General Knowledge Digest - 2016-17 by Pratiyogita Darpan

Editorial Board Pratiyogita Darpan

UPKAR PRAKASHAN, AGRA-2

© Publishers Publishers UPKAR PRAKASHAN (An ISO 9001 : 2000 Company)

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● The publishers have taken all possible precautions in publishing this book, yet if any mistake has crept in, the publishers shall not be responsible for the same. ● This book or any part thereof may not be reproduced in any form by Photographic, Mechanical, or any other method, for any use, without written permission from the Publishers. ● Only the courts at Agra shall have the jurisdiction for any legal dispute.

ISBN : 978-81-7482-094-5

Code No. 936

Contents 1. Panoramic View of India ……………………...………………………………….

3–6

2. Important Knowledge : At a Glance ………………………………………………

7–12

3. Indian Polity and Constitution ……………………………………………………

13–33

4. Defence Policy of India …………………………………………………………... 34–37 5. General Science for Everyone ……………………………………………………. 38–50 6. Higher Education in India ………………………………………………………… 51–57 7. The General Geographical Study of India and World ……………………………

58–68

8. Indian History …………………………………………………………………….

69–73

9. Indian Culture …………………………………………………………………….. 74–76 10. Panoramic View of World ………………………………………………………… 77–91 11. Sports and Games ………………………………………………………………… 92–96 12. Basic General Knowledge ………………………………………………………… 97–125 —

Abbreviations …………………………………………………………………… 97

—

Books and Authors ………………………………………………………….…… 102

—

Latest Books and Authors……………………………………..…………….…… 105

—

Religious Books ………………………………………………………….……… 107

—

Famous Authors in Different Languages ……………………………………….. 107

—

Famous Indian Authors …………………………………………………………. 107

—

Famous Indian Writers in English ………………………………………………. 109

—

Famous Characters in Literature ………………………………………………… 109

—

Tiger Reserves of India …………………………………………………………. 110

—

Mosques of India ………………………………………………………….…….. 111

—

Firsts in Different Fields ………………………………………………………… 111

—

Lines, Frontiers etc.. …………….…………………………………………….… 114

( iv )

—

Mankind and Various Tribes …………………………………………..…………114

—

Affiliation of Personalities with Places………………………………………….. 115

—

Chief Crops and the States Producing Them ……………………………..…...… 115

—

The Largest, Longest, Biggest, Highest, Smallest in the World ………………... 115

—

The Largest, Smallest, Highest and Longest in India …………………………… 116

—

Geographical Surnames ………………………………………………………… 117

—

Wonders of the World …………………………………………………………… 118

—

Deserts…………………………………………………………………………… 118

—

Important Towns on Rivers……………………………………………………… 118

—

Principal Game Sanctuaries and National Parks in India……………………….. 119

—

Hill Stations (India)……………………………………………………………… 119

—

Principal Indian Ports …………………………………………………………… 119

—

Famous Sites (India)…………………………………………………………...… 120

—

Famous Sites (Outside India)…………………………………………………..… 120

—

Variety of Animals…………………………………………………………..….. 121

—

Physical Geography …………………………………………………………….. 121

—

Geographical Terms …………………………………………………………….. 124

13. Development and Employment Programmes in India ……………………………126–138 14. International Organisations ……………………………………………………… 139–149 15. Space Research ………………………………………………………………….. 150–159 16. Awards, Honours and Prizes : National and International ………………….…… 160–168 17. States and Union Territories …………………………………………………….. 169–192

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

1

Panoramic View of India

Official Name Capital Nationality Population Males Females

Literacy Rate (2011 Census)

India or Bharat Delhi Indian 1,21,05,69,573 (2011 Census) 62,31,21,843 58,74,47,730

73·0% (Males–80·9%) (Females–64·6%) Sex Ratio 943 (Females per 1000 Males) Child Sex Ratio (0–6 years) 914 (Females per 1000 males) Population density 382 (per sq. km)

INDIA States and Union Territories

JAMMU & KASHMIR Srinagar

N HIMACHAL PRADESH

CHINA (TIBET)

Shimla Chandigarh UTTARAKHAND PUNJAB Dehradun

PAKISTAN

HARYANA

NE

DELHI

RAJASTHAN Jaipur

SIKKIM

PA L

UTTAR PRADESH

Gangtok Patna

Lucknow

S E A LAKSHADWEEP

Shillong

Dispur

Bhopal

NAGALAND Kohima Imphal

MANIPUR

WEST TRIPURA BENGAL JHARKHAND Kolkata

MADHYA PRADESH CHHATTISGARH ODISHA Raipur MAHARASHTRA Bhubaneshwar

DIU DAMAN DADAR & NAGAR Mumbai HAVELI (Bombay) A R A B I Panaji A GOA N

Itanagar

ASSAM

Agartala

Ranchi

Gandhi nagar

BHUTAN

MEGHALAYA

BIHAR GUJARAT

ARUNACHAL PRADESH

Aizawl

MIZORAM

MYANMAR

BANGLADESH

Hyderabad

TELANGANA YANAM ANDHRA PRADESH

BAY OF BENGAL

(Puducherry)

KARNATAKA Bengaluru

MAHE

Chennai (Madras)

TAMILNADU

PUDUCHERRY

(Puducherry)

KARAIKAL

KERALA

(Puducherry)

Port Blair

ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS

Thiruvananthapuram Map not to Scale

Rural Population (2011 Census) Persons 83,34,63,448 Males 42,76,32,643 Females 40,58,30,805 Urban Population (2011 Census) Persons 37,71,06,125 Males 19,54,89,200 Females 18,16,16,925

Decadal Population Growth (2001–11) 17·7% Rural 12·18% (Provisional) Urban 31·80% (Provisional) Population in the age group 0–6 (2011) Persons 16,44,78,150 Males 8,57,32,470 Females 7,87,45,680

4 | GK (Ency.) NATIONAL FLAG A horizontal tricolour of deep saffron (kesariya) at the top, white in the middle and dark green at the bottom in equal proportion. The ratio of width of the Flag to its length is two to three. In the centre of the white band is a navy blue wheel which represents the chakra. Its design is that of the wheel which appears on the abacus of the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka. Its diameter approximates to the width of the white band and it has twenty four (24) spokes. The design of the National Flag was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on 22 July, 1947. Its use and display are regulated by the Indian Flag Code. NATIONAL ANTHEM Jana-gana-mana-adhinayaka Jaya he The anthem jana-gana-mana, composed originally in Bengali language by Rabindra Nath Tagore was adopted in its Hindi version by the Constituent Assembly of India as the National Anthem of India on 24 January, 1950. It was first sung on 27 December, 1911 at the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress. The complete song consists of five stanzas. The first stanza contains the full version of the National Anthem. The playing time of the full version of the National Anthem is about 52 seconds. The playing time of a short version consisting of the first and last lines of the stanza of the National Anthem is about 20 seconds. NATIONAL SONG The song ‘Vande-Matram’ composed by Bankim Chand Chaterji was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India as the National Song of India. It was first sung at the 1896 Session of the Indian National Congress. It was translated into English language by Sri Arvindo. STATE EMBLEM The State Emblem is an adaptation from the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka. In the original, there are four lions standing back to back, mounted on an abacus with a frieze carrying sculptures in high relief of an elephant, a galloping horse, a bull and a lion separated by intervening wheels over a bell-shaped lotus. Carved out of a single block of polished sandstone the capital is crowned by the wheel of the law (Dharma-Chakra). In the state Emblem, adopted by the government of India, on 26 January, 1950, only three lions are visible, the fourth being hidden from view. The wheel appears in relief in the centre of the abacus with a bull on the right and a horse on the left and the outlines of the other wheels on extreme right and left; the bell-shaped lotus has

been omitted. The Words ‘Satyameva Jayate’ from Mundaka Upanishad, meaning ‘Truth alone Triumphs’ are inscribed below the abacus in Devanagari script. NATIONAL FLOWER Lotus (Nelumbo Neucifera) is the National Flower of India. NATIONAL CALENDAR The National Calendar based on the ‘Saka Era’ with ‘Chaitra’ as its first month and a normal year of 365 days was adopted from 22 March, 1957 along with the Gregorian Calendar for the following official purposes— (A) Gazette of India. (B) News broadcast by All India Radio. (C) Calendars issued by the Government of India. (D) Government Communications addressed to the members of the public. Dates of the National Calendar have a permanent correspondence with dates of the Gregorian calendar—1 Chaitra falling on 22 March normally and on 21 March in the leap year. NATIONAL ANIMAL The magnificent tiger, panthera tigris (Linnaeous) is a striped animal. It has a thick yellow coat of fur with dark stripes. The combination of grace, strength, agility and enormous power has earned the tiger its pride of place as the National Animal of India. NATIONAL BIRD The Indian Peacock, pavo cristatus (Linnaeus), the National Bird of India, is a colourful swan-sized bird with a fan shaped crest of feathers, a white patch under the eye and a long slender neck. The male of the species is more colourful than the female, with a glistening blue breast and neck spectacular bronze-green train of around 200 elongated feathers. The female is brownish, slightly smaller than the male, and lacks the train. The eleborate courtship dance of the male, fanning out the tail and preening its feathers, is a gorgeous sight. The peacock enjoys protection from the people as it is never molested for religious and sentimental reasons. It is fully protected under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act–1972. PHYSICAL BACKGROUND Countries having a common border with India are Afghanistan and Pakistan to the northwest, China, Bhutan and Nepal to the north, Myanmar to the east and Bangladesh to the east of West-Bengal. Sri Lanka is separated from India by a narrow channel of sea formed by the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar.

GK (Ency.) | 5 CLIMATE The climate of India may be broadly described as tropical monsoon type. There are four seasons— (A) Winter (January–February) (B) Hot weather summer (March–May) (C) Rainy South-Western monsoon (June– September) (D) Post monsoon, also known as north-east monsoon in the southern peninsula (October– December) RIVERS Rivers in India may be classified as— (A) Himalayan rivers, (B) Peninsular rivers, (C) Coastal rivers, (D) Rivers of the island drainage basin MOST POPULOUS STATES (2011) First—Uttar Pradesh–19,98,12,341 Second—Maharashtra–11,23,74,333 Third—Bihar—10,40,99,452 Union Territory with Lowest Population—Lakshadweep (64,429) District with Highest Population—Thane, Maharashtra (1,10,54,131) District with Lowest Population—Dibang Valley Arunachal LEAST POPULOUS STATE Sikkim—6,10,577 (2011 Census) Official Language—Hindi Most Literate States/UTs A. Kerala–94·00% (2011 Census) B. Lakshadweep–91·85% (2011 Census) C. Mizoram–91·33% (2011 Census) D. Tripura–87·22% (2011 Census) E. Goa–88·7% (2011 Census) Top Two Districts ranked per Literacy Rate 2011 A. Serchhip (Mizoram)—98·76% B. Aizawl (Mizoram)—98·50% India's Percentage decadal growth—17·7% (2001–11) PHYSICAL FEATURES The mainland comprises four regions, namely the great mountain zone, plains of the Ganga and the Indus, the desert region and the Southern peninsula. First Prime Minister—Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru (1947–64) Present Prime Minister—Narendra Damodardas Modi

First Vice-President—Dr. S. Radhakrishnan (1952–57) (1957–62) Present Vice-President—Md. Hamid Ansari First President—Dr. Rajendra Prasad (1952–57) Present President—Mr. Pranab Mukherjee Currency—Rupees [1 US Dollar = 58·78 (21 May, 2014)] High Courts—24 Foreign Trade During January 2015 (Exports)— US $ 23883·60 million Foreign Trade (Imports during January 2015)— $ 32205·63 million. The First Five Year Plan—1951–56 The Tenth Five Year Plan—2002–07 The Eleventh Five Year Plan—2007–12 The Twelfth Five Year Plan—2012–17 Largest Commercial Bank—State Bank of India MAIN CROPS Rice, Wheat, Cotton, Tea, Rubber, Groundnut. AIRPORTS 23 International airports, 114 domestic airports, 26 civil enclaves. TOTAL ROAD NETWORK India has one of the largest road networks in the world, aggregating to about 33 lakh km at present. Of all types of Highways and roads, the National Highways and the State Highways together account for 1,31,899 km length. The length of the National Highways is 70,548 km. ALL INDIA RADIO'S NETWORK All India Radio presently has 237 radio stations and 149 medium frequency, 54 high frequency and 177 FM transmitters which provide radio coverage to 91·85 per cent of the population and reaches 99·18 per cent area of the country. All India Radio covers 24 languages and 146 dialects in home services. In external services, it covers 27 languages, 17 national and foreign languages. By March 2014 total number of transmitters went up to 584, consisting of 145 MW, 48 SW and 391 FM transmitters. The number of radio stations went up from six in 1947 to 403 by March 2014. Expansion of FM Services—In view of the superior quality of FM broadcasts it is gaining popularity in the country. AIR has also therefore undertaken to expand its FM network to achieve about 50 per cent population coverage after the

6 | GK (Ency.) completion of ongoing Tenth Plan. The FM service uses a large bandwidth to provide a programme service of high-fidelity. FIRST TELEVISION CENTRE India's Ist Television centre came into being on 15 September, 1959 as a pilot project. In 1976, Doordarshan which was all India Radio’s television arm until then become a separate department. First Film (Non-talkie Film)— A. Punda liz [1912, Made by R. G. Torney, N.G. Chitre)] B. Raja Harischandra (1913, Made by Dundiraj Govind Phalke) First Talkie Film—Alam ara (Ardeshir Irani) OLDEST EXISTING NEWSPAPER Mumbai Samachar from Mumbai (Gujarati daily, Published since 1822)

NATIONAL FLAG FIRST HOISTED At Green park, Kolkata on 7 August, 1906 by Surendra Nath Benarji OLDEST INDIAN POLITICAL PARTY Indian National Congress (Founded by A.O. Hume in 1885 in Tejpal Sanskrit College, Mumbai) Scheduled castes largest concentration States— A. Uttar Pradesh B. Union Territory, Puducherry Scheduled castes smallest concentration state— Mizoram Largest Scheduled caste community—Chamar Most Densely Populated N.C.T. (2011 census)— Delhi (11,320 per sq km) Least Densely Populated State (2011 census)— Arunachal Pradesh (17 per sq. km)

Population by religious communities India, 1961–2001 Religious communities All religious communities Hindus Muslims Christians Sikhs Buddhists Jains Others Religion not stated

1961 439,234,771 366,526,866 46,940,799 10,728,086 7,845,915 3,256,036 2,027,281 1,498,895 113,040

1971 547,949,809 453,292,086 61,417,934 14,223,382 10,378,797 3,812,325 2,604,646 2,184,556 36,083

TOTAL NUMBER OF NEWSPAPERS The total number of registered publications as on March 31, 2013 was 94,067 with newspaper category account for 12511 and periodicals category 81,556. The State with the largest number of registered newspapers is Uttar Pradesh (9,757). Highest number of Newspapers Published in different Languages in 31 March, 2011 A. Hindi (29,094) B. English (11,625) Highest Civilian Award—Bharat Ratna Highest award for gallantry—ParamVir Chakra First Institute—Fort William College, Kolkata

1981 665,287,849 549,779,481 75,512,439 16,165,447 13,078,146 4,719,796 3,206,038 2,766,285 60,217

1991 838,583,988 687,646,721 101,596,057 19,640,284 16,259,744 6,387,500 3,352,706 3,269,355 415,569

2001 1,028,610,328 827,578,868 138,188,240 24,080,016 19,215,730 7,955,207 4,225,053 6,639,626 727,588

Most Densely Populated State (2011 census)— Bihar (1,106 per sq. km) Least Literate State (2011 census)—61·8% (Males 71·20%, Females 51·50%) Least Densely Populated UT (2011 census)— Andaman & Nicobar Islands (46) LOCATION Lying entirely in the northern hemisphere, the mainland extends between latitudes 8°4' and 37°6' north, longitudes 68°7' and 97°25' east and measures about 3,214 km from north to south between the extreme latitudes and about 2933 km from east to west between the extreme longitudes. It has a land frontier of about 15200 km. The total length of the coastline of the mainland, Lakshdweep, Islands and Andaman and Nicobar islands is 7516·6 km.

2

Important Knowledge : At a Glance IMPORTANT DAYS

August Kranti Day—9 August. National Youth Day—12 January. Army Day—21 January. Desh Prem Diwas—23 January. International Customs Day—26 January. Republic Day—26 January. Martyrs Day—30 January. Valentines Day—14 February. Arunachal Day—20 February. Central Excise Day—24 February. International Women's Day—8 March. World Consumer's Day—15 March. World Disabled Day—15 March. International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination—21 March. World Day for Water—22 March. World Metrological Day—23 March. Bangaladesh Day—26 March. National Maritime Day—5 April. Samta Diwas—5 April. World Health Day—7 April. Railway Week—10–16 April. World Aviation and Cosmonautics Day—12 April. Jallianwala Day—13 April. World Heritage Day—18 April. Kargil Victory Day—26 July. Earth Day—22 April. World Book Day—23 April. Manav Ekta Diwas—24 April. International Labour Day—1 May. World Press Freedom Day—3 May. World Red Cross Day—8 May. National Solidarity Day—13 May. International Day of Families—15 May. World Telecommunication Day—17 May. Anti-Terrorism Day—21 May. Commonwealth Day—24 May. Mount-Everest Day—29 May

No-Tobacco Day—31 May. International Day of Innocent Children—4 June. World Environment Day—5 June. World Population Day—11 July. Goa Liberation Day—18 June. UN Charter Signing Day—25 June. International Day Against Drug Abuse & Illicit Trafficking—26 June. Anti-Emergency Day—26 June. World Diabetes Day—27 June. Poor's Day—28 June. Pulse Polio Vaccination Day—26 June. National Statistics Day—29 June. Doctors Day—1 July. World Population Day—11 July. Breast Feeding Week—1–7 August. World Breast Feeding Day—1 August. Hiroshima Day—6 August. Quit India Day—9 August. Nagasaki Day—9 August. Independence Day—15 August. Sadbhavana Diwas—20 August. National Sports Day—29 August. Teachers Day—5 September. International Literacy Day—8 September. World Ozone Day—16 September. World Tourism Day—27 September. World Animal Day—2 October. World Vegetarian Day—2 October. International Day for the Elders—4 October. World Habitat Day—5 October. International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction—7 October. Air Force Day—8 October. Post Office Day—9 October. World Post Day—9 October. World Standard Day—14 October. World Food Day—16 October. Police Commemoration Day—21 October.

8 | GK (Ency.) United Nations Day—24 October. World Thrift Day—30 October. National Integration Day—31 October. National Rededications Day—31 October. Children's Day—14 November. Sappers Day—18 November. Citizens Day—19 November. Africa Industrialisation Day—20 November. World Aids Day—1 December. World Press Freedom Day—3 May. International Day for Disabled Persons— 3 December. Navy Day—4 December. International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development—5 December. Flag Day—7 December. Human Rights Day (UN)—10 December. Kishan Day—23 December. National Technology Day—11 May.

NATIONAL CALENDAR The national calendar based on the Saka Era with Chaitra as its first month and a normal year of 365 days was adopted from 22 March, 1957 along with the Gregorian calendar for the following purposes— (A) Gazette of India (B) News broadcast by All India Radio (C) Calendars issued by Government of India (D) Government communications addressed to the members of the public. Dates of the National calendar have a permanent correspondence with dates of the Gregorian calendar : Chaitra pratipada (1) falling on 22 March normally and on 21 March in leap year.

MONTHS OF CALENDAR 1. Chaitra, 4. Ashad 7. Ashivan 10. Pausha

2. Vaishakh, 5. Shravan 8. Kartik 11. Magha

3. Jeshtha 6. Bhadrapad 9. Margshirsha 12. Phalgun

MONTHS OF GREGORIAN CALENDAR 1. January—31 Days 7. July—31 Days 2. February—28 or 29 Days 8. August—31 Days 3. March—31 Days 9. September—30 Days 4. April—30 Days 10. October—31 Days 5. May—31 Days 11. November—30 Days 6. June—30 Days 12. December—31 Days

IMPORTANT YEARS International Year for Women International Year for Child International Year for Education International Year for Disabled Production Year World Communication Year International Year for Youth International Year for World Peace International Year for Homeless International Year for Literacy India Tourism Year International Year for Space International Year of the Indigenous People International Year of the Family Nepal visit Year (By Nepal Govt.) International Year for Elders International Year of the Culture of Peace International Year of volunteers International Year of Dialogue among Civilizations International Year for Women Empowerment (India) International Year of Mountains International Year of Fresh Water International Year of Rice International Year of Sports and Physical Education Year of friendship with neighbouring countries (India) International Year of Emerging Markets (International Finance Corporation) India-Japan Friendship Year International Year of the Potato (UN, FAO) International Year of Planet Earth (UN) International Year of Sanitation (UN, GEN ASSEMBLY) International Year of Languages (UN) International Year of Natural Fibres (UN, FAO) International Year of Astronomy International Year of Reconciliation International Year of Biodiversity International Year for the Reapproachment of Cultures International Year of Youth : Dialogue and Mutual Understanding International Year of Forests International Year of Chemistry International Year of Youth International Year for People of African Descent International Year of Co-operatives International Year of Sustainable Energy for All International Year of Water Cooperation International Year of Small Island Developing States International Year of Family Farming International Year of Light International Year of Soil

1975 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1985 1986 1987 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1998 1999 2000 2001 2001 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2006 2007 2008 2008 2008 2008 2009 2009 2009 2010 2010 2010 2011 2011 2011 2011 2012 2012 2013 2014 2014 2015 2015

GK (Ency.) | 9

IMPORTANT WEEKS India Tourism Week Fire Brigade Week World Breast Feeding Week National Animal Week World Space Week National Book Week National Pharmacy Week National Integration Week National Engineers Week

20 –25 January 14 –20 April 1–7 August 2–8 October 4–10 October 14–20 November 18–24 November 19–25 November 18–24 February

NATIONAL TITHIES Pratipada (01), Dwitiya (02), Tritiya (03), Chaturthi (04), Panchami (05), Shashthi (06), Saptami (07), Asthami (08), Naumi (09), Dashami (10), Eakadashi (11), Dwadashi (12), Trayodashi (13), Chaturdashi (14), Poornima and Amavasya (15).

CENSUS–2011 (FINAL) Census—The population of the country as per figures of census 2011 is 1,21,05,69,573 of which 62,31,21,843 are males and 58,74,47,730 are females. Decadal growth of population is shown in following table—

Population Density—Population density is derived as the number of persons per square kilometre. The population density has gone up from 325 in 2001 to 382 persons in 2011. In 1901 it was 77 persons per sq. kilometre. Sex Ratio—Sex ratio is defined as the number of females per thousand males. In India, sex ratio is 943 females per thousand males. There has been a improvement by 10 points to 943 per thousands males. Kerala has a higher number of females than males, 1084 females against thou sand males. In the Indian context, this sex ratio and above can be considered as favourable to females. Literacy—The literacy rate in the country (including Jammu & Kashmir) is 73·0 per cent (80·9% Males, 64·6% Females) Kerala retained its position by being on top with a 93·91 per cent (96·02% Males and 91·98% Females) literacy rate in the country. Bihar stood at the bottom with a literacy rate of 63·82% (73·39% Males and 53·33% Females).

Sex Ratio : 1901–2011 Census year

Sex Ratio

1901 1911 1921 1931 1941 1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001 2011

972 964 955 950 945 946 941 930 934 927 933 943

Population 1901–2011 Year

Population

1 1901 1911 1921 1931 1941 1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001 2011

2 23,83,96,327 25,20,93,390 25,13,21,213 27,89,77,238 31,86,60,580 36,10,88,090 43,92,34,771 54,81,59,652 68,33,29,097 84,63,02,688 1,028,737,436 1,21,05,69,573

Decadal growth rate (percentage) 3 — + 5·75 – 0·31 + 11·00 + 14·22 + 13·31 + 21·51 + 24·80 + 24·66 + 23·85 + 21·34 + 17·70

The percentage decadal growth during 2001-11 has registered the sharpest decline since independence. Meghalaya registered the highest decadal growth rate of 27·82 per cent while Nagaland the lowest – 0·06 per cent.

Literacy Rate : 1951–2011 Year 1951 1961 1971 1981

Persons Males Females 18·33 27·16 8·86 28·31 40·40 15·34 34·45 45·95 21·97 43·56 56·37 29·75 (41·42) (53·45) (28·46) 1991 52·21 64·13 39·29 2001 64·8 75·2 53·7 2011 73·0 80·9 64·6 Note—Literacy rates for 1951, 1961 and 1971 relate to population aged five years and above. The literacy rates for the population aged five years and above in 1981 have been shown in brackets.

Males

Females

2,53,51,462 1,67,87,941

Punjab

Chandigarh#

Uttarakhand

Haryana

NCT of Delhi#

Rajasthan

Uttar Pradesh

Bihar

Sikkim

Arunachal Pradesh

Nagaland

Manipur

Mizoram

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

3,55,50,997

89,87,326

1,34,94,734

51,37,773

5,80,663

1,46,39,465

34,81,873

66,40,662

10,97,206

25,70,390

19,78,502

13,83,727

6,10,577

10,40,99,452

5,55,339

12,90,171

10,24,649

7,13,912

3,23,070

5,42,78,157

198,12,341 10,44,80,510

6,85,48,437

1,00,86,292

10,55,450

2,77,43,338

6,86,46,02

Himachal Pradesh

2.

1,25,41,302

Jammu & Kashmir

5,41,867

12,80,219

9,53,853

6,69,815

2,87,507

4,98,21,295

9,53,31,831

3,29,97,440

,78,00,615

1,18,56,728

49,48,519

4,74,787

1,31,03,873

33,82,729

59,00,640

1,21,05,69,573 62,31,21,843 58,74,47,730

Total Population

1.

India

State/ India/States/ UT Union Territories# Code

23·5

18·6

– 0·6

26·0

12·9

25·4

20·2

21·3

21·2

19·9

18·8

17·15

13·9

12·9

23·6

17·7

976

992

931

938

890

918

912

928

868

879

963

818

895

972

889

943

52

115

119

17

86

1,106

829

200

11,320

573

189

9,258

551

123

124

382

1,68,531

3,38,254

2,91,071

2,12,188

64,111

1,91,33,964

3,07,91,331

1,06,49,504

20,12,454

33,80,721

13,55,814

1,19,434

30,76,219

7,77,898

20,18,905

16,44,78,150

970

936

943

972

957

935

902

888

871

834

890

880

846

909

862

919

91·3

79·2

79·6

65·4

81·4

61·8

67·7

66·1

86·2

75·6

78·8

86·0

75·8

82·8

67·2

73·00

93·3

86·1

82·8

72·6

86·6

71·2

77·3

79·2

90·9

84·1

87·4

90·0

80·4

89·5

76·8

80·9

89·4

72·4

76·1

57·7

75·6

51·5

57·2

52·1

80·8

65·9

70·0

81·2

70·7

75·9

56·4

65·46

Child Child Sex Literacy Literacy Literacy Percen- Sex Density Population Ratio (0-6 rate rate rate Ratio (pertage Years) Persons Males Females sons per 0-6 years Decadal sq. km.) Growth 2001-11

Census 2011 : At a Glance

10 | GK (Ency.)

*

Maharashtra

Andhra Pradesh

Karnataka

Goa

Lakshadweep#

Kerala

27.

28.

29.

30.

31.

32.

3,34,06,061

64,473

14,58,545

6,10,95,297

4,93,86,799

11,23,74,333

3,43,709

Before division.

3,51,93,978

3,80,581

Telangana

Dadra & Nagar Haveli#

26.

2,43,247

36.

Daman & Diu#

25.

6,04,39,692

Andaman & Nicobar Islands#

Gujarat

24.

7,26,26,809

35.

Madhya Pradesh

23.

2,55,45,198

12,47,953

Chhattisgarh

22.

4,19,74,218

Puducherry#

Odisha

21.

3,29,88,134

34.

Jharkhand

20.

9,12,76,115

7,21,47,030

West Bengal

19.

3,12,05,576

Tamil

Assam

18.

29,66,889

33.

Meghalaya

17.

36,73,917

Nadu#

Tripura

16.

1,77,04,078

2,02,871

6,12,511

3,61,37,475

1,60,27,412

33,123

7,39,140

3,09,66,657

2,47,38,068

5,82,43,056

1,93,760

1,50,301

3,14,91,260

3,76,12,306

1,28,32,895

2,12,12,136

1,69,30,315

4,68,09,027

1,59,39,443

14,91,832

18,74,376

1,74,89,900

1,77,710

6,35,442

3,60,09,055

1,73,78,649

31,350

7,19,405

3,01,28,640

2,46,48,731

5,41,31,277

1,49,949

92,946

2,89,48,432

3,50,14,503

1,27,12,303

2,07,62,082

1,60,57,819

4,44,67,088

1,52,66,133

14,75,057

17,99,541

—

6·9

28·1

15·6

4·9

6·3

8·2

988

876

1,037

996

1084

947

967

967

993 *

15·6

929

11·0*

774

618

919

931

991

979

949

950

958

989

960

16·0

55·9

53·8

19·3

20·3

22·6

14·0

22·4

13·8

17·1

27·9

14·8

310

46

2547

555

860

2149

394

319

308 *

365

700

2,191

308

236

189

270

414

1,028

398

132

350

39,20,418

40,878

1,32,858

74,23,832

34,72,955

7,255

1,44,611

71,61,033

5,22,384

1,33,26,517

50,895

26,934

77,77,262

1,08,09,395

36,61,689

52,73,194

53,89,495

1,05,81,466

46,38,130

5,68,536

4,58,014

933

968

967

943

964

911

942

948

939 *

894

926

904

890

918

969

941

948

956

962

970

957

66·46%

86·6

85·5

80·1

94·0

91·8

88·7

75·4

67·41%*

82·3

76·2

87·1

78·0

69·3

70·3

72·9

66·4

76·3

72·2

74·4

87·2

75

90·3

91·3

86·8

96·1

95·6

92·6

82·5

74·9*

88·4

85·2

91·5

85·8

78·7

80·3

81·5

76·8

81·7

77·8

76·0

91·5

66·5

82·4

80·7

73·4

92·1

87·9

84·7

68·1

59·1*

75·9

64·3

79·5

69·7

59·2

60·2

64·0

55·4

70·5

66·3

72·9

82·7

GK (Ency.) | 11

12 | GK (Ency.)

Ranking of States and Union Territories by density : 2001 and 2011 Rank in 2011

States/ Union Territory#

1

2 India

Density (per sq.km) 2011 2001 3

4

Rank in 2011 5

382

325

11,320

9,340

1

2.

Chandigarh#

9,258

7,900

2

3.

Puducherry#

2,547

2,034

3

4.

Daman &

Diu#

2,191

1,413

5

5.

Lakshadweep#

2,149

1,895

4

6.

Bihar

1,106

881

7

7.

West Bengal

1,028

903

6

8.

Kerala

860

819

8

9.

Uttar Pradesh

829

690

9

1.

NCT of Delhi#

Haveli #

10.

Dadra & Nagar

700

449

13

11.

Haryana

573

478

12

12.

Tamil Nadu

555

480

11

13.

Punjab

551

484

10

14.

Jharkhand

414

338

16

15.

Assam

398

340

15

16.

Goa

394

364

14

17.

Maharashtra

365

315

17

18.

Tripura

350

305

18

19.

Karnataka

319

276

20

20.

Andhra Pradesh

308

277

19

21.

Gujarat

308

258

21

22.

Odisha

270

236

22

23.

Madhya Pradesh

236

196

23

24.

Rajasthan

200

165

24

25.

Uttarakhand

189

159

25

26.

Chhattisgarh

189

154

26

27.

Meghalaya

132

103

29

28.

Jammu & Kashmir

124

100

31

29.

Himachal Pradesh

123

109

28

30.

Manipur

115

103

30

31.

Nagaland

119

120

27

32.

Sikkim

86

76

32

33.

Mizoram

52

42

34

46

43

33

17

13

35

34.

Andman & Nicobar

35.

Arunachal Pradesh

Islands#

3

Indian Polity & Constitution

MINISTRIES/DEPARTMENTS OF GOVERNMENT The Government consists of a number of Ministries/departments, number and character varying from time to time on factors such as volume of work, importance attached to certain items, changes of orientation, political expediency etc. On 15 August, 1947 the number of ministries at the centre was 18. As on 14 June, 2000 the Government consisted of the following Ministries/ departments under the Govt. of India (Allocation of Business) Rules–1961. 1. Ministry of Agriculture (Krishi Mantralaya) (A) Department of Agriculture & Co-operation (Krishi & Sahkarita Vibhag) (B) Department of Agricultural Research & Education (Krishi Anusandhan Aur Shiksha Vibhag) (C) Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (Pashupalan Aur Dairy Vibhag) 2. Ministry of Agro and Rural Industries (Krishi Evam Gramin Udyog Mantralaya) 3. Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers (Rasayan Aur Urvarak Mantralaya) (A) Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals (Rasayan Aur Petro-rasayan Vibhag) (B) Department of Fertilizers (Urvarak Vibhag) 4. Ministry of Civil Aviation (Nagar Vimanan Mantralaya) 5. Ministry of Coal (Koyala Mantralaya) 6. Ministry of Commerce & Industry (Vanijya Aur Udyog Mantralaya) (A) Department of Commerce (Vanijya Vibhag) (B) Department of Industrial Policy & Promotions (Audyogiki Niti Aur Samvardhan Vibhag)

7.

8. 9.

10. 11. 12.

13. 14.

(C) Department of Supply (Poorti Vibhag) Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (Sanchar and Soochana Praudyogiki Mantralaya) (A) Department of Telecommunication (Doorsanchar Vibhag) (B) Department of Posts (Dak Vibhag) (C) Department of Information Technology (Soochana Praudyogiki Vibhag) Ministry of Company Affairs (Company Karya Mantralaya) Ministry of Defence (Raksha Mantralaya) (A) Department of Defence (Raksha Vibhag) (B) Department of Defence Production & Supplies (Raksha Utpadan Aur Poorti Vibhag) (C) Department of Defence Research & Development (Raksha Anusandhan Aur Vikas Vibhag) Ministry of Environment & Forests (Paryavaran Aur Van Mantralaya) Ministry of External Affairs (Videsh Mantralaya) Ministry of Finance (Vitta Mantralaya) (A) Department of Economic Affairs (Arthik Karya Vibhag) (B) Department of Expenditure (Vyaya Vibhag) (C) Department of Revenue (Rajaswa Vibhag) (D) Department of Disinvestment (Vinivesh Vibhag) Ministry of Earth Sciences (Bhoo Vigyan Mantralaya) Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution (Upbhokta Mamle, Khadya Aur Sarvjanik Vitaran Mantralaya) (A) Department of Consumer Affairs (Upbhokta Mamle Vibhag)

14 | GK (Ency.)

15. 16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

(B) Department of Food & Public Distribution (Khadya Aur Sarvjanik Vitaran Vibhag) Ministry of Food Processing Industries (Khadya Prasanskaran Udyog Mantralaya) Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (Swasthya Aur Parivar Kalyan Mantralaya) (A) Department of Health (Swasthya Vibhag) (B) Department of Family Welfare (Parivar Kalyan Vibhag) (C) Department of Ayurveda, Yoga— Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (Ayurveda, Yoga–Prakritik Chikitsa Paddhati, Unani, Siddha Aur Homeopathy Vibhag) Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises (Bhari Udyog Aur Lok Udyam Mantralaya) (A) Department of Heavy Industries (Bhari Udyog Vibhag) (B) Department of Public Enterprises (Lok Udyam Vibhag) Ministry of Home Affairs (Grih Mantralaya) (A) Department of Internal Security (Antarik Suraksha Vibhag) (B) Department of States (Rajya Vibhag) (C) Department of Official Language (Raj Bhasha Vibhag) (D) Department of Home (Grih Vibhag) (E) Department of Jammu & Kashmir Affairs (Jammu Aur Kashmir Mamle Vibhag) Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (Aawas Aur Shahari Garibi Upshaman Mantrayala) Ministry of Human Resource Development (Manav Sansadhan Vikas Mantralaya) (A) Department of Elementary Education & Literacy (Prarambhik Shiksha Aur Saksharta Vibhag) (B) Department of Secondary Education & Higher Education (Madhyamik Shiksha Aur Uchachatar Shiksha Vibhag)

21. 22. 23.

24. 25.

26. 27.

28.

29. 30. 31. 32.

33.

(C) Department of Women & Child Development (Mahila Aur Bal Vikash Vibhag) Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (Soochna Aur Prasaran Mantralaya) Ministry of Labour and Employment (Shram Aur Rozgar Mantralaya) Ministry of Law, Justice (Vidhi Aur Nyay Mantralaya) (A) Department of Legal Affairs (Vidhi Karya Vibhag) (B) Legislative Department (Vidhyi Vibhag) (C) Department of Justice (Nyay Vibhag) Ministry of Mines (Khan Mantralaya) Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Sources (Aparamparik Oorja Srota Mantralaya) Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs (Sansdiya Karya Mantralaya) Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions (Karmik, Lok Shikayat Tatha Pension Mantralaya) (A) Department of Personnel & Training (Karmik Aur Prashikshan Vibhag) (B) Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (Prashashanik Sudhar Aur Lok Shikayat Vibhag) (C) Department of Pensions & Pensioners' Welfare (Pension Aur Pension Bhogi Kalyan Vibhag) Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (Petroleum Aur Prakritik Gas Mantralaya) Ministry of Planning (Yojana Mantralaya) Ministry of Power (Vidyut Mantralaya) Ministry of Railways (Rail Mantralaya) Ministry of Rural Development (Gramin Vikas Mantralaya) (A) Department of Rural Development (Gramin Vikas Vibhag) (B) Department of Land Resources (Bhumi Sansadhan Vibhag) (C) Department of Drinking Water Supply (Peyajal Poorti Vibhag) Ministry of Science & Technology (Vigyan Aur Praudyogiki Mantralaya)

GK (Ency.) | 15

34. 35.

36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42.

(A) Department of Science & Technology (Vigyan Aur Praudyogiki Vibhag) (B) Department of Scientific & Industrial Research (Vigyan Aur Audyogik Anusandhan Vibhag) (C) Department of Bio-Technology (Biotechnology Vibhag) Ministry of Small Scale Industries (Laghu Udyog Mantralaya) Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (Sankhyiki Aur Karyakram Karyanvayan Mantralaya) Ministry of Steel (Ispat Mantralaya) Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways (Port Parivahan, Sarak Parivahan Aur Raj Marg Mantralaya) Ministry of Textiles (Vastra Mantralaya) Ministry of Tourism & Culture (Paryatan Aur Sanskriti Mantralaya) Ministry of Tribal Affairs (Janjati Kalyan Mantralaya) Ministry of Urban Development (Shahari Vikas Mantralaya) Ministry of Water Resources (Jal Sansadhan Mantralaya)

43. Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment (Samajik Nyay Aur Adhikarita Mantralaya) 44. Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (Yuva Karykram Aur Khel Mantralaya) 45. Department of Atomic Energy (Parmanu Oorja Vibhag) 46. Ministry of Panchayati Raj (Panchayati Raj Mantralaya) 47. Ministry of Overseas Indians Affairs (Apravasi Bharatiyon ke Mamlon ka Mantralaya) 48. Department of Space (Antariksha Vibhag) 49. Cabinet Secretariat (Mantri Mandal Sachivalaya) 50. President’s Secretariat (Rashtrapati Sachivalaya) 51. Prime Minister’s Office (Pradhan Mantri Karyalaya) 52. Planning Commission (Yojna Ayog) 53. Department of Development of NorthEastern Region (Uttar Poorvi Kshetra Vikas Vibhag)

LOK SABHA AND ITS SPEAKER(S) FROM TIME TO TIME Lok Sabha Ist IInd IIIrd IVth Vth VIth VIIth VIIIth IXth Xth XIth XIIth XIIIth XIVth XVth XVIth

Name G.V. Mavlanker M.A.Ayyangar M.A. Ayyangar Hukum Singh Neelam Sanjiva Reddy Gurdayal Singh Gurdayal Singh Bali Ram Bhagat Neelam Sanjiva Reddy K.S. Hegde Balram Jhakad Balram Jhakad Rabi Ray Shivraj V. Patil P.A. Sangama G.M.C. Balyogi G.M.C. Balyogi Manohar Joshi Som Nath Chatterjee Meira Kumar Sumitra Mahajan

From 15 May, 1952 8 March, 1956 11 May, 1957 17 April, 1962 17 March, 1967 8 August, 1969 22 March, 1971 5 January, 1976 26 March, 1977 21 July, 1977 22 Jan., 1980 16 Jan., 1985 19 Dec., 1989 10 July, 1991 23 May, 1996 24 March, 1998 22 Oct., 1999 10 May, 2002 4 June, 2004 3 June, 2009 6 June, 2014

To 27 Feb., 1956 10 May, 1957 16 April, 1962 16 March, 1967 19 July, 1969 19 March, 1971 1 Dec., 1975 25 March, 1977 13 July, 1977 21 Jan., 1980 15 Jan., 1985 18 Dec., 1989 9 July, 1991 22 May, 1996 23 March, 1998 20 Oct., 1999 3rd March, 2002 3rd June, 2004 31 May, 2009 18 May, 2014 At Present

16 | GK (Ency.)

PRESIDENTS OF INDIA S. No. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.

Name Dr. Rajendra Prasad Dr. S. Radhakrishnan Dr. Zakir Hussain V. V. Giri (Vice President) Justice. M. Hidayatullah V. V. Giri Fakhruddin Ali Ahamad B. D. Jatti Neelam Sanjiv Reddy Gyani Jail Singh R. Venkat Raman Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma K. R. Narayanan Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalaam Smt. Pratibha Patil Pranab Mukherjee

Tenure 26 Jan., 1950 — 13 May, 1962 13 May, 1962 — 13 May, 1967 13 May, 1967 — 3 May, 1969 3 May, 1969 — 20 July, 1969 20 July, 1969 — 24 August, 1969 24 August, 1969 — 24 August, 1974 24 August, 1974 — 11 Feb., 1977 11 Feb., 1977 — 25 July, 1977 25 July, 1977 — 25 July, 1982 25 July, 1982 — 25 July, 1987 25 July, 1987 — 25 July, 1992 25 July, 1992 — 25 July, 1997 25 July, 1997 — 24 July, 2002 25 July, 2002 — 25 July, 2007 25 July, 2007 — 24 July, 2012 25 July, 2012 — At Present

VICE-PRESIDENTS OF INDIA S. No. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

Name Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan Dr. Zakir Hussain V. V. Giri Gopalswaroop Pathak B. D. Jatti Justice M. Hidayatullah R. Venkat Raman Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma K. R. Narayanan Krishna Kant Bhairon Singh Shekhawat Md. Hamid Ansari

Tenure 1952 — 1962 1962 — 1967 1967 — 1969 1969 — 1974 1974 — 1979 1979 — 1984 1984 — 1987 1987 — 1992 1992 — 1997 1997 Expired on 12-7-2002) 2002 — 2007 2007 — At Present

PRIME MINISTERS OF INDIA S. No. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19.

Name Jawahar Lal Nehru Gulzari Lal Nanda (Acting) Lal Bahadur Shastri Gulzari Lal Nanda (Acting) Indira Gandhi Morarji Desai Chaudhary Charan Singh Indira Gandhi Rajiv Gandhi V. P. Singh Chandra Shekhar P. V. Narshima Rao Atal Bihari Vajpai H. D. Devegoda Indra Kumar Gujral Atal Bihari Vajpai Atal Bihari Vajpai Dr. Manmohan Singh Narendra Damodardas Modi

Tenure 15 Aug., 1947 — 27 May, 1964 27 May, 1964 — 9 June, 1964 9 June, 1964 — 11 Jan., 1966 11 Jan., 1966 — 24 Jan., 1966 24 Jan., 1966 — 24 March, 1977 24 March, 1977 — 28 July, 1979 28 July, 1979 — 14 Jan., 1980 14 Jan., 1980 — 30 Oct., 1984 31 October, 1984 — 1 Dec., 1989 2 Dec., 1989 — 10 Nov., 1990 11 Nov., 1990 — 18 June, 1991 21 June, 1991 — 14 May, 1996 16 May, 1996 — 28 May, 1996 1 June, 1996 — 14 April, 1997 21 April, 1997 — 18 March, 1998 19 March, 1998 — 17 April, 1999 18 April, 1999 — 12 Oct., 1999 (Acting) 13 Oct., 1999 — 22 May, 2004 22 May, 2004—17 May, 2014 26 May, 2014—At Present

GK (Ency.) | 17 CHIEF JUSTICES OF INDIA S. No. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42.

Name Harilal J. Kania M. Patanjali Shastri Mehar Chand Mahajan B. K. Mukharji S. R. Das Bhuvneswar Prasad Sinha P. B. Gajendragadkar A. K. Sarkar K. Subha Rao K. N. Vanchu M. Hidayatullah J. C. Shah S.M. Sikri A. N. Ray M. H. Beg Y. V. Chandrachood P. N. Bhagvati Raghu Nandan Swaroop Pathak E. S. Venkat Rammaiya S. Mukharji Rangnath Mishra K. N. Singh M. H. Kania L. M. Sharma M. N. Venkatchallaia A. M. Ahmadi J. S. Verma Madan Mohan Punchhi Adarsh Sen Anand S. P. Bharucha B. N. Kirpal G. B. Pattnaik V. N. Khare S. Rajendra Babu Ramesh Chandra Lahoti Y. K. Sabharwal K.G. Balakrishnan Sarosh Homi Kapadia Altamas Kabir P. Sathashivam R. M. Lodha H. L. Dattu

26 Jan., 1950 07 Nov., 1951 04 Jan., 1954 23 Dec., 1954 01 Feb., 1956 01 Oct., 1959 01 Feb., 1964 16 March, 1966 30 June, 1966 12 April, 1967 25 Feb., 1968 17 Dec., 1970 22 Jan., 1971 26 April, 1973 28 Jan., 1977 22 Feb., 1978 12 July, 1985 21 Dec., 1986 19 June, 1989 19 Dec., 1989 26 Sept., 1990 25 Nov., 1991 13 Dec., 1991 18 Nov., 1992 12 Feb., 1993 25 Oct., 1994 25 March, 1997 18 Jan., 1998 10 Oct., 1998 01 Nov., 2001 06 May, 2002 08 Nov., 2002 19 Dec., 2002 2 May, 2004 2 June, 2004 1 Nov., 2005 14 Jan., 2007 12 May, 2010 29 Sept., 2012 19 July, 2013 27 April, 2014 28 Sept., 2014

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Tenure 6 Nov., 1951 3 Jan., 1954 22 Dec., 1954 31 Jan., 1956 30 Sept., 1959 31 Jan., 1964 15 March, 1966 29 June, 1966 11 April, 1967 24 Feb., 1968 16 Dec., 1970 21 Jan., 1971 25 April, 1973 27 Jan., 1977 21 Feb., 1978 11 July, 1985 20 Dec., 1986 18 June, 1989 18 Dec., 1989 25 Sept., 1990 24 Nov., 1991 12 Dec., 1991 17 Nov., 1992 11 Feb., 1993 24 Oct., 1994 24 March, 1997 17 Jan., 1998 9 Oct., 1998 31 Oct., 2001 5 May, 2002 7 Nov., 2002 19 Dec., 2002 1 May, 2004 1 June, 2004 31 Oct., 2005 13 Jan., 2007 12 May, 2010 28 Sept., 2012 18 July, 2013 26 April, 2014 27 Sept., 2014 At Present

CHIEF ELECTION COMMISSIONERS OF INDIA S. No. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19.

Name Sukumar Sen K.V. K. Sundaram S. P. Sen Verma Dr. Nagendra Singh T. Swaminathan S. L. Shakadhar R. K. Trivedi R. V. S. Perishastri Smt. B. S. Ramadevi (Acting) T. N. Sheshan M. S. Gill J. M. Lyngdoh T. S. Krishna Murti B. B. Tandon N. Gopalaswami Navin Chawla S. Y. Qureshi V. S. Sampath H. S. Brahma

21 March, 1950 — 20 Dec., 1958 — 01 Oct., 1967 — 01 Oct., 1972 — 07 Feb., 1973 — 18 June, 1977 — 18 June, 1982 — 01 Jan., 1986 — 26 Nov., 1990 — 12 Dec., 1990 — 11 Dec., 1996 — 14 June, 2001 — 7 Feb., 2004 — 17 May, 2005 — 30 June, 2006 — 20 April, 2009 — 30 July, 2010 — 11 June, 2012 — 15 January, 2015—

Tenure 19 Dec., 1958 30 Sept., 1967 30 Sept., 1972 06 Feb., 1973 17 June, 1977 17 June, 1982 31 Dec., 1985 25 Jan., 1990 11 Dec., 1990 10 Dec., 1996 13 June, 2001 6 Feb., 2004 16 May, 2005 29 June, 2006 19 April, 2009 29 July, 2010 10 June, 2012 14 January, 2015 At Present

18 |

GK (Ency.)

