Nehwal (17th March 1990-):
Saina Nehwal is an ace Indian
badminton player. She is currently
ranked no. 1 in the
world by Badminton
World Federation
Womens Singles 2015.
She became the first
Indian player to win a
medal in Olympics by winning the
Bronze medal at the London
Olympics 2012 on 4th August 2012.
Saina also became the first Indian
woman to win at medal at the BWF
World Championship by winning
silver at the 2015 edition of the
championship. She is the recipient
of the Arjuna award (2009), Padma
Shri (2010) and the Rajiv Gandhi
Khel Ratna award (20092010).
Satish Dhawan was an Aerospace
engineer. He is known as the father
of experimental fluid dynamics
research in India and one of the
most eminent researchers in the field
of turbulence and boundary layers.
He succeeded Vikram Sarabhai,
the founder of the Indian space
programme, as Chairman of the
Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) in 1972. He was also the
Chairman of the Space Commission
and Secretary to the Government
of India in the Department of
Space. After his death in 2002, the
Indian satellite launch centre at
Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, was
B-122
renamed as the Prof. Satish Dhawan
Space Centre. He was awarded with
the Padma Vibhushan (1981) and
Padma Bhushan (1971).
Salman Rushdie (19th June
1947-): Salman Rushdie is one of
the most prominent
writers of the twentieth
century. He is known
to combine magical
realism with historical
fiction. Some of his
best known novels are Midnights
Children (1981), Joseph Anton
(2012), The Moors Last Sigh (1995)
and The Satanic Verses (1988), for
which he was accused of blasphemy
against Islam. Rushdie received the
Booker Prize in 1981 for Midnights
Children. Rushdie is also a Fellow
of the British Royal Society of
Literature.
Samudragupta (335 c. 375 CE):
Samudragupta was the third ruler
of the Gupta Dynasty and one of
the greatest monarchs in the Indian
history. He generally is considered
the epitome of an ideal king of the
golden age of Hindu history, as the
period of the imperial Guptas (320
510 ce) is often called. The western
scholars equate him with Napoleon
and call him Indian Napoleon due
to his extensive military conquests.
Sheikh Hasina (28th September
1947-): Sheikh Hasina is a politician
and leader of the Awami League
political party. Hasina is the current
Prime Minister of Bangladesh and
has previously served as Prime
Minister from 1996 to 2001. She
is sometimes referred-to as Sheikh
Hasina Wazed. In 1998, she was
awarded the M K Gandhi Award
by Norways Mahatma M K Gandhi
Foundation for promoting peaceful
Most famous people of all time
understanding and democracy in
Bangladesh. She was also awarded
the Mother Teresa Award by the
All India Peace Council in 1998.
Serena Williams (26th September
1981-): Serena Williams is one of
the most dominant names in the
world tennis. She is an American
tennis player and currently ranked as
the Worlds no. 1 in womens singles
tennis. She has won 21 Grand Slam
singles titles and stands third on the
all-time list behind Margaret Court
(24) and Steffi Graf (22). Her win
at Wimbledon 2015 made her the
oldest Grand Slam singles champion
in the Open era.
Sania Mirza (15th November
1986-): Sania Mirza is Indias ace
tennis player. She is currently ranked
as World no. 1 in the womens
doubles. Mirza is the
most successful female
Indian tennis player
and also one of the
highest paid athletes in
the country. She has
been awarded with many awards
including the Arjuna award (2004),
Padma Shri (2006), Rajiv Gandhi
Khel Ratna (2015) and many more.
Shashi Tharoor (9th March
1956-): Shashi Tharoor is an author,
politician, and former international
civil servant. He is the member of
the Indian National Congress and
served as an official spokesperson for
the party from January to October
2014. Some of his famous books
are The Great Indian Novel (1989),
Riot (2001) and Show Business
(1992). He was also appointed as
the International Adviser to the
International Committee of the Red
Cross in Geneva for the period 2008-
2011.
Most famous people of all time
Satya Nadella (19th August,
1967-): Satya Narayana Nadella is
an Indian American businessman.
He was appointed as
the CEO of Microsoft
on 4th February 2014.
He has been working
with Microsoft since
1992, after he left Sun
Microsystems.
Shiv Nadar (14th July 1945-):
Shiv Nadar is the noted Indian
business tycoon. He is the founder
of Hindustan Computers Limited
(HCL) and Shiv Nadar Foundation.
He is nicknamed magus, which
in Old Persian stands for wizard.
He was presented with the Padma
Bhushan in 2008 for his great
contributions to the IT industry.
According to Forbes richest people
list, Nadar has a net worth of $12.2
billion.
Sir Edwin Lutyens (9th March
1869 1st January 1944): Sir Edwin
Lutyens was one of Englands most
prominent and innovative architects
belonging to the 19th and early
20th centuries. Lutyens along with
Sir Herbert Baker were the chief
architects of the India Gate and
Rashtrapati Bhavan. Lutyens is
also known as the greatest British
architect and to recognise his
contribution, New Delhi is also
known as Lutyens Delhi. He
was knighted in 1918 and elected
a Fellow of the Royal Academy in
1921.
Steven Spielberg (18th December
1946-): Steven Spielberg is one of
the most renowned screenwriters,
Directors and Producers. Some
of his famous films include as
Schindlers List, The Color Purple,
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Saving
B-123
Private Ryan, Catch Me If You Can,
Lincoln and Bridge of Spies. He co-
founded the studio DreamWorks
SKG in 1994, which was purchased
by Paramount Pictures in 2005.
Spielberg has won three Academy
Awards.
Suchitra Sen (6th April 1931
17th January 2014): Suchitra Sen
was an Indian actress who starred in
more than 50 Bengali films as well
as 7 Hindi movies. She was the first
Indian actress to be honoured by an
international film festival. She won
the silver prize for best actress at the
Moscow International Film Festival
for her film Saat Paake Bandha. Sen
was awarded the Padma Shri in 1972
and Banga Bibhushan in 2012.
Shekhar Kapur (6th December
1945-): Shekhar Kapur is an Indian
actor and director. Kapur is best
known for his films
Bandit Queen (1994)
and Elizabeth (1998).
His movies Elizabeth
(1998) and The Golden
Age (2007) won the
BAFTA Award for Best Film, and
two Academy Awards. He was
awarded the Padma Shri in 2000. He
was also appointed as one of the
Jury Members (International
Competition) at the 63rd Cannes
Film Festival.
Sylvester Stallone (6th July
1946-): Sylvester Stallone is an
American Film Actor, Screenwriter,
Director and Producer. Stallone is
best known for portraying boxer
Rocky Balboa, Vietnam War veteran
John Rambo and Barney Ross in
the three The Expendables films
from 2010 to 2014. In 1977, Stallone
was nominated for two Academy
Awards for Rocky, Best Original
Screenplay and Best Actor.
B-124
Sundar Pichai (12th July 1972-):
Sundar Pichai is a
computer engineer
and the current CEO
of Google Inc. Pichai
had joined Google
in 2004 as a product
manager and led the innovative
efforts for several of Googles
products including Google Chrome
and Chrome OS which were highly
successful.
Sunil Gavaskar (10th July 1949-):
Sunil Gavaskar is a former Indian
cricketer considered to be among
the best opening batsmen in cricket
history. His record for most centuries
(34) in test cricket was broken by
Sachin Tendulkar in December 2005.
He became the first player to score
10000 runs in Test Cricket. Gavaskar
is recipient of awards such as Padma
Shri, Padma Bhushan and Col CK
Nayudu Lifetime Achievement
Award for Cricket in India.
Sunita Williams (19th September,
1965-): Sunita Williams is an
American astronaut. She holds the
records for total spacewalks by a
woman (seven) and most spacewalk
time for a woman (50 hours, 40
minutes).Williams worked for the
International Space Station as a
member of Expedition 14 and
Expedition 15. She also served as a
flight engineer on Expedition 32 and
then commander of Expedition 33
in the year 2012.
Thomas Edison (February 11
1847- October 18, 1931): Thomas
Alva Edison was an American
inventor and businessman. Some
of his most famous inventions were
the phonograph, motion picture
camera and electric light bulb which
influenced the day to day life of
people around the world. Edison is
Most famous people of all time
also known as the Wizard of the
Menlo Park.
Tansen (1506 - 1589): Tansen
was one of the most renowned
Indian classical music composers,
musicians and vocalists. He is
regarded as the greatest of all
musicians India has ever produced
till date. Tansen was considered as
one of the Navaratnas (Nine Gems)
in the court of Emperor Akbar. He
has also composed several Ragas that
have been the foundation of classical
music like Bhairavi, Darbari Todi,
Darbari Kanada, Malhar, Sarang
and Rageshwari.
Shakuntala Devi (4th November
1929 21st April 2013):
Shakuntala Devi was a
writer and a mental
calculator. She was a
mathematical prodigy,
also known as the
human computer.
Shakuntala Devi was famous for her
complex problem-solving skills
without the aid of any mechanical
device. Her mathematical talent
earned her a place in the 1982
edition of The Guinness Book of
World Records. Some of her best-
known works are Figuring: the Joy
of Numbers, Astrology for You,
Perfect Murder and The World of
Homosexuals.
Tim Cook (1st November 1960-):
Tim Cook is an American business
executive, and is the Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) of Apple Inc. Cook
took control of Apple after its
founder and long-time leader Steve
Jobs died in 2011. Cook joined Apple
in 1998 as senior vice president of
worldwide operations. Cook has
also served as the executive vice
president of worldwide sales and
Most famous people of all time
operations and was chief operating
officer until he was named the CEO
of Apple on August 24, 2011, when
he succeeded Steve Jobs.
Tipu Sultan (20th November
1750 4th May 1799): Tipu
Sultan was the ruler of the kingdom
of Mysore. He won
against the British in
the Second Anglo-
Mysore War, and
negotiated the 1784
Treaty of Mangalore
with them after his father Hyder Ali
suddenly died from cancer in
December 1782 during the Second
Anglo-Mysore War. He is known for
the use of the Mysorean rockets and
also wrote a military manual known
as Fathul Mujahidin, which is
considered a pioneer in the use of
rocket artillery. Tipu was killed on
4th May 1799 while defending his
fort of Srirangapatna.
Todar Mal (died in 8th November
1589): Raja Todar Mal was a Khatri
Rajput, an able administrator and
an exemplary finance minister.
He was one of the Navratnas of
Akbars courts. He introduced an
excellent land revenue system. In
1582, the title Diwan-I- Ashraf was
bestowed upon him by the Emperor.
The Kashi Vishwanath Temple was
rebuilt in 1585 by Todar Mal.
Toni Morrison (18th February
1931-): Toni Morrison is a Nobel
Prize- and Pulitzer Prize-winning
American novelist, editor and
professor. Some of her best known
novels are The Bluest Eye, Song of
Solomon and Beloved. She has won
the Pulitzer Prize and the American
Book Award in 1988 for Beloved
and the Nobel Prize in 1993. She
received the Presidential Medal of
Freedom on May 29, 2012.
B-125
Usian Bolt (21st August 1986-): Usain
Bolt is a world renowned sprinter
and an Olympic gold winner. He has
won gold medals in the 100-metre
and 200-metre races at both the
Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and
the London 2012 Games. He is the
first man to win six Olympic gold
medals in sprinting, and an eleven-
time World champion. At the 2009
world championships, Bolt shattered
his own 100-metre world record of
9.69 sec, by winning the event final
in 9.58 sec. He has been nicknamed
as Lightning Bolt, and awarded
with the IAAF World Athlete of the
Year, Track & Field Athlete of the
Year, and Laureus World Sportsman
of the Year.
Tulsidas (1497/15321623):
Goswami Tulsidas was a great
Hindu poet saint, reformer and
philosopher. He composed various
popular books. He is best known as
the author of the epic
Ramcharitmanas. Tulsidas was
believed in his lifetime
to be a reincarnation
of Valmiki, the
composer of the
original Ramayana in
Sanskrit. He is also
considered to be the composer of the
Hanuman Chalisa, a popular
devotional hymn dedicated to
Hanuman, the divine devotee of
Rama.
Vincent Van Gogh (30th March
1853 29th July 1890): Vincent
van Gogh was a Dutch painter and
one of the most well known post-
impressionist artists; for whom
colour was the chief symbol of
expression was born in Groot-
Zundert, Holland. He remained
poor and virtually unknown
throughout his life.
B-126 Most famous people of all time

V. S. Naipaul (17th August 30 cooperative institutions like

1932-): Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad AMUL, IRMA, and NDDB thrived.
Naipaul is a Trinidadian-British He is the recipient of awards such as
writer of Indian descent. Some of Padma Shri (1965), Padma Bhushan
his best known novels are A House (1966) and Padma Vibhushan (1999)
for Mr. Biswas (1961), A Bend in by the Government of India, the
the River (1979) and A Way in the Ramon Magsaysay Award (1963),
World (1994). He was awarded and World Food Prize (1989).
Nobel Prize in 2001 for his novel, Vijay Tendulkar (6th January
Half a Life. 1928 19th May 2008): Vijay
Varahamihira (505587 CE): Tendulkar was a playwright and
Varahamihira is an Indian screenwriter who wrote more than
philosopher, astronomer, and 30 full-length Marathi-language
mathematician. He is considered plays and numerous one-act plays,
to be one of the nine jewels short stories, and movie scripts.
(Navaratnas) of the court of Some of Tendulkars most famous
legendary ruler Yashodharman plays include Shantata! Court Chalu
Vikramaditya of Malwa. The most Ahe (1967; Silence! The Court
famous work by Varahamihira is is in Session), Sakharam Binder
the Pancasiddhantika (The Five (1971) and Ghashiram Kotwal
Astronomical Canons). (1972; Ghashiram the Constable).
Tendulkar was awarded the Padma
Ved Vyas: Ved Vyas was the first and
Bhushan (1984) and the Sangeet
greatest acharya of Sanatan Dharma.
Natak Akademi Fellowship in 1998.
He is responsible for classifying the
four Vedas, wrote the 18 Puranas Vinoba Bhave (11th September
and recited the great Mahabharata. 1895 15th November 1982):
Vyasa is also considered to be one Acharya Vinoba Bhave was a freedom
of the seven Chiranjivins (long fighter and a spiritual teacher. He is
lived, or immortals), who are still in best known as the founder of the
existence according to Hindu belief. Bhoodan Movement (Land-Gift
The festival of Guru Purnima is movement). He is considered to be
dedicated to him. the National Teacher of India and
the spiritual successor of Gandhiji.
Verghese Kurien (26th November
Vinoba was the first recipient of the
1921 9th September 2012):
international Ramon Magsaysay
Verghese Kurien was the founder
Award for Community Leadership
Chairman of the National Dairy
in 1958. He was awarded the Bharat
Development Board.
Ratna posthumously in 1983.
Kurien is better known
as the Father of the Virginia Woolf (25th January
White Revolution in 1882 28th March 1941): Virginia
India. He is also called Woolf was a British writer and
as the Milkman of essayist. She was one of the foremost
India. He led the Operation Flood modernists of the twentieth century.
which made India, a previously Her most famous works include the
milk-deficient nation the largest milk novels Mrs Dalloway (1925), To
producer in the world. Under his the Lighthouse (1927) and Orlando
able direction and guidance, around (1928), and the book-length essay A
Most famous people of all time
Room of Ones Own (1929), with
its famous dictum, A woman must
have money and a room of her own
if she is to write fiction.
Vladimir Putin (7th October
1952-): Vladimir Putin has been
the President of Russia since 7 May
2012, succeeding
Dmitry Medvedev. He
has served as president
(19992008, 2012) of
Russia and also was
the countrys prime
minister (1999, 200812). Putins
first presidency was marked by high
economic growth: the Russian
economy grew for eight straight
years, seeing GDP increase by 72%
in PPP. A number of Putins actions
are regarded by the observers as
undemocratic and it was stated that
Russia was in a long process of
regression [that] culminated in a
move from a hybrid to an
authoritarian regime in view of
Putins candidacy and flawed
parliamentary elections. In 2014,
Russia was suspended from the G8
group due to its annexation of
Crimea. The China International
Peace Research Center awarded the
Confucius Peace Prize to Putin on
15th November 2011.
Vikram Seth (20th June 1952 -):
Vikram Seth is an Indian poet,
novelist, and travel writer. Some
of his notable works include The
Golden Gate (1986), A Suitable
Boy (1993), An Equal Music (1999),
From Heaven Lake: Travels through
Sinkiang and Tibet, Mappings and
Beastly Tales and many more. He
is the recipient of several awards
including Padma Shri (2007),
Sahitya Akademi Award (1988),
B-127
Pravasi Bharatiya Samman (2005),
WH Smith Literary Award (1994)
and Crossword Book Award (1999).
Seth was conferred with a Poet
Laureate Award 2015 at the Mumbai
Literature Festival.
William Shakespeare (23rd April,
1564- 23rd April, 1616): William
Shakespeare was an English poet
and playwright, widely
regarded as the
greatest writer in the
English language and
the worlds pre-
eminent dramatist. He
is often called Englands national
poet and the Bard of Avon. His
extant works, including some
collaboration, consist of about 38
plays, 154 sonnets, two long
narrative poems, and a few other
verses, the authorship of some of
which is uncertain.
Walt Disney (5th December,
1901-15th December, 1966):
Walt Disney was an American
entrepreneur, animator, and film
producer. Along with his brother
Roy O. Disney he co-founded The
Walt Disney Company. Disney has
won 22 Academy Awards and 7
Emmy Awards.
Wilbur (April 16, 1867 May 30,
1912) & Orville Wright (August
19, 1871 January 30, 1948):
Wilbur and Orville Wright were
American inventors and pioneers of
aviation. The Wright brothers are
credited with inventing and building
worlds first successful airplane.
They are also considered as the
fathers of modern aviation. From
1905 to 1907, the brothers developed
their flying machine into the first
practical fixed-wing aircraft.
B-128
Yash Chopra (27th September
1932 21st October 2012): Yash
Chopra was an Indian director,
Script Writer, and Producer in the
Hindi cinema. He is also known as
the King of Romance of the Indian
cinema. He received the Dadasaheb
Phalke Award in 2001 and the
Padma Bhushan in 2005. Chopra
was also presented with the lifetime
membership for his contribution to
films by BAFTA.
Yuri Gagarin (9th March 1934
27th March 1968): Yuri Gagarin
was a soviet cosmonaut who in
1961 became the first man to travel
into space. His Vostok spacecraft
completed an orbit of the Earth on
12 April 1961. Gagarin was awarded
the Order of Lenin and given the
titles Hero of the Soviet Union
and Pilot Cosmonaut of the Soviet
Union. He died in 1968 when the
MiG-15 training jet he was piloting
crashed.
Zohra Sehgal (27th April 1912
10th July 2014): Zohra Sehgal was
an Indian actress and choreographer.
She has acted in many Bollywood
Most famous people of all time
films with a career-span of over 60
years. She has been the recipient of
many awards including the Sangeet
Natak Akademi Award (1963),
Padma Shri (1998), Padma Bhushan
(2002), Padma Vibhushan (2010)
and many more.
Zakir Hussain (9th March 1951):
Zakir Hussain is an Indian tabla
player, musical producer, film actor
and composer. He has been conferred
with numerous awards including the
Padma Shri (1988), Padma Bhushan
(2002), Sangeet Natak Akademi
Award (1990), and the United States
National Endowment for the Artss
National Heritage Fellowship, the
highest award given to traditional
artists and musicians in 1999.
Zoroaster (628 BC-551):
Zoroaster is an Iranian prophet. He
was the founder of Zoroastrianism,
or Parsiism, as it is known in India.
He is credited with the authorship
of the Yasna Haptanghaiti as well
as the Gathas, hymns which are at
the liturgical core of Zoroastrian
thinking.
*(2*5$3+<
` Physical
` India
` World
B-130 Geography

l Theories of Development
Big bang Theory
Steady State theory
Osclilating Universe Therory
l Galaxy
Universe

l Solar Systems
Planets and Moons
Cosmic Bodies
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHYMIND MAP

l Seasons and Their Formation.

l Earth
l Chronology of the Earth
Geological Era
Internal Structure

l Rocks and their classification

Geomorphology

l Movement of Earth
Factors Affecting movement of Earth
(Endogenetic and Exogenetic Forces)
Outcomes of Earth's Movement (Folded
Mountains, Earthquake, Volcanoes)
l Mountain, Plains, Plateau
Process of Formation and their types

l Ocean Structure
Oceanography

l Temperature
l Salinity
l Ocean Deposits
l Ocean Tides
l Ocean Currents
l Coral Reef and Atolls

l Atmospheric Structure
l Insolation and Heat Budget
l Winds and their type
Planetary Wind (Polar winds, westerlies,
Atmosphere

Trade winds)
Seasonal Winds (Monsoon)
Local Winds
l Cyclones and Anti Cyclones
Recent Major Cyclones
l Air masses
l Clouds and their types
l Precipitation
Conventional, Cyclonic, Orogenic
Geography
UNIVERSE
x All existing matters and space as
a whole forms Universe. It was
termed as cosmos when first
conceived as an orderly unit and
it study called as cosmology. It
is believed to be expanding since
its creation in the Big Bang about
13 billion years ago.
x The word universe derives from
the old French word univers,
which in turn derives from the
Latin word universum. The Latin
word was used by Cicero and
later Latin authors in many of
the same senses as the modern
English word is used.
Fast Fact
Diameter 8.81026 m (28.5
Gpc or 93 Gly)
Volume 41080 m3
Mass 1053 kg
(ordinary
matter)
Density 9.91030 g/cm3
(equivalent to 6
protons per cubic
meter of space)
Age 13.7990.021 billion
years
Average 2.72548 K
temperature
Contents ordinary (baryonic)
matter (4.9%)
dark matter (26.8%)
dark energy (68.3%)
 Normal matters all that are
visible (star, planet and galaxies)
make up less than 5 % of the
total mass of the universe rest
are made of dark matters. These
dark matters are not seen by the
astronomers but can study their
effects.
B-131
x Dark matters are neither
antimatter nor black hole. Back
holes are gravity lenses that bend
light. The instruments which
are used by the scientists for
these discoveries are cosmology
instrument (WMAP and Plank),
direct detection experiments
include CDMS, XENON, Zeplin,
WARP, ArDM and other; indirect
detection experiments like Gamma
ray detectors, antimatter detectors,
X-rays and radio facilities.
Theories of Development
Big Bang Theory
x Big bang theory was proposed
by Georges Lemaitre in1927.
x According to this theory billion
of years ago cosmic matters were
in highly compressed state and
expansion started with premordial
explosion which was bang in
superdense ball. These exploded
particles are still travelling at a
speed of thousands miles per
second and gave rise to our galaxies.
Steady State Theory
x The steady state theory was
governed by Hermann Boudi
and Thomas Gold.
x It is also known as theory of
continuos creation. According to
this theory universe has always
existed and will always exist
and will always look essentially
the same, so there is no over
B-132
all evolution thus balancing
the average density despite the
exapansion.
x As old galaxies move apart the
new galaxies are being formed.
Oscillating Universe Theory
x The Oscillating Universe Theory
was advocated by Dr. Alan
Sandage.
x This theory postulates that the
universe not only expands but it
also contracts. The time interval
between the two phases are
presumed to be billions of years.
It is a mixture of both Big Bang
an Big Crunch theory.
x According to Dr. Sandage
the universe started with an
expolsion nearly 12 milion years
ago and continues to expand.
He was of view that it would
expand for another 17 milion
years or more. The process of
contraction would intiate after
the completion of expansion and
would continue upto 41million
years. The stage of contraction is
called as implosion. compress
would result into extremely
suspended state and then it will
expolde once again. It is the
latest theory given on evolution
of Universe till now.
Galaxy
x A Galaxy is a large collection of
stars, gas, dust, and dark matter
bounded by gravitational force.
At times they are so big that they
are called as Island Universe.
x The studies related to the distant
spaces with optical and radio
telescopes indicate that about
100 galaxies are visible universe.
It can be group of clusters and
super clusters.
Geography
x According to Michael McDonald
Central galaxies have typically
been referred to as red and dead
- just a bunch of old stars orbiting
a massive black hole, and theres
nothing new happening.
Sturcture and composition of
Galaxy
Elliptical Galaxies :
x Elliptical galaxies can be classified
on the basis of their ellipticity,
ranging from nearly spherical
(E0) to highly elongated (E7).
These have low portion of open
clusters and low rate of new star
formation.
Spiral Galaxies:
x Spiral galaxies have a central
nucleus with great spiral arms
trailing round it resembling pin
wheel Andromeda Galaxy and
Milky Way are the example of
such galaxies. The spiral arms are
thought to be areas of high-density
matter, or density waves.
Irregular Galaxies:
x Irregular galaxies are youthful in
nature with no sharp and boundary
thinning out gradually, these
galaxies contain large amount of
gas and dust. This type of galaxy
is the result of gravitational
interaction or collision between
formerly regular galaxies.
Solar System
x Solar System constitute of
heavenly bodies revolving
around an average star known
as SUN. The measurement
unit used for large distance is
astronomical unit (AU). One
AU represents the distance of
150 million Kms (the distance
between earth and sun).
x Heliosphere is a region of space
of bubbles dominated by the Sun
extending beyond the orbit of its
planets. Bubble in Heliosphere is
Geography B-133

created by sun wind, which is a 6. Brightest Planet outside Solar

stream of charged gas blowing System-Sirus
out of sun. 7. Closest Star of Solar System-
x The area where sun wind Proxima
abruptly slows due to the pressure 8. Coldest Planet-Neptune
from gas between the stars is 9. Evening Star-Venus
called as termination shock. The 10. Farthest Planet From Sun-Neptune
entire Solar system consists of
11. Planet with maximum no. of
devoius. Eight Planets (Mercury,
satellites-Saturn
Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus and Neptune) ; 12. Fastest revolution in solar system-
Asteroids (planet like objects); Mercury
Meteors (Chunks of iron and 13. Hottest Planet-Venus
stones); Comets (bodies of the 14. Densest Planet- Earth
dust and forign gases). 15. Fastest Rotation in Solar System-
Jupiter
16. Morning Star-Venus
17. Nearest Planet to Earth-Venus
18. Nearest Planet to Sun-Mercury
19. Red Planet-Mars
20. Slowest Revolution in Solar
System-Neptune
Planets Superlatives 21. Slowest Rotation in Solar
1. Biggest Planet-Jupiter System-Venus
2. Biggest Satellite-Jupiter 22. Smallest Planet-Mercury
3. Blue Planet-Earth 23. Smallest Satellite-Deimos
4. Green Planet-Uranus 24. Earths Twin-Venus
5. Brightest Planet-Venus 25. Atmosphere like Earth-Titan
INFORMATION BULLETIN
x Human population of the : Seven billion as of No. 2011, 7.389
Earth billion (as of Dec 2015)
x World Population Growth : 1.13% as of (2015-16) - 2014 estimate
x Countries of the world : 196 (195 Excluding Taiwan)
x Earths Circumference at the : 24,901.55 miles (40,075.16 km)
Equator
x Earths Circumference between : 24,859.82 miles (40,008 km)
the North and South Poles
x Earths Diameter at the : 7,926.28 miles (12,756.1 km)
Equator
x Average Distance from the : 92, 935, 700 miles
Earth to the Sun
x Average Distance from the : 238.900 miles/384, 400 km
Earth to the Moon
x Highest Elevation on Earth : Mt. Everest, Asia : 29,035 feet (8850 m)
B-134 Geography

x Tallest Mountain on Earth : Mauna Kea. Hawaii: 33,480 feet (rising

from Base to Peak to 13.796 feet above sea level) (10204 m,
4205 m)
x Point Farthest from the Center : The peak of the volcano chimborazo
of the Earth in Ecoador at 20.561 feet (6267 m) is
farthest from the center of the Earth due
to its location near the equator and the
oblateness of the Earth.
x Lowest Elevation on Land : Dead Sea: 1369 feet below sea level
(417,27 m)
x Deepest Point in he Ocean : Challenger Deep. Mariana Trench.
Western Pacific Ocean: 36,740 feet
(11022 m)
x Highest Temperature Recorded : 135.80F - A1 Aziziyah, Libya, Sep.
13,1922 (57.7C)
x Lowest Temperature Recorded : 128.5F - Vostok, Antarction. July 21,
1983 (89.2C)
x Water Vs Land : 4.5 to 4.6 billion years
x Atmosphere content : 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and 1%
traces of argon, carbon dioxide and
water.
x Rotation on Axis : 23 hours and 56 minutes and 04.09053
second. But, it takes an additional four
minutes forthe earth to revolve to the
some position as the day before relative
to the sun (i.e., 24 hours)
x Revolution Around Sun : 365 . 2425 day
x Chemical Composition of the : 34.6% Iron, 29.5% Oxygen, 15.2% Silicon,
Earth 12.7%, Magnesium, 2.4% Nickel, 1.9%
Suffer and 0.05% Titanium.
Cosmic World size, are found between the orbits of
Moon: 176 Mars and Jupiter, though some have
There are 181 known natural moons more eccentric orbits. The asteroid
orbiting planets in our Solar System. is categorized by their spectra, with
173 moons orbit the full-size most falling into three basic groups:
planets, while 8 moons orbit the carbonaceous (C-type), silicate
smaller dwarf planets. (S-type), and metal-rich (M-type).
Asteroid: 645,118 Meteor: A meteoroid is a small
A small rocky body orbiting the sun rocky or metallic body travelling
is termed as asteroid. Large numbers through space and range in size from
of these, ranging enormously in small grains to 1 meter-wide objects.
Geography
When it enters the atmosphere to
become visible is called as a meteor.
It is also known as shooting star
or falling star. One can see nearly
20 million of meteors in a day. On
an average nearly each day nearly
one to two reaches Earth. In Huba
the largest meteorite was found
(Namibia 60 tons).
The rings of Saturn are made
up of countless small particles,
ranging in size from micrometres
to metres and orbit about Saturn.
They are most extensive planetary
ring system of any planet in the
Solar System. The ring particles are
made almost entirely of water ice,
with a trace component of rocky
material. There is still no consensus
as to their mechanism of formation;
some features of the rings suggest
a relatively recent origin, but
theoretical models indicate they are
likely to have formed early in the
Solar Systems history.
A dwarf planet is a planetary-mass
object that is neither a planet nor a
natural satellite. It orbits the Sun,
and is massive enough for its shape
to be in hydrostatic equilibrium
under its own gravity, but has not
cleared the neighborhood around
its orbit. The term dwarf planet
was adopted in 2006. Currently, the
International Astronomical Union
(IAU) recognizes five dwarf planets:
Ceres, Pluto, Haumea, Makemake,
Seden and Eris.
B-135
Pluto as dwarf planet
Pluto is called a dwarf planet.
A dwarf planet orbits the sun
just like other planets, but it is
smaller. A dwarf planet is so
small it cannot clear other objects
out of its path. Similarly, Pluto
is in a region called the Kuiper
(KY-per) Belt. Thousands of
small, icy objects like Pluto are
in the Kuiper Belt. The orbit of
which Pluto follows takes 248
days to revolve round the sun
once and it oval in nature. There
are moments when it is nearest to
the sun causing the ice present on
the planet to melts. Pluto having
about one-fifteenth the gravity of
Earth, its atmospheres altitude
rises more than any other planet.
Oort Clouds: roughly spherical,
shell of icy found in the outermost
reaches of the solar system is called
as Oort Clouds. Astronomers
believe that it is remains of the disc
of material that formed the Sun and
planets. Estimates put it at around 2
trillion. It is also referred to as Trans-
Neptunian object applied to objects
in the Kuiper Belt. Astronomers
think that long-period comets have
their origins in the Oort Clouds.
B-136
Seasons Formation
Revolution of the Earth around the
Sun along with its spins around
its axis, which is tilted at an angle
of 23.5 degrees, is the main cause
of seasons formation.
the June Solstice, the Northern
Hemisphere is tilted
Seasons and their Formation
Northern summer/Southern winter
21. June
i ll.
2m
15
Apoapsis 3. July
Northern summer/Southern winter
There are four seasons: Summer
when the Suns ray falls directly
over the tropic of cancer. In autumn
the Suns ray falls directly over the
equator. During winter it is over
tropic of Capricorn and during
spring it falls back on equator.
Equinoxes are the days and nights
are equal. The suns ray falls directly
over equator. March 21 is called as
Vernal equinox and 23rd September is
autumnal equinox. In the same ways
Solstice occurs when the difference
between the lengths of day and night
are maximum. Occurs twice in a
year firstly when the suns ray falls
Geography
the Sun, therefore experiencing
summer. The Southern Hemisphere
on the other hand, is tilted away
from the Sun and thus, experiences
winter. The opposite occurs around
the December Solstice, when the
Around
Southern Hemisphere is tilted
towards the Sun, while the Northern
towards Hemisphere is tilted away.
Northern fall/Southern spring
21. March
Periapsis
ill.
Equinox 47 m 3. January
1 m k
Line of Solstice
21. December
des
psi
fa
eo
Lin
km
23. September
Northern fall/Southern spring
tropic of cancer and secondly when
over tropic of Capricorn.
An eclipse is a natural phenomenon.
Eclipse is related to obscuring light
of the sun or the moon by any other
body. There are two types of eclipse.
Lunar eclipse occurs when the earth
comes in middle of the sun and the
moon. It occurs on full moon day but
not every full moon day experiences
lunar eclipse. Solar eclipse occurs
when the moon comes in middle of
the sun and the earth. it occurs on
the new moon day when the moon
is in line with sun.
Geography B-137

Chronological age of the Earth

Millions of
EON ERA PERIOD EPOCH
Years Ago
Holocene 0.011477
Quaternary
Pleistocene 1.806
Pliocene 5.332
Neogene
Cenozoic Miocene 23.03

Tertiary
Oligocene 33.9
Paleogene Eocene 55.8
Paleocene 65.5
Cretaceous 145.5
Mesozoic Jurassic 199.5
Phanerozoic

Triassic 251
Permian 299
Charboniferous

Pennsylvanian 318.1

Paleozoic Mississippian 359.2

Devonian 416
Silurian 443.7
Ordiviclan 488.3
Cambrian 542
Ediacaran 630
Neoproterozoic Cryogenian 850
Tonian 1000
Stenian 1200
Proterozoic

Mesoproterozoic Ectasian 1400

Calymmian 1600
Precambrian

Statherian 1800
Orosirian 2050
Paleoproterozoic
Rhyacian 2300
Siderian 2500
Neoarchean 2800
Archean

Mesoarchean 3200
Paleoarchean 3600
Eoarchean 4000
Hadean 4567
B-138 Geography

Internal Structure
The thickness and deepness of the earth is the study of seismology. The
interior structure of the Earth is layered in spherical shells. It was Edmund
Halley (1692) who put forth the idea of earth consisting of a hollow shell about
500 miles thick, with two inner concentric shells around an innermost core. These
shells can be divided by mechanical properties such as Rheology, or chemically.
Mechanically, are divided into lithosphere, asthenosphere, mesospheric mantle,
outer core, and the inner core. The interior of Earth is divided into 5 important
layers. Chemically, are divided into the crust, upper mantle, lower mantle, outer
core, and inner core.

Upper crust Depth (Km) Layers

er cr ust
Low
0-60 Lithosphere (locally varies between
Uppe
r Mantl
e 5 and 200 km) (density 2.9-3.3)
m
0k m Meso
sphere 0-35 Crust (locally varies between 5
k
20 m
40
k and 70 km)
r Mantl
Lowe
km
e
35-60 Uppermost part of mantle
400 km
650 D Layer 352,890 Mantle
0k
m Oute
r Core 100200 Upper mesosphere (density 3.3-4.3)
270 0 km
28 9
nner Core
6602,890 Lower mesosphere (density 4.3-5.5)
m I
515
0k 2,8905,150 Outer core (density 10.00-13.3)
5,1506,360 Inner core (density 13.3-13.6)
6378 k

INTERIOR THE EARTH

Crust (6-11 km oceanic,
25-90 km
continental)

Lower 6300 km
Mantle
id 3500 Upper
qu
Li re km Mantle
co down to
1200 about
km
100 km
Solid (the upper
inner core mantle
Fe Fe + Ni
+ and crust
S (?) form the
rigid
lithosphere)
Geography B-139

GEOMORPHOLOGY

Rock
Rock is a naturally occurring mineral and relatively hard.
Proportion of Elements Found in Rock in Rock
7 % Others 5.5 % Others
13 % 3 % Sodium
Magnesium 8 % Aluminium
15 % Silicon 28 % Silicon
30 % Oxygen
47 % Oxygen
35 % Iron
In Earth In Earth Crust

Type of Rocks of the earth. This melting of rocks

Sedimentary Rocks : Sedimentary
rocks are formed through lithification,
compression and cementation of
sediments deposited in a particular
place mainly aquatic areas.
Igneous / Primary Rocks : Igneous
rocks are formed from solidification
and cooling of magma. Usually this
magma is partial melts of pre-existing
rocks derived from mantle or crust
is caused by one or more processes
namely: increase in temperature,
decrease in pressure, or a change in
composition e.g. Basalt, Granite.
Metamorphic Rocks : When the change
occurs in the form or composition
of the pre-existing rock (igneous or
sedimentary) without any disintegration
taking place is called as metamorphic
rock.

CLASSIFICATION OF ROCKS

Sedimentary Igneous Metamorphic

Chemical Intrusive Extrusive

Clastic Biloggic Foliated Non-foliated
Gabbro Basalt
Limestone
Diorite Andesite
Dolostone
Granodiorite Dacite
Evaporites
Granite Rhyolite
Conglomerate Coal
Breccia Chert Slate Quartzite
Sandstone Schist Marble
Siltstone Gneiss
Mudstone Shale
B-140 Geography

Earth Movement
The forces affecting earths crust and the resultant movement can be
categorized into two broad categories and further into sub-categories. The
fig given below demonstrates different types of earth movement.
Forces which affects the Earths Crust

Endogenetic Forces Exogenetic Forces

Diastrophic Forces Catastrophic Forces

Epeirogenetic Forces Orogenetic Forces Volcanic Eatthqukes

Eruption
Upward Downward
Movement Movement
(Emergence) (Submergence)

Tensional forces Compressional Forces

Crustsal Fracture Crustal Bending

Cracking Faulting Warping Folding

(Faults) (Folds)

Upwarping
Endogenetic Forces
The forces which originate within
the Earth surface are defined as
endogenetic forces. They can result
in both horizontal and vertical
movement of the earth surface.
Internal heat causing chemical
reactions inside the earth and transfer
of rock materials on the surface of
the earth by external forces results in
release of endogenetic energy.
Endogenetic forces are of two
types: Diastrophic movements and
Sudden movements.
Sudden movement causes fold, fault,
earthquake and volcanic activities.
Downwarping
Folds are the wave like structure
formed in the crustal rock due
to tangential compressive force
resulting from horizontal movement
caused by endogenetic forces.
Types of Folds
x Symmetrical fold is the simple
fold, the limbs of which incline
uniformly.
x Asymmetrical Fold is the folds
with unequal and irregular
inclination and length.
x Monoclinal Fold is the
folds with one limb inclined
moderately with regular slope
while the other limb inclines
steeply at right angle and the
slope is almost vertical.
Geography
x Isoclinical Fold is a fold where
compressive force, forces both
the limbs of the fold to become
parallel but not horizontal to its
axis.
x Recumbent Fold is formed when
compression force is strong
enough to make both the limbs
of the fold parallel as well as
horizontal to its axis.
x Faults are the slippage or
displacement occuring in the
crust along the fracture plane.
Four types of faults: i) normal,
ii) reverse, iii) lateral and iv) step
faults.
x Volcano is a fissure or vent in
the earths crust communicating
with the interior, from which
flows of lava, rock fragments,
B-141
hot vapor and gases are ejected.
A volcano begins to form when
magma, which is hot molten
rock from deep within the earth,
rises toward the earths surface
and collects in magma chambers.
Types of Volcanoes:
(a) Active Volcanoes: Alive now
(b) Dormant Volcanoes: have not
erupted for quite some time
(c) Extinct Volcanoes: have not
erupted for several centuries
B-142
x Earthquake Motion ranging
from faint terror to wild shaking
of the earth surface is called as
earthquake. It occurs mainly
due to tectonic activities caused
by continuous endogenetic
processes inside earths crust.
The place from where it starts
is called as focus or hypocenter
and the point directly above
it is known as epicenter. It
is measured in Richter scale
varying from 0 to 9. There are
five Seismic Zone in India.
x Primary Wave (P) is a wave
which travels both through solid
and liquid part of the earth
interior.
x Secondary Wave (S) is a wave
which travels only through the
solid the earth interior.
x Long Wave (L) is a wave
confined to the earth crust,
causing structural damage only.
Plate Tectonic Theory: Our earth
surface is made up of plates which
are in motion due to the convection
current flowing beneath it. This
movement in the earths plate
is called as tectonic movement.
This movement has been widely
accepted cause of continental drift,
earthquakes, volcanoes, mountains,
and oceanic trenches. There are
three type major types of plates
(i) Constructive Plates is a place
of divergent boundary where
two plates slide apart from each
other. Here seafloor spreading
occurs i.e. new plates are formed.
(ii) Destructive Plates is a convergent
boundary where two (or more)
tectonic plates move toward one
another and collide. E.g. The
east coast of Pacific Ocean near
South America.
Geography
(iii) Conservative/ Transform Plates
occur where two lithospheric
plates slide and grind past
each other along faults. Here
plates are neither created nor
destroyed.
Types of Plates
Minor Plates Minor Plates
Africa Plate Cocos Plate
Pacific Plate Filipino Plate
North American Juan de Fuca
Plate Plate
Antarctic Plate Caribbean Plate
Eurasian Plate Scotia Plate
Australian Plate Nazca Plate
South American Arabian Plate
Plate and
Indian Plant
Exogenetic/Denudational/
Destructional Forces
The forces which act above the earth
surface changing relief of earth surface
are known as exogenetic forces. These
processes are continuously engaged
in destructing the relief features
created by endogenetic forces. These
forces are carried on by the agents of
erosion such as wind, water, glacier
etc. the process through which these
agent work of the earth surface are
weathering and erosion.
x Weathering is a process in which
breaking down of the earth surface
takes place but the debris do not
move from their place.
x Erosion refers to the movement
in the weathered material
Denudation is a long-term sum of
processes that cause by weathering
leading to a reduction in elevation
and relief of landforms and landscapes
and erosion.
Geography
Major Land Forms
Mountains are the second order relief
features having an abrupt natural rise
from the adjacent surrounding area.
Collective system of long, narrow
elevated land for some distance is
a Mountain Ridge. Several parallel
long narrow mountains of different
period is called as Mountain
chain. Mountain Range is a series
of mountain ridges, peaks, and
summits and the valley of same age
but structurally different. Cordilleras
are the huge set of several mountain
groups and systems having different
ridges, ranges, mountain chains etc.
Types of Mountain :
x Folded Mountains are originated
by compressive forces. Young,
mature and old are its sub types.
Its e.g. Alps in Europe, Rockies in
north America, Andes in South
America and the Himalayas in
Asia.
x Block fault Mountain are originated
by tensile and comperessional forces.
E.g. Black forest mountains on the
boader of France and Germany.
x Dome Mountain are originated by
magnetic intrusion and unwraping
of the crustal surface.
OCEANOGRAPHY
Ocean Structure
x Ocean can be divided into two
main groups (i) the ocean (ii) the
sea. Covers 70 per cent of the
earth surface and has an average
depth of more than 12,400 feet
x Geographically ocean has been
divided into (i) the Pacific (ii)
the Atlantic (iii) the Indian (iv)
the Arctic.
x Pacific Ocean the largest and
oldest occupies 50% of the ocean
B-143
x Volcanic Mountain formed by
accumution ofvolcanic materials
e.g. Mount Mauna Loa in Hwaai,
Mt,Fuji Yoma in Japan and Mt.
Popa in Central Myanmar.
x Residual mountain e.g.
Vindhyacha, Aravalli, Eastern
and Western Ghats.
Plateau
A second order relief feature
characterized by flat and rough top
surface and steep wall with a height
difference of at least 300 m from it
surrounding areas.
Type of Plateau:
(i) Intermontane Plateau (Tibetan,
Bolivian, Peru, Columbian
Plateau, Mexiacan, Iranian)
(ii) Piedmont Plateau (Appalachian
Piedmont Plateau. Patagonian
Plateau)
(iii) Continental Plateau (Deccan
Plateau of India, Ranchi, Shillong)
(iv) Coastal Plateau (Coromandal
Coastal upland of India)
Lake
Lakes are static bodies of water
surrounded by land from all sides.
These are not permanent features
on the earth surface. Sometimes
lakes are found near along the sea
coast. There are two type lakes e.g.
freshwater lakes and saline lake.
would, followed by Atlantic
(29.9%), Indian (21%).
x Arctic is strictly not an ocean
and not navigable.
x The longest mountain range in
the world is under water Mid-
Oceanic Ridge.
Continental shelf
x Continental margin submerged
under ocean water upto 100
fathoms (600 feet) with slope of
B-144
1 to 3 and often determined
by the coastal reliefs. High
mountainous coast have narrow
self. In Atlantic Ocean it is 2 km
to 80 km.
x They are rich in plankton, it
forms food for fish. Thus they
are rich source of fish like Grand
Bank of New Foundland, North
Sea and Sunda Shelf.
Continental slope
x Steep slope, beyond continental
slope towards ocean are called as
continental self. Its slope varies
from 2 to 5 and depth of water
is 200 m to 2,000 m. Occupies
8.5% of the total area of ocean
basin. Due to erosion, tectonic
and aggradations
Deep Sea Plain / Abyssal Plain
x Most extensive relief, covering
75.9% of the total area of ocean
basin. Flat and rolling submarine
having depth from 3000 m to
6000 m. The greatest Deep in
Mariana Trench near Guam
Island is the deepest of all.
Submarine Canyons
x Long, narrow and very deep
valley or trenches, located on the
continent shelves and slope with
vertical walls
x The continental shelf in Pacific
Ocean varies between 160 km to
1600 km of width on an average
there it 80 km wide.
x On an average Indian oceans
continental shelf is 640 km wide
in the west and in the east near
Java and Sumatra is as narrow
as 160 km and further narrower
along the coast of Antarctica
Temperature of Ocean
x Ocean is divided into three layers
according to temperature.
Geography
(i) First layer upto 500 m from top
having temperature of 20 - 25C
(ii) Thermocline layer - below 500 m
where temperature decreases at
a rapid rate with the increase in
depth.
(iii) Third layer very cold and extend
upto deep ocean floor. Polar
region has only this layer from
surface to deep ocean form.
Daily Range of temperature is
the difference of maximum and
minimum temperature of a day
which is 0.3C Low latitude and 0.2
to 0.3C at higher latitudes.
Annual Range of temperature:
Maximum temperature is recorded
in August and minimum in February
in northern hemisphere. Average
annual range of temperature of
ocean water is - 12C usually.
Factors affecting distribution of
temperature
x Minor factors include: Latitude,
Unequal distribution of land and
sea, Prevailing wind and Ocean
current
x Minor factors include: Submarine
ridges, local weather, location and
shape of sea.
Horizontal distribution: average
temperature 26.7C and gradual
decrease from equator towards poles,
0.5 F per latitude.
Vertical Distribution: Solar energy
effectively penetrates 20m and nearby
reach beyond 200 m depth.
Increase in depth decrease the
temperature. And there is rapid fall
in temperature upto 200 m dividing
Ocean into two layers
(i) Photic/ Euphotic zone is the
upper surface upto the depth
of 200 m and receive solar
radiation.
Geography B-145

(ii) Alphatic zone goes beyond Salinity of the Ocean

200 m depth to the bottom and x Average salinity of ocean water
receive no solar rays. is 35%. Salinity of ocean water is
affected by marine organism, plant
Density of Ocean
community and physical properties
x Amount of mass upper unit of ocean such as temperature density,
volume of substance, measured waves, pressure and currents.
in g/cm3 x Highest salinity is observed
x Density of pure water is 1 g/cm3 between 20 - 40 N (36%).
at 4C. and of ocean water is x Boiling point of saline water is
1.0278 g/cm3 (2-3% higher than higher than pure water.
water) at 4C. x The line with same salinity is
x It increases with lowering of joined by Isohalines.
temperature of ocean. Highest
density is recorded at -1.3C. Source of Salinity
Density stratification of Ocean Salts brought by rivers is the main
Three layered structure: Surface layer, source It contains 60% of calcium
Pychocline layer and Deep layer sulphate, 2% of sodium chloride
Distribution of Salinity
Latitudinal zones salinity (%) Latitudinal zones Salinity (%)
70- 70 N 30-31 10- 30 S 35-36
50- 40 N 33-34 30- 50 S 34-35
40- 15 N 35-36 50- 70 S 33-34
15- 10 N 34.5-35
Ocean Deposits
One the bases of origin can be classified into the following groups:
Terrigenous deposits, (ii) Volcanic deposits, (iii) Biotic matter and deposits
(iv) Abiotic matter and deposit
Coral Reefs and Atoll
It is accumulated and compact skeleton of lime secreting organisms
known as coral polyps. They are confined between 25N - 25S latitude.
They live on lime and in colony form. High mean annual temperature
between 68F to 70F (20C - 21C) is required for the growth of corals.
They do not grow in more than 250 feet (60-77 m) of water as they require
oxygen and sunlight. Grow in open sea as fresh water is harmful for corals
Types of Coral Reef: (i) fringing reef (ii) barren reef and (iii) atoll

x Average salinity of the sea water : 35%

x Average salinity of Atlantic Ocean : 35.67%
x Maximum salinity of occurs between : 20 N and 40 Nand 10 S and 30S
x Highest salinity is found : Lake Van (330%)
x Average temperature of Pacific Ocean : 19.10C
x Average temperature of Indian Ocean : 17C
x Average temperature of Atlantic Ocean : 16.91C
x Average annual temperature of oceans : 17.2C
x Average temperature of surface water : 26.7C
B-146
Ocean Tide
x Alternative rise and fall in
the sea level is known as tide.
The rise of sea water and its
movement towards coast is a tide
is high tide. The fall of seawater
and moving towards sea is called
ebb/low tide. The difference
between high and low is water is
called as tidal range.
x The variation in the height of
both low and high tide from
Geography
(i) Warm current and (ii) Cold
current
On the bases of velocity, dimension
and direction.
(i) Drift (ii) Current and (iii) Streams
3DFLF2FHDQ
1. North Equatorial Current (Warm)
2. South Equatorial Current (Warm)
3. Counter Equatorial Current
(Warm)
4. Kuroshio System (warm)
(i) Kuroshio Current
place to place depends on depth
of ocean water, configuration
of sea coasts and coastlines and
openness or closeness of the
sea. Everyday tide is delayed by
26 minutes.
Types of Tide
(i) Spring tide: When the sun, the
moon and the earth are n the
same line, there is formation of
spring tide. The position when
all three are in a straight line is
called as syzygy. When the sun,
the moon and the earth are in
sequential order in a straight line
is called as conjunction. It occurs
on new moon day. When the
earth is in between the moon and
the sun are called as opposition.
It occurs on full moon day.
(ii) Neap tide: Its a quadrature (90o)
position between the earth, the
sun and the moon on seventh
or eighth day of the fortnight.
During this time the forces of
the sun and the moon acts in
Opposite direction
Ocean Currents
The movement of a mass of ocean
water parallel to the coast is called as
ocean current.
Currents are of two types on the
bases to temperature.
LLL 1RUWK3DFLF'ULIW
(iv) Tsushima Current
(v) Counter Kuroshio Current
5. Oyashio Current (Cold)
6. California Current (Cold)
7. Peur Current (Cold)
8. El Nino or Counter Current
(warm)
9. Eastern Australian Current (warm)
10. West Wind Drift (Cold)
Origin of Currents
Origin of ocean current occurs due
to following factors
(i) Rotation of earth
(ii) Temperature difference in ocean
(iii) Salinity difference in ocean
(iv) Density Difference
(v) Air pressure and wind
(vi) Rainfall and Evaporation
(vii) Direction, shape and
configuration of coast
(viii)Bottom relief
(ix) Seasonal variation
Atlantic Ocean
1. North Equatorial Current
(warm)
2. South Equatorial Current
(warm)
3. Counter Equatorial Current
(warm)
4. Gulf stream (warm)
1. Gulf stream
2. Gulf stream
3. North Atlantic Current
5. Conary Current (Cold)
Geography
6. Labraclor Current (Cold)
7. Brazil Current (Cold)
8. Talk land Current (Cold)
9. South Atlantic Drift (Cold)
10. Benguela Current (Cold)
Name Length
(square miles)
Pacific Ocean 64,196,000
Atlantic Ocean 33,400,000
ATMOSPHERE
The gaseous envelop which covers
a celestial body or planet is called
as its atmosphere. Air is a mixture
of gases in various proportions. It
has a mass of 5.15 1018 kg. of
which are concentrated within 11
km of the surface of the earth. The
gravity plays a vital role in holding
the atmosphere close to the earth.
Gases which contributes to the
formation of atmosphere are Nitrogen
(78.084%) Oxygen (20.946%), Argon
(0.93%), Carbon dioxide (0.0397),
Neon (0.001818), Helium (0.000024),
Methane (0.000179) along with water
vapour (0.001% 0.005%).
Proportion of gas in
the Atmosphere
other
1%
Oxygen
21%
Nitrogen
78 %
Structure of Atmosphere
Troposphere
The first layer of atmosphere from the
earth surface is known as troposphere.
It is at the height of 12 km from the
B-147
Indian Ocean 28,400,000
Southern Ocean 20,327,000
Arctic Ocean 5,100,000
Arabian Sea 1,491,000
South China Sea 1,148,000
Caribbean Sea 971,000
Mediterranean Sea 969,000
Bering Sea 873,000
earth surface, generally associated
with 90 % atmospheric phenomena.
Here temperature decreases at the rate
of 6.5C per km with the increase in
height. This is called normal lapse
rate. The transition layer separating
troposphere from stratosphere is
known as tropopause which is between
16 km at equator to 8 km at pole.
Stratosphere
The layer which extends from 18
to 50 km above the earth surface is
called as stratosphere. In this layer
temperature increases as altitude
increases as the ultra violet ray by
ozone. Ozone forms to be the outer
limit for this layer. Turbulence free
zone hence is ideal for flying of jet
air crafts.
Mesosphere
Mesosphere lies from 50 to 80 km
above the ground level with the
temperature below 100C at 80 km.
Even pressure drops to 1 mb at 50 km
to 0.01 mb at 90 km. Mesopause are
the upper transitional layer separating
mesosphere from ionosphere. It is the
zone of meteorites activities.
Ionosphere
The layer between mesosphere
and thermosphere is known as
ionosphere. Aurora Austrialis
and Aurora Borealis occur due to
B-148
penetration of ionizing particles in
this layer. Temperatures rise with
increasing height here owing to the
absorption of ultra-violet radiation
by atomic oxygen. Above 100 km the
atmosphere is increasingly affected
by solar X-rays and ultra-violet
radiation, which causes ionization.
Thermosphere
The thermosphere is the second
highest layer of earths atmosphere
just above mesopause. It forms lower
boundary of exosphere is known
as exobase. Gradual increase of
temperature is witnessed with height
reaching up to 1500C (2700F).
Exoshpere
Outer most layer extending between
of 700 km to 10000 km. Gases like
nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide
are found. No meteorological
phenomenon is possible. Sometimes
Aurora Borialis and Aurora
Austrialis occur overlapping into the
thermosphere.
Insolation
x The sun is primary source of
energy on earth. It enters earths
atmosphere in the form of
short waves. This is known as
insolation. The earth receives
solar radiation at the rate of 1.94
calories per cm2/m.
x The amount of solar radiation
received by earth is affected by
four factors which are as follows:
1. Solar Constant: is rate at which
incoming solar radiation is received
per unit area of earth surface when
the sun is at its mean distance
from the earth. Increase in the sun-
spot increases the amount of solar
radiation hence affecting insolation
as well.
Geography
2. Distance from Sun: The path
that is followed by the earth around
the sun is not at the same distance
throughout the year. The orbit of
the earth is elliptical in shape. The
shortest distance of the earth from
the sun is called as Perihelion (147
million km) and Apehelion is time
when the earth farthest from the
sun. The former occurs in January
and the latter in July.
3. Altitude of the Sun: Solar
altitude is this relative angle of the
sun with respect to earths horizon.
The angle formed between the sun
and the earth surface varies with the
latitude at which a place is situated.
The area closer to equators receive
greater amount of solar insolation
than at poles.
4. Length of Day: the amount of
insolation received by place also
depends on the length the day. Longer
the duration of the day more will be
the amount of radiation received.
Heat Budget:
Earth balances the incoming
solar radiation with the outgoing
terrestrial radiation and is called as
heat budget. The energy received if
not returned back to the space in the
form of long waves would increase
the temperature of the earth surface.
This balancing of heat affects the
amount of insolation absorbed.
Adiabatic Changes
When the air parcel moving towards
a low pressure zone without the
exchange of heat with surrounding
air. It increases volume and reduces
the heat available per unit volume
and hence temperature falls. Such
a change of temperature, where
neither addition nor subtraction of
heat involves is known as adiabatic
change.
Geography
Inversion of Temperatures
It refers to a condition where
temperature increases with
increasing height of the atmosphere.
There five causes of inversion of
temperature are radiation, drainage,
frontal, advection, subsidence.
x General tendency to
decrease in temperature with
increasing latitude is known as
temperature gradient. Not
only the temperature but even its
nature with latitude changes. The
rate of change of temperature
is comparatively low between
tropics. On the other hand the
gradient is high at the poles.
Isotherms : The line which
joining places having equal
temperature is called Isotherms.
Atmospheric Pressure
x Atmospheric pressure is the
pressure exerted by the weight of
air in the atmosphere of Earth.
The standard air pressure at sea
level is 1013.25 mb. Air pressure
decreases with increase is altitude
at the rate of 0.1 inch or 3.4 mb
per 600 feet. The rate of decrease
is confined to the height of few
thousand feet. Line joining places
with equal pressure at sea level are
called isobars.
x The areas affect by high pressure
are called as High Pressure zone or
Anticyclones and the low pressure
are called as Low or depression or
Cyclone. There are seven pressure
belts across the globes.
x Equatorial Low Pressure Belt :
The region geographical situated
between 5 N to 5S is known as
Equatorial Low Pressure Belt.
This belt gets longer duration of
sunshine and suns ray falls at a
straight angle on earth surface.
Intense heat is received by the
B-149
earth surface causing thermal
induced atmosphere. It is also
a convergences zone of north-
east and south-east trade winds.
The area is calm with no wind
movement thus known as Belt of
Calm or Doldrums.
x Sub-Tropical High Pressure:
The sub tropical high pressure
belt extends between 25 to 35
in both the hemisphere. The air
upraises in equatorial region.
They start descending as they
become heavy after cooling at a
certain height and are deflected
towards poles because of earths
rotation causing a zone of high
pressure.
x Sub Polar Low Pressure Belt: The
zone is situated between 60 to
65 in both the hemisphere. The
temperature of this area is generally
low throughout the year. It is a
convergence zone where winds
from sub-tropical low and polar high
meets together to produce Polar
front.
x Polar High: The Polar High
Pressure zone is situated near
the pole. As the name suggests the
zone is originated due to thermally
induced factor as very low
temperature is solely responsible
for the creation of a high pressure
zone over the polar areas.
Major Pressure
B-150 Geography

Wind Belts
Wind can be defined as the movement large volume of gases from
high pressure area to low pressure area. There are two types of winds 1)
Permanent/ Prevailing Winds (blow throughout the year) and 2) Seasonal
Wind (blow in particular period of the year)
Permanent/ Planetary/Prevailing Winds
Types Sub Types Characteristics
Tropical Doldrum (5 x It is called as equatorial calms because wind
0

Winds N - 50 S) over there has no motion and cumulonimbus

Equatorial cloud are formed bring daily rainfall.
westerlies x It is not continues belt. Equatorial fronts are
(150N formed and equatorial westerlies blow there. It is
0
35 N) associated with strong atmospheric disturbances
or cyclonic storm.
Trade x A wind flowing from subtropical high pressure
Winds to equatorial low pressure belt is termed as Trade
Winds. It moves in north east and south east in
north and south hemisphere respectively.
Sub Westerlies Blowing from subtropical high pressure belt (300
Tropical (350-650N -350 N and S) to the sub polar low pressure belt (600
wind and S) -650 N and S) is called Westerlies. In the northern
hemisphere these wind blow from south west to
north east and in southern hemisphere from north
west to south east. 400S to 500S-Roaring Forties,
500S to 600S- Furious Fifties and 600S onwards
Shriecking Sixties are its name.
Polar x A low pressure zone is created in between 600 to
Wind 650 in both the hemisphere due to the dynamic
factor of the earth.
x It blows from north easterly and south easterlies
in northern and southern hemisphere respectively.

Variable Wind
Sub Types Seasonal Winds Characteristics
Monsoon x It blows from the south west in summer and from north
east in winter. It is consistent and bi-directional regular
flow of wind over a year. It is thermally induced complex
air circulation where all layers of air circulation that is
surface, middle and upper layer are involve.
Local Winds
Sea Breeze x During the day time land is heated quickly than the sea
and Land water. Low pressure is created over the land and wind rise
Breeze up creating vacuum over land. Thus the wind from sea
rushes to take its place. This breeze is called as Sea Breeze.
Geography B-151

x It blows during night as the land losses the heat faster than
the sea, this cool and denser wind rushes towards sea. This
breeze is called as land breeze.
Valley and x During day time sunlight warms the mountain slope more
Mountain than mountain valley. Thus a high pressure is created on
Breeze the top of mountain. The cold wind from the valley rushes
up. This movement of air is called as valley breeze giving
precipitation through cumulus cloud.
x After sunset the air above the mountain cools faster due to
density than the air in the valley and descends down into
the valley is called as mountain breeze causing inversion
of temperature.
Chinook and It blowing on the leeward side of the mountain in USA and
Foehn is called as Foehn in Switzerland. Its a warm air (4.40 C) and
melts snow (Snow Eater).
Harmattan This is a warm and dry wind blows from north to east and
east to west over Sahara desert. Harmattan is known to be
the Doctor in Guinea Coastal Area of western Africa.
Sirocco A warm, dry and dusty wind blows in the north easterly
direction from Sahara Desert. As it crosses Mediterranean
picks up water vapour and yield rainfall southern part of
Italy. It is called as blood rain rain fall laden with red sand
from Africa Desert.
Mistral Mistral is a cold local wind blowing over Spain and France in
north-west to south-east direction during winters creates high
pressure over Europe and low pressure over Mediterranean
Sea. It average velocity is 56-64 km/hour.
Bora Extremely cold and dry north-easterly wind blows along
the coast of Adriatic Sea. The velocity of the wind ranges
between 128 to 196 km/hr
Blizzard It is a violent stormy wind that carries large amount of dry
snow, mainly prevalent over both north and south poles. Its
velocity ranges from 80-96km an hour.
Abrolhos An Abrolhos squall blow from May through August (austral
squall winter) near the Abrolhos Islands off the coast of eastern
Brazil near 18S latitude.
Pampero The pampero is a burst of cold polar air from the west,
southwest or south on the pampas in the south of Brazil,
Argentina and Uruguay. It is common during winter in the
southern hemisphere (principally between May and August).
Maestral or Maestral or maestro is mostly northwestern wind in the
maestro Adriatic Sea blowing in summer characteristic for beautiful
and stable weather
B-152 Geography

Levante It blows in western Mediterranean, near to the Strait of

Gibraltar. It is called as the Viento de Levante or the Levanter
and even Solano. It blows moderately or strongly bringing
rain and damp smell to the region.
Norte The Norte is a strong cold northeasterly wind which blows in
Mexico along the Gulf of Mexico. It results from an outbreak
of cold air from the north.
Etesian Etesians blow as winds of northeasterly to northerly direction
over Northern Agean Sea while, in the southern Aegean
along with the Cretan and the Carpathian Sea, they blow as
northern westerlies.
Helm Generally seen in Columbia and England these strong north-
easterly wind blows down the south west slope of the Cross
Fell Escarpment
Buran/ Extremely cold wind full of ice and snow blowing across
Purga Russia and eastern Asia. In tundra region, it is also known as
Purga. In Alaska this severe north-easterly wind is known as
Burga bringing snow and ice pellets.
Brickfielder It is a hot and dry summer wind blowing in coastal regions
of South Australian desert. Blows strongly, for several days
at a time, along with dust, and parching all vegetation. In one
sense it is a healthy wind, as it destroys many injurious germs
due to its hotness.
Air Mass
A large volume of air defined by constant physical properties i.e. temperature
and water vapor, spreading over hundreds or thousands of square miles is
called as air mass.
Types of Air mass
Continental Polar (cP) forms over cold and dry land mass during winter
near poles north of 50-600N.
Maritime Polar (mP) is associated with cool or cold, damp and gray days
weather, near polar coastal areas.
Continental tropical (cT) form over deserts and plains. It is hot and dry
during summer and only dry during winter.
Maritime Tropical (mT) is hot and humid sticky weather on the tropical
coastal regions.
Cyclones
Cyclones are the low pressure centers surrounded by closed isobars having pressure
increasing outwards. Blows inward from high pressure to low pressure and hence
wind movement is anti-clockwise in northern hemisphere and clock wise in southern
hemisphere. They are also termed as atmospheric disturbances. There shape varied
from circular to elliptical and sometimes even V shaped. On basis of place of origin
there are two types cyclones which are as follows:
Geography
Tropical Cyclone
The tropical cyclones have a thermal
origin, exclusively over the tropical
seas.
A low pressure zone is created due to
extreme heat and further intensifies
with the increase in temperature
(above 270C) The winds from
surrounding high pressure region
rushes to the central low pressure
(eye) area developing a powerful and
destructive storm. The velocity of the
cyclone varies from 32-180 km/hour.
Its velocity decreases and finally
decays as they cross more land mass.
Usually ends with heavy down pour
rain and wind bringing devastation to
the coastal areas.
Clouds
Clouds are the visible mass of
condensed water vapour floating in
the atmosphere, typically high above
the general level of the ground. It
plays a major role in the heat budget
of the earth and the atmosphere as
they reflect, absorb and diffuse the
incoming short wave and outgoing
long wave terrestrial radiation.
According to the height there are
three type of cloud such as (i)High
Clouds (height 6 km to 20 km), (ii)
Medium Clouds (height 2.5 km to
6 km) and (iii)Low Clouds (height
ground surface to 2.5 km)
x A cloud is a mass of small water
droplets or thin ice crystals.
x Different types of clouds are as
follow:
x Cirrus : Feather like
x Cirrocumulus : Ripples like
x Cirrostratus : Transparent sheet
like causes sun and moonto have
halos.
x Altocumulus : Have bumpy-look
x Altostratus : Sheet like
B-153
Temperate / Extra-tropical cyclone
Formed in middle or high latitudes,
due to the development of front (350-
650 N and S).
Develops when a frontal surface
separates two opposing air masses
(warm and cold). As the amplitude
of the wave increases, the pressure
at the centre of disturbance falls,
eventually intensifying to the point at
which a cyclonic circulation begins.
When the cold air from the poles
sweeps off all the warm tropical air
and entire cyclone is composed of the
cold air mass temperate cyclone dies.
x Stratocumulus : Large globular
masses
x Nimbostratus : Dark grey and
rainy looking give continuous
rain.
x Stratus : low clouds foggy in
appearance
x Cumulus : Round topped and
flat based
x Cumulonimbus : special type of
cumulous clouds spread out in
form of an anvil. Often indicate
convectional rain,lightening and
thunder.
Precipitations
It is a process in wherein water in the
form of droplets which condenses
from water vapor after reaching a
height and falls when they become
heavy enough in the form of rain.
Rain is a major component of the
water cycle and is responsible for
depositing most of the fresh water
on the Earth. Different forms of
precipitation are rain, snowfall, hale
storm and drizzle. Precipitation
occurs through different processes
which are Convectional, Cyclonic
and Orographic.
B-154 Geography

l Himalayan Mountain Range

l Indian Desert
India l Northen Plain
Physiography l Coastal Plain
l Peninsular Plateau
l Island

l Himalayan Rivers (The Indus, The Ganges & The

Brahmaputra)
Drainage l Peninsular Rivers (Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna,
INDIAN GEOGRAPHYMIND MAP

Cauvery, Narmada, Tapi)

l Lakes in India

l Alluvial l Arid
l Red l Saline
Soil l Black l Peaty and Marshy
l Laterite l Mountain and Forest

l Factors Affecting Climate in India

Climate l State wise Rainfall Distribution

Natural l Classification of Natural Vegetation

l Spatial Distribution of Natural Vegetation in India
Vegetation
Language l Languages spoken in different parts of India

l Major Crops
l Land use Pattern
Agriculture l Agro-Climatic Zone
l Major Growing Season and its Associated
Crops
l Major Industrial Regions in of India
Industry l Types of Industry

Minerals l Minerals & their distribution

l Conventional Energy
l Hydroelectricity
Energy
l Thermal Electricity
l Wind Energy

l Population density and Sex Ratio

Census l ST & SC Population
2011 l Rural Urban Distribution
Geography
INFORMATION BULLETIN
1. Official name: Republic of India
2. Capital: New Delhi
3. Nationality: Indian
4. Continent: Asia
5. Region: South Asia Indian
subcontinent
6. Area: Ranked 7th
x Total 3,287,263 km2 (1,269,219
sq mi)
x Land 90.08%
x Water 9.92%
7. Borders : Total land borders :
15,106.70 km (9,386.87 mi)
x Bang ladesh : 4,096.70 km
(2,545.57 mi)
Bordering States - West Bengal,
Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and
Mizoram
x China (PRC) : 3,488 km (2,167 mi)
Bordering States - Jammu &
Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh,
Uttaranchal, Sikkim, and
Arunachal Pradesh)
MAJOR PHYSIOGRAPHIC DIVISONS
The landmass of India can be divided
into following major physiographic
divisions:
The Himalayan Mountains
The Himalayas are the youngest
mountains in the world. They are
structurally folded mountains, form
an arc of about 2,400 km long from
west to east. The width varies from
400 km in Kashmir to 150 km in
Arunachal Pradesh. The altitudinal
variations are greater in the eastern
part than in the western part.
B-155
x Pakistan : 2,910 km (1,808 mi)
Bordering States- Jammu and
Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh,
Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat
x Nepal : 1,751 km (1,088 mi)
B o r d e r i n g S t a t e s B i h a r,
Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh,
Sikkim, and West Bengal
x Myanmar : 1,643 km (1,021 mi)
Bordering States Manipur and
Nagaland
x Bhutan : 699 km (434 mi)
Bordering States : West Bengal,
Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam
8. Highest point: K2 or Godwin
Au s t i n ( c l a i m e d ) 8 , 6 1 1 m
(28,251.3 ft)
9. Kangchenjunga (administered)
8,598 m (28,208.7 ft)
10. Lowest point : Kuttanad; 2.2 m
(7.2 ft)
11. L o n g e s t r i ve r : G a n g e s,
Brahmaputra
12. Largest lake : Chilka Lake
There are four parallel ranges in its
longitudinal extent. Zaskar range
lies west of Himalayas and Indus
gorge is beyond it.
B-156 Geography

x The Great or Inner Himalayas: MAJOR MOUNTAIN PEAKS OF INDIA

Known as Himadri, it is the
most continuous range with Peak Country Height
loftiest peaks. Average height in
of peaks here is 6,000 meters. meters
Asymmetrical folds having Mt. Everest Nepal 8848
granite in the core are snow Kanchenjunga India 8598
covered throughout the year. Makalu Nepal 8481
x The Lesser Himalaya or Dhaulagire Nepal 8172
Himachal: This lies south of the Nanga Parbat India 8126
Great Himalayas and north of Annapurna Nepal 8078
Shiwalik with altitude varying
Nanda Devi India 7817
from 3,700 m to 4,500 m.
Average width of this range is Kamet India 7756
60-80 km. This range is mainly Namcha Barwa India 7756
composed of highly compressed Gurla Mandhata Nepal 7728
and altered rocks. Pir Panjal,
Dhaula Dhar, Mahabharat and The Northern Plain
Mussorie ranges are found as we
The northern plain of India is
move west to east.
formed by three river systems,
x The Shiwaliks outer
viz. the Indus, the Ganga and the
Himalayas: It is an outermost
Brahmaputra along with their
range and is also known as
tributaries. Alluvial soil has been
lesser Himalayas. The altitude
deposited over millions of years.
varies between 900 - 1100
The total area of the northern plain
km and the width varies
is about 7 lakh square kilometer. It
between 10 -50 km in this
is about 2400 km long and about
range. The longitudinal valleys
240 to 320 km broad. The northern
lying between the Himachal
plain is divided into three sections,
and Shiwaliks are called
viz. the Punjab Plain, the Ganga
'XQ DQG DUH FRPSRVHG RI
Plain and the Brahmaputra Plain.
unconsolidated sediments.
x Punjab Plains: western part
x Trans Himalayas : It includes most part of the northern plain.
Karakoram and Laddakh Formed by the Indus and its
Ranges. Karakoram Range tributaries like Jhelum, Chenab,
(Krishnagiri) lies north of Ravi, Beas and Sutlej.
Indus. Extended from Pamir x Ganga Plains: This plain
crossing Gilgit river reaches extends between Ghaggar and
Laddakh. Elevation is above Tista rivers. The northern states,
5500 m and width is 120-140 Haryana, Delhi, UP, Bihar, part
Km. Laddakh Range is situated of Jharkhand and West Bengal
lie in the Ganga plains.
in Kashmir between Indus and
x Brahmaputra Plains: This plain
its tributary Shyok. Highest forms the eastern part of the
peak is Mt. Rakaposhi (7880). northern plain and lies in Assam.
Geography
x Based on the relief features the
northern plain can be divided
into four regions, viz. bhabar,
terai, bhangar and khadar.
The Peninsular Plateau
The peninsular plateau is a tableland.
It is composed of the oldest rocks
and drifted from Gondwana land
with elevation of 600-900 Km.
Broad and shallow valleys with
rounded hills are the characteristic
features of this plateau. The plateau
can be broadly divided into two
regions, viz. the Central Highlands
and the Deccan Plateau. The slope
of the Deccan Plateau is from west
to east as the rivers flows.
x The Central Highlands: lies to the
north of Narmada river (Satpura
range), covering portion of Malwa
plateau. It is wider in west and
narrower in east. Bundelkhand
and Baghelkhand mark the
eastward extension. The plateau
further extends eastwards into the
Chhotanagpur plateau. Touches
Aravilli in the west covering
Rajasthan uplands.
x The Deccan Plateau: Triangular
in shape, Satpura range makes
its northern boundary. The
Mahadev, Kaimur Hills and
Maikal ranges make its eastern
part. It extends into the north east
which encompasses Meghalaya,
Karbi-Anglong Plateau and North
Cachar Hills. Garo, Khasi and
Jaintia hills are the prominent
ranges starting from west to east.
x The Western and the Eastern
Ghats: The average elevation
of Western Ghats is 900 1600
metres compared to 600 metres
in case of Eastern Ghats. The
Eastern Ghats stretch from
Mahanadi Valley to the Nilgiris
in the south.
B-157
The Indian Desert
It lies towards the western
margins of the Aravali Hills.
This region gets scanty rainfall
which is less than 150 mm in a
year. Hence the climate is arid
and vegetation is scanty.
The Coastal Plains
Towards the west and east of
Peninsular stretches narrow coastal
strips are situated. They run along
the Arabian Sea in west and along
the Bay of Bengal in east. The
western coast lies between the
Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea.
It is divided into three sections. The
Konkan is northern part, comprised
of Mumbai and Goa. The Kannada
Plain makes the central part and the
Malabar coast is the southernmost
coast. The eastern coastal plain is
wider and runs along the Bay of
Bengal.
The Islands
The Lakshadweep Islands are in the
Arabian Sea. Its area is 32 sq km.
This group of islands is rich in terms
of biodiversity. The Andaman and
Nicobar Islands group of islands
can be divided into two groups.
The Andaman is in the north and
the Nicobar is in the south. These
islands too have rich biodiversity.
ISLANDS OF INDIA
B-158
DRAINAGE IN INDIA
The pattern of Drainage in India
is mostly influenced by its varied
physiological divisions. Thus they
are classified into three major types
such as:
Himalayan Rivers
The Himalayan Rivers are mostly
originated from Himalayan mountain
range. These are mostly perennial in
nature which means availability of
water throughout the year as they
Peninsular Rivers
The Peninsular Rivers are mostly
having their origin from Western
Ghats running parallel with western
coast from north to south. They are
seasonal in nature as the source of
water is rainfall only. The rivers form
deltas at their mouth. Some of the
rivers such as Mahanadi, Godavari,
Krishna and Cauvery are drained
into the Bay of Bengal where as the
other prominent rivers like Narmada
and Tapi both fall into the Arabian
Sea.
Geography
obtain water from the large ice cover
of great Himalayan range. Major
rivers of this section are the Indus, the
Ganges and the Brahmaputra. Other
important tributaries of this section
are Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and
Sutlej of Indus river system, Yamuna,
Son, Ramganga, Ghaghara, Gantak,
Kosi of the Ganges river System, and
Tista, Lohit, Manas, Subansiri River,
Dhansiri River of the Brahmaputra
River System.
Lakes
Lakes of India are of high
importance as they prevent
flooding during high rain and
on the other hand it stimulate an
even water flow during dry seasons.
India is bestowed with some really
beautiful lakes which are not only
of geomorphologic importance but
also attracts a large no of tourists
every year. Many such lakes are Dal
Lake,Wular, Chilka, Loktak, Nakki,
Kodaikanal, Sukhna, Puskar, Nakki,
Sukhna, Manasbal, Bhojtal, Hussain
Sagar, Tam dil, Pulicat etc.
Geography
SOIL
As a prime natural resource soil plays
an important role in the in the growth
of human activities of a specific
location. The type of soil found in
India can be classified in number of
ways but as per All India Soil Survey
Committee of Indian Council of
Agricultural Research there are 8
types of soil found in India.
Alluvial soil
x Spatial Distribution: wide
spread in northern plains and
river valleys such as Indus-Ganga-
Brahmaputhra plain, Narmada-
Tapi plain, deltas and estuaries
of Peninsular India.
x Property: Mixture of Humus,
lime and organic matters and
hence highly fertile.
x Colour: Light Grey to Ash Grey.
x Texture: Sandy to silty loam or
clay.
x Suitable for: Production of
Wheat, rice, maize, sugarcane,
pulses, oilseed.
Red soil
x Spatial Distribution: Mainly
found in the areas of low
rainfall. The states with red
soils are Tamilnadu, Karnatake,
South-east part of Maharashtra,
Eastern Part of Andhra Pradesh
and Madhya Pradesh, Chota
Nagpur in Jharkhand, Orissa,
Chhattishgarh Parts of South
Bihar, Birbhum and Bankura
districts of West Bengal, Mirzapur,
Jhansi, Banda, Hamirpur district
of UP, Aravali Hills and eastern
half of Rajasthan.
x Property: Abundance of Ferric
oxide Absence of lime matters
and hence highly fertile.
x Colour: Red
B-159
x Texture: Sandy to clay and
loamy.
x Suitable for: Production of
Wheat, cotton, pulses, tobacco,
oilseeds, potato.
Black / Regur soil
x Spatial Distribution: Most of
the Deccan is occupied by Black
soil.
x Property: Mature soil with
high water retaining capacity,
become sticky when wet and
shrinks when dried. Iron, lime,
calcium, potassium, aluminum
and magnesium.
x Colour: Deep black to light black.
x Texture: Clayey.
x Suitable for: Best soil for cotton
production.
Arid / Desert soil
x Spatial Distribution: Seen
widely under Arid and Semi-Arid
conditions such as Rajasthan,
Parts of Haryana and Punjab.
x Property: Lack of moisture and
Humus and contains impure
Calcium Carbonate.
x Colour: Red to Brown.
x Texture: Sandy
x Suitable for: Salt tolerant crops
like barley , rape, wheat , millet,
maize.
Laterite soil
x Spatial Distribution: mostly
found in Eastern Ghats, the
Rajmahal Hills, Vidhyas,
Satpura and Malwa Plateau.
x Property: Prone to leaching of
lime and silica from soil, rich
iron and aluminum,
x Deficient in Nitrogen, Potash,
Potassium, Lime, Humus
x Colour: Red colour due to iron
oxide
B-160
x Texture: Clayey rocky
x Suitable for: Rice, Ragi,
Sugarcane and Cashew nuts are
cultivated mainly.
Saline soil
x Spatial Distribution: mostly
found Andhra Pradesh and
Karnatak, in Drier parts of Bihar,
Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab,
Rajasthan and Maharashtra. In
Gujrat the area around gulf of
Khamart, vast estuaries of the
Narmada, Tapi and Mahi river
x Property: mainly saline and
alkaline in nature, rich in sodium,
magnesium, and calcium salt,
and sulphurous acid.
x Not Suitable for agricultural
productivity.
Peaty/marshy soil
x Spatial Distribution: generally
found Coastal areas of Orissa
CLIMATE
Although India is basically a tropical
country, it experiences wide variation
in climatic condition depending
upon the altitude, latitude, distance
from sea and relief. The variability
can be observed in number of factors
such as:
x Western Rajasthan experiences
a high temperature during
June where as the areas close
to Kashmir are relatively
experiencing a much lower
temperature. The coastal lands
are comparatively having a
moderate climate due to the
nearness of sea.
x The amount of rainfall also
varies throughout the country.
The rainfall in India is primarily
governed by Monsoon wind
Geography
and Tamilnadu, Sunderbans of
West Bengal, Bihar and Almora
district of Uttaranchal
x Property: heavy and highly
acidic in Nature, deficient in
Potash and Phosphate.
x Colour: Black
x Suitable for: paddy Cultivation.
Forest soil and Mountain Soil
x Spatial Distribution: Mostly
found in Himalayan Region
mainly in valley basins, and
Western and Eastern Ghats of
Penninsular India
x Property: rich in humus,
deficient in Potash, Phosphorous
and lime.
x Suitable for: wheat, maize,
barley in southern India and
temperate fruit in Jammu &
Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and
Uttaranchal
which which generally hits
the south west coast of India
generally in June and known
as onset of Monsoon. The
wind then starts circulating via
the Bay of Bengal covering the
entire eastern, north eastern
and parts of central India. The
highest rainfall is experienced
in Mawsynram in Meghalaya
i.e. 1221 cm of annual rainfall
every year. On the other hand
in the month of October and
November the monsoon trough
of Low pressure starts receding
from Northern Plain results into
rain in Southern India. About
50% to 60% of rainfall in Tamil
Nadu is caused due to Retreat
of Monsoon form North East.
Geography B-161

Rain fall Distribution in India

Amount Heavy Rainfall Moderately Less Rainfall Scanty
of Rain (> 200cm) Heavy Rainfall (50-100 cm) Rainfall
fall (100-200 cm) <50cms
States West coasts, Southern Parts Upper Ganga Northern
on the western of Gujarat, East valley, eastern part of
Ghats, Sub- Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Kashmir,
Himalayan North-eastern Punjab, Western
areas in North Peninsular, Southern Rajasthan,
East and Western Plateau of Punjab and
Meghalaya Ghats, eastern Karnataka, Deccan
Hills. Assam, Maharashtra, Andhra Plateau
West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Pradessh and
Southern slopes Orrisa, the middle Tamil Nadu.
of eastern Ganga valley.
Himalayas.

NATURAL VEGETATION
Natural Vegetations or the forest type of India vary from place to place
depending upon several factors such as climate, soil, rainfall, temperature
as well as their seasonal variation along with varied edaphic and biotic
conditions. Various botanist and ecologist have given different classification
on the basis of climatic and adaptive factors. On the basis of such suggestion
a generalised classification can be done with 5 main types and 16 sub types
of vegetation.
&ODVVLFDWLRQRI1DWXUDO9HJHWDWLRQ
Type Sub- Types
Moist Tropical Forest x Tropical wet Evergreen
x Tropical semi evergreen
x Tropical Moist Deciduous
x Littoral and Swamp
Dry Tropical Forest x Tropical dry evergreen
x Tropical dry deciduous
x Tropical Thorn
Montane Sub tropical x Sub tropic Broad leaved hill
Forest x Sub tropical Moist hills (pine)
x Sub tropic dry evergreen
Montane Temperate x Montane Wet Temperate
Forest x Himalayan Moist Temperate
x Himalayan Dry Temperate
Alpine Forest x Sub- Alpine
x Moist Alpine Scrub
x Dry Alpine Scrub
B-162
6SDWLDO'LVWULEXWLRQRI1DWXUDOYHJHWDWLRQLQ,QGLD
LANGUAGES
According to the schedule eight
of our constitution, there are 22
officially recognized languages in
India; among all, Hindi dominates
the scene as it is spoken by 41.03
per cent of people followed by
Bengali (8.11 %), Telugu (7.19 %),
Marathi (6.99), Tamil (5.91 %)
and Urdu (5.01%). Sanskrit, Bodo,
Geography
Manipur, Dogari and Konkani
are the languages which have least
speakers in India. Bodo, Dogri,
Maithili and Santali were added to
the Eighth Schedule with the passing
of the 100th Amendment to the
Constitution of India in 2003, taking
the total number of Scheduled
languages to 22 in 2001. There are
Geography
total 234 identifiable mother tongues
which have returned 10,000 or more
speakers each at the all-India level,
comprising 93 mother tongues
grouped under the Scheduled
Languages (Part A) and 141 mother
tongues grouped under the Non-
Scheduled languages (Part B). Those
mother tongues which have returned
less than 10,000 speakers each and
which have been classified under a
AGRICULTURE IN INDIA
A wide range of crops can be grown
in India as the land is supported by
element essential for crop growth
such as relief, soil, climate, abundant
sun shine and long growing seasons.
The major Indian crop can be
divided into following categories.
Food Crops: Rice, Wheat, Maize,
Millet,Jower, Bajra, Ragi, and pulses
like Gram, Tur (Arhar)
Cash Crops: Cotton, Jute, Sugarcane,
Tobacco, Oilseeds, Ground Nut,
Linseed, Sesame, Castor seed, Rape
seed, Mustard
Plantation Crops: Tea, Coffee,
Spices, Cardamom, Chilles, Ginger,
Turmeric, Coconut, Areca nut and
Rubber
Horticulture: Apple, Peach, Pear,
Apricot, Almond, Strawberr y,
Walnut, Mango, Banana, Citrus Fruit,
Vegetables.
Land Use Pattern in India
Reporting area for land utilisation
statistics in India was recorded to be
305611, out of which only 45.84 per
cent of it is net sown area. 17.07 are
sown more than ones in a year. Total
cropped area accounted for 62.89
per cent.
Agro-climatic Regions
(i) Western Himalayan Region:
Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal
B-163
particular language are included in
others under that language.
Official languages in India: Article
343 of the Indian Constitution
considers Hindi to be the official
language of the country along
with English to be an additional
language. Other than these two
French and Portuguese are the
official languages of Ponducherry
and Goa respectively.
Pradesh and the hill region of
Uttarakhand fall into it. Valley
floors grow rice, while the hilly
tracts grow maize in the kharif
season. Winter crops are barley,
oats, and wheat. Apple orchards
and other temperate fruits such
as peaches, apricot, pears,
cherry, almond, litchis, walnut,
etc. Saffron is grown in this
region.
(ii) Eastern Himalayan Region:
Arunachal Pradesh, hills of
Assam, Sikkim, Meghalaya,
Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram,
Tripura, and the Darjeeling
district of West Bengal come
into this region. Annual rainfall
is 200-400 cm. The main crops
are rice, maize, potato, tea.
Orchards of pineapple, litchi,
oranges and lime are also found.
(iii) Lower Gangetic Plain Region:
located in West Bengal (except
the hilly areas), eastern Bihar
and the Brahmaputra valley lie
in this region with the rainfall of
100 cm-200 cm. Rice is the main
crop which at times yields three
successive crops (Aman, Aus
and Boro) in a year. Jute, maize,
potato, and pulses are other
important crops.
B-164
(iv) Middle Gangetic Plain Region:
large parts of Uttar Pradesh and
Bihar are covered and recieve100
cm and 200 cm of rainfall. Rice,
maize, millets grow in kharif;
wheat, gram, barley, peas,
mustard and potato in rabi are
important crops.
I. Western Himalayan Region
II. Eastern Himalayan Region
III. Lower Gangetic Plain Region
IV. Middle Gangetic Plain Region
V. Upper Gangetic Plains Region
VI. Trans-Ganga Plains Region
VII. Eastern Plateau and Hills
VIII. Central Plateau and Hills
(vi) Trans-Ganga Plains Region:
Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh,
Delhi and the Ganganagar
district of Rajasthan come under
it. Rainfall varies between 65 cm
and 125 cm. The main crops are
wheat, sugarcane, cotton, rice,
gram, maize, millets, pulses and
Geography
(v) Upper Gangetic Plains Region:
Central and western parts of Uttar
Pradesh and Hardwar and Udham
Nagar districts of Uttarakhand fall
into it. Rainfall is between 75 cm-
150 cm. Wheat, rice, sugarcane,
millets, maize, gram, barley,
oilseeds, pulses and cotton are
the main crops.
AGRO-CLIMATIC
ZONES OF INDIA
IX. Western Plateau and Hills
X. Southem Plateau and Hills
XI. Eastern Coastal Plains and Hills
XII. Western Coastal Plains and Ghats
XIII. Gujarat Plains and Hills
XIV. Western Dry Region
XV. Island Region
oilseeds etc. The region faces the
threat of water logging, salinity,
alkalinity, soil erosion and fall of
water table.
(vii) Eastern Plateau and Hills:
Jharkhand, Orissa, Chhattisgarh
and Dandakaranya come under
it. 80 cm-150 cm of annual
Geography
rainfall is received. Rice, millets,
maize, oilseeds, ragi, gram,
potato, tur, groundnut and
soyabean grow on rainfed areas.
(viii) Central Plateau and Hills:
Bundelkhand, Baghelkhand,
Bhander Plateau, Malwa
Plateau, and Vindhyachal Hills
receive rainfall 50 cm-100 cm.
Crops like millets, wheat, gram,
oilseeds, cotton and sunflower
grow in this region.
(ix) Western Plateau and Hills:
Malwa plateau and Deccan
plateau (Maharashtra), 25 cm-
75 cm. Wheat, gram, millets,
cotton, pulses, groundnut, and
oilseeds are the main crops in
the rain-fed areas, while in the
irrigated areas, sugarcane, rice,
and wheat, are cultivated.
(x) Southern Plateau and Hills:
Interior Deccan includes parts
of southern Maharashtra, the
greater parts of Karnataka,
Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil
Nadu uplands from Adilabad
district in the north to Madurai
district in the south. Annual
rainfall is between 50 cm and
100 cm. Millets, oilseeds, pulses
grows here.
(xi) Eastern Coastal Plains and Hills:
Coromandal and northern Circar
coasts of Andhra Pradesh and
Orissa come into it. Annual
rainfall here varies between 75 cm
and 150 cm. Main crops include
rice, jute, tobacco, sugarcane,
maize, millets, groundnut and
oilseeds. Cultivation of spices
(pepper and cardamom) and
development of fisheries is also
done.
(xii) Western Coastal Plains and
Ghats: Malabar and Konkan
coastal plains and the Sahyadris
are included in it. Annual
rainfall is more than 200
B-165
cm. Rice, coconut, oilseeds,
sugarcane, millets, pulses and
cotton are the main crops. The
region is famous for plantation
crops and spices.
(xiii) Gujarat Plains and Hills: They
includes hills and plains of
Kathiawar, and the fertile valleys
of Mahi and Sabarmati rivers.
Annual rainfall varies between
50 cm and 100 cm. Groundnut,
cotton, rice, millets, oilseeds,
wheat and tobacco are the main
crops. It is an important oilseed
producing region.
(xiv) Western Dry Region: Extended
over Rajasthan, West of the
Aravallis, this region has an
erratic rainfall of an annual
average of less than 25 cm.
Horticultural crops like water
melon, guava and date palm
grow here.
(xv) Island Region: It includes
Andaman-Nicobar and Laksha-
dweep which have typically
equatorial climate (annual
rainfall less than 300 cm). Main
crops are rice, maize, millets,
pulses, turmeric and cassava.
Nearly half of the cropped area
is under coconut. The area is
covered with thick forests and
agriculture is in backward stage.
Major Growing Seasons in India:
Kharif (July to October): Major
crops are rice, maize, sorghum,
pearl millet/bajra, finger millet/ragi
(cereals), arhar (pulses), soyabean,
groundnut (oilseeds), cotton etc.
Rabi (October to March): Major
crops wheat, barley, oats (cereals),
chickpea/gram (pulses), linseed,
mustard (oilseeds) etc.
Zaid (March to June): Muskmelon,
Watermelon, Vegetables of
cucurbitacae family such as bitter
gourd, pumpkin, ridged gourd etc.
B-166 Geography

INDUSTRY

Major Industrial Regions of India

There are eight major industrial regions in India.
1. Mumbai-Pune Industrial Region
2. Hugli Industrial Region
3. Bangalore-Tamil Nadu Industrial Region
4. Gujarat Industrial Region
5. Chotanagpur Industrial Region
6. Vishakhapatnam-Guntur Industrial Region
7. Gurgaon-Delhi-Meerut Industrial Region
8. Kolfam-Thiruvananthapuram Industrial Region
Geography B-167

Major Industrial Type x Metallurgical Industry

As per the type raw materials used Iron and Steel Industry
in the industry and its finished Aluminum smelting Industry
product, the categories of Indian x Engineering Industry
Industry can be divided into: x Fertilizer Industry
x Agro Based Industry x Aircraft Industry
Cotton Textile x Glass Industry
Jute Textile x Cement Industry
Sugar
x Chemical Industry
Silk

MINERALS IN INDIA
Minerals are the natural resources building materials, cement materials,
which are used in many industries as clay, chromite, lime, dolomite, and
raw materials. Iron ore, manganese, gold, but deficient in copper, lead,
bauxite, copper, etc. are such minerals. mercury, zinc, tin, nickel, petroleum
Minerals are of two types: metallic and products, rock phosphate, sulphur,
non-metallic. Iron ore and copper are and tungsten.
metallic minerals while limestone and Mineral resources like potassium are
dolomite are non-metallic minerals. totally absent and have to be imported.
Metallic minerals are further Minerals like crude petroleum (which
sub-divided into ferrous and accounts for about 80 per cent of
non-ferrous minerals. Those metallic the total value of Indian imports)
minerals which have iron content diamonds (uncut), sulphur, and rock
belong to ferrous group. The metallic phosphorus are imported.
minerals belonging to non-ferrous The state with the highest
group do not have iron content. mineral output is Jharkhand.
India is rich in iron, mica, manganese, India is rich in ferrrous metals but its
bauxite; self sufficient in antimony, reserves of non-ferrous metals are poor.
Mineral Ore Found in Features
Iron Magnetitethe best Odisha (Sonai, Mayubhanj, India has the
quality of iron ore and Keonjhar), Jharkhand worlds largest
contains 72% pure iron. and Bihar (Singhbhum reserves,
Haematite-contains Hazaribagh, Palamau, approximately
60 to 70% pure iron. Shahbad), Chhattisgarh and one-fourth of
Limonite-contains worlds known
Madhya Pradesh (Raipur,
40 to 60% pure iron. reserves;
Durg, Bastar, Raigarh,
Siderite-contains many Jharkhand
Bilaspur, Jabalpur, Balaghat),
impurities and has just has the largest
40 to 50% pure iron. Andhra Pradesh (Krishna, reserves
Kurnool, Chittor, Cuddapha, accounting
Warangal, Guntur), Tamil for about 25%
Nadu (Salem, of the total
Tiruchirapalli), Karnataka reserves of
(Ballary, Chitradurg, iron ore in
Chikmagalur), Maharashtra India.
(Ratnagiri, Chanda), Goa
B-168 Geography

Coal (Black Anthracite Coalthe Bihar-Jharkhand-Bengal belt About

Gold) best quality of coal (Raniganj, Jharia, Giridih, one-fourth
and contains 80 to 95% Bokaro, Karanpur), Madhya of Indias
carbon. It is found only Pradesh and Chhattisgarh coal reserves
in Jammu and Kashmir belt (Singrauli, Korba, lie in the
in small quantity. Raigarh, Sonhat, Sohagpur. modarValley,
Bituminous coalThe Umaria), Odisha (Desgarh, across Bihar,
most widely used coal Talcher), Maharashtra Jharkhand,
and contains 40 to 80% (Chand), Andhra Pradesh and West
carbon. It is found in (Singreni), Assam (Makum, Bengal. India
Jharkhand, Orissa, West Lakhimpur); in small is the fourth
Bengal, Chhattisgarh quantities in Arunachal largest coal
and Madhya Pradesh. Pradesh, Meghalaya, Jammu producing
Lignite Also known as and Kashmir, and Nagaland country in
brown coal. It is a lower the world
grade coal and contains according
about 40 to 50% carbon. to 1992 coal
It is found in Palna of production
Rajasthan, Neyveli of in the
Tamil Nadu, Lakhimpur country.
of Assam and Karewa
of Jammu and Kashmir.
PeatIt is the first stage
of transformation of
wood into coal and
contains less than 40%
carbon.
Manganese India has the second Odisha (Keonjhar, Odisha is
largest manganese ore Kalahandi, Mayurbhaj, the leading
reserves in the world Talcher) Madhya producer of
after Zimbabwe. India is Pradesh (Balaghat, Seoni, manganese in
the fifth largest producerChhindwara, Jabalpur), the country.
in the world after Brazil,Maharashtra (Nagpur, India ranks
Gabon, South Africa Bhandara, Ratnagiri), third in world
and Australia. Gujarat (Panchmahal), in manganese
Karnataka (Chitradurg, production.
Tumkur, Shimoga,
Chikmagalur, Belgaum,
North Canara, Dharwar),
Jharkhand (Singbhum),
Andhra Pradesh
(Visakhapatnam), Rajasthan
(Udaipur, Bansawara)
Mica The three major types of Bihar (Gaya Monghyr), India has largest
mica found in India are Jharkhand (Hazaribagh), deposits of
Muscovite, Phlogopite Rajasthan (Ajmer, Shahpur, mica in world
and Biotite. Tonk, Bhilwara, Jaipur), India alone
Andhra Pradesh (Nellore) contributes
about two-
thirds of
the worlds
production
Geography B-169

Bauxite Jharkhand (Palamu), Gujarat Third largest

(aluminium (Kaira), Madhya Pradesh producer in
ore) (Katni, Jabalpur, Balaghat, the world.
Bilaspur, Bastar), Tamil
Nadu (Salem), Karnataka
(Chitradurg, Belgaum),
Maharashtra (Kolhapur),
Jammu and Kashmir (Kotli)
Copper India contributes to Jharkhand (Singhbhum, Very meager
about 3.5 to 4% of the Hazaribagh), Rajasthan reserves;
worlds total production (Khetri, Alwar, Bhilwara, almost all
of copper. Jhunjhunu, Sirohi), Andhra copper
Pradesh (Guntur, Khamman, comes from
Agnigundala), Karnataka Singbhum and
(Chitradurg, Hassan, Hazaribagh
Chikmagalur, Raichur), in Jharkhand
Madhya Pradesh (Balaghat), and Khetri in
Gujarat (Banaskantha); Rajasthan.
some quantities also found
in Sikkim, Punjab, Uttar
Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.
Crude oil 51.08 crore tones Assam, Tripura, Manipur,
West Bengal, Ganga Valley,
Himachal Pradesh, Kutch
of West Bengal coast,
Orissa, Andhra Pradesh,
Maharashtra, and Gujarat.
Lignite 429 crore tones Tamil Nadu (Neyveli fields) Maximum
Some deposits also found deposits of
in Gujarat, Punducherry, about 383
Rajasthan (Palana fields), crore tones,
Jammu and Kashmir (Riasi are found in
fields). Tamil Nadu.
Gold Indias contribution to Karnataka (Kolar gold Karnataka
gold production across fields, Hutti Mines), in small was the
the world is less than one quantities in Andhra Pradesh leading
percent (0.75%). (Ramgiri gold fields and producer
Anantpur). of gold
accounting
for 99% of
the total
production.
The remaining
production
came from
Jharkhand.
Magnesite 23.91 crore tones Tamil Nadu (Salem),
Uttranchal (Almora,
Chamoli, Pithoragarh),
Karnataka (Mysore, Hassan)
B-170 Geography

CENSUS 2011
The 15th Indian National census billion with a decadal growth of
was conducted in two phases, 17.64%. Adult literacy rate increased
houselisting and population to 70.04% with a decadal growth of
enumeration. Information for 9.21%.
National Population Register was The exercise, conducted every 10
also collected in the first phase, years, faced big challenges, not least
which will be used to issue a 12-digit Indias vast area and diversity of
unique identification number to cultures and opposition from the
all registered Indians by Unique manpower is involved. Information
Identification Authority of India. on castes was included in the census
According to the provisional reports following demands from several
released on March 31, 2011, the ruling coalition and opposition
Indian population increased to 1.21 parties.
Census Data
Population Statistics
Total Population 1,21,01,93,422 (persons)
Males 62,37,24,248
Females 58,64,69,174
Ratio 940 Females/1000 Males
'HFDGDO*URZWK 18,14,55,986 (17.64%)
'HQVLW\RI3RSXODWLRQ 382 per sq. km.
Literacy (in percent) Total; 74.04, Males: 82.14, Females: 65.46
HIGHEST/LOWEST POPULATION
State with Highest Population Uttar Pradesh 166,197,921
State with Lowest Population Sikkim 540,851
UT with Highest Population Delhi 13,850,507
UT with Lowest Population Lakshadweep 60,650
District with Highest Population Medinipur (West Bengal) 9,610,788
District with Lowest Population Yanam (Pondicherry) 31,394
Population Density Persons/Sq. Km.
India 325
State with highest Population Density West Bengal 903
State with lowest Population Density Arunachal Pradesh 13
UT with Highest Population Density Delhi 9,340
UT with Lowest Population Density Andaman & Nicobar 43
Islands
District with Highest Population Density North East (Delhi) 29,468
District with Lowest Population Density Lahul & Spiti 2
(Himachal Pradesh)
Geography B-171

Sex Ratio (Females per Thousand Males)

India 933
Rural 946
Urban 900
State with Highest Female Sex Ratio Kerala 1,058
State with Lowest Female Sex Ratio Haryana 861
UT with Highest Female Sex Ratio Pondicherry 1,001
UT with Lowest Female Sex Ratio Daman & Diu 710
District with Highest Female Sex Ratio Mahe (Pondicherry) 1,147
District with Lowest Female Sex Ratio Daman (Daman & Diu) 591
Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes Population
Population Percentage
Scheduled Castes 166,635,700 16.2%
Scheduled Tribes 84,326,240 8.2%
Scheduled Castes
State with highest proportion of Scheduled Castes Punjab (28.9%)
State with lowest proportion of Scheduled Castes Mizoram (0.03%)
UT with highest proportion of Scheduled Castes Chandigarh (17.5%)
UT with lowest proportion of Scheduled Castes D&N Haveli (1.9%)
District with highest proportion of Scheduled Castes Koch-Bihar (50.1%)
District with lowest proportion of Scheduled Castes Mizoram (0.01%)
Lawngtlai
Scheduled Tribes
State with highest proportion of Scheduled Tribes Mizoram (94.5%)
State with lowest proportion of Scheduled Tribes Goa (0.04%)
UT with highest proportion of Scheduled Tribes Lakshadweep (94.5%)
UT with lowest proportion of Scheduled Tribes A & N Islands (8.3%)
District with highest proportion of Scheduled Tribes Sarchhip, Mizoram (98.1%)
District with lowest proportion of Scheduled Tribes Hathras, Uttar Pradesh (0.01%)

Religion Based Data

Religious Composition Population * (%)
Hindus 827,578,868 80.5
Muslims 138,188,240 13.4
Christians 24,080,016 2.3
Sikhs 19,215,730 1.9
Buddhists 7,955,207 0.8
Jains 4,225,053 0.4
Other Religions & Persuasions 6,639,626 0.6
Religion not stated 727,588 0.1
Total * 1,028,610,328 100
B-172
Rural Urban Distribution
Rural-Urban Distribution
Rural
Urban
State with highest proportion of Urban Population Goa
State with lowest proportion of Urban Population Himachal Pradesh
UT with highest proportion of Urban Population Delhi
UT with lowest proportion of Urban Population Dadra & Nagar
QUICK FACTS
x Indias population has jumped to
1.21 billion, an increase of more
than 181 million during 2001-11,
according to provisional data of
Census 2011 released.
x Though the population is
almost equal to the combined
population of the U.S, Indonesia,
Brazil, Pakistan, Bangladesh and
Japan (1,214.3 million).
x The percentage decadal growth
rates of the six most populous
States have declined during 2001-
11 compared with 1991-2001.
x The overall sex ratio nationwide
has increased by seven
percentage points to 940 against
933 in Census 2001. Sex ratio is
defined as the number of females
per 1,000 males. An increase in
sex ratio was observed in 29
States/Union Territories. Kerala
with 1,084 has the highest sex
ratio followed by Puducherry
with 1.038. With 618, Daman
and Diu has the lowest ratio.
x An increasing trend in the child
sex ratio was seen in Punjab,
Haryana, Himachal Pradesh,
Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Mizoram
and the Andaman and Nicobar
Islands, but in the remaining
States/UTs, the ratio showed
a decline. The total number of
Geography
Population (%)
742,490,639 72.18%
286,119,689 27.82%
49.8
9.8
93.2
22.9
Haveli
children in the age group of 06
is now 158.8 million, less by five
million since 2001.
x The literacy rate has gone up
from 64.83 per cent in 2001 to
74.04 per cent, an increase of
9.21 percentage points.
x Kerala, with 93.91 per cent,
continues to occupy the top
position among States as far
as literacy is concerned, while
Mizorams Serchhip district
(98.76 per cent) and Aizawl
(98.50 per cent) recorded the
highest literacy rates among
districts. Madhya Pradeshs
Alirapur district has the lowest
literacy rate of 37.22 per cent
as also the naxalite-affected
Chhattisgarhs Bijapur district,
where the literacy rate is 41.58
per cent. Lakshadweep followed
kerala with a literacy level of
92.28 per cent, while Bihar
remained at the bottom of the
ladder at 63.82 per cent, followed
by Arunachal Pradesh at 66.95
per cent.
x A significant milestone reached
in the 2011 census is the fall in the
number of illiterate persons by
31,196,847. Of the total decrease
in the number of illiterates,
women comprise 17,122,197
and men, 14,074,650.
Geography B-173

l Chinese l Portuguese

Language
l Spanish l Bengali
l English l Russian
l Hindi l Japanese
l Arabic l Javanese

l Christianity
Religion
WORLD GEOGRAPHYMIND MAP

l Islam
l Hinduism
l Chinese Folk Religion
l Buddhism

l Equatorial Zone
l
Climatic

Hot Zone
Zone

l Warm Temperate Zone

l Cool Temperate Zone
l Cold Zone
l Alpine Zone
Industrial
Region

l USA and Canada Industrial Region

l European Industrial region
l Asian Major Industrial Region

l Asia
l
Continents

Africa
l North America
l South America
l Europe
l Australia
l Antarctica
Things to Remember

l Continents Highest & Largest Points

l Highest Mountain Peaks
l Deepest Oceans
l Some important Boundary lines
l Longest Rivers
l Deepest Lakes
l Largest Deserts
l Deepest Trenches
l Some important Tribes and their Homeland
B-174 Geography

INFORMATION BULLETIN
x Total Surface Area - 510, x Least populated continent-
072,000 km Antarctica (no native population)
x Land Area - 148,094,000 km x Largest country - Russia
x Water Area - 361,132,000 km (17,075,400 km)
x Most populated country - China
x Percentage of Land - 29.2%
(1,401,586,609) 2015
x Percentage of Water - 70.8%
x Smallest country - Vatican City
x Water Type - 97% salt water, 3% (0.44 km)
fresh water x Least populated country -
x Circumference - 40,066 km at Vatican City (842) 2014
Equator, 39,992 km at Poles x Highest point - Mount Everest
x Continents - 7 recognized (8,848 m)
x Countries - 193 recognized x Lowest point - Dead Sea (-409 m)
x Largest Ocean - Pacific
x Oceans - 5
(155,557,000 km)
x Population - 7,214,958,996 (2015)
x Smallest Ocean - Arctic
x Largest continent - Asia (43,810,582 (14,056,000 km)
km) x Largest Sea - South China
x Most populated continent - Asia (2,974,600 km)
(4,361,416,312) 2015 x Largest Lake - Caspian Sea
x Smallest continent - Australasia/ (371,000 km)
Oceania (8,112,000 km) x Longest River - Nile (6,695 km)

LANGUAGES
There are numerous languages in Major Languages Spoken in the
the world but they have varying World
number of speakers for each one
Language Approx. number
of them. Approximately 2,300 of speakers
languages are spoken in Asia, 2,140,
1. Chinese 1,197,000,000
in Africa, 1,300 in the Pacific, 1,060
in the Americas, and 280 in Europe 2. Spanish 414,000,000
(2015). Their existence depends on 3. English 335,000,000
the number of speakers the language 4. Hindi 260,000,000
has. There are chances that nearly
5. Arabic 237,000,000
90% of the 7, 080 languages would
extinct. Chinese tops the list of most 6. Portuguese 203,000,000
popular world languages, with over 7. Bengali 193,000,000
one billion speakers. English trails 8. Russian 167,000,000
in third place, with 335 million
9. Japanese 122,000,000
speakers. This data represents first-
language speakers. 10. Javanese 84,300,000
Geography B-175