INDIAN CONSTITUTION Preamble to the Indian Constitution—“We, the people of India, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic Republic, and to secure to all its citizens.” Justice—Social, economic and political. Liberty—of thought, expression, faith, belief and worship. Equality—of status and opportunity : and to promote among them all. Fraternity—assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the nation. In our Constituent Assembly this twentysixth day of Nov. 1949, do hereby adopt, enact and give to ourselves this Constitution. [Words in italics added by the 42nd constitutional Amendment]

SALIENT FEATURES OF THE CONSTITUTION 1. The Constitution of India is a written and a comprehensive document with 395 Articles and 12 Schedules. 2. India is a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic. 3. It guarantees Fundamental Rights to all citizens of India. 4. It incorporates Fundamental Duties of citizens. 5. It lays down the ‘Directive Principles of State Policy’ for the guidance of the legislatures and the executive of the country. 6. It establishes a parliamentary system of government. 7. It establishes a federation with strong unitary features. 8. It is both rigid and flexible. 9. It provides for an independent Judiciary, with the Supreme Court as the highest court of appeal. 10. It introduces adult franchise or universal adult suffrage. 11. It recognizes only one citizenship i.e., Indian citizenship. 12. It abolishes untouchability in every form.

AMENDMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION There are three different methods of amendment of the Indian Constitution. (i) Certain provisions may be amended by a simple majority of both Houses of Parliament. In this category fall all subjects like creation of new states or rearranging boundaries of existing states; the creation or abolition of second chambers in the States, qualification for Indian citizenship etc. (ii) Certain provisions require—(a) majority of the total membership of both the Houses; (b) two-thirds majority of the members present and voting in each house. (iii) Some provisions require—(a) two-thirds majority of the members present and voting; (b) majority of the total membership of each House; and (c) ratification by not less than one half of the States. In this category fall all subjects like election of the President; distribution of powers between the Union and the States; provisions relating to the Supreme Court and High Courts; representation of States in Parliament; amendment of the Constitution.

CITIZENSHIP The following are entitled to Indian citizenship—(a) a person who is born as well as domiciled in the territory of India (b) a person not born but domiciled in the territory of India either of whose parents was born in the territory of India (c) a person who, or whose father was not born in India but who had his domicile in India and who had been ordinarily residing within the territory of India for not less than five years immediately preceding the commencement of the Constitution. (d) a person who had migrated to India from Pakistan before 19th July, 1948. (e) a person who has migrated to India after 19th July, 1948, but has been registered as a citizen of India by a competent authority. (f) any person, who having migrated to Pakistan has returned to India under a permanent permit granted to him by the Indian authorities. The Constitution recognizes the principle of single citizenship and no person who has voluntarily acquired the citizenship of any foreign state shall remain a citizen of India. The Indians living abroad have only to register themselves with the Indian embassy in order to acquire Indian citizenship.

GK (Ency.)

FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS The fundamental rights as contained in our Constitution are grouped under six categories : (i) Right to equality, (ii) Right to freedom, (iii) Right against exploitation, (iv) Right to freedom of religion, (v) Cultural and Educational rights, (vi) Right to constitutional remedies. In an emergency most of the fundamental rights can be suspended.

RIGHT TO PROPERTY Vide 44th Constitution (Amendment) Act, Right to property has ceased to be a Fundamental Right and has become only a Legal Right. It has however been provided that the removal of Property Right from the list of Fundamental Rights will not affect the right of minorities to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice. Besides, it has been provided in Article 300A of the constitution that no person will be deprived of his property save by authority of law.

FUNDAMENTAL DUTIES OF CITIZENS According to the 42nd Amendment Act ten fundamental duties of citizens have been incorporated in the constitution. It shall be the duty of every citizen of India to— (a) Respect the constitution, the national flag and the national anthem. (b) Cherish the noble ideals of the freedom struggle. (c) Uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India. (d) Defend the country and render national service when called. (e) Promote the common brotherhood of all the people of India and renounce any practice derogatory of the dignity of women. (f) Preserve the rich heritage of the nation’s composite culture. (g) Protect the natural environment and have compassion for living creatures. (h) Develop scientific temper, humanism and spirit of inquiry and reform. (i) Safeguard public property and abjure violence. (j) Strive for excellence in all individual and collective activity.

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(k) Provide opportunities for education to his child or, as the case may be, ward between the age of six and fourteen years.

DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLES OF STATE POLICY The Directive Principles of State Policy are not enforceable through courts of law. They are regarded as fundamental in the governance of the country. They have been embodied under articles 36–51 and may be grouped under three categories; Socialistic, Gandhian and Liberal. The position was changed by 42nd Amendment. But now it has been restored after Minarwa Mills decision. SOCIALISTIC PRINCIPLES (i) To provide adequate means of livelihood for all citizens. (ii) To prevent the concentration of wealth and the means of production. (iii) To have fair distribution of wealth and material resources among all classes. (iv) Equal pay for equal work to all. (v) Protection of health of workers. (vi) Protection of children against exploitation. (vii) To provide work, education and public assistance during unemployment, old age, sickness etc. (viii) To ensure just and humane conditions of work. (ix) Adequate opportunities for development of children, to provide early childhood care and education for all children until they complete the age of six years. (x) Workers participation in industrial management. (xi) Operation of the legal system on the basis of equal opportunity and provision of free legal aid. (xii) To promote international peace and security and encourage the settlement of international disputes by arbitration. (xiii) To safeguard and promote the educational and economic interests of the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. GANDHIAN PRINCIPLES (i) To promote agriculture and animal husbandry; improving breeds of cattle and preventing cow slaughter.

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GK (Ency.)

(ii) To promote cottage industries. (iii) To establish village panchayats. (iv) To raise the level of nutrition and the standard of living of its people; improvement of Public health. (v) Prohibition of the consumption, except for medical purposes, of intoxicating drinks and of drugs injurious to health. (vi) Environment protection including that of forests and wild life. (vii) To take steps to separate the Judiciary from the Executive.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLES (i) The Directive Principles are positive instructions, the Fundamental Rights are in the nature of negative injunctions. (ii) Fundamental Rights are justiciable : Directive Principles are non-justiciable. (iii) The Directive Principles are subject to Fundamental Rights.

UNION EXECUTIVE The Union Executive consists of the President, Vice-President and the Council of Ministers with the Prime Minister at its head.

PRESIDENT Qualifications for election—(i) He must be a citizen of India, (ii) He should be not less than 35 years of age, (iii) He should be qualified for election as a member of the House of the People, (iv) He must not be a member of Parliament, (v) He must not be holding any office of profit under the Government of India or any other Government. A Governor of a State, a Minister or VicePresident are not considered as holding office of profit. How he is elected—The President is elected by an electoral college consisting of the elected members of both the Houses of Parliament, and the elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of the States. He is elected in accordance with the system of proportional representation by the method of a single transferable vote. The number of votes cast by each member of the legislative assembly and by each member of the Parliament is obtained by the following formula :

The number of votes cast by each member of Legislative Assembly Total Population of the State = ÷ 1000 Total elected members of the Assembly Each member of the Parliament will have as many votes as = Total number of votes assigned to the Assemblies Total number of elected members of Parliament Term of office—The President holds office for 5 years unless he resigns or is removed from office by impeachment. He is eligible for reelection. Impeachment of the President—The President may be impeached on a charge of violating the Constitution. The charge of violating the Constitution may be preferred by either House provided—(a) the proposal for impeachment is contained in a resolution signed by not less than one-fourth of the total members of the House, (b) at least fourteen days’ notice in writing has been given for such a resolution; and (c) the resolution must have been passed by not less than two-thirds of the members of the House. After the resolution has been so passed in one House by two-thirds of the total membership, the other House will hear the charges. The President has the right to defend himself in person. If the charges are sustained and the resolution is passed by a two-thirds majority of the investigating House, the President stands removed from his office. Salary and Allowances—He is entitled to a rent free residence and draws a monthly salary of Rs. 1,50,000 (Rs. one lakh fifty thousand) plus various allowances. Legal Privileges of the President—The President is not answerable to any court for the exercise and performance of the powers and duties of his office. No criminal proceedings can be instituted against him nor can he be arrested or imprisoned during the tenure of his office. No civil proceedings can be instituted against him during his tenure of office without two months’ notice regarding the relief claimed.

POWERS OF THE PRESIDENT The powers of the President may be divided into five categories–

GK (Ency.) 1. Executive Powers—All executive action is taken in his name. He appoints the high officers of the state like Governors of the States, the Judges of High Courts and Supreme Court and their Chief Justices, the members and Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission, Attorney General, Comptroller and Auditor General, members of the Diplomatic missions, the Prime Minister and Ministers. He governs the union territories through Chief Commissioners or Lt. Governors. He is the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. 2. Legislative Powers—(a) He appoints 12 members of the Rajya Sabha and two AngloIndians to the Lok Sabha; (b) summons and prorogues Parliament; (c) dissolves the House of the People; (d) assents or withholds assents to the Bills passed by Parliament; (e) returns the bills for reconsideration; (f ) issues ordinances; (g) sends messages to Parliament. 3. Financial Powers—No money Bill or demand for grant can be introduced or moved in Parliament, unless it has been recommended by the President. 4. Judicial Powers—Grants pardons, reprieve, remission or commutation of sentence. 5. Emergency Powers—Three emergencies : (a) If security of India is threatened by war, external aggression or internal armed rebellion. (b) If the constitutional machinery of a State breaks down. (c) If the financial stability of India is threatened. In each case he may suspend the fundamental rights and assume varied powers. The President is the sole judge to determine whether an emergency has arisen or not. (By the 38th Constitutional Amendment the ‘President’s satisfaction’ declaring emergency was declared non-justiciable). Note—Lest the vast emergency powers vested in the President by the constitution should be misued, the 44th Constitution (Amendment) Act has provided for certain safeguards which can be enumerated as follows : (1) An emergency under Article 352 can be proclaimed only to deal with ‘internal armed rebellion’ or external aggression.

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(2) The advice to the President to proclaim an emergency shall be rendered by the Council of Ministers in writing. (3) The President has the right to remit the advice back to the Council of Ministers for reconsideration but he shall act in accordance with a reconsidered advice. (4) The citizens shall have the right to challenge in the court proclamation of an Emergency on grounds of malafide intentions of the Government. (5) An emergency proclamation shall have to be approved within a month by Parliament by a majority of the strength of each House and twothirds of those present and voting. (6) Parliament shall have the right to revoke a state of emergency by a resolution. (7) The right to publication of the proceedings of Parliament during the emergency cannot be suspended. President’s Rule—President’s rule means assumption of all legislative and executive powers of a State by the President of India. Under Article 356 of the Constitution, the President can take over the administration of a State in case its constitutional machinery breaks down. The President does so either on receipt of a report from the Governor or when he is otherwise satisfied that a situation has arisen in which the government of the State cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. Note—His powers are vast but his position is like that of the British King. Originally implied but made explicit by the 42nd Amendment Act the President is bound to exercise his Powers on the advice of the Prime Minister. He represents the nation but does not rule over it.

VICE-PRESIDENT Article 63 of the Constitution provides that there shall be a Vice-President of India. To be eligible for the office of Vice-President a person must be (a) a citizen of India, (b) should be not less than 35 years of age, and (c) eligible for election as a member of the Council of States. Election of Vice-President—The VicePresident is elected by the members of both Houses of Parliament in accordance with the system of proportional representation by the

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GK (Ency.)

method of a single transferable vote. Voting is by secret ballot. Term of Office—He is elected for a period of five years. He may resign the office earlier and may also be removed by a resolution of the Council of States passed by a majority of its total membership and agreed to by the House of People by a simple majority. Fourteen days’ notice in writing should, however, be given before moving such a resolution. His Powers—The Vice-President is exofficio Chairman of the Council of States. In this capacity he exercises all the powers which are normally exercised by the speaker of the Lok Sabha. Secondly, the Vice-President acts for the President in the event of a vacancy in the office of the President or when the President is unable to perform the duties of his office by reason of illness, absence or any other cause. When the Vice-President acts as the President he enjoys all the powers and immunities of the President and is entitled to such emoluments, allowances and privileges as may be determined by Parliament by law. He draws a monthly salary of Rs. 1,25,000.

COUNCIL OF MINISTERS Article 74 of the Constitution of India provides that there shall be a Council of Ministers with the Prime Minister at its head to aid and advise the President in the exercise of his functions. Article 75 provides that the Prime Minister shall be appointed by the President. Functions—The cabinet is the real executive of the country. It formulates the general policy of the Indian Union. It plans the legislative programme. It also prepares the budget and decides upon money Bills to be introduced in Parliament.

PRIME MINISTER The office of the Prime Minister is recognised in Article 74 (1) in the Constitution of India. The President appoints that man as Prime Minister, who enjoys majority support in the House of the People. While the President is the Head of the State, the Prime Minister is the Head of the Government. His Functions—(1) He recommends the names of persons for the Council of Ministers, (2) He presides over the meetings of the cabinet, (3) He communicates to the President all deci-

sions of the Council of Ministers relating to the administration of the union and proposal for legislation, (4) He allocates business among his colleagues, (5) He co-ordinates the policies of the several Ministers, (6) He acts as the leader of the House of the people, (7) He recommends to the President the names for major appointments like those of Ambassadors, Judges, Attorney General, Comptroller General, Governors etc.

THE UNION PARLIAMENT The Union Parliament consists of the President and the two Houses known as the House of the People and the Council of States. The former is known as the Lower Chamber and the latter as the Upper Chamber. The House of the People—The maximum strength of the House of the People or Lok Sabha was originally put at 525–500 to be directly elected from the States, the rest chosen from the Union territories in such a manner as Parliament by Law may prescribe, (The upper limit for representation of the States to Lok Sabha was raised from 500 to 525 and lowered for the Union Territories from 25 to 20 vide 31st Constitution Amendment Act, 1973). The President can nominate two members of the Anglo-Indian community. The qualifications for the membership of the House are that one must be (a) a citizen of India, (b) must have attained the age of twenty five years, and (c) must possess such other qualifications as may be prescribed by Parliament. Every person who is of eighteen years of age is qualified to become a voter to elect the members of the Lok Sabha. The duration of the House was raised from five to six years vide 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976, but it has again been reduced to five years vide 44th Constitution (Amendment) Act, 1979. The House of the People elects its own presiding officers, called the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker.

THE COUNCIL OF STATES (RAJYA SABHA) The Council of States or The Rajya Sabha consists of not more than 250 members out of which 238 are to be elected by the Legislative Assemblies of the States and 12 are nominated by the President from among the persons having

GK (Ency.) special knowledge or practical experience in the field of art, literature, science and social service. The qualifications for membership are the same as those for the House of The People except that the age in the case of Council of States (Rajya Sabha) must not be less than thirty years. The Council of States is a permanent chamber and is not subject to dissolution. However, onethird of its members retire after every two years. The normal term of membership is thus six years. The Vice-President of India is the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. Powers of Parliament—Parliament can legislate on all subjects given in the Union list. But under certain circumstances it can also make laws on the subjects contained in the State list. Parliament controls the executive through questions, adjournment motions, no-confidence motions etc. The ministry remains in office only as long as it enjoys the confidence of Parliament. The Government cannot spend any money without the sanction of Parliament. It can amend the Constitution. It takes part in the election of the President and the Vice-President. It can also remove them. The Proclamation of Emergency is subject to the approval of Parliament. Relation between the two Houses of Parliament—In case of money bills every such bill must be introduced in the House of the People. After it is passed in the Lok Sabha, it is sent to the Rajya Sabha, which cannot reject it, but can delay it only for 14 days. In case of non-money bills the powers of both the Houses are co-equal in theory, though in practice the Lower House has the upper hand because of its numerical superiority. The Union Cabinet is responsible to the Lok Sabha and not to the Rajya Sabha. In certain matters, however, the powers of the Rajya Sabha are overwhelming. For example under article 249, if the Council of States by resolution supported by two-thirds majority passes that a certain subject in the state list has assumed national importance, the Parliament becomes authorized to legislate on that particular subject in the state list.

THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA The Supreme Court is the highest court of justice in India. It consists of the Chief Justice of India and not more than 25 other judges. They

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hold office till they attain the age of 65. The President appoints the Chief Justice and other judges in consultation with the Chief Justice. A judge of the Supreme Court draws a salary of Rs. 90,000 p.m. and the salary of the Chief Justice is Rs. 1,00,000 p.m. The judges may be removed by the President on an address presented by Parliament passed by a majority of the total membership of the House and also by two-thirds majority of the members present and voting. Qualifications of Judges—To be a judge of the Supreme Court one must be (a) a citizen of India, (b) must have been a judge of a High Court for five years, (c) must have been a barrister of a High Court for at least ten years, or (d) must be a distinguished jurist in the opinion of the President. Jurisdiction—Its jurisdiction is— (a) Original—It decides (i) disputes between the Government of India and one or more states, (ii) disputes between the Government of India and one or more states on one side and one or more states on the other, (iii) disputes between states, (iv) enforcement of fundamental rights. (b) Appellate—(i) constitutional appeals involving interpretation of the Constitution certified by a High Court, (ii) criminal appeals— if a High Court passed a death sentence reversing the order of acquittal of an inferior court, (iii) civil appeals—if the High Court certifies that the case is fit for appeal and involves a substantial question of law or fact, it can be admitted by the Supreme Court. (c) Advisory—The President may refer any matter to it for its opinion. Note—According to the 42nd constitutional Amendment, the Supreme Court had been vested with the sole authority to determine the validity of central enactments. If a case involves the constitutionality of both Central and State laws, the Supreme Court alone would have jurisdiction over it. But according to the 43rd Constitution (Amendment) Act , 1978 enacted at the instance of the Janata Government, the original position has been restored; the Supreme Court will now have power to invalidate state laws, a power taken away by the 42nd Amendment Act.

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GK (Ency.)

HIGH COURT The Constitution provides for a High Court for each state. It consists of a Chief Justice and such other judges as Parliament by law prescribes from time to time. The Chief Justice is appointed by the President in consultation with the Governor of the State and the Chief Justice of India. In the appointment of other judges the President consults the Chief Justice of the High Court also. The judges may hold office till they attain the age of 62 years. They may be removed from office in the manner of the removal of the judges of the Supreme Court. A Judge of High Court draws a salary of Rs. 80‚000 p.m. and the salary of the Chief Justice is Rs. 90‚000 p.m. To be a judge of a High Court, a person (a) must be a citizen of India (b) must have held a judicial office for atleast ten years, (c) or must have been an advocate of at least ten years standing. The jurisdiction is both original and appellate. The original jurisdiction extends to (a) enforcement of fundamental rights, (b) the cases of probate, admiralty, matrimony, divorce. The appellate jurisdiction extends to civil and criminal cases, (c) the High Courts have the power of superintendence over the inferior courts and prescribing the procedure before such courts. Note—According to the 42nd Constitutional Amendment, the jurisdiction of the High Courts under article 226 had been modified. While they could enforce Fundamental Rights their jurisdiction in respect of other quarters was restricted to two matters—contravention of a statutory provision causing substantial injury to a petitioner and illegality resulting in substantial failure of justice. Their jurisdiction was confined to State law. They could not go into the question of validity of central laws. But according to the 43rd Amendment Act, 1978, the High Courts will now also be able to go into the question of constitutional validity of central laws, a power taken away by the 42nd Amendment Act enacted during the Emergency. According to the 44th Constitution (Amendment) Act, 1979 the Jurisdiction of the High Courts to issue writ in the nature of ‘habeas corpus’ cannot be suspended.

SUBORDINATE COURTS Subject to minor variations, the structure and functions of the subordinate courts are more or

less uniform throughout the country. A state is divided into a number of districts, each under the jurisdiction of a principal civil court presided over by a district judge. Sometimes he is assisted by additional district judges. Subordinate to a district judge is a hierarchy of different grades of civil courts. Besides hearing suits, the civil courts exercise jurisdiction over several matters such as arbitration, guardianship, marriage, divorce and probate. Quasi-judicial tribunals, distinct from the ordinary courts have also been set up under certain special Acts for determining some types of civil rights. In some cases, appeals lie from their orders to the ordinary civil courts. But even when no such right is given, they are subject to the constitutional right of superintendence of High Courts. The constitution and organisation of criminal courts and their procedure are regulated by the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, which came into force with effect from 1st April, 1974, repealing the Code of Criminal Procedure 1898. The Code provides separate sets of magistrates for the discharge of the executive and judicial functions. The executive magistrates are under the control of the state government while the judicial magistrates are under the control of the High Court.

SPEAKER OF THE LOK SABHA The Speaker is the presiding officer of the House. He is elected by the members of the House from among themselves. He may be removed from his office if a resolution to that effect has been passed by a majority of all the members of the House after giving a fourteen days’ notice. The Speaker of the Lok Sabha draws a salary of Rs. 1,25,000 per month plus other allowances. He (a) presides over the sessions of the House and conducts its proceedings according to the Rules of Procedure, (b) decides who shall have the floor, (c) puts Bills to vote and announces the results of votes, (d) decides about the admissibility of questions, (e) decides points of order and admits adjournment motion. (f) interprets the Rules of Procedure and gives his Ruling, (g) votes in case of a tie, (h) protects the privileges of the members of the House, (i) appoints the chairmen of all committees, (j) acts as a channel of communication between the

GK (Ency.) Parliament and the President, (k) presides over the joint sitting of the two Houses. The Speaker of a Vidhan Sabha or Legislative Assembly of a State performs more or less the same powers and functions in respect of the Vidhan Sabha. In the case of the states there is no provision of joint sitting of both Houses of the Legislature.

PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES OF THE MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT AND STATE LEGISLATURES The following are the immunities— (a) Freedom of Speech—The members cannot be prosecuted for anything said on the floor of the House. (b) Freedom of Publication—Nobody is liable to be prosecuted for publishing under the authority of Parliament any of its reports or proceedings. (c) Freedom from Arrest—No member shall be arrested from inside the Parliament, nor can he be arrested in any civil or criminal proceedings one month before the session of the Parliament, without the permission of the speaker. The privileges of the members are protected by the House and issues pertaining to breach or violation of privileges are referred to the Privileges Committee of the House.

THE STATE EXECUTIVE : GOVERNOR Article 154 of the Constitution vests the executive authority of the State in the Governor who exercises his powers directly or through officers subordinate to him. He is appointed by the President. To be a Governor, the person to be eligible must be (a) a citizen of India, (b) not less than 35 years of age, and (c) must not be a member of Parliament or State Legislature. He holds office for five years. However, he can be removed from office by the President at any time. His salary is 1,10,000 p.m. plus other allowances and privileges. His Powers—The powers of the Governor are executive, legislative, financial and judicial. All the executive action of the state is taken in his name. He appoints the Chief Minister and on the latter’s advice other ministers of the State. He appoints the Advocate General, Chairman and members of the State Public Service Commission.

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As is the practice under the Parliamentary system, the Governor is to exercise his executive powers on the advice of the Council of Ministers headed by the Chief Minister. He summons the legislature, addresses it, sends messages, prorogues it and dissolves the lower chamber. He nominates certain number of members of the Legislative Council. No Bill converts into an Act without his assent. He has the power of issuing ordinances. No money Bill can be introduced in the State Legislature without his recommendation. He causes the annual financial statement of the State to be laid before the State Legislature. The Governor has the power to grant pardon, commute and suspend sentence of any person convicted of any offence against any law relating to matters to which the executive power of the state extends. Discretionary Powers—The Governor can act in his discretion in the following cases— (a) In giving assent to Bills, (b) in dissolving the legislative assembly, (c) in the appointment of Chief Minister when no single party secures a clear majority, and (d) in determining whether the government of the state can or cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.

CHIEF MINISTER The Governor appoints a person as Chief Minister who enjoys the majority support in the Lower House. The person so appointed as Chief Minister should be a member of the state legislature. But even one who is not a member may also be appointed as Chief Minister but he should get himself elected as member of the Legislature of the State within six months. The functions and powers of the Chief Minister are like those of the Prime Minister except for the fact that his powers extend to the domain of the state administration.

THE STATE LEGISLATURE The organisation of State Legislature is not uniform throughout India. Some states have two chambers; others a single chamber. The lower chamber is called the Legislative Assembly and the upper chamber is called the Legislative Council.

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GK (Ency.)

The Legislative Assembly will not consist of more than 500 members and less than 60 members. The members are elected on the basis of adult franchise. The term was originally five years unless earlier dissolved or extended but it was raised to six years vide 42nd Constitutional Amendment. It has again been reduced to five years vide 44th Constitutional Amendment Act. The Legislative Council is a permanent chamber consisting of not more than one-third of the strength of the Legislative Assembly and not less than forty. It is indirectly elected : one-third by the Assembly ; one-third by local bodies ; onetwelfth by the graduates ; one twelfth by teachers and one-sixth nominated by the Governor from among persons distinguished in art, literature, science and social service. One-third of the members retire after every two years.

POWERS OF LEGISLATURE Legislative—Powers to make laws on state and concurrent lists subject to certain limitations. Financial—No expenditure can be incurred and no taxes can be raised without its approval. Executive—Executive control through questions, adjournment motions, investigating committees, rejecting Bills and passing no-confidence motions. The powers of the Legislative Council vis-avis those of the Legislative Assembly are less. In case of money Bills, no Money Bill can originate in the Legislative Council. Secondly, it can delay only for 14 days a money Bill already passed by the Legislative Assembly. In the case of nonmoney Bills, the Legislative Council can delay them only for four months. Thus the position of the Legislative Council in relation to the Legislative Assembly is far weaker than that of the Rajya Sabha in relation to the Lok Sabha. The executive is responsible to the Legislative Assembly and not to the Legislative Council. It does not take part in the election of the President.

COMPTROLLER AND AUDITOR GENERAL

submits reports to the President and the Governors of the States.

ATTORNEY GENERAL Article 76 of the Constitution provides for the Attorney General of India. The person who is qualified to be appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court is appointed as Attorney General of India by the President. His functions and duties are of legal character. He is, therefore, an expert legal adviser to the Government of India. In the performance of his duties, he has the right of audience in all Indian Courts.

UNION PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION Article 315 of the Constitution provides for a Union Public Service Commission and Public Service Commissions for the States. The chairman and seven other members of the Union Public Service Commission are appointed by the President and they hold office for a term of six years or till they attain the age of 65 years from the date of appointment whichever is earlier. There are provisions to ensure their independence of the Executive and the Legislature in order to enable them to perform their duties without fear and favour. Its main function is to conduct examinations and hold interviews for appointments to various services of the Union. Apart from this, The U.P.S.C. is consulted on the following : (a) All matters relating to the method of recruitment to Civil Services. (b) The principles regarding the making of appointments and in making promotions and transfers from one service to another. (c) All disciplinary matters affecting a person in the service of the union. (d) All matters regarding the award of pensions, in respect of injuries sustained during service under the Government. The chairman and members of the State Public Service Commission are appointed by the Governor. They hold office for six years or till they attain the age of 62 years whichever is earlier *. The State P.S.Cs. also perform the same functions as the U.P.S.C. with the only difference that the former are concerned with the services of the states.

Article 148 of the Constitution provides for a Comptroller and Auditor General of India. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India is appointed by the President. He keeps watch on the accounts of the Union and the States. It is his duty to see that the expenses voted by the Parliament or a State Legislature are not exceeded. He * Raised from 60 to 62 vide 41st Constitutional Amendment, 1976.

GK (Ency.)

ELECTION COMMISSION Article 324 of the Constitution of India has provided for an Election Commission. The main duties of the Election Commission are— (1) To superintend, direct, control and conduct all elections to Parliament and State Legislatures as also to the office of the President and Vice-President of India; (2) to lay down general rules for election; (3) to determine constituencies and to prepare electoral rolls; (4) to give recognition to political parties; (5) to allot election symbols to different political parties and individual contestants, and (6) to appoint tribunals for the decision of doubts and disputes arising out of or in connection with election to Parliament and State Legislatures.

LANGUAGES RECOGNISED IN THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION Assamese, Bangla, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malyalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.

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Note–Sindhi included vide Constitution, 21st (Amendment) Act, 1967. Nepali, Manipuri and Konkani were added in 1992 vide 78th Constitution Amendment Act, Bodo, Dogri, Maithili and Santhali were added by 92nd Constitution (Amendment) Act, 2003.

OFFICIAL LANGUAGE As provided under the Official Languages Act, 1963, Hindi became the official language of the union with effect from January 26, 1965. Provision was also made under this Act for the continued use of English, in addition to Hindi even after January 26, 1965. Further it is provided under the Official Languages (Amendment) Act, 1947 that English shall be used for purposes of communication between the Union and a State which has not adopted Hindi as official language. A State, which has adopted Hindi as its official language shall communicate in Hindi along with its translation in English while communicating with a State which has not adopted Hindi. The Constitution recognises 22 languages which are given in 8th Schedule of the Constitution.

JURISDICTION AND SEATS OF HIGH COURT S.N. Name 1. Allahabad 2. Andhra Pradesh 3. Bombay

Establishment 1866 1954 1862

4. Calcutta

1862

5. Delhi 6. Guwahati

1966 1948

Territorial Jurisdiction

Seat

Uttar Pradesh Andhra Pradesh Maharashtra, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Goa, Daman & Deu West Bengal, Andaman & Nicobar Islands Delhi Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh

Allahabad (Bench at Lucknow) Hyderabad Bombay (Bench at Nagpur)

7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

Gujarat Himachal Pradesh Jammu & Kashmir Karnataka Kerala Madhya Pradesh

1960 1971 1957 1884 1956 1956

Gujarat Himachal Pradesh Jammu & Kashmir Karnataka Kerala & Lakshadweep Madhya Pradesh

13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24.

Madras Odisha Patna Punjab & Haryana Rajasthan Sikkim Bilaspur Nainital Ranchi Imphal Shillong Agartala

1862 1948 1916 1966 1950 1975 2000 2000 2000 2013 2013 2013

Puducherry & Tamilnadu Odisha Bihar Chandigarh, Haryana & Punjab Rajasthan Sikkim Chhattishgarh Uttarakhand Jharkhand Manipur Meghalaya Tripura

Calcutta (Kolkata) (Circuit Bench at Port Blair) Delhi Guwahati (Bench at Kohima & Circuit benches at Imphal Agartala & Shillong) Ahmedabad Shimla Srinagar & Jammu Banglore (Bengaluru) Ernakulam Jabalpur (Benches at Gwalior & Indore) Madras (Chennai) Cuttack Patna Chandigarh Jodhpur (Bench at Jaipur) Gangtok Bilaspur Nainital Ranchi Imphal Shillong Agartala

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ORGANISATION OF PANCHYATI RAJ INSTITUTIONS IN VARIOUS STATES S.N. State 1. Kerala 2. Jammu & Kashmir 3. Manipur 4. Tripura 5. Sikkim 6. Odisha

Tier 1–Tier 1–Tier

Institution Gram Panchayat Gram Panchayat

1–Tier 1–Tier 1–Tier 2–Tier

Gram Panchayat Gram Panchayat Gram Panchayat 1. Gram Panchayat 2. Panchayat Samiti 1. Gram Panchayat 2. Panchayat Samiti 1. Gram Panchayat 2. Panchayat Samiti 1. Gram Panchayat 2. Panchayat Samiti 1. Gram Panchayat 2. Panchayat Samiti 1. Gram Panchayat 2. Panchayat Samiti 1. Gram Panchayat 2. Panchayat Samiti 1. Gram Panchayat 2. Panchayat Samiti 1. Gram Panchayat 2. Panchayat Samiti 1. Gram Panchayat 2. Panchayat Samiti 3. Zila Parishad 1. Gram Panchayat 2. Panchayat Samiti 3. Zila Parishad 1. Gram Panchayat 2. Panchayat Samiti 3. Zila Parishad 1. Gram Panchayat 2. Panchayat Samiti 3. Zila Parishad 1. Gram Panchayat 2. Panchayat Samiti 3. Zila Parishad 1. Gram Panchayat 2. Panchayat Samiti 3. Zila Parishad 1. Gram Panchayat 2. Panchayat Samiti 3. Zila Parishad 1. Gram Panchayat 2. Panchayat Samiti 3. Zila Parishad 1. Gram Panchayat 2. Panchayat Samiti 3. Zila Parishad

7. Dadra & Nagar Haveli 8. Delhi

2–Tier

9. Puducherry

2–Tier

2–Tier

10. Assam

2–Tier

11. Karnataka

2–Tier

12. Haryana

2–Tier

13. Madhya Pradesh 14. Chhattishgarh

2–Tier

15. Bihar

3–Tier

16. Rajasthan

3–Tier

17. Uttar Pradesh

3–Tier

18. Himachal Pradesh

3–Tier

19. Punjab

3–Tier

20. Uttarakhand

3–Tier

21. Jharkhand

3–Tier

22. Maharashtra

3–Tier

2–Tier

23. Andhra Pradesh 3–Tier

24. Tamilnadu

3–Tier

25. Gujarat

3–Tier

26. West Bengal

4–Tier

27. Meghalaya 28. Nagaland 29. Mizoram

1–Tier 1–Tier 1–Tier

1. Gram Panchayat 2. Panchayat Samiti 3. Zila Parishad 1. Gram Panchayat 2. Panchayat Samiti 3. Zila Parishad 1. Gram Panchayat 2. Anchal Panchayat 3. Anchalic Parishad 4. Zila Parishad Tribal Council Tribal Council Tribal Council

AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION The Constitution (Ist Amendment) Act, 1951— This amendment provided for several new grounds of restrictions to the right of freedom of speech and expression and the right to practise any profession or to carry on any trade or business as contained in article 19 of the constitution. These restrictions related to public order, friendly relations with Foreign States or incitement to an offence in relations to the right to freedom of speech and to the prescribing of professional or technical qualification or the carrying on by the state, etc. of any trade business, industry or service in relation to the right to carry on any trade or business. The amendment also inserted two new articles, 31A and 31B and the Ninth Schedule to give protection from challenge to Land reform laws. The Constitution (2nd Amendment) Act, 1952 —By this amendment the scale or representation for election to the Lok Sabha was readjusted. The Constitution (3rd Amendment) Act, 1954— This amendment substituted entry 33 of list III (Concurrent list) of the 7th schedule to make it correspond to article 369. The Constitution (4th Amendment) Act, 1955, Article 31(2) of the constitution was amended to restate more precisely the states power of compulsory acquisition and requisitioning of private property and distinguish it from cases where the operation of regulatory or prohibitory laws of the states results in deprivation of property. Article 31-A of the constitution was also amended to extend its scope to cover categories of essential welfare legislation like abolition of Zamindaris, proper planning of urban and rural areas and for effecting a full control over the Mineral and Oil resources of the country, etc. Six acts were also included in the Ninth Schedule. Article 305 was also amended to save certain laws providing of State Monopolies.

GK (Ency.) | 29 The Constitution (5th Amendment) Act, 1955 —This amendment made a change in article 3 so as to empower President to specify a time limit for state legislatures to convey their views on the proposed central laws affecting areas, boundaries etc. of their states. The Constitution (6th Amendment) Act, 1956 —This amendment made some changes in article 269 and 286 relating to taxes on sale and purchase of goods in the course of interstate trade and commerce. A new entry 92A was added to the union list of the seventh schedule of the constitution. The Constitution (7th Amendment) Act, 1956 —This amendment Act purported to give effect to the recommendations of the state reorganizations commission and the necessary consequential changes. Broadly, the then existing states and territories were changed to have two fold classification of states and union territories. The amendment also provided for composition of the House of the People, readjustment after every census, provisions regarding the establishment of new High Courts, High Court Judges etc. The Constitution (8th Amendment) Act, 1960 —Article 334 was amended with a view to extending the period of reservation of seats for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes and to the anglo-Indian community by nomination in Parliament and in the state legislatures for a further period of 10 years. The Constitution (9th Amendment) Act, 1960 —The purpose of this amendment is to give effect to the transfer of certain territories to Pakistan in pursuance of the agreement entered into between Government of India and Pakistan. This amendment was necessitated in view of the Judgment of Supreme Court in 'In Re Berubari' Union by which it was held that any agreement to cede a territory to another country could not be implemented by a law made under Article 3 but would only be implemented by an amendment of the counstitution. The Constitution (10th Amendment) Act, 1961 —This act amended Article 240 and the First Schedule in order to include areas of Dadra and Nagar Haveli as a union territory and to provide for its administration under the regulation making powers of President. The Constitution (11th Amendment) Act, 1961 —The purpose of this amendment was to amend articles 66 and 71 of the constitution to provide that the election of President or Vice-President could not be challenged on the ground of any vacancy in the appropriate electoral college. The Constitution (12th Amendment) Act, 1962 —This amendment sought to include Goa, Daman and Diu as a Union Territory and amend Article 240 for the purpose. The Constitution (13th Amendment) Act, 1962 —By this amendment a new article 371-A was added

to make special provision with respect to the state of Nagaland in pursuance of an agreement between Government of India and Naga people’s convention. The Constitution (14th Amendment) Act, 1962 —By this Act, Pondicherry was included in the first schedule as a Union Territory and this Act has also enabled the creation of legislatures by parliamentary law for Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, Goa, Daman and Diu and Pondicherry. The Constitution (15th Amendment) Act, 1963 —This amendment provided for increase in the age of retirement of High Court Judges and for the provision of compensatory allowance to Judges who are transferred from one High Court to another. The Act also provided for appointment of retired Judges to act as Judges of High Court. Article 226 was also enlarged to empower High Courts to issue direction, orders or writs to any Government authority, etc. If the cause of action for the exercise of such power arose in the territories wherein the High Court exercises jurisdiction notwithstanding that seat of such Government authority is not within those territories. The Act also provided for the exercise of powers of Chairman of the Service Commissions, in their absence, by one of their members. The Constitution (16th Amendment) Act, 1963 —Article 19 was amended by this Act to impose further restriction on the rights to freedom of speech and expression, to assemble peaceably and without arms and to form association in the interests of sovereignty and integrity of India. The oath of affirmation to be subscribed by candidates seeking election to Parliament and State legislature have been amended to include as one of the conditions that they will uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India. The amendments are intended to promote national integration. The Constitution (17th Amendment) Act, 1964 —Article 31-A was further amended to prohibit the acquisition of land under personal cultivation unless the market value of the land is paid as compensation and the definition of ‘estate’ as contained in that article had also been enlarged with retrospective effect. The Ninth schedule had also been amended to include 44 more Acts. The Constitution (18th Amendment) Act, 1966 —Article 3 was amended by this Act to specify that the expression 'State' will include a union territory also and to make it clear that the power to form a new state under this article includes a power to form a new state or union territory by uniting a part of a State or a Union Territory to another state or union terriotry. The Constitution (19th Amendment) Act, 1966 —Article 324 was amended to effect a consequential change as a result of the decision to abolish Election Tribunals and to hear election petitions by High Courts.

30 | GK (Ency.) The Constitution (20th Amendment) Act, 1966 —This amendment was necessitated by the decision of the Supreme Court in Chandra-mohan vs State of Uttar Pradesh, in which certain appointments of District Judges in The State of Uttar Pradesh were declared void by Supreme Court. A new article 233-A was added and the appointments made by Governor were validated. The Constitution (21st Amendment) Act, 1967 —By this amendment, Sindhi language was included in the Eighth schedule. The Constitution (22nd Amendment) Act, 1969 —This Act was enacted to facilitate the formation of a new autonomous state of Meghalaya within The state of Assam. The Constitution (23rd Amendment) Act, 1969 —Article 334 was amended so as to extend the safeguards in respect of reservation of seats in Parliament and state lagislatures for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes as well as for Anglo-Indians for a further period of ten years. The Constitution (24th Amendment) Act, 1971 —This amendment was passed in the context of a situation that emerged with the verdict in Goraknath's case by Supreme Court. Accordingly this Act amended article 13 and article 368 to remove all doubts regarding the power of Parliament to amend the Constitution including the Fundamental Rights. The Constitution (25th Amendment) Act, 1971 —This amendment further amended article 31 in the wake of the Bank Nationalization case. The word 'amount' was substituted in place of 'Compensation' in the light of the judicial interpretation o f the word 'Compensation' meaning adequate compensation.' The Constitution (26th Amendment) Act, 1971 —By this amendment, the Privy and Privileges of the former rulers of Indian states were abolished. This amendment was passed as a result of Supreme Court decision in Madhav Rao's case. The Constitution (27th Amendment) Act, 1971 —This amendment was passed to provide for certain matters necessitated by the re-organization of northeastern states. A new article 239B was inserted which enabled the promulgation of Ordinances by Administrators of certain union territories. The Constitution (28th Amendment) Act, 1972 —The amendment was enacted to abolish the special privileges of the members of Indian Civil Services in matter of leave, pension and rights as regard to disciplinary matters. The Constitution (29th Amendment) Act, 1972 —The Ninth Schedule to the Constitution was amended to include therein two Kerala Acts on land reforms. The Constitution (30th Amendment) Act, 1972 —The purpose of the amendment was to amend article 133 in order to do away with the valuation test of

Rupees 20,000 as fixed therein and to provide instead for an appeal to Supreme Court in civil proceedings only on a certificate issued by High Court that the case involves a substantial question of law of general importance and that in the opinion of the High Court the question needs to be decided by the Supreme Court. The Constitution (31st Amendment) Act, 1973 —This Act inter alia increases the upper limit for the representation of states in the Lok Sabha from 500 to 525 and reducing the upper limit for the representation of union territories from 25 members to 20. The Constitution (32nd Amendment) Act, 1973 —This Act provided the necessary constitutional authority for giving effect to the provision of equal opportunities to different areas of the State of Andhra Pradesh and for the constitution o f an Administrative Tribunal with jurisdictions to deal with grievances relating to public services. It also empowered Parliament to legislate for the establishment of a central university in the State. The Constitution (33rd Amendment) Act, 1974 —By this amendment Article 101 and 190 were amended in order to streamline the procedure for resignation of members of Parliament and state lagislatures. The Constitution (34th Amendment) Act, 1974 —By this Act twenty more Land tenure and land reforms laws enacted by various state legislatures were included in the Ninth Schedule. The Constitution (35th Amendment) Act, 1974 —By this Act a new article 2A was added thereby conferring on Sikkim the Status of an associate state of Indian Union. Consequent amendments were made to articles 80 and 81. A new schedule i.e. Tenth Schedule was added laying down terms and conditions of association of Sikkim with the Union. The Constitution (36th Amendment) Act, 1975 —This amendment was enacted to make Sikkim a full fledged state of Indian union and to include it in the First Schedule to the Constitution and to allot to Sikkim one seat each in the Council of States and in the House of the People. Article 2A and the Xth Schedule inserted by the Constitution (Thirty fifth amendment) Act were omitted and article 80 and 81 were suitably amended. The Constitution (37th Amendment) Act, 1975 —By this Act Union Territory of Arunachal Pradesh was provided with a Legislative Assembly. Article 240 of the Constitution was also amended to provide that as in the case of other union territories with Legislatures, the power of President to make regulations for the union territory of Arunachal Pradesh may be exercised only when the assembly is either dissolved or its functions remain suspended. The Constitution (38th Amendment) Act, 1975 —This Act amended Articles 123, 213 and 352 of the Constitution to provide that the satisfaction of President

GK (Ency.) | 31 or Governor contained in these articles would be called in question in any Court of law. The Constitution (39th Amendment) Act, 1995 —By this Act, disputes relating to the election of President, Vice President, Prime Minister and Speaker are to be determined by such authority as may be determined by Parliamentary Law. Certain Central enactments were also included in the 9th Schedule by this Act. The Constitution (40th Amendment) Act, 1976 —This Act provided for vesting in the Union of all mines, minerals and other things of value lying in the ocean within the territorial waters or the continental shelf or the exclusive economic zone of India. It further provided that all other resources of the exclusive economic zone of India shall also vest in the Union. This act also provided that the limits of the territorial waters, the continental shelf, the exclusive economic zone and the maritime zones of India shall be as specified from time to time by or under any law made by Parliament. Also some more acts were added to the 9th Schedule. The Constitution (41st Amendment) Act, 1976 —By this Act Article 316 was amended to raise the retirement age of members of State Public Service Commission and Zoint Public Service Commission from 60 to 62 years. The Constitution (42nd Amendment) Act, 1976 —The A c t introduced comprehensive changes in the Constitution, some of which are as follows— (i) Provision of Fundamental Duties, (ii) Directive Principles made justiceable and given precedence over Fundamental Rights, (iii) Division of jurisdiction between the Supreme Court and the High Courts in the matter of determination of the constitutional validity of Central and State laws, (iv) Limitation of the jurisdiction of High Courts in certain respects, (v) provision for creation o f Administrative Tribunals for adjudication for service matters, (vi) Inclusion of Education and certain other subjects in the Concurrent List, (vii) Provision for dealing with antinational and communal activities, (viii) Provision for amending Article 368 of the Constitution to give emphasis on the mutability of the Constitution and every part thereof. The Constitution (43rd Amendment) Act, 1978 —The President gave assent to the Constitution (43rd Amendment) Act, on April 13, 1978 which repeals the obnoxious provisions of the Constitution (42nd Amendment) Act passed during the emergency. The Act seeks to restore civil liberties by deleting Article 31D which gave powers to Parliament to curtail even legitimate trade union activity under the guise of legislation for the prevention of anti-national activities. The new law also restores legislative powers to the States to make appropriate provision for anti-national activities consistent with Fundamental Rights.

The Judiciary has also been restored to its rightful place. The Supreme Court will now have power to invalidate State laws, a power taken away by the 42nd Amendment Act. The High Courts will also be able to go into the question of Constitutional validity of Central Laws, a power taken away be the 42nd Amendment Act. The Constitution (44th Amendment) Act, 1979 —This Amendment, reverses many of the provisions of the 42nd Amendment and also makes far reaching changes in many of the provisions of the Constitution, the chief of which are as follows : The Right to Property has been deleted from the list of Fundamental Rights. It has now become an ordinary legal right. The Amendment provides for safeguards against misuse of executive powers and indiscriminate imposition of Emergency. To ensure that Emergency powers are properly exercised the Amendment provides a number of safeguards. The Act provides that the fundamental right to life and liberty cannot be demolished even during the operation of Emergency. Another important provision of the amendment is Article 361-A. The right of information media, especially the press has been guaranteed to report freely and without censorship the proceedings in Parliament and State Legislatures. The term of Parliament and State Legislatures has been reduced from six to five years. It may be remembered that term of Parliament and the State Legislatures was raised from 5 to 6 years by the 42nd Amendment Act. In this way the pre 42nd Amendment position has been restored. According to another provision, a law for preventive detention cannot authorize, in any case, detention for a longer period than two months, unless an advisory board has reported that there is sufficient cause for such detention. The Presidential proclamation regarding the breakdown of constitutional machinery in a state issued under Article 356 would be in force only for a period of six months in the first instance. It cannot, however, exceed one year ordinarily. The Constitution (45th Amendment) Act, 1980 —The President on April 14, 1980 gave assent to the 45th Constitution (Amendment) Bill which extends reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies, as well as representation for Anglo-Indians for a further period of 10 years. The Constitution (49th Amendment) Act, 1985 —The aim of the amendment (of Article 356) was to enable the central Government to extend President’s rule in Punjab, if necessary, for a period of one year beyond Oct. 5, 1985. Under the Constitutional

32 | GK (Ency.) provisions, President’s rule cannot be continued for more than one year at a time. The Constitution (52nd Amendment) Act, 1985 —The Act has made defection to another party, after elections, illegal. Any member defecting to another party after elections will be disqualified from being member of Parliament or State legislature. The Constitution (53rd Amendment) Act, 1986 —The Act grants Statehood to the Union Territory of Mizoram, thus making it the 23rd State of the Indian Unions. The Constitution (54th Amendment) Act, 1986 —The Act revised the salary scales of Supreme Court and High Court Judges. According to the provisions of the Act the salary of the Chief Justice of India was raised to Rs. 10‚000 per month, that of other Judges of the Supreme Court and the Chief Justices of High Courts to Rs. 9‚000 and that of other Judges of High Courts to Rs. 8‚000 per month. The Constitution (55th Amendment) Act 1986 —This Act seeks to give effect to the proposal of Government of India to confer statehood on the Union Territory of Arunachal Pradesh and for this purpose, a new Article 371 H has been inserted which, inter alia, stipulates that the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh shall have special responsibility with respect to law and order in the State of Arunachal Pradesh. The new Article also provides that the new Legislative Assembly of the new State of Arunachal Pradesh shall consist of not less than thirty members. The Constitution (56th Amendment) Act, 1987 —This amendment gave statehood to Goa, Goa now becomes the 25th State of India. Daman and Diu remain a separate Union Territory. The Constitution (57th Amendment) Act, 1987 —This Act provides for reservation in the legislative assemblies of 4 North-Eastern States. The Constitution (58th Amendment) Act, 1987 —Hindi Version of the Constitution accepted officially. The Constitution (59th Amendment) Act, 1988 —This Act provides for the imposition of Emergency in Punjab due to internal disturbances and extension of President’s Rule upto a maximum of three years. The Constitution (60th Amendment) Act, 1988 —The state governments have been empowered under this Act to increase the professional tax from Rs. 250 to Rs. 2500 per annum. The Constitution (61st Amendment) Act, 1989 —Voting age is reduced from 21 years to 18 years. The Constitution (62nd Amendment) Act, 1989 —The 9th Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha passed this bill in Dec. 1989. It proposes to secure reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes for another period of 10 years.

The Constitution (63rd Amendment) Act, 1989 —Repealed Amendment 59 empowering government to impose emergency in Punjab. The Constitution (64th Amendment) Act, 1990 —The Act extends President’s rule in Punjab for six months from May 11, 1990. This Act was introduced as 65th Amendment Bill. The Constitution (65th Amendment) Act, 1990 —The Act provided statutory status to the commission for Scheduled Castes and Tribes. The Constitution (66th Amendment) Act, 1990 —This Act added more Land Reforms Acts in the Ninth Schedule to the Constitution after entry 202. The Constitution (67th Amendment) Act, 1991 —It was introduced and passed by the Parliament on Oct. 4, 1990. It extends President’s rule in Punjab for 6 months from Nov. 11, 1990. The Constitution (68th Amendment) Act, 1991 —It was introduced as 75th Amendment Bill. It extended President’s rule in Punjab for one year, i.e. upto a total period of five years (from May 11, 1987 to May 1, 1992). The Constitution (69th Amendment) Act, 1991 —The name of Union Territory of Delhi changed to National Capital Area. It will have 70 member Assembly. The Constitution (70th Amendment) Act, 1992 —Members of Pondicherry Assembly and members of the proposed Assembly of Delhi given right to elect the President. The Constitution (71st Amendment) Act, 1992 —Nepalese, Konkani and Manipuri added to the Eight scheduled (Languages) as recognised languages in the Constitution. The Constitution (72nd Amendment) Act, 1992 —For restoring peace and harmony in the areas of the State of Tripura where disturbed conditions prevailed, a Memorandum of settlement was signed by the Government of India with Tripura National Volunteers on August 12, 1988. The Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 —It is concerning Panchayati Raj. The Constitution (74th Amendment) Act, 1992 —It is regarding Municipal Boards and Corporations. The Constitution (77th Amendment) Act, 1993 —Regarding establishment of Tribunals to decide tenancy disputes between tenants and house owners. The Constitution (78th Amendment) Act, 1995 —Land Reforms of Bihar, Karnataka, Kerala, Orissa, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and W. Bengal included in 9th schedule of the Constitution. The Constitution (79th Amendment) Act, 1999 —It extends reservation of seats in Parliament and State Assemblies for SCs and STs for another 10 years

GK (Ency.) | 33 beyond 2000. The President gave his assent on Jan. 24, 2000. The Constitution (80th Amendment) Act, 2000 —Relates to the revenue sharing between the Centre and the States. The Constitution (81st Amendment) Act, 2000 —Relates to carrying forward backlog vacancies of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The Constitution (82nd Amendment) Act, 2000—Relates to relaxation in qualifying marks and reservation of posts in super speciality courses in Medical and Engineering disciplines, etc. for Scheduled Castes/Tribes etc. (Both 81st and 82nd amendments were made in supersession of Supreme Court’s judgements). The Constitution (83rd Amendment) Act, 2000 —Relates to the reservation of seats under Panchayati Raj in Arunachal Pradesh. The Constitution (84th Amendment) Act, 2001 —The Act amended provisos to articles 82 and 170 (3) of the constitution to read just and rationalise the territorial constituencies in the States, without altering the number of seats allotted to each State in the House of the People and Legislative Assemblies of the States, including the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes constituencies, on the basis of the population as certained at the census for the year 1991. The Constitution (85th Amendment) Act, 20012002—It relates to the provision of reservation in promotions in government jobs to the members of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The Constitution (86th Amendment) Act, 2002 —It makes school education as a fundamental right for all children between the ages 6–14. It inserts a new article 21A, after article 21, which provides that State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of six to fourteen years in such a manner as the State may, by law, determine. Also, it directs the state in article 45 to provide early childhood care and education for all children until they complete the age of six years. The Constitution (87th Amendment) Act, 2003—It substitutes the figures ‘2001’ for the figures ‘1991’ in articles 81, 82, 170 and 330. The Constitution (88th Amendment) Act, 2003 —It makes minor amendments in articles 268, 269 and 270 and in the Seventh Schedule to the constitution, in list-1 union list, after entry 92B, the following entry shall be inserted namely : “92 C Taxes on services.” The Constitution (89th Amendment) Act, 2003 —It amends article 338 and inserts new article 338A.

Thereby providing for separate National Commissions for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes. The Constitution (90th Amendment) Act, 2003 —In this amendment, in article 332 of the constitution, in clause (6), the following provision shall be inserted, namely — Provided that for elections to the Legislative Assembly of the State of Assam, the representation of the Scheduled Tribes and non-scheduled tribes in the constituencies included in the Bodoland Territorial Areas District, so notified and existing prior to the constitutions of Bodoland Territorial Areas District, shall be maintained. The Constitution (91st Amendment) Act, 2003 —This amendment limits the size of the Council of Minister both at the Centre and the States to 15 per cent of the strength of the legislature with the maximum number 12 in smaller states. The act also debars the defectors from holding any office of profit. The Constitution (92nd Amendment) Act, 2003 —This amendment has added three more languages in the 8th schedule of the constitution raising the number of the languages to 22. Those languages are : Maithili, Dogri, Bodo and Santhali. The Constitution (93rd Amendment) Act, 2005 — It provides for reservation in admissions in unaided private educational institutions to the members of scheduled castes/scheduled tribes and other backward classes. The Constitution (94th Amendment) Act, 2006—The Act freed Bihar from the obligation of having a tribal welfare minister and extended the provision to Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. This provision will now be applicable to the two newly formed states and Madhya Pradesh and Orissa, where it has already been in force [Article 164 (1)]. The Constitution (95th Amendment) Act, 2010—To extend the reservation of seats for SCs and STs in the Lok Sabha and states assemblies from 60 years to 70 years. The Constitution (96th Amendment) Act, 2011—Substituted ‘Odia’ for ‘Oriya’. The Constitution (97th Amendment) Act, 2012—Added the words or ‘co-operative societies’ after the word ‘or unions’ in article 19 (l) (c) and insertion of article 43 B i.e., Promotion of Co-operative Societies and added Part-IXB i.e., The Co-operative Societies. The Constitution (98th Amendment) Act, 2013— To empower the Governor of Karnataka to take steps to develop Hyderabad–Karnataka Region.

4

Defence Policy of India

India’s defence policy aims at promoting and sustaining durable peace in the sub-continent and equipping the defence forces adequately to safeguard India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The supreme command of the armed forces is vested in the President of India. The responsibility for national defence, however, rests with the Cabinet. The Defence Minister is responsible to Parliament for all matters concerning defence. Administrative and operational control of the armed forces is exercised by the Ministry of Defence and the three services headquarters.

ORGANISATION The three services function under their respective Chiefs of Staff. The Chiefs of Staff are— 1. Chief of the Army Staff —General Dalveer Singh Suhag 2. Chief of the Naval Staff —Admiral R. K. Dhowan 3. Chief of the Air Staff —Arup Raha 4. Chief of Integrated Defence Staff —P. P. Reddy VM 5. Chief of the Strategic Forces Command —Amit Sharma

ARMY : SOME FACTS A. Head Quarters—New Delhi B. Staff Members— 1. Chief of the Army Staff 2. Vice Chief of the Army Staff 3. Two deputy Chiefs of the Army Staff 4. Adjutant General 5. Quarter Master General 6. Master General of Ordnance 7. Military Secretary 8. Engineer Chief The Army is organised into operational Commands. Each command is under a General Officer Commanding who holds the rank of Lieutenant General. The Major Field Formations are Corps, Division and Brigade commanded by a General Officer Commanding of the rank of Lieutenant General, A General Officer Commanding of the rank of Major General and Brigadier, respectively. The static formation are area,

Independent Sub-Area and Sub-Areas. An Area is commanded by a General Officer Commanding of the rank of Major General and an Independent Sub-Area and Sub-Areas by a Brigadier. The Army consists of a number of arms and services. These are the following— (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii) (viii) (ix) (x) (xi) (xii) (xiii) (xiv) (xv) (xvi) (xvii) (xviii) (xix) (xx) (xxi) (xxii) (xxiii) (xxiv) (xxv)

Armoured Corps Regiment of Artillery Corps of Air Defence Artillery Army Aviation Corps Corps of Engineers Corps of Signals Mechanised Infantry Infantry Army Service Corps Military Nursing Service Army Medical Corps Army Dental Corps Army Ordnance Corps Corps of Electrical & Mechanical Engineers Remount & Veterinary Corps Military Farms Service Army Education Corps Intelligence Corps Corps of Military Police Judge Advocate General Department Army Physical Training Corps Pioneer Corps Army Postal Service Territorial Army Defence Security Corps

NAVY The Navy is headed by the Chief of Naval Staff at the Naval Head Quarters, New Delhi. He is assisted by Four principal staff officers— Namely ViceChief of Naval Staff, Deputy Chief of Naval Staff, Chief of Naval Staff, Chief of Personnel and Chief of Material. The Navy has three commands i.e., Western, Eastern and Southern with their Head Quarters at Mumbai, Visakhapatnam and Kochi respectively. Each Command is headed by a Flag officer Commanding-in-

GK (Ency.) chief in the rank of Vice Admiral. The western and Eastern Naval commands are the two operational commands and have the western and eastern fleets respectively under them comprising ships and aircraft. There are two submarines flotilla located at Mumbai and Vishakhapatnam. Southern Naval Command is responsible for all training activities of the Indian Navy.

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The Coast Guard regions are divided into eleven Coast Guard Districts based in the mari-time States. There are Five District Head Quarters on the West Coast namely—Porbandar, Mumbai, Goa, New Mangalore and Kochi, Four on the East Coast, namely — Chennai, Vishakhapatnam, Paradweep and Haldia, and Two district Head Quarters in Andman & Nicobar Islands namely—Dighpur & Campbel Bay.

COAST GUARD The coast guard came into being on 1 Feb., 1977 and was constituted as an Independent Armed Force of the Union of India with the enactment of CG Act, 1978 on 18 August, 1978. The Coast Guard's broad charter of duties, includes : (A) Safety and Protection of offshore ins-tallations and artificial islands. (B) Providing protection to fishermen in distress. (C) Protection of maritime environment. (D) Assisting customs in anti-smuggling operations. (E) Enforcement of MZI Act. (F) Safety of Life and Property at sea. (G) Prevention and control of Marine pollution. The general superintendence, direction and control of the Coast Guard is exercised by the Director General Coast Guard under the Ministry of Defence. The entire Coast Line of India and the National Maritime Zones have been divided into three Coast Guard Regions namely—Western, Eastern and Andman & Nicobar Islands under the respective commanders of the regions. The Regional Head Quarters are located at Mumbai, Chennai and Port Blair.

India’s Nuclear Command Set-up The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) announced the setting up of a Nuclear Command Authority (NCA) and a Strategic Forces Command (SFC) on January 4, 2003 for managing India’s nuclear arsenal. The NCA has two bodies— Political Council headed by the Prime Minister and Executive Council. Only the Policital Council can give the green signal to push nuclear button on the advice of Executive Council headed by the National Security Advisor. The final decision has to be taken by the Prime Minister in his individual capacity, based on military advice. While India would continue its policy of ‘no-first use’ against nuclear states, it would have the option of retaliating with nuclear weapons when attacked with chemical or biological weapons by e ven non-nuclear states. The CCS also cleared the appointment of a Commander-in-Chief of SFC to manage the strategic forces.

India’s Eight-point Nuclear Doctrine The eight-point nuclear doctrine announced by the government covers all aspects of India’s defence : (1) Building and maintaining a credible minimum deterrent; (2) A posture of ‘no-first use’. Nuclear weapons will only be used in retaliation against a nuclear attack on Indian territory or on Indian forces anywhere; (3) Nuclear retaliation to a first strike will be massive and designed to inflict unacceptable damage; (4) Nuclear retaliatory attacks can only be authorized by the civilian political leadership through the nuclear command authority; (5) Non-use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapon states; (6) However, in the event of a major attack against India, or Indian forces anywhere, with biological or chemical weapons, India will retain the option of retaliating with nuclear weapons; (7) A continuance of strict control on export of nuclear and missile-related materials and technologies, participation in the fissile material cut off treaty negotiations and continued observance of the moratorium on nuclear tests and (8) Continued commitment to the goal of a nuclear weapon free world through global, verifiable and nuclear disarmament.

AIR FORCE At Air Head Quarters in New Delhi, the Chief of the Air Staff is assisted by the Vice Chief of Air Staff responsible for operations, the Deputy Chief of Air Staff responsible for acquisi-tion and Planning, Inspector General of Flight Safety and Inspector, Air Officer In-Charge main-tenance, Air Officer-In-charge Administratives & Air Officer-In-charge personnel & training.

COMMISSIONED RANKS Army General Lieutenant General Major General Brigadier Colonel Lieutenant Colonel Major Captain Lieutenant

Navy Admiral Vice Admiral Rear Admiral Commodore Captain Commander Lieutenant Commander Lieutenant Sub-Lieutenant

Air Force Air Chief Marshal Air Marshal Air Vice Marshal Air Commodore Group Captain Wing Commander Squadran Leader Flight Lieutenant Flying Officer

36 | GK (Ency.)

CHIEFS OF ARMY STAFF S. N. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27.

Name General K.M. Carriappa (Commander-in-Chief) General Maharaj Rajendra Singh General S. M. Srinagesh General K. S. Thimaya General R. N. Thapar General J. N. Chaudhary General P. P. Kumar Manglam General S.H.F.J. Manekshaw Field Marshal S.H.F.J. Manekshaw General G.G. Bewoor General T. N. Raina General O.P. Malhotra General K.V. Krishna Rao General A.S. Vaidya General K. Sundarji General V.N. Sharma General S.F. Rodrigues General Bipin Chandra Joshi General Shanker Roy Choudhary General V. P. Malik General S. Padmanabhan General Nirmal Chandra Vij General Joginder Jaswant Singh General Deepak Kapoor General Vijay Kumar Singh General Bikram Singh General Dalveer Singh Suhag

Tenure January 15, 1949 January 14, 1953 May 15, 1955 May 08, 1957 May 08, 1961 Nov. 20, 1962 June 08, 1966 June 08, 1969 January 01, 1972 January 16, 1973 June 1, 1975 June 1, 1978 June 1, 1981 Aug. 1, 1983 Feb. 1, 1986 May 1, 1988 June 1, 1990 July 1, 1993 Nov. 23, 1994 October 1, 1997 October 1, 2000 Jan. 1, 2003 Jan. 31, 2005 Sept. 30, 2007 March 31, 2010 May 31, 2012 July 31, 2014

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

January 14, 1953 May 14, 1955 May 07, 1957 May 07, 1961 Nov. 19, 1962 June 07, 1966 June 07, 1969 December 31, 1972 January 15, 1973 May 31, 1975 May 31, 1978 May 31, 1981 July 31, 1983 January 31, 1986 April 30, 1988 May 31, 1990 June 30, 1993 Nov. 18, 1994 Sept. 30, 1997 Sept. 30, 2000 Dec. 31, 2002 Jan. 31, 2005 Sept. 29, 2007 March 31, 2010 May 31, 2012 July 30, 2014 Present

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

June 04, 1962 March 03, 1966 Feb. 27, 1970 Feb. 28, 1973 Feb. 28, 1976 Feb. 28, 1979 Feb. 28, 1982 Nov. 30, 1984 Nov. 30, 1987 Nov. 30, 1990 Sept. 30, 1993 Sept. 30, 1996 Dec. 30, 1998 Dec. 29, 2001 July 31, 2004 October 31, 2006 August 31, 2009 August 31, 2012 Feb. 25, 2013 Till date

CHIEFS OF NAVAL STAFF 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

Vice Admiral R. D. Katari Vice Admiral B. S. Soman Admiral A. K. Chatterji Admiral S. M. Nanda Admiral S. N. Kohli Admiral J. L. Cursetil Admiral R. L. Perera Admiral O. S. Dawson Admiral R. H. Tahilliani Admiral J. G. Nadkarni Admiral Laxmi Narayan Ramdas Admiral V. S. Shekhavat Admiral Vishnu Bhagvat Admiral Sushil Kumar Admiral Madhvendra Singh Admiral Arun Prakash Admiral Sureesh Mehta Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi Vice Admiral R. K. Dhowan

April 22, 1958 June 05, 1962 March 04, 1966 Feb. 28, 1970 March 01, 1973 March 01, 1976 March 01, 1979 March 01, 1982 Dec. 01, 1984 Dec. 01, 1987 Dec. 01, 1990 Oct. 01, 1993 Oct. 01, 1996 Dec. 30, 1998 Dec. 30, 2001 July 31, 2004 October 31, 2006 August 31, 2009 August 31, 2012 Feb. 26, 2013

GK (Ency.) | 37

CHIEFS OF AIR STAFF 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21.

Air Marshal S. Mukharji Air Marshal A. M. Engineer Air Chief Marshal Arjun Singh Air Chief Marshal P. C. Lal Air Chief Marshal O. P. Mehra Air Chief Marshal H. Moolgavkar Air Chief Marshal I. H. Latif Air Chief Marshal Dil Bagh Singh Air Chief Marshal L. M. Katre Air Chief Marshal D. A. La Fontaine Air Chief Marshal S. K. Mehra Air Chief Marshal N. C. Suri Air Chief Marshal S. K. Kaul Air Chief Marshal S. K. Sarin Air Chief Marshal A. Y. Tipnis Air Chief Marshal S. Krishnaswami Air Chief Marshal S. P. Tyagi Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik Air Chief Marshal Norman Anil Kumar Browne Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha

MILITARY TRAINING CENTRES 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

Armed Forces Medical College, Pune Armoured Corps Centre & School, Ahmednagar Army Cadet College, Dehradun Army Service Corps School, Bareily Army Educational Corps Training College & Centre, Pachmarhi Army School of Physical Training, Pune Army/Air Transport School, Agra Army Clerks Training School, Aurangabad Army School of Mechanical Transport, Bengaluru Counter Insurgency & Jungle warfare School, Vairengte (Mizoram) Defence Services Staff College, Wellington Defence Management College, Secundrabad High Altitude Warfare School, Gulmarg EME School, Vadodara Remount & Veterinary Corps Centre & School, Meerut Military Intelligence Training School & Depot, Pune National Defence Academy, Khadakvasla Indian Military Academy, Dehradun National Defence College, New Delhi Rashtriya Indian Military College, Dehradun

AIR FORCE TRAINING CENTRES 1. 2. 3. 4.

Air Force School, Sambre Belgaum Air Force Academy, Hyderabad Air Force Administrative College, Coimbatore Air Force Technical College, Jalahali

April 01, 1954—Nov. 08, 1960 Dec. 01, 1960—July 31, 1964 Aug. 01, 1964—July 15, 1969 July 16, 1969—January 15, 1973 Jan. 16, 1973—Feb. 01, 1976 Feb. 01, 1976—Aug. 31, 1978 Sept. 01, 1978—Aug. 31, 1981 Sept. 01, 1981—Sept. 03, 1984 Sept. 04, 1984—July 01, 1985 July 03, 1985—July 31, 1988 Aug. 01, 1988—July 30, 1993 July 31, 1991—July 30, 1993 July 31, 1993—Dec. 31, 1995 Jan. 01, 1996—Dec. 31, 1998 Dec. 31, 1998—Dec. 31, 2001 Jan. 01, 2002—Dec. 31, 2004 Dec. 31, 2005—March 30, 2007 March 31, 2007—May 31, 2009 May 31, 2009—July 31, 2011 July 31, 2011—Dec. 30, 2013 Dec. 31, 2013—till date

5. Elementary Flying School, Bihar 6. College of Air Warfare, Secundrabad 7. Grand Training Institutes, Vadodara & Barrackpur 8. Flying Instructor's School, Tambaram 9. Paratroopers Training School, Agra 10. Navigation & Signals School, Hyderabad 11. Institute of Aviation Medicine, Bengaluru

NAVAL TRAINING CENTRES 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Sailors Training Establishment, Dabolim (Goa) INS Venduruthy, Cochin Naval Academy, Cochin INS Chilika, Bhubaneshwar INS Mandovi, Goa INS Hamla, Malad, Mumbai INS Valsura, Jamnagar (Gujarat) INS Shivaji, Lonavala (Maharashtra)

THE INTERCEPTOR MISSILE One of the most remarkable achievements of India in the Defence sector is the development of Prithvi interception missile. India, on November 27, 2006, successfully testfired two nuclear-capable Prithvi–II missiles against each other from different military test ranges on the Orissa coast to test their effectiveness. The missiles, which were fixed with a time gap of a minute, collided in the sky over the Bay of Bengal. The aim is to test missile’s capability to provide an air-shield cover to important Indian metros against hostile attacks.

5

General Science for Everyone INVENTIONS & THEIR INVENTORS

1. Aeroplane

Orville Wright (1871–1948) & Wilbur Wright (1867–1912) (U.S.) Graf Ferdinand Von Zeppelis (Germany) (1838–1917) Henri Giffard (France 1825–82)

2. Airship (rigid) 3. Airship (Non rigid) 4. Arc Lamp C. F. Brush (U.S., 1879) 5. Argon Sir Willan Ramsay & Baron Rayleigh (Great Britain, 1894) 6. Automobile Karl Benz (Germany, 1855) (gasoline) 7. Auto Mobile Nicolas lugnot (France, 1769) (steam) 8. Algebra Diophantus (A.D. 250) Greece 9. Aluminium Hans Christian Oersted (1827, Denmark) 10. Atomic John Dalton (1803, Great Structure Britain) of Matter 11. Atomic Henry Moseley Number 12. Anti Proton Emilio Segre & Owen Chamberlain (U.S.A., 1955) 13. Balloon Jacques Mart Goefier & Joseph Mont Goefier (France, 1783) 14. Ball point John. J. Laid (1888, France) Pen 15. Bicycle John Bayd Dunlop (1888, tyres Scotland) (Pneumatic) 16. Bifocal Benjamin Franklin (U.S.,1780) Lens 17. Bunsen Robert Wilhelm Van Bunsen Burner (Germany, 1850) 18. Burglar Edwin T. Holmes (U.S., 1851) Alarm

19. Barometer Evongelista Torricelli (Italy, 1643) 20. Bessemer Henry Bessemer (England, Converter 1855) 21. Barbed wire Joseph Glidden (U.S.A., 1873) 22. Bakelite Leo Backland (Belgium, 1908) 23. Beta Ray Donald Korst (U.S.A., 1939) 24. Cadmium Friedrich Stromeyer (Germany 1817) 25. Cannon Germany 1320–1326 (Iron) 26. Carburetor Gottlieb Daimler (Germany 1876) 27. Cellophone I.E. Branen Berger (Switzerland, 1900) 28. Celluloid Alexander Parkes (England, 1861) 29. Cement Joseph Aspdin (England, 1824) 30. Chlorine Karl Sacheele (1774, Sweden) 31. ChloroJohn Harrison (1735, England) meter 32. Cinema (Auguste Marie Lous nicolas lumiere & Lord Jeans Lumiere) (France, 1895) 33. Clock I-Hsing & Liangling-Tsan (Mechani- (725, China) cal) 34. Clock Christian Huygens (1657, (Pendulum) Netherlands) 35. Co-ordinate Rane Descartes (1637, France) Geometry 36. Calculating Blaise Pascal (1642, France) Machine 37. Calculus Sir Issac Newton (England) & Gottfried Leibniz (Germany) (1665–75)

GK (Ency.) 38. Condensing James Watt (Scotland) (1765) steam engine 39. Coltus Gid Eli Whitney (1793, U.S.) 40. Cylinder Linus Yale to (1865, U.S.A.) Lock 41. Carpet Melville Bissell (U.S.A.) Sweeper (1876) 42. Cash Jemes Ritty (1879, U.S.A.) register 43. Combine Benjamin Holt (1911, U.S.A.) harvester 44. Cyclotron Ernest Lawrence (1931, USA) 45. Contracep- Gregory Pencus (1955) tive Roll 46. Chromium Lous Van Quelin (France,1797) 47. Chain Drive Leonardo-da-Vinci (1491–93, Italy) 48. Classifica- Melvil Dewey (U. S., 1851– tion of Data 1913) for Libraries 49. Dacron J.R. Cohinfield, J.T. Dikson (1950, England) 50. Dental Plate Anthony A. Plantson (U.S., 1817) 51. Dental Plate Charles Goodyear (U.S., 1855) (Rubber) 52. Diesel Rudolf Diesel (Germany, Engine 1895) 53. Dosi Brake Dr. F. Lanchester (England, 1902) 54. Digital Charles Babbage (England) Calculating Machine 55. Dynamo Michael Faraday (England) 56. Dynamite Alfred Nobel (Sweden, 1866) 57. Diode John Fleming (England, 1904) 58. Deuterium Harold Urey (USA, 1931) 59. DNA's F. Qicle, J. Watson & M. double helix Wilkins (England, 1953) 60. Electric Simmons Co. Petersburg, Blanket Virginia (U.S., 1946) 61. Electric Thomas Alva Edison (U. S., Lamp 1879) 62. Electric Nikola Tesla (U.S., 1888) Motor (A.C.) 63. Electric Mo- Zerrobe Gramme (1873, Beltor (D.C.) gium)

64. Electro Magnet 65. Electronic Computer 66. Elevator 67. Film (Talking) 68. Film (Musical) 69. Fluorine 70. Fountain Pen 71. Flying Shuttle 72. Frozen Food Process 73. Fuel Cell 74. 75. 76. 77. 78. 79. 80. 81. 82. 83. 84. 85. 86. 87. 88. 89. 90. 91.

| 39

William Sturgeon (1824, England) J. G. Brainard, J. P. Eskest, J. W. Mauchly (U.S., 1942) Elisha G. Ote's (US, 1852) Warner Bros (U.S., 1926) Dr. Lee De Forest (U.S., 1923) Henri Moissan (France, 1886) Lewis E. Waterman (U. S., 1884) John Key (Enland, 1773) Clarence Birdseys (U.S.A., 1925)

Francis Bacon (England, 1959) Gas lighting William Murdock (Scotland, 1792) Generator Piciontti (Italian, 1860) Glass Augsberg (Germany, 1080) Glassware Egypt & Mesopotamia (1500 B.C.) Glider Sir George Cayley (England, 1853) Gyro Elmer. A. Sperry (U.S., 1911) Compass Gunpowder Chinese (1000) Gyroscope Leon Foycault (1852, France) GramoEmile Berliner (Germany phone 1887) Geiger Hans Geiger (England, 1913) Counter Helicopter D' Ascanio (Italy, 1930) Helium Sir Willium Ramsay (Great Britain, 1868) Hovercraft C.S. Cockarell (England, 1955) Holography D. Gaber (Hungry, 1965) Hydrogen Henry Cavendish (Great Britain, 1766) Iron Hallstaff (Austria, 100 B.C.) working Jet Engine Sir Frank Whittle (England, 1937) Kodak George Eastman (U.S.A., Camera 1888)

40 |

GK (Ency.)

92. Laser

Dr. Charles H. Townes (U.S., 1960) 93. Lathe Henry Maudsly (England) 94. Laundeutte J. F. Cantrell (U.S., 1934) 95. Laws of Issac Newton (England, 1687) gravitation & Motion 96. Lightining Benjamin Franklin (U.S., Conductor 1752) 97. Linoleum Frederic Walton (1860, England) 98. Locomotive Richard Trekethic (1804, England) 99. Loom Edmund Cartwright (1785, (Power) England) 100. LoudRice Kellog (1724, U.S.) speaker 101. Logarithms John Naper (Scotland, 1614) 102. Laser Theodore Mainan (1960, U.S.A.) 103. Laws of Johns Kepler (Germany, 1609 Planetary –19) motion Andre Ampere (1826, France) 104. Laws of Electromagnetism 105. Law of George Ohm (1827, Germany) Electric Conduction 106. Map Sumerians (2500 B.C.) 107. Machine Richard Gatting (1861, U.S.) gun 108. Margarine Hippolyte Mege Mouries (1863, France) 109. Match J. E. Lundstrom (1855, Swe(Safety) den) 110. Microphone Alexander Graham Bell (1876, U.S.) 111. Molecular Amadeo Avogadro (Italy, Hypothesis 1811) 112. Motor cycle Edward Butler (England, 1840) 113. Motor Greville Bradstraw (England, Scooter 1919) 114. Micro William Gasluigne (England, Meter 1636) 115. Mercury Gabriel Fahrenheit (Germany, Thermo1714) meter

116. Miner's Safety Lamp 117. Metronome 118. Margarine 119. 120. 121. 122. 123. 124. 125. 126. 127. 128. 129. 130.

131. 132. 133. 134. 135. 136. 137. 138. 139.

Sir Humphrey Davy (England, 1815)

John Mazel (Germany, 1816) Hippolyte Mege-Mouries (France, 1870) Microphone David Edward Hughes (England, 1878) Monotype Tolbert Lanston (U.S.A., 1887) Motor car Gottieb Daimler & Karl Benz Engine (Germany, 1887) Maser Charles H. Townes (U.S.A., 1954) Near lamp Georges Claude (France, 1915) Night Club Le Bai Les Anglais (Ist Night club in World Invented) By Frace, 1843. Nylon Dr. Wallare H. Carothers (U.S., 1937) Nickel Axel Cronstedt (Sweden, 1751) Naptune John Galler (Germany, 1846) (Planet) Newton James Chadwick (1932, Great Britain) Ozone Christian Sctronbein (1839, Germany) Oxygen Joseph Priestlay (Great Britain & Karl Scheele (Sweden, 1774) Omega Brook haven Laboratory, New Particle York, (U.S.A., 1964) Quasars Thomas Matthews & Allay Sandage (U.S.A., 1963) Paper China, 150 Parachute Anche-Jacques Garnerin (France, 1797) Parchment Egypt (1300 B.C.) Parking Cortton C. Magee (U.S., 1935) Meter PhonoThomas Alva Edison (U.S., graph 1878) Phosphorus Hennig Brand (Germany, 1669) PhotoW. H. Fox Talbot (England, graphy (on 1835) paper)

GK (Ency.) 140. Photography (on Metal) 141. Photography (on Film) 142. Porcelain 143. Printing (Rotary) 144. Printing Press 145. Proton

J. Nicephore Niepee (France, 1826)

165. Rocket 166. Rifle

John Carbertt (U.S., 1888)

167. 168.

China (700) Rechard Hoe (U.S., 1846) Johann Gutenberg (1445, Germany) Ernest Rutherford (Great Britain) Egypt (2685 B.C.) Francis Smitt (England, 1827)

146. Pyramid 147. Propeller (Ship) 148. Phosphorus Henning Brand (Germany, 1669) 149. Pluto Clyde Tombaugh (U.S.A., (Planet) 1930) 150. Positron Carl Anderson (U.S.A., 1932) 151. Quantum Max Planck (Germany, 1900) Theory 152. Radar R. A. Watson-Watt 153. RadioAntoine Bacquerel (France, activity 1896) 154. Razor Sir Joseph Swarn (England, 1883) 155. Razor King C. Gillette (U.S., 1895) (Safety) 156. Razor Col. Jacob Schick (U.S., 1931) (Electric) 157. Reaper Henry Ogle (U.S., 1826) 158. Record Dr. Petter Goldmark (U.S., (Long 1948) Playing) 159. RefriJames Harrison (Scotland, gerator 1851) 160. Revolver Samuel Colt (U.S., 1835) 161. Rubber Thomas Harocock (England, (Tyres) 1857) 162. Rubber Charles Macintosh (Scotland, (water 1819) proof) 163. Rubber Charles Goodyear (U.S., 1841) (vulcanized) 164. Rubber Dunlop Rubber Co. (England, (Latex 1928) Foam)

169. 170. 171.

172. 173. 174. 175. 176. 177. 178. 179. 180. 181. 182. 183.

184. 185. 186. 187. 188.

| 41

Chinese (1400) Joseph Kotter (Germany, 1520) Reaping Cyrus Mc Cormick (U.S.A., Machine 1834) Rapid Fire Richard Gatting (U.S.A., gun 1862) RotograKarl Klic (Czech, 1890) vare Radio Reginald Fesenden (U.S.A., Telephone 1902) Rocket Robert H. Goddard (U.S.A., (Liquid 1926) Fuel) Safety Pin William Hunt (U.S., 1849) Sewing Charles F. Weisenthal (U.S., Machine 1775) Ship Hon. Sir Charles Parsons (Turbine) (England, 1894) Ship (Sea- Egypt (2500 B.C.) going) Ship J. C. Perier (France, 1775) (Steam) Sky William Le Baren Jenny (U.S., Scrapper 1882) Slide Rule William Arghtred (England, 1621) Spectacles Venice (Italy, 1786) Spinning Sir Richard Arkwright Frame (England, 1769) Spinning James Hargreaves (England, Jenny 1764) Spinning Samuel Crompton (England, Mule 1779) James Watt (Scotland, 1765) Steam Engine (Condenser) Steam Thomas New Comen Engine (England, 1712) (Piston) Steam Thomas Savere (England, Engine 1698) Steel Henry Bessemer (England, Production 1885) Steel Harly Brearley (England, (Stainless) 1913) Stethoscope Dr. William Stocks (England, 1804–78)

42 |

GK (Ency.)

189. Street car (Electric) 190. Street car

212. Tank

191. 192.

214. Uranus (Planet) 215. United Field Theory 216. Variable Wing 217. Vacuum Flask 218. Vacuum Cleaner 219. Videotape recording 220. Washing Machine (Electric) 221. Watch (Self winding) 222. Welder (Electric) 223. Wheel

193. 194. 195. 196. 197. 198. 199. 200. 201. 202. 203.

204.

205. 206.

207. 208. 209. 210. 211.

E. Werner Van Siemen (Germany, 1879) Raol Mining tracks (Leberthal, 1550) Sub Marine David Bushnell (U.S., 1776) Stirrups Avars (550) (Metal) Screw Archimedes (Greece, 200 B.C.) Steam Thomas Savery (England, Pump 1698) Steam Richard Trevithick (England, Locomotive 1804) Solar D. Pearson, C. Fuller & G. Battery Pearson (USA, 1954) Telegraph Sir William Coole Charles Wheatstone (England, 1837) Telegraph Samuel F. B. Morse (U.S., code 1837) Telephone Alexander Graham Bell (U.S., 1876) Telescope Hans Lippershey (Netherlands, 1608) Television John Logic Baird (Scotland, 1926) ThermoGalileo Galilee (Italy, 1593) meter Tractor Benjamin Holf (U.S., 1900) (Cater Pillar) Tractor John. Froelich (U.S., 1892) (gasoline Engined) Transfor- William Stanley (U.S., 1842) mer Transistor John Bardeen (William Strocking & Walter Brattin 1948, U.S.) Tungsten Fausto & Luan Jose de Elhuyar (Spanish, 1783) Type-writer Mitter Irofer (Austria, 1864) Theory of Pierle de Format (France, Numbers 1940) TapeWaldemar Pulsen (Denmark, recorder 1899) Triode Lee De Forest (U.S.A., 1906)

213. Uranium

224. 225. 226. 227. 228.

229. 230.

Ernest Swinton (England, 1914) Martin Klaprith (Germany, 1841) William Herschel (Great Britain, 1781) Alber Einstein (Switzerland/U.S.A., 1950) Dr. Barneswalls (England, 1956) William Stainley (1885, U.S.A.) Cecil Booth (England, 1901) Francis Bacon (England, 1959) Hurely Machine Co. (U.S., 1907) Abraham Louis Breguet (France, 1791) Elisha Thomson (U.S., 1877)

Sumerians Civilization (3800– 3600 B.C.) Windmill (Persian, 600 A.D.) Writing Sumerian Civilization (3400 B.C.) Wireless Guglielmo Marconi (Italy, 1895) Wave The- Christian Huygens (Dutch, ory of Light 1678) Wave Lauis de Broglie (France, Nature of 1924) Electron Wave Erwin Schrodinger (Austria, Mechanics 1926) Xerography Chesler Carlson (U.S., 1938)

231. X-Ray 232. Ziggurats 233. Zip Fasteyer

Wilhelm Von Roentgen (Germany, 1895) Sumerian Civilization (200 B.C.) Whitcomb C. Judson (U.S., 1891)

GK (Ency.)

MAIN RESEARCH INSTITUTES & BOTANICAL GARDENS IN INDIA 1. Indian Council of Agriculture Research, New Delhi 2. Indian Agriculture Research Institute, New Delhi 3. National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow (U.P.) 4. Bir Bal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) 5. Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow (U.P.) 6. Forest Research Institute, Dehradun (Uttarakhand) 7. Central Mango Research Institute, Lucknow (U.P.) 8. Central Institute of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants, Lucknow (U.P.) 9. Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research, Lucknow (U.P.) 10. Indian Institute of Sugar Technology, Kanpur (U.P.) 11. Industrial Toxicology Research Centre, Lucknow (U.P.) 12. Hindustan Antibiotics, Rishikesh (Uttarakhand) 13. Hindustan Antibiotics, Pimpari, Pune. 14. Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata (W. B.) 15. Lyiod Botanical Garden, Darzeeling (W. B.) 16. Central Jute Technology Research Institute, Kolkata (W. B.) 17. Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla (H. P.) 18. National Biological Laboratory, Palampur, Kangra (H.P.) 19. Central Vegetable Breeding Station, Kultre (H.P.) 20. Fruit Research Institute, Sabour, Bhagalpur (Bihar) 21. Indian Lac Research Institute Ranchi (Jharkhand) 22. Central Coconut Research Institute Kosergod (Kerala) 23. Central Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore (Kerala) 24. Central Tuber-Crop Research Institute, Trivendrum (Kerala)

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25. Central Tobacco Research Institute, RajMundery (Andhra Pradesh) 26. Central Fertilizer Technology Research Institute, Mysore (Karnataka) 27. National Institute of Oceanography, Panji (Goa) 28. Cotton Technology Research Laboratory, Mantunga (Mumbai) 29. Butler Herbarium, St. Xavier's College, Fort (Mumbai) 30. Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur (Raj.) 31. Central Rice Research Institute Cuttack (Orissa)

HUMAN DISEASES CAUSED BY BACTERIA S N. 1. 2. 3.

Disease Pneumonia Titenus Food Poisoning (Botulism) 4. Typhoid Fever

5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

Bacteria Diplococcus Pneumoniae Clostridium Tetani Clostridium Botulinum)

Salmonella Typhi or Eberthella Typhosa) Leprosy Mycobacterium Leprae Tuberculosis Mycobacterium tuberculosis Cholera Vibrio-comma Diphtheria Coryne bacterium diptheria Whooping Cough Hemophilous Pertusis Syphilis Treponema Pollidum Plague Pasteurella Pestes Meningitis Neisselia Meningitidis

HUMAN DISEASES CAUSED BY VIRUSES S.N. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

Disease Small pox Chicken pox Common cold Flu/Influenza Rubeola Mumps Viral encephalitis Polio Myelitis Hydrophobia Dengue Fever Herps AIDS

Virus Variola virus Varicella virus Rhino virus Arthomixo virus Para myxo virus Mump virus Arbo virus Entero virus Rhabdo virus Arbo virus Herpes virus HTLV III virus

44 |

GK (Ency.)

INTERNATIONAL UNITS S.N. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Symbol Year of Adoption Kilograms (Unit of Mass) Kg 1960 Metre (Unit of Length) M 1960 Second (Unit of Time) S 1967 Kelvins (Unit of ThermoK 1967 dynamic Temperature) Ampere (Unit of Electric A 1948 unit) Mole (Amount of Substance) mol 1971 Candela Cd 1967 Base unit

TABLE OF METRIC WEIGHT & MEASURES LINEAR MEASURE 10 Millimetres 10 Centimetres 10 Decimetres 10 Metres 10 Decametres 10 Hectometres

= = = = = =

1 Centimetre (cm) 1 Decimetre (dm) 1 Metre (m) 1 Decametre (dam) 1 Hectometre (hm) Kilometre (km)

= = = = = = =

1 Centigram (cg) 1 Decigram (dg) 1 Gram (g) 1 Decagram (dag) 1 Hectogram (hg) 1 Kilogram (kg) 1 Metric Tonne (t)

WEIGHT 10 Milligrams 10 Centigram 10 Decigrams 10 Grams 10 Decagrams 10 Hectogram 1000 Kilograms

AREA 100 Square Millimetres (mm2) = 1 Square Centimetre (cm2) 10,000 Square Centimetre = 1 Square metre (m2) 100 Square metres (m2) = 1 Are (a) 100 Ares = 1 Hectare (ha) 100 Hectares = 1 Square Kilometre (Sq km)

CUBIC MEASURE 1000 Cubic Millimetres (mm3) = 1 Cubic Centimetre (cm3) 1000 Cubic Centimetres = 1 Cubic decimetre (dm3) 1000 Cubic Decimetres = 1 Cubic Metre (m3)

VOLUME MEASURE 01 Litre 10 Millilitres (ML) 10 Centilitres 10 Decilitres 10 Litres 10 Decalitres 10 Hectolitres

= = = = = = =

0·001 Cubic metre 1 Centilitre (cl) 1 Decilitre (dl) 1 Litre (l) 1 Decalitre (da,l) 1 Hectolitre (hl) 1 Kilolitre (kl)

SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS Accelerometer—A device used to measure acceleration. Altimeter—An apparatus used in aircrafts for measuring altitudes. Ammeter—It is used for measuring electrical current. Anemometer—An instrument for measuring the force and velocity of wind. Audiometer—An instrument to measure intensity of sound. Audiophone—An instrument required for improving sense of hearing. Air-Conditioning—An apparatus used to give the right amount of moisture and keep the air at convenient temperature. Barograph—For continuous recording of atmospheric pressure. Barometer—An apparatus used for measuring the atmospheric pressure. Binoculars—Instrument used for seeing distance objects. Calipers—A compass with legs for measuring the inside or outside diameter of bodies. Calorimeter—Instrument used for measuring quantities of heat. Carburettor—An apparatus used in internal combustion engines for mixing air with petrol vapours. Cardiogram—A medical instrument used for tracing heartbeats. Chronometer—An instrument kept on ships for measuring accurate time. Cinematograph—It consists of a series of lenses arranged to throw on a screen, an enlarged image of photographs. The lens system which forms the image on the screen is termed the focusing lens.

GK (Ency.) Commutator—Split ring which forms the main part of a D.C. Dynamo. Compass needle—An instrument for knowing approximately the North-South direction at a place. Crescograph—An instrument for use in recording growth of plants. Computer—A device which performs calculations. It is an electronic device that is given a programme to follow, data to store or to calculate and to present results or other stored informations. Cyclotron—A device of accelerating particles (protons, deuterons and heavier ions) to produce high energy-levels, enough to produce nuclear transformations. Daniell Cell—A device converting internally stored chemical energy into direct current electricity. Dip Circle—An instrument used to determine the angle between the direction of the resultant intensity of earth's field and its horizontal component at a place. This particular angle is known as the dip of that place. Drinkers apparatus—To help breathing in infantile paralysis. Dynamo—It transforms mechanical energy into electrical energy. Dynamometer—Machine for determining the energy exerted by an engine. Electrocardiogram—A medical instrument used for tracing the movement of heart. Electroencephalogram—A medical instrument for recording and interpreting the electrical activity of the brain. Epidiascope—A machine for projecting films as well as images of opaque articles on a screen. Eudiometer—A glass tube for measuring volume changes in chemical reactions between gases. Electrometer—For measuring the quantity of electricity. Electron microscope—An instrument used for observing very minute particles or structures which are not visible under ordinary microscope. Fathometer—An instrument used for measuring the depth of ocean.

| 45

Galvanometer—An instrument used for measuring currents of small magnitude. Geiger Muller Counter—This special device is used for detecting the presence of radiation and counting certain atomic particles. Gravimeter—An instrument for recording measurements under water and to determine the presence of oil deposits under water. Gyroscope—An instrument used to illustrate dynamics of rotating bodies. It is a type of spinning wheel fixed to the axle. Hydrometer—An instrument used for measuring the specific gravity of liquids. Hydrophone—An instrument used for recording sound under water. Hygrometer—An instrument used for measuring relative humidity in air. Hygroscope—An instrument to show the changes in atmospheric humidity. Kymograph—An instrument used to record graphically various physiological movements, i.e., blood-pressure, heart beating, study of lungs etc. in living beings. Kaleidoscope—An optical instrument which presents a variety of beautiful images. It consists of a tube containing pieces of coloured glasses. Lactometer—An apparatus used for measuring the purity of milk. Manometer—An instrument used for determining the difference between two fluid pressures. Mariner's Compass—An apparatus which is used to guide the sailors. The needle always points north-south. Micrometer—An instrument used for measuring the fraction of the lowest division of a given scale or the length to a high order of accuracy. Microphone—An instrument used for converting sound waves into electrical vibrations and also for intensifying it. Magneto—An apparatus for producing high voltage electrical current to provide ignition temperature in an internal combustion engine. Microscope—An instrument which is used for magnifying minute objects by a lens system.

46 |

GK (Ency.)

Microtome—It is used for cutting an object into their parts for microscopic inspection. Microwave Sensors—The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to develop microwave sensors for use in satellites for measuring soil surface moisture patterns during the cloudy monsoon when other sensors are unable to penetrate the clouds. Multispectral Scanner—It is an instrument used for studies including agricultural crop classification, soil and forest area estimates. It is for the first time that such a scanner with large scale applications has been developed in India. The scientists of Space Applications Center at Ahmedabad are responsible for this achievement. Odometer—An instrument which records the distance covered by wheeled vehicles. Parachute—Umbrella-shaped safety device used in emergency by the crew and passengers of an aircraft. The device is also used by paratroops during the war. Periscope—It is usually used by the crew of a submarine to survey and see above the sea water, while the submarine is under water. It also enables the sailors to observe object on the other side of an obstacle without exposing themselves. Phonograph—An instrument used for reproducing sound. Photometer—An instrument for comparing the luminous intensity of the sources of light. Pipette—It is a glass tube with the aid of which a definite volume of liquid may be transferred. Potentiometer—Used for comparing the electric potential of cells and large potential differences of currents. It is also used for measuring low resistances. Pyrometer—An instrument for recording high temperatures from a great distance (i.e., for Sun) by making use of the laws of radiation. Quadrant—An instrument for measuring altitudes and angles in navigation and astronomy in early times. Quartz clock—A highly accurate clock used in astronomical observations and other precision work. Radio micrometer—An instrument for recording heat radiations. Rain gauge—An instrument for measuring rainfall.

Resistance thermometer—Thermometer for determining the electrical resistance of a conductor. Radio telescope—An instrument for viewing the photographs of distant objects obtained through radio transmission. Radiometer—An instrument for measuring the emission of radiant energy. Refractometer—An instrument to measure refractive index of liquids. Rocket—A kind of engine consuming liquid fuel. Combustion takes place without the help of oxygen, so it can be used in outer space also. Satellite—Man made objects placed in orbit as satellites to carry out scientific experiments. Salinometer—A type of hydrometer used to determine the concentration of salt solutions by measuring their densities. Sextant—An instrument used for measurement of angular distances between two objects. Spectrometer—An instrument used for spectrum analysis and precise measurement of refractive index. Spherometer—An instrument used for accurately measuring the curvature of spherical objects. Sphygmomanometer—An apparatus for measuring blood pressure. Stereoscope—It is an optical device to see two dimensional pictures as having depth and solidity. Stethoscope—A medical instrument for hearing and analysing the sound of heart and lung. Stroboscope—An instrument used for viewing the objects moving rapidly with a periodic motion and to see them as if they were at rest. Seismometer or Seismograph—An instrument used for recording earthquake shocks. Saccharimeter—An instrument for determining the amount of sugar in a solution. It is used in breweries. Tangent galvanometer—An instrument for measuring the strength of direct current. Telemeter—An apparatus for recording physical events happening at a distance.