MAJOR RELIGION OF THE WORLD

Religion Followers (in millions)
Christianity 2,200
Islam 1,600
Hinduism 1,100
Chinese folk religion 754 1,000
Buddhism 488 535
WORLD CLIMATIC TYPES
Climate Latitude Climate Type Rainfall Natural Veg
Zone Regime
Equatorial 0-10N 1. Hot we equatorial Rainfall all year Equatorial rain
zone and S 2. (a) Tropical round forests
Hot Zone 10-30N Monsoon Heavy summer Monsoon forests
and S (b) Tropical Marine rain Savana (Tropical
3. Sudan Type Much summer grassland)
4. Desert : (a) Sahara rain Desert vegetation
type (b) Mid- 70 inches and scrub
latitude type Rain mainly in
summer
30 inches
Little
rain : 5 inches
Warm 30 - 45N 5. Western Margin Winter rain : 35 Mediterranean
Temperate and S (Mediterranean inches forests and shrub
zone types) Light summer Steppe or
6. Central Continental rain temperate
(Stepe type) 20 inches grassland
7. Eastern Margin Heavier Warm, wet forests
(a) China type summer rain : bamboo
(b) Gulf type 45 inches
(c) Netal type
Cool 48-65N 8. Western Margin More rain in Deciduous forests
Temperate and S (British type) autumn and Evergreen
zone 9. Central Continental winter, 30 confierous forests
(Siberian type) inches Mixed forests
10. Eastern Margin Light summer (coniferous and
(Laurentian type) rain: deciduous)
25 inches
Moderate
summer rain
40 inches
Cold zone 65-90N 11. Arctic or Polar Very light Tundra, mosses
and S summer rain lichens
10 inches
Alpine 12. Mountain climate Heavy rainfall Alpine, mosses
Zone (variable) lichens Alpine
pastures, conifers,
fern, snow
B-176
MAJOR INDUSTRIAL REGIONS OF THE WORLD
Industrial regions are those areas,
where the focus of industries has
occurred due to favourable geo-
economic conditions. These are areas
where manufacturing industries
are carried out on a relatively large
scale and employ a relatively large
proportion of population. The
industrial regions of the world are
very unevenly distributed. With the
development of machinery, many
industrial centres have come up
where there is abundance of coal,
iron, and extensive water-power are
in abundance.
The major industrial regions of the
world are as follows:
x USA and Canada Industrial
Regions
Industrial region of USA and
Canada comprises the New
x Asian major
England Regions, The New York
- Mid-Atlantic Region, North -
Eastern Region. The Southern
Region, Western Region &
Pacific Region. These regions
include several major American
industrial cities & Metropolitans
like Hartford, New Havan, areas
from New York to Baltimore
with New Jersey, Chicago,
Detroit, Houston, etc.
x European Industrial Region
Western Europe major
industrial regions.
United Kingdoms industrial
regions are located in
Lancashire, London's basin,
Scotland, Midland,South-
Wales, etc. producing
manufacturing products
like engineering, ferrous,
chemical textile,food &
beverages, etc.
Geography
The Saar Region, the
Hamburg Region, Berlin
Region & Leipzig Region
with iron & steel heavy
chemicals, textiles & different
consumer goods Industries.
Frances industrial region
produces iron & steel, textile,
glass, leather, automobiles
with Northern, Lorraine
& Paris Industrial Regions.
Other European countries
like Italy, Switzerland,
Holland Belgium and
Sweden are industrial giants.
Eastern Europe has six
major industrial regions
Out of which four are in
Russia, one in Ukraine, and
one in southern Poland and
northern Czech Republic.
China is most dominant
and powerful industrial
agglomerations of Asia.
The regions of Manchurian
region, Yangtze region,
North-china region, South
China region, etc. with
manymanufacturing units
producing steel, heavy
chemical's textiles, paper,
cement, automobiles, toys,
etc are major industrial
regions.
Japan has several industrial
cities producing steel,
Pedro-chemical, cement,
footwear. toys, etc. at Tokya-
Yokohama region, Osaka -
Kobe region, north Kyushu
region.
Indias conurbation of
Calcutta, the Mumbai-
Pune Industrial belt,
Geography B-177

Ahemadabad-Vadodara belt, Southern industrial regions with

Chennai, Coimbatore, Bangalore industrial belt, Damodar Valley
industrial belt, Northern regions with centers like Delhi, Ambala,
Gaziabad, Mathura, etc. Other major industrial regions include
Allahadad, Varanasi, Hyderabad, Patiala, Jaipur, Bilaspur,
Jullundhar, Meerut, Lucknow, Kanpur, etc.
MAJOR INDUSTRIAL CENTRES OF THE WORLD
Country Major Industrial Centers Industries
Britain Birmingham Iron & Steel, Heavy Machinery
(Midland is the Coventry Automobile
largest Industrial Burton-on-Trent Brewing (largest brewery town
of
region centered Britain)
at Birmingham) Stoke-on-Trent Pottery (Pottery capital of
Britain)
New Castle Shipbuilding
Middlesbrough Iron & Steel
Bradford
Halifax Worsted textile
Leeds Garments
Shefield (Worlds largest Cutlery, Iron & Steel
cutlery town)
Manchester
(Lancashire region) Cotton textile
Liverpool & Birkenhead Shipbuilding
Along Manchester Canal Heavy chemicals
Glosgow
Hamilton Iron & Steel
Motherwell
Coatbridge
Pot Glasgow Shipbuilding
Belfast region (Main Shipbuilding &
industrial region of Ireland) Linen industry
France Lille Textiles
Dunkirus Iron & Steel
St. Etienne Armaments & Bicycle
Limoges Pottery
Lyone Silk making
Marseilles Oil refineries
Paris Aircraft & Transport
Champaque Wine
Lorrensar Iron & Steel
Germany Frankfurt Railway engineering
(Ruhr-Westphalia Mainz Leather, Brewing, Engineering
region, served by Mannheim Chemical, electrical engineering
Rhine River, is the Ludwigshafen Iron & Steel.
largest industrial
B-178 Geography

region of Germany
This industrial Hamburg Shipbuilding
region is connected Munich Photographic equipment, Musical
to North sea by instrument
Dortmund-Ems
canal)
Stuttgart Automobile
Aachen Iron & Steel, Textile
Leipzig Optical instrument
Jena Zeiss Photographic equipment
Dresden Porcelain
Karl Marx Stadt Textiles
Belgium Liege Iron & Steel, Guns, pistols &
other firearms
Antwerp Diamond cutting
Ghent Linen textiles
Luxemberg Luxemberg city Engineering
Netherland Rotterdam Shipbuilding and marine engineering
Amsterdam Diamond cutting
Arnhem Tin smelting
Sweden Goteborg Shipbuilding
Stockhom Shipbuilding
Switzerland Zurich Engineering and Textiles
Basel Engineering
Baden
Denmark Kopenhagen Dairy
Italy Milan (main industrial region) Silk textile
Turin (Detroit of Italy) Motor Car
U.S.A. Boston Shipbuilding
(Great Lake region) Pittsburg Iron and Steel
is the most (Iron & Steel capital of the
important industrial world)
region
Akron Worlds largest synthetic
rubber and tyre making centre
Motor car and Aeroplane
Detroi
Pontiac Cars and its spare parts
Flint
Gary Iron and Steel
Chicago
Toledo Automobile
Birmingham Iron and Steel
Troy Garment
Buffalo Iron and Steel, Machine
(It is also the largest flour
milling centre of U.S.A.)
San Fransisco (Silicon Valley) Oil refining, Shipbuilding,
Computer technology
Geography B-179

Los Angels (Hollywood) Film and Aircraft

Canada Montreal Shipbuilding and Aircraft
Toronto Engineering and Automobile
Otawa Paper
Hamilton Birmingham) Iron and Steel, Engineering
of Canada)
Quebec Shipbuilding & Marine
Engineering
Russia Moscow and Gorky Iron and Steel, Chemicals
Magnitogost Iron and Steel, Oil refining
Leningrad (St. Petersberg) Textile, Chemical, Paper
Ukraine Krivoyrog Iron & Steel and Heavy
Machinery
Argentina Bueons Aires Shipbuilding
China Shanghai Textile and Machinery
Wuhan Textile, Machinery,
Shipbuilding,
Iron and Steel
Japan Nagoya (Detroit of Japan) Aircraft, Car, Machinery
Osaka (Manchester of Japan) Shipbuilding, Textile, Iron &
Steel
Kyoto and Kobe Shipbuilding, Testtile, Iron &
Steel
Tokyo Shipbuilding, Engineering, and
Textile
Nagasaki Shipbuilding, Iron and Steel,
Machinery

CONTINENTS OF WORLD
A continent is one of the large landmasses on Earth generally identified by
convention rather than any strict criteria, with up to seven regions commonly
regarded as continents. They are Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, south
America, Australia and Antarctica.
Continent % of Earth Area Continents (by the number
of countries)
1. Asia 29.5 44
2. Africa 20.4 54
3. North America 16.3 23
4. South America 11.8 12
5. Europe 7.1 46
6. Australia or oceania 5.3 14
7. Antarctica 9.6
B-180
Asia
Asia is the worlds largest continent,
having an area of 44,444,100 sq km.
Asia covers to the east of the Suez
Canal, the Ural River, and the Ural
M o u n t a i n s,
and south of
the Caucasus
Mountains
and the
Caspian and
Black Seas. It
is bounded
on the east by the Pacific Ocean, on
the south by the Indian Ocean and
on the north by the Arctic Ocean.
Physical Features
Region-wise it can be classified
into 6 regions which are as follow:
x Central Asia : Kazakhstanb,
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
x Eastern Asia :China, Hong Kong,
Japan, North Korea, South Korea,
Macau, Mongolia, Taiwan
x Northern Asia : Russia
x Southeastern Asia: Brunei,
Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia,
Laos, Malaysia, Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste,
Vietnam
x Southern Asia: Afghanistan,
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India,
Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka
x Western Asia : Armeniae,
Azerbaijana, Bahrain, Cypruse,
Georgiaa, Iran, Iraq, Israel,
Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman,
State of Palestine, Qatar, Saudi
Arabia, Syria, Turkeya, United
Arab Emirates,Yemen.
Natural Vegetation of Asia
x The Tundra
x The Taiga
x Temperate Grasslands, the
Steppes
x Mediterranean Scrubland and
Forest
Geography
x Desert Vegetation
x Monsoon Region:
x Tropical Rainforest
x Vegetation in the Mountains
Africa
Africa is the second largest continent
in area (30,330,000 sq Km), covers
six percent of
Earth's total
surface area
and 20.4
percent of its
total land
area. Algeria
is Africa's largest country by area,
and Nigeria by population. Africa's
population is the youngest among all
the continents; 50% of Africans are
19 years old or younger. Separated
from Europe by the Mediterranean
Sea, it is joined to Asia at its
northeast extremity by the Isthmus
of Suez 163 km wide.
Physical Features
Region-wise it can be classified into
6 regions which are listed below.
x Northern Africa : Algeria,
Canary Islands, Santa Cruz de
Tenerife, Ceuta, Egypt, Libya,
Madeira, Melilla, Morocco,
Sudan, Tunisia, Western Sahara.
x Northeast Africa : Djibouti,
Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia
x Eastern Africa : Burundi,
Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar,
Malawi, Mauritius, Mayotte,
Mozambique, Reunion, Rwanda,
Seychelles, South Sudan,
Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia,
Zimbabwe.
x Central Africa : Angola,
Cameroon, Central African
Republic, Chad, Republic of the
Congo, Democratic Republic of
the Congo, Equatorial Guinea,
Gabon, So Tom and Prncipe.
Geography
x Southern Africa: Botswana,
Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa,
Swaziland
x Western Africa: Benin, Burkina
Faso, Cape Verde, Gambia,
Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory
Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania,
Niger, Nigeria, Saint Helena,
Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo
Natural Vegetation of Africa
x Tropical Rain Forests
x Tropical Savannas
x Tropical Steppes and Deserts
x Mediterranean Forests
x Montane Forests
x Mangrove Forests
Europe
The continent comprises the
westernmost part of Eurasia bordered
by Arctic Ocean in north, the Atlantic
Ocean in west, and the Mediterranean
Sea to the south. To the east and
southeast, it is separated from Asia
by the watershed divides of the Ural
and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural
River, the
Caspian and
Black Seas,
and the
waterways of
the Turkish
Straits. The
coastline of Europe is 80500 km,
which is longer than Africa. It is the
second smallest continent in the world.
Physical Features
Region-wise classification of
Europe can be as follows
x European High lands
x Western Uplands : Landscape of
Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden,
and Denmark), Finland, Iceland,
Scotland, Ireland, the Brittany
B-181
region of France, Spain, and
Portugal.
x Central Uplands : Central
Europe and include western
France and Belgium, southern
Germany, the Czech Republic,
and parts of northern Switzerland
and Austria.
x Alpine Mountains : The Italian
and Balkan peninsulas, northern
Spain, and southern France. The
region includes the mountains of
the Alps, Pyrenees, Apennines,
Dinaric Alps, Balkans, and
Carpathians.
x North European Plain : France,
Belgium, the Netherlands,
Germany, Denmark, Poland, the
Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, and
Lithuania), and Belarus.
x Island : British Isles, Corsica,
Alba, Sardinia, Crete , Malta ,
Cyprus, are some of the major
Islands of Europe.
x Deserts : Accona Desert,
Bardenas Reales, Bdowska
Desert, The Stone Desert, Larzac,
Santorini and Anafi, Piscinas
are some of the major deserts
of Europe
Natural Vegetation of Africa
x Sub tropical dry forest
x Subtropical Mountain Forest
x Temperate Oceanic Forest
x Temperate continental Forest
x Boreal Coniferous forest
x Boreal Tundra Forest
x Boreal Mountain
1RUWK$PHULFD
North America covers about 4.8%
of the planet's surface or about
16.5% of its land area, having the
population of 565 million (2013) in
23 independent states. It is the third
B-182
largest continent by area, following
Asia and
Africa and
fourth largest
in terms of
population
with the
density of 24
million/sq km. It extends from 7o N
to 85o N latitudinal-wise and
longitude-wise 20oW to 179oW. It
has 5 time zones.
Physical Features
Region-wise it can be classified into
5 regions which are listed below.
x Western Region : Young
Mountains rise in the west. The
most familiar of these mountains
are probably the Rockies, North
Americas largest chain. They
stretch from the province of
British Columbia, Canada, to
the U.S.state of New Mexico.
x Great Plains : In the middle
of the continent lies the Grate
Plain. Deep, rich soil blankets
large areas of the plains in
Canada and the United States.
Grain grown in this region,
called the Bread basket of
North America, feeding a large
part of the world.
x Canadian Shield : The
Canadian Shield is a raised but
relatively flat plateau. It extends
over eastern, central, and north
western Canada. The Canadian
Shield is characterized by a
rocky landscape pocked by an
astounding number of lakes.
x Eastern Region : This varied
region includes the Appalachian
Mountains and the Atlantic
coastal plain. NorthAmericas
older mountain ranges, including
the Appalachians, rise near the
east coast of the United States
and Canada
x Caribbean Region : The
Caribbean Region includes more
Geography
than 7,000 islands, islets, reefs,
and cays. The regions islands
and smaller islets are varied in
their topography.
Natural Vegetation of Africa
x Arctic/ Tundra Forests:
x Boreal Forests/ Taiga/
Coniferous forests:
x Eastern Deciduous Forests:
x Grasslands:
x Desert Scrub:
x Mediterranean and Madrean
Scrublands and Woodlands:
x Pacific Coast Coniferous Forests
x Western Montane Coniferous
Forests:
x Tidal Wetlands
South America
This is a triangular shape continent,
stretching from 12 N to 55S
latitude. Towards its west lies Pacific
Ocean, Atlantic Ocean on the east
and, North
America and
the Caribbean
Sea lie to the
northwest. It
is the fourth
l a r g e s t
continent of the world with smooth
and inlet coastline.
Physical Features
Region-wise it can be classified into
5 regions which are listed below.
x The Pacific coastal strip lies
between the west Pacific and
Andes.
x The Andes stretches through
entire continent in length
running in north-south direction
from Isthmus of Panama to
Strait of Magellan.
x The Central Lowland: two great
river system are covered under it
namely the Amazon-Orinoco
and Parana-Paraguay rivers.
Geography
x The Eastern Highland consists
of Brazilian and Guiana
Highlands along with Patagonia.
Natural Vegetation of South America
x Equatorial Forest
x Temperate Forests
x Mediterranean Forests
x Savanna Grasslands
x Pampas
x Desert
Australia
Thousands of islands combined
form Oceania region, mostly
covering the
Central and
South Pacific
Ocean. The
region is
dominated by
w o r l d s
biggest island
and two other major landmasses,
micro-continent of Zealandia
(including New Zealand) and the
western half of the island of New
Guinea, made up of the nation of
Papua New Guinea. Oceania also
includes three island regions:
Melanesia, Micronesia, and
Polynesia (including the U.S. state of
Hawaii). It stretches from the Strait
of Malacca to the coast of Americas.
Tropic of Capricorn divides it into
almost two halves.
There are 28 countries and Island
groups in Australasia/Oceania
covering 5.3% of the Earth's land
and 1.5% of the Earth's surface. The
largest cities of this region includes:
Jakarta, Manila, Sydney, Bandung,
Melbourne, Surabaya, Medan etc.
Physical Features
Region-wise it can be classified
into 3 regions such as:
 The great western Plateau
covers two third of Australia
B-183
 The central lowland extends
from the shallow Gulf of
Carpentaria in the north to the
Southern Ocean.
 The eastern highlands stretch
along the eastern edge of
Australia, all the way from Cape
York to Tasmania.
Natural Vegetation
x The tropical Rain forest
x The deciduous forest Savanna
x The dry desert and desert scrub
Antarctica
The continent of Antarctica is the
fifthlargest
continent in
term s of
geographical
area, and it is
situated in a
remote cold
location of Southern. The continent
covers approximately 20 percent of
the hemisphere.
As such there are no countries in
this continent except some parts
of few nations such,New Zealand,
Australia, France, Norway, the
United Kingdom, Chile, and
Argentina.
Physical Features
As a frozen continent it has only a
few prominent physiographic units
such as:
x Trans Antarctic Mountain
dividing the continent into West
Antarctica and East Antarctica.
x The Antarctic Peninsula
x The islands of the Antarctic
region which contains South
Orkney Islands, South Shetland
Islands, South Georgia, and
the South Sandwich Islands, all
claimed by the United Kingdom.
B-184 Geography

THINGS TO REMEMBER
CONTINENTS HIGHEST AND LOWEST POINTS
Continent Highest Point Lowest Point
1. Asia Everest (8848 m) Dead Sea (396.8m)
2. Africa Kilimanjaro (5894 m) Lake Assai (156.1 m)
3. North America Mckinley (6194 m) Death Valley (85.9 m)
4. South America Aconcagua (6960 m) Valdis Penin (39.9 m)
5. Europe Elbrus (5663 m) Caspian Sea (28.0 m)
6. Australia Koscisko (2228 m) Lake Eyre (15.8 m)
7. Antarctica Vinson Massif (5140 m) (Unexplored)



Name Height (in metres) Range
1. Mount Everest 8848 Himalayas
2. K2 (Godwin Austen) 8611 Karakoram
3. Kanchenjunga 8598 Himalayas
4. Lhotse 8511 Himalayas
5. Makalu I 8481 Himalayas
6. Dhaulagiri I 8167 Himalayas
7. Manaslu I 8156 Himalayas
8. Cho Uyo 8153 Himalayas
9. Nanga Parvat 8126 Himalayas
8. Annapurana I 8091 Himalayas
THREE DEEPEST OCEANS

Name Greatest depth (in metres) Greatest depth location

1. Pacific Ocean 11,033 Mariana Trench
2. Atlantic Ocean 9,460 Puerto Rico Trench
3. Indian Ocean 7,542 Java Trench
SOME IMPORTANT BOUNDARY LINES
Durand Line between Pakistan and Afghanistan
Hindenberg Line between Germany and Poland
49th Parallel between USA and Canada
Mac Mahon Line between India and Tibet/China
Maginot Line between France and Germany
38th Parallel between North and South Korea
Oder Neisse Line between Germany and Poland
Radcliffe Line between India and Pakistan
17th Parallel between India and Pakistan (as claimed by Pakistan)
Geography B-185

LONGEST RIVERS
Name, Nation/Continent Length in kms Basin Area m2km
Nile Africa 6695 3.25
Amazon, South America 6516 6.14
Yangtze Kiang, China 6380 1.72
Mississippi Missouri, USA 5959 3.20
Ob Irtysh, Russia 5568 2.97
Yenisey Angari a Selenga, Asia 5550 2.55
Yellow (Hwang Ho), China 5464
Congo (Zaire), Africa 4667
Parana Rio de la Plata, S. Am 4500 2.58
Irtysh, Asia 4440
Mekong, Asia 4425
India
Indus Asia 3180
Brahmaputra Asia 2948
Ganga-Hooghly-Padma India 2620
Godawari India 1465
Sutlej India 1372
Krishna India 1300
Narmada India 1289
Chenab India 1086
Ghaghara India 1080
Shortest River (metres)
Europe Ombia river, Croatia 30
North America, Roe River, Montana, USA 61
South America Azvis River, Brazil 147
Deepest Lakes
Baikal, Russian Fedn 1620 m
Tanganyika, Africa 1463 m
Caspian Sea, Asia-Europe 1025 m
Malawi of Nyasa, Africa 706 m
Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan 702 m
LARGEST DESERTS OF THE WORLD
Subtropical
Sahara, North Africa 8,600,650 sq. km
Arabian, Middle East 2,300,000 sq. km
Great Victoria, Australia 647,475 sq. km
Kalahari, Southern Africa 582,727 sq. km
Chihuahuan, Mexico 453,232 sq. km
Thar, India/Pakistan 453,232 sq. km
Great Sandy, Australia 388,485 sq. km
B-186 Geography

Gibson, Australia 310,788 sq. km

Sonoran, S.W. USA 310,788 sq. km
Simpson/Stony, N Africa 145,034 sq. km
Mohave, S.W. USA 139,854 sq. km
Cool Coastal
Atacama, Chile SA 139,854 sq. km
Namib, S.W. Africa 33,668 sq. km
Cold Winter
Gobi, China 1,166,450 sq km
Patagonian, Argentina 673,374 sq km
Great Basin, S.W. USA 492,081 sq. km
Kara-kum, West Asia 349,636 sq. km
Colorado, Western USA, also called the Painted Desert 336,687 sq. km
Kyzyl-kum, West Asia 297,838 sq. km
Taklamakan, China 271,939 sq. km
Iranian, Iran 258,990 sq. km

Name Length Depth Deepest Pt.
Mariana* 2250 10.924 Challenger Deep
Tonga Kermadec (S. Pacific) 2575 10.850 Vityaz 11 (Tonga)
Kuril-Kamchatka 2250 10.542 -
Philippine 1350 10.539 Galathea Deep
Java-Indian** 2250 7725 Planet Deep

Aleuts : Alaska
Ainus : Japan
Aeta : Phillip Cines
Bushman : Kalahari
Buryak : Central Asia
Berbers : N. Africa
Bedouin : Sahara and Middle East
Bindibu or Aborigins : Australia
Chukchi : N.E. Asia, U.S.S.R.,
North Siberia
Eskimos : Greenland, North
Canada, Alaska, N. Siberia
Fulani : Western Africa
Gobi Mongols : Gobi
Guicas : Amazon forest area
Hausa : North Nigeria
Hotten tots : Hot tropical Africa
Ibans : Equatorial rain forest region
of South-East Asia
India Tribes : Amazon basin
Koryaks : N. Siberia, Eurassian
Tunda, N.E. Asia
Kalmuk : Central Asia
Kareus or Meos : Myanmar
Kirghiz : Asiatic steppes
Kazakhs : Kazakhistan
Lapps : N. Finland, Scandinavian,
country
Maoris : New Zealand
Masai : East and Central Africa
Orange Asli : Malaysia
Pygmies : Congo basin, Zaire
Red Indian : N. America
Somoyeds : Siberia
Semangs : East Sumatra
Turregs : Sahara
Tapiro : Papua New Guinea
Yoakuts : Siberia
Zulus : South Africa
+,6725<
` India
` World
B-188 History

INDIAN HISTORY MIND MAP

ANCIENT MEDIEVAL MODERN

Indus Valley Delhi Sultanate Trade Initiation of British

Civilization Vijayanagar Establishment of British
Harappa Empire in India Company in
Mohenjodro
1600 Ad
Religious India under British Rule
Chanhu-daro
movement in before 1857
Kalibangan
India Indian Rebellion against
Lothal
Bhakti & Sufi British in 1857 (Sepoy
Banawali
Movement Mutiny)
Amri
Freedom Struggle of
Dholavira Mughal Dynasty India
Rangpur Advent of Major Events of Indian
Ropar European Freedom struggle
Alamgirpur Commerce Rowlatt Act (1919)
Vedic Period/ Aryan The Jallianwala Bagh
Jainism & Buddhism Portuguese Massacre(1919)
The Dutch Chauri Chaura
Mahajanpad
The French Incident(1922)
Magadh Empire Non Cooperation
Kingdom of
Maurya Dynasty Movement(1920-22)
Great Marathas
Sunga Dynasty Civil Disobedience
Movement or
Satyahana dynasty
Satyagraha(1930)
Kushan Dynasty Quit-India Movement
Gupta Empire (1942)
Reign of Azad Hind Fauz (1943)
Harshvardhan Partition of India and
formation of a new
Pala Empire country Pakistan
Southern Kingdoms (1947)
Pallav India got
Chalukya Independence(1947)
Chola Dynasty End of Drafting of
Indian Constitution on
26 November 1949
The Indian
Constitution came into
effect on 26th Jan,
1950
History
ANCIENT INDIA
Pre Historic Ages
Stone Age
x Pre - historic period is divided
into three sections- Stone age,
Bronze age and Iron age
x Stone age is divided into three
periods i.e., Palaeolithic Age,
Mesolithic Age and Neolithic Age.
x Lower Palaeolithic Age covers
the greater part of the Ice Age.
x Its people used to eat fruits, birds
and raw animal flesh etc.
x The tools were usually made of
hard rock.
x In Middle Palaeolithic age a bit
change occurred in the shape of
tools made of stones or bones.
x In Upper Palaeolithic age,
human lived as nomadic hunter
gatherers.
x Mesolithic Age was an
intermediate stage in the stone
age. It ended with the introduction
of agriculture.
x Neolithic age was an age of
polished tool culture.
x Tool making became an
important profession and a
variety of polished tools were
manufactured.
x They learnt the art of pottery
and their pots were well made
and decorated with paintings.
x They discovered the art of
producing fire by the friction of
stones and the wheel was also an
important discovery of this age.
B-189
Bronze Age
It began with the development of
Indus valley civilization around 3000
BC and continued up to 1300 BC.
x People started using weapons
and agricultural tools made of
Bronze, an alloy of copper and
tin.
x It had opened the trade networks
of Mesopotamia civilization to
reach out in various directions.
x The age came to an end primarily
because of the fact that the metals
used as alloy in manufacturing
bronze were not very common
and widely found. More over the
expenses of making bronze were
high at that time.
Iron Age
x It was the last principal period
among the three-age system of
prehistoric societies, preceded by
the Bronze age.
x The development of this era
was due to the fact that people
started using weapons and tools
made by iron marked by other
prominent changes in the society
such as agricultural practices,
religious belief and inclinations
towards art.
x The age began in the 6th century
BCE in northern Europe and 8th
century BCE in central Europe
B-190 History

followed by12th century BCE in Northern Black Polished Ware

the ancient Near East, ancient (700 to 200 BCE).
Iran, ancient India, and ancient
Greece.
x In India the late Harappan
Culture was marked with the
Iron Age archaeological cultures
of India with emphasis given on
the Painted Grey Ware culture
(1200 to 600 BCE) and the

Indus Valley Civilization

Indus Valley Civilization was the most ancient urban civilization in this world
which flourished on the bank of Indus River during Bronze Age Period. The
important cities under this civilizations were given below.
IMPORTANT SITES
Name of Year of Excavators Region/River Features
Sites Excavation
Harappa 1921 Daya Ram Montgomery 1. City followed grid planning
Sahni district of 2. Row of six granaries
Punjab (Now
3. Only place having evidences
in Pak) on the
of coffin burial
left bank of
4. Evidence of fractional
Ravi
burial and coffin burial
5. Cemetery-H of alien people.
Mohenjodaro 1922 R.D. Larkana 1. City followed grid planning
Banarjee district in Sind 2. A large granary and Great
on the right Bath, a college
bank of Indus 3. Human skeletons showing
(Now in Pak) invasiona and massacre.
4. Evidence of Horse come
from superficial level.
5. A piece of woven cotton
alongwith spindle whorls
and needles
6. Town was flooded more
then seven times.
Chanhu-daro 1931 N. Gopal Situtated in 1. The city has no citadal
Majumdar, Sind on the 2. Famous for bead makers
Mackey bank of Indus shop
3. A small pot, possibly an
inkpot
4. Foot prints of a dog chasing
a cat
5. Three different cultural layers,
Indus, Jhukar and Jhangar
History B-191

Kalibangan 1953 A. Ghosh Situated in 1. Shows both Pre Harappan

Rajasthan on and Harappan phase
the Bank of 2. Evidence of furrowed land
Ghaggar 3. Evidence of seven fire
altars and camel bones
4. Many houses had their
own well
5. Kalibangan stand for black
bangles
6. Evidence of wooden furrow
Lothal 1953 S.R. Rao Situated in 1. A titled floor which bears
Gujarat on intersecting design of
Bhogava river circles
near Gulf of 2. Remains of rice husk
Cambay 3. Evidence of horse from a
terracotta figurine
4. A ship designed on a seal
5. Beads & trade ports
6. An instrument for measuring
angles,pointing to modern day
compass
Banwali 1974 R.S. Bisht Situated in 1. Shows both Pre-Harappan
Hissar district and Harppan phase
of Haryana 2. Good quantity of barley
found here
Amri 1935 N.G. Situated in 1. Evidence of antelope
Majumdar Sind on the
bank of Indus
Dholavira 1985-90 R.S. Bisht Situated in 1. Seven cultural stages
Gujarat in 2. Largest site
Rann of 3. Three party of city
Kutch 4. Unique water management
Rangpur 1953 M.S. Vats, Situated on 1. Rice was cultivated
B.B. Lal & the bank of
S.R. Rao Mahar in
Gujarat
Ropar 1953 Y.D. Situated in 1. Evidence of burying a dog
Sharma Punjab of below the human bural
the banks of 2. One example of rectangular
Sutlej mudbrick chamber was
noticed
3. Five fold cultures - Harappan,
PGW, NBP, Kushana - Gupta
and Medieval
Alamgirpur 1958 Y . D . Situated on 1. The impression of cloth on
Sharma Hindon in a trough is discovered
Ghaziabad 2. Usually considered to be
the eastern boundary of
the Indus culture
B-192
Early Vedic period/ Aryan
(c. 1500500 BCE)
x The earliest specimen of Indo-
European language is Rig Veda.
Aryans were the people who
spoke Indo-European languages
basically belonging to Central
Asia, migrated to India.
x They settled themselves in Sapta
Sindhu the land of seven rivers
in north-western region of India
which included Kubha river of
Afghanistan along with Indus
and its five tributaries.
x According to the oldest Vedic
literature (Rig Veda) the Aryan
king came into conflict with
Dasa (branch of early Aryans)
and Dasyus (original inhabitants
of the country). They were soft
to Dasas but strongly hostile to
Dasyus.
x Gradually the region came to be
known as Bharatavarsha named
after the tribe Bharata. This clan
consists of 5 Aryan chiefs and
5 non-Aryan chiefs. Dasrajna
Yudha or Battle of ten Kings has
been mentioned in hymns of Rig
Veda.
x The battle of ten kings was
between Sudas, Bharata king
of Tritsu family (belonging to
Aryan clan) and ten well-know
tribes ---Puru, Yadu, Turvasa,
Anu, Druhyu, Alina, Parktha,
Bhalanas, Shiva and Vishanin.
The battle was fought on the
History
bank of river Parusni, identical
to river Ravi and was won by
Bharatas.
x Kurus were the ruling tribe which
was formed after this battle,
when Bharatas joined hands
with Purus (most important tribe
among defeated tribes).
x Samgrama meant that gram
clashed with one another and
caused war.
x The Aryans were pastoral people
and fought most of the war for
it. Rig Veda is gavisihthi or
search for cows as they were the
most important form of wealth.
x The concept of women slave
was most common. Women and
cows were gifted to the priests in
those days.
x Voluntary offering to the chief
was known as bali.
x Two priests who played important
role during this time were
Vasishtha and Vishvamitra.
x The people of Vedic period were
theists. Vedic literature shows
the existence of god and some
invincible powers. Atharvaveda
time or Kala has been described
as the originator of everything.
Vedic people worshipped many
gods not out of fear but for
gaining their favours. The
religion of the Vedic Aryan
worshipped nature with one in
many concepts.
x Indra (rain god) was important
as he played role of a warlord.
250 hymns were devoted to him.
Agni (fire god) was devoted 200
hymns. Varuna, Soma (plant
god), female divinities like Aditi
and Usha were also worshipprd
but were not given importance as
the male gods.
History
x The administrative machinery
worked under tribal chief called
as Rajans. Clan based assemblies
were found such as sabha,
samiti, vidatha, gana. Saba and
samiti were most important to
the chief as the places of wining
support. Women attended sabha
and vidatha.
x Social structure of the society was
based on the kinship. Common
term for nephew, grandson and
cousin was naptri.
Later Vedic Period
x The hymns or mantras were
known as Samhitas. Rig Veda
text were tune and its modified
collection was known as Sama
Veda Samhita. Two other
collections were added in Sama
Veda during post Rig Vedic time.
These were The Yajur Veda
Samhita and the Atharva Veda
Samhita.
Later Vedic Period
x Rig Veda contained 1017 hymns
and was divided into ten
mandalas. The first and tenth
hymns are said to be added later
as their language differ from
other eight mandalas. Its the
tenth mandala which explains
the four varnas.
x Sama Veda consist of 1603 verses
and after 99 all the rest have been
borrowed from Rig Vedas.
B-193
x Yajur Veda Samhita contains not
only hymns but also rituals which
have to accompany their recitation.
x Atharva Veda Samhita contains
charms and spells to ward off
evil and diseases.
x All these were complied in the
upper Ganga basin in circa 1000-
600 B.C.
Jainism
x Mahavira (540-468 B.C.) was
born in Kundagrama village, of
Muzzafarpur, Bihar. He belonged
to Jnatrika clan and Trishal clan
from his fathers and mothers side
respectively. At the age of 30 he
gave up his crown and became an
ascetic. He attained the supreme
knowledge after thirteenth year of
his asceticism outside the town
of Jrimbhikgrama. Then on he
was called as Jaina or Jitendriya
(one who conquered his senses),
Nragrantha (free from all bonds)
and Mahavira (the brave). His
teaching included:
x He advocated an austere and simple
life with the aim of Kaivalya.
x He believed that the universe was
the product of nature outcome
of cause and effect; Karma and
transmigration of soul. Atma
(soul) is eternal and is born and
reborn. Ultimate aim of the jiva
(conscious) should be getting rid
of the birth cycle.
x He laid great stress on equality.
x Five vows includes: Ahimsa
(non-violence), Satya, Asateya
(non-stealing), Aparigraha (non-
possession) and Brahmacharya.
x Jains devotees were categorized as
a) Tirthankara b) Arhat c) Acharya
d) Upadhyaya and e) Sadhu.
x There are two sect of Jainism:
Digambara and Shvetambara.
B-194 History

During first century A.D. image of

Buddha was developed in Greek and
Indian form which created a new
form of art called as Gandhara Art.

Buddhism
Gautama Buddha was the founder
of Buddhism. He was a prince in the
kingdom of Kapilavastu in 563 B.C.
At the age of 29 he left his home in Mahajanapadas
search of enlightenment, which he
During the age of Buddha whole of
attained at the age of 35 at Bodh Gaya
northern territory especially north
under the peepal tree. He delivered
his first sermon at Sarnath, Banaras. of Vindyan was divided into sixteen
He passed away at the age of 80 (483 states called Sodasha Mahajanapadas
B.C.) at Kushinaga. He recommended either monarchical or republican
an eight fold path (ashtangika marga) in character. The kingdoms of
which included right observation, right Magadh, Koshala, Vatsa and Avanti
determination, right speech, right were considered powerful. Buddhist
action, right livelihood, right exercise, literature Anguttara Nikaya listed
right memory and right meditation. them as:
Mahajanapadas Capital Present place
Gandhara Taxila A part of Afghanistan
Kamboja Rajauri Part of Kashmir and Afghanistan
Asmaka Potana Godavari Valley
Vatsa Kaushambi Allahabad
Avanti Ujjain Malwa and a part of M.P
Surasena Mathura Mathura in U.P
Chedi Shuktimati Bundelkhand in M.P
Malla Kushinara, Pawa Eastern U.P
Kurus Hstinapur/Indraprashta Delhi and Meerut
Matasya Virat Nagari Jaipur and Alwar
Vajjis Vaishali North Bihar
Anga Champa Bhagalpur and Monghyr in Bihar
Kashi Banaras Banaras
Kosala Shravasti Oudh in U.P
Magadha Girivraja/Rajgriha Patna and Gaya in Bihar
Panchala Ahichhatra/Kampilya Rohilkhand in U.P
History
Magadha Empire
Magadha roughly represents the
present Patna and Gaya districts of
Bihar. It was situated between the
Ganga (north), Son (west), Vindhyan
range (south) and Champa (east). Its
earliest capital was Girivraja (Now
Rajagriha). King Bimbisara was the
founder of this empire.
Three dynasties ruled over Magadha
are as follow:
x The Haryanaka Dynasty (544-
412 BC) : Bimbisara was the first
ruler (544 B.C.-492 B.C.) and
founder of Haryanka dynasty.
He was contemporary to Buddha
and located his capital at Rajgir
(Girivraja). He strengthened his
empire by conquest and aggression
even using matrimonial alliances
for this purpose. He had three
wives: daughter of the king Kosala,
Chellana (Lichhavi Princess) and
daughter of the chief of the Madra
clan of Punjab. Bimbisara sent Jivaka
to Ujjain for the treatment of King
Pradyota, (king of Avanti). He was
killed and succeeded by his son
Ajatasatru. He built the fort upon the
confluence of the Ganga and Son
at Patna. He shifted his capital from
the Rajgir to Pataliputra. Ajatasatru
was killed by his son Udayin.
x Shishunaga Dynasty (412-344 BC) :
The last Haryanka ruler, Nagadasaka
killed by his courtier Shishunaga in
430 B.C. thus becoming the king and
founded Shishunaga dynasty. He
was succeeded by his son Kalashoka
who organized the second Buddhist
Council at Vaishali in 383 B.C. The
last ruler of Shishunaga dynasty
was Nandivardhan.
B-195
x Nanda Dynasty (344-321 BC):
Mahapadma Nanda established
the Nanda dynasty. They had a
huge army of 2, 00,000 infantry,
60,000 cavalry and 2,000 war
chariots and 6,000 war elephants.
Dhanananda was the last ruler of
this dynasty. He was contemporary
of Alexander, who invaded India
in 326 B.C. during his reign.
Mauryan Empire (322185 B.C)
Rulers of Mauryan Dynasty:
Chandragupta Maurya (322 BC-298 BC);
Bindusara (298 BC-272 BC); Ashoka
(274 BC-232 BC) Dasaratha (232 BC-224
BC); Samprati (224 BC-215 BC) Salisuka
(215 BC-202 BC); Devavarman (202
BC-195 BC); Satadhanvan (195 BC-
187 BC); Brihadatha (187 BC-185 BC).
x Chandragupta Maurya defeated
Dhanananda with the help of
Chanakya.
x Greek and Latin name of
Chandragupta was Sandracottos
or ndracottus.
x Megasthenes was the ambassador
sent by Seleucus.
x Chandragupta Maurya was
succeeded by his son Bindusara.
Greek sources refer him as
Amitrochates or amitraghata
(destroyer of foes) in Sanskrit.
x Ashoka was the son of Bindusara,
who fought the battle of Kalinga in
261B.C. The scene of mass death
of battle altered his mind and thus
became the follower of Buddhism.
Ashok Stambh at sarnath was
adopted as national emblem of
India. Ashoka built Dhamek
Stupa (Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh),
Bharhut stupa (Madhya Pradesh),
Mahabodhi Temple (Bihar).
x Last Mauryan King was Brihadratha
(Killed by his general Pushyamitra).
Pushyamitra founded Sunga Dynasty.
B-196
Sunga Dynasty (185 to 73 B.C.)
Rulers of Sunga Dynasty: Pushyamitra
Sunga, Agnimitra, Vasujyeshtha,
Vasumitra, Andhraka Pulindaka,
Ghosha, Vajramitra, Bhagabhadra,
Devabhuti.
x Pushyamitra Sunga was the
senapati of last king of Mauryan
Empire Brihadratha. He killed
Brihadratha and founded the
Sunga dynasty in 185 B.C. The
kingdom extended upto eastern
Punjab.
x It was a Magadha dynasty and
its capital was Pataliputra but
later Vidhisha was the capital of
Sunga rulers.
x Patanjali (grammarian of Sanskrit)
was patronized by Pushyamitra
Sunga. They performed vedic
sacrifices trying to bring back
Brahmanical way of life.
x Other Sunga Rulers are Bhumimitra,
Narayana, Susarman. Susarman
was put to death by Satavahana
ruler.
x They were succeeded by Kanva
dynasty: Vasudeva Kanva was
the founder of Kanva dynasty.
He was a Brahmin and follower
of lord Vishnu.
Satvahana dynasty (167196 AD)
Simuka was the founder of this
dynasty. It was situated between
the region of Krishna and Godavari
History
rivers. Most powerful king of
the dynasty was Gautamiputra
Satakarni (A.D. 106-130). He
defeated the Sakas, Yavanas (Greeks)
and Pahlavas (Parithans).
Kushan dynasty (30375 AD)
Kanishka was the greatest ruler of this
dynasty and is known for his military
powers. The Capital of Kushans is
Purushpura (Peshawar). Kanishka
is considered to have conflicted with
the Pataliputra. He was a patron
of Buddhism and convened the 4th
Buddhist council in the Kundalvana
of Kashmir in 78 AD. Scholars in
the Court of Kanishka were Parsva,
Vasumitra, Asvaghosa, Nagarjuna,
Charaka and Mathara. Sushruta who
wrote Sushruta Samhita, has also
been connected to Kanishka.
The Gupta Empire (320-550AD)
This period is known as Golden Era
x Chandragupta I (319-335 AD)
was the founder and an important
ruler of the Gupta dynasty.
He married to Kumaradevi
princess of lichchhavi in order to
strengthen his position.
x Samudragupta (335-380 A.D.)
expanded the kingdom as he
was very much delighted in
violence. The poet in his court
Harishena in his works Prayag
and Prashasti have described
glowing account of the military
exploits of the patron. Thus was
known as Indian Napoleon.
History
x Chandragupta II succeeded
Samundragupta. Extended his
empire by marriage alliances and
conquers. He married his daughter
Prabhavati with a Vakataka prince
who belonged to the Brahmana
caste and ruled in central India. He
patronized the famous Nav Ratan.
Kalidasa and Amarasimha were
among them. He conquered western
Malwa and Gujarat, ruled by the
Saka Kshatrapas for about past four
centuries and adopted the title of
Vikramaditya after conquering
Ujjain. Chinese pilgrim Fa-hsien
came to India during his reign.
x His son Kumaragupta succeeded
him. Kumaraguptas dominion
suffered severely from the invasion
of Huna Hordes, all over North
India. Skandagupta son of
Kumaragupt defeated Pushyamitra
who became powerful during
Kumaragupta time. He also
defeated the White Hunas.
x Nalanda University was built by
Kumargupt.
x The great Mathematician Aryabhata
lived during this period. He
discovered the number 0 and
value of Pi. He wrote Aryabhatiya
and Suryasiddhanta.
x Poets Kalidasa, Dandi, Visakhadatta,
Shudraka, and Bharavi, all belonged
to the Gupta Age.
x Tamralipti, a port in Bengal ,
was an important trade centre
during Gupta period
x The empire was divided into
divisions: bhuktis (under the
charge of an uparika) and vishayas
(Districts) under the charge of
vishyapati.
B-197
Harshavardhana (606-647 A.D.)
x Fall of Guptas and Humu invasion
left northern India in a disorder
and chaotic situation. It gave rise to
small kingdoms and Thaneswar, near
Kurukshetra under the leadership
of Prabhakarvardhana and his son
Harsha.
x He made Kanauj his capital
and his kingdom spread over
northern India except Kashmir.
x Banabhatta was a poet in his court
who wrote Harshacharita describing
early history of his reign.
x Chinese pilgrim Hsuan Tsang
who visited India during his
reign has thrown great deal
of light on the administrative,
political and social life of that
time. He spent his six years of
life in India (606-612 A.D.).
x Harsha himself wrote the Ratnavali,
Naganandam and Priyadarshika
plays in Sanskrit.
The Pala Empire (7501174
B.C.) Golden era of Bengal
x It was Buddhist dynasty from
Bengal founded by Gopala I. The
empire reached its peak under
Dharmapala and Devapala.
Dharmapala conquered Kanauj
and extended his sway up to the
farthest limits of India in the
northwest.
B-198
x Palas were followers of the
Mahayana and Tantric schools of
Buddhism, they also patronised
Shaivism and Vaishnavism.
x Dharmapala founded the
Vikramashila and revived Nalanda.
Nalanda reached its height under
the patronage of the Pala Empire.
The Palas also built many viharas.
They maintained close cultural and
commercial ties with countries of
Southeast Asia and Tibet. Sea trade
added greatly to the prosperity of the
Pala kingdom. The Arab merchant
Suleiman notes the enormity of the
Pala army in his memoirs.
Southern Kingdoms
x The Pallavas of Kanchi, the
Chalukyas of Badami and the
Pandyas of Madurai emerged as
powerful states in southern India
in the beginning of seven century.
x Pallavas constructed temples of
Shiva and Vishnu in Tamil Nadu.
x Epigraphs found in Andhra and
Karnataka between second and
third century B.C. were mostly
written in Prakrit but around 400
A.D. Sanskrit became official
language.
x Pallavas ruled over southern Andhra
and northern Tamil Nadu. Made
Kanchi their capital identical to
present Kanchipuram and made it
a city of temple and vedic learning.
MEDIEVAL HISTORY
Delhi Sultanate
Delhi sultanate begins with Turkish invasion in India by Muhammad Ghori
in1173 to 1202. He nominated his faithful slave Qutubbudin Aibak as the
governor of the newly possessed region called India. During this period
Delhi became the centre of Turkish and Afghan Power.
History
x The Chalukyas setup their sovereign
state at Vatapi (modern Bijapur
district). Pulakesin I (543-567
A.D.) established this dynasty
and Pulakesin II (608-647) was
greatest of all rulers.
x Well known Kasivisvesvara Temple
at Lakkundi, the Mallikarjuna
Temple at Kuruvatti, the Kallesvara
Temple at Bagali and the Mahadeva
Temple at Itagi were built during
Chalukyas reign.
x The Pallavas and Chalukyas were
in conflict during Pulakesin II.
Narasimhavarman captured his
capital during their second clash
between the two. Narasimhavarman
then assumed the title of vatapikonda
(conquer of Vatapi).
Chola Dynasty
Vijayalaya was the founder of Chola
Dynasty. Most powerful kings of
Chola Dynasty was Rajaraja (985-
1014) and his son, Rajendra I.
Rajendra I founded a new capital
of Gangai Kondacholapuram. He
defeated the kings of Sumatra in
a naval campaign and annexed a
part of Sumarata kingdom to his
kingdom. Rajendra Chola III was
the last king of the dynasty. Under
the Cholas, the South India reached
new heights of excellence in art,
religion and literature.
History B-199

Dynasty Sultan / Agent Event Highlights

Mamluk x Qutb-ud-din Aibak (12061210) x Construction of world
(1193- x Aram Shah (12101211) famous monument Qutub
1290) x Shams ud din Iltutmish (1211 Minar by Qutb-ud-din
1236), Aibak and finished by
x Rukn ud din Firuz (1236) his successors. They have
x Raziyyat-ud-din Sultana (1236 also attacked temples of
1240) Ajmer, Samana, Kuhram,
x Muiz ud din Bahram (12401242) Delhi, Kol, Benaras
x Alaud din Masud (12421246),
x Nasir uddin Mahmud (12461266),
x Ghiyas uddin Balban (12661286),
x Muiz uddin Qaiqabad (12861290),
Khilji x Jalal ud din Firuz Khilji (1290 x Known for their cruelty
(1290- 1296) as they levied taxes on
1320) x Alauddin Khilji (12961316) the defeated community.
x Umar Khan Khilji (1316) During the period of
x Qutb ud din Mubarak Shah (1316- Alauddin Khilji the
1320) famous Koh-i-noor
x Khusro Khan (1320) Diamond of Warangal
was looted somewhere
around 1310
Tughluq x Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq (1320- x Geographically the largest
(1320- 1325) dynasty; Muhammad
1395) x Muhammad bin Tughluq (1325- bin Tughluq one of the
1351) powerful sultans changed
x Mahmud Ibn Muhammad (March the capital from Delhi
1351) to Daulatabad (present
x Firuz Shah Tughluq (13511388) Deogir in Maharashtra)
x Ghiyas-ud-Din Tughlaq II (1388 to rule the empire more
1389) proficiently thus ordered
x Abu Bakr Shah (13891390) for forceful migration of
x Nasir ud din Muhammad Shah III common masses. Though
(13901393) a good idea but he failed
x Sikander Shah I (March-April 1393) to execute.
x Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Shah x Secondly his ideas to
Tughluq (13931413) introduce bronze coin
x Nasir-ud-din Nusrat Shah Tughluq instead of silver coin also
(13941414), failed as the bronze coins
were easy to forge
Sayyid x Khizr Khan (14141421) x The vast Tughlaq dynasty
(1400- x Mubarak Shah (14211434) shrunk within 10 miles of
1442) x Muhammad Shah (14341445) Delhi during this period.
x Alam Shah (14451451)
B-200 History

Lodi x Bahlul Lodi (14511489) x The dynasty had fought

(1457- x Sikandar Lodi (14891517) one of the greatest
1518) x Ibrahim Lodi (15171526), battles in India- Battle
of Panipat in 1526 with
Babur who was invited
by Daulat Khan Lodi
to enter India and at the
end Ibrahim Lodi lost
the battle
Vijayanagara Empire
Dynasty Emperors Important Highlights
Sangama x Harihara Raya I(13361356) x The rise of Vijayanagar dynasty
Dynasty x Bukka Raya I (13561377) was the result of political and
x Harihara Raya II (13771404) cultural movement against the
x Virupaksha Raya (14041405) Tughlaqs.
x Bukka Raya II (14051406) x Presumably Harihar I and
x Deva Raya I (14061422) Bukka I were the founders
x Ramachandra Raya(1422) of this dynasty.
x Vira Vijaya Bukka Raya x This dynasty had to face the
invasion from Bhamani Sultan
(14221424)
Ahmed Lin.
x Deva Raya II (14241446)
x The kings of this dynasty were
x Mallikarjuna Raya (1446
generous and worked for the
1465)
social welfare of the people.
x Virupaksha Raya II (1465
x Some of the kings were great
1485)
patronage of literature.
x Praudha Raya(1485)
Saluva x Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya x The Saluva started ruling soon
Dynasty (14851491) after Saluva Narasimha had
x Thimma Bhupala(1491) a fight with the Sambetas of
x Narasimha Raya II(1491 Peranipadu and the Paligers of
1505) Ummattur but they couldnt
sustain power for a very long
period
Tuluva x Tuluva Narasa Nayaka (1491 x Founded by Tuluva Narasa
Dynasty 1503) Nayak, the third Hindu
x Vira Narasimha Raya dynasty of Vijayanagar Empire
(15031509) seemed to be the most powerful
x Krishna Deva Raya (1509 dynasties.
1529) x Krishan Deva Raya the
x Achyuta Deva Raya (1529 most powerful king of this
1542) dynasty.
Aravidu x Venkata I 1542 x Believed to be the golden
Dynasty x Sadasiva Raya (15421570) period of Telugu literature
x Worshipped Nagaraja Vasuki
hence called as Nagavanshis
History
x Aliya Rama Raya 15421565 x The last dynasty of Vijayanagar
x Tirumala Deva Raya 1565 empire founded by Tirumal
1572
x Sriranga I 15721586
x Venkata II 15861614
x Sriranga II 1614
x Rama Deva Raya 16171632
x Venkata III 16321642
x Sriranga III
Religious Movement
During fifteenth and sixteenth century
religious movements have emerged
in India so as to liberate people
from dogmatic beliefs, ritualism,
caste and communal hatred etc.
Two major movements that carried
out juxtaposing by both Hindu and
Muslim communities were Bhakti
and Sufi Movement.
Bhakti Movement
x Bhakti means personal devotion
to God. It stresses the Union of
the individual with God.
x Bhakti movement originated in
South India between the 15th and
the 17th centuries AD.
x The Nayanars, who worshipped
Siva, and the Alwars, who
worshipped Vishnu, preached the
idea of Bhakti
x Saints like Sankara, Ramanuja
and Madhwa gave their concepts
of God and the individual soul.
x Teachings of Ramanuja were
based on the Upanishads and
Bhagwad Gita.
x Ramananda was disciple of
Ramunaja. He was the first
reformer to preach in Hindi.
x Kabir was an ardent disciple of
Ramananda. He wanted unity
between the Hindus and the
Muslims
x He preached that both the Hindus
and the Muslims are the children
of a single God.
B-201
Deva Raya
x The battle of Raksa Tangadi
happened hence the Aravidu
dynasty as well as Vijayanagar
empire came to an end by the
combined forces of Bijapur
muslims
x The devotees of Kabir were
known as Kabir Panthis.
x Namdeva was a waterman by
birth. He composed beautiful
hymns in Marathi.
x Nanak was the founder of the
Sikh religion.
x Nanaks teachings were in
the form of verses. They were
collected in a book called the Adi
Granth.
x Later Adi Grantham was written
in a script called Gurmukhi.
x Chaitaniya, a great devotee of
Lord Krishna, was a saint from
Bengal.
x Meerabai was a Rajput princess.
She married the Rana of Mewar.
She was a pious devotee of Lord
Krishna.
x Chatrapati Shivaji, the great
Maratha ruler, was a follower of
Ramdas.
x Tukaram was a saint who lived
in Maharashtra. He composed
a large number of verses called
Abhangas
x Tulsidas composed the famous
Ramcharitamanas in Hindi,
expounding the various aspects
of Hindu dharma.
x Surdas was a devotee of Lord
Krishna and Radha. His works
include Sursagar, Sahitya Ratna
and Sur Sarawali.
x Dadu Dayal was a disciple of
Kabir. His followers were known
as Dadu Panthis.
B-202 History

x Eknath was a devotee of Vithoba. x The prominent sufi saints were

He wrote commentary on verses Khwaja Nizamuddin Aulia, Ganj-
of the Bhagavad Gita. e-Shakar Fariduddin, Qutubuddin
7KH6X0RYHPHQW Bakhtiyar Kaki and Hamuddin
Nagori .
x Sufism is basically a religion
based on the truth of life. The x Hazrat Nizam-ud-Din was the
mystics of Islam are called Sufis. disciple of Fariduddin Ganj-i-
x The founders of the most Shakkar.
important Sufi lineage Chisti,
Suhrawardi, Qadiri, Naqshbandi x Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki
originally came from central and was the disciple and the spiritual
west Asia. successor of Moinuddin Chishti.
MUGHAL DYNASTY
Sultans Important accomplishments
x Babur won Delhi sultanate by defeating the last king
of Lodhi dynasty.
x Two major battles won by Babur were Battle of Panipat
I (April 1526) and Khanwa Battle (March 1527)
x Continued to conquer places in the coming years and
his territory extended almost up to the northern part
Babur of India.
(1526-1530)
x Came to power soon after the death of his father
Babur in 1530.
x Forcefully driven to Afghanistan by the Muslim rebel
Sher Shah and returned to India after twelve years.
x Encouraged Persian artists for their fine arts; brought
two of them from the school of Bihzad to teach Akbar,
Humayun the lessons of drawing.
(1530-1556) x Died accidentally by falling down from stone stair case
x Ruled from 1555 till his death.
x His power influenced entire country because of the
dominance of Mughal military, politics, culture and
economy.
x Was quite different from other mughal emperors
in terms of his liberal behaviour with the society,
religious practices and administrative policies
Akbar
x Abolished pilgrimage tax which the common people
(1556-1605) had to pay while visiting to pilgrim spots
x Rajputs were made equal partners in government.
x Driven by the thought of religious equality,
formulated his own religion Din-i-Ilahi which focused
on universal harmony.
x His great passion about knowledge made him appoint
intellectual people in his court and name them as Navratna.
History B-203

x The only heir survived and ruled the mughal dynasty

after Akbar.
x First military expedition was against Rana Amar
Singh, son of Rana Pratap of Mewar.
x Art, literature, and architecture prospered under
Jahangir Jahangirs rule, and the Mughal gardens in Srinagar
(1605-1627) remain an enduring testimony to his artistic taste.
x The fifth ruler of Mughal dynasty and famous for his
great administration
x Not liberal for other religions like Akbar, ordered to
abolish the churches and temples of the then society.
x As a great lover of art and culture took interest in the
construction and architecture and the master piece is
Shahjahan Taj Mahal built in the memory of his beloved wife
(1628-1658) Mumtaz Mahal
x Started ruling the dynasty as its sixth emperor.
x Was a ruler with religious orthodoxy and used to
support Islam
x Was not much passionate about art and culture, so
during his tenure only few monuments have been
developed - gateway of the Red Fort and the exquisite
Aurangzeb Moti (Pearl) Mosque at Delhi.
(1658-1707) x Reintroduced Jaziya i.e. taxation on non-muslims.
Advent of European Commerce The Dutch
in India The first Dutch expedition reached
The Portuguese East Indies under the leadership
Cornelius Houtman in the year1565. The
Vasco de Gama discovered new sea expedition aimed at opening spice roots
route to India via coast of South to India. However, in between 1595 to
Africa and reached Calicut coast 1601 several such expeditions were made
on 20th May 1498 and established to monopolize the entire spice trade to
factories at Cochin. Successively Europe with their skill administration
Francis co de Almeida reached India and vigour commercialization.
in September 1505 and became the The French
Portuguese governor in India. He built The very first attempt of the French
a fort and settled there and named community to enter Indian coast was
it as Anjadiav. Like him his other in the early days of sixteenth century
but they failed to do so due to the
successors continued the same practice
monopoly of Dutch Territory. Later
of building forts and expanding their on they discovered land routes through
territory from Malabar port in South Asia minors under the guidance of
to the northern ports of Gujarat. Richelieu. They were permitted to sail
The territory of Portugal was based to Madagascar and the neighbouring
on the command of the sea and the islands and establish colonies and trade
possession of ports along the sea coast. there.
B-204 History

THE KINGDOM OF THE GREAT MARATHA

Eminent Persons Notable accomplishments
x Known as the father of Maratha nation,
x Before killing Adilshahi general Afzal Khan in 1647,
he gradually started capturing forts in the region like
Purandar, Rajgad, Torna.
x The guerrilla tactics and brilliant military strategies
was his key to success in every war
Shivaji Bhonsle
x Fought with Jai Singh, general of Aurangzeb in which
(1630-80 A.D)
he lost and arrested in 1666, but soon he escaped and
regained his lost territory
x Assumed the title of Chhatrapati at his elaborate
coronation in 1674.
x Died in 1680 and at that time had control over most of
western Maharashtra and had made Raigad capital.
x Was the first son of Chhatrapati Shivaji and succeeded
his father after his death in the first week of April 1680.
x Gave shelter to Sultan Muhammad Akbar, the fourth
son of Aurangzeb, who sought Sambhajis aid in
winning the Mughal throne from his emperor father.
x During this period Mughals sieged the Maratha fort
Sambhaji
of Ramsej in 1682, but after five months of failed
attempts, including planting explosive mines and
building wooden towers to gain the walls, the Mughal
siege failed.
x Was imprisoned and executed by Aurangzeb, in 1689
x After the execution of Shambhaji, Rajaram, the second
son of Shivaji had taken the charge of Marathas in
1689 but soon died in 1700.
x Tarabai the widow of Rajaram, put her young son
Sambhaji II on the throne after his fathers death,
at the tender age of ten, and continued the fight
Rajaram
against Mughals until the death of Aurangzeb in 1707.
x Sahuji the son of Sambhaji was released from Mughals
captivity in 1707.
x He attacked Tarabai and Sambhaji II from the
throne of Maratha with the help of Peshwa Balaji
Biswanathan and won the battle. Soon had his own
territory.
Sahuji
x Didnt posses a strong affinity towards politics he
settled down in Satara.
History B-205

x He was appointed as Prime Minister of Sahuji and

assisted him on political issues.
x This was the beginning of another great dynasty in
1718 known as Peshwa dynasty.
x He was died in 1721.
Balaji
Vishwanath
x As the eldest son to his father Balaji Vishwanath,
Bajirao Peshwa I took the charge of Peshwa dynasty
after his death in 1721.
x During his tenure, Pune regained the status of capital
Maratha Kingdom from Raigad.
Bajirao x In 1734, captured the Malwa territory in the north,
Peshwa I and in 1739, drove out the Portuguese from nearly all
their possessions in the Western Ghats.
x He was died in 1740.
x Succeeded as Peshwa after his father Bajirao Peshwas
Death.
x Fought the third war of Panipat with Ahmad Shah
Abdalli in 1761 but lost the war.
x Was shattered by the loss of his elder son and brother
in the war and died soon after the war ended.
Balaji Bajirao
(Nanasaheb)
x Assumed the title of Peshwa in 1761.
x His leading achievements included the defeat of
Nizam of Hyderabad, Hyder Ali of Mysore and
Bhosle of Nagpur.
x Defeated Jats and took the hold of Agra and Mathura
in 1769 with the help of Mahadaji Shinde and Nana
Madhav Rao
Phadnis.
x In 1772, died at an early age of 27 years.
x Was a trusted lieutenant of the Peshwa and one of the
three pillars of Maratha Resurrection
x Wiped out the power of Jats of Mathura and during
1772-73 and destroyed the power of Pashtun Rohillas
in Rohilkhand and captured Najibabad.
Mahadaji Shinde x Died of typhoid fever, at his camp at Wanavdi near
Pune on 12 February 1794 while he was at the zenith
of power.
B-206 History

x Was a prominent minister and statesman of the

Maratha Empire during the Peshwa administration in
Pune.
x Handled the Peshwai well and with great unity among
Maratha chiefs.
x The then rising powers have been halted by his great
Nana Phadnavis efforts and continued to serve the Peshwas until his
death in 1800AD.

MODERN HISTORY
British India (16121947)
In 1617 the British East India
Company was given permission
by Mughal Emperor Jahangir to
trade in India. As a result of three
Carnatic Wars, the British East
India Company gained exclusive
control over the entire Carnatic
region of India. The Anglo-Mysore
Wars (17661799) and later the
Anglo-Maratha Wars (17721818)
led to control of the vast regions of
India. Ahom Kingdom of North-
east India first fell to Burmese
invasion and then to British after
Treaty of Yandabo in 1826. Punjab,
North-West Frontier Province, and
Kashmir were annexed after the
Second Anglo-Sikh War in 1849;
however, Kashmir was immediately
sold under the Treaty of Amritsar to
the Dogra Dynasty of Jammu and
thereby became a princely state.
The border dispute between Nepal
and British India, which sharpened
after 1801, had caused the Anglo-
Nepalese War of 181416 and
brought the defeated Gurkhas under
British influence. In 1854, Berar was
annexed, and the state of Oudh was
added two years later. Their policy
was sometimes summed up as
Divide and Rule, taking advantage
of the enmity festering between
various princely states and social
and religious groups.
In 1757, Clive was appointed by
the company as its first Governor
of Bengal. In same year Treaty of
Allahabad was concluded by which
the Mughal Emperor granted the
Diwani rights to the English East
India Company. Thus the British
power in India was thoroughly
established.

Governors (17571854)
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History B-207

East India Company before 1857

Event Involved Consequences
First French La Bourdonnais British victory
Carnatic and British Admiral
War (1746- Edward Peyton fought
1748) at Negapatam
Second Nasir Jung aided by x Ended with the Treaty of
Carnatic France while England Pondicherry in 1754 and Muzafar
War (1749- aided Muzaffar Jung Jung became the Nizam.
1754) x Dupleix was replaced by Godeheu
as the French governor.
Third At Wandiwash (1760) x Defeat of French
Carnatic Count de Lally French x Treaty of Paris (1763) was signed,
War (1758- commander was defeated which returned Chandernagore
1763) by British General Sir and Pondichry to France.
Eyre Coote
Battle of French supported Siraj- x Paved way for British mastery of
Plassey (23 ud-Daula and East Bengal and eventually whole of
June 1757) India Company led by India.
Robert Clive. x Rich revenue of Bengal helped
British to maintain strong army.
Battle of East India Company x Treaty of Allahabad secured
Buxar, 22nd led by Hector Munro Diwani Rights for the Company
October, and Mughal Emperor to collect and manage the revenues
1764 along with the Nawab of real estate.
of Bengal
1781 War Forces of the Kingdom x Eyre Coote defeated Haider Ali at
of Mysore and Great Port Novo.
Britain.
1784, Pitts x British government supreme got
Act control over the companys affair
and its administration.
War 1789 Tipu Sultan and East x Treaty of Seringapatam was
-1792 India Company signed. Tipu had to cede half of
his territories to English and paid
` 330 lakhs as indemnity.
Awadh Lord Dalhousie x Introduced the famous Doctrine
annexation of Lapse.
1856
The East India Company and united force of Indian leaders like
rebellion of (Bahadur Shah, Bakt Khan, Begum Hazart Mahal of Avadh,
1857 Sepoy Tanti Tope, Nana Saheb, Azimullah, Rani Lakshmibai,
Mutiny Kunwar Singh etc.), The revolt marked the end of the East
India Companys rule, now India came under the direct rule
of the British Crown.
B-208 History

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL REFORMS

Date Person Event
1815 Raja Rammohan Roy Established Atmiya Sabha. He was
the first Indian to start an agitation for
social, religious and political reforms.
1828 Raja Rammohan Roy Established Brahmo Samaj to preach
monotheism and purify Hinduism.
1839 Debendranath Tagore Founded Tatvabodhini Sabha to
propagate Ram Mohan Roys ideas.
1850 Vidyasagar Protest against child-marriage and
promoted women education.
1850 Vishnu Shankar Founded widow remarriage
Pundit association.
1851 Naoroji Furdonji, Rehnumai Mazdayasan Sabha or
Dadabhai Naoroji and Religious Reform Association.
S.S.Bengalee
1852 Kassondas Mulji In Gujarat advocated widow
remarriage.
1866 Dadabhai Naoroji Established East India Association in
London.
1872 Baba Ram Singh Namdhari Movement originated in
north-west corner of Sikh kingdom. It
was also known as Kuka movement.
23 Mahatma Jyotirao Formed Satyashodhak Samaj (Society
September, Govindrao Phule of Seekers of Truth).
1873
1875 Swami Dayanand Founded Arya Samaj in Bombay.
Saraswathi Called Vedas to be source of true
knowledge and gave the motto back
to Vedas. Was against idol worship,
child marriage and caste system.
History B-209

1897 Vivekananda Founded the Ramakrishna Mission

to carry out humanitarian relief and
social work.
1902 Swami Shradhananda Started Gurukul near Hardwar to
propagate more traditional idea of
education.
THE FREEDOM STRUGGLE TIME LINE
1885 Pherozeshah Mehta, K.T. Telang, Badruddin Tyabji formed
Bombay Presidency Association.
28 Dec. Indian national congress was formed by Allan Octavian Hume
1885
28-31 Dec. First session of Indian national congress was attended by 72
1885 delegates under the presidency of W.C. Bannerjee.
1896-97 Bal Gangadhar Tilak initiated a no-tax campaign in
Maharashtra.
20 July, Partition of Bengal order was passed by lord Curzon.
1905
Dec. 1905 Gokhale then the president of Congress condemned the
partition of Bengal and supported Swadeshi and Boycott
movement.
1906 Dadabhai Naoroji became the president of National Congress
and clearly declared their goal to be self-government or Swaraj
like the other colonies.
30 Dec. All India Muslim League was formed by Aga Khan III and
1906 the founding meeting was hosted by Nawab Sir Khwaja
Salimullah.
1909 The Indian councils Act or Morley-Minto Reform was
announced.
1911 Government announced the withdrawal of Partition of Bengal.
1913 Ghadar Party founded by Punjabi Indians in the United States
and Canada aiming at securing Indias independence.
April, 1915 First session of Hindu Mahasabha was held under the
presidentship of Maharaja of Kasim Bazar.
26 Dec. Lucknow Pact was signed dealing with the structure of the
1916 government of India and with relation to the Hindu and
Muslim communities.
1917 Satyagraha started by M.K. Ghandhi in Champaran, Bihar.
1918 Edwin Montagu, then the Secretary of State and lord
Chelmsford, the Viceroy produced a scheme of constitutional
reform which was called as the Montague-Chelmsford reforms.
1919 Enactment of the Government of India Act.
March, Rowlatt Act was passed which enabled government to imprison
1919 people without trial.
B-210 History

13 April, Unarmed crowd gathered at Jallianwala Bagh to protest

1919 against the arrest of Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew and Dr. Satyapal
was attacked by the British army as commanded by Gerneral
Dyer.
31 August, Khilafat Committee launched a non-cooperation movement.
1920
1 February, M.K. Ghandhi announced mass civil disobedience.
1922
5 Feb. 1922 Protesters participating in the Non-cooperation movement
turned violent, leading to police opening fire in Chauri Chaura.
Congress as a result halted the non-cooperative movement
1925 Communist Party came into existence.
Nov. 1927 Simon headed commission was set up to submit report on
working of Indian constitution established by Government of
India Act, 1919.
17 Nov. Lala Lajpat Rai died due to the injuries by the beating of local
1928 police during a protest demonstration at Lahore.
Dec. 1928 Gandhi joined back the active politics at Calcutta session.
26 Jan.1930 Was fixed as the first independences day and since then was
celebrated every year up to 1947.
Feb. 1930 Chandra Shakhar Azad was shot dead in a park called Azad
Park at Allahabad, in an encounter with police.
12 March, Dandi March lead by M.K.Ghandhi took place. Together with
1930 78 companions he walked 375 km from Sabarmati Ashram to
Dandi.
6 April, Gandhi reached Dandi and broke the Salt law.
1930
12 Nov. 1930 First round table conference was held in London, was chaired
by British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald.
5 March, Gandhi-Irwin Pact was signed between Gandhi and then
1931 viceroy of India Lord Irwin. According to which British
agreed to withdraw all ordinances and end prosecutions and
release all political prisoners.
24 August, Poona Pact was signed between Gandhi and Dr. B.R.
1932 Ambedkar at Yerwada Central Jail.
1935 Government of India Act was passed according to which All
India Federation was established including British India and
Princely States (representative were appointed by the rulers)
forming a bicameral federal legislature.
October, Gandhi gave an order for a limited satyagraha (for few
1940 individuals only).
8 August, Quit India Movement was launched by M.K.Gandhi.
1942
1945 Congress working committee adopted a resolution to abolish
landlordism.
History B-211

2 Sept. 1946 Interim government of India was formed the newly elected
Constituent Assembly of India. This Idea was rejected by
Muslim league.
9 Dec. 1946 The Constituent Assembly met for the first time.
INTERIM GOVERNMENT
External Affairs and Commonwealth Relations : Jawaharlal Nehru
Defence : Baldev Singh
Home (including Information and Broadcasting) : Vallahbhai Patel
Finance : Liaquat Ali Khan
Posts and Air : Abdur Rab Nishtar
Food and Agriculture : Rajendra Parsad
Labour : Jagjivan Ram
Transport and Railways : M. Asaf Ali
Industries and Supplies : John Matthai
Education and Arts : C. Rajgopalacharia
Works, Mines and Power : C.H. Babha
Commerce : I.I. Chundrigar
Law : Jogindar Nath Mandal
Health : Ghazanfar Ali Khan
Mountbatten Plan and Pakistan a dominion status.
The Act received the royal assent
The Indian Independence Act
on 18 July 1947. The boundaries
1947 also called 3 June Plan or
between the two dominion states
Mountbatten Plan, declared that
were determined by a Boundary
power would be handed over by
Commission which was headed by
15 August 1947. It gave India
Sir Cyril Radcliff.

List of Presidents of the Party

C. Vijayaraghavachariar 1920 Nagpur
Hakim Ajmal Khan 1921 Ahmedabad
Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das 1922 Gaya
Mohammad Ali Jouhar 1923 Kakinada
Abul Kalam Azad 1923 Delhi (Special Session)
Mohandas Gandhi 1924 Belgaum
Sarojini Naidu 1925 Kanpur
S. Srinivasa Iyengar 1926 Gauhati
Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari 1927 Madras
Motilal Nehru 1928 Calcutta
Jawaharlal Nehru 1929 & 30 Lahore
Vallabhbhai Patel 1931 Karachi
Madan Mohan Malaviya 1932 Delhi
B-212 History

Madan Mohan Malaviya 1933 Calcutta

Nellie Sengupta 1933 Calcutta
Rajendra Prasad 1934 & 35 Bombay
Jawaharlal Nehru 1936 Lucknow
Jawaharlal Nehru 1936& 37 Faizpur
Subhas Chandra Bose 1938 Haripura, Gujarat
Subhas Chandra Bose (resigned) 1939 Tripuri, Madhya Pradesh
Rajendra Prasad replaced Bose / Chhatisgadh
after the session.
Abul Kalam Azad 194046 Ramgarh
J. B. Kripalani 1947 Meerut
Pattabhi Sitaraimayya 1948 & 49 Jaipur
Purushottam Das Tandon 1950 Nasik
Jawaharlal Nehru 1951 & 52 Delhi
Jawaharlal Nehru 1953 Hyderabad
Jawaharlal Nehru 1954 Calcutta
NEWPAPER/JOURNAL NAME
Newspaper/Journal Name Founder
Bengal Gazette (1780) (Indias First J.K.Hikki
Newspaper)
Kesari B.G.Tilak
Amrita Bazar Patrika Sisir Kumar Ghosh and Motilal
Ghosh
Vande Mataram Aurobindo Ghosh
Kavivachan Sudha Bhartendu Harishchandra
Rast Goftar(first newspaper in Dadabhai Naoroji
Gujarati)
Statesman Robert Knight
Hindu Vir Raghavacharya and G.S. Aiyar
Yugantar Bhupendranath Data and Barinder
Kumar Ghosh
Bombay Chronicle Firoze Shah Mehta
Hindustan M.M. Malviya
Mooknayak B.R. Ambedkar
Comrade-1914 Mohammad Ali
Tahzib-ul-Akhlaq Sir Syed Ahmed Khan
Al-Hilal-1914 Abul Kalam Azad
Al-Balagh Abul Kalam Azad
History B-213

Independent Motilal Nehru

Punjabi Lala Lajpat Rai
New India(Daily) Annie Besant
Pratap Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi
Samvad Kaumudi (Bengali) Ram Mohan Roy
Mirat-ul-Akbhar Ram Mohan Roy (first Persian
Newspaper)
Young India-1919 M.K Ghandhi
Harijan-1933 M.K Ghandhi
Hindustan Times K.M. Pannikar
GREAT TRAVELERS IN INDIAN HISTORY
Identity: Greek ethnographer ambassador.
Time of Visit to India: during the rule of Chandragupta
Maurya.
Duration of Stay: 302-298 BC.
Contribution: wrote the book Indica.
Megasthenes
Identity: a Buddhist Monk who came from China.
Time of Visit to India: reign of Chandragupta II.
Duration of Stay: 405-411 A .
Contribution: wrote Record of Buddhist kingdoms.
Fa Hsien
Identity: Chinese Buddhist monk.
Time of Visit to India: reign of Chandragupta II.
Duration of Stay: 630-645 A .
Contribution: wrote Si-yu-ki or the Records of estern
orld.
Husuain-tsang/
Xuanzang
Identity: Muslim scholar and polymath from Persia
Time of Visit to India: Came along with Mahmud of
Ghazni.
Duration of Stay: 1024-1030 A
Contribution: wrote Taharikh-al-Hind, about social
Al-Biruni/ religious, political nature of India this time.
Abu Rayhan
Muhammad
Identity: Italian merchant traveler
Time of Visit to India: Came during the Period of
Rudramani evi of Kakatiya ynasty.
Duration of Stay: 1292-1294 A
Contribution: wrote The book of sir Marcopolo,
Marco Polo describing about Indian Economy at that time.
B-214 History

Identity: Traveller of Morocco

Time of Visit to India: Came in India at the reign of
Muhammad bin Tughluq.
Duration of Stay: 1333-1347 AD
Contribution: write Rihla, relating geographical,
Ibn Battuta social and economical behaviour of this time.
Identity: Russian merchant Traveller
Time of Visit to India: Came in India in Bahmani
Sultanate.
Duration of Stay: 1469-1472
Contribution: The Journey beyond Three Seas.
Nicolo Conti
Identity: Ambassador of James II, king of England
Time of Visit to India: Came in India at the reign of
Jahangir, the great mogul along with William finch
came with him.
Duration of Stay: First Visit: 1421 Revisited: 1430
William
Hawkins
Identity: Italian Traveller
Time of Visit to India: Came during the rule of Devaraya
I of Sangam dynasty of vajay nagar empire.
Duration of Stay: First Visit :1421 Revisited: 1430
Contribution: Author of Voyage aux Indes.
Afanasy Nikitin
Identity: Persian traveller
Abdur Razzaq Time of Visit to India: Came in India in Bahmani
Sultanate.
Duration of Stay: 1443-1444 AD
History B-215

l Mesopotamian Civilization (5000 900 BC)

ANCIENT
l Egyptian Civilization (500 30 BC)

l Israel Kingdom (1300 63 BC)

l Greek Civilization (776 388 BC)

l Roman Civilization (753 BC - 476 AD)

WORLD HISTORY MIND MAP

l Medieval Europe Civilization

MEDIEVAL

Feudalism
Crusades
l African Civilization
l Mongol Empire Civilization
l Arab civilization

l Renaissance
l Reforms
l Major Revolutions of World
Glorious Revolution
Industrial Revolution
American Revolution
French Revolution
MODERN

Russian Revolution
l An insight into World Wars
l Major wars of World
Trojan War
Persian War
Peloponnesian War
Punic Wars
Hundred Years War
Russo-Japan War
Vietnam War
Iraq War
B-216 History

ANCIENT HISTORY

MESOPOTAMIAN CIVILIZATION
Time Period Events
5000-3500 BC The first city built by Sumerian people in southern
Mesopotamia.
3500 BC Writing started with pictogram based script and took about
a thousand year to be evolved in full cuneiform script
2300 BC The first akkadian ruler Sargon started to conquer
Sumerian cities
2112-2095 BC The central city of Ur was built by Ur-Nammu and called
as the third dynasty of Mesopotamian.
1792-49 BC Development of Babylonian civilization by king
Hammurabi along Euphrates River.
1530 BC Kassite came into being in Hammurabis rule in 1750 BC
and categorized into minorities of Mesopotamia.
1500 BC Northern Mesopotamia is conquered by an Indo-European
ruler called Mittani. He has also conquered Syria and Asia
Minor.
1200 - 900 BC Assyria started to lose its importance due to political
instability engulfing Anatolia, Syria, and the Levant coast.
EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION
Time Period Events
5000 BC Farming started along the bank of Nile River.
3500-3000 BC Starting of Pre dynastic period which was characterized by
permanent settlement.
2650 BC Old kingdom began to flourish which was known to be the
era of dynamic development of Egyptian art.
2575-2465BC Pharaoh Khufu built Great pyramid of Giza having a
height of 481 feet.
2381-2345BC The Old Kingdom ended during the realm of Unas.
2055 BC-c. The era of middle kingdom started with reunion of Egypt.
1650 BC
1539 BC With the expulsion of the Hyksos and reunification of
Egypt, it became the leading power in the Middle East.
1344-1328BC The first ever instance of monotheism had been illustrated
by the religious reforms of pharaoh Akhenaton.
1336-1327BC The realm of Tutankhamen.
1279-1213BC The existence of Ramses Realm when Egypt experienced
the height of its power.
728BC Nubian kings took over the power of Egypt.
History B-217

639BC The period of revival started with the expulsion of

Assyrians by Egyptians.
525BC Persians started ruling the Egypt.
332BC Alexander the great conquered Egypt.
305BC A greek-speaking dynasty was established by one of the
generals of Alexander the Great.
30BC the last queen of independent Egypt died and Roman
empire occupied Egypt.
THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL
Time Period Events
1300-1200 BC The land of Canaan occupied by the Israelites
1050-970BC The kingdom was ruled by Soul followed by David
970BC Davids son Solomon became the new king
931BC The kingdom divided into north (Israel) and south(Judah)
parts
722BC The Assyrians destroyed the northern kingdom,
620BC A religious revival took place in southern kingdom of
Judah
597-582 The destruction of both Judah and Jerusalem occurred

538BC The Persian king Cyrus repatriated the kings of Judah and
Jerusalem and encouraged them to rebuild the temple in
Jerusalem
164BC The revolution broke out against the Seleucid kings under
the leadership of the Maccabbees brothers by Jews
63BC Judaea was conquered by Romans and the family of Herod
the Great started ruling.
GREEK CIVILIZATION
Time Period Events
776 BC The first official date of Olympic Games
750BC Greek started planting colonies on the Mediterranean
coast
490-479 Athens and Sparta took lead for defending their land
against invasion from the huge Persian Empire
447BC Athenian Empire was at the height of its power
431-404 Athens was defeated by Sparta in the Second Peloponnesian
War
399 Socrates, the famous philosopher of Athens was sentenced
to death as he was questioning conventional ideas
338 The Greek city-states were defeated by King Phillip II of
Macedon
B-218 History

ROMAN CIVILIZATION
Time Period Events
753 BC Rome was founded
509BC Roman republic was built
390BC Rome was sacked by the Gauls
264-241BC First Punic War between Carthage and Rome took place
218-202 BC Second Punic War consisting of several small battles took
place where Rome was the ultimate winner
83-31 BC Decline of Roman Republic due to the continuous phase
of civil wars
27 BC Augustus established himself as the first of the Roman
emperors
117AD Roman Empire became the largest empire of its time
312AD Constantine the great got converted to Christianity
410AD Goths sacked Roman Empire
476AD The last Roman emperor was thrown out by German
Tribes

MEDIEVAL HISTORY

MEDIEVAL EUROPE CIVILIZATION

Time Period Events
500-600AD x A monastery was built in Italy.
x Christianity was introduced in England.
x The foundation stone of Roman Catholic Church was
laid by Gregory the Great.
650-700AD History of the English Church and People was written by
Bede
800AD Charlemagne, the King of the Franks, was crowned as
Holy Roman Emperor.
850-900AD First Russian states founded at Kiev and Novgorod
900-950AD Viking raids across Western Europe
1000-1050 Medical school set up in Salerno, Italy (1030)
1050-1100 AD x William of Normandy invaded England and becomes
king
x First Crusade was proclaimed
1150-1200 AD Construction of the cathedral of Notre Dame
1200-1250 AD x St Francis of Assisi sets up a monastic order,
emphasizing austerity and compassion
x Rebellion against the king by the Lords of England
as he signed the Magna Carta, accepting to rule
according to law.
1250-1300 AD Establishment of the Hapsburg dynasty that continued to
rule Austria till 1918
History B-219

Feudalism was a socio-political hierarchy which started in 8th century AD

in Europe and ended in 14th century AD.
Crusades were the series of military campaign organized under the banner
of the cross so as to recover the holy places of Palestine from Muslim
occupation.
AFRICAN CIVILIZATION
Time Period Events
830AD Ghana Empire was created
1050-1100AD Expansion of Almoravid kingdom from Ghana to
southern Spain
1100-1150AD Emergence of Zimbabwe as a centre for producing gold
and copper artifacts and long distance trade.
1200-1250 AD x Christian churches established in Ethiopia
x Kingdom of Mali was established in West Africa, with
Timbuktu as a centre of learning
1375 AD Gao rebelled against and Songhai started to expand its realm
1465 AD Songhai conquered Mema and after three years seized
Timbaktu
158891 AD Songahi was attacked by Moroccan forces with firearms
and they kept on conquering Tondibi, Timbuktu and Gao
one after the other
MONGOL EMPIRE
Time Period Events
1206 AD Temjin from the Orkhon Valley received the title Genghis
Khan, and started ruling the unified nomads of Mongolia
homeland
1227 AD Death of Genghis Khan
12501350 AD Pax Mongolica or stabilization of Mongol empire
1260-1294 AD Fragmentation of Mongol Empire into Ilkhanate Yuan
dynasty, Chagatai Khanate, Golden Horde
1368 AD Fall of Yuan dynasty
1687 AD Collapse of Chagatai Khanate
ARAB CIVILIZATION
Time Period Events
571AD x The great Prophet of Islam, was born in Mecca
x With the rise of new religion Islam, the Arab
civilization started expanding its realm
632AD After the death of Mohammad his successors continued
to spred his teachings and were known as Caliphs or
Khalifas
13th Century The Islamic Empire came to end with the defeat of
AD Abbasids by Seljuq Turks
B-220 History

MODERN HISTORY
Renaissance technological aids such as spinning
The European era between 14 to th jenny by James Hargreaves in 1764,
17th centuries AD was designated water-powered spinning frame by
as the Age of Renaissance generally Richard Arkwright in 1769, spinning
known for Revival of Learning. mule by Samuel Crompton in 1779,
The Florence city of Italian region power loom by Edmund Cartwright
Tuscany was well known as the birth in 1785, steam engine by James Watt
place of Renaissance. in 1769 etc.
American Revolution It was the
Reformation mutiny of people leaving in thirteen
Reformation It was a social colonies of England in North
movement initiated by Martin America in late eighteenth century.
Luther during 16th century in Europe Various factors such as French and
against Roman Catholic Church. He Indian War, stamp act, Townshend
started criticizing the selling of self Acts, Boston Massacre, Boston
indulgence of higher authorities Tea Party/Intolerable Acts, can be
in the church by highlighting the considered as the triggering fact of
fact that the Pope had no authority this revolution in 1775-83.
over the purgatory and there was no French Revolution It was one of the
evidence of catholic doctrine of the greatest revolutions of eighteenth
merits of the saints in the gospel. century which put an end to French
monarchy. It was lasted from 1789
Major Revolutions of Modern until 1799, and partially carried
World forwarded by Napoleon during
Glorious Revolution It was the later expansion of the French
otherwise known as the Bloodless Empire
Revolution primarily focused on Russian Revolution Based on the
securing freedom of worship from ideology of Marxism, Russian revo-
Catholics and unifying Whigs and lution took place in1917 and eventu-
Tories of Anglican church against ally ended up in creating the Russian
the Roman Catholic ruler James II. Soviet Union. The prime causes of
Industrial Revolution It was these revolutions were the autocratic
the process of change in earning rule Czars, inefficient and vigorous
livelihood by adopting industrial use of power, low living standard
processes rather than agriculture. It of people in the society, to support
started during mid 18th century in church forcefully.
Britain with the invention of several
AN INSIGHT INTO WORLD WARS
Event World War I World War II
Countries Germany, Austria-Hungary, Britain, France, USSR, US,
Involved Bulgaria, Turkey vs. France, Other nations vs. Germany,
Russia, Britain, US, Italy. Italy, Japan
Duration of July 28, 1914 November 11, September 1, 1939
War 1918 September 2, 1945
History B-221

Causes Immediate Immediate

Murder of Austrian King Germanys ultimatum and
Archduke Ferdinand at Polands rejection for surrender of
Serajevo by a Serbian which Port Dazing.
resulted in strong hostility Refusal of Poland to establish rail
between Austria-Hungary and link between Germany and West
Serbia. Prussia through Polish corridor
Associated
Associated x The treaty of Versailles (1919)
x Militarism x Nationalist movement of
x Nationalism or Competitive Germany & Italy.
Patriotism x Ideological conflict between
x Economic Imperialism Dictatorship and Democracy
x Anglo-German Rivalry and x Inefficiency of League of Nation
the charter of William II x Colonial and commercial rivalry
x Lack of International x Aggressiveness of Berlin-Rome
Organization Tokyo axis
Consequences x End of the German, x Collapse of Nazi Germany
Russian, Ottoman and x Fall of Japanese and Italian
Austro-Hungarian empires Empires
x Formation of new countries x Creation of the United Nations
in Europe and the Middle x Emergence of the United
East. States and the Soviet
x Transfer of German Union as superpowers
colonies and regions of the x Beginning of the Cold War
former Ottoman Empire to
other powers
x Establishment of the League
of Nations

Major Wars in History

Trojan War:
x Participants: City of Troy Vs City of Sparta
x Duration of War: 10 years
x Causes of War: The war resulted due to the kidnapping of Queen Helen
from her husband, the king of Sparta by the Trojan Prince
x Outcome of war: The war ended with victory of Greek and destruction
of Troy.
Persian War
x Participants: Greek vs. Persia
x Duration of War: 499 BC449 BC
x Causes of War: The king of Persia, Darius I attacked Athens when the
series of Greeek uprisings were suppressed.
x Outcome of war: The Greek made its victory against Persia,
Peloponnesian War:
x Participants: Athens vs. Sparta
x Duration of War: 431 BC 404 BC
B-222
x Causes of War: The war occurred
due to the political fragmentation
and mutual two city states of
Greece, Athens and Sparta .
x Outcome of War: Eventually
Sparta registered its victory by
defeating Athens in Decelean
war (known to be the third phase
of Peloponnesian War), with the
help of Persian Empire.
Punic Wars:
First
x Participants: Rome vs. Carthage
x Duration of War: 264 BC -241 BC
x Causes of War: the war broke
out as the Carthaginians
established a base of Island that
seemed to be a potential threat to
Rome.
x Outcome of War: the Romans
won the war.
Second
x Participants: Greek vs. Trojan
x Duration of War: 218 BC- 201 BC
x Causes of War: The war
occurred when Carthage started
expanding its power in Spain
and striving for the coastal city
of Saguntum (the present day
Sagunto) which was allied with
Rome.
x Outcome of War: Finally
Rome won over Carthage in
the battle of Zama forcing the
Carthaginians to give up Spanish
territories and its navy.
Third
x Participants: Greek vs. Persian
x Duration of War: 149 BC- 146 BC
x Causes of War: The fear of
Carthaginian resurgence led
to the war in the city streets of
Carthage
x Outcome of War: Ultimately
Romans destroyed the city of
Carthage
Hundred Years War
x Participants: France vs. England
x Duration of War: 1337 BC
-1453 BC
History
x Causes of War: The war broke
out after King Edward III of
England invaded the country of
France and continued to seize its
land and became its ruler.
x Outcome of War: At the end
France managed to defy the
Englands reign with the help of
Scotland.
Russo-Japan War
x Participants: Russia vs. Japan
x Duration of War: 1904 05 AD
x Causes of War: The war fought
for having imperial authority
over Manchuria and Korea
x Outcome of War: Japanese won
the war.
Vietnam War
x Participants: Democratic Republic
of Vietnam allied with Soviet
Union vs. China.
x Duration of War: 1955 75 AD
x Causes of War: The war fought
for checking communism to
spread all over South-Asia
x Outcome of War: the war
ended with the victory of
North Vietnam by empowering
the Communist government
in South Vietnam, Laos and
Cambodia with annexure of
South Vietnam. The American-
led forces had to back out from
Indochina.
Iraq Iran War
x Participants: Islamic Republic
of Iran and the Republic of Iraq
x Duration of War: 1980 88 AD
x Causes of War: The war started
with the invasion of republic
of Iran resulting from a border
dispute of two Republics
x Outcome of War: Iraq failed to
take over the east bank of the
Shatt al-Arab and strengthen
Arab separatism in the region of
Khuzestan. The Iranian invasion
failed and the idea of deposing
Saddam Hussein was shattered.
32/,7<
` India
` World
B-224 Polity

l Important Acts
Making of l Constituent Assembly
Constitution l Enactment & Enforcement

l Introduction
Salient Features l Basic Features
of Constitution l Important Quotes
l Sources
Structure of l List of Articles
Indian l List of Schedules
Constitution l List of Amendments (Till date)
INDIAN POLITY - MIND MAP
Indian Constitution

l Preamble
l Union & Territories
l Citizenship
l FRs, FDs, & DPs.
l Union & State Executives
l Union & State Composition
Constitutional l Supreme Court & High Court
Framework l Indian Penal Code
l Panchayati Raj System & Municipalities
l Centre State Relations
List I, II, III
Interstate Council
Zonal Council
l Article 370 - Jammu & Kashmir
l Uniform Civil Code

l Election Comm. l CAG

Constitutional l UPSC / SPSC l AG
Bodies l Finance Comm. l Advocate General
l National Comm.

Statutory l Lokpal & Lokayukta l NDC

Bodies l NITI Ayog l NHRC

l Democratic
Types of l Parliamentary
Government l Federal

l Legislature
Institutional
Indian Government

l Executive
Framework
l Judiciary

l Union
Levels of
l State
Government
l Local
l Electoral System
Elections l Electoral Reforms
Political Parties & l Composition
Pressure Groups
l Principles & l Look - East
Foreign Objectives l Gujaral Doctrine
l Nuclear Policy

Modi's Visit to Nation

Polity B-225

INDIAN CONSTITUTION
Making of Constitution
Important Acts
Constitutional Important Provisions
Landmark
Pitts India Act, 1784 x Indian affairs under direct control of British government.
x Board of control was established.
Government of India, x Company rule replaced by British crown.
1858 x Secretary of state for India appointed to exercise the
power of the crown. He was a member of British cabinet,
responsible to it & was assisted by council of India with
15 members.
x Governor General became the agent of the crown and
now known as Viceroy of India.
Indian Councils Act, x Parliamentary system started in India.
1861 x Indians become non-official members of the legislature.
x Started decentralization of power.
Indian Councils Act, x Central legislative council becomes imperial legislative
1909 (Morley-Minto council with officials forming the majority.
Reforms. Lord Morley x Provincial legislative councils had a majority of non-official
was the then secretary members.
of state for India and x Introduced communal representation for Muslims with a
Lord Minto was then separate electorate system. Legalized communalism. Lord
Viceroy of India). Minto created a communal electorate.
Government of India x Separated central subjects from provincial subjects.
Act, 1919/ Montague x Provincial subjects were: transferred and reserved.
- Chelmsford Reforms. x Transferred subjects were administered by Governor with
Montague was the help of ministers who were responsible to the legislature.
secretary of state x Reserved subjects were administered by Governor
for India and Lord and executive council who were not responsible to the
Chelmeford was the legislature.
Viceroy of India. x Diarchy/ Dual system of government was introduced.
x Bicameral legislature with upper and lower houses were
formed with direct elections.
x Majority of members in both houses were directly elected.
x 3 of the 6 members of governor-generals council had to
be Indians.
Government of India x Established All India federation of provinces & princely
Act, 1935 states as constituent units.
x Federal, provincial & concurrent were introduced.
x Abolished diarchy in provinces which now had provincial
autonomy.
x Introduced diarchy at the centre & bicameralism in the
provinces.
x Introduced responsible governments in provinces.
B-226 Polity

The August Offer, x Expansion of the Governor-Generals Executive council

1940 to include more Indians.
x Establishment of an advisory war council.
Cripps Proposals, 1942 x Provision made up for participation of Indian states in the
constitution making body.
x The leaders of the principle sections of the Indian people
were invited to take active and effective participation in the
councils of their country.
Cabinet Mission Plan, x There should be a Union of India, embracing both British
1916 India and the states which should deal with foreign affairs.
x A Constituent Assembly should be set up to draw up the
future constitution of the country.
Indian Independence x Declared India as independent & sovereign state.
Act, 1947 x Established responsible government at the center &
provinces.
x Designated Governor General of India & Provincial
Governors as Constitutional heads or nominal heads.
Objective Resolution x On Jan 22, 1947 the Constituent Assembly adopted
Objective resolution as advocated by Jawahar Lal Nehru.
It contained fundamental propositions of the constitution
& set forth the political ideas that should guide its
deliberations.

Constituent Assembly
x The Constituent Assembly was constituted in Nov. 1946 under the scheme
formulated by the Cabinet Mission Plan 1946.
x Total members 389
x Members elected indirectly from British India 296
x Members nominated by princely states. 93
x The Constituent Assembly had both Nominated & Elected members. The
elected members were indirectly elected by members of the Provincial
Assemblies.
x 1st meeting of Constituent Assembly Dec.9, 1946.
x Muslim League boycotted the Constituent Assembly.
x Temporary president of the Assembly Dr. Sachidanand.
x Permanent President of the Assembly Dr. Rajendra Prasad.
Vice President of the Assembly H.C. Mukherjee.
Constitutional Advisor to the Assembly Sir B.N.Rau

Important Committees
COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN
Drafting Committee Dr. B.R. Ambedkar
Flag Committee J. B. Kriplani
Union Constitution Committee Jawaharlal Nehru
Provincial Constitution Committee Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel
Union Powers Committee Jawaharlal Nehru
Polity B-227

Committee on Fundamental Rights and Minorities Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel

Special Committee to Examine the Draft Constitution (Chairman: Alladi
Krishnaswamy Iyer)
Expert Committee on Financial Provisions
Ad-hoc Committee on Supreme Court
Ad-hoc Committee on National Flag
Committee on Chief Commissioners Provinces

Drafting Committee
It consisted of 7 members
1 Dr. B.R. Ambedkar (Chairman)
2 N. Gopalaswamy Ayyangar
3 Alladi Krishnaswamy Ayyar.
4 Dr. K.M. Munshi
5 Syed mohammad Saadullah.
6 N. Madhava Rau
7 T.T Krishnamachari
The Drafting Committee took less than 6 months to prepare its draft. In all
it sat only for 141 days. Indian Constitution was formed by a Constituent
Assembly in a long time of 2 years, 11 months & 18 days.
Enactment & Enforcement of the Constitution
The constitution was adopted on Nov. 26,1949, contained a Preamble, 395
Articles & 8 Schedules. Now, it increased to 447 Articles & 12 Schedules. It
came into force on January 26,1950. This day is celebrated as the Republic Day.
Salient features of the Constitution
The term Constitution is derived from Latin word Constituere which means
to establish. A Constitution is something established as the basis of government
(whether by a constitutional convention or by process of evolution). The
Constitution of our country is a collection of legal rules which provides the
framework of the governmental machinery & also it is an effective instrument
of orderly social change .
Lengthiest
Written Constitution Combination
Supremacy of Constitution of Rigidity &
Flexibility
Republican form of govt. Emergency
Provisions
Secularism Federal System
Basic with Unitary Bias
Federal character Features
Structure
Sovereignty of the Country Integrated and
Independent
Parliamentary Democracy Judiciary
Parliamentary System
Fundamental Rights, DPs. of Government
Synthesis of Parliamentary
Sovereignty & Judicial Supremacy
Features of Indian Constitution
B-228 Polity

Sources of Indian Constitution

Indian constitution has borrowed its provisions from following sources.
Country Provisions Borrowed
Government of Federal scheme
India Act, 1935 Declaration of emergency powers
Ordinance defining the power of the President and Governors
Office of the Governor
Power of federal judiciary
Administration at the centre and state level
United Parliamentary system
Kingdom Bicameral parliament
Prime minister
Council of ministers
Single citizenship
Office of CAG
Writ jurisdiction of courts
Rule of law

USA Written constitution

Fundamental rights
Supreme Court
President as executive head of the state
Impeachment of the president, removal of S.C and HC judges
Vice President as chairman of Rajya Sabha
Judicial review, independence of judiciary
Australia Concurrent list
Cooperative federalism
Centre State relationship
Joint sitting of two houses of parliament

USSR Fundamental duties

Weimer Suspension of fundamental rights during emergency
Constitution of Ballot system
Germany
Canada Federal system
Residuary powers
Appointment of Governor
Advisory jurisdiction of S.C.
South Africa Procedure of constitutional amendment.
Electing member to Rajya Sabha
Ireland Concept of Directive Principles of State Policy.
Nomination of members to Rajya Sabha by the President.
Presidential election.

Schedules of the Constitution

Numbers Subject Matter Articles Covered
First Names of the States and their territorial jurisdiction. 1 and 4
Schedule Name of the Union Territories and their extent.
Polity B-229

Second Provisions relating to the emoluments, allowances, 59, 65, 75, 97, 125, 148,
Schedule privileges and so on of: 158, 164, 186 & 221
The President of India
The Governors of States
The Speaker and the Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha
The Chairman and the Deputy Chairman of the
Rajya Sabha
The Speaker and the Deputy Speaker of the
Legislative Assembly in the states
The Chairman and the Deputy Chairman of the
legislative Council in the states
The Judges of the Supreme Court
The Judges of the High Courts
The Comptroller and Auditor - General of India
Third Forms of Oaths or Affirmations for: 75, 84, 99, 124, 146, 173,
Schedule 188 and 219
The Union ministers
The candidates for election to the Parliament
The members of Parliament
The Judges of the Supreme Court
The Comptroller Auditor - General of India
The state ministers
The candidates for election to the state legislature
The members of the state legislature
The judges of the High Courts
Fourth Allocation of seats in the Rajya Sabha to the states 4 and 80
Schedule and the union territories.
Fifth Provisions relating to the administration and control 244
Schedule of scheduled areas and scheduled tribes.
Sixth Provisions relating to the administration of tribal 244 and 275
Schedule areas in the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura
and Mizoram.
Seventh Division of power betweeen the Union and the 246
Schedule States in terms of List I (Union List), List II (State
List) and List III (Concurrent List). Presently, The
Union List contains 100 subjects (originally 97),
The State list contains 61 subjects (Originally
66) and the concurrent list contains 52 subjects
(originally 47).
Eighth Languages recognized by the Constitution. 344 and 351
Schedule Originally, it had 14 languages but presently there
are 22 languages. They are: Assamese, Bengali,
Bodo Dogri (Dongri), Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada,
Kashmiri, Konkani, Mathili(Maithili), Malayalam,
Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, sanskrit,
Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. Sindhi
was added b the 21st Amendment Act of 1967:
Konkani, Manipuri and Nepali were added by the
71st Amendment Act of 1967; Konkani, Manipuri
and Nepali were added by the 71st Amendment Act
of 1992; And Bodo, Dongri, Maithili and Santhali
were added by the 92nd Amendment Act of 2003.
B-230 Polity

Ninth Acts and Regulations (originally 13 but presently 31 - B

Schedule 282) of the state legislatures dealing with land
reforms and abolition of the zamindari system
and of the Parliament dealing with other matters.
This schedule was added by the 1st Amendment
(1951) to protect the laws included in it from judicial
scrutiny on the ground of violation of fundamental
rights. However, in 2007, the Supreme Court ruled
that the laws included in this schedule after April
24, 1973, are open to judicial review.
Tenth Provisions relating to disqualification of the 102 and 191
Schedule members of Parliament and State Legislatures
on the ground of defection. This schedule was
added by the 52nd Amendment Act of 1985, also
known as anti defection Law.
Eleventh Specifies the powers, authority and responsibilities 243 - G
Schedule of Panchayats. It has 29 Matters. This schedule
was added by the 73rd Amendment Act of 1992.
Twelfth Specifies the powers, authority and responsibilities 243 - W
Schedule of Municipalities. It has 18 matters. This schedule
was added by the 74th Amendment Act of 1992.

List of Important Amendment

No Amendments Enforced since Objectives
1 Amend articles 66 and 19 December Election of Vice President by Electoral
71. 1961 College consisting of members of
both Houses of Parliament, instead
of election by a Joint Sitting of
Parliament. Indemnify the President
and Vice President Election procedure
from challenge on grounds of existence
of any vacancies in the electoral college
2 Amend article 31. 20 April 1972 Restrict property rights and
Insert article 31C. compensation in case the state takes
over private property
3 Amend articles 81, 330 17 October 1973 Increase size of Parliament from 525 to
and 332. 545 seats. Increased seats going to the
new states formed in North East India
and minor adjustment consequent to
1971 Delimitation exercise
4 Amend article 371. 1 July 1974 Protection of regional rights in
Insert articles 371D Telangana and Andhra regions of State
and 371E. of Andhra Pradesh
Amend schedule 7.
Polity B-231

5 Amend articles 31, 1 April 1977 Amendment passed during internal

31C, 39, 55, 74, 77, 81, emergency by Indira Gandhi. Provides
82, 83, 100, 102, 103, for curtailment of fundamental
105, 118, 145, 150, 166, rights, imposes fundamental duties
170, 172, 189, 191, 192, and changes to the basic structure of
194, 208, 217, 225, 226, the constitution by making India a
227, 228, 311, 312, 330, Socialist Secular Republic
352, 353, 356, 357, 358,
359, 366, 368 and 371F.
Insert articles 31D,
32A, 39A, 43A, 48A,
131A, 139A, 144A,
226A, 228A and 257A.
Insert parts 4A and
14A.
Amend schedule 7.
6 Amend articles 330 16 June 1986 Provide reservation to Scheduled Tribes
and 332. in Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram
and Arunachal Pradesh Legislative
Assemblies
7 Amend article 326. 28 March 1989 Reduce age for voting rights from 21
to 18
8 Amend article 356. 16 April 1990 Article 356 amended to permit Presidents
rule up to three years and six months
in the state of Punjab
9 Amend article 338. 12 March 1990 National Commission for Scheduled
Castes and Scheduled Tribes formed
and its statutory powers specified in
The Constitution.
10 Amend article 16. 9 June 2000 Protect SC / ST reservation in filling
backlog of vacancies
11 Amend article 335. 8 September 2000 Permit relaxation of qualifying marks and
other criteria in reservation in promotion
for SC / ST candidates
12 Amend articles 45 and 12 December Provides Right to Education until the
51A. 2002 age of fourteen and Early childhood
Insert article 21A. care until the age of six
13 Amend article 338. 28 September The National Commission for
Insert article 338A. 2003 Scheduled Castes and Scheduled
Tribes was bifurcated into The National
Commission for Scheduled Castes
and The National Commission for
Scheduled Tribes
B-232 Polity

14 Amend Art 19 and 12 January 2012 Added the words or co-operative

added Part IXB. societies after the word or unions in
Article 19(l)(c) and insertion of article
43B i.e., Promotion of Co-operative
Societies and added Part-IXB i.e., The
Co-operative Societies.
The amendment objective is to
encourage economic activities of
cooperatives which in turn help
progress of rural India. It is expected
to not only ensure autonomous and
democratic functioning of cooperatives,
but also the accountability of the
management to the members and other
stakeholders.
15 Insertion of new 13 April 2015 The amendment provides for the
articles 124A, 124B and [103] formation of a National Judicial
124C. Amendments to Appointments Commission. 16 State
Articles 127, 128, 217, assemblies out of 29 States including
222, 224A, 231. Goa, Rajasthan, Tripura, Gujarat
and Telangana ratified the Central
Legislation, enabling the President of
India to give assent to the bill.[104]
The amendment is in toto quashed by
Supreme Court on 16 October 2015.
16 Amendment of 1 August 2015 Exchange of certain enclave territories
First Schedule to with Bangladesh and conferment of
Constitution[105] citizenship rights to residents of
enclaves consequent to signing of
Land Boundary Agreement (LBA)
Treaty between India and Bangladesh.

PREAMBLE
Meaning x Introduction or preface to the constitution.
x Summary or essence of the Constitution
Components x Source of Authority People of India
x Nature of Indian State Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic
& Republican.
x Objectives of Constitution Justice, Liberty, Equality & Fraternity.
Amendment x 42nd Amnd Act 1976 added 3 new words Socialist, Secular & Integrity.
Part of the x In kesavananda Bharati case (1973), Supreme court held that
Constitution preamle is an integra part of the constitution.