GK (Ency.) Teleprinter—An instrument which is a communication medium for automatic sending, receiving and printing of telegraphic messages from distant places. Telescope—An instrument for viewing distant object as magnified. Television—A device used for transmitting the visible moving images by means of wireless waves. Transistor—A small device which may be used to amplify currents and perform other functions usually performed by a thermionic valve. Tachometer—An instrument for determining speeds of aeroplanes and motor boats. Telstar—It is a space communication satellite. Telstar, in addition to telephone calls, enables television microwave transmission to be made from and to any country with a receiving and transmitting station. Telex—Direct teleprinter communication between two subscribers, having their own teleprinter exchange. It avoids intermediary exchanges and saves time. Thermoscope—Used for measuring the temperature change (approximately) of the substance by noting the corresponding change in volume. Theodolite—An instrument for measuring horizontal and vertical angles. Thermocouple—An instrument based on thermoelectricity used for measuring temperatures. Thermostat—It is an instrument used to regulate temperature to a particular degree. Viscometer—An instrument for measuring the viscosity, i.e., the property of resistance of a fluid to relative motion within itself. Vernier—An adjustable scale with markings of 10 subdivisions of one-tenth of an inch or any other suitable markings for measuring small subdivisions of scale. Voltmeter—An instrument to measure potential difference between two points. Vacuum cleaner—An apparatus for removing the dust from carpets etc. Xerography—A new process of graphic reproduction and photography recently developed by National Physical Laboratory of India, New Delhi.

| 47

DIFFERENT BRANCHES OF SCIENCE Acoustics—The study of sound or science of sound. Acrobatics—The art of performing gymnastics. Aerodynamics—The branch of mechanics that deals with the motion of air and other gases and the study of the motion and control of solid bodies like aircraft, etc. in air. Aeronautics—The science or art of flight. Aerostatics—The branch of statistics that deals with gases in equillibrium and with gases and bodies in them. Aesthetics—The philosophy of fine arts. Aetiology—The science of causation. Agrobiology—The science of crops and plant life and plant nutrition. Agronomics—The science of managing land and crops. Agronomy—The science of soil management and the production of field crops. Agrostology—The study of grasses. Alchemy—Chemistry in ancient times. Anatomy—The science dealing with t h e internal structure of animals, plants or human body. Anthropology—The science that deals with the origin, physical and cultural development of mankind. Arboriculture—Cultivation of trees. Archaeology—The study of antiquities. Astrology—The ancient art of predicting the sourse of human destinies with the help of indications deduced from the position and movement of the planets. Astronautics—The science of space travel. Astronomy—The study of the heavenly bodies. Astrophysics—The branch of astronomy concerned with the physical nature of heavenly bodies. Bacteriology—The study of bacteria. Biochemistry—The study of chemical process of organisms, both animals and plants. Biology—The study of organisms both animals and plants.

48 |

GK (Ency.)

Biometry—The application of mathematics to the study of animals, plants and crops. Bionics—The study of functions, characteristics and phenomena observed in the living world and the application of this knowledge to the world of machines. Bionomics—The study of the relationship of the organisms to their environment. Old name of Ecology. Bionomy—The science of the laws of life. Biophysics—The physics of vital processes of living things. Botany—The study of plants. Calisthenics—The systematic exercises for attaining strength and gracefulness. Ceramics—The art and technology of making objects from clay etc. (pottery). Chemistry—The study of elements and their laws of combination and behaviour. Chemotherapy—The treatment of diseases by using chemical substances. Chronobiology—The study of the duration of life. Chronology—The science of arranging time in periods and ascertaining the dates and historical order of past events. Conchology—The branch of zoology dealing with the shells of molluscs. Cosmogony—The science of the nature of heavenly bodies. Cosmography—The science that describes and maps the main features of the universe. Cosmology—The science of the nature, origin and history of the universe. Criminology—The study of criminals. Cryptography—The study of crimes and cyphers (secret writings). Crystallography—The study of the structure, forms and properties of crystals. Cryogenics—The sceince dealing with the production, control and application of very low temperatures. Cytochemistry—The branch of cytology dealing with the chemistry of cells. Cytogenetics—The branch of biology dealing with the study of heredity from the point of view of cytology and genetics. Cytology—The study of cells specially their formation, structure and functions.

Dactylography—The study of finger prints for the purpose of identification. Dactylology—The technique of communication by signs made with fingers. It is generally used by the deaf. Ecology—The study of the relationship of animals and plants to their surroundings, both animate and inanimate. Econometrics—The application of mathematics in testing economic theories. Embryology—The study of the development of embryos. Entomology—The study of insects. Epidemiology—The branch of medicine dealing with epidemic diseases. Epigraphy—The study of inscriptions on stones etc. Ethics—Psychological study of moral principles. Ethnography—A branch of anthropology that deals with the origin, distribution and distinguishing characteristics of the races of mankind. Ethology—The study of animal behaviour. Etymology—The study of origin and history of words. Eugenics—The study of production of better human race by careful selection of parents. Electronics—A branch of physics and technology dealing with the behaviour and use of electrons. Genealogy—The study of family ancestries and histories. Genecology—The study of genetical constitution of plant population in relation to their habitats. Genesiology—The science of generation. Genetics—The branch of biology dealing with the phenomena of heredity and the laws governing it. Geobiology—The biology of terrestrial life. Geobotany—The branch of botany dealing with all aspects of relations between plants and the earth’s surface. Geochemistry—The study of the chemical composition of the earth's crust and the changes which take place within it. Geology—The science of earth.

GK (Ency.) Geomedicine—The branch of medicine dealing with the influence of climate and environmental conditions on human health. Geomorphology—The study of the characteristics, origin and development of land forms. Geophysics—The physics of the earth. Gerontology—The study of old age, its phenomena, diseases etc. Geodesy—Survey of vast areas of the earth. Heliotheraphy—The cure of diseases by sun rays. Histology—The study of tissues. Horticulture—The cultivation of flowers, fruits, vegetables and ornamental plants. Hydrodynamics—The mathematical study of the forces, energy and pressure of liquid in motion. Hydrography—The science of water measurements of the earth with special reference to their use for navigation. Hydrology—The study of water with reference to its occurrence and properties in the hydrosphere and atmosphere. Hydrometallurgy—The process of extracting metals at ordinary temperature by beaching ore with liquids. Hydropathy—The curing of diseases by the internal and external use of water. Hydroponics—The cultivation of plants by placing the roots in liquid nutrient solution rather than in soil. Hydrostatics—The mathematical study of forces and pressure on liquids. Hygiene—The science of health and its preservation. Iconography—Teaching with the aid of pictures and models. Iconology—The study of symbolic representations. Exobiology (Xenobiology)—Life or possibilities of life existing beyond the earth on other planets. Jurisprudence—Science and philosophy of human law. Lexicography—The writing or compiling of dictionaries. Mammography—A technique used for quicker diagnosis of breast cancer among women.

| 49

Metallography—The study of the crystalline structure of metals and alloys. Metallurgy—The process of extracting metals from their ores. Meteorology—The science of the atmosphere and its phenomena. Metrology—The scientific study of weights and measures. Microbiology—The study of unicellular organisms including bacteria, moulds and pathoginic protozoa. Molecularbiology—The study of the organisms at molecular level. Morphology—The science of organic forms and structures. Mycology—The study of fungi and fungus diseases. Neurology—The study of the nervous system, its functions and its disorders. Neuropathology—The study of diseases of the nervous system. Numerology—The study of numbers. The study of the date and years of one's birth and to determine their influence on one's future life. Numismatics—The study of coins and medals. Odontography—A description of the teeth. Odontology—The scientific study of the teeth. Optics—The study of nature and properties of light. Oncology—The study of cancer. Ornithology—The science of birds. Orthoepy—The study of correct pronunciation. Orthopaedics—The science of prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases and abnormalities of the musculoskeletal system. Osteology—The study of the bones. Osteopathology—The study of diseases of bones. Osteopathy—A therapeutic system based upon detecting and correcting faulty structure of bones. Orography—Branch of physical geography which is concerned with relief, particularly the mountain system. Palaeobotany—The study of fossil plants.

50 |

GK (Ency.)

Palaeontology—The study of fossils. Palynology—The science of pollen. Pathology—The study of diseases. Pedagogy—The art or method of teaching. Pharyngology—The science of the pharynx and its disease. Phenology—The study of periodicity phenomena of plants. Philately—The collection and study of postage stamps, revenue stamps etc. Philology—The study of written records, their authenticity etc. Phonetics—The study of speech sounds and their production, transmission, reception etc. Photobiology—The branch of biology dealing with the effects of light on organisms. Phrenology—The study of the contours and qualities of mind from the shape of the skull. Phthisiology—The scientific study of tuberculosis. Phycology—The study of algae. Physical Sciences—The study of natural laws and processes other than those peculiar to living matter, as in physics, chemistry and astronomy. Physiography—The science of physical geography. Physiology—The study of the functions of the living beings. Pomology—The science that deals with fruits and fruit growing.

Radio Astronomy—The study of heavenly bodies by the reception and analysis of the radio frequency, electromagnetic radiations which they emit or reflect. Radiobiology—The branch of biology which deals with the effects of radiations on living organisms. Radiology—The study of X-Ray and radioactivity. Rheology—The study of the deformation and flow of matter. Seismology—The study of earthquakes and the phenomena associated with it. Selenology—The scientific study of moon, its nature, origin, movement etc. Sericulture—The rearing of silkworms for the production of raw silk. Spectroscopy—The study of matter and energy by the use of spectroscope. Teleology—The study of the evidences of design or purpose in nature. Telepathy—Communication between minds by certain means other than sensory perception. Therapeutics—The science and art of healing. Topography—A description of part or region. Toxicology—The study of poisons. Virology—The study of viruses. Zoology—The science of animals. Zoogeography—The study of the geographical distribution of animal species and populations.

6

Higher Education in India

UNIVERSITIES & HIGHER EDUCATION Higher Education is imparted through Universities and University level institutions in the country. As of March 31, 2013, there are 45 Central Universities, 318 State Universities, 129 Deemed Universities, 185 Private Universities and 51 institutes of national importance apart from around 37,204 colleges.

LIST OF STATE UNIVERSITIES & YEAR OF ESTABLISHMENT (As on 26th August, 2011) ANDHRA PRADESH No. University 1.

2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

11. 12.

Year of Establishment A.P. University of Law, Palace Layout, 2008 Pedawaltair, Visakhapatnam–530 017 (State University) Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural 1964 University, Hyderabad–500 030 Acharya Nagarjuna University, Nagarjuna 1976 Nagar, Guntur–522 510 Adikavi Nannaya University, Jaya 2006 Krishnapuram, Rajahmundry–533 105 N. T. Rama Rao University of Health 1986 Sciences, Vijayawada–520 008 Andhra University, 1926 Visakhapatnam–530`003 Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Open University, 1982 Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad–500 033 Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University, 2008 Etcherla–532 410 Srikakulam Dravidian University, Kuppam–517 425 1997 Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine 2008 Arts University, Mahaveer Marg, Masab Tank, Hyderabad–500 028 Jawaharlal Nehru Technological 2008 University, Anantpur Jawaharlal Nehru Technological 1972 University, Hyderabad–500 072

13. Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Kakinada 14. Kakatiya University, Warangal–506 009 15. Krishna University, Andhra Jateeya Kalasala, Campus, Rajupeta, Machllipatanam–521 001 16. Mahatma Gandhi University, Panagal, Nalgonda–500 803 (Former name of the University was Nalgonda University) 17. National Acadamy of Legal Studies & Research University, Hyderabad–500 027 18. Osmania University, Hyderabad–500 007 19. Palamuru University, Ayyappa Complex, Opp. Police Head Quarters, Mahabubnagar–509 001 20. Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University, Hyderabad–500 004 21. Rayalaseema University, Kumool–518 002 22. Satavahana University, Jyothinagar, Karimnagar–505 001 23. Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Anantapur–515 003 24. Sri Padmavati Mahila Vishwavidyalayam, Tirupati–517 502 25. Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati– 517 507 26. Sri Venkateswara Vedic University, Purandaradas Complex, Prakasam Road, Tirupati 27. Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University, Admn. Office, Regional Library Building, Tirupati–517 502 28. Telangana University, Nizamabad–503 002 29. Vikram Simhapuri University, Nellore–524 003 30. Yogi Vemana University, Vemanapuram, Kadapa–516 003 31. Rajeev Gandhi Universities of Knowledge Technology, Hyderabad 32. Venkateswara Institutes of Medical Sciences, Tirupati

2008 1976 2008

2008

1999 1918 2008

1985 2008 2008 1981 1983 1954 2006

2005

2006 2008 2006 2008 1993

52 |

GK (Ency.)

ASSAM 1. Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat–785 013 2. Dibrugarh University, Dibrugarh–786 004 3. Gauhati University, Guwahati–781 014 4. Krishna Kanta Handique State Open University, Last Gate, Dispur, Guwahati–781 006

1968 1965 1948 2007

1. Goa University, Goa–403 206 2008 1952 1993 2006

1995 1961 1972 1962 2004

1995 1917 1970 1960 1994

CHHATTISGARH 1. Ayush and Health Sciences University of Chhattisgarh, G. E. Road, Raipur, Chhattisgarh (State University) 2. Bastar Vishwavidyalaya, Jagdalpur, Distt.– Bastar 3. Chhattisgarh Swami Vivekanand Technical University, North Park Avenue, Sector–8, Bhilai–490 009 (C. G.) 4. Hidayatullah National Law University, Civil Lines, Raipur–492 001 5. Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur–492 006 6. Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya, Khairagarh–491 881

2004 1964 2004 2008

GOA

BIHAR 1. Aryabhatt Knowledge University, 8, Off Polo Road, Patna–800 001 2. Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University, Muzaffarpur–842 001 3. Bhupendra Narayan Mandal University, Madhepura–852 113 4. Chanakya National Law University, A. N. Sinha Institute of Social Studies Campus, Gandhi Maidan, Patna–800 001 5. Jai Prakash University, Chhapra–8410301 6. K. S. Darbhanga Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, Darbhanga–846 008 7. Lalit Narayan Mithila University, Darbhanga–846 008 8. Magadh University, Bodh Gaya–824 234 9. Maulana Mazharul Haque Arabic & Persian University, 3 Polo Road, Patna–800 001 10. Nalanda Open University, Patna–800 001 11. Patna University, Patna–800 005 12. Rajendra Agricultural University, Samastipur–848 125 13. T. M. Bhagalpur University, Bhagalpur–812 007 14. Veer Kunwar Singh University, Arrah–802 301

7. Kushabhau Thakre Patrakarita Avam Jansanchar Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur 8. Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur–492 010 9. Pt. Sundarlal Sharma (Open) University, Bilaspur 10. Sarguja University, Ambikapur

2008

2008 2004

2003 1987

1985

GUJARAT 1. Anand Agricultural University, Anand 2. Bhavnagar University, Bhavnagar–364 002 3. Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology University, University Road, Narvrangpura, Ahemadabad–380 009 4. Dharmsinh Desai University, College Road, Nadiad–387 001 (Converted from Deemed University to State University) 5. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University, Ahmedabad-380 003 6. Gujarat Agricultural University, Sardar Krushinagar, Banaskantha–385 506 7. Gujarat Ayurveda University, Jamnagar–361 008 8. Gujarat National Law University, E-4 GIDC, Electronics Estate, Gandhinagar–382 028 9. Gujarat University, Ahmedabad–380 009 10. Gujarat Technological University, JACPC Building, L. D. College of Engineering Campus, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad 11. Gujarat Forensic Sciences University, Sector-18/A, Near Police Bhavan, Gandhinagar–382 007 12. Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University, P. B. No. 21, University Road, Patan–384 265 13. Krantiguru Shyamji Krishna Verma Kachchh University, CS-60, Jubilee Ground, Bhuj–Kachchh–370 001 14. Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara–390 002 15. Sardar Patel University, Vallabh Vidyanagar–388 120 16. Saurashtra University, Rajkot–360 005 17. South Gujarat University, Surat–395 007 18. Shree Somnath Sanskrit University, Ta : Veraval, District : Junagarh–362 268

2004 1978 2005

2000

1995 1972 1968 2003

1950 2007

2008

1986

2004

1949 1955 1955 1965 2005

HARYANA 1956

1. Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila 2006 Vishwavidyalaya, Khanpur Kalan, Sonipat

GK (Ency.) | 53 2. Chaudhary Devi Lal University, Sirsa 3. Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar–125 004 4. Deen Bandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science & Technology, Murthal 5. Pt. Bhagwat Dayal Sharma University of Health Sciences, Rohtak 6. Guru Jambeshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar–125 001 7. Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra–136 119 8. Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Hisar–125 004 9. Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak–124 001 10. YMCA University of Sciences & Technology, Faridabad–121 006

2003 1970 2006

2007 2010

KERALA

1995 1956 2010 1976 2009

1986 1970 1978 2010

JAMMU & KASHMIR 1. Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University, Rajouri Camp Office, Bye-Pass Road, Opp. Channi Himmat, Jammu 2. Kashmir University, Srinagar–190 006 3. Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology, Srinagar–191 121 4. Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, Camp Office : 27 A/D, Gandhinagar, Jammu–180 004 5. Islamic University of Science & Technology University, University Avenue, Awantipora, Pulwama–192 122 6. Jammu University, Jammu Tawi–180 006

2005

1949 1982 2004

2005

1968

JHARKHAND 1. Birsa Agricultural University, Ranchi–834 006 2. Kolhan University, Chaibasa, West Singhbhum 3. National University of Study & Research in Law, Polytechnic campus, BIT Mesra, Ranchi–835 217 4. Nilamber-Pitamber University, Madininagar, Palamu–822 101 5. Ranchi University, Ranchi–834 001

1980

2007 1960

1992 1993

KARNATAKA 1. Bangalore University, Bangalore–560 056 2. Davangere University, Shivagangothri, Davangere–577 002 Karnataka (State University) 3. Gulbarga University, Gulbarga–585 106 4. Kannada University, Hampi, Bellary District, Kamalapura–583 276 5. Karnataka University, Dharwad–580 003 6. Karnataka State Women University, Bijapur–586 101 7. Kuvempu University, Shankaraghatta–577 451 8. Karnataka Veterinary, Animal & Fisheries Science University, Nandinagar, PB No. 6, Bidar–585 401 9. Karnataka State Law University, Hubli 10. Karnataka State Open University, Mysore–570 006 11. Mangalore University, Mangalore–574 199 12. Mysore University Mysore–570 005 13. National Law School of India University, Bangalore–560 072 14. Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Bangalore–560 041 15. Rani Channamma University, Vidyasangama, N.G.–4, P.B. Highway, Belagavi–591 156 16. Tumkur University, Ist Floor, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Bhavan, M. G. Road, Tumkur–572 101 17. University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore–560 065 18. University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad–580 005 19. Vesveswraiah Technological University, Belgaum–590 010 20. Vijayanagara Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Jnana Sagara Campus, Vinayaka Nagar, Contonment, Bellary–583 104 21. Karnataka Sanskrit University, Bangalore 22. KSGH Music and Performing Arts University, Mysore

—

HIMACHAL PRADESH 1. Dr. Y. S. Parmar University of Horticulture & Forestry, Nauni–173 230 2. Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla–171 005 3. Himachal Pradesh Agriculture University, Palampur–176 062 4. Himachal Pradesh Technical University, Government Polytechnic, Baru, Distt. Hamirpur

6. Sido Kanhu University, Dumka–814 101 7. Vinoba Bhave University, Hazaribagh–825 301

1. Calicut University, Trichy Palary, Malapuram District, Kozhikode–673 635 2. Cochin University of Science & Technology, Kochi–682 022 3. Kannur University, Kannur–670 562

1964 2009

1980 1992 1949 2004 1987

2004 2009 1996 1980 1916 1992 1994 2010

2004

1964 1986 1999 2010

2010 2009 1968 1971 1997

54 |

GK (Ency.)

4. Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur–680 656 5. Kerala University, Thiruvanathapuram– 695 0034 6. Kerala University of Fisheries & Ocean Studies, Ranangarh, Kochi–682 506 (State University) 7. Kerala Veterinary & Animal Sciences University, Pookot, Lakkidi PO, Wayanad (State University) 8. Kerala University of Health Sciences, Trissur–680 596 9. Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam–686 560 10. National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS) Kaloor, Kochi–682 017 11. Shree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady–683 574

1972 1937 2011

2011

2011 1983 2009 1994

MADHYA PRADESH 1. Awadesh Pratap Singh University, Rewa–486 003 2. Barkatullah University, Bhopal–462 026 3. Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore–452 001 4. Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Jabalpur–482 004 5. Jiwaji University, Gwalior–474 011 6. M.G. Gramodaya Vishwavidyalaya, Chitrakoot–485 331 District Satna 7. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Vedic Vishwavidyalaya, Jabalpur–482 001 8. M.P. Bhoj (open) University, Bhopal–462 016 9. Makhanlal Chaturvedi Rashtriya Patrakarita National University of Journalism, Bhopal–462 039 10. Maharishi Panini Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, Ujjain 11. Madhya Pradesh Pashu Chikitsa Vigyan Vishwavidyalaya, Civil Lines, Jabalpur–482 001 12. National Law Institute University, Bhahbhada Road, Barkeri Kalan, Bhopal 13. Rajiv Gandhi Prodoyogiki Vishwavidyalaya, Bhopal–462 036 14. Rani Durgavati Vishwavidyalaya, Jabalpur–482 001 15. Vikram University, Ujjain–456 010

1968 1970 1964 1964 1964 1993 1995 1995 1993

2008 2009

1999 2004 1957 1957

MAHARASHTRA 1. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad–431 004

1958

2. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University, Lonere–402 103 3. Dr. Punjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola–444 104 4. Kavi Kulguru Kalidas Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, Nagpur–441 106 5. Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth, Dapoli, District Ratnagiri–415 712 6. Maharashtra Animal & Fishery Sciences University, Seminary Hills, Nagpur–440 006 7. Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, Nashik–422 013 8. Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri–413 722 9. Marathwada Agricultural University, Parbhani–431 402 10. Mumbai University, Mumbai–400 032 11. North Maharashtra University, Jalgaon–425 001 12. Pune University, Pune–411 007 13. Sant Gadge Baba Amravati University, Amravati–444 602 14. Shivaji University, Kolhapur–416 004 15. Smt. Nathibai Damodar Thackersey Women’s University, Mumbai–400 020 16. Solapur University, Solapur, Solapur Pune Road, Kegaon, Solapur–413 255 17. Swami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada University, Nanded–431 606 18. Yashwant Rao Chavan Maharashtra Open University, Nashik–422 222 19. The Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University, Nagpur–440 001 (M. S.)

1992 1969 1997 1972 2002

2000 1968 1983 1857 1991 1949 — 1962 1951 2004 1995 1990 1923

ODISHA 1. Berhampur University, Berhampur–760 007 2. Biju Patnaik University of Technology, Rourkela Fakir Mohan University, 3. Balasore–596 019 4. North Orissa University, Baripada, District Mayurbhanj–757 003 Bhubaneswar 5. National Law University, P.O. Box-28, Cuttack–753 001 6. Orissa University of Agriculture & Technology, Bhubaneswar–751 003 7. Ravenshaw University, Cuttak–753 003 8. Sambalpur University, Sambalpur–768 019 9. Shri Jagannath Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, Puri–752 003

1967 2003 1999 1999 2008 1962 2005 1967 1981

GK (Ency.) | 55 10. Utkal University, Bhubaneswar–751 004 11. Utkal University of Culture, Bhubaneswar–751 009 12. Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology, P.O. Burla Engineering College, Distt. Sambalpur (State University)

1943 1999 —

PUNJAB 1. Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, Sadiq Road, Faridkot–151 203 2. Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar–143 005 3. Guru Angad Dev Veterinary & Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana–141 004 4. Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana–141 004 5. Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar–144 011 6. Punjabi University, Patiala–147 002 7. The Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Patiala–147 001

2002 1969 2005 1962 1998 1962 2006

RAJASTHAN 1. Jai Narain Vyas University, Jodhpur–342 011 2. Vardhman Mahaveer Open University, Kota–324 010 3. Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture & Technology, Udaipur–313 001 4. Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati University, Ajmer–305 009 5. Mohan Lal Sukhadia University, Udaipur–313 001 National Law University, 6. Jodhpur–342 004 7. Rajasthan Agricultural University, Bikaner–334 006 8. Rajasthan Ayurveda University, Jodhpur 9. Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Sanskrit University, 2–2A Jhalana Doongri, Jaipur 10. Rajasthan University, Jaipur–302 004 11. Rajasthan University of Health Sciences, B-1, Swai Man Singh Road (Opp. SMS Hospital), Jaipur 12. Maharaja Ganga Singh University, National Highway No.-15, Jaisalmer Road, Bikaner (Formal name–University of Bikaner, 23, Civil Lines, Bikaner) 13. Rajasthan Technical University, Akelgarh, Rawat Bhata Road, Kota 14. University of Kota, Kota

1962 1987 2000 1987 1962 2004 1987 2004 1998 1947 2005

2003

2006

TAMILNADU 1. Alagappa University, Alagappa Nagar, Karaikudi–630 003 2. Anna University, Guindy, Chennai–600 025 3. Anna University of Technology, Tiruchirapalli 4. Anna University of Technology, Madurai–625 002 5. Anna University of Technology, GCT Campus, Thandagam Road, Coimbatore–641 013 6. Anna University of Technology, Tirunelveli, Tirunelveli 7. Annamalai University, Annamalainagar–608 002 8. Anna University of Technology, Central Polytechnic Campus, Tharamani, Chennai–600 113 (State University) 9. Bharathiar University, Coimbatore–641 046 10. Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli–620 024 11. Madras University, Chennai–600 005 12. Madurai Kamraj University, Madurai–625 021 13. Manonmaniam Sundarnar University, Thirunelveli–627 12 14. Mother Teresa Women’s University, Kodaikanal–624 102 15. Periyar University, Salem–636 011 16. Tamil University, Thanjavur–613 005 17. Tamilnadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore–641 003 18. Tamil Nadu Open University, Directorate of Technical Education Campus, Guindy, Chennai–600 025 19. Tamilnadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University, Chennai–600 028 20. Tamilnadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University, Anna Salai, Chennai–600 032 21. Tamilnadu Physical Education and Sports University, 8th Floor, EVA Sampat Maaligai, College Road, Chennai 22. Tamilnadu Veterinary & Animal Sciences University, Chennai–600 051 23. Thiruvalluvar University, Fort, Vellore–632 004 24. Tamil Nadu Teacher Education University, Kamarajar Salai, Chennai–600 005

1985 2006 2006 2010 2006

2006 1929 2010

1982 1982 1857 1965 1992 1984 1998 1981 1971 2004

1998 1989 2005

1990 2003 2008

UTTAR PRADESH 2003

1. Bundelkhand University, Jhansi–284 128

1975

56 |

GK (Ency.)

2. Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture & Technology, Kanpur–208 002 3. Chhatrapati Sahuji Maharaj Kanpur University, Kanpur–208 024 4. Choudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut–250 005 5. Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur–273 009 6. Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Awadh University, Faizabad–224 001 7. Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Sector–D-1, L.D.‘A’, Kanpur Road Scheme, Lucknow 8. Dr. Shukantla Mishra Uttar Pradesh Viklang Vishwavidyalaya, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 9. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University, Agra–282 004 10. Gautam Buddha University, Greater Noida, District–Gautam Budh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh–201 308 11. King Georges Medical University, Lucknow–226 003 12. Lucknow University, Lucknow–226 007 13. M.J.P. Rohilkhand University, Bareilly–243 006 14. Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth, Varanasi–221 002

1974

1965 1965 1957 1975 2005

UTTARAKHAND 1. Doon University, Campus Office, 388/2, Indira Nagar, Dehradun 2. G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar–263 145 3. Kumaun University, Nainital–263 001 4. Uttaranchal Sanskrit University, Hardwar-249 401 5. Uttarakhand Technical University, A-12, Saraswati Vihar, Lover Aghoewala, Post– Dhalanwala, Dehradun 6. Uttarakhand Open University, Haldwani

2005 1960 1973 2005 2008

2005

WEST BENGAL 2008

1927 2002

2004 1921 1975 1974

15. Mahamaya Technical University, C-22, Sector-62, Noida, G.B. Nagar, Uttar Pradesh–201 301

2010

16. Narendra Deo University of Agriculture & Technology, Faizabad–224 229

1974

17. Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, Varanasi–221 002 18. Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel University of Agriculture & Technology, Meerut–250 110

1958

19. U.P. King George’s University of Dental Science, Lucknow–226 003 20. U.P. Rajarshi Tandon Open University, 17, Maharshi Dayanand Marg (Thornhill Road), Allahabad–211 001 21. U.P. Urdu, Arabi~Farsi University, 619, Indira Bhavan, Lucknow 22. Uttar Pradesh Technical University, Sitapur Road, Lucknow–226 021 23. Veer Bahadur Singh Purvanchal University, Jaunpur–222 002

2004

2004

2004

2010 2001 1987

1. Aliah University, Kolkata 2. Bidhan Chandra Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Mohanpur, Nadia–741 252 3. Burdwan University, Rajbati, Burdwan–713 104 4. Calcutta University, Kolkata–700 073 5. Jadavpur University, Calcutta–700 032 6. Gaur Banga University, Rabindra Avenue, Malda College Campus, P.O. & Dist. Malda–732 101 7. Kalyani University, Kalyani–741 235 8. North Bengal University, Raja Ram Mohanpur, Darjeeling–734 430 9. Netaji Subhash Open University, Kolkata–700 020 10. Presidency University, 86/1, College Street, Kolkata–700 073 11. Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata–700 050 12. Sidho-Kanho-Birsha University, Paribesh Bhawan, 10A, Block-LA, Sector-III, Salt Lake, Kolkata–700 098 (State University) 13. The Bengal Engineering & Science University, Shibpur, Howrah–711 103 (Converted from Deemed University to State University) 14. The West Bengal National University of Juridical Science, NUJS Bhava, 12 LB Block, Sector–III, Salt Lake City, Kolkata 15. The West Bengal University of Health Sciences, DD-36, Sector-1, Salt Lake, Kolkata–700 064 16. Uttar Banga Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, District–Cooch Behar–736 165 17. Vidya Sagar University, Midnapore–721 102 18. West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences, Belgachia, Kolkata–700 037

2007 1974 1960 1857 1955 2007

1960 1962 1997 2010 1962 2010

2004

2004

2002

2001 1981 1995

GK (Ency.) | 57 19. West Bengal University of Technology, BF-142, Saltt Lake, Kolkata–700 091 20. West Bengal State University, Barasat Govt. College, Annexe Building, 10, KNC Road, Kolkata–700124

2001 2007

NCT OF DELHI 1. Bharat Ratna Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University, IIT Campus Plot No. 13, Sector–9, Dwarka, New Delhi–110 075 2. Delhi Technological University, Shahbad Daultapur, Bawana Road, Delhi (State University) 3. Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha Vishwavidyalaya, Kashmere Gate, Delhi–110 006 4. Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, NSIT Campus, Azad Hind Fauz Marg, Sector–3, Dwarka, New Delhi 5. National Law University, Sector 14, Dwarka, New Delhi

2007

2009

1998

2008

2008

NCT OF CHANDIGARH 1. Punjab University, Chandigarh–160 014

1947

INDIRA GANDHI NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY (IGNOU) Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) established by an Act of Parliament in September 1985 is responsible for the Introduction and Promotion of Open University and distance education system in the educational pattern of the country and for the co-ordination and determination of standard in such systems. The major objectives of the university include widening access to higher education to larger segments of the population, organising pro-

grammes of continuing education and initiating special programmes of higher education for specific target groups like women, people living in backward regions, hilly areas etc. The IGNOU introduced its programmes in 1987 and has so far launched 117 programmes consisting of more than 900 courses consisting of Ph.D. Master’s Degree Programmes, Advanced/Post Graduate Diploma, Diploma Programmes and Certificate Programmes. During 2005, over 4·60 lakh students were registered for various programmes of study. The university has 60 regional centres and 1,298 study centres situated in different parts of the country. IGNOU has established 269 study centres for women, SC/ST and physically challenged persons. At present there are ten other open universities in the country, viz. 1. B. R. Ambedker Open University, Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh) 2. Kota Open University, Kota (Rajasthan) 3. Nalanda Open University, Nalanda (Bihar) 4. Yashwant Rao Chavan Maharashtra Open University, Nasik (Maharashtra) 5. Madhya Pradesh Bhoj Open University, Bhopal (M.P.) 6. Ambedkar Open University Ahmedabad (Gujarat) 7. Karnataka State Open University, Mysore (Karnataka) 8. Netaji Subhash Open University, Kolkata (West Bengal) 9. Rajrishi Tandon Open University, Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh) 10. Tamil Nadu State Open University

7

The General Geographical Study of India and World

India stands apart from the rest of Asia, marked off as it is bounded by mountains and the sea, which give the country a distinct geographical entity. Bounded by the Great Himalayas in the north, it stretches southwards and at the tropic of cancer, tappers off into the Indian ocean between the Bay of Bengal on the east and the Arabian sea on the west. Lying entirely in the northern hemisphere, the main land extends between latitudes 8°4' and 37°6' north, longitudes 68°7' and 97°25' east and measures about 2,933 km from east to west between the extreme longitudes. It has a land frontier of about 15,200 km. The total length of the coastline of the main land, Lakshadweep Islands and Andaman & Nicobar Islands, is 7,516·6 kilometre. The mainland comprises four regions, namely, the great mountain zone, plains of the Ganga and the Indus, the desert region and the Southern Peninsula. The Himalayas comprise three almost parallel ranges interspersed with large plateaus and Valleys, some of which like the Kashmir & Kullu Valleys, are fertile, extensive and of great scenic beauty. Some of the highest peaks in the world are found in these ranges. The high altitudes admit travel only to a few passes, notably the Jelepla and Nathu-la on the main Indo-Tibet trade route through the Chumbi Valley, NorthEast of Darziling & Shipkila in the Satlus valley, north-east of Kalpa (Kinnaur). The mountain wall extends over a distance of about 2400 km with varying depth of 240 to 320 km. In the east, between India and Myanmar & India and Bangladesh hill ranges are much lower. Garo, Khasi, Jaintia & Naga Hills, running almost eastwest join the chain to Mizo & Rlchine Hills running north side.

HEIGHT OF SOME IMPORTANT INDIAN MOUNTAIN PEAKS S.N. Peak

Height

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.

8611 in Pak-occupied territory 8598 8126 8068 in Pak-occupied territory 8047 in Pak-occupied territory 7885 in Pak-occupied territory 7821 7817 7806 in Pak-occupied territory 7788 in Pak-occupied territory 7756 7672 7544 in Pak-occupied territory 7422 in Pak-occupied territory 7138

16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

K2 Kanchanjangha Nanga parvat Gasher Brum Broad peak Disteghilsar Masher Brum E Nanda Devi Masher Brum W Rakaposhi Kamet Saser Kangri Skyang Kangri Sia Kangri Chaukhamba (Badrinath peak) Trisul west Nan Kun Pauhunri Kanto Dunagiri

7134 7135 7128 7990 7066

LENGTH OF SOME IMPORTANT INDIAN RIVERS S.N. Rivers 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Indus Brahmaputra Ganga Godavari Narmada Krishna Mahanadi Kaveri

Length (km) 2900 km 2900 km 2510 km 1,450 km 1,290 km 1,290 km 890 km 760 km

GK (Ency.) | 59

THE EARTH : SOME FACTS 1. Age— 4,550 Million years 2. Volume— 1·083 × 1024 liters 3. Mass— 5·976 × 10 kg 4. Water Area— 70·8% of the total surface area 5. Mean Density— 5·518 kg/liter 6. Land Area— 29·2% of the total surface area 7. Total Surface Area— 510000000 km2 8. Greatest Ocean Depth— 11033 M (Mariana Trench) 9. Lowest Land Point— 397 M (Dead Sea) 10. Highest land point—8848 M (Mt. Everest) 11. Mean Surface Temperature— 14°C 12. Maximum distance from the Sun (At Aphelion between July 2nd and July 5)— 152 Million km 13. Equatorial Circumference—40,076 km 14. Mean Equatorial Diameter—12,756 km 15. Minimum distance from the Sun (At perihelion between Jan 2 & Jan. 5)—About 147 Million km 16. One rotation—23 Hours, 56 Minutes, 4·09 sec 1 17. One revolution—365 or 366 Days. 4 24

MAJOR EARTHQUAKES IN INDIA Years Magnitude 1819 1869 1885 1897 1905 1918 1930 1934 1941 1956 1967 1975 1988 1988 1991 1993 1997 1999 2001

8·0 7·5 7·0 8·7 8·0 7·6 7·1 8·3 8·1 7·0 6·5 6·2 7·2 6·5 6·6 6·3 6·0 6·8 8·1

Location Kutch, Gujarat Cachar, Assam Srinagar Shillong Plateau Kangra, Himachal Pradesh Assam Dhubri, Assam Bihar-Nepal Border Andman Island Anjar Gujarat Koyna, Maharashtra Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh Indo-Myanmar Border Bihar-Nepal Border Uttarkashi Latur, Maharashtra Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh) Chamoli Bhuj, Gujarat

IMPORTANT FACTS OF INDIAN &WORLD GEOGRAPHY Large Lakes of the World Name and location

Area in Len- Maxisq. km gth in mum sq. depth in km metres Caspian Sea, CIS-Iran 394,299 1,199 946 Superior, USA–Canada 82,414 616 406 Victoria, Tanzania-Uganda 69,485 322 82 Aral, USSR (now CIS) 66,457 428 68 Huron, USA-Canada 59,596 397 229 Michigan, USA 58,016 517 281 Tanganyika, Tanzania32,893 676 1,435 Zaire Baikal, CIS 31,500 636 1,741 Great Bear, Canada 31,080 373 82 Nyasa, Malawi30,044 579 706 Mozambique Tanzania Great Slave, Canada 28,930 480 614 Chad, Chad-Niger-Nigeria 25,760 — 7 Erie, USA–Canada 25,719 388 64 Winnipeg, Canada 23,553 425 62 Ontario, USA–Canada 19,477 311 237 Balkash, USSR (now CIS) 18,428 605 27 Ladoga USSR (now CIS) 18,130 200 225 Onega, USSR (now CIS) 9,891 248 110 Titicaca, Bolivia-Peru 8,135 177 370 Nicaragua, Nicaragua 8,001 177 70 Athabaska, Canada 7,920 335 124 Rudolf, Kenya 6,405 248 — Reindeer, Canada 6,330 245 — Eyre, South Australia 6,216 209 Varies Issyk-Kul, USSR (now 6,200 182 700 CIS) Urmia, Iran 6,001 130 15 Torrens, South Australia 5,698 209 — Vanern, Sweden 5,545 140 98 Winnipegosis, Canada 5,403 245 18 Mobuto Sese Seko, Uganda 5,299 161 55 Nettilling, Baffin Island, 5,051 113 — Canada Nipigon, Canada 4,843 116 — Manitoba, Canada 4,706 225 7 Great Salt, USA 4,662 121 5/8 Kioge, Uganda 4,403 80 9 Koko-Nor, China 4,222 106 —

60 |

GK (Ency.)

Highest Waterfalls of the World Water fall

Location

Angel Tugela Cuquenan Sutherland Takkakaw Ribbon (Yosemilt) Upper Yosemite Gavarnie Vettisfoss Windows Tears (Yosemitt) Staubbach King Edward VIII Gersoppa Kaieteur Skykje

Venezuela Natal, South Africa Venezuela South Island, N. Z. British Columbia California California Southwest France Norway California Switzerland Guyana India Guyana Norway

Middle Cascade (Yosemite) Kalambo Fariy (Mt. Painier Park) Aniene (Teverone) Cascata del-le Marmore Maradalsfos Feather Maletsunyane Bridalvell (Yosemita) Multnomah Voringstos Nevada (Yosemite) Skjeggedal Marina

California Tanzania-Zambia Washington Italy Italy Norway California Lesotho California Oregon Norway California Norway Guyana

Tequendama King George’s

Columbia Cape of Good Hope, South Africa California Rhodesia-Zambia boundary Sweden California Washington California Northwest Territories Canada Wyoming

Illilouette Victoria Handol Lower Yosemite Comet (Mt. Rainier Park) Vernal (Yosemite) Virginia Lower Yellowstone

River

Height in metres Tributary of Caroni 1,000 Tugela 914 Cuquenan 610 Arthur 580 Tributary of Yoho 503 Creek flowing into Yosemite 491 Yosemite Creek, tributary of Merced 436 Gave de Pau 422 Morkedola 366 Tributary of Merced 357 Staubbach (Lauterbrunnen Valley) 300 Courantyne 259 Sharavati 253 Potaro 251 In Skykjedal (valley of Inner Hardinger 250 Fjord) Yosemite Creek, tributary of Merced 227 — 219 Stevens Creek 213 Tiber 207 Valino, tributary of Nera 198 Stream flowing into Ejkisdalsvand (lake) 196 Fall River 195 Maletsunyane 192 Yosemite Creek 189 Multnomah Creek tributary of Columbia 189 Bjoreia 182 Merced 181 Tysso 160 Tributary of Kurlbrong tributary of 152 Potaro Funza, tributary of Magdalena 130 Orange 122 Illilouette Creek tributary of Merced Zambezi Handol Creek Yosemite Van Trump Creek Merced South Nahanni, tributary of Mackenzie Yellowstone

113 108 105 98 98 97 96 94

GK (Ency.) | 61

Longest Rivers of the World River Nile Amazon Mississippi-Missouri-Red Rock Yangtze Kiang Ob Yellow (Huang Ho) Yenisei Parana Irish Congo Amur Lena Mackenzie Niger Mekong Mississippi Missouri Volga Madeira Purus San Francisco Yukon St. Lawrence Rio Grande Brahmaputra Indus Danube Euphrates

Source Tributaries of Lake Victoria, Africa Glacier-fed lakes, Peru Source of Red Rock, Montana Tibetan Plateau, China Altai Mts. USSR (now CIS) Eastern part of Kunian Mts., west China Tannu-Ola Mts. western Tuva, USSR (now CIS) Confluence of Paranaiba and Grande rivers Altai Mts. USSR (now CIS) Confluence of Lualaba and Luapula rivers, Zairs Confluence of Shilka (USSR–now CIS) and Argun (Manchuria) rivers Baikal Mts. USSR (now CIS) Head of Finlay river, British, Colombia, Canada Guinea Tibetan highlands Lake Itasca Minnesota Confluence of Jefferson Gallatin and Madison rivers Montana Valdai Plateau, USSR (now CIS) Confluence of Beni and Maumore rivers, BoliviaBrazil boundary Peruvian Andes Southwest Mina Gerais, Brazil Junction of Lewes and Pelly rivers, Yukon Territory, Canada Lake Ontario

Darling Zambezi

San Juan Mts. Colorado Himalayas Himalayas Black Forest, W. Germany Confluence of Murat Nehri and Kara Sun rivers, Turkey Central part of Eastern Highlands, Australia 11°21'S, 22°E, Zambia

Tocantins Murray Nelson Paraguay Ural Ganges Amu Darya (Oxus)

Goias, Brazil Australian Alps, New South Wales Head of Bow River, western Alberta, Canada Mato Grosso, Brazil Southern Ural Mts., USSR (now CIS) Himalayas Nicolas Range, Pamir Mts. USSR (now CIS)

Outflow Mediterranean Sea Atlantic Ocean Gulf of Mexico

Length km 6,670 6448/6750 6,240

China Sea Gulf of Ob Gulf of Chihli

5,797 5,567 4,667

Arctic Ocean Rio de la plata Ob River Atlantic Ocean Tatar Strait

4,506 4,498 4,438 4,371 4,352

Arctic Ocean Beau fort Sea (Arctic Ocean) Gulf of Guinea South China Sea Gulf of Mexico Mississippi River

4,268 4,241

Caspian Sea Amazon River

3,687 3,238

Amazon River Atlantic Ocean Bering Sea

3,207 3,198 3,185

Gulf of St. Lawrence Gulf of Mexico Ganges River Arabian Sea Black Sea Shatt-al-Arab

3,058

Murray River Mozambique Channel Para river Indian Ocean Hudson Bay Parana River Caspian Sea Bay of Bengal Aral Sea

2,739 2,736

4,184 4,023 3,779 3,726

3,034 2,897 2,897 2,842 2,799

2,699 2,589 2,575 2,549 2,533 2,506 2,414

62 |

GK (Ency.)

Japura Salween Arkansas Colorado Dnieper Ohio-Allegheny Irrawaddy Orange Orinoco Pilcomayo Xi-Jiang (Si Kiang Columbia Don Sungari Saskatchewan Peace Tigris

Andes, Columbia Tibet, south of Kunlun Mts. Central Colorado Grand Country, Colorado Valdai Hills, USSR (now CIS) Potter County Pennsylvania Confluence of Nmai and Mali rivers, northeast Myanmar Lesotho Serra Parima Mts. Venezuela Andes Mts., Bolivia Eastern Yunnan Province, China Columbia Lake, British Columbia, Canada Tula RSFSR, USSR (now CIS) China-North Korea boundary Canadian Rockey Mts. Stikine Mts., British Columbia, Canada Taurus Mts., Turkey

Facts of the Earth Equatorial Circumference Polar Circumference Polar Diameter Equatorial Diameter Equatorial Radius Flattening Volume Mass (weight) Mean Density Sun to Earth Ratio Earth to Moon Ratio Superficial Area Land (Excluding Antarctica) Total Land Surface Total Water Surface Time of Rotation on its own axis

39,843·00 km 39,746·00 km 12,639·84 km 12,754·00 km 6,377·00 km 0·003528 1·083 × 1027 cu. cm 5·9736 × 1024 kg 5·515 g/cm3 333,432 : 1 81·45 : 1 510,100,500 sq. km 136,675,997·4 sq.km 148,950,800 sq. km 361,149,700 sq. km

23 h. 56 m. 4·09 sec. Period of Revolution round the Sun 365 days 5 hours 48 min. 45·51 sec. Inclination of the axis to the plane of the ecliptic 23° 27' Orbital Velocity 29·80 km per sec. Escape Velocity 11 km per second (that is, speed necessary to break away from the Earth into outer space) Speed of Rockets 08 km per sec. approx. (that is, Velocity required to counter Earth’s gravity and to rise up into the atmosphere)

Amazon River Gulf of Martaban Mississippi River Gulf of California Black Sea Mississippi River Bay of Bengal

2,414 2,414 2,348 2,333 2,284 2,102 2,092

Atlantic Ocean Atlantic Ocean Paragua River China Sea Pacific Ocean Sea of Azov Amur River Lake Winnipeg Great Slave River Shatt-al-Arab

2,092 2,062 1,999 1,989 1,983 1,968 1,955 1,939 1,923 1,899

Distance from the Sun Aphelion (Maximum) 152 million km Perihelion (Minimum) 147 million km Mean* 149·8 million km * The mean distance from the Earth to the Sun (150 million kilometre) translated into flying hours means that a jet aircraft capable of 1000 km per hour would need more than 17 years of non stop flying to reach the Sun.