The Union & Its Territory

x Article 1 stipulates that India, that is Bharat, shall be Union of states.
x The country is described as Union beacuse it is indestructible.
x The territory of India includes the entire area over which the Sovereignty
of India extends.
x Under Articles 2 &3, Parliament has the power to establish new States,
form a new State from the territory of any State or by uniting two or more
Polity B-233

States, increase or decrease the area of any State, or after the boundaries
or the name of any State.
x First Linguistic State Andhra Pradesh.
State Recorganisation Act 1956
States Recorganisation Act 1956 was adopted by the Govt. of India that resulted
in the formation of new states & UTs.
LIST OF NEW STATES & UTs CREATED AFTER 1956
STATES/UTs YEAR
1. Maharashtra & Gujarat 1960
2. Dadra & Nagar Haveli 1961
3. Goa, Daman & diu 1962
4. Goa (Statehood) 1987
5. Puducherry 1962
6. Nagaland 1963
7. Haryana, Chandigarh 1966
8. Himachal Pradesh (Statehood) 1971
9. Manipur, Tripura & Meghalaya (Statehood) 1972
10. Sikkim (full fledged State) 1975
11. Arunachal Pradesh & Mizoram 1987
12. Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand & Jharkhand 2000
13. Telangana 2014

Citizenship
Person domiciled
Single Citizenship in India
3 Categories entitled Refugees who migrated
to citizenship to India from Pakistan
Indian Indians living in other
Citizenship Act (1955)
Citizenship Countries.
Provides for acquisition
& loss of Citizenship
after commencement of
the Constitution.
Dual Citizenship for PIOs

Acquisition of Citizenship

By Birth By Descent By By By
Registration Naturalisation Incorporation
of Territory
Loss of Citizenship

By Renunciation By Termination By Deprivation

 Can be Suspended FRs available only to citizens
Magna Carta Part III (Article Borrowed from during Emergency & Not to Foreigners- Art. 15,
B-234

of India 12 to 35) USA & France except Art. 20 & 21 16, 19, 29, 30

Fundamental Rights

Right to Equality Right to Freedom Right Against Exploitation Right to Freedom of Curtural and Right to Constitutional
Religion Educational Rights Remedies

Articles Articles Articles Articles Articles Articles

14-18 19-22 23-24 25-28 29-30 32
(14) Equality before Law (19) 6 Rights: Freedom of (23) Prohibition of traffic (25) Freedom of conscience & (29) Protection of Includes writs:
& Equal protection speech & expression, in human beings & free profession, practice & interests of (1) Habeas Corpus
of law. Assembly, Association, forced labour. propagation of religion. minorities. (2) Mandamus
Movement, Residence (3) Prohibition
& Profession. (4) Certiorari
(5) Quowarranto
Fundamental Rights

(15) Prohibition of (20) Protection in respect of (24) Prohibition of (26 ) Manage religiour affairs. (30) Right of minorities
discrimination on conviction for offences. employment of to establish
grounds of religion, children in factories & administer
race, sex etc. etc. educational
institutions.
(16) Equality of (21) Protection of life & (27) Freedom from payment of
opportunity in personal liberty. taxes for promotion of any
public employment religion.
(17) Abolition of (22) Protection against arrest (28) Freedom from attending
untouchability. & detention in certain religious instruction
cases. or worship in certain
educational institutions.
(18) Abolition of titles.
Polity
Polity B-235

Directive Principles
Promote concept
Part IV, Article
Instrument of instructions of welfare state
36 51
B.R. Ambedkar
Mixture of
socialist
Directive Non-justiciable
Gandhian &
Principles
Liberal
principles

Fundamental Borrowed from

Aim to economic
guidelines in countrys Ireland & social justice
governance

ARTICLES RELATED TO DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLES OF STATE POLICY

AT A GLANCE
Article No. Subject - matter

36 Definition of State

37 Application of the principles contained in this part

38 State to secure a social order for the promotion of welfare of the people

39 Certain principles of policy to be followed by the State

x Means of livelihood to all.
x Use of resources for common good.
x Prevention of concentration of wealth
x Equal pay for equal work
x Protection of workers, children & youth

39 A Equal justice and free legal aid

40 Organisation of village panchayats

41 Right to work, to education and to public assistance in certain cases

42 Provision for just and humane conditions of work and maternity relief

43 Living wage, etc., for workers

43 A Participation of workers in management of industries

43 B Promotion of co-operative societies

44 Uniform civil code for the citizens

45 Provision for early childhood care and education to children below

the age of six years
B-236 Polity

46 Promotion of educational and economic interests of scheduled Castes,

Scheduled Tribes and other weaker section.

47 Duty of the State to raise the level of nutrition and the standard of
living and to improve public health

48 Organisation of agriculture and animal husbandry

48 A Protection and improvement of environment and safeguarding of forests

and wildlife

49 Protection of monuments and places and objects of national importance

50 Separation of judiciary from executive

51 Promotion of international peace security

FUNDAMENTAL DUTIES
Fundamental Duties

Covered Part IV A, Article 51A

Borrowed from USSR

Amendment 42nd Amendment 1976, introduced Article 51 A in the

constitution.

Recommended by Swaran Singh Committee.

Numbers Originally10 duties

Now11 duties (added bye 86th Amendment ACT, 2002)

List of F.Ds 51 A (a) Abide by the Constitution and respect National Flag
& National Anthem
B Follow ideals of the freedom struggle
C Protect sovereignty & integrity of India
D Defend the country and render national services when
called upon
E Spirit of common brotherhood
F Preserve composite culture
G Protect natural environment
H Develop scientific temper
I Safeguard public property
j Strive for excellence
K Duty of all parents & guardians to send their children
in the age group of 6-14 years to school..
 President
Polity

Position Term Oath Emolument Qualification Election Vacancy Powers

Executive
 ([HFXWLYH  \HDUV  %\FKLHI  ` 1.5 lakh  &LWL]HQRI   (OHFWHG  2QH[SLU\RI  Legislative
Head of  (OLJLEOH IRU justice per month India indirectly by term Judicial
the state Re-election of India  3HQVLRQ &RPSOHWHG electoral college  %\GHDWK Emergency
 )LUVWFLWL]HQ or senior ` 75,000 years consisting  %\UHVLJQDWLRQ
of the most per month  4XDOLILHGIRU elected members  %\LPSHDFKPHQW
country judge of election as a of both houses
supreme member of of parliament &
court Lok Sabha states legislative
 1RWKROGDQ\ assemblies
President

office of profit  )ROORZLQJ

under GOI formula is
adopted first
stage:
Total population of state 1
Value of vote of an MLA u
Total no.of elected members in the state legislative assembly 1000
UNION & STATE EXECUTIVES

Total value of votes of all MLAs of all states

Value of vote of an MP
Total no.elected MPs
x At second stage, a complex system of calculating Quota of individual candidate is used which
is based on the order of preference of candidates.
B-237
 Powers of President
B-238

Executive Legislative Judicial

Appoints PM, Directly Dissolution Address Nominates Assent Laying Issue Seek Power to
Council of administers or & Send Members on Bills down some Ordinance Advice of grant
ministers, UTs Prorogation messages of passed by reports Supreme pardon
Attorney_General, Court
of to houses Parliament Parliament before
CAG, Judges of
Supreme Court Parliament Parliament Emergency
& High Courts,
Governors,
Administrators Miscellaneous National Failure of Financial
of UTs, Chairman Emergency Constitutional Emergency
& Members of
(Art. 352) Machinery (Art. 360)
Public service
Commission, in States
Supreme Conclude (Art. 356)
Chairman &
Commander & Approve
Members of.
finance Commission, of Armed International
Chief Election Forces Treaties &
Commissioner Agreements
& Election
commissioners,
Inter - State
Council,
Commission
investigate the
condition of SCs,
STs & OBCs.
Polity
Polity B-239

List of Presidents till date

List of President Joining date Leaving date
Dr.Rajendra Prasad 1/26/1950 5/13/1962
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan 5/13/1962 5/13/1967
Zakir Hussain 5/13/1967 5/3/1969
Varahagiri Venkata Giri 5/3/1969 7/20/1969
Muhammad Hidayatullah 7/20/1969 8/24/1969
Varahagiri Venkata Giri 8/24/1969 8/24/1974
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed 8/24/1974 2/11/1977
Basappa Danappa Jatti 2/11/1977 7/25/1977
Neelam Sanjiva Reddy 7/25/1977 7/25/1982
Giani Zail Singh 7/25/1982 7/25/1987
Ramaswamy Venkataraman 7/25/1987 7/25/1992
Shankar Dayal Sharma 7/25/1992 7/25/1997
Kocheril Raman Narayanan 7/25/1997 7/25/2002
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam 7/25/2002 7/25/2007
Smt. Pratibha Patil 7/25/2007 7/25/2012
Pranab Mukherjee 7/25/2012 Incumbent

Vice President
Qualification
(1) Citizen of India.
(2) Completed 35 years.
(3) Qualified for election as a member
of of Rajya Sabha.
(4) Not hold any office of profit under
Union/State government or any
Local Authority.
Term
(1) 5 years.
(2) Elegible for re-election.
Oath
(1) Administered by the President.
Emoluments
(1) ` 1.25 Lakh per month salary.
Election
(1) Indirectly elected
(2) Elected by an electoral college
consisting of the members of
both Houses of Parliament & in
accordance with the system of
Proportional representation by
means of the single transferable
vote.
Functions
(1) Ex-officio chairman of Rajya
Sabha.
(2) Suspend or adjourn the business
of the House.(Rajya Sabha)
(3) Issues direction to the Chairman
of various committees.
(4) Acts as President when vacancy
occurs in the office of the President
due to his resignation. Removal,
death, or otherwise.
Removal
(1) He can be removed by a resolution
of the Rajya Sabha passed by an
absolute majority & agreed to
by the Lok Sabha. But, no such
resolution can be moved unless at
least 14 days advance notice has
been given.
B-240 Polity

Prime Minister
Appointment
(1) By President
Position
(1) Real executive authority (de facto executive).
(2) Head of the government.
(3) Leader of the majority party in the Lok Sabha.
Election
(1) Elected directly by the people.
Term
(1) 5 years
(2) The PM actually stays in office as long as he enjoy the confidence of the
parliament, but the normal term is automatically reduced if the Lok sabha
is dissolved earlier.
Powers
(1) Advise the president to summon & prorogue the Parliament & dissolve
the Lok Sabha.
(2) Act as a Link between the cabinet & the President.
(3) All the members of the council of ministers are appointed by the president
on the recommendations of the Prime Minister.
(4) Allocates Portfolios among the various ministers & reshuffles them.
(5) Presides over the meetings of the council of Ministers.
(6) Ask a minister to resign.
(7) Coordinates the policies of the various departments & Ministries.
List of Prime Ministers of India Till Date Party Name
Narendra Modi 2014 till date Bharatiya Janata Party
Manmohan Singh 2004-14 Indian National Congress
Atal Bihari Vajpayee 1998-2004 Bharatiya Janata Party
IK Gujral 1997-98 Indian National Congress
HD Deve Gowda 1996-97 Janata Dal (Secular)
AB Vajpayee 1996 Bharatiya Janata Party
PV Narasimha Rao 1991-96 Indian National Congress
Chandra Shekhar 1990-91 Samajwadi Janata Party
VP Singh 1989-90 Janata Dal (National Front)
Rajiv Gandhi 1984-89 Indian National Congress
Indira Gandhi 1980-84 Indian National Congress
Charan Singh 1979-80 Janata Dal (Secular)
Morarji Desai 1977-79 Janata Dal
Indira Gandhi 1966-77 Indian National Congress
Gulzarilal Nanda 1966-66 Indian National Congress
Lal Bahadur Shastri 1964-66 Indian National Congress
Gulzarilal Nanda 1964 Indian National Congress
Jawaharlal Nehru 1947-64 Indian National Congress
Polity B-241

Governor
Position x Chief Executive of the State.
x Act as an head agent of the Central Government.
Qualification x Citizen of India.
x Completed 35 years.
x Not hold any office of profit under government.
x Not a member of Parliament or State legislature.
Appointment & x Appointed by President.
Tenure x Term is 5 years.
Oath x Administered by chief justice of high court
Powers and x (A) Executive Powers
Functions x Appoints Chief Minister & other ministers, Advocate
General, chairman & Members of State PSC, State Election
Commissioner & Finance Commission, Vice Chancellors of
Universities in State.
x Nominate one member of Anglo Indian Community to the
legislative Assembly of his State & 1/6th members of Sate
legislative council.
x Recommend President that government of the Sate cannot
be carried on in accordance with the Provisions of the
Constitution.
x (B) Legislative Powers
x Summon, adjourn & Prorogue State legislature & Dissolve the
State legislative assembly.
x Address the state legislature at the commencement of the first
session after each general election and the first session of each
year.
x Give or withold Assent to the bill.
x Return or reserve the Bill.
x Submission reports from auditor General, State PSC, State
finance commission before the legislature.
x (C) Discretionary Powers
x Appointing a new Chief Minister when no Single Party
Commands a clear-cut majority in legislative Assembly.
x Dismissal of ministry if he is convinced that it has lost
majority support.
x (D) Other powers
x Grant Pardons & Suspend the sentence of any person but
cannot Pardon in case of death sentence.
x No demand of grants can be made except on the
recommendation of the governor.
x Ensures that Budget of State is laid before State legislature
every year.
 Assist Ministers with
whom they are attached
B-242

Tenure
& perform administrative
duties
Qualification
Appointment

Powers & Functions

Collective No Separate charge

Responsibility to
T Y M I N IS T
Lok Sabha at central PU ER
E Head Important

D
level and Legislative

S
Ministries of central
Assembly at State ST
ERS O F S
T

I
/ State Government
level

N
5 years

AT
Attend Cabinets

MI
E
CABINET meetings & decide
By Governor

MINISTERS
Ministers.

policies
Supreme
Individual (Independent Executive
Chief Minister

Responsibility to Charge) authority

President at central
level & Governor at
Ministries & Departments.

State level.
Independent charge of
Ministries / Departments.
(2) Head of the Council of Ministers.

(4) Allocates portfolios among Ministers.

Work under Supervision &

guidance of Cabinet ministers.
Member of either house of the State legislature

Not members of Cabinet &

(1) Chief link between the Governor & the council of

be appointed as members of the Council of Ministers

(5) Supervises & coordinates Policies of the several

(3) Recommends to the Governor the names of persons to

 

donot attend Cabinet meeting.

Polity
Polity
COUNCIL OF MINSTERS IN 12TH FIVE YEAR PLAN
Prime Minister
Shri Narendra Modi
Cabinet Ministers
1 Shri Raj Nath Singh
2 Smt. Sushma Swaraj
3 Shri Arun Jaitley
4 Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu
5 Shri Nitin Jairam Gadkari
6 Shri Manohar Parrikar
7 Shri Suresh Prabhu
8 Shri D. V. Sadananda Gowda
9 Sushri Uma Bharati
10 Dr. Najma A. Heptulla
11 Shri Ram Vilas Paswan
12 Shri Kalraj Mishra
13 Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi
14 Shri Ananth Kumar
15 Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad
16 Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda
17 Shri Ashok Gajapathi Raju
Pusapati
18 Shri Anant Geete
19 Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal
20 Shri Narendra Singh Tomar
21 Shri Chaudhary Birender Singh Rural Development
22 Shri Jual Oram
23 Shri Radha Mohan Singh
24 Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot
25 Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani
26 Dr. Harsh Vardhan
Ministers of State (Independent Charge)
1 General V. K. Singh
B-243
Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
Department of Atomic Energy
Department of Space
Home Affairs
External Affairs
Overseas Indian Affairs
Finance
Corporate Affairs
Information & Broadcasting
Urban Development
Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation
Parliamentary Affairs
Road Transport and Highways Shipping
Defence
Railways
Law & Justice
Water Resources, River Development and Ganga
Rejuvenation
Minority Affairs
Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
Women and Child Development
Chemicals and Fertilizers
Communications and Information Technology
Health and Family Welfare
Civil Aviation
Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises
Food Processing Industries
Mines, Steel
Panchayati Raj
Drinking Water and Sanitation
Tribal Affairs
Agriculture
Social Justice and Empowerment
Human Resource Development
Science and Technology
Earth Sciences
Statistics and Programme Implementation
External Affairs
Overseas Indian Affairs
B-244
2 Shri Inderjit Singh Rao
3 Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar
4 Shri Bandaru Dattatreya
5 Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy
6 Shri Shripad Yesso Naik
7 Shri Dharmendra Pradhan
8 Shri Sarbananda Sonowal
9 Shri Prakash Javadekar
10 Shri Piyush Goyal
11 Dr. Jitendra Singh
12 Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman
13 Dr. Mahesh Sharma
Ministers of State
1 Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi
2 Shri Ram Kripal Yadav
3 Shri Haribhai Parthibhai
Chaudhary
4 Shri Sanwar Lal Jat
5 Shri Mohanbhai Kalyanjibhai
Kundariya
6 Shri Giriraj Singh
7 Shri Hansraj Gangaram Ahir
8 Shri G. M. Siddeshwara
9 Shri Manoj Sinha
10 Shri Nihalchand
11 Shri Upendra Kushwaha
12 Shri Radhakrishnan P
13 Shri Kiren Rijiju
14 Shri Krishan Pal
15 Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Balyan
16 Shri Mansukhbhai Dhanjibhai
Vasava
17 Shri Raosaheb Dadarao Danve
18 Shri Vishnu Deo Sai
Polity
Planning Defence
Textiles
Labour and Employment
Skill Development & Entrepreneurship
Parliamentary Affairs
AAYUSH Health & Family Welfare
Petroleum and Natural Gas
Shri Sarbananda Sonowal
Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Power
Coal
New and Renewable Energy
Development of North Eastern Region
Prime Ministers Office
Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
Department of Atomic Energy
Department of Space
Commerce and Industry
Culture
Tourism
Civil Aviation
Minority Affairs
Parliamentary Affairs
Drinking Water and Sanitation
Home Affairs
Water Resources
River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation
Agriculture
Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises
Chemicals & Fertilizers
Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises
Railways
Panchayati Raj
Human Resources Development
Road Transport & Highways, Shipping
Home Affairs
Social Justice & Empowerment
Agriculture
Tribal Affairs
Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
Mines
Steel
Polity B-245

19 Shri Sudarshan Bhagat Rural Development

20 Prof. (Dr.) Ram Shankar Katheria Human Resource Development
21 Shri Y. S. Chowdary Science and Technology
Earth Science
22 Shri Jayant Sinha Finance
23 Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore Information & Broadcasting
24 Shri Babul Supria (Babul Supriyo) Urban Development
Baral Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation
25 Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti Food Processing Industries
26 Shri Vijay Sampla Social Justice & Empowerment

Parliament
Indian Legislature

Union Leg
State Leg
(Parliament)

President Rajya Sabha Lok Sabha Bicameral Unicameral

Legislative
Upper House Lower House Council

Also known as House of People

council of states Maximum Leg. Council Leg. Assembly
Strength - 552 or Vidhan or Vidhan
Total members
Parishad Sabha
- 250

238 12 530 20 2 (Nominated Lower House

Indirectly Nominated (States) (UTs) members Upper House
elected from Anglo- Maximum
Indian Maximum Strength - 500
Permanent Body Community) Strength - 1/3 rd
of total strength Minimum
Members are Strength - 60
Term of of Assembly.
directly elected
individual Minimum Members are
member - 6 years Term - 5 years
Strength - 40 directly elected
1/3 rd members Presiding Officers by people
Members
retires at are indirectly Term - 5 years
expiration of Speaker Deputy elected
every 2nd year. Speaker Permanent body
Presiding officers Qualification
1/3rd of its
members retire
Chairman Deputy Citizen Not less every second year.
Chairman of India than 25
Term - 6 years
years.
Qualification

Citizen of Not less

India than 30
years
B-246 Polity

Sessions of Parliament

Budget Session Monsoon Session Winter Session

February- May July-September NovemberDecember

Indian Judicary

INTEGRATED JUDICIARY

President

Supreme Court
1. Chief Justice
Governor 2. Judges Parliament

High Courts
1. Chief Justice
2. Judges

COURTS
The Supreme Court
Delhi
High Courts
(In States)

(In Districts) Metropolitan

District and Areas
Session Courts

Metropolitan City - Civil and Presidency Small

Magistrate Courts Session Courts Cases Courts

(Civil) Provincial (Criminal)

Subordinate Small Cases Session Courts
Courts Courts

Subordinate Panchayat
Munsif Nyaya Magistrate Courts Courts
Courts Panchayat

Judicial Executive
Magistrate Magistrate
Polity B-247

Supreme Court x According to Article 129, SC is

x Supreme court is the final
interpreter & guardian of our
constitution. It is the highest court
of appeal in India.
x Presently there are 31 judges
(including Chief justice) in
Supreme Court.
x The CJI is appointed by the
President. The present CJI is
Honble Mr. TS Thakur.
x There is no fixed period of office
for SC judges. Once appointed,
they hold office till the age of 65
years.
x A judge of SC can be removed
from his office only by the process
of impechment.
JURISDICTION OF SUPREME COURT
a Court of Record. It means:-
(a) Court records are
admitted to be of
evidentiary value.
(b) It can punish for
Contempt of the court.
x Qualification for appointment as
a Judge of SC :-
(1) Citizen of India.
(2) Either be a distinguished jurist,
or one who has been a High
Court Judge for atleast 5 years
or an advocate of a High Court
( or 2 or more such courts in
Succession ) for atleast 10
years.

Types of Jurisdiction

Original Appellate Advisory Review

Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Jurisdiction

Disputes Disputes
relating to involving
Give its legal
union and the vialation of opinion on matters
fundamental
states referred to it by the
rights (writ
jurisdiction) president

Appeal in
Appeal in Appeal in Special leave
constitutional
civil cases Criminal cases to Appeal
cases

Power of Judicial Review (means it can

pronounce upon the constitutional validity
of laws passed by legislature and actions
taken by administrative authority.
B-248 Polity

High Court
x The judiciary in a State consists of a HC & a hierarchy of Subordinate courts.
x The judges of HC are appointed by the President .
x The judge of a HC holds office until he attains the age of 62 years. He can
be removed by the process of Impeachment.
x Qualification a person appointed as a judge of HC should
(1) Citizen of India.
(2) Held a judicial office in the territory of India for 10 years or have
been on advocate a high court for 10 years.
JURISDICTION OF HIGH COURT
Types of Jurisdiction

Original Writ Appellate Court of

Jurisdiction Jurisdiction Juristiction Record

Issue writs for

Appeal against
enforcement of FRs
of citizens judgements of
subordinate courts
in civil and criminal
Matters of Disputes Revenue matters
Admirality relating to matter
election of
parliament
and state
legislature

Review its own Judgements

Power to
judgement Proceedings
punish for
and Acts are
contempt
recorded for legal
of court
references

Crime %URDG FODVVLFDWLRQ RI FULPHV

The Indian Penal Code was passed
in the year 1860 and came into effect
from January 1, 1862. The Indian
Penal Code applies to the whole of
India except for the state of Jammu
& Kashmir. It contains 23 Chapters
and 511 Sections. Before the Indian
Penal Code came into effect, the
Mohammedan Criminal Law was
applied to both Mohammedans and
Hindus in India.
under the Indian Penal Code (IPC)
1. Crimes Against Body: Murder, Its
attempt, Culpable Homicide not
amounting to Murder, Kidnapping
& Abduction, Hurt, Causing
Death by Negligence;
2. Crimes Against Property: Dacoity,
its preparation & assembly,
Robbery, Burglary, Theft;
Polity
3. Crimes Against Public order:
Riots, Arson;
4. Economic Crimes: Criminal
Breach of Trust, Cheating,
Counterfeiting;
5. Crimes Against Women: Rape,
Dowry Death, Cruelty by Husband
and Relatives, Molestation, Sexual
harassment and Importation of
Girls;
6. Crimes Against Children: Child
Rape, Kidnapping & Abduction
of Children, Procreation of minor
girls, Selling/Buying of girls for
Prostitution, Abetment to Suicide,
Exposure and Abandonment,
Infanticide, Foeticide;
7. Other IPC crimes.
Few Known Sections
Section 120: Concealing design to
commit offence punishable with
imprisonment
Section 120-A and B: Definition of
criminal conspiracy and Punishment
of criminal conspiracy
Section 141: unlawful assembly
Section 146 and 147: Rioting and
Punishment for rioting
Section 169: Public servant unlawfully
buying or bidding for property
Section 171-B: Bribery
Section 279: Rash driving or riding
on a public way
Section 295: Injuring or defiling place
of worship with intent to insult the
religion of any class
Section 298: Uttering, words, etc.,
with deliberate intent to hurt the
religious feelings of any person
Section 300: Murder
Section 304-B: Dowry death
Section 307: Attempt to murder
Section 317: Exposure and
abandonment of child under twelve
years, by parent or person having care
of it.
B-249
Section 369: Kidnapping or abducting
child under ten years with intent to
steal from its person
Section 372: Selling minor for
purposes of prostitution, etc.
Section 373: Buying minor for
purposes of prostitution, etc.
Section 378 : Theft
Section 375: Rape
Section 376: Punishment against rape
Section 383: Extortion
Section 390: Robbery
Section 397: Robbery, or dacoity, with
attempt to cause death or grievous hurt
LEGAL TERMS
Affidavit: This is a sworn statement
made by a party, in writing, made in
the presence of an oath commissioner
or a notary public which is used either
in support of applications to the Court
or as evidence in court proceedings.
Alimony : The maintenance given by
a husband to his divorced wife.
Amicus curiae : Translated from
the Latin as friend of the Court.
An advocate appears in this capacity
when asked to help with the case by
the Court or on volunteering services
to the Court.
Arbitration : Settling disputes by
referring them to independent third
parties as an alternative to court
proceedings.
Audi alteram partem : This is a rule
of natural justice which translates from
the Latin as hear the other side or
hear both sides.
Bequeath : To dispose of personal
property by Will.
Caveat : Where it is apprehended that
an opposite party may file a case, a
party may file a document requesting
the court that no order be made in
the case without hearing the caveator.
Cognizable offence : An offence in
which arrest can be made without a
warrant.
B-250
Dasti Notice : Dasti is a persian
word, which means by hand. Dast
Notice means service of the notice by
the Petitioner on the Respondent(s)
in person, and not by the Registry
through post.
Decree : The formal expression of an
adjudication which, so far as regards
the Court expressing it,
Estoppel : A legal principle that bars
a party from denying or alleging a
certain fact owing to that partys
previous conduct, allegation, or denial.
Habeas Corpus : A writ requiring
a person under arrest to be brought
before a judge or into court, especially
to secure the persons release unless
lawful grounds are shown for their
detention.
In pari delicto : When both the parties
are equally in fault.lk
Interim Order : Any order by a court
before a final order is made.
Interlocutory Application : Petition
seeking a relief even while the main
petition remains in the Court.
Intervenor : A person who is not a
party to the proceedings may, with the
permission of the court, intervene if it
is shown that the outcome of the case
will affect such person in some way.
Judgment-debtor : Any person against
whom a decree has been passed or an
order capable of execution has been
made;
Judicial Review : A term that
describes the function of the judiciary
being able to examine and correct the
actions of all the organs of State
the executive, the legislature and the
judiciary itself.
Justiciable : A matter is justiciable
if it lends itself to adjudication by a
court. This is determined by criteria
laid down in law.
Polity
Litigation : The totality of the legal
proceedings in any dispute.
Locus Standi : Translated from Latin
as place of standing, locus standi
gives the right to pursue a litigation.
Under this rule, only a person or group
of persons affected by the issue may
petition the Court.
Ordinance : A codified law made, as
a temporary measure, by the President
of India or the Governor of a State
when the Parliament or legislature of
a state is not in session.
Perjury : This occurs when a person
gives false evidence or false affidavit
in a case.
Petition : A written document filed
in a court asserting a claim or a right
and seeking relief on legal grounds.
Pleadings : A collective noun for
all the petitions, affidavits, replies,
rejoinders drafted by or on behalf of
the parties to a case.
Prima facie : At first sight; on the
face of it.
Pro bono publico : Translated from
the Latin as for the public good. In
PIL, this refers to a petitioner acting
bonafide in the public interest.
Respondent : A party against whom
a petition is filed. A proforma
respondent is a party against whom
no relief is sought.
Stare decisis : The principle that
decisions of Courts in previous cases
must be followed in subsequent cases
of similar nature.
Statute : A codified law that is
enacted by the Parliament or a State
Legislature.
Stay Order : A party filing a petition
may require some immediate relief,
even before the respondents can be
heard or a final decision given.
Suo Motu : The Court may take action
on its own when facts requiring legal
Polity B-251

intervention reach its notice. The Court Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI)
is then said to be acting suo moto. The term Panchayati Raj (PRI) in
Void : One that law regards as never India signifies the system of rural
having taken place. local self government. It has been
Vox populi : Translated from the Latin established in all the States of India
as the voice of the people. by the Acts of the state Legislatures to
Writ : A writ is a direction that the build democracy at the grassroot level.
Court issues, which is to be obeyed It is entrusted with rural development.
by the authority/person to whom it It was constitutionalised through the
is issued. 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act
Writ Petition : A petition seeking 1992.
issuance of a writ is a writ petition.
COMMITTEES ON PANCHAYATI RAJ
Committee Year Important Recommendations
1. Balwant Rai 1957 x Three tier Panchayati Raj System Gram Panchayat
Mehta at Village level, Panchayat Samiti at Block level & Zila
Parishad at district level.
2. Ashok Mehta 1977 x Two tier PR System Mandal Panchayats at Village
level & Zila Panchayat at district level.
x Official representation of Political Parties at all levels
of Panchayat elections.
x Seat for SCs & STs should be reserved.
x Constitutional recognition to PRIs.
3. GVK Rao 1985 x Regular elections to the PRIs.
4. LM Singhvi 1986 x Regular, Free & fair elections to PRIs.
x Establishment of Nyaya Panchayats.
x More financial resources to village Panchayats.

Constitutionalisation 2. Reservation of seats for women,

73rd Amendment Act 1993
The Parliament has passed 73rd and
74th Constitutional Amendment Acts in
1993 to ensure the effective participation
of rural & urban people in the
institutions of local Self government.
x Added part -IX (Articles 243 to
243-0) & the 11th Schedule to the
Constitution.
x 11th Schedule contains 29
functional items & deals with
Article 243 G.
x The important provisions of 73rd
Constitutional Amendment Act
are as Follows
1. It made mandatory to hold the
elections of Panchayats in due
time on regular basis.
SCs, STs & OBCs in Panchayats,
at all levels.
3. Elections to the panchayats shall be
held with in a period of 6 months
from the date of dissolution.
4. Members of Block Panchayat &
Zilla Panchayats are to be elected
by people directly along with the
election of members of Gram
Panchayat. The heads of Gram
Panchayat shall be elected by the
directly elected members of these
bodies.
5. Establishment of an independent
State Election commission in
every State.
B-252 Polity

6. Power to the Panchayats to impose relations. A total of 56 Articles, from

and collect taxes in accordance Article 245 to 300 deal with the centre
with the provisions made by the state relations.
State government. Committees Appointed to study
7. Establishment of a State Finance Centre -state relation.
Commission. 1. Setalvad committee (1966).
2. Rajamannar committee (1969)
8. Prepare & implement the plans
3. Sarkaria committee (1983).
for economic development.
Division of Legislative Powers
Municipalities
between Centre & the States
For the establishment of self-
government in urban areas urban I. Three Lists
bodies have been established. 1. Union List List I 97 subjects
The urban institutions have been 2. State List List II 66 subjects
granted constitutional status by 74th 3. Concurrent List List III 52
constitutional Amendement (enforced subjects
with effect from January 1,1993). In IMPORTANT SUBJECTS IN
the Part IX A of the Constitution the VARIOUS LISTS
provisions for Municipalities have Union List (List I)
been made from Article 243 P to 243 1. Atomic energy and mineral
ZG. Besides a 12th Schedule also has resources.
been incorporated in the Constitution, 2. Extradition.
which contains 18 subjects relating to 3. Banking.
the jurisdiction of Municipalities. 4. Insurance.
As per this Constitutional Amendment 5. Stock exchanges and futures
3 types of urban institutions have been markets.
established on the basis of population 6. Patents, inventions and designs;
copyright; trade-marks and
they are
merchandise marks.
1. Nagar Panchayat for a transitional
7. Census.
area.
8. Corporation tax.
2. Municipal council for a smaller 9. Any other matter not enumerated
urban area. in List II or List III including any
3. Municipal corporation for a larger tax not mentioned in either of
urban area. those lists.
Centre State Relations State List (List II)
The basic provisions regarding the 1. Public order.
distribution of powers between the 2. Local government.
central & provincial governments are 3. Public health and sanitation.
in Part XI & XII of the Constitution. 4. Libraries, museums and other
Both the Union & the States derive similar institutions.
their authority from the Constitution, 5. Agriculture.
which divides all powers Legislative, 6. Fisheries.
executive & financial between them. 7. Gas and gas-works.
Our Constitution makers elaborate 8. Markets and fairs.
provisions to govern centre state 9. Captivation taxes.
Polity
Concurrent List (List III)
1. Criminal law.
2. Criminal procedure.
3. Preventive detention.
4. Marriage and divorce.
5. Transfer of property other than
agricultural land.
6. Contracts.
7. Civil procedure.
8. Contempt of court, but not
including contempt of the
Supreme Court.
9. Prevention of cruelty to animals.
10. Economic and social planning.
11. Legal, medical and other
professions.
12. Electricity.
13. Archaeological sites.
II. Inter state Council
InterState Council is one of the
important extra judicial bodies formed
in 1990 on the recommendation of
Sarkaria Commission. The Article
263 of Constitution empowers the
President to appoint or establish an
InterState Council for (1) enquiring
into & advising upon interstate
disputes. (2) Investigate & Discuss
on subjects in which states alone or
states & union have common interest.
The Council is headed by the Prime
Minister & its members include 6
Cabinet Ministers & Chief Ministers
of States.
III. Zonal Council
Zonal Councils were constituted
on the recommendation of States
Reorganization Commission 1956.
In 1956, five zonal councils were
established North, South, East,
West & Central. In 1971, the 6th zonal
council was established i.e. Northeast
zonal council. Its objectives are:
(a) To promote collective approach &
sorting out common problems of
the member states.
B-253
(b) For providing cooperation for the
implementation of development
plans & progress.
Composition : The Union Home
Minister is the exofficio chairman
of all the Zonal Councils. Each
Zonal council includes the Chief
Ministers of the member states &
the Administrators of the Union
Territories. The chief secretaries of
the member states are also included.
Uniform Civil Code
No specific definition is available
on UCC. All we know is that some
common law covering issues relating
to marriage, succession and property
is called Uniform Civil Code but what
these laws would be is anyones guess.
In article 44, our constitution clearly
specifies the UCC: The State shall
endeavour to secure the citizen a
Uniform Civil Code throughout the
territory of India. The constitution is
thus, very clear that unless a uniform
civil code is followed, integration
cannot be imbibed. However, the fact
is that it is only a directives principle
laid down in the constitution and as
Article 37 of the Constitution itself
makes clear, the directive principles
shall not be enforceable by any court.
Nevertheless, they are fundamental in
the governance of the country. This
shows that although our constitution
itself believes that a Uniform Civil
Code should be implemented in
some manner, it does not make this
implementation mandatory. Hence,
the debate on having a uniform civil
code for India still continues. The
demand for a uniform civil code
essentially means having one set of
laws that will apply to all citizens of
India irrespective of their religion.
Though the exact contours of such a
uniform code have not been spelt out,
it should presumably incorporate the
B-254
most modern and progressive aspects
of all existing personal laws while
discarding those which are retrograde.
Article 370
Under Article 370 of the Indian
Constitution, Jammu & Kashmir is
granted autonomy. It is a temporary
provision that accords special status
to the state. All the provisions of
the Constitution are not applicable
to J&K, unlike other states. Except
finance, defence, communications,
and foreign affairs, central government
needs the state governments consensus
for applying all other laws. Because
of this article, residents of Kashmir
follow separate set of laws in terms of
citizenship, property ownership, and
other rights.
Moreover, as per Article 370, the power
of Parliament to make laws for the said
State is limited to those matters in
the Union List and the Concurrent
List. It doesnt have the authority
to increase or reduce the borders of
the state. For those uninitiated, the
article was drafted by N. Gopalaswami
Ayyangar in 1949 against the wish
of Dr BR Ambedkar, who found
it discriminatory and against the
interest of India. Despite Jawaharlal
CONSTITUTIONAL BODIES
Election Commission
It is a permanent & an independent
body established by the Constitution
of India directly to ensure free & fair
elections in the country. Elections to
Parliament, State legislatures, President
& VicePresident are vested in it.
Composition: The Election
Commission consists of a Chief
Election Commissioner & such other
commissioners as the President may,
form time to time, decide.
Appointment & Term: The CEC
& other Election Commissioners
Polity
Nehrus promise that Article 370 will
be gradually abrogated, it has not
happened even after more than six
decades have whiled away.
It is not known to many that the article
370 has been eroded time and again
due to a series of Presidential Orders.
These orders over a period of time
have made almost all Union laws
applicable to J&K. Today, the state
is within the scope and jurisdiction
of almost every institution of India.
How J&K Different from Other
States?
x Directive Principles of State
Policy (DPSP) are not applied to
J&K but applied to other states.
DPSP = states are required to do
some things for the welfare of
community.
x President cant declare financial
emergency (salaries and allowances
reduction etc.) in relation to J&K.
x High Court of J&K can issue
writs only for enforcement of
Fundamental Rights.
x Right to property is still guaranteed
in J&K.
x Permanent residents of J&K have
some special fundamental rights.
x Although Supreme Court, EC and
CAG are applicable to J&K along
with all other states.
are appointed by the President for
a term of 6 years. The Regional
Commissioners may also be appointed
by the President in consultation with
the Election Commission for assisting
the Election Commission. The CEC
can be removed from office before
expiry of his term by the President
on the basis of a Resolution passed by
the Parliament by a special majority
on the ground of proved misbehavior
or incapacity. The other Election
Commissioners may be removed by
the President on the recommendation
of the CEC.
Polity
Powers & Functions:
Current Chief Election Commissioner is Mr. Nasim Zaidi
Public Service Commissions
I. Union Public Service
Commissions (UPSC)
x Independent Constitutional body.
x Recruitment of civil servants at
the union level.
x Chairman & members are
appointed by the President & have
tenure of 6 years or until age of
65 years.
x The President can also remove
them before expiry of their term on
grounds of proved misbehaviour.
The President can issue orders for
the removal of the members of the
UPSC only after the Supreme court
makes such a recommendation on
the basis of an enquiry.
Functions:
1. Conduct examinations for
appointment to the services of
the union.
2. Assists the states in framing
& operating schemes of joint
recruitment.
3. Advises the President of India
(a) All matters relating to
methods of recruitment in
civil services & for civils posts.
(b) Suitability of Candidates for
appointments for promotions.
B-255
(c) On all disciplinary matters
person serving under the
goverment of India.
4. Presents annually to the President
a report on its performance. The
President places this report before
both the Houses of Parliament.
II. State Public Service
Commission
x Recruitment of Civil Services at
the state level.
x Two or more states, if parliament
provides by law, may have a Joint
Public Service Commission.
x Service conditions of SPSCs
members are determined by
Governor whereas service
conditions of Joint PSC are
determined by President.
x Chairman & members of SPSC
are appointed by Government &
in case of JPSC by the President.
x Chairman & members of SPSC &
JPSC have tenure of 6 years or
until age of 62 years.
x Members may resign by writing to
Governor. It is only the President
who can make a reference to the
Supreme Court & make an order
of removal in pursuance of the
report of the Supreme court.
Functions
1. Conduct examinations for
appointments to the services of
the state.
B-256
2. Advise on matter that may be
referred by the Governor.
3. Present Annual report to the
Governor who shall cause it to
be laid before the state legislature.
4. Any other function that state
legislature may by law assign.
Finance Commission
An instrument which the constitution
has evolved for the purpose of
distributing financial resources
between centre & states is the Finance
Commission,. According to Article
280 of the Constitution, it is to be
constituted by the President once every
5 years consisting of a chairman &
four other members appointed by the
President.
Functions
The duty of the Commission is
to make recommendations to the
President as to
1. The distribution between the
Union & the States of the net
proceeds of taxes which are to
be divided between them and
the allocation between the states
themselves of the respective shares
of such proceeds.
2. The principles which should
govern the grant inaid of the
revenue of the states out of the
Consolidated fund of India.
3. The measures needed to augment
the consolidated fund of a state to
supplement the resources of the
Panchayats & the Muncipalities
in the state on the basis of the
recommendation by the State
Finance Commission.
4. Any other matter referred to the
commission by the President in
the interests of sound finances.
Polity
National Commission for
Scheduled Castes & Tribes
The President has power to appoint
a National Commission for SCs &
STs. The Commission shall consist
of a Chairman, a ViceChairman &
5 other members. This Commission
was given contitutional status by the
65th Amendment Act 1990.
Functions
1. To investigate & monitor all
matters relating to the safeguards
provided for SCs & STs under the
Constitution of India & to evaluate
the working of such safeguards.
2. To enquire specific complaints
with respect to the deprivation
of rights & safeguards of SCs &
STs.
3. To submit its Annual Report to
the President.
National Commission for
Backward Classes
Article 340 empowers the President to
appoint a Commission to investigate
the conditions of the socially &
educationally backward classes. The
Commission recommends removal of
all difficulties of Backward Classes
& raising them to a higher social,
educational & economic standard.
After constitution was adopted two
Backward Class Commissions
were appointed (1) Kaka Saheb
Kalelkar Committee & (2) B.P. Mandal
Committee.
Comptroller & Auditor
General (CAG)
The CAG is the custodian of public
purse & controls the entire financial
system of the country. He is appointed
Polity
by the President for a period of 6 years
or till he attains the age of 65 years
whichever is earlier. It is his duty to
see that no money is spent out of the
Consolidated fund of India or of a
State without the authority of the
appropriate legislation. The reports
of the CAG are presented to the
President or the Governor, as the case
may be, & laid before the Parliament
& the respective State legislatures.
In Lok Sabha, the Public Accounts
Committee considers this Report.
The current CAG of India is
Shashikant Sharma.
Functions
He can audit & report on:
1. All expenditure from consolidated
fund of India & each state &
each Union Territories having
a legislative Assembly & see
whether expenditure has been in
accordance with the law.
2. All expenditure from the
Contingency Funds & Public
Accounts of the Union & the
states.
3. All trading, manufacturing, profit
& loss accounts etc.., Kept by any
Department of the Union or a
State.
4. The receipts & expenditure of
the Union & of each state to
satisfy himself that the rules
& procedures are designed to
secure an effective check on the
assessment, Collection & proper
allocation of revenue.
5. The receipts & expenditure of all
bodies & authorities substantially
financed from the Union or state
Revenues.
B-257
Attorney General (AG)
The AG is the highest legal officer
of the Goverment of India. He is
appointed by the President & holds
office during the pleasure of the
President. He must have the same
qualifications as are required to be a
judge of the Supreme Court.
Though the AG of India is not a
member of the Cabinet, he shall have
the right to address in the House of
Parliment but shall have no right to
vote. In the performance of his official
duties the AG is entited to audience
in all Courts in the territory of India.
Functions:
1. Give advice on all such legal
matters & to perform all such other
duties of a legal character as may,
from time to time, be referred to
him by the President.
2. Discharge the functions conferred
on him by the constitution or any
other law for the time being in
force.
3. Appear before the Supreme Court
& various High Courts in cases
involving the Goverment of India.
Advocate General
Each state shall have an Advocate
General. He is the states counter
part of the Attorney General of India.
He is appointed by the Governor of
the State who holds office during the
pleasure of the Governor. A person
qualified to be a High Court Judge can
be appointed Advocate General. He
has the right to address & take part
in the proceedings of the House of
the State Legislature. But he has no
right to vote. His functions are similar
to those of the Attorney General.
B-258 Polity

NONSTATUTORY BODIES

PLANNING COMMISSION
The Planning Commission of India was established on March 15, 1950 on
the basis of a resolution of the Cabinet to that effect. It is a nonstatutory/
extra constitutional body. Prime Minister is the exofficio Chairman of the
Planning Commission. The Deputy Chairman of planning Commission is
of Cabinet rank.
Assessment of material, capital and
human resources and prepare plans for
Examine Achievements of effective and balanced utilisation of these
Plans & suggest Corrective resources
measures

Functions of Determine Priorities

Determine appropriate & Define stages in
planning
machinery required for which plan should be
Commission
successful implement action carried out

Indicate factors which

Advise the retard Economic
Government development

National Development Council Functions

(NDC)
NDC is one of the key organizations
of the Planning system in India. It
was set up by a resolution of Central
goverment on August 6, 1952. It is
an extraconstitutional body. It is
described as a Super Cabinet. It should
meet atleast twice every year.
Composition = Prime minister
(Chairman) + Chief Minister of all
states + Administrators of all union
territories
All Union Cabinet Ministers +
Members of Planning Commission
Objectives
x Strengthen & mobilize the efforts
for national planning & the
national resources.
x Prescribe common economic
policies.
x Ensure rapid & balanced economic
development of all parts of
country.
x Lays down the guidelines for the
formulation of 5 year plans.
x Approving & Reviewing the Plan
from time to time.
x Securing Corrdinated
implementation of the plans.
x Consider important questions of
social & economic policy affecting
national development.
NITI Aayog
The government of India has
replaced Planning Commission with
a new institution named NITI Aayog
(National Institution for Transforming
India).
The institution will serve as Think
Tank of the Government - a
directional and policy dynamo.
NITI Aayog will provide Governments
at the Central and State Levels with
relevant strategic and technical advice
across the spectrum of key elements
Polity
of policy, this includes matters of
national and international importance
on the economic front, dissemination
of best practices from within the
country as well as from other nations,
the infusion of new policy ideas and
specific issue-based support.
Composition: NITI Aayog will have
Prime Minister as its chairman, one
Vice-Chairman cum chief-executive
officer, 5 fulltime members and 2 part
time members, apart from 4 central
government ministers.
Lokpal
In India, the institution of
Ombudsman (Swedish word meaning
Commissioner) has given the name of
Lokpal & use it as an anti-corruption
institution. The Dictionary defines
the Ombudsman as an official to
investigate complaints by individual
against maladministration by public
authorities. Lokpal is visualised
as the countrys watch dog. The
idea of creating Lokpal was first
conceptualized in 1968 in 4th Lok
Sabha. Thereafter in 1971, 1977, 1985,
1989, 1996, 1998 & 2001 efforts were
made to enact legislation to create the
institution of Lokpal. The Bill received
Parliaments assent on 1st Jan 2013.
The Bill as passed by Parliament
creates a Lokpal at the centre which
shall consist of a chairperson &
upto 8 members. Half of these
members should have higher judicial
experience & other half should have
experience in public administration,
finance, insurance & banking laws,
anti corruption & vigilance. It also
provides that half the members of
Lokpal shall be from amongst SCs,
STs, OBCs, minority & women.
B-259
The chairperson & members of
Lokpal shall be appointed by a
Selection Committee consisting of
PM, Speaker of Lok Sabha, Leader
of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Chief
Justice of India & an eminent jurist to
be nominated by the President based
on the recommendations of the other
members of the Selection Committee.
The jurisdiction of Lokpal extends
to the PM, Ministers, Current &
former MPs & members of legislative
assemblies, government employees
& employees of companies funded
or controlled by the control or state
government.
It specifies a time limit of 60 days for
completion of inquiry & 6 months for
completion of investigation by CBI.
Lokayukta
The anti-corruption institution of
Lokayukta is set up at the state level.
He is appointed by the Governor of
the state. In most of the states, the
term of office fixed for Lokayukta is
of 5 years duration or 65 years of age,
whichever is earlier.
National Human Rights
Commission (NHRC)
NHRC is a statutory body, established
in 1993, to act as the watch dog of
human rights in the country, that is the
rights relating to life, liberty, equality
& dignity of the individual guaranteed
by the constitution or embodied in the
international covenants & enforceable
by courts in India. The commission
is a multi-member body consisting of
a chairman and four members. The
Chairman and members are appointed
by the President. They hold office for
a term of 5 years or until they attain
the age of 70 years.
 FEATURES OF INDIAN GOVERNMENT
B-260

Democracy Parliamentary Federal

Representatives Ensure Responsive Government Party 2 Heads Distribution Decentralisation

are elected by Political to the public governs through Repre- of powers of Authority
people indirectly freedom & opinion assembly or sentation
or directly. socio-economic parliament P.M. President
development (Head (Head
of of State)
Govt.)

Government is
responsible
INDIAN GOVERNMENT

to parliament
Union State Concurrent
List List List

Central State Local

Govt. Govt. Govt.
Polity
Polity B-261

Institutional Framework

Legislature Executive Judiciary

Law-making Law-Implementation Law-Adjudication

Body Body

Includes Ministers Settlement Judicial

Introduction, Make
Discussion & Laws & Civil Servants of Disputes Review
passing of
the bills
Formulation
Guardian
& Implementation
Responsible of Fundamental
of Plans & Policies
to the electorate Rights

LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT

Union Govt.

State Govt.
PM Council Responsible for
of Administration
Ministers & Governance of
whole Country Chief Council of Responsible for
Minister Ministers Administration &
1 District Level unit Governance of
1 Examine the Budget State
1 Organise meeting Local Govt.
& supervise work
of panchayat samiti
Panchayati Raj Institutions Municipalities
1 Adopt measures for (Rural) (Urban)
completion of
activities
1 Block level Zila Nagar
1
xecutive Organ Panchayat Panchayat
of Gram Sabha Panchayat Municipal
1 Prepare Plans Samiti Council
1 erform social Gram
welfare & Municipal
Sabha Corporation
Developmental
of activities
1 owest Unit
1 Directly Elected
Members
B-262 Polity

ELECTIONS

3 Types Procedure Basis

Steps

General Mid term Adult Geographical Single Member

By Election
Election Election Suffrage Representation Territorial
1. Nomination Constituencies
of Candidates

Elections Election Election 2. Declaration

of Lok to till due to of final list
Sabha vacant Dissolvement of candidates
& State seat of of Lok Sabha or
Vidhan Sabha 3. Allotment
Assemblies a member of symbols to
of Lok before its tern
is over political
Sabha or parties &
State Independent
Legislative Candidates
Assembly
Election
Manifesto
& campaign

Polling

Counting
of votes

Declaration
of Result

Committees for Electoral Reform :

1. Tarkunde Committee (1974)
2. Dinesh Goswami Committee (1990)
3. Vohra Committee (1993)
4. Indrajit Gupta Committee (1998)
5. Election Commission of India Report on Proposed Electoral Reforms
(2004)
6. Tankha Committee (2010)
Important Electoral Reforms :
x Lowering of voting age from 21 years to 18 years.
x Use of Electronic Voting Machines.
x Adjournment of poll or countermanding of elections in case of Booth
capturing.
x Candidates of
Recognised
Parties
Listing of Candidates of
candidates Registered
Names Unrecognised
Parties
Other Independent
Candidates
Polity B-263

x Contestants restricted to Two constituencies.

x Campaigning period reduced from 20 to 14 days.
x Declaration of criminal antecedents, assets, etc., by candidates on nomination
paper.
x Ceiling on Election Expenditure Increased.
Political Parties & Pressure Group
Political Parties
x Meaning : Group of persons who agree on some ideology & seek to capture
the power & form the government on the basis of collective leadership.
x Type of Party System in India : Multi Party System :
x Functions
(i) Representation
(ii) Elite Formation & Recruitment
(iii) Goal Formulation
(iv) Interest Articulation & Aggregation
(v) Socialization & Mobilization
(vi) Organization of Government.
x Category of Political Party in India:-
Category

National Party State Party

6% of valid 2% seats in lok 6% of valid 3% of total

votes in 4 states sabha & members votes in state no. of seats
or more OR are elected from + OR or 3 seats
+ 3 different states in assembly,
2 seats in
4 seats in lok whichever is
sabha from any assembly
more
state or states
Pressure Groups
x Represents socio-economic & political interests of a particular section in
political system. Eg. farmers, industrial workers etc.
x Organised on basis of common goals & share similar values.
x Seek support of party leaders, legislators & bureaucracy in vigorous pursuit
of their goals.
x Exert pressure on government in order to obtain laws and administrative
measures in favour of their specific interests.
x Termed as a Anonymous Empire
B-264 Polity

Types of Pressure Group in India

Types

Associational
Pressure Groups Non-Associational Institutional Anomic Pressure
Pressure Groups Pressure Groups Groups
Industry, Labour,
Agriculture, etc. Religion, Caste, Civil Services, Police, Adhoc interest
(Eg. ASSOCHAM, Tribe, language Defence services, Groups set up for
AITUC) or culture Public Sector specific objective
(Eg. Anglo-Indian Employees (Eg. All Assam
Christians Association) (Eg. AISA) Students Union)

NATIONAL POLITICAL PARTIES OF INDIA

No. Name Abbreviation Symbol Foundation Current
Year Leaders
1. Bharatiya BJP Lotus 1980 Amit Shah
Janata Party
2 Indian National INC Hand 1885 Sonia Gandhi
Congress
3 Communist CPI-M Hammer, 1964 Sitaram
Party of India Sickle and Yechury
(Marxist) star
4 Communist CPI Ears of 1925 Suravaram
Party of India corn and Sudhakar
sickle Reddy
5 Bahujan Samaj BSP Elephant 1984 Mayawtai
Party
6 Nationalist NCP Clock 1999 Sharad Pawar
Congress Party
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN POLITICAL PARTY & PRESSURE GROUP
Political Party Pressure Group
1. Strive to organise public opinion Specific or sectional interets (united
in issues of public concern. (Wider objectives)
objectives)
2. Represents aggregation of interests. Represents specific interest. (Limited
(Large membership) Membership)
3. Generalist in organisation of Specialist in organisation of opinion.
opinion.
4. Contest Elections. Do not contest Elections.
5. Intention of gaining political power. No intention of gaining political power.
6. Help in formulating policies. Tend to influence the policies of
government.
Polity
FOREIGN POLICY OF INDIA
I. Principles and objectives
1. Preservation of Indias sovereign
independence.
2. Non-alignment.
3. Opposition to Imperialism,
colonialism & Racial discrimination.
4. Opposition to discriminatory
international regimes & hedonistic
policies.
5. Panchsheel
x mutual respect for each others
territorial integrity &sovereignty.
x non-aggression
x Non-interference in each others
internal affairs.
x equality & mutual benefit.
x peaceful co-existence.
6. Support for United Nations &
international peace.
7. Promotion of unity & solidarity
of Third world for securing an
equitable share in world politics.
II. Look East Policy
Indias Lok East Policy was first
initiated in 1992 by the then Prime
Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao. Since
then, the policy has been one of
the cornerstones of Indias foreign
policy. It lays emphasis on improving
cooperation with Indias neighbouring
south-east & east. Asian countries
(eg. China, Bangladesh, Myanmar,
Thailand etc.) & also engagement
with various regional organisations
such as ASEAN, East Asia Summit,
BIMSTEC & Mekong Ganga
Cooperation (MGC). The policy is
pursued in a multi faceted manner
in diverse areas such as improved
connectivity, promotion of trade,
investment & cultural exchanges.
III. Gujral Doctrine
The Gujral Doctrine is a milestone
in Indias foreign policy. It was
B-265
propounded & initiated in 1996 by
I.K. Gujral, the then Foreign Minister
in the Deve. Gowda Government. The
Doctrine is a 5-point roadmap to guide
the conduct of Indias foreign relations
with its neighbours.
These 5 principles are as follows
1. With the neighbours India should
not ask for reciprocity, but give to
them what it can is good faith.
2. No south asian country should
allow its territory to be used
against the interest of another
country of the region.
3. No, country should interfere in the
internal affairs of another country.
4. All South Asian Countries should
respect each others territorial
integrity & sovereignty.
5. All South Asian countries should
settle all their disputes through
peaceful bilateral negotiations.
IV. Nuclear Policy of India
India adopted its Nuclear doctrine in
2003. Its main objectives are:-
1. India shall pursue a doctrine
of credible minimum nuclear
deterrence.
2. India will not resort to the use or
threat of use of nuclear weapons
against states which donot
possess nuclear weapons, or are
not aligned with nuclear weapon
powers.
3. Deterrence requires that India
maintain:-
(a) Sufficient, survivable &
operationally prepared nuclear
forces.
(b) Robust command & control
system.
(c) Effective intelligence & early
warning capabilities.
Indias first nuclear test - 18 May 1974.
India second nuclear test- 11 May &
13 May, 1998.
B-266 Polity

MODIS VISIT TO NATIONS

1
Place Victoria, Seychelles
Date 10th-11thMarch
Purpose To strengthen maritime and bilateral ties
Agreements Cooperation in:
x hydrography
x renewable energy
x infrastructure development
x Sale of navigation charts and electronic
navigational charts.

2
Place Port Louis, Mauritius
Date 11th -13th March
Purpose To build strategic asset with the island nation.
Agreements Cooperation in:
x MoU in the field of Ocean Economy.
x Programme for Cultural Cooperation for the
year 2015-18.
x MoU on Cooperation in the field of
Traditional System of Medicine and
Homeopathy.

3
Place Colombo, Sri Lanka
Date 13th -14th March
Purpose State Visit.
Agreements The two sides signed four agreements on :
x visa
x customs
x youth development,
x And building Rabindranath Tagore memorial
in Sri Lanka.

4
Place Paris, Toulouse, Neuve-Chapelle in France
Date 9th-12th April
Purpose Strengthening International Relations.
Agreements x MoU between L&T and AREVA to improve
the financial viability of Jaitapur project.
x MoU between ISRO and CNES on Megha
Tropiques, the joint project for sharing and
use of data from the satellite.
x Railway protocol between Indian Ministry
of Railways and French National Railways
(SNCF) for semi-high speed rail and station
renovation.
Polity B-267

5
Place Singapore
Date 29th March
Purpose State funeral of Lee Kuan Yew
Agreements Along with attending the state funeral of Lee
Kuan Yew, Prime Minister Modi met several world
leaders including the Israeli President.

6
Place Berlin, Hannover in Germany
Date 12th-14th April
Purpose Strengthening Bilateral relations
Agreements No agreement signed until German Chancellor
Angela Merkel visits India in October 2015.

7
Place Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver in Canada
Date 14th-16th April
Purpose Bilateral Visit
Agreements x Commercial agreements and announcements
worth 1.6 Billion Canadian Dollars under
which Saskatchewan-based Cameco will
supply India with over seven million pounds
of uranium over the next five years.

8
Place Xian, Beijing, Shanghai in China
Date 14th-16th May
Purpose Strengthen the Bilateral ties
Agreements x MoU of skill development and
entrepreneurship of India and the ministry of
human resources and social security of China
focussing on vocational education and skill
development.
x MoU on consultative mechanism for
cooperation in trade negotiations.
x MoU on education exchange programme.
x MoU of Niti Aayog and the Development
Research Centre, State Council of China.
x MoU between Doordarshan and China
Central Television on cooperation in the field
of broadcasting.

9
Place Ulan Bator, Mongolia
Date 16th-17th May
Purpose International Relations
B-268 Polity

Agreements x Agreement for avoidance of Double Taxation

and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with
Respect to Taxes on Income.
x MoU for Cooperation of National Security
Council Secretariat of India and the Office of
National Security of Korea.
x MoU between the Ministry of Youth Affairs
and Sports of India and the Ministry of
Gender Equality and Family of Korea on
Cooperation in Youth Matters.

10
Place Seoul, South Korea
Date 18th-19th May
Purpose Promote Make in India
Agreements x Cooperation in audio-visual co-production
enabling the co-production of films, animation
and broadcasting programmes.
x MoU with Ministry of Power and the Ministry
of Trade, Industry and Energy of South Korea
on cooperation in the field of electric power
development and new energy industries.
x MoU in the fields of maritime transport
and logistics including through sharing of
technologies, information and experiences.

11
Place Dhaka. Bangladesh
Date 6th-7th June
Purpose Expand the cordial relationship
Agreements x Memorandum of Understanding between Coast
Guards
x MoU on Prevention of Human Trafficking
x MoU on Prevention of Smuggling and
Circulation Fake Currency Notes
x MoU between Bangladesh and India and for
Extending a New Line of Credit (LoC) of US$ 2
billion by Government of India to Government
of Bangladesh
x MoU on Blue Economy and Maritime
Cooperation in the Bay of Bengal and the
Indian Ocean
x MoU on Use of Chittagong and Mongla Ports
x MoU for a Project under IECC (India
Endowment for Climate Change) of SAARC
x Agreement on Dhaka-Shillong-Guwahati Bus
Service and its Protocol
x Agreement on Kolkata-Dhaka-Agartala Bus
Service and its Protocol.
Polity B-269

12
Place Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Date 6th July
Purpose To improve Bilateral and regional issues.
Agreements x Cooperation in Law Enforcement to Counter-
Terrorism.
x Cooperation in the field of defence and cyber
security.
x UN Security Council Reforms to reaffirm Indias
candidature for permanent membership of UN
Security Council.

13
Place Astana, Kazakhstan
Date 7th July
Purpose Boosting trade, energy, defence and security
cooperation
Agreements x MoU by JSC Kazxnex Invest and JSC Invest
India to establish bilateral trade and economic
relations.
x MoU on Technical Cooperation in the sphere
of railways between the NC Kazakhstan Temir
Zholy JSC and Indias railways ministry.
x MoU on defence cooperation which includes
supply of 5,000 tonnes of uranium to India
during 2015-19.
x Transfers of sentenced persons.

14
Place Ufa, Russia
Date 8th -10th July
Purpose BRICS summit
Agreements x MoU between Quality Council of India (QCI)
and Federal Accreditation Service of Russian
for elimination of technical barriers in trade
and economic cooperation.
x MoU by Indian Council of Medical Research
(ICMR) and the Russian Foundation for Basic
Research (RFBR) for cooperation in various
areas of health research.
x MoU between TATA Power and Russian
Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) exploring
opportunities in the energy sector.
x MoU between ACRON of Russia and
NMDC of Indiato acquire stake in a potash
mine in Russia.
x MoU between ESSAR and ROSNEFT to
ensure ten year supply and purchasecrude oil
and feed stocks/productsby India.
B-270 Polity

x Agreement for Training of Indian Armed

Forces Personnel in the Military Educational
Establishments of the Defence Ministry of the
Russian Federation establishing understanding
between the two forces.

15
Place Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
Date 10th-11th July
Purpose To enhance cooperation among the two
nations.
Agreements x MoU on Supply of Chemical Products between
the Indian Public Sector Undertaking Rashtriya
Chemicals and Fertilizers Limited and the
Turkmen State concern Turkmenhimiya
x MoU between the Foreign Service Institute of
the Ministry of External Affairs of India and
the Institute of International Relations of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan.
x MoU between India and Turkmenistan on
Cooperation in Yoga and Traditional Medicine.

16
Place Bishkek,Kyrgyzstan
Date 12th July
Purpose To counter threat of terrorism and extremism
Agreements x Agreement on Defence Cooperation in
relation to matters of defence, security,
military education and training.
x MoU and Cooperation in the field of
Electionsrelating to legislation on elections
and referendums.
x Agreement on cooperation in culture
ensuringpreservation of cultural heritage,
organisation of folk arts, theatre.

17
Place Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Date 12th-13th July
Purpose Bilateral ties
Agreements x Programme of Cooperation (POC) between
Ministries of Culture of India and Tajikistan
in the field of Culture for the years 2016-18
for greater cultural understanding between the
countries.
x Exchange of Note Verbale (NV) on setting up
of Computer Labs in 37 Schools in Tajikistanto
set up computer labs in 37 schools in Tajikistan
for supporting Tajikistans human resource and
skill development efforts.
Polity B-271

18
Place Abu Dhabi, Dubai
Date 16th -17th August
Purpose To counter threat of terrorism and enhance
trade
Highlights x UAEs landmark decision to allocate land
for a temple.
x UAE to invest 4.5 lakh crore rupees in India.
x UAE - India to boost trade and establish a
security dialogue.

19
Place Dublin, Ireland
Date 23rd September
Purpose To enhance trade and commerce and aviation.
Highlights x Promotion of business links and cooperation to
boost tourism ties, which are already growing
at a yearly rate of 14 per cent.
x Economic partnership in the fields of
information technology, biotechnology and
pharmaceuticals, agricultural and clean energy.
x Ireland to provide support for Indias
membership into the Nuclear Suppliers Group
and permanent seat in the UNSC.
x Exchange of views on important international
issues like, terrorism, radicalism and the challenges
emerging out of it in Europe and Asia.

20
Place New York, San Francisco in USA
Date 24th-30thSeptember
Purpose United Nations General Assembly
Highlights x PM Narendra Modi addressed the Indian
diaspora at the SAP Center in Silicon Valley.
x Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced
a proposal for introduction of broadband
connectivity, through Wi-Fi hotspots, at 100
railway stations.
x Qualcomm Incorporated announced
establishment of $150 million India-specific
Venture Fund formed to foster promising
Indian start-ups.
x Modi launched Bharat Fund at India-
U.S. StartUp Konnect programme. It is
aimed at providing seed funding to Indian
entrepreneurs.
x Modi answered questions from the audience
at a Townhall at the Facebook headquarters at
Menlo Park, California.
B-272 Polity

21
Place London, Chequers in United Kingdom
Date 12th-14th November
Purpose To enhance and deepen economic engagement.
Highlights x India and the UK have announced commercial
deals worth 9 billion pounds in London.
x OPG Power Ventures plc will further invest in
India by 2.9 billion to a total of 3.4 billion,
creating around 100 UK jobs over next few years.
x Merlin Entertainments to open a Madame
Tussauds wax attraction in New Delhi in 2017.
x Genus ABS to invest 1 million in India, creating
latest dairy genetics and constructing a state-of-
the-art facility near Pune.
x Solar PV generator in the UK and Europe,
Lightsource, has announced a 2 billion
investment in India.
x Vodafone has announced a range of further
investments in India totalling 1.3 billion
(` 13,000 crore) to support the Government
of Indias Digital India and Make in India
campaigns.
x Holland & Barrett International has partnered
with Apollo Hospitals in a deal worth 20
million.
x Bharti Airtel intends issuing its maiden sterling
bond of up to 500 million to be listed on the
London Stock Exchange.
x Wipro has increased its investment in the UK
with the opening of its newest office for Wipro
Digital.
x MoU signed between the two countries on tech
cooperation in the rail sector.

22
Place Antalya, Turkey
Date 15th16th November
Purpose G-20 Summit
Highlights x PM Modi met the leaders of Australia and
Spain, and also the Saudi Arabias King
Salman Al-Saud on the sidelines of the G20
Summit.
x India and Turkey to team up for infrastructure
projects and tackling the problem of terrorism.
x Modi urged the G20 nations to fulfil the global
aspirations for clean energy.
x India promised to increase renewable power
capacity four-folds to 175 gigawatt by 2022
and cut fossil subsidies.
x Nuclear-deal procedure for supplying uranium
has been sealed between India and Australia.
Polity B-273

23
Place Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date 21-22 November
Purpose ASEAN-India summit and East Asia Summit
Highlights x MoU was signed on Performance Management
Delivery Unit (PEMANDU) to ensure excellent
cooperation in Public Administration and
Governance.
x PM urged Malaysian government for co-
operation and enhanced participation in projects
like Make in India and Smart city initiatives.
x PM Modi also announced the inauguration of
Torana Gate at the entrance of Little India in
Bricksfield, Kuala Lumpur.
x India and Malaysia to deepen their cooperation
on security challenges and terrorism.

24
Place Singapore
Date 23rd-25th November
Purpose To elevate bilateral relations of both countries.
Highlights x MoUs on curtailing drug trafficking and
improving cyber security.
x Collaboration in urban planning and wastewater
management.
x MoU for cooperation in civil aviation services
and airport management beginning with Jaipur
and Ahmedabad airports.
x Extending of long-term loan of Indian artefacts
to the Asian Civilisations Museum of Singapore.

25
Place France
Date 30th November 1st December
Purpose 2015 United Nations Climate Change
Conference COP21
Highlights x PM Modi inaugurated India Pavilion
showcasing Indias harmony with nature,
environment and commitment to mitigate
climate change.
x PM Modi and French President Francois
Hollande jointly unveiled the International
Solar Alliance.
x PM Modi also attended Mission Innovation
hosted by President of the United States.

26 Place
Date
Russia
23rd December 24th December

27 Place
Date
Afghanistan
25th December

28 Place
Date
Pakistan
25th December
B-274
World Polity
Cold War Era
Contemporary world politics is the
direct outcome of World War II.
In 1945, the Allied Forces, led by
the US, Soviet Union, Britain and
France defeated the Axis Powers led by
Germany, Italy and Japan, ending the
Second World War (1939- 1945). The
war had involved almost all the major
powers of the world and spread out
to regions outside Europe including
Southeast Asia, China, Myanmar and
parts of Indias northeast.
The First World War had earlier shaken
the world between 1914 and 1918. The
end of the Second World War was
also the beginning of the Cold War.
The world war ended when the United
States dropped two atomic bombs on
the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and
Nagasaki in August 1945, causing
Japan to surrender. With the defeat of
Germany and Japan, the devastation
of Europe and in many other parts
of the world, the United States and
the Soviet Union became the greatest
powers in the world with the ability to
influence events anywhere on earth.
The Cold War in spite of being an
intense form of rivalry between great
powers remained a cold and not
hot or shooting war. The dominance
of two superpowers, the United States
of America and the Soviet Union, was
central to the Cold War. As a result
Non Aligned Movement (NAM) as
a challenge to the dominance of the
two superpowers was born.
Polity
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis is a time
when the United States and the Soviet
Union almost had a nuclear war.
When the U.S. discovered offensive
nuclear missiles in Cuba, it started
a tense period of 13 days while the
world watched to see if the Soviets
would remove the missiles, just 90
miles from the U.S.
President Kennedy did not dare to
invade Cuba, because that action could
have started a world war - yet he could
not let the missile sites be completed.
With his advisers, he decided on a
naval blockade to prevent Russian
ships delivering the missiles for the
Cuban sites.
Khrushchev warned that Russia
would see the blockade as an act
of war. Russian forces were put on
alert; US bombers were put in the air
carrying nuclear bombs; preparations
were made to invade Cuba. There was
massive tension in both Washington
and Moscow. Everybody thought the
world was going to come to an end.
Secretly, the Americans suggested a
trade-off of missile bases - US bases
in Turkey for Russian bases in Cuba.
Polity
The Russians made the first public
move. The ships heading for Cuba
turned back, and Khrushchev sent
a telegram offering to dismantle the
Cuban bases if Kennedy lifted the
blockade and promised not to invade
Cuba. Then, as though having second
thoughts, he sent a second letter
demanding the dismantling of the
Turkish bases. At the vital moment,
a US U2 spy plane was shot down.
However, Kennedy ignored the U2
attack and agreed publicly to the first
letter, and secretly to the second. The
crisis was over.
The Emergence of Two Power
Blocs
The two superpowers were keen on
expanding their spheres of influence
in different parts of the world. In a
world sharply divided between the two
alliance systems, a state was supposed
to remain tied to its protective
superpower to limit the influence of
the other superpower and its allies.
The smaller states in the alliances
used the link to the superpowers for
their own purposes. They got the
promise of protection, weapons,
and economic aid against their local
rivals, mostly regional neighbours with
whom they had rivalries. The alliance
systems led by the two superpowers,
therefore, threatened to divide the
entire world into two camps. This
division happened first in Europe.
Most countries of western Europe
sided with the US and those of eastern
Europe joined the Soviet camp. That
is why these were also called the
western and the eastern alliances. Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty
The western alliance was formalised
into an organisation, the North
Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO),
which came into existence in April
1949. It was an association of twelve
B-275
states which declared that armed
attack on any one of them in Europe or
North America would be regarded as
an attack on all of them. It was created
in 1955 and its principal function was
to counter NATOs forces in Europe.
In East and Southeast Asia and in
West Asia (Middle East), the United
States built an alliance system
called the Southeast Asian Treaty
Organisation (SEATO) and the Central
Treaty Organisation (CENTO). The
Soviet Union and communist China
responded by having close relations
with regional countries such as
North Vietnam, North Korea and
Iraq. The Cold War threatened to
divide the world into two alliances.
Communist China quarrelled with the
USSR towards the late 1950s, and, in
1969, they fought a brief war over a
territorial dispute. The other important
development was the Non-Aligned
Movement (NAM), which gave the
newly independent countries a way
of staying out of the alliances.
The Cold War did not eliminate
rivalries between the two alliances,
mutual suspicions led them to
arm themselves to the teeth and to
constantly prepare for war. Huge stocks
of arms were considered necessary
to prevent wars from taking place.
In time, therefore, the US and USSR
decided to collaborate in limiting or
eliminating certain kinds of nuclear
and non-nuclear weapons. A stable
balance of weapons, they decided,
could be maintained through arms
control. Starting in the 1960s, the
two sides signed three significant
agreements within a decade. These
were the Limited Test Ban Treaty,
and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
Thereafter, the superpowers held
several rounds of arms limitation
talks and signed several more treaties
to limit their arms.
B-276
India and the Cold War
As a leader of NAM, Indias response
to the ongoing Cold War was two-fold:
At one level, it took particular care in
staying away from the two alliances.
Second, it raised its voice against the
newly decolonised countries becoming
part of these alliances. Indias policy
was neither negative nor passive.
During the Cold War, India repeatedly
tried to activate those regional and
international organisations, which
were not a part of the alliances led
by the US and USSR.
Arms Control Treaties
Limited Test Ban Treaty (LTBT):
Banned nuclear weapon tests in the
atmosphere, in outer space and under
water. Signed by the US, UK and
USSR in Moscow on 5 August 1963.
Entered into force on 10 October 1963.
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
(NPT): Allows only the nuclear
weapon states to have nuclear weapons
and stops others from aquiring them.
For the purposes of the NPT, a
nuclear weapon state is one which
has manufactured and exploded a
nuclear weapon or other nuclear
explosive device prior to 1 January
1967. So there are five nuclear weapon
states: US, USSR (later Russia),
Britain, France and China. Signed in
Washington, London, and Moscow
UNITED NATIONS
The United Nations is an international
organization founded in 1945 after the
Second World War by 51 countries
committed to maintaining international
peace and security, developing
friendly relations among nations
and promoting social progress, better
living standards and human rights.
Polity
on 1 July 1968. Entered into force on
5 March 1970. Extended indefinitely
in 1995.
Strategic Arms Limitation TalksI
(SALT-I): The first round of the
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks began
in November 1969. The Soviet leader
Leonid Brezhnev and the US President
Richard Nixon signed the following in
Moscow on 26 May 1972 a) Treaty
on the limitation of Anti-Ballistic
Missile Systems (ABM Treaty); and
b) Interim Agreement on the limitation
of strategic offensive arms. Entered
into force on 3 October 1972.
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks II
(SALT-II): The second round started
in November 1972. The US President
Jimmy Carter and the Soviet leader
Leonid Brezhnev signed the Treaty
on the limitation of strategic offensive
arms in Vienna on 18 June 1979.
Strategic Arms Reduction TreatyI
(START-I): Treaty signed by the
USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev
and the US President George Bush
(Senior) on the reduction and
limitation of strategic offensive arms
in Moscow on 31 July 1991.
Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty
II (START-II): Treaty signed by the
Russian President Boris Yeltsin and
the US President George Bush (Senior)
on the reduction and limitation of
strategic offensive arms in Moscow
on 3 January 1993.
Quick Facts
x Membership: 193 Member States
x Established: 24 October 1945
x Current UN peacekeeping
operations : 16
x Official languages: Arabic,
Chinese, English, French, Russian,
Spanish.
Polity
x The first day approved by the UN
General Assembly was United
Nations Day, 24 October (by
resolution 168 (II) of 31 October
1947).
x Based on five principal organs
(formerly sixthe Trusteeship
Council suspended operations
in 1994, upon the independence
of Palau, the last remaining UN
trustee territory); the General
Assembly, the Security Council,
the Economic and Social Council
(ECOSOC), the Secretariat, and
the International Court of Justice.
x General Assembly: 193 Member
States
x Security Council: 5 permanent
members and 10 non-permanent
The Permanent Members of the
Security Council
x The Peoples Republic of China;
x The Republic of France;
x The United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland;
x The Russian Federation; and
x The United States of America.
Official Language of United Nations :
There are six official languages
of the United Nations, used in
intergovernmental meetings and
documents. They are Arabic, Chinese,
English, French, Russian and Spanish.
The UN Flag and the Emblem
The UN General Assembly adopted
the UN flag on 20 Oct. 1947. The
white UN emblem is super-imposed on
a light blue back ground. The emblem
consists of the globe map projected
from the North pole and embraced in
twin olive branches (symbol of peace).
The UN emblem was approved on 7
Oct. 1946.
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Aims and Objectives
The Main objectives of the UN are :
(1) To maintain peace and security in
the world.
(2) To work together to remove
poverty, disease and illiteracy and
encourage respect for each others
rights of basic freedom.
(3) To develop friendly relations among
nations.
(4) To be a centre to help nations
achieve these common goals.
The six main organs of the
United Nations System are :
General Assembly
The General Assembly is the main
deliberative assembly of the United
Nations. Composed of all United.
Nations member states, the assembly
meets in regular yearly sessions under
a president elected from among the
member states.
Security Council
The Security Council is charged
with maintaining peace and security
among countries. While other organs
of the United Nations can only
make recommendations to member
governments, the Security Council has
the power to make binding decisions
that member governments have agreed
to carry out, under the terms of Charter
Article 25. The decisions of the Council
are known as United Nations Security
Council resolutions.
The Security Council is made up of
15 member states, consisting of 5
permanent membersChina, France,
Russia, UK, USA and 10 non-
permanent members.
Secretariat
The United Nations Secretariat is
headed by the Secretary-General,
assisted by a staff of international
B-278 Polity

civil servants worldwide. It provides United Nations Charter, the Court

studies, information, and facilities began work in 1946 as the successor to
needed by United Nations bodies the Permanent Court of International
for their meetings. It also carries out Justice.
tasks as directed by the UN Security Economic and Social Council
Council, the UN General Assembly, Economic and Social Council
the UN Economic and Social Council, (ECOSOC) assists the General Assembly
and other UN bodies. in promoting international economic
The Secretariat is headed by the and social cooperation and development.
Secretary-General, who acts as the ECOSOC has 54 members, all of which
spokesperson and leader of the UN. are elected by the General Assembly
The current Secretary-General is Ban for a three-year term.
Ki-moon, who took over from Kofi
Trusteeship Council
Annan in 2007 and will be eligible
for reappointment when his first term It is one of the principal organs of
expires in 2011. United Nations which armed at ensuring
the fact that the trust territories were
International Court of Justice administered in the best interest of their
The International Court of Justice (ICJ), in habitant and of international peace
located in The Hague, Netherlands, is and security. It was formed in 1945
the primary judicial organ of the United council the mission of the was fulfilled,
Nations. Established in 1945 by the it collapsed on 1 November 1994.
Secretaries-General of the United Nations
No. Name Country of Took office Left office
origin
1 Trygve Lie Norway 2-Feb-46 10-Nov-52
2 Dag Hammarskjold Sweden 10-Apr-53 18-Sep-61
3 U Thant Burma 30-Nov-61 1-Jan-72
4 Kurt Waldheim Austria 1-Jan-72 1-Jan-82
5 Javier Prez de Cullar Peru 1-Jan-82 1-Jan-92
6 Boutros Boutros-Ghali Egypt 1-Jan-92 1-Jan-97
7 Kofi Annan Ghana 1-Jan-97 1-Jan-07
8 Ban Ki-moon South Korea 1-Jan-07 Incumbent

SPECIALIZED AGENCIES OF
THE UNITED NATIONS
United Nations Educational, Members : 195 member states
6FLHQWLFDQG&XOWXUDO and 9 associate
Organization (UNESCO) members
Functions:
Headquarters : Place de Fontenoy,
x Mobilizing for education by
Paris, France
providing every child, irrespective
Established : 16 November 1945
of its gender quality education as
Head : Irina Bokova,
a fundamental human right
Polity B-279

x Creation of World Heritage Members : 188 states (187

Sites to support cultural diversity UN countries and
and protect sites of outstanding Kosovo)
universal value. Functions :
x Pursuing scientific cooperation x World Bank provides various
x Protecting freedom of expression technical services to the member
countries.
The United Nations Childrens x Bank can grant loans to a member
Fund (UNICEF) country up to 20% of its share in
Headquarters : New York City the paid-up capital.
Established : 11 December 1946 x Quantities of loans, interest rate
Head : Anthony Lake and terms and conditions are
Members : 36 Member States determined by the Bank itself.
Functions : x Bank grants loans for a particular
x Child protection from violence, project duly submitted to the Bank
exploitation and abuse along with by the member country.
social inclusion for disabled.
x Basic education and gender The International Monetary
equality through programmes Fund (IMF)
like girls education innovation for Headquarters : Washington, D.C.
education learning for the peace Established : 27 December 1945
out-of-school initiative. Head : Christine Lagarde
x Policy advocacies and partnership Members : 188 countries
through data analysis, leveraging Functions :
resources and child participation. x Surveillance over Members
International Labour Economic Policies
Organization (ILO) x Financing Temporary Balance of
Payments Needs
Headquarters : Geneva, Switzerland x Combating Poverty in Low-
Established : 1919 Head: Guy Income Countries
Ryder x Mobilizing External Financing
Members : 185 of the 193
member states of the The World Health Organization
United Nations plus (WHO)
the Cook Islands are Headquarters : Geneva, Switzerland
members of the ILO Established : 7 April 1948
Functions : Head : Margaret Chan,
x Creation of international labour Director General
standards Members : 194 member states
x Formulation of international
Functions :
policies,
x Technical assistance training, x Providing leadership on matters
x Education, research and publishing critical to health and engaging in
activities partnerships where joint action is
needed;
World Bank (WB) x Shaping the research agenda
Headquarters : Washington, DC, USA and stimulating the generation,
Established : July 1944 dissemination of valuable
Head : Jim Yong Kim knowledge
B-280 Polity

x Providing technical support, Functions :

catalyzing change, and building x Peaceful uses: Promoting the
sustainable institutional capacity; peaceful uses of nuclear energy
x Monitoring the health situation by its member states.
and assessing health trends. x Safeguards: Implementing
International Fund for safeguards to verify that nuclear
Agricultural Development energy is not used for military
Objective (IFAD) purposes.
x Nuclear safety: Promoting high
Headquarters : Rome, Italy
standards for nuclear safety.
Established : 1977
Head : Kanayo F. Nwanze United Nations Industrial
Members : 176 member statesv Development Organization
(174 UN members (UNIDO)
states along with
the Cook Islands and Headquarters : Vienna, Austria
Niue) Established : 1966(converted to a
Functions : specialized agency in
To ensure that poor rural mass have 1985)
access to: Head : Li Yong
x Natural resources, especially Members : 172 States
secure access to land and water Functions :
x Improved agricultural technologies x Assists developing countries in
and effective production services. the formulation of development,
x A broad range of financial services institutional, scientific and
The Food and Agriculture technological policies and
Organization of the United programmes in the field of
industrial development;
Nations (FAO)
x Analyzes trends, disseminates
Headquarters : Palazzo, Rome, Italy information and coordinates
Established : 16 October 1945, in activities in their industrial
Quebec City, Canada
development;
Head : Jos Graziano da
x Acts as a forum for consultations
Silva
and negotiations directed towards
Members : 197 members
Functions: the industrialization of developing
x Help eliminate hunger, food countries;
insecurity and malnutrition. The United Nations World
x Make agriculture, forestry and Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
fisheries more productive and
sustainable. Headquarters : Madrid, Spain
x Reduce rural poverty Established : 1957
Head : Taleb Rifai
International Atomic Energy Members : 157 states
Agency (IAEA) Functions :
Headquarters : Vienna, Austria To promote and develop sustainable
Established : July 29, 1957 tourism so as to contribute to
Head : Jos Yukiya Amano economic development, international
Members : 166 member states understanding, peace, prosperity etc.
Polity B-281

The World Food Programme in contributing to the safety and

(WFP) welfare of humanity
Headquarters : Rome, Italy x Under WMO, National
Established : 1961 Meteorological and Hydrological
Head : Ertharin Cousin Services contribute substantially to
Members : 36 member states. the protection of life and property
Functions : against natural disasters
x Save lives and protect livelihoods The United Nations
in emergencies. Development Programme
x Support food security and nutrition
(UNDP)
and (re) build livelihoods in fragile
settings Headquarters : New York City
x Reduce risk and enable people, Established : 1965
communities and countries to Head : Helen Clark
meet their own food and nutrition Members : 177 countries
needs. Functions :
x Poverty reduction
The World Intellectual Property x Crisis prevention and recovery
Organization (WIPO) x Environment and Energy
Headquarters : Geneva, Switzerland
The United Nations High
Established : July 14, 1967
Head : Francis Gurry
Commissioner for Refugees
(Director-General) (UNHCR)
Members : 188 member states Headquarters : Geneva, Switzerland
Functions : Established : 14 December 1950
x Promoting creative intellectual Head : Antnio Guterres
activity and for facilitating the Members : 98 members
transfer of technology related Functions :
to industrial property to the x To lead and co-ordinate
developing countries international action to protect
refugees and resolve refugee
World Meteorological problems worldwide.
Organization (WMO) x To protect and providing
Headquarters :Geneva, Switzerland humanitarian assistance to whom
Established : 1950 HeadMichel it describes as other persons of
Jarraud (Secretary- concern, including internally
General) displaced persons
Members : 191 Member States
and Territories The United Nations
Functions : Environment Programme
x Provides a frame work for (UNEP)
international cooperation in the Headquarters : Nairobi, Kenya
development of meteorology and Established : 5 June 1972
operational hydrology and their Head : Achim Steiner
practical application. Members : 54 countries on the
x played a unique and powerful role African Continent
B-282 Polity

Functions : x Universal primary education

x Assessing global, regional and and closing the gender gap in
national environmental conditions education by 2015
and trends x Reducing maternal mortality by
x Developing international and 75 per cent by 2015
national environmental instruments x Reducing infant mortality
x Strengthening institutions for
the wise management of the United Nations Conference on
environment Trade and Developmental
The United Nations Population Headquarters : Geneva, Switzerland
Established : 1964
Fund (UNFPA)
Head : Dr. Babatunde
Headquarters : New York City Osotimehin
Established : 1969 Members : 194 member states
Head : Dr. Babatunde
Functions :
Osotimehin
x To formulate policies relating to all
Members : 36 countries
aspects of development including
Functions :
trade, aid, transport, finance and
x Universal access to reproductive
technology.
health services by 2015
UN INTERNATIONAL YEARS
Since 1959 the UN has designated International years in order to draw attention
to major issues and to encourage international action to address concerns
which have global importance and ramifications.
2000 International Year for the Culture of Peace; and
International Year of Thanksgiving
2001 International Year of Volunteers; and
United Nations Year of Dialogue among Civilizations; and
International Year of Mobilization against Racism, Racial Discrimination,
Xenophobia and
Related Intolerance
2002 International Year of Mountains; and
International Year of Culture Heritage; and
International Year of Ecotourism
2003 International Year of Freshwater
2004 International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and Its Abolition;
and
International Year of Rice
2005 International Year of Microcredit; and
International Year for Sport and Physical Education
2006 International Year of Deserts and Desertification
2008 International Year of the Potato; and
International Year of Planet Earth; and
International Year of Sanitation; and
International Year of Languages
Polity B-283

2009 International Year of Human Rights Learning - from 10 December 2008 (Human
Rights Day) to
10 December 2009
International Year of Reconciliation; and
International Year of Natural Fibres; and
International Year of Astronomy
2010 International Year of Biodiversity; and
International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures
International Year of Youth: Dialogue and Mutual Understanding - from 12
August 2010 (International Youth Day) to 11 August 2011
2011 International Year of Forests; and
International Year of Chemistry; and
International Year for People of African Descent
2012 International Year of Cooperatives
2013 International Year of Water Cooperation.
2014 International Year of Family Farming International Year of Crystallagraphy

International decades
20112020 Third International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism.
United Nations Decade on Biodiversity.
Decade of Action for Road Safety.
20102020 United Nations Decade for Deserts and the Fight against Desertification.
20082017 Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty.
20062016 Decade of Recovery and Sustainable Development of the Affected Regions
(third decade after the Chernobyl disaster).
20052015 International Decade for Action, Water for Life.
20052014 United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. Second
International Decade of the Worlds Indigenous People.
20032012 United Nations Literacy Decade: Education for All.
20012010 International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-violence for the
Children of the World.
Decade to Roll Back Malaria in Developing Countries, Particularly in
Africa.
Second International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism.

International U.N. Week

x March 2127 Week of Solidarity (International) Peace Week.

with the Peoples Struggling against
Racism and Racial Discrimination,
recognized by the UN.
x April 25 May 2 (2009)
Vaccination Week In The Americas.
x May 2531 Week of Solidarity with
the Peoples of Non-Self-Governing
Territories, recognized by the UN.
x 4th week of September -
x October 410 - World Space Week,
recognized by the UN.
x October 2430 - Disarmament
Week, recognized by the UN.
x October 2531 - International
Epidermolysis Bullosa Awareness
Week.
x Road Safety Week - November
x Shark Week - Summer
B-284
UN WOMEN
The United Nations agreed to the
formation of a new institution
named UN Women on 2nd July
2010. The main objective will be the
sexual/gender equality and women
empowerment.
The fifty-ninth session of the
Commission on the Status of
Women took place at United
Nations Headquarters in New
York from 9 to 20 March 2015.
Representatives of Member States ,
UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited
non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) from all regions of the
world attended the session. The
main focus of the session was on the
Beijing Declaration and Platform for
Action, including current challenges
that affect its implementation and the
achievement of gender equality and
the empowerment of women.
The sixtieth session of the Commission
on the Status of Women will take place
at the United Nations Headquarters in
New York from 14 to 24 March 2016.
World Trade Organization
(WTO)
OTHER AGENCIES
Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)
The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)
is an intergovernmental organization
of states considering themselves not
aligned formally with or against any
major power bloc. As of now, the
organization has 120 members and 17
observer countries. Generally speaking
the Non-Aligned Movement members
can be described as all of those countries
which belong to the Group of 77 (along
with Belarus and Uzbekistan), but
which are not observers in Non-Aligned
Polity
The World Trade Organization
(WTO) is the only global international
organization dealing with the rules of
trade between nations. The goal is to
help producers of goods and services,
exporters, and importers conduct
their business.
Facts :
Location : Geneva, Switzerland
Established : 1 January 1995
Created by : Uruguay Round
negotiations (1986-
94)
Membership : 161 members
Head : Roberto Azevedo
Functions :
x Administering WTO trade
agreements
x Forum for trade negotiations
x Handling trade disputes
x Monitoring national trade policies
x Technical assistance and training
for developing countries
x Cooperation with other international
organizations
Event: Tenth WTO Ministerial
Conference (15th to 19th Dec, 2015)
Place : Nairotri, Kenya
Agenda: Decision on agriculture,
cotton and issues related to least
developed countries.
Movement and are not Oceanian (with
the exception of Papua New Guinea
and Vanuatu).
The organization was founded in
Belgrade in 1961, and was largely
the brainchild of Yugoslavias first
President, Josip Broz Tito, Indias first
Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru,
Egypts second President, Gamal
Abdel Nasser, and Indonesias first
President, Sukarno. All four leaders
were prominent advocates of a middle
course for states in the Developing
Polity
World between the Western and
Eastern blocs in the Cold War.
The purpose of the organisation as
stated in the Havana Declaration
of 1979 is to ensure the national
independence, sovereignty, territorial
integrity and security of non-aligned
countries in their struggle against
imperialism, colonialism, neo-
colonialism, racism, and all forms
of foreign aggression, occupation,
domination, interference or hegemony
as well as against great power and
bloc politics. They represent nearly
two-thirds of the United Nationss
members and 55% of the world
population, particularly countries
considered to be developing or part
of the third world.
Event: Working group meeting (14-
July, 2015)
Place: Egypt Agenda total elimination
of nuclear weapons.
THE COMMONWEALTH
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally
referred to as the Commonwealth
and previously known as the British
Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental
organisation of fifty-four independent
member states. All except two
(Mozambique and Rwanda) of these
countries were formerly part of the
British Empire.
The member states co-operate within
a framework of common values and
goals. These include the promotion
of democracy, human rights, good
governance, the rule of law, individual
liberty, egalitarianism, free trade,
multilateralism and world peace. The
Commonwealth is not a political union,
but an intergovernmental organisation
through which countries with diverse
social, political and economic
backgrounds.
B-285
The symbol of their free association
is the Head of the Commonwealth,
which is a ceremonial position currently
held by Queen Elizabeth II.
Member countries span six continents
and oceans from Africa (19), Asia (8),
the Americas (2), the Caribbean (12),
Europe (3) and the South Pacific (10).
The Commonwealth Heads of
Government Meeting, abbreviated to
CHOGM, is a biennial summit meeting
of the heads of government from all
Commonwealth nations. Every two years
the meeting is held in a different member
state, and is chaired by that nations
respective Prime Minister or President,
who becomes the Commonwealth
Chairperson-in-Office.
Event: Young Professional Programme
(2015)
Place: London
Agenda: Recruit young professionals in
the division such as Economic Policy,
Rule of Law, Human Resources and
Youth.
European Union
The European Union (EU) is an
economic and political union of 28
member states which are located
primarily in Europe.
The Maastricht Treaty established the
European Union under its current name
in 1993. The last amendment to the
constitutional basis of the EU, the Treaty
of Lisbon, came into force in 2009.
Event: European Council, (17-18
December 2015)
Place: Brussels
Agenda: Focused on migration, fight
against terrorism, the five presedents
report on the Economic and Monetary
Union the completion of the single market
and the UK plans for the referendum.
SAARC
The South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is an
B-286 Polity

organization of South Asian nations, 8th New Delhi 2-4 May 1995
founded in 1985. Its seven founding 9th Mal 12-14 May 1997
members are Bangladesh, Bhutan,
10th Colombo 29-31 July 1998
India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan,
and Sri Lanka. Afghanistan joined the 11th Kathmandu 4-6 January
organization in 2007. Meetings of 2002
heads of state are usually scheduled 12th Islamabad 2-6 January
annually; meetings of foreign secretaries, 2004
twice annually. Headquarters are in 13th Dhaka 12-13 November
Kathmandu, Nepal. 2005
x The concept of SAARC was first 14th New Delhi 3-4 April 2007
adopted by Bangladesh during 15th Colombo 1-3 August 2008
1977, under the administration 16th Thimphu 28-29 April 2010
of President Ziaur Rahman. 17th Maldives November 2011
x Afghanistan was added to the 18th Nepal 2014
regional grouping on 13 November
19th Pakistan 2016
2005.
x On 2 August 2006 the foreign DESIGNATED SAARC YEARS
ministers of the SAARC countries
1989 SAARC Year of Combating
agreed in principle to grant
Drug Abuse and Drug
observer status to the US, South
Trafficking
Korea and the European Union.
x The SAARC Secretariat was 1990 SAARC Year of Girl Child
established in Kathmandu on 16 1991 SAARC Year of Shelter
January 1986 and was inaugurated 1992 SAARC Year of
by Late King Birendra Bir Bikram Environment
Shah of Nepal. 1993 SAARC Year of Disabled
x The SAARC Secretariat and Persons
Member States observe 8 December
1994 SAARC Year of the Youth
as the SAARC Charter Day .
1995 SAARC Year of Poverty
SAARC SUMMITS Eradication
No. Location Date 1996 SAARC Year of Literacy
1st Dhaka 7-8 December 1997 SAARC Year of
1985 Participatory Governance
2nd Bangalore 16-17 November
1999 SAARC Year of Biodiversity
1986
3rd Kathmandu 2-4 November 2002- SAARC Year of
1987 2003 Contribution of Youth to
Environment
4th Islamabad 29-31 December
1988 2004 SAARC Awareness Year for
5th Mal 21-23 November TB and HIV/AIDS
1990 2005 South Asia Tourism Year
6th Colombo 21-Dec-91 2006 South Asia Tourism Year
7th Dhaka 10-11 April 1993 2007 Green South Asia Year
Polity
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty
Organization or NATO also called
the (North) Atlantic Alliance, is an
intergovernmental military alliance
based on the North Atlantic Treaty
which was signed on 4 April 1949. The
NATO headquarters are in Brussels,
Belgium, and the organization
constitutes a system of collective
defence whereby its member states
agree to mutual defense in response
to an attack by any external party.
On 1 April 2009, membership was
enlarged to 28 with the entrance of
Albania and Croatia.
Meetings of NATO Ministers of
Foreign Affairs
Place: Brussels
Agenda: Open door policy
SEATO
The Southeast Asia Treaty
Organization (SEATO) was an
international organization for
collective defense which was signed
on September 8, 1954 in Manila. The
formal institution of SEATO was
established at a meeting of treaty
partners in Bangkok in February
1955. It was primarily created to block
further communist gains in Southeast
Asia. The organizations headquarters
were located in Bangkok, Thailand.
SEATO was dissolved on June 30,
1977.
SEATO was planned to be a Southeast
Asian version of the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO), in
which the military forces of each
member would be coordinated to
provide for the collective defense of
the members country.
INTERPOL
Interpol (the International Criminal
Police Organization) is largest
B-287
organization facilitating international
police cooperation. It was established
as the International Criminal Police
Commission in 1923 and adopted its
telegraphic address as its common
name in 1956.
Its membership of 190 countries
provides finance of around $78
million through annual contributions.
The organizations headquarters is in
Lyon, France.
Its current Secretary-General is
Jiirgen Stock. Mireilli Ballestrazzi is
the current president.
Events: Conference on strengthening
law enforcement capacity in the
Americas (14-15 December, 2015)
Place: Trenidad and Tabago.
Agenda: Discuss strategic and
operational policing issues affecting
the Americas region and to identify
the ways to strengthen collaborating
partnerships.
GROUP OF 8
The Group of Eight is a forum, created
by France in 1975, for governments
of six countries in the world: France,
Germany, Italy, Japan, the United
Kingdom, and the United States. In
1976, Canada joined the group (thus
creating the G7). In 1997, the group
added Russia thus becoming the G8.
In addition, the European Union
is represented within the G8, but
cannot host or chair. G8 can refer
to the member states or to the annual
summit meeting of the G8 heads of
government.
Event: G8 Elmau Summit (7-8 June,
2015)
Place: Germany
Agenda: Biodiversity: A vital found-
ation for sustainable development.
B-288
Group of 77
The Group of 77 (G-77) was
established on 15 June 1964 by
seventy-seven developing countries
signatories of the Joint Declaration
of the Seventy-Seven Countries
issued at the end of the first session
of the United Nations Conference on
Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
in Geneva. Beginning with the first
Ministerial Meeting of the Group
of 77 in Algiers (Algeria) on 10 - 25
October 1967, which adopted the
Charter of Algiers, a permanent
institutional structure gradually
developed which led to the creation
of Chapters of the Group of 77 with
Liaison offices in Geneva (UNCTAD),
Nairobi (UNEP), Paris (UNESCO),
Rome (FAO/IFAD), Vienna
(UNIDO), and the Group of 24 (G-24)
in Washington, D.C. (IMF and World
Bank). Although the members of the
G-77 have increased to the original
name was retained because of its
historic significance.
GROUP OF 15
The Group of Fifteen (G-15) was
established at a Summit Level Group
of Developing Countries in September
1989, following the conclusion of the
Ninth Non-Aligned Summit Meeting
in Belgrade. The Group was originally
founded by 15 developing countries.
While there are now 17 member
countries, the original name of the
Group has been retained.
This forum was set up to foster
cooperation and provide input for
other international groups, such as
the World Trade Organization and
the Group of Eight. It is composed
of countries from North America,
South America, Africa, and Asia with
a common goal of enhanced growth
and prosperity. The G-15 focuses
on cooperation among developing
Polity
countries in the areas of investment,
trade, and technology.
Group of 20
The Group of Twenty Finance
Ministers and Central Bank Governors
from 20 economies: 19 countries
plus the European Union, which
is represented by the President of
the European Council and by the
European Central Bank. Their
heads of government or state have
also periodically meet at summits
since their initial meeting in 2008.
Collectively, the G-20 economies
comprise 85% of global gross national
product, 80% of world trade (including
EU intra-trade) and two-thirds of the
world population.
The G-20 was proposed by former
Canadian Finance Minister Paul
Martin (later, Prime Minister) for
cooperation and consultation on
matters pertaining to the international
financial system.
Event: Years Summit (15-16
November, 2015)
Place: Antalya, Turkey
Agenda: Concrete action to slrengthen
the global economy, make goal growth
more inclusive, enhance the resilience
of international financial system,
mobilize investment for long-term
growth and implement previous
commitments on economic reforms
and labour markets.
Asian Development Bank
The Asian Development Bank (ADB)
is a regional development bank
established on 22 August 1966 to
facilitate economic development of
countries in Asia. The bank admits
the members of the UN Economic
Commission for Asia and the Far East
(now UNESCAP) and nonregional
developed nations.
Event: Loan Support Program to
Improve Urban Health in India (28
May 2015)
Polity
Arab League
The Arab League is a regional
organisation of Arab states in North
and Northeast Africa, and Southwest
Asia. It was formed in Cairo on 22
March 1945 with six members:
Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi
Arabia, and Syria. Yemen joined as
a member on 5 May 1945. The Arab
League currently has 22 members
and four observers. The main goal
of the league is to draw closer the
relations between member States and
co-ordinate collaboration between
them, to safeguard their independence
and sovereignty, and to consider in a
general way the affairs and interests
of the Arab countries.
Event: Arab League Summit 2015
Place: Egypt
Agenda: Yeman, Libya and Joint
military force among tropics were
discussed.
ASEAN
The Association of Southeast
Asian Nations is a geo-political and
economic organization of 10 countries
located in Southeast Asia, which
was formed on 8 August 1967 by
Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Singapore and Thailand. Since then,
membership has expanded to include
Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia,
Laos, and Vietnam. Its aims include
the acceleration of economic growth,
social progress, cultural development
among its members, the protection
of the peace and stability of the
region, and to provide opportunities
for member countries to discuss
differences peacefully.
If ASEAN were a single country, it
would rank as the 9th largest economy
in the world and the 3rd largest in Asia
in terms of nominal GDP.
Event: 27th ASEAN summit (18-22
November, 2015)
Place: Kuala Lumpur
B-289
Agenda: Discuss the significant
achievements in the implementation
of the Road map for an ASEAN
community (2009-2015)
OPEC
The Organization of the Petroleum
Exporting Countries is a cartel of
twelve developing countries made
up of Algeria, Angola, Ecuador,
Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria,
Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab
Emirates and Venezuela. OPEC has
maintained its headquarters in Vienna
since 1965, and hosts regular meetings
among the oil ministers of its Member
Countries. Indonesia withdrew in 2008
after it became a net importer of oil,
but stated it would likely return if it
became a net exporter in the world
again.
Event: OPEC 168th Meeting (4
December, 2015)
Place: Vienna
Agenda: Negotiated the importances
COP-21/CMP-11 for all OPED
member countries.
APEC
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) is a forum for 21 Pacific
Rim countries that seeks to promote
free trade and economic cooperation
throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
Established in 1989 in response to
the growing interdependence of Asia-
Pacific economies and the advent of
regional economic blocs (such as
the European Union and the North
American Free Trade Area) in other
parts of the world, APEC works to
raise living standards and education
levels through sustainable economic
growth and to foster a sense of
community and an appreciation of
shared interests among Asia-Pacific
countries. Members account for
B-290
approximately 40% of the worlds
population, approximately 54% of
world GDP and about 44% of world
trade.
OECD
The Organisation for Economic Co-
operation and Development is an
international economic organisation
of 34 countries founded in 1961 to
stimulate economic progress and
world trade. It defines itself as a
forum of countries committed to
democracy and the market economy,
providing a platform to compare
policy experiences, seeking answers
to common problems, identifying
good practices, and co-ordinating
domestic and international policies
of its members.
The OECD originated in 1948 as
the Organisation for European
Economic Co-operation (OEEC),
led by Robert Marjolin of France,
to help administer the Marshall Plan
for the reconstruction of Europe after
World War II. Later, its membership
was extended to non-European
states. In 1961, it was reformed into
the Organisation for Economic Co-
operation and Development by the
Convention on the Organisation
for Economic Co-operation and
Development. Most OECD members
are high-income economies with a
high Human Development Index
(HDI) and are regarded as developed
countries (Chile being the only OECD
member which is also a member in the
organisation of developing countries,
the Group of 77).
Event: OECD Forum 2015
Place: Paris
Agenda: Idea factories a new age and
the future of the internet.
Polity
Amnesty International
Amnesty International was established
on 28 May 1961, with its headquarters
at London, by Peter Benson, a British
lawyer.
A worldwide organization, it
investigates violations of human
rights. It campaigns for the release of
all prisoners of conscience, provided
they have not used or advocated
violence, fair, and prompt trails for all
prisoners, and abolition of torture and
capital punishment. It now has more
than 1,100,000 members in over 150
countries, with 6,000 local groups in
70 countries in Africa, the Americas,
Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. It
won the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1977.
Red Cross
Red cross was established in 1864
by Jean Henri Durant. In 1859,
J.H. Durant, a Swiss businessman,
travelling through Italy witnessed the
Battle of Solferino, when France tried
to free Italy from Austrian domination,
in which about 30,000 soldiers were
wounded of killed. He organized relief
work for the wounded soldiers and
subsequently called for the formation
of a permanent relief society for those
wounded in war. Durants appeal had
immediate results. An international
conference took place in Geneva in
1864 where 26 governments were
represented. The Conference led
to the Geneva Convention and the
emblem of Red Cross was adopted.
Each year World Red Cross and Red
Crescent Day is celebrated on May
8, the birthday of its founder Henri
Dunant. Its motto is Charity in War.
A red cross on a white background
is its symbol (it is the reverse of the
flag of Switzerland). The Red Cross
completed 132 years on 8 May 1994
Polity B-291

and in it 126th year, it adopted the which is 40% of the world population,
slogan 125 Years at Work and Stilll with a combined nominal GDP of
Developing US$16.039 trillion (20% world GDP)
In the Middle Fast, a Red Crescent and an estimated US$4 trillion in
replaces The Red cross. ICRC combined foreign reserves. As of
(International Committee of the Red 2014, the BRICS nations represented
Cross) together with the League of 18 percent of the world economy.
Red Cross Societies, constitutes the Brazil held the chair of the BRICS
International Red Cross. The League group in 2014, having hosted the
of Red Cross Societies was founded groups sixth summit in 2014.
in 1929. Russia chaired the 7th BRICS summit
on 8-9th july 2015.
BRICS Events: 7th annual diplomatic summit
BRICS is the acronym for an (8-9 July, 2015)
Place: Ufa, Russia
association of five major emerging
Agenda: Inaugural meetings of
national economies: Brazil, Russia,
New Development Bank were held
India, China, and South Africa.
and BRICS contingent Reserve
The grouping was originally known Arrangement were discussed.
as BRIC before the inclusion of
South Africa in 2010. The BRICS MDG 2015
members are all developing or newly The united Nation organisation started
industrialised countries, but they or fixed the millenium development
are distinguished by their large, fast- Goal (MDG-2015) in 2000. There
growing economies and significant are eight main aims mentioned in the
influence on regional and global goal. These goals range from halving
affairs; all five are G-20 members. extreme poverty rates to halting the
As of 2014, the five BRICS countries spread of HIV/AIDS and providing
represent almost 3 billion people universal primary education.
LIST OF PARLIAMENT OF DIFFERENT COUNTRIES
Country Parliament Name Country Parliament Name
India Sansad/Parliament Maldeep Majlis
Pakistan National Assembly Span Cortes
Bangladesh Jatiya Sansad Nepal Rastriya Panchayat
China National Peoples Congress Russia Duma
Bhutan Tsondu France National Assembly
Srilanka Parliament of Sri Lanka Iran Majlis
Afganistan Shora Malasiya Diwan Nigara
England Parliament Switzerland Fedral Assembly
Canada Parliament Turkey Grand National Assembly
Australia Parliament
USA Congress
Germany Wondstag
Taiwan Yuan
Japan Daet
Israil Neset
B-292 Polity

Country Ruling Party or Coalition Parties in opposition

India National Democratic Alliance led by UPA, NDA and Other non-
Bharatiya Janata Party UPA, non-NDA parties
Pakistan Pakistan Muslim League (N)
Bangladesh Awami League, Jatiyo Sangshad
China Communist Party of China National Assembly of
Pakistan
Bhutan Bhutan Peace and Prosperity Party Peoples Democratic Party
United Kindoms Conservative Party Labour Party
Canada Liberal Party of Canada Loyal Opposition
Australia Social Democratic Party of Austria, Freedom Party of Austria
Austrian Peoples Party
US Democratic Party (President),
Republican Party (Legislature)
Germany Christian Democratic Union, Christian
Social Union, Social Democratic Party
of Germany
Srilanka National Unity Government (consists Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi
of All Ceylon Muslim Congress,
Jathika Hela Urumaya, Sri Lanka
Freedom Party, Up-Country Peoples
Front, National Union of Workers,
Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, United
National Party, Democratic Peoples
Front)
Taiwan Kuomintang Democratic Progressive Party
Japan Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito Democratic Party
Burma National League for Democracy Aung San Suu Kyi
Iraq State of Law Coalition, Al-Muwatin,
Al-Ahrar Bloc, Kurdistan Democratic
Party, Iraq Alliance
Israel Likud, The Jewish Home, United The Knesset
Torah Judaism, Kulanu, Shas
Spain Peoples Party Congress of Deputies
Nepal Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Nepali Congress
MarxistLeninist), Unified Communist
Party of Nepal (Maoist), Rastriya
Prajatantra Party Nepal, Madhesi Jana
Adhikar Forum, Nepal (Loktantrik)
Russia United Russia Shadow Cabinet
France Socialist Party, Radical Party of the National front
Left
Iran Moderation and Development Party Tudeh Party
Malaysia National Front Barisan Nasional
Turkey Justice and Development Party Republican Reoples Party
(&2120<
B-294 Economy

ECONOMY
Micro-Macro
Public Finance Indian Economy
Economics

l Demand l Budget l National Income

l Supply
? Revenue ? Terms
l Price
? Expenditure ? Measurement
l Elasticity
? Deficit l Human Development
l Marginal
Utility l Tax Index
l Equilibrium l Five Year Plans
? Types
l Revenue & l Poverty
? Classification
Cost l Unemployment
? Methods
l Profit & Loss ? Type
l Banking &
l Recession & ? Schemes
Depression Insurance l Foreign Trade
l Market l Deficit Financing ? Foreign Exchange
l Factors of in India ? Balance of Payment
Production l Government ? Export Import
? Land
Subsidies l Agriculture
? Labour
l Finance ? Green Revolution
? Capital
Commission ? NABARD
? Entrepreneur
? Food Security
l Inflation l Stock Exchanges
l Industries
l SEBI
? Manufacturing
? Services
Economy
MICROMACRO ECONOMICS
Demand
Demand refers to how much
(quantity) of a product (goods) or
service is desired by buyers. The
quantity demanded is the amount of
a product people are willing to buy
at a certain price; the relationship
between price & quantity demanded
is known as the demand relationship.
The law of demand states that as
the price of a good increases (or
decreases), the quantity of that good
demanded will decrease (increase).
Supply
Supply represents how much the
market can offer. The quantity
supplied refers to the amount of a
certain good producers are willing
to supply when receiving a certain
price. The correlation between price
& how much of a good or service is
supplied to the market is known as
the supply relationship.
The law of supply states that as
the price of a good increases (or
decreases), the quantity of that good
supplied will increase (decrease).
Elasticity I
(Price is determinant)
Demand
Elastic p (buyer response) o Inelastic
Quantity
Pricen
OR
Pricep Demanded Pricen
  
is same at
Demandp Demandn any price Supply q
B-295
Price
Price is the amount of money that
has to be paid to acquire a given
product. Price mechanism is based
on the principle that only by allowing
prices to move freely will the supply
of any given commodity match
demand. If supply is excessive,
prices will be low & production will
be reduced, this will cause prices
to rise until there is a balance of
demand & supply. In the same way,
if supply is inadequate, prices will
be high, leading to an increase in
production that in turn will lead to a
reduction in prices until both supply
& demand are in equilibrium.
Elasticity
The concept of elasticity is
intended to measure the degree of
responsiveness of a buyer or seller
to a change in a key determinant, in
particular price.
OR
Elasticity is a ratio of relative
changes in quantity demanded/
supplied & price.
Supply
Elastic p (seller response) o Inelastic
Supply is
Pricep unaffected
OR 
when price
Supply s changes
B-296 Economy

Elasticity II
(Demand/supply is determinant)

Demand Supply

Elastic p (seller response) o Inelastic Elastic p (buyer response) oInelastic

Price is
Demandn Demandp constant Supply n Supplyp
  OR 
OR  irrespective
Pricen Pricep of demand Price s Price n

Marginal Utility Supply

Marginal utility is the additional
satisfaction a consumer gains from Equilibrium
consuming one more unit of a goods
Price

or service. It is used by the economist Demand

to determine how much of an item a
consumer will buy.
Equillibrium
Quantity
When supply & demand are equal
Revenue
(i.e. when the supply function &
demand function intersect) the Revenue refers to the amount
economy is said to be at equilibrium. received by a firm or an individual
from the sale of a given quantity
At this point, the suppliers are selling
of a commodity in the market. It
all the goods that they have produced
is directly influenced by sales level,
& consumers are getting all the i.e. as sales increases, revenue also
goods that they are demanding. increases.