World’s Largest Islands Largest Islands

1 Australia (Geographically regarded as a continental land mass) Greenland New Guinea Borneo Malagasy Republic Baffin Island Sumatra Honshu Great Britain Victoria Island Eliesmere Island Celebes

Location

2 Indian Ocean

Arctic Ocean West Pacific Indian Ocean Indian Ocean Arctic Ocean Indian Ocean North-west Pacific North Atlantic Arctic Ocean Arctic Ocean Indian Ocean

Area in square km. 3 7618493

2175600 770000 725545 590000 476065 473600 228000 218041 212197 196236 189035

GK (Ency.) | 63 South Island (New Zealand) Java North Island (New Zealand) Cuba New foundland Luzon Iceland Mindanao Ireland (Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland) Hokkaido Hispaniola (Dom. Republic and Haiti) Sakhalin Tasmania Sri Lanka

South-west Pacific Indian Ocean South-west Pacific Caribbean Sea North Atlantic West Pacific North Atlantic West Pacific North Atlantic

150460 126295 114687 114522 112300 104688 103000 94226 82460

North-west Pacific Caribbean Sea

77900

North-west Pacific South-west Pacific Indian Ocean

74060

76192

67900 65600

1 Mt. Everest* Everest South Summit Mt. Godwin Austin (K2) Kanchanjunga Lhotse Nanga Parbat Annapurna Nanda Devi Mt. Kamet Saltoro Kangri Gurla Mandhata Tirich Mir Minya Konka Mt. Communism Muztagh Ata Chomo Lhari Aconcagua Ojos del Salado

Country 2 Nepal–Tibet INDIA (POK) Nepal INDIA Nepal INDIA INDIA INDIA Tibet Pakistan China Tajikstan China India–Tibet Argentina Argentina–Chile

Height (in metres) 3 8848 8750 8611 8598 8511 8124 8078 7817 7756 7742 7728 7700 7690 7495 7546 7100 6960 6885

6768 6723 6550 6520 6462 6300 6267 6194 5897 5895 5642 4807 4478 3764 Sagar-

The Great Deserts Desert

Principal Mountain Peaks Name

Mercedario Huascaran Peru Liullaillaco Chile Volcano Tupungato Chile-Argentina Sajana Volcano Bolivia Illimani Bolivia Vilcanota Peru Chimborazo Equador Mt. McKinley Alaska Cotopaxi Equador Kilimanjaro Tanjania Mt. Elbrus Georgia Mt. Blanc France–Italy Matterhorn Switzerland Mt. Cook New Zealand * Mt. Everest is known as Mi-ti-gu-ti-cha-pu-long-na : TIBETAN natha : NEPALESE Qomolangma-feng : CHINESE.

Country

1 1. Sahara (i) Libyan (ii) Nubian 2. Australian

Area in thousand sq. km

2

3

North Africa

8400

North Africa

1551

North Africa

260

Australia

1550

(i) Great Victoria

Australia

325

(ii) Great Sandy

Australia

420

Australia

310

3. Arabian

(iii) Simpson

Arabia

1300

(i) Syrian

Arabia

325

(ii)Ar Rub’al Khali

Arabia

647

4. Gobi

Mongolia, China

1040

5. Kalahari

Botswana

520

6. Takla–Makan

China

320

7. Kara-Kum

Turkmenistan

272

8. Thar

North-west India USA, Mexico North Chile

260

9. Sonoran 10. Atacama

310 180

64 |

GK (Ency.)

Principal Seas

Khartoum

Sea

Area (in sq. km.)

1 South China Sea Caribbean Sea Mediterranean Sea Bering Sea Gulf of Mexico Sea of Okhotsk East China Sea Hudson Bay Sea of Japan Andaman Sea North Sea Black Sea Red Sea Baltic Sea Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf) Gulf of St. Lawrence Gulf of California English Channel Irish Sea Bass Strait

2 2974600 2753000 2503000 2268180 1542985 1527570 1249150 1232300 1007500 797700 575300 461980 437700 422160 238790

Average Depth (in metres) 3 1200 2400 1485 1400 1500 840 180 120 1370 865 90 1100 490 55 24

237760 162000 89900 88500 75000

120 810 54 60 70

Major Riverside Cities City

River

Country

Alexanderia Amsterdam Antwerp Baghdad Bangkok Belgrade Berlin Bonn Bristol Budapest Cairo Canton Chittagong Chung King Cologne Glasgow Hull Hamburg Karachi

Nile Amsel Scheldt Tigns Menam Danube Spree Rhine Avon Danube Nile Canton Kanaphuli Yang-tse-Kiang Rhine Clyde Humber Elbe Indus

Egypt Netherlands Belgium Iraq Thailand Yugoslavia Germany Germany England Hungary Egypt China Bangladesh China Germany Scotland England Germany Pakistan

Lahore Lisbon Liverpool London Montreal Moscow Nanking New Orleans New York Paris Philadelphia Quebec Rangoon Rome Shanghai Tokyo Vienna Warsaw Washington

Blue & White Nile Ravi Tagus Mersey Thames Ottawa Moskava Yang-tse Kiang Mississippi Hudson Seine Delaware St. Lawrence Irrawaddy Tiber Yang-tse-kiang Sumida Danube Vistula Potomac

Sundan Pakistan Portugal England England Canada Russia China USA USA France USA Canada Burma Italy China Japan Austria Poland USA

India’s Major Cities, Rivers States City Agra Ahmedabad Ayodhya Badrinath Kolkata Cuttack Delhi Dibrugarh Ferozepur Guwahati Hardwar Hyderabad Jabalpur Kanpur Kota Lucknow Ludhiana Nasik Pandharpur Patna Sambalpur Srinagar Surat Tiruchirapalli Varanasi Vijayawada

River Yamuna Sabarmati Saryu Ganga Hooghly Mahanadi Yamuna Brahmaputra Sutlej Brahmaputra Ganga Musi Narmada Ganga Chambal Gomti Sutlej Godawari Bhima Ganga Mahanadi Jhelum Tapti Cauveri Ganga Krishna

State U.P. Gujarat U. P. Uttarakhand West Bengal Odisha Delhi Assam Punjab Assam Uttarakhand Andhra Pradesh M. P. U. P. Rajasthan Uttar Pradesh Punjab Maharashtra Maharashtra Bihar Odisha J. & K. Gujarat Tamil Nadu U. P. Andhra Pradesh

GK (Ency.) | 65

Areas and Depths of Oceans Ocean (With Seas communicating with it)

Area (Thousand square kilometre)

%age (of the entire area of World Ocean)

1

2

3

4

5

6

Pacific Ocean

179679

50

4028

11776

Mariana Trench

Atlantic Ocean

92544

25

3926

9460

Puerto Rico Trench

Indian Ocean

74917

21

3897

7725*

Java Trench

Arctic Ocean

13919

04

1205

5449

Nansen’s Trough

World Ocean

361059

100

3795

11776

Depth (in metre) Mean Maxi

Location of Maximum depth

—

* There is available information on the existence of a depth of 8047 metre west of Australia at the point of 32° South Latitude.

Greenwich Mean Time The following zones are “fast” on Greenwich The following areas are “slow” on Greenwich Time Time by the number of hours indicated thereafter. by the number of hours indicated thereafter. ●

Fiji, New Zealand etc.

12 hours

●

Iceland, Madeira etc.

01 hours

●

New Calendonia

11 hours

●

Azores, Cape Verde etc.

02 hours

●

New Hebrides

11 hours

●

●

Queensland, Tasmania thereafter

10 hours

Greenland (excluding Scores by Sound and Thule) and Eastern Brazil 03 hours

●

Japan, Korea etc.

09 hours

●

●

China, Hongkong, Phillippines etc.

Newfoundland, Labrador, Dutch Guiana and Uruguay 03 hrs. 30 min.

●

Canada (east of 68° West), Greenland (Thule area), Puerto Rico etc. 04 hours

●

Canada (from 68° West to 85° West), Jamaica, Bahama, Bahama, Islands, Cuba, Haiti, Peru, Panama etc. 05 hours

●

Canada (from 85° West to 102° West), Costa Rica, Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Central parts of USA and parts of Mexico 06 hours

●

Canada (from 102° West to 120° West), Mountain states of USA and parts of Mexico 07 hours

●

Canada (West of 120° West), Alaska (south-east), Western States of USA and parts of Mexico

●

Alaska (north of Cross Sound), Yukon, Christmas Islands 09 hours

●

Alaska (from 141° West), Hawaii etc.

●

Aleutian Islands, Alaska (west coast), Samoa, and Midway Islands 11 hours

08 hours ●

Singapore

●

Java, Thailand etc.

●

Burma (Myanmar) Cocos Keeling Islands

7 hrs. 30 min. 07 hours 6 hrs. 30 min.

●

Bangladesh

●

India, Sri Lanka, Andaman and Nikobar

06 hours

Islands

5 hrs. 30 min.

●

Pakistan

05 hours

●

Mauritius, Seychelles etc.

04 hours

●

Iran

08 hours

03 hrs. 30 min.

●

Iraq, Ethiopia etc.

●

Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria etc.

02 hours

●

Sweden, Norway, Denmark etc.

01 hours

03 hours

10 hours

66 |

GK (Ency.)

The Brightest Stars on the Horizon Constellation

Star

Centaurus

Alpha Centauri Beta Centauri Sirius Procyon Altair Fomalhaut Vega Arcturus Castor Pollux Capella Aldebaran Achearnar Regulus Canopus Spice Staula Antares Bellatrix Betelgeuse Rigel Deneb

Canis Major Canis Minor Aquila Piscis Australias Lyrs Bootes Gemini Auriga Taurus Eridanus Leo Carina Virgo Scorpius Orion

Cygnus

Distance (light years) 4·3 300 8·7 11·3 16·5 23 27 36 45 40 47 53 65 75 100 260 300 400 360 500 800 1400

Colour Yellow Blue-White White Yellow-White White White White Orange White Orange Orange Orange Blue-White Blue-White Yellow-White Blue-White Blue-White Red Blue-White Red Blue-White White

Brightness Sun = 1 1·5 5000 23 7·3 11 14 55 110 27 45 170 100 200 120 1500 2800 1700 5000 2300 1700 40000 60000

Galaxies Galaxy Name or Number The Milky Way Large Magellance Cloud Small Magellance Cloud Ursa Minor system Sculptor system Draco system Fornax system Leo II system Leo I system NGC 6822 NGC 147 NGC 185 NGC 205 NGC 221 (M 32) IC 1613 Andromeda galaxy NGC 598 (M 33) Maffei I

Visual magnitude ... 0·9 2·5 ... 80 ... 8·3 12·04 12·0 8·9 9·73 9·43 8·17 8·16 9·61 3·47 5·79 11·0

Distance (kilopsc) ... 48 56 70 83 100 190 230 280 460 570 570 680 680 680 680 720 1000

Diameter (kilopsc) 30 10 8 1 2·2 1·4 6·6 1·6 1·5 2·7 3 2·3 5 2·4 5 40 17 ...

Absolute magnitude (– 21) – 17·7 – 16·5 (9) – 11·8 (– 10) – 13·3 – 10·0 – 10·4 – 14·8 – 14·5 – 14·8 – 16·5 – 16·5 – 14·7 – 21·2 – 18·9 – 19·0

GK (Ency.) | 67

Solar System—Planets—Comparative Data Mean Dist. from the Sun (million km) Mean Dist. from the Sun (Astronomical Units (Earth = 1) Period of Revolution

Mercury 57·9

Earth 149·6

0·723

1

1·254

88 days 59 days

224·7 days – 243 days•

28 4880 0·055 0·06 0·54 0·37 0

3 12104 815 88 5·2 0·88 0

365·26 days 23h. 56m. 4s. 0 12756 1 1 5·5 1 1

687 days 24h. 37m. 23s. 1·9 6787 108 0·15 3·9 0·38 2

Solar Statistics ● ● ● ● ● ●

●

● ●

Distance from the Earth* Absolute Visual Magnitude Diameter Core Temperature Photosphere Temperature Rotation as seen from the Earth

Chemical Composition (by volume)

Mars 227·9

0·387

Period of Rotation

Inclination of Axis (degrees) Equatorial Diameter (km) Mass (Earth = 1) Volume (Earth = 1) Density (Water = 1) Surface Gravity (Earth = 1) Satellites known

Venus 108·2

1384000 kilometre 15000000 K 5770 K 25·38 days (at the Equator) 33 days (near the poles) 30 days (at latitude 60°) Hydrogen 81·76 % Helium 18·17 % Oxygen 0·03% 99·99 Magnesium 0·02 % Nitrogen 0·01 % Other Elements 0·01% About 5 billion years About 10 billion years

Age Expected lifetime of a normal Star ● Linear velocity (at 2 km per second Equator) * The mean distance from the Earth to the Sun (150 million kilometres) translated into flying hours means that a jet aircraft capable of 1000 km per hour would need more than 17 years of non-stop flying time to reach the Sun.

5·203

Uranus Neptune 2869·6 4496·6

9·539

19·18

30·06

11·86 29·46 years years 9h. 10h. 50m 40m 30s. 1·3 2·5 142800 120000 317·9 95·2 1316 755 1·3 0·7 2·64 1·15 63 61

84·01 years —11h.•

164·8 years 16h.

8 51800 14·6 67 1·2 1·17 27

1·8 49500 17·2 57 1·7 1·18 13

PLANETS : SOME IMPORTANT FACTS

149·8 million km 4·75

Jupiter Saturn 778·3 1427

MERCURY ● ● ● ● ●

Diameter 4849·6 km Moons None Average Distance to the Sun 57·6 million km Time to Orbit the Sun 88 Days Tiny Mercury slightly larger than Earth’s Moon, races along its elliptical orbit at 176000 kilometre (110000 miles) per hour. This speed keeps it from being drawn into the Sun’s gravity field. ● The cratered planet has no atmosphere : Days are scorching hot and nights, frigid.

VENUS ● ● ● ● ●

●

● ●

Diameter 12032 km Moons None Average Distance to the Sun 107·52 million km Time to Orbit the Sun 225 Days Earth’s twin in size and mass, searingly hot venus is perpetually yield behind reflective sulphuric acid clouds. Probes and radar mapping have pierced the clouds and carbon dioxide environment to reveal flat, rocky plains and signs of volcanic activity. Its surface temperature rises as high as 500° celsius. It rotates about its axis “in opposite direction to that of the other planets.

68 |

GK (Ency.) ●

MARS ● ● ● ● ● ●

● ●

●

Diameter 6755·2 km Moons 2 Average Distance to the Sun 225·6 million km The viking probes failed to find any sign of life. Beneath its thin atmosphere, Mars is barren covered with pink soil and boulders. Long ago it was more active. The surface is marked with dormant volcanoes and deep chasms where water once freely flowed. Time to orbit about the Sun once in 687 Earth-days (or 668 Mars-days). Mars is 1·5 times farther away from the Sun than the Earth, and it receives about half as much heat from it than the earth. In the warmest season, the temperature reaches 15°–20° celsius, but by sunset it drops to freezing temperatures and at night it falls to –100° celsius or lower.

JUPITER ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

● ●

Diameter 141968 km Moons 64 Average Distance to the Sun 772·8 million km Time to Orbit the Sun 11·9 Years Jupiter is 300 times more massive than the Earth. The lightest gases, hydrogen and helium, account for up to 40 per cent of Jupiter’s mass. The temperature in the planet’s centre may be as high as 100,000° celsius. (estimated) At the same time, on the outside, due to heat losses, Jupiter may be as cold as we observe it from the Earth–about minus 140° celsius. Jupiter rotation period is 9 hours 50 minutes. Jupiter radiates 2·5 more heat than it receives from the Sun. Diameter Moons Average Distance to the Sun Time to Orbit the Sun

●

●

●

URANUS ●

Diameter 52096 km Moons 27 ● Average Distance to the Sun 2852·8 million km ● Time to Orbit the Sun 84 Years ● Watery Uranus is the only planet that lies on its side; one pole, than the other, faces the Sun as it orbits. ●

●

Voyager–2 found nine dark, compact rings around the planet and a corkscrew shape magnetic field that stretches for millions of kilometres.

●

Observations of its radio emission at a wavelength of 1·9 centimetres yielded an average temperature of –100°C and –170°C at 11 centimetres.

●

Uranus’s axis is inclined at 98° to its orbital plane, and so it rotates, as it were, lying on its side.

●

The rotation period of Uranus is 10 hours 50 minutes.

NEPTUNE ● ●

SATURN ● ● ● ●

●

119296 km 61 1417·6 million km 29·5 Years

Specific Gravity less than 1·0 (If a large ocean were available, Saturn would float in it). The celebrated rings of the golden giant Saturn are composed of thousands of rippling, spiralling bands just 100 feet thick. All the bright Saturnian moons, with the exception of Titan, revolve around it facing it with the same side. The most interesting Saturn’s moons are PHOEBE, which moves in a retrograde sense, and TITAN, the only moon in the solar system with an atmosphere of its own–it consists of methane with, perhaps, some ammonia . Saturn’s rings vanish every 15 years.

● ● ● ●

Diameter 49,000 km Moons 13 Average Distance to the Sun 4497 million km Time to Orbit the Sun 165 Years Neptune’s atmosphere appears blue in colour It has no air and is very cold, dark and desolate.

8

Indian History

IMPORTANT DATES OF INDIAN HISTORY B.C. 3000–1500 1500 1500–1000 1000–600 950 817 600–321 600–550 567 540 500 527 327–26 325 322 305 275–232 261 187 145–101 58

Indus Valley Civilization Ahar Culture Rigvedic Culture (Pre-Vedic Period) Later Vedic Culture Expected date of Mahabharat war Expected date of Parshavanath the 23th Teerthankar of Jainas Pre Mauryan Age, the emergence period of the Mahajanpadas Collection period of Upanishads Birth of Gautam Buddha in Lumbini (Kapilvastu) Birth of Mahavira in Kundagram (Vaishali) Writing period of Ramayan Mahavira attained Nirvana Alexander’s Invansion of India Alexander Leaves India Accession of Chandragupta Maurya Defeat of Seleucus at the hands of Chandragupta Reign of Ashoka Conquest of Kalinga Rise of Dynasty of Pushya Mitra Reign of Elara, The chola king of Ceylon Epoch of Vikrami Era

A.D. 78

Beginning of Saka Era, Accession of Kanishka 320 Beginning of Gupta Dynasty 360 A ceylonese embassy comes to the court of Samudra Gupta 380 Accession of Chandra Gupta II 405–411 Chinese Traveller Fahien’s visit 415 Accession of Kumar Gupta I 455 Accession of Skanda Gupta 570 (Approximately) Birth of Prophet Mohammad 606 Accession of Harsh Vardhan 609 Cronation of Pulkesin II

622 632 641 642 643 646 712 836 985 998 1001 1012 1025 1191

1192 1206 1210 1221 1236 1287 1296 1316 1325 1333-34 1336 1347 1398 1469 1494 1498

1509 1509–27 1526

Beginning of Hijri Era Death of Prophet Mohammad Harsh’s Embassy to China Death of Pulkesin II Harsh’s Meeting with Hieun Tsang Death of Harsh First Arab Invasion of Sind by Mohd.-binQasim Accession of King Bhoja of Kannauj Accession of Raja Raja the great Chola emperor Accession of Sultan Mahmud First Invasion of India by Mahmud Ghazanavi Reign of Rajendra Chola Destruction of Somnath temple by Mahmud of Ghazni First Battle of Tarain, Mohammed Gori was defeated by Prithviraj, the Chauhan King of Delhi Second Battle of Tarain Accession of Qutub-ud-din Aibak to the throne of Delhi Death of Qutub-ud-din Invasion of Mangols under Changes Khan Accession of Razia Sultan to the throne of Delhi Death of Balban Accession of Ala-ud-din Khilji Death of Alauddin Khilji Accession of Muhammed-Bin-Tughlaq Arrival of Ibn-Batutah Vijaynagar Empire founded in South India Bahmani Kingdom founded in South India Invasion of India by Taimur Lang : Delhi sacked Birth of Guru Nanak, Founder of Sikhism Accession of Babar in Furgana Vasco-de-Gama discovered the sea- route to India Via the Cape of Good Hope, arrived at Calicut Accession of Krishnadev Rai Reign of Rana Sanga in Mewar Babar’s Invasion, First Battle of Panipat, foundation of Mughal Rule in North India

70 | GK (Ency.) 1527 1540 1542 1545 1556

1562 1564-65 1576 1579 1597 1600 1605 1606 1611 1616 1627 1628 1631 1634 1649 1657 1659 1664 1666 1674 1675 1680 1707-08

1739 1757

1760 1761–72 1764

Battle of Khanwa Battle of Kannauj Birth of Akbar at Amarkot Death of Shershah Suri Second Battle of Panipat (Between Akbar and Hemu) Death of Humayun, Accession of Akbar to the throne Akbar Marries a Princess of Amber Battle of Talikota; Abolition of Jazia Battle of Haldighati (Ranapratap defeated by Akbar) Promulgation of the fallibility Decree. Death of Rana Pratap East India Company establised in India Death of Akbar & accession of Jahangeer Execution of Guru Arjun dev Jahangeer Married Nurjahan Sir Thomas Roe Visits Jahangeer Birth of Shivaji Shahjahan becomes emperor Death of Mumtaz Mahal The English were permitted to trade in Bengal Persians recover Kandhar War of Succession among Sons of Shahjahan Battle of Samugarh, Aurangazeb’s accession to the throne Shivaji crowns himself Shivaji visits, the Mughal Court at Agra; his imprisonment & escape Shivaji assumes the title of Chhatrapati Execution of Tegh Bahadur, the ninth guru of Sikhs Death of Shivaji Death of Aurangazeb, Death of Guru Govind Singh, fall of the Mughal Empire begins Nadir Shah invaded India; the peacock throne taken away by him to Iran Battle of Plassey; Establishment of British Political rule in India at the hands of Lord Clive Battle of Wandiawash ; End of French power in India Reign of Peshva Madhav Rao, Third Battle of Panipat (1761) Battle of Buxar (22 October) : Mughal emperor Shah Alam, Shijauddaula and Mir Kasim’s Army was defeated by British Army.

1766–69 1767 1770 1772 1773 1776 1780 1784

1785 1793 1799 1802 1809 1817 1818 1830 1833 1835 1839 1845 1853

1856 1857 1858 1861 1869 1876-77 1883 1885

1889 1892 1904 1905 1906

First Anglo-Mysore War Lord Clive returned back to England The great Bengal famine, Maratha Invasion of Mysore Warren Hastings becomes governor of Bengal The Regulating Act Treaty of Purandhar Birth of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Treaty of Manglore, Asiatic Society of Bengal was founded by Sir William Jones. Pitt's India Act Resignation of Warren Hastings Permanent settlement In Bengal Death of Tipu Sultan, Partition of Mysore, fourth Mysore War Treaty of Bassein Treaty of Amritsar Battle of Kirkee The Fourth and the Last Anglo Maratha War Raja Ram Mohan Roy, founder of Brahmo Samaj visits England Death of Raja Ram Mohan Roy Introduction of English as medium of instruction Death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Battle of Sabraon (First Anglo Sikh War) The First Indian Railway line opened from Bombay to Thane; the First Telegraph communication Birth of Bal Gangadhar Tilak First war of Indian Independence End of East India Company’s Rule Queen Victoria's proclamation Indian Council s Act, Birth of Rabindra Nath Tagore Birth of Mahatma Gandhi (2nd Oct) Delhi Durbar The Ilbert Bill (28th Dec.) Indian National Congress founded by A.O. Hume. First Session of Congress in Bombay in 1885 presided by W.C. Banerjee (14th Nov.) Birth of Jawahar Lal Nehru Indian Councils Act British Expedition to Tibet First Partition of Bengal under Lord Curzon Foundation of the All India Muslim League

GK (Ency.) | 71 1909 1911 1914 1918 1919

1920 1921

1927 1928 1929

1930 1931 1935 1937

1939 1941 1942 1943 1945 1946 1947

1948 1949

1950

1951 1952 1953

Morley-Minto Reforms Bill passed Partition of Bengal revoked; Delhi made capital of British India First World War begins (28th July) End of First World War (11th. Nov.) Montague-Chelmsford Reforms, Massacre of Jalianwallah Bagh at Amritsar (13th April) Khilafat Movement Violent incidents at Chauri-Chaura in U.P. during Non-Cooperation Movement launched by Mahatma Gandhi Broad Casting begins in India Visit of Simon Commission; Its bycott by the Congress. Death of Lala Lajpat Rai Congress resolution passed for complete independence at Lahore Session under the presidentship of Jawahar Lal Nehru Dandi March undertaken by Mahatma Gandhi (6th April) Gandhi-Irwin pact. Government of India Act 1935 passed Inauguration of Provincial Autonomy. Congress ministries formed in some provinces Second World War begins (September) Death of Rabindranath Tagore, Subhash Chandra Bose escapes from India Quit India Resolution by Indian National Congress (8th August) Establishment of Indian National Army, Famine in Bengal Shimla Conference, Wavell plane fails. End of Second World War. Cabinet Mission, Interim Government formed at Centre India achieves Independence, Partition of India, Asian Relations Conference. (23rd March) Mahatma Gandhi assassinated by an extremist Nathuram Godse (30 Jan.) Ceasefire in Kashmir, Constituent Assembly adopts Indian Constitution (26 Nov.) India becomes a Sovereign Democratic Republic (26th Jan.), Death of Sardar Patel (15th, Dec.) First Five Year Plan inaugurated, First Asian Games at Delhi. First General Elections Mount Everest Conquered by Edmund Hillary & Sherpa Tensing. (May, 29)

1954 1956 1957 1959 1961 1962 1964 1965 1966 1971 1974 1975 1982

1984

1990 1998 1999 2001 2002

2003 2004 2005

Panchsheel agreement between India & China States recognised on the basis of language. Second Five Year Plan Second General Elections Dalai Lama leaves Tibet. Indo-Chinese relations deteriorate Third Five Year Plan. Goa liberated from Portuguese rule. Third General Elections, Chinese attack on India Death of Jawahar Lal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri becomes Prime Minister Indo-Pak War Tashkent Pact between India and Pakistan 2nd Indo-Pak War, Liberation of Bangla Desh India’s nuclear blast Proclamation of National Emergency India’s first Antarctica expedition led by Dr. Z. A. Quasim lands on Antarctica (9th Jan.) Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi assassinated (Oct. 31), Rajiv Gandhi becomes Prime Minister Death of Rajiv Gandhi India conducts five underground nuclear tests Kargil War Terrorist attack on Indian Parliament (Dec. 13) The Scientist Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam sworn in as the new President of India (July 25). Creation of Nuclear Command Authority, Setting up of Strategic Forces Command Congress aided by its allies captures power at the centre. Union Government sets up National Legal Literacy Mission (March 7), Bus from Srinagar (Kashmir-India) to Muzaffarabad (POK) flagged off by Prime Minister of India. (April 7), Constitution of National Knowledge Commission (June 3), National Disaster Management Authority (July 15), Parliament passes Hindu Succession (Amendment) Bill (Aug. 29), The 104th Constitution Amendment Bill providing for reservation in admissions in unaided educational institutions to candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other backward classes passed by Parliament (Dec. 22).

72 | GK (Ency.) 2006—National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme launched (Feb. 2), The Doordarshan starts Urdu Channel (Aug. 15). 2007—India’s dream launch of PSLV–C7 carrying four satellites (Jan. 10, 2007), K.G. Balakrishnan takes over as new Chief Justice of India (Jan. 14). India’s Brahmos Missile test-fired successfully from Chandipur-on-sea (Feb. 4), India successfully launches INSAT-4B (March 12), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) secures comfortable majority in U.P. Vidhan Sabha (May 11), Ex-Chief Minister of Delhi Mr. Sahib Singh Verma died in a road accident in Rajasthan (June 30), Pratibha Patil becomes first woman President of Republic of India (July 25), 5 years RI for Salman Khan in black buck poaching case (August 6). 2008—India, Pakistan exchange lists of nuclear facilities (Jan. 1), Muslim Women Board unveils new Nikahnama (March 16), The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) has been extended to all 604 districts of the country (April 1), South Africa Land Reform Bill shelved (Aug. 27), Indo-US Civil Nuclear Deal signed (Oct. 11), India’s first Moon Mission Chandrayaan-1 launched successfully (Oct. 21), The Union Government decides to declare the Ganga as National River (Nov. 4), Moon Impact Probe (MIP) sent on board India’s first moon mission Chandrayaan-1 lands on the surface of the moon (Nov. 14), Terror wreaks havoc in Mumbai about 200 killed and many more injured (Nov. 26-27). 2009—K.C. Verma appointed new RAW (Jan. 25), Goolam E. Vahanavats appointed new Attorney General of India (June 8), PM launches India’s first Nuke Submarine INS Arihant (July 26). 2010—India-Denmark signed social security pact (Feb. 16). The auction for 3G Mobile Licence ended with RCOM, Bharti and Aircel bagging 13 circles each (May 20). India to seek Uranium import from Australia (June 6). Cambridge tops World University Ranking (Sept. 9), 19th Commonwealth Games opened in New Delhi (October 3), 16th Asian Games concluded in Guangzhou, China (Nov. 27). Govt. set up Financial Stability and Development Council (Dec. 31). 2011—Massive Earthquake in Pakistan’s Balochistan (Jan. 19), UAE recognises Libya’s Transitional Council (June 15), Barack Obama signed debt ceiling bill (Aug. 3), Michael Sata new President (Sept. 23), IBSA Summit concludes in Pretona (Oct. 18), Libyan dictator Gaddafi killed (Oct. 20). Palestine wins full Membership of UNESCO (Oct. 31), Lucas Papademos appointed new PM of Greece (Nov. 10), 17th SAARC Summit concludes (Nov. 11), 14th ASEAN Summit concludes in Bali (Nov. 18), Kim Jong-Unnamed Military Chief of North Korea (Dec. 31).

2012—India launched Agni-5 missile successfully (April 19), Lok Sabha passed copyright (Amendment) Bill 2010 (May 22), Calcutta High Court strikes down singular Land Act (June 22), Pranab Mukherjee elected India’s 13th President (July 22), Hamid Ansari reelected India’s Vice-President (Aug. 8), Govt. okays 51% FDI in multi-brand retail (Sept. 14), Supreme Court takes over 23 cases against P. G. Medical Entrance Test (Oct. 11), Kasab the lone serviving gunman of the 26/11 Mumbai attack was hanged in Pune’s Yerwada Jail (Nov. 21), Ex. PM I.K. Gujral Passes away (Nov. 30). Naina Lal Kidwai became the first woman President of FICCI (Dec. 15). 2013—Padam Vibhushan for Yash Pal, Roddam, Haider Raza, Mohapatra (Jan. 26), India testfires K-15 Missile (Jan. 27), Navneet Kaur Dhillon crowned Pond’s Femina Miss India 2013 (March 24), Justice J. S. Verma passed away (April 22), S. Ramadorai to be Chairman of Air Asia India (June 17), Terror hits Bodh Gaya (July 8), President signs Food Security Bill (July 5), 21st Rajeev Gandhi National Sadbhawna Award is given to Amjad Ali Khan (July 30), India launches its first Indigenous Air Craft carrier INS Vikrant (Aug. 12). 2014—Prithvi II Missile Test fired (Jan. 7), PM lays foundations of largest Nuclear Power Plant in Haryana (Jan. 13), Delay is ground for commuting death, according to Supreme Court (21 Jan.), Pepper spray in Parliament (Feb. 13), Telangana Bill passed in Lok Sabha (Feb. 18), Telangana Bill signed by President (1 March), President confers stree Shakti Puruskar 2013 (March 8), President gave his assent to Whistle blowers Protection Bill 2011 (May 12), BJP led NDA claimed landslide victory in 16th Lok Sabha election (May 16), Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister of India (May 26), Union Minister Gopinath Munde died in a car accident (June 3), Sumitra Mahajan elected Speaker of 16th Lok Sabha (June 6), Muzaffar Ali chosen for Rajeev Gandhi Sadbhavana Award (July 31), Tamil Nadu Assembly passes Dhoti Bill (Aug. 6), Supreme Court approves Urdu as second official language in U.P. (Sept. 4), H. L. Dattu became new Chief Justice of India (Sept. 28), Nobel Peace Prize is given to Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yusufazai (Oct. 10), BJP to form govt. in Haryana, emerges as Single largest party in Maharashtra (Oct. 19), President signed National Judicial Appointment Commission Bill 2014 (Dec. 31). 2015—President signed ordnance to amend Citizenship Act, 1955 (Jan. 6), National Goverment launched HRIDAY Yozana (Jan. 21).

GK (Ency.) | 73

MEDIEVAL INDIAN DYNASTIES & FOUNDERS (i) Gulam Dynasty (Slave Dynasty) (1206-1290) Founded by Kutubuddin-Aibak 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

1. 2. 3. 4.

Kutubuddin-Aibak —1206—1210 Aramshah —1210—1211 Iltutmish —1211—1236 Sultan Razia —1236—1240 Bahram Shah —1240—1242 Allauddin Masood Shah —1242—1246 Nasiruddin Mahmud —1246—1266 Gayasuddin Balban —1266—1286 Kekubad —1287—1290 (ii) The Khalji Dynasty (1290—1320) Founded by Jalaluddin Khilaji Jalaluddin Firoz Khilaji Allauddin Khilaji Kutubuddin Mubarak Shah Nasiruddin Khushro Shah

—1290—1296 —1296—1316 —1316—1320 15 April, 1320 —5 Sept., 1320

(iii) The Tughluq Dynasty (1320—1414) Founded by Ghiyasuddin Tughluq 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Ghiyas-ud-din Tughluq —1320—1325 Muhammad-Bin-Tughluq —1325—1351 Firoz Tughluq —1351—1388 Ghiyas-ud-din Tughluq Shah-II—1388—1389 Abubkar Shah 19 Feb., 1389—1390 Nasiruddin Muhammad —1390—1394 Allauddin Sikandarshah —1394—…… (22 Jan. to 8 March) 8. Nasiruddin Mahmud Tughluq —1394—1413 (iv) The Sayyid Dynasty (1414—1451) Founded by Khizra Khan 1.

Khizra Khan

—1414—1421

2. 3. 4.

Mubarak Shah Muhammad Shah Alam Shah

—1421—1434 —1434—1444 —1444—1451

(v) The Lodi Dynasty (1451—1526) Founded by Bahlol Lodi 1. 2. 3.

Bahlol Lodi Sikander Shah Lodi Ibrahim Lodi

—1451—1489 —1489—1517 —1517—1526

(vi) Mughal Dynasty (1526—1857) Founded by Jahiruddin Muhammad Babur 1. Babur 2. Humayun 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17.

—1526—1530 —1530—1540, 1555—1556 Akbar —1556—1605 Jahangeer —1605—1627 Shahjahan —1627—1658 Aurangzeb Alamgir —1658—1707 Bahadur Shah —1707—1712 Jahandar Shah —1712—1713 Farukhsiyar —1713—1719 Rafi-ud-Darajat —1719—1719 Rafi-ud-Daula Alias Shah Jahan II —1719 (June to Sept.) Mohammad Shah —1719—1748 Ahamad Shah —1748—1754 Alamgir —1754—1759 Shah Alam II —1759—1806 Akbar II —1806—1837 Bahadur Shah II —1837—1857 (Afagan Dynasty 1540–1555 A.D.)

1. Sher Shah Suri 2. Islam Shah 3. Md. Adil

(1540—1545) (1545—1553) (1553—1555)

9

Indian Culture SOME FOLK DANCES OF DIFFERENT STATES

State Andhra Pradesh Bihar

Folk Dances Ghanta Mardala, Vedhi Natakam, Burrakattra Jata-Jatin, Gadur Chhau, Katha-putti, Karma, Natna, Gatna Bakho, Samochakwa, Ghijhiya Chhattisgarh Suadana, Karma, Danda or Rahas, Raut, Sarhul, Bar, Naacha, Gharia baja, Panthi. Gujarat Raslila, Garba, Dandiya, Ganpati Goa Talagadi, Golf, Shigmo, Corridin-bo, Tongamel, Masalkhel Dhakto Haryana Jhoomer, Daph, Loor Phag, Dhamal Himachal Rasleela, Bhangda Nati, Gurkhali Pradesh Jharkhand Jadur, Gaima Magh, Sarhoot, Ahandi Karnatka Kola, Yakshgana, Suggi Kunita Maharashtra Mauni, Lovani, Lezim, Dahikala, Dasaratar, Tanassa, Gafa, Katha Keertan Orissa Chadye, Chhah Ghumer Sandur, Davdanata Puducherry Poorakalli, Kolkalli, Kollattam, Mascarda Rajasthan Ghumar, Panihari, Ghapaal, Dandiya, Tera-Tali, Shankariya, Rauf, Gopikaleela Uttar Pradesh Karan, Kajli, Rasleela, Jatta, Thali, Jaita, Chhapeli, Nautanki Uttarakhand Thadya, Jagar, Chachri, Jhumilo, Chauphula. Jammu & Rauf, Chakri, Bhakhageet, Hikat Kashmir Mizoram Cherokan, Phakhulia Meghalaya Bangla Kerala Padyani, Thulal, Bhadrakali, Tampatrikali, Kudiattam, Mohiniattam, Kaliattam, Kekutti, Kalai Nagaland Kumi Naga, Chong, Khaiva, Nooralim Lim, Rengmanag Lakshdweep Parichakali Asom Rakhel, Bihu, Dhol, Maharaas, Boisaju, Jhumura

Arunachal Pradesh West Bengal

Mukhauta, Yudhyhratya Jaya, Ghambheera, Baul, Kathi

CLASSICAL DANCES AND RELATED ARTISTS Classical Related Artists Dance BharatRamgopal, Yamini Krishnamurthy, natyam Padma, S. K. Saroj, Baijayantimala, Svapan Sundri, Komla Vardan, Mrinalini Sarabhai, Malvika Sarukkai, E. Krishna Aiyyer, T. Bala Saraswati, Sonal Mansingh, Padma Subramaniam, Leela Samson, Geeta Chandran, Megha Khanna, Nirmala Ram Chandran, Radha. Kathak Achan Maharaj, Lachhu Maharaj, Birju Maharaj, Malvika Sarkar, Gopikrishna, Shambhu Maharaj, Damyanti Joshi, Sitara Devi, Chandra Lekha, Bharti Gupta, Shobhna Narayan, Jailal, Narayan Prasad, Kumudini Labhia, Rani Karna, Saswati Sen, Uma Sharma, Shwasti Sen, Tirath Ram Azad, Rohini Bhate. Kathakali Anand Shivraman, Udaishankar, Mrinalini Sharabhai, Krishan Kutti, Ragini Devi, Shanta Rao, Kanak Rele, Rita Ganguly, Kalamandalam Vasu Pishroti, Mathur Govindan Kutty. Mohini- Ragini Devi, Tara Nidugadi, Bharti attam Shivaji, Kala Devi, Kanak Rele, Sridevi, Seshan Majumdar, K. Kalyani, Amma, Tala Nidugadi, Kalamandalam Sugandhi, Vimla Menon. Odisi Madhvi Mudgal, Indrani Rahman, Kalichand, Kalicharan Patnayak, Mayadhar Raut, Ranjana Daniyals, Minati Das, Sanyukta Panigrahi, Kelucharan Mahapatra, Durlabh Chandra Singh, Durga Charan Ranbir, Surendra Nath Jena. KuchiRaja Reddi, Radha Reddi, Svapan Sundri, pudi Vempatti Satyanarayana, P. Sitaramaiah, Korada Narasingh Rao. Manipuri Nirmla Mehta, Gambiti Devi, Jhaveri Sisters, Reeta Devi, Thambal Yama, Singh Jeet Singh, Kalavati Devi, Savita Mehta, K. Radha Mohan Sharma, K. Mangi Singh.

GK (Ency.) | 75 8. Chennakeshav Temple, Bellur 9. Nandi Temple, Mysore 10. Sri Rangnath Temple, Sri Rangpattam

TEMPLES IN DIFFERENT STATES OF INDIA State

Name of Temples

Andhra Pradesh

1. 2. 3. 4.

Narsimha Temple Ahobilan Shiv Temple Lepakshi Mallikarjun Temple Srisailam Kala Hastishwar Temple Kalahasti

Asom

1. 2. 3. 4.

Harjagriv Madhav Temple Hajo Uma Nand Temple Guwahati Navgrah Temple, Guwahati Janardan Temple, Guwahati

Bihar

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Kolgenda's Temple, Bhagalpur Jal Mandir, Pavapidi Harmandir, Patna Mahabodhi Temple, Bodhgaya Vishnupad Temple, Gaya Jain Temple, Vaishali

Delhi

1. Laxmi Narayan Temple

Goa

1. Shri Shanta Durga Temple 2. Saptakoteswar Temple 3. Sri Mangesh Temple

Gujarat

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Haryana JammuKashmir

Kirti Temple, Porbander Sudama Temple, Porbander Sun Temple, Modhara Hathi Singh Temple, Ahmedabad Jain Temple, Junagarh, Girnaar Parvat Somnath Temple, Prabhas Kirti Temple, Vadodara Dwarikadheesh Temple, Dwarika Rukmani Temple, Dwarika

1. Laxminarayan Temple, Kurukshetra 2. Sita Temple, Kurukshetra

Kerala

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Guhanath Temple, Travancore Sachindram Temple, Travancore Chandranath Jain Temple, Mudhrvidi Sri Koel Temple, Trikathimanam Padamnabh Swami Temple, Trivendrum

Madhya Pradesh

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

14.

Gopal Temple, Ujjain Mahakaleshwar Temple, Ujjain Laxminarayan Temple, Bhopal Kanch Temple, Indore Geeta Temple, Indore Neelkanth Mahadev Temple, Mandu Chausathyogi Temple, Khajuraho Kandriya Mahadev Temple, Khajuraho Vishvanath & Nandi Temple, Khajuraho Parshav Temple, Khajuraho Ghantri Temple, Khajuraho Brahma Temple, Khajuraho Matangeswar & Varah Temple Khajuraho Jagdamba Temple, Khajuraho

Maharashtra

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Kailash Temple, Ajanta Mahalaxmi Temple, Mumbai Sai Baba Temple, Shirdi Ate Baleshwar Temple, Mahabaleswar Sundar Narayan Temple, Nasik Triyambak Temple, Nasik Amba Temple, Kolhapur

Manipur

1. Shri Govind Temple, Koina

Odisha

1. Sun Temple, Konark 2. Sakshi Temple, Puri 3. Jagnnath Temple, Puri

10. 11. 12. 13.

1. Raghunath Mandir, Jammu 2. Ship Khori, Jammu 3. Amarnath Temple, Kashmir

Karnataka 1. Ganga Dhareshwar Temple, Bangalore 2. Nandi bell Temple, Bangalore 3. Hajarnama Temple, Hampi 4. Pattaviram Temple, Hampi 5. Gomateshwar Temple, Shravanvelgola 6. Hoyaleshwar Temple, Helbid 7. Kedareshwar Temple, Helbid

4. Lingraj Temple, Bhuwneshwar 5. Brahmeswar Temple, Bhuvneswar 6. Parshurameswar Temple, Bhuvneswar Punjab

1. 2. 3. 4.

Dera Baba Nanak Temple, Amritsar Damtal Temple, Pathankot Swarn Temple, Amritsar Durgiyna Temple, Amritsar

Rajasthan 1. Charmukh Temple, Udaipur 2. Govinddevji's Temple, Jaipur 3. Jagdish Mandir, Udaipur

76 | GK (Ency.) 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Tamil Nadu 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Telangana 1. Tripura 1. Uttar Pradesh

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Achleswar Temple, Mt. Abu. Jain Temple, Jaisalmer Rangvadi Temple, Kota Brahma Temple, Pushkar (Ajmer) Kaila Devi Temple, Karauli Dilwara's Jain Mandir, Mt.Abu Tat Temple, Mahabalipuram Parthasarthi Temple, Chennai Natraj Temple (Chidamberam) Meenakshi Temple, Madurai Vrihdeshwar Temple, Tanjaur Kanyakumari Temple, Kanyakumari Sri Vardrajan Temple, Kanchipuram Sri Ram Temple Bhadrachalam Tripureshwari Temple, Radhakishorpur Bhitergaon's Temple, Kanpur Dasawatar Temple, Jhansi Geeta Temple, Mathura Tulsi Manas Temple, Varanasi Rishabhdeva Temple, Ayodhya Dwarikadheesh Temple, Mathura Sri Ram Janam Bhumi, Ayodhya Bankevihari Temple, Vrindavan.

Uttarakhand

1. 2. 3. 4.

Keshar devi Temple, Almora Kalika Temple, Ranikhet Daksha Temple, Hardwar Tapkeswar Temple, Dehradoon

West Bengal

1. Mahakali Temple, Kolkata 2. Madan Mohan Temple, Vishnupur

Some Modern Eminent Indian Painters 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

Nandlal Bose (1882–1966) A. K. Haldhar M. F. Hussain Muhammad Abdur Rehman Chaghtai Amrita Shergil (1913– 41) Abanindranath Tagore (1871–1951) Sarada Ukil Raja Ravi Verma (1848–1906) Jamini Roy (1887–1972) Satish Gujral (1925) V. S. Gaitonde (1924) Kahitindranath Majumdar

10

Panoramic View of the World

COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD

ALGERIA

The brief description of countries given below deals primarily with location, area, population, currency and history. Population figures given here under are the estimates for 2004.

Capital : Algiers, Area : 23,81,741 Sq. km, Population (2014) : 38,700,000 Language : Arabic, Religion : Islam, Currency : Dinar. Algeria is an independent republic in North Africa and extends for 1000 km along the shores of the Mediterranean between Tunisia and Libya on the east and Morocco and Mauritania on the west. Mali and Niger are to the south. The plains lying along the coast are very fertile. The Atlas Mountains reaching to altitudes of some 2500 metres split the country into two. Algeria became independent on July 3, 1962.

AFGHANISTAN Capital : Kabul, Area : 645,807 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 25,500,100 Language : Pashto (Pashtu), Dari, Persian, Religion : Islam, Currency : Afghani. Afghanistan, a landlocked republic in Central Asia, is bounded by Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan to the north, Pakistan to the east and south, China to the north-east and Iran to the west. Known originally as Ariana, then as Khorasan, Afghanistan was formed as a separate state by Ahmed Shah Durrani in A.D. 1747. End of Taliban regime in December 2001.

ALBANIA Capital : Tirana, Area : 28,703 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 30,11,445 Language : Albanian, Religion : Officially abolished, Currency : Lek. Albania lies on the west coast of the Balkan peninsula in southeast Europe. It is bordered by Yugoslavia to the north and east, Greece to the south and the Adriatic and Ionian seas to the west. Albania was first established as an independent state in 1912.

ANGOLA Capital : Luanda, Area : 12,46,700 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 18,565,269 Language : Portuguese, Religion : Tribal and Christianity, Currency : Kwanza. Angola, formerly Portuguese West Africa, is bounded by Zaire and Zambia on the north and east and by Botswana and Namibia on the south. The Atlantic lies to the west. Angola became an independent state in 1975.

AUSTRALIA Capital : Canberra, Area : 7,692,208 Sq. km, Population (2014) : 23,399,241, Language : English, Religion : Christianity, Currency : Australian Dollar.

78 | GK (Ency.) Australia is a young nation which has quickly established itself in an ancient land. It is the world’s largest island and a continent washed on its western shore line by the Indian ocean and on its east coast by the Coral and Tasman Seas of the South Pacific Ocean.

AUSTRIA Capital : Vienna, Area : 83,871 Sq. km, Population (2014) : 8,504,850, Language : German, Religion : Christianity, Currency : Euro. A republic of Central Europe, Austria is bounded by West Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein in the west, Czech Republic and West Germany in the north, Hungary in the east and Italy and Yugoslavia in the south. Austria a republic since 1918, regained full sovereignty after world war II in 1955. Austria became a member of the European Union on Jan. 1, 1995.

BANGLADESH

Australia is a federation with power divided broadly between the national Government and six state Governments. The states are New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania. Australia celebrated its Bicentenary in 1988 to mark the 200th anniversary of European settlement. Australia Day is celebrated on January 26.

ARGENTINA Capital : Buenos Aires, Area : 27,80,092 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 41,899,801, Language : Spanish, Religion : Christianity, Currency : Austral. Argentina lies at the tip of South America extending for some 3,700 km from Bolivia to Cape Horn. Its mountain width is 1,500 km. Argentina became an independent republic in 1810. A new Constitution was adopted in 1994 since when Argentina has reinforced its commitment to democratic rule.

Capital : Dhaka, Area : 1,47,570 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 163,654,860, Language : Bangla, Religion : Islam, Currency : Taka. Bangladesh is bounded on three sides by India, Myanmar lies to the south-east and constitutes the only nonIndian boundary of Bangladesh. Bangladesh became an independent state in 1971.

BELGIUM Capital : Brussels, Area : 30,528 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 11,184,873, Language : Dutch and French, Religion : Christianity, Currency : Euro. Belgium has had a turbulent history. It became an independent monarchy in 1830. During both the world wars it was occupied by Germany but freed itself by the end of those wars. Belgium is located in the very heart of Europe, bordered by Netherlands in the north, West Germany and Luxembourg in the east, and France in the South.

BOLIVIA Capital : La Paz, Area : 10,98,581 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 10,461,053, Language : Spanish, Religion : Christianity, Currency : Boliviano.

GK (Ency.) | 79 Bolivia, a south American state, lies astride the Andes. It is bounded by Brazil in the north-east, Paraguay in the east, Argentina in the south and Chile and Peru in the west. Lake Titicaca on the PeruBolivian border is the highest lake in the world. Originally part of the ancient Inca Empire, Bolivia became independent in 1825.

Portuguese, Religion : Christianity, Currency : Cruzado.

BOSNIA–HERZEGOVINA Capital : Sarajevo, Area : 51,209 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 3,791,622, Language : SerboCroation, Religion : Muslim (Sunni), Currency : Dinar. At a referendum on Feb. 29 and March 1, 1992, 63% of the population of Bosnia and Herzegovina voted for independence from Yugoslavia, but most Serbs boycotted the vote. On April 6, the European Communities (E.C.) recognized the new republic, and the U.S. followed suit on April 7, Bosnia and Herzegovina joined the U. N. on May 22, 1992.

Brazil the largest South American state both in area and population, lies more or less in the centre of South America. It shares its frontiers with ten other countries—Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Peru, Columbia, Venezuela, Guyana, Surinam and French Guiana. Brazil is a land of dense forests and mighty rivers. The Amazon and Sao Franciscs cover the north of the country.

CANADA Capital : Ottawa, Area : 9,984,670 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 35,295,770, Language : English and French, Religion : Christianity, Currency : Dollar.

BULGARIA Capital : Sofia, Area : 111,002 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 69,81,642, Language : Bulgarian, Religion : Atheist, Currency : Lev. Bulgaria in southwest Europe is bounded by the Black sea on the east, Turkey and Greece on the south, Yugoslavia on the west and Romania on the north. Bulgaria was founded in 681 and became a socialist republic on Sept. 9, 1944.

BRAZIL Capital : Brasilia, Area: 8,514,877 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 201,032,714, Language :

Canada is the second largest country in the world. It occupies all of the northern most part of North America except Alaska in the west and the small French islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon.

80 | GK (Ency.) It is bounded on the north by the Arctic Ocean, Baffin Bay and the Davis Strait, in the north-east and in the east by the Atlantic Ocean, in the south by the USA, in the west by the Pacific ocean and in the north-west by the US State of Alaska. Canada is a federation comprising 1 0 provinces and 2 territories. It is a member of the Commonwealth. By the historic Canada Act of 1982 Britain transferred constitutional powers to Canada.

Republic of China was proclaimed in Peking on Oct. 1, 1949.

CHILE Capital : Santiago, Area : 756,096 Sq. km, Population (2012) : 1,66,34,603, Language : Spanish, Religion : Roman Catholic, Currency : Peso. The republic of Chile lies on the western sea board of South America, occupying the strip of land between Peru and Bolivia in the north to Cape Horn in the south. Originally Spanish colony, Chile became independent on Sept. 18, 1810.

CHINA Capital : Beijing, Area : 95,72,900 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 1,360,720,000, Language : Chinese (Mandarin), Religion : Buddhism and Taoism, Currency : Yuan. One of the oldest countries in the world and the third largest in Area, China is bounded by Russia, Mongolia, North Korea, Vietnam, Myanmar (Burma), India, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan. China is made up of 21 provinces, 5 autonomous regions and three municipalities— Peking, Shanghai and Tientsin. One of the oldest countries in the world, China became a republic in 1911. The people’s

On Oct. 26, 1971 China was admitted as a member of the UN displacing Nationalist China (Taiwan). China is a nuclear power well advanced in space technology. It launched its first earth satellite in April 1970 and its present planning to send its spacecraft to the moon.

CROATIA Capital : Zagreh, Area : 56,594 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 44,75,611, Language : Croatia, Religion : Christianity, Currency : Croatian Dinar. Croatia was recognized as an independent state by Germany on Dec. 23, 1991 and was granted E.C. recognition on Jan. 15, 1992 and by USA on April 15, 1992. It was received into the UN on May 22, 1992.

CUBA Capital : Havana, Area : 110,860 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 1,10,61,886, Language : Spanish, Religion : Christianity, Currency : Peso.

Cuba, the largest island in the Greater Antilles group is known as the Pearl of Antilles.

GK (Ency.) | 81 Its neighbours are USA, Mexico, Jamaica and Haiti. The Bahamas Islands are to the north. Columbus discovered Cuba in 1492 and Spain ruled over it for four centuries. In 1898 Cuba became an independent republic. In 1959, Dr. Fidel Castro overthrew General Batista, the dictatorial President and took over power.

CZECH REPUBLIC Capital : Prague, Area : 78,866 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 10,513,800, Language : Czech, Religion : Christianity, Currency : Koruna. In June 1992 a 74 year old federations Czech and Slovak regions agreed to part. On July 17, 1992 Slovak National Council adopted a declaration of sovereignty by 113 to 24 votes. President Havel resigned as Federal president on July 20, 1992. On 25 Nov., 1992 the Federal Assembly voted the dissolution of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic. Czechoslovakia splits into the Czech Republic and Slovakia on 1 Jan. 1993

DENMARK Capital : Copenhagen, Area : 43,098 Sq.km, Population (2014) : 5,627,235, Language : Danish, Religion : Christianity, Currency : Krone.

EGYPT Capital : Cairo, Area : 9,97,739 Sq. km, Population (2014) : 86,048,500 Language : Arabic, Religion : Muslim, Currency : Pound. Egypt traditionally known as the gift of the Nile, occupies north-east Africa and is bounded by the Gulf of Aqaba, Palestine, Israel, Sudan, Libya, the Mediterranean sea and the Red sea. Egypt has one of the oldest civilizations in the world, its recorded history going back to more than 5000 B. C. In 1922 Egypt became an independent monarchy and in 1952 a republic.

ETHIOPIA Capital : Addis Ababa, Area : 127,127 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 86,613,986, Language : Amharic (official language), English, Religion : Christianity and Islam, Currency : Birr. Ethiopia is a mountainous country in North-East Africa, having access to the Red Sea, through the province of Eritrea, which was federated with Ethiopia in 1952 and later was united with Ethiopia. Ethiopia is one of the most ancient countries of the world, with a colourful history. The Ethiopian emperors claimed descent from Solomon and the famous Queen of Sheba. The last Emperor of Ethiopia Haile Sellasie was deposed by the armed forces which took over the govt. in 1974. Eritrea seceded and became independent, on 24 May, 1993.

FRANCE

Denmark is situated in northern Europe between the North Sea and the Baltic. It comprises the peninsula of Jutland, the islands of Zealand, Funen and Bornholm and 480 smaller islands. Greenland and the Faroe Islands also form part of the kingdom of Denmark.

Capital : Paris, Area : 5,43,965 Sq.km, Population (2014) : 65,844,000, Language : French, Religion : Christianity, Currency : Euro. France, the largest country in Western Europe, lies between three big countries— Spain, Germany and Italy and the lesser states of Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg. The

82 | GK (Ency.) North Atlantic Ocean (Bay of Biscay) lies to the west and the English Channel to the north, while the Mediterranean Sea bounds the south. The island of Corsica—the birth place of Napoleon—forms an integral part of France. Once a grand monarchy, the French Revolution (1789–1793) made France a republic. Since then republican and imperial form of government followed one after another until the Fifth Republic and the French Community came into being in 1958 under President Charles de Gaulle.

FINLAND Capital : Helsinki, Area : 3,38,145 Sq. km, Population (2014) : 5,452,821, Language : Finnish and Swedish, Religion : Christianity, Currency : Euro. The Republic of Finland is bordered on the north by Norway, on the west by Sweden and the Gulf of Bothnia, on the south by the Gulf of Finland, and on the east by Russia. Finland is a Baltic state, which once formed part of the Russian Empire. It became an independent republic in 1917. It became a member of the European Union in 1995.

world war the erstwhile German territory was divided into two occupation areas, Russia occupying East Germany and USA, Britain and France occupying west Germany. The city of Berlin was also divided into west Berlin (USA, Britain and France) and East Berlin (Russia). West Germany came into being on May 23, 1949. Note : On Oct. 3, 1990 East & West Germany were reunited in one nation.

GHANA Capital : Accra, Area : 2,38,533 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 2,51,99,609, Language : English (official language) and eight major national languages, Religion : Christianity and Islam, Currency : Cedi. Ghana is composed of the former British colony Gold Coast and the British ruled Togoland in Western Africa. Ghana got independence on 6th March, 1957 and became an independent republic within the Commonwealth on July 1, 1960. Ghana is primarily an agricultural country and produces the best quality cocoa which constitutes a major export item. Other cash crops include kolanuts, palm products, bananas, coffee, shea-nuts and rubber. It also exports timber, gold, diamonds, manganese and bauxite.

GERMANY

GREECE

Capital : Berlin, Area : 357,023 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 80,619,000, Language : German, Religion : Christianity, Currency : Euro. Germany lies in the heart of Europe. Its neighbours to the west are the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and France, to the south Switzerland and Austria, to the south & south-east (Czech Republic) to south-east. It was Bismarck, Chancellor of Prussia, who laid the foundation of the German Empire in 1871. After the defeat of Germany in the Second

Capital : Athens, Area: 1,31,957 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 1,07,72,967, Language : Modern Greek, Religion : Christianity, Currency : Euro. Greece or the Hellenic Republic occupies the southern part of the Balkan Peninsula in the Mediterranean with the Ionian Sea on the west and the Aegean Sea on the east. Albania, Yugoslavia and Bulgaria lie to the north of Greece and Turkey to the east. In ancient times, Greece was the seat of democracy, learning and culture. Monarchy was abolished in Greece in 1974. It has been a Republic since.

GK (Ency.) | 83

HUNGARY Capital : Budapest, Area : 93,030 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 9,906,000, Language : Hungarian, Religion : Christianity, Currency : Forint. Hungary, a socialist country in Central Europe, lies between Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, the USSR, Romania and Austria. Hungary became an independent republic in 1918 and the Hungarian Socialist Republic in 1919. In 1990, a multi-party democracy, committed to political and economic reforms was instituted.

INDONESIA Capital : Jakarta, Area : 1,890,754 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 24,98,66,000, Language : Bahasa Indonesian, Religion : Islam (monotheism), Currency : Rupiah.

Indonesia is an archipelaga state consisting of over 13,000 (6000 inhabited) islands. The five main islands are Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo), Sulavesi and Irian Jaya. The Japanese army occupied Indonesia from 1942 till 1945 after the surrender of the Dutch army. The Indonesian people proclaimed their independence on August 17, 1945. After a war of independence, the Netherlands transferred the sovereignty to Indonesia on December 27, 1949. The country is embroiled in internal dissensions and several of the country’s discontented regions are wanting to break-free. East Timore, has already seceded and became an independent nation on 20 May, 2002.

IRAN Capital : Teheran, Area : 1,648,200 Sq. km, Population (2014) : 77,254,000 (excluding about 1·4 million Afgan refugees and nearly

6,00,000 Iraqi refugees), Language : Persian, Religion : Islam, Currency : Rial.

Iran is surrounded by Iraq and Turkey in the west, Armenia, Azerbaijan, the Caspian Sea and Turkmenistan in the north, Afghanistan and Pakistan in the east and Persian Gulf in the southwest.

It is a country of great antiquity. The last of the Pahlavi dynasty, Mohammed Reza was forced to free Iran in face of nationwide revolt against him. In Feb. 1979, Ayatollah Khomeini, a high priest of Islam, returned to Iran to guide its destiny. Since these have been further cautions moves towards a more liberal society.

IRAQ Capital : Baghdad, Area : 434,128 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 31,858,481, Language : Arabic, Religion : Islam, Currency : Iraqi Dinar. Iraq is the modern name for Mesopotamia. It is surrounded by Iran on the east, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the Arabian (Persian) Gulf on the South, Jordon and Syria on the west and Turkey on the north.

84 | GK (Ency.) Iraq is one of the most ancient countries of the world. Following US attack on Iraq in March 2003 and its subsequence occupation of the country the political states of Iraq defies any categorization. At present it is being governed by a US controlled Iraqi Governing council. Its sovereignty is in doldrums.

ISRAEL Capital : Jerusalem, Area : 21,671 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 8,134,100, Language : Hebrew and Arabic, Religion : Judaism, Currency : Sheqel. A republic of the middle east (west Asia), Israel is surrounded on three sides by Arab countries. On the north is Lebanon, on the east Syria and Jordan, and on the south Egypt. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the west. The republic occupies the minor portion of ancient Palestine. On Nov. 29, 1947 the UN partitioned Palestine between the Jews and the Arabs. A new Zionist state called Israel was proclaimed in the Jewish area of Palestine on May 15, 1948.

ITALY Capital : Rome, Area : 301,328 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 59,943,933, Language : Italian, Religion : Christianity, Currency : Euro. The Italian Republic occupies the long peninsular area in Europe extending from the Alps into the Mediterranean Sea. The peninsula is bounded by the Mediterranean on 3 sides. France bounds it on the northwest, Switzerland and Austria on the north and Yugoslavia on the northeast. The islands of Sicily, Sardinia, Elba and Capri in the Mediterranean belong to Italy.

JAPAN Capital : Tokyo, Area : 377,887 Sq. km, Population (2014) : 127,180,000, Language : Japanese, Religion : Shintoism and Buddhism, Currency : Yen. Japan consists of four main islands, Honshu (Main land), Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku and

a number of smaller islands of which Okinawa is one. Japan is separated from Russia and North Korea by the Sea of Japan and from China by the East China Sea. Most important Japanese ports are : Yokohama, North Kobe, Nagoya and Pacific Ocean Osaka. Japan is a very progressive country. After the devastation caused by 2nd world war she has made phenomenal progress in all fields raising it to the status of a great economic power of the world. Politically, it is a constitutional monarchy.

KENYA Capital : Nairobi, Area : 582,646 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 44,354,000, Language : Capswahili & English, Religion : Christianity, Currency : Shilling. The Republic of Kenya is bordered on the north by Sudan and Ethiopia, east by Somalia and the Indian Ocean, south by Tanzania and west by Uganda. Formerly a British colony, Kenya became an independent republic within the commonwealth in 1964.

KOREA (North) Capital : Pyongyang, Area : 122,672 Sq. km, Population (2014) : 24,895,000, Language : Korean, Religion : Atheist, Currency : Won. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea occupies the northern part of the Korean peninsula. It lies between the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan. China is in the north. During the second world war, America occupied South Korea and Russia, North Korea. At the Potsdam Conference, the 38th parallel latitude was recognised as the line of division between the occupation areas of Russia and America. North Korea was formed into the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on Sept. 9, 1948.

GK (Ency.) | 85

KOREA (SOUTH) Capital : Seoul, Area : 99,900 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 52,981,991, Language : Korean, Religion : Buddhism, Christianity and Confucian, Currency : Won. The Republic of Korea forms the southern part of the Korean peninsula. It is bounded on the north by North Korea, on the east by the Sea of Japan and on the west by the Yellow Sea, the Republic of Korea was formally proclaimed on Aug. 15, 1948. North Korea and South Korea became separate countries following its partition in 1953 when the war between the communists backed by Russia & China and the democrats backed by U.S.A. came to an end, South Korea has developed fast and has joined the club of developed nations of the world.

Malaysia is a federation of 13 states. Peninsular Malaysia is bordered on the east by the South China Sea, on the south by the Straits of Johor, on the west by the Straits of Malacca and on the north by Thailand. Malaysia achieved its independence in 1957.

MEXICO Capital : Mexico City, Area : 1,964,375 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 11,83,95,054, Language : Spanish, Religion : Christianity, Currency : Peso.

LIBYA Capital : Tripoli, Area : 1,759,540 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 6,202,000, Language : Arabic, Religion : Islam, Currency : Dinar. An Arab State of the north-west of Africa. Libya is bounded by Egypt, Sudan, Tunisia, Algeria, Niger and Chad. Formerly on Italian colony, Libya became an independent state in 1949.

MACEDONIA

A federal republic of middle America, Mexico is bounded in the north by the U.S., west and south by the Pacific Ocean, south-east by Guatemala, Belize and the Caribbean sea and north-east by the Gulf of Mexico. Mexico became an independent state in 1821.

MONGOLIA

Capital : Skopje, Area : 25,713 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 2,087,171, Language : Macedonian, Religion : Christianity, Currency : Dena. Macedonia declared independence on Sept. 8, 1991 from Yugoslavia. It is bounded in the north by Yugoslavia, in the east by Bulgaria, in the south by Greece and in the West by Albania.

Capital : Ulan Bator, Area : 1,564,116 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 2,931,300, Language : Mongolian, Religion : Buddhist and Lamaism, Currency : Tugrik.

MALAYSIA

The Mongolian People’s Republic lies in Central Asia with the Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. It became an independent state in 1921.

Capital : Kuala Lumpur, Area : 329,847 Sq. km, Population (2014) : 30,023,000, Language : Malay, Religion : Islam, Currency : Ringgit.

86 | GK (Ency.)

MYANMAR (Burma)

PAKISTAN

Capital : Yangon (Rangoon), Area : 6,76,577 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 53,259,000, Language : Burmese, Religion : Buddhism, Currency : Kyat. A republic of south-east Asia, Myanmar (Burma) is bordered by India, Bangladesh, China, Laos and Thailand. The country is watered by the Irrawaddy which forms one of the most fertile basins in all Asia. Originally, a part of British India, Myanmar (Burma) became a separate unit of the British Commonwealth in April 1937. It became an independent country on Jan 4, 1948.

Capital : Islamabad, Area : 7,96,096 Sq. km, Population (2014) : 185,786,000, excluding 4 million residents of Pakistani-administered Jammu and Kashmir and 1·1 million Afgan refugees. Language : Urdu, Religion : Islam, Currency : Rupee. The Islamic Republic of Pakistan, now confined to west Pakistan, originally came into existence in 1947 following the partition of India into two states, India and Pakistan. Its eastern wing, formerly called East Pakistan, fell apart in 1971 and became Bangladesh.

NEPAL

Capital : Warsaw, Area : 3,12,685 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 38,502,396, Language : Polish, Religion : Christianity, Currency : Zloty. A People’s Republic of Upper Central Europe, Poland is bordered in the north by the Baltic Sea, Russia, east by Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine, south by the Czech Republic and Slovakia and west by Germany. Poland whose history goes back to the tenth century A.D. partitioned in 18th century, it became independent in 1918. The Nazi invasion of Poland in 1939 initiated the world war II. The country was liberated again in 1944.

Capital : Kathmandu, Area : 1,47,181 Sq.km, Population (2013) : 3,04,30,267, Language : Nepali, Religion : Hindu and Buddhist, Currency : Rupee. Nepal is a kingdom in the southern slope of the Himalayas, situated between India and China.

NORWAY Capital : Oslo, Area : 323,758 Sq. km, Population (2014) : 5,109,056, Language : Norwegian, Religion : Lutheran, Currency : Krone. Norway extends along the western part of the Scandinavian Peninsula from the Skagerrak which separates it from Denmark to the North Cape in the Arctic Ocean, where it meets Finland and Russia. Norway is known as the Land of the Midnight Sun, because in the north Cape area, the sun does not set from middle May until the end of July, nor does it rise above the horizon from the end of November to the end of January.

POLAND

PORTUGAL Capital : Lisbon, Area : 92,152 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 1,07,99,270 Language : Portuguese, Religion : Christianity, Currency : Euro. Portugal is a small rectangular territory in the south-west corner of the Iberian Peninsula. It is bounded on the north and east by Spain and on the south and west by the Atlantic Ocean.

GK (Ency.) | 87 Portugal was an independent kingdom from the 12th century. It became a republic in 1910.

ROMANIA Capital : Bucharest, Area : 238,391 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 2,17,90,479, Language : Romanian, Religion : Romanian Orthodox, Currency : Leu. Romania is bounded in the north by Ukraine, in east by Moldova, Ukraine and the Black Sea, south by Bulgaria, south-west by Yugoslavia and north-west by Hungry. Modern Romania was formed in 1859.

SOUTH AFRICA Capital : Capetown and Pretoria, Area : 1,229,090 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 52,981,991, Language : Africans and English, Religion : Christianity, Currency : Rand. The Republic of South Africa lies at the southern tip of the continent of Africa. Namibia and Botswana lie to the north and Mozambique in the north-east and Swaziland in the east. S. Africa includes the original white colonies of the Cape of Good Hope, Natal, Transvaal and Orange Free State. Formerly known as the Union of South Africa, it became a republic after leaving the Commonwealth in March 1960. She again rejoined the Commonwealth in 1994. From a white rule South Africa came under black majority rule with the dismantling of apartheid in 1990 and the free and fair elections in 1994.

SLOVAKIA Capital : Bratislava, Area : 49,035 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 5,415,459, Language : Slovak, Religion : Christianity, Currency : Euro. Slovakia and the Czech Republic dissolved the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic and became independent States on Jan. 1, 1993.

On Sept. 1, 1993 the Slovak National Council adopted, by 114 votes to 16 with 4 absentions (and a boycott by the Hungarian deputies), a Constitution for an independent Slovakia to come into being on Jan. 1, 1993.

SPAIN Capital : Madrid, Area : 506,030 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 46,609,700, Language : Spanish, Religion : Christianity, Currency : Euro. Spain is bounded on the north by France and the Bay of Biscay and on the west by Portugal. To the east is the Mediterranean. In 1939, Spain passed under the dictatorship of Gen. Franco. On Franco’s death in 1975 Spain became a constitutional monarchy.

SRI LANKA Capital : Colombo, Area : 65,610 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 2,16,75,648, Language : Sinhalese and Tamil, Religion : Buddhist, Hindu, Islam and Christianity, Currency : Rupee. Sri Lanka formerly known as Ceylon, is an island separated from India by the shallow Palk Strait. It is bounded on the west by the Palk strait and the Gulf of Mannar, on the north and east by the Bay of Bengal and on the south by the Indian Ocean. Sri Lanka became independent in 1948 as a member of the commonwealth.

SLOVENIA Capital : Ljubljana, Area : 20,273 Sq.km, Population (2014) : 2,061,820, Language : Sloven, Religion : Christianity, Currency : Euro. On Jan. 15, 1992 Slovenia was recognized as an independent nation by the European Communities (E.C.) and it was received into the U.N. on May 22, 1992.

88 | GK (Ency.)

SWEDEN Capital : Stockholm, Area : 450,295 Sq.km, Population (2013) : 9,644,864 Language : Swedish,

A republic of south-eastern Europe and Asia minor, Turkey is bounded in the west by the Aegean Sea and Greece, north by Bulgaria and the Black Sea, east by Georgia, Armenia and Iran and south by Iraq, Syria and the Mediterranean. Asiatic Turkey was the seat of one of the earliest civilizations known. The Ottoman Turks conquered Constantnople in 1453 and founded A Turkish Empire. In 1923, Turkey became a republic.

Religion : Christianity,

UNITED KINGDOM

Capital : Berne, Area : 41,284 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 8,112,200, Language : German, French and Italian, Religion : Christianity, Currency : Franc. Switzerland a Confederation of states in Central Europe, is bounded by France, Germany, Austria and Italy. It is a mountainous country. The country is famous for its lakes. Since 1291, Switzerland has remained a completely independent country. It joined the United Nations very late, i.e., September, 2002.

Capital : London, Area : 242,910 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 6,395,574, Language : English, Religion : Christianity, Currency : Pound Sterling. A constitutional monarchy the United Kingdom comprises the island of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, together with many small islands. It is separated from the coast of western Europe by the English channel to the south and by the North Sea to the east. The northern and western shores are washed by the Atlantic Ocean. Great Britain is the largest of the islands forming the United Kingdom. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man and the Channel islands. British institutions and methods of government have set the pattern for lovers of freedom everywhere.

TURKEY

USA

Currency : Krona. Sweden is the largest of the Nordic countries and in terms of area, the fourth largest country in Europe.

SWITZERLAND

Capital : Ankara, Area : 7,74,815 Sq. km, Population (2013) : 76,667,864, Language : Turkish, Religion : Islam, Currency : Lira.

Sq.

Capital : Washington D.C., Area : 9,366,008 km, Population (2014) : 317,626,000,

GK (Ency.) | 89 Language : English, Religion : Christianity, Currency : Dollar. The United States of America is a federal republic composed of 50 states. The USA which covers the central part of North America, grew out of the British colonies that were established in North America in the first half of the 17th century. USA’s participation in the First world war and the victory of the Allies made it a world power. The end of the second world war saw the emergence of USA as one of the super powers of the world. And now with the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991, USA has remained the only Superpower of the world the world having become unipolar.

BORDERS AMONG COUNTRIES S.N.

Country

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

India and China India and Pakistan Pakistan and Afghanistan Germany and Polland United States of America and Canada North Korea and South Korea Germany and France

6. 7.

9. Most Boundaries

10. Northernmost Village in the World 11. Southernmost Village in the World

China (15 Boundaries) with following Nations : 1. Russia, 2. North Korea, 3. Mangolia, 4. Macau, 5. Hongkong, 6. India, 7. Nepal, 8. Pakistan, 9. Kazakhstan, 10. Kyrgyzstan, 11. Afghanistan, 12. Tajakistan, 13. Vietnam, 14. Myanmar, 15. Laos My Alesund (78°55°n) Puerto Williams

WORLDWIDE ADHERENTS OF ALL RELIGIONS BY SIX CONTINENTAL AREAS, MID-2009

Border Line McMohan Line Radclif Line Durand Line Hindenberg Line 49th Parallel Line 38th Parallel Line Maginot Line

SOME IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT THE WORLD 1. Total Countries 249 Countries (193 Sovereign Countries) (57 non-Sovereign Countries) 2. Largest Country Russia (17,075,400 km) (Area) (World's 11·5%) 3. Smallest State Vatican City (Holy See. Italian name : Citta del Vaticano (Population 900) 4. Population 6,637,368,598 (In Dec. 2007) 5. Most Populous China (1,347,350,000) Country (31 December, 2011) 6. Most Densely Portuguese Province of Populated Macau Density : 16,520·1 per (Territories) sq. km. 7. National 311 National Land BounBoundaries daries in the World 8. Longest Conti- Between Canada and USA nuous Boundary

Religions

World

Change No. of Rate (%) countries 33·2 1·26 239 31·4 1·29 239 16·7 1·12 236 %

Christians 2,264,492,000 Affiliated 2,145,970,000 Roman 1,142,604,000 Catholics Protestants 412,969,000 6·0 Independents 361,279,000 5·3 Orthodox 273,355,000 4·0 Anglicans 85,360,000 1·3 Marginal 34,243,000 0·5 Christians Doubly – 163,840,000 – 2·4 affiliated Unaffiliated 118,522,000 1·7 Muslims 1,523,212,000 22·3 Hindus 935,460,000 13·7 Non-religious 639,907,110 9·4 (agnostics) Buddhists 463,821,000 6·8 Chinese folk454,579,800 6·7 religionists Ethnoreligionists 258,501,000 3·8 Atheists 138,777,200 2·0 New religionists 64,181,000 0·9 Sikhs 24,222,700 0·4 Jews 14,549,000 0·2 Spiritists 13,810,000 0·2 Daoists (Taoists) 8,849,700 0·1 Baha’s 7,305,000 0·1 Confucianists 6,446,890 0·1 Jains 5,669,000 0·1 Shintoists 2,782,800 0·0 Zoroastrians 181,650 0·0 Other religionists 1,407,000 0·0 Total 6,828,155,000 100·0 population Source : Britannica Book of the year 2010.

1·50 2·16 0·38 1·61 1·90

233 222 137 164 217

1·29

173

0·82 1·79 1·39 – 0·13

232 213 127 238

1·05 0·82

141 96

1·12 – 0·07 0·40 1·52 0·60 1·20 1·88 1·92 0·22 – 0·04 1·42 – 0·33 1·31 1·17

145 221 117 53 138 56 6 222 15 19 8 25 79 239

90 | GK (Ency.)

UNITED NATIONS ORGANISATIONS : SOME IMPORTANT FACTS 1. Founded on 2. The Name United Nations Ist suggested by 3. The Charter was signed on 4. U.N. Head Quarters 5. U.N. Emblem 6. U.N. Official Languages 7. Total Members (October 2011)

24 October, 1945 F.D. Roosevelt (President of USA) 26 June, 1945 New York, USA White Centred on a Light blue background (i) Arabic (ii) English (iii) Chinese (iv) Spanish (v) French (vi) Russian 193

WORKING LANGUAGES : ENGLISH AND FRENCH Principal Organs of U.N. (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi)

General Assembly Security Council Economic and Social Council Trusteeship Council International Court of Justice The Secretariat

Committees of General Assembly (i) Disarmament and International Security Committee (ii) Economical and Financial Committee (iii) Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee (iv) Special Political and Decolonization Committee (v) Administrative and Budgetary Committee (vi) Legal Committee

Members of the Security Council 15 Members (5 Permanent and 10 non-permanent members elected for 2 years term by a 2/3 Majority of General Assembly)

Permanent members of the Security Council (i) China (iii) Russia (v) U.S.A.

(ii) (iv)

France U.K.

Members of the Economic and Social Council 54 Member States (Elected by a 2/3 Majority of the General Assembly)

Commissions of the Economic and Social Council Regional Economic Commissions (i) Economic Commission for Europe, Geneva (ECE) (ii) Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok (ESCAP)

(iii) Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Santiago, Chile (ECLAC) (iv) Economic Commission for Africa, Addis Ababa (ECA) (v) Economic Commission for Western Asia, Amman, Jordan (ESCWA) Functional Commissions (i) Crime and Criminal Justice Commission (ii) Social Development Commission (iii) Human Rights Commission (iv) Narcotic Drugs Commission (v) Commission on Science and Technology for Development (vi) Commission on Status of Women (vii) Commission on Statistics (viii) Commission on Sustainable Development (ix) Commission on Human Settlement (x) Commission on New and Renewable Sources of Energy and Energy development (xi) Commission on Population and Development Standing Committees of the Economic and Social Council (i) The Committee on Non-Governmental Organisations (ii) The Committees for Programme and Co-ordination (iii) The Committee on Natural Resources (iv) The Committee for Development Planning (v) The Committee of Exports in the Transport of Dangerous Goods

Flag of U.N. Two bent olive branches open at the top and in between them is the world map

Official languages of the International Court of Justice (i) French (ii) English

Seat of the International Court of Justice At Hague

Present Secretary General Ban-Ki-Moon of South Korea is the new Secretary General of UN Assembly with effect from January 1, 2007.

Major U.N. Programmes and Funds (i) United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (ii) United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund—UNICEF (Created by U.N. General Assembly in 1946, Awarded Nobel Peace Prize for 1965) (iii) United Nations Population Fund—UNPF (Established : 1967. H.Q.–New York)

GK (Ency.) | 91 (iv) United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East— UNRWA (Created by U.N. General Assembly in 1949) (v) United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees—UNHCR (Established by U.N. General Assembly with effect from 1 Jan., 1951, Awarded Nobel Prize in 1955 and 1981, H.Q.– Switzerland)

Intergovernmental Agencies Related to the U.N. (i) International Atomic Energy Agency— IAEA (Established on July 29, 1957, 162 Member States, H. Q.—Vienna, Australia) (ii) International Labour Organization [Established–1919, specialized agency of U.N., 1946, Awarded Nobel Prize (Peace) in 1969, 185 member states, H.Q.–Switzerland. Regional Office–Abidjan (For Africa) Bangkok (For Asia and the Pacific) Lima (For Latin America and the Carribbean) and Beirut (For Arab States] (iii) Food and Agriculture Organisation—FAO (Founded on 16 October, 1945, Members-197, H.Q.–Rome, Italy) (iv) United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization—UNESCO [Established on 4 Nov., 1946, Members–195 and 8 associate members (U.S.A. is not a member) H.Q.–Paris] (v) World Health Organization—WHO (Established on 7 April, 1948, Members-194 H.Q.– Geneva) (vi) International Monetary Fund—IMF (Established on 27 December, 1945, 188 Members States, H.Q.–Washington, D.C. Offices in Paris and Geneva) (vii) International Bank for Reconstruction and Development—IBRD; World Bank (Established in 1944, H.Q.–Washington, D. C. Office in U.S.A), Members-188.

(viii) International Development Association— IDA (Established on 24 Sept., 1960, Administered by the IBRD (World Bank, H.Q.– Washington), Members-172. (ix) International Finance Corporation—IFC (Established in July 1956, Members-184, H.Q.–Washington) (x) International Civil Aviation Organization— ICAO (Established on 4 April, 1947, Member States–190, H.Q.–Canada) (xi) Universal Postal Union—UPU (Established on 1 July, 1875, Member Countries–192, H.Q. Switzerland) (xii) International Tele-Communication Union— ITU (Established in 1932, Member Countries– 193, H.Q. Switzerland) (xiii) International Tele-Communication Satellite Organization—INTELSAT (Established in 1964, Members–149, H. Q.–Washington) (xiv) World Meteorological Organization— WMO (Formally Established on 29 March, 1951, Members–191, H.Q.-Switzerland) (xv)

International Maritime Organization— IMO (Established in 1948, Members–170, H.Q.–London)

(xvi) World Trade Organization—WTO Established on 1 Jan., 1995, Members–159, H.Q.– Geneva (Switzerland) (xvii) World Intellectual Property Organization— WIPO [Established in 1967, Members–185, H. Q.– Geneva (Switzerland)] (xviii) International Fund for Agriculture Development—IFAD (Established in 1974, Members–166, H. Q.–Rome, Italy) (xix) United Nations Industrial Development Organization—UNIDO (Established in Jan. 1967, Members—174, H.Q.–Vienna)

11

Sports and Games

16. First World Cup of Cricket Organised— 1975 (In England) (1) CRICKET 17. 2003 World Cup was held—In South Africa 1. Players—11 Players on each of the Two 18. 2007 World Cup was held—In West Indies Sides 19. 2011 World Cup was held—In three Asian Test Cricket playing countries Bangla2. Ball (Weight)—155·9–163 gram desh, India and Sri Lanka 3. Circumference of Ball—22·4–22·9 cm 20. Foremost governing body of sport— 4. Bat (Length)—38 inch (96·5 cm) International Cricket Conference H.Q.–Lords 1 (England) 5. Bat (Width)—10·8 cm 4 inch 4 21. 2015 World Cup Cricket will be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand. 6. Non-Turf pitches (Length)—58 ft. (17·68 m) 7. Non-Turf pitches (Width)—6 ft. (1·83 m) CRICKET STADIUM IN THE WORLD 8. Wickets (Width)—22·86 cm ( 9 inch) S. N. Stadium Place 9. Wickets (Distance between two middle 1. Melbourne Cricket Stadium Australia stumps)—22 yard (20·12 m) 2. Trent Bridge Stadium England 10. Bails (Length)—11·1 cm each bail 3. Old Trafford Stadium Manchester (England) 11. Related Trophies— 4. Khetharame Stadium Colombo 1. Irani 5. Gaddafi Stadium Lahore 4. Ranji Trophy 6. Arbal-Nias Stadium Peshawar 5. Rani JhTrophy 7. Asgiriya Stadium Candy 2. Netwest Trophy 8. Oval Stadium London (England) 9. Iqbal Stadium Faisalabaad 3. ICC Trophyansi Trophy 10. Jinnab Stadium Gujranwala 6. Sheesh Mahal Trophy 11. Leeds Stadium London, England 7. Vijay Merchant Trophy 12. Eden Park Stadium Auckland 8. Deodhar Trophy 13. Wankhede Stadium Mumbai 9. Rohington Baria Trophy 14. Pindi Stadium Rawalpindi 10. Cooch Bihar Trophy 15. National Stadium Karachi 11. Vinoo Mankad Trophy 16. Nehru Stadium Chennai 12. Related Cups— 17. Indira Priyadarshini Stadium Visakhapattanam 1. World Cup 2. Titan Cup 18. Sawai Mansingh Stadium Jaipur 3. Singer Cup 4. Sahara Cup 19. Barabati Stadium Cuttack 5. Asia Cup 6. Benson & Hedges 20. Brabourne Stadium Mumbai Cup 21. Nehru Stadium Pune 7. Triangular Series 8. Wills Cup 22. Nehru Stadium Delhi 23. Lal Bahadur Stadium Hyderabad 13. First Cricket Club in India—Kolkata 24. Ferozshah Kotla Ground Delhi 14. Foremost Cricketer of the Yesteryears— 25. Green Park Stadium Kanpur Ranjeet Singh 26. Chepauk Ground Chennai 15. First Cricket match played—In Melbourne 27. Chinnaswamy Stadium Bangalore (Between England & Australia, 1877)

SOME FACTS

(

)

GK (Ency.)

TERMINOLOGY OF CRICKET Mid off

Over-drive

Mid on Runner

Cut Hook

Gloves Catch

Pull Swing

Shooter

Forward Short leg Googly

Overthrow Third umpire Caught behind

Leg before Wicket Follow on Abdominal guard Played on Catch over throw First down opener Crease

Long leg

Helmet Ped No ball

11. 12. 13. 14. 15.

Extra Thirty yard circle Silly Point Protection guard Bouncer

Line & Length Mid wicket Off break leg Fine leg long spin leg

MEMBERS OF INTERNATIONAL CRICKET COUNCIL S.N.

Country

1. 3. 5. 7. 9. 11. 13. 15. 17. 19. 21.

W. Africa East Africa America Malaysia Canada Fiji Ireland Singapore Namibia Denmark Arab Countries

S.N. Country 2. 4. 6. 8. 10. 12. 14. 16. 18. 20. 22.

Mid. Africa Bangladesh Nepal Scottland Barmoonda Hongkong Italy Kenya Papua Newguinea Jibralter Argentina

(2) LAWN TENNIS 1. First Tennis Club—Limington Club (Established by Harry Jam) 2. Earlier Name—(i) Pallota (ii) Lawn Racket 3. Playing Surface—(i) Grass Court (ii) Hard Court 4. Highest Governing body of Lawn tennis— International Tennis Federation (1913) 5. Ist Davis Cup was held—1900 year. 6. Court (Length)—78 ft (23·77 m) 7. Court (Width)—27 ft. (8·23 m) 8. Net's Height—3 ft, 6 inch 9. Players—Single, Double, Mixed double 10. Ball (Diametre)—2·5–2·58 inch

16.

17.

(3) 1. 2. 3.

4. 5.

| 93

Ball's Colour—White or Yellow Ball's Weight—56·7–58·5 gram Racket's Maximum Length—32 inch Racket's Maximum Breadth—12·5 inch Related Cups— 1. Davis Cup 2. Federation Cup 3. Hopman Cup 4. Dr. Rajendra Prasad Cup 5. Whiteman Cup 6. U.S. Open Cup 7. Australian Open Cup 8. ATP Championship 9. Evert Cup 10. Virginia Slims Championship 11. Indian Satellite Open Cup 12. Canadian Open Cup 13. Federation Cup 14. Ambresol aire Cup 15. Edgbaston Cup 16. Ghafar Cup 17. Wimbledon Trophy Related Terms— 1. Backhand Stroke 2. Ace 3. Love 4. Slice 5. Volley 6. Ground Stroke 7. Deep Volley 8. Double fault 9. Delice 10. Half Volley 11. Let 12. Slice 13. Smash Important Places— 1. DLTA Grounds, New Delhi 2. Forest Hill, USA 3. Wimbledon, England FOOTBALL First Football Club founded—In 1857 (Sheffield Football Club) First Indian Football Club—The Dalhousie Club The Highest governing body of Football— The Federation International de Football Association. First World cup was organised—In Uruguay (1930) Players—11 Players in each team

94 | GK (Ency.) 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Football's Circumference—68–71 cm Football's Weight—396 to 453 grams Field's length—91 to 120 Metre Field's breadth—45–91 Metre Cups— 1. U. F. A. Cup 2. FIFA Cup 3. F. A. Cup 4. Winners Cup 5. Presidents Cup 6. European Championship 7. Kings Cup 8. Mardeka Cup 9. Jawahar Lal Nehru International Gold Cup 10. Rajiv Gandhi International Cup 11. African Nations Cup 12. Sri Krishna Gold Cup 13. Durand Cup 14. Rovers Cup 15. Federation Cup 16. Subroto Cup 17. Stafford Cup 18. Caesers Cup 19. Vithal Cup 20. Airlines Gold Cup 21. Bandodker Gold Cup

11. Related Trophies— 1. Baradoloi Trophy 2. Santosh Trophy (National Championship) 3. DCM Trophy 4. Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy 5. B. C. Ray Trophy 6. Nagari Trophy 7. Ashutosh Trophy 8. Begum Hasrat Mahal Trophy 12. Related Terms— 1. Centre pass 3. Mid Field 5. Corner 7. Indirect kick 9. Forward 11. Lines man 13. Scissor kick 15. Extra time

2. 4. 6. 8. 10. 12. 14. 16.

Back pass Goal keeper Free kick Striker Direct kick Goal kick Dribble Abbey

17. 19. 21. 23. 25. 27. 29.

Marking Flag Lines man Send off Refree Booking Sudden death

18. 20. 22. 24. 26. 28. 30.

Sliding tackle Touch line Volley Foul Cross Fair Change Second Half

(4) HOCKEY 1. First Organised Hockey Club—Blackheath Rugby & Hockey Club (England) 2. Ist International Hockey Match was played—In Rayle (26 June, 1895) Between Wales & Ireland. 3. First Hockey Tournament was organised —In Barcelona (1971) 4. Players—11 players in each team 5. Hockey Playground (Rectangular)—100 yards long & 60 yards wide. 6. Hockey Ball Colour—White 7. Hockey Ball's Weight—155–163 grams 8. Ball's Circumference—223–224 cm 9. Stick's Weight—280 gm (Should not exceed) 10. Playing Field (Length)—91·44 Metre 11. Playing Fields (Breadth)—50–55 Metre 12. Related Terms— 1. Soda Line 2. Tiebreaker 3. Infringement 4. Inside Right 5. Sudden Death 6. Hat Trick 7. Polley 8. Right Back 9. Left Back 10. Under cutting 11. Circle 12. Roll in 13. Push in 14. Shooting Circle 15. Centre Foreward 16. Gloves 17. Pad 18. Half Volley 19. Long Corner 20. Short Corner 21. Penalty Stroke 22. Revers Flick 23. Umpire 24. Lines man 25. Scoop 26. Penalty Corner 13. Cups— 1. Mumbai Gold Cup 2. J. L. N. Cup 3. Surjeet Singh Cup 4. Agha Khan Cup

GK (Ency.) 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19.

Scindhia Gold Cup Obedullah Gold Cup Stand Cup Federation Cup Brighton Cup Murugappa Gold Cup Cuppuswamy Cup Him Gold Cup Ceasers Clark Cup Roop Singh Gold Cup Maharaja Ranjeet Singh Gold Cup Challenge Cup Aslam Shah Cup Rangaswamy Cup Indira Gandhi International Gold Cup

14. Trophies— 1. Dhyan Chand Trophy 2. Khan Abdulgaffar Khan Trophy 3. K. D. Singh Babu Trophy 4. D. C. M. Srivam Trophy 5. Lady Ratan Tata Trophy 6. B. M. W. Trophy 15. Stadiums— 1. Dhyan Chand Stadium, Lucknow 2. Shivaji Stadium, New Delhi 3. Lal Bahadur Stadium Hyderabad 4. National Stadium, New Delhi 5. Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur 6. Merdeka Stadium, Kualalumpur 7. Nehru Stadium, New Delhi (5) BASKETBALL 1. 2. 3. 4.

Players—5 Players in each team Court's Size—28 × 15 m Basket's length—40 cm Basket's height (From the Ground)—3·05 metre 5. Ball's weight—600–650 grams 6. Related terms— 1. Pack 2. Dribbling 3. Three point 4. Head ball 5. Lay up 6. Goal Tending 7. Turn over 8. Jump ball 9. Assist 10. Tap 11. Throw 12. Steal

| 95

13. Pivot 14. Post Screening 15. Tip in 7. Cups & Trophies— 1. Federation Cup 2. William Jones Cup 3. Asia Cup 4. America Cup 5. V. C. Gupta Trophy 6. Golden Eagle Trophy 7. National Championship 8. European Championship (6) VOLLEYBALL 1. Introduced sport by—W. J. Moran (USA 1895) 2. Highest Governing body—International Volley ball Federation (1948) 3. First World Cup of Volleyball organised —In 1949 4. Players—6 + 6 (in two teams) 5. Playing Court—18 m long & 9 m wide 6. Net—1 m Deep & 9·50 m. long 7. Net's height—(i) 2·43 m (For Men) (ii) 2·24 (For Women) 8. Ball's Circumference—65–67 cm 9. Ball's Weight—260–280 grams 10. Ball's Internal Pressure—0·40–0·45 kg/cm 11. Related Terms— 1. Tennis 2. Hook serve 3. Lines man 4. Double fault 5. Dig 6. Love 7. Power serve 8. Floater 9. Block 10. Forearm pass 11. Refree 12. Set up 13. Aerialsmash 14. Double hit 15. Rotation 16. Net ball 17. Net Fault 18. Floater 19. Service 20. Volley pass 21. Base Line 22. Blocking 23. Heave 24. Foot Fault 25. Himp set 12. Cups & Trophies— 1. Shivanti Gold Cup 2. Federation Cup 3. India Cup 4. Shiva Subramanium Cup 5. V.C.C. Cup 6. Mannarket M.M. Joseph Trophy

96 | GK (Ency.) 7. Poorning Trophy 8. Indira Pradhan Trophy 9. Centennial Cup (7) TABLE–TENNIS 1. Other Names—(i) Gausima (ii) Whip Waff 2. First World Championship was held—In 1927 3. Players—2 Players (In Single Match) 4 Players (Double Match) 4. Table's Size—(2·74 M in length & 1·52 M in width) (In rectangular shape) 5. Table's height—76 cm high 6. Ball's Diametre—37·2–38·2 mm 7. Ball's weight—2·4 to 2·53 gram 8. Ball's Colour—White or yellow 9. Related Terms— 1. Foil 2. End line 3. Centre line 4. Back spin 5. Late control end 6. Penholder grip 7. Rally 8. Reverse sandwich 9. Swing stroke 10. Service top spene 11. Net grip 12. Chinese grip 13. Counter hitting 14. Side spin 15. Push stroke 10. Related Cups & Trophies— 1. Iran Cup 2. Corbellian Cup 3. Saint widewash Cup 4. Puram Cup 5. Indira Cup 6. Rajkumari Challenge Cup 7. Swathling Cup 8. Ramanujam Trophy 9. Padmavati Trophy

11. Related Indian Stadium— 1. NDMC Indoor Stadium, New Delhi (8) GOLF 1. The game was Ist Played (Modern form) —In Scottland (400 years ago) 2. Related Terms— 1. Founsane 2. Putting 3. Caddy 4. Tee 5. Put 6. Link 7. Vrily 8. Bogey 9. Hole 10. Nivilick 11. Bunker 12. Best Ball 13. Fairway 14. Gred Holes 15. Rough 16. Stymied 1 3. Holes Measurement— 4 Inches 2 1 4. Ball's Weight—1 OZ. in weight 2 5. Related Cups & Trophies— 1. Bharat Ram Cup 2. Open golf Cup 3. Circuit Cup 4. Canada Cup 5. C. M. Cup 6. Phillip Moris Cup 7. Hafed Open Cup 8. Eeishenhaul Cup 9. Muthaiya gold Cup 10. Ryder Cup 11. Curtis Cup 12. Prince of Wales Cup 13. Lincoln Trophy 14. Inter Continental Cup 15. Paralaondi Trophy 16. Topolino Trophy

12

Basic General Knowledge ABBREVIATIONS

A.A. A.A.F. A.A.P.S.O. A.A.R.R.O. A.A.S.F. A.B.C. (Warfare) A.B.U. a/c. A.C. A.C.D. A.C.U. A.D. A.D.B. A.D.E. A.D.G.E.S. A.E.C. A.G.F. A.G.O.C. A.H.Q. A.I.C.C. A.I.D. A.I.I.M.S. A.I.L.T.A. A.I.N.E.F. A.I.O.E. A.I.T.U.C. A.M. A.M.C. A.M.I.E. A.N.C. A.N.Z.U.S. A.O.P.E.C.