REVENUE

Total Revenue (TR) Average Revenue (AR) Marginal Revenue (MR)

p p p
TR = Quantity of TR MR = TR from number of
commodity sold AR
No.of units sold units sold TR from
Price of sale of one more
commodity unit of commodity
Cost
Cost is defined as the money expenditure incurred by the producer to
purchase ( or hire) factors of production & raw materials to produce goods
& services.
Economy B-297

TYPES OF COST

Fixed cost Variable cost Explicit cost Implicit cost

Expenditure on Expenditure on Expenditure in- Cost of self

hiring/purchasing of variable inputs EWTTGFQPDQVJZGF supplied
ZGFKPRWVU
GINCPF
GINCDQWT & variable inputs factors
Concepts

Total Cost (TC) Average Cost (AC) Marginal Cost (MC)

p p p
6%6QVCNZGF AC = Total cost MC = Increase in total
cost + Total variable cost Total output cost due to increase in
one extra unit of output
3URW Loss = Total cost Total revenue
Profit is the surplus of revenue over
total cost of production. Recession
A period of temporary economic
Profit = Total Revenue Total Cost decline during which trade and
Normal profit: This occurs when industrial activity are reduced,
total revenue is equal to total cost. generally identified by a fall in GDP
This is the Break-even Point for a in two successive quarters.
firm. It is the minimum profit level Depression
to keep the firm in the industry in the
A period during which business,
long run.
employment, & stock-market values
Supernormal profit: This occurs
decline severely or remain at a very
when total revenue is more than
low level of activity.
total cost
MARKET
Loss
Market is a place where forces of
Loss is a situation in which a demand & supply operate, & where
producer does not earn the level of buyers and sellers interact to trade
profit that would justify remaining goods, services, or contracts or
in business in the long run. instruments, for money or barter.
FEATURES OF MARKET STRUCTURE
S. Market Types of Numbers of Entry & exit Price
No. product sellers/firms determination
1. Perfect Homogeneous Many Freedom of entry Firms are price-
competition product & exit takers
2. Monopoly Unique One Barriers to entry Firm is price-
makers
3. Oligopoly Differentiated Few Barriers to entry Firm are price-
products makers
4. Monopolistic Differentiated Many Freedom of Firms are price -
Competition products entry & exit makers
B-298 Economy

Factors of Production make an economic profit from it

An economic term to describe the
inputs that are used in the production
of goods or services in the attempt to
make an economic profit are called
factors of production. The factors of
production include land, labour,
capital & entrepreneurship.
x Land: Represents all natural
resources used in the production
of goods.
x Labour: All work that labourers
& workers perform at all levels
of an organization.
x Capital: All of the tools,
machinery, cash used to produce
a goods or service.
x Entrepreneur: Individual who
takes an idea & attempts to
&GITGGQH+PCVKQP
by combining all other factors of
production.
,QDWLRQ
In a broad sense, inflation is that
state in which the prices of goods &
services rise on the one hand & value
of money falls on the other.
Types of Inflation
1. Demand Pull Inflation: It is that
inflation when prices rise due
to higher demand for goods &
services over the available supply.
2. Cost Push Inflation: It is the
type of inflation in which prices
rise due to increased inputs costs.

Creeping Trotting Running *[RGT+PCVKQP

+PCVKQP +PCVKQP +PCVKQP Runaway/Galloping
p p p +PCVKQP
Price rise at Price rise moderately Price rise rapidly p
very slow rate (Less than 10%) (10 - 20%) Price rise at very fast
less than 3% (Between 3 7%) rate (20 100%)
0HDVXUHPHQWRI,QDWLRQ measures the increase in prices a
1. General Price or Wholesale Price consumer will have to pay for the
designated commodity basket
Index: It measures the changes in which may be revised every
average prices of goods & services. 4 5 years to factor in changes in
A base year is selected & its index consumption pattern.
is assumed as 100 & on this basis
Price Index = Current years
price index for the current year
price/base years price 100
is calculated. If the index of
the current year is below 100 it In India, inflation is measured in
indicates the state of deflation terms of the WPI.
&, on the contrary, if index of &DXVHVRI,QDWLRQ
the current year is above 100 it The inflation occurs due to two
indicates the state of inflation.
main broad factors :-
2. Consumer Price Index (CPI):
It measures the average change
in prices paid by ultimate (a) (b)
consumers for a particular Increase in demand Decrease in
basket of goods & services over for goods & services the supply
a period of time. CPI actually of goods &
services
Economy
(a) Factors causing an increase in
demand for goods & services:
(i) Increase in public expenditure
(ii) Increase in pvt. expenditure
(iii) Increase in exports
(iv) Reduction in taxation
(v) Rapid growth of population
(vi) Black money
(vii) Deficit financing
(viii) Cheap money policy
(ix) Increase in consumer spending
(x) Department of Tax internal
debts.
(b) Factors causing decrease in
supply of goods & services:
(i) Shortage of supplies of factors
(ii) Industrial disputes
(iii) Natural calamities
(iv) Loop-sided Production
(v) Hoarding by traders
(vi) Operation of Law of
Diminishing Returns.
,PSDFWRI,QDWLRQ
Inflation is the most regressive form
of taxation as it affects the poor and
vulnerable sections of the society
the most. Such a situation leads to
increasing income disparities.
Inflation dampens exports by
making our products expensive and,
conversely, makes imports attractive.
Such a situation may warrant formal
or informal devaluation of the
currency in order to make our exports
competitive.
Inflation leads to recession, as people
with fixed incomes set apart an
increasing share of their income to
meet the growing costs of essential
commodities, leaving very little for
expenditure on non-essential terms.
The production of such items has to
be reduced, leading to shutdowns and
recession.
Policy measure to control
LQDWLRQ
The issue of inflation is addressed
from both demand and supply sides.
Demand management implies putting
a check on the demand of the public
for goods and services. Demand
B-299
management is achieved by measures
such as postponing public expenditure,
reducing up excess liquidity either
through taxes or saving schemes and
restrictions on ad hoc treasury bills.
While such measures help contain the
money supply, there is a danger that
these will contract the economy and
lead to an increase in unemployment.
Rationalisation of excise and import
duties of essential commodities to
higher the burden on poor.
RBI assists in controlling inflation
through monetary measures such
as quantitative and selective credit
controls and by manipulating the
Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) and the
Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR).
These are the monetary policies
adopted by government.
On the supply side, the mechanism
of Public Distribution System (PDS)
ensures availability of essential
commodities for the vulnerable
sections of society. This helps to
maintain price levels. Fixation of
maximum prices to eliminate the
incentive for hoarding and speculative
activity in foodgrains. Control over
private trade in foodgrains. Adoption
of Open General Licence (OGL) to
ease the imports of sugar, pulses,
etc.,in case of shortages. Coupled with
this is the open market sale of rice
and wheat resorted to by FCI from
its buffer stock in times of price rise.
Related Terms
1. Deflation: Deflation is that state
in which the value of money rises
& the price of goods & services
falls.
2. Stagflation: It refers to the
situation of coexistence of
stagnation & inflation in the
economy. Stagnation means low
National Income growth & high
unemployment.
3. Disinflation: The rate of
inflation at a slower rate is called
disinflation.
 B-300

Budget
Budget

Revenue A/C Capital A/C

Receipts Expenditure Expenditure

Tax Non Tax loans to Economic, Defence

General Services Economic Services states & Social & & Others
(Police, Judiciary, (Agriculture Industries, UTs Community
Defence) Transportation, Trade) development
2 parts Revenue Account & Capital Account.

Income & Commodities

Expenditure & Services
PUBLIC FINANCE

Currency Social & Community

Coinage Others Services (Education, Receipts
Property & Mint Medical, Employment)
& Capital
Interest
Receipts &
Dividends Net Recoveries Net Market Net Small Others
of Loans & Borrowing Savings
Advances Collections
Budget is an annual financial statement. The Budget in India is divided into
Economy
 Public Expenditure
Economy

NonPlan (Expenditures Plan (Expenditures

not envisaged in envisaged in
5 year plan documents) 5 year plan documents)

Central Assistance
Central Palns for Plans of States
Revenue Capital & UTs.
1HZ&ODVVLFDWLRQRI([SHQGLWXUH

Police Social Services

Interest Pensions Loans to public
Payments Enterprises Transport & others
Broadcasting Agriculture
Education Technology &
Loans to States Environment
Industries & UTs & Foreign
Agriculture Governments. Rural Development
Defence Revenue Subsidies
Expenditure
Grants to States &,
UTs & Foreign
Governments
B-301
B-302 Economy

Important Terms
(1) Revenue It is the income received by the government.
(2) Expenditure It is the amount incurred by the government to meet day to
day & regular needs.
(3) Deficit It means shortage. The gap between the Receipts & Expenditure
is called Deficit. The important types of Deficit are as follows:
(a) Budget Deficit = Total Expenditure Total Receipts
(b) Revenue Deficit = Revenue Expenditure Revenue Receipts
(c) Fiscal Deficit = Total Expenditure Total Receipts except Borrowing &
Other Liabilities.
(d) Primary Deficit = Fiscal Deficit Interest Payment
Tax
The money which public have to pay to the government so that it can pay for
public services is called tax.
(i) Types of Taxes

Direct Tax Indirect Tax

Income
Tax Wealth Minimum Excise Value added Goods & Services
Tax Alternate Tax Duties Tax (VAT) Tax (GST)
Corporate Commodities Custom Service
Tax Transaction Tax Duties Tax
(ii)
Broad Areas of Tax

Tax on Income Tax on Tax on Property &

& Expenditure Commodities Property Transaction

Personal Income, Excise Wealth Tax,

Corporate Income, Duty Estate &
Sales Tax Succession Duties.
(iii)
Classification of Taxation

Proportional Progressive Regressive Taxation

Taxation Taxation

Tax levied as Tax rate increase Tax rate decrease

a% of tax base with increase in with increase in
at a uniform size of Tax base. Tax base.
Economy B-303

Types of Taxes x MAT (Minimum Altemate Tax)

x Direct Tax The tax that people Imposed on zero tax companies
(companies pay very low tax by
pay directly to the government is
using the provisions of exemptions,
called tax. deductions, incentives, etc.
x Indirect Tax The tax burden x Excise Duties Tax on
when shifted to another persons production of commodities.
that tax is called indirect tax. x Custom Duties Tax on Import
x Income Tax Tax on the personal & Export of commodities.
income of the individuals. x VAT (Value Added Tax) Tax
x Corporate Tax Levied on on sale of commodities. It is a
state level tax. The tax rate is
Companys profit income.
imposed as a% of value added.
x Wealth Tax Imposed on the x GST It is a uniform tax on
accumulated wealth or property goods & services throughout the
of every individual. country.
METHODS OF TAXATION OF GOODS
Methods of Eg. Price of car Tax Amount
Taxation on Goods ` 2 lakh ` 20,000
` 4 lakh ` 40,000
(2) Specific Duty If tax is levied
Ad Valorem Specific Duty at a flat rate per unit of goods
produced/ sold/ imported
(1) Ad Valorem If tax is levied as regardless of the value then it is
A% of the value of the goods called specific Duties.
regardless of number of units Eg. Cars Price Tax
produced/ sold/ imported, then ` 2 lakh ` 10,000
it is called ad valorem. ` 4 lakh ` 10,000
  
1. For Individual/HUF/Association of person
Income tax slab (in Rs.) Tax
0 to 2,50,000 Nil
2,50,001 to 5,00,000 10%
5,00,001 to 10,00,000 20%
Above 10,00,000 30%
2. For Senior Citizen (who is 60 years or more but less than 80 years)
Upto Rs 3,00,000 Nil
Rs. 3,00,00 Rs. 5,00,000 10%
Next Slabs are same as general
3. For Super Senior citizen (80 years of age or more).
Upto Rs 5,00,000 Nil
Next Slabs are same asa general
B-304
Banking System
Other
Public
Sector Bank
Reserve Bank of India
x It is the apex ragulatory body
of Indian Banking system. Also
called as the Central Bank.
x It keeps the cash reserves of
all scheduled Banks & hence is
know as the Reserve Bank.
x It was inaugurated in April 1935.
Functions of RBI
(a) Bank of Issue (All notes except
` 1 note & coins are issued by
RBI. One rupee note & coins are
issued by Ministry of Finance but
circulated by RBI.
(b) Banker & debt manager to
Government.
(c) Bankers Bank.
(d) Custodian and manager of
Foreign Exchange.
(e) Controller of credit
(f) Supervision over commercial &
cooperative Banks.
x Commercial Banks: Accept
deposits, give loans and provide
other financial services to earn
profit. Consist of both public
sector and private sector banks.
x Public Sector Banks : Public
sector banks are those banks in
Economy
Unscheduled Banks
which the majority of ownership
is with government. The majority
of ownership means, shareholding
of more than 51%.
x State Bank Group: State Bank
group means State Bank of India
(SBI) and its Associates. Previous
name of SBI was Imperial Bank
of India. It was created in 1921
by amalgamating the three
Presidency Banks of Bengal
(1806), Bombay (1840) and
Madras (1843). Imperial Bank of
India was partially nationalized
on July 1, 1955 and renamed as
State Bank of India (SBI).
x Other Nationalised Bank: The
public sector banks other than
SBI and its associates are other
nationalised Banks. For examples
PNB, BOI, etc.
x The Regional Rural Banks
(RRB) : These banks were
established since 1975, under
RRBs Act 1976. These banks
were set up by public sector banks.
RRBs were established to lend to
weaker section called target group
like landless labour, artisan and
craftsmen at concessional rate.
Economy
x Co-Operative Banks : Cooperative
banks are established by State
laws. These banks are called
as cooperative banks because
these have cooperation of stake
holders as motive. Along with
lending, cooperative banks accept
deposits. NABARD (National
Bank for Agriculture and Rural
Development) is the apex body of
cooperative sector in India.
x NABARD : The functions of
NABARD viz., financing of
agriculture and refinancing of
cooperative banks and RRBs.
NABARD was set up in July 1982.
Tools of Credit Control
RBI acts as controller of credit.
Control of Credit means control of
lending & deposit creating capacity
of the Banks. These controls result
in control of money supply which is
essential to control inflation & there
by promote economic growth.
Some of the important measures or
tools of credit control are as follows
(1) Bank Rate It is the rate charged
by the central Bank for lending
funds to commercial Banks.
(2) CRR Cash Reserve Ratio
(CRR) is a specified minimum
fraction of the total deposits of
customers which commercial
banks have to hold as reserves
with the Central Bank.
(3) Repo Rate It is the rate at
which commercial banks borrow
from RBI by mortgaging their
dated government securities
and Treasury bills. If repo rate
is increased, the banks have
two options either to reduce the
borrowing from RBI or borrow
at higher rate from RBI and
B-305
charge higher interest rate from
customer. If banks borrow fewer
amounts, the credit creating
capacity of banks will come
down and money supply will
come down. If bank borrows
and charges higher interest rate,
the customer will borrow less.
The money supply will come
down. If the rate is decreased the
reverse will be the case.
(4) Reverse Repo Rate It is the
rate at which RBI borrows from
commercial Banks by mortgaging
its dated Government securities
and Treasury bills. If the reverse
repo rate is increased, the banks
have two options either to lend
to RBI or lend to customer at
higher interest rate. If banks lend
to RBI, the money available with
the bank to lend to its customer
will come down. The credit
creating capacity of banks and
money supply will come down.
If the banks raise interest rate on
loans to customers at higher rate,
the customer will borrow lesser
amount. So, the money supply
will come down.
The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan
Yojana has set an ambitious target
of bringing more than 7.5 crore
un-banked families into Indias
banking system by opening more
than 15 crore bank accounts at
the rate of two bank accounts per
household by 15 August 2015.
The remaining hilly areas and
the other 75 naxalite-affected
distrricts will be covered under
the Yojana by the end of August
2016.
B-306
Insurance
x Insurance: It is a form of risk
management primarily used
to hedge against the risk of a
contingent, uncertain loss.
x Insurance policy: It is a financial
contract between the insurer
& the policy holder where the
details of the policy is mentioned
including the benefits & the
premium that policy holder has
to pay.
x Premium: It is the periodic
payment made on an insurance
policy. Insurance premiums are
collected in monthly or quarterly
or half-yearly or yearly mode.
x Major Types of Insurance:
(a) Life Insurance: Descendents
family receives financial
benefits.
Insurance Companies in India
(IRDA - regulatory authority)
Life Insurance
Public Sector Private Sector
(LIC) (24 Companies)
Insurance Regulatory and
Development Authority of India
(IRDAI) is an autonomous apex
statutory body which regulates and
develops the insurance industry
in India. It was constituted by
a Parliament of India act called
Insurance Regulatory and
Development Authority Act, 1999
and duly passed by the Government
of India.
Economy
(b) Automobile Insurance: Protects
policy holder against financial
loss in the event of an incident
involving a vehicle they own.
(c) Health Insurance: Cover
the expenditures associated
to treatment & medical
expenditures.
(d) Property Insurance: Provide
protection from risks associated
to theft, fire, floods, etc.
x Insurance Industry in India
The Indian government passed
an ordinance on January 19, 1956
whereby the life insurance sector
was nationalised & the life Insurance
Corporation India (LIC) came into
existence. The Indian Parliament
passed the General Insurance
Business (Nationalisation) Act in
1972 & the general insurance sector
was brought under governmental
control from January 1, 1973.
General Insurance
Public Sector Private Sector
(5 G.I Cos) (23 G.I. Cos.)
The agency operates from its
headquarters at Hyderabad, Telangana
where it shifted from Delhi in 2001.
The key objectives of the IRDA
include promotion of competition so
as to enhance customer satisfaction
through increased consumer choice
and lower premiums, while ensuring
the financial security of the insurance
market.
 Insurance ans
Economy

Life Insurance Plans General Insurance Plans

Whole life plan Term Plan Endowment Money Back ULIP Personal Rural Industrial Commercial

Taken for entire Nominee Provide lump Used as Unit linked Taken by For rurally Avail by Security
duration of receives sum once a form of Insurance individual bases companies to against theft,
insureds life. It D[HG the policy investment plans are to cover business or get protection liability, &
is a pension plan. payment holder dies that produces one where against individuals, for important property
once the to nominee JRRGQDQFLDO WKHQDQFLDO accidental provide projects, damage.
policy or when returns in worth of a death, coverage construction,
holder dies the policy future for policy is injury, from life contracts &
during matures using in dependent on health. & health equipments
policy various present net to natural
period. purposes. asset value disasters.
of the core
investment
assets related
to it in the
share market.
B-307
B-308
Indias Public Debt
Public Debt The Public Debt of the
govt. of India is composed of (a)
Internal Debt & (b) External Debt.
Internal Debt comprises of market
loans, compensation bonds, prize
bonds & 15year annuity certificates.
It also includes borrowings of a
temporary nature, viz treasury
Bills issued to the RBI, commercial
banks, etc & also non negotiable,
noninterest bearing securities
issued to international financial
institutions like the IMF, World
Bank & the Asian Development
Bank.
External Debt includes borrowings
by Central Government from external
sources & are based upon historical
rates of exchange.
The total Public Dept & other
liabilities of the Indian Government
would come to `68,94, 691 crores by
end March 2016; it was only `15, 58,
900 crores in March 2003, Central
Govts public debt & other liabilities
has increased by nearly 4.5 times.
Government Subsidies
It is the money paid by government
to help an reganisation industry to
reduce its costs, so that it can provide
products services at lower prices.
Subsidies A sum of money granted
to support an undertaking held in
public interest.
Types of Subsidies
(1) Cash Subsidies Providing food
or fertilizers to the consumer
at prices lower than those at
which government procures the
commodities.
(2) Interest or credit subsidies
relate to loans given at rates
lower than market rates. This
takes the form of concessional
credit to small scale industries
Economy
or priority sector loans to
individuals to buy a taxi, an
auto-rickshaw or to set up some
small enterprise by buying some
equipment.
(3) Tax subsidies can be in the form
of tax exemption of medical
expenses, postponing collection
of tax arrears.
(4) Procurement subsidies It is
the purchase of food grains at
an assured price which is higher
than the prevailing market price.
(5) In-Kind subsidies Provision
of free medical services through
g ove r n m e n t d i s p e n s a r i e s,
provision of equipment to
physically handicapped persons.
(6) Regulatory subsidies Fixation
of prices of goods produced
by the public sector at less
than the cost with a view to
providing inputs to industry or
helping certain other categories
of consumers. Examples are
making steel, coal or other
minerals available to industry,
providing electricity to farmers
at a rate much lower than the
cost.
Finance Commission
The Finance Commission Under
the provisions of Article 280 of
the Constitution, the President is
required to constitute a Finance
commission every fifth year for the
specific purpose of devolution of
non- plan revenue resources. The
functions of the Commission are
to make recommendations to the
President in respect of
(i) the distribution of net proceeds
of taxes to be shared between
the Union and the States and
the allocation of share of such
proceeds among the States,
Economy
(ii) the principles which should
govern the payment by the
Union Govt. as grants-in-aid to
the States, and
(iii) any others matter concerning
financial relations between the
Union and the States.
The appointment of the Finance
Commissioner is of great importance,
for it enables the financial relation
between the Centre and the units to
be altered in accordance with changes
in need and circumstances.
Stock Exchange in India
In India, there are small and big
stock exchanges. The most prominent
exchanges are National Stock
Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock
Exchanges (BSE).
National Stock Exchange NSE
The NSE is the leading stock
exchange of India, located in
Mumbai. nIt was established in 1993
on the recommendation of Pherwani
Committee, Industrial Development
Bank of India (IDBI) is the main
promoter of this exchange. The
number of listings in NSE is 1696.
Bombay Stock Exchange BSE
It is an Indian stock exchange located
at Dalal street, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai.
Established in 1875, the BSE in Asiss
first stock exchange and the Worlds
fastest stock exchange with a median
trade speed of 6 micro seconds. More
than 5000 companies are publicly
listed in the BSE.
Top 10 Stock Exchanges of World
1. New York Stock Exchange
2. NASDAQ
3. London Stock Exchange
4. Japan Exchange Group
5. Shanghai Stock Exachange
B-309
6. Hongkong Stock Exchange
7. Euronext
8. Shenzhen Stock Exchange
9. TMX Group
10. Deutsche Borse
Like wholesale price index which
measures the rise/fall in the price
of commodities, there are share
price indices. The most prominent
indices in India are Sensex, Nifty
and Nifty Junior.
Sensex stands for Sensitive index.
This is an index of Bombay Stock
Exchange. This measures the price
movement of top 30 company
shares. The top 30 companies are
called Blue chip companies.
Nifty stands for National Index
for fifty. This and Nifty Junior
are indices of National Stock
Exchange. Nifty measures price
movement of top fifty companies.
Nifty Junior is an index of next 50
top companies.
The top companies are selected
on the basis of total value of all
shares that are traded in the stock
exchange.
SEBI (Security and Exchange
Board of India)
SEBI was established in 1988 for the
development & regulation of securities
market (Shares & Debentures) through
a resolution of government. It was
given statutory status in 1992. Its
head office is in Mumbai. Its regional
offices are in Kolkata, Delhi &
Chennai. SEBI was authorized to
regulate all merchant banks on issue
activity, lay guidelines & supervise
& regulate the working of mutual
funds & oversee the working of stock
exchanges in India.
B-310
INDIAN ECONOMY
National Income
National Income of a country is the
total value of all final goods and
services produced in the country in
a particular period of time usually,
one year. The growth of National
Income helps to know the progress
of the country. National Income is a
flow, not a stock. In India, National
Income estimates are related with
the financial year, i.e. April 1 to
March 31.
Measures/Concepts of National
Income
1. Gross Domestic Product
(GDP): GDP is the total
money value of all final goods
& services produced within the
geographical boundaries of the
country (produced by resident
citizens + foreign nationals)
during a given period of time,
generally one year.
GDP = Q P,
Q = Total quantity of final goods
& services.
P = Price of final goods &
services.
2. Gross National Product (GNP):
GNP is the money value of total
output or production of final
goods & services produced by
the nationals of a country during
a given period of time, generally
a year. In this case, the income
of all the resident & non-resident
citizens of a country is included
whereas the income of foreign
nationals who reside within the
geographical boundary of the
country is excluded.
GNP = GDP + (X M)
Economy
X = Export of goods & services
M = Import of goods & services
X M = Net Factor Income
from Abroad (NFIA)
So, GNP = GDP + NFIA
3. Net National Product (NNP):
can be calculated in 2 ways:-
(i) NNP at market price:
NNP = GNP Depreciation
Depreciation means wear & tear
of goods produced.
NNP at market price includes
Indirect taxes and excludes
subsidies.
(ii) NNP at factor cost: NNP
at factor cost calculates National
Income only on the basis of
cost incurred to produce the
goods & services. This cost is the
payment made to the factors of
production.
NNPfc = NNPmp Indirect Taxes +
Subsidy
When NNP is obtained at factor
cost, it is known as National Income.
Likewise, GDP at factor cost
also can be calculated.
GDPfc = GDPmp Indirect Taxes
+ Subsidy
4. Personal Income : It is that income
which is actually obtained by
nationals in one year.
P.I. = National Income
Undistributed Profits of
Corporation Payments for
Social Security Provisions
Economy
Corporate Taxes + Government
Transfer payments + Business
Transfer payments + Net Interest
paid by government.
SOCIAL SECURITY PROVISIONS
= Payments made by employees
towards pension & provident fund
TRANSFER PAYMENTS =
payments made not against any
productive activity. eg. old
age pension, unemployment
compensation, disaster relief
payment, etc.
5. DISPOSAL PERSONAL
INCOME (DPI): Income that is
available to individuals that can
be disposed at their will.
DPI = Personal Income
&KTGEV6CZGU
Measurement of National Income
Methods of Measurement
Product/Output/Pro- Income
duction method method
)TQUUXCNWGCFFGF 0+6QVCN4GPV
 GDP = Consumption
1WVRWVQHPCNIQQFU Total wages + Total
services Intermediate +PVGTGUV
6QVCNRTQV sumers + Consumption
Consumption
)&2)TQUUXCNWGCFFGF
+ Indirect Taxes Subsidy
Human Development Index
The UNDP Human Development
Report ranks countries on basis of
measuring human development
by combining indicators of the
Health, Education & Income into
a composite Human Development
Index (HDI). The HDI classifies the
World into 4 broad segments :
B-311
6. National Income at constant
price & current price
NI CONSTANT PRICE
= Total quantity of all final
goods & services produced in a
particular year Price of base
year.
Base year of National Income
accounts is the year chosen to
enable inter year comparisons.
The new series changes the base
to 201112 from 200405
NI CURRENT PRICE =
6QVCNSWCPVKV[QHCNNPCNIQQFU
& services produced in a par-
ticular year Price of goods &
UGTXKEGUKPVJCVRCTVKEWNCT[GCT
Consumption/Expendi-
ture method
Expenditure of Con-
Expenditure of investors
or entrepreneur called
investment + consump-
tion of government
Very High High Medium 
Low Human Develoment Components
of HDI
HDI
(a) Health : Life Expectancy at Birth
(b) Education : Mean years of schooling,
Expected years of schooling
(c) Living standards : Gross National
Income Per Capita
B-312 Economy

India has been classified in the Medium Human Development Category,

placed at 130 rank out of 187 countries (Human Development Report 2015)
The first Indian Human Development Report was formally released by
Prime Minister Mr. Bajpai on April 23, 2002. Madhya Pradesh was the first
state to release state-level Human Development Report.
FIVE YEAR PLANS
Plans Period Growth Performance Themes
(% p.a.)
Target Actual
1st Plan (1951 - 56) 2.1 3.5 Development of primary sector
2nd Plan (1956 - 61) 4.5 4.2 Development of public sector
(Industries)
3rd Plan (1961 - 66) 5.6 2.8 Agricultural Development,
Defence Industry, Price
stabilization
Annual Plan (1966 - 69) 3.9 Growth with stability &
Progress Towards Self-Reliance.
(Nationalisation of Banks, Green
Revolution).
4th Plan (1969 - 74) 5.7 3.2 Employment, Poverty Alleviation
5th Plan (1974 - 78) 4.4 4.7 Economic Liberalisation
Annual Plan (1979 - 80) 5.2 Growth, Modernisation, Self-
Reliance & Social Justice
6th plan (1980 - 85) 5.2 5.5 Human Development in various
aspects, Beginning of Liberaliza-
tion - Privatisation- Globalization
7th plan (1985 - 90) 5.0 5.6 Growth with Equity &
Distributive Justice
Annual Plan (1990 - 92) 3.4 Equity with Social Justice
8th Plan (1992 - 97) 5.6 6.5 Towards more Inclusive Growth
9th Plan (1997 - 2002) 6.5 5.5 Faster more Inclusive & Sustain-
able Growth
10th Plan (2002 - 07) 7.9 7.7
11th Plan (2007 - 12) 9.0 8.0
12th Plan (2012 - 17) 8%
Poverty Type of Poverty
Poverty can be defined as a social 1. Absolute
phenomenon in which a section of 2. Relative
the society is unable to fulfil even its Rural & Urban Poverty
basic necessities of life. I. Rural Poverty
Magnitude of Poverty in India Main Reasons for Rural Poverty
The planning commission of India 1. Rapid population growth.
has estimated rural and urban 2. Lack of capital.
poverty in India from the sixth Five 3. Lack of alternative employment
year plan ownwards. opportunities other than agricultural.
Economy
4. Excessive population pressure on
agriculture.
5. Illiteracy
6. Regional disparities.
7. Joint family system.
8. Child marriage tradition.
9. Indifferent attitude towards
investment.
10. Lack of proper implementation of
public distribution system.
Government Efforts for Eliminating
Rural Poverty
1. Legal elimination of bonded
labourers.
2. Preventing the centralisation of
wealth by modifying the law.
3. Antyodaya plan.
4. Small Farmer Development
Programme (SFDP).
5. Drought Area Development
Programme (DADP).
6. Twenty Point Programme
7. Food for Work Programme
8. Minimum Needs Programme
(MNP).
9. Integrated Rural Development
Programme (IRDP).
10. National Rural Employment
Programme (NREP).
11. Rural Labour Employment Guarantee
Programme (RLEGP).
12. Jawahar Gram Samriddhi Yojana
(JGSY) (Formerly known as Jawahar
Rojgar Yojana).
13. TRYSEM scheme.
14. Family Planning/Welfare
programme for population control.
15. Employment Assurance Scheme.
16. Scheme for Rural artisans /
craftsmen.
17. DWCRA programme.
18. Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarozgar
Yojana.
19 Mahila Samriddhi Yojana.
20 National Social Assistanc Programme
(NSAP)
21 Group Life Insurance Scheme for
Rural Areas.
B-313
22. Rural Housing Programme
23. Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya
Yojana (PMGY)
24. Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarojgar
Yojana
25. Sampurna Gramin Rojgar Yojana
26. Indira Awaas Yojana
27. Samagra Awaas Yojana.
28. Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Yojana.
29. Agriculture Income Insurance
Scheme.
30. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee Scheme
(MGNREGS).
II. Urban Poverty
Main Reasons for Urban Poverty
1. Migration of rural youth towards
cities.
2. Lack of vocational education /
training.
3. Limited job opportunities of
employment in the cities.
4. Rapid increase in population.
5. Lack of housing facilities.
6. No proper implementation of
public distribution system (PDS).
Government Efforts for Eliminating
Urban Poverty
1. Emphasis on vocational education.
2. Nehru Rozgar Yojana (NRY).
3. Self-Employment Programme for
the Urban Poor (SEPUP).
4. Financial assistance for constructing
houses.
5. Self-Employment to the Educated
Urban Youth (SEEUY) programme.
6. Prime Ministers Rozgar Yojana
(Also implemented in rural areas).
7. National Social Assistance
Programme.
8. Urban Basic Services for the Poor
(UBSP) programme.
9. Prime Minister's Integrated Urban
Poverty Eradication Programme
(PMIUPEP).
10. Swarna Jayanti Shahri Rozgar
Yojana.
B-314
Unemployment
In broad sense a state of
unemployment appears when a
labour does not obtain employment
opportunity despite his willingness
to work on existing wage rate.
Different Types of Unemployment
in India
1. Structural Unemployment:
This type of unemployment is
associated with economic structure
of the country, i.e. rapidly growing
population, technological change
and their immobility fall in rate of
capital formation.
2. Under-employment: Those
labourers are under-employed
who obtain work but their
efficiency and capability are not
utilised at their optimum and as
a result they contribute in the
production upto a limited level.
3. Disguised Unemployment: If
a person does not contribute
anything in the production
process or in other words, if he
can be removed from the work
without affecting the productivity
adversely, he will be treated as
disguisedly unemployed. The
marginal productivity of such
unemployed person is zero.
4. Open Unemployment: When
the labourers live without any
work and they dont find any
work to do, they come under the
category of open unemployment.
VARIOUS DEVELOPMENT AND EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMMES
Economy
Educated and unskilled labouress
unemployment are included in
open unemployment.
NREGS (National Rural
Employment Guarantee Scheme)
NREGS was started by the
UPA Government as a national
programme to provide 100 days of
employment to begin with through
asset-creating public works every
year at minimum wages to one-
able bodied person in every poor
class household.
The National Rural Employment
Guarantee Act came into force in
2006 in Indias 200 most backward
districts. In 2007, it was extended
to another 130 districts. With
effect from April 1,2008, the Act is
to cover all districts.
The following are the major short-
comings of NREGS:
Lack of adequate professional
staff
x Lack of project planning
x Bureaucratic resistance of
NREGA on account of
the widely held belief that
it is much more difficult to
make money under NREGS
as compared with other
employment programmes.
x Lack of transparency and
absence of social audit
x Inappropriate rates of
payment.


Programme/Plan/ Year of Objective/Description
Institution beginning
Command Area Development 1974-75 To ensure better and rapid utilisation of
Programme (CADP) irrigation capacities of medium and large
projects
Twenty Point Programme 1975 Poverty eradication and raising the
(TPP) standard of living
Economy B-315

Programme/Plan/ Year of Objective/Description

Institution beginning
National Institution of Rural 1977 Training, investigation and advisory
Development organisation for rural development
Antyodaya Yojana 1977-78 To make the poorest families of the
village economically independent (only in
Rajasthan)
Training Rural Youth for Self- 1 August Programme of training rural youth for self-
Employment (TRYSEM) 15,1979 employment.
Integrated Rural Development October 2, All-round development of the rural poor
Programme (IRDP) 1980 through a programme of asset endowment
for self-employment
National Rural Employment 1980 To provide profitable employment
Programme opportunities to the rural poor
Rural Landless Employment August 15, For providing employment to landless
Guarantee Programme 1983 farmers and labourers
(RLEGP)
Self-Employment to the 1983-84 To provide financial and technical assistance
Educated Unemployed Youth for self- employment
(SEEUY)
National Fund for Rural February To grant 100% tax rebate to donors and
Development (NFRD) 1984 also to provide financial assistance for rural
development projects
Industrial Reconstruction March To provide financial assistance to sick and
Bank of India 1985 closed industrial units for their reconstruction
Council for Advancement of September To provide assistance for rural prosperity
Peoples Action and Rural 1, 1986
Technology (CAPART)
Self-Employment Programme September To provide self-employment to urban poor
for the Urban Poor (SEPUP) 1986 through provision of subsidy and bank credit
Jawahar Rozgar Yojana April 1989 For providing employment to rural
unemployed
Nehru Rozgar Yojana October For providing employment to urban
1989 unemployed
Members of Parliament Local December To sanction Rs. 1 crore per year to every
Area Development Scheme 23, 1993 Member of Parliament for various
(MPLADS) development works in their respective areas
through DM of the district
Scheme of Infrastructural 1993-94 To provide capital through special institutions
Development in Mega Cities for water supply, seewage, drainage, urban
(SIDMC) transportation, land development and
improvement of slum projects undertaken
in Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai
and Hyderabad
District Rural Development 1993 To provide financial assistance for rural
Agency (DRDA) development
Mahila Samridhi Yojana October 2, To encourage the rural women to deposit
1993 in Post Office Saving Account
Kasturba Gandhi Education August 15, To establish girls schools in districts having
Scheme 1997 low female literacy rate
B-316 Economy

Programme/Plan/ Year of Objective/Description

Institution beginning
Swarna Jayanti Shahari December To provide gainful employment to
Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY) 1997 urban unemployed and under employed
poor through self-employment or wage
employment
Annapurna Yojana March To provide 10 kg. foodgrains to senior
1999 citizens (who did not get pension)
Swarna Jayanti Gram April 1999 For eliminating Rural poverty and
Swarozgar Yojana. unemployment and promoting self-
employment
Jan Shree Bima Yojana Aug. 10, Providing Insurance Security to people
2000 living below poverty line
Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya 2000 To fulfil basic requirements in rural areas
Yojana
Antyodaya Anna Yojana Dec. 25, To provide food security to poor
2000
Pradhan Mantri Gram Dec. 25, To line all villages with Pacca Road
Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) 2000
Valmiki Ambedkar A was Dec. Constructing Slum houses in urban areas.
Yojana (VAMBAY) 2,2001
Vande Matram Scheme Feb. 9, Major initiative in public-private partnership
2004 during pregnancy check-up.
National Food for Work Nov. 14, Programme to intensify the generation of
Programme 2004 supplementary wage employment.
Janani Suraksha Yojana April 12, Providing care to expectant mothers.
2005
Bharat Nirman Programme Dec. Development of Rural Infrastructure
16,2005 including six components : Irrigation,
Water Supply, Housing, Road, Telephone
and Electricity.
National Rural Employment Feb. 2, To provide at least 100 days wage
Guarantee Scheme (MNREGA) 2006 employment in rural areas.

FOREIGN TRADE
Foreign Trade deals with export and import of goods & services between
nations.
Composition of Indias Foreign Trade
Export-Items Import-Items
I. Agricultural & Allied (coffee, tea, I. Food & Allied Products
fruits & vagetables) p
Cereals, Pulses, Edible oils
II. Ores & Minerals II. Fuel
III. Manufactured Goods III. Fertilizers & Capital Goods
p p
Gems & Jwellery, Drugs & Machinery (except electrical &
Pharmaceuticals, manufactures of machinery, Transport Equipment
metals, Transport Equipment, Machinery
& Instruments, Electronic Goods,
Readymade Garments, Handicrafts
Economy
IV. Crude & Petroleum
V. Others
Balance of Trade = Export Import
Balance of payment: The BOP of a
country is a systematic record of all
economic transactions between the
residents of a country and the rest
of the world. It presents a classified
record of all receipts on account of
good exported, services rendered
& capital received by residents &
payments made by them on account
of goods imported & services
received from the capital transferred
to non-residents.
BOP accounts consists of 2 accounts
Current & capital A/c. Current
A/c includes all the debit & credit
entries of invisible items side-by-side
with trade items, while the capital
A/c is related with the entries of
capital transactions in the country.
BOP: At a Glance
A. Current A/c:
1. Visible Balance of trade
(merchandise)
2. Invisible BOT a. Service:
Tourism, Transport, Software.
b. Private transfers
c. Account of Investment
Income
B. Capital A/c
a. FDI: India & Abroad
FDI: Foreign Direct Investment
is considered to be the most
attractive type of capital flow
for emerging economy as it is
expected to bring latest technology
& enhance production capabilities
of the economy.
b. Portfolio Investment: Loans,
Banking Capital, NRI
Deposits, shares, debentures.
B-317
+8 Others
p
Chemicals, Pearls, precious & semi-
RTGEKQWUUVQPGUIQNFUKNXGT
Electronic Goods
Related Terms
1. Exchange Rate: It is the rate
at which home currency is
exchanged for one unit of foreign
currency.
For example `50 = US $1
2. Depreciation: Increase in the
exchange rate, i.e. fall in external
value of domestic currency
because of more demand for
foreign currency (less supply of
foreign currency) more supply
of (less Demand of) Domestic
currency is called depreciation.
3. Appreciation: Fall in the
exchange rate, i.e increase in
the external value of domestic
currency, due to more demand
for home currency (or less
supply of home currency) or
less demand for (or more supply
of) foreign currency is called
appreciation.
4. Devaluation: Reduction in the
external value of home currency
is called Devaluation. For
example changing the exchange
rate from `50 = US $1 to `75
= US $1 is called devaluation.
Devaluation is aimed at
increasing export of the country.
5. Foreign Exchange Reserves:
Also called forex reserves are
assets held by a central bank
or other monetary authority,
usually in various reserve
currencies, mostly the US dollar,
& used to back its liabilities.
6. Foreign Exchange: System
of trading in & converting the
currency of one country into of
another.
B-318 Economy

AGRICULTURE
Features of Indian Agriculture Evergreen Revolution
Sector The pioneer of Indian green
(1) Accounts for almost 27% of GDP revolution Mr. M.S. Swaminathan,
(2) Contributes 21% of total exports presently chairman of National
(3) Provides employment to around Commission on farmers gave a new
65% of the total workforce call for Evergreen Revolution for
(4) Provides raw materials to several doubling the present production
industries level of foodgrains from 210 million
GREEN REVOLUTION IN INDIA tonnes to 420 million tonnes. For
making Evergreen Revolution
Since the mid-1960s, the traditional
agricultural practices are gradually a success, he stressed on adopting
being replaced by modern organic farming. He also mentioned
technology & farm practices in India four pre-requistes for getting the
& veritable revolution is taking place success:
in our country. American Scientist i. Promoting soil health.
Dr. William Grande termed it as ii. Promoting Lab to Land
Green Revolution. During the exhibitions.
middle of 60s, Indian agricultural iii. Making rainwater harvesting
scientists developed a number of compulsory.
new high yielding varieties of wheat iv Providing credit to farmers on
by processing wheat seeds imported suitable conditions.
from Mexico. These varieties were
having production potentialities of AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION
60 65 quintals per hectare. IN A NUT SHELL
As a result Green Revolution ensured
Indias self-dependence in foodgrains. Revolution Area
The credit for it goes not only to Nobel 1. Green Foodgrain production
Laureat Dr. Norman Borlaug but also 2. White Milk
to Dr. M. S. Swaminathan. 3. Yellow Oil seeds
Second Green Revolution 4. Blue Fisheries
(Strategy Adopted in 11th Plan)
5. Red Meat/Tomato
The urgent need for taking agriculture 6. Golden Fruits apple
to a higher trajectory of 4 per cent
annual growth can be met only with 7. Grey Fertilisers
improvement in the scale as well 8. Black/ Brown Non-conventional &
as quality of agricultural reforms Energy Sources
undertaken by the various States 9. Silver Eggs
and agencies at the various levels.
10. Round Potato
These at efficient use of resources
and conservation of soil, water and
ecology on a sustainable basis, and in FOOD SECURITY
a holistic framework. Such a holistic World Development Report defined
framework must incorporate financing food security as access by all people
of rural infrastructure such as water, at all times to enough food for an
roads and power. Active, healthy life.
Economy
Main components of the food
security system
1. Promoting domestic production
to meet the demands of the
growing population as also to
reduce under-nutrition among
quite a large section of the
population.
2. Providing minimum support
prices for procurement & storage
of food items.
3. Operating a Public Distribution
System.
4. Maintaining buffer stocks so as
to take care of natural calamities
resulting in temporary shortage
of food.
Public Distribution System (PDS)
x It is established by the
Government of India in an Indian
Food Security system.
x It distributes subsidized food &
non-food items to Indias poor.
x Scheme was launched in India
on June 1997.
x Major commodities distributed
include staple foodgrains,
such as wheat, rice, sugar, and
kerosene oil, through a network
of public distribution shops,
(also known as ration shops)
established in several states
across the country.
x Food Corporation of India
procures and maintains the
PDS.
Minimum Support Price of
Agriculture Production
Minimum Support Price announced
by the government is that price
at which government is ready to
purchase the crop from the farmers
directly if crop price becomes lower
to MSP. As a result, market price of
the crop never comes down from the
levels of MSP. The minimum price
security gives incentives to farmers
to increase their production.
B-319
NABARD
A National Bank for Agriculture
and Rural Development (NABARD)
or the National Bank, for short,
was, therefore; set up in July 1982
by an Act of Parliament to take
over the functions of ARDC and
the refinancing functions of RBI
in relation to co-operative banks
and RRBs. NABARD is linked
originally with the RBI by the latter
contributing half of its share capital
the other half being contributed
by the Government of India and
nominating three of its Central
Board Directors on the board
of NABARD, besides a Deputy
Governor of RBI being appointed as
Chairman of NABARD.
Functions of NABARD
(i) It provides refinance facilities
to all banks and financial
institutions lending to agriculture
and rural development.
(ii) It provides short-term, medium-
term and long-term credits
to State Co-operative Banks
(SCBs), RRBs, LDBs and other
financial institutions approved
by RBI.
(iii) NABARD gives long-term
loans (up to 20 years) to State
Governments to enable them to
subscribe to the sharre capital of
co-operative credits societies.
(iv) NABARD gives long-term loans
to any institution approved by
the Central Government.
(v) NABARD has the responsibility
of co-ordinating the activities of
Central and State Governments,
the Planning Commission and
other all- India and State level
institutions entrusted with the
development of small scale industries,
village and cottage industries, rural
crafts, industries in the tiny and
decentralised sectors, etc.
B-320 Economy

(vi) It has the responsibility to (vii)It maintains a Research and

inspect RRBs and co-operative Development Fund to promote
banks, other than primary co- research in agriculture and rural
operative societies; and development.

INDUSTRIES
Ty es of Industries

Primary Secondary Tertiary

(Manufacturing) (Services)

Production of Transform raw material into Provide services to other

goods with help QLVKHGSURGXFWZLWKWKHKHOS people & industries
of nature of manpower machines.

Eg. Agriculture, Heavy & Light Industries, Travel & Tourism,

Forestry, Fishing, $XWRPRELOH 2LO 5HQLQJ Information Technology,
Horticulture Textile, Energy Production etc.
Liberalisation: Liberalisation is of (iii) Average annual turnover of more
human resources commonly known than Rs. 25,000 crore, during the
as free trade. It implies removal of last 3 years.
restrictions & barriers to free trade. (iv) Average annual net worth of more
1. Privatisation: Privatisation can than Rs. 15,000 crore, during the
be partner and players in the
last 3 years.
global defined as the transfer
(v) Average annual net profit after
of ownership arena & control
of public sector units to private tax of more than Rs. 5,000 crore,
individuals or companies. during the last 3 years.
2. Globalisation: It refers to a (vi) Should have significant global
process whereby there are presence/international operations.
social, cultural, technological Companies:
exchanges across the border. 1. Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited
MAHARATNA CPSEs (Central 2. Coal India Limited
Public Sector Enterprises) 3. GAIL (India) Limited
4. Indian Oil Corporation Limited
Criteria for grant of Maharatna
5. NTPC Limited
status :
6. Oil & Natural Gas Corporation
The CPSEs fulfilling the following
Limited
criteria are eligible to be considered
7. Steel Authority of India Limited
for grant of Maharatna status.
(i) Having Navratna status. Navratna CPSEs (Central Public
(ii) Listed on Indian stock exchange Sector Enterprises)
with minimum prescribed public Criteria for grant of Navratna
shareholding under SEBI regulations. status :
Economy
The Miniratna Category I and
Schedule A CPSEs, which have
obtained excellent or very good
rating under the Memorandum of
Understanding system in three of the
last five years, and have composite
score of 60 or above in the six
selected performance parameters,
namely,
(i) net profit to net worth,
(ii) manpower cost to total cost of
production/services,
(iii) profit before depreciation,
interest and taxes to capital
employed,
(iv) profit before interest and taxes to
turnover,
(v) earning per share and
(vi) inter-sectoral performance.
Companies:
1. Bharat Electronics Limited
2 Bharat Petroleum Corporation
Limited
3. Container Corporation of India
Limited
4. Engineers India Limited
5. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
6. Hindustan Petroleum
Corporation Limited
7. Mahanagar Telephone Nigam
Limited
8. National Aluminium Company
Limited
9. National Buildings Construction
Corporation Limited
10. NMDC Limited
11. Neyveli Lignite Corporation
Limited
12. Oil India limited.
13. Power Finance Corporation
Limited
14. Power Grid Corporation of
India Limited
B-321
15. Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited
16. Rural Electrification Corporation
Limited
17. Shipping Corporation of India
Limited
INDUSTRIAL POLICY 1991: AN
OVERVIEW
(A) Main Features (objective)
x to maintain a sustained growth
in productivity.
x to enhance gainful employment.
x to achieve optimum utilisation
of human resources.
x to attain international
competitiveness
x to transform India into a major
partner and players in the global
arena.
(B) Main Focus on
x deregulating Indian industry.
x allowing the industry freedom
& flexibility in responding to
market forces
x providing a policy regime which
facilitates and fosters growth of
Indian industry
(C) Policy Measures
(i) Liberalisation of Industrial
Licensing Policy.
(ii) Introduction of Industrial
Entrepreneurs Memorandum (i.e.
no industrial approval is required
for industries not requiring
compulsory licencing).
(iii) Liberalisation of Locational Policy.
(iv) Liberalised policy for Small Scale
Sectors.
(v) Non-Resident Indians Scheme
(NRIs are allowed to invest upto
equity on non-repatriation basis
in all activities except for a small
negative list).
(vi) Electronic Hardware Technology
Park (EHTP)/ Software
Technology Park (STP) Scheme
for building up strong electronic
industry to enhance exports.
(vii) Liberalised policy for Foreign
Direct Investment (FDI).
B-322
AGRICULTURE
Agriculture plays a vital role in
Indias economy. Over 58 per cent
of the rural households depend on
agriculture as their principal means
of livelihood. Agriculture, along
with fisheries and forestry, is one of
the largest contributors to the Gross
Domestic Product (GDP).
There are two major agricultural
seasons in India: Kharif and Rabi.
Kharif season lasts from April to
September (summer); rice (paddy)
INDIA GDP FROM AGRICULTURE
5217.45
5026.56
4211.93
4035.75
3500.52 3622.12
2862.99
Jan 2013 Jul 2013 Jan 2014 Jul 2014 Jan 2015 Jul 2015
Agricultural export constitutes 10 per
cent of the countrys exports and is
the fourth largest exported principal
commodity. The agro industry in
India is divided into several sub
segments such as canned, dairy,
processed, frozen food to fisheries,
meat, poultry, and food grains.
As per the 4th Advance Estimates,
food grain production is estimated at
252.68 million tonnes (MT) for 2014-
15. Production of pulses estimated at
17.20 million tonnes.
With an annual output of 138 MT,
India is the largest producer of
milk. It also has the largest bovine
population. India is the largest
Economy
is the seasons main crop. Rabi
season lasts from October to March
(winter); wheat is the seasons main
crop. Total food grains production
in India reached an all-time high of
257 million tonnes in FY14.
India has the second largest
agricultural land in the World with
157.35 million hectares of land
available.
Agriculture sector in India
contributes 16% of GDP & 10% of
export earnings.
5500
5160.49
5000
4637.96
4500
4152.28
4000
3500
2920.28 2956.92
3000
2500
importer of pulses at 19.0 MT and
3.4 MT, respectively. India, the
second-largest producer of sugar,
accounts for 14 per cent of the global
output. It is the sixth-largest exporter
of sugar, accounting for 2.76 per
cent of the global exports.
Spice exports from India are
expected to reach US$ 3 billion by
201617 due to creative marketing
strategies, innovative packaging,
strength in quality and strong
distribution networks. The spices
market in India is valued at ` 40,000
crore (US$ 6.16 billion) annually, of
which the branded segment accounts
for 15 per cent.
Economy
The procurement target for rice
during marketing season (MS)
201516 has been finalised as 30
MT.
100 percent FDI is permissible under
automatic route for development of
seeds.
Given the importance of the
agriculture sector, the Government
in its Budget 201516, planned
several steps for the sustainable
development of agriculture. It has
already taken steps to address two
major factors (soil and water) critical
to improve agriculture production.
Steps have been taken to improve
soil fertility on a sustainable
basis through the soil health card
scheme and to support the organic
farming scheme Paramparagat
Krishi Vikas Yojana. Other
steps include improved access to
irrigation through Pradhanmantri
Gram Sinchai Yojana; enhanced
water efficiency through `Per Drop
More Crop; continued support
to Mahatma Gandhi National
Rural Employment Guarantee Act
(MGNREGA) and the creation of a
unified national agriculture market
to boost the incomes of farmers.
The Government of India recognises
the importance of microirrigation,
watershed development and
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai
Yojana. Therefore, it has allocated
a sum of ` 5,300 crore (US$ 815
million) for it.
Given the correlation between
improvement in agriculture and
the development of the country,
the Government of India adopted
several initiatives and programmes
to ensure continuous growth.
Some of the recent major
government initiatives in the sector
are as follows:
B-323
x India and Lithuania have
agreed to intensify agricultural
cooperation, especially in sectors
like food and dairy processing.
x Gujarat Government has planned
to connect 26 Agricultural Produce
Market Committees (APMCs) via
electronic market platform, under
the National Agriculture Market
(NAM) initiative.
x The State Government of
Telangana plans to spend Rs
81,000 crore (US$ 12.1 billion)
over the next three years to
complete ongoing irrigation
projects and also undertake two
new projects for lifting water from
the Godavari and Krishna river.
x The National Dairy Development
Board (NDDB) announced 42
dairy projects with a financial
outlay of Rs 221 crore (US$ 34.02
million) to boost milk output and
increase per animal production of
milk.
The 12th Five-Year Plan estimates
the foodgrains storage capacity to
expand to 35 MT. Also, a 4 per cent
growth would help restructure the
agriculture sector in India in the next
few years.
Biotechnology Industry in India
India is among the top 12 biotech
destinations in the World and ranks
third in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Indian biotech industry holds
about 2 per cent share of the
global biotech industry. The Indian
biotechnology sector is expected
to grow from the current US$ 5-7
billion to US$ 100 billion by 2025,
growing at an average rate of 30 per
cent.
Biopharma is the largest sector
contributing about 64 per cent
of the total revenue followed by
B-324
bioservices (18 per cent), bioagri (14
per cent), bioindustry (3 per cent),
and bioinformatics contributing (1
per cent).
The high demand for different
biotech products has also opened
up scope for the foreign companies
to set up base in India. India has
emerged as a leading destination for
clinical trials, contract research and
manufacturing activities owing to
12 th Five-Year Plan fund allocation
21 % 26 %
14 %
22 %
17 %
Soruce : Deptt. Of science and Technology,
Planning Commission, Aranca Research
Cement Industry in India
India is the second largest producer
of cement in the World. Indias
cement industry is a vital part of its
economy, providing employment to
more than a million people, directly
or indirectly.
Some of the recent major government
initiatives such as development of
100 smart cities are expected to
provide a major boost to the sector.
Expecting such developments in
the country and aided by suitable
government foreign policies, several
foreign players such as Lafarge-
Holcim, Heidelberg Cement, and
Economy
the growth in the bioservices sector.
India has all the ingredients to
become a global leader in affordable
healthcare. If there is an annual
investment of US$ 4.01 billion to
US$ 5.02 billion in the next five
years, the biotech industry can grow
to US$ 100 billion by 2025, with a 25
per cent return on investment, and
set a growth rate of 30 per cent year-
on-year.
Medical biotect
Agri biotech
Basic bio & emerging areas
Biodiversity, bioresources
& Environment
Capacity building
Vicat have invested in the country in
the recent past.
Indias cement demand is expected
to reach 550-600 million tonnes
per annum (MTPA) by 2025. The
housing sector is the biggest demand
driver of cement, accounting for
about 67 per cent of the total
consumption in India.
In the 12th Five Year Plan, the
Government of India plans to
increase investment in infrastructure
to the tune of US$ 1 trillion and
increase the industrys capacity to
150 MT.
Economy
Gems and Jewellery Industry in
India
x Contributor to semi-skilled
employment. Consists of 3
segments Diamonds, Gold
Jewellery & Coloured Gemstones.
It is extremely export oriented and
labour intensive. It contributes to 6
7 percent of the GDP.
The gems and jewellery sector
in India is engaged in sourcing,
manufacturing, and processing,
which involves cutting, polishing
and selling precious gemstones and
metals such as diamonds, other
precious stones, gold, silver and
platinum.
Gems & Jewellery Exports
(USS Billion)
2014-15 (P) 36.2
2013-14 35.0
2012-13 39.2
2011-12
2010-11
2009-10 29.4
0 10 20 30 40
Source Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion
Council (G.EPC) Notes : P.Provisional
Manufacturing Industry in India
Indian Manufacturing sector
currently contributes 16% to GDP
(2015) and gives employment to 12%
(2014) of the countrys workforce.
Studies have estimated that every
job created in manufacturing has a
multiplier effect, creating 23 jobs in
the services sector.
Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi,
has launched the Make in India
initiative to place India on the world
map as a manufacturing hub to give
global recognition to the Indian
economy.
B-325
It contributed US$ 39.9 billion in
terms of foreign exchange earnings
in FY 2014-15.
The industry grew 4.3 per cent, with
exports worth US$ 36.2 billion in
201415.
In 201415, export of cut and
polished diamonds declined 5.0 per
cent to US$ 23.2 billion.
It is expected that gems and jewellery
exports could reach US$ 58 billion
by 2015.
According to a report by Research
and Markets, the Jewellery Market
in India is expected to grow at a
CAGR of 15.95 per cent over the
period 2014-2019.
Cut & Polished Diamond Exports
(USS billion)
2014-15
23.2
(P)
2013-14 24.5
2012-13 17.4
43.2 2011-12 23.4
43.0 2010-11 28.2
2009-10 18.2
50 0 5 10 15 20 25 30
In a major boost to the Make in
India initiative, the Government
of India has received investment
proposals of over US$ 3.05 billion
till end of August 2015 from
various companies. India has
become one of the most attractive
destinations for investments in the
manufacturing sector.
Clean energy investments in India
increased to US$ 7.9 billion in 2014,
helping the country maintain its
position as the seventh largest clean
energy investor in the world.
B-326 Economy

Oil and Gas Industry in India has allowed 100 per cent foreign
The oil and gas sector is among direct investment (FDI) in many
the six core industries in India and segments of the sector, including
natural gas, petroleum products, and
plays a major role in influencing
refineries, among others.
decision making for all the other
Presently, domestic production
important sections of the economy.
accounts for more than three-
In 199798, the New Exploration
quarters of the countrys total gas
Licensing Policy (NELP) was consumption. India increasingly
envisaged to fill the ever-increasing relies on imported LNG. The
gap between Indias gas demand and country was the fifth-largest LNG
supply. A recent report points out importer in 2013, accounting for
that the Indian oil and gas industry 5.5 per cent of global imports.
is anticipated to be worth US$ 139.8 Indias LNG imports are forecasted
billion by 2015. to increase at a CAGR of 33 per
The Government of India has cent during 201217. However, net
adopted several policies to fulfil the imports of Natural Gas fell from
increasing demand. The government 13.14
Energy Consumption Pattern in 2014

2.18 % 1.23 %
4.64 %

7.14 % Coal

Oil
Natural Gas

Hydro Electric
28.33 %
56.47 % Renewables
Nuclear Energy

Source: US Energy Information Administration (EIA),

BP Statistical Review 2015
State-owned Oil and Natural Gas
Corporation (ONGC) dominates
the upstream segment (exploration
and production), accounting for
approximately 68 per cent of the
countrys total oil output (FY14).
PAHAL - Direct Benefit Transfer
for LPG consumer (DBTL) scheme
launched in 54 districts on November
11, 2014 and expanded to rest of
the country on January 1, 2015
will cover 15.3 crore active LPG
consumers of the country. 24 7 LPG
service via web launched to provide
LPG consumers an integrated
solution to carry out all services at
one place, through MyLPG.in, from
the comfort of their home.
Economy
The Government of India launched
the Give It Up campaign on LPG
subsidy that helped it save ` 140
crore (US$ 21.11 million) as on
22nd July 2015 with nearly 12.6 lakh
Indians registering for the cause.
Subsidised cooking gas will no
longer be provided to consumers
earning ` 10 lakh or more a year
from January 1, 2016. The rule
will initially be implemented on
self-declaration basis for cylinders
booked from January 2016 onwards.
India has proven oil reserves of 5.7
billion barrels, and gas reserves of
1.4 trillion cubic meters, yet given
the low production base, the country
remains a net importer of energy.
Real Estate Industry in India
India is the second largest employer
of Real estate after agriculture and is
slated to grow at 30 per cent over the
next decade.
The real estate sector comprises
four sub sectors - housing, retail,
hospitality, and commercial.
Bengaluru is expected to be the
most favoured property investment
destination for NRIs, followed by
Ahmedabad, Pune, Chennai, Goa,
Delhi and Dehradun.
The Indian real estate market is
expected to touch US$ 180 billion
by 2020. The housing sector alone
contributes 5-6 per cent to the
countrys Gross Domestic Product
(GDP).
Mumbai is the best city in India for
commercial real estate investment,
with returns of 12-19 per cent likely
in the next five years, followed by
Bengaluru and Delhi-National
Capital Region (NCR).
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Under the Sardar Patel Urban
Housing Mission, 30 million houses
will be built in India by 2022, mostly
for the economically weaker sections
and low-income groups, through
public-private-partnership (PPP)
and interest subsidy.
Textile Industry in India
Indias textiles sector is one of the
oldest industries in Indian economy
dating back several centuries. Even
today, textiles sector is one of
the largest contributors to Indias
exports. India is the worlds second
largest exporter of textiles and
clothing contributing approximately
11 per cent of total exports. The
textiles industry is also labour
intensive and is one of the largest
employers.
The industry realised export
earnings worth US$ 41.4 billion in
2014-15, a growth of 5.4 per cent,
as per The Cotton Textiles Export
Promotion Council (Texprocil).
The Indian textiles industry,
currently estimated at around US$
108 billion, is expected to reach US$
223 billion by 2021.
The Indian Textile Industry
contributes approximately 5 per cent
to Indias gross domestic product
(GDP), and 14 per cent to overall
Index of Industrial Production
(IIP). Readymade garments are the
largest contributor to total textile
and apparel exports from India in
FY15. The segment had a share of
40 per cent in overall textile exports.
Cotton and handmade textiles were
also major contributors with shares
of 31 per cent and 16 per cent,
respectively.
B-328
Share of Indias textile exports (Fy15)
3%
10 %
40 %
16 %
31 %
Soruce : Ministry of Textiles, Budget 2015, TechSci Research
Foreign direct investment (FDI)
in textile sector increased to US$
1,587.8 million in FY15 from
US$ 1,424.9 million in FY14. The
Ministry of Textiles is encouraging
investments through increasing focus
on schemes such as Technology Up-
gradation Fund Scheme (TUFS).
IT & ITeS Industry in India
India is the worlds largest sourcing
destination for the information
technology (IT) industry, accounting
for approximately 67 per cent of the
US$ 124-130 billion market.
Indias IT industry amounts to 12.3
per cent of the global market, largely
due to exports. Export of IT services
accounted for 56.12 per cent of total
IT exports (including hardware)
from India. The Business Process
Management (BPM) segment
accounted for 23.46 per cent of total
IT exports during FY15.
The IT industry has also created
significant demand in the Indian
education sector, especially for
engineering and computer science.
The Indian Information Technology
(IT) sector is expected to grow 11 per
cent per annum and triple its current
annual revenue to reach US$ 350
billion by FY 2025, as per National
Economy
Ready Made Garments
Coton Textiles
Natural Gas
Man Made Textiles
Handicrafts (Carpet,
Handloom, Coir, Handicrafts
excluding carpets)
Others (Silk, Wool, Jute)
Association of Software and
Services Companies (NASSCOM).
Indias internet economy is expected
to touch Rs 10 trillion (US$ 151.6
billion) by 2018, accounting for
5 per cent of the countrys gross
domestic product (GDP), according
to a report by the Boston Consulting
Group (BCG) and Internet and
Mobile Association of India
(IAMAI). Indias internet user base
reached over 350 million by June
2015, the third largest in the world,
while the number of social media
users grew to 143 million by April
2015 and smartphones grew to 160
million.
Indian start-ups are expected to
receive funding worth US$ 5 billion
by the end of 2015, a 125 per cent
increase in a year, according to a
report by IT Industry association
NASSCOM.
The Government of India has
launched the Digital India program
to provide several government
services to the people using IT
and to integrate the government
departments and the people of India.
The adoption of key technologies
across sectors spurred by the Digital
India Initiative could help boost
Indias gross domestic product
Economy
(GDP) by US$ 550 billion to US$ 1
trillion by 2025, as per research firm
McKinsey.
SMAC, increasing at a CAGR of
approximately 30 per cent to around
US$ 650-700 billion by 2020. The
social media is the second most
lucrative segment for IT firms,
offering a US$ 250 billion market
opportunity by 2020.
The Indian e-commerce segment
is US$ 12 billion in size and is
witnessing strong growth and
thereby offers another attractive
avenue for IT companies to develop
products and services to cater to the
high growth consumer segment.
Indian Automobile Industry
The Indian automobile industry
registered a growth of 8.68 percent
in the FY 2014 15 over last year
and produced 23.37 million vehicles.
The automobile industry accounts
for 7.1 per cent of the countrys
gross domestic product (GDP).
Two-wheeler production is projected
to rise from 18.5 million in FY15 to
34 million by FY20. Furthermore,
passenger vehicle production is
expected to increase to 10 million in
FY20 from 3.2 million in FY15.
The government aims to develop
India as a global manufacturing as
well as a research and development
(R&D) hub. It has set up National
Automotive Testing and R&D
Infrastructure Project (NATRIP)
centres as well as a National
Automotive Board to act as
facilitator between the government
and the industry.
Alternative fuel has the potential
to provide for the countrys energy
demand in the auto sector as the
CNG distribution network in India
is expected to rise to 250 cities
in 2018 from 125 cities in 2014.
Furthermore, the luxury car market
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can register high growth and is
expected to reach 150,000 units by
2020.
Coal Industry in India
Coal is one of the important parts
of Indias energy mix. India is
third-largest producer of coal with a
production of 565.6 million tonnes
(MT) in FY14. It has the fifth largest
coal reserves in the world at 301.6
billion tonnes (BT). It is a major
source of electricity production in
India.
Coal India Limited (CIL) was
formed as a holding company
in 1975, incorporating the state-
owned companies that were created
following the nationalisation of
Indias coal assets.
Coal India Limited accounts for
around 80 per cent of Indias total
coal production. CILs production
target for the 201516 financial year
(April 2015 to March 2016) has been
set at 550 million tonnes, up 8.5 per
cent from the previous years target.
In the previous fiscal year CIL
produced 494 million tonnes, 3 per
cent below its target of 507 million
tonnes (Bahuguna 2015). To achieve
the new target, CIL will need to
produce an extra 56 million tonnes
during the 201516 financial year.
Although the central government
has primary carriage over Indias
coal sector, state governments retain
some influence over developments
through approval of mining licences
and leases.
Iron & Steel Industry
Started by TISCO at Jamshedpur
in 1907. India is worlds 3rd largest
producer of crude steel. Provide
employment to large number of
people. Steel sector contributes
nearly 2% of GDP. Key industry
for construction. Backbone of all
industries. SAIL largest public
sector steel producing company.
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Travel & Tourism Industry
According to world Economic Forums
Travel & Tourism Competitiveness
Report 2013, India ranks 11th in the
Asia Pacific region and 65th globally
out of economies ranked on Travel
& Tourism Competitiveness Index.
Tourism in India accounts for 6.8%
of the GDP & is the 3rd largest foreign
WORLD ECONOMY
By the term world economy, we mean
that comprehensive economy which is
based on national economies of every
country of the world. In other words it
is the economy of global community
encompassing economies of every
local society across the entire globe.
The 20th century world witnessed two
world wars, the Great Depression of
the 1930s, the end of colonial rule,
robust scientific and technological
developments, the Cold War between
the Western alliance and the Warsaw
Pact nations, living standards
enrichment in North America, Europe,
and Japan; increased concerns about
environmental degradation, energy
conservation, declining biological
diversity, etc., the emergence of the
US as world superpower, continued
population explosion.
As for global economic history,
economic growth took place first
Economy
exchange earner for the country. The
direct contribution of Tourism &
Hospitality sector to GDP totalled
US $ 44.2 billion in 2015. Over 7.757
million foreign tourist arrivals were
reported in 2015. Important Travel
Companies in India Cox Kings
Ltd., India Tourism Development
Corporation Ltd., Thomas Cook Ltd.
during the Industrial Revolution
in Europe, because of huge energy
conversion taking place. Economic
growth spread to cover the entire
world during the twentieth century
and world GDP per capita multiplied
by five times. Maximum growth took
place in the 1960s the period of post
war reconstruction. Trade revolution
brought in by container ships after
the 1950s, paved way for cheap
transportation of goods.
So far as the 21st century is concerned
the continued advancement in
science and technology has both its
inherent merits and demerits- merits
in terms of advances in medicine,
agriculture beneficial to humankind
and propagation of lethal weapons
of war, mass destruction harmful for
mankind.
%86,1(66
B-332
BUSINESS ENTITIES
x Sole Proprietorship: It is an
unincorporated business with one
owner who pays personal income
tax on profits from the business.
x Partnership: A type of business
organisation in which two or more
individuals pool money, skills, &
other resources, & share profit &
loss in accordance with terms of
the partnership agreement.
x Limited Liability Partnership
(LLP): It is a partnership in which
some or all partners have limited
liabilities.
x Hindu Undivided family
(HUF): It is an extended family
arrangement prevalent throughout
the Indian subcontinent consisting
of many generations living in
the same household, all bound
by the common relationship. A
huf is a legal term related to the
Hindu Marriage Act. The female
members are also given the right of
share to the property in the HUF.
x Cooperative: It is a firm owned,
controlled, & operated by a group
of users for their own benefit. Each
member contributes equity capital,
& shares in the control of the firm
on the basis of one-member, one-
vote principle.
x Dormant Company: The
Companies Act 2013 (section 455)
introduces a concept of a dormant
company withein its ambet. The
Dormant Company is a company
formed & registered under this
act for a future project or to hold
an asset or intellectual property
& has no significant accounting
transaction, such a company or
an inactive company may make an
application to the registrar in such
Business
manner as may be prescribed for
obtaining the status of a Dormant
company.
x Family Owned Business: It is a
kind of business in which two or
more family members are involved
& the majority of ownership or
control lies within a family.
x Private Limited Company: A type
of company that offers limited
liability, or legal protection for its
shareholders but that places certain
restrictions on its ownership.
x Small Company: It is a company
that satisfies either of the following
conditions:
(i) Paid-up share capital which
does not exceed 50 lakh rupees
or such higher amount as may be
prescribed which shall not be more
than 5 crore rupees.
OR
(ii) Turnover of which as per
its last profit & loss account
does not exceed 2 crore rupees
or such higher amount as may
be prescribed which shall not be
more than 20 crore rupees.
x Public Limited Company: A
company whose securities are
traded on a stock exchange & can
be bought & sold by anyone. Its
formation, working & its winding
up, in fact, all its activities are
strictly governed by laws, rules &
regulations.
x Public Sector Unit (PSU): The
government owned corporations
are termed as public sector
undertakings (PSUs) in India. In
a PSU majority (51% or more) of
the paid up share capital is held
by Central Government or by any
state government & partly by one
or more state governments.
Business
x One Person Company: It is a
registered company who has
only one shareholder. It is a
private company.
x Unlimited Company: It is a
company in which all members
or shareholders have total & joint
responsibility to cover all debts
& other liabilities the company
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
The framework of rules & practices
by which a Board of Directors ensures
accountability, fairness, & transparency
in a companys relationship with its
all stakeholders (financiers, customers,
management, employees, government,
& the community).
The corporate governance framework
consists of
1. explicit & implicit contracts
between the company & the
COMPANY ACT 2013
Companies Act, 2013 is an act
which regulates incorporation of
a company, responsibilities of a
company, directors, dissolution of a
company.
The Act has replaced The Companies
Act, 1956 (in a partial manner) after
receiving the assent of the President
of India on 29 August 2013.
Brief description of new concepts
introduced in Companies Act 2013
x One Person Company is a
company with only one person
as a member. That one person
will be the shareholder of the
company. It avails all the benefits
of a private limited company
such as separate legal entity,
protecting personal assets from
business liability, and perpetual
succession.
B-333
generates, regardless of how
much capital each contributes.
x Incorporated Company: A
company that has been granted
a charter legally recognizing it as
a separate entity having its own
privileges, rights, & liabilities
distinct from other business &
persons.
stakeholders for distribution of
responsibilities, rights & rewards.
2. procedures for reconciling the
sometimes conflicting interests of
stakeholders in accordance with
their duties, privileges & roles.
3. procedures for proper supervision,
control & information-flows to
serve as a system of checks &
balances.
x Woman Director: Every Listed
Company /Public Company with
paid up capital of `100 Crores
or more/Public Company with
turnover of `300 Crores or more
shall have at least one Woman
Director.
x Corporate Social Responsibility:
Every company having net worth
of rupees five hundred crore or
more, or turnover of rupees one
thousand crore or more or a net
profit of rupees five crore or more
during any financial year shall
constitute a Corporate Social
Responsibility Committee of the
Board consisting of three or more
directors, out of which at least one
director shall be an independent
director.
B-334 Business

x Registered Valuers : Where a valuation is required to be made in respect

of any property, stocks, shares, debentures, securities or goodwill or any
other assets (herein referred to as the assets) or net worth of a company or
its liabilities under the provision of this Act, it shall be valued by a person
having such qualifications and experience and registered as a valuer in
such manner, on such terms and conditions as may be prescribed and
appointed by the audit committee or in its absence by the Board of
Directors of that company.
x A Class Action Suit refers to a law suit that allows a large number of
people with a common interest in a matter to sue or be sued as a group. It
is a procedural device enabling one or more plantiffs to file and prosecute
a litigation on behalf of a larger group or class, wherein such class has
common rights and grievances.
x Fast Track Merger : Under fast track merger processes Central
Government has the power to sanction all such scheme and there will be
no requirement to approach National Company Law Tribunal (powers
presently exercised by the High Court).

New Pension System

Pension Plans provide financial security & stability during old age when
people dont have a regular source of income. To provide social security
to more citizens the government of India has started the National Pension
System. Government of India established Pension Fund Regulatory
& Development Authority (PFRDA) on 10th October 2013 to develop &
regulate pension sector in the country. The National Pension System (NPS)
was launched in 1st January, 2004 with the objective of providing retirement
income to all the citizens. With effect from 1st may 2009, NPS has been
provided for all citizens of the country including the unorganised sector
workers on voluntary basis. Additionally, Central Government launched
a co-contributory pension scheme, Swavalamban Scheme in the Union
Budget of 2010-11, under which the government will contribute a sum of
` 1,000 to each eligible NPS subscriber who contributes a minimum of
` 1,000 & maximum ` 12,000 per annum.
The NPS is structured in 2 tiers. A Tier-1 account is a basic retirement
pension account available to all citizens from 1 May 2009. It doesnot
permit withdrawal of funds before retirement. A Tier-2 account is a
prospective payment system account that permits some withdrawal of
pension prior to retirement under exceptional circumstances, usually
related to the provision of health care.
Business B-335

MINISTRY OF CORPORATE AFFAIRS

MCA regulates corporate affairs in India through the Companies ACT, 1956,
2013 and other allied Acts, Bills and Rules. MCA also protects investors and
offers many important services to stakeholders.
The Ministry is also responsible for administering the Competition Act,
20002 to prevent practices having adverse effect on competition, to promote
and sustain competition in markets, to protect the interests of consumers
through the commission set up under the Act.
Besides, it exercises supervision over the three professional bodies, namely,
Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) which are constituted
under three separate Acts of the Parliament for proper and orderly growth
of the professions concerned
Registrar of Companies
Registrars of Companies (ROC) appointed under Section 609 of the
Companies Act covering the varuous States and Union Territories are vested
with the primary duty of registering companies and LLPs floated in the
respective states and the Union Territories and ensuring that such companies
and LLPs comply with statutory requirements under the Act. These offices
function as registry of records relating to the companies registered with
them, which are available for inspection by members of public on payment
of the prescribed fee. The Central Government exercises administrative
control over these offices through the respective Regional Directors.
Income Tax Department
The Income Tax Department, also referred to as IT Department, is a
government agency in charge of monitoring the income tax collection by
the Government of India. It functions under the Department of Revenue of
the Ministry of Finance. It is responsible for administering following direct
taxation acts passed by Parliament of India.
x Income Tax Act
x Wealth Tax Act
x Gift Tax Act
x Expenditure Tax Act
x Interest Tax Act
x Various Finance Acts (Passed Every Year in Budget Session)
The IT Department is also responsible for enforcing the Double Taxation
Avoidance Agreements and deals with various aspects of international
taxation such as Transfer Pricing.

BALANCE SHEET
A financial statement that summarizes a companys assets, liabilities and
shareholders equity at a specific point in time. These three balance sheet
segments give investors an idea as to what the company owns and owes, as
well as the amount invested by shareholders.
B-336
The balance sheet adheres to the following formula:
Assets = Liabilities + Shareholders Equity
SOURCES OF FUNDS
Debt : A duty or obligation to pay
money delivery goods or render
service under an express or implied
agreement.
Debentures : It is a medium- to
long-term debt instrument used by
large companies to borrow money,
at a fixed rate of interest.
Shareholders Equity : It represents
the amount by which a company
is financed through common and
preferred shares.
Seed Funding : It is a type of
securities contribution in which and
investor invests capital in exchange
for an equity stake in the company.
This sort of funding is done in the
initial stages of a business.
Venture funding : It is the capital
invested, or available for investment,
in an enterprise that offers the
probability of profit along with
the possibility of loss. This sort of
Business
funding is done, generally, after a
company has a proof of concept and
has crossed early stages of business.
IPO : Initial public offering of IPO
is the first sale of a companys shares
to the public, leading to a stock
market listing. A lot of venture funds
adopts this route to exit a company
in which they have invested.
Shares : A unit of ownership that
represents an equal proportion of
a companys capital. It entitles its
holder( the shareholder) to an equal
claim on the companys profits & an
equal obligation for the companys
debts & losses.
There are 2 major types of shares-
x Ordinary shares : entitle the
shareholder to share in the
earnings of the company & to
vote at the companys annual
general meatings & other official
meetings.
Business
x Preference shares : entitle the
shareholder to a fixed periodic
income but generally donot give
him/her voting rights.
PERFORMANCE OF A COMPANY
Debt/Equity ratio : It is a debt
ratio used to calculate companys
financial leverage. It is calculated by
dividing a companys total liabilities
by its stockholders equity. It shows
how much debt a corporation is
using to fund its assets relative to
the amount of value represented in
shareholders equity.
P/E ratio : The price-to earnings
ratio is an equity valuation multiple.
It is defined as market price per
share divided by annual earnings
per share, (EPS = total income of
company divided by number of
shares issued)
SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES
Small and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs; sometimes also small and
medium enterprises) or small and
medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are
businesses whose personnel numbers
fall below certain limits. Indian
Small and Medium Enterprises
(SME) sector has emerged as a
highly vibrant and dynamic sector
of the Indian economy over the
last five decades. SMEs not only
play crucial role in providing large
employment opportunities at
comparatively lower capital cost
than large industries but also help
in industrialization of rural areas.
SMEs are complementary to large
industries as ancillary units and this
sector contributes enormously to the
socio-economic development of the
country. The sector consisting of 36
million units, as of today, provides
employment to over 80 million
persons. The Sector through more
B-337
Loans : A loan is a debt pronded
by entity (organisation of
individual) to another entity at
an interest rate.
Turnover ratio : The turnover ratio
measures how well a company is
utilizing its capital to support a given
Level of Sales. A high turnover ratio
indicates that management is being
extremely efficient is using a firms
short term assets & liabilities to
support sales. Conversely, a low ratio
indicates that a business is investing
in too many accounts receivable &
inventory assets to support its sales,
which could eventually lead to an
excessive amount of bad debts &
obsolete inventory
than 6,000 products contributes
about 8% to GDP besides 45% to
the total manufacturing output and
40% to the exports from the country.
The SME sector has the potential to
spread industrial growth across the
country and can be a major partner
in the process of inclusive growth.
SMEs also play a significant role in
Nation development through high
contribution to Domestic Production,
Significant Export Earning, Low
Investment Requirements, Operational
Flexibility, Location Wise Mobility,
Low Intensive Imports, Capacities
to Develop Appropriate Indigenous
Technology, Import Substitution,
Contribution towards Defence
Production, Technology Oriented
Industries, Competitiveness in
Domestic and Export Markets thereby
generating new entrepreneurs by
providing knowledge and training.
B-338
ECOMMERCE IN INDIA
E-commerce or electronic commerce
deals with the buying & selling of
goods & services, or the transmitting
of funds or data, over an electronic
platform, mainly the internet. These
business transactions are categorised
into
x Business to Business (B2B)
x Business to Consumers (B2C)
x Consumer to Consumer (C2B)
x Consumer to Business(C2C)
Business to Business to Consumer
Ecommerce processes are conducted
using applications, such as Email,
fax, online catalogues & shopping
carts, electronic data interchange,
file transfer protocol & web services
& enewsletters to subscribers. E
Travel is the most popular form of
Ecommerce, followed by eTail
which essentially means selling of
MNC
A corporation that has its facilities
and other assets in at least one
country other than its home country.
Such companies have offices and/
or factories in different countries
and usually have a centralized head
office where they co-ordinate global
management. It can also be referred
as an international corporation, a
transnational corporation, or a
stateless corporation.
NGO
A non-governmental organization
(NGO) is an organization that is
neither a part of a government nor a
conventional for-profit business.
The term non-governmental
organization was first coined in
1945, when the United Nations
(UN) was created.The UN, itself
an inter-governmental organization,
made it possible for certain approved
specialized international non-state
Business
retail goods on the internet conducted
by the B2C category.
As of Q1 2015, six Indian E-commerce
companies have managed to achieve
billiondollar valuations, namely
Flipkart, Snapdeal, Inmobi, Quikr,
Ola cabs & Paytm.
Mobile Commerce
(M Commerce)
MCommerce is the buying & selling
of goods & services through wireless
handheld services such as cellular
telephone & personal digital assistants.
The phrase mobile commerce was
originally coined in 1997 by Kevin
Duffey at the launch of the Global
Mobile Commerce Forum. Mobile
Commerce transaction continues
to grow, & the term includes online
banking, Bill payment & so on.
agencies i.e., non-governmental
organizations to be awarded
observer status at its assemblies
and some of its meetings. Later
the term became used more widely.
Today, according to the UN, any
kind of private organization that is
independent from government control
can be termed an NGO, provided it
is not-for-profit, nonprevention, and
not simply an opposition political
party.
Examples include improving the
state of the natural environment,
encouraging the observance of human
rights, improving the welfare of the
disadvantaged, or representing a
corporate agenda. However, there are
a huge number of such organizations
and their goals cover a broad range
of political and philosophical
positions. This can also easily be
applied to private schools and athletic
organizations.
Business B-339

FICCI (Federation of Indian the Directorate of Marketing &

Chamber of Commerce &
Industry)
Established in 1927, FICCI
is the largest and oldest apex
business organisation in India. A
non-government, not-for-profit
organisation, FICCI is the voice of
Indias business and industry. From
influencing policy to encouraging
debate, engaging with policy makers
and civil society, FICCI articulates
the views and concerns of industry.
AGMARK
It is a certification mark employed
on agricultural products in India,
assuring that they confirm to
a set of standards approved by
Inspection, an agency of the
Government of India.
ISI Mark
ISI (Indian Standards Institute) mark
is a certification mark for industrial
products in India. The mark certifies
that a product confirms to the
Indian Standard, mentioned as IS:
xxxx on top of the mark, developed
by the Bureau of Indian Standards
(BIS). The ISI mark is mandatory
for certifying products to be sold in
India, like many of the electrical
appliances, kitchen appliances, other
products like LPG valves, LPG
cylinders, automotive tyres, etc.

IMPORTANT BUSINESS TERMS

Term Meaning
Ahead of the Curve To be more advanced than the competition
Backroom Deal An agreement or decision that is made without the public
knowing about it.
Go broke To go bankrupt or to loose all the money a person or business
had.
In the black If a company is in the black, it means that they are making
a profit
In the red If a company is in the red it means that they are not
profitable & are operating at a loss.
Lose Lose situation When someone has to choose between various options & all
the options are bad.
Pink Slip If someone gets the pink slip, it means they have fired.
Snail Mail Letter or messages that are not sent by email, but by regular
post.
Blue Collar Worker Someone who works with his/her hands (manufacturing
construction, maintenance, etc.).
White Collar Worker Someone who works in an office (customer service,
management, sales, etc.)
Win Win situation A situation where everyone involved gains something.
Corner a market To dominate a particular market.
Downsizing A planned reduction in the number of employees needed in
a firm in order to reduce costs & make the business more
efficient.
Venture Capital money that is invested in new or emerging companies that are
perceived as having great profit potential.
B-340 Business

Term Meaning
Opportunity Cost Cost in terms of foregone alternatives.
Logistics Process of strategically managing the efficient flow & storage
of raw materials, in-process inventory, & finished goods from
point of origin to point of consumption.
Equity Difference between market value of a property & claims held
against it.
Merger Combination of two or more companies into a single firm.
Acquisition Taking over the control of one company by another.
Hedging A Risk management Strategy used in limiting or offsetting
probability of loss from fluctuations in the prices of
commodities, currencies, or securities.
Intellectual Property Knowledge, creative ideas, or expressions of human mind that
have commercial value & are protectable under copyright,
patent, servicemark, trademark, or trade secret laws from
imitation infringement, & dilution.
Swap Exchange of one type of asset, cash flow, investment, liability,
or payment for another.
Bankrupt When individual/company cannot pay their debts & are not
able to reach an agreement with their creditors.
Liquidity How quickly assets can be converted into cash.

BUSINESS CONCEPTS
Agent : A business entity that
negotiates, purchases, and/or sells,
but does not take title to the goods.
Doing Business As (DBA) DBA
stands for Doing Business As,
which is a company name, also
commonly called a Fictitious
business name. When a sole
proprietor operates a company using
any name except his or her own given
name, then the DBA or ficticious
business name registration establishes
the legal ownership to satisfy banks,
local authorities, and customers.
Ideas vs opportunities Ideas
are the basis of potential business
opportunities. Good ideas do
not necessarily represent good
opportunities.
Initial Public Offering (IPO) A
corporations initial efforts of raising
capital through the sale of securities
on the public stock market.
Inventory Goods in stock, either
finished goods or materials to be used
to manufacture goods.
Outsourcing Purchasing an item or
a service from an outside vendor to
replace performance of the task with
an organizations internal operations.
SWOT analysis A formal
framework of identifying and framing
organizational growth opportunities.
SWOT is an acronym for an
organizations internal Strengths
and Weaknesses and external
Opportunities and Threats.
CRM- C-R-M stands for Customer
Relationship Management. At its
simplest, a CRM system allows
businesses to manage business
relationships and the data and
information associated with them.
Supply Chain Management
(SCM) is the oversight of materials,
information, and finances as they
move in a process from supplier
to manufacturer to wholesaler to
Business
retailer to consumer. Supply chain
management involves coordinating
and integrating these flows both
within and among companies.
Memorandum of Association
(MoA) :
MoA is a legal document prepared
in the formation & registration
process of a limited liability
company to define its relationship
with shareholders.
Articles of Association : It is a
document of a company which
defines the responsibilities of the
directors, the kind of business to be
undertaken, & the means by which
the shareholders exert control over the
board of directors.
Start ups
A start-up company is an
entrepreneurial venture or a new
business in the form of a company, a
partnership or temporary organization
designed to search for a repeatable
and scalable business model. These
companies, generally newly created,
are innovative in a process of
development, validation and research
for target markets.
Boot Strap
A situation in which an entrepreneur
starts a company with little capital.
An individual is said to be boot
strapping when he or she attempts
to found and build a company
from personal finances or from
the operating revenues of the new
company.
x Employees State Insurance (ESI)
ESI is a self-financing social
security & health insurance
scheme for Indian workers.
The ESI is managed by the ESI
Corporation (ESIC) according to
rules and regulations stipulated
B-341
there in the ESI Act 1948,
which oversees the provision
of medical and cash benefits to
the employees and their family
through its large network of
branch offices, dispensaries and
hospitals throughout India.
x Provident Fund (PF)
It is a fund which is composed
of contributions & made by the
employee during the time he/
she worked along with an equal
contribution by his employer.
Its purpose is to help employees
save a fraction of their salary
every month, to be used in
an event that the employee is
temporarily or no longer fit to
work or at retirement.
TDS
Tax deducted at source (TDS),
as the very name implies aims at
collection of revenue at the very
source of income. It is essentially
an indirect method of collecting
tax which combines the concepts of
pay as you earn and collect as
it is being earned. Its significance
to the government lies in the fact
that it prepones the collection of
tax, ensures a regular source of
revenue, provides for a greater reach
and wider base for tax. At the same
time, to the tax payer, it distributes
the incidence of tax and provides for
a simple and convenient mode of
payment.
The concept of TDS requires that
the person on whom responsibility
has been cast, is to deduct tax at the
appropriate rates, from payments of
specific nature which are being made
to a specified recipient. The deducted
sum is required to be deposited to the
B-342
credit of the Central Government.
The recipient from whose income
tax has been deducted at source, gets
the credit of the amount deducted
in his personal assessment on the
basis of the certificate issued by the
deductor.
Lease
A legal document outlining the
terms under which one party agrees
to rent property from another
party. A lease guarantees the lessee
(the renter) use of an asset and
guarantees the lessor (the property
owner) regular payments from the
lessee for a specified number of
months or years. Both the lessee and
the lessor must uphold the terms of
the contract for the lease to remain
valid.
Financial Leasing
As one of the most popular
financing tools in modern business
world, Financial Leasing Services
uses finance leases to leverage assets.
A Finance Lease (or Capital Lease)
is a lease that is primarily a method
of raising finance to pay for assets,
rather than a genuine rental.
It is a commercial arrangement
where:
x the leases (customer or borrower)
will select an asset (equipment,
vehicle, software);
x the lessor (finance company) will
purchase that asset;
x the leassee will have use of that
asset during the lease;
x the lessess will pay a series of
rental or installments for the use
of that asset;
x the lessor will recover a large
part or all of the cost of the
asset plus earn interest from the
Business
rentals paid by the lessee;
x the lessee has the option to
acquire ownership of the asset
(e.g. paying the last rental, or
bargain option purchase price);
The finance company is the legal
owner of the asset during duration
of the lease.
E-FILING
Electronic tax filing, or e-filing,
is a system for submitting tax
documents to a revenue service
electronically, often without
the need to submit any paper
documents. E-filing has manifold
benefits; the taxpayer can file a tax
return from the comfort of home,
at any convenient time, once
the tax agency begins accepting
returns. E-filing saves the tax
agency time and money, because
the tax data is transmitted directly
into its computers, significantly
reducing the possibility of keying
and input errors.
Corporate tax
Corporate taxes are taxes against
profits earned by businesses during a
given taxable period. Corporation tax
is a tax imposed on the net income of
the company. The present corporate
for is 30% on the Net Income of the
company.
It was announced in Union Budget
2015 that corporate tax rate will be
gradually reduced from 30% to 25%
over the period of 4 years, starting
in April 2016. 2% surcharge was
introduced on earnings above 10 crores.
Surcharge is applied in the
following cases:
x If the company has a total
income less than Rs. 1 crore,
then it does not have to pay any
income tax.
x If the net income of the company
for that year is in the range of Rs.
x 10 crore then 5% surcharge is
Business
applied on its net income.
x If the net income of the company
for that year exceeds Rs. 10 crore
then 10% surcharge is applied on
its net income education cess
3URWDELOLW\RIFRPSDQ\
Profitability is the ability of a
business to earn a profit. A profit is
what is left of the revenue a business
generates after it pays all expenses
directly related to the generation of
the revenue, such as producing a
product, and other expenses related
to the conduct of the business
activities.
Dividend
A share of the after-tax profit
of a company, distributed to its
shareholders according to the number
and class of shares held by them.
Start-ups and other high-growth
companies such as those in the
B-343
technology or biotechnology sectors
rarely offer dividends because all of
their profits are reinvested to help
sustain higher-than-average growth
and expansion. Larger, established
companies tend to issue regular
dividends as they seek to maximize
shareholder wealth in ways aside from
supernormal growth.
Issued Capital
The share capital that has been
issued to the shareholders. This
is part of a companys authorised
capital.
Paid up capital
The amount of a companys capital that
has been funded by shareholders. Paid-
up capital can be less than a companys
total capital because a company may
not issue all of the shares that it has
been authorized to sell. Paid-up capital
can also reflect how a company depends
on equity financing.
 

Rank Com any Re enues ` Cr
1 TCS 94,648
2 Cognizant Technology Solutions 65,779
3 Infosys Technologies 53,319
4 Wipro 47,318
5 Hewlett-Packard India 37,985
6 HCL Technologies 35,709
7 Tech Mahindra 22,621
8 IBM India 20,442
9 Ingram Micro India 15,823
10 Redington India 14,610
11 Dell India 13,984
12 Oracle India 12,440
13 SAP India 9,896
14 Cisco Systems India 9,740
15 Microsoft India 8,624
16 IGATE 7,879
17 APC by Schneider Electric India 6,848
18 Capgemini India 6,305
19 Intel India 6,292
20 HCL Infosystems 6,270
Source: NASSCOM
B-344 Business

LIST OF TOP 10 RICHEST PERSON OF INDIA

  
S. No. Name Net worth (USD) Company
01 Mukesh Ambani $19.9 Reliance Industries
02 Dilip Shanghvi $18.0 Sun Pharma
03 Azim Premji $15.9 Wipro
04 Hinduja brothers $14.8 Hinduja Group
05 Pallonji Mistry $14.7 Shapoorji Pallonji Group
06 Shiv Nadar $14.7 HCL Technologies
07 Godrej family $11.4 Godrej Group
08 Lakshmi Mittal $11.2 ArcelorMittal
09 Cyrus Poonawalla $7.9 Serum Institute of India
10 Kumar Birla $7.8 Aditya Birla Group
WORLDS MOST VALUABLE BRANDS
Rank Brand Industry
01 Apple Technology
02 Microsoft Technology
03 Google Technology
04 Coca-cola Beverages
05 IBM Technology
06 Mc Donalds Restaurants
07 Samsung Technology
08 Toyata Automotive
09 General Electric Diversified
10 Facebook Technology
TOP 10 BRANDS OF BRANDZ 2015 REPORT
Rank 2015 Brand Category Brand Value 2015
(SM)
1 HDFC Bank Bank 12,577
2 Airtel Telecoms 11,039
3 SBI Banks 9,374
4 ICICI Bank Banks 5,122
5 Asian Paints Paints 3,867
6 Bajaj Auto Automobiles 3,345
7 Hero MotoCorp Automobiles 2,907
8 Axis Bank Banks 2,494
9 Kotak Mahindra Bank Banks 2,394
10 Maruti Suzuki Automobiles 2,318
 

1 wehive by flipkart.com 5 unicommerce by snapdeal.com

2 babyoye... by Mahindra Retail 6 martmobi by snapdeal.com
3 Taxi for sure by OLA 7 app ITERATE by flipkart.com
4 AdiQuity by flipkart.com 8 car sale by CARTRADE
*(1(5$/6&,(1&(
` Physics
` Chemistry
` Life Science
` Everyday Science
B-346 General Science

Physics
MECHANICS
Physical Quantities (v) 1 ltr. = 1000 cc = 10-3 m3
Those quantities which can describe (vi) 1 cm2 = 10-4 m2
the laws of physics and possible to (vii) 1 mm = 10-3 m
measure are called physical quantities. (viii) 1 atomic mass unit 1 (amu) =
The physical quantities which do not 1.67 10-27
depend upon other physical quantities (ix) 1 slug = 14.57 kg
are called fundamental quantities. (x) 1 tonne = 10 quintal = 1000kg
In Standard International (S.I.) system
(xi) 1 kg/m3 = 1000 g/cm3
the fundamental quantities are mass,
5
length, time, temperature, luminous (xii) 1 km/h = m/s and 1 m/s
intensity, electric current and amount 18 18
of substance. = km/h
5
The physical quantities which depend on (xiii) 1 newton = 105 dyne, 1 kg wt
fundamental quantities are called derived = 9.8 N and 1 g wt = 981 dyne
quantities e.g. speed, acceleration, force, (xiv) 1 joule = 107 erg,
etc.
1 eV = 1.6 1019 J
Units
(xv) 1 atm = 76 cm of Hg = 1.01
The unit of a physical quantity is the
reference standard used to measure it. N dy
105 2 1.01 u 2
1. Fundamental Units: The units m cm
defined for the fundamental (xvi) 1 h.p. = 746 watt
quantities are called fundamental (xvii) 1 kw h = 3.6 106 J
or base units. (xviii) 1 tesla = 1 web/m2 = 104 gauss
Fundamental Unit for Mass- Path Length or Distance: The length
Kilogram (Kg), Length-metre (m), of the actual path between initial and
Time-second(s), Temperature-
final positions of a particle in a given
kelvin (K), Electric Current-
interval of time is called distance
ampere (A), Luminous intensity
- Candela (cd), Amount of covered by the particle.
Substance - mole (mol). Displacement: The shortest distance
2. Derived Units: The units defined from the initial position to the final
for the derived quantities are position of the particle is called
called derived units. e.g. unit displacement.
of speed or velocity (metre per Speed, Velocity and Acceleration
second), acceleration (metre per Distance travelled
second2) etc. Speed =
TimeTaken
Some Important Conversions
Displacement
(i) 1 yard = 0.9144 m #0.91m Velocity =
(ii) 1 foot (1) = 0.305 m Time interval
(iii) 1 inch (1) = 2.54 cm = 0.025 m Change in velocity
Acceleration =
(iv) 1 mile - 1609 m = 1.609 km Time interval
General Science B-347

Kinematic Equations for Uniformly Relation between momentum and

Accelerated Motion kinetic energy:
Motion under uniform acceleration Consider a body of mass m moving
is described by the following equations. with velocity v. Linear momentum
1 of the body, p = mv.
v = u + at ; s = ut + at2 and KE of a particle can be expressed as
v2 = u2 + 2as 2
P2
Distance Travelled in nth Second E and p 2mE
of Uniformly Accelerated Motion 2m
a 2nd law: The rate of change of
S th u  (2n  1) momentum of a body is directly
n 2   proportional to the unbalanced external
Relative Velocity: If v A and v B be force applied on it.
the respective velocities of object  
A and B then  dp   
 relative
 velocity
 of A i.e., F v or, F k
dp
or F ma
w.r.t. B is v A B v A  v B dt dt
Similarly, relative Impulse: If a large force acts on a
 velocity
 of B w.r.t.
body or particle for a smaller time,
A is v BA v B  v A then impulse = product of force and
Scalars and Vectors time. 
The physical quantities which require only Impulse = F't
magnitude to express, are called scalar 3rd law: According to this law,
quantities. Ex. Mass, distance, time, every action has equal and opposite
speed, volume, density, pressure, reaction. Action and reaction act
work, energy, power, charge, electric on two different bodies and they
current, temperature, potential, are simultaneous. There can be no
specific heat, frequency, etc. Certain reaction without action.
physicsl quantities have both magnitude Law of Conservation of Linear
and direction, they are called vector Momentum
quantities. Ex. Displacement, velocity, If the total external force acting on a
acceleration, force, momentum, system is equal to zero, then the final
impulse, electric field, magnetic field, value of the total momentum of the
current density, etc. system is equal to the initial value of
Newtons Laws of Motion the total
 momentum of the system.

1st law: Every body continues to be in p = constant or pf = pi
its state of rest or of uniform motion in Motion in a Lift
a straight line unless compelled by an Let a man of weight W = Mg be
external force to change its state. This standing in a lift.
fundamental property of the body is Case (a): If the lift is moving with
called inertia. This law is known as constant velocity v upwards or
Newtons first law of motion or law downwards.
of inertia.
Inertia: Inertia is the property of a body
due to which it opposes the change in its a=0
state. Inertia of a body is measured
by mass of the body. It is directly
proportional to the mass of the body g
i.e., Inertia v mass.
Momentum: The linear momentum

of a body ( p ) is defined as the
product of the mass of  thebody (m)
and its velocity. i.e., P mv . W = Mg
B-348
In this case there is no accelerated
motion hence no pseudo force
experienced by observer O inside
the lift.
So apparent weight, W = actual
weight W
Case (b): If the lift is accelerated
i.e., a = constant and in upward
direction.
Then net forces acting on the man are
(i) weight W = Mg downward
(ii) fictitious force F0 = Ma downward.
So apparent weight,
W = W + F0 = Mg + Ma
= M (g + a)
a q from the vertical such that
g Work: Work done by a force on a body
W = M(g+a)
Case (c): If the lift is accelerated
downward with acceleration a < g:
a<g
g Energy
W = M (g a)
The fictitious force F0 = Ma acts
upward while weight of a man
W = Mg always acts downward,
therefore apparent weight,
W = W + F0 = Mg Ma = M (g a)
Friction
Whenever a body moves or tends
to move over the surface of another
body, a force comes into play which
General Science
acts parallel to the surface of contact
and opposes the relative motion.
This opposing force is called friction.
Centripetal force: The force
directed towards the centre required
for traversing a circular path is called
centripetal force.
mv 2
Centripetal force = F mZ2 r .
r
 In a banked path with curvature
(q) with friction, the safe
velocity is given by
 Y >UJWDQT + P) / (1 Ptan T)].
 Bending of cyclist: In order to
take a circular turn of radius r
with speed v, the cyclist should
bend himself through an angle
v2
tan T
rg
is defined as the product of force and the
displacement of the body in the direction
of force. SI unit of work is joule.

W F.S FScos T where T is the
 
angle between F and S .
Power: Power is the rate of doing work.
 
dW F.dS  
Power = P F.v
dt dt
Its SI unit is watt.
1 Horse power [1HP] = 746 W,
1 calorie = 4.2J and 6
1 kW h = 3.6 10 J
Energy is the capacity of doing work.
It is also a scalar quantity. The SI
unit is joule.
Work-energy theorem states that
the work done on a body is equal to
the change in its kinetic energy.
Kinetic energy: K.E. is the energy
possessed by the body due to its motion.
1 2
K.E. = mv
2
Potential energy: P.E. is the energy
possessed by the body due to its
position or shape.
General Science B-349

Gravitational P.E. = mgh (due to  

change in position)
Law of conservation of energy
states that energy can neither be
created nor be destroyed but it can
be transformed from one form to
another.
Mass-energy equivalence: According
to this theorem mass and energy are
inter-convertible.
E= mc2.
where c = 3 10 ms1 is velocity of
8
light in vaccum or air.
Collision
If the path of a body is affected
by another body when two bodies
physically come in contact, then
collision is said to have taken place.
Elastic collision: Both momentum
and K.E. are conserved.
For elastic collision in one
dimension,
Inelastic collision: Only momentum
is conserved.
Coefficient of restitution is defined
as the ratio of velocity of separation to
the velocity of approach.
Coefficient of restitution
v v
=e= 2 1
u1  u 2
e = 1 for perfectly elastic collision
e = 0 for perfectly inelastic collision
Centre of Mass: It is an imaginary
point at which the whole mass of a body
is supposed to be concentrated.
Torque and Angular Momentum
Torque is the moment of force. It is
the cross product of the force with
the perpendicular distance between
the axis of rotation and the point of
application of force withthe force.
 
Torque = t = r F ; S.I. unit
is N m
Angular momentum is the moment
of linear momentum. It is also the
product of the linear momentum
and the perpendicular distance of
the mass from the axis  of rotation.
  
t = r p where p = position
relative to origin
= linear momentum at position.
Angular momentum L = r p =: S.I
unit kg m2/s
Relation between torque and angular
momentum,
 dL
T=
dt
Moment of Inertia
It is equivalent to mass in rotational
motion. It is defined as the sum of
the product of the constituent masses
and the square of their perpendicular
distances from the axis of rotation.
For an n-particle system having
mass points m1, m2, m3, ...............,
mn at perpendicular distances
r1, r2, ............, rn, moment of inertia,
I = m1r12 m2r22............ + mnrn2
n
= mi ri 2
i 1
S.I. unit is kgm2 and it is a scalar quantity.
Gravitation
It is the force of attraction between
any two bodies.
Newtons Universal Law of
Gravitation: Every body in this
universe attracts every other body with
a force which is directly proportional
to the product of their masses and
inversely proportional to the square
of the distance between them.
1
F v m1m 2 and F v 2 F v 12 2
mm
r r
mm
? F G 12 2
r
G = Universal gravitational constant
= 6.67 1011 Nm2/kg2
Acceleration due to gravity: The
acceleration produced in a body due
to gravitational force of the earth is
called acceleration due to gravity (g).
GM e
g= (on the surface of the earth);
Re 2
Me = mass on the earth and Re =
radius of the earth.
gR2e
= 6 1024 kg,
Me
G
Re = 6400 km;
B-350
Acceleration due to gravity. g is
maximum at poles and least (zero)
at equator.
Gravitational Potential: Gravitational
potential at a point in a gravitational
field is defined as the work done in
taking a unit mass from infinity to the
point.
GM
Gravitational potential = V =
Escape Speed: Minimum speed r
required to escape the earths
gravitational pull.
ve 2gr 2 u vo (For
ve = 11.2 km/s)
where v0 = orbital speed
Satellite
It is a heavenly body or an artificial
object which revolves round a planet
in a particular orbit. The required
centripetal force is provided by the
gravitational force. Keplers laws of
planetary motion are applicable to
them.
(a) Orbital velocity of a satellite:
Velocity with which the
satellite orbits around the
planet.
GM
vo
Rh
(b) Time period of a satellite:
Time taken by it to complete
one revolution around the
planet.
General Science
(c) Height of a satellite above
the surface of the planet:
T 2 R 2g
H =
2 R
4S
(d) Total energy of a satellite
orbiting on a circular path
is negative with potential
energy being negative but
twice as the magnitude of
positive kinetic energy.
(e) Binding energy of a satellite is
the energy required to remove
it from its orbit to infinity.
earth
GMm
B.E. = No energy is
2r
required to keep the satellite in
its orbit.
Geostationary satellites: The satellites
in a circular orbit around the earth
in the equatorial plane with a time
period of 24 hours, appears to be
fixed from any point on earth are
called geostationary satellite.
For geostationary satellite, height
above the earths surface = 35800
km and orbital velocity = 3.1 km/s.
Polar Satellites: A satellite that
revolves in a polar orbit along north-
south direction while the earth
rotates around its axis in east west
direction.
Weightlessness: A situation where
the effective weight of the object
becomes zero. An astronaut
experiences weightlessness in space
satellite because the astronaut as
3S  R  h   R  h 3
3
2S
T
GUR 3 R g
PROPERTIES OF MATTER
Elasticity and Plasticity
The property of the body to regain its
original configuration (length, or shape)
when the deforming forces are removed
is called elasticity. On the other hand,
if the body does not have any tendency
to regain its original configuration on
well as the satellite are in a free fall
state towards the earth.
removal of deforming force the body is
called plastic body and this property is
called plasticity.
Perfectly elastic body: A body which
regains its original configuration
immediately and completely after
the removal of deforming force from
General Science
it, is called perfectly elastic body.
Quartz and phosphor bronze, are
closed to perfectly plastic body.
Perfectly plastic body: A body
which does not regain its original
configuration at all on the removal
of deforming force, however small
the deforming force may be is called
perfectly plastic body. Putty and mud
are closed to perfectly plastic body.
Stress: The internal restoring force acting
per unit area of a body is called stress.
i.e., Stress = Restoring force/ Area
Strain: The ratio of change in
configuration to the original
configuration is called strain.
Change in configuraion
i.e., Strain =
Original configuration
Strain being the ratio of two
like quantities has no units and
dimensions.
Elastic Limit
Elastic limit is the upper limit of
deforming force up to which, if
deforming force is removed, the
body regains its original form
completely and beyond which, if
deforming force is increased, the
body loses its property of elasticity
and gets permanently deformed.
Hookes law
It states that within the elastic limit
stress is directly proportional to strain.
i.e., Stress v strain
or Stress = E strain
Here E is the coefficient of
proportionality and is called
modulus of elasticity or coefficient
of elasticity of a body.
Materials-Ductile, Brittle and
Elastomers
(i) Ductile materials: The materials
which have large range of plastic
extension are called ductile
materials. They can be drawn
into thin wires, e.g., copper,
silver, aluminium, iron, etc.
(ii) Brittle materials: The materials
which have very small range of
plastic extension are called brittle
B-351
materials. These materials break
as soon as the stress is increased
beyond the elastic limit. e.g.,
glass, ceramics, cast iron, etc.
(iii) Elastomers: The materials which
can be stretched to large values of
strain are called elastomers. e.g.,
rubber, elastic tissue of aorta, etc.
Youngs modulus of elasticity (Y):
It is defined as the ratio of normal
stress to the longitudinal strain within
the elastic limit.
Normal stress
Thus, Y =
Longitudinal strain
Fluids
Fluids are the substances that can
flow. Therefore liquids and gases
both are fluids. The study of fluids
at rest is called fluid statics or
hydrostatics and the study of fluids
in motion is called fluid dynamics
or hydrodynamics. Both combined
are called fluid mechanics.
Density (U)
Mass per unit volume is defined as
density. So density at a point of a
fluid is represented as
dm dm
U = lim =
'v o0 dV dV
Relative Density
It is defined as the ratio of the density
of the given fluid to the density of pure
water at 4C.
Relative density (R.D).
Density of given liquid
=
Density of pure water at 4C
The density of water is maximum at
4C and is equal to 1.0 103 kgm3
Pressure
If a uniform force is exerted normal
to an area (A), then average pressure
(pav) is defined as the normal force (F) per
unit area.
F
i.e., Pav
A
In limiting sense, pressure
'F
p = lim Pressure is a scalar
'A o0 'A
quantity.
B-352 General Science

SI unit: pascal (Pa), 1 Pa = 1 N/m2 path then in its path at every point, the
Practical units: atmospheric sum of pressure energy, kinetic energy
pressure (atm), bar and torr and potential energy per unit volume
1 atm = 1.01325 105Pa = 1.01325 remains constant.
bar = 760 torr = 760mm of Hg 1
column pressure. i.e., P1  Ugh1  Uv12
2 1 2
Pascals Law of Transmission of = P2  Ugh 2  Uv 2
Fluid Pressure 2
Pascals law is stated in following ways: Uv 2
? P + Ugh + = constant
 7KHSUHVVXUHLQDIOXLGDWUHVWLV Viscosity 2
same at all the points if gravity The property of a fluid due to which it
is ignored. opposes the relative motion between its
 $ OLTXLG H[HUWV HTXDO SUHVVXUHV different layers is called viscosity (or
in all directions. fluid friction or internal friction)
 ,I WKH SUHVVXUH LQ DQ HQFORVHG and the force between the layers
fluid is changed at a particular opposing the relative motion is
point, the change is transmitted called viscous force.
to every point of the fluid and to Terminal Velocity
the walls of the container without It is maximum constant velocity
being diminished in magnitude. acquired by the body while falling freely
Applications of Pascals law: in a viscous medium.
Hydraulic machines, lifts, presses and
brakes, are based on the Pascals law.
Atmospheric Pressure
Force exerted by air column on unit
cross-section area of sea level is called
atmospheric pressure (P0)
F elastic membrane which has a
P0 101.3kN / m 2
A natural tendency to contract and
Barometer is used to measure
atmospheric pressure which was
discovered by Torricelli.
Atmospheric pressure varies from
place to place and at a particular
place from time to time.
Buoyancy and Archimed Principle
If a body is partially or wholly
immersed in a fluid, it experiences
an upward force due to the fluid
surrounding it. This phenomenon of
force exerted by fluid on the body is
called buoyancy and force is called
buoyant force or upthrust.
Archimedes Principle: It states that the
buoyant force on a body that is partially
or totally immersed in a fluid equal to the
weight of the fluid displaced by it.
Bernoullis Principle
When incompressible, non-viscous,
irrotational liquid i.e., ideal liquid flow
from one position to other in streamline
2r 2  U  V  g
VT =
9K
Surface Tension
Surface tension is basically a
property of liquid. The liquid
surface behaves like a stretched
tends to have a minimum possible
surface area. This property of liquid
is called surface tension.
Force F
Surface tension T =
Length L
Examples of surface tension
(i) Raindrops are spherical in shape.
(ii) The hair of a shaving brush cling
together when taken out of water.
(iii) Oil spread on cold water but
remains as a drop on hot water etc.
Capillarity
A glass tube with fine bore and open
at both ends is known as capillary
tube. The property by virtue of which
a liquid rise or fall in a capillary tube
is known as capillarity. Rise or fall
of liquid in tubes of narrow bore
(capillary tube) is called capillary
action. Rise of kerosene in lanterns,
rise of ink in fountain pen etc. are
due to capillary action.
General Science
HEAT
Temperature and Heat
Temperature is defined as the degree of
hotness or coldness of a body. It is a scalar
quantity. Its S.I. unit is kelvin (K).
Heat is a form of energy which causes
sensation of hotness or coldness. The
flow of heat is always from higher
temperature to lower temperature.
No heat flows from one body to other,
when both the bodies are at the same
temperature. The two bodies are said
to be in thermal equilibrium. The SI
unit of heat is joule. Its CGS unit is
calorie, 1 cal = 4.2 joule
Measurement of Temperature
A branch of science which deals with
the measurement of temperature of
a substance is called thermometry.
Ther mometer is a device used
t o m e a s u r e t h e t e m p e r a t u r e.
Thermometer used for measuring
very high temperatures are called
pyrometer.
Relationship Between Different
Scales of Temperature
C 0 F  32 K  273.16
100 212  32 373.16  273.16
R0 Ra  460
80  0 672  460
T(K) = (tC + 273.16)
Normal temperature of human body
is 310.15 k (37C = 98.6F)
STP or NTP implies 273.15 K (0C
= 32F)
Ideal-gas Equation and Absolute
Temperature
The equation, PV = nRT
where, n = number of moles in the
sample of gas
R = universal gas constant; (its value
is 8.31 J mol1 K1), is known as ideal-
gas equation
It is the combination of following
three laws
B-353
(i) Boyles law: When temperature
is held constant, the pressure is
inversely proportional to volume.
i.e., P v 1 ( at constant temperature)
V
(ii) Charles law: When the pressure
is held constant, the volume of the
gas is directly porportional to the
absolute temperature.
i.e., V v T (at constant pressure)
(iii) Avogadros law: When the
pressure and temperature are kept
constant, the volume is directly
proportional to the number of
moles of the ideal gas in the
container.
i.e., V v n (at constant pressure
and temperature)
Absolute Temperature
The lowest temperature of 273.16
C at which a gas is supposed to have
zero volume and zero pressure and at
which entire molecular motion stops is
called absolute zero temperature. A new
scale of temperature starting with
273.16C by Lord Kelvin as zero.
This is called Kelvin scale or absolute
scale of temperature.
T(K) = tC + 273.16
Thermal Expansion
The increase in the dimensions of a body
due to the increase in its temperature is
called thermal expansion.
Linear expansion: The fractional
increase in length per C rise in temperature
is called FRHIFLHQWRI OLQHDUH[SDQVLRQ.
Coefficient of linear expansion,
'l
l dl
D=
'T l.dT
Superficial expansion: On increasing
the temperature of a solid, its area
increases. This increase in area is
referred as superficial expansion.
&RHIFLHQW RI  VXSHUFLDO H[SDQVLRQ is
B-354
defined as the fractional increase in area
per C rise in temperature.
i.e., Coefficient of a real expansion
DA / A dA
E= = solid substance changes into
DT A.dT
Cubical expansion: On increasing
the temperature of a solid, its volume
increases. This increase in volume
with increase in temperature is called
cubical or volume expansion.
&RHIILFLHQW RI  YROXPH H[SDQVLRQ is
defined as the fractional increase in volume
per C rise in temperature.
i.e., Coefficient of volume expansion,
'V / V dV
J =
'T V.dT
Relation between coefficient of
linear expansion (D), coefficient
of superficial expansion (E) and
coefficient of cubical expansion (J)
E J
D D : E : J 1: 2 : 3
2 3
Anomalous Expansion of Water
Almost all liquids expand on heating
but water when heated from 0C to
4C its volume decreases and hence
density increases until its temperature
reaches 4C. Its density is maximum
at 4C on further heating its density
decreases. This behaviour of water is
called anomalous behaviour of water.
Specific Heat Capacity
It is the amount of heat energy needed
to raise the temperature of unit mass of
substance by 1C (or 1K).
It is denoted by s or c.
Cwater = 1 cal/g C = 1 cal/g K = 1 kcal/kg
K=4200 joule/kg K
Latent Heat or Hidden Heat
When state of a substance changes,
change of state takes place at constant
temperature (m.pt. or b.pt.) heat is
released or absorbed and is given by,
Q = mL
where L is latent heat.
Change of State
Any state of a substance (solid/
liquid/ gas) can be changed into
another by heating or cooling. The
transition of a substance from one
General Science
state to another is called a change
of state.
Some common changes of states:
(i) Melting: When heat is supplied,
liquid, this change of state of
substance is called melting.
Solid 
Heat
o Liquid
The temperature at which the
solid and the liquid states of
a substance coexist in thermal
equilibrium with each other is
called its melting point.
(ii) Freezing: When heat is released,
liquid changes into solid, this
change of state of substance is
called freezing.
Cool
Liquid 
o Solid
(iii) Condensation: When vapour
is cooled, it changes into liquid,
this change of state is called
condensation
Cool
Vapour 
o liquid
(iv) Evaporation: Conversion of
liquid into gaseous state at
all the temperatures is called
evaporation or boiling.
Liquid 
Heat
o Vapour
The temperature at which the
liquid and vapour states of a
substance coexsist in thermal
equilibrium with each other is
called its boiling point.
It is a phenomenon that occurs
at the surface of liquids. The
rate of evaporation increases
with rise in temperature. Heat
required to change unit mass
of liquid into vapour at a given
temperature is called heat of
evaporation at that temperature.
(v) Sublimation: It is the conversion
of a solid directly into vapours.
Heat
Solid 
o Vapour
Sublimation takes place when
boiling point is less than the
melting point.
General Science
Heat transfer: Heat energy transfer
from a body at higher temperature
to a body at lower temperature
by three different methods. They
are conduction, convection and
radiation.
Conduction: Conduction is that
mode of transmission of heat in which
heat is transferred from a region of
higher temperature to a region of lower
temperature by the aid of particles of
the body without their actual migration.
Conduction requires material medium.
C o nve c t i o n : C o nve c t i o n l i k e
conduction requires a material
medium. It is the process in which heat
is transferred from one place to other by
actual movement of heated material
particles.
Radiation: When a body is heated
and placed in vacuum, it loses heat
even when there is no medium
surrounding it.
The process by which heat is lost
in this case is called radiation. This
does not require the presence of any
material medium. It is by radiation
that the heat from the sun reaches
B-355
vapour in equilibrium. The pressure
corresponding to triple point of water
is 6.03 103 atmosphere or 4.58 mm
of Hg and temperature corresponding
to it is 273.16 K.
Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics
If objects A and B are separately in
thermal equilibrium with a third object
C then objects A and B are in thermal
equilibrium with each other.
First Law of Thermodynamics
If some quantity of heat is supplied to a
system capable of doing external work,
then the quantity of heat absorbed by the
system is equal to the sum of the increase
in the internal energy of the system and
the external work done by the system.
i.e., GQ = U + GW
The first law of thermodynamics
is essentially a restatement of the
law of conservation of energy, i.e.,
energy can neither be created nor be
destroyed but may be converted from
one form to another.
Heat Engines
Heat engine is a device which converts heat
energy into work.
Efficiency of heat engine,
the earth. Work done W 
Newtons Law of Cooling K
Heat taken from source (Q1 )
The rate of cooling of a body (rate of
loss of heat) is directly proportional to T1  T2 Q1  Q 2 Q
K 1 2
the excess of temp. of the body over the T1 Q1 Q1
surroundings, provided that this excess is Refrigerators and Heat Pumps
small and loses of heat by radiation only. A refrigerator is the reverse of a heat
If T and T 0 are the temperatures engine. A heat pump is the same as
of the body and its surroundings a refrigerator.
respectively, then according to The coefficient of performance of a
Newtons law of cooling, refrigerator or heat pump.
dQ
Rate of loss of heat,  v  T  T0  Q1 Q2
>? W = Q1 Q2 @
Thermodynamics dt W Q1  Q 2
The thermodynamics is the branch of Carnot Theorem
science in which the conversion of heat No irreversible engine (I) can have
into mechanical work and vice versa is efficiency greater than Carnot reversible
studied. engine (R) working between same hot and
Triple point of water: The triple cold reservoirs.
point of water represents the co- T Q
existence of all the three phases i.e., KR ! KI or 1  2 ! 1  2
T1 Q1
of water ice, water and water
B-356
SOUND
Periodic Motion
Any motion that repeats itself in equal
intervals of time is called periodic motion.
A periodic motion can be represented
in terms of sines and cosines, so it
is called a harmonic motion. The
uniformly rotating earth represents a
periodic motion that repeats itself at
every 24 hours.
An oscillatory motion is always
periodic but a periodic motion may
not be oscillatory.
Examples of S.H.M. (i) clock pendulum,
(ii) oscillating liquid in a U-tube, (iii)
oscillating block in a liquid, (iv)
oscillating frictionless piston fitted
in a cylinder filled with ideal gas, etc.
Sound
Sound is a form of energy which produces
a sensation of hearing in our ears.
Sound Needs a Material Medium for
its Propagation
In the absence of medium (air)
around the source, sound is not
being propagated and light (electro-
magnetic) waves travel through the
vacuum.
Mechanical Waves
A mechanical wave is a periodic
disturbance which requires a material
medium for its propagation.
(a) Transverse wave: When the
particles of the medium vibrate
in a direction perpendicular to the
direction of propagation of the wave,
the wave is known as the transverse
wave. For example, waves produced
in a stretched string, waves on the
surface. These waves travel in form
of crests and troughs. These waves
can travel in solids and liquids only.
(b) Longitudinal wave: When the
particles of the medium vibrate
along the direction of propagation of
the wave then the wave is known as
the longitudinal wave. For example
General Science
sound wave in air, waves in a solid
rod produced by scrabbing etc.
These waves travel in the form of
compressions and rarefactions. These
waves can travel in solids, liquids and
gases.
Electromagnetic Waves
The waves which do not require
medium for propagation are called
electromagnetic waves. This means
that these waves can travel through
vacuum also. For example, light
waves, X-rays, J-rays, Infrared waves,
radio waves, microwaves, etc. These
waves of transverse type.
Difference between sound waves
and electromagnetic waves
(i) Sound waves are longitudinal
and electromagnetic waves are
transverse.
(ii) Sound waves travel at a speed of
340 m/s whereas electromagnetic
waves travel at a speed of 3 108
m/s
(iii) Sound waves do not pass through
a vacuum but electromagnetic
waves (light) do.
Characteristics of Sound Waves
Sound is characterised by three
parameters:
(i) Pitch (ii) Loudness (iii) Quality
(i) Pitch: Pitch is the sensation
(brain interpretation) of the
frequency of an emitted sound
and is the characteristic which
distinguishes a shrill (or sharp)
sound from a grave (or flat)
sound.
(ii) Loudness: Loudness or softness
of a sound wave is the sensation
that depends upon its amplitude.
The loudness of sound is a
measure of the sound energy
reaching the ear per second.
The loudness of sound is
measured in decibel dB. The
General Science
loudness of sound of people
talking quietly is about 65
dB, the loudness of sound in
a very noisy factory is about
100 dB.
(iii) Quality (Timber): Quality or
timber of a sound wave is that
characteristic which helps us in
distinguishing one sound from
another having same pitch and
loudness. We recognise a person
(without seeing) by listening to his
sound as it has a definite quality.
A pure sound of single frequency
is called a tone.
An impure sound produced by
mixture of many frequencies
is called a note. It is pleasant to
listen.
Reflection of Sound
When sound waves strike a surface, they
return back into the same medium. This
phenomenon is called reflection.
Laws of reflection of sound waves
(i) Angle of incidence is equal to
the angle of reflection.
(ii) The incident wave, the reflected
wave and the normal all lie in
the same plane.
OPTICS
Optics
The branch of physics which deals
with the propagation, nature and
behaviour of light is known as optics.
Light
Light is a form of energy which enables
human beings and creatures to see things.
Light is an electromagnetic radiation
which exhibits properties like a
wave as well as a particle. It always
propagates in a straight line.
Light travels with a speed nearly
equal to 3 108 m/s. According to
current theories, no material particle
can travel at a speed greater than the
speed of light.
Luminous and Non-luminous Objects
Luminous objects are those which emit
its own light e.g., sun, glowworm,
B-357
Echo
Phenomenon of hearing back our own
sound is called an echo. It is due to
successive reflection from the surface
of obstacles of large size.
Conditions for the formation of
Echoes
(i) The minimum distance between
the source of sound and the
reflecting body should be 17.2
metres.
(ii) The wavelength of sound should
be less than the height of the
reflecting body.
(iii) The intensity of sound should be
sufficient so that it can be heard
after reflection.
Reverberation
Persistence of sound after its production
stopped, is called reverberation.
When a sound is produced in a big
hall, its wave reflect from the walls
and travel back and forth. Due to
this energy does not reduce and the
sound persist.
A short reverberation is desirable
in a concert hall (where music is
being played) because it gives life
to sound.
burning candle, electric lights. Non-
luminous objects do not give out its own
light but are visible only when light from
a luminous object falls on it. e.g., moon,
earth, table, paper, etc.
Transparent, Translucent and
Opaque materials
Transparent materials are those
which allow most of light to pass
through them. Example: Glass,
water, air.
Translucent materials allow only a
part of light to pass through it. We
cannot see distinctly through them.
Example: greased paper, paraffin
wax, etc.
Opaque materials do not allow any
light to pass through it. They reflect
or absorb all the light that falls on
B-358
them. Example: Books, desk, stone,
rubber, trees, etc.
Reflection of Light
The turning back of light in the same
medium is called reflection of light.
Laws of reflection
1. The angle of incidence i is
equal to the angle of reflection r.
2. At the point of incidence, the
incident rays, the normal to the
surface and the reflected ray all
lie in the same plane.
Images and their properties
An image is defined as the
impression of an object carried over
and formed by light reflected from it.
An image is said to be a real image
if it can be caught on a screen, and a
virtual image if it cannot be caught
on the screen. For example, the
image on the screen in a theatre is
a real image and the image observed
in a plane mirror is a virtual image.
Real image
1. When the rays of light actually
meet, the image so formed is
known as real image.
2. A real image can be caught on
a screen since it is formed by
actual meeting of rays.
3. A real image is always inverted.
4. A real image is formed by a
convergent reflected beam.
5. In ray diagrams, for real image,
the rays are represented by full
lines.
Virtual image
1. When the rays of light appear
to meet, the image so formed is
known as virtual image.
2. A virtual image cannot be
caught on a screen since it is
formed by meeting of imaginary
rays.
3. A virtual image is always erect.
4. A virtual image is formed by a
divergent reflected beam.
5. In ray diagrams, for virtual
image, the rays are generally
represented by dotted lines.
General Science
Characteristics of images formed
by a plane mirror
The image formed by a plane mirror is
(a) virtual (the image cannot be
formed on a screen)
(b) upright
(c) laterally inverted (the left side of
an image is formed by the right
side of an object)
(d) the same size as the object
(e) the same distance behind the
mirror as the object is in front
of the mirror
Concave and Convex Mirror
Concave mirror: If the reflection
takes place from the inner surface of
a spherical mirror, then the mirror is
called concave mirror.
Convex mirror: If the outer surface
of the spherical mirror acts as a
reflector then the mirror is called
convex mirror.
Uses of concave mirrors:
(i) In torches, search-lights and
vehicles headlights to get
powerful beams of light.
(ii) As a shaving mirror to see a
large image of the face.
(iii) As a dentists mirror to see large
images of the teeth of patients.
(iv) Large sized concave mirror is
used to concentrate sunlight to
produce heat in solar furnaces.
Uses of convex mirrors:
(i) As a rear -view mirrors in vehicles.
(ii) For security purposes.
Mirror Formula
If an object is placed at a distance
u from the pole of a mirror and its
image is formed at a distance v (from
the pole) then,
1 1 1

v u f
Magnification
If a thin object linear size O situated
vertically on the axis of a mirror at
a distance u from the pole and its
image of size I is formed at a distance
v (from the pole), magnification
(transverse) is defined as
General Science B-359

(+ve means erect image)

I v (ve means inverted image)

m= =
O u (|m| >1 means large image)

(|m| < 1 means small image)

Refraction of Light
When a ray of light passes from one
medium to another medium it bends
towards the normal when goes from rarer
to denser and away from the normal
when goes from denser to rarer medium.
This phenomenon is called refraction of
light.
Twinkling of stars, sun is visible to
us about 2 minutes before the actual
sunrise, and about 2 minutes after
actual sunset etc. due to atmospheric
refraction.
Refractive index
Refractive index of medium II with
respect to medium I
P 21
curved and refractive index of used
material is different from that of the
surroundings.
Refraction through a thin lens (lens
formula)
If an object is placed at a distance u
from the optical centre of a lens and
its images is formed at a distance v
(from the optical centre) and focal
length of this length is f then
1 1 1

v u f
This is called lens formula.
Power of a lens
The power of a lens is defined as
1
P= . The unit of power is
Speed of light in medium I
Speed of light in medium II
Laws of Refraction
(i) Snells law: For any two
media and for light of a given
wavelength, the ratio of the sine
of the angle of incidence to the
sine of the angle of refraction is
a constant.
sin i
i.e., constant where i =
sin r
incidence angle, r = refraction
angle.
(ii) The incident ray, the refracted
ray and the normal at the
incident point all lie in the same
plane.
When object is in denser medium
and observer is in rarer medium:
Real depth
Refractive index P
Lens Virtual depth
A lens is a piece of transparent
material with two refracting
surfaces such that atleast one is
f  in m 
diopter.
Focal length of a lens (lens makers
formula)
1 1 1
= (mC 1) 
f
R1 R2
where mC refractive index of lens
with respect to medium.
R1 = radius of curvature of first
surface of lens, R2 = radius of
curvature of second surface of lens.
Total Internal Reflection
When the object is placed in an
optically denser medium and if the
incident angle is greater than the
critical angle then the ray of light
gets reflected back to the originating
medium. This phenomenon is called
total internal reflection.
Critical angle (ic): When a ray
passes from an optically denser
medium to an optically rarer
medium, the angle of refraction r is
greater than the corresponding angle
of incidence i. From Snells law.
B-360
Let P1 P2 P2 1 and let for i =
and
ic, r = 90 then sin ic 1 / P
1 by the small particles present in the
? ic sin 1 ; ic is called the critical
P
angle.
This phenomenon takes place in
shining of air bubble, sparkling
of diamond, mirage, looming, in
optical communication, endoscopy
using optical fibre.
Dispersion of Light
When a white ray of light or sunlight
passes through a prism it breakes into
its seven constituents colours violet,
indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and
red (VIBGYOR). This phenomenon is
called dispersion of light. The band
of seven constituents colours is
called spectrum. The deviation is
maximum for violet colour and least
for red colour.
The Rainbow
A rainbow is a spectrum of
white light from the sun. This is
a phenomenon due to combined
effect of dispersion, refraction and
reflection of sunlight by spherical
water droplets of rain.
(i) Primary rainbow: It is formed
due to two refractions and one
total internal reflection of the
light incident on the droplet.
Sunlight is first refracted as it
enters a raindrop which cause
different colours of light to
separate. The observer sees a
rainbow with red colour on the
top and violet on the bottom.
(ii) Secondary rainbow: It is formed
due to two refractions and two
total internal reflection of light
incident on the water droplet. It
is due to four - step process. The
intensity of light is reduced at
the second reflection and hence
the secondary rainbow is fainter
than the primary rainbow.
General Science
Scattering of Light
As sunlight travels through the
earths atmosphere it gets scattered
atmosphere.
According to Rayleigh law, the
amount of scattering is inversely
proportional to the fourth power of
the wavelength .
1
O4
Phenomenon based on scattering
of light
(i) Blue colour of sky: Blue colour
has a shorter wavelength than
red colour therefore blue colour
is scattered strongly. Hence the
bluish colour predominates in a
clear sky.
(ii) White colour of clouds: Clouds
contain large dust particles,
water droplets or ice particles.
These large sized Particles
do not obey Rayleigh law of
scattering. All wavelengths are
scattered nearly equally. Hence
clouds are generally white.
(iii) Sun looks reddish at the
Sunset or Sunrise: At sunset or
sunrise, the suns rays have to
pass through a larger distance
in the atmosphere. Most of
the blue and other shorter
wavelengths are scattered. The
least scattered light reaching
our eyes, therefore the sun looks
reddish.
Power of Accomodation of Eye
The ability of the lens to change its shape
to focus near and distant objects is called
accommodation.
A normal human eye can see
objects clearly that are between
25 cm and infinity.
Microscope: It is an optical
instrument used to see magnified
image of a tiny objects.
Resolving power (R.P.) of a microscope
Resolving power of a microscope is
defined as the reciprocal of the least
separation between two close objects, so
General Science
that they appear just separated, when
seen through the microscope.
Telescope (Astronomical): It is an
optical instrument used to increase the
visual angle of distant large objects.
It is used to see far off objects clearly.
Resolving power (R.P.) of a telescope
Resolving power of telescope is defined
as the reciprocal of the smallest angular
separation between two distant objects,
so that they appear just separated, when
seen through the telescope.
D at right angles to the direction of
Resolving power of telescope =
1.22O
Interference of Light Waves
The phenomenon of redistribution of light
energy in a medium due to superposition
of light waves from two coherent sources is
called interference of light.
ELECTRICITY
Electric Charges
Charge is something associated with
matter due to which it produces and
experiences electric and magnetic effects.
The study of charges at rest is called
static electricity or electrostatics
while the study of charges in motion
is called current electricity. There
are two types of electric charge:
(i) Positive charge and (ii) Negative charge
The magnitude of elementary
positive or negative charge is same
and is equal to 1.6 1019 C.
Charge is a scalar quantity and its SI
unit is ampere second or coulomb (C).
Basic Properties of Electric Charge
(1) Similar charges repel and opposite
charges attract.
(2) A charged body attracts light
uncharged bodies.
(3) Accelerated charge radiates energy.
Conductors and Insulators
The materials which allow electric
charge (or electricity) to flow freely
through them are called conductors.
Metals are very good conductors of
electric charge. Silver, copper and
aluminium are some of the good
B-361
Conditions for sustained interference:
(i) Two sources must be coherent.
(ii) Amplitudes of waves should be
either equal or approximately
equal.
(iii) Light should be monochromatic.
Polarisation
It is the phenomenon of restricting the
vibration of light in a particular plane.
Light waves are transverse in
nature i.e., the electric field vector
associated with light wave is always
propagation of the wave. When
unpolarised light is incident on a
polaroid (Nicol Prism), the light
wave gets linearly polarised i.e., the
vibration of electric field vector are
along a single direction.
conductors of electricity.
The materials which do not allow electric
charge to flow through them are called
nonconductors or insulators.
For example, most plastics, rubber,
non-metals (except graphite), dry
wood, wax, mica, porcelain, dry air
etc., are insulators.
Coulombs Law
It states that, the electrostatic force
of interaction (repulsion or attraction)
between two electric charges q1 and q2
separated by a distance r, is directly
proportional to the product of the charges
and inversely proportional to the square
of distance between them.
i.e., F v q1 q2 and F v 1/r2
or F k q1q2
r2
1 Nm 2
K= = 9 109 H0
4 SH0 coul 2
coul 2
= 8.8510-12
NM 2
Electric Field
The region surrounding an electric charge
or a group of charges in which another
charge experiences a force of attraction or
repulsion is called electric field.
B-362 General Science

 
 F  F 'q
E , E lim average current I av
q0 q0 o 0 q0 't
The S.I. unit of electric field Instantaneous current
intensity is N/coul or volt/metre. 'q dq
I lim
Electric Lines of Force 't o0 't dt
An electric line of force is that imaginary Electric current is measured in
smooth curve drawn in an electric field ampere (A).
along which a free isolated unit positive Types of electric current:
charge moves. (a) Direct current: The current
Two lines of force never intersect. If whose magnitude and direction
they are assumed to intersect, there does not vary with time is called
will be two directions of electric field direct current (dc). The various
at the point of intersection, which is sources are cells, dc dynamo,
impossible. etc.
Capacitors and Capacitance Its symbol is
A capacitor or condenser is a device
that stores electrical energy. It consists (b) Alternating current: The current
of conductors of any shape and size whose magnitude continuously
carrying charges of equal magnitude changes with time and periodically
and opposite signs and separated by an changes its direction is called
insulating medium alternating current. It has constant
The symbol of a capacitor is amplitude and has alternate
or positive and negative halves. It
is produced by ac dynamo.
The net charge on a capacitor is zero. Its symbol is
Capacitance or capacity of a Resistance, Conductance and
capacitor is a measure of ability of the Resistivity Resistance (R): It is the
capacitor to store charge on it. property of a substance due to which it
When a conductor is charged then opposes the flow of current through it.
its potential rises. The increase in Its SI unit volt/ampere called ohm
potential is directly proportional to ().
the charge given to the conductor. 1 L
Q R v L and R v so, R v
i.e., Q v V or Q = CV or, C A A
V L
The constant C is known as the or R U
capacitance of the conductor. A
Its SI unit is farad (F) or coulomb/ where L = length, A = area of
volt cross-section of wire and U is called
Capacitance of the conductor resistivity or specific resistance.
depends upon: The reciprocal of specific resistance
(i) Size of conductor 1
(ii) Surrounding medium is conductance i.e. V
Superconductors U
(iii) Presence of other conductors
At a very low temperature, the
nearby
resistance of the conductor may
Electric Current
vanish completely. When it
The time rate of flow of charge through
happens, the conductor is called
any cross-section is called electric current.
a superconductor. For example,
,I TFKDUJHSDVVHVWKURXJKDFURVV
helium is a super conductor at
VHFWLRQLQWLPHWWKHQ
4.2 K ( 268.8C).
General Science
Ohms Law
It states that if the physical state i.e.
temperature, nature of material and
dimensions of a conductor remain
unchanged then the ratio of potential
difference applied across its ends to
current flowing through it remains
constant.
V Alternating Current
i.e., V v I or V = I R, where R is
I
the resistance of conductor.
Electrical Energy, Power
When a current is passed through
a resistor energy is wasted in
overcoming the resistance of the
wire. This energy is converted into
heat.
The heat generated (in joule) when
a current of I ampere flows through
a resistance of R ohm for T second
is given by:
V2
H I 2 RT VIt t joule
R (i) A.C. can be obtained over a
I 2 RT
calorie
4.2
This is the joules law of heating
1 unit of electrical energy
= 1 Kilowatt hour (1 KWh) = 3.6 106 joule
This is known as Board of trade
(B.O.T) unit of electrical energy.
Energy liberated per second is called
its power. The electrical power
P delivered or consumed by
an electrical device is given by
P = VI, where V = Potential
difference across the device and
I = current.
Ammeter : An ammeter is a low
resistance galvanometer used to measure
strength of current in an electrical circuit.
Conversion of galvanometer into
ammeter:
A galvanometer can be converted
to an ammeter by connecting a low
resistance or shunt in parallel to coil of
galvanometer.
B-363
Voltmeter: A voltmeter is a high
resistance galvanometer used to
measure potential difference.
Conversion of galvanometer into
voltmeter:
A galvanometer is converted to a
voltmeter by connecting a high resistance
in series with the coil of galvanometer.
When an alternating voltage is applied
across a coil or a bulb, it sends a similar
varying current (i.e., of the same nature
as that of voltage) through the coil. The
current is called alternating current
(A.C.).
The current flowing in only one
direction in a circuit is called
direct current (D.C.). Batteries,
thermocouples and solar cells
are some of the sources of direct
current.
Advantages of Alternating Current
Over Direct Current
wide range of voltages. These
voltages can be easily stepped
up or stepped down with the
help of transformers.
(ii) The generation of A.C. is found
to be economical than that of
D.C.
Transformers
It is a device used for transforming a low
alternating voltage of high current into
a high alternating voltage of low current
and vice versa, without increasing power
or changing frequency.
Principle: It works on the
phenomenon of mutual induction.
If a low voltage is to be transformed
into a high voltage, then the number
of turns in secondary is more than
those in primary. The transformer is
called a step up transformer.
If a high voltage is to be transformed
into a low voltage, then the number
of turns in secondary is less than
those in primary. The transformer is
called a step-down transformer.
B-364
Uses of Transformer
A transformer is used in almost all
ac operation.
(i) In voltage regulators for TV,
refrigerator, computer, air
conditioner etc.
(ii) In the induction furnaces.
(iii) Step down transformer is used
for welding purposes.
(iv) In the transmission of ac over
long distance.
AC Generator/Dynamo/Alternator
An electrical machine used to convert
mechanical energy into electrical energy
is knownm as AC generator/alternator
or dynamo.
Principle: It works on the principle
of electromagnetic induction, i.e.,
when a coil is rotated in uniform
magnetic field, an induced emf is
produced in it.
MAGNETISM
Magnetism
The phenomenon of attracting magnetic
substances like iron, cobalt, nickel etc. is
called magnetism. A body possessing the
property of magnetism is called magnet.
Lodestone or magnetite is natural
magnet. Earth is also a natural
magnet.
In magnetised substance all the
atomic magnets are aligned in
same direction and thus resultant
magnetism is non-zero.
Bar Magnet: A bar magnet consists
of two equal and opposite magnetic
poles separated by a small distance.
Poles are not exactly at the ends. The
shortest distance between two poles is
called effective length (Le) and is less
than its geometric length (Lg). For bar
magnet Le = 2l and Le =(5/6) Lg.
General Science
DC Motor
A D.C. motor converts direct current
energy from a battery into mechanical
energy of rotation.
Principle: It is based on the fact that
when a coil carrying current is held
in a magnetic field, it experiences a
torque, which rotates the coil.
Efficiency of the d.c. motor:
EI E Back e.m. f .
K
VI V Applied e.m. f .
Uses of D.C Motor
1. The D.C. motors are used in
D.C. fans (exhaust, ceiling or
table) for cooling and ventilation.
2. They are used for pumping
water.
3. Big D.C. motors are used for
running tram-cars and even
trains.
S N
e 2 l
L=
Lg
Bar magnet
Properties of Magnet
(i) Attractive property: The places
where its attracting power is
maximum are called poles.
(ii) Directive property: When
a magnet is suspended its
length becomes parallel to N-S
direction. The pole pointing
north is called the north pole
while the other pointing in the
geographical south is called the
south pole of the magnet.
(iii) Poles of a magnet always exist
in pairs: In a magnet the two
poles are found to be equal in
strength and opposite in nature.
(iv) Repulsive property: A pole of
a magnet attracts the opposite
pole while repels similar pole.
General Science
Demagnetisation of Magnet
A magnet gets demagnetised, i.e.,
loses its power of attraction if it is
heated, hammered or alternating current
is passed through a wire wound over it.
Permanent and Temporary Magnets
(Electromagnets)
The permanent artificial magnets
are made of some metals and alloys
like Carbon-steel, Alnico, Platinum-
cobalt, Alcomax, Ticonal etc. The
permanent magnets are made of
ferromagnetic substances with large
coercivity and retentivity
The temporary artificial magnets
like electromagnets are prepared by
passing current through coil wound
on soft iron core. These cannot
retain its strength for a long time.
These are made from soft iron, non-
metal and alloy. Electromagnets are
stronger than permanent magnet.
Some Applications of Electromagnets
(i) Electric motors
(ii) Doorbells
(iii) In scrapyards to separate iron
from other metals
Magnetic Field
The space around a magnet (or a
current carrying conductor) in which
its magnetic effect can be experienced is
called the magnetic field.
Magnetic Lines of Force
Magnetic line of force is an imaginary
curve tangent to which at a point gives
the direction of magnetic field at that
point or the magnetic field line is the
imaginary path along which an isolated
north pole will tend to move if it is free
to do so.
Magnetic lines of force do not
intersect each other. Because if they
do, there will be two directions of
magnetic field which is not possible.
The Earths Magnetism
The branch of Physics which deals
with the study of earths magnetic
field is called terrestrial magnetism.
William Gilbert suggested that earth
itself behaves like a huge magnet.
(a) A freely suspended magnet
always comes to rest in N-S
direction.
B-365
(b) A piece of soft iron buried in
N-S direction inside the earth
acquires magnetism.
Geographic meridian: It is a vertical
plane passing through geographic
north and south pole of the earth.
Geographic equator: A great circle
on the surface of the earth in a plane
perpendicular to geographical axis is
called geographic equator. All places
on geographic equator are at equal
distances from geographical poles.
Magnetic meridian: It is a vertical
plane passing through the magnetic
north and south pole of the earth.
Magnetic equator: A great circle on
the surface of the earth in a plane
perpendicular to magnetic axis is
called magnetic equator. All places
on magnetic euqator are at equal
distance from magnetic poles.
Magnetic Elements
The physical quantities which determine
the intensity of earths total magnetic
field completely both in magnitude and
direction are called magnetic elements.
Angle of declination (I): The angle
between the magnetic meridian and
geographical meridian at a place is called
angle of declination.
Angle of dip or inclination (T):
The angle through which the N pole
dips down with reference to horizontal
is called the angle of dip. At magnetic
north and south pole angle of dip is
90. At magnetic equator the angle
of dip is 0.
Horizontal component of earths
magnetic field: The total intensity
of the earths magnetic field makes
an angle T with horizontal. It has
(i) component in horizontal plane
called horizontal component
BH.
(ii) component in vertical plane
called vertical component BV.
BV B sin T B H B cos T
BV
So, tan T and B B B
BH H2 V2
B-366
Comparison of properties of soft
iron and steel:
(1) The area of hysteresis loop for
soft iron is much smaller than
for steel, so energy loss per unit
volume per cycle for soft iron is
smaller than steel.
(2) The retentivity of soft iron is
greater than that of steel.
(3) The coercivity of steel is much
larger than that of soft iron.
(4) The magnetisation and
demagnetisation is easier in soft
iron than steel.
(5) Soft iron acquires saturation
magnetisation for quite low
value of magnetising field than
in case of steel or soft iron is
much strongly magnetised than
steel.
Diamagnetic Substances: The
substances which when placed in a
SEMICONDUCTOR ELECTRONICS
Metals, Semiconductors and Insulators
On the basis of electrical conductivity
(V) or resistivity (U = 1/V) the solids
are classified as
(i) Metals have low resistivity
Ua 102 to 108P
Va 102 to 108 Sm1
(ii) Semiconductors have
intermediate resistivity
Ua 105 to 100P
Va105 to 100 Sm1
(iii) Insulators have high resistivity
Ua 108P
Va 108 Sm1
i.e. the Semiconductors are the
materials whose conductivity is
more than insulators but less than
conductors.
Types of Semiconductors
Intrinsic semiconductors or Pure
semiconductors
In semiconductors forbidden energy
gap Eg is more than metals or
conductors and less than insulators.
Silicon (Si) and Germanium (Ge) are
General Science
magnetic field are feebly magnetised
in a direction opposite to that of the
magnetising field are called diamagnetic
substances.
Some diamagnetic substances are
Cu, Zn, Bi, Ag, Au, Pb, He, Ar,
NaCl, H2O, marble, glass, etc.
Paramagnetic Substances: The
substances which when placed in a
magnetic field are feebly magnetised in
the direction of magnetising field are
called paramagnetic substances.
Some paramagnetic substances are
Al, Na, Sb, Pt, CuCl2, Mn, Cr, liquid
oxygen, etc.
Ferromagnetic Substances: The
substances which when placed in a
magnetic field are strongly magnetised in
the direction of the magnetising field are
called ferromagnetic substances.
Iron, cobalt, nickel, etc. are some
examples of ferromagnetic substance.
the examples of pure semiconductors.
In pure or intrinsic semiconductor,
ne = nh = ni where, ne = no. of
electrons; nh = no. of holes
and ni = no. of intrinsic carrier
concentration.
(a) n type semiconductor: Si or
Ge with pentavalent doping.
(b) p - type semiconductor: Si or
Ge with trivalent doping. The
trivalent atom is negatively
charged as it acquires an
electron and is called acceptor
atom or impurity.
Formation of p n junction: Part
of p-type can be converted into n
type by adding pentavalent impurity.
There is concentration gradient
between p and n sides, holes diffuse
from p side to n side (p o n) and
electrons move from (n o p) creating
a layer of positive and negative
charges on n and p side respectively
called depletion layer.
General Science B-367

Symbol of p-n junction diode forward bias increases, current

increases till light intensity
reaches maximum.
Junction Transistor:
n Types: (i) n-p-n type, (ii) p-n-p type.
p Structure: (i) Emitter (E), (ii) Base
Special purpose p n junction diode: (B), (iii) Collector (C)
Zener diode: It is fabricated by heavy Symbol:
doping of p and n sides of p n E
junction. Depletion region is thin <
106 m. Electric field of junction is C
high ~ 5 106 V/m. Reverse bias ~
5V.
It is used as voltage regulator.
p-n junction diode is used as a B
rectifier. n-p-n type
5HFWLHU is a device which converts
A.C. into D.C. E
Inverter converts D.C. into A.C. C
Optoelectronic junction devices:
(a) Photodiode: It is a p n
junction fabricated with a
transparent window to allow
light photons to fall on it. These B
photons generate electron hole p-n-p type
pairs upon absorption. The AC parameters:
generation of electron hole pair (i) Input resistance
is near the junction and due
to junction field they remain Changein base  emitter voltage
=
separated till external load is Basecurrent
connected. The electron are
collected on nside and holes 'VBE
on pside near junction and give  ri =
'I C I B
rise to an emf.
When external load is o dynamic resistance
connected, current flows. The (ii) Output resistance, r0
magnitude of current depends 'VCE
on intensity of incident =
radiation. 'I C I B
(b) Light emitting diode (LED):
It consists of heavily doped (iii) Current amplification factor (E)
p n junction in forward bias. 'I
Electrons move from n  p Eac C
and holes from p n (minority 'I B V CE
carriers). Thus, near junction,
minority carrier concentration IC
increases (under no bias it is less) Edc Eac  Edc
IB
and they combine with majority
carriers near the junction to Uses of Transistor:
release energy in form of As a switch, an amplifier, an
photons with energy equal to or
oscillator, etc.
less than band gap energy. As
B-368
Chemistry
NATURE OF MATTER
x Substance (or chemical
substance): A substance is a
kind of matter that can not be
separated into other kinds of
matter by any physical process.
e.g. gold, silver, iron, sodium
chloride, calcium carbonate etc.
 3XUHVXEVWDQFH is one that is a
single substance and has a uniform
composition. Such a substance
always have the same texture and
taste. e.g. water, salt, sugar etc.
x Testing the purity of a substance:
The purity of substance can
easily be checked by checking
its melting points in case of a
solid substance or by checking
its boiling points in case of a
liquid substance.
x Types of pure substances:
Two different types of pure
substances are
(i) Element: An element is
a substance which can
not be split up into two or
more simpler substances
by usual chemical methods
of applying heat, light
or electric energy. e. g.
hydrogen, oxygen, sodium,
chlorine etc.
(ii) Compound: A compound
is a substance made up
of two or more elements
chemically combined in
a fixed ratio by weight
S No. Mixture
1. Insoluble solid in Sedimentation followed by filtration. In
solvent case of a fine solid centrifugation is used
instead of filtration
2. Solution of solid in Evaporation, crystallization, distillation
liquid
General Science
e.g. H2O (water), NaCl
(sodium chloride) etc.
x Mixture: A mixture is a
substance which consists
of two or more elements or
compounds not chemically
combined together.
x Types of mixtures: Mixtures
are impure substances. They are
of two types:
(i) Homogeneous mixture:
It has a uniform composition
throughout and its components
can not be distinguished visually.
e.g. a well mixed sample of
vinegar.
(ii) Heterogeneous mixture:
It is one that is not uniform
throughout. Different samples
of a heterogeneous mixture may
have different composition. e.g.
a mixture of salt and pepper.
x Solution: It is a homogeneous
mixture of two or more
substances whose composition
can be varied. e.g. solution of
common salt in water, solution
of ammonia in water. Some
other examples are lemonade,
coke, pepsi etc.
x Separating the components of
a mixture: Depending upon the
type of mixture (i.e. whether it
is a homogeneous mixture or
heterogeneous mixture) different
methods used are given below:
Separation Method
General Science B-369

3. Miscible mixture of Fractional distillation

liquids.
4. Immiscible mixture of Separating funnel
liquids.
5. Mixture of two solids Sublimation
one of which is
sublime
6. Mixture of substances Chromatography
in solution.
x Solute: The component of it the solute particles do not
solution that is dissolved and dissolve but remains suspended
present in smaller quantities in through out the bulk of the
a solution is known as solute. medium.
x Solvent: The component of x Colloids or colloidal solution:
solution in which solute is Colloid is a heterogeneous mixture.
dissolved is known as solvent. The size of particles of a colloid
It is always present in larger is intermediate between true
amount in a solution. solutions and suspensions (i.e
x Saturated Solution: A solution between 1nm and 100 nm). The
in which no more solute particles of a colloid can not be
can be dissolved at the same seen with naked eye.
temperature is called saturated x Types of colloidal solution:
solution. Since colloidal solution is
x Unsaturated Solution: It is a heterogeneous mixture it
solution in which more solute consists of two phases. These are
can be dissolved at the same (i) dispersed phase (colloidal
temperature. particles)
x Super-saturated Solution: It is (ii) dispersion medium (The
a solution which contains more medium in which colloidal
mass of the dissolved solute particles are dispersed.)
than the saturated solution x Emulsion: Emulsions are
at the same temperature and liquid-liquid colloids.
pressure. x Types of Emulsion: Emulsions
x Concentration of a solution: are of two types:
Concentration of a solution is the (i) water in oil (ii) oil in water
amount of solute present in a x Emulsifiers are those substances
given amount (mass or volume) that help in forming stable
of a solution or the amount of emulsions of oil and water, e.g.
solute dissolved in a given mass milk, cod-liver oil, cold creams,
or volume of a solvent. vanishing creams, moisturising
Amount of solute cream, paints, etc.
Concentration= x Physical change: During such
Amount of solvent
a change no new substances is
x Solubility: It is defined as the formed and there is no change
amount of solute dissolved in the chemical properties of the
in 100g of solvent to form a substances.
saturated solution. x Chemical change: Such a change
x Suspension: It is a non- is accompanied by change
homogeneous mixture in which in chemical properties and
solids are dispersed in liquids. In formation of new substances.
B-370
STRUCTURE OF ATOM
x Law of conservation of mass:
This law was stated by Lavoisier
in 1744. It states that In all
physical and chemical changes, the
total mass of reactants is equal to
total mass of products.
x Law of constant proportions
(or constant composition): This
law was first stated by Proust in
1797. According to the law a
chemical compound is always found
to be made up of the same elements
combined together in the same
proportions by weight e.g. the
ratio of hydrogen and oxygen
in pure water is always 1: 8 by
weight. This law is also called
law of definite proportions.
x Law of multiple proportions:
This law was given by John
Dalton (1803) and states that
when two elements combine to
form two or more compounds,
the different mass of one of the
elements and the fixed mass of
the one with which it combines
always form a whole number
ratio. This law explains the
concept of formation of more
than one compound by two
elements.
x Daltons Atomic theory:
Postulates of Daltons Atomic
Theory
(i) Matter is made up of
extremely small indivisible
particles called atoms.
(ii) Atoms of the same
substance are identical
in all respects i.e., they
possess same size, shape,
mass, chemical properties etc.
(iii) Atoms of different
substances are different
in all respects i.e., they
possess different size,
shape, mass etc.
(iv) Atom is the smallest
particle that takes part in a
chemical reaction.
General Science
(v) Atoms of different
elements may combine
with each other in a fixed
simple, whole number ratio
to form compound atoms.
(vi) Atoms can neither be
created nor destroyed i.e.,
atoms are indestructible.
x Atom: It is the smallest particle
of an element which can take
part in a chemical change. It
may or may not be capable of
independent existence.
x Symbol: The abbreviation used
for lengthy names of elements
are termed as their symbols.
The symbol of an element is
the first letter or the first and
another letter of English name
or Latin name of the element.
While writing a symbol, the first
letter is always capital and the
second is always small.
x Molecule : It is the smallest
particle of an element or
compound that is capable of
independent existence land
shows all the properties of that
substance.
x Atomicity: The number of
atoms present in a molecule of
an element or a compound is
known as its atomicity. e.g. the
atomicity of oxygen is 2 while
atomicity ozone is 3.
x Formula of simple and
molecular compounds
Binary compounds are those
compounds which are made up
of two different elements e.g.
NaCl, KBr, CaO etc. Following
rules are to be followed for
writing the formula.
(i) The valencies or charges on
the ions must be balanced.
(ii) For a compound made up
of a metal and a non-metal
the symbol of metal is
written first.
General Science B-371

(iii) In compounds formed numbers are known as Isotopes

with polyatomic ions, the 35 36
ion is enclosed in a bracket
e.g. 17 Cl
and 17 Cl , and 11 H
before writing the number and 2 , 12 and 14 etc.
1H 6 C 6 C
to indicate the ratio. x Applications of Isotopes:
x Valency: The electrons present Isotopes are used in various
in the outermost shell of an fields. For example.
atom are known as valence (i) Isotope of uranium is used
electrons. These electrons as a fuel in nuclear reactor
determine the valency of an (ii) Isotope of cobalt is used in
atom. treatment of cancer
Valency is equal to the number of (iii) Isotope of iodine is used in
valence electrons. treatment of goitre.
In case the number of valence x Isobars: Atoms of different
electrons is close to its full elements having same mass
capacity. Then, numbers are known as Isobars,
Valency=8  valence electrons e.g K-40 and Ar-40
x The discovery of cathode rays
x Atomic number (Z): Atomic was done by J.J. Thomson an
number of an element is equal English physicist.
to the number of protons Sub-atomic Particles:
present in the nucleus of an
Electron, proton and neutron are
atom.
subatomic particles.
Atomic number (Z) = number of
protons = number of electrons. The credit for discovery of these
x Mass number (A): It refers to particles goes to
the total number of neutrons Electron J.J. Thomson
and protons (i.e., sum of and Proton E. Goldstein.
protons and neutrons) called Another subatomic particle
collectively as nucleus, present which is neutral and has a
in an atom. mass approx. equal to that of a
Mass number (A) = number of proton was called neutron and
protons + number of neutron was discovered by chadwick.
x Isotopes: Atoms of the same The neutron is a neutral particle
element having same atomic found in the nucleus of an
number but different mass atoms.
Properties of atomic particles (Comparative)
Particles Electron Proton Neutron
(i) Symbol e or e p n
(ii) Nature Negatively charged Positively charged neutral (no
charge)
(iii) (a) Charge (a) 1.6 10 19 C (a) +1.6 10 0
(b) Unit (b) 1 19 C 0
charge (b) + 1
(iv) Mass (a) amu (a) 0.0005486 amu (a) 1.00753 amu (a) 1.00893 amu
(b) kg (b) 9.1 1031kg (b) 1.67265 (b) 1.67495
1027 kg 1027 kg
(v) Location Extra nuclear space nucleus nucleus
(vi) Notation 0
1e 1
1P 0n
1

(vii) Relative mass 1/1840 1 1

B-372
GENERAL CONCEPTS OF CHEMISTRY
x Definition
Chemistry is a branch of
science which deals with study
of matter and various changes
it undergoes. It deals with
the preparation, properties,
reactions and structures
of chemical elements and
compounds.
For convenience the study of
chemistry is sub-divided into
various branches such as:
(i) Inorganic chemistry
(ii) Organic chemistry
(iii) Physical chemistry
(iv) Analytical chemistry
(v) Industrial chemistry
x Ions or radicals
An ion is formed when electrons
are removed from or added to
an atoms or group of atoms.
When electron(s) is/are
removed the resulting ion is
called a cation or basic radical.
A cation is positively charged
ion. (e.g. Na+).
When electron(s) is/are added
the resulting ion is called an
anion or acidic radicals. An
anion is negatively charged ion
(e.g. Cl, O22)
An ion or radical is classified as
monovalent, divalent, trivalent
or tetravalent when the number
of charges over it is 1, 2, 3 or 4
respectively.
x Formula of elements and
compounds
Formula of elements: The
molecule of an element is
denoted by writing the symbol
of the element and, to the
right and below it, a number
expressing the number of atoms
in the molecule.
General Science
Formula of compound: A
molecule of a compound may
be made up of atom of different
elements linked up together
chemically and in definite
proportion by weight.
x Chemical formula: It is of two
types:
(i) Molecular formulae:
Chemical formulae
that indicate the actual
number and type of atoms
in a molecule is called
molecular formulae.
(ii) Empirical formulae:
Chemical formulae that
indicate only the relative
number of atoms of each
type in a molecule is called
empirical formulae.
x Equivalent weight
(i) Equivalent weight of
element
Molecular mass
=
Basicity of acid / Acidity of base
(ii) Eq. wt of an acid/base =
Molecular mass
Basicity of acid / Acidity of base
(iii) Eq. wt of salts =
Formula mass
(Valency of cations)(No.of cations)
x Expression of strength /
concentration of solution
(i) Mass percent
=
Weight of solute(gm)
u 100
Weight of solution (gm)
(ii) Normality =
Number of gram equivalents of solute
Volumeof solution (lit.)
General Science
(iii) Molarity
=
Number of gram moles of solute
volumeof solution (lit.)
(iv) Molality
Gram moles of solute
= reacts with another to form
Weight of solvent (kg)
(v) Mole fraction: Mole
fraction of solute
nA
XA
nA  nB
Mole fraction of solvent
nB
XB
nA  nB
XA + XB = 1
x Chemical change: A chemical
change is generally accompanied
by a change of state, change of
colour, evolution of a gas or change
of temperature etc.
x Chemical equation: The
qualitative representation of
a chemical reaction in a short
hand or concise form in term of
symbols and formulae, is called
a chemical equation.
x Skeletal chemical equation or
symbol equation: A chemical
equation written in the form of
symbols and formulae is called
a skeletal chemical equation.
x Balanced chemical equation:
A chemical equation in
which number of atoms of
each elements on L.H.S.
(i.e. reactants) and R.H.S.
(i.e.products) is equal is called a
balanced chemical equation.
x Balancing of chemical equations:
The process of making the
number of different elements
on both side of the equation
equal is known as balancing of
chemical equation.
B-373
x Types of chemical reactions
Various types of chemical
reactions are:-
(i) Combination reactions:
Combination reactions are
those in which one element
a compound.
(ii) Decomposition reactions:
Decomposition reactions
are those reactions in which
a compound breaks down
into simpler compounds
(or substances). These
reactions require energy
in the form of heat, light,
electricity, etc.
(iii) Simple displacement reaction
and simple substitutions: A
displacement reaction is a
reaction in which an atom,
or group of atoms, present
in a molecule is displaced by
another atom. This type of
reaction can be represented
as follows:
AB + C AC + B
(Compond) (New compound)
(iv) Double displacement reactions
or Double decomposition:
The reactions in which mutual
exchange of radicals takes
place are known as double
decomposition reactions.
(v) O x i d a t i o n - R e d u c t i o n
Reactions
Oxidation: Oxidation is
defined as a process which
involve addition of oxygen
or removal of hydrogen.
Reduction: The term reduction
is defined as a process which
involve the removal of oxygen
or addition of hydrogen.
(vi) Redox reactions: Those reactions
in which oxidation and reduction
B-374
takes place simultaneously, are
known as redox reactions.
Example:
(vii) Exothermic and endothermic
reaction: Chemical reactions
usually proceed with either
liberation of heat or the
absorption of heat.
When a chemical reaction
liberates heat to the
surroundings, it is said to be
CLASSIFICATION OF ELEMENTS AND
PERIODICITY IN PROPERTIES
x Doberiners law of triads:
According to this law, in certain
triads (group of three elements) the
atomic mass of the central element
was the arithmetic mean of the
atomic masses of the other two
elements.
Limitations of Doberiners
Triads: He could identify only
a few such triads and so the
law could not gain importance.
In many traids like in the triad
of Fe, Co, Ni, all the three
elements have a nearly equal
atomic mass and thus does not
follow the above law.
x Newlands law of octaves:
According to this law the
elements are arranged in such a
way that the eighth element starting
from a given one has properties
which are a repetition of those of
the first if arranged in order of
increasing atomic weight like the
eight note of musical scale.
Drawback of Newlands law
of octaves:
(i) According to Newland
only 56 elements exists
in nature and no more
elements would be
discovered in the future.
But later on several new
element were discovered
General Science
exothermic reaction and when
it absorbs the heat from the
surroundings, it is said to be
endothermic reaction.
x Rancidity: The most important
cause of deterioration in fats
and fatty foods is oxidation
of fats. What we perceive is
an unpleasant change in the
flavour and odour of a food,
called rancidity.
whose properties did not fit
into law of octaves.
(ii) In order to fit new elements
into his table Newland
adjust two elements in the
same column, but put some
unlike elements under the
same column.
Thus, Newlands classification
was not accepted.
x Mendeleevs periodic table:
Mendeleev arranged 63
elements known at that time in
the periodic table. According to
Mendeleev the properties of the
elements are a periodic function of
their atomic masses. The table
consists of eight vertical column
called groups and horizontal
rows called periods.
Merits of Mendeleevs periodic
table:
(i) At some places the order
of atomic weight was
changed in order to justify
the chemical and physical
nature.
(ii) Mendeleev left some gap
for new elements which
were not discovered at that
time.
(iii) One of the strengths of
Mendeleevs periodic table
was that, when inert gases
General Science
were discovered they could
be placed in a new group
without disturbing the
existing order.
Characteristics of the periodic table:
Its main characteristics are:
(i) In the periodic table, the
elements are arranged in
vertical rows called groups and
horizontal rows called periods.
(ii) There are eight groups
indicated by Roman Numerals
I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII. The
elements belonging to first seven
groups have been divided into
sub-groups designated as A and
B on the basis of similarities.
Group VIII consists of nine
elements arranged in three
triads.
(iii) There are six periods (numbered
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6). In order to
accomodate more elements, the
periods 4, 5, 6 are divided into
two halves. The first half of the
elements are placed in the upper
left corners and the second half
occupy lower right corners in
each box.
Achievements of Mendeleevs
periodic table
(i) The arrangement of elements
in groups and periods made the
study of elements quite systematic
(ii) Prediction of new elements
and their properties: Many
gaps were left in this table for
undiscovered elements. The
elements silicon, gallium and
germanium were discovered in
this manner.
(iii) Correction of doubtful atomic
masses: Mendeleev corrected
the atomic masses of certain
elements with the help of
their expected positions and
properties.
B-375
Limitations of Mendeleevs
classification:
(i) He could not assign a correct
position of hydrogen in his
periodic table, as the properties
of hydrogen resembles both
with alkali metals as well as
with halogens.
(ii) The isotopes of the same
element will be given different
position if atomic number
is taken as basis, which will
disturb the symmetry of the
periodic table.
(iii) The atomic masses do not
increases in a regular manner
in going from one elements to
the next. So it was not possible
to predict how many elements
could be discovered between
two elements.
x Modern periodic law: This law
was given by Henry Moseley in
1913. It states, Properties of the
elements are the periodic function of
their atomic numbers.
Cause of periodicity: Periodicity
may be defined as the repetition
of the similar properties of the
elements placed in a group and
separated by certain definite gap of
atomic numbers.
x Modern periodic table
Moseley proposed this modern
periodic table and according to
which the physical and chemical
properties of elements are periodic
function of their atomic number
and not the atomic weight.
(i) The modern periodic table
has 18 vertical columns called
groups and seven horizontal
rows called periods. The
groups have been numbered 1,
2, 3.......18 from left to right.
(ii) The elements belonging
to a particular group make a
family and usually named after
the first member. In a group all
the elements contain the same
number of valence electrons.
B-376
(iii) In a period all the elements
contain the same number of
shells, but as we move from left
to right the number of valence
shell electrons increases by one
unit.
The maximum number
of electrons that can be
accommodated in a shell can be
calculated by the formula 2n2
where n is the number of the
given shell from the nucleus.
x Trends in modern periodic
table: The trends observed in
some important properties of
the elements in moving down
the group (from top to bottom
of the table) and across a period
(from left to right in a period)
are discussed below:
(i) Valency: Valency may be
defined as the combining capacity
of the atom of an element with
atoms of other elements in order to
acquire the stable configuration (i.e.
8 electron in valence shell. In some
special cases it is 2 electrons).
(ii) Atomic size: It refers to the
distance between the centre of
nucleus of an isolated atom to
ACIDS, BASES AND SALTS
x Acids and Bases: The term
acid, in fact, comes from the
latin term acere, which means
Sour. In everyday life we
come across many compounds
that chemists classify as acids.
Bases are compounds which
taste bitter eg. milk of magnesia.
x Properties of acids and bases
A. Properties of acids
Chemical properties:
(i) Action of metals
Metal + Acid Salt + Hydrogen
(ii) Action with metal oxides
(Basic oxides)
General Science
its outermost shell containing
electrons.
The atomic radius decreases on
moving from left to right along a
period. This is due to an increase
in nuclear charge which tends to
pull the electrons closer to the
nucleus and reduces the size of
the atom.
In a group atomic size decreases
from top to bottom due to
increase in number of shells.
(iii) Metallic and non-metallic
properties: In a period from
left to right metallic nature
decreases while non-metallic
character increases.
In a group metallic character
increases from top to bottom
while non-metallic character
decrease.
(iv) Electronegativity: The relative
tendency of an atom to attract
the shared pair of electrons
towards itself is called
electronegativity.
In a period from left to right,
the value of electronegativity
increases while in a group from
top to bottom the value of
electronegativity decreases.
Basic oxide + Acid
Salt + Water (neutralisation
reaction)
(iii) Action with metal
carbonates and metal
hydrogen carbonates
Carbonate/bicarbonate +
Acid Salt + water +
carbon dioxide.
B. Properties of bases
Chemical Properties:
(i) Reaction of metals with
bases: Metals (e.g. Zn, Al,
Sn) dissolve in NaOH (an
alkali) to liberate hydrogen
gas.
General Science
(ii) Action with acids: It is a
neutralisation reaction.
Base + Acid Salt + Water
Non - metallic oxides react in
the same way hence non-metallic
oxides are acidic in nature.
x Strength of Acids and Bases
The strength of an acid or a
base can be easily estimated
by making use of universal
indicator which is a mixture of
several indicators. The universal
indicator show different colours
at different concentrations of
hydrogen ions in solution.
x pH Scale: It is a scale that is
used for measuring H+ ion
(hydrogen ion) concentration of
a solution.
The term pH stands for
potential of hydrogen. It is
the amount of hydrogen ions in a
particular solution.
For acids pH < 7
For bases pH > 7
For neutral substances pH = 7
x Importance of pH in Daily
Life
(i) Blood pH: For proper
functioning our body
needs to maintain blood
pH between 7.35 and 7.45.
Values of blood pH greater
than 7.8 or less than 6.8
often results in death.
(ii) Acid rain: When pH of
rain water is less than 5.6,
it is called acid rain, when
acid rain flows into rivers,
it lowers the pH of river
water.
(iii) pH in our digestive system:
We know that hydrochloric
acid (HCl) produced in our
stomach helps in digestion
of food without harming
B-377
stomach. However excess
of acid causes indigestion
and leads to pain as well
as irritation. To get rid of
this people use bases called
antacids.
(iv) pH of the soil: For their
healthy growth plants
require a specific pH. Soils
with high peat content
or iron minerals or with
rotting vegetation tend to
become acidic and the soil
pH can reach as low as 4.
(v) pH change as the cause of
tooth decay: Tooth decay
starts when the pH of
mouth is lower than 5.5
x Salts: A salt is an ionic compound
which dissociates to yield a
positive ion other than hydrogen
ion (H+) and negative ion other
than hydroxyl ion (OH) e.g.
NaCl
Salts are formed by the reaction
of acid and base which is also
known as neutralisation.
(i) Sodium hydroxide (NaOH)
or Caustic soda: It is
prepared on commercial
scale by the electrolysis of
strong solution of sodium
chloride (NaCl) also called
brine. The process is called
chlor-alkali process.
The overall reaction taking
place is:
2NaCl(aq) + 2 H2O(l)
H2(g) + Cl2(g) + 2NaOH(aq)
Uses:
(a) Sodium hydroxide is
most used base in the
laboratory.
(b) It is used in many
industries, mostly as
strong chemical base
B-378
in manufacture of pulp
and paper, textiles,
drinking water, soap
and detergents etc.
(ii) Baking soda, Sodium hydrogen
carbonate, (NaHCO3)
NaCl + H2O + CO2 + NH3
NH4Cl + NaHCO3
When heated the following
reaction occurs
Heat
2NaHCO3 
o with formula CaOCl2.
Na 2 CO3  H 2 O  CO2
The above reaction occurs
when baking soda is heated
during cooking.
Uses:
(a) In baking powder:
The most practical
use of baking soda is
as a leavening agent in
baking.
(b) As an antacid: Baking
soda reacts with acid
due to its alkaline
nature and neutralizes
acidity (i.e. acts as an
antacid)
(c) In fire extinguishers: It
is used in soda-acid fire
extinguisher.
(iii) Washing soda, Na2CO3.
10H2O, Sodium carbonate
Sodium carbonate can be
obtained by heating baking
soda; recrystallisation of
sodium carbonate gives
washing soda. It is also a
basic salt.
Na 2CO3  10H 2O 
o
sodium
carbonate
Na 2CO3  10H 2O
Hydrated Sodium Carbonate
(WashingSoda )
General Science
Uses:
(a) Sodium carbonate
(washing soda) is used
in glass, soap and paper
industries.
(b) It is used for removing
permanent hardness of
water.
(iv) Bleaching powder:
Calcium hypochlorite is
a chemical compound
It is a yellowish powder
with smell of chlorine.
It is widely used for
water treatment and as a
bleaching agent (bleaching
powder)
2Ca(OH)2 + 2Cl2
CaOCl2 + CaCl2 + 2H2O
Calcium hypochlorite is
used for the disinfection
of drinking water or
swimming pool water.
(v) Plaster of Paris,
CaSO4 .1/2 H2O
It can be obtained by heating
gypsum (CaSO4. 2H2O)
(CaSO 4 .2H 2O  heat o
1 3
CaSO 4 . H 2O  H 2O
2 2
Plaster of paris is a white
powder and on mixing
with water it changes to
gypsum once again giving
a hard solid mass
1 1
CaSO 4 x H 2O  1 H 2O o
2 2
CaSO 4 .2 H 2 O
Uses: It is used
(a) for making moulds or
casts for toys, pottery,
cermics etc.
(b) in surgical bandages for
setting fractured bones.
General Science
METALS AND NON-METALS
x Metals and Non-metals: There
are more than 114 elements
present in the periodic table.
These elements can be broadly
classified into two categories
i.e., metals and non-metals. Out
of 114 elements, 22 are non-
metals.
x Physical properties of metals:
(i) They are usually shiny i.e.
have a metallic luster.
(ii) Metals have a high density
(iii) Metals are ductile i.e. they
can be drawn into wires.
(iv) Metals are malleable i.e.
they can be founded into
thin sheets.
(v) Metals are good conductors
of electricity.
(vi) Metals have high melting
point and are generally
in solid state at room
temperature.
(vii) Metals are good conductors
of heat and sound.
x Uses of metals:
Metals are used in
manufacturing of bridges,
railways, aeroplanes, diesel
mobile units (DMU), electric
mobile units (EMU), motor
cars, electric motors, telephones,
televisions, interplanetary space
vehicles, or even common
articles like cooking utensils and
coins. Metals are very important
Alloy Composition
1 Brass Cu = 80%, Zn = 20%
2 Bronze Cu = 90%, Sn = 10%
3 Solder Sn = 50%, Pb = 50%
B-379
for the economy of a country.
Some metals, such as titanium,
chromium, manganese and
zirconium are strategic metals.
These metals and their alloys
find wide applications in atomic
energy, space science projects,
jet engines and high grade steels.
Gold and silver ornaments are
obtained from small pieces of
metals by hammering.
x Noble metal: Noble metals
are metals that are resistant to
corrosion or oxidation, unlike
most base metals. Examples
include tantalum, gold,
platinum, and rhodium.
x Precious metal: A precious
metal is a rare metallic
chemical element of high
economic value precious metals
include the platinum group
metals: ruthenium, rhodium,
palladium, osmium, iridium,
and platinum, of which
platinum is the most widely
traded.
x Alloy: An alloy is a mixture
of two or more elements
in solid solution in which
the major component is a
metal. Combining different
ratios of metals as alloys
modify the properties of pure
metals to produce desirable
characteristics.
Uses
For making utensils and
cartridges.
For making statues, medals,
ships, coins and machines
For joining metals, solding wire
and electronic components etc.
B-380
4 Duralumin Al = 95.5%, Cu = 3%, Used in bodies of aircrafts,
Mn = 1.0%, Mg = 0.5% kitchen ware and automobile
5 German Cu = 60%, Zn = 20%, For making utensils and
Silver Ni = 20%
6 Gun metal Cu = 90%, Sn = 10%
7 Bell metal Cu = 80%, Sn = 20%
8 Magnalium Al = 90%, Mg = 10%
9 Type metal Pb = 82%, Sb = 15%, Sn For casting type
= 3%
10 Stainless Fe, Ni, Cr, C
steel
x Physical properties of non-
metals:
(i) They are dull, however
diamond, graphite and
iodine are lustrous.
(ii) They are poor conductors of
heat and electricity. Graphite
is a good conductor.
(iii) They are weak and brittle
(they easily break or shatter).
(iv) They have a low density
(they feel light for their
size).
(v) They do not make a ringing
x Extraction of Metals
sound when they are hit.
(vi) Melting points and boiling
points are usually low.
(vii) Non-metals are usually
soft. (Diamond is an
exception, it is quite hard.
It is a crystalline solid).
(viii)They exist in allotropic
forms.
8. Uses of Non-Metals
(i) Oxygen is essential for
survival of life.
(ii) Hydrogen is used to convert
vegetable oil into vegetable
ghee by hydrogenation.
(iii) Nitrogen is used to preserve
food and for manufacturing
proteins by plants.
(iv) Carbon in the form of
diamond is used for cutting
General Science
parts etc.
ornaments
For gears and castings etc.
For bells, gangs etc.
For balance beams, light
instruments.
For utensils, cutlery etc.
rocks and in the form of
graphite as electrode and
in manufacturing of lead
pencils.
(v) Sulphur is used in
vulcanization of rubber,
as fungicide and in
manufacture of dyes, gun
powder etc.
(vi) Chlorine is used as water
disinfectant and in the
manufacture of pesticides
like gammaxene.
(i) Minerals: The natural
substance in which the
metals or their compounds
occur in the earth is called
minerals.
(ii) Ores: The minerals
from which the metals
can be conveniently and
economically extracted are
called ores.
(iii) Native ores: These ores
contain metals in the free
state, e.g., silver, gold,
platinum, etc.
(iv) Metallurgy: The whole
process of obtaining a pure
metal from one of its ore is
known as metallurgy.
(v) Gangue or matrix: Ores
usually contain soil, sand,
General Science B-381

stones and others useless reagent as to make it

silicates. These undesired soluble while impurities
impurities present in remain insoluble. The
ores are called gangue or ore is recovered from
matrix. the solution by suitable
(vi) The removal of unwanted chemical method.
earthy and silicious (viii) Extraction process used to
impurities from the ore obtain metals in free state
is called ore-dressing or from concentrated ores is
concentration of ores called extraction.
and the process used to (ix) Extraction of crude metal
concentrate an ore is called from the concentrated
the benefication process. ore involves following
(vii) Concentration of ore is chemical processes.
achieved by (a) Conversion of ore into
(1) Physical methods: metallic oxides.
(a) Hand-picking: It is    &DOFLQDWLRQ LQYROYHV
used in the case when heating the ore
the impurities are below its fusion
quite distinct from temperature in the
the ore so that these absence of air. It can
may be differentiated remove moisture
by naked eye. from hydrated
(b) Hydraulic washing oxide or CO2 from
or Levigation or carbonates. It makes
Gravity separation: the ore porous.
The separation    5RDVWLQJ LV WKH
is based on the heating of the ore
difference in the in the presence of
specific gravities of air below its fusion
the gangue particles temperature.
and the ore particles. (b) Reduction to free metal:
(c) Electromagnetic    Smelting: This
separation: When involves the reduction
one component of the ore to the
either the ore molten metal at a
or impurity is high temperature. For
magnetic in nature, the extraction of
this method can be electropositive metals
used for separation. such as Pb, Fe, Sn,
(d) Froth floatation powerful reducing
process: This agent like C, H2, CO,
method is used for Al, Mg, etc., are used.
the concentration    Self reduction process:
of sulphide ores. These processes are
(2) Chemical method also called auto-
(Leaching) involves reduction process.
the treatment of the    Electrolytic pro-
ore with a suitable cess: The oxides of
B-382 General Science

highly electroposi- alumina mixed with

tive metals like Na, cryolite.
K, Mg, Ca, Al, etc., (x) Refining is the process
are extracted by of purifying the extracted
electrolysis of their metals.
oxides, hydroxides (xi) Chromatography is based
or chlorides in fused on the principle that the
state. For example, different components of
Al is obtained by a mixture are adsorbed
the electrolysis of to different extents on an
adsorbent.
S. Name of the ore Formula of the Types of ore Metal obtained
no. ore from the ore
1 Bauxite Al2O3.2H2O Oxide Aluminium (Al)
2. Haematite Fe2O3 Oxide Iron (Fe)
3. Magnetite Fe2O4 Oxide Iron (Fe)
4. Zincite ZnO Oxide Zinc (Zn)
5. Cuprite Cu2O Oxide Copper (Cu)
6. Litharge PbO Oxide Lead (Pb)
7. Malachite CuCO3.Cu(OH)2 Carbonate Copper (Cu)
8. Magnesite MgCO3 Carbonate Magnesium (Mg)
9. Lime stone CaCO3 Carbonate Calcium (Ca)
10. Cinnabar HgS Sulphide Mercury (Hg)
11. Chalcopyrite CuFeS2 Sulphide Copper (Cu)
12. Zinc blende ZnS Sulphide Zinc (Zn)
13. Galena PbS Sulphide Lead (Pb)
14. Common salt NaCl Chloride Sodium (Na)
(Halide)
15. Fluorspar CaF2 Fluoride Calcium (Ca)
(Halide)
16. Horn silver AgCl Chloride Silver (Ag)
(Halide)
17. Chalcocite Cu2S Sulphide Copper (Cu)
x Corrosion of Metals: Corrosion and steel (alloy of iron) are most
is an oxidation reaction with easily protected by paint which
atmospheric oxygen in the provides a barrier between the
presence of water on the surface metal and air/water. Moving
of a metal. Rusting is parts on machines can be
3 protected by a water repellent oil
Fe(s)  O 2 (g)  xH 2O(l ) o or grease layer. Other important
2
Fe 2 O3.xH 2O(s) methods are
(i) Alloying: Iron or steel along
i.e., rust is hydrated iron (III) with other metals can also
oxide. be protected by alloying
x Prevention of Corrosion: Iron or mixing with other metals
General Science
(e.g., chromium) to make
non-rusting alloys.
(ii) Galvanizing: Coating iron
or steel with a thin zinc
layer is called galvanizing.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
x The pollutants may be inorganic,
biological or radiological in
nature.
(i) Bio-degradable pollutants
are domestic wastes which
are rapidly decomposed by
micro-organisms.
(ii) Non-biodegradable pol-
lutants include chemicals,
mercuric salts, lead com-
pounds, pesticides, etc.
(iii) Natural pollution is caused
by radioactive substances,
volcanic eruptions, forests
and mines fires floods, etc.
(iv) Artificial pollution is
caused by industries,
thermal plants, automobile,
exhausts, sewage, etc.
x Environment: The conditions
existing around animal or
human life.
Atmosphere: The gaseous
envelop surrounding the
earth. It has been classified
into following regions:-
(i) Stratosphere: The layer
of the earths atmosphere
above the troposphere and
below the mesosphere.
(ii) Troposphere: The lowest
region of the atmosphere
extending from earths
surface to the lower boundary
of the stratosphere. In this
region, human beings along
with other organisms live. It
contains water vapour and
B-383
x Purity of Gold:
24-Carat gold: The carat
(abbreviation ct or Kt) is a
measure of the purity of gold
alloys. Carat is used to refer
to the measure of mass for
gemstones.
is greatly affected by air
pollution.
Note: The other two layers are
Thermosphere and Mesosphere.
x Air pollution: The major air
pollutants are
(i) Carbon monoxide (CO): It
is produced by incomplete
combustion of gasoline in
motor vehicles, wood, coal,
inceneration and forest fires.
It is treacherous and deadly
poisonous gas. It induces
headache, visual difficulty
coma and death. It blocks
the normal transport of
oxygen from the lungs to
other parts of the body.
(ii) Sulphur dioxide (SO2):
It is produced by petrol
combustion, coal
combustion, petrol refining
and smelting operations.
It hinders the movement of
air in and out of lungs. It
is particularly poisonous to
trees causing chlorosis and
dwarfing. In presence of
air it is oxidised to which is
also irritant.
2SO2 + O2 (air) 2SO3
In presence of moisture
is converted into highly
corrosive sulphuric acid.
SO3 + H2O (moisture) +2SO4
It attacks marble, limestone,
vegetation, paper and textiles
and injurious to human beings.
B-384
(iii) Oxides of nitrogen: and
NO, Source - combustion
of coal, gasoline,
natural gas, petroleum
refining, chemical plants,
manufacturing explosives
and fertilizers, tobacco
smoke.
Breathing NO2 causes
chlorosis to plants and
chronic lung conditions
leading to death. reacts
with moisture to form
acids.
2NO2 + H2O HNO2 + HNO3
3HNO2 2NO + HNO3 + H2O
(iv) Smoke, dust:
Sources: cement works,
iron and steel works, gas
works, power generating
stations.
Smog: It is a mixture
of smoke and fog in
suspended droplet form. It
is of two types:
(a) London smog
classical smog: It is
coal smoke plus fog.
The fog part is mainly
SO2 and SO3. It has
sulphuric acid aerosol.
It causes bronchial
irritation and acid rain.
It is reducing in nature.
(b) Photochemical smog
or Los Angeles
smog: The oxidised
hydrocarbons
ozone in presence
of humidity cause
photochemical smog.
Hydrocarbons + O2,
NO2, NO, O, O3 Per-
oxides, formaldehyde,
p e r ox ya c e t y l n i t r a t e
(PAN), acrolein etc.
General Science
It is oxidising in nature
and causes irritation
to eyes, lungs, nose,
asthamatic attack and
damage plants.
Acid rain: The oxides
of C, N and S present
in the atmosphere,
dissolve in water and
produce acids and
lower the pH of water
below 5.5.
The acids are toxic to
vegetation, react with marble
and damage buildings.
CaCO3 + H2SO4 CaSO4 +
H2O +CO2
Acids corrode water pipes
and produce salts with
heavy metals ions viz Cu,
Pb, Hg and Al toxic in
nature.
(v) Green House effect: The
retention of heat by the
earth and atmosphere from
or the sun and its prevention
to escape into the outer
space is known as green
house effect.
Global warming is average
increase in the temperature
of earth due to increase
in concentration of green
house gases (CO2, O3, NOx
etc).
Consequences of global
warming:
(i) Global warming would
and
result in rise in sea level
due to increased rate of
melting of glaciers and
floods.
(ii) Increase in infectious
diseases like malaria,
dengue, etc.
(vi) Ozone layer and its
depletion: The ozone
General Science
layer, existing between 20
to 35 km above the earths
surface, shield the earth
from the harmful U. V.
radiations from the sun.
The U. V. radiations cause
skin cancer, cataract of eye,
and harm to vegetation.
Depletion of ozone is caused
by oxides of nitrogen
N2O + hX NO + N
reactive nitric oxide
NO + O3 NO2+ O2,
O3 + hX O2+ O,
NO2 +O NO + O2
2O3 + hX 3O2 (Net reaction)
The presence of
chlorofluorocarbons also
increase the decomposition
of O3.
CF2Cl2 + hX + CF2Cl + Cl
CFCl3 + hX CFCl3 + Cl,
Cl + O3 ClO+ O,
ClO + O Cl + O2
O3 + O O2 (Net reaction)
(vii) Control of air pollution:
It can be controlled by
1. Dissolving HCl, HF, in
water and , , in alkaline
solution.
2. Adsorbing gas and
liquid molecules over
activated charcoal and
silica gel.
3. Chemical reactions.
4. Use of precipitators to
settle charge particles.
5. Use of settling chambers
under the action of
gravity.
6. Use of natural gas in
place of diesel, petrol,
etc.
x Water pollution: The contamination
of water by foreign substances
which would constitute a health
hazard and make it harmful for all
B-385
purposes (domestic, industrial or
agriculture etc.) is known as water
pollution. The polluted water may
have offensive odour, bad taste,
unpleasant colour, murky oily, etc.
(i) Sources of water pollution
(a) Domesticsewage:Discharges
from kitchens, baths,
lavatories, etc.
(b) Industrial waters:
Wastes from manu-
facturing processes
which includes acids,
alkalines, pesticides,
insecticides, metals like
copper, zinc, lead, mer-
cury, fungicides, etc.
(c) Oil: from oil spills
or washings of
automobiles.
(d) Atomic explosion
and processing of
radioactive materials.
(e) Suspended particles
(organic or inorganic)
viruses, bacterias,
algae, protozoa, etc.
(f) Wastes from fertilizer
plants such as
phosphates, nitrates
ammonia, etc.
(g) Clay: Ores, minerals,
fine particles of soil.
(ii) Aerobic and anaerobic
oxidation: The oxidation
of organic compounds
present in sewage in
presence of good amount
of dissolved or free
oxygen (approx. 8.5 ml/l)
by aerobic bacterials is
called aerobic oxidation.
When dissolved or free
oxygen is below a certain
value the sewage is called
stale. Anaerobic bacterias
B-386
bring out putrefaction
producing H2S, NH3, CH4,
(NH4)2S, etc. This type of
oxidation is called anaerobic
oxidation.
(iii) Biological Oxygen
Demand (BOD): It is
defined as the amount of
free oxygen required for
biological oxidation of the
organic matter by aerobic
conditions at 20C for a
period of five days. Its unit
is mg/l or ppm. An average
sewage has BOD of 100 to
150 mg/l.
(iv) Chemical Oxygen Demand
(COD): It is a measure
of all types of oxidisable
impurities present in the
sewage. COD values are
higher than BOD values.
SOME IMPORTANT MAN MADE MATERIALS
x Glass
It consists of a mixture of two
or more silicates.
Preparation of glass:
Common glass (or soft glass):
It is used to make bottles, glass
wares etc. and is obtained by
heating together silica (in the
form of sand), sodium carbonate
or sodium sulphate and chalk or
lime stone (calcium carbonate).
Some broken glass and a little
coke are usually added. The
glass so prepared consists of
silicates of sodium and calcium.
Na2CO3(s) + SiO2(s)
(silica)
Na2SiO3(s) + CO2(g)
Na2SO4(s) + SiO2(s)
Na2SiO3(s) + SO3(g)
General Science
x Soil pollution: The addition
of substances in an indefinite
proportion changing the
productivity of the soil is known
as soil or land pollution.
Sources of soil pollution:
(i) Agricultural pollutants:
Chemicals like pesticides,
fertilizers, bacteriacides,
fumigants, insecticides,
herbicides, fungicides.
(ii) Domestic refuge and
industrial wastes.
(iii) Radioactive wastes from
research centres, and hospitals.
(iv) Soil conditioners containing
toxic metals like Hg, Pb, As,
Cd, etc.
(v) Farm wastes from poultries,
dairies and piggery farms.
(vi) Improper disposal of
human and animal extreta.
(vii) Pollutants present in air
from chemical works.
CaCO3(s) + SiO2(s)
CaSiO3(s) + CO2(g)
Hard glass: For preparation
of hard glass K2CO3 is used in
place of Na2CO3. It consists
of a mixture of calcium and
potassium silicates.
Physical properties of glass:
Hard, rigid, high viscosity,
bad conductor of heat and
electricity, brittle, etc.
Blowing: It is a method to cast
the molten glass into different
moulds. There are two different
methods of glass blowing
(i) Free blowing and ( ii) mould
blowing
Free blowing: It involves the
blowing of air to inflate the
molten glass which is gathered
at one end of the blow pipe to
give the desired shape.
General Science B-387

Mould blowing: This method is generally used to make

was developed after the gums and adhesives.
technique of free blowing. (iii) Lead glass: For this type
In this method, molten glass of glass lead oxide is
is inflated into a wooden or added to ordinary glass.
metal carved mould with the The addition of lead oxide
help of blow pipe which gives increases the density and
the molten glass the shape and also the refractive index.
design of the interior of the This type of glass is used
mould. for the manufacture of
Chemical properties of glass ornamental glass ware,
(i) It is resistant to action decorative articles etc.
of air and acids except (iv) Optical glass: This
hydroflouric acid. type of glass is used
(ii) It is alkaline in nature. in the manufacture of
(iii) It slowly reacts with water optical instruments like
to form alkaline solution. binoculars, spectacles,
Types of glass
lenses, prisons, telescopes,
(i) Silica glass: For this type
microscopes etc. It is
of glass the raw material
used is 100% pure form of transparent and can be
quartz. It is quite expensive. It grounded into the required
is used in the manufacture shape. It generally contains
of laboratory apparatus. It phosphorus, and lead
has low thermal expansion. silicates with little cerium
Its softening point is very oxide which absorbs UV
high and it is resistant to a radiations.
wide variety of chemicals. (v) Processed glass: The
(ii) Alkali silicate glass: For it properties and applications
the raw materials used are of glass also depend upon
sand and soda. It is also the processing of glass.
called water glass because Some types of processed
it is soluble in water and glass and their applications
used only as a solution. It are given here:
Processed glass Applications
1. Laminated glass Used for doors and windows of automobiles. (It
has high strength).
2. Fibre glass Used for reinforcing purpose (It has enough tensile
strength)
3. Foam glass Used for civil construction and insulation purposes
(it is light weight).
4. Opaque glass In it non-transparent glass filters the light entering
into it. Thus provides an aesthetic look.
(vi) Borosilicate glass: It aluminium. It is resistant to
contains silica and Boron a wide variety of chemicals
oxide and small amount due to this property it is
of oxides of sodium and used in the manufacture of
laboratory ware.
B-388
x Fertilizers
Fertilizers are chemical
compounds which when added
to the soil increase their fertility
and directly supply the need of
essential elements [N, P, K] of
primary importance.
Classification: Chemical
fertilizers are broadly classified
into the following three types:
(i) Nitrogenous fertilizers:
Ammonium sulphate, urea
etc.
(ii) Phosphatic fertilizers: Super
phosphate, ammonium
phosphate
(iii) Potash fertilizers: Potas-
sium chloride, potassium
sulphate.
x Soaps and detergents
Soap: Fatty acid salts of sodium
and potassium are known as
soaps. These are prepared by
the action of fatty acids with
sodium hydroxide or potassium
hydroxide.
Fatty acid + sodium hydroxide
Soap + glycerol.
Detergents are sodium salt of
long chain sulphonic acids or
alkyl hydrogen sulphate.
Advantages of detergents over
soaps
(i) Detergents can be used for
laundering even with hard
water as they are soluble
even in hard water.
(ii) Detergents possess better
cleansing properties than
soaps.
Disadvantages of detergents
over soap: Detergents are
prepared from hydrocarbons,
while soaps are prepared from
edible fatty oils. Thus they are
non biodegradable.
Saponification: It is the process
of making of soap by the
hydrolysis of fats and oils with
alkalis.
General Science
Both soaps and detergents are
soluble in water and act as
surfactants which reduce the
surface tension of water to a
great extent. This increases the
water - fabric interaction as
a consequence of which dirt
particles, grease spots etc are
washed away effectively. In other
words soaps and detergents
enhance the cleansing action of
water.
x Portland cement: It was first
discovered in England. It is
essentially a mixture of lime
stone and clay. It was called
Portland cement because in
presence of water it sets to a
hard stone-like mass resembling
with the famous Portland rock.
The approximate composition
of Portland cement is
Calcium oxide (CaO) 62%
Silica (SiO2) 22%
Alumina (Al2O3) 7.5%
Magnesia (MgO) 2.5%
Ferric oxide (Fe2O3) 2.5%
The above compounds are
provided by the two raw
materials, namely lime stone
(which provides CaO) and
clay (which provides SiO2,
Al2O3 and Fe2O3). In cement,
almost entire amount of lime
in present in the combined state
as calcium silicate (2CaO. SiO2
and 3CaO. SiO2) and calcium
aluminates (3CaO. Al2O3 and
4 CaO. Al2O3).
(i) Cement containing excess
amount of lime cracks
during setting; while
cement containing less
amount of lime is weak in
strength.
(ii) Cement with excess of
silica is slow-setting and
that having an excess of
alumina is quick-setting.
General Science B-389

(iii) Cement containing no iron is added to slow down the setting

is white but hard to burn.
Cement is manufactured by two
processes, viz. wet and dry. A
small amount (23%) of gypsum
of the cement so that it gets
sufficiently hardened. Setting of
cement is an exothermic process
and involves hydration of calcium
aluminates and calcium silicates.

Lime stone and

clay are powdered
and mixed
Addition of
Burnt at
Calcium silicates + Portland Cement
1770-1870K gypsum
in a rotatory kiln calcium aluminates

GENERAL ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

CARBOHYDRATES
Carbohydrates are defined as the optically active polyhydroxy aldehydes or
ketones or substances which yield these on hydrolysis.
Classification of Carbohydrates
Based on Molecular Size
CARBOHYDRATES

MONOSACCHARIDES OLIGOSACCHARIDES
Based on Nature PROTEINS
Carbohydrates are also classified as Proteins are highly complex, natural
reducing and non-reducing sugars compounds, composed of a large
depending on whether they reduce number of different Damino acids
Fehlings and Tollens reagent or not. joined together with peptide linkage,
i.e., they are naturally occurring
Based on Taste polypeptides. The biological
importance of proteins can be
Carbohydrates with sweet taste are judge by the fact that the animals
called sugars while those without a can live for a long time without fat
sweet taste are called non-sugars. or carbohydrate, but not without
LIPIDS protein.
Lipids are organic compounds NUCLEIC ACIDS
soluble in non-polar fat solvents Nucleic acids are colourless,
such as acetone, ether, chloroform,
benzene, etc. and insoluble in water. complex, amorphous, compounds
The most important role of lipids is made up of three units: bases, sugar
that of biological fuel. Lipids supply and phosphoric acid. These are
more energy than carbohydrates, macro-molecules of high molecular
excess of lipids is stored in the body weight and are present in every
and used at the time of starvation. living cell.
B-390
Life Science
CELL BIOLOGY AND GENETICS
Cell is a basic structural and functional
unit of life.
x Robert Hooke in 1665 coined the
word cell.
x Anton von Leeuwenhoek first saw
and described a live cell.
x Robert Brown later had discovered
the nucleus.
x Cell theory was proposed by
Schleiden and Schwann in 1855 to
explain the concept of the cellular
nature of living organism.
Prokaryotic Cells
x Prokaryotic cells are
morphologically most primitive.
x Prokaryotic cells are devoid of
membrane bound organelles
like plastids, mitochondria and
advanced (9+2) flagella.
x Prokaryotic cells are represented
by bacteria, cyanobacteria (blue
green algae) mycoplasma and
PPLO (pleuro-pneumonia like
organisms).
Eukaryotic Cells
x A eukaryotic cell consists of the
following components:
Cell Wall
x The cell wall is a non-living,
semi-rigid, external protective
covering of the cell.
x Cell wall is entirely lacking in
animals.
x It is made up of cellulose
secreted by the cell itself.
Cell Mebrane
x The cell membrane is a living,
thin, elastic and semi-permeable
General Science
membranous covering of plant
and animal cells.
Fluid mosaic model of plasma
membrane
x S.J.Singer and G. Nicolson in
1972 proposed the most accepted
model of membrane structure.
The plasma membrane is a lipid-
bilayer with proteins embedded
in it.
x Lipids are amphipathic, i.e., they
are structurally asymmetric with
polar hydrophilic and non-polar
hydrophobic group.
x One of the most important
function of plasma membrane
is the transport of the molecules
across it.
Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER)
There are two types of endoplasmic
reticulum i.e.,
x Smooth or agranular ER They
do not have attached ribosomes
on their surface.
x Rough or granular ER They
bear ribosomes on their surface,
for protein synthesis.
Golgi Apparatus
x Golgi apparatus or Golgi
complex is a stack of flattened,
membrane bounded, parallely
arranged organelles that occur in
the association of endoplasmic
reticulum in the cytoplasmic
matrix.
x The golgi apparatus principally
performs the function of packaging
materials to be delivered either to
the intra-cellular targets or secreted
outside the cell.
General Science B-391

Lysosomes Nucleolus
x Lysosomes are popularly called x It is present inside the nucleus.
suicide bags. x It is the site of active ribosomal
Vacuoles RNA synthesis.
x In plant cells, the vacuoles can Study of heredity and variation is
occupy up to 90 percent of the called genetics.
volume of the cell. The vacuole x Term genetics was given by -
is bound by a single membrane Bateson.
called tonoplast. They are x Father of genetics - Gregor
responsible for maintenance of Johann Mendel.
turgour pressure. x Father of experimental genetics -
Mitochondria Thomas Hunt Morgan.
x Father of human genetics -
x Mitochondria are also called as
powerhouse of cells. Archibald Garrod.

Plastids Some Terms in Genetics

x Plastids are found in plants and Gene : It is segment of DNA. It is
few protists Euglena. basic unit of heredity.
Back cross : It is cross which is
Ribosomes performed between hybrid and one
x Ribosomes are smallest cell of its parents.
organelles. They are protein Test cross : Test cross is crossing of
synthesising factories.
offspring with unknown dominant
There are two types of
ribosomes viz., phenotype with the individual
Prokaryotic or 70S ribosomes homozygous recessive for the trait.
Eukaryotic or 80S ribosomes Monohybrid cross : It is a cross
between two organisms of a
Nucleus species which is made to study the
x Nucleus is centrally located, inheritance of a single pair of alleles
spherical and largest component or factors of a character.
of the all eukaryotic cell. It Monohybrid ratio : Monohybrid
contains the genetic material of ratio is usually 3 : 1 (phenotypic
the cell.
ratio) or 1 : 2 : 1 (genotype ratio)
Structure of Nucleus in which 25% of the individuals
x A typical nucleus consists of carry the recessive trait, 25% pure
four structures: (i) nuclear dominant and 50% have hybrid
membrane, (ii) nucleoplasm (iii) dominant trait.
chromatin and (iv) the nucleolus. Dihybrid cross : It is a cross between
Satellite
Secondary
two organisms of a species which is
constriction made to study the inheritance of
two pairs of factors or alleles of two
Short arm Short arm
Centromere
Centromere genes.
Dihybrid ratio : Dihybrid ratio is 9
Long arm
Telocentric Acrocentric Sub-
: 3 : 3 : 1 (phenotypic ratio) where
Metacentric
metacentric 9/16 first recessive and second
Fig. : Types of chromosomes based dominant and 1/16 carry both the
on the position of centromere recessive traits.
B-392
x Mendel conducted cross
hybridization experiments on
Garden Pea plant (Pisum sativum).
The first was the Principle of
segregation, which claimed that
each trait was specified by paired
hereditary determinants (alleles
of genes) that separate from each
other during gamete formation.
This law is also called Law of
purity of gametes or Law of
splitting of hybrids.
x Gregor Mendel was the first
individual to apply a modern
scientific approach to the study
of heredity. Mendel proposed
two basic principles of trasmission
genetics.
x Mendels second basic conclusion
was the Principle of independent
assortment, which stated that the
segregation of one pair of genes-
controlling a given trait - was not
influenced by the segregation of
other gene pairs. The chormosome
theory provided a physical basis
for the principle of independent
assortment. Genes located on
different chromosomes move to
gametes independently of each
other during meiosis.
Human Blood Groups and
Multiple Allele
x The system of blood groups in
humans was discovered by Karl
Landsteiner in 1900s.
x There are four phenotypes of
Blood namely A, B, AB and
O produced by three different
alleles IA, IB and i of a gene.
x The allele IA and IB are equally
dominant and do not interfere
with expression of each other
hence the allele IA IB are said to
be co-dominant because both are
expressed in the phenotype AB.
x Linkage is the phenomenon of
certain genes staying together
during inheritance through
General Science
generations without any change
or separation due to their being
present on the same chromosomes.
x Linkage in the genes can be
identified by test cross.
x The rearrangements of linked genes
due to crossing over is known as
recombination. Recombination
also occurs due to chance
separation of chromosomes
during gametogenesis and their
random coming together during
fertilization.
Sex Determination
x Henking discovered X body in
spermatogenesis of few insects
and it was given name of X
chromosome. Due to involvment
of X and Y chromosomes in
determination of sex, they were
called sex chromosomes.
x Rest of the chromosomes which
determine other metabolic
character of the body are called
autosomes.
Mutation
x Phenomenon that results in
alteration of DNA sequence and
consequently results in change in
genotype and phenotype of an
organism is called mutation.
x Mutagens are various chemical
and physical factors that induce
mutations, e.g., UV radiations,
carcinogenic chemicals like
nicotine, nitric oxide (NO).
Genetic Disorder
x A genetic disorder is a disease
that is caused by an abnormality
in an individuals DNA.
Haemophilia
x A protein involved in clotting of
blood is affected in an affected
individual; if person gets a cut,
will result in non-stop bleeding.
General Science
x Females are heterozygous and
carriers of haemophilia.
Sickle Cell Anaemia
x It is due to inheritance of defective
allele coding for E-globin. It
results in the transformation of
HbA into HbS in which glutamic
acid is replaced by valine at 6th
position in each of two E-chains
of haemoglobin.
PLANT PHYSIOLOGY
Photosynthesis
x Photosynthesis occurs in
specialized cells called mesophyll
cell which contain chloroplast.
x Photosynthesis follows two main
step Light dependent reaction
which occur in grana of the
chloroplast and Light dependent
reaction which occur in stroma
region of the chloroplast.
x It is actually oxidation reduction
process in which water is
oxidized and CO2 is reduced to
carbohydrates.
x The reduction of CO2 to
carbohydrates needs assimilatory
powers, ie., ATP and NADPH2.
Respiration
x Carbohydrates are broken down
through the process of oxidation
and releasing of energy for
cellular use, is called respiration.
Respiration occurs in three steps
as Glycolysis, Krebs Cycle and
Electron transport system.
C6H12O6 + 6CO2 o 6CO2 +
6H20 + energy
x Glycolysis occurs in the cytoplasm
of the cell and the final product is
pyruvate which is transported from
the cytoplasm to mitochondria.
B-393
x It is an excellent example of
single mutation.
Phenylketonuria
x Affected individual lacks enzyme
phenylalanine hydroxylase that
converts amino acid phenylalanine
to tyrosine.
x It is characterized by severe mental
retardation, hypopigmentation of
skin & hair, eczema, etc.
Citric acid cycle/Krebs cycle
occur in mitochondrial matrix and
3NADH2, 1FADH2 and 1 GTP
(ATP) produced by each turn of
TCA cycle. In Electron transport
system electron are passes in
a downhill journey releasing
energy at every step that is used
in generating electrochemical
proton gradient which help in
synthesizing energy.
Transpiration
x Loss of water in the form of
water vapour from plant through
the small pore (stomata) present
on leaves is called transpiration.
Nitrogen metabolism
x Plants obtain Nitrogen from the
soil in the form of nitrites (NO2),
nitrates (NO3) and ammonium
(NH4)+ salts. Nitrogen assimilation
is carried out by plants in three
steps.
x Ammonification: It is the
process of conversion of complex
organic compounds like protein
into ammonia in the presence of
ammonifying bacteria.
x Proteins o Amino acids o
Organic acids o Ammonia
B-394 General Science

x Nitrification: Ammonia is flowering. It also causes the

rapidly converted first to nitrite
and then nitrates by the process
of nitrification. Nitrification
is brought about by nitrifying
bacteria such as Nitrosomonas
and Nitrobacter.
x Denitrification: It is the process
of conversion of nitrate salts
present in the soil and water to
gaseous nitrogen which escapes
into atmosphere. It takes place
with the help of bacteria called
Pseudomonas.
Plant Growth Regulators
Some chemical molecules secreted
by the plants which affect the growth
of the plant known as Plant growth
regulators.
x Auxin: It controls division in the
vascular cambium and xylem
differentiation. It Promotes
phenomenon of apical dominance.
x Gibberellines: It causes an
increase in length of axis of
the plant. It delay senescence
and help in induction of seed
germination.
x Cytokinins: It promotes cell
division and growth of lateral
branches by inhibiting apical
dominance. It also promotes
formation of adventitious shoot.
x Ethylene: It is synthesized in the
tissue undergoing senescence
and ripening of fruits. It
promtes in ripening of fruits
and accelerate the abscission of
flower.
x Abscisic acid: It causes ageing
and abscission of leaves and
fruits. It also regulates bud and
seed dormancy.

HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY

Digestion of Food
Name of the Name of the Substrate End product
Digestive enzymes
juice
Saliva Ptyalin (Salivary Starch Maltose
amylase)
Pancreatic Amylopsin Starch, Maltose and Glucose
iuice (pancreatic amylase) Glycogen
Intestinal Sucrase (invertase), Sucrose; Glucose and fructose, Glucose,
juice Maltase, Lactase Maltose, Glucose and galactose
Lactose
Gastric Juice Pepsin, Rennin Proteins, Proteoses and peptones,
Casein Calcium caseinate
Pancreatic Trypsin, Proteins, Proteoses and peptides
Juice Chymotrypsin, Proteins Peptides Amino acid.
Carboxyl peptidases Peptides
Intestinal Amino peptidase, Peptides Amino acids, Amino acids
juice Dipeptidase
General Science B-395

Vitamin required by the body

Vitamin Chemical Function in Deficiency Sources
Name Body Disease
B1 Thiamine Part of Beri-beri: Found in whole
pyrophosphate coenzyme for nerve and heart grain cereals,
respiration disorders legumes, beans,
nuts, brewers
yeast, wheat
germ, pork,
ham, and liver.
B2 Riboflavin Part of Ariboflavinosis: Milk, yogurt,
coenzyme skin and eye other dairy,
FAD disorders meat, leafy
needed for greens, whole
respiration grains.
B12 Cyanoco- Coenzyme Pernicious Animal
balamin needed for anaemia products (meat,
making red fish, poultry,
blood cells, shellfish, eggs,
bone, blood cheese, milk).
and nerve
changes
B5 Nicotinic Part of Pellagra: skin, Widespread in
acid (niacin) coenzymes gut and nerve foods.
NAD, disorders
NADP used
in respiration
C Ascorbic acid Not precisely Scurvy:
known degeneration of
skin teeth and
blood vessels.
A Retinol Not fully Xeropthalmia: Milk, eggs,
known but dry eyes meat, fish liver
forms part oilsz: Green
of visual leafy vegetables
pigment, - kale, spinach,
rhodopsin broccoli Yellow
Vegetables -
carrots, sweet
potatoes
Fruits- mango,
papaya and
apricot
B-396 General Science

D Cholecalciferol Stimulates Rickets: bone Formed in skin

calcium deformity when exposed
absorption to sunlight.
by small Also found in
intestine, dairy products,
needed for egg yolk, fish
proper bone liver oils,
growth oysters, yeast.
E Tocopherol Not precisely Infertility Found
known primarily in
plant oils,
green, leafy
vegetables,
wheat germ,
whole grains,
egg yolk, nuts,
seeds, and liver.
K Phylloquinone Involved Possible Bacterial
in blood haemorrage synthesis in the
clotting digestive tract.
Diet generally
supplies
remaining
need.
Green, leafy
vegetables,
cabbage-type
vegetables and
milk

Minerals Source Function

Sodium (Na) Table salt large amounts is Needed for proper
present in processed foods, fluid balance, nerve
small amounts in milk, breads, transmission, and muscle
vegetables, and meats contraction

Chloride Table salt, large amounts is Needed for proper fluid

present in processed foods, small balance, stomach acid
amounts in milk, meats, breads,
and vegetables

Potassium Meats, milk, fresh fruits and Needed for proper

vegetables, whole grains, legumes fluid balance, nerve
transmission, and muscle
contraction
General Science B-397

Calcium Milk and milk products, canned
fish with bones (salmon,
sardines), fortified tofu and
fortified soy milk, greens
(broccoli, mustard green),
legumes
Phosphorus Meat, fish, poultry, eggs, milk,
processed foods
Magnesium Nuts and seeds; legumes, leafy,
green vegetables, seafood, and
chocolate
Sulfur Occurs in foods as part of
protein, meats, poultry, fish,
eggs, milk, legumes, nuts
Iron Organ meats; red meats, fish,
poultry, shellfish (especially
clams), egg yolks, legumes; dried
fruits dark, leafy greens, iron-
enriched breads and cereals, and
fortified cereals
Iodine Seafood, foods grown in iodine-
rich soil, iodized salt, bread,
dairy products
Important for healthy bones
and teeth, helps muscles
relax and contract, important
in nerve functioning, blood
clotting, blood pressure
regulation, immune system
health
Important for healthy
bones and teeth, found
in every cell, part of the
system that maintains acid-
base balance
Found in bones, needed
for making protein,
muscle contraction, nerve
transmission, immune
system health
Found in protein molecules
Part of a molecule
hemoglobin found in red
blood cells that carries
oxygen in the body, needed
for energy metabolism
Found in thyroid hormone,
which helps regulate
growth, development, and
metabolism

Inorganic Elements in the Human Diet

Element Common Functions in human body
ions
Calcium Ca2+ Calcium ions are needed for stability of cell
membranes, as cofactors for some enzymes and
are involved in muscle contraction and blood
clotting.
Phosphorus H2PO4 Bones component of many organic molecules
like DNA, RNA and ATP.
Potassium K+ These ions are important in determining the
Sodium Na+ balance of electrical charges in body fluids.
Chlorine CI
B-398 General Science

Iron Fe2+, Fe3+ Component of haemoglobin and cytochrome

molecules.
Iodine I Component of hormone thyroxin.
Copper Cu2+ Trace elements as enzyme cofactors, for example,
Manganes Mn2+ Cu2+ is co-factor for cytochrome oxidase.
Zinc Zn2+
x Marasmus is produced by a
simultaneous deficiency of proteins
and calories. In Marasmus, protein
deficiency impairs growth and
replacement of tissue proteins;
extreme emaciation of the body
and thinning of limbs results,
the skin becomes dry, thin and
wrinkled. Growth rate and body
weight decline considerably.
x Kwashiorkar is produced by
protein deficiency unaccompani-
ed by calorie deficiency. Like
marasmus, kwashiorkor shows
wasting of muscles, thinning
of limbs, failure of growth and
brain development.
Human Respiratory System
x Human respiratory system consists
of external nostrils, nasal cavity,
nasopharynx, larynx, trachea,
bronchiole and lungs.
nasal cavity
windpipe
larynx (trachea)
bronchial tree
lobes
alveoli are in
here
of lung
Transport of gases
x 97% of oxygen is transported
from the lungs to the tissues in
combination with haemoglobin
(Hb + O2 HbO2,
oxyhaemoglobin). 3% is transported
in dissolved condition by the
plasma.
There are three ways of
transport of CO2.
x 5%7% (approximately) of CO2
is transported, being dissolved in
the plasma of blood.
x CO2 react with the water to
form carbonic acid (H2CO3) by
the enzyme carbonic anhydrase
(present in RBC).
x CO2 reacts with amine radicals
(NH2) of haemoglobin molecule
and forms a carbamino
haemoglobin (HbCO2) molecule.
Nearly 23% of CO2 is transported
through this mode.
Circulatory Pathways
The circulatory patterns are of two
types
x Open circulatory system is
present in arthropods and
molluscs in which blood pumped
by the heart passes through large
vessels into open spaces or body
cavities called sinuses. Annelids

and chordates have a closed

circulatory system in which
the blood pumped by the heart
is always circulated through
a closed network of blood
General Science
vessels. All vertebrates possess
a muscular chambered heart.
Fishes have a 2-chambered
heart with an atrium and a
ventricle. Amphibians and the
reptiles (except crocodiles)
have a 3-chambered heart with
two atria and a single ventricle,
whereas crocodiles, birds and
mammals possess a 4-chambered
heart with two artia and two
ventricles.
Heart beat and pulse
x The human heart beats at the
rate of about 72-80 per minute in
the resting condition.
Electrocardiograph
x ECG is the graphic record of
electronic current produced by
the excitation of cardiac muscles.
x A normal electrocardiogram
is composed of a p wave, QRS
complex and T wave. P wave
indicate the depolarisation of the
atria. QRS complex expresses
Skeletal System
Human Skeleton (comprising 206 bones)
Axial Skeleton
made up of
Skull Vertebral Sternum
column
Axial Skeleton : Skeleton which x Facial bones (14 in number) :
occurs in the mid axial or longitudinal
part of the body.
(i) Skull is made up of 29 bones. It
is composed of
x Cranium (8 bones) : Frontal -1;
Parietal-2; Occipital-1; Temporal
- 2; Sphenoid - 1; Ethmoid - 1.
B-399
the ventricular depolarisation. T
wave indicate an repolarisation
of ventrcle.
Excretion
x The process of excreting
ammonia is -Ammonotelism.
kidney plays a minor role in the
elimination of ammonia e.g.,
teleost fishes, tadpoles, aquatic soft
bodied invertebrates. Organism
undergoing ammonotelism are
called ammonotelic.
x The process of excreting urea
is - Ureotelism. Examples are
mammals, many terrestrial adult
amphibians and cartilaginous
fishes (shark).
x The process of elimination of uric
acid is Uricotelism Examples are
land snails, insects, birds and many
reptiles.
x Each kidney has nearly one
million complex tubular structures
called nephrons, which are the
functional units of kidney. These
filter the blood to produce urine.
divided into
Appendicular Skeleton
made up of
Ribs
Girdles Limbs
Nasal-2; Maxillae - 2; Zygomatic
-2; Lacrymals-2; Mandibles - 1;
Inferior turbinals-2; Vomer-1;
Palatines-2. Hyoid Tongue bone-1
x Ear ossicles (6 bones) : Malleus
-2; Incus - 2; Stapes - 2.
B-400
(ii) Vertebral column : 33 in babies,
26 in adults. Grouped into 5
categories :
x Cervical-7; Thoracic-12;
Lumber-5; Sacral - 5; Coccygeal
- 4 (fused in adults).
(iii) Sternum : Composed of 3 parts
o Manubrium, body of sternum
and xiphoid process .
(iv) Ribs : They are twelve pairs. First
seven pairs are true ribs. The 8th,
9th and 10th ribs are called false
ribs or vertebrochondrial ribs.
The last 11th and 12th pairs are
called floating ribs.
Appendicular Skeleton : Present
laterally or attached to the axial
skeleton.
(i) Girdles : 2 types - pectoral and
pelvic.
Pectoral girdle : made of two
parts - clavicle and scapula.
Pelvic girdle : made of three
bones - ilium, pubis and ischium.
(ii) Limb bones : Hind limbs and fore
limbs - both made up of 30 bones
each.
General Science
Fore limbs : Humerus (1); Radius-
Ulna (2); Carpals (8); Metacarpals
(5); Phalanges (14); Phalanges
formula = 2, 3, 3, 3,
(iii) Hind limbs : Femur (1); Tibia-
Fibula (2); Patella (1); Tarsals (7);
Metatarsals (5); Phalanges (14).
Joints
x A joint is a location at which
two bones make contact and
is essential for all types of
movements, involving the bony
parts of the body.
Synovial joints - Movable joints:
They are characterised by the
presence of a closed space or cavity
between the bones.
x This kind of joint are classified
into six major categories.
Plane (gliding joint) : Present
between carpals. Only sliding
motion in all direction is
allowed.
Hinge joint : Present between
Knee joint
Pivot joint : Present between
atlas and axis
Saddle joint : Present between
carpal and metacarpal
Ball and Socket joint : Present
between humerus and pectoral
girdle.
Neural Control and
Coordination
x The neural sysem is the control
system of the body which
consists of highly specialized
cells called neurons.
x A neuron consists of main cell
body and cytoplasmic processes
arising from it.
The human brain is divisible into
three parts:
x Forebrain : It comprises the
olfactory lobes, cerebrum and
diencephalon.
General Science B-401

Cerebrum is the largest and the cerebral cortex with other parts
complex part. It consists of of brain and spinal cord.
the left and right hemispheres x Hind brain : It comprises of :
connected by a bundle of Cerebellum : It controls the
myelinated fibres, called corpus balance and posture of the body.
callosum. The outer layer of the Pons varolii - The pons is
cerebrum is called the cortex. concered with maintenance of
x Diencephalon : The main normal rhythm of respiration.
parts of the diencephalon are Medulla oblongata - Medullary
epithalamus, thalamus and centres (reflex centres) are
hypothalamus. present for controlling the
The hypothalamus is the highest functions of important organs,
centre of autonomic nervous e.g., cardiac centres (heart),
system. It governs emotional respiratory centre, vasomotor
reactions and exercise control centre (for regulating diameter
over sleep mechanism. of blood vessels) and reflex
x Midbrain : It is formed of corpora centres (for swallowing,
quadrigemina and cerebral vomiting, peristalsis, secretion
peduncles. Cerebral penduncles and activity of alimentary canal,
are bundles of fibres connecting salivation, coughing etc.)
Chemical Coordination in Animal (Hormones)
Endocrine Gland Hormone Principal action Disorders
Thyroxine (T4) and Maintains calcium level Cretinism,
Triiodothyronine (T3)
normal in the body. myxoedema goiter
Thyroid
Calcitonin Increases rate of
metabolism in the body.
Parathyroid Parathormone (PTH) Increases plasma Parathyroid tetany
calcium osteoporosis
Adrenal gland Adrenaline and Increases heart beat,
(medulla) Noradrenaline blood sugar and also
constricts blood vessel
Mineralocorticoids Increases reabsorption Addisons disease
(aldosterone) of sodium and Adrenal virilism
excertion of potassium
Adrenal cortex Glucocorticoids Increases blood Cushings
(cortisol) sugar and affects syndrome
carbohydrate, fat and
protein metabolism
ARH Regulates corticotropin
secretion
TRH Thyrotropin secretion
Hypothalamus SRH Stimulates secretion of
gonadotropins
(Growth hormone Regulates secretion of
releaing factor) prolactin
B-402 General Science

(Prolactir releasing Control secretion of

hormone) and MSH
(Prolactin inhibitory
hormone)
Pituitary gland Stimulates general Pituitary dwarfism,
anterior lobe growth gigantism,
Acromegaly
Prolactin Stimulates milk
production and secretion
(Follicle stimulating Stimulates ovarian follicle
Pituitary gland hormone) and spermatogenesis
anterior (Lutemizing Stimulates corpus luteum
lobe hormone) and ovulation in females
and interstitial cell in
males
(Thyroid stimulating Stimulates thyroid gland
hormone) to secrete hormones
Adrenocorticotropic Stimulates adrenal cortex
hormone to secrete glucocorticoids
Intermediate Melanocyte Growth and development
lobe stimulating hormone of melanocyte
Oxytocin Contraction of uterine
muscles and mammary
gland cells
Posterior lobe
Vasopressin Promotes reabsorption Diabetes insipidus
(ADH) of water from collecting
ducts of kidneys

DIVERSITY IN LIVING ORGANISM

x Biodiversity refers number and types of wide variety of plants and
animals present on earth.
x In 1773, Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus formulated the system of
binomial nomenclature in his book Species plantarum. In binomial
system, each name is expressed in two parts i.e., generic name and
specific name.
x Taxonomy is the branch of biology that deals with the framing of
laws and principles for classifying the organisms on the basis of their
characteristics and evolutionary relationships.
x The hierarchial system of classification was introduced by Linnaeus.
Kingdom o Phylum or Division o Class oOrderoFamily o Genus
o Species
General Science B-403

Basic Features of Whittakers Five Kingdoms

Kingdom Cellular Movement Nutrition Reproduction
Organisation
1. Monera (All Unicellular, By flagella Absorptive or Asexual
Prokaryotes) without (tubulin-dynein photosynthetic
nucleus or system)
membranous
organelle.
2. Protista Unicellular, By flagella, cillia, Absorptive, Both sexual
(Protozoans, eukaryote with pseudopodia photosynthetic and asexual
unicellular nucleus and and mucilage & holozoic
algae) membranous propulsion
organelles.
3. Fungi Multicellular Non-motile Heterotrophic Asexual and
(Multicellular eukaryote (saprophytic/ sexual both
decomposers) coenocytic, parasitic)
no plastids,
cells wall of
cellulose,
chitin.
4. Plantae Multicellular, Non-motile Autotrophic or Asexual and
(All plants) higher photosynthetic sexual both
organisation
eukaryotes,
cellulosic cell
wall, plastids
present.
5. Animalia Multicellular, Highly motile Heterotrophic Both sexual
(All animals) higher with all type of (holozoic or and asexual
organization, motile machinery saprozoic) but in higher
eukaryotes forms only
without cell sexual
wall and
chlorophyll.