Automobile Association Auxiliary Air Force Afro-Asian People’s Solidarity Organization Afro-Asian Rural Reconstruction Organization Asian Amateur Swimming Federation Atomic, Biological and Chemical (Warfare) Asian Pacific-Broadcasting Union Account Alternating Current; Ashoka Chakra Asia Co-operation Dialogue Asian Clearing Union Anno Domini; of the Christian Era Asian Development Bank Aeronautical Development Establishment Air Defence Ground Environment System Atomic Energy Commission Asian Games Federation Asian Games Organizing Committee Air Head Quarters; Army Head Quarters All India Congress Committee Agency for International Development All India Institute of Medical Sciences All India Lawn Tennis Association All India Newspapers Employees’ Federation All India Organization of Employers All India Trade Union Congress Ante meridiem; (before noon) Army Medical Corps Associate Member of the Institute of Engineers African National Council Australia, Newzealand and U.S. (Council) Arab Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

A.P.C. A.P.H.L.C. A.R.F. A.R.P.U. A.S.E.A.N. A.S.W. A.S.R.B. A.T.S.

Agricultural Prices Commission All Parties Hill Leaders’ Conference ASEAN Regional Forum Average Revenue Per User Association of South East Asian Nations Anti-Submarine Warfare Agricultural Services Recruitment Board Applications Technology Satellite; AntiTetanus Serum A.V.A.R.D. Association of Voluntary Agencies for Rural Development A.V.S.M. Ati Vishist Seva Medal B.A. Bachelor of Arts; British Academy B.A.R.C. Bhabha Atomic Research Centre B.B.C. British Broadcasting Corporation B.C. Before Christ B.C.C.L. Bharat Coking Coal Limited B.C.G. Bacillus Calmette Guerin—(Anti-Tuberculosis Vaccine) BENELUX Belgium, Netherlands and Luxemburg—(a Customs Union) B.I.S. Bank of International Settlements B.N.P. Bangla Desh Nationalist Party B.O.A.C. British Overseas Airways Corporation B.P.E. Bureau of Public Enterprises B.R.L. Bharat Refineries Limited B.S.F. Border Security Force B.S.S. Bharat Sewak Samaj; Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (News Agency) B.Th.U. British Thermal Unit CAMELS Capital Adequacy, Asset Quality, Management, Earnings, Liquidity and Systems & Control C.A.R.E. Co-operative for American Relief Everywhere C.A.S. Chief of Army Staff; Chief of Air Staff CASTASIA Conference on the Application of Science and Technology in Asia CAZRI Central Arid Zone Research Institute C.B.I. Central Bureau of Investigation; Central Bank of India C.C.I. Cricket Club of India; Cement Corporation of India

98 | GK (Ency.) CD-ROM CENTO C.F.R.I. C.G.S. CHASNUPP C.I.A. C.I.D. C. in C. C.I.C.A. C.I.L. C.I.T.U. C.I.W.T.C. C.L.R.C. C.M.A.L. C.N.G. C.N.S. C.O.F.E.P.O.S.A.

Compact Disc–Read Only Memory Central Treaty Organization Central Fuel Research Institute Chief of the General Staff Chasma Nuclear Power Plant Central Intelligence Agency (of U.S.A.) Criminal Investigation Department Commander-in-Chief Conference on Interaction and Confidence building measures in Asia Coal India Limited Centre of Indian Trade Unions Central Inland Water Transport Corporation Central Land Reforms Committee Coal Mines Authority (of India) Limited Compressed Natural Gas Chief of Naval Staff

Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act C.M.P.D.I.L. Central Mines Planning and Design Institute Ltd. C.P.I. Communist Party of India C.S.I.R. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research C.W.F. Consumer Welfare Fund D.A. Dearness Allowance; Daily Allowance D.A.E. Department of Atomic Energy D.A.V.P. Directorate of Audio Visual Publicity D.C. Direct Current; Deputy Commissioner D.C.L. Doctor of Civil Law D.D.A. Delhi Development Authority D.D.T. Dichloro-Diphenyl Trichloro-ethane D.L.O. Dead Letter Office, District Live-stock Officer D.M. District Magistrate D.M.K. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam D.N.A. De-oxyribonucleio acid D.P.S.A. Deep Penetration Strike Aircraft D.Sc. Doctor of Science D.R.D.O. Defence Research and Development Organization E.A.R.C. Economic Administration Reforms Commission E.C.A. European Co-operation Administration; Economic Co-operation Administration E.C.A.F.E. Economic Commission for Asia and Far East

E.C.I.L. E.C.M. ECOSOC E.C.U. E.E.C. E.E.G. E.F.T.A. e.g. E.G.I. E. & O.E. ex-officio E.R.D.A.

Electronics Corporation of India Limited European Common Market Economic and Social Council (U.N.) European Currency Unit European Economic Community Electro-encephalography European Free Trade Association Exempli-gratia (for example) Editors Guild of India Errors and Omissions Excepted By virtue of one’s office Energy Research and Development Administration E.R.T.S. Earth Resources Technology Satellite E.S.A. European Space Agency E.S.C.A.P. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific E.S.R.O. European Space Research Organization EURATOM European Atomic Energy Community E.V.M. Electronic Voting Machine E.W.S. Economically Weaker Sections F.A.C.T. Fertilizers and Chemicals Travancore Ltd. F.A.O. Food and Agriculture Organization F.B.I. Federal Bureau of Investigation F.C.I. Food Corporation of India Fertilizer Corporation of India F.I.C.C.I. Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry F.E.M.A. Foreign Exchange Management Act F.E.R.A. Foreign Exchange Regulation Act F.I.S.I. Friends of India Society International F.R.G. Federal Republic of Germany F.P.S. Foot-Pound-Second (System) F.R.C.P. Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians F.R.C.S. Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons F.T.I.I. Film and Television Institute of India G.A.T.T. General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade G.I.S.T. Global Institute of Science and Technology G.M.T. Greenwich Mean Time G.N.P. Gross National Product G.S.I. Geological Survey of India G.S.T.P. Global System of Trade Preferences H.A.C. Hindustan Aluminium Corporation H.A.D.P. Hill Area Development Project H.A.L. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited H.O.T. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

GK (Ency.) | 99 H.L.C. H.M.T. H.U.D.C.O. I.A.A.I. I.A.D.F. I.A.E.C. I.A.S. I.A.T.A. I.B.R.D. I.B.W.L. I.C.A.O. I.C.A.R. I.C.F.T.U. I.C.I.C.I. I.C.J. I.C.D.S. I.D.P.L. I.D.A. I.E.A. I.F.W.J. I.G.N.C.A. I.L.O. I.L.P.I.C. I.M.F. I.M.C.O. I.N.D.U. I.N.S.A. I.N.R.W.F. I.N.M.A.S. I.O.C. I.P.A.

I.R.D.A. I.R.D.P. I.S.B.

Humanitarian Law Commission Hindustan Machine Tools Housing and Urban Development Corporation International Airport Authority of India International Agricultural Development Fund International Atomic Energy Commission Indian Administrative Service International Air Transport Association International Bank for Reconstruction and Development Indian Board of Wild Life International Civil Aviation Organization Indian Council of Agricultural Research International Confederation of Free Trade Unions Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India International Court of Justice Integrated Child Development Services Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Limited International Development Association International Energy Agency Indian Federation of Working Journalists Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts International Labour Organization Industrial Licensing Policy Inquiry Committee International Monetary Fund Inter-governmental Maritime Consultative Organization Indian National Defence University Indian Natural Science Academy Indian National Railway Workers’ Federation Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences International Olympic Committee Integrated Programme of Action (for Regional Co-operation between seven South Asian Countries) Insurance Regulatory Development Authority Integrated Rural Development Programme Indian School of Business

I.S.R.O. I.S.S.P. I.T.D.C. I.T.E.S. I.T.U. I.W.Y. I.Y.C. I.Y.D.P. JAL J.C.O. J.R.C. K.M.L.P. K.M.T. L.B.W. L.I.B.O.R. L.S.D. M.A.M.C. M.C.A. M.C.C. M.F.A.L.A. M.I.C. M.L.A. M.L.C. M.M.T.C. M.N.F. M.P. M.R.C.P. MRTPC M.V.C. NABARD N.A.E.P. NAFEN NASA NATO N.A.Y.E. N.B.C.C. NCAER N.C.C.F.

Indian Space Research Organization Indian Scientific Satellite Project Indian Tourism Development Corporation Information Technology Enabled Services International Telecommunication Union International Women’s Year International Year of Child International Year for Disabled Persons Japan Air Lines Junior Commissioned Officer Joint Research Centre Kisan Mazdoor Lok Paksh Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalist Party) Leg Before Wicket (in Cricket) London Interbank Offered Rate Lysergic acid Diethylamide Mining and Allied Machinery Corporation Monetary Compensatory Account Marylebone Cricket Club (of England) Marginal Farmers and Agricultural Labourers Agency Monopolies Inquiries Commission Member of the Legislative Assembly Member of the Legislative Council Minerals and Metals Trading Corporation Mizo National Front Member of Parliament Member of the Royal College of Physicians Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission Maha Vir Chakra National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development National Adult Education Programme Near and Far East News (Agency) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (of U.S.A.) North Atlantic Treaty Organization National Alliance of Young Entrepreneurs National Building Construction Corporation National Council of Applied Economic Research National Consumer Co-operative Federation

100 | GK (Ency.) NCERT N.C.E.P. N.C.D.C. N.C.R. NCST NDA N.F.D.C. N.I.C. NIDC N.I.N. NMDC N.N.D.P. N.P.T. NRSA N.S.U.I. N.T.C. N.T.P.C. O.A.S. O.A.S.I.S. O.A.U. O.E.C.D. O.I.C. O.I.L. O.N.G.C. O.P.E.C. P.A.C. PAFNA P.C.C. P.D.F. P.E.C. P.E.T.A. P.I.B. P.I.N.C. P.N.E. P.O.W. P.S.C. P.T.A. P.U.C.L. P.V.C.

National Council of Educational Research and Training National Committee on Environmental Planning National Coal Development Corporation National Capital Region National Committee on Science and Technology National Defence Academy, National Democratic Alliance National Film Development Corporation National Integration Council National Industrial Development Corporation National Institute of Nutrition National Mineral Development Corporation Naga National Democratic Party (Nuclear) Non-Proliferation Treaty National Remote Sensing Agency National Students Union of India National Taxtile Corporation National Thermal Power Corporation Organization of American States Old Age Social and Income Security Organization of African Unity Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development Organization of Islamic Conference Oil India Limited Oil and Natural Gas Commission Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries Public Accounts Committee; Provincial Armed Constabulary Pan-African News Agency Pradesh Congress Committee Progressive Democratic Front Projects and Equipment Corporation (of India Ltd.) People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Press Information Bureau, Public Investment Board Postal Index Number Code Peaceful Nuclear Explosion Prisoner of War Public Service Commission Pilotless Target Aircraft People’s Union for Civil Liberties Param Vir Chakra

Q.E.D. R.A.F. R.B.I. R.E.C. R.S.C.B. R.S.V.P. S.A.A.R.C. S.A.B.A. SAIL SALT S.C. SCOPE S.D.R. S.E.A.T.O. S.F.A.L.A. S.F.D.A. S.G.F.I. S.E.W.A. S.G.K.Y. SIDBI S.I.M.I. S.I.T.A. SITE S.L.V. S.P.C.A. S.T.P.I. SUNFED S.W.A.P.O. SWIFT T.D.A. TERLS TELEX T.T.F.I. TRYSEM T.W.A. U.A.E. U.A.R. U.F.O. U.N.D.P. U.N.E.F.

Quod Erat Demonstrandum (which was to be proved or demonstrated) Rapid Action Force Reserve Bank of India Rural Electrification Corporation Railway Sports Control Board Respondez s’il vous plait (Fr.) reply if you please South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation South African Black Alliance Steel Authority of India Limited Strategic Arms Limitation Talks Security Council/Supreme Court Standing Conference of Public Enterprises Special Drawing Rights South-East Asia Treaty Organization Small Farmers and Agricultural Labourers Agency Small Farmers Development Agency School Games Federation of India Self Employed Women’s Association Sampoorna Gramin Rozgar Yojana Small Industries Development Bank of India Students Islamic Movement of India Studies in Information Technology Applications Satellite Instructional Television Experiment Satellite Launch Vehicle Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Software Technology Parks of India Special United Nations Fund for Economic Development South-West African People’s Organization Society for World-wide Financial Telecommunications Trade Development Authority Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station Teleprinter Exchange Table Tennis Federation of India Training of Rural Youth for Self-Employment Trans World Airlines United Arab Emirates United Arab Republic Unidentified Flying Objects United Nations Development Programme United Nations Emergency Force

GK (Ency.) | 101 U.N.E.P. U.N.I. UNICEF U.N.I.T.C. U.N.O. U.P.S.C. U.T.I. V.C. V.P.P. V.S.S.C. W.E.D. W.F.P. W.F.T.U. W.H.O. W.M.O. Y.M.C.A. Y.W.C.A. Z.S. ZUPO

United Nations Environment Programme United News of India United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund United Nations International Trade Centre United Nations Organization Union Public Service Commission Unit Trust of India Vice Chancellor; Victoria Cross Value Payable Post Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (at Thumba) World Environment Day World Food Programme World Federation of Trade Unions World Health Organization World Meteorological Organization Young Men’s Christian Association Young Women’s Christian Association Zoological Society Zimbabwe United Peoples Organization

CURRENT ABBREVIATIONS ABCDE A.C.D. A.I.D.S. A.J.T. A.M.F.I. A.U. A.W.A.N. B.C.T.T. BIMSTEC B.T.C. C.C.I. C.D.M.A. C.G.D. C.I.D.S. C.I.S. C-DOT C.M.P. C.N.G. C.N.L.U. C.S.T.O. D.O.A.R.T. D.O.T.S. D.T.A.C. E.A.S. E.D.C.I.L.

Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics Asia Cooperation Dialogue Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Advanced Jet Trainer Association of Mutual Funds in India African Union Army Wide Area Network Bank Cash Transaction Tax Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand Economic Cooperation Bodoland Territorial Council Consumer Confidence Index Code Division Multiple Access City Gas Distribution Chief of Integrated Defence Staff Commonwealth of Independent States Centre for Development of Telematics Common Minimum Programme Compressed Natural Gas Chanakya National Law University Collective Security Treaty Organisation Deep Ocean Assessment and Reporting Technology Directly Observed Treatment Short Course Double Taxation Avoidance Convention East Asia Summit Educational Consultants India Ltd.

E.E.F.C. E.S.M.A. F.A.C.T.S.

Exchange Earners Foreign Currency Essential Services Maintenance Act Fingerprints Analysis and Criminal Tracing System F.I.U.I. Finance Intelligence Unit of India F.R.B.M. Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management F.T.A.A. Free Trade Area of Americas GAEL Global Alliance for the Elimination of Leprosy G.A.G.A.N. GPS Aided Geo-Augmented Navigation G.I.S.T. Global Institute of Science and Technology G.N.L.F. Gorkha National Liberation Front GOPIO Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin G.S.O.M.I.A. General Security of Military Information Agreement G.S.L.V. Geo-Synchronous Launch Vehicle G.U.A.M. Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova H.I.T.E.C. Hyderabad Information Technology Engineering Consultancy I.C.D.S. Integrated Child Development Services I.C.E. Infotech, Communications and Entertainment I.C.R.I.E.R. Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations I.C.T.T. International Container Transhipment Terminal I.D.R.C. International Development Research Centre I.F.C.I. Industrial Finance Corporation of India I.G.M.D.P. Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme I.G.N.O.U. Indira Gandhi National Open University I.I.C. India Investment Centre I.I.F.A. International Indian Film Academy I.M.D.T. Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) I.M.O. Instant Money Order I.R.E.D.A. Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency I.S.A.F. International Security Assistance Force I.S.P. Internet Service Provider I.S.S.A. International Social Security Association I.S.T.D. Indian Society for Training and Development I.T.G.I. IFFCO Tokio General Insurance I.U.C.N. International Union for Conservation of Nature M.I.N. Mutual Fund Indentification Number M.N.N.A. Major Non-NATO Ally MODVAT Modified Value-added Tax

102 | GK (Ency.) MPLADS

Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme N.A.A.C. National Assessment and Accreditation Council N.C.A. National Cricket Academy; Nuclear Command Authority N.D.I.S. National Disaster Information System N.D.M.A. National Disaster Management Authority N.E.A. National Environment Authority N.F.F.W.P. National Food for Work Programme N.I.S.M. National Institute of Securities Market N.I.T. National Institute of Technology N.L.L.M. National Legal Literacy Mission N.M.C.C. National Manufacturing Competitive Council N.M.D. National Missile Defence N.P.C.I.L. Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. N.R.E.G.S. National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme N.S.G. Nuclear Suppliers’ Group National Security Guards O.C.I. Overseas Indian Citizenship O.S.C.E. Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe P.E.S.O. Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation P.F.R.D.A. Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority P.H.F.I. Public Health Foundation of India P.I.P.F.P.D. Pakistan-India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy POSCO Pohang Steel Company (of South Korea) P.O.T.A. Prevention of Terrorism Act P.W.G. People’s War Group Q.I.B. Qualified Institutional Buyer Q.I.P. Qualified Institutional Placement R.C.I. Rehabilitation Council of India R.L.E.K. Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra S.A.F.I.R. South Asia Forum for Infrastructure Regulation S.A.I. Sports Authority of India S.A.H.R. South Asians for Human Rights S.F.C. Strategic Forces Command S.G.S.Y. Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojna S.A.R.S. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome SCAMJET Supersonic Combustion Ramjet S.C.O. Shanghai Cooperation Organisation T.A.P.P.-4 Tarapur Atomic Power Project-4 T.I.N. Tax payers’ Identification Number UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change U.N.F.P.A. United Nations Fund for Population Activities UNMOVIC United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission

UNSCOM U.P.A. V.A.A. VAT V.R.S. W.A.C.C. W.C.A.R. W.C.C.B. W.E.F. W.F.D.B. W.G.I.G. WIPO W.M.D. W.T.C. W.T.O. W.W.W.

United Nations Special Commission United Progressive Alliance Virgin Atlantic Airlines Value Added Tax Voluntary Retirement Scheme Weighted Average Cost of Capital World Conference Against Racism Wildlife Crime Control Bureau World Environment Froum World Federation of Diamond Bourses Working Group on Internet Governance World Intellectual Property Organisation Weapons of Mass Destruction World Trade Centre World Trade Organisation World Wide Wave

BOOKS AND AUTHORS Books Adhe Adhure Anand Math A Passage to India A Bend in the River A Bunch of Old Letters A Childhood A China Passage A Coat of Varnish A Dangerous Place A Distant Mirror A Farewell to Arms A Guide for the Perplexed A Judge’s Miscellany A Life in Our Times Agni Pariksha Agni Veena A Passage to England Autobiography of an Unknown Indian All Quiet on the Western Front And Quiet Flows the Don A Week with Gandhi Aeneid Affluent Society Ain-i-Akbari Alice in Wonderland Ambassador’s Journal Animal Farm Ape and Essence Asian Drama Arthashastra

Authors Mohan Rakesh Bankim Chandra Chatterjee E.M. Forster V.S. Naipaul Jawahar Lal Nehru Harry Crews J.K. Galbraith C.P. Snow Daniel Patrick Moynihan Barbara Tuchman Ernest Hemingway E.F. Schumacher M. Hidyatullah John Kenneth Galbraith Acharya Tulsi Kazi Nazrul Islam Nirad C. Chaudhari Nirad C. Chaudhari E.M. Remarque Mikhail Sholokhov Louis Fischer Virgil J.K. Galbraith Abul Fazal Lewis Carrol J.K. Galbraith George Orwell A. Huxley Gunnar Myrdal Kautilya

GK (Ency.) | 103 August 1974 A Fragile Man in Literature Accession to Extinction A View from New Delhi Advent of Independence All the Presidents Men

Alexander Solzhenitsyn Andre Malraux

D.R. Mankekar Chester Bowles Ashok Majumdar Carl Berstein and Bob Woodward All My Yesterdays Prem Bhatia Annie Besant Sri Prakasha Ascent of the Everest Sir John Hunt Austrian Example, The Kurt Waldheim Babbit Sinclair Lewis Bad Blood James H. Jones Ben Hur Lewis Wallace Between the Lines Kuldeep Nayyar Bhagwad Gita Veda Vyas The Blind Beauty Boris Pasternak Broken Wing Sarojini Naidu Buddha Charitam Ashwaghosha Candles and Roses Romen Basu Chidambara Sumitra Nandan Pant Cancer Ward Alexander Solzhenitsyn Candida George Bernard Shaw Candide Voltaire Canterbury Tales Geoffery Chaucer Communist Manifesto Karl Marx Confession of a Thug Taylor Continent of Circe Nirad C. Chaudhari Centre-State Relations in V.K.R.V. Rao India China, Pakistan and J.P. Jain Bangladesh Chinese Betrayal B.N. Mullick Chittaparavai P.V. Akilandam Crisis of India Ronald Segal Crime and Punishment Dostoevsky Das Capital Karl Marx Das Kumar Charitam Dandin Decameron Boccaccio Decline and Fall of the Edward Gibbon Roman Empire Delhi Under Emergency John Dayal and Ajay Bose Democracy through Prem Nath Bajaj Intimidation and Terror Disgrace J. M. Coetzee Divine Comedy Dante Discovery of India Jawahar Lal Nehru

Don Quixote Dr. Zhivago Day in Shadow Dragon’s Teeth Earth Economic Nightmare of India Ends and Means Enemy of Society Expanding Universe Eye of the Storm Eternal India Face to Face Face to Face with Indira Gandhi Father and Sons Faust Freedom at Midnight Fourth Arab-Israel War For whom the Bell Tolls Friends, Not Masters From India to America Friends, Not Foes Future Shock Future Belongs to Internationalism Gana Devata Gandhi and Stalin Gathering Storm Geet Govind Gitanjali Gone with the wind Good Earth Great Illusion Guide, The Great Tragedy, The Gulag Archipelago Gull-e-Naghma Gulliver’s Travels Gandhi’s Truth God that Failed Handerson The Rain King Humboldt’s Gift

Cervantes Boris Pasternak Nayantara Sehgal V.B. Sinclair Emile Zola Charan Singh A. Huxley Paul Johnson Eddington Patrick White Mrs. Indira Gandhi Ved Mehta R. K. Karanjia, K. A. Abbas Ivan Turgenev Goethe Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins Col. B.K. Narayan Ernest Hemingway Ayub Khan S. Chandra Shekhar Sheikh Mujib-ur-Reh-man Alan Tofler Fidel Castro Tara Shanker Bandopadhyaya Louis Fischer Winston Churchill Jai Dev Rabindra Nath Tagore Margaret Mitchel Pearl S. Buck Norman Angell R.K.Narayan Z.A. Bhutto Alexander Solzhenitsyn Firaq Gorakhpuri Jonathan Swift Eric H. Erikson Arthur Koestler Saul Bellow Saul Bellow

104 | GK (Ency.) Heat and Dust

Ruth Praver Jhabwala

Himalayan Blunder

Brig. J.P. Dalvi

Hindu View of Life

Dr. Radhakrishnan

History of World War II Winston Churchill Hunchback of Notre Dame

Victor Hugo

Higher than Everest Hindu Civilisation History of Hindu Chemistry Illiad India From Curzon to Nehru and After India Wins Freedom India of My Dreams Indian War of Independence Inside Asia Inside Europe Inside the Third Reich Invisible Man Indira Gandhi—Revolution in Restraint Indira Gandhi—Return of the Red Rose Indianisation Jesus Rediscovered Jobs for our Millions Jungle Book Jean Christopher Jeb Katre Judicial Appointments Judicial Review or Confrontation Kadambari Kamayani Kumar Shambhavam Lady Chatterley’s Lover Last Circle, The Last Phase Les Miserables Life Divine Living an Era Lolita Magnetic Mountain Mahabharat

Maj. H.P.S. Ahluwallia Radha Kumud Mukherjee Sir P.C. Ray Homer Durga Das Maulana Abul Kalam Azad C. Subramaniam V.D. Savarkar John Gunther Albert Speer H.G. Wells Malcolm Muggeridge Uma Vasudev K.A. Abbas Balraj Madhok Malcolm Muggeridge V.V. Giri Rudyard Kipling Roman Rolland Amrita Pritam Mohan Kumar Manglam Justice H.R. Khanna Bana Bhatt Jai Shanker Prasad Kalidas Q.H. Lawrence Alexander Solzhenitsyn Pyare Lal Victor Hugo Aurobindo Ghosh D.P. Misra V. Nabakov Cecil Day Lewis Ved Vyas

Man From Moscow Many Worlds Man and Superman Man Eaters of Kumayun Man of Property Master of the World House Mati Matal Mein Kamph Mother India Mudra Rakshas Mukajjia Kanasugalu My Experiments with Truth My Music, My Life Mrityunjaya Myth of Independence Naked Came the Stranger Naku Thanthe Nisheeth Odakkuzhai Odyssey Old man and the Sea, The One World Origin of Species On Contradiction One Life Padmavat Panchatantra Paradise Lost Perception of Asian Personality Pilgrim’s Progress Prince, The Principia Progress, Co-existence and Intellectual Freedom Pakistan Cut to Size Pakistan Crisis Parliamentary Democracy Pavitra Papi

Greville Wynne K.P.S. Menon G.B. Shaw Jim Corbett John Galsworthy Mohan Rakesh Gopinath Mohanti Hitler Katherine Mayo Vishakhadatta Shiv Ram Karanath Mahatma Gandhi Yehudi Menuhin Dr. V.K. Bhattacharya Z.A. Bhutto Penelope Ashe Dattatreya Ramchandra Bendre Uma Shanker Joshi G. Shanker Kurup Homer Ernest Hemingway Wendell Wilkie Charles Darwin Mao-Tse-tung Christian Bernard Malik Mohd. Jayasi Vishnu Sharma John Milton Ashok Mehta John Bunyan Machiavelli Issac Newton Andrei D. Sakharov

D.R. Mankekar David Loshkak G.S. Pathak Nanak Singh

GK (Ency.) | 105 Planning and the Poor PM’s President— A New Concept to Trial Press, The Press Under Pressure Prison and Chocolate Cake Raghuvansa Rains Came Rajtarangini Ramayana Darshanam Red Tape and White Cap Reprieve Republic Robinson Crusoe Roses in December Round the World in Eighty Days Red Star Over China Relevance of Gandhian Economics Sakharam Bendre Satyartha Prakash Scholar Extraordinary Shadow From Ladhak Shakuntala Shahnama Shape of Things to Come Small is Beautiful Social Contract Sreemadramayanam

B.S. Minhas H.N. Pandit M. Chelapati Rao D.R. Mankekar Nayantara Sehgal Kalidas Louis Bromfield Kalhana K.V. Puttappa P.V.R. Rao Jean Paul Sartre Plato Daniel Defoe M.C. Chagla Jules Verne Edgar Snow Shriman Narayan

Vijai Tendulkar Swami Dayanand Nirad C. Chaudhari Bhabani Bhattacharya Kalidas Firdausi H.G. Wells Ernest Schumacher Rousseau Dr. Vishwanath Satyanarayan Story of My Life Morarji Desai Kalpavriksham Satya Narayan Tafseer-a-Ghalib Gian Chand Jain The Company of Women Khushwant Singh The Lid Off J.N. Sahni The Other Side of Sydney Shall Midnight The Spirit of India (Mrs.) Dorothy Norman The Emergence of D.K. Bhattacharya Culture in Europe Towards Total Jayaprakash Narain Revolution Ulysses James Joyce Uncle Tom’s Cabin Harriet B. Stowe Untold Story B.M. Kaul Uttar-Ramcharit Bhavabhuti Vermilion Gate Ling Yutang

Veyipadagalu War and Peace Wealth of Nations Why Emergency Wilhelm Meister Yayati Yadon ki Barat Zulfi, My Friend

Vishwanatha Satyanarayana Leo Tolstoy Adam Smith M.A. Naidu Goethe V.S. Khandekar Josh Malihabadi Piloo Modi

LATEST BOOKS AND AUTHORS Books My Life Struggle Asking for Trouble Sandy Storms Runs in Ruins Assam-A Valley Divided The Heritage of Sikhs Secular Perception in Sikh Faith Basanti Rich Like Us Reflection on our Time Hinduism Bliss was in that Dawn Netaji and Gandhi Survivors Alone in the Multitude Swami and Friends Destination Man Terrorism in India Struggle For Change The Indian Epics Re-told Indian Drama The Last Hero Mrs. Gandhi’s Second Regime The Emerging Developing Countries The Morarji Papers The Lord of the Flies Agnigarbha World Power M.N. Roy-The Man We the People The Islamic Bomb The Sound and Fury

Authors Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan Amreek Singh Sandeep Patil Sunil Gavaskar Shekhar Gupta Harbans Singh K.M. Duggal Bhishma Sahani Nayantara Sehgal P.N. Haksar Nirad C. Chaudhari Minoo Masani Shashi Ahluwalia Randheer Khare Amrita Pritam R.K. Narain S.K. Day Shaileshwar Jha K.B. Lal R. K. Narayan Chelapati Rao Mihir Bose Arun Shourie P.G. Salve Arun Gandhi William Goldings Amrat Lal Nagar Jonathan Steel J.B.H. Wadia Nani Palkiwala Steave Baseman Herbert Cronsne Faulker

&

106 | GK (Ency.) View from the U.N. Indian Cinema Cricket My Style Sunny Days Ek Stree Ka Bida Geet Freedom from Fear The Power and the Glory My Childhood Days The City of Joy Freedom's Daughter God of Small Things The Tin Drum Disgrace Speed Post Fasting, Feasting The Better Man My Century A New World Small Remedies Interpreter of Maladies My Own Witness Despatches from Kargil The True History of the Kelly Gang Soul Mountain Glass Palace The Brief History of Time The Transparent Mind Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone The Impressionist Women, Love and Lust Bradman’s Best Wings of Fire Ignited Minds Life of Pi A Himalayan Love Story India in Slow Motion Long Walk to Freedom Slumming India White Mughals Two Lives Avenger The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Straight From the Heart Byline My Life The Hungry Tide Envisioning an Empowered Nation Magic Seeds The Line of Beauty

U. Thant Feeroz Rangoonwala Kapil Dev Sunil Gavaskar Mrinal Pandey Aung San Suu Kyi Graham Green Taslima Nasreen Dominique Lapierre Sonia Gandhi (ed.) Arundhati Rai Guentar Grass J.M. Coetzee Shobha De Anita Desai Anita Nayyar Guentar Grass Amit Chaudhury Shashi Deshpande Jhumpa Lahiri Mrinal Pandey Srinjoy Chaudhury Peter Carry (Winner of Booker Prize for 2001) Gao Xingjian Amitav Ghosh Stephen Hawking Ingram Smith J.K. Rowling Hari Kunzru Khushwant Singh Rolland Perry Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalaam Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalaam Yann Martel Namita Gokhale Sir Mark Tully Nelson Mandela Gita Dewan Verma William Dalrymple Vikram Seth Frederick Forsyth Christopher Hitchens J. K. Rowling Kapil Deo M.J. Akbar Bill Clinton Amitabh Ghosh Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam V. S. Naipaul Alan Hollinghurst

The Piano Teacher The Voice of The Heart Playing With Fire Agony & Ecstasy St. Cyril Road Spouse : The Truth About Marriage Confession of a Secular Fundamentalist Bookless in Baghdad Cricket, A Bridge of Peace Open Secrets : India’s Intelligence Unveiled Global Crises : Global Solutions India and Pakistan The Argumentative Indian The Butcher of Amritsar All My Sisters The Other Side of Me The Algebra of Infinite Justice Tomorrow’s India : Another Tryst with Destiny Firefly : A Fairy Tale The Moonlit Cage Touchplay Out of My Comfort Zone : The Autobiography Nine O Nine A Call To Honour : In the Service of Emergent India Revolutionary Wealth Bearders—My Life in Cricket Mr. Midnight My Fight back from Death’s Door In the Line of Fire : A Memoir Can You Hear The Nightbird Call Fireproof In the Name of Honour The UN Secretary General and Secretariat Mohandas : A True Story of A Man, His People and An Empire Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Indomitable Spirit

Elfriede Jelinek Mrinalini Sarabhai Nasser Hussain T. R. Kakkar Amit Chaudhury Shobha De Mani Shankar Aeiyer Shashi Tharoor Shaharyar Khan Malay Krishna Dhar Bjorn Lambarg Dr. Amartya Sen Nigel Collett Judith Lenox Sydney Sheldon Arundhati Roy B. G. Verghese Ritu Beri Linda Holeman Dev Sukumar Steve Waugh Nandita Puri Jaswant Singh Alvin and Heidi Toffler Bill Frindall Jim Aitchison V. Chandrashekhar Pervez Musharraf Anita Rau Badami Raj Kamal Jha Mukhtaran Mai with Marie Therese Cuny Leon Gordenker Rajmohan Gandhi

J. K. Rowling Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

GK (Ency.) | 107

RELIGIOUS BOOKS Hindus

Muslims Sikhs Christians Parsis

Four Vedas, The Bhagwad Gita, The Ramayan, The Puranas, The Mahabharat, The Upnishads, The Ramcharitmanas The Holy Quran Guru Granth Sahib The Bible Zend Avesta

FAMOUS AUTHORS IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES ENGLISH Chaucer, Spenser, Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, Francis Bacon, John Milton, Bunyan, Dryden, Dr. Johnson, Alexander Pope, Henry Fielding, Oliver Goldsmith, Sheridan, Walter Scott, William Wordsworth, S.T. Coleridge, Lord Byron, P.B. Shelley, John Keats, Robert Browning, Charles Lamb, Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, W.M. Thackeray, George Eliot, Charlotte Bronte, Emily Bronte, Alfred Tennyson, Robert Bridges, George Bernard Shaw, Galsworthy, D.H. Lawrence, Somerset Maugham, T.S. Eliot, Cecil Dlay Lewis, Alduous Huxley, W.B. Yeats, Harold Pinter. GREEK Homer, Aesop, Herodotus, Hesoid, Theocritus, Xenophon, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Aristophanes, Euripedes. LATIN Virgil, Dante, Boccaccio, Ovid, Horace, Seneca, Terence. FRENCH Moliere, Proudhon, Alexander Dumas, Victor Hugo, Jean Paul Sartre, Le Sage, Balzac, Gustave Flaubert, Emile Zola. SPANISH Cervantes, Juan Valera, Lope De Vega. GERMAN Schelling, Goethe, Schaupenhuer, Heinrich Heine, Hoffman, Lessing, Guenter Grass (winner of 1999 Nobel Prize for Literature). NORWEGIAN Ibsen, John Bojer. RUSSIAN Tolstoy, Boris Pasternak, Dostoevsky, Maxim Gorky, Techov, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Mikhail Solokhov, Turgenev. PERSIAN Abul Fazal, Amir Khusro, Faiz, Firdausi, Ghalib, Mohd. Iqbal Saddi, Umar Khyyam.

FAMOUS INDIAN AUTHORS ASSAMESE Indira Goswami (Winner of Jnanpith Award, 2001), Mahima Vohra (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2001), Nalinidhar Bhattacharya (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 2002-03), Vireshwar Barua (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 2003-04), Hirendranath Dutt (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 2004-05), Yeshe Dorji Thongchi (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2005), Atulanand Goswami (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2006), Purabi Bormudoi (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2007), Rita Choudhury (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2008), Dhrubajyoti Bora (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2009), Keshada Mahanta (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award, 2010), Kabin Phukan (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2011). Rabindra Sarkar (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2013), Arupa Kalita Patangia (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2014). BANGLA Atil Bandyopadhyay (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award, 2001-02), Sandeepan Chattopadhyaya (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 2002-03), Prafulla Ray (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 2003-04), Sudir Chakravarti (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award, 2004-05), Vinay Majumdar (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award, 2005), Amar Mitra (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2006), Samarendra Sen Gupta (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2007), Sarat Kumar Mukhopadhyay (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2008), Sourin Bhattacharya (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2009), Bani Basu (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2010), Manindra Gupta (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2011). Subodh Sarkar (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2013), Utpal Kumar Basu (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2014). GUJARATI Dhiruben Patel (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award, 2001-02), Dhruv Bhatt (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 2002-03). Rajendra Keshav Lal Shah (Winner of Jnanpith Award 2001), Bindu Bhatt (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 2003-04), Amrit Lal Vegarh (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award, 200405), Suresh Dalal (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award, 2005), Ratilal Anil (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2006), Rajendra Shukla (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2007), Suman Shah (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2008), Shirish Panchal (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2009), Dhirendra Mehta (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2010), Mohan Parmar (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2011). Chinu Modi (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2013), Ashwin Mehta (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2014).

108 | GK (Ency.) HINDI Krishna Sobti and Giriraj Kishore (both winners of Bhartiya Bhasha Parishad Award, 2000), Manglesh Dabral (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award for 2000), Alka Saraogi (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award, 2001-02), Dr. Ram Murthy Tripathi (Winner of Shankar Puraskar 2001), Rajesh Joshi (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 2002-03), Kamleshwar (Winner of Shalaka Samman 2002-03 and Sahitya Academy Award 2003-04), Dr. Kailash Vajpayee (Winner of Vyas Samman 2002). Rajendra Yadav (Honoured with Shalaka Samman 2003), Veeren Dangwal (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 200405), Mridula Garg (Winner of Vyas Samman 2004), Chandrakanta (Recipient of Vyas Samman, 2005), Manohar Shyam Joshi (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award, 2005), Kunal Singh (Recipient of Jnanpith Yuva Lehan Puraskar (2006-07), Asgar Vojahat (Recipient of Indu Sharma Kath Samman (2006), Gyanendrapati (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2006), Amar Kant (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2007), Govind Mishra (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2008), Kailash Vajpeyi (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2009), Uday Prakash (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2010), Kashinath Singh (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2011). Mridula Garg (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2013), Ramesh Chandra Shah (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2014). KANNADA S. Narayan Shetty Sujan (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 2002-03), K. B. Subanna (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 2003-04), Geeta Nag Bhushan (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 2004-05), Raghvendra Patil (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2005), M. M. Kalburgi (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2006), Kumari Veerabhadrappa (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2007), Shrinivas B. Vaidya (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2008), Vaidehi (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2009), Rahamath Tari Kera (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2010), Gopalkrishna Pai (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2011). C.N. Ramchandran (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2013, G.H. Nayak (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2014). MALAYALAM R. Ram Chandran (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award for 2000), Attoor Ravi Verma (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award, 2001-02), K. G. Shanker Pillai (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 2002-03), Sarah Joseph (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 2003-04), Paul Zakaria (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 2004-05), G. V. Kakkanadan (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2005), Dr. K. Ayyappa Paniker (Recipient of Saraswati Samman 2005), M. Sukumaram (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award

2006), Sethu (A. Sethumadhavan) (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2007), (Late) K. P. Appan (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2008), U. A. Khadar (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2009), Virendra Kumar (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2010), M.K. Sanu (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2011). M. N. Paloor (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2013). Subhas Chandran (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2014). MARATHI N. D. Mahanore (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award for 2000), Rajan Gavas (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award, 2001-02), Mahesh Elkunchwar (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 2002-03 and Saraswati Samman 2002), T.V. Sardeshmukh (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 2003-04). Namdev Lakshman (recipient in Nov. 2004, of Sahitya Akademy Swarna Jayanti Life Time Achievement Puraskar, Sadanand Deshmukh (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 2004-05), Late Arun Kolhatkar (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2005), Vinda Karandikar (Recipient of Jnanpith Award 2003), Aasha Bagey (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2006), G. M. Pawar (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2007), Shyam Manohar (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2008), Ashok R. Kelkar (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2010), Grace (Manik Godghate (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2011). Satish Kalasekar (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2013), Jayant Vishnu Naralikar (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2014). ODIYA Pratibha Rai (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award for 2000). Manoj Das (Winner of Saraswati Samman for 2000), Pratibha Satpathi (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award, 2001-02), Sharat Kumar Mohanti (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 2002-03), Jatindra Mohan Mohanti (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 2003-04), Bharat Majhi (recipient of Sanskriti Puraskar, 2004), Prafull Kumar Mohanti (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 2004-2005), Ram Chandra Behra (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award, 2005), Bansidhar Sarangi (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award, 2006), Dipak Mishra (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2007), Pramod Kumar Mohanty (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2008), Phani Mohanty (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2009), Pathani Patnaik (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2010), Kalpana Kumari Devi (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2011). Bijoy Mishra (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2013), Gopal Krishna Rath (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2014). PUNJABI Varyam Singh Sandhu (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award for 2000), Dev (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award, 2001-02), Dr. Daleep Kaur Tiwana (Winner of Saraswati Samman, 2001), Harbhajan Halwarvi (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 2002-

GK (Ency.) | 109 03), Charan Das Siddhu (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 2003-04), Surinder Singh Noor (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 2004-05), Gurbachan Singh Bhullar (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award, 2005), Ajmer Singh Aulakh (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award, 2006), Jaswant Deed (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2007), Mittersain Meet (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2008), Atamjit (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2009), Baldev Singh (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2011). Manmohan (Recipient of Sahitya Academy award (2013), Jaswinder (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2014). SANSKRIT P. Sriramachandrudu (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award, 2001-02), Dr. Gajanan Balkrishna Pulsule (Recipient of Vachaspati Puraskar 2001), Kashinath Misra (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 2002-03), Bhaskaracharya Tripathi (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 2003-04), Prof. Govind Chandra Pandey (Recipient of Saraswati Samman 2003), Acharya P. Ramchandudu (Recipient of Vachaspati Puraskar 2003), Kalanath Shastri (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 2004-05), Prof. Ram Karan Sharma (Winner of Vachaspati Puraskar 2004), Swami Rambhadracharya (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award, 2005), Acharya Ramayatna Shukla (Recipient of Vachaspati Puraskar 2005), Harshdev Mahadev (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award, 2006), Hari Dutt Sharma (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2007), Om Prakash Pandey (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2008), Prashasya Mitra Shastri (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2009), Mithila Prasad Tripathi (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2010), Harekrishna Satapathy (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2011). Radhakant Thakur Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award (2013). TAMIL C. S. Chellappa (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award, 2001-02), Sirpi Balasubramaniam (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 2002-03), R.Vermalu (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 2003-04), Sunder Ramaswami (Recipient of Katha Chunamani Puruskar 2004), Tamilban (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 2004-05), D. Jayakanthan (Winner of Jnanpith Award 2002), G. Tilkawati (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award, 2005), Mu Metha (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award, 2006), Neela Padmanabhan (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2007), Melanmai Ponnusamy (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2008), Puviarasu (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2009), Nanji Nadan (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2010), S. Venkatesan (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2011). R. N. Joe D’Cruz (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2013), Pomani (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2014).

TELUGU Tirumala Ramchandra (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award, 2001-02), Chekuri Ram Rao (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 2002-03), Utpal Satyanarayanacharya (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 2003-04), Naveen (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 2004-05), Abburi Chhayadevi (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award, 2005), Munnipalle Raju (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award, 2006), (Late) Gadiyaram Ramakrishna Sharma (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2007), Yarlagadda Laxmi Prasad (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2009), Samala Sadasiva (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2011). Katyayani Vidmahe (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2013), R. C. Reddy (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2014). URDU Nayyar Masood (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award, 2001-02), Prof. Gopi Chand Narang (Winner of Majlis Faroge Urdu Adab Award in 2002), Kaifi Azmi (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Fellowship in 2002), Gulzar (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 2002-03), Syed Mohammad Ashraf (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 2003-04), Salaam Bui Razzak (Winner of Sahitya Academy Award 2004-05), Shaharyar Khan (Winner of Iqbal Samman 2004-05), Kazi Abdul Sattar (Recipient of Farog-e-Adab award 2005), Makhmoor Saidi (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award, 2006), Wahab Ashrafi (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2007), Jayant Parmar (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2008), Abul Kalam Qasimi (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2009), Sheen Kaaf Nizam (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2010), Khaleel Mamoon (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2011). Javed Akhtar (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2013), Munawar Rana (Recipient of Sahitya Academy Award 2014).

FAMOUS INDIAN WRITERS IN ENGLISH Rabindra Nath Tagore, K. M. Munshi, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Sarojini Naidu, Toru Dutta, Mulk Raj Anand, R.K. Narayan, Lala Har Dayal, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Jawahar Lal Nehru, C. Rajgopalachari, Ashok Mehta, P. Seshadri, N.V. Thadain, Ramesh Chandra Dutt, Mrs. Nayantara Sehgal, K.A. Abbas, Khushwant Singh, Anita Desai, Arundhati Rai, Shobha De, Amit Chaudhury, Jhumpa Lahiri (Indian-American), Vikram Seth, Amitav Ghosh, Ms. Kiran Desai.

FAMOUS CHARACTERS IN LITERATURE Adam—(1) A character in the Bible; also in ‘Paradise Lost’ by Milton. (2) In Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like It’–an aged servant of Orlando. (3) In Shakespeare’s ‘Comedy of Errors’–Officer known by his dress, a skin coat.

110 | GK (Ency.) Aladdin—A well-known character in the ‘Arabian Nights’, in possession of the magic ring and lamp. Alice—A little girl in ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and ‘Through the Looking Glass’ by Lewis Carrol. Ariel—In ‘The Tempest’ by William Shakespeare, an airy Spirit which is controlled by Prospero. Anna Karenina—The heroine of the novel of the same name by Leo Tolstoy. Ancient Mariner—A character in the poem of the same name by S. T. Coleridge, who describes his supernatural experiences to the wedding guests. Antonio—A character in ‘The Merchant of Venice’ by Shakespeare, Shylock the cruel money lender, is bent on taking one pound of flesh from his body. Bassanio—A friend of Antonio in ‘The Merchant of Venice.’ Beatrix—Heroine in W.M. Thackeray’s novel ‘Henry Esmond.’ Beatrice—Heroine of Shakespeare’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing.’ She plays a delightful role and is famous for her witty dialogues. Christian—An allegorical character and hero of ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’ of John Bunyan. Hyde—The mysterious character in ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ by R. L. Stevenson. Macbeth—A model of overweening ambition in Shakespeare’s play of the same name. Micawber—A comic character in Charles Dicken’s novel ‘David Copperfield.’ He is a type of the optimist for whom something may turn up. Oliver Twist—A poor orphan boy and hero of Charles Dicken’s novel of the same name. Dr. Zhivago—The hero of the novel of the same name by Boris Pasternak. He is shown as a critic of Bolshevism.

TIGER RESERVES OF INDIA (As on January 1, 2012) S.N. Name of Park

1. Achanakmar 2. Annamalai 3. Bandhavgarh 4. 5. 6. 7.

Bandipur Bhadra Buxa Corbett

Year of Total State Estab- Area lished (sq. km.) Chhattisgarh 2009 553·286 Tamil Nadu 2.4.2007 958·59 Madhya 1993-94 1161·471 Pradesh Karnataka 1973-74 880 Karnataka 1998-99 451·69 West Bengal 1982-83 760·92 Uttarakhand 1973-74 1318·54

8. Dampa 9. Dandeli-Anshi 10. Dudhwa Katerniaghat Extension 11. Indravati 12. KalakadMundathurai 13. Kanha 14. 15. 16. 17. 18.

Kaziranga Manas Melghat Mudumalai Nagarhole

19. NagarjunsagarSrisailam 20. Namdapha 21. Nameri 22. Pakhui 23. Palamau 24. Panna 25. Parambikulam 26. Pench (Maharashtra) 27. Pench (M.P.)