Plant Kingdom
DIVISIONS OF ALGAE AND THEIR MAIN CHARACTERISTICS
Classes Common Major Stored Cell Wall Flagellar Habitat
Name Pigments Number
Food and
Position of
Insertions
Chlorophyceae Green Chlorophyll Starch Cellulose 2-8, equal, Fresh
algae a, b apical water,
brackish
and salt
water.
B-404
Phaeophyceae Brown Chlorophyll Mannitol, Cellulose 2, unequal, Fresh
algae a, c, laminarin and algin lateral
fucoxanthin
Rhodophyceae Red algae Chlorophyll Floridean Cellulose Absent
a, d, starch
phycoerythrin
Bryophytes
x Bryophytes are also called
amphibians of the plant
kingdom because these plants
can live in soil but are dependent
on water for sexual reproduction.
They usually occur in damp,
humid and shaded localities.
x Species of Sphagnum, a moss,
provide peat that have long been
used as fuel, and because of their
capacity to hold water as packing
material for trans-shipment of
living material.
Pteridophytes
x Evolutionarily, they are the
first terrestrial plants to possess
vascular tissues xylem and
phloem.
x The main plant body is a
sporophyte which is differentiated
into true root, stem and leaves.
These organs possess well-
differentiated vascular tissues.
Examples are Psilotum, Equisetum,
Dryopteris, Marsilea, etc.
Gymnosperms
x Gymnosperms are plants which
bear naked seeds i.e., the ovules
and the seeds that develop from
these ovules after fertilization
are not enclosed in fruit wall.
General Science
water
(rare),
brackish
water, salt
water
Fresh
water
(some),
brackish
water,
salt water
(most)
x Roots in some genera have
fungal association in the form
of mycorrhiza (Pinus), while
in some other (Cycas) small
specialised roots called coralloid
roots are associated with N2
fixing cyanobacteria.
Angiosperms (Flowering Plants)
x Angiosperms are seed bearing,
flowering vascular plants in
which seeds are enclosed in
fruits.
x The flower is the most
characteristic structure of the
angiosperms. The male sex
organ in a flower is the stamen.
Each stamen consists of a
slender filament with an anther
at the tip. The anthers, following
meiosis, produce pollen grains.
x The female sex organ in a flower
is the pistil or the carpel. Pistil
consists of an ovary enclosing
one to many ovules. Within
ovules are present highly reduced
female gametophytes termed
embryo sacs.
Each embryo-sac has a seven-
celled egg apparatus one
egg cell and two synergids,
three antipodal cells and two
polar nuclei. The polar nuclei
eventually fuse to produce a
diploid secondary nucleus.
General Science
x Pollen grain, after dispersal from
the anthers, are carried by wind
or various other agencies to the
stigma of a pistil. This is termed
as pollination.
x The pollen tubes enter the
embryo-sac where two male
gametes are discharged. One
of the male gametes fuses with
the egg cell to form a zygote
(syngamy). The other male
gamete fuses with the diploid
secondary nucleus to produce
the triploid primary endosperm
nucleus (PEN). Because of the
involvement of two fusions,
this event is termed as double
fertilisation, and event unique
to angiosperms.
Animal Kingdom
x Animals are the most diverse
groups of organisms. Multicellular,
heterotrophs characterised by
mobility, sensory and nervous
systems.
Phylum-Porifera
x Sponges are aquatic, mostly
marine, solitary or colonial and
sessile.
x Examples of some sponges are :
Sycon (scypha), Spongilla (fresh
water sponge) and Euspongia
(bath sponge).
Phylum-Coelenterata (Cnidaria)
x All are aquatic and are mostly
marine (exception-Hydra are
found in fresh-water), solitary
or colonial, sessile, or free-
swimming and radially
symmetrical animals.
x Example-Physalia (Portuguese
man of war), Adamsia (Sea
anemone), Pennatula (Sea-
pen), Gorgonia (Sea-fan) and
Meandrina (Brain coral).
B-405
Phylum-Ctenophora
x These are diploblastic, radial
symmetrical animals with tissue
level of organization.
x ExamplesHormiphora (sea walnut),
Pleurobranchia (sea gooseberry),
Cestum (venus girdle), Beroe.
Phylum-Platyhelminthes
x These are mostly endoparasites,
bilateral symmetrical, triploblastic
and acoelomate animals with
organ level of organisation.
x Examples Taenia (Tape worm),
Fasciola (liver fluke).
Phylum-Aschelminthes
x They may be free-living, aquatic
and terrestrial or parasitic in
plants and animals.
x Examples: Ascaris (Round worm),
Wuchereria (filarial worm), Ancylostoma
(Hook worm), Enterobius (Pin worm).
Phylum-Annelida
x It is characterised by metameric
segmentation forming ring like
segments.
x Example: Neries, Pheretima
(Earthworm) and Hirudinaria
(Blood sucking leech).
Phylum-Arthropoda
x They are bilateral symmetry,
triploblastic animals, which
have organ-system level of
organisation.
x Example: Apis (Honey bee),
Bombyx (Silkworm), Laccifer (Lac
insect).
Phylum-Mollusca
x They are aquatic (marine or
fresh water), or terrestrial
having an organ-system level of
organisation.
x Ex. Pila, Octopus (devil fish),
Loligo (sea squid).
B-406
Phylum-Echinodermata
x All existing echinoderms are
marine, generally live at sea
bottom.
x Ex. Asterias (star fish), Cucumaria
(commonly called as sea
cucumber), Antedon (water lily
or feather star).
Phylum-Hemichordata
x They are bilaterally symmetrical,
triploblastic, and entrocoelous
animals.
x Ex. Balanoglossus (acorn worm or
tongue worm), Saccoglossus.
Phylum-Chordata
x The fundamental four characters
of phylum chordata are presence
of notochord, a dorsal hollow
nerve cord, paired pharyngeal
gill slits and post anal tail either
in the embryonic or adult stage.
x Examples: Herdmania (sea squirt),
Branchiostoma.
Subphylum vertebrata is
divided into two sections:
Section 1 Agnatha (The jawless
vertebrates)
Class : Cyclostomata
x Mouth jawless suctorial and
round.
x All living members are
ectoparasites on some fishes.
x Ex. Petromyzon (lamprey), Myxine
(hag fish).
Section 2 Gnathostomata (The
jawed vertebrates)
General Science
Class : Osteichthyes
x They have a bony skeleton.
x Examples : Marine Exocoetus
(Flying fish), Hippocampus (Sea
horse), Lophius (Angler fish), Fresh
water fishes Labeo (Rohu), Catla
(Katla).
Superclass : Tetrapoda (Bear
Limbs)
Class : Amphibia
x Adapted for both water and land
life.
x They are oviparous and
development indirect through
distinct larval stage called tadpole.
Exambles : Bufo (Toad), Rana
(Frog), Hyla (Tree frog), Salamandra
(Salamander), Ichthyophis (Limbless
amphibia).
Class: Reptilia
x The class name refers to their
creeping or crawling mode of
locomotion.
x They are oviparous ; Development
direct.
Examples: Crocodilus (Crocodile),
Bangarus (Krait)
Class: Aves
x Birds are bipedal feathered
animals.
x Endoskeleton is fully ossified
(bony) and the long bones are
hollow with air cavities (pneumatic).
Examples : Corvus (crow), Pavo
(Peacock).
Class: Mammalia
x These are warm blooded
(homiothermous) animals having
6XSHUFODVV3LVFHV%HDUQV hair and mammary glands.
x They are viviparous with few
Class : Chondrichthyes exceptions and development is
x They have a cartilagenous skeleton. direct.
x Some of them possess electric Example : Oviparous
organs e.g. Torpedo. Tachyglossus = Echidna (spiny
x Examples: Scoliodon (Dog fish), Anteater). Viviparous Pteropus
Trygon (Sting ray). (Flying fox), Camelus (Camel),
Macaca (Monkey).
General Science B-407

DISEASE AND DEFENCE MECHNANISM

Pratozoan diseases Cholera Vibrio cholerae
Disease Pathogen Tuberculosis Mycobacterium
1. Malaria Plasmodium tuberculosis
2. Amoebiasis Enta moeba Tetanus Clostridium tetani
histolylica Whooping cough Bordetella pertussis
3. Giardiasis Giardia Lambia
4. Sleeping Trypanosoma Leprosy Mycobacterium
Sickness leprae
5. Leshmanis Leishmania Anthrax Bacillus anthrasis
6. Trichomoniasis Trichomonas Weils disease Leptospira
Vaginalis
Fungal diseases Viral Diseases

Disease Pathogen Disease Pathogen

1. Aspergillosis Aspergillus Rabies Rabies virus
fumigatuo Dengue Dengue virus
2. Candidiasis Candida albicens
3. Ringworm Trichoplyton Influenza Influenza virus
4. Blastomycosis Blasto myces Measles Rubeola virus
dermatitidis German measles Rubella virus
5. Sporotnichosis Sporothrix Mumps Mumps virus
Schenckii
Chicken pox Varicella zoster
Bacteria Diseases Small pox Variola virus
Disease Pathogen Polio Polio virus
Dysentery Shigella Chikungunya Chikungunya
Plague Pasteurellapestis (CHIK) Virus
Diphtheria Corynebacterium Avian flu H5N1 virus
diphtheriae H1N1(Swine flu) H1N1 virus

6HOHFWQXWULHQWGHFLHQF\GLVHDVHV
Vitamin/ Diseases Symptoms Food Sources
nutrients
Vitamin A xerophthalmia blindness from chronic liver, fortified milk,
eye infections, poor sweet potatoes,
growth, dryness and spinach, greens, carrots,
keratinization of cantaloupe, apricots
epithelial tissues
Vitamin D rickets weakened bones, fortified milk, fish oils,
bowed legs, other bone sun exposure
deformities
B-408 General Science

Thiamin beriberi nerve degeneration, pork, whole and

altered muscle enriched grains, dried
coordination, beans, sunflower seeds
cardiovascular
problems
Niacin pellagra diarrhoea, skin mushrooms, bran, tuna,
inflammation, chicken, beef, peanuts,
dementia whole and enriched
grains
Vitamin C scurvy delayed wound citrus fruits,
healing, internal strawberries, broccoli
bleeding, abnormal
formation of bones
and teeth
Iron iron-deficiency decreased work meat, spinach, seafood,
anemia output, reduced broccoli, peas, bran,
growth, increased whole-grain and
health risk in enriched breads
pregnancy
Iodine goitre enlarged thyroid iodized salt, saltwater
gland, poor growth fish
in infancy and
childhood, possible
mental retardation,
cretinism
Immunity (ii) Resistance of skin to invading
micro-organisms (called physical
x The term immunity refers to the
barrier).
specific resistance exhibited by
(iii) Destruction of micro-organisms
the host towards infections by
swallowed with food by the HCl
micro-organisms (pathogens)
and their products. of gastric juice & by digestive
enzymes and tear from eye
Innate or Natural Immunity (called physiological barriers).
x Innate immunity is developed (iv) Virus infected cells secrete proteins
in an individual without having (called interferons) which protect
the disease or immunization, non-infected cells from further
e.g., recreation of sweat glands viral infection (cytokine barriers)
contain certain chemical Acquired Immunity
substances which prevent the
entry of micro-organisms. x It is a third line defence and
x It is present from birth. developed by an animal in
x It is the general defence of body response to a disease caused by
including the following four infections of microbes.
mechanism x The resistance against infectious
(i) Phagocytosis of invaders by disease that an individual
leucocytes and macrophages acquires during life is known as
(called cellular barrier). acquired immunity.
General Science
Antibody Mediated Immunity
x B cells produce specialized
proteins called antibodies
(immunoglobulin) which are
glycoproteins.
&ODVVLFDWLRQRI$QWLERGLHV
(a) Ig A Protects from inhaled or
ingested pathogens.
(b) Ig D Present on lymphocyte
surface as receptors, activation
of B cells.
(c) Ig E Mediator in allergic
response.
(d) Ig G Stimulation of phagocytes
and complement system, passive
immunity to foetus.
(e) Ig M Activation of B cells.
MERS : Middle East Respiratory
Syndrome (MERS) is new viral
disease related to respiratory illness.
It has been reported to World Health
Organization (WHO) since 2012,
first reported in Saudi Arabia. To
date most of the affected countries
is Middle East include Egypt, Iran,
Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman,
Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE.
People affected with MERS-CoV
developed severe acute respiratory
illness including fever, cough and
shortness of breath.
SARS : Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome (SARS) is one of the
severe and readily transmissible new
disease emerged in the 21st Century.
SARS is caused by coronavirus
called, SARS-associated coronavirus
(SARS-CoV). First time this disease
was reported in November 2002
in Guangdong province, China.
In general SARS begins with high
fever headache an overall feeling of
discomfort, and body aches. Some
people also have mild respiratory
symptoms at the outset.
B-409
Ebola: Ebola hemorrhagic fever
(Ebola HF) is a severe, often-fatal
disease in humans and nonhuman
primates (monkeys, gorillas, and
chimpanzees). The disease is caused
by infection with Ebola virus,
named after the Ebola River found
in Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC). Ebola is spread through
direct contact (through broken skin
or unprotected mucous membranes
in, for example, the eyes, nose, or
mouth). The symptoms appears
for Ebola HF from 2 to 21 days.
Symptoms are characterized by
fever, headache, joint and muscle
aches, sore throat, and weakness,
followed by diarrhea, vomiting, and
stomach pain.
AIDS: Acquired Immune Deficiency
Syndrome (AIDS) is caused by Human
Deficiency Virus (HIV) which destroys
the CD4 Cells that are essential for
the body immune symptoms. HIV
is transmitted (spread) through the
blood, semen, genital fluids, or breast
milk of a person infected with HIV.
Unprotected sex and sharing of drug
injection equipment with the person
infected with HIV are the most
common ways of HIV transmission.
It takes many years to develop the
HIV symptoms but the HIV infected
person can spread the virus at any
stage of HIV infection. 1st December
is also remembered as World AIDS
day globally people unite together to
fight against HIV showing support to
the people infected with HIV.
Rabies: Rabies is a viral disease
which is endemic in most African
and Asian countries and it affects
the central nervous system of warm
blooded animals, including human.
This fatal zoonotic viral disease
transmitted to human through
contact (mainly bites and scratches)
B-410
with infected animals both domestic
and wild. Clinical signs of rabies
in animals will vary depending
on the effect of the virus on the
brain. Typical signs include sudden
behavioral changes and progressive
paralysis leading to death.
Dengue: Dengue fever occurs
through 1 to 4 types of dengue virus.
It is spread by the bite of an infected
dengue mosquito (Aedes aegypti).
Dengue fever is more commonly
seen in older children and adult. It
is characterized by high fever lasting
3-7 days frontal headache pain
behind the eyes and muscle and joint
pain. There is no specific treatment
for Dengue fever till now.
Chikungunya: Chikungunya fever
(CF) is a viral illness caused by an
arbovirus transmitted by the Aedes
mosquitoes. Chikungunya disease
does not often result in death, but
the symptoms can be severe and
disabling. Symptoms appear after
3-7 days after infected by the virus.
Most common symptom is fever and
joint pain. Other symptoms may
include headache, muscle pain, joint
swelling, or rash.
Common Heart diseases
x Coronary artery disease or
Arthrosclerosis: In this disorder
the deposition of calcium, fat,
cholesterol and fibrous tissue
occur in coronary arteries which
makes the lumen of arteries
narrower and thereby affect the
blood supply.
x Angina (angina pectoris): Angina
is an acute chest pain due to oxygen
deficiency to heart muscles. It
occurs due to oxygen deficiency
to heart muscles. It occurs due to
improper blood flow. It is common
General Science
among middle-aged and elderly
person.
x Heart Failure (congestive heart
failure): It is the condition in
which heart is not pumping
blood enough to meet the need
of the body. Congestion of the
lung is the main symptom.
x Arteriosclerosis: It is the state
of hardening of arteries and
arterioles due to thickening of
the fibrous tissue and consequent
loss of elasticity. It leads to
hypertension.
Common Lung diseases
x Asthma: It is a disease caused
due to an allergic reaction to
foreign substances that affect the
respiratory tract. In people with
asthma, the walls of these airways
become inflamed (swollen)
and oversensitive. The airways
overreact to things like smoke,
air pollution, mold, and many
chemical sprays. Bronchioles
can constrict (narrow) because
of muscle spasms. Drugs called
bronchodilators (inhalers).
These devices help dilate (open
up) the bronchioles.
x Bronchitis (Inflammation of
the Bronchi): A condition where
the bronchi and bronchioles
get inflamed and their cavities
become narrow so that air cannot
pass in and out of lungs easily.
The bronchial pathway gets
blocked with the accumulation
of mucus on the wall of bronchi
due to which walls inflammation
of the wall occur. Bronchitis
occurs due to cough and cold
smoking and exposure to air
pollutant like carbon monoxide.
General Science
Common Brain diseases
x Epilepsy: Epilepsy is a condition
where a person has recurrent
seizures, abnormal discharge of
electrical activity in the brain cells
which may give rise to abnormal
behavior such as involuntary
muscle movements, unusual
perceptions and disturbed level
of consciousness. Epilepsy can
occur due to brain injury, brain
tumor, chemical abnormalities
and alcohol or drug effects.
x Loss of Consciousness: Faintness
includes the sensation of dizziness
lightheadedness and weakness.
The majority of attack is due to
altered reflex affecting cardiac rate,
vascular tone and some time due to
severe cardiac disturbances.
Cancer : Cancer is a complex genetical
disease which occurs due to the
environmental factors. Cancer causing
agent (carcinogen) may be present in
food and water, in air in sunlight and
in chemicals. Since epithelial cells
cover our body surface and internal
organs also like respiratory organ
and alimentary tract which are more
exposed to the carcinogens and more
than 90% of cancer occur in epithelia.
Tumors are of two main types benign
and malignant. Benign tumors are
slow growing and are located at a
place and compress the surrounding
tissue by their expensive mass of cells.
Whereas malignant tumors are rapidly
growing, invading surrounding tissue
and most significantly colonizing
the distant organ. Five common
types of cancer in India are breast
cancer, stomach cancer, oral cancer
and cervical cancer. Breast cancer is
the most common malignancy type
B-411
diagnosed in women in developed
countries and the second most
common type diagnosed in developing
countries. In 2003, Indian Council of
Medical Research (ICMR) reported
that oral cancer is very common in
India. There has been great increase
in oral sub-mucous fibrosis especially
in youngsters.
Rotavirus: Rotavirus is a double
stranded RNA belongs to the family
of Reoviridae. Rotavirus was first
time identified as a cause of diarrhea
in 1973. Virus get enter through
mouth and its replication occur in
the villous epithelium of the small
intestine. The incubation period for
rotavirus diarrhea is short, usually
less than 48 hours. The confirmation
of rotavirus infection is detection of
rotavirus antigen in stool by enzyme-
linked immunoassay (EIA). There are
two live oral Rotavirus vaccine RV5
(RotaTeq) and RV1 (Rotarix).
Various Transplantation
Transplantation of Organ: Organ
transplantation is technique in which
surgical removal of an organ or tissue
from donor to the recipient has been
done. Most donated organs and tissues
are from people who have died but
living person can also donate the
organ. Newborns as well as senior
citizens have been organ donors.
Skull transplantation: Doctor of
US has successfully performed the
worlds first partial scalp and skull
transplantation of James Boysen.
He also had the kidney and pancreas
transplantation at the same time.
Boyson was suffering from the
leiomyosarcoma a rare form of cancer
B-412
that affects the smooth muscles of his
scalp. Radiation therapy for the cancer
destroyed part of his head, immune
suppression drugs kept his body from
repairing the damage. Texas doctors
have done the worlds first partial skull
and scalp transplant to make him free
from cancer treatment. More than
50 doctors assisted or supported the
surgery, including transplant surgeon,
plastic surgeon, neurosurgeon and an
anesthesiologist. This surgery is very
complex as surgeons had to transplant
the tissues utilizing microsurgery.
Kidney transplantation: Kidney
transplantation is the treatment
preferred for the patients who have
developing end-stage renal disease
or undergoing, chronic dialysis
therapy. Large number of patients
of kidney failure and high success
rates of transplantation is a result
of ongoing research studies to
advance transplantation technique.
A successful kidney transplant may
improve the patient blood count and
energy level. It may also improve the
bone strength, growth, and appetite.
But still some risk are there as of blood
transfusions, immunosupressions and
wound healing.
Heart transplantation: In 1968,
Dr. P. K. Sen carried out first heart
transplantation in India. In Mumbai
after 47 years first successful heart
transplantation was done by Dr.
General Science
Anvay Mulay. Recipient was 22 yrs
who suffered a stroke because of
cardiomayopathy and later his heart
got failure. Donor was 42 year old
woman declared brain dead in Pune
after brain stroke. Donated organ
flown from Pune was rushed 20 km
to a Mulund hospital along a green
corridor created during peak hours by
the police in as little as one-fifth of
the usual time. The operation took
five hours and now the patients new
heart is beating and his kidney and
liver that had got affected in the last
few months after heart failure showed
the signs of normalcy.
Liver transplantation: Liver
transplantation is a very effective
form of treatment for chronic liver
disease as well as for acute liver failure.
Living Related Liver Transplantation
(LRLT) is an important advancement
in liver transplantation. Generally liver
transplantation is done in Cholestatic
disorders and chronic parenchymal
diseases. There are three types of
liver transplantation viz., coventional
liver transplantation, expanded
criteria donor and living donor liver
transplantation.
x Conventional liver transplantation:
This type of liver transplantation is
performed to replace the diseased
liver with healthy liver from
deceased person
x Expanded Criteria donor: In
this type the donor are over the
age of 60, or a donor over the age
General Science
of 50 with two of the following:
a history of high blood pressure,
a creatinine (blood test to show
kidney function). The term
expanded is used because
an expansion of the donor
pool is considered to increase
transplantation.
x Living donor liver transplantation
(LDLT): In this type of liver
transplantation healthy living
person donates a portion of his
liver to the recipient.
Lung Transplantation: Lung
transplantation is a surgical procedure
in which a patients diseased lungs are
partially or totally replaced by the
BIOLOGY IN HUMAN WELFARE
Animal Husbandry
It deals with the care, breeding
& management of domesticated
animals that are useful to humans.
Poultary Farming
x Poultary is a rearing of
domesticated fowls, ducks, geese
turkeys guinea fowls and pigeons.
x Poultry birds exclusively grown
for meat are called broilers,
layers are for egg production,
cockerel for young male fowls
and rooster are mature male
fowls.
Fisheries
x Pisciculture is the rearing,
breeding and catching of fishes.
x Aquaculture is rearing and
management of useful aquatic
plants and animals like fishes,
oysters, mussels and prawns etc.
Apiculture
x Apiculture is rearing and
breeding of honeybees for the
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donors lung. Some of the diseases due
to which lung transplantation favored
are chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease, Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis,
cystic fibrosis and idiopathic pulmonary
hypertension. Generally there are three
types of lung transplantation.
x Single lung transplant: Single
donated lung comes from the
brain dead donor.
x Double lung transplant: In
this type both the lungs are
transplanted especially in case
of cystic fibrosis.
x Heart-lung transplant: In severe
cardiac disease both heart and
lungs have been transplanted.
production of honey. It also
produces beeswax and bee
pollen. Beeswax is used for the
preparation of cosmetics and
polishes of various kinds.
x The commonest species of
honeybee is Apis indica.
Animal Breeding
x Animal breeding is the production
of new breeds of domesticated
animals with improved traits.
Breeding is the modification
of genotype of an organism to
make that organism more useful
to human.
Inbreeding: Mating between
the closely related animals of
same breed.
Out-breeding: Mating between
the animals which are not
closely related.
Out-crossing: Mating between
the animals of the same
breed which do not have a
common ancestor.
B-414 General Science

Cross-breeding: Mating x MOET (Multiple Ovulation

between the superior animals Embryo Transfer) technique is a
of different breeds of the programme which improves the
same species. chances of successful production
of hybrids.
Plant Breeding
x Plant breeding refers to the modification and improvement of genetic
material of plants resulting in the development of crops which are more
beneficial to human beings.
Crop Variety Resistance to diseases
Wheat Himgiri Hill bunt & leaf and stripe rust
Cauliflower Pusa snowball Blight black rot Black rot and
K-1 Pusa shubra curl
Brassica Pusa Swarnim (Karan rai) White rust
Cowpea Pusa Komal Bacterial blight
Chilli Pusa Chilly mosaic virus, Tobacco
Sadabahar mosaic virus and leaf curl.
Table : Crop varieties bred by hybridization and selection for disease
resistance to fungi, bacteria and viral disease.
x Examples of insect pest resistance processes using living organism,
crops bred by hybridization are cells or enzymes. This technology
(i) Pusa Gaurav variety of has application in agriculture,
Brassica is resistant to food processing industry,
aphids. bioremediation, medicine
(ii) Pusa Sawani and Pusa A-4 diagnostics, waste treatment and
varieties of Okra (Bhindi) energy production.
are resistant to shoot and x Biotechnology deals with:
fruit borer. Microbe-mediated processes
(iii) Pusa sem 2 and Pusa sem (making curd, bread, wine
3 varieties of flat bean are etc.)
resistance to aphids and fruit In vitro fertilization (test
borer. tube baby programme)
Synthesis and using of gene
Biotechnology and its
Preparation of a DNA vaccine
application
Correcting a defective gene
x It deals with large scale production
and marketing of products and
Genetically Modified Plants
1. Golden Rice It is a genetically modified variety of Rice, Oryza
sativa which has been developed as fortified food for
areas where there is shortage of dietary vitamin A.
2. Bt Cotton Bacillus thuringiensis forms protein crystals during
the particular phase of their growth. These crystals
contain a toxic insecticidal protein. BT toxin gene
were isolated from B. thuringiensis and genetically
transferred to several crop plants such as cotton.
General Science B-415

3. Flavr savr variety Flavr savr is the first genetically engineered crop in
of tomato which tomatoes have longer shelf life.
Benefits of Transgenic Animals
1. Transgenic animals Study of insulin-like growth factor helps to study the
are used to study biological role of the factor in the body.
gene regulation
2. Biological products (a) Human protein (D-1-antitrypsin) used to treat
emphysema.
(b) Protein for the treatment of Phenylketonuria
(PKU) and cystic fibrosis etc.

DISCOVERIES IN BIOLOGY
x Willaim Harvey discovered the
double circulatory system of
blood also known as Systemic
Circulation.
x Marcello Malpighi discovered
the link between arteries and
veins.
x Louis Pasteur and Joseph Lister
discovered role of microorganism
in causing infectious diseases.
x Daniel Nathens and Hamilton
Smith discovered Restriction
endonuclease enzyme used in
Genetic engineering.
x Hargovind Khorana showed the
order of nucleotides in nucleic
acid and also shared Noble prize
for Physiology or Medicine with
Marshall W. Nirenberg and
Robert W. Holley.
x Viroids were discovered by
T.O.Diener.
x Stanely Prusiner did most of the
work on Prions and was awarded
Noble Prize in 1998.
x Nerinberg and Philip Leder
discovered the triplet nature of
the genetic code.
x Edward Jenner first time
demonstrated the vaccination
against the small pox in year
1798.
x George Kohler and Cesar
Milstein discovered the
monoclonal antibodies.
x Francis Crick and James
Watson discovered the double
helical structure of DNA
molecule in year 1953.
x Matthias Jacob Schleiden
and Theodor Schwann (1939)
proposed the Cell theory.
x Van Niel postulates that in green
plants, water is utilized in place
of H2S and O2 evolved in place
of sulphur and this discovery
was confirmed by Ruben and
Kamen in 1941 using Chlorella,
a green alga.
x Brtish Scientist Arthur Tansley
coined the term ecosystem
which was later adopted by
Eugene Odum.
x Morgan in 1910, showed
that genes reside on specific
chromosomes
B-416 General Science

HEALTH GUIDE
CALORIE CHART MAIN DISH
Food Categories Measure Calories Biryani (Mutton) 1 Cup 225
MILK & MILK PRODUCTS Biryani (veg.) 1 Cup 200
Curry (Chicken) 100 gms 225
Milk (Cow) 90 ml 50 Curry (Veg.) 100 gms 130
Milk (Buffallo) 45 ml 50 Fried Rice 85 gms 140
Cheese 15 gms 50 Pullao (Veg.) 100 gms 130
Butter 1 tbsp 50 SWEET DISH
Ghee 1 tbsp 50 Carrot Halwa 50 gms 300
FRUITS Jalebi 20 gms 100
Apple 1 small 50-60 Kheer 100 gms 180
Banana Medium 50-60 Rasgulla 150 gms 140
Grapes 20 small 50-60 BEVERAGES
Mango 1 small 50-60 Beer 12 Fl. oz 150
Musambi 1 Medium 50-60 Cola 200 ml 90
1 small 50-60 Wine 3.5 Fl. oz 85
Orange
CEREAL HEIGHT & WEIGHT CHART
Cooked Cereal Cup 80 Height Weight Height Weight
Rice Cooked 25 gms 80 Cms Kgs Cms Kgs
+ Men + Women
Chapatti 1 Medium 80
STARCY VEGETABLES 157.5 53.5-57.1 147.5 43.5-48.5
Potato 1 Medium 80 160.0 54.8-60.3 150.0 44.4-49.9
Dals 1 Large 80 162.5 56.2-61.6 152.5 45.8-51.2
165.0 57.8-63.0 155.5 47.1-52.6
Katori
167.5 59.0-64.8 157.5 48.5-53.9
Mixed 150 gms 80
170.0 60.7-66.6 160.0 49.9-55.3
Vegetables
172.5 62.6-68.9 162.5 51.2-57.1
PROTEIN / MEAT 175.0 64.4-70.7 165.0 52.6-58.9
Fish 50 gms 55 178.0 66.2-72.5 167.5 54.4-61.2
Mutton 1 oz 75 180.0 68.0-74.8 170.0 56.2-63.0
Egg (Hen) 2 pieces 100 183.0 69.8-77.1 172.5 58.0-64.8
COOKED FOOD 185.5 71.6-79.3 175.0 59.8-66.6
Biscuit (Sweet) 15 gms 70 188.0 73.4-81.6 178.0 61.6-68.4
Cake (Plain) 50 gms 135 190.5 75.7-83.9 180.0 63.5-70.3
Cake (Rich 50 gms 225 193.0 78.0-86.1 183.0 65.3-72.1
Chocloate) +For Medium Frame Persons
Dosa (Masala) 1 Medium 120
Pakoras 1 Medium 175
Puri 1 Large 85
Samosa 1 Piece 140
Vada (Medu) 1 Small 70
General Science
Everyday Science
1. Why does a ball bounce upon
falling?
When a ball falls, it is
temporarily deformed. Because
of elasticity, the ball tends to
regain its original shape for
which it presses the ground and
bounces up (Newtons Third
Law of Motion).
2. Why is standing in boats
or double decker buses not
allowed, particularly in the
upper deck of buses?
On tilting the centre of gravity
of the boat or bus is lowered
and it is likely to overturn.If
you stand in a boat, you change
the center of gravity making the
boat more likely to roll if struck
by a wave and if you stand up
on the second deck of a double
decker bus (which has no roof)
and are looking at where youve
been, you probably wont see
that low bridge ahead of you.
3. Why is it recommended to add
salt to water while boiling dal?
By addition of salt, the boiled
point of water gets raised
which helps in cooking the
dal sooner. Salt is added to
improve the taste; also sodium
is indispensable for the life.
4. Why is the sky blue?
A clear cloudless day-time sky
is blue because molecules in the
air scatter blue light from the
sun more than they scatter red
light. When we look towards
the sun at sunset, we see red and
orange colours because the blue
light has been scattered out and
away from the line of sight.
B-417
5. On the moon, will the weight
of a man be less or more than
his weight on the earth?
Since the moon is smaller
than Earth, it has a weaker
gravitational pull. In fact, the
moon only has 1/6 the gravity
that Earth does. This means
you weigh six times less on the
moon than you do on Earth!
6. Why can we see ourselves in a
mirror?
We see objects when light rays
from them reach our eyes. As
mirrors have a shiny surface, the
light rays are reflected back to
us and enter our eyes.
7. Why is cooking quicker in a
pressure cooker?
The trapped steam increases the
atmospheric pressure inside the
cooker by 15 pounds per square
inch (psi), or 15 pounds above
normal sea-level pressure. At
that pressure, the boiling point
of water is increased from
212F to 250F. This higher
temperature is what cooks
food faster. The trapped steam
increases the atmospheric
pressure inside the cooker by
15 pounds per square inch (psi),
or 15 pounds above normal sea-
level pressure. At that pressure,
the boiling point of water is
increased from 212F to 250F.
This higher temperature is what
cooks food faster.
8. Ice wrapped in a blanket or
saw dust does not melt quickly.
Why?
B-418
Both wood and wool are bad
conductors of heat. They do not
permit heat rays to reach the ice
easily.
9. Why does a balloon filled with
hydrogen rise in the air?
Since the density of hydrogen
is lower than that of the air,
balloon will go up in the air
10. Why does an electric bulb
explode when it is broken?
The bulb is a partial vacuum and
as it breaks, air rapidly enters in
resulting in a small explosion.
11. Why do we lean forward while
climbing a hill?
We lean forward while climbing
up a hill, so that the
vertical line drawn through the
center of the gravity of the
body should fall within the base.
12. Why does a man fall forward
when he jumps out of a running
train or bus?
When the person is sitting
inside a train, his complete body
was in a state of motion with
the train. The moment he jumps
out of the moving train, his feet
touches the ground, and the
lower portion of his body comes
to rest. But the upper portion
remains in motion due to inertia
of motion. Thats why he falls
in the direction of motion of the
train.
13. Why does an ordinary glass
tumbler crack when very hot
tea or milk is poured in it?
The crack is caused by
differential thermal expansion.
The part of the glass that the
boiling water touches first
expands due to the heat, but the
heat doesnt conduct through
the glass quickly so there is stress
between the expanded inside
of the glass and unexpanded
General Science
outside of the glass. This stress
is sometimes too much and the
glass cracks.
14. Why is a compass used as an
indicator of direction?
The compass needle aligns
with the Earths magnetic field
direction and points north-
south.
15. Why is water from a hand
pump warm in winter and cold
in summer?
In winter the outside
temperature is lower than that of
water flowing out of the pump,
and therefore , the water feels
warm. Whereas in summer, the
outside temperature is higher
than the water of the pump, and
therefore, it feels cold.
16. Why does a swimming pool
appear less deep than is
actually is?
The refraction of light at the
surface of water makes ponds
and swimming pools appear
shallower than they really are.
17. Why is ones breath visible in
winter but not in summer?
Absolute dew point in cold
weather is lower than in warm
weather. water from your breath
condenses and freezes in cold
weather.
18. Why does water remain cold in
an earthen pot?
In an earthen pot, water gets
evaporated quickly through
the pores. Cooling is caused by
evaporation
19. Why do we place a wet cloth
on the forehead of a patient
suffering from high temperature?
Water evaporating from the wet
cloth produces a cooling effect
and brings the temperature down.
General Science
20. To prevent multiplication of
mosquitoes, it is recommended
to sprinkle oil in the ponds
with stagnant water. Why?
Mosquitoes breed in stagnant
water. The larvae of mosquitoes
keep floating on the surface of
water due to surface tension.
However, when oil is sprinkled,
the surface tension is lowered
resulting in drowning and death
of the larvae.
21. Why is it dangerous to sleep
under trees at night?
Because plant on respiration
gives CO2, because the absence
of light. So in nights if we sleep
under big trees we do not have
sufficient amount of oxygen.
22. Why is a new quilt warmer
than an old one?
A quilt feels warm because
the air trapped in the cotton
or woolen batting acts as an
insulator and does not allow
the heat of the body to escape.
However, when the quilt gets
old - the cotton/wool gets
compressed and the airspace
are done away with. It does not
remain as good an insulator to
heat as it was earlier. Hence it
feels less warm.
23. How do bats fly in dark?
In dark, bats ears are more
important than their eyes -
they use a special sonar system
called echolocation, meaning
they find things using echoes.
24. Water pipes often burst at hill
stations on cold frosty nights.
Why?
The temperature may fall below
0C during cold frosty nights
which converts the water inside
the pipes into ice, resulting in an
increase in volume. This exerts
great force on the pipes and as a
result, they burst.
B-419
25. Why are white clothes more
comfortable in summer than
dark or black ones?
White clothes are good reflectors
and bad absorbers of heat,
whereas dark or black clothes
are good absorbers of heat.
Therefore, white clothes are more
comfortable because they do not
absorb heat from the sun rays.
26. Why does a rose appear red
grass green in daylight?
The rose absorbs all the other
color light and reflects or gives
out red so we see it in red color.
Simliar is the condition with
grass, Green grass absorbs blue
and red light, but reflect green
light. So it is the reflected light
which gives color what we see.
27. If a highly pumped up bicycle
tyre is left in the hot sunlight,
it bursts. Why?
The air inside the tube increases
in volume when heated up. As
sufficient space for the expansion
of the air is not available because
the tube is already highly pumped,
it may result in bursting of the
tyre.
28. What will be the color of green
in blue light?
Grass will appear dark in color
because it absorbs all other
colors of the light except its
own green color. The blue light
falling on grass will be absorbed
by it, and hence, it will appear
dark in color.
29. Why do two eyes give better
vision than one?
Because two eyes do not form
exactly similar images and the
fusion of these two dissimilar
images in the brain gives three
dimensions of the stereoscopic
vision.
B-420
30. When a man fires a gun, he is
pushed back slightly. Why?
Newtons 3rd law says Every
action has an equal and
opposite reaction.. So when a
man fires in forward direction,
he is generating a force on the
gun. As a result of that action
the gun returns the force.. Or
make a reaction in the backward
direction..Hence, the man is
pushed back slightly.
31. Why is a small gap left at the
joint between two rails?
The gap in the joint between
two rails is to compensate for
the expansion of the material of
rail during summer.
32. Who will possibly learn swimming
fastera fat person or a thin
person?
The fat person displaces more
water which will help him float
much more freely compared to
a thin person.
33. Why is a flash of lightening
seen before thunder?
We see the lightning before we
hear the thunder because light
travels faster than sound. The
light from the lightning travels
to our eyes much quicker than
the sound from the lightning. so
we hear it later than we see it.
34. Why are ventilators in a room
always made near the roof ?
The hot air being lighter in
weight tends to rise above and
escape from the ventilators at
the top. This allows the cool air
to come in the room to take its
place.
35. A burning candle gets extinguished
when covered with a tumbler.
Why ?
Fire needs oxygen to burn and
when the tumbler covers the
General Science
fire it uses up all the oxygen in
the little space quickly and is
extinguished.
36. A parachute enables a person
to descend in safety in case of
an accident to aircraft ?
A man falls to the earth because of
the gravitational pull of the earth.
The parachute offers considerable
resistance to that gravity, thereby
slowing down the speed of the
descending man. The parachute
thus enables a person to descend
in safety.
37. Why does tea cool more rapidly
in a saucer than in a cup ?
Cooling is caused by evaporation.
In a saucer evaporation takes
place more rapidly than in a cup.
38. It is advisable to work electric
appliances when they are
earthed suitably. Why ?
In case of short-circuiting, the
current passess to the earth
without harming the user, if an
electrical appliance is properly
earthed.
39. Explain why the planets do not
twinkle.
Planets are much closer to earth
as compared to stars. They are
extended source of light. They
behave like a number of point
sources so that the average
variation is zero. Thus, planets
do not twinkle.
40. Why does the Sun appear
reddish early in the morning?
In the morning, the sun is nearer
to the horizon. Blue light have
shorter wavelength, so, it scatters
more. Therefore the red light
which have longer wavelength
reaches upto the eye of the
observer and the sun appears
reddish.
General Science
41. Which is more elastic, rubber
or steel?
Steel is more elastic for the same
stress produced, compared to
rubber.
42. Why do some liquids burn
while others do not?
A liquid burns if its molecules
can combine with oygen in the
air with the production of heat.
Hence, oil burns but water does
not.
43. Why do we bring our hands close
to the mouth while shouting
across to someone far away?
By keeping hands colose to mouth
the sound is not allowed to spread
(phenomenon of diffraction of
sound) in all directions but is
directed to a particular direction
and becomes louder.
44. Why does silver acquires a
blackish tinge when exposed to
air for a long time?
Silver on exposure to air
acquires a blackish tinge due to
the formation of silver sulphide.
45. In chilled winters the nose
and ears turn red. Explain the
advantage of this response?
In cold days, skin blood vessels
of the ears and nose can dilate,
bringing warm blood to the
ears and nose, to prevent the
tissue damage from cold. The
increased blood flow makes the
ears and nose appear red.
46. What would happen if the force
of gravity were to disappear
suddenly?
In the absence of the force of
gravity all living objects on the
earth will be practically in a
floating condition. They will
be thrown away because of the
centrifugal force caused by the
rotation of earth. Thus, one will
not be able to eat, drink, move
and continue to live.
B-421
47. When we drink soft drink
through a straw, why does the
liquid go up into our mouth?
When a person sucks air from
the straw, the pressure of air
inside the straw is reduced as
compared to the atmospheric
pressure acting on the surface
of the liquid. Therefore, the soft
drink rushes up into the straw
and to the mouth.
48. Explain why it takes more time
to cook meat and vegetables at
hill stations.
The boiling point of water
depends upon the pressure
on its surface. It increases
with the increase of pressure
and decreases on lowering of
pressure. At higher altitudes,
the atmospheric pressure is
low as compared to that in the
plains, therefore, water boils
below 100C. Hence, sufficient
heat is not supplied for cooking
the meat and vegetables at hill
stations. This difficulty may be
overcome by using a pressure
cooker. Water can be made to
boil at any desired temperature
with the help of this appliance.
49. Why does blotting paper
absorb ink?
Blotting paper has fine pores
which act like capillaries. When
a portion of blotting paper is
brought in contact with ink, ink
enters the pores due to surface
tension (capillary action of liquids)
and is absorbed.
50. Why does kerosene float on
water?
Because the density of kerosene
is less than that of water.
51. Why is a metal tyre heated
B-422
before it is fixed on wooden
wheels?
On heating, the metal tyre expands
by which its circumference also
increases. This makes fixing
the wheel easier and thereafter
cooling down shrinks it ; thus
fixing the tyre tightly.
52. Why is it easier to swim in the
sea than in a river?
The density of sea water is
higher; hence the upthrust is
more than that of river water.
53. Why does oil rise on a cloth
tape of an oil lamp?
The pores in the cloth tape suck
oil due to the capillary action of
oil.
54. Why are aircoolers less effective
during the rainy season?
During the rainy reason the
atmospheric air is saturated
with moisture. Therefore, the
process of evaporation of water
from the moist pads of the
cooler slows down thereby not
cooling the air blown out from
the cooler.
55. Why does grass gather more
dew in nights than metallic
objects such as stones?
Grass being a good radiator
enables water vapour in the air
to condense on it. Moreover,
grass gives out water constantly
(transpiration) which appears
in the form of dew because
the air near grass is saturated
with water vapour and slows
evaporation. Dew is formed on
objects which are good radiators
and bad conductors.
56. Why is it dangerous to have
charcoal fire burning in a closed
room?
When charcoal burns it produces
General Science
carbon monoxide which is
suffocating and can cause death.
57. Why does ENOs salt effervesce
on addition of water?
It contains tartaric acid and
sodium bicarbonate. On adding
water, carbon dioxide is produced
which when released into water
causes effervescence.
58. Eskimos live in double-walled
ice houses. Why?
Because the air in between two
ice walls does not allow heat to
pass.
59. Why is sunlight so hot and
moonlight so cool?
The Sun is millions of times
brighter than the Moon. All of
the Moons light is just scattered
sunlight; it does not emit any
light of its own. The fact that we
can discern objects in moonlight
is due to the remarkable
capacity of our eyes to adjust to
extremely low levels of light. Of
course, moonlight differs from
sunlight in its basic character
as well; it also depends on the
scattering properties of the
Moon surface.
60. What is DNA finger printing?
what are its uses?
The sequence of bases of DNA
in each of our cells is the same,
but differs from that of any other
living thing except possibly an
identical twin. This difference
makes the DNA break at different
places when certain proteins
called enzymes are added to
it, resulting in smaller DNA
fragments of different sizes. These
fragments migrate at different
rates in an electric field, resulting
in a unique pattern; this pattern is
referred to as a DNA fingerprint.
Our DNA is inherited from our
General Science
parents. Some parts come from
the father and some from the
mother. DNA fingerprinting can
help identify parentage, since a
son or daughter would always
exhibit a pattern identifiable
as coming from both parents.
DNA fingerprinting analysis is
very useful in forensic science;
from a single hair or a tiny
sport of blood, it is possible to
prove the innocence or guilt of
a murder suspect. Similarly, it is
also possible to identify human
remains after violent accidents
have caused disfigurement.
61. How does cooking happen in a
microwave?
Passage of microwaves through
food results in increased agitation
of molecules. If we can increase
the amplitude of the random
movements of molecules, we
are doing nothing but heating
the food. But how do microwaves
increase the agitation? At
microwave frequencies, the
alternating electric field of the
radiation interacts with the
electric dipole moment of water
molecules, making them vibrate
faster. The absorption length of
the microwave energy is long,
meaning that not all energy falling
on a chunk of cooking food
gets absorbed while traversing
through it. It also means that
for microwaves, in the simplest
approximation, there is no inside
or outside of the food chunk;
heating occurs all through the
body of the food. That is the
reason you do not get a crisp
surface on the outside, as you
would in normal cooking where
the heat has to travel inwards from
outside.
B-423
62. If you press the upper lid of
one of your eyes you see two
images. Why?
The two eyes send independent
image signals to the brain,
which has the mechanism
to combine them to give the
sensation of a single 3D image.
When we press on one eyelid,
we are essentially tilting its
lens, and therefore moving the
image on the retina. The brain
remains unaware and two
visualised images are the result
of improper superposition.
63. Why does an air conditioner
leak water?
An air conditioner sucks in the
outside air and passes it over
fin-like projections, which have
been cooled by the compressor.
It cools the inside of a room
while heating the outside. The
outside air is not only hot but
often it is also quite humid.
When passed over the cold fins,
the temperature of air drops
below the dew point and excess
moisture condenses out.
64. Why do stars twinkle and the
planets do not?
Starlight passes through the
atmosphere before reaching us.
If the air above us were a passive,
well-behaved and completely
homogenous medium. we will not
have any twinkling. Fortunately
for us, our atmosphere is active
and vibrant. Air masses are
always on the move. It is natural,
therefore, that there would be
pockets of slightly higher density,
and others of slightly lower
density, flitting around. Starlight
passing through these pockets is
minutely deflected higher and
thither.
B-424
To an observer, the star will
seem to come into view and
then disappear, many times a
second. We poetically refer to
this phenomenon as twinkling.
On the other hand, planets
are not point objects like stars.
A spatially extant bundle of
rays comes to us from various
parts of the planet surface and
there never is a time when all
the rays are bent out of our eye.
Therefore, where planets are
concerned, we do not see any
twinkling.
65. How is it possible for insects
and spiders to walk on water
or on the walls?
Tiny insects can walk on water
because of the phenomenon of
surface tension. The unbalanced
intermolecular force makes the
surface behave like a stretched
membrane. The classical
demonstration of the carrying
capacity of this membrane is to
gently lay flat a shaving blade
(to ensure that the weight per
unit area is kept low) upon the
surface of still water; the blade
does not sink. The blade is
heavier than an equal volume
of water and would surely sink
if the force of surface tension
were absent. Thus, one can
easily understand why little
insects and larvae can float on
the surface of water.
As regards the ability of
insects to walk on walls, several
explanations are provided. The
most popular is the hypothesis that
such creatures have suction cups
on their feet using which they can
stick to walls and ceilings. Some
recent investigations indicate a
special construction of the feet;
General Science
thousands upon thousands tiny,
protruding hair-like projections
stick to surfaces due to good old
molecular forces.
66. What are the benefits of using
GSLV to launch satellites into
geostationary orbit?
Communication satellites are
usually placed in a geo-stationary
orbit. This is an orbit over the
equator at a height such that
the period of revolution of the
satellite around the Earth is
exactly the same as the period of
rotation of the Earth - namely 24
hours. The advantage is that the
satellite in such an orbit appears
to be stationary with respect to
the Earth. The communication
antennas on the ground can then
be pointed in a fixed direction
without worrying about the
rotation of the Earth. We already
have several such satellites
providing communication,
including television broadcast and
networking services. The demand
for such services is continuously
increasing. Therefore, we do need
more satellite transponders in
orbit. We also need to replace
satellites that are close to the end
of their lives.
So far, we have depended
on European or American
launchers to raise our satellites
into the geo-stationary transfer
orbit. However, we are now
beginning to use our own
launch vehicle. Some of the
rocket stages and associated
technologies already developed
for putting satellites in polar
orbits around the Earth (for
remote sensing) were upgraded
and modified for GSLV ( Geo-
stationary Satellite Launch
Vehicle). A new rocket stage
using liquid hydrogen and
liquid oxygen was added, in
General Science
addition to other modifications
in the launch systems previously
developed for polar launches.
67. What is the use of the glass
sheet in a solar cooker?
To raise the temperature within,
a solar cooker you have to allow
maximum possible energy
from sunlight to come in and
lose the least amount through
re-radiation to the environment.
Most of the Suns energy is
concentrated in the visible
range of radiation. A glass sheet
is transparent in this range,
so it allows a large fraction
of the Suns energy to enter
the cooker. The temperature
inside the cooker may rise to
100 degrees Celsius, at the
most. At this temperature,
most of the radiation is in the
infrared range; in other wards,
it is heat radiation. Glass is
not very transparent at these
wavelengths. This radiation is
trapped inside the cooker, thus
raising the temperature. Of
course, ultimately, the energy
going out must become equal
to the energy coming in. This
balance is achieved only after
the cooker temperature has
been elevated.
68. Is it true that body weight
increases after death?
A dead body is heavier to
carry, much like a person who
is unconscious or drunk. The
perception is probably due to
the fact that a dead person does
not cooperate in distributing
his weight on to different parts
of your body - for example,
by putting an arm around your
shoulder or clasping his legs
around your middle. After a
while, the remains of a dead
body must weigh much less
because much of the body
degrades through the action of
bacteria.
B-425
69. Water is colourless, water
vapour is colourless, so why
are clouds white or black and
not colourless?
You must have noticed that
clouds are not only white or
black; at sunrise or sunset, they
are also pink and red. This is
because the colour of the cloud
is dominated by the light that is
scattered from the surface of a
large number of tiny droplets.
That colour is the same as that
of the light falling on them.
During the day when the sun
is up, it is the scattered light
that filters through; after many
scatterings of water droplets.
This makes the clouds white.
When the sky is almost covered
with thick clouds, little of the
scattered light from the cloud
comes down, and the dark
colour of the clouds is due to
absence of light.
70. Why does the Universe appear
black to us?
From out in space, the Universe
does look black except for the
stars and galaxies with which it
is studded. This is so because no
visible light is scattered in our
direction from positions and
directions that do not have a
star.
71. Why do we dream?
The phenomenon of dreams
has been studied in detail by
many experts. There are a large
number of books on this subject.
It is clear that our body
needs sleep; the brain and the
central nervous system need
rest. We also know that our
brain, does not shut down
while we are asleep. There is an
enormous amount of delegation
of power and autonomy. We do
not stop breathing when we are
sleeping. The heart rate might
B-426
slow down a bit, yet its beat
keeps our blood flowing; our
digestive system keeps working
as well. Many of our senses are
given a holiday and yet kept on
alert should there be a need to
take action. There are a lot of
images and stories residing in
some structures of the brain.
When we are awake, these are
under conscious control. On
the other hand, when we fall
asleep, they are still present
but they are unsupervised and
have some freedom to combine
in odd ways, often responding
to strong experiences - some
very recent and others very
old, fished out from the bottom
of the storage file. The editing
and serialisation of images and
thoughts might seem random
but even the randomness seems
to have some logic. Those
impulses that are suppressed
while we are awake become free
to operate and be experienced.
72. Why does hair stand on end on
a chilly morning?
When it is cold the body reduce
the loss of heat, particularly due
to evaporation. This is due to
closing of the pores on the skin
tends to make the hair stand up
like little poles.
73. Why does the rain fall in drops?
Rain is the result of
condensation of vapour when
the air is cooled below the dew
point. All the vapour in a cloud
cannot condense at the same
time and turn into a large pool
of water. Pockets of air move
up independently and slowly
cool till condensation begins
and water droplets form. It is
believed that most raindrops
start out as tiny ice crystals
- so tiny that they float down,
slowly accreting more moisture
General Science
on the way; at lower altitudes,
the crystals melt into water
droplets. In colder climates,
the crystals reach the ground as
snowflakes.
74. Is there a method of counting
all the stars of the Universe?
We cant even see all the stars.
Some are hidden by dust clouds,
many more are in galaxies so
far away that they cannot be
resolved as separate entities
even by the most powerful of
telescopes. So how do we say
that there might be a hundred
billion stars in our galaxy and a
hundred billion galaxies? Not by
counting, but by estimating on the
basis of sample counts in some
small representative parts of the
Universe. For example, for some
parts of our own galaxy, we might
count the stars in a tiny bit of an
angle of view. Then it becomes a
problem of repeating this exercise
on selecting representative bits of
the sky in all directions and doing
the same. What remains then is
to estimate the total volume in
various representative bits.
75. Why do clouds look reddish-
orange in the evening?
In the late evening, when it
begins to get dark on the Earths
surface, the clouds can still
catch the Suns rays for a while
longer, since they are high up.
But, to reach the clouds, the
rays of the Sun have to pass
through the atmosphere almost
tangentially. This distance
travelled through air is therefore
very large. You This long path
through air leads to excessive
molecular scattering. Orange
and red light scatters away
much less than the blue and
green colours. Therefore, the
clouds are illuminated by light
that appears mainly orange-red.
(&2/2*<$1'
(19,5210(17
B-428
ECOLOGY
Ecology is a distribution and
abundance of living organisms and
their relationship with environment.
It is a branch of biological science.
There are four basic concepts of
ecology which are as follows:
x Holism: is a philosophy term
which conceived as a directive
and creative principle operating
from initial to last level in
ecology.
x Ecosystem: involve both the
living and non-living factors
working together, working in a
complex web.
x Succession: the living organisms
and its environment commonly
reactive and influence each other
in different ways. Increase in the
capacity of tolerance towards
changing environment by
modifying their environment as
the process of growth, dispersal,
reproduction, death and decay
follows changing the abiotic
component of ecosystem is
called as succession.
x Conservation: Regulation of the
population through naturally-
operating trophism ensures
resilience of the system.
Rea m of co ogy
ecology as a basic division of biology
explains patterns within and among
organism. The hierarchical level of
ecology is shown below.
x Biosphere
x Ecosystem
x Communities
x Population
x Organism
Ecology & Environment
Biosphere
The global conglomeration of all
the ecosystem i.e. a zone where
all the living organisms on earth
together with the dead organic
matter produced by them exist.
It is the key component of earth
systems, intermingle with and
exchange matter and energy with
the other spheres, helping to drive
the global biogeochemical cycling of
carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur
and other elements. It includes
the lithosphere, hydrosphere,
atmosphere and other spheres
(e.g. cryosphere, anthrosphere, etc.).
Ecosystem
Ecosystem is defined as a specific
and recognizable landscape such
assuch as forest, wetland, coastal
area, grass lands, deserts etc having
both living and non living elements
Components of Ecosystem
x Abiotic components are the non-
living elements of an ecosystem
as air, water, climate and soil
etc containing both organic and
inorganic matters.
x Biotic components consist of
all the living community of
plants and animals in any area
togetherwith the non-living
components of the environment
such as soil, air and water.
Ecology & Environment
Function of Ecosystem
The function of ecosystem can
be referred a producer consumer
arrangement of nutrients known as
energy cyclesand each food level of
this pyramid is known as trophic
level. The three major aspects of
energy cycles are food chain, food
web and ecological pyramids.
Food chain is a chain or series
of feeding relationship among
different living things in a particular
environment or habitat. Plant is
always the first step of food chain as
it produces its own food from non
living things and eventually eaten by
the next higher level of living orgasm
such as herbivores who only takes
plant as their food item.The plants
are the known as producers and
the animal depend upon producers
are known as primary consumer.
The next level in this hierarchy is
known as secondary consumer who
depends on primary consumer for
food.
Food Web is defined as the system
of interlocking and interdependent
food chains.
Energy Pyramid is a graphical
presentation of the trophic levels
in an ecosystem where the energy
from the sun is transferred through
the ecosystem by passing through
various trophic levels. Only 10%
of energygets transferred from one
trophic level to the next.
B-429
Energy Flow in Ecosystem
x Ecosystem obtains energy
from sun, which, is trapped by
producers via photosynthesis and
is converted into chemical energy.
x The chemical energy is converted
into mechanical and heat energy
in cellular activities.
x Energy enters is the ecosystem as
light and exits as heat.
x Energy flows in a one way
direction through ecosystem i.e.
not recycled
x Herbivores are primary consumers
and can store only 10% of
producerss energy in their biomass
and they use the remaining 90%
in life activities.
x In the same way carnivores store
only 10% of the stored energy of
herbivore.
Types of Ecosystem
Ecosystems are classified on the
basis of climate, habitat and plant
communities.
x Aquatic ecosystem : The aquatic
ecosystem has been classified in
a number of ecological ways.
On the basis of salt content in
water they are further divided
into fresh water, estuarine and
marine ecosystem.
x Terrestrial ecosystem : It is futher
divided into Forest, Grassland,
Desert ecosystem and artificial
ecosystems such as crop fields,
gardens etc.
B-430
Aquatic Ecosystem
On the basis of salt content in water
they are further divided into:
x Wet lands
x Estuarine and
x Marine ecosystem.
Wetlands
x Wetlands are lands which,
due to geological or ecological
factors, have a natural supply of
water either form tidal flows,
flooding rivers, connections with
groundwater, or because they are
perched above aquifers.
x Wetlands are coverd or soaked for
at least a part, and often all, of the
year and thus are intermediaries
between terrestrial and aquatic
ecosystems.
x The periodicity of water level
fluctuations is termed as
hydroperiod and it is the key factor
that determines the productivity
and species composition of the
wetland community.
x Generally low lying areas,
covered by shallow water and
have charachteristic soils and
water toierant vegetation.
x Wetlands occupy only 2 per cent
of the surface area of earth and
they are estimatted to contain 10
to 14 percent of carbon.
x They may be either freshwater or
salt water (coastal).
x Man made wetlands : paddy
fields, fishery ponds, Trapa &
Euryale cultivation ponds and
other aquaculture habitats.
6LJQLFDQFHRI:HWODQGV
x Nutrient rich and have high
primary productivity.
x Since they have both aquatic
and semi-aquatic environmental
Ecology & Environment
conditions so support specialized
vegetation and fauna. Often
a prime breeding habitat for
waterfowl, many migratory birds
and other aquatic or semi aquatic
vertebrates.
x Helps in controlling flood by
holding excess water, and the
flood water stored in wetlands
then drains slowly back ino the
rivers, providing a steady flow of
water throughout the year.
x Serve as groundwater recharging
areas.
x Provide important commercial
products, including wild rice and
various types of berries (such as
black berries, blue berries etc.).
x Hold sediments and accumulate
soil slong the shoreline.
x National Wetland Conservation
Programme(NWCP) has been
initiated for indentified wetland
which are at present 66 covering
21 states.
Estuaries
x An estuary (from Latin aestus,
tide) is a semi-enclosed coastal
body of water, which has a free
connection with the open sea.
x Nutrients from the river enrich
estuarine waters, making estuaries
one of the most biologically
productive environments on
earth and thus have more
biodiversity in unit area.
x It is strongly affected by tidal
action which is an important
physical regulator and an energy
subsidy.
Ecology & Environment
x Variability is a key characteristic
of most of the estuaries. Since
temperature and salinity varies
spatially within estuaries, from
nearly that of fresh water to that
of the ocean and also on a daily
cycle with the rise and fall of the
tides so tha organisms inhabiting
such habitats are eurythermal
and euryhaline.
x They are transitional zones/
ecotones between the freshwater
and marine habitats.
x Examples include river mouths,
coastal bays tidal marshes and
bodies of water behind barrier
beaches and extensive interidal
mudflats or salt marshes often
border them.
x They are considered in a
youthful stage with regard
to their productivity and often
generate more fertility than they
can use (P exceeds R), resulting
in the export of nutrients and
organic detritus into the ocean.
x Outwelling : Movement of
nutrient rich estuarine water out
to the sea.
x Estuary provides the nursery
grounds for most coastal
shellfish and other fishes. e. g.
Several kind of commercially
important shrimp live and spawn
as adults offshore and come into
the estuaries as larvae. Fishes
such as salmon and eels also
depend on estuaries where they
may reside for considerable
lengths of time during their
migrations from salt to fresh
water.
x Estuaries are also crucial
feeding areas for many semi-
aquatic vertebrates, particularly
wtaerfowl.
B-431
Mangroves
x Found in tropical and sub
tropical land - sea ecotones.
x They are potential land builders
that help to form islands and to
extend seashores.
x On the basis of salinity, five
zones of mangrove distribution
are considered, namely euhaline,
polyhaline, mesohaline, oligohaline
and limnetic zones.
x Indian coastline covers about
7500km and it accounts for 8%
of the worlds mangrove area
which is approximately 700,000
ha.
x The Gulf of kachchh & the
Gulf of khambhat constitute the
major mangrove zones of the
Gujarat Coast.
6LJQLFDQFHRI0DQJURYHV
x Mangroves perform a variety of
productive as well as protective
functions. The resilient mangroves
protect the hinterland against
cyclonic storms during cyclones,
super cyclones, and ingress of
seawater during tidal surges and
other natural catastrophes acting
as an effective shelterbelt.
x Are considered as land
builders. It is belived that the
roots of mangroves secretea
substance, which modifies the
B-432
coarse particles into fine ones
and help in soil formation. The
tangles of stilt roots also trap the
sediments.
x Support a range of interconnected
food webs, which directly sustain
the fisheries. Algae and detritus
sustain shrimps and prawns,
which provide a food source for
fishes and prawns.
x They are repositories of
immense biological diversity.
x The mangrove conservation
programme was launched in
1987 and so far 35 mangrove
areas have been identified for
intensive convervation and
management in our county.
x Sunderbans has been included
in the world list of Biosphere
Reserves by UNESCO.
x A mangrove genetic resource
center is established in the
Pichavaram mangrove area,
Chidambaram, India where the
endangered mangrove species
are being conserved.
Coral Reefs
x Coral is plant-animal super
organism, an algae called
zooxanthellae, grow inside the
tissues of the animal polyp, thus
exhibits mutualism between
polyps & algae
x Located generally between 30
degrees North and 30 degrees
South latitudes.
x Found scattered in coastal zones
above contineantal shelves
throughout the tropical and
subtropical western Atlantic and
Indo-pacific oceans.
x The polyp is able to feed itself
using stinging cells found on its
tentacles, but is able to feed itself
partially. The ramainder comes
Ecology & Environment
from the zooxanthellae and
the carbohydrates are also used
by the polyp to make calcium
carbonate via calcification.This
material forms the skeleton of
the coral and eventually the
framework known as the coral
reef.
x Polyps secrete hard limestone
deposits (calcium carbonate that
ramain when polyps die.
x Coral reefs are sometimes
referred to as tropical rainforests
of the deep.
x Bleaching: Under enviornmental
stress much of the algae are
lost and corals appear white in
colour. If the symbiotic green
algae leave the coral animal and
the mutumlism is not restored
then the coral slowly dies of
starvation.
Importance of Coral reefs
x Apart from tropical rain
forests, they are the other most
productive natural ecosystems in
the world.
x They protect coastline from
storms & high waves by breaking
the force of the waves, thereby
allowing mangroves and sea
grass to flourish.
x They serve as nurseries for
many fish species and provide
resources for fisheries.
x Coral skeletons are being
used as bone substitutes in
reconstructive bone surgery. The
pores and channel in certain
Ecology & Environment
corals resemble those found in
human bone. Bone tissue and
blood vessels gradually spread
into the coral graft. Eventually,
bone replaces most of the coral
implant.
Terrestrial Ecosystem
Biomes can be defined as major
ecological communities of flora and
fauna, which generally extend over
a large part of the earth surface and
usually characterized by a distinct
type of vegetation.
The main terrestrial biomes are:
x Tundra
x Coniferous forests/Temperate
evergreen forests
x Temperate Broadlead deciduous
forests
x Mediterranean Shrublands
x Grasslands
x Deserts
x Tropical deciduous forests
x Tropical scurubs/Thornwoods
x Tropical rain forests
x F.E elements and V.E shelford
(1939) introduced the biome
concept.
x Ecotone: boundary between two
biomes.
x Bailey (1976) developed the
concept of ecoregion.
x Ecoregions: Ecosystems based
on a continous geographical or
landscape area across which
the inderactions of climate,
soil and topography are
sufficiently uniform to permit the
development of similar types of
vegetation
Community
A group of population of different
species living togetherin a given area
with mutual tolerance and beneficiary
B-433
interactions is defined as community.
The species may be plant,animal or
micro organism.
Characteristics:
x Biodiversity
1. Species richness
2. Relative abundance
x Dominant vegetation
x Stability/disturbance
x Succession
Population
A population is a summation of
all the organisms of the same
group or species, which live in
aparticular geographical area, and
have the capability of interbreeding.
Population Dynamic is the change
in the number of individuals in a
population or the vital rates of a
population over time.It is the key
to
x Examine the response of species
to ecosystem manipulation,
x Analyzetheendangered species
x Understand ecosystem dynamics
and ecology
Theories of Population Dynamics
x Exponential population growth
is when the birth rate is constant
over a period of time and isnt
limited by food or disease. A
species growing exponentially
would also affect other species
directly due to competition
for food and other resources.
Exponential growth can be
affected by modern medicine,
quality and quantity of food and
the overall standard of living for
a species.
x Logistic growth describes
a sustainable growth of
populations which slows down
B-434 Ecology & Environment

after a period of significant measure of population growth

development as the availability than the exponential model
of living space and resources, because it accounts for the
along with other factors, limits real-world factors that inhibit
its growing ability. The logistics population growth.
growth model is a more reliable

(a) Exponential (b) Logistic (restricted)

(unrestricted) growth growth
Carrying capacity of
environment

The growth rate The rate

Population size

of the population Population size slows down

accelerates

The rate Point of

accelerates maximum
growth
0 Time 0 Time

Organism The important levels of biodiversity

An organism, is any form of
contiguous living system such as
an animal, plant orbacterium with
cell as its basic units. Allorganism
have developed with some degree of
response to to stimuli,reproduction,
growth and development and
homeostasis. As the basic unit of
every organism is cell it can be
categorized into both uni cellular and
multi cellular depending upon the
no. of cells present in the organism.
Mostly the unicellular organisms are
microscopic by nature.
Biodiversity means diversity
or heterogeneity at all levels of
biological organization, i.e., from
macromolecules of the cells to the
Biomass. The term Biodiversity
was popularized by the sociologist-
Edward Wilson.
are
1. Genetic diversity, 2. Species
diversity, 3. Ecological diversity
1. Genetic diversity
It is the diversity at genetic level, or
at subspecies level, i.e. below species
level, in a single species.
The genetic diversity helps the
population to adapt. If a population
has more diversity it can adapt
better to the changed environmental
conditions. The low diversity leads
to uniformity. The genetic variability
is therefore, considered to be the raw
material for speciation.
2. Species diversity
The measurement of species
diversity is its richness, i.e. the
number of species per unit area. The
greater is the species richness the
more will be the species diversity.
Ecology & Environment
In nature, the number and kind of
species, as well as the number of
individual per species, vary, and this
leads to greater diversity.
 (FRORJLFDOGLYHUVLW\
It is the diversity at community level.
It can be of 3-types
1. Alpha (D) diversity : It is the
diversity of organisms within the
same community or habitat.
2. Beta (E) diversity : It is the di-
versity between communities
or different habitats. Higher the
heterogenecity in the altitude,
Humidity and Temperature of
a region, the greater will be the
dissimilarity between communi-
ties, and higher will be the E di-
versity.
3. Gamma (J) diversity : It is the
diversity of organisms over the
entire geographical area, cover-
ing several ecosystems or habi-
tats and various trophic levels
and food webs. Such diversity is
most stable and productive.
Causes of Loss of Biodiversity
The accelerated rate of species-
extinction is largely due to human
activities. There are 4-major causes,
called
The Evil Quartet, for the loss of
biodiversity
1. Habitat loss and fragmentation
2. Overexploitation
3. Invasion of Alien or exotic
species
4. Co-extinctions
The Conservation of biodiversity
can be in situ (on site) or ex situ (off
site)
In such conservation the endangered
species are protected in their natural
habitat with entire ecosystem. The
B-435
conservationists, on global basis,
have identified certain Biodiversity
Hot Spots
The 3-biodiversity hot spots of
India, that cover rich-biodiversity
regions, are
1. Western Ghat
2. Himalaya
3. Indo-Burma
The in situ conservation in India,
is done through 15 Biosphere
reserves, 90-National Parks, more
than 450 sanctuaries and several
Sacred Groves or the tracts of
forests.
1. Biosphere reserves
They represent natural biomes
which contain unique biological
communities. They include land as
well as coastal environment.
(i) Core (natural) zone It is inner
most zone
(ii) Buffer zone - In this zone limited
human activity is allowed for
research and education purposes.
(iii) Transition (manipulation) zone
It is the outermost zone of
biosphere reserve in which large
number of human activities are
permitted,
2. National Parks
They are reserved for the betterment
of wild life, both fauna and flora.
In national parks private ownership
is not allowed. The grazing,
cultivation, forestry etc. is also not
permitted. The first national park of
the world, Yellow stone, in U.S.A.,
was founded in 1872.
 6DQFWXDULHV
In sanctuaries the protection is given
to fauna only. The activity like
harvesting of timber, collection of
forest products and private ownership
rights are permitted so long as they
B-436
do not interfere with the well being
of the animals. The important wild
life sanctuaries are Chilka wild life
sanctuary (Odisha), Bharatpur Bird
Sanctuary (Rajasthan),
In-situ conservation
National Parks Biosphere
and Sancturies reserves
Terrestrial Marine
2. Ex situ conservation
In such type of conservation the
threatened animals and plants are
taken out of their natural habitat
BIO-GEOGRAPHY
Bio-geographic classification of India
is the division of India according
to bio-geographic characteristics.
Biogeography is the study of the
distribution of species (biology),
organisms, and ecosystems in
geographic space and through
geological time. There are ten bio-
geographic zones in India.
1. Trans-Himalayan Region
The range lies north of the Great
Himalayan range is called the Trans-
Himalayas. Its sparse vegetation
has the richest wild sheep and goat
community in the world. The snow
leopard and the migratory black-
necked crane are found here.
2. Himalayas
The youngest and loftiest mountain
chains in the world are found here.
The high altitude, steep gradient and
rich temperate flora of the Himalaya
contain extensive growth of grass
Ecology & Environment
4. The sacred groves are found in
Khasi and Jaintia hills (Meghalaya),
Aravalli hills (Rajasthan), Western
ghats (Karnataka and Maharashtra)
and Sarguja, Chanda and Bastar
areas of Madhya Pradesh.
Biodiversity conservation
Ex-situ conservation
Sacred Zoos, Seed Bank/ Sacred
lakes and Botanical Gardens, Gene bank plants
forests Arboreta and (Cryopres-
Aquaria ervation)
and are protected in special parks
or areas like, Zoological parks,
Wild life safari parks and Botanical
gardens etc. The ex situ conservation
also includes Cryopreservation.
and evergreen tall trees. Oak,
chestnut, conifer, ash, pine, deodar
are abundant in Himalayas. There
is no vegetation above the snowline.
The chief species of fauna include
wild sheep, mountain goats, ibex,
shrew, and tapir. Panda and snow
leopard are also found here.
 6HPL$ULG$UHDV
In transitional zone between the
desert and the denser forests of the
Western Ghats lies the semi- arid
area. This region is characterized
by discontinuous vegetation cover
with open areas of bare soil and
soil-water deficit throughout the
year. The main vegetation of the
region includes thorny scrubs,
grasses and some bamboos along
with few species of xerophytic
herbs and some ephemeral herbs are
found in this semi-arid tract. Birds,
jackals, leopards, eagles, snakes, fox,
buffaloes are found in this region.
Ecology & Environment
4. Western Ghats
Extend from the southern tip of
the peninsula (8N) northwards
about 1600 km to the mouth of the
river Tapti (21N) lies the Western
Ghats between the west coast and
peninsular India. The Western Ghats
are amongst the 25 biodiversity hot-
spots constitute one of the unique
biological regions of the world.
The climate varies with topography.
Mountain side facing Arabian Sea
gets heavy rainfall and evergreen
forest is found there in contrast with
the other side of the mountain that
lies in rain shadow.
 1RUWK:HVW'HVHUW5HJLRQV
This landmass comprised Rajasthan,
Kutch, Delhi and parts of Gujarat.
It experiences less rainfall and
very hot and dry summer and cold
winter. Plants are mostly xerophytic
in nature. Moderate rainfall regions
grow Babul, Kikar and wild palm.
Indian Bustard, a highly endangered
bird is found here. Camels, wild
asses, foxes, and snakes are found in
hot and arid deserts.
6. Deccan Plateau
To the east and west of Ghats lies
the Deccan Plateau, having semi-
arid vegetation laying in rain shadow
region of Western Ghats. This is the
largest unit of the Peninsular Plateau
of India. The highlands of the
plateau are covered with different
types of forests, which provide a
large variety of forest products.
7. Gangetic Plain
Gangetic plain extending up to
Himalayan foothills forms the largest
plain of India. Main rivers of this plain
are the Ganga and the Brahmaputra,
covering about 72.4mha area. Thick
alluvial sediments are found with
varying thickness across plain with
highest density in India. The trees
belonging to these forests are teak, sal,
B-437
shisham, mahua, khair etc. The region
has agro-based economy. It extends
from arid and semi-arid landscapes
of Rajasthan Plains in west to Assam
valley in the east.
8. North-East India
Being the richest flora region in the
country it has numerous species of
orchids, bamboos, ferns and other
plants. Many wild relatives of cultivated
plants such as banana, mango, citrus
and pepper can be found.
9. Islands
There are two groups of islands in
India, i.e., the Arabian Sea islands
and Bay Islands. The islands of
Arabian Sea (Laccadive, Minicoy,
etc.) belong to the old landmass
remnants (590 Km nearest main
land mass) as compared to the Bay
Islands which lay only about 220
km. Some of the islands are fringed
with coral reefs. Many of them are
covered with thick forests and some
are highly dissected.
10. Coasts
The coastline of India extends over
5,500 km. Most of the area here
has fertile soil with different crops
growing. Narrow coast is found
in the west than east I.e. Gulf of
Cambay and the Gulf of Kutch
and extreme south- however, it is
somewhat wider along the south
Sahyadri. The western coast is
characterized by the backwaters.
The east coast plains have broader
coast due to depositional activities
of the east-flowing rivers owing
to the change in their base levels.
Extensive deltas of the Mahanadi,
Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri are the
characteristic features of this coast.
Mangrove vegetation is characteristic
of estuarine tracts along the coast for
instance, at Ratnagiri in Maharashtra.
B-438 Ecology & Environment

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Deforestation
It is the conversion of forest to another land use or the long-term reduction
of the tree canopy cover. This includes conversion of natural forest to tree
plantations, agriculture, pasture, water reservoirs and urban areas but excludes
timber production areas managed to ensure the forest regenerates after logging
(WWF, 2015).
Causes Impact
Subsistence farming x Physical and ecological processes, (e.g. disruption
(48%) of hydrological regimes and loss of watershed
Commercial protection).
agriculture (32%) x Soil and water resources, (e.g. soil erosion, loss of
nutrients and increase in sediment loads in river
Logging (14%)
systems)on local and global climate, e.g. albedo
Fuel wood removals changes, changes in surface energy budget, and
(5%) alteration of biogeochemical cycles (such as the global
carbon cycle) leading to an increase in atmospheric
CO2 and other trace gases, affecting the climate and
causing global temperature change, Diversity and
abundance of terrestr ial species through destruction
and fragmentation of habitats and the edge effects,
decreasing ecological complexity.

'HVHUWLFDWLRQ
The U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) defines it as land
degradation in arid, semiarid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various
factors, including climatic variations and human activities. This process is
the result of a long-term failure to balance human demand for ecosystem
services and the amount the ecosystem can supply. The stress mounts on dry
land ecosystems for providing services related to basic human existence. The
situation worsens when combined with human factors (such as population
pressure and land use patterns) and climatic factors (such as droughts).
Causes Effects Measures
Overgrazing Soil Afforestation and planting of soil
becomes binding grasses can check soil
less usable erosion, floods and water logging
Farming of Average Land Vegetation Crop rotation and mixed cropping
is Lacked or improve the fertility.
Damaged
Destruction of Plants in Causes Artificial bunds or covering the
Dry Regions Famine area with vegetation.
Ecology & Environment B-439

Incorrect Irrigation in Arid Food Loss Salinity of the soil can be checked
Regions Causes a Build-up by improved drainage
of Salt in the Soil

Ozone Layer Depletion: Causes and Effects

Chlorofluoro carbons or
associated hydrocarbons
start dissociating in
presence of UV rays which
release chlorine, which
is catalyst of destroying
ozone.
Ozone Layer
Depletion:
A process wherein oxygen
molecules are photolyed
splitting into 2 atoms,
weakening the ozone as
solar UV
enters accentuating
conversion
Effects on Effects on
Human Health: Biogeochemical
Causes nonmelanoma Cycles: Increased
skin cancer, UV radiation affects
malignant melanoma terrestrial and aquatic
development and biogeochemical
clouding of cycles
eyes

Effects on
Effects on Marine Materials:
Ecosystem: Synthetic polymers
Phytoplankton lead and naturally
aquatic food webs occurring
which are effected by biopolymers are
amount of sunlight Effects on affected by UVB
received Plants: amount
of UVB in
present-day
sunlight affecting
the plant growth
directly
B-440 Ecology & Environment

Pollution Types and measures of their Control

Pollution: process which contaminants natural

environment that resulting in adverse change

Air Pollution Light pollutionlight trespass,

Photochemical smog, Acidrain over- illumination and astronomical
interference

Primary Pollutant enter the

atmosphere directly from various
sources (CO, HCs, SO2, NO) How to Control
Secondary Pollutantformed during
chemical reaction between primary x recycling
pollutant and other atmospheric
constitution (water vapour) x reusing
Anthropogenic Sources Combustion
from power plant, vehicles, x Waste
household fuel etc. minimization

x mitigating
Pollution control
devices
x preventing
x Vapor recovery systems
x Phytoremediation
x Sewage /industrial x compost
waste treatment
x Scrubber (Baffle spray,
Cyclonic spray, Ejector
venture, mechanically
aided Spray tower,
Wet)
x Bag houses

Noise pollution created by Vehicles,

Litteringman-made objects, piling
aircraft, sonar, underground leakage
onto public and private properties.
etc.

Radioactive contamination nuclear Thermal pollution temperature

power generation and nuclear weapons change in natural water bodies(using
research, manufacture and deployment water as a coolant)

Visual pollution overhead power Water Pollution waste disposal to

line, motorway billboard, municipal the water bodies (sewage, commercial
solid waste, debris, scarred landforms. by-products, surface runoff)

Plastic pollutionplastic products in Soil Pollution Chemical spill or

the environment, adversely affects underground leakage (hydrocarbons,
wildlife, wildlife habitat, or humans heavy metals, MTBE, pesticides)
Ecology & Environment B-441

Green House Effect and Global Warming

Greenhouse effect is the phenomenon of heating of Atmosphere as a result
of short wave radiations transmitted inward through earth atmosphere owing
to its absorption by atmospheric carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane,
and other gases. Its a natural process that keeps the temperature suitable
for sustenance of life. But the matter of concern is enhanced greenhouse
effect which refers to intensification of the effect due to increase in the toxic
gaseous envelop of these gases and ultimately lead to the rise of temperature.
The process of rise in temperature is known as Global Warming.
Greenhouse gas emission is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits
radiation within the thermal infrared range. The primary green house gases
in Earths atmosphere are water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous
oxide, and ozone.

WHO IS DOING WHAT FOR CLIMATE?

GHG Country
emission
CHINA : Envisages a peak in emissions by around 2030, and reducing carbon
intensity (CO2 emitted per unit of GDP) by 60-65 per cent by 2030 compared
with 2005 levels. The worlds most populous nation will boost the share of
24% non-fossil fuel in primary energy consumption from 11.2 per cent in 2014 to
20 per cent, and boost the volume of CO2-absorbing forest by about 4.5 billion
cubic metres.
INDIA : Plans to reduce carbon intensity by 35 per cent by 2030 from 2005
6.4% levels, and generate 40 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by
the same date.
IRAN : Iran has made an unconditional pledge to reduce its greenhouse
gas emissions in 2030 by four per cent compared with a business as usual
1.6% secnario. In addition. Tehran said it would reduce emissions by another eight
per cent if it receves financial and technology support, and if what it describes
as :unjust sanctions where lifted.
RUSSIA : Has mooted cutting emissions by 25-30 per cent by 2030 from 1990
4.9% levels, Conditional on the pledges of other major emitters.
JAPAN : Has pledged a 26 per cent reduction in emissions from 2013 levels
by 2030, with nuclear energy offline since the 2011 Fukushima disaster
2.9% providing 20- 22 per cent of electricity by then. Renewable electricity
production, including hydro power, would be expanded to a 22-24 per cent
share, from 11 per cent in 2014.
INDONESIA : A 29 per cent cut in emissions by 2030 compared with what
1.6% the level would have been with our any action. With financial and other help,
this could be raised to 41 per cent.
EUROPEAN UNION : The 28-member bloc in tends to cut emissions by at
10.8% least 40 per cent by 2030 over 1990 levels, and has set 27 per cent targets for
renewable energy supply and efficiency gains.
BRAZIL : Will cut emissions by 37 per cent by 2025 from 2005 and 43 per
2.1% cent by 2030.
UNITED STATES : Has pledged a 26-28 per cent reduction in emissions from
 2005 levels by 2025. Power plants are to cut carbon dioxide pollution by 32 per
cent by 2030.
B-442 Ecology & Environment

CANADA : Will seek to cut emissions by 30 per cent from the 2005 levels by
1.5% 2030. Canada has done its bit by cutting carbon emission and putting a curb on
pollution in major cities in the country.
Source: TOI

Source: TOI
Ecology & Environment B-443

ENDANGERED SPECIES IN INDIA

White-bellied heron
Great Indian bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps)
Forest owlet (Athene blewitti)
Baers pochard (Aythya baeri)
Spoon-billed sandpiper (Eurynorhynchus pygmeus)
Siberian crane (Grus leucogeranus)
White-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis)
Indian vulture (Gyps indicus)
Birds
Slender-billed vulture (Gyps tenuirostris)
Bengal florican (Houbaropsis bengalensis)
Himalayan quail (Ophrysia superciliosa)
Jerdons courser (Rhinoptilus bitorquatus)
Pink-headed duck (Rhodonessa caryophyllacea)
Red-headed vulture (Sarcogyps calvus)
Sociable lapwing (Vanellus gregarius)
Bugun liocichla (Liocichla bugunorum)
Knifetooth sawfish (Anoxypristis cuspidata)
Pondicherry shark (Carcharhinus hemiodon)
Ganges shark (Glyphis gangeticus)
Fish Deccan labeo (Labeo potail)
Largetooth sawfish (Pristis microdon)
Longcomb sawfish (Pristis zijsron)
Humpback mahseer
Northern river terrapin (Batagur baska)
Red-crowned roofed turtle (Batagur kachuga)
Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus)
Ghats wart frog (Fejervarya murthii)
Gundia Indian frog (Indirana gundia)
Toad-skinned frog (Indirana phrynoderma)
Charles Darwins frog (Ingerana charlesdarwini)
Raos torrent frog (Micrixalus kottigeharensis)
Reptiles and
Amboli bush frog (Pseudophilautus amboli)
Amphibians White-spotted bush frog (Raorchestes chalazodes)
Griet bush frog (Raorchestes griet)
Munnar bush frog (Raorchestes munnarensis)
Ponmudi bush frog (Raorchestes ponmudi)
Sacred Grove bush frog (Raorchestes sanctisilvaticus)
Shillong bubble-nest frog (Raorchestes shillongensis)
Resplendent shrubfrog (Raorchestes resplendens)
Anaimalai flying frog (Rhacophorus pseudomalabaricus)
Patinghe Indian gecko (Geckoella jeyporensis)
Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus)
Namdapha flying squirrel (Biswamoyopterus biswasi)
Himalayan wolf (Canis himalayensis)
Mammals Andaman Shrew (Crocidura andamanensis)
Jenkins shrew (Crocidura jenkinsi)
Nicobar shrew (Crocidura nicobarica)
Northern Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis lasiotis)
B-444 Ecology & Environment

Kondana soft-furred rat (Millardia kondana)

Pygmy hog (Porcula salvania)
Indian Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus inermis)
Malabar large-spotted civet (Viverra civettina)
Elvira rat (Cremnomys elvira)
Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla)
Kashmir stag (Cervus canadensis hanglu)
Fire corals (Millepora boschmai)
Spiders
Coral Rameshwaram Ornamental or Parachute Spider (Poecilotheria
hanumavilasumica)
Gooty Tarantula, Metallic Tarantula or (Poecilotheria metallica)

INDIA INITIATIVES TOWARDS

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
x National Solar Mission: the
NAPCC aims to promote the
development and use of solar energy
for power generation and ohter
usees with the ultimate objective
of making solar competitive with
fossil-based energy options.
x National Water Mission: with
water scarcity projected to
worsen as a result of climate
change, the plan set a goal of a
20% improvement in water use
efficiency through pricing and
other measures.
x National Mission on Sustainable
Habitat: To promote energy
efficiency as a core component
of urban planning.
x National Mission for Enhanced
Energy Efficiency: Current
initiatives are expected to yield
saving of 10,000 MW by 2012.
x National Mission for Sustaining
the Himalayan Ecosystem: The
plan aims to conserve biodiversity,
forest cover, and other ecological
values in the Himalauan region,
where glaciers that are a major
source of indias water supply are
projected to recede as a result of
global warming.
x National Mission for a green
India: Goals include the
afforestation of 6 million hectares
of degraded forest lands and
expanding forest cover from 23%
to 33% of Indias territory.
x National Mission for Sustainable
Agriculture: the plan aims to support
climate adapation in agriculture
through the develoment of climate-
resilient crops, expansion of
weather insurance mechanisms,and
agricultural practices.
x National Mission on Srategic
knowledge for Climate Change:
To gain better understanding of
climate science, impacts and
challenges, the plan envisions a
new Climate Science Research
Fund, improved climate modeling,
and increased international
collaboration.
Ecology & Environment B-445

INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

Convention Place Crucial documents
United nation Rio de Janeiro, x Draft Earth Charter
Conference on Brazil x Convention on climate change and Biological
environment and Diversity
Development or x Convention on Forest
Earth Summit
x Agenda 21
(1992)
The United Kyoto, Japan x Gather and share information on greenhouse
Nations gas emissions, national policies and best
Framework practices
Convention on x Launch national strategies for addressing
Climate Change
greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to
(1994)
expected impacts, including the provision
of financial and technological support to
developing countries
x Cooperate in preparing for adaptation to the
impacts of climate change
Convention on x The conservation of biological diversity
Biological Diversity x The sustainable use of the components of
(1993) biological diversity
x The fair and equitable sharing of the benefits
arising out of the utilization of genetic resources
Ramsar Ramsar, Iran x Halt the worldwide loss of wetlands and
Convention on x To conserve, use and management, those that
Wetland (1971) remain.
x This requires international cooperation, policy
making, capacity building and technology
transfer.
Convention on Washington, x Help in conservation of species
International Trade U.S.A.
in Endangered
Species of Wild
Fauna and Flora
(1963)
Convention on the Bad x It is an intergovernmental treaty
Conservation of Godesberg, x should promote, cooperate in and support
Migratory Species Germany research relating to migratory species
of Wild Animals x hall endeavour to provide immediate protection
(1976) for migratory species
x conservation and management of migratory
species included in Appendix II
International Geneva x Provide an effective framework for cooperation
Tropical Timber between tropical timber producers and
Organization consumers
(1983) x To encourage the development of national
policies aimed at sustainable utilization
x Conservation of tropical forests and their
genetic resources
B-446 Ecology & Environment

United Nations x Implementation of agreements and foster a

Forum on Forests common understanding on sustainable forest
(2000) management;
x To provide policy development and dialogue
among Governments and international
organizations,
x To enhance cooperation
x To foster international cooperation and
x To monitor, assess and report on progress of
the above functions and objectives
x To strengthen political commitment to the
management, conservation and sustainable
development.
Global tiger forum New Delhi, x Set up to embark on a worldwide campaign
(1994) India to save the wild tiger
Stockholm Stockholm, x It develops a risk management evaluation
Convention on Sweden x Determines whether the substance fulfills POP
Persistent Organic screening.
Pollutants (2001) x Manage and dispose of POPs wastes in an
environmentally sound manner
Basel Convention Basel, x To reduce hazardous waste generation and
on the Control of Switzerland promote environmental sound management
Trans boundary system for their disposal.
Movements of x Restrict trans boundary movement of such
Hazardous Wastes wastes and
and Their Disposal x Provide regulatory system applying to cases
(1989) where such movement is allowable.
Rotterdam Rotterdam, x convention promotes open exchange of
Convention Netherlands information
(2004) x calls on exporters of hazardous chemicals to
use proper labeling
x inform purchasers of any known restrictions
or bans
United Nations x promotes a global response to desertification,
Convention land degradation and drought
to Combat
Desertification
(1994)
International Washington, x to keep under review and revise as necessary
Whaling D.C., United the measures laid down in the Schedule to
Commission States, the Convention which govern the conduct of
(1946) whaling throughout the world
Montreal Helsinki, x Play role in controlling the ozone depletion
Protocol on Finland
Substances that
Deplete the
Ozone Layer
(1987)
Ecology & Environment B-447

NATIONAL PARKS IN INDIA

Name State Notability
Bandipur National Karnataka Chital, gray langurs, Indian giant squirrel, Gaur,
Park leopard, Sambar deer, indian elephants, honey
(1974) buzzard, red-headed vulture and other animals.
Bannerghatta Karnataka White Tiger, Royal Bengal Tiger, Bear, other
National Park animals
(Bannerghatta
Biological Park)
(1974)
Betla National Park Jharkhand Tiger, Sloth Bear, Peacock, Elephant, Sambar
(1986) deer, mouse deer and other animals.
Bhitarkanika Odisha Mangroves, Saltwater crocodile, white crocodile,
National Park Indian python, black ibis, wild pigs, rhesus
(1988) monkeys, chital and other animals
Buxa Tiger Reserve West Bengal Tiger
(1992)
Dachigam National J&K Only area where Kashmir stag is found
Park (1981)
Dudhwa National U.P Swamp deer, sambar deer, barking deer, spotted
Park (1977) deer, hog deer, tiger, Indian rhinoceros,
Gir Forest National Gujarat Asiatic lion
Park (1965)
Great Himalayan Himachal UNESCO World Heritage Site
National Park (1984) Pradesh,
Gulf of Mannar Tamil Nadu Green turtles and Olive Ridley turtles and
Marine National whales.
Park (1980)
Indravati National Chhattisgarh Wild Asian Buffalo, Tiger Reserve, Hill Mynas
Park (1981)
Jaldapara National West Bengal Indian one horned rhinoceros
Park (2012)
Jim Corbett Uttarakhand Tiger
National Park (1936)
Kanha National M. P. Swamp Deer, Tigers
Park (1955)
Kaziranga National Assam Indian rhinoceros, UNESCO World Heritage Site
Park (1905)
Keibul Lamjao Manipur only floating park in the world
National Park (1977)
Keoladeo National Rajasthan UNESCO World Heritage Site
Park (1981)
Manas National Assam UNESCO World Heritage Site
Park (1990)
Mandla Plant Fossils M. P Plant Fossils National Park
National Park (1983)
Marine National Gujarat 70 species of sponges, Coral 52 species along
Park, Gulf of Kutch with puffer fishes, sea horse and sting ray
(1980)
B-448 Ecology & Environment

Namdapha National Arunachal Snow Leopards, Clouded Leopards, Common

Park (1974) Pradesh Leopards and Tigers
Nanda Devi Uttarakhand UNESCO World Heritage Site
National Park (1982)
Neora Valley West Bengal clouded leopard, red panda and musk deer
National Park (1986)
Nokrek National Meghalaya UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve
Park (1986)
Periyar National Kerala Tigers
Park (1982)
Ranthambore Rajasthan Tigers, Leopards, Striped Hyenas, Sambar deer
National Park (1981) and Chital.
Sariska Tiger Rajasthan Tiger
Reserve (1955)
Simlipal National Odisha Tiger, Leopard, Asian elephant, Sambar,
Park (1980) Barking deer, Gaur, Jungle cat, Wild boar, and
other animals.
Sultanpur National Haryana Siberian crane, greater flamingo, ruff, black-
Park (1989) winged stilt, common teal, northern pintail, and
yellow wagtail.
Sundarbans West Bengal UNESCO World Heritage Site
National Park (1984)
Valley of Flowers Uttarakhand Flying squirrel, Himalayan black bear, red
National Park (1982) fox, Himalayan weaseland Himalayan yellow-
throated marten, and Himalayan goral

WILD LIFE SANCTUARIES

India has 515 animal sanctuaries referred to as wildlife sanctuaries category
IV protected areas. Among these, the 48 tiger reserves are governed by
Project Tiger, and are of special significance in the conservation of the tiger.
WILD LIFE SANCTUARIES IN INDIA
Name of the Location Major Species
Sanctuary
Gir Wild Life Sasan Gir, Lion, Leopard, Chausinga, Chital, Hyena,
Sanctuary Junagadh, Sambar, Chinkara, Herpetofauna, Crocodiles
Amreli and birds
Wild Ass Little Rann of Wild Ass, Chinkara, Blue bull, Houbara bustard,
Sanctuary Kachchh Wolf, Waterfowls, Herpetofauna
Hingolgadh Hingolgadh, Chinkara, Blue bull, Wolf, Hyena, Fox, Birds,
Sanctuary Rajkot Herpetofauna
Marine Gulf of Sponges, Corals, Jellyfish, Sea horse,
Sanctuary Kachchh, Octopus,Oyster, Pearloyster, Starfish, Lobster,
Jamnagar Dolphin, Dugong, waterfowls
Simlipal Odisha Elephant, Tiger, Leopard, Gaur, Cheetal
Sactuary
Kutch Desert Great Rann of Chinkara, Hyena, Fox, Flamingo, Pelicans &
Sanctuary Kachchh other waterfowls, Herpetofauna
Ecology & Environment B-449

Rampara Rampara, Rajkot Blue bull, Chinkara, Wolf, Fox, Jackal, Birds,
Sanctuary Herpetofauna
Ghana Bird Rajasthan Water Bird, Black-buck, Cheetal, Sambar
Sanctuary
Panchmarhi Madhya Pradesh Tiger, Panther, Sambhar, Nilgai, Baskeng, Deer
Dandeli Karnataka Tiger, Panther, Elephant, Cheetal, Sanbhar,
Sanctuary Wild Boar
Kutch Bustard Near Naliya, Great Indian Bustard, Lesser Florican, Houbara
Sanctuary Kachchh bustard, Chinkara, Blue bull, Herpetofauna



Name State Key Fauna
Nilgiri Biosphere Tamil Nadu, Nilgiri tahr, lion-tailed macaque
Reserve Kerala and
Karnataka
Nanda Devi National Uttarakhand
Park & Biosphere
Reserve
Gulf of Mannar Tamil Nadu Dugong or sea cow
Nokrek Meghalaya Red panda
Sundarbans West Bengal Royal Bengal tiger
Manas Assam Golden langur, red panda
Simlipal Odisha Gaur, royal Bengal tiger, elephant
Dihang-Dibang Arunachal
Pradesh
Pachmarhi Biosphere Madhya Pradesh Giant squirrel, flying squirrel
Reserve
Achanakmar- Madhya Pradesh, Four horned antelope (Tetracerus quadricornis),
Amarkantak Chhattisgarh Indian wild dog (Cuon alpinus), Saras crane
Biosphere Reserve (Grus antigone), Asian white-backed vulture
(Gyps bengalensis), Sacred grove bush frog
(Philautus sanctisilvaticus)
Great Rann of Kutch Gujarat Indian wild ass
Cold Desert Himachal Snow leopard
Pradesh
Khangchendzonga Sikkim Snow leopard, red panda
AgasthyamalI Kerala, Tamil Nilgiri tahr, elephants
Biosphere Reserve Nadu
Great Nicobar Andaman and Saltwater crocodile
Biosphere Reserve Nicobar Islands
Dibru-Saikhowa Assam Golden langur
Seshachalam Hills Andhra Pradesh
Panna Madhya Pradesh Tiger, chital, chinkara, sambhar and sloth
bear
B-450
ANIMAL WELFARE
People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals (PETA)
It is a non-profitable American
animal rights organization based
in Norfolk, Virginia. Led by
Ingrid Newkirk, its international
president, founded in 1980 with a
slogan of Animals are not ours to
eat, wear, experiment on, use for
entertainment, or abuse in any other
way. It focuses its attention on
the four areas in which the largest
numbers of animals suffer the most
intensely for the longest periods
of time: on factory farms, in the
clothing trade, in laboratories, and
in the entertainment industry.
World Wide Fund for Nature
The organisation was conceived
in Morges, Switzerland (29, April,
1961). It is an international non-
governmental organization in
nature. Works in the field related
to biodiversity conservation,
and the reduction of humanitys
footprint on the environment. It
is the worlds largest conservation
organization with the slogan of
For a Living Planet. The method
of its working involves Lobbying
Research and Consultancy. Basically
its a charitable trust. WWFs giant
panda logo originated from a panda
named Chi Chi. It has been designed
by Sir Peter Scott from preliminary
sketches made by Gerald Watterson.
The main missions of WWF are as
follows:
x conserving the worlds biological
diversity
x ensuring that the use of renewable
natural resources is sustainable
Ecology & Environment
x Promoting the reduction
of pollution and wasteful
consumption.
At present WWFs current strategy
of achieving its mission which is
related to restoring populations
of 36 species (species or species
groups that are important for their
ecosystem or to people, including
elephants, tunas, whales, dolphins
and porpoises), and ecological
footprint in 6 areas (carbon
emissions, cropland, grazing land,
fishing, forestry and water).
Animal Welfare Board of India
Functions
x To keep the law in force in India
for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals under constant study
and to advise the government
on the amendments to be
undertaken in any such law from
time to time.
x To advise the Central
Government on the making
of rules under the Act with a
view to preventing unnecessary
pain or suffering to animals and
transported.
x To advise in the design of
vehicles so as to lessen the
burden on draught animals.
x To take all such steps as the Board
may think fit for amelioration
of animals by encouraging, or
providing for the construction of
sheds, water troughs and the like
and by providing for veterinary
assistance to animals.
x To advise in the design
of slaughter houses or its
maintenance.
Ecology & Environment
INDIA INITIATIVES TOWARDS
ANIMAL PROTECTION
Project Tiger an government of
India initiative for conserving its
national animal, the tiger. The
project was launched in 1973.
Since then the no of tiger reserve
has been increased from 9 to 47
which accounts for 2.08% the total
geographical area of our country.
The area of tiger projects have been
developed on core/ buffer strategy.
The core areas are legally termed
as National Parks and the buffering
areas are a mixture of forest and
non-forest land managed as a
multiple used area. The project aims
at fostering an exclusive tiger agenda
in the core areas of tiger reserves,
with an inclusive people oriented
agenda in the buffer
Project Rhino was joint venture
of the Assam Forest Department
and Wildlife Trust of India -
InternationalFund for Animal
Welfare (WTI-IFAW) and initiated
in February 2006 with the trans
location of a hand-raised rhino
calf to Manas Wildlife Sanctuary.
The projects aims at repopulatimg
the one horn rhino by displacing
them to Manas wild life sanctuary
from Kaziranga National Park.
The whole project is supported by
Bodoland Territorial Council and
the Assam Forest Department.
Project Crocodile Conservation
was launched in 1975 in different
States for protecting the endangered
crocodile species like Gharial,
Gavialis gangeticus; Mugger
crocodile, Crocodylus palustris and
Saltwater crocodile, Crocodylus
B-451
were on the verge of extinction
by the seventies. The funds and
technical support for the project
came from UNDP/ FAO through
the Government of India.
Project Elephant (PE) is a central
government initiative to provide financial
and technical support to major elephant
bearing states of India. It was launched
in February 1992. It aims at protecting
the elephants, their habitat and corridor.
It also looks after the human elephant
issues. It is implemented in 13 States /
UTs, viz. Andhra pradesh, Arunachal
Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, Karnataka,
Kerala, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Orissa,
Tamil Nadu, Uttranchal, Uttar Pradesh
and West Bengal.
SAVE i.e. Saving Asias Vultures from
Extinction is a consortium of regional
and international organization to
co-ordinate conservation, campaigning
and fundraising activities to help the
plight of south Asias vultures. The
key strategies of vulture conservation
SAVE is involved in a wide range of
conservation activities across South
Asia including:
x breeding vultures in captivity
so that their offspring can be
released back in to the wild
when the environment is free
from diclofenac
x an active advocacy programme
targeting the vets and farmers
using diclofenac
x legislation controlling the
manufacture and sale of
veterinary drugs
x in-situ conservation actions
focused around the small but key
remaining vulture populations in
the wild
B-452
x an active research programme
that underpins these activities
and monitors their effectiveness
Project Dolphin Gangetic river
dolphins is Indias national aquatic
animal and is often known as the
Tiger of the Ganges. This dolphin
species is an indicator animal which
represent healthy river ecosystem in
a same position as a tiger in a forest.
Their population is estimated to be
less than 2,000 in the country. Some
of the major threats are habitat
fragmentation due to construction
ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS
x The Water (Prevention and
Control of Pollution) Act, 1974
x The Water (Prevention and
Control of Pollution) Rules, 1975
x The Water (Prevention and Control
of Pollution) Cess Act, 1977
x The Water (Prevention and
Control of Pollution) Cess Rules,
1978
x The Air (Prevention and Control
of Pollution) Act, 1981
x The Air (Prevention and Control
of Pollution) Rules, 1982
x The Environment (Protection)
Act, 1986
x The Environment (Protection)
Rules, 1986
x Hazardous Wastes (Management
and Handling) Rules, 1989
x Manufacture, Storage and
Import of Hazardous Chemical
Rules, 1989
x The Forest (Conservation) Act,
1980
Ecology & Environment
of dams and barrages, direct killing,
indiscriminate fishing and pollution
of rivers.
For conservation of dolphins,
Indias first Dolphin Community
Reserve established in West Bengal
to protect the endangered mammal,
Gangetic river dolphins. The reserve
would be set up in the Hooghly River
between Malda and Sundarbans as
per provisions of Wildlife Protection
Act, 1972. State Forest department
also has announced that it would
also conduct a census to estimate the
population of dolphins.
x The Forest (Conservation) Rules,
1981
x The Wildlife Protection Act,
1972
x The Wildlife (Transactions and
Taxidermy) Rules, 1973
x The Wildlife (Stock Declaration)
Central Rules, 1973
x The Wildlife (Protection)
Licensing (Additional Matters
for Consideration) Rules, 1983
x The Wildlife (Protection) Rules,
1995
x The Wildlife (Specified Plants
- Conditions for Possession by
Licensee) Rules, 1995
x The Public Liability Insurance
Act, 1991
x The Public Liability Insurance
Rules, 1991
x The National Environment
Tribunal Act, 1995
x The National Environment
Appellate Authority Act, 1997
Ecology & Environment
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Hazards are the situations which
occur on the earth surface and have
the capability of impacting life,
health, property and environment
negatively. When they really start
impacting they turned into disasters.
Major types of natural disasters are:
Drought is a period of
unexpected rainfall deficit which
results in a shortage of water,
which develops slowly affecting
an extensive area. The associated
impacts of drought are the lack
of adequate drinking water, loss
of vegetation, loss of farmland,
loss of livestock and loss of life
due to famine or dehydration.
Floods are the overflow of
water from rivers and streams
which submerge the connected
dry lands caused due to
excessive precipitation driven by
atmospheric factors. They can
be divided into two types, river
flood and sea flood basing upon
their place of occurrence.
The capital city 'Chennai' of Tamil
Nadu along with its surrounding
areas had faced one of the most
dangerous and catastrophic flood
situation during 1st and 2nd week
of December 2015 as a result
heavy down pour which had
occurred from 28th, Nov to 4th
Dec 2015.
Tsunamis are the series of huge
sea waves that strike a coast with
the massive amount of water in
the coastal areas as a result of
underwater seismic disturbances.
Hurricanes,
Earthquakes are the vibration
of the earth surface caused due
to the convergence of two plates
under the earth crust giving
rise to physical damage such as
B-453
demolition of buildings, rupture
in the roads etc.
Nepal earthquake killed over
9,000 people and injured more
than 23,000 occurred on 25th
April 2015 with intensity of 7.8
on Richter Scale.
Tornadoes are the localized gust
of wind moving in a circular
motion over the land surface.
Generally they form funnel like
structure and commonly termed
as thunder storm as well.
A major torando broke out in Eads,
Colorado tornado on May 9, 2015.
Hurricanes are the typical
disturbance of the North
Atlantic and East Pacific
Oceans. In other ocean basins
they are known as Typhoons,
Tropical Cyclones, or Cyclones.
These are the low pressure zones
over the ocean surface which
continues to intensify as long as
they are moving on it. Once they
hit the coast they start to weaken
and result into heavy down pour
with high velocity of wind.
Typhoon Soudelor was one of the
biggest disaster which hit Japan
and Taiwan in August 2015 with
a wind speed of 241km/h.
Cyclonic storm Komen hit
Bangladesh coast on 30 th July
2015, bringing heavy rainfall
to Gangetic West Bengal and
Odisha. The wind speed was
approximately 300km/h.
x Land Slide is a downward
movement of rock and soil
debris that becomes detached
from the underlying slope.
The material can move by
falling, toppling, sliding,
spreading and flowing.
B-454 Ecology & Environment

x These are applied management

Uttarakhand faced one of the practices with systematic
toughest situations of the century observation and analysis of
in form of a natural disaster with the types of disaster, measures
landslides and flash floods on 16 of improvement related
June 2013. to prevention, emergency
response, recovery and
mitigation and finally planning
Managing a Disaster
for and responding to disasters
x Disaster management practices including both pre and post
are the policies, initiative or disaster activities.
operational activities, that
pertains to various stages of
disasters at all levels.
Integrated Disaster Management

Preparedness Response Recovery Recovery

Activities prior Activities dur- Activities Activities that
to a disaster. ing a disaster following a reduce effects of
x Preparedness x Public disaster. disasters
plans Warning x Temporary x Building codes
x Emergency system housing & Zoning
exercises x Emergency x Claims x Vulnerability
x Training, Operations processing analyses
x Warning x Search and x Grants x Public
Sytem rescue x Medical care education

Institutional Framework for Centre Level

Disaster Management x Central Ministries; National
Disaster Management
The disaster management practice
Authority,
is an integrated effort of several x National Institute of Disaster
institution who joins hand together to Management
mitigate the problem and rehabilitate x National Disaster Response
the victims in best possible way. Force (NDRF).
The top down approach of the
State Level
institutional framework for disaster
management cell is as follows: x SDMA headed by Chief
Disaster Management Structure Minister.
x NDMA Apex Body x State Executive Committee
(SEC).
with Prime Minister as
Chairperson. District Level
x National Executive Committee x DDMA headed by District
- Secretaries of 14 Ministries Magistrate.
and Chief of Integrated x Interface between Govt. and
Defence Staff. Public.
$57 &8/785(
B-456 Art & Culture

ART & CULTURE

Culture plays an important role in plurality of its culture.
the development of any nation. It India has one of the worlds largest
represents a set of shared attitudes, collections of songs, music, dance,
values, goals and practices. Culture theatre, folk traditions, performing
and creativity manifest themselves arts, rites and rituals, paintings and
in almost all economic, social writings that are known, as the
and other activities. A country as Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH)
diverse as India is symbolized by the of humanity.
Art forms in India
The vibrant and colorful land of India is also famous for its versatility of its
art and culture as each of the forms are different from each other in terms of
their place of origin, creativity and raw materials used.
FAMOUS ART FORMS
Names State of Origin Materials Used
The art form has its origin Canvas made of fine gauze-
dates back in 5th century BC like cloth fortified with
and and since then it has been tamarind paste, chalk powder
lovingly nurtured in the areas and gum and natural dyes for
like Raghurajpur Village in Puri intricate painting over it
Patachitra painting district of Odisha
The indigenous art form belongs Artists use dye that are made
to Bengal and very interestingly of spices, earth, soot etc, and
it depicts spoofs on retrograde particularly red, indigo, green,
black and ochre colours are
social practices, thus attempting
seen widely in such painting
Bengal pat painting to highlight them for change.
This art form comes under the Traditionally people were using
cultural legacy of Madhubani mud coated wall as canvas for
district of Bihar depicting painting. But with time the
mythological stories of Lord canvases modified into cloth,
Krishna. Various geometric handmade paper to give the
shapes have given emphasis on painting the same authentic
Madhubani the colourful environment of look. The colors used in the
painting Madhubani Painting Canvas. painting are derived from
natural element like bamboo
shoots, turmeric powder, Rice
powder, flower extracts, pollens
etc.
Developed during Mughal Period The intricate designs are given
i.e. 16th 19th century this style form by using colours using
of painting are very small in size precious stones conch shells,
but having a lot of niceties of gold and silver
court life and the contemporary
personalities, events and actions
Miniature painting
of the Mughal times.
Art & Culture B-457

As the name indicates this form Semi-precious stones, glass

of art has its origin in Tanjore
district of Southern Tamil Nadu
depicting the stories of gods
and goddess with an aristocratic
touch.
Tanjore art
This ethnic painting is a
patronage of Golkonda
and Mughal Sultanate and
flourished near Kalahasti region
of Chennai an Masulipatnam
Kalamkari area of Hyderabad
This is a rudimentary wall painting
with emphasis on graphical pattern
and legacy of North Sahyadri
Range in India. Its an age old
tribal painting started during the
2500 or 3000 BCE depicts the
Warli Painting nature, celestial body and human
invention with different graphical
shape
This is a tribal art form developed
by Gond Tribes of Central India.
The typical design Gond art with
dots and lines depict the nature
and social customs of the tribal
community
and gold are used to give the
painting a royal look with
embellished designs
The art is executed by fine
pens made of bamboo and
natural colours extracted from
vegetables
Typical natural elements such
as Rice paste, mix with Gum
and Water Red clay (Geru),
cow dung, mud are used to
give the painting an authentic
tribal look
These art forms are generally
drawn on made on walls,
ceilings and floors of village
houses

Gond art
FAMOUS INDIAN PAINTERS
Rabindranath Tagore 7 May 1861 7 Aug 1941
Abanindranath Tagore 7 Aug 1871 5 Dec 1951
Amrita Sher-Gil 30 Jan 1913 5 Dec 1941
Jamini Roy 1 Apr 1887 24 Apr 1972
Francis Newton Souza 12 Apr 1924 -28 Mar 2002
S.H. Raza 22 Feb 1922 - Till date
Tyeb Mehta 25 Jul 1925 2 Jul 2009
Satish Gujral 25 Dec 1925 - Till date
Nandalal Bose 3 Dec 1882 16 Apr 1966
Manjit Bawa 1941-29 Dec 2008
M. F. Husain 17 Sep 1915 9 Jun 2011
B-458 Art & Culture

Indian Music
The music of India includes multiple varieties of folk music, pop and
classical music. Indias classical music tradition, including Hindustani music
and Carnatic, has a history spanning millennia and developed over several
eras. Music in India began as an integral part of socio-religious life.
LEGENDS OF INDIAN MUSIC
Legends Life Span Forte Awards
7 April 1920 Sitar Grammy Award, Padma Bhushan,
11 Dec 2012 Magsaysay award, Padma Vibhushan,
UNESCO International Music,
Lgion dhonneur, Sangeet Natak
Akademi Award, Kalidas Samman,
Bharat Ratna
Pandit Ravi
Shankar
1st July 1938 Bansuri Sangeet Natak Academy, Padma
Bhushan, Konark Samman, Yash
Bharati Sanman, Padma Vibhushan,
Dinanath Mangeshkar Award,
Akshaya Sanman
Pandit Hariprasad
Chaurasia
January 13, Santoor Sangeet Natak Akademi Award,
1938 honorary citizenship of the city
of Baltimore, Padma Vibhushan,
Padma Shri
Pandit Shivkumar
Sharma
9 October Sarod UNESCO Award, Padma Bhushan,
1945 Padma Vibhusha, Unicef s National
Ambassadorship, The Crystal Award
by the World Economic Forum,
Ustad Amjad Ali Commander of the Order of Arts
Khan and letters
21 March Shehnai Bharat Ratna, Fellow of Sangeet
1913- 21 Natak Akademi, Bharat Ratna, Talar
August 2006 Mausiquee from Republic of Iran,
Padma Vibhushan
Ustad Bismillah
Khan
Art & Culture B-459

9 March 1951 Tabla Padma Bhushan,Padma Shri,

Grammy, Sangeet Natak Akademi,
Indo-American Award, Indias
National Academy of Music,
Dance & Drama, National Heritage
Fellowship of National Endowment
for the Arts, National Heritage
Ustad Zakir
Fellowship of National Endowment
Hussain
for the Arts, Kalidas Samman
4 February Indian Padma Bhushan, National Film
1922 24 classical Award for Best Male Playback
January 2011 vocalist Singer, Sangeet Natak Akademi
Award, First platinum disc, Padma
Vibhushan, Aditya Vikram Birla
Pandit Bhimsen Kalashikhar Puraskar, Karnataka
Gururaj Joshi Ratna by Government of Karnataka,
Maharashtra Bhushan, Maharashtra
Bhushan
28 January Indian Padma Vibhushan, Sangeet Natak
1930-till date classical Akademi Award, Padma Bhushan,
vocalist Sangeet Kala Ratna, Master
Dinanath Mangeshkar Award,
Lata Mangeshkar Puraskar,Swathi
Sangeetha Puraskaram, Sangeet
Pandit Jasraj Natak Akademi Fellowship
16 September Classical Padma Bhushan, Sangeet Natak
1916 11 vocalist Akademi Award, Sangeetha
December Kalanidhi, Ramon Magsaysay
2004 award, Padma Vibhushan, Sangeetha
Kalasikhamani, Kalidas Samman,
M. S. Subbulakshmi
Indira Gandhi Award for National
Integration, Bharat Ratna
23 July 1947- Classical, Lifetime Achievement Award,
till date Carnatic, Limca Book of Records, GiMA
jazz (Best Carnatic Instrumental Album
fusion, Innovations), Asthana Vidwan,
Indo jazz, ISKCON, Bangalore , Viswa Kala
world Bharathi Bharat Kalachar, Chennai
Dr. fusion, (2004), Sangeetha Kalaratna,
Lakshminarayana Western Sangeetha Kalaa Shiromani, Padma
Subramaniam music Bhushan, Sangeeta Ratna Mysore,
T. Chowdaiah Memorial National
Award, Sangeeta Sagaram, Cultural
Centre of Performing Arts, and many
6 July 1930- Carnatic Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan,
till date music Sangita Kalanidhi by The Music
Academy, Sangeetha Virinchi

M.Balamurali
Krishna
B-460 Art & Culture

2 April 1902 Sarangi, NA

25 April 1968 Hindustani
classic
vocal

Bade Ghulam Ali

Khan

Indian dance and folk music and dances. Some of

There are many types of dance forms the world-famous dance forms that
in India which are deeply religious in originated and evolved in India are
content to those which are performed Bharatnatyam, Kathak, Kathakali,
on small occasions. The Indian Kuchipudi, Manipuri, Mohiniattam
dances are broadly divided into and Odissi. All these dance forms
Classical dances and folk dances. The use basically the same mudras or
Classical dances of India are usually
signs of hand as a common language
spiritual in content. Though the folk
dances of India are also spiritual and of expression and were originally
religious in content but the main performed in the temples to entertain
force behind the folk dances of India various Gods and Goddesses.
is the celebratory mood. Indian Folk Dances
The most popular classical dance
styles of India are Bharatnatyam of India is a land of varied cultures
Tamil Nadu, Kathakali and Mohini- and traditions. Indian folk and tribal
attam of Kerala, Odissi of Odisha, dances are product of different socio-
Kathak of Uttar Pradesh, Kuchipudi economic set up and traditions. Indian
of Andhra Pradesh and Manipuri of folk and tribal dances are simple and
Manipur. are performed to express joy. In India
Indian Classical Dances we have festivals and celebrations
India has thousands of year old virtually every day. This has added
tradition of fine arts and classical to the richness of Indian culture.
VARIOUS DANCE FORMS
Dance Forms Origin Lagends
Odissi is believed to be the Kelucharan MohapatraSonal
oldest form of Indian dance Mansingh Mayadhar Raut ,
from the state of Odisha, It Jhelum Paranjape, KumKum
is considered a dance of love, Mohanty, Madhumita Raut,
joy and intense passion, pure, Aloka Kanungo, Ileana Citaristi
divine and human. It divides
the body into three parts,
head, bust and torso
Odissi
Art & Culture B-461

Bharatnatyam is more Alarmel Valli, Yamini

popular in South Indian Krishnamurthy, Rukmini Devi,
states. This dance is almost Padma Subramanyam, Yamini
2,000 years old. This dance Krishnamurthy, Mrinalini
flourished in the Hindu Sarabhai, Meenakshi Sundaram
Bharat Natyam
temples of South India. Pillai, Padma Subramanyam,
Balasarswati
It presents scenes from Hindu Bhavana Reddy, Yamini Reddy,
Epics and mythological Raja & Radha Reddy, Kaushalya
tales through dance-dramas Reddy
combining music, dance and
acting.
Kuchipudi
This north Indian dance form Pandit Birju Maharaj, Kumudini
is inextricably bound with Lakhiya, Sitara Devi, Shovana
classical Hindustani music, Narayan, Malabika Mitra,
and the rhythmic nimbleness Kumudini Lakhiya, Kartik Ram
of the feet is accompanied by - Kalyan Das, Manisha Gulyani
the tabla or pakhawaj
Kathak
It literally means story play
Kalamandalam Krishna Prasad,
and is an elaborate dance Kavungal Chathunni Panicker,
depicting the victory of truth
Kavungal Chathunni Panicker,
over false-hood Kalamandalam Ramankutty
Nair, Kalamandalam Kesavan
Kathakali Namboodir, Kottakkal Sivaraman,
Kalamandalam Gopi
It is a very graceful dance Smitha Rajan, Sunanda Nai,
meant to be performed as a Jayaprabha Menon, Pallavi
solo recital by women. Krishnan, Gopika Varma,
Vijayalakshmi

Mohiniattam
The most striking part of Poushali Chatterjee , Rajkumar
Manipur dance is its colorful Singhajit Singh, Sohini Ray, Guru
decoration, lightness of Nileswar Mukharjee, Guru Bipin
dancing foot, delicacy of Singha
abhinaya (drama), lilting
music and poetic charm

Manipuri
B-462 Art & Culture

THEATRES AND FILMS

The rich Indian theater culture has its origin dates back in first century, CE, and
started being nurtured by the society as means of expressing, communicating
and sharing the ideas-opinions-emotions-believe of mankind. Since then it
has gone through many ups and downs but the culture remain undaunted.
Today many of Indian theatre have internationally acclaimed fraternity.
SOME OF THE IMPORTANT THEATRES OF MODERN INDIA
Name Founder Year and Place of People Associated with it
Establishment
National School of Ministry 1959, New Delhi Naseeruddin Shah, Irrfan
Drama of Culture, Khan, Anupam Kher,
(Deemed Government Nawazuddin Siddiqui,
University) of India. Pankaj Kapur, Himani
Shivpuri and many more
Bhartendu Academy Padma Shri 1975, Lucknow, Rajiv Jain, Raajpal Yadav,
of Dramatic Arts Raj Bisaria. Anupam Shyam
Theatre Arts Raj Bisaria 1966, Lucknow
Workshop (TAW)

Hindi Films
Bollywood is the Hindi Language film industry which is based in Mumbai,
Maharashtra. They are one of the largest film producers in India and one
of the largest centres of film production in the world. Raja Harishchandra
(1913), by Dadasaheb Phalke, is known as the first silent feature film made in
India. The first Indian sound film, Ardeshir Iranis Ara (1931), was a major
commercial success. In 1937, Ardeshir Irani, of Alam ara fame, made the
first colour film in Hindi, Kisan Kanya.
INDIAS HIGHEST GROSSING FILMS
Movie Year Studio(s)/ Language Worldwide gross
Producers
PK 2014 Vinod Chopra Hindi ` 735 crore (US$110 million)
Films
Bajrangi 2015 Saliman Khan Hindi ` 626 crore (US$93 million)
Bhaijaan Films/Kabir Khan
Films
Baahubali The 2015 Arka Media Works Telugu ` 600 crore (US$90 million)
Begining and Tamil
Dhoom 3 2013 Yash Raj Films Hindi ` 536 crore (US$80 million)
Cheennai 2013 Red Chillies Hindi ` 423 crore (US$63 million)
Express Entertainment
Prem Ratan 2015 Rajshri Hindi ` 400 crore (US$ 60 million)
Dhan Payo Productions
3 Idiots 2009 Vinod Chopra Hindi ` 392 crore (US$ 59 million)/
Films ` 395 crore (US$59 million)
Happy New 2014 Red Chillies Hindi ` 383 crore (US$57 million)
Year Entertainment
Art & Culture
TOURISM
India has become a popular tourist
destination with thousands of people
visiting different parts of India each
year. It has much to offer to travelers
and tourists. It is a land of hills,
rivers, plateaus, plains, beaches,
deltas and deserts. Some of the major
tourist destinations in India are the
Himalayas, Agra, Jaipur,Goa, Kerala,
Delhi, Odisha and Maharshtra.
Famous Tourist Destination in
India
Akshardham Temple: The 108
feet tall temple was built on 2nd,
November 1992 in memory of
Pramukh Swami in Gandhinagar
district of Gujarat.
Ajmer Sharif: It is sufi shrine
dedicated to the sufi saint
Moinuddin Chishti. It is situated
Ajmer, Rajasthan. The Dargah
attracts people from different faith
who come and worship here.
Amarnath Cave: It is situated in
Jammu and Kashmir and is one of
the ancient
pilgrimages
in India. It
is famous
for the
Linga which
is created
naturally by ice every year. The
Amarnath Yatra is an annual event
taken up by Hindu pilgrims who
reach the temple after a rigorous trek
to the cave temple.
Ajanta and Ellora Caves: They
contain a cluster of Hindu and Jian
temples along with cave monuments.
Ajanta along with Ellora caves are
one of the major tourist attraction
of Maharastra, Primarinly for their
cave paintings.
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Beaches of Goa: Goa is famous
for its beautiful beaches, wonderful
churches, wildlife sanctuary, goan
cuisine, water sports and most
happening night life. The well-
known beaches of Goa are Baga
Beach, Aguada Beach, Arambol
Beach, Palolem Beach, Calangute
Beach, Calangute Beach, Butterfly
Beach, Colva Beach etc and the
magnificent churches are Basilica
of Bom Jesus, Rachol Seminary and
Church, St. Alex Church, Church
of St Francis of Assisi, Immaculate
Conception Church, Se Cathedral.
Bandipur Wildlife Sanctuary:
Established in 1947 Bandipur
Wildlife sanctuary is well known
for its tiger reserve. The entire area
constitute the vast Nilgiri Biosphere
Reserve which comprises the tracts
of protected forest.
Badrinath: It is located in the
Chamoli district in Uttarakhand. It
is the most
important
of the four
sites in
Indias Char
D h a m
pilgrimage.
It is also gateway to several
mountaineering expeditions headed
to mountains like Nilkantha.
Bodhgaya: It is one of the most
important and sacred Buddhist
pilgrimage center in the world situated
in Gaya district in Bihar. It is famous
as the place where Gautama Buddha
is said to have obtained Enlightenment
under the Bodhi Tree.
Dwarkadhish Temple : The temple
is situated o the bank of river Gomti
and dedicated to lard Krishna, The
B-464
temple is constructed of limestone
which is still in immaculate condition.
Dal Lake, Ladakh: The enchanting
lake of Jammu and Kasmir bordered
by ice covered mountains from three
sides is famous for its gardens,
shikara rides and house boat stay.
Golden Temple: A symbol of
brotherhood and equality the
Harmandir Sahib Gurudwara, is
commonly called as Golden Temple
is located in
Amritsar is
famous for its
sanctity and
is the main
pilgrimage of sikh community but it
welcomes a large no. of tourist every
years despite of their religion cast and
creed.
Gateway of India: It is a crude jetty
made by British People in the year
1914 in Mumbai which is a basalt
arc and having a height of 26 feet.
Haji Ali Dargah: The very famous
dargah (tomb) is located on an
islet of the coast of Worli in the
Southern part of Mumbai built in
1431 in the memory of a wealthy
merchant Sayyed Peer Haji Ali
Shah Bukhari, who gave up all his
worldly possessions before making a
pilgrimage to Mecca
Hemkund Sahib: It is a Sikh place
of worship situated in Chamoli
district, Uttarakhand, India, devoted
to Guru CiObind Singh Ji, the tenth
Sikh Guru. The scenic beauty of the
place is astounding as this shrine is
located amidst lofty hills that are
covered with snow.
Haridwar: It is one of the most
ancient cities located on the banks
Art & Culture
of river Ganga in the state of
Uttarakhand. The Kumbha Mela
which happens once in every 12
years attracts millions to the city
with devotees thronging the place all
year round.
Incredible India
Incredible India is thae name of an
international marketiing compaign by
the government of India to promote
tourism in India to an audience of
global appeal
Jagannath Temple, Puri: It is a
sacred Hindu temple dedicated to
Lord Jagannath situated in Odisha
and is one of
the char dham
pilgrimages
that every
Hindu intends
to visit.
Jama Masjid: It is situated in Delhi
and is one of the largest mosques
in india. It was built by Shah Jahan
between 1644 and 1656.
Kerala Backwaters: A chain of
brackish water lagoons lying parallel
to the Malabar Coast of Kerala in
southern part of India which is a
large web of water bodies i.e. five
large lake interconnected natural and
manmade canals and fed by 38 rivers.
Kanyakumari : The southernmost
part of Tamilnadu which was
formerly known as Cape Comorin
and famous for place of tourist
interests like Vivekananda Rock
Memorial, Thiruvalluvar Statue,
Our Lady of Ransom Church,
Tsunami Memorial Park.
Art & Culture
Kaziranga National Park: This
national park was established in the
year 1904 in Golaghat and Nagaon
districts of the state of Assam are
famous for the heavy population
of one-horned rhinoceros. Among
the other specialties of this national
park tall elephant grass, marshland,
and dense tropical moist broadleaf
forests, river crisscross of four major
rivers, including the Brahmaputra,
and the park includes numerous
small bodies of water are well-
known.
Khajuraho Group of Monuments:
It is a group of Hindu and Jain
temples situated in Madhya
Pradesh. The temples are famous
for the nagara style architecture and
erotic sculptures.
Konark Sun Temple: It is situated in
Odisha. The iconic temple is in the
form of a gigantic chariot, built in
the 13th century. It also features on
the list of seven wonders of India.
Lotus Temple: It is located in New
Delhi, is a Bahai House of Worship
constructed in 1986.
Mahabaleshwar: It is a vast
magnificent plateau located at a
distance of 120 km south west of
Pune with an average height of 1353
meters. It is bound by valley from
all sides and having some beautiful
high rise peaks. The highest peak is
known as Wilson or Sunset Point.
Mathura: It is known as the
birthplace of Lord Krishna located
50 km North of Agra in Uttar
Pradesh. The Krishna Janbhoomi
temple is visited by a large number
of devotees throughout the year.
During Janmashtami the town
becomes overcrowded with devotees
from all over India.
B-465
Rishikesh: It is the starting point of
the chardham pilgrimage situated
in the Uttarakhand. The city is
regarded as one of the holiest places
to Hindus and also referred as the
Yoga Capital of the World. It has
innumerable Hindu temples and the
heavy settlement of yoga centers.
The Great Rann of Kutch: It is
a seasonal salt marsh is spread
over an area of 7,505.22 square
kilometers (2,897.78 sq mi) in Thar
Desert. It is the land of various well
known sanctuaries such as Wild Ass
Sanctuary, bird-rich Nawa Talao
lake, Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary.
Somnath Mahadev Temple : Adding
to the beauty of western ghat the
famous Somnath Mahadev Temple
of Prabhas Patan is believed to be
the first among twelve Jyotirling of
Shivas. The age old temple was
initially built in the 11th century by
Solanky rajput . but it was rebuilt in
1951.
Siddhivinayak Temple: It is one of
the richest hindu
temple built in
the heart of
Mumbai city on
19 November,
1801 built by
Laxman Vithu and Debubai Patil.
Taj Mahal: It is a white marble
mausoleum located on the southern
bank of the yamuna
river is Agra, Uttar
Pradesh. It was
built by Shah Jahan
in 1632 in the
memory of his loving wife Muntaz
Mahal.
Tirumala Venkateswara Temple:
It is an iconic vaishnavite temple
located in Tirumala at Tirupati in
Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh.
It is one of the most visited Hindu
temples in India with a footfall of
60,000 pilgrims each day.
B-466 Art & Culture

Valley of flowers: A national park Varanasi: It is one of the most popular

situated in West Himalaya and pilgrimages for the
renowned for its meadows of endemic Hindus. It houses
alpine flowers and the variety of flora. one the Shakti
Vaishno Devi Temple, Jammu Peethas and one
Kashmir: The temple is recognized as of the twelve
one of the Shakti Peeths of goddess Jyotir Linga sites in India. The Ganga
Durga. The holy shrine is situated in Arti performed ritualistically every
the folds of mighty Tirkuta Hills morning and evening at the Ganga
which attracts lakhs of devotees from ghats which enhances its divinity.
all parts of India and abroad.

TOP TEN MONUMENTS WITH HIGHEST DOMESTIC VISITORS IN INDIA

S. No. Monuments No. of Domestic % age share
Visitors
1. Taj Mahal, Agra 5139640 11.9
2. Qutub Minar, Delhi 2980710 6.9
3. Red Fort, Delhi 2736699 6.4
4. Sun Temple, Konark 2334556 5.4
5. Agra Fort, Agra 1794737 4.2
6. Golconda Fort, Hyderabad 1471232 3.4
7. Charminar, Hyderabad 1397000 3.2
8. Ellora Caves, Aurangabad 1336367 3.1
9. Bibi ka Maqbara, Aurangabad 1276206 3.0
10. Gol Gumbaz, Bijapur 1064265 2.5

TOP TEN STATES WITH HIGHEST FOREIGN TOURIST ARRIVAL IN INDIA

S. No. State Number % age share
1. Maharashtra 4156343 20.8
2. Tamil Nadu 3990490 20.0
3. Delhi 2301395 11.5
4. Uttar Pradesh 2054420 10.3
5. Rajasthan 1437162 7.2
6. West Bengal 1245230 6.2
7. Kerala 858143 4.3
8. Bihar 765835 3.8
9. Karnataka 636378 3.2
10. Goa 492322 2.5
Art & Culture B-467

HANDICRAFTS
India has got international acclamation in terms of its beautiful and creative
handicrafts. Given below are the states with diversified crafts.
State Handicrafts
Odisha Weaving craft, palm leaf writing, patachitra- the chitrakars foray,
applique, stone carving, metal craft,
Delhi Zardozi, lacquer work, clay and paper made dolls
Maharastra Paithani saris, sawantwadi crafts, warli paintings, kolhapuri
chappals, narayan peth
West Bengal Artistic leather craft, brass & bell metal, pottery, mat making, dhokra
metal casting, cane & bamboo, fine arts, clay dolls, horn work, jute
products, shell & conch shell, sholapith, famous handloom sarees
like dhakai jamdani, tangail etc
Gujrat Bead-work, jewellery, inlay work, embroidery, wood carving, cloth
printing, dyeing, patola fabric, zari work
Rajasthan Tie-and-dye textiles, hand block printing, quilting, jewellery, gems
and stones, blue pottery, leather craft, woodcarving
Himachal Jewelry, leather craft, woodcarving, architecture, kangra paintings
Pradesh
Goa Pottery & Terracotta, Brass metal ware, Crochet & Embroidery,
Bamboo Craft, Fiber Craft, Jute Macrame Craft, Coconut Mask
carving, sea shell craft
Andhra Pradesh Priceless Pearls

Karnataka Woodcarving, Ivory carving

Jharkhand Wood craft, paitkar paintings, metal work, stone carving,
ornaments, toy making

Manipur Wood carving, textile weaving, stone-carving, block printing, kauna

(water reed) mat, hand-embroidery
Jammu & Carpets, Basket Weaving, Namdas, pashmina shawls, Papier-
Kashmir Mchie, Leather and fur, wood carvings

TOP INTERNATIONAL EVENTS OF ARTISTIC AND CULTURAL EVENTS

Events Significance
Yale International The event was organized to team up outstanding choir
Choral Festival throughout the world in a five day ceremony of singing,
learning and exploring the connections that choral music
fosters between people
International Kinetic The exhibition gave a platform to the kinetic art exhibitor
Art (Exhibit and to display their art work to the public throughout the world
Symposium)
B-468 Art & Culture

The International This set of awards presented annually by the International

Indian Film Academy Indian Film Academy to honour both artistic and technical
Awards excellence of professionals in Bollywood, the Hindi
language film industry
Global Indian Music An event for giving honor and recognition to Indian Music
Academy Awards
The Oscars Night The highest honour of international film fraternity
Cannes Film Festival A festival for showcasing the internationally acclaimed film
from countries throughout the world
TOP TEN STATES
Rank Area Population Density UA Literacy
1 Rajasthan UP Delhi Delhi Kerala
2 MP Maharashtra Chandigarh Gr. Mumbai Lakshadweep
3 Maharashtra Bihar Puducherry Kolkata Mizoram
4 AP WB Daman & Diu Chennai Tripura
5 UP AP Lakshadweep Bangalore Goa
6 J&K MP Bihar Hyderabad Daman & Diu
7 Gujarat TN WB Ahmedabad Puducherry
8 Karnataka Rajasthan Kerala Pune Chandigarh
9 Odisha Karnataka UP Surat Delhi
10 Chhattisgarh Gujarat D&NH Jaipur A&N

TOP TEN MONUMENTS WITH HIGHEST FOREIGN VISITORS IN INDIA

Monuments No. of Foreign % age share
Visitors
1. Taj Mahal, Agra 695702 23.2
2. Agra Fort, Agra 363823 12.1
3. Qutub Minar, Delhi 307043 10.2
4. Humayuns Tomb, Delhi 276641 9.2
5. Fatehpur Sikri, Agra 255129 8.5
6. Red Fort, Delhi 141498 4.7
7. Mattancherry place Museum, Kochi 104717 3.5
8. Western Group of Temple, Khajuraho 89511 3.0
9. Excavated site, Sarnath 85991 2.9
10. Group of Monuments, Mamallapuram 70840 2.4
632576
B-470 Sports

TROPHIES ASSOCIATED WITH SPORTS

NATIONAL Uber Cup World Badminton
(women)
Name of the Trophy Related game
US-Open Lawn Tennis
Aga Khan Cup Hockey
French-Open Lawn Tennis
Barna Bellack Cup Table Tennis
Australian Open Lawn Tennis
Beighton Cup Hockey
Wimbledon Lawn Tennis
Bombay Gold Cup Hockey
Masters Champions Hockey
Burdwan Trophy Weight Lifting
Trophy
D.C.M. Trophy Football
British Open Golf
Dhyan chand Trophy Hockey
Malaysian Open Badminton
Dr. B.C. Roy Trophy Football
Tata Open Lawn Tennis
Duleep Trophy Cricket
Durand Cup Football NUMBER OF PLAYERS ON EACH
Ezra Cup Polo SIDE
I.F.A Shield Football Badminton 1 or 2 Polo 4
Lady Ratan Tata Hockey Baseball 9 Rugby 15
Trophy Football
Moin ud daula Gold Cricket Basketball 5 Tennis 1 or 2
Cup and Table
Rangaswami Cup Hockey tennis
Ranji Trophy Cricket Cricket 11 Water Polo 7
Santosh Trophy Football
Football 11 Volleyball 6
Scindia Gold Cup Hockey
Hockey 11 Kabaddi 7
Subroto Mukherjee Football (Inter-
Cup School) Chess 1
Wellington Trophy Rowing
NATIONAL SPORTS OF FAMOUS
INTERNATIONAL COUNTRIES

Name of the Related game Name National game

Trophy Australia Cricket
Nehru Trophy Hockey Brazil Football
American Cup Yatch Racing Canada Ice Hockey
Ashes Cup Cricket (Australia- China Table Tennis
England) England Cricket
Azlan Shah Hockey India Hockey
US Masters Golf Japan Judo or Ju Jitsu
Hopman Cup Lawn Tennis Malaysia Badminton
Colombo Cup Trophy Football Pakistan Hockey
Davis Cup Lawn Tennis Russia Chess, Football
Kings Cup Race Air Races Scotland Rugby, Football
(England)
Spain Bull Fighting
Merdeka Cup Football (Asia)
United States of Baseball
Thomas Cup World Badminton
(Men) America
Sports B-471

TERMS USED IN SPORTS AND Pitch, Run, Silly point,

GAMES Stumped, Wicket
keeper.
Badminton Deuce, Double, Drop, Football Dribble, Drop Kick,
Fault, Game, Let, Foul, Hattrick, Off-
Love, Smash. side, Penalty, Throw
Baseball Bunt, Diamond, in, Touch Down.
Home, Pitcher, Put Golf Bogey, Caddie, Hole,
out, Strike. Links, Put, Putting the
Billiards Break, Cannons, Cue, green, Stymie, Tee.
In off, Jigger, Scratch, Hockey Bull, Carry, Centre
Boat Race Cox Forward, Carried,
Boxing Hook, Jab, Knock-out, Dribble, Goal, Hat
Punch, Upper cut. trick, Penalty corner,
Bridge Diamonds, Dummy, Scoop, Short corner,
Grand slam, Little Sticks, Striking circle,
slam, Revoke, Ruff, Under cutting.
Tricks, Trump. Horse Racing Jockey, Place, Protest,
Chess Check, Checkmate, Punter, Win.
Gambit, Stalemate Lawn Tennis Back-hand-drive, Service,
Cricket Bowling, Bouncer, Smash, Volley, Deuce,
Crease, Cover point, Game, Set, Love.
Drive, Duck, Follow Polo Bunder, Chuckker,
on, Googly, Gulley, Mallet.
Hat Trick, Hit wicket, Rifle Shooting Bulls eye.
L.B.W. (Leg Before Rugby Drop kick, Screen.
Wicket), Leg Break, Swimming Stroke.
Leg spinner, Leg bye Volley ball Booster, Deuce, Love,
Maiden over, No ball, Service, Spikers.
Wrestling Half Nelson, Heave.
HOCKEY
A game resembling hockey was first level originated in a joint proposal
played in ancient Egypt around 2050 made by India and Pakistan at an
BC. The modern game was evolved International Hockey Federation
in the British Club established FIH council meeting on March 30,
in 1861. The English Hockey 1969. The first world cup was held
Association was formed at Cannon in Barcelona (Spain) in 1971. From
Street Hotel, London in 1875. 1978 onwards, the tournament has
Hockey World Cup been held once in four years. India
has won the tournament only once
The concept for an international
in 1975.
hockey competition at the world
A LOOK AT HOCKEY WORLD CUP
Year Host Winner Runner-up
1971 Spain Pakistan Spain
1973 Netherlands Netherlands India
1975 Malaysia India Pakistan
B-472 Sports

1978 Argentina Pakistan Netherlands

1982 India Pakistan West Germany
1986 England Australia England
1990 Pakistan Netherlands Pakistan
1994 Australia Pakistan Netherlands
1998 Netherlands Netherlands Spain
2002 Malaysia Germany Australia
2006 Germany Germany Australia
2010 India Australia Germany
2014 Netherlands Australia Netherlands
2018 India

COMMONWEALTH GAMES
The Commonwealth Games are a festival of sports of the commonwealth
countries. The games are held once in four years but only in between the Olympic
years. When the games first began in 1930, only 11 countries participated.
The Games were originally known as the British Empire Games. These have
undergone a change of name and expanded into a major multiracial and
cultural event.
COMMONWEALTH GAMES SINCE 1930
Year Places Participant Competitions First Indias Medal
Countries Place
1930 Hamilton 11 6 England Not participated
(Canada)
1934 London 16 6 England 1 Bronze Medal
(England)
1938 Sydney 15 7 Australia No medal
(Australia)
1950 Auckland 12 9 Australia Not Participated
(New Zealand)
1954 Vancouver 24 9 England No medal
(Canada)
1958 Cardiff 35 9 England Gold-2, Silver-1
(Wales)
1962 Perth 35 9 Australia Not Participated
(Australia)
1966 Kingston 34 9 England Gold-3,Silver-
(Jamaica) 4,Bronze-5
1970 Edinburgh 42 9 Australia Gold-5,Silver-3
(Scotland)
1974 Christchurch 38 9 Australia Gold-4,Silver-
(New Zealand) 8,Bronze-3
1978 Edmonton 46 10 Canada Gold-5,Silver-
(Canada) 4,Bronze-6
1982 Brisbane 46 10 Australia Gold-5,Silver-
(Australia) 5,Bronze-3
Sports B-473

1986 Edinburgh 26 10 England Not Participated

(Scotland)
1990 Auckland 55 10 Australia Gold-13,Silver-
(New Zealand) 8,Bronze-7
1994 Victoria 63 10 Australia Gold-6,Silver-
(Canada) 11,Bronze-10
1998 Kuala Lumpur 70 16 Australia Gold-07,Silver-
(Malaysia) 10,Bronze-8
2002 Manchester 72 17 Australia Gold-32,Silver-
(England) 21,Bronze-
19(Third
Position)
2006 Melbourne 71 16 Australia Gold-22,Silver-
(Australia) 17,Bronze-
11(Fourth
Position)
2010 Delhi 71 17 Australia Gold-74,Silver-
(India) 55,Bronze-
48(Second
Position)
2014 Glasgow 71 18 England Gold-15,Silver-
(Scotland) 30,Bronze-
19(Fiveth
Position)
2018 Gold Coast Proposed
(Australia)

SAF GAMES
The SAF games was first held in 1984 as South Asian Games, according to
at Kathmandu, Nepal. The seven a decision taken by the South Asian
participating countries are India, Sports Federation at its 32nd meeting
Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, held in Islamabad (Pakistan) on April
Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives. The motto 2, 2004.
of SAF games is Peace, Prosperity Year Games Host Country
and Progress. The games year 1986
City
edition was not staged as it was a year
of Commonwealth and Asian Games. 2010 XI Dhaka Bangladesh
New Name For SAF Games: The 2013 XII New Delhi India
SAF Games have been rechristened 2014 XIII Kathmandu Nepal
2016 XIV Hambantota Sri Lanka

OLYMPIC GAMES
Olympic Games are an international sporting event which is organised in the
form of summer and winter sports. The Summer Olympic Games were first
held in 1896. The Winter Olympic Games were created after the huge success
of the Summer Olympics. Baron Pierre de Coubertin founded the International
Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894. The Olympic Games are held after every
four years, with the Summer and Winter Games alternatively occurring every
four years but two years apart from each other.
B-474 Sports

The Olympics games originated in Blue Europe

the city of Olympia, an ancient city
of Greece. These games were held
at Mount Olympia. India officially
participated in the Olympics for the
first time in the year 1920, in the 6th
edition of the games at Antwerp,
Belgium.
The Olympic flag is made up
of white silk and contains five
intertwined rings as the Olympics
emblem.
The colour of rings represents
different continents as given below:
Yellow Asia
Black Africa
Red America
Green Australia and Ocenia
Winter Olympic Games
Winter Olympic games were
started in the year A.D. 1924. The
first game, were held at chamonix
(France). The winter games are
numbered in rotation as they are
held. The programme at the winter
games includes ice hockey, figure
skating, speed skating, alpine sking,
skiting, etc. Like the summer games,
the winter games are also awarded
gold silver and bronze medals.

Year Venue Year Venue

1924 Chamonix, France 1980 Lake placid, New York
1928 St. Moritz, Switzerland 1984 Sarajevo, Yugoslavia
1932 Lake Placid, New York 1988 Calgary, Canada
1936 Garmisch Parten/Kirchen, Germany 1992 Albertville, France
1948 St. Mortiz, Switzerland 1994 Lillehammer, Norway
1952 Oslo, Norway 1998 Nagano, Japan
1956 Cortina d Ampezz, Italy 2002 Salt Lake City, USA
1960 Squaw Valley, United States 2006 Turin, Italy,
1964 Innbruck, Austria 2010 Vancouver, Canada
1968 Grenoble, France 2014 Sochi, Russia
1972 Sapporo, Japan 2018 Pyeongchang, South Korea
1976 Innsbruck, Austria 2022 Beijing, China

SUMMER OLYMPICS
Year Host Opened by Nations
1896 Athens, Greece King George I 14
1900 Paris, France 24
1904 St. Louis, United States Governor David R. Francis 12
1908 London, United Kingdom King Edward VII 22
1912 Stockholm, Sweden King Gustaf V 28
1920 Antwerp, Belgium King Albert I 29
1924 Paris, France President Gaston Doumergue 44
1928 Amsterdam, Netherlands Prince Hendrik of the Netherlands 46
1932 Los Angeles, United States Vice President Charles Curtis 37
1936 Berlin, Germany Chancellor Adolf Hitler 49
Sports B-475

1948 London, United Kingdom King George VI 59

1952 Helsinki, Finland President Juho Kusti Paasikivi 69
1956 Melbourne, Australia Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh 72
1960 Rome, Italy President Giovanni Gronchi 83
1964 Tokyo, Japan Emperor Hirohito 93
1968 Mexico City, Mexico President Gustavo Daz Ordaz 112
1972 Munich, West Germany President Gustav Heinemann 121
1976 Montreal, Canada Queen Elizabeth II 92
1980 Moscow, Soviet Union Chairman Leonid Brezhnev 80
1984 Los Angeles, United States
President Ronald Reagan 140
1988 Seoul, South Korea President Roh Tae-woo 159
1992 Barcelona, Spain King Juan Carlos I 169
1996 Atlanta, United States President Bill Clinton 197
2000 Sydney, Australia Governor-General Sir William 199
Deane
2004 Athens, Greece President Konstantinos Stephanopoulos 201
2008 Beijing, China President Hu Jintao 204
2012 London, United Kingdom Queen Elizabeth II 204
2016 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 206

PARALYMPIC GAMES
x Back in 1948, Sir Ludwig
Guttman, a neurologist who
was working with World War
II veterans with spinal injuries
at Stoke Mandeville Hospital
in Aylesbury, began using sport
as part of the rehabilitation
programmes of his patients. He
set up a competition with other
hospitals to coincide with the
London Olympics in that year.
x The Paralympics are elite
sport events for athletes from
six different disability groups.
Athletes include those with
mobility disabilities, intellectual
disabilities, visual impairments,
cerebral palsy and amputees.
x This event focuses on the
athletes achievements rather
than their disabilities.
x Paralympic sports include
athletics, cycling, judo, rowing,
swimming, and volleyball.
x The Paralympic Games are
always held in the same year as
the Olympic Games. The name
comes from the fact that it runs
parallel to the Olympic Games
hence the name Paralympics.
x The first Paralympic Games
were held in Rome, Italy, in 1960
and involved 400 athletes from
23 countries. Originally, only
wheelchair athletes were invited
to compete.
x The Paralympics are held in two
seasons: summer and winter.
x Athletes with disabilities have
been competing in the Winter
Games since 1976. Sweden
hosted the first Winter Games,
which included 12 countries
competing in Alpine and Cross-
Country Skiing events.
x International Paralympic Com-
B-476 Sports

mittee: (IPC) is the global gov- 2010 - Paralympics X - Vancouver

erning body of the Paralympic
Movement. The IPC organizes
the Summer and Winter Para-
lympic Games, and serves as the
International Federation for nine
sports, for which it supervises and
co-ordinates the World Champi-
onships and other competitions.
Winter Paralympic Games
2002 - Paralympics VIII - Salt Lake
City - United States
2006 - Paralympics IX - Turin - Italy
Janeiro - Brazil
ASIAN GAMES
The idea of the Asian Games
was first conceived by Prof. G.D.
Sondhi. The suggestion for holding
the Asian Games was first made
in a conference of Asian countries
held in New Delhi in 1947 and
Canada
2014 - Paralympics XI - Sochi - Russia
Summer Paralympic Games
2000 - Paralympics XI - Sydney -
Australia
2004 - Paralympics XII - Athens -
Greece
2008 - Paralympics XIII - Beijing-
China
2012 - Paralympics XIV - London -
United Kingdom
2016 - Paralympics XV - Rio de
Jawaharlal Nehru suggested that it
be called Asian Games. The first
Asian Games were held at New
Delhi in March 1951. Since then
Asian Games are held after every
four years.

ASIAN GAMES SINCE 1951

Games Year Places Number of Number of Number

Serial Countries Sports of Players
1 1951 New Delhi(India) 11 6 491
2 1954 Manila(Philippines) 18 8 1021
3 1958 Tokyo(Japan) 20 13 1422
4 1962 Jakarta(Indonesia) 16 13 1545
5 1966 Bangkok(Thailand) 18 14 1945
6 1970 Bangkok(Thailand) 18 13 1752
7 1974 Tehran(Iran) 25 16 2869
8 1978 Bangkok(Thailand) 25 19 3000
9 1982 New Delhi(India) 33 21 3447
10 1986 Seoul(S.Korea) 27 25 3883
11 1990 Beijing(China) 37 27 4500
12 1994 Hiroshima(Japan) 42 34 7300
13 1998 Bangkok(Thailand) 41 38 7000
14 2002 Busan(S.Korea) 44 38 7711
15 2006 Doha(Qatar) 45 39 9524
16 2010 Guangzhou(China) 45 42 9704
17 2014 Incheon(South Korea) 45 36 9501
18 2018 Jakarta (Indonesia) Scheduled
Sports B-477

FIFA World Cup 2014 final in extra time the same result
as the 1990 FIFA World Cup Final.
The FIFA World Cup 2014 was
The tournament
the 20th FIFA World Cup, the
began on 12 June
tournament for the association
with a group stage
football world championship,
and concluded
which took place at several venues
on 13 July with
across Brazil. Germany was the
the championship
finalist and won the tournament
match. Brazil hosted
and grabbed its fourth title, it was
this championship
first after its reunification of West
for second time, the
and East Germany in 1990. It
first was in 1950.
defeated Argentina by 10 in the

TENNIS GRAND SLAMS

The four Grand Slam tournaments ATP/WTA No ATP/WTA
also called majors, are the most Rankings Rankings
important annual tennis events. The
Grand Slam itinerary consists of the ATP world tour Davis Cup
Australian-open in mid January,
finals Fed Cup
the French open in May/June
Wimbledon in June/July, and the WTA Tour World Team Cup
US open in August /September. Championships Hopman Cup
Each tournament is played over a ATP Masters 1000
period of two weeks. olympics
Grand Slams Nature of Court ATP 500 Series
1. Australian open Hard court ITF Mens Circuit
2. French open Clay court (Red) ITF Womens
3. Wimbledon Grass court Circuit
4. U.S. Open Hard court
US OPEN 2015
Mens Singles: Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
Womens Singles: Flavia Pennetta (Italy)
Mens Doubles: Pierre-Hugues Herbert & Nicolas Mahut (France)
Womens Doubles: Martina Hingis (Switzerland) & Sania Mirza (India)
Mixed Doubles: Martina Hingis (Switzerland) & Leander Paes (India)
AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2015
Mens Singles: Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
Womens Singles: Serena Williams (USA)
Mens Doubles: Simone Bolelli & Fabio Fognini (Italy)
Womens Doubles: Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) & Lucie afrov (Czech
Republic)
Mixed Doubles: Martina Hingis (Switzerland) & Leander Paes (India)
B-478 Sports

FRENCH OPEN 2015

Mens Singles: Stan Wawrinka (Switzerland)
Womens Singles: Serena Williams (USA)
Mens Doubles: Ivan Dodig (Croatia) & Marcelo Melo (Brazil)
Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) & Lucie afrov (Czech
Womens Doubles:
Republic)
Mixed Doubles: Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) & Mike Bryan (USA)

WIMBLEDON 2015
Mens Singles: Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
Womens Singles: Serena Williams (USA)
Mens Doubles: Jean-Julien Rojer (Netherlands) & Horia Tecau (Romania)
Womens Doubles: Martina Hingis (Switzerland) & Sania Mirza (India)
Mixed Doubles: Leander Paes (India) & Martina Hingis (Switzerland)

ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP

The four time winner of the ICC
Cricket World Cup once again
proved their dominance over the
World cricket by defeating New
Zealand in the 11th edition of
the Cricket World Cup to bag their
5th World Cup title which was
jointly hosted by Australia and New
Zealand. Australia defeated New
Zealand in a nail biting finale by 7
wickets in day night match played at
the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Scores : New Zealand 183 all Man of the Match: JP Faulkner
out (Grant Elliot 83, Taylor 40, (Australia)
Mitchell Johnson 3 for 30 and James Player of the series: MA Starc; 22
Faulkner 3 for 36) Australia 186-3 in
33.1 overs (Steve Smith 56, Michael wickets (Australia)
Clarke 74, Warner 45, MJ Henry 2 Highest Run getter: Martin Guptill,
for 46 and Boult 1 for 40) 547 runs (New Zealand)
Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final

A1 New Zealand 393/6

B4 West Indies 250
B2 South Africa 281/5
A1 New Zealand 299/6
A3 Sri Lanka 133
B2 South Africa 134/1
A1 New Zealand 183
A2 Australia 186/3
B3 Pakistan 213
A2 Australia 216/4
A2 Australia 328/7
B1 India 233
B1 India 303/6
A4 Bangladesh 193
Sports B-479

IPL 2015
The Mumbai Indians team led 20 overs (Dwayne Smith 57, Suresh
by Rohit Sharma outshone the Raina 28, Mitchell McClenaghan 3
consistent performance of the for 25)
Dhonis Chennai Super Kings by
winning the final of the Pepsi IPL-
8 at the Eden Gardens. Led by the
fiery batting performances of opener
Lendl Simmons (68) and skipper
Rohit Sharma (50), the Mumbai
Indians notched 202 runs in the
allotted 20 overs. Chennai Super
Kings succumbed to 161 for eight in Man of the Match: Rohit Sharma
its quota of 20 overs while chasing Orange Cap for the tournament:
the mammoth score. David Warner, Sunrisers Hyderabad
Score: Mumbai Indians 202 for 5 in (562 runs)
20 overs (Lendl Simmons 68, Rohit Purple Cap for the tournament:
Sharma 50, Dwayne Bravo 2 for 36) Dwayne Bravo, Chennai Super
Chennai Super Kings 161 for 8 in Kings (26 wickets)

INDIAN SUPER LEAGUE

The Indian Super League (ISL) also in an effort to make football a top
known as the Hero Indian Super sport in India and to make Indian
League is a professional football a major player worldwide.
football league in India. The inaugural season of the league
The league consists of eight started on 12th October 2014 and
franchise teams from all concluded on 20th December 2014.
around India. The Indian The inaugural season was won by
Super League was founded in 2013 Atltico de Kolkata when it defeated
the Kerala Blasters in the final 10.
TEAMS
Team City/State Stadium
Atltico de Kolkata Kolkata, West Bengal Salt Lake Stadium
Chennaiyin Chennai, Tamil Nadu Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
Delhi Dynamos Delhi Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
Goa Margao, Goa Fatorda Stadium
Kerala Blasters Kochi, Kerala Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
Mumbai City Mumbai, Maharashtra DY Patil Stadium
North East United Guwahati, Assam Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium
Pune City Pune, Maharashtra Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex

Top Scores
The defending champions Atltico de Kolkata were defeated in the semi-
finals by Chennaiyin. The final was played between Goa and Chennayin
on 20th December 2015 at the Fatorda Stadium in Goa. Chennayin
became the champions by defeating Goa 3-2 in the final.
B-480 Sports

Rank Player Club Goals

1 Stiven Mendoza Chennalyin FC 13
2 Iain Hume Atltico de Kolkata 11
Reinaldo Goa
3 7
Sunil Chhetri Mumbai City
Antonio German Kerala Blasters
5 Chris Dagnall Kerala Blasters 6
Jeje Lalpekhlua Chennalyin
Nicols Vlez NorthEast United
8 5
Arata lzumi Atltico de Kolkata

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

UEFA Champions League also drawn into eight groups of four
known as Champions League is a teams each and play each other in a
yearly continental club football double round-robin system. The
competition organised by the Union current champions are Barcelona,
of European Football Associations who secured their
(UEFA), played by top-division fifth title in the
European clubs. The club
competition after
competition was launched one
month after UEFAs first Congress, defeating Juventus
held in Vienna on 2 March 1955. 31 in the 2015
There are total of 32 teams who are Final.


Rank Player Goals Appearances Years Clubs
Cristiano 88 121 2003- Manchester United, Real
1
Ronaldo Madrid
2 Lionel Messi 80 102 2005- Barcelona
Ral 71 142 1995- Real Madrid, Schalke 04
3
2011
Ruud van 56 73 1998- PSV, Manchester United, Real
4
Nistelrooy 2009 Madrid
Thierry 50 112 1997- Manaco, Arsenal, Barcelona
5
Henry 2010
Alfredo Di 49 58 1955- Real Madrid
6
Stfano 1964
Andriy 48 100 1994- Dynamo Kyiv, Milan, Chelsea
7
Shevchenko 2012
Eusbio 46 65 1961- Benfica
1974
Karim 46 77 2006- Lyon, Real Madrid
8
Benzema
Fllippo 46 81 1997- Juventus, Milan
Inzaghi 2012
+($/7+&$5(
B-482 Healthcare

HEALTHCARE IN INDIA
The healthcare services of India have seen tremendous growth in the past few
years which can be revealed by different indicators and health parameters.
Inspite of this fact, the expenditure on healthcare is very less i.e. 4% of the
GDP and private parties have the dominance over the sector.
Healthcare Infrastructure in India
x Primary, secondary and tertiary care institutions, manned by medical and
paramedical personnel;
x Medical colleges and para-professional training institutions to train the
needed manpower and give the required academic input;
x Programme managers managing ongoing programmes at central, state
and district levels.
Health Sector In India

Public Private Indigenous system Voluntary health

of Medicine agencies
+ ural + Private Hospital + Ayurveda and + ""
ed Cross
Sub Centers + olyclinic Siddha Society
(SCs) + Nursing Homes + Unani + Hind Kusht
Primary Health + Dispensaries + Homeopath Nivaran Sangh
Centres (PHCs) + General + Un-registered + Indian council for
Community Practitioners and Practitioners child Welfare
Health Centres clinics + uberculosis
(CHCs) Association of
+ Urban India Etc
District + Bharat Sevak
Hospitals Samaj
Teaching
Hospitals

Problems in India x Poor facilities in large Government

x Poor Sanitation
x Infectious and non-communicable
diseases
x High Infant Mortality Rate
x Malnutrition
Major Concerns in last decade
x India ranked 67th among the
top developing countries with
a doctor patient ratio of 0.7
doctors per 1000 patient (The
World Bank).
x A wide gap between urban
and rural population in terms
provision of medical facilities.
institutions compared to corporate
hospitals.
x Increasing cost of curative
medical services, high tech
curative services not free.
x India leading the world in
dengue,most rapidly spreading
mosquito-borne viral disease.
x Malaria is still a major concern
for Indian Health sector.
x Tuberculosis is the biggest threat to
India with 2.2 million tuberculosis
patients.
x Hepatitis C patients lack access
to affordable treatment and care.
Healthcare
NATIONAL HEALTH PROGRAMMES
National AIDS Control
Programme (AIDS)
A division of Ministry of Health
and Family Welfare,was established
in 1992 to prevent and control HIV/
AIDSinfectionthrough35HIV/AIDS
Prevention and Control Societies.
National Cancer Control
Programme (Cancer)
Launched in 1975 with an initiation
of giving priority for equipping the
premier cancer hospital/institutions.
The further evolution has added few
other important aspects which include
recognition of new Regional Cancer
Centre, strengthening of existing
RegionalCancerCentres,development
of oncologyunits,DistrictCancerControl
Programme etc.
Pulse Polio Campaign (Do
Boond Zindegi Ke)
Initiated in 1978 the programme
aimed at preventing polio by
vaccinating against the disease. It
was the extended programme of
Universal Immunisation Program
which successfully covered 95% of
the country and as a result India was
declared Polio free in 2014.
National Filaria Control
B-483
x To train professional and ancillary
personnel required for the
programme.
National Leprosy Eradication
Programme (NLEP)
Launched in 1955 is a centrally
sponsored Health Scheme of the
Ministryof HealthandFamilyWelfare,
Govt. of India with an objective of
eliminating Leprosy with the use
of Multidrugtherapy(MDT)inphases.
Eliminate Kala-azar
A part of National Heath Policy
envisaged in 2010 to eradicate the
dreaded disease Kala-azar or
Visceral Leishmaniasis, also known
as Black Fever and Dumdum Fever
from India by 2015.
National TB Control
Programme
Launched in 1962 with an objective
of eradication of the disease but till
1992 only 30% of the country had
been covered. So the programmes has
been revised in 1993 with an objective
of achieving and maintaining a cure
rate of 85% among newly detected
infectious (new sputum smear
positive) cases. This resulted in the
coverage of 450 million populations
which is more than 80% in 2004.
3URJUDPPHODULDVLV
Launched in the state since 1957 with
an objective:
x To carry out surveys in different
parts of the state where the
problem was known to exist in
order to determine the extent of
prevalence, types of infection and
their vectors.
x To undertake large scale pilot
studies to evaluate the known
methods of filariasis control in
selected areas in different parts
of states.
TB-Mission 2020
x TB Mission 2020 was announced
by the Union Ministry of Health
and Family Welfare on 28th
October 2014 at WHOs Global
TB Symposium in Barcelona
with an initiative to eliminate
Tuberculosis in India by 2020.
x The Indian government will take
up projects of providing free
diagnosis, treatment, nutrition
support and financial aid to the
affected patients.
B-484
National Tobacco Control
Programme
Launched in 2007 by the Ministry
of Health and Family Welfare with
objectives:
x To bring about greater awareness
abouttheharmfuleffectsof tobacco
use and about the Tobacco Control
Laws.
x To facilitate To facilitate effective
implementation of the Tobacco
Control Law.
National Rural Health Mission
(NRHM)
Launched on 5th April,2005. The
mission initially started for:
x Creation of cadre of Accredited
Social Health Activist (ASHA)
x StrengtheningalltheCHCs,PHCs
and Sub centres
x Mainstreaming AYUSH (Indian
System of Medicine)
x Integrating health and family
welfare programme
x Developingcapacitiesforpreventive
health care at all levels
x Promotion of public private
partnerships for achieving public
health goals
x Strengthening capacities for data
collection, assessment and review
for evidence based planning,
monitoring and supervision
National Urban Health Mission
(NUHM)
Launched by the former Union Health
Minister Ghulam Nabi Azadin 2014
underNationalHealthMission(NHM).
The scheme will focus on primary
healthcare needs of the urban poor.
The main objectives are to:
x Improve the health care status of
the urban population particularly
the poor and other disadvantaged
sections.
x Strengthen public health care
system.
Healthcare
x Involve the community and urban
local bodies in healthcare delivery.
x Supplement the National Rural
Health Under a unified National
Health Mission.
Special Focus on:
x Urban Poor Population living in
listed and unlisted slums.
x All other vulnerable populations
such as homeless, rag-pickers,
street children, rickshaw pullers,
construction site workers, sex
workers and any other temporary
migrants.
Mission Indradhanush
x MissionIndradhanushwaslaunched
to immunize all children against
sevenvaccinepreventablediseases
including diphtheria, whooping
cough (Pertussis), tetanus, polio,
tuberculosis,measlesandhepatitis
B by the year 2020.
x The mission involves four special
vaccination campaigns which will
be conducted between the months
of AprilandJuly2015,focussingon
intensive planning and monitoring
of these campaigns.
x The campaigns will be planned
and executed in accordance with
the learning from the successful
implementation of the polio
programme.
x The focus of the systematic
immunization drive will be
comprehended through a catch-
up campaign mode with the aim
to cover the left out children who
missed out immunization.
x The mission will be carried out
in 2 phases in 2015 in which the
first phase will cover 201 districts,
while the second phase will cover
297 districts.
x The Government has recognised
201 districts across 28 states in the
countrywith82districtsfromBihar,
Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and
UttarPradeshhaving25%children
who are unimmunized or partially
immunized.
Healthcare B-485

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan initiative. L&T has announced the

x The Swachh Bharat Mission construction of 5000 toilets across
was officially launched by Prime the nation as the part of their CSR
initiative.
Minister Narendra Modi on 2nd
October 2014, covering 4041 National Bal Swachhta Mission
statutory towns with the purpose x The National Bal Swachhta
to clean the streets, roads and MissionwaslaunchedbytheUnion
infrastructure of the nation. Government on 14th November
x The mission aims to make the 2014,onthe125thbirthanniversary
nation open defecation free by of Indias first prime minister
2019throughconstructionof IHHL Jawahar Lal Nehru.
(individual household latrines), x The Bal Swachhta Mission is an
clustertoiletsandcommunitytoilets. integralpartof thefamoussanitation
x SBH also aims at eradication of drive Swachh Bharat Mission.
manual scavenging. x The six themes to be included in
x It also involves 100% collection the mission are:
and processing/disposal/reuse/ 1. Clean Anganwadis
2. Clean Surroundings like
recycling of municipal solid waste.
Playgrounds
x The campaign involves generation 3. Clean Self (Personal Hygiene/
of awareness among the citizens Child Health)
regarding sanitation and public 4. Clean Food
health. 5. Clean Drinking Water.
x Themissionencouragesprivatesectors 6. Clean Toilets
to participate in construction and x Bal Swachhta Week will be
maintenanceof sanitaryfacilitiesasa observed from 14th to 19th
partof corporatesocialresponsibility November under this mission.
RECENT OUTBREAK OF MAJOR DISEASES IN INDIA
Disease Time of Symptom Recommended Treatment
Outbreak
Influenza A 2009 x Chills Use of anti viral drugs such as
(H1N1) virus x Fever x Oseltamivir (brand name
x Cough Tamiflu),
x Sore Throat x Zanamivir (brand name
x Runny or Stuffy Nose Relenza)
x Body Aches x Peramivir (brand name
x Fatigue Rapivab)
x Diarrhea
Swine flu 2014-2015 x Cough x Vaccination to prevent
x Fever infection.
x Headache x Oseltamivir (brand name
x Sore Throat Tamiflu),
x Muscle Pain x Zanamivir (brand name
x Chills Relenza)
x Vomiting Or Diarrhea.
Hepatitis 2009 x Liver Inflammation, x Lamivudine (Zeffix)
x Vomiting x Adefovir (Hepsera)
x Jaundice. x Entecavir (Baraclude)
x Tenofovir (Viread)
x Pegylated Interferon (Pegasys)
B-486 Healthcare

Dengue 2014-2015 x High Fever, Possibly x As such there is no such specific

As High As 105F drugs for treating Dengue.
(40C) However doctors prescribe
x Pain Behind The Acetaminophen (Tylenol,
Eyes And In The others) for alleviating pain and
Joints, Muscles reduce fever.
And/Or Bones
x Severe Headache
x Rash Over Most Of
The Body
x Mild Bleeding From
The Nose Or Gums
x Bruising Easily
Cholera 2010 x Mild fever x Antibiotic
x Body ache x Oral Health drink to prevent
x Abdominal pain dehydration
and cramps
x Lethargy and
fatigue
x Excessive thirst
x Headaches
x Loss of elasticity of
the skin
Plague 1994 x Sudden onset of x Streptomycin
fever x Gentamicin
x Headache x Tetracycline
x Chills x Chloramphenicol
x Weakness and one x Doxycycline
or more swollen, x Oxytetracycline
tender and painful x Sulfamethoxazole/ trimethopri
lymph nodes (called
buboes)
Chikungunya 1963-1973 x Arthritis like pain x Aspirin
around the joints x Non-steroidal inflammatory
x Muscle aches drugs
x Fever x Chloroquine Phosphate
x Malaise
x Headache
x Fatigue
x Nausea
x Vomiting

YOGA and its Health BHQHW

A healthy lifestyle is a function of healthy mind and body, and so as to keep a
person really healthy, YOGA is just a master stroke. Its an ascetic Hindu discipline
which involves practices like controlling breath with prescribed body position and
meditation with an objective to attain a state of deep spiritual insight and tranquility.
These practices in turn promote good health, fitness and control of mind. Sage
Patanjali was known to be the founder of this practice and the knowledge he had
given was known as Yoga Sutra. In recent years, this age-old practice has been
revitalized by several spiritual leaders like Baba Ramdev, Sadhguru who have made
tireless efforts to propel yoga to each and every corner of India for improving health
condition of India and make the people strong and immune enough to combat day
to day or serious health issues. The United Nations has declared June 21 as the
International Day of Yoga.
&20081,&$7,21
75$1632571(:6
0(',$
B-488 Communication, Transport, News and Media
COMMUNICATION
3RVW2IFH
x The Department of Posts was
founded in India on 1st April, 1774.
x This department serves as an agent
of Govt.
x It provides services like letter post,
parcel service, EMS, delivery,
freight forwarding, third-party
logistics, and deposit accounts,
saving banks, retailing, life
insurance, remittance etc.
x Indian Post has been terminated
two of its major services such as
Telegram and Money order in July
Quick Facts
Founder of Telegraph and Postal
in India
First General Post Office opened in India
First postage stamp of India
Pin system started in India
The First Indian Post Office Outside India
Speed Post started in India
Money Order System
Postal Life Insurance started
Postal Staff College situated at
World Postal Day is observed on
Indian Postal Day is observed on
Telecommunication
x Telecommunication occurs when
the exchange of information
between two or more entities
includes the use of technology.
x Communication technology uses
channels to transmit information
(as electrical signals), either over
a physical medium (such as
signal cables), or in the form of
electromagnetic waves.
x Early means of communicating over
a distance included visual signals,
such as beacons, smoke signals,
2013 and April 2015 respectively
due to the increasing pressure of
electronic communication media,
but still continues with the services
of electronic money order (eMO)
and instant money order (IMO)
which were introduced in 2008.
: Governor General Lord System
Dalhousie
: 1774 (Kolkata)
: Sinde Dawk (1852)
: 1972
: Dakshin Gangotri in Antarctica
(1983), Indian Territory
: 1986
: 1880
: 1884
: Ghaziabad (UP)
: 9th October
: 10th October
semaphore telegraphs, signal flags,
and optical heliographs.
x Other examples of pre-modern
long-distance communication
included audio messages such
as coded drumbeats, lung-blown
horns, and loud whistles.
x Modern technologies for long
-distance communication usually
involve electrical and electromagnetic
technologies, such as telegraph,
telephone, and teleprinter, networks,
radio, microwave transmission,
fiber optics, and communications
satellites.
Communication, Transport, News and Media
x A revolution in wireless
communication began in the
first decade of the 20th century
with the pioneering developments
in radio communications by
Guglielmo Marconi, who won
the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1909.
x Other highly notable pioneering
inventors and developers in the
field of electrical and electronic
telecommunications include
Charles Wheatstone and Samuel
Morse (telegraph), Alexander
Graham Bell (telephone), Edwin
Armstrong, and Guglielmo
Marconi (radio), as well as Vladimir
K. Zworykin, John Logie Baird
and Philo Farnsworth (television).
The Telecommunications system in
India is the 2nd largest in the world.
Telephone services was introduced
in 1881-82 in Kolkata for the first
time and first automatic exchange
was opened up at Shimla in 1913-14
with a capacity of 700 lines only. In
1850, the first experimental electric
telegraph line was started between
Calcutta and Diamond Harbour.
In 1851, it was opened for the use
of the British East India Company.
The construction of 4,000 miles
(6,400 km) of telegraph lines was
started in November 1853. These
connected Kolkata and Peshawar in
the north; Agra, Mumbai through
Sindwa Ghats, and Chennai in the
south; Ootacamundand Bangalore.
William OShaughnessy pioneered
the telegraph and telephone in India.
A separate department was opened in
1854 when telegraph facilities opened
to the public.
B-489
Mobile Communication
x A mobile phone is a telephone that
can make and receive calls over a
radio frequency carrier while the
user is moving within a telephone
service area.
x Modern mobile phones support
a variety of services, such as
text messaging, MMS, email,
Internet access, short-rangewireless
communications (infrared,
Bluetooth), business applications,
gaming, and photography. Mobile
phones which offer these and more
general computing capabilities are
referred to as Smartphone.
The first handheld mobile phone
was demonstrated by John F.
Mitchell and Martin Cooper of
Motorola in 1973, using a handset
weighing c. 4.4 lbs (2 kg). In 1983,
the DynaTAC 8000x was the first
commercially available handheld
mobile phone.
x Mobile computing
is humancomputer
interaction by which
a computer is expected
to be transported during
normal usage. Mobile
computing involves
mobile communication, mobile
hardware, and mobile software.
x Wireless data connections used
in mobile computing take three
general forms. Cellular data service
uses technologies such as GSM,
CDMA or GPRS, 3G networks such
as W-CDMA, EDGE or CDMA
200 and more recently 4G networks
such as LTE, LTE-Advabced.
x GSM (Global System for Mobile
Communications, is to describe the
protocols for second-generation
(2G) digital cellular networks used
by mobile phones, first deployed
in Finland in July 1991.
B-490 Communication, Transport, News and Media
x Code division multiple access
(CDMA) is a channel access
method used by various radio
communication technologies.
CDMA is used as the access method
in many mobile phone standards
such as cdmaOne, CDMA2000
(the 3G evolution of cdmaOne),
and WCDMA (the 3G standard
used by GSM carriers), which are
often referred to as simply CDMA.
x 3G, short form of third generation,
is the third generation of mobile
telecommunications technology.
3G telecommunication networks
support services that provide an
information transfer rate of at least
200 kbit/s.
x 4G, short for fourth generation,
is the fourth generation of mobile
telecommunications technology,
succeeding 3G. A 4G system must
provide capabilities defined by
ITU in IMT Advanced. Potential
and current applications include
amended mobile web access,
IP telephony, gaming services,
high-definition mobile TV, video
conferencing, 3D television, and
cloud computing.
Bharti Airtel launched Indias first 4G
service, using TD-LTE technology,
in Kolkata on 10 April 2012.
Communications Satellite
x A communications satellite is an
artificial satellite that relays and
amplifies radio telecommunications
signals via a transponder; it creates a
communication channel between a
source transmitter and a receiver(s)
at different locations on Earth.
x Communications satellites are used
for television, telephone, radio,
internet, and military applications.
x There are over 2,000 communi-
cations satellites in Earths orbit,
used by both private and govern-
ment organizations.
x The first artificial Earth satellite
was Sputnik 1. Put into orbit by the
Soviet Union on October 4, 1957,
it was equipped with an on-board
radio-transmitter that worked on
two frequencies: 20.005 and 40.002
MHz. Sputnik 1 was launched as
a step in the exploration of space
and rocket development.
India has launched 80 Indian
satellites (as of 11th November 2015)
of many types since its first in 1975.
The organisation responsible for
Indias satellite program is the Indian
Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
On 11 November 2015, Indias latest
communication satellite GSAT-15
was successfully launched at 03:04
am by Ariane-5 rocket in the early
hours from the spaceport of Kourouin
French Guiana in South America.
Electronics and Information
Technology
National Knowledge Network
x The objective of the National
Knowledge Network (NKN) is
to interconnect all institutions of
higher learning and research with
a high speed data communication
network to facilitate knowledge
sharing and collaborative research.
x It will bridge the existing
knowledge gap in the country.
It will help the country evolve
as a Knowledge Society and
spur economic activities in the
Communication, Transport, News and Media
Knowledge domain. Under this
Network, it is proposed that
the core and associated links to
around 1500 institutions shall be
established in 2-3 years time.
Application Areas
x Agriculture
x Education
x Health
x e-governance
x Grid Computing (High Perfor-
mance Computing)
TDIL
x The Department of Information
Technology initiated the ambitious
programme of (Technology
Development for Indian Languages)
with the aim of developing
Information Processing Tools and
Techniques to facilitate human-
machine interaction without
language barrier; creating and
accessing multilingual knowledge
resources and integrating them to
TRANSPORT
Indian Road Network
x India has a road network of over
approx. 4,689,842 kilometers.
x The Central Government is
responsible for development and
maintenance of the National
Highways system.
x The Ministry carries out development
and maintenance work of National
Quick Facts
Categories Dimensions in Kms
(up to 2011)
National Highways 92,851
State Highways 1,63,898
Major and Other
17,05,706
District Roads
27,49,805
Rural Roads
B-491
develop innovative user products
and services.
x The primary objectives include
developing and promoting
Software Tools and Applications
for all 22 officially recognized
Indian Languages, contributing
to collaborative development of
futuristic technologies leading to
innovative products and services,
acting as a catalyst for proliferating
Language Technology products
and providing solutions and
standardization across all levels.
x Some of the other major initiatives
undertaken are in the realm
of Cross Lingual, Information
Access and Retrieval, Human
Machine Interface systems,
Text to Speech system (TTS),
Language processing and Web
tools, adapting IT Tools and
solutions in Indian languages,
Human Resource Development
in Language Technology etc.
Highways through three agencies.
viz. National Highways Authority of
India (NHAI), State Public Works
Department (PWDs) and Border
Road Organization (BRO).
x National Highways Development
Project (NHDP) is the largest
highway project ever taken in the
country.
Responsible Authority
Ministry of Road Transport and
Highways (Central government)
State governments (States public
works department)
Local governments, Panchayats
and Municipalities
Local governments, Panchayats and
Municipalities
B-492 Communication, Transport, News and Media

National Highways Development Projects

Golden Quadrilateral : It comprises construction of 5,846 km long 4/6 lane,
high density traffic corridor, to connect Indias four big metro cities of Delhi-
Mumbai-Chennai and Kolkata. With the construction of Golden Quadrilateral,
the time- distance and cost of movement among the mega cities of India will
be considerably minimised.
North-South and East-West Corridors: North-South corridor aims at connecting
Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir with Kaniyakumari in Tamil Nadu (including
Kochchi-Salem Spur) with 4,076 km long road. The East-West Corridor has
been planned to connect Silchar in Assam with the port town of Porbandar
in Gujarat with 3,640 km of road length.
Important National Highways
NH Connects
NH 1 New Delhi-Ambala-Jalandhar-Amritsar
NH 2 Delhi-Mathura-Agra-Kanpur- Allahabad-Varanasi-Kolkata
NH 3 Agra-Gwalior-Nasik-Mumbai
NH 4 Thane and Chennai via Pune and Belgaum
NH 5 Kolkata-Chennai
NH 6 Kolkata-Dhule
NH 7 Varanasi-Kanyakumari
NH 8 Delhi-Mumbai (via Jaipur, Boroda & Ahmedabad)
NH 9 Mumbai-Vijaywada
NH 10 Delhi-Fazilka
NH 24 Delhi - Lucknow
NH 26 Lucknow-Varanasi

Indian Railways
Indian Railways is a state-owned enterprise and one of the worlds largest
railway networks comprising 115,000 km of track over a route of 65,808 km
and 7,112 stations.Indian Railways is the second most important means of
communication in India contributing 1% to the gross domestic product from
transportation point of view. It was founded on April 16, 1853.
In terms of gauge the Indian railway is divided into three types.
x Broad gauge contributing 63%
x Meter gauge contributing 31%
x Narrow gauge contributing 6%
Communication, Transport, News and Media B-493

INDIAN RAILWAYS ZONES AND TOP TEN STATES WITH

THEIR HEADQUARTERS LONGEST RAIL NETWORK IN
IN INDIA
Route
Name Headquarters
(km) Rank State Route Km.
1. Uttar Pradesh 8832
Southern (SR) 5098 Chennai
2. Rajasthan 5872
Central (CR) 3905 Mumbai 3. Maharashtra 5725
4. Andhra Pradesh 5322
Western (WR) 6182 Mumbai
5. Gujarat 5257
Eastern (ER) 2414 Kolkata 6. Madhya Pradesh 4955
7. West Bengal 4037
Northern (NR) 6968 Delhi 8. Tamil Nadu 4027
North Eastern 9. Bihar 3656
3667 Gorakhpur
(NER) 10. Karnataka 3228

South Eastern TOP TEN COUNTRIES WITH

2631 Kolkata
(SER) LONGEST RAIL NETWORK IN
THE WORLD
Northeast
3907 Maligaon Rank Country Route Km.
Frontier (NFR)
1. USA 250000
South Central
5951 Secunderabad 2. China 100000
(SCR)
3. Russia 85500
East Central
3628 Hajipur 4. India 65000
(ECR)
5. Canada 48000
North Western
5459 Jaipur 6. Germany 41000
(NWR)
7. Australia 40000
East Coast 8. Argentina 36000
2677 Bhubaneswar
(ECoR) 9. France 29000
North Central 10. Brazil 28000
3151 Allahabad
(NCR)
Metro Rail
South East Metro Rail was started in India on
2447 Bilaspur
Central(SECR) 24th October, 1984 in Kolkata. By far
it has covered the major metropolitan
South
3177 Hubli cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad,
Western(SWR) Chennai, Kochi and Bangalore. With 8
West Central operational metro systems, metro rail
2965 Jabalpur lines are composed of both standard
(WCR)
gauge and broad gauge.
B-494 Communication, Transport, News and Media
SCENARIO OF METRO RAIL IN P FOUR METROPOLIS
City Owner
Kolkata Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation
Delhi Delhi Metro Rail Corporation
Limited (DMRCL)
Mumbai Mumbai Metropolitan Region
Development Authority (MMRDA)
Chennai Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) 29 June 2015
Kolkata Metro: Kolkata Metro is
the first mass rapid transit system
in the country and Indias Oldest
Metro Railway. The Line 1 North-
South Metro of 25 kilometers is in
the operation with 23 stations of which
15 are underground station. Kolkata
Metro is also the first in country to
build an operational underground
railway. There are 5 more railway lines
under construction at the different
corner of Kolkata, West Bengal.
Chennai Metro: Chennai is second
city in India to run a rapid transit
system in 1995, Chennai Mass Rapid
Transit System is an elevated railway
line run within the city from Chennai
Beach to Velachery.Chennai Metro
Rail project consist both elevated and
underground section.
Delhi Metro: Delhi Metro has 6 lines
of 189.63 kilometers with 142 railway
stations of which 35 are underground.
Delhi Metro consist combination of at-
grade,underground and elevated lines.
Bangaluru Metro: Bengaluru Metro
also known as Namma Metro is
recently started rapid transit rail system
Began Distance in Kms
Operation
24 October 1984 28.14 km
24 December 213 km
2002
8 June 2014 11.4 km
10km
in the Bengaluru city of Karnataka.
Mumbai Metro : Mumbai, the
financial and commercial capital of
India is all set to provide another mode
of transport to the people. Mumbai is
already running Monorail system, the
first monorail in India. Mumbai metro
is opened and over 10 lakh commuters
traveled on the citys first Metro train.
It covers the 11.4 km-long journey
from Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar
corridor.
Hyderabad Metro : Hyderabad Metro
is under construction with 3 lines and
covering a distance of around 71 km
for the city. The Hyderabad Metro
is the first public-private partnership
metro project in India. Hyderabad
is already running a Multi-Modal
Transport System for particular routes.
Jaipur Metro: The pink city of
Rajasthan is got its first metro line of
9.2 km from Mansarovar to Chandpole
Bazaar in November 2010. Rajasthan
is one of the most visited tourist place
in India, specially international tourist
and Jaipur is best place to enjoy royal
Rajasthan.
Aviation industry
Aviation industry is the highly growing
market, in terms of World Economy.
It targets to be the third largest market
by 2020 and to be in the first position
by 2030. Over the next five years, the
industry will experience an increase
in the domestic and international
Communication, Transport, News and Media
passenger traffic at an annual average
rate of 12 per cent and 8 per cent,
respectively.
Air transport in India made a beginning
in 1911 when airmail operation
commenced over a little distance of
10 km between Allahabad and Naini.
But its real development took place in
post-Independent period. The Airport
Authority of India is responsible for
providing safe, efficient air traffic and
aeronautical communication services
in the Indian Air Space. The authority
manages 125 airports.
Major Aviation Commenced
Industry operations
IndiGo 8 April 2006
Jet Airways and Jetlite 1st April, 1992
SpiceJet 5th May, 1993
Air India 15th October, 1932 JRD Tata
Go Air November 2005 Bombay Dyeing and Britannia
Air India Express 29th April, 2005 Govt. of India
AirAsia India 28th March 2013 Tony Fernandes
Air Costa 15 October, 2013 LEPL group
100 Golden Years of Civil
Aviation in India:
1911:The first commercial civil
aviation flight in India took place in
India between Allahabad and Naini,
covering a distance of 6 miles.
1912:The first London-Karachi-Delhi
flight was introduced by Indian State
Air Services in collaboration with UK
based Imperial Airways.
1924:Construction of civil airports
in India in Calcutta at Dum Dum,
Allahabad at Bamrauli and in
Bombay in Gilbert Hill.
1929:JRD Tata became the first
licensed pilot of Federation
Aeronautique International on behalf
of the Aero Club of India and Burma.
1931:Lt Col. Shelmerdine became the
B-495
5/20 rule : The rule allows an
Indian carrier to fly abroad only
after it has completed five years of
domestic operations and maintains
a fleet of 20 aircrafts.
Owner
Rahul Bhatia of Inter Globe Enterprises
and Rakesh Gangwal
Naresh Goyal
ModiLuft
Director General of Civil Aviation
(DGCA).
1934:Formation of Indian Aircraft
Act.
1937:Regulation of Indian Aircraft
Act.
1948:Prem Mathur became the first
female commercial pilot to start flying
for Deccan Airways, as she obtained
her commercial pilots license in 1947.
1953:Nationalization of entire airline
industry under the Air Corporations
Act.
1956:Ms. Durba Banerjee was
inducted as the first woman pilot of
Indian Airlines.
1972:Airport Authority of India
constituted.
1976:Airbus A300 was introduced
for domestic services.
B-496 Communication, Transport, News and Media

1990-93:Entry of private airlines after 2010:The colossal Terminal 3 (T-3)

the de-regulation of the civil aviation integrated terminal was inaugurated
sector. at New Delhis Indira Gandhi
2006:Government approved International Airport.
restructuring and modernisation 2012:In September foreign airlines
of Mumbai and Delhi Airport have given permission to attain a stake
through Public Private Partnership. of up to 49% in domestic airlines.
BUSIEST AIRPORTS IN INDIA
Rank Name City State IATA Code
1. Indira Gandhi International Airpot Delhi Delhi DEL
2. Chhatrapati Shivaji International Mumbai Maharashtra BOM
Airport
3. Kempegowda International Airport Bangalore Karnataka BLR
4. Chennai International Airport Chennai Tamil Nadu MAA
5. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Kolkata West CCU
International Airport Bengal
6. Rajiv Gandhi International Airport Hyderabad Telangana HYD
7. Cochin International Airport
8. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Ahmedabad Gujarat AMD
Airport
9. Pune International Airport Pune Maharashtra PNQ
10. Goa International Airport Dabolim Goa GOI

Water Ways
India has 14,500 km of navigable waterways, contributing about 1% to the
countrys transportation. It comprises rivers,canals, backwaters, creeks, etc.
At present, 5,685 km of major rivers are navigable by mechanised flat bottom
vessels.For the development, maintenance and regulation of national waterways
in the country,the Inland Waterways Authority was set up in1986.
NATIONAL WATERWAYS OF INDIA
Waterways Stretch Specification
NW 1 Allahabad-Haldia It is divided into three parts for
stretch (1,620 km) developmental purposes (i) Haldia-
Farakka (560 km), (ii) Farakka-Patna
(460 km), (iii) Patna- Allahabad (600 km).
NW 2 Sadiya-Dhubri stretch Brahmaputra is navigable by steamers up
(891 km) to Dibrugarh (1,384 km) which is shared
by India
and Bangladesh.
NW 3 Kottapuram-Kollam It includes 168 km of west coast canal
stretch (205 km). along with Champakara canal (23 km)
and Udyogmandal canal (14 km).
NW 4 Specified streches of Godavari
and Krishna rivers along with
Kakinada Puducherry stretch of
canals (1078 km)
Communication, Transport, News and Media B-497

NW 5 Specified stretches of river

Brahmani along with Matai
river, delta channels
of Mahanadi and Brahmani
rivers and East Coast canals
(588km).

Ports x The Major Ports are administered

Indian coastline is about 7516.6 by the central governments
kilometers and it is one of the biggest shipping ministry.
x The Minor and Intermediate ports
peninsulas in the world. It is serviced
are administered by the relevant
by 12 major ports, 200 notified minor
departments or ministries in the
and intermediate ports. Maharashtra
nine coastal states.
(48) has the maximum number of The Coastal States in India are Andhra
non-major ports followed by Gujarat Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Tamil
(42) and Andaman & Nicobar Islands Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa,
(23). Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Name of the Port Coast State
Kandla Western Coast Gujarat
Mumbai Western Coast Maharashtra
Jawaharlal Nehru Western Coast Maharashtra
Marmugoa Western Coast Goa
Manglore Western Coast Karnataka
Kochi Western Coast Kerala
Haldia Eastern Coast West Bengal
Paradip Eastern Coast Odisha
Vishakapatnam Eastern Coast Andhra Pradesh
Chennai Eastern Coast Tamil Nadu
Ennore Eastern Coast Tamil Nadu
Tutikorin Eastern Coast Tamil Nadu

Interesting Facts about Major

Ports of India
x Kandla Port is located on the Gulf
of Kutch. It is the largest port of
India by volume of cargo handled.
It is a tidal port having a free trade
zone.
x Mumbai Port is the biggest
port in our country. It handles
one-fifth of Indias foreign trade
with predominance in dry cargo
and mineral oil from the Gulf
countries.
B-498 Communication, Transport, News and Media

x Jawaharlal Nehru is the trend- x Paradip Port is an artificial and

setter of port development in India
through new initiatives like private
sector participation.
x Mormugao Port is the leading iron
ore exporting port of India with
an annual out-put of around 27.33
million tonnes of iron ore traffic.
x New Mangalore Port is an all
weather port and the only major
port of Karnataka. Panambur is
the site of sea port called New
Mangalore Port.
x Kochi port is a natural harbour
on the west coast. It largely
handles coal, petroleum products,
fertilisers, raw materials and
general cargo.
deep-water port.
x Ennore Port, officially renamed
Kamarajar Port Limited, is the
only corporatised major port and
is registered as a company.
x Jawaharlal Nehru Port is the
largest container port in India.
It was formerly known as Nhava
Sheva port.
x Tuticorin Port is an artificial deep-
sea harbour of India. Tuticorin
Port is officially known as VO
Chidambaranar Port.
x Madras Port is the one of the
oldest port of India and the second
largest port in the country.

NEWS & MEDIA

Newspaper
Newspaper is the print media usually prints information, the activities and
happenings around us, generally categorized into daily and weekly basis. It
was introduced way back in 1780.
Quick facts
Event Publishing Name of the Publication
Year
First newspaper in India 1780 Hickys Bengal Gazette or
Calcutta General
First newspaper from Bombay 1789 Bombay Herald
First newspaper in Hindi 1854 Samachar Sudha Varshan

Registrar of Newspapers is a statutory body of Government of India which is

popularly known as RNI. It was established on 1st July 1956 with an objective
of regulating and monitoring the printing and publication of newspapers based
on the Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867. It has both statutory and
non-statutory functions.

E-paper : It is a display technology which is the reusable and refreshable ver-

sion of a traditional newspaper that hold information electronically. This type of
newspaper is available free of cost on internet and can be accessed anywhere.
Communication, Transport, News and Media B-499





Newspaper Language Owner
1 Dainik Jagran Hindi Owned by Jagran Prakashan Ltd.
2 Hindustan Hindi Owned by Hindustan Media Ventures Ltd.
owned by HT Media Ltd
3 Dainik Bhaskar Hindi Owned by D B Corp Ltd.
4 Malayala Manorama Malayalam Owned by Malayala Manorama Company Ltd.
5 Daily Thanthi Tamil Founded by S. P. Adithanar
6 Rajasthan Patrika Hindi Owned by Rajasthan Patrika Pvt. Ltd.
7 Amar Ujala Hindi Owned by Amar Ujala Publications Ltd.
8 Times of India English Owned by Bennett, Coleman and Co. Ltd.
9 Mathrubhumi Malayalam Owned by The Mathrubhumi Group
10 Lokmat Marathi Owned by Lokmat Media Limited
11 Ananda Bazar Bengali Owned by Ananda Publishers
Patrika
12 Hindustan Times English Owned by HT Media Ltd

TOP TEN INTERNATIONAL DAILY NEWSPAPERS

Name of the Newspaper Country of Publication
The New York Times United States
The Daily Mail United Kingdom
The Peoples Daily China
The Washington Post United States
The Daily Telegraph United Kingdom
The Guardian United Kingdom
USA Today United States
The Wall Street Journal United States
China Daily China
Los Angeles Times United States
The Independent United Kingdom
The Times of India India
The Examiner United States
Daily News United States
Financial Times United Kingdom
Press Trust of India (PTI) was located at Sansad Marg, New Delhi
incorporated in Madras on, 27th and D N Road, Mumbai respectively.
August, 1947 but started providing It has a news channel known as PTI-
full-fledged news and information both TV featuring documentaries.
in Hindi and English medium from 1st United News of India (UNI) was
February,1949.Its a non-profit sharing founded on December 1961under
cooperative organization and known the company acts. However its
for its unbiased news coverage. The commercial application started on
corporate and registered officesare 21st March 1961.
B-500 Communication, Transport, News and Media
Samachar Bharti came into being
in 1967. It was supported by states
like Bihar, Gujarat, Rajasthan and
Karnataka. Samchar Bharti is well
known for its services of news, sports,
entertainment image stories and many
more. It merged with other three
agencies to form a nationalized news
agency Samachar inFebruary 1976.
Prasar Bharti is an autonomous body
set up by an Act of Parliament on 23
Nov, 1997. It has two major divisions
Doordarshan Television Network and
All India Radio. It is known to be the
largest broadcasting agency in India.
All India Radio (AIR) or Akashwani
was formed in 1930 as a part of Prasar
Bharti. It is considered to be one of
the nations premier Public Service
Broadcasters which truly lives up to
its motto of Bahujan Hitaya: Bahujan
Sukhaya.At the beginning AIR started
broadcasting in 23 languages and 146
dialects.
Doordarshan was launched on 15
September, 1959 as a part of Prasar
Bharti with the motto Satyam Shivam
Sundaram. It provides television,
radio, online and mobile services
throughout metropolitan and regional
India with more than 60 channels
which broadcast programmes in
almost all regional languages along
with Hindi and English. It has also a
wide spread network in the overseas
also.
Reuters is an English news service
opened in London by Julius Reuter
in 1851, and now the most important
institution of its kind in the British Empire.
It has correspondents in all the great
news centres of the world and furnishes
telegraph and other news features
throughout the eastern hemisphere and,
to some extent, to Latin America, the
United States and Canada.
A F P Agence France-Presse (AFP)
is an international news agency. The
head-quarter of AFP is located in Paris.
It was founded in 1944. It is the third
largest in the world (after Associated
Press and Reuters). AFP has regional
offices in Nicosia, Montevideo, Hong
Kong, and Washington, D.C., and
bureaus in 150 countries. It transmits
news in French, English, Arabic,
Portuguese, Spanishand German.
AP (Associated Press) is one of the
largest and most trusted sources of
independent newsgathering. It is neither
privately owned nor government-
funded; instead, as a not-for-profit news
cooperative owned by its American
newspaper and broadcast members.
Founded in 1846, AP has covered all
the major news events of the past 165
years, providing high-quality, informed
reporting of everything from wars and
elections to championship games and
royal weddings.Since the Pulitzer
Prize was established, in 1917, AP
has received 51 Pulitzers, including
31 photo Pulitzers.AP headquartered
in New York, operates in more than
280 locations worldwide.
BBC (The British Broadcasting)
Corporation is the public service
broadcaster of the United Kingdom,
head-quartered at Broadcasting House
in London. It is the worlds oldest
national broadcasting organisation and
the largest broadcaster in the world. The
BBC is established under a Royal Charter
and operates under its Agreement with
the Secretary of State for Culture, Media
and Sport. The history goes back to June
1920 when Britains first live public
broadcast from the Marconi factory in
Chelms ford took place.
Al Jazeera It is a Doha-based state
funded broadcaster owned by the Al
Jazeera Media Network, Partly funded
by the house of Thani, the ruling
family of Qatar. It is one of the largest
news organizations with 80 bureaus
around the world. The channel was
launched on 1st November 1996
following the closure of the BBCs
Arabic language telivision station.
Hamid bin Thamer Al thani is the
chairman of the channel.
('8&$7,21$1'
&$5((5
B-502
UPSC
Union Public Service Commission
(UPSC) is one of the many
constitutional bodies in India. It is
authorized to conduct competitive
examinations and interviews for
recruitment of civil services, defence
services and posts under the Union
Government or Central Government.
Some of the most sought after
exams are as follows:
x Civil Services Examination
x Indian Forest Service examination
x Engineering Services Examination
x Combined Defence Services
Examination
x National Defence Academy
Examination
x Combined Medical Services
Examination
Civil Services Examination
It is conducted by the UPSC. Top
services offered by this examination
are: IAS (Indian Administrative
Service), IPS (Indian Police Service),
IFS (Indian Foreign Service), IRS
(Indian Revenue Service), Indian
Customs and Central Excise Service
etc. There are total twenty-four
services offered through this single
examination. Considering the
importance and the nature of the
jobs, UPSC takes utmost care in
selecting the right people. A three
level examination is conducted to
achieve this purpose which include
Preliminary Examination (Objective-
type questions), Main Examination
(Descriptive-type questions), and
interview test.
Education and Career
Indian Forest Service
Examination
IFS officers are recruited through
the IFS examination conducted
annually by the Union Public Service
Commission. The examination is
open to graduates in any science
or engineering discipline and has a
three-stage selection process including
Preliminary Examination (Objective-
type questions), Main Examination
(Written and Interview) spanning
nearly seven months. The officers
while in field postings in their
state cadres work for conservation,
protection and development of forests
and wildlife along with an aim to
enhance livelihood opportunities of
forest dependent communities of rural
and tribal areas.
Engineering Services
Examination
Union Public Service Commission
(UPSC) conducts Engineering Services
Examination as a combined competitive
examination for recruitment to
the services or posts of Electrical
Engineering, Civil Engineering,
Mechanical Engineering, and
Electronics and Telecommunication
Engineering. The exam is conducted for
selection of engineers for governments
engineering organizations, such as
Indian Railway Service of Engineers
(IRSE), Central Engineering Service
(CES), Military Engineering Services
(MES), etc. The entrance comprises
of a Written Exam (section I and II)
and an Interview.
Education and Career
Combined Defence Services
Examination
CDS Exam or Combined Defence
Service Examination is an exam
conducted twice every year by
Union Public Service Commission
(UPSC). It is an exam to induct
officers into the Indian Defence
Forces i.e. the Army and the Air
force. The entrance comprises of
a Written Exam followed by and
Intelligence and Personality Test.
National Defence Academy
Examination
This exam is conducted for
admission to the Army, Navy and
Air Force wings of the NDA and
for Indian Naval Academy Course
(INAC) by UPSC. It is an exam to
induct cadets into the Indian Defence
Forces i.e. the Army and the Air
force. The candidates Joining Indian
Naval Academy would undergo
4 years B.Tech Course and would
be given an opportunity to join
SSC
Staff Selection Commission (SSC)
is an Indian organization to recruit
staff for various posts in the various
Ministries and Departments of
the Government of India and in
Subordinate Offices by administering
various competitive exams.
Headquartered in Delhi, this
commission is an attached office of the
Department of Personnel and Training
(DoPT) which consists of Chairman,
two Members and a Secretary-cum-
Controller of Examinations. Besides,
there are post of one Director, one
Deputy Secretary, two Joint Directors,
nine Under Secretaries, four Deputy
Directors, one Finance & Budget
B-503
Executive and Technical Branches
of the Navy subject to availability
of vacancies. The examination
consists of 2 Papers-Mathematics
(300 marks) and General Ability
Test (600 marks) with objective
type questions, inclusive of negative
marking for every wrong answer.
Combined Medical Services
Examination
The Combined Medical Services
Examination or the CMS Exam
is conducted by the Union
Public Service Commission for
recruitment as Medical Officer in
various organizations such as the
Indian Ordnance Factories, Indian
Railways functioning under the
Government of India. There is an
objective-type written examination
with two papers of two hours
duration, each carrying a maximum
of 250 marks. This is followed by a
Personality Test carrying 100 marks
of candidates who qualify on the
results of the written examination.
Officer, one Assistant Director (OL),
24 Section Officers and more than 183
supporting officers / staff working
at the Headquarters for discharging
the duties and responsibilities of the
Commission.
SSC (like UPSC) is an organization
entrusted with the task of conducting
examinations and/or interviews,
whenever required for recruitment
people for government jobs at
subordinate (Non-Gazetted) levels.
The examinations which are
conducted under the purview off SSC
are broadly categorized as:
1. Open Examinations
2. Departmental Examinations
B-504
OPEN EXAMINATION
S. No. Name of the Examinations
1 Combined Graduate Level
Examination
2 Tax Assistant Examination
3 Statistical Investigators (SSS)
Grade IV Examination
4 Junior Engineers(Civil and
Elect) Examination
5 Junior Translators (CSOLS)
Examination
6 Section Officer (Commercial
Audit) Examination
7 Deputy Field Officer (Cab Sect)
Examination
8 Data Entry Operator (DEO)
Examination
9 Sub Inspector in CPOs
Examination
10 Section Officer (Audit)
Examination
11 Combined Matric Level
Examination
12 Section Officer (Accounts)
Examination
DEPARTMENTAL EXAMINATIONS
S. No. Name of the Examinations
1 Grade C Stenographers Ltd.
Depttl. Compt. Examination
2 UD Grade Ltd. Depttl. Compt.
Examination
3 Clerks Grade (For Group D
Staff only) Examination
BANKING
IBPS PO & Clerk
Candidates aspiring for a Probationary
Officer (PO) and Clerk in any Indian
Public Sector banks have to go
through the compulsory IBPS exams.
Recruitment under the IBPS includes
a three-tier process consisting of a
Preliminary exam of 100 marks of 60
minutes duration, followed by a mains
exam of 200 marks with duration
of 120 minutes for the shortlisted
candidates and finally the third tier
is an Interview.
Education and Career
Career options after choosing
SSC or its branches
Ever since its inception in
November 1975, the Staff Selection
Commission recruits Indians to
Group B governmental posts, Group
C technical posts, and more. SSC
has announced the prospective
job vacancies open for suitable
candidates in 2015. Indian citizens
have the option to apply for 62,390
job vacancies across governmental
organizations like:
x Assistants, in CSS, AFHQ, MEA
etc, Inspectors in Central Excise/
Preventive Officer/Income Tax,
Inspector of Posts, Sub Inspector
in CBI, Divisional Accountants,
Auditors, UDC etc
x Tax Assistant in CBDT and CBEC
x Statistical Investigators (SSS)
Grade IV in Dept. of Statistics
x Junior Engineers (Civil and
Elect) in CPWD/Dept. of Posts,
Military Engineering Service
x Junior Translators of CSOLS
Cadre in DOL
x Section Officer (Commercial Audit )
x Deputy Field Officer (Cabinet
Sect)
x Data Entry Operator (DEO)
x Sub Inspector in CPOs
x Section Officer (Audit)
x Steno Grade C, Steno Grade
D, and LDC
x Section Officer (Accounts)
SBI PO & CLERK
State Bank of India (SBI) accepts
application form through offline or
online for recruitment of Probationary
Officer (PO). Candidates who have
completed their graduation or above
qualification from any recognized
university are eligible to apply.
The selection of the candidates is
done in three phases which include
Preliminary Examination, Main
Examination, and Group Discussion
and Interview.
Education and Career B-505

The SBI Clerks selection is based on sections carries 40 marks, which

an online objective test consisting of makes it a total of 200 marks and
General English, General Awareness, the candidates have to complete the
Quantitative Aptitude, Reasoning test within a span of 2 hours and 15
Ability, and Marketing Aptitude/ minutes.
Computer Knowledge. Each of the
VARIOUS INTERNATIONAL TESTS
SAT GRE GMAT IELTS TOEFL
Reason Used by most Used as Required for An Required for
to take U.S. colleges a judging admissions international testing the
the test to determine parameter in graduate test of English language
whether by most U.S. management English proficiency
students colleges to programs of language of non-native
should be determine most business Proficiency English speakers
accepted into admissions schools. for non- wishing to enrol
the institutions to masters native in American
undergraduate and doctoral English universities.
programs. degree language
programs. speakers
for higher
education
and
immigration.
Structure The SAT The GRE The GMAT The IELTS Has internet
of the consists of a consists of consists of test has four based test and
test 70 minutes Analytical analytical sections paper based test.
Critical Reading Writing writing Listening (30 The internet
section (one section assessment minutes plus based test has
20-min section (1 hour), (30 min), 10 minutes reading (60100
and two 25- Verbal integrated transfer min), listening
min sections); Reasoning reasoning (30 time), (6090 min),
a 70 minutes section (20 min for 12 Reading (60 speaking (20 min)
Math section questions in questions), the minutes), and writing (50
(one 20-min 30 minutes) quantitative Writing (60 min). And the
section and and 2 section (75 minutes) and paper based test
two 25-min sections of min for 37 Speaking Listening (30 40
sections) and Quantitative questions), (1114 min), Structure
a 60 minutes Reasoning and the verbal minutes) and Written
Writing section (20 section (75 Expression (25
(one 25-min questions in min for 41 min), Reading
essay, one 35 minutes) questions) Comprehension
25-min section, (55 min) and
and one 10- Writing (30 min).
min section)
Format It is a The test is a The GMAT is The test The TOEFL
paper-based Computer- a computer- involves 2 is either
standardized based or based modules Internet-based
test. paper-based standardized of the or paper-based
standardized test. IELTS: the standardized test.
test. Academic
Module and
the General
Training
Module.
B-506 Education and Career

Scoring 200800 Analytical The total score The test is The iBT test
(in 10-point writing ranges from scored on a is scored on a
increments) on scored from 200 to 800 nine-band scale of 0 to 120
each of three 0.0 to 6.0 and Scores scale, with points whereas
sections (total (in 0.5 point are given in each band the PBT score
6002400). increments), increments equivalent to ranges between
Essay scored Verbal of 10. a specified 310 and 677 and
on scale reasoning competence is based Listening
of 012, and in English. (3168), Structure
in 1-point Quantitative (3168), and
increments. reasoning Reading (3167).
marked on
the scale of
130 to 170
(in 1 point
increments)
each.
Test 3 hours and 45 Around 3 3.5 hours 2 hours, 45 Internet-based
duration minutes hours and 45 minutes test: 3 hours 10
minutes minutes to 4
hours 20 minutes
Paper-based
test: 2 hours 20
minutes to 2
hours 30 minutes.
Validity 5 years 5 years 5 years 2 years 2 years

TOP TEN UNIVERSITIES IN THE WORLD

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) USA
2. University of Cambridge UK
3. Imperial College London UK
4. Harvard University USA
5. University of Oxford UK
6. UGL (University College London) UK
7. Stanford University USA
8. California Institute of Technology (Caltech) USA
9. Princeton University USA
10. Yale University USA
CAREER OPTIONS
Management
MBA, Brand management, Hotel Management, Corporate communication, customer
relationship management, Disaster Management, Event Management, Finanace
management, Hospital management, HR, Foreign trade, Investment management,
Library mangement, Logistics management, Museology - Museium management,
Purchase management, Quality Assurance management, Real estate management,
Retail management, Rheumatology, Rural management, Scurities analyst, Sports
management, Telemarketing
Education and Career B-507

Medical
MBBS, BDS, BAMS, Anesthesiology, Aromatherapy, Ayurveda, Cardiology, Clinical
research, Dermatology, Epidemiology, Gastroentology, Gynecology, Hydro therapy,
Magnetic therapy, Medical transcription, Music therapy, Naturopathy, Nephrology,
Neurology, Nursing, Nutrition and Dietics, Occupational therapy, Optometry,
Osteopathy, ENT, Pediatrics, Physiotherapy, Psychiatry, Psychology, Radiography,
Reflexology, Veterinary science
Other Science Courses
BSc, BSc - Bio technology, BSc - Micro biology, BSc- Criminology, BSc- Genetics,
BSc. - Nursing, BSc. - Information technology, Agriculture Sciense, Anthropology,
Archaelogy, Astronomy, Biochemistry, Bioinformatics, Biophysics, Biotechnology,
Botany, cartography, criminology, Entomology, Environmental science, Fishery
science, Floriculture, Forestry/ wildlife, Fragrance chemists/perfumers, Geophysics,
Gerontology, Home science, Horticulture, Marine biology, Microbiology,
Oceanography, Poleontology (study of fossils), Photonics, Political science,
Sericulture, Speech pathology and audilogy, Toxicology, Cosmetology, Behavioural
science
Engineering
Aeronautical Engineering, Agriculture Engineering, Animation, Automobile
Engeenering, Biomedical engineering, Broadcast Engineering, Architecture,
Chemical, Civil, Cloud computing, CAD, Computer, Computer system analyst, Dairy
technology, Electrical, Electronics, Environmental engineering, Ethical hacking, Fire
engineering, Food technololgy, Footwear technology, Gaming industry, Gemology,
Genetic engineering, Graphic Designing, Industrial Engineering, Instrumentation
Engineering, Leather Technology, Marine engineering, Mechanical engineering,
Mechatronics engineering, Medical laboratory technology, Mining engineering,
Nanotechnology, Nuclear engineering, Ocean engineering, Paint technology,
Petroleum engineering, Pharmaceutical technology / engineering, Polymer/
plastic engineering, Robotics engineering, Rotoscoping, Strutural engineering,
Surgical technology, Telecommunication engineering, Textile technology, Thermal
engineering, Transportation engineering, VLSI/chip designing, Web designing
Accountancy/Economics
Agriculture Economics, Auditing, Issurance, CS, Banking, CA
Sports
Adventure Sports, Fitness trainer, Coach
Arts
Dance, Music, DJ, Fashion choregraphy, Interior desigining, Jewellery designing,
Makeup artist, Photography, Photojournalism, Radio jockey, Video jockey
Food/ Catering
Chef, Chocolatier, Food critic, Oenology,
Education and training
Corporate training, Counselling, Creative writing, Foreign language, Lexicography
Other Professions
Adventure Tourism, Mass Communication, Advertising, Air Hostess, Fashion
Designing, Anchoring, Modelling, Cinematography, Film making, Commercial pilot,
Detectives/private investigators, Merchant navy
Defence
Chief of Army Staff, Flying Branch, Technical Branch, Ground duty branch, Pilot,
Air traffic Controller, Logistic Cadre, Adjutant General, Quarter Master General,
Master General of Ordnance, Military Secretary, Engineer- in-Chief
B-508
MOST SOUGHT-AFTER COURSES
Engineering
Premier institutions: The Indian
Institutes of Technology (IITs),
Birla Institute of Technology &
Science (BITS), Indian Institutes
of Information Technology (IIITs),
National Institutes of Technology
(NIT) and many more.
Major Branches of Engineering:
Mechanical Engineering: The
branch applies the principles of
engineering, physics and material
science for the design, analysis,
manufacturing and maintenance of
mechanical systems.
Eligibility: Aspirants must have
appeared in the 10+2 with Physics,
Chemistry and Mathematics as core
subjects.
Course Duration: 4 years for B.E or
B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering.
Computer Science Engineering:
Computer Science engineering deals
with design, implementation, and
management of information system of
both software & hardware processes.
A computer engineer specializes in
theory of computation and design of
computational systems.
Eligibility: Must have appeared in
the 10+2 with Physics, Chemistry
and Mathematics as core subjects.
Course Duration: 4 years for B.E
or B.Tech in Computer Science
engineering.
Electronics and Communication
Engineering: This branch of
engineering develops everyday devices
such as transistors, integrated circuits
and printed circuit boards (PCBs)
which can be used in computers,
MP3 players, cell phones, television
to name a few.
Eligibility: Must have appeared in
the 10+2 with Physics, Chemistry
and Mathematics as core subjects.
Education and Career
Course Duration: 4 years for B.E
or B. Tech in Electronics and
Communication Engineering.
Electrical Engineering: Electrical
Engineering deals with the study and
application of electricity, electronics,
and electromagnetism. The focus of
the course remains on designing and
testing ICs, inductors, capacitors and
resistors.
Eligibility: Must have appeared in
the 10+2 with Physics, Chemistry
and Mathematics as core subjects.
Course Duration: 4 years for B.E or
B.Tech in Electrical Engineering.
Civil Engineering: The discipline
of Civil Engineering deals with the
various aspects of planning, designing,
construction, maintenance and
modification of physical structure
and naturally built environment.
Eligibility: Should have passed 10+2
from a recognized board with Science-
Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry
with 50 percent.
Course Duration: 4 years for B.E or
B.Tech in Civil Engineering.
Information Technology:
Information Technology is the
study of utilizing computers and
telecommunications in order to
control, gather, store and circulate
information.
Eligibility: Should have passed
10+2 from a recognized board with
Science- Mathematics, Physics and
Chemistry with 50 percent.
Course Duration: 4 years for B.E or
B.Tech in Information Technology.
Aeronautical Engineering: Aeronautical
engineering is the specialized branch of
engineering for the aviation industry.
It involves studying, designing,
construction and science of the airplanes
and other spacecraft.
Education and Career
Eligibility: Should have passed
10+2 from a recognized board with
Science- Mathematics, Physics and
Chemistry with 50 percent.
Course Duration: 4 years for B.Tech
in Aeronautical Engineering.
Architecture Engineering: Architecture
Engineering is the area of study, which
deals with the designing, and planning
of buildings and structures and the
spaces between them.
Eligibility: Should have passed
10+2 from a recognized board with
Science- Mathematics, Physics and
Chemistry with 50 percent.
Course Duration: 5-year Bachelor of
Architecture degree programme.
Chemical Engineering: Chemical
Engineering is concerned with
the design, construction, and
operation of machines and plants
that perform chemical reactions to
solve practical problems or make
useful products. It deals with the
application of physical science and
life sciences with mathematic, to the
process of converting raw materials
or chemicals into more useful or
valuable forms.
Eligibility: Should have passed
10+2 from a recognized board with
Science- Mathematics, Physics and
Chemistry with 50 percent.
Course Duration: 4 years for B.Tech
in Chemical Engineering.
Medical
Premier institutions: All India
Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS),
Delhi, Armed Forces Medical College
(AFMC), Pune, Christian Medical
College (CMC), Vellore, Maulana
Azad Medical College (MAMC),
Delhi, (JIPMER) Jawaharlal Institute
of Postgraduate Medical Education
& Research, Pondicherry, and many
more.
B-509
Major courses of Medical:
M.B.B.S: MBBS (Bachelor of
Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery)
is the bachelor degree in medical
field for cure & diagnose.
Eligibility: Should have secured
50% marks in physics, chemistry,
biology and English in the 10+2
examinations.
Course Duration: The course
duration is 5 years (4 years of
classroom study followed by a year
of rotating internship)
B.D.S : The BDS (Bachelor of Dental
Surgery) is the only educational and
professional programme of dental
surgery in India.
Eligibility : Candidates should have
passed the 10+2 examination with
Physics, Chemistry, Biology and
English.
Course duration: The BDS is a 5
year (4 years academic education +
1 year mandatory internship) UG
degree programme.
B.H.M.S: BHMS (Bachelor of
Homeopathic Medicine and
Surgery) is an undergraduate degree
programme in medical field. This
degree covers the medical knowledge
of the homeopathic system.
Eligibility: Students should have
passed 10+2 examination with
physics, chemistry and biology.
Course Duration: 5.5 years academic
programme containing the 4 and
1/2 year academic session and one
year internship programme.
B.A.M.S: Bachelor of Ayurvedic
Medicine and Surgery (BAMS)
is an integrated Indian Degree
in the medical field. This degree
programme is conferred to those
students who studied the modern
medicines and traditional Ayurveda.
Eligibility: Should have passed 10+2
examination with physics, chemistry
and biology.
B-510
Course Duration: 5 years and 6 month
degree programme containing the 4
and 1/2 year academic session and
one year internship programme.
B. Pharma: Bachelor of Pharmacy
or B.Pharma is an undergraduate
degree course in Pharmacy. After
the completion of this degree,
the students can practise as a
Pharmacist.
Eligibility: Must have passed
10+2 with Physics, Chemistry,
Mathematics or Biology and must
have scored minimum of 50%
marks.
Course Duration: This duration of
this course is 4 years.
M.D: M.D (Doctor of Medicine)
is awarded to the doctors who are
physicians.
Eligibility: The minimum eligibility
for this course is MBBS.
Course Duration: 3 years
M.S: This degree is awarded to
the doctors who master course in
surgery.
Eligibility: The minimum eligibility
for this course is MBBS.
Course Duration: 3 years
Mass Communication
Premier Institutions : Symbiosis
Institute of Media & Communication
(Pune); Amity School of
Communication (Noida); Delhi
College of Arts & Commerce;
Manipal Institute of Communications;
Department of Media Studies, Christ
University (Bangalore); St. Xaviers
College (Mumbai); Institute of Mass
Communication Media Technology
(Kurukshetra) and many more.
Main Branches of Mass
Communication
Bachelor of Journalism and
Mass Communication (BJMC):
Bachelors programs in journalism
and mass communication combine
Education and Career
classes in journalism, writing and
communications. Students must
complete both a broad liberal arts
education and rigorous writing
course work.
Eligibility: Pass with 50% aggregate
marks in 10+2 or equivalent (with
English)
Course Duration: 3 years
Master of Journalism and Mass
Communication (MJMC):
It is an academically-oriented degree
that prepares students for doctoral
studies or a career in research.
Eligibility: Graduation.
Course Duration: 2 years
Law
Premier Institutions: National Law
School of India University (Bangalore);
National Academy of Legal Studies
and Research (Hyderabad); National
Law University (Delhi); Faculty Of
Law, BHU; Faculty of Law, Aligarh
Muslim University; University School
of Law & Legal Studies, GGSIPU and
many more.
Major courses of Law:
LLB (Bachelor of Law): It is an
undergraduate law course. The degree
felicitates a student to become a lawyer
or work in a legal department.
Eligibility: Graduate or equivalent
Course of Duration: 3 years
LLM (Masters in Law): The
University Grants Commission
approved one-year LLM courses in
India on 6 September 2012 and the
guideline for the same was notified
in January, 2013.
Eligibility: Should have cleared LL.B./
Five-Year Integrated LL.B./any other
equivalent examination with minimum
55% marks for General/OBC/PWD
categories and minimum 50% marks
for SC/ST categories
Course of Duration: 2 years
Education and Career
Business & Management
Premier Institutions: Christ
University; Symbiosis Centre
for Management Studies; Amity
International Business School; Indian
Institutes of Management (IIMs);
XLRI (Xavier Labour Relations
Institute) Jamshedpur; FMS (Faculty
of Management Studies) Delhi;
JBIMS (Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of
Management Studies) Mumbai.
Major courses of Business &
Management
Bachelor of Business Administration
(BBA) : It is a bachelors degree in
commerce and business administration.
Eligibility: Should have passed 10+2
with at least 50% marks.
Course Duration: 3 years
Master of Business Administration
(MBA): It is a masters degree in
business administration (management).
Eligibility: The minimum eligibility
criterion for admission is at least a
3-year bachelors degree with at least
50 per cent marks or equivalent.
Course Duration: 2 years
The following are the list of some of
the specialization in MBA Courses
in India:
x Finance
x Marketing
x Human Recourse (HR)
x International Business (IB)
x Health Care Management
x Operations
x Banking and Finance
x Sales and Marketing
Hotel Management
Premier Institutions: Institutes of
Hotel Management (IHM), Oberoi
UNIVERSITY GRANTS COMMISSION
The University Grants Commission
(UGC) is a constitutional organization
established in 1956 by an Act of
Parliament. It provides grants to
eligible universities and colleges, and
also advises the Central and State
B-511
Centre of Learning and Development,
Welcomgroup Graduate School of
Hotel Administration (WGSHA)
Manipal, Christ College Bangalore.
Major courses of Hotel Management
Bachelor of Hotel Management
(BHM)
Eligibility: The candidate should
have passed 10+2 stage examination
Course duration: 3 years
Bachelor of Science in Hotel
Management: The program teaches
students the necessary technical,
organizational, and communication
skills needed to manage restaurants,
hotels, and other places where
hospitality is essential to the nature
of the business.
Eligibility: Must have passed Class 10+2
examination with at least 50% marks.
Course Duration: 4 years
TOP TEN EDUCATIONAL
INSTITUTIONS IN INDIA
1. Indian Institute of Technology
Delhi (IITD)
2. Indian Institute of Technology
Bombay (IITB)
3. Indian Institute of Technology
Kanpur (IITK)
4. Indian Institute of Technology,
Madras (IITM)
5. Indian Institute of Technology
Karagpur
6. Indian Institute of Technology
Roorkee (IITR)
7. University of Delhi
8. Indian Institute of Technology
Guwahati (IITG)
9. University of Calcutta
10. University of Mumbai
Governments on the measures which
are necessary for the development of
Higher Education. Its headquarters
is situated in New Delhi and the
other six Regional offices are located
in Bangalore, Bhopal, Guwahati,
B-512 Education and Career

Hyderabad, Kolkata and Pune. Indian government has set a National Institutional
of Ranking Framework under UGC which will rank all educational institutes
by April 2016. Prof. Ved Prakash is the incumbent Chairman of UGC. The
commission along with CSIR conducts NET for appointments of teachers
in colleges and universities. It has made NET qualification mandatory for
teaching at Graduation level and at Post Graduation level since July 2009.
ALL INDIA COUNCIL FOR
TECHNICAL EDUCATION (AICTE)
The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) is the statutory body
and a national-level council for technical education, under Department of
Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development. The council
was established in November 1945 as an advisory body but 1987 was given
statutory status by an Act of Parliament. It is responsible for proper planning
and coordinated development of the technical education and management
education system in India. The AICTE accredits postgraduate and graduate
programs under specific categories at Indian institutions as per its charter.
What is a deemed university?
Deemed university, or Deemed-to-be-University, is a status of autonomy
granted by the Department of Higher Education in the Union Human
Resource Development Ministry, on the advice of the UGC, under Section
3 of UGC Act, 1956. The status allows full autonomy in courses, syllabus,
admissions and fees. The first institute to be granted deemed university
status was Indian Institute of Science which was granted this status on
12th May 1958.

CENTRAL BOARD OF SECONDARY

EDUCATION (C.B.S.E)
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is a Board of Education
for public and private schools which functions under the under supervision
of the Union Government of India. CBSE affiliates Kendriya Vidyalayas,
Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas, private schools and most of the schools
approved by central government of India. It conducts 10th and 12th boards
every year in the month of March. It also conducts AIPMT (All India Pre
Medical Test) for admission to major medical colleges in India. In 2014,
the conduct of the National Eligibility Test for grant of junior research
fellowship and eligibility for assistant professor in institutions of higher
learning was outsourced to CBSE. With the addition of NET in 2014, the
CBSE has become the largest exam conducting body in the world. Vineet
Joshi is the current chairman of the board.

COUNCIL FOR THE INDIAN SCHOOL

CERTIFICATE EXAMINATIONS (CISCE)
Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) is a national
level, private, Board of School education in India which conducts the Indian
Certificate of Secondary Education and the Indian School Certificate
examinations for 10th and 12th standard respectively. The board was established
in 1958.
 ,1)250$7,21
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&20387(56
B-514
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Information technology is playing vital
role in India today and has transformed
Indias image from a slow moving
bureaucratic economy to a land of
innovative entrepreneurs.
The IT sector in India is generating 2.5
million direct employment. India is now
one of the biggest IT capitals of the
modern world. Information technology
in India is an industry consisting of
two major components:
a. IT services
b. Business process outsourcing (BPO).
The IT sector has increased its
contribution to Indias GDP from
1.2% in 1998 to 9.5% in 2015.
According to NASSCOM (The
National Association of Software
and Services Companies) is a trade
association of Indian Information
Technology (IT) and Business Process
Outsourcing (BPO) industry), the sector
aggregated revenues of US$147 billion
in 2015, where export revenue stood at
US$99 billion and domestic at US$48
billion, growing by over 13%.
Indian Government Initiatives
Some of the major initiatives taken
by the government to promote IT and
ITeS sector in India are as follows:
1. The Government of India has launched
the Digital India programme to provide
several government services to the
people using IT and to integrate the
government departments and the
people of India. The adoption of key
technologies across sectors spurred
by the Digital India Initiative
could help boost Indias gross
domestic product (GDP) by US$
550 billion to US$ 1 trillion by 2025,
as per research sources. India and
the United States (US) have agreed
to jointly explore opportunities for
collaboration on implementing
Indias ambitious Rs 1.13 trillion
(US$ 18.22 billion) Digital India
Initiative.
Information Technology & Computers
What is Digital India Programme?
Digital India is an initiative of
Government of India to make the
government services available to
citizens of India electronically. It
is to be done by improving the web
services and internet connectivity
all over India. The programme was
launched on July 1, 2015 by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi. The
core components of the initiative
are to create digital infrastructure,
digital literacy and delivery of
services digitally. DigiLocker is
another feature of the programme
through which Indian citizens will
be able to digitally keep in reserve
their important documents like
passport, mark sheets, certificates
and Election card and Aadhaar
Card. These electronic documents
safe has been introduced to
avoid the hassle of submitting
the documents physically with
government agencies. The other
features of Digital India also include
the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM)
Mobile app that will enable people
and Government organisations
to achieve goals of SBM. eSign
framework is a feature that would
enable nationals to digitally sign
documents only by making use of
Aadhar authentication. E-Hospital
system is yet another important
feature that would enable online
registration, fee payment, fixing
appointments, checking blood
availability and medical reports
for the users. It is a wholesome
package to connect citizens with
many services without having to
avail them physically.
Information Technology & Computers
2. Human Resource Development
Ministry has launched the National
Web Portal for promotion of
National Apprenticeship Scheme
for graduates, diploma holders
and 10+2 pass-outs vocational
certificate holders, with a view
to bridge the gap between the
students and the industry.
3. The Government of Telangana has
begun construction of a technology
incubator in Hyderabaddubbed
T-Hubto make the city as a
technology destination. The state
government is initially investing
` 35 crore (US$ 5.3 million) to set
up a 60,000 sq ft space, labelled
the largest start-up incubator
in the county, at the campus
of International Institute of
Information Technology-Hyderabad
(IIIT-H). Once completed, the
project is proposed to be the worlds
biggest start-up incubator housing
1,000 start-ups.
Supercomputing in India
Indias supercomputer programme was
started in late 1980s. PARAM 8000 is
considered Indias first supercomputer.
It was indigenously built in 1990 by
Centre for Development of Advanced
Computing and was replicated and
installed at ICAD Moscow in 1991
under Russian collaboration.
Supercomputers of India:
x Aaditya: It is used for climate
research and operational forecasting.
It ranks 96th among the worlds
top 500 supercomputers.
x Anupam: Anupam is a series of
supercomputers designed and
developed by Bhabha Atomic
Research Centre (BARC) for their
internal use. It is mainly used for
molecular dynamical simulations,
reactor physics, theoretical
physics, computational chemistry,
computational fluid dynamics, and
finite element analysis. The latest in
the series is Anupam-Aagra clocked
at 150 TFlops.
B-515
x PARAM Yuva II: Unveiled on 8
February, 2013, this supercomputer
was made by Centre for Development
of Advanced Computing and will
be used for research in space,
bioinformatics, weather forecasting,
seismic data analysis, aeronautical
engineering, scientific data
processing and pharmaceutical
development. Educational
institutes like the Indian Institutes
of Technology and National
Institutes of Technology can be
linked to the computer through
the national knowledge network.
This computer is a stepping
stone towards building the future
petaflop-range supercomputers in
India. It ranks 174th among the
worlds top 500 supercomputers.
IT Trends
(a) Internet.org
Social networking services company
Facebook along with Samsung,
Ericsson, MediaTek, Opera Software,
Nokia and Qualcomm have moved
into a partnership which is named as
Internet.org. This coming together of
companies is to attain the objective of
bringing affordable access to selected
services of Internet in countries.
Internet.org was launched in August
20, 2013 by Mark Zukerberg to
improve internet access for people
across the world. In May 2015, it was
announced that Internet.org users
would be able to use third-party apps
soon. The platform would be made
available to all developers to have
their apps on the portal subject to
fulfilling the technical criteria like
websites requiring high-bandwidth
will be excluded, partner services
should be optimized for smart
phones and services should promote
the exploration of broader internet
wherever possible. The first summit
of Internet.org was held in New
Delhi, India on October 9, 2014.
B-516
Internet.org has launched its Free
Basics Android application to offer
free web services to its users.
(b) Net Neutrality
Network Neutrality, Internet Neutrality
or Net neutrality is a term that was
first given by media law professor of
Columbia University, Tim Wu, in
the year 2003. The principle makes
it necessary for the Internet service
providers and governments to treat
all Internet data as same. There will
not be any charges imposed on by
user, application, type of enclosure,
content, website, etc. It is the best way
for all to enjoy the usefulness of internet
without any charges. It is a feature of
net neutrality to allow different websites
to exist side-by-side without affecting
others. At the same time and same
speed, all the websites are accessible
for users. Net neutrality will support
competitive market place by providing
a chance to each firm irrespective of
its size. Net Neutrality has enabled
Google, Facebook and Zomato to
reach various places around the globe.
Until now, India has had no laws to
govern the net neutrality. Although
Telecom Regulatory Authority of
India (TRAI) has released rules
for unified access service license to
encourage net neutrality, they do not
execute them.
Free Basics by facebook is
a free step to connecting one
billion Indians to jobs, education,
and opportunities online, and
ultimately a better future.
(c) Windows 10
Windows 10 is a personal computer
operating system developed by
Microsoft. It has launched new
features to facilitate the users.
Cortana is a feature that acts as
Information Technology & Computers
personal assistant for the user by
aiding in the easy management of
calendar, file finding, chatting, telling
jokes and tracking packages. It gives
a complete personalized experience
to the user. Office app is of two types
for desktop and mobile. The desktop
office app enables the users to enjoy
advanced features of the traditional
programmes. Office mobile app are
deigned to work in both mobiles and
tablets. Microsoft Edge on Windows
10 allows users to surf the web. It
has the feature of Hub that stores
all the stuff the user collects on the
web and when the user signs in with
a Microsoft account, all favourites,
browsing history, current downloads
and reading lists are available across
the Windows 10 devices the user has.
Xbox offers games streaming from
Xbox. Another appealing feature is
Continuum that allows optimization
of the look and behaviour of apps
according to users preferences.
Mobile Trends
(a) 4G
Fourth generation, also called as 4G,
is the succeeding generation of 3G
in mobile telecommunications. It is
an advanced system with advanced
capabilities of telephony, mobile web,
gaming services, high definition TV,
video conferencing, 3D television and
cloud computing. It is faster and has
better features than its successor 3G.
Mobile generations began in 1981
with analogue (1G) moving to digital
transmission (2G) in the year 1992.
Then, in 2001, multi-media supported
3G was introduced. It had peak bite
rate of 200 kb/s. 4G is assumed to
have a five times faster speed than its
predecessor 3G. 4G aims at providing
a download speed of 100MB/s.
Information Technology & Computers
(b) Android M
Android M is the code name of
Android 6.0 Marshmallow, a version
of Android mobile operating system.
It was first unveiled in May 2015 and
officially released in October 2015.
It offers to improve user experience
of Lollipop. The system has a new
Assist API that allows sending a
screenshot of the application to the
assistant application for analysis.
It has an application Google Now on
Tap that allows user to search Google
in one step.
This version of android has a different
application permission model like
applications do not automatically take
permissions in one click at the time
of installation. Users can now grant
or deny individual permissions while
installing an application.
Marshmallow has introduced Doze
and App standby as a new power
Alphabet
Calico
Fights ngo-rolated
disooso
Google Ventures
Calico Funding for bold
Smart home now companlos
products Google
Android Search
Calico: Calico is a research and
development company whose mission
is to harness advanced technologies
to increase our understanding of the
biology that controls lifespan.
Google X: Google X is a semi-secret
research and development facility
created by Google and operated as
a subsidiary of Alphabet. Google
Life Sciences, a former division of
Google X became a direct independent
subsidiary of Alphabet.
B-517
management system. Doze is a brainy
battery manager that identifies when
your mobile is not in use and enters
hibernation to save power. Android
Marshmallow takes about 3-5 per
cent of battery life overnight as
compared to other devices that lose
about 15-25 per cent. App Standby is
yet another feature that identifies and
disables them when found not in use
for a while. It has also a fingerprint
recognition procedure that is necessary
for allowing third-party application
installation.
Alphabet Inc.: At a glance
American search engine company,
founded in 1998 by Sergey Brin and
Larry Page that is a subsidiary of the
holding company Alphabet Inc. More
than 70 per cent of worldwide online
search requests are handled by Google,
placing it at the heart of most Internet
users experience. Its headquarters are
in Mountain View, California.
Fiber
Google X Providing super-fast
internet
Worldng on big
bronkthroughs
Google Capital
Invosts in long-term
toch tronds
YouTube Apps Maps Ads
Project Loon: Project Loon
is a research and development
project. It is developed by Google
X with the mission of providing
Internet access to rural and
remote areas. The project uses
high-altitude balloons placed in
the stratosphere at an altitude of
about 18 km (11 mi) to create an
aerial wireless network with up to
4G-LTE speeds.
B-518
Google Ventures: GV is the venture
capital investment arm of Alphabet
Inc. It provides seed, venture, and
growth stage funding to technology
companies. The firm operates
independently from Google and
makes financially driven investment
decisions. GV seeks to invest in
startup companies in a variety of fields
ranging from Internet, software, and
hardware to life science, healthcare,
artificial intelligence, transportation,
cyber security and agriculture.
Google Capital: It is the late-stage
growth venture capital fund financed
by Google. It was founded in 2013.
It focuses on larger, growth stage
technology companies, and invests
for profit rather than strategically
for Google. Google Capitals
approach includes giving portfolio
companies access to Googles people,
knowledge, and culture to support the
companies growth and offer them
guidance. This includes connecting
them with a roster of advisors.
Nest Labs: A Subsidiary of alphabet
this is a home automation producer of
programmable, self-learning, sensor-
driven, Wi-Fi-enabled thermostats,
smoke detectors, and other security
systems. It introduced the Nest
Learning Thermostat in 2011 as its
first product. The Nest Protect smoke
and carbon monoxide detector was
then introduced in October 2013. Nest
Cam was introduced in June 2015.
Google Apps and Chrome: In
2006, in what many in the industry
considered the opening salvo in a war
with Microsoft, Google introduced
Google Appsapplication software
hosted by Google that runs through
users Web browsers. The first free
programmes included Google Calendar
(a scheduling programme), Google Talk
(an instant messaging programme), and
Google Page Creator (a Web-page-
creation programme). In order to use
these free programmes, users viewed
advertisements and stored their data
Information Technology & Computers
on Googles equipment. This type of
deployment, in which both the data and
the programs are located somewhere
on the Internet, is often called cloud
computing. In 2008 Google released
Chrome, a Web browser with an
advanced JavaScript engine better
suited for running programmes within
the browser.
Android Operating System: Android
is the operating system that powers
more than one billion smart phones
and tablets. Since these devices make
our lives so sweet, each Android version
is named after a dessert. Whether its
getting directions or even slicing virtual
fruit, each Android release makes
something new possible. Googles
entry into the lucrative mobile
operating system market was based on
its acquisition in 2005 of Android Inc.,
which at that time had not released
any products. Two years later Google
announced the founding of the Open
Handset Alliance, a consortium of
dozens of technology and mobile
telephone companies, including Intel
Corporation, Motorola, Inc., NVIDIA
Corporation, Texas Instruments
Incorporated, LG Electronics, Inc.,
Samsung Electronics, Sprint Nextel
Corporation, and T-Mobile (Deutsche
Telekom).
Google Earth: In 2004 Google bought
Keyhole Inc., which was partially
funded by the Central Intelligence
Agencys venture capital arm, In-
Q-Tel. Keyhole had developed an
online mapping service that Google
rebranded in 2005 as Google Earth.
This service let users find detailed
satellite images of most locations on
Earth and also create combinations
(known as mashups) with various
other databases, incorporating details
such as street names, weather patterns,
crime statistics, coffee shop locations,
real-estate prices, and population
densities into maps created by Google
Earth.
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TOP TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS
Biotech & Medical
Breakthroughs
Tissue Engineering: Tissue engineering
is a field that applies the principles
and methods of bioengineering
and life sciences that will restore,
maintain, and improve tissue. Current
approaches of tissue engineering are
undergoing on organ transplantation
on much emphasis on the application
of stem cells.
Gene Editing: Gene editing is a tool
for the CRISPRs (Clustered Regularly
Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats)
which are the segment of prokaryotic
DNA containing short repetitions
of base sequences. Genome editing
techniques were concurrent with other
approaches over the years to manipulate
gene function, including homologous
recombination and RNA interference.
Cancer Spit Test: Forget biopsiesa
device designed by researchers at the
University of California-Los Angeles
detects oral cancer from a single drop
of saliva.
Smart Contact Lens: Contact lenses
developed at the University of
California-Davis contain conductive
wires that continuously monitor
pressure and fluid
flow within the eyes
of at-risk people.
The lenses then
relay information
to a small device
worn by the patient;
the device wirelessly transmits it to a
computer.
Speech Restorer: For people who have
lost the ability to talk, a new phonetic
speech engine from Illinois-based
Ambient Corporation provides
an audible voice. Developed in
collaboration with Texas Instruments,
the Audeo uses electrodes to detect
Technology
neuronal signals travelling from brain
to vocal cords.
Absorbable Heart Stent: The bio-
absorbable version made by Abbott
Laboratories in
Illinois does its job
and disappears.
After six months
the stent begins to
dissolve, and after two years its
completely gone, leaving behind a
healthy artery.
Stem cell treatment: Stem cell has
been used to treat range of diseases,
injuries and other health related
conditions. The widely used stem cell
treatment is the transplantation of
blood stem cells used to treat disease
and immune system.
Nanomedicines: Nanomedicine is one
of the applications of nanotechnology
which is used for diagnosing, treating,
and preventing diseases. Nanomedicine
shoes, the promising use in disease
diagnosis, drug delivery on a targeted
site in the body and molecular imaging.
Nanosensors: Today detection of
biological and chemical species is the
centre of area in the field of health
care. Nanosensors are any biological,
chemical, or surgical sensory points
used to convey information about
nanoparticles to the macroscopic world.
Biosensors: Biosensor is a device for the
detection of biological component with
a physiochemical detector component.
Biosensors can convert the biological
data to electrical signal which can be
later used to detect enzymes, receptors
antibodies and microbial cell.
Artificial brain: Artificial brain is a
collection of interconnected neural net
module which is evolved in a special
electronic hardware downloaded into
PC and interconnected according to
the design of human brain.
Technology
Artificial Intelligence: It is the field
of science in which we study how
computers and computer softwares
can be created that are capable of
intelligent behaviour.
PHYSICS DISCOVERIES
Physicists compressed quantum
data: If todays classical computers
could not compress the information
were constantly sending back and
forth, then your Internet connection
would have been infinitely slower.
The nuclear fusion reaction that
produced more energy than it
used up: Scientists at Lawrence
Livermores National Ignition
Facility (NIF) brought us one step
closer to the cleaner, more economical
power of nuclear fusion by finally
making more energy than they used
to start the fusion reaction. They
compressed a small amount of fuel
enough to induce nuclear fusion and
they extracted more energy from the
fuel than they put in.
CHEMISTRY INVENTIONS
Polythene : In 1933 a method for
making the plastic was discovered
by chemists at, the now defunct
chemical company, ICI. ICI turned
this serendipitous discovery into a
practical method for producing the
common plastic thats almost certainly
within easy reach of you now.
The Haber-Bosch process : In 1910,
German chemists Fritz Haber and Carl
Bosch combined atmospheric nitrogen
SPACE
Artificial gravity: It is the increase or
decrease of apparent gravity (g-force)
by artificial means, particularly in
space as well as on Earth.
Hyper Telescope: Hyper-telescope
B-521
Bio-printing: 3D bio-printing is the
process of creating spatially-controlled
cell patterns, in
which the behaviour
of biological tissues
can be reproduced.
Robot for testing the lifetime of
human-machine interfaces:
Keypads and touchscreens make a
wide range of
different devices
easy and intuitive
to operate. However,
the material is
subject to especially
high loading through constant use and,
at some point, becomes impaired in
its functionality. A robot system
developed by Fraunhofer IPA now
allows device manufacturers to
realistically simulate such loading in
order to determine how durable their
devices are.
and hydrogen into ammonia. This in turn
can be used as crop fertiliser, eventually
filtering up the food chain to us.
Penicillin: Alexander Fleming generally
gets the credit for penicillin when, in
1928, he observed how a mould growing
on his petri dishes suppressed the growth
of nearby bacteria. Full-scale production
of penicillin started in 1944 by Margaret
Hutchinson Rousseau who converted it
into a full-scale production plant.
is a set of telescopes, arranged in a
large lens-shape, working together
to resolve astronomical images at
much higher angular resolutions than
possible with each telescope alone.
B-522
Geo-stationary satellite: A geostationary
satellite is an earth-orbiting satellite,
placed at an altitude
of approximately
35,800 kms (22,300
miles) directly over
the equator, that
revolves in the same direction the earth
rotates (west to east).
Polar Orbit: It is an orbit in which a
satellite passes above or nearly above
both poles of the body being orbited
(usually a planet such as the Earth,
but possibly another body such as the
Sun) on each revolution.
Space shuttle : The primary vehicle
for research and exploration is the
space shuttle. The space shuttle takes
off like a rocket, orbits the earth like a
spacecraft and lands, like an aeroplane.
It consists of an orbiter, an external
tank and two solid rocket boosters.
Artificial Satellites : An artificial
satellite is a manufactured moon. It
circles the earth in space along a path
called an orbit. An artificial satellite
may be designed in almost any space.
It does not have to be streamlined,
because there is little or no air where it
travels in space. Artificial satellite may be
classified according to the jobs they do
as : weather satellites, communications
satellites, navigation satellites, scientific
satellites and military satellites.
Space Probes : Space probes are used
to explore space at various distances
from the earth. Four main kinds of
probes are :
(i) Sounding rockets : It carry
instruments into the upper
atmosphere and into space near
the earth.
(ii) Lunar Spacecraft : It explores
the moon to prepare the way for
astronauts to land there.
(iii) Interplanetary Probes : It explore
space between the planets. They do
not reach a specific body in space.
Technology
(iv) Planetary Probes : It travel in
orbits around the sun. They may
fly past the target planet, go into
orbit around it, or land.
Orbits : Selecting the orbit is one of
the first steps in planning the launch
of an earth - orbiting spacecraft. Early
manned space craft usually orbited
less than 320 Kilometres high. In this
way, they avoided the radiation in the
Van Allen-belts. A communication
satellite may orbit at a much greater
distance in order to serve many
ground stations.
Remote Sensing : The term remote
sensing refers to the process of
sensing, identifying and delineating
various objects on ground from a
distance without coming into direct
physical contact with them. ISRO and
the Indian Council of Agricultural
Research conducted during 1974-
75 a joint experiment called the
Agricultural Resources Inventory and
Survey Experiment (ARISE). Indian
experimental satellites, Bhaskara I
and II carried out remote sensing
for land cover mapping, geology
and vegetation cover of the country.
Today, India has the largest group of
remote sensing satellites providing
services at both the national and
global levels.
Launch Vehicle Technology :
x SLV : The indigenous capability for
the development of satellite launch
vehicle (SLV), was demonstrated
through the first successful launch
of SLV-3 in July 1980, carrying
the 40-kilogram Rohini satellite.
x ASLV : The Augumented Satellite
Launch Vehicle (ASLV), basically
derived from SLV-3, was originally
meant for putting 150 Kilogram
class technological/ scientific
payloads into near-circular orbit.
Technology
x PSLV : The PSLV,
the countrys first
operational launch
vehicle, is a four-
stage rocket. The
first stage is a solid
propellant, the
second stage is
based on the liquid
engine technology,
the third stage is a solid propellant
motor and the fourth, a liquid
propellant stage.
x GSLV : On March 28, 2001,
the ISROs efforts to launch the
geosynchronous satellite launch
vehicle ended in failure. On April
18, ISRO managed to prepare
the GSLV again and launch it
successfully from Sriharikota. The
DEFENCE
Ballistic Missiles: Ballistic Missiles
are generally used to combat land
attacks. These missiles follow a
trajectory path with an objective of
delivering one or more warheads to
a predetermined target. Long range
intercontinental ballistic missiles
(ICBM) are launched at a steep,
sub-orbital flight trajectory and
spend most of their flight out of the
atmosphere. Shorter range ballistic
missiles are restricted only within
Earths Atmosphere. Prithvi missile
series and Agni missile series are the
example of Indian ballistic missiles.
Cruise Missiles : Cruise Missiles are
low flying missiles, which are
programmed to target by an on
INFRASTRUCTURE
Construction robotics startup
develops revamping building process:
Construction robotics startup Asmbld,
based in Brooklynis working on a
B-523
GSLV was commissioned after its
successful second flight in 2003.
Cryogenic Engine : The cryogenic
engine is crucial to the development of
GSLV. Cryogenics refers to technology
of sub-zero temperatures, and cryogenic
engines use liquid oxygen as the oxidiser
and liquid hydrogen as the fuel. India
was to acquire the cryogenic engine
and technology from the Russian space
agency, Glavkosmos.
The advantage of the cryogenic engine
is that it would develop one-and-a-
half times the thrust of conventional
liquid rocket engines using fuel
storable at room temperature. It
is a high risk high technology and
would help bridge the gap between
the number of satellite being made
by India and the vehicles needed for
their launch.
board computer. These missiles are
used for long distance warheads
with high accuracy. These are self-
corrected avionic missiles with high
tech aeronautics using transistor and
computer technology. BrahMos and
Nirbhay missiles of Indian origin are
under this category.
Submarine-launched ballistic missiles:
are the type of ballistic missiles which
can be launched form submarine. They
can efficiently strike multiple targets
at time using multiple independently
targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV). The
Indian origin SLBMs, K-15 (aka B0-5)
and K-4 are the examples.
robotics system that can reconfigure a
room in minutesand is called like 3-D
printing upside down. The Project
Dom Indoors process involves tiny
B-524
robots living inside cubes created from
5-inch tiles and aluminium studs that
make up the floor of a room. Those
cubes can rise out of the floor to create
walls, surfaces and tables, and then
slide back into their original position
in the floor.
Self-driving crash trucks at roadside
work zones: A Coopersburg, PA,
equipment company launched a self-
driving truck which can be used by
highway construction crews in Florida.
The driverless vehicles will serve as
construction-site crash trucks
the barrier-surrounded vehicles that
lead the roving construction crews that
paint highway lines, inspect bridges
and pave roads.
TELECOM
LiFi delivers speeds 100x faster than
WiFi : A super-fast alternative to WiFi
known as LiFi has moved beyond the
research lab and into a real-world test
after Estonian startup Velmenni has
begun to offer the technology in a
commercial setting. Velmenni is using
LiFi to send data at up to 1Gbps more
than 100x using light bulbs.
Small chip solves rural coverage
issues: A small chip designed by
Saankhya Labs in Bengaluru could be
a feasible solution in the short-term
of connecting people in remote areas
to the rest of the world. The chip,
called Pruthvi, beams an internet
connection to households which can
receive a TV signal but are unable
to benefit from a fixed broadband
infrastructure. Pruthvi harnesses
unused TV spectrum known as
White Space to bring more people
online than ever before.
Agriculture
Data preserved in soil: For traditional
farming models, the primary
determinantsare the availability and
suitability of land. However, any idea
of future potential must be built on
Technology
Parking lot drinks 1,000 gallons
of water in 1 minute: To prevent
devastating damage caused by
stormwater runoff, a parking lot
paved with a product called Topmix
Permeable absorbs more than 1,000
gallons of water in a minute.
Robot replaces construction crews:
A Japanese construction equipment
maker proposed replacing crews with
robots as a solution to the labour
shortage. Komatsu also introduced a
team of driverless, robotic excavation
vehicles that are guided by drones,
which create a real-time 3-D map of
the area to track the work site.
current data, with what data there is then
mapped to tell the story of a region. This
story is effectively written in the dirt,
the soil. The Africa Soil Information
Service (ASIS) is developing continent-
wide digital soil maps for sub-Saharan
Africa using new analysis, statistics, field
trials and crowdsourcing.
Greens fed on rainbow waste:
Hydroponicsis a growing method
based on use of mineral-enriched
water, whereas aquaponics takes
matters a step further, bringing
together fish and plant farming in
one recirculating system.
Genetically Modified Food (GMF):
Genetically modifying a food involves
introducing a gene
into a fruit, vegetable,
or animal from
another organism.
Broad scientific
consensus suggests
that genetically modified foods present
no more danger than conventional food.
GMFshave been commercially available
since the 1990s and are most often
associated with fruits and vegetables.
Technology
Education
E-learning: eLearning is learning
or utilizing electronic technologies
to access educational curriculum
outside of a traditional classroom.
m-Learning: m-Learning is one of
the latest developments in e-Learning
which takes advantage of mobile
devices for learning on accessible
portable platforms. It is ideal for
people on the go or for those who
cant access a regular computer.
Virtual classroom: A virtual
classroom is an online learning
environment. The environment can
be web-based and accessed through a
SPORTS
Kinetic Energy Recovery System
(KERS)- Auto Racing: Used in
Formula One racing, this 35-kilogram
car part recovers the kinetic energy that
is present in the waste heat created by
the cars braking process. It takes the
energy used when a car brakes and uses
it later on to boost acceleration.
Computerized Scoring- Bowling: The
difficulty of keeping score manually
can put people off of the game.
Bowling, in particular, can be difficult
for the infrequent alley visitor to score.
However, using a computer eases the
pain of scoring by 100 percent. Having
a computer keeping the score can keep
all your focus on your next ball rather
than adding and multiplying pins.
Above the Net Camera-Hockey: One
of the most game-changing devices, a
camera above the net will primarily
be used to see what goals passed the
line, if it beat the clock, etc., just very
basic events. The camera-evidence has
changed the outcome of numerous
games, all for the better.
B-525
portal or software-based and require a
downloadable executable file.
Displays
OLED: An organic light-emitting
diode (OLED) is a light-emitting
diode (LED). They are used to
create digital displays in devices
such as television screens, computer
monitors, portable systems such
as mobile phones, handheld game
consoles and PDAs.
3-d display: A stereo display also
known as3D display is a display
device capable of conveying depth
perception to the viewer by means
of stereopsis for binocular vision.
The Headset-Football: The headset
is the best technology football has
to offer.Coaches up in the press box
can see aerial views of the game,
and with the headset they can relay
information to the head honcho who
may not be able to get that look at
ground-level.
Heart Monitor-Training : Heart
monitors help out the average joggers
as well as the elite athletes. These
devices can be used to alert athletes of
dehydration and malnutrition. This is
a simple wrist or strap-on mechanism
that can warn people of an unsafe
workout.
Advancements in protective gear :
With bigger hits than ever on the field,
athletes want to be more protected.
Rob Vito guarantees that players
wont get hurt on game day. Another
company, evoSHIELD, creates gear
for all 32 NFL teams. The technology
is dubbed a second skin and doesnt
add a ton of bulk.
B-526
TRANSPORT
Maglev Trains : The maglev train
has no wheels. So, these locomotives
levitate. The tracks they run on are
magnetized. The trains use the force
this creates to propel themselves
upward and forward at high speeds.
Running these engines requires
the consumption of only a small
amount of fuel. Thus, in addition
to being faster than traditional style
locomotives, these ones are more eco-
friendly and less costly to operate.
Electric Cars : The electric car is a good
solution to the
transportation crisis at
hand. These automobiles
are just plugged in to the
PRINTING
3D Printing : Printing is no longer
limited to flat sheets of paper. 3D
printing or additive manufacturing is
a process of making 3-dimensional
solid objects from a digital file.
The creation of a 3D printed
object is carried out using additive
processes. In an additive process
an object is created by laying down
successive layers of material until
the entire object is made. Each of
these layers can be seen as a thinly
sliced horizontal cross-section of the
eventual object.
Hybrid Printing: Hybrid printing is
where a mix of printing technologies
are used on a press or finishing system
to allow for adding variable data to
offset or flexo printed content.
Print-on-demand : It is a book
distribution method made possible
by, and inseparable from, digital
printing. It prints books only in
response to orders, and only prints
the exact amount ordered. With the
capabilities of digital printing, print
on demand is capable of filling an
order for one book economically.
Technology
appropriate outlet and then they are on
the road. The cars do almost no harm
to the environment and are also
economical. One study published by
IDC Energy Insights stated that by the
end of 2015 there will be three million
cars on the road.
Driverless Cars: A large and
complex camera is mounted to the
roof of driverless cars which is used
to navigate the road. These cars are
safer, if the technology is right, to ride
in as a precisely calibrated robot is
at the wheel. The automobiles also
allow people to work or relax during
a trip, as they eliminate the need to
focus on the road. However, they are
bad for the environment.
IT & Communication:
4G:4G (fourth generation) is
the fourth generation of mobile
telecommunications technology,
succeeding 3G. It is an IP-based and
packet-switched evolution of 3G
technologies like WCDMA, HSDPA,
CDMA2000 and EVDO that uses
voice communications.
5G:5G (5th generation mobile
networks or 5th generation wireless
systems) denotes the next major
phase of mobile telecommunications
standards beyond the current4G/
IMT-Advanced standards.
Voice Recognition: It is the field of
computational linguistics to develop
methodologies and technologies
that enable the recognition and
translation of spoken language into
text by computers and computerized
devices such as Smart Technologies
and robotics.
Cloud Technology : Cloud technology
or cloud computing is the practice of
storing, processing and managing data
Technology
in remote server connected
through internet rather than
a local server or personal
computers. Cloud Computing
benefits the user in no of ways
like, companies can scale up
their computing needs with
increasing demand of their
product and service in the
market and then scale down
again as demands decrease.
The users only need to pay
the amount for the services
they will use rather than paying for
the whole infrastructure unnecessarily.
The the wider acceptance of cloud
technology is due to the reason that it
can provide multi-level services, such
as private, public and hybrid i.e. from
local to global host.
The leaders of cloud service provider
are Amazon Web Services (AWS),
Microsoft Azure, IBM/SoftLayer and
Google Compute Engine. Keeping in
view the type and extent of services,
there are three basic models of cloud
computing, infrastructure as a service
BUSINESS
Dimensional marketing: Marketing
has evolved significantly in the last
half-decade. The evolution of digitally-
connected customers lies at the core,
reflecting the dramatic change in
the dynamic between relationships
and transactions. This modern era
for marketing is likely to bring new
challenges in the dimensions of
customer engagement, connectivity,
data and insight.
Amplified intelligence: Amplified
intelligence is focused on deploying
tools at points when a business really
needs it for effective decision-making.
Natural language processing techniques
(allowing conversational interaction
with a complex system), visualisation
tools (letting individuals explore data
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(IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS)
and software as service (SaaS). In a
recent study it has been declared that
as a result of increasing demand and
wider acceptance of cloud services, it
will touch the market of 250 billion
dollar in 2017.
Ambient computing: Ambient
computing is the backdrop of sensors,
devices, intelligence and agents that
can put the concept to work. For
example, getting a vending machine
to book an order replenishment from
the supply chain, through embedded
sensors tracking stock levels.
on their own terms and find new
patterns of discoveries), or advanced
analytics mobile solutions (such as
those embedded inside smartphones
or tablets) are the examples.
CRM (customer relationship
management): CRM software is a
category of enterprise software that
covers a broad set of applications and
software designed to help businesses
manage customer data and customer
interaction, access business information,
automate sales, marketing and customer
support. It also manages employee,
vendor and partner relationships.
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) :
Enterprise resource planning (ERP)
is the business process management
software that allows an organization to
B-528
use a system of integrated applications
to manage the business and automate
many back office functions related
to technology, services and human
BANKING
Satellite Banking : Satellite banking is
an upcoming technological innovation
in the Indian banking industry, which is
expected to help in solving the problem
of weak terrestrial communication
links in many parts of the country.
The use of satellites for establishing
connectivity between branches will
help banks to reach remote areas in
a better way, and offer better facilities,
particularly in relation to electronic
funds transfers.
Introduction of Biometrics: A
number of banks have started the
process of setting up ATMs enabled
with biometric technology to tap the
potential of rural markets. People in
such areas do not adopt technology
as fast as the urban centres due to the
large scale illiteracy. Development
of biometric technology has made
the use of self service channels like
ATMs viable with respect to the
illiterate population.
Electronic Funds Transfer Systems:
The beginning of the electronic funds
transfer mechanisms began with the
FILM PRODUCTION
Virtual reality: Virtual reality (VR),
is a technology that offers new and
exciting ways to consume information
and entertainment. As a non-linear
medium, VR brings a very different
viewing experience to the table.
VR offers exciting possibilities: as a
dynamic new storytelling medium;
as a rich narrative device within
conventional film; and as a practical,
time-saving preproduction tool.
Technology
resources. ERP software integrates
all facets of an operation, including
product planning, development,
manufacturing, sales and marketing.
Electronic Funds
Transfer (EFT)
System. The
EFT System was
operationalized
in 1995 covering
15 centres where the Reserve Bank
managed the clearing houses.
A new variant of the EFT called
the National EFT (NEFT) was
started (November 2005) to broad
base the facilities of EFT. This was
a nation-wide retail electronic funds
transfer mechanism between the
networked branches of banks. While
RTGS is a real time gross settlement
funds transfer product, NEFT is a
deferred net settlement funds transfer
product.
RTGS: The other payment and
settlement systems deployed were
mostly aimed at small value repetitive
transactions, largely for the retail
transactions. The introduction of
RTGS in 2004 was instrumental in
the development of infrastructure
for Systemically Important Payment
Systems (SIPS).
Depth Sensors : Developed as a
CGI-video hybrid, the software
repurposes the depth-sensing camera
from the Microsoft Kinect to capture
and visualise the world as wireframe
forms.By syncing the Depth Kit to the
camera with which shooting is done,
a 3D CGI sculpture for every frame
of the film is captured, essentially
producing a file of 3D animation
that perfectly lined up to the films
characters and action.
 (1*/,6+
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B-530
ENGLISH LANUAGE
Grammar is the set of rules that
explain how words are used in
a language. In the world, every
language has its rules, regulations
and principles.These rules are called
the Grammar of the language.
Similarly is the case with English
Language.
NOUN
The first and the foremost important
constituent is the Noun. A noun
is a word used as the name of a
Person, Place or thing: e.g. boy,
girl, Delhi, India, table, chair, lion,
deer etc. There are four types of
main nouns: (1) Common Noun,
(2) Proper Noun (3) Collective
Nounand (4) Abstract Noun.
Common Noun: A common noun is
the word used for a class of person,
place or thing.e.g. boy, king, birds,
ball, garden, road, bat etc. For
example: A boy plays football.In the
sentence: the boy and football
are common nouns.
Examples: Common Nouns in
the following sentences have been
identified.
i. The girls are dancing.
ii. The lion is in the jungle.
iii. The crow is sitting on a tree.
Proper Noun: A Proper Noun is
the name of some particular person
or place.e.g. Ram, Delhi, Himalya,
Taj Mahal etc. Examples:Ramesh
plays football.Suresh is going to
Delhi. In these sentences Ramesh,
Suresh and Delhi are proper nouns,
as they are the proper and particular
names of the persons i.e. Ramesh
and Suresh and a particular place
named Delhi. It should be noted
that Proper Nouns should always be
written with a Capital letter at the
beginning.
Examples: - Proper Nouns in the
following sentences have been
English Language
identified.
i. Delhi is the capital of India.
ii. Kapil is a good cricket player.
ii. C.V. Raman was a great
scientist.
Collective Noun:- A Collective
Noun is the name of a number of
(or collection) persons or things,
taken together and spoken of as
one whole e.g. a crowd of People,
a team of Players, a flock of sheep,
a school of children, an army of
soldiers, a herd of cattle etc.
In these sentences crowd, team,
school, army, flock, herd are
collective nouns.
Examples:- Collective Nouns in
the following sentences have been
identified.
i) A crowd had surrounded the thief.
ii) The Indian cricket team has not
yet arrived.
iii) The shepherd is coming with his
flock of sheep.
Abstract Noun: An Abstract Noun
is the name of a quality, action or
feelings of a person or an animal.
e.g. Ram is very kind. The night is
dark. John is an honest man.
In these sentences kind, dark and
honest are Abstract Noun as they
show the quality, action and feelings
of a person.
Examples:- Abstract Nouns in
the following sentences have been
identified.
i. Indian soldiers are brave.
ii. Laughter is a good medicine.
iii. Childhood is the golden period
of ones life.
PRONOUN
A pronoun is a word that takes the
place of or refers to a noun. Thus,
a word which is used instead of a
Noun is called a pronoun. e.g. Ram
is sitting. Ram is reading a book.
In these sentences, it does not look
English Language
good in repeating the name Ram; so,
to avoid the repetition of the Noun
Ram, we use the Pronoun He.
Thus, the sentence would become:
Ram is sitting and he is reading
a book. Here he refers to the Noun
Ram, which it has replaced.
Examples: Pronouns in
following sentences have been
identified.
i) John is running as he is an athlete.
ii) Sweety is a good girl and she is
also beautiful.
iii) A camel is drinking water, it is
called the ship of the desert.
It must be noted that for a man we
use He, while for a woman, we
use She. On the other hand, for an
animal or a non-living thing, we use
it. e.g. The table is not here, it is in
the other room . The lion is roaring,
it is in the jungle.
There are also relative pronouns
which refer or relate to other Nouns
e.g.
John, who is an athlete, is standing
there
Sita has found the pen which she
had lost.
Here is the book that you lent me.
Here who, which and that are
relative pronouns which are related
to the Nouns: John, Pen, Book
respectively.
ADJECTIVE
An Adjective is a word that is used
to modify or add something to the
meaning of a noun.For example:
Sita is an intelligent girl.
Ashoka was a brave king.
Delhi is a big city.
The Adjectives intelligent, brave and
big tell us what kind of a person or
a thing it is.
Comparison of Adjectives
B-531
When things are compared we
use the Adjectives to compare
them. When only two things are
compared, the comparative degree
of the adjective should be used.
For example:
Ram is wiser than Shyam.
Ashoka is braver than Kapil.
the
Suresh is the taller of the two boys.
When more than two things are
compared, the superlative degree of
the Adjective should be used.
For Example:
Ram is the wisest boy of the class.
Ashoka was the bravest king of his
time.
Suresh is the tallest boy in his cricket
team.
It should be noted that the article
the should be used before the
superlative degree. Thus, we
come to know that there are three
degrees of comparison e.g.Positive,
Comparative and Superlative.
VERB
A verb is usually called adoing verb
when a word tells us about some
action or work done, then it is called
a verb. e.g.
i) Ram plays football.
ii) The lion killed the deer.
iii) The School bell is ringing.
Here in (i) we see that a person
named Ram is playing. In the (ii)
we see that the lion has killed a deer
and in (iii) Anon-living thing bell
is ringing. Thus, the action being
performed i.e. playing, killing or
ringing are all verbs, whether it is
done by a person, animal or a thing.
Examples:- Verbs in the following
sentences have been identified.
The girl cut her hand with a knife.
Mother wrote a letter yesterday.
The Sun rises in the East.
ADVERB
A word that modifies the meaning
of a verb, an adjective, or another
B-532
Adverb is called an Adverb. e.g.The
boy runs quickly.
The girl dance swiftly. The bird is
chirrupingsweetly.
In the above examples, the verbs
runs, dances and chirruping have
been modified and explained by the
adverbs quickly, swiftly and sweetly
respectively.
Adverbs modifying the Adjec-
tives
When a word modifies an adjective,
it is also known as an Adverb. For
Example:The boy runs very fast.
The apples are extremely sweet.She
reads quite clearly.
In the above sentencesthe word
Very defines the adjective fast,
thus it becomes an Adverb.Similarly,
in second sentence and third
sentence the words extremely and
quite defines the Adjective sweet Though he is my friend, yet he hides
and clearly respectively: thus they
are called Adverbs.
PREPOSITIONS
A preposition is a word placed
before a Noun or a pronoun to show
the relation between a person or a
thing. Actually the word preposition
means the position of noun or a
pronoun, and is usually placed
before it.
For example:
The book is on the table.
The cow is in the field.
The cat jumped on the table.
The sentence (i) and (iii) show the
position of the book and the cow
respectively. Some generally used
preposition are in, on, about above,
across, along, among, around,
before, behind, below, within,
without etc.
CONJUNCTION
A conjunction is a word which joins
together sentences and also words.
English Language
For Example:
The man is Poor. The man is honest.
Now if we join these two sentences
with but, then they join together:
The man is Poor, but he is honest.
Similarly in the sentences below:-
Ram sells mangoes and oranges.
You must study hard or you will fail
Sita has failed, but Rita has Passed.
We can see that these sentences have
been joined by the conjunction and,
or and but.
Aconjunction also joins two words
e.g.Two and two make four.Ram
and Shyam are brothers. Sita and
Geeta are neighbours.
Some conjunctions are used in pairs
only e.g.
Either do it or go away.
It is neither required nor is useful.
his secrets from me.
Whether you stay or go away, its
your wish.
We both love and honour our
teacher.
INTERJECTIONS
Interjections are words used to
express strong feeling or sudden
emotion. They are included in
a sentence usually at the start
to express a sentiment such as
surprise, disgust, joy, excitement, or
enthusiasm.
Examples:
Hey! Get off that bike!
Oh, that is a surprise.
Good! Now we can move on.
Introductory expressions such as
yes, no, indeed, and well also fall in
this category.
Examples:
Indeed, this is not the first time he
came late.
Yes, I do intend to go to Delhi.
English Language
Articles
An article is a word used to modify
a noun, which is a person, place,
object, or idea. The articles a or an
and the are called Articles. In fact,
they are demonstrative adjectives
which specify whether the person
or thing is singular or plural, or is
indefinite or a definite. For Example:
I saw a boy playing.
I saw the boys playing.
In the above sentence the boy is
singular, so it takes a singular Article
awhereas in second sentence, the
boys is plural, so it takes the plural
article the.
Examples:
This is a chair.
This is a girl.
This is an apple.
This is an ass.
In the above examples, we can see
that both the articles a and an
denote that all the Nouns chair, girl,
apple and ass are singular. Thus, we
can say that both these articles a
and an are singular. However, we
can also perceive that the article an
is used before a noun which starts
with a vowel - a,e,i,o,u.
For Example:-
I saw an asson the way.
An elephant is the strongest animal.
An Indian lady is respected
everywhere.
In summer, you must take an orange
everyday.
It might rain, so take an umbrella.
It must be noted in the above
examples that the articles an is
used before the words ass elephant
Indian, Orange and umbrella,
which all start with the vowels a, e,
i, o, u. Thus, Now it is clear that we
use the article a before the words
starting with a consonant, and we
use the article an before the words
starting with a vowel.
B-533
However, there is an exception in
using the article an. When begin
with a silent h and the next syllable
is a vowel, then we use an and not
a.
Examples:
The train is an hour late.
Ram is an honest man.
Mahatma Gandhi was an
honourable man.
THE DEFINITE ARTICLE- THE
The definite article the is used
when we refer to some particular
person or thingsuch as:
The boy along with me is my brother.
The dog which was playing with you
is mine.
We are going to the school.
We also use the definite article the
for a person or a thing which we
have already referred to, e.g.
A boy entered the class seriously,
but the boy stated smiling when he
saw me. In this sentence, we see
that an unknown i.g. indefinite boy
entered the class, so we used the
indefinite article a for him, but
when we refer to him the second
time, we use the definite article the
which shows that now the boy has
become a definite and a known
person to us.
We also use the definite articleThe
for some outstandingthings:for
example:
Some outstanding books e.g. The
Gita, The Bible, The koran, Tha
Ramayana, The Guru Granth etc.
Some outstanding mountains and
rivers e.g. The Ganga, The Indus,
The Thames, The Himalayas, the
Alps, The Hindkush, The Nilgiris,
The Satpura Range etc.
Before the names of newspaper,
magazines etc. e.g. The Times of
India, The Hindustan Times, The
Illustrated Weekly, The Economic
Review etc.
B-534
Some important buildings-The
TajMahal, The Red Fort, The
United Nations etc.
Names of Planets -The Sun, The
Moon, The Earth, The Mars, The
Sky etc.
TENSES
There are three tenses in the English
language. They are i) the Present
Tenses (ii) the Past tense (iii) the
future Tense. The tenses of a verb
show the time of an Action or event.
The present tense
Averb in a sentence which refers
to the present time or situation is
calledthe Present Tense. e.g.:
I play football.
Sita dances everyday.
Ram writes a letter.
In all these three sentences, the
work is done in the Present time.
However, the Present Tense has four
different forms, which clarify the
state or the situation of the action.
For example:-
I play football. Simple Present
Tense
I am Playing football
PresentContinuous
I have played football Present
Perfect
I have been Paying football
Present perfect continuous
In sentence (i) the verb playshows
that the action is mentioned and
done at the present time. While
in sentence (ii) the verb playing
shows that the action is still going
on and not complete yet. In sentence
(iii) the verb have Played, shows
that the action has completed and
finished perfectly. Lastly, in sentence
(iv) the verb have been playing
shows that the action is still going on
continuously, and has not completed
yet.
English Language
PAST TENSE
When a verb in a sentence refers to
the past time or situation is called
the Past Tense. e.g.
I Played football.
Sita danced everyday.
Ram wrote a letter.
In all these sentences, the work has
been already done and completed
in the Past. Thus, it is calledthe Past
Tense. Similar to the Present tense,
it also four different forms, which
denote the state or the situation of
the action.
For Examples:-
I played football. Simple Past
I wasplaying football. Past
continuous
I had played football. Past perfect.
I had been playing football. Past
Perfect continuous
In sentence (i) the verb played show
that the action had been done in the
Past. In sentence (ii) the action of
playing had continued in the Past
and was in Process. The sentence (iii)
shows that the action or the work of
playing football has completed fully
and completed perfectly. In the end,
in sentence (iv) the verb had been
playing shows that the action of
playing football was being done and
continuing in the past.
THE FUTURE TENSE
When the verb in a sentence refers to
the future time or situation, then it is
denoted as the future Tense.
Example
I shall play football.
Sita shall/will dance everyday.
Ram shall write a letter.
In all these sentences (i), (ii), and (iii)
we can see that the work has neither
been done nor completed, but has
been said and planned to be done in
future. As in the above two tenses,
this also has those four forms, which
English Language B-535

tell the state and affairs of the work ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE
which is to be done.
Active Voice:
For Example:
I shall play football. Simple When the subject of a verb performs
Future Tense an action the verb is said to be in the
I shall be playing football. Future active voice. The effect of the action
continuous Tense may or may not fall on an object,
I shall have played football. that is, the verb may or may not have
Future Perfect Tense an object.
I shall have been playing football. Passive Voice:
Future Perfect Continuous Tense When the object of a verb appears to
However, from the above sentences perform an action so that the effect
(i) to (iv), it is obvious that the work of that action appears to fall on the
has been planned and proposed to subject the verb is said to be in the
be done in the future, thus, the result passive voice.
of these action are still in the air and
not certain or completed.
ACTIVE AND PASSIVE IN VARIOUS TENSES
Tense Active Passive
Simple Present Once a week, Calvin cleans Once a week, the shed is cleaned
the shed. by Calvin.
Present Right now, Shreya is writing Right now, the letter is being
Continuous the letter. written by Shreya.
Simple Past Samuel repaired the car. The car was repaired by Samuel.
Past Continuous The accountant was helping The customer was being helped
the customer when the thief by the accountant when the thief
came into the store. came into the store.
Present Perfect Many tourists have visited That fort has been visited by many
that fort. tourists.
Present Perfect Deepti has been doing the The work has been being done by
Continuous work since morning. Deepti.
Past Perfect Michelle had repaired many Many cars had been repaired by
cars before she received her Michelle before she received her
mechanics license. mechanics license.
Past Perfect Chef Vikas had been The restaurants fantastic dinners
Continuous preparing the restaurants had been being prepared by Chef
fantastic dinners for two Vikas for two years before he
years before he moved to moved to London.
London.
Simple Future will Someone will finish the The work will be finished by 5:00
work by 5:00 PM. PM.
Simple Future Sarita is going to make a A beautiful dinner is going to be
beautiful dinner tonight. made by Sarita tonight.
Future Continuous At 8:00 PM tonight, Kevin At 8:00 PM tonight, the dishes
will will be washing the dishes. will be being washed by Kevin.
Future Continuous At 8:00 PM tonight, Kevin At 8:00 PM tonight, the dishes
be going to is going to be washing the are going to be being washed by
dishes. Kevin.
Future Perfect will They will have completed The building will have been
the building before the completed before the deadline.
deadline.
B-536 English Language

Future Perfect They are going to have
completed the building
before the deadline.
Future Perfect The famous artist will have
Continuous been painting the mural for
over one year by the time it
is finished.
Future Perfect The famous artist is going
Continuous to have been painting the
mural for over one year by
the time it is finished.
Used to Kunal used to pay the bills.
Would Always My mother would always
make the desserts.
Future in the Past I knew Akriti would finish
Would the work by 5:00 PM.
Future in the Past I thought Swati was going
Was Going to to make a beautiful dinner
tonight.
The building is going to have been
completed before the deadline.
The mural will have been being
painted by the famous artist for
over one year by the time it is
finished.
The mural is going to have been
being painted by the famous artist
for over one year by the time it is
finished.
The bills used to be paid by Kunal.
The desserts would always be
made by my mother.
I knew the work would be finished
by 5:00 PM.
I thought a beautiful dinner was
going to be made by Swati tonight.

DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH Next week The following week

The next week
Direct Speech:
The week after
Direct speech is a sentence that
Yesterday The previous day
reports speech or thought in its
The day before
original form phrased by the original
Last week The previous week
speaker.
The week before
Example: He said, I am going to
Ago Previously before
school.
2 weeks ago 2 weeks previously
Indirect or reported speech: 2 weeks before
Indirect speech is a sentence where Tonight that night
the main idea of a speakers words is Last Saturday The previous Saturday
reported by another person. Usually, The Saturday before
they are summarized or paraphrased Next Saturday The following
and there are no special punctuation Saturday
issues to take into account. The next Saturday
Example: He said that he was going The Saturday after
to school. The Saturday after

RULE CHART FOR CHANGING Tense Change Rules

DIRECT INTO INDIRECT
Simple present Simple Past
Now Then Simple Past Past Perfect
Today That day Present continuous Past Continuous
Here There
Present Perfect Past Perfect
This That
This week that week Can Could
Tomorrow The following day Will Would
The next day
May Might
The day after
English Language B-537

LIST OF SIMILYES Know something be entirely familiar

Gleamed like shining very like the back of with a place or
pearls brightly ones hand route
As green as mold very green sing like a bird to have a beautiful
singing voice
as clear as crystal easy to understand
finding a needle in something
As bold as brass very brave and
the haystack extremely difficult
confident
(or impossible) to
as dead as a quite dead find
doornail
eat like a pig to eat noisily and
deaf as a post having very bad unpleasantly
hearing As harmless as a innocent, meek and
hot as hell extremely warm dove gentle
as crooked as a very dishonest As fragile as a easily destroyed or
witchs hat house of cards spoilt
sharp as a razor very sharp as blue as the completely blue
as sick as a dog very ill deepest ocean
as slippery as an devious and as easy as taking very easy or simple
eel untrustworthy candy from a baby
as fiery as a quickly or easily as fresh as the air very fresh
volcano becoming angry in spring
as solid as a rock to be very strong as ugly as sin very ugly and
as stubborn as a extremely stubborn unpleasant to look
mule at
as clean as a very clean as soft as a very soft
whistle daffodils petals
as white as a ghost extremely pale LIST OF IDIOMS
(when frightened)
A penny for to ask someone what
wise as an owl very wise your thoughts they are thinking
as red as a red-faced, about
beetroot typically through At the drop of without hesitation or
embarrassment
a hat good reason
eat like a horse to eat large
Ball is in your it is someones turn to
amounts of food
court make the decision
drink like a fish drink excessive
amounts of alcohol Beat around the To avoid getting to
bush the point of an issue
have a memory to be very bad at
like a sieve remembering things Best of both a situation wherein
worlds one can enjoy two
sleep like a log to sleep very
soundly different opportunities
have eyes like a miss nothing of Bite off more take on a
hawk what is going on than you can commitment one
around one chew cannot fulfill
to work like a if something or Blessing in an apparent
dream someone does disguise misfortune that
something like a eventually has good
dream results
sleep like a baby a very deep and Burn the read or work late into
restful sleep midnight oil the night
B-538 English Language

Cant judge You cant tell what Barking up the To pursue a mistaken
a book by its something/someone wrong tree line of thought or
cover is really like just by course of action
looking at it
Cry over spilt to be unhappy about
Costs an arm to be very expensive milk what cannot be
and a leg
undone
Curiosity killed Being curious can get
the cat you into trouble Cut corners do something
perfunctorily so as to
Devils to pretend to disagree
save time or money
Advocate with someone
in order to start List of Homophones
an argument or
interesting discussion
1. Aid: to help
Dont put all dont risk everything
your eggs in one on the success of one Aide: an assistant
basket venture 2. Allowed: let someone to do
Every cloud has Every bad situation something.
a silver lining has some good aspect Aloud: out loud
to it 3. Alter: change in character or
Give the benefit a concession that a composition
of the doubt person or fact must be
Altar: The table in a Christian church
regarded as correct or
justified on which the bread and wine are
consecrated in communion services.
Hit the sack go to sleep
4. Bait: Food placed on a hook or in
It takes two to Actions or a net
tango communications need
more than one person Bate: An angry mood
Once in a blue Happening very 5. Bail: temporary release of an
moon rarely accused person awaiting trial
Piece of cake something easily Bale: A large wrapped or bound bundle
achieved of paper, hay, or cotton
See eye to eye to agree about 6. Base: The lowest part or edge of
someone or something
something with Bass: The member of a family of
someone else instruments that is the lowest in pitch
Steal someones win praise for oneself 7. Berth: a fixed bunk on a ship, train,
thunder by pre-empting or other means of transport
someone elses
attempt to impress Birth: give birth to
Your guess is as To say something 8. Bridal: of or concerning a bride or a
good as mine when you do not newly married couple.
know the answer to a Bridle: the headgear used to control a
question horse
Whole nine everything possible or 9. Cereal: a grain used for food
yards available
Serial: consisting of or taking place in
Taste of your Give someone the a series.
own medicine same treatment that
10. Desert: abandon in a way
they have given to
considered disloyal or treacherous.
others
Dessert: the sweet course eaten at the
Miss the boat to miss out end of a meal
Last straw the final difficulty in 11. Discreet: careful and prudent in
a series ones speech or actions
English Language B-539

Discrete: individually separate and Anecdote A short interesting or

distinct amusing story
12. Flour: a powder obtained by Anthology A collection of poems
grinding grain or writings
Flower: The seed-bearing part of a Apiary A place where bees are
kept
plant
Arboreal Those who live in trees
13. Genes: a unit of heredity which is
Ascetic One who avoids
transferred from a parent to offspring
physical pleasures and
Jeans: hard-wearing casual trousers comforts
made of denim or other cotton fabric Astronomy Scientific study of
14. Grate: reduce (food) to small shreds heavenly bodies
by rubbing it on a grater Aviary A place for keeping
Great: intensity considerably above birds
average Backlog It means an
15. Hoard: a stock or store of money or accumulation of
valued objects arrears. Example: I
must clear my heavy
Horde: a large group of people backlog of arrears.
Barbarian An uncivilised person
One Word Substitutions
Beverage A liquid for drinking
Bibliography A list of writings on a
Abdicate Renounce a throne, subject
high office or dignity
Abolish Do away with Biennial Happening once every
two years
Acoustics Science of the
production, Bigamy System of two
transmission, reception marriages
and effect of sound Blue Blood The quality of being a
Acrobat One who performs noble person by birth
gymnastic feats Blueprint The word originated
Actuary One who calculates in the engineering
insurance and annuity industry where it
premium etc. means the final stage of
Adulterate Make impure by the paper design. So it may
addition of inferior mean the final plan or
substance layout. Example: The
Abattoir A building where blueprint of the Five-
animals are killed Year Plan is ready.
for meal (or Bonsai The art of growing
slaughterhouse) a plant in a pot that
Ad hoc Made for a particular is prevented from
purpose reaching its natural size
Aesthete A person with a highly Bookworm One who is too fond
developed sense of of reading and study
beauty
Agoraphobia Fear of open spaces Bottleneck It is a narrow passage,
a place, stage or
Alimony Compensatory condition that checks
allowance given to wife
after divorce progress.
Altruist One who is habitually Boulevard A broad street having
kind to others trees on each side
Alumnus A former student of a Bourgeois Belonging to the
school or college middle class
Anachronism That which appears to Bric-a-brac Small objects kept for
be in the wrong period decoration
B-540 English Language

Bust A piece of sculpture Aborigine from the origin

showing a persons Addenda list of additions
head, shoulders, and (addenda to a book)
upper chest Ad hoc a body elected or
Cabal A small group of appointed for a
people who make definite work. (ad hoc
secret plans for political committee).
action Alma mater a school which one has
Calligraphy The art of beautiful attended
writing by hand A la carte according to the bill of
Canine Of a dog fare (a la carte dishes
are available)
Cannibal One who eats human
Alter ego the other self, intimate
flesh friend, (Kissinger is the
Catch-22 A situation from which alter ego of Nixon)
one is prevented from Amour propre self love
escaping by something Au revoir until we meet again (to
that is part of the say au revoir at parting)
situation itself
Beaumonde the world of fashion
Chalet A wooden house with a
Bonjour Good morning
steeply sloping roof
Bona fide good faith (His bona
Charlatan One who deceives fide in the matter
others by falsely cannot be doubted)
claiming to have a skill Bizarre odd, fantastic
Celibacy One who does not Bon voyage a good voyage or
indulge in carnal journey to you
pleasure Chefd oeuvre masterpiece (Mona
Clock-and- Stories that deal with Lisa is Vincis Chef-d
Dagger adventure and exciting oeuvre)
mystery Corrigenda a list of errors (in a
Clot A half-solid mass or book)
lump formed from a Cul-de-sac a blind alley (The
liquid, especially blood failure of the Policy of
Clubfoot A badly-shaped foot non-alignment in 1962
twisted out of position saw our foreign reach a
from birth cul-de-sac)
Coagulate Change from a liquid Dejure from the law, by law.
into a solid by chemical Dramatis characters of the drama
action personae or play
Cold war Severe political struggle En masse in a body (They took
between countries, leave en masse)
without actual fighting Errata list of errors
Colloquial Suitable for ordinary, Esprit de the animating spirit of
informal, or familiar corps a collective body, as a
regiment
conversation
Ex-officio in virtue of his office
Foreign Words and Phrases Faux pas a false step; slip in
behaviour
The knowledge of foreign words
Impasse a deadlock (Talks
and phrases will help you reading reached an impasse)
comprehension and other types In memoriam in memory
of common questions. So, make Modus manner of working. (of
yourself familiar with the common operandi a gang, group etc.)
foreign words and phrases. Per se by itself
*(1(5$/
$37,78'(
B-542
GENERAL APTITUED TERMS
x An aptitude is natural ability to
do something i.e. for learning
and proficiency in a specific
area or discipline. Aptitude
is expressed in interest and is
reflected in current performance
which is expected to improve
over time with training.
x Reasoning is the set of processes
that enables us to go beyond the
information given
x Logic is a tool to develop
reasonable conclusions based
on a given set of data. Logic is
free of emotion and deals very
specifically with information in
its purest form. For example
1. If K > 10 then K > 2
2. If Tom is philosopher, then
Tom is poor.
Tom is philosopher.
Therefore, Tom is poor.
x Logical reasoning is the process
of using a rational, systematic
series of steps based on sound
mathematical procedures and
given statements to arrive at a
conclusion.
x Aptitude tests are one of
the most commonly used
assessments in measuring
candidates suitability for a role.
Advantage of aptitude tests is
that they may suggests areas in
which you could succeed, even
though you do not have yet any
experience of them. The kind of
ability testing is usually called
aptitude testing. There are 2
types of aptitude tests.
x General aptitude test
x Scholastic aptitude test
(a) General Aptitude Test: These
test are designed to give you
information about types of
intelligence that are relevant
General Aptitude
to different skills. Completing
all of the tests will allow you
to establish different skills.
Completing all of the tests will
allow you to establish your likely
strengths and weaknesses.
(b) Scholastic Aptitude Test: These
tests are designed to give you
information about intelligence
relevant to different subjects.
Completing all the tests will
establish your strengths and
weaknesses in different subjects.
%HQHWVRI$SWLWXGH7HVWV
1. Accurate Prediction: Aptitude
tests are quite accurate in
predicting the potentials for
success. There are further
advantages too in using the
test to help identify the right
candidate for the job, whether it
is a new hire or promotion.
2. Accurate Assessment: These
tests are fairly accurate when
it comes to assessing a persons
strengths and weaknesses.
3. Aptitude tests can afford the
candidate an opportunity to
examine the types of skills the
position calls for. Job applicant
should feel that they will be the
right fit for the position
Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning
Verbal reasoning is understanding and
reasoning using concepts framed in
words. It aims at evaluating, ability
to think constructively rather than
at simple fluency or vocabulary
recognition. This type of reasoning
refers to how well students solve
problems using words.
Non-verbal reasoning refers to
students ability in spatial and abstract
thinking. This type of reasoning also
refers to how well students solve
problems using shapes and figures.
General Aptitude
Types of Verbal Reasoning Tests:
The skill needed to perform well in
verbal reasoning tests can be broken
down into 4 separate categories:
x Comprehension: Your ability to
understand and analyse written
information.
x Critical reasoning: Your ability
to analyse written information
and use it to make correct
conclusion based solely on the
information you find in the text.
x Grammar: Your ability to spell
correctly and know to correct
tenses. Such tests include
sentences completion and same
type of tests.
x Vocabulary: Some tests are
deliberately worded difficulty
and use long complicated routes
to tell you the information. Such
methods include the use of
double negative and other such
forms.
Types of Verbal Reasoning Tests
x Analogy: Analogy refers to
relationship. In this type of tests
a particular relationship is given
and another similar relationship.
has to be identified from the
alternatives provided.
Abstract Reasoning
Abstract reasoning involves the
ability to analyze and understand
non-verbal or visual information to
figure out problems using non-verbal
reasoning.
B-543
x Classification: Classification
means to separate the item which
does not belong to a particular
group of items classified on the
bases of certain qualities.
x Coding-decoding: Code refers
to a system of words, letters
or symbols used to represent
others. Coding is a method of
tranmitting a message between
the sender and the receiver
without knowing anybody else.
While decoding is translation
(data or message) from a code
into the original language or
form.
x Blood-Relations Test: In this, a
round about description is given
in the form of certain small
relationship and we analyse
the whole chin, of relation and
find out the direct relationship
between the persons cencerned.
Non-Verbal Reasoning Tests:
Non-verbal reasoning involves the
ability to understand and analyze
visual information and solve
problems using visual reasoning. For
example: identifying relationship,
similarities and differences between
shapes and patterns, recognizing
visual sequences and relationship
between objects.
Diagrammatic Reasoning
In diagrammatic reasoning tests you
are given a diagram or a flowchart.
In this flowchart, you are given a set
of rules and these rules have to be
applied to a new situation.
B-544
Inductive Reasoning
This is a form of logical reasoning
which involves going from a series of
specific cases to a general statement.
Non-verbal reasoning such as
abstract reasoning is also referred to
as inductive reasoning. Examples
of inductive reasoning are number
sequences and a particular form of
syllogism.
Spatial Reasoning
These type of tests test your ability
to understand a logical series of
patterns but involves your ability to
mentally rotate pictures and three
dimensional shapes in your mind.
What is the difference between
logical and analytical reasoning?
1. In logical thinking, we proceed
through the logical steps 1, 2,
3, ...... In analytical thinking,
we analyze each element of the
situation before proceeding.
2. Logical thinking argues from
specific points to general conclusion
while analytical thinking breaks
complex information into
simpler, identifiable components
to facilitate more careful
examination and testing. For
example a business analyst will
create a description (abstract)
of a business (e.g. by describing
process, departments, products,
by-products, transactions etc.).
Psychological Testing
It is related with psychological tests.
A psychological test is an objective
General Aptitude
and standardized measure of
individuals performance on specific
tasks this individual performance
on specific tasks is usually referred
to simple of behaviour. This sample
of behaviour consists of a paper-
and-pencil tests which are a series
of items.
Types of Psychological Tests-
IQ/Achievement Tests : IQ
tests are designed to measure the
intelligence level and achievement
test measure the use and level of
development of ability. In IQ tests,
a series of tasks is given to a person
being evaluated and the persons
response are graded according o
priscribed guidelines. After the
result is completed, the results can
be compiled and compared to the
responses of a norn group examples
of verbal IQ tests are vocabulary and
information Non-verbal examples
are Puzzle solving and identifying
images in a fixed pattern (Matrix
reasoning).
Attitude tests : These type of tests
are individuals feelings about an
event, person or object. Attitude
scales are used in marketing to
determine and individual or group
preference for brands or items .
These tests use specific type of scale.
Psychometric Testing :
Psychometric testing is related
with evaluation of candidates
performance and includes skills and
knowledge, abilities, personality
traits, attitudes and job/academic
potentials.
 *(1(5$/
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B-546 General Knowledge Quiz

1. Which was the largest site of Indus (b) Raja Ram Mohan Roy
Civilization? (c) Swami Dayanand Saraswati
(a) Mohenjodaro (d) Gopal Krishna Gokhale
(b) Lothal 11. Bannerghatta National Park is
(c) Chanhudaro situated in
(d) Dholavira (a) Meghalaya
2. Which of the following sites is (b) Rajasthan
famous for stupas, monasteries, (c) Madhya Pradesh
temples and pillars? (d) Karnataka
(a) Gooty 12. The zonal soil type of peninsular
(b) Hatta India belongs to
(c) Sanchi (a) red soils
(d) Amarjpura (b) yellow soils
3. Babur established Mughal rule in (c) black soils
India through his victory in 1526, over (d) older alluvium
(a) Rana Sanga 13. The oldest rocks in India are
(b) Sikandar Lodi reported from
(c) Daulat Khan Lodi (a) Dharwar region, Karnataka.
(d) Ibrahim Lodi (b) Aravalli range, Rajasthan.
4. The cavalry of Shivaji was known as (c) Vindhyan range, Madhya
(a) Risala (b) Sir-i-Naubat Pradesh.
(c) Bergir (d) Paga (d) Siwalik range, Punjab.
5. The first jute mill was set up in 14. Which of the following crops is
India in regarded as a plantation crop?
(a) 1920 (b) 1850 (a) Coconut (b) Cotton
(c) 1855 (d) 1755 (c) Sugarcane (d) Rice
6. Who among the following created 15. The most ideal region for the
the Khalsa Panth? cultivation of cotton in India is
(a) Guru Teg Bahadur (a) the Brahmaputra valley
(b) Guru Hargobind (b) the Indo-Gangetic valley
(c) Guru Gobind Singh (c) the Deccan plateau
(d) Guru Arjan Dev (d) the Rann of Kutch
7. Who was the first Governor 16. Albedo effect would be relatively
General of Bengal? higher in
(a) Warren Hastings (a) Early morning and late evening
(b) Robert Clive (b) Early Morning only
(c) William Bentinck (c) Noon
(d) Lord Cornwallis (d) Late evening only
8. Who was the founder of Indian 17. The Aravallis mountain ranges are
National Congress? the example of-
(a) Gopal Krishna Gokhle (a) old fold mountains
(b) Allen Octavian Hume (b) young fold mountains
(c) Feroz Shah Mehta (c) Volcanic mountains
(d) Bipin Chandra Pal (d) block mountains
9. Who is regarded as the Mother 18. The only state in India that
of the Indian Revolution ? produces saffron is-
(a) Devika Rani (a) Assam
(b) Madam Bhikaji Cama (b) Himachal Pradesh
(c) Rani Laxmibai (c) Jammu and Kashmir
(d) Begum Hazrat Mahal (d) Meghalaya
10. Arya Samaj was started by- 19. The Indias highest annual rainfall
(a) Swami Vivekananda is reported at
General Knowledge Quiz
(a) Namchi, Sikkim
(b) Churu, Rajasthan
(c) Mawsynram, Meghalaya
(d) Chamba, Himachal Pradesh
20. The typical area of sal forest in the
Indian peninsular upland occurs
(a) on the western ghats
(b) between the Tapti and the
Narmada
(c) to the north-east of the
Godavari
(d) on the Malwa plateau
21. Who created fictional detective
Feluda?
(a) R.K. Narayan
(b) Satyajit Ray
(c) Mulk Raj Anand
(d) V.S. Naipaul
22. Which mythological weapon is
depicted on the Param Vir Chakra
medal?
(a) Vajra
(b) Khatvanga
(c) Sudarshan Chakra
(d) Kaumodaki
23. Shankars International Dolls
Museum, founded by renowned
cartoonist K. Shankar Pillai
which has the largest collection
of costume dolls in the world, is
located in which city?
(a) Mumbai
(b) New Delhi
(c) Chennai
(d) Kolkata
24. Which gas is the main constituent
of Gobar Gas, the biogas
generated by de-composition of
cow dung?
(a) Butane (b) Propane
(c) Methane (d) Hydrogen
25. Which is the oldest football club
in India?
(a) Mohun Bagan
(b) East Bengal
(c) Mohammedan Sporting
(d) Churchill Brothers
26. What name has been given to the
first Boeing 747/700 jet, inducted
into Indian Air Force, designed
to work as the Indian Presidents
office-in-the-sky?
B-547
(a) Samrat (b) Rajdoot
(c) Maharaja (d) Badshah
27. The novel Q & A, on which
8 Oscar awards winning film
Slumdog Millionaire (2008) is
based, was authored by which
Indian civil servant?
(a) Vikas Swarup
(b) Vikram Seth
(c) Amitav Ghosh
(d) Aravind Adiga
28. Ghatigaon Sanctuary, set up for the
conservation of the Son Chiriya
(great Indian bustard), is located
in which state?
(a) Haryana
(b) Rajasthan
(c) Madhya Pradesh
(d) Karnataka
29. Which Indian state is the largest
producer in the world of the
golden coloured Muga silk ?
(a) Assam
(b) Odisha
(c) West Bengal
(d) Karnataka
30. Under Annapurna Scheme by
Central Government, how much
food grain (wheat or rice) per
month is given free to senior
citizens (65 years or above age),
who though eligible but remained
uncovered under the National Old
Age Pension Scheme (NOAPS)?
(a) 10 Kgs (b) 12 Kgs
(c) 15 Kgs (d) 20 Kgs
31. Which among the following
is manufactured at Avadi
(abbreviation for Armoured
Vehicles and Ammunition Depot
of India) town in Tamil Nadu?
(a) Maruti Cars
(b) HMT Tractors
(c) Tejas Aircrafts
(d) Arjun Tanks
32. Which was the first Indian company
to list on the Nasdaq in 1999?
(a) Wipro
(b) Infosys
(c) Satyam Computers
(d) Tech Mahindra
33. Goal is the autobiography of
B-548 General Knowledge Quiz

which Indian sportsman? (a) Consumer Price Index (CPI)

(a) Wilson Jones (b) Consumer Confidence Index
(b) Dhyan Chand (CCI)
(c) K.D. Singh Babu (c) Wholesale Price Index (WPI)
(d) Chunni Goswami (d) Index of Industrial Production
34. Which state is known as the Spice (IIP)
Garden of India? 41. Directed by Satyajit Ray, the Apu
(a) Kerala Trilogy films - Pather Panchali,
(b) Karnataka Aparajito and Apur Sansar -
(c) Andhra Pradesh were based on the novels of which
(d) Tamil Nadu Bengali writer?
35. In addition to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, (a) Rabindranath Tagore
Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya (b) Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
Pradesh, Telangana and Andhra (c) Sharat Chandra Chatterjee
Pradesh, which is the sixth Indian (d) Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay
state to have both houses i.e. Vidhan 42. In addition to Gujarat, Rajasthan,
Sabha and Vidhan Parishad ? Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,
(a) Tamil Nadu Jharkhand and West Bengal, the
(b) Madhya Pradesh Tropic of Cancer passes through
(c) West Bengal which north eastern states of
(d) Jammu & Kashmir India?
36. Who is the first Indian sportsman (a) Assam and Meghalaya
whose wax statue was inducted at (b) Meghalaya and Manipur
Madame Tussauds Wax Museum
(c) Manipur and Nagaland
in London?
(d) Tripura and Mizoram
(a) Pankaj Advani
43. In 1965, at which port was the Indias
(b) Sachin Tendulkar
first Free Trade Zone established?
(c) Vishwanathan Anand
(a) Kandla (Gujarat)
(d) Abhinav Bindra
37. In which town of Uttar Pradesh (b) Kochi (Kerala)
did Gautam Buddha attain (c) Falta (West Bengal)
Mahaparinirvana (salvation)? (d) Chennai (Tamil Nadu)
(a) Lumbini 44. By what name is the Irish lady
(b) Kushinagar Margaret Elizabeth Noble, a
(c) Nanded disciple of Swami Vivekananda,
(d) Pavapuri better known?
38. Who wrote the patriotic song (a) Meera Ben
`Saare Jahan Se Achcha ? (b) Mother Teresa
(a) Rabindranath Tagore (c) Savitri Khanolkar
(b) Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (d) Sister Nivedita
45. Which among the following is
(c) Muhammad Iqbal
the indigenously developed Light
(d) Kavi Pradeep Combat Aircraft (LCA) of India?
39. In which hill station is the (a) Saras (b) Tejas
Himalayan Mountaineering (c) Kiran (d) Chetak
Institute (HMI) located? 46. Who authored the Gitanjali, an
(a) Darjeeling (b) Srinagar anthology of poems?
(c) Nainital (d) Shimla (a) Sumitranandan Pant
40. In India, the inflation rate (b) Makhanlal Chaturvedi
represents the annual change (in (c) Rabindranath Tagore
percentage) in which index? (d) Maithili Sharan Gupt
General Knowledge Quiz B-549

47. To have legal rights for (d) Hussain Sagar Lake

self-employed women like 54. In which city is the dargah (tomb)
industrial workers, which lady of sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti
activist founded Self-Employed located ?
Womens Association (SEWA)? (a) Mumbai
(a) Aruna Roy (b) Srinagar
(b) Ela Bhatt (c) New Delhi
(c) Medha Patkar (d) Ajmer
(d) Teesta Setalvad 55. Who was the first person to address
48. Kailash Temple at Ellora in the United Nations in Hindi?
Maharahstra, the epitome of Indian (a) Morarji Desai
rock-cut architecture, was built by (b) Atal Behari Vajpayee
the rulers of which dynasty? (c) V.P.Singh
(a) Kadamba (d) P.V. Narasimha Rao
(b) Rashtrakuta 56. Ao, Sema and Konyak are
(c) Chalukya the principal languages of which
(d) Satavahana north-eastern Indian state?
49. Anamudi Peak, located in the
(a) Manipur
Idukki district of Kerala, is the
(b) Meghalaya
highest peak of which Indian
mountain range? (c) Mizoram
(a) Aravali (d) Nagaland
(b) Vindhyas 57. Which princely state was the
(c) Sahyadri (W.Ghats) first to be annexed to the British
(d) Satpura East India Company under the
50. Which Indian state was originally Doctrine of Lapse policy, devised
known as the North East Frontier by Lord Dalhousie?
Agency (NEFA) ? (a) Satara
(a) Manipur (b) Sambalpur
(b) Meghalaya (c) Jhansi
(c) Arunachal Pradesh (d) Awadh
(d) Nagaland 58. Gyandarshan is an educational
51. Which Ramon Magsaysay Award TV channel of which Indian open
winner, popularly known as Water university?
Man, founded an NGO called (a) Nalanda Open University,
Tarun Bharat Sangh near Alwar Patna
in Rajasthan to work on watershed (b) Dr.B.R.Ambedkar Open
projects and rain-water harvesting? University, Hyderabad
(a) Sandeep Pandey (c) Indira Gandhi National Open
(b) Rajendra Singh University, New Delhi
(c) Mahesh Chandra Mehta (d) Netaji Subhas Open
(d) Arvind Kejriwal University, Kolkata
52. What is the minimum age limit to 59. Which one of the following
become the President of India? organisation was launched to
(a) 25 years (b) 30 years help the poor in rural area to make
(c) 35 years (d) 40 years them self employed
53. Which lake separates the (a) DPAP (b) IRDP
Hyderabad, capital of Andhra (c) TRYSIM (d) DDP
Pradesh, from its twin city 60. Who among the following is called
Secunderabad? the guardian of the public purse
(a) Loktak Lake of India?
(b) Chilka Lake (a) Governor of Reserve bank of
(c) Wular Lake India
B-550
(b) Finance Minister of India
(c) Comptroller & Auditor
General of India
(d) Supreme Court of India
61. The National Optic Fibre Network
(NOFN) project is to link the
optical fibre for offering a 100
mbps broadband service to which
among the following levels?
(a) District
(b) Tehsil / Taluka
(c) Gram Panchayat
(d) Block Gram Panchayat
62. Setting up a supreme court in
Calcutta was a part of ?
(a) Regulating Act of 1773
(b) Pitts India Act of 1784
(c) Charter Act of 1793
(d) Charter Act of 1893
63. In which Constitutional Amendment
Act Goa was made a full-fledged
State with a State assembly?
(a) 43rd Constitutional
Amendment Act, 1977
(b) 44th Constitutional
Amendment Act, 1978
(c) 56th Constitutional
Amendment Act, 1987
(d) 57th Constitutional
Amendment Act, 1987
64. How many articles are there in
Constitution of India?
(a) 395 (b) 397
(c) 448 (d) 410
65. Which of the following is not a
constitutional body?
(a) Election Commission
(b) Planning Commission
(c) National Advisory Council
(d) Inter State Council
66. Which article ensures Abolition
of Titles?
(a) Article 16 (b) Article 17
(c) Article 18 (d) Article 19
67 Who was Indias Constitutional
Advisor?
(a) B L Mitter
(b) K M Munshi
(c) B N Rao
(d) A.K.Iyer
68. Which Indian artist decorated
the handwritten Copy of the
Constitution?
General Knowledge Quiz
(a) Mihir Sen
(b) S.N. Banerji
(c) Mukesh Bandhopadhyaya
(d) Nandalal Bose
69. The oath of office is administered
to the Governor by the
(a) Chief Justice of India
(b) President
(c) Chief Justice of high court
(d) Speaker of legislative assembly
70. In which Constitutional Amendment
Act Sikkim was made full-fledged
State of the Union of India?
(a) 21st Constitutional
Amendment Act
(b) 31st Constitutional
Amendment Act, 1973
(c) 35th Constitutional
Amendment Act, 1974
(d) 36th Constitutional
Amendment Act, 1975
71. When Right to Information Act
came into force in India?
(a) 10th October 2005
(b) 11th October 2005
(c) 12th October 2005
(d) 13th October 2005
72. In which Constitutional Amendment
Act, seats of Lok Sabha were
increased from 525 to 545?
(a) 21st Constitutional
Amendment Act, 1967
(b) 24th Constitutional
Amendment Act, 1971
(c) 25th Constitutional
Amendment Act, 1971
(d) 31st Constitutional
Amendment Act, 1973
73. Article 44 is related to?
(a) Uniform civil code for citizens.
(b) Provision of early childhood
care and education to children
below the age of 6 years.
(c) Duty of the state to raise the
level of nutrition.
(d) Organization of agriculture
and animal husbandry.
74. Who among the following is a
famous Santoor player?
(a) Hari Prasad Chaurasia
(b) Ravi Shankar
(c) Zakir Hussain
(d) Shiv Kumar Sharma
General Knowledge Quiz B-551

75. Natya Shastra the main source of (c) Tulsi Das

India classical dances was written by (d) Purandava Das
(a) Bharat Muni 84. Who wrote Poverty and Un-British
(b) Tandu Muni Rule in India?
(c) Narad Muni (a) R.C Datt
(d) Abhinav Gupt (b) Charlies Wood
76. Kalaripayattu is a form of - (c) M.N Roy
(a) Classical Dance (d) Dadabai Navaroji
(b) Folk Dance 85. Who wrote Charaka Samhita?
(c) Martial Art (a) Kautiliya (b) Charaka
(d) Dance Drama (c) Aryabatta (d) Chanakya
77. The words Satyameva Jayate 86. Who is the Sanskrit Scholar in the
inscribed below the base plate of court of Chandragupta II?
the emblem of India are taken (a) Bimbisara
from which scripture. (b) Ariean
(a) Ramayana (c) Amarsimba
(b.) Mundaka Upanishad (d) Bindu Sar
(c) Rigveda 87. Who was the founder of Mourya
(d) Satpath Brahmana dynasty?
78. Where is the largest concentration (a) Karikala
of Stupas in India? (b) Raja Raja
(a) Himachal Pradesh (c) Chandragupta Mourya
(b) Andhra Pradesh (d) Ashok
(c) Madhya Pradesh 88. Which city is known as the
(d) Arunachal Pradesh Pittsburg of India?
79. Who wrote Lehar (Wave)? (a) Jamshedpur
(a) Suryakanth Tripathi (b) Kerala
(b) Jaishankar Prasad (c) New Delhi
(c) Maithili Sharan Gupt (d) Punjab
(d) Yashpal 89. Indias first Defence University is
80. Where is the Brihadeswara or set up in-
Rajarajeshwara temple situated? (a) Haryana
(a) Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu (b) Uttar Pradesh
(b) Murshidabad in West Bengal (c) Punjab
(c) Jamnagar in Gujarat (d) Delhi
(d) Thiruvananthapuram in 90. Pahla kadam , pahli udan
Kerala account is launched by which
81. Which one of these schools of the bank ?
performing arts was founded in (a) SBI
1953? (b) Andhra Bank
(a) Sangeet Natak Academy (c) Bank of Baroda
(b) Margi (d) Canara Bank
(c) Kerala kalamandalam 91. Which one of the following
(d) School of Drama Constitutes limitation upon the
82. Manusmrithi was translated into concept of judicial review in
English by- India?
(a) Macauely
(a) Rule of Law
(b) J.S Mill
(c) William Jones (b) Due Process
(d) Max Muller (c) Procedure established by law
83. Who wrote Gita Govinda? (d) Equal Protection of law
(a.) Jayadeva 92. When, for the first time, did
(b) Tuka Ram the Prime Minister of India
B-552 General Knowledge Quiz

announce the 20-point Economic 96. The committee on Cauvery water

Programme? dispute was known as:
(a) 1973 (b) 1974 (a) P. Sathasivam
(c) 1975 (d) 1976 (b) H. L. Dattu
93. How much a customer will have (c) B.S Chauhan
to pay for using Automated (d) K. G. Balakrishnan
Teller Machines (ATMs) beyond 97. RBI Adjusts Liquidity by which
the permitted numbers of tool?
transactions in Delhi, Mumbai, (a) Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR)
Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata and (b) Statutory Liquidity Ratio
Hyderabad? (SLR)
(a) `50/- (b) `15/- (c) Liquidity Adjustment Facility
(c) `20/- (d) `22/- (LAF)
94. Name the Card launched by (d) Market Stabilisation Scheme
Indian Railways to avoid payment (MSS)
transaction during ticket booking? 98. IFSC Code contains how many
(a) Go India smart Card digits:
(b) Metro Card (a) 5 (b) 11
(c) Smart Citizen Card (c) 14 (d) 17
(d) Adhar Card 99. In NSDL, the letter S stands for
95. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme (a) Scheme (b) Statistics
was launched by which ministry? (c) Security (d) Service
(a) Ministry of Women and Child 100. Which of the following organizations
Development look after the credit needs of
(b) Ministry of Human Resource agriculture and rural development
Development in India
(c) Ministry of Home Affairs (a) FCI (b) IDBI
(d Ministry of Health and (c) NABARD (d) ICAR
Family Welfare
Answer Key
1 (a) 2 (c) 3 (d) 4 (d) 5 (c) 6 (c)
7 (a) 8 (b) 9 (b) 10 (c) 11 (d) 12 (a)
13 (a) 14 (a) 15 (c) 16 (a) 17 (a) 18 (c)
19 (c) 20 (d) 21 (b) 22 (a) 23 (b) 24 (c)
25 (a) 26 (b) 27 (a) 28 (c) 29 (a) 30 (a)
31 (d) 32 (b) 33 (b) 34 (a) 35 (d) 36 (b)
37 (d) 38 (c) 39 (a) 40 (c) 41 (d) 42 (d)
43 (a) 44 (d) 45 (b) 46 (c) 47 (b) 48 (b)
49 (c) 50 (c) 51 (b) 52 (c) 53 (d) 54 (d)
55 (b) 56 (d) 57 (a) 58 (c) 59 (c) 60 (c)
61 (c) 62 (a) 63 (c) 64 (c) 65 (c) 66 (c)
67 (c) 68 (d) 69 (c) 70 (d) 71 (c) 72 (d)
73 (a) 74 (d) 75 (a) 76 (c) 77 (b) 78 (c)
79 (b) 80 (a) 81 (a) 82 (c) 83 (a) 84 (d)
85 (b) 86 (c) 87 (c) 88 (a) 89 (a) 90 (a)
91 (d) 92 (c) 93 (c) 94 (a) 95 (a) 96 (c)
97 (c) 98 (b) 99 (c) 100 (c)
)81=21(
B-554 Fun Zone

UNSCRAMBLE THE WORDS

1. Edeecfn ____________________
2. Rdfeemo ____________________
3. Egaurtlrcui ____________________
4. Liwledfi ____________________
5. Ontnaifli ____________________
6. Mtocnmnoiuaci ____________________
7. Mmtciteoe ____________________
8. Rnainatnioetl ____________________
9. Tnotsctoinui ____________________
10. Noekwledg ____________________
11. Nosfaih ____________________
12. Rphegayog ____________________
13. Mponoeshoh ____________________
14. Ceonmosic ____________________
15. Eecetprni ____________________
16. Cgelaouta ____________________
17. Oanamz ____________________
18. Elrxaetn ____________________
19. Nreogif ____________________
20. Reneofccen ____________________

ANSWERS

1. Wildlife 8. Communication 15. Bollywood

2. Knowledge 9. International 16. Conference
3. Agriculture 10. Defence 17. Amazon
4. Inflation 11. Organic 18. Hashtag
5. Freedom 12. Athens 19. Monopoly
6. Constitution 13. Fashion 20. External
7. Committee 14. Catalogue
Fun Zone B-555

BRAIN TEASERS
1. Neha has two empty jugs 3 litre jug and 5 litre jug. How can she measure
exactly one litre soup without wasting any soup?
2. 3 playing cards are lying on floor with face up. An eight is just to the right
of a five. An eight is just to the left of a five. A spade is just to the left of
a club and a spade is just to the right of a space. Identify these 3 cards.
3. The following rhyme spells out a word, letter by letter, my first tells the
words first letter and so on. Find out the word.
My first is in fish but not in snail
My second is in up but not in down
My third is in ear but not in mouth
My fourth is in lion but not in tiger.
4. There are 3 boxes. One box contains black ball second box cantains
red ball and third box contains black and red ball. All the 3 boxes are
labeled wrong. If I can open only one box how can I label all the 3 boxes
correctly?
5. Mr. X carries his son into the hospital because his son has a nail in his
foot. The surgeon refuses to operate on this boy because he was that
surgeons son. How was that possible?

ANSWERS
1. Neha filled 3l jug and then emptied the soup into 5l jug. She then filled 3l
jug again and continued to fill 5l jug was exactly one litre.
2.

Or

3. FUEL.
4. Open the box which is labeled Red and Black balls. The box must
contain either Red ball or Black balls. If you find Red ball in that box
change the label Red ball on that box and then change the label to
Black ball to the box which is labeled Red ball and then third box to
Red and Black ball.
5. The surgeon was boys mother.
B-556 Fun Zone

MATH FUN
1. y Think of any 3-digit number
Add 7 to it
y
Multiply the number with 2 obtained in previous step.
y
y Subtract 4 from the number obtained in pervious step.
y Divide the number obtained in previous step by 2.
y Finally subtract the number from the original number.
Answer is Always 5
2. Magic Square
Arrange the numbers 1 to 16 in this square in such a way that addition in
rows and columns and across diagonals is always 34.

3. Number Trick With Years

(i) Add 1 to the number of month in which you were born
yMultiply it by 100.
 y Add the date on which you where born.
yMultiply it by 2.
yAdd 11 to it.
yMultiply by 5
yAdd 50 to it.
yAdd your present age to it.
yAdd 61 to it.
ySubtract 11111 from it.
(ii) Ask the number obtained by your partner.
(iii) Last two digits from the right gives your birth year, next 2 digits give date
and the remaining digit give month of your birth.
4. Use the numerals 1,2,3 and 4 (each numeral only for one time) using the
PDWKHPDWLFDOV\PEROV ^(exponent symbol) to make the
following numbers
(a) 13 (b) 33
5. There is a 5-digit number. If we put digit 1 in front of the number, we get
1
a number rd of the number obtained by putting the digit 1 behind the
3
number, Find the 5-digit number.
6. Find a 8-digit number in which first digit is how many zeros in the
number, the second digit is how many 5s in the number etc. Until the
eighth digit which is how many 9s in the number.
Fun Zone B-557

ANSWER
1. For example 3-digit number is 102
y 102 + 7 = 109
y 109 2 = 218
y 218 4 = 214
y 214 2 = 107
y 107 102 = 5
2.
2 7 12 13
16 9 6 3
5 4 15 10
11 14 1 8
3. Suppose a person is born on 10th august and his present age is 45 years.
August is 8th month of year.
A. 8 + 1 = 9
B. 9 100 = 900
C. 900 + 10 = 910
D. 910 2 = 1820
E 1820 + 11 = 1831
F. 1831 5 = 9155
G. 9155 + 50 = 9205
H. 9205 10 = 92050
I. 92050 + 45 = 92095
J. 92095 + 61 = 92156
K. 92156 11111 = 8 10 45
So that person birth month is 8 o August that persons present age is 45
years that persons birth date is 10th.
4. Using numerals 1, 2, 3 and 4 (each numeral only for one time)
13 = 42 3 1
33 = 23 4 + 1
5. Using equation
3(x + 100000) = 10x + 1,
7x = 300000 1
x = 42857
428571
So 42857 is 5-digit number = 3
142857
6. Such number is 42500500
B-558 Fun Zone

CROSSWORD
1
2

3 4

5 6

7
8
9

10 11

12 13 14

Across
2. the Air Marshal appointed as vice
chief of Indian Air Force
3. elected as the new president
of International Association of
Athletic Federation.
5. Internationally celebrated on 21st
June every year
7. the PSLV satellite was launched
from Satish Dhawan Space Centre
in Sriharikota on 28th September
2015
8. the state where BHEL
commissioned a thermal Unit
of Kanti Bijlee Utpadan Nigam
Limited on 4th May, 2015
9. the new chief of Air India
10. the countries denies to create naval
base in its territory for the rest of
the world.
12. the newly appointed CEO of
Google on 10th August 2015
Down
1. won by veteran journalist of
Ananda Bazar Patrika and
famous Tagore researcher,
Mr Amitabha Chowdhury in
1961
4. the botanical name of Rice
6. the head quarter of Arab
League, 22 nations
organization.
8. the author of the book The
Road Ahead
11. the state launched a free drug
distribution scheme covering
the whole state.
13. the district that is going to
host the biggest solar photo
voltaic plant with a capacity
of 750mw
14. the Stock Exchange of
Hongkong.
Fun Zone B-559

ANSWER
1. Ashwani Lohani the new chief of Air India
2. Astrosat the PSLV satellite was launched from Satish Dhawan Space
Centre in Sriharikota on 28th September 2015
3. Yoga Day Internationally celebrated on 21st June every year
4. Magsaysay Award won by veteran journalist of Ananda Bazar Patrika
and famous Tagore researcher, Mr Amitabha Chowdhury in 1961
5. Hang Seng the Stock Exchange of Hongkong.
6. Odisha the state launched a free drug distribution scheme covering the
whole state.
7. Cairo the head quarter of Arab League, 22 nations organization.
8. Oryza Sativa the botanical name of Rice
9. Sunder Pichai the newly appointed CEO of Google on 10th August
2015
10. Sebastian Coe elected as the new president of International Association
of Athletic Federation.
11. Ravi KantSharma the Air Marshal appointed as vice chief of Indian
Air Force
12. Bihar the state where BHEL commissioned a thermal Unit of Kanti
Bijlee Utpadan Nigam Limited on 4th May, 2015
13. Rewa, the district that is going to host the biggest solar photo voltaic
plant with a capacity of 750mw
14. Bill Gates the author of the book The Road Ahead
B-560 Fun Zone

CARTOONS
Fun Zone B-561

NATIONAL TWITTER TOPPER IN 2015

1. #IPL: The biggest
T20 cricket league
in the world made
a full season return
to India after being
partially played in
the Middle East last
year and saw cricket
fans enthusiastically
engaging in public
conversation about the
league with over 9 million #IPL Tweets this season.
2. #BiharResults: #BiharElections got the chatter going about breaking
news, candidates sparring over agendas, and wooing the public.
#BiharResults trended on polling day with over 2.6 lakh Tweets.
3. #SelfieWithDaughter: This Modi-led campaign started in the state of
Haryana in July 2015 to promote the rights of the girl child and started
trending within hours as dads clicked selfies with their daughters to
participate in the initiative with over 3.75 lakh #SelfieWithDaughter
Tweets.
4. #DDLJ20Years: Bollywood love story Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge
turned 20 and it celebrated its birthday on Twitter with fans and
celebrities reminiscing about their favourite DDLJ dialogues, scenes,
songs, and photos. Twitter presented a wonderful reflection to all the
excitement with over 1.4 lakh #DDLJ20Years Tweets.
5. #SaalEkShuruaatAnek: Indian Prime Minister @narendramodis
first year as PM unfolded as one of the key Twitter India moments of
2015. On his first year anniversary in office, there were over 1.79 lakh
#SaalEkShuruaatAnek Tweets.
6. #INDvsPAK: Over 1.7 million tweets used the after India defeated
Pakistan in the first match of the Cricket World Cup in 2015.
7. #DelhiElections: Approximately 10.8 million tweets used the hashtags
#DelhiElections & #DelhiVotes during the Delhi Legislative Assembly
Elections held in February 2015.
8. #HappyDiwali: The multiple activations including the first-ever Diwali
emoji, Twitter provided a way for users to be delighted using the twitter
platform. Around 1.8 million tweets along with the diwali emoji were
used.
9. #ChennaiRains: Chennai local citizens sent over 1.4 million Tweets
using #ChennaiRains, #ChennaiFloods and#ChennaiRainsHelp
hashtags to crowdsource assistance and help each other during the
disastrous Chennai floods.
B-562
SOME AMAZING FACTS
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Bay in Japan. It is 10 metres underwater.
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people danced for about a month for no
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themselves to death.
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Canada border where the stage is in
one country and half the audience is in
another.
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Hills, Meghalaya, receives the highest
recorded average rainfall in the world.
Cherrapunji, also a part of Meghalaya,
holds the record for the most rainfall in
the calendar year of 1861.
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equal to the earths circumference. It
took a total of 25,700,000 man hours for
completion and also weighs as much as
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won all World Cups. India has won all 5
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speaking country. India is second only
to the USA when it comes to speaking
English with around 125 million people
speaking the language, which is only
10% of our population. This is expected
to grow by quite a margin in the coming
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more by sleeping with only one half of
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years.
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Monumental Axis in Brazil, the worlds
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its head cut off.
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golf ball.
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English language which end in -dous:
tremendous, horrendous, stupendous,
and hazardous.
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you get to be an adult, you only have 206.
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by feathers.
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minutes.
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lick inside its own ear.
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key of F.
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America than real ones.
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listen to music.
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year, than real money printed throughout
the world.
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not be heads 5,000 times, but more like
4,950. The heads picture weighs more, so
it ends up on the bottom.
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red.
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brain cells die.
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lung to make room for your heart.