Mizoram Karnataka Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh Chhattisgarh Tamil Nadu

1999551 2000 1982-83 2799·086 1988-89 895

Madhya 1973-74 1945 Pradesh Assam 2006 859 Assam 1973-74 2837 Maharashtra 1973-74 1676·49 Tamil Nadu 2007 321 Karnataka 1999643·39 2000 Andhra 1982-83 3568·09 Pradesh Arunachal 1982-83 1985·245 Pradesh Assam 1999344 2000 Arunachal 1999861·95 Pradesh 2000 Jharkhand 1973-74 1026 Madhya 1994-95 542·67 Pradesh Kerala 2007 648·5 Maharashtra 1992-93 664·3

Madhya Pradesh 28. Periyar Kerala 29. Ranthambhore Rajasthan 30. Sanjay Dubri Madhya Pradesh 31. Satkosia Odisha 32. Satpura Madhya Pradesh 33. Sariska Rajasthan 34. Shahyadri Maharashtra 35. Simlipal Odisha 36. Sunderbans West Bengal 37. Tadoba-Andhari Maharashtra 38. Udanti-Sitanadi Chhattisgarh 39. Valmiki Bihar Total

1994-95 500 2007 875 1987-88 883·739

1992-93

757·86

1978·79 777 1973-74 1334·64 2008 831 2007 19992000 1978-79 2008-09 1973-74 1973-74 1993-94 2008 1989-90

964 1486 866 741·22 2750 2585 575·78 1580 840·26 46,600

GK (Ency.) | 111 MOSQUES OF INDIA S.N. Mosques

Places

1. Adina Mosque

Pandua (Malda West Bengal)

2. Atala Masjid

Jaunpur

3. Alai Darwaja

Delhi

4. Adhai-Dinka Jhopra

Ajmer

5. Andu Mosque

Bijapur

6. Bara-sona Mosque, Gaur

West Bengal

7. Begapuri Mosque

Delhi

8. Bara-Gumbad-Mosque

Delhi

9. Chamkati Mosque, Gaur

West Bengal

10. Jami Masjid

Jaunpur

11. Jami Masjid

Mandu

12. Jama Masjid

Delhi

13. Jami Mosque

Hyderabad

14. Jamali-Kamali Mosque

Delhi

15. Jami Mosque

Bidar

16. Jami Masjid

Fatehpur Sikari

17. Zanjiri Mosque

Bijapur

18. Kamal Maula Mosque

Dhar

19. Kali Masjid

Delhi

20. Kalam Mosque

Delhi

21. Khirki Mosque

Delhi

22. Lal Mosque

Dhar

23. Lal Masjid

Jaunpur

24. Maloh Muglis Mosque

Mandu

25. Moti Masjid

Agra

26. Moth ki Masjid

Delhi

27. Makka Masjid

Hyderabad

28. Madani Masjid

Srinagar

29. Qala-L-Kuhin-Mosque

Delhi

30. Sdidi Said Masjid

Ahmedabad

31. Sayyid Muhammad Ghaus Masjid

Ahmedabad

32. Shah Alam-Mosque

Delhi

33. Sola Khamba Mosque

Bidar

34. Shat Hamadam Masjid

Srinagar

35. Tahtipara Mosque, Gaur

West Bengal

36. Toli Mosque

Hyderabad

FIRST IN DIFFERENT FIELDS

FIRST IN SPACE The first cosmonaut to spend about 1721 days in space endurance flight The first person in the world to land on the moon

The first man to enter space The first woman cosmonaut of the world The first American astronaut to float in space The first unmanned space ship to have soft-landed and lifted off from the moon to return to the earth The first manned space vehicle to land on the moon The first space ship which carried three American astronauts to land two of them on the moon The first country to send man to the moon The first space-vehicle to orbit the moon The first unmanned moon buggy to explore surface of the moon The first space rocket brought back to earth after orbiting the moon First crew transfer between the orbiting spaceships The first mission of a link-up in space by manned spaceships of U.S.A. and Soviet Union

Adrin Nikolayev and Vitaly Sevastyanosov in Soyuz-9 (June 1, 1970) Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. of U.S.A. Armstrong was the first to set foot on the moon followed by Aldrin. July 21, 1969. Major Yuri Gagarin (Russian) Velentina Tereshkova Edward White Luna–16 (U.S.S.R.) Sept. 21, 1970

Lunar Exploration Mo’dule (LEM) nicknamed ‘Eagle’ Apollo–11

U.S.A. Luna–10 (U.S.S.R.) Lunakhod-1 (U.S.S.R.)

Zond-5

Soyuz T-15 with Mir Space Station Apollo-Soyuz Test Project Mission (ASTP) (launched on July 15 and linked up in space on July 17, 1975) Aryabhatta

India’s first scientific satellite The first man to fly into Vladimir space belonging to a country other than Russia Remek (Czechoslovakia) or the U.S.A.

112 | GK (Ency.) Russia’s first space ship with international crew on board. The first country to send nuclear powered space craft to explore Jupiter The First Indian to go into space The first to launch earth satellite or artificial baby moon The first Russian cosmonaut to make two space flights The first American astronaut to make two space flights The first country to launch a cosmic space rocket towards moon The first space rocket to hit the moon The first spaceship in the world to sample moon’s crust The first space vehicle to soft land on moon The first manned space ship to perform the longest stay in space (11 days) The first manned spaceship to perform space flight round the moon The first American manned spaceship to perform crew transfer in space The first woman of Indian origin in space The first residents on the International Space Station The first space tourist in the world The second space tourist in the world and the first of South Africa The first space shuttle of the USA exploded in the mid air a few minutes before landing killing all the seven astronauts China’s first man in space

Soyuz–28

U.S.A.

Sq. Ldr. Rakesh Sharma U.S.S.R.

Late Col. Vladimir Komarov Gordon Cooper (U.S.A.)

U.S.S.R.

European Space Agency’s first moon probe craft India’s first educational satellite India’s first prospective moon mission The first mapping satellite NASA first spacecraft which brought Comet dust samples to earth The first satellite in the European Union’s Galileo satellite navigation programme launched India’s first space capsule recovered safely to the earth

SMART-I Edusat (launched on Sept. 20, 2004) Chandrayaan CARTOSAT-1 (India, 2005) Stardust (January 15, 2006) Giove-A (Dec. 28, 2005)

SRE–I (Jan. 2007)

FIRST IN SPORTS Lunik II Surveyor–3 (U.S.A.)

Luna 9 (U.S.S.R.) Apollo–7 (U.S.A.)

Apollo–8 (U.S.A.)

Apollo–9 (U.S.A.)

Kalpana Chawla Bill Shepherd (USA), Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev (Russia) Dennis Tito (U.S.A.) Mark Shuttleworth

Columbia

Yang Liwei

The first Indian (among women) to swim across the English Channel The first Indian (among men) to swim across the English Channel The first person to ski down Mount Everest The first Indian to win World Billiards Trophy The first black player to win the Wimbledon men’s singles title First Indian woman to climb Mount Everest First Indian Grand Master (in Chess) The first man to win 4 Olympic Gold Medals The first lawn tennis player who won the Wimbledon championship for five years consecutively The first batsman in the world to score centuries against all the other 8 test playing nations The first country whose cricket team won 15 test matches in a row and makes history in the history of cricket

Miss Aarati Saha (Now Mrs. Aarati Gupta) Mihir Sen

Yuichiro Miura of Japan Wilson Jones Arthur Ashe (U.S. 1975) Bachhendri Pal Vishwanathan Anand Alvin Kranzein (U.S.A.) in 1900 Bjorn Borg

Steve Wough (Australia)

Australia

GK (Ency.) | 113 The youngest Cricketer to score a century The first woman cricketer of India to score double century and making world record The first Indian lady to register a win in the Wimbledon Tennis The first Indian Woman athlete to win a medal in world Athletics Championship The first woman cricketer to score double century The first woman cricketer to score the highest ever runs The Indian cricketer earning the distinction of taking the highest number of test wickets The first woman to swim across the seven seas and five continents 2006 FIFA World Cup’s Best Young Player First person from Africa to be appointed as the new President of the ICC (International Cricket Council) First Batsman who scored double century in One Day International Cricket First Cricket who has taken 800 wickets in Test cricket First Indian Cricketer who scored fifty one century in Test cricket

Mohammad Asharful of Bangladesh Mithali Raj

Sania Mirza (July 2003)

Anju B. George (Aug. 2003)

Mithali Raj (India) Kiran Baloch (Pakistan)

Anil Kumble (435 Dec. 2004)

Bula Chaudhary (India, 2005) Lukas Podolski (Germany) Percy Sonn (South Africa). July 7, 2006

Sachin Tendulkar

Muttiah Muralitharan

Sachin Tendulkar

Nawang Gombu

Soviet Arktika Atomicpowered (ice-breaker)

Sir Edmund Hillary Peter Habeler (Austrian) and Reinhold Messner (Italian) Naomi Uemura (Japanese) Z. A. Kasim

Nazir Sabir Tsembe Tseri (May 2001) Eric Weihenmayer (U.S.A., May 25, 2001) Felix Baumgartner (Austrian : July 2003) Appa Sherpa of Nepal (14 times) Lakpa Sherpa of Nepal (4th time, May 19, 2004) Steve Fossett (USA) (March, 2005) Vijaipat Singhania (India) Nov. 2005. Height : 69852 ft.

FIRST / LAST HEADS OF STATE

FIRST EXPEDITIONERS The first person to reach the North Pole by overland Journey The first person to reach the South Pole The first person to have climbed Mount Everest The first person to sail round the world The first woman to conquer Mount Everest

The first man to have climbed Mount Everest twice The first vessel ever to reach the North Pole by sailing through the thick Arctic ice The leader of the expedition ‘Ocean to Sky’ The first two mountaineers who reached the summit of Everest without using oxygen The first person to reach North Pole by 7 dogs sledge The leader of the 1st Indian Antarctica Expedition The first Pakistani to scale Mt. Everest The first youngest person to scale Mt. Everest The first blind man to reach Mt. Everest The first man to fly across the English Channel without an aircraft The first to climb Mt. Everest the largest number of times The first woman ever to climb Mt. Everest four times The first person to circumnavigate the globe on a solo, non-stop, nonrefuelled flight The first person to fly in a hot air balloon to the highest height ever attained

Robert Peary

Amundsen Sherpa Tenzing (19th May, 1953) Magellan Mrs. Junko Tabei (of Japan)

The first woman Prime Minister of a country The first President of the U.S.A. The first President of the Chinese Republic The first Governor General of Pakistan The last king of France The first scientist President of India The first democratically elected Head of State of Iraq

Mrs. S. Bhandarnaike (Sri Lanka) George Washington Sun Yet Sen Mohd. Ali Jinnah Napolean III Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Jalal Talabani

114 | GK (Ency.)

FIRST VISITORS AND INVADERS The first European to Marco Polo visit China The first Chinese pilgrim Fahien to visit India The first European in- Alexander, the Great vader on Indian soil

POLITICS The first woman President of Republic of India The first U.S. President to resign Presidency The first woman ambassador of Britain The first woman Prime Minister of a European Country The first woman Prime Minister of France The first Prime Minister of Pakistan who is deposed and exiled The first labour Prime Minister of England to join this office twice in succession The first woman Prime Minister of South Korea The first US President to invade a sovereign country unilaterally The Chief U.S. Civilian Administrator in Iraq The first democratically elected Prime Minister of Iraq The first U.S. lady to be elected as the speaker of the House of Representatives The first Dalit to takeover as Chief Justice of India

Smt. Pratibha Patil Richard Nixon Anne Warburton Margaret Thatcher Mrs. Edith Cressan Nawaz Shariff Tony Blair

Ms. Chang Sang George W. Bush (invasion of Iraq on March 20, 2003). Paul Bremer Ibrahim-el-Jaafari (7th April, 2005) Nancy Pelosi (Jan., 2007)

K. G. Balakrishnan (Jan. 14, 2007)

LINES, FRONTIERS ETC. Durand Line—The line dividing Pakistan and Afghanistan drawn in 1896 by Sir Mortimer Durand. Hindenburg Line—The dividing line between Poland and Germany drawn in 1917 during First World War. Maginot Line—A line of fortifications erected by France on her eastern border in order to defend herself against German attack. Mc Mohan Line—An imaginary line between India and Tibet drawn by Sir Henry McMohan as a line of demarcation between the two countries. The Chinese do not recognise it as international boundary. Order-Neisse Line—A boundary line between East-Germany and Poland drawn after the Second World War.

38th Parallel—The line of demarcation between North and South Korea. 24th Parallel—The latitude line which Pakistan claimed should be the line of demarcation between Pakistan and India in Kutch. India does not recognise this claim. Radcliffe Line—The line of demarcation between India and Pakistan in the West drawn by Sir Cyril Radcliffe, Chairman of the Boundary Commission for India and Pakistan at the time of partition.

MANKIND AND VARIOUS TRIBES Adivasis—A tribe living in Central Madhya Pradesh. Bedouins—Wandering tribes of Arabia and North Africa. Bhils—Certain uncivilized tribes inhabiting certain parts of India, specially in border areas of Gujarat, M.P. and Rajasthan. Boer—A name applied to South Africans of Dutch or Huguenot descendants, especially to early settlers of Transvaal and the Orange Free State and their descendants. Cossacks—Peasants of the South-eastern border land of Poland or Ukraine are known as Cossacks. Dravidians—Non-Aryan People living in South India. Eskimos—Inhabitants of Greenland and of Arctic regions. Filipinos—The native inhabitants of Philippines islands who have adopted Christianity as their religion. Flemings—Used for Belgians. Garasia—A south Rajasthani tribe earning its living by song and dance. Saharia—A Rajasthani tribe living around Kota. Hottentots—Negroes of South-West Africa. Khasis—A hill tribe of Assam and other northeastern regions. Kurds—People living in certain parts of Turkey, Iran and Iraq, formerly known as Kurdistan. Magyars—Inhabitants of Hungary. Maoris—Natives of New Zealand. Moors—Peoples inhabiting certain parts of North Africa with Islam as their religion. Moplahs—Muslims living in South Kannada district of Karnataka. Nagas—Tribes living in Asom and Nagaland Hills. They demand a separate sovereign state. Negroes—Mostly found in Africa and also in America. Poles—A branch of Star race living in England. Red Indians—Original inhabitants of North America. They were also called Red Indians because Columbus thought that he had discovered India and not America.

GK (Ency.) | 115 Santhals—Original inhabitants of West Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. Semites—Caucasian people of ancient times, now the term is mostly applied to Jews. Sherpas—A tribe inhabiting the border of Tibet and Nepal. Tartars—Mixed races in Asia inhabiting Siberia, Turkistan and Steppes of Russia. Todas—Natives of Nilgiri hills (South India) Zulus—Native people of South Africa.

AFFILIATION OF PERSONALITIES WITH PLACES

CHIEF CROPS AND THE STATE PRODUCING THEM Barley—Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Punjab and Haryana. Cardamom—Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Cashewnut—Kerala, Pradesh, Goa and Odisha.

Maharashtra,

Andhra

Coffee—Karnataka, Tamil Nadu (Nilgiri Hills) and Kerala. Cotton—Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, U.P., Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh. Gram and Pulses—U.P., Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Maharashtra and Karnataka.

Places

Associated with

Bardoli Chittore Corsica Fatehpur Sikri Haldighati Hiroshima Jallianwala Bagh

Groundnut—Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

Jerusalem Kapilvastu Lumbini Macedonia

Sardar Patel Rana Pratap Napoleon Bonaparte Akbar the Great Rana Pratap Dropping of First Atom Bomb Massacre of Indians by the British on April 13, 1919 Jesus Christ Buddha, the Gautam Buddha, the Gautam Alexander, the Great

Mecca

Prophet Mohammed

Pearl Harbour

Tobacco—Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, U.P., West Bengal, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka.

Pawnar Ashram Pondicherry Porbunder Rajghat

Japan’s attack on the U.S.A. during World War II 1941 Achary Vinoba Bhave Aurobindo Ghosh Mahatma Gandhi Mahatma Gandhi

Srirangpattam

Tipu Sultan

Shantiniketan

Rabindra Nath Tagore

Shaktisthal

Smt. Indira Gandhi

Shantivan

Jawahar Lal Nehru

Talwandi

Guru Nanak

Trafalgar

Nelson

Virindavan (U.P.)

Jute—Assam, West Bengal, Bihar and Odisha. Maize—U. P., Bihar, Punjab and Rajasthan. Rice—West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, U.P. and Odisha. Rubber—Kerala, Andman & Nicobar.

Tamil

Nadu,

Karnataka,

Saffron—Jammu & Kashmir State. Sugarcane—U. P., Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Haryana, Punjab and Gujarat.

Wheat—Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra. Cash crops—Crops which are produced for trading purposes and not for consumption by the farmer and his family for subsistence are known as cash crops; e.g., cotton, jute, oil seeds, tobacco etc.

THE LARGEST, LONGEST, BIGGEST, HIGHEST, SMALLEST IN THE WORLD Archipelago, Largest

Indonesia

Lord Krishna

Largest Railway Bridge

Herey P. Long Bridge, Louisiana, U.S.A. (7 km.)

Vijai Ghat (Delhi)

Lal Bahadur Shastri

Bird, largest

Ostrich

Veer Bhumi

Rajiv Gandhi

Bird, smallest

Humming bird

Waterloo

Napoleon, Duke of Wellington

Wardha

Mahatma Gandhi

Longest Irrigational Canal

Thekalakumsky Canal (1200 km)

116 | GK (Ency.) Canal, longest (Joining two oceans) City, largest population City, biggest in area

Suez Canal (168 km)

Tokyo (Japan) (More than 2 crore) Mount Isa (40‚978 sq. km.) (Queens Land-Australia) City, highest Van Chuan (China), (5,100 metres high) City, most expensive Tokyo Capital, highest La Paz (Bolivia) (3,632 metres high) Highest, Aerodrome La Paz (Bolivia) (4,080 m) Continent, biggest Asia (4‚40‚00‚000 sq. kms) Continent, smallest Australia (80‚60‚000 sq. kms) Country, biggest Russia (1‚70‚75‚400 sq. kms) Region, highest Tibet (4‚875 metres) Delta, largest Sunderban (India) Desert, biggest The Great Sahara Dam, World’s highest Rogunskaya (Tadzhikistan) gravity (84‚00‚000 sq. kms) Dam largest Grand Coulee Dam (U.S.A.) 1 Diamond, largest The Cullinan (over 1 lb.) 2

Electorate, largest Epic, biggest Genius, World’s greatest

India (About 60 crores) Mahabharat Leonardo-da-Vinci painter sculptor, architect, engineer, scientist etc. Lloyd Barrage, Sukkhur

Irrigation scheme, World’s biggest (Pakistan) Island, biggest in the Greenland World Island Sea, largest Mediterranean Sea Mountain Peak, Mount Everest (Nepal) world’s highest 8‚848 metres Lake, deepest Baikal (Russia, 1940 metres) Museum, World’s British museum (London) biggest Ocean, biggest The Pacific Park, biggest Yellow Stone National Park (USA) Peninsula, largest Arabia (32‚50‚000 sq. kms) Palace, biggest Vatican (Italy) Planet, largest Jupiter Planet, smallest Pluto Plateau, highest Pamir Population, largest China [127·5 crore (2001) ] Railway Platform, Storvik (Sweden) longest

River, world’s longest Region, world’s coldest Stamp, world’s first Tallest Building in the World Telescope, Largest Radio The richest country in the world (in terms of Gross National product per inhabitant) Tramway, world’s first Tunnel, longest Thoroughfare, world’s largest Volcano, highest Volcano, largest Wall, world’s largest Waterfall, world’s highest Water, Lowest body of Zoo, largest in the world An observatory situated at the highest place in the world

Nile (6648 Kms) Verkhoyansk (Siberia) Penny Black (British) Burj Khalifa New Mexico (U.S.A.) Switzerland (21‚330 U.S. Dollar Per capita)

New York, 1832. Laerdal Tunnel (Norway) (24·5 km) Broadway (New York) Cotopaxi (Andes, Equador) Mauna Lea (Hawai) The Great Wall of China In Venezuela (Angel Falls) (979 metres) Dead Sea (around 1,300 feet below sea-level) Kruger National Park, South Africa Indian Astronomical observatory, situated at Hanle, Laddakh

LARGEST, SMALLEST, HIGHEST AND LONGEST IN INDIA Biggest Hotel

Highest Mountain Peak Largest Populated City Longest River (Flow in India) Highest Waterfall Largest Lake Longest Electric Railway Line Largest State (area) Largest State (population) Longest River Bridge

Oberai-Sheraton on the shore of the Arabian Sea in South Bombay. K2 (8‚611 metres) Mumbai Ganga (2510 km) Gersoppa Waterfall, Karnataka, (830 ft.) Wular Lake, Kashmir Calcutta to Delhi Rajasthan (4‚43‚446 sq. kms) Uttar Pradesh (16,60,52,859)– 2001 census Mahatma Gandhi Setu, Patna (5·75 km. Long)

GK (Ency.) | 117 Highest Gateway Wettest place or heaviest rainfall Tallest Statue Largest Tunnel

Buland Darwaja 54 metres (Fatehpur Sikari, Agra) Masinram (Meghalaya) Statue of Gomateshwar, Karnataka (47 metres high) Jawahar Tunnel (J & K State), 1 1 km., Banihal Pass) 2

Largest Museum Densest population

Indian Museum, Kolkata West Bengal (904 persons per sq. kms, Census-2001) Largest Zoo Zoological Gardens, Alipur, Kolkata Largest Forest State Assam Largest Road Grand Trunk Road (2,400 kms) Largest Delta Sunderban Delta (12‚872 sq. kms) Largest Cave Temple Ellora (Kailash Temples, Maharashtra) Largest Cantilever Howrah Bridge (Kolkata) Span Bridge Highest Tower Qutub Minar, Delhi Largest Dome Gol Gumbaz, Bijapur (Karnataka) Largest Mosque Jama Masjid, Delhi Highest Straight Bhakra Dam Gravity Dam Smallest State (area) Goa Smallest State Sikkim (population) Largest Desert Thar (Rajasthan) Largest man-made Govind Sagar (Bhakra) lake Largest Corridor Rameshwaram Temple Corridor (121 metres long) Largest Animal Fair Sonepur Fair, Bihar.

GEOGRAPHICAL SURNAMES Blue Mountain Bengal’s sorrow City of palaces China’s sorrow City of Seven Hills City of Skyscrapers City of Eternal Springs Cockpit of Europe

Nilgiri hills Damodar river Kolkata Hwang Ho Rome New York Quito (S. America) Belgium

Dark Continent Empire City Emerald Island Eternal City Forbidden City Gift of the Nile Gateway of India Gate of Tears George Cross Islands

Africa New York Ireland Rome Lhasa Egypt Mumbai Bab-el-mondab Malta

Granite City

Aberdeen (Scotland)

Garden Province of S. Natal Africa Holy Land

Jerusalem

Hermit Kingdom

Korea

Island of Cloves

Zanzibar

Key to Mediterranean Land of the Midnight Sun Land of the Rising Sun Land of the Thousand Lakes Land of the Golden Pagoda Land of Morning Calm Land of Maple Leaf Land of Thousand Elephants

Gibraltar Norway

Land of White Elephants

Thailand

Land of five rivers

Punjab

Land of Thunderbolt Manchester of the Orient Pillars of Hercules Playground of Europe Queen of the Adriatic Rose pink City Roof of the World Sugar bowl of the world Venice of the North Windi City Whiteman’s Grave World’s Loneliest Island Yellow River

Bhutan Osaka (Japan)

Japan Finland Myanmar Korea Canada Laos

Straits of Gibraltar Switzerland Venice Jaipur The Pamirs in Central Asia Cuba Stockholm Chicago Guinea (West Coast Africa) Tristan De Cunha (midAtlantic) Hawang-Ho (China)

118 | GK (Ency.) PAKISTAN

WONDERS OF THE WORLD ANCIENT 1. Hanging Gardens of Babylon; 2. Temple of Diana at Ephesus (Rome); 3. Statue of Jupiter at Olympia; 4. Mausoleum of Mausolus (Ruler of Halicarnassus); 5. Pyramids of Egypt; 6. Light House at Alexandria; 7. Colossus of Rhodes 912 ft. statue of Helos, the sun God, stands at one side of the harbour. MEDIEVAL WORLD 1. Colosseum of Rome; 2. Great wall of China; 3. Porcelain Tower of Nanking; 4. Stonehange of England; 5. Mosque at St. Sophia (Constantinople); 6. Catacombs of Alexandria; 7. Leaning Tower of Pisa; 8. Taj Mahal (Agra).

DESERTS Atacama (North Chile), Colorado (California, U.S.A.) Great Arabian (most of Arabia); Gobi (Mangolia); Great Australia (Western portion of Australia); Kalahari (S. Africa); Kara Kum (Turkmenistan); Kyzylkum (Uzbekistan); Libyan (East Sahara); Mohave (S.E. California); Nubian (East Africa); Sahara (North Africa); Takala Makan (South Sinkiang, China); Thar (N.W. India); Great Victoria (Australia).

IMPORTANT TOWNS ON RIVERS INDIA Town

River

Allahabad

Confluence of Ganga and Jamuna and the mythical-Saraswati Gomti Sutlej Subarnarekha Krishna Godavari Hooghly Jhelum Tapti Sutlej Jamuna Ganga Ganga Ganga Ganga Jamuna

Lucknow Ludhiana Jamshedpur Vijayawada Nasik Kolkata Srinagar Surat Ferozepur Delhi Kanpur Haridwar Patna Varanasi Mathura

Karachi

Indus

Lahore

BANGLADESH Chittagong Majyani

Ravi

MYANMAR Yangon

Irrawady

CHINA Shanghai Canton Nanking Chungking

Yang-tse-Kiang Si-Kiang Yang-tse-Kiang Yang-tse-Kiang

AFRICA AND WEST ASIA Kabul (Afghanistan) Cairo (Egypt)

Kabul Basra (Iraq) Euphrates and Tigris Nile Ankara Kazil (Turkey) Baghdad (Iraq) Tigris Khartoum Confluence of (Sudan) White and Blue Nile

EUROPE AND AMERICA Town

River

Lisbon (Portugal) Berlin (Germany) Belgrade (Yugoslavia) Paris (France) Danzing (Germany) Budapest (Hungry) London (Britain) Glasgow (Britain) Liverpool (Britain) Quebec (Canada) Montreal (Canada) Philadelphia (U.S.A.) New Orleans (U.S.A.) Cologne (Germany) Vienna (Austria) Warsaw (Poland) Hamburg (Germany) Dresden (Germany) Rome (Italy) Bristol (Britain) New Castle (Britain) Ottawa (Canada)

Tagus Spree Danube Seine Vistula Danube Thames Clyde Mersey St. Lawrence St. Lawrence Delaware Mississippi Rhine Danube Vistual Elbe Elbe Tiber Avon Tyne Ottawa

New York (U.S.A.)

Hudson

Washington (U.S.A.)

Potomac

GK (Ency.) | 119

PRINCIPAL GAME SANCTUARIES AND NATIONAL PARKS IN INDIA Name 1. Achanakmar Sanctuary, Bilaspur 2. Bandhipur National Park, Mysore 3. Bhimbandh Wild Life Sanctuary, Monghyr 4. Borivilli National Park, Bombay 5. Chandraprabha Sanctuary, Varanasi 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34.

State Chhattisgarh Karnataka Bihar

Maharashtra Uttar Pradesh Corbett National Park, Nainital Uttaranchal Cottigao Game Sanctuary, Goa Goa Dachigam Sanctuary, Srinagar J&K Darraha Wild Life Sanctuary, Kota Rajasthan Dandeli Sanctuary, Dharwar Karnataka Dudhwa National Park, Lakhimpur U.P. Kheri Ghana Bird Sanctuary, Bharatpur Rajasthan Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary, Mandsaur Madhya Pradesh Gir National Park, Junagarh Gujarat Hazaribagh Sanctuary, Hazaribagh Jharkhand Intangki Sanctuary, Kohima Nagaland Jaldapara Sancturay, Jalpaiguri W. Bengal Kanha National Park, Mandla & Madhya Balaghat Pradesh Kaziranga National Park, Jorhat Assam Khang Chandzenda National Park, Sikkim Gangtok Manas Sanctuary, Barpeta Assam Mudumalai Sanctuary, Nilgiris Tamilnadu Mukambika Sanctuary, South Canara Karnataka Nagerhole National Park, Coorg Karnataka Nawegaon National Park, Bhandare Maharashtra Parambikulam Sanctuary, Palghat Kerala Pench National Park, Nagpur Maharashtra Periyar Sanctuary, Idukki Kerala Ranthambhore Tiger Project, Rajasthan Sawai Madhopur Rohla National Park, Kulu Himachal Pradesh Sariska Sanctuary, Alwar Rajasthan Shivpuri National Park, Shivpuri Madhya Pradesh Simillipal Sanctuary, Mayurbhanj Orissa Sunderbans Tiger Reserve, 24 Pargana W. Bengal

35. 36. 37. 38.

Tadoba National Park, Chandrapur Tungbhadra Sanctuary, Bellary Valvadar National Park, Bhavnagar Waynad Sanctuary Cannanore, Kozhikode

Maharashtra Karnataka Gujarat Kerala

HILL STATIONS (INDIA) Hill Station Almora Coonoor Darjeeling Kalimpong Kodai Kanal Lansdowne Mt. Abu Mussoorie Ootacamund Ranchi Simla Shillong Cherrapunji Dalhousie Gulmarg Kasauli Kulu Valley Mahabaleshwar Mukteshwar Nainital Panchmarhi Srinagar

State Uttaranchal Tamil Nadu West Bengal West Bengal Tamil Nadu Uttaranchal Rajasthan Uttaranchal Tamil Nadu Jharkhand Himachal Pradesh Meghalaya Meghalaya Himachal Pradesh Kashmir Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh Maharashtra U. P. Uttaranchal M. P. Kashmir

PRINCIPAL INDIAN PORTS Port Alleppey Bhavnagar Kolkata Cochin Dhanushkodi Chennai Paradeep Surat Vishakhapatnam Porbander Haldia Port Blair

State Kerala Gujarat W. Bengal Kerala Tamil Nadu

Port Bhatkal Mumbai Calicut Cuddalor Kandla Mangalore Tamil Nadu Quilon Orissa Tuticorin Gujarat Marmagoa Andhra Kozhikode Pradesh Gujarat Nhava Sheva W. Bengal Ennore Andaman & Nicobar Island

State/UT Karnataka Maharashtra Kerala Tamil Nadu Gujarat Karnataka Kerala Tamil Nadu Goa Kerala Maharashtra Tamil Nadu

120 | GK (Ency.)

FAMOUS SITES (INDIA) Site Ajanta Amarnath Cave Amber Palace Anand Bhawan Birla Planetorium Black Pagoda Bodhisatva Brihdeshwar Temple Brindaban Gardens Buland Darwaza Chenna Kesava Temple Char Minar Chilka Lake Dal Lake Dilwara Temples Elephanta Caves Ellora Caves Gateway of India Golden Temple Hanging Gardens Gol Gumbaz Howrah Bridge Hawa Mahal Jagannath Temple Island Palace Jai Stambha (Tower of Victory) Jahaz Mahal Jantar Mantar Jog (Gersoppa) Falls Kailash Temple Kanya Kumari Temple Khajuraho Konark Lingaraj Temple Laxmi Vilas Palace Mahakaleshwar Lal Bagh Garden Marble Rock Malabar Hills Mt. Girnar Minakshi Temple Nishat Bagh Natraja Pichola Lake

Location Aurangabad Kashmir Jaipur (Raj.) Allahabad Kolkata Konark (Orissa) Ajanta Caves Tanjore Mysore Fatehpur Sikri Belur Hyderabad E. Coast of India near Bhubaneshwar Srinagar Mt. Abu (Raj.) Mumabi Aurangabad Mumbai Amritsar Bombay Bijapur Kolkata Jaipur Puri Udaipur Chittorgarh Mandu New Delhi Karnataka Ellora Cape Comorin Chhatarpur Puri Bhubaneshwar Baroda Ujjain Bangalore Jabalpur Mumbai Junagarh Madurai Srinagar Chennai Udaipur

Panch Mahal Raj Ghat Qutub Minar Sanchi Stupa Red Fort Shalimar Bagh Sarnath Statue of Gomateshwar Shantivan Sun Temple Taj Mahal Tirupati Temple Tower of Silence Veer Bhumi Victoria Garden Victoria Memorial Shakti Sthal Vijai Ghat

Fatehpur Sikri Delhi Delhi Sanchi (Bhopal) Delhi Srinagar Varanasi Karnataka Delhi Konark Agra Andhra Pradesh Mumbai Delhi Mumbai Kolkata Delhi Delhi

FAMOUS SITES (OUTSIDE INDIA) Site

Location

Al-Aqsa Big Ben Bastille Prison Brandenberg Gate Broadway Buckingham Palace Cenotaph Colosseum Downing Street Eiffel Tower Empire State Building Fleet Street Harley Street Grand Canyon India House Hyde Park Kaaba Jodrell Bank Leaning Tower Kremlin Merdeca Palace Louvre Pentagon Oval Porcelain Tower Potala

Jerusalem London Paris Berlin New York London London Rome London Paris New York London London Arizona (U.S.A.) London London Mecca Manchester (U.K.) Pisa (Italy) Moscow Jakarta Paris Washington London Nanking Lhasa

GK (Ency.) | 121 Red Square Pyramids Shiwe Dagon Pagoda Scotland Yard Statue of Liberty Sphinx Wailing Wall Vatican City Wimbley Wall Street White Hall West-minister Abbey White House

Moscow Egypt Yangon London New York Egypt Jerusalem Rome London New York London London Washington

VARIETY OF ANIMALS Albatross—Sea bird found in North Pacific off the American coast. Alpaca—Animal found in Chile (South America). Antelope—A group of hollow-horned ruminants related to sheep and goats. Chameleon—A lizard which changes colour of its own skin found in Africa. Cod—Well known food fish, found in abundance off the British and Iceland coasts. In Iceland, extraction of oil from these fish forms an important industry. Corals—Small marine animals found in the Mediterranean, the Pacific and the Indian Ocean. Giraffe—Found in Africa, the tallest animal in the world. Gurilla—Largest of the man-like or anthropoid apes, native of Africa. Kiwi—Flightless bird found in New Zealand. Octopus—It is a sea animal with eight sucker arms. Ostrich—Flightless largest living bird prized for its rich feathers, found in Africa and Australia. It can run at a great speed. Walrus—Large arctic marine animal which inhabits north polar regions. Yak—A large black shaggy ox of Tibet, used as a beast of burden. Porcupine—A rodent covered with defensive quills. Pelican—Water foul, found in North America and Europe.

Penguin—Flightless sea-bird inhabiting south temperate and antarctic regions. Puma—A carnivorous quadruped of North America. Reindeer—A genus of deer horned in both sexes found in Siberia, and in Scandinavian Countries. Mustang—A small wild horse of western U.S.A. Lynx—A spotted cat like animal with a proverbially keen vision found in the forest of Europe, Asia and Northern America. Ibex—A wild goat having long curved horns found in the mountain regions of Europe, Africa and Asia. Trout—A fresh water fish of the Salmonide family, found in Kashmir. Zebra—African quadruped of whitish-gray colour with regular black stripes.

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY THE EARTH AND ITS MOTIONS The earth has two motions— (1) Rotation of the Earth—It turns a round on its own axis once in 23 Hrs, 56 mts and 4·09 ss (24 hours) from West to East. (2) Revolution of the Earth—It revolves round the sun in about 365 days, 5 hrs, 48ms and 45·51 ss (365 1 /4 days). Effect of Rotation—Days and nights are caused. The sun, the moon and other heavenly bodies appear to revolve round the earth from East to West. Direction of winds and currents is changed. Effect of Revolution—It causes seasons; days and nights are of unequal length at the same place. The Poles—These are the ends of the axis of the earth. One is called the North Pole and other the South Pole. The Solar System—It is the name given to the group of major planets i.e. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Naptune, Pluto and their satellites, asteroids etc. They are kept i n their position due to their respective gravities.

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NATURAL REGIONS OF THE WORLD

FACTORS DETERMINING THE CLIMATE OF A PLACE

(1) Equatorial Region; (2) The Monsoon Region; (3) Hot Grassland Region (Savana); (4) Hot Desert Region; (5) Mediterranean Region; (6) Steppes Region; (7) West European type Region; (8) China type Region; (9) St. Lawrence type Region; (10) Taiga Region; (11) Tundra Region.

(1) Distance from the Equator; (2) Height above sea level; (3) Distance from the sea; (4) `` Direction of Winds; (5) Mountains; (6) Ocean currents; (7) Slope of land; (8) Nature of the soil; (9) Forests.

THE BOUNDARIES OF THE ZONES The earth can be divided roughly into three zones. The Torrid Zone—It lies between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn i.e., 231 /2° North and South on either side of the Equator. It is the hottest zone, where vertical rays of the sun are received. The Temperate Zone—It is between the Torrid and the Frigid zones 661 /2° North and South on either side of the Equator. It never receives vertical rays. The Frigid Zone—It lies between 661 /2° and the Poles in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. It is the coldest zone from which the sun’s rays are excluded entirely atleast for one whole day in a year. Equator—The equator is an imaginary line on the surface of the earth midway between the poles. Latitude—Is the angular distance north and south of the Equator. Longitude—Longitude of a place is its distance east or west of a fixed meridian. Prime Meridian—It is the meridian which passes through Greenwich, a place near London. It is the zero degree longitude. Parallels of latitude—Are lines drawn on a Map or Globe showing the latitude of a place. Meridians (or lines of longitude)—Are lines drawn on a map or globe showing the latitude of a place. These lines join the north and south poles cutting the Equator at right angles. By knowing these parallels and lines we can find out the exact location of a place—

CONDITIONS OF RAINFALL (1) There should be moisture-laden air, (2) There should be some means by which air is cooled and condensation takes place.

WEATHER AND CLIMATE Weather—Weather is the name given to the atmospheric condition e.g., temperature, rainfall, winds, humidity, sunshine and cloudiness of a particular place on a particular day. Climate—Climate on the other hand is the average condition of weather obtaining in a country or a place for a considerable long period. Weathering—It implies breaking up and decay of rocks by the action of the sun, rain, wind, water etc. Denudation—It implies the wearing down of rocks or surface. It includes two processes—(1) the breaking of rocks material, (2) the carrying away of that material, thereby laying the rock bare for further attack. Denuding factors—(1) Wind, (2) Water, (3) Temperature, (4) Glacier, (5) Sea, (6) Regelation, (7) Animals, (8) Gravity, (9) Man etc. Erosion—When the uppermost surface of the earth is worn out by the action of water, wind storms, it is called soil erosion.

TIDES AND THEIR CAUSES Tide is the periodical rise and fall of sea water. Causes—(1) The moon’s attraction, (2) the centrifugal force. Tide is caused by the difference in these two forces. Spring tide—When the rise and fall of the water are the highest, it is known as the Spring tide. It is caused when the sun and the moon are in a straight line. It takes place on new moon and full moon days. Neap tide—When the rise and fall of the water are the lowest. It takes place when the

GK (Ency.) | 123 moon and the sun make a right angle with the earth, i.e., on the half moon.

VOLCANOES Volcanoes are conical hills with a tunnel shaped hollow from which eruption of hot material (lava) takes place. There are three types of volcanoes—(1) Active volcanoes from which smoke, lava etc. always come out e.g., Mt. Etna in Sicily, (2) Dormant Volcanoes which suddenly become active after having remained inactive for a long time, with a possibility of its eruption in future e.g . Mt. Vesuvius in Sicily, (3) Extinct volcanoes which have not shown any activity for thousands of years e.g., Mt. Popa in Myanmar.

EARTHQUAKE It is a sudden shake-up of the earth’s surface due to disturbance going on beneath the surface. The principal earthquake regions are—(a) Circum Pacific Belt, (b) Mid World Belt, (c) Volcanic zone.

STAR AND PLANET Planet is the name given to a heavenly body which revolves round the sun in elliptical orbit. A planet has no light of its own but reflects the light of the sun. Star is the name given to a fixed heavenly body which has its own light. The sun is a star and not a planet. Rocks—Three types of rocks — (1) Igneous, (2) Sedimentary, and (3) Metamorphic. Igneous—The rocks which are formed by the cooling of molten matter (magma or lava) which comes out from the interior of the earth. Sedimentary—The rocks which have been formed by the layers or beds (strata) of the material deposited by wind, glacier, running water or the sea. Metamorphic—The sedimentary or igneous rocks which have changed their form in course of time due to intense heat and pressure in the interior of the earth are known as metamorphic rocks; e.g. marble, slate etc.

WINDS Westerlies—These are winds which blow from about 40° North to the Arctic Circle and from about 35° South to the Antarctic Circle throughout the year. They are called westerlies on account of the direction in which they blow. In the southern hemisphere they blow in a north

westerly direction. In the northern hemisphere they blow in the south westerly direction. Polar winds—These are easterly winds which blow from the polar regions towards the equator. Trade winds—The rays of the sun fall vertically on the equator with the result that the atmospheric pressure there becomes low due to the air becoming hot. The pressure is high near 30° N and 30° S. Since winds below from high pressure to low pressure, winds from these latitudes blow towards the equator and Trade winds are caused.

BREEZE Land breeze—At night land masses cool more quickly than sea. Therefore, an air-stream passes from the land to the sea. It is called land breeze. Sea-breeze—In the day time, the land is hotter than the sea. The air over land rises and is replaced by a cool breeze from the sea. It is called sea-breeze.

SOLAR ECLIPSE AND LUNAR ECLIPSE Solar Eclipse—It is complete or partial obscuration of the sun when the moon comes in between the sun and the earth. Lunar Eclipse—It is the partial or complete obscuration of the moon’s surface when the earth comes in between the sun and the moon.

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF INDIA India can be divided into four natural regions—(i) The Himalayas, (ii) The Plains of Ganga and Jamuna, (iii) Thar Desert, (iv) The Deccan Plateau. Soils of India—The main types of soil in India are— (1) Alluvial soil, (2) Black soil, (3) Red soil, (4) Laterite soil.

METHODS OF IRRIGATION IN INDIA There are four major means of irrigation in India. 1. Canals—Punjab, U.P., Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. Canals are of three types— (i) Inundation—with supply water in times of

124 | GK (Ency.) flood, (ii) Storage—water is stored and then diverted, (iii) Perennial which flow throughout the year. 2. Wells—Punjab, U.P., etc. 3. Tubewells—Punjab, U.P., Tamil Nadu. 4. Tanks—South India.

GEOGRAPHICAL TERMS Antarctic—Is that part of the earth which surrounds the South Pole. Anticyclone—The system of winds where the winds below spirally outward from a central region of high pressure is called anticyclone. Apogee—A heavenly body’s point of greatest distance from the earth. Arctic—Is that part of the earth which surrounds the North pole. Artesian Well—When a permeable rock lies between two impermeable rocks and is open at both ends the rain water enters in at the open end and fills the hole of the permeable rock. If a hole be made through the impermeable rock upto the permeable rock, the water will gush out of hole of itself. Such a boring is called an Artesian Well. Asteroids—Are minor planets. They are small bodies which revolve round the sun between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Atoll—A Coral Reef is in the shape of a ring or horse shoe, enclosing a lagoon. Aurora Borealis—Is a phenomenon of light seen in the northern hemisphere. It consists of beams of many coloured lights quivering in the sky. It is seen in the north of Norway and corresponding latitudes. Avalanche—A heavy mass of snow falling down a hill with great noise. Canyon—Is a gorge, relatively narrow but of considerable size, bounded by steep slopes, usually formed by a river cutting through the soft rocks of an arid region. Comets—Are luminous heavenly bodies moving round the sun. The bright comet contains a nucleus, an enveloping haze and usually a tail of luminous matter. Coral reef—Chain of rocks lying at or near the sea. Coniferous trees—Are trees which typically bear cones and have needle shaped leaves; e.g.

pines, firs etc. Such trees are found mostly in Europe and Canada. Deciduous forests—Are forests consisting of trees which shed their leaves at a certain period. Delta—Is a triangular shaped land between the distributaries of a river. The Sunderbans is the Delta of the Ganges. Doldrums—A zone of the tropics where calm lasting for some weeks prevails, broken at times by violent winds and storms. Ecology—It is the study of plants, or of animals or of peoples and institutions in relation to environment. Epicentre—(of earthquake)—Is a point at which earthquake breaks out. Equator—Equator is the imaginary circle of the earth every point of which is 90 degrees from the earth’s pole and dividing the northern from the southern hemisphere. It is from the equator that latitudes of places north and south are reckoned. Equigravisphere—A point in space where the gravity is constant. It is almost a spherical surface round the earth. Equinox—(March 21 vernal or Spring Equinox; September 23. This Autumnal Equinox) when days and nights are equal. This occurs when the sun is vertical over the Equator on these two dates. Estuary—A broad channel formed by the joining of the sea and river water e.g., Thames Estuary. Exosphere—This is the outermost zone of the atmosphere and begins at about 650 kms above the earth. Fog—It is formed when the water vapour is condensed but remains suspended in air like a cloud close to the surface of the earth. Geysers—These are natural hot water springs. Glaciers—Mass of ice, formed by snow on mountains, moving slowly along a valley. Gulf Stream—Is a warm ocean current emerging from the gulf of Mexico. Horse Latitudes—Belts of calm between regions of the Trade Winds and westerlies of higher latitudes. Iceberg—A mass of land ice broken off from the end of glacier or from an ice barrier, floating

GK (Ency.) | 125 on the sea 1/4 of which, remains above water, while 3/8 portion remains under water. Igloo—Eskimos’ home-shaped hut or native house made with ice. Indian Standard Time—The Standard Time of India is the local time of a place near 1 1 Allahabad 82 2 ° longitude. It is exactly 5 2 hours in advance of the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). International Date Line—The Line approximating to the 180° meridian W. and E. where the date is changed exactly one day as it is crossed. The date is advanced a day when crossing the line going West and back a day when going East. Ionosphere—Ionosphere extends to a height of 80 to 650 kms above the earth. Isobars—Are lines on a map joining the places of same barometric pressure. Isohel—Is a line on a map showing the places of equal amount of sunshine. Isohyets—Are lines on a map joining the places of equal rainfall. Isotherms—Are lines on a map joining those places which have the same amount of temperature. Isthmus—A narrow strip of land which joins two large land areas or joins a peninsula to the

main land e.g. the Isthmus of Panama and the Isthmus of Suez. Lagoon—A stretch of shallow water opening out upon the sea. Venice is built on lagoons. Leap Year—A year of 366 days, occurring every fourth year in Christian calendar. Magnetosphere—This is the earth’s magnetic belt. It extends to about 40‚000 miles or some 64‚000 km. above the earth. Mesosphere—This sphere contains the ozone layer. It is upto a distance of about 80 kms. Meteorites—These are shooting stars or solid celestial bodies which become heated and visible as they pass through the atmosphere of the earth. Midnight Sun—The sun rises at the North Pole on the 21st of March and this Pole remains in night till the 23rd September. Thus even at night for some months, the sun is visible near the North Pole. This phenomenon is called Midnight Sun. Pampas (in Argentina)—Vast plains stretching from Rio Negro in South to the Gran Chaco in the North and East, from the Andes to the Atlantic; woodless level country. A grassland is known as ‘Pampas’.

13

Development and Employment Programmes in India

JAWAHAR GRAM SAMRIDHI YOJANA (JGSY) Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojana (JGSY) has been launched w.e.f. 1st April, 1999 to ensure development of rural infrastructure at the village level by restructuring the erstwhile Jawahar Rojgar Yojana (JRY). The Primary objective of JGSY is creation of demand driven community village infrastructure including durable assets at the village level and assets to enable the rural poor to increase. The opportunities for sustained employment. The secondary objective is generation of wage employment for the unemployed poor in the rural areas. Main features of JGSY are as follows : 1. Main emphasis on creation of rural infrastructure at the village level. 2. Implementation of the scheme entirely by village panchayats. 3. Empowerment to Gram Sabha for approval of Schemes/works. 4. 22·5% of JGSY funds for individual beneficiary schemes for SCs/STs. 5. 3% of annual allocation for creation of barrier free infrastructure for the disabled. 6. DRDA/Zila Parishad is responsible for overall guidance, coordination, supervision, monitoring and periodical reporting.

DROUGHT-PRONE AREA PROGRAMME (DPAP) This National Programme was started in 1973 in some selected Drought Prone Areas of the country. The main objective of the programme is to minimize the adverse effects of drought on the production of crops and livestock and productivity of land, water and human resources thereby ultimately leading to the drought proofing of the

affected areas. The programmes aims at promoting the overall economic development and improving the socio-economic condition of the resource poor and disadvantaged sections inhabiting the programme areas through creation, widening and equitable distribution of resource base and increase employment opportunities. The objective of the programme are being addressed in general by taking up development, water resources development and afforestation/pasture development.

DESERT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (DDP) The Desert Development Programme was started in 1977-78 in some selected districts to check the formation of deserts, to end the drought effects in the deserts, to re-establish the ecological balance in the affected areas and to increase the land productivity and water resources in these areas. This programme is being implemented totally on the basis of Union support but the division of the funds in the hot arid areas is done between the Union and the States on the basis of 75 : 25. In 1995-96, 27·50 lakh were allocated for every one thousand square kilometer hot desert area, but for any district the maximum allocation could be 8·50 crore only. In the same way, for cold desert areas in Himachal Pradesh 2 to 3 crore per district and in Jammu and Kashmir 3 crore per district were allocated. Presently 3844 watershed projects covering 19 lakh hectares are under implementation in 234 blocks of 40 districts in 7 states. This programme is being run by the Rural Development Department. 2000 crore have been allocated in 2008-09 budget for this programme.

INDIRA AWAS YOJANA (IAY) The Indira Awas Yojana was started in 1985-86 as a sub-plan of RLEGP. The objective of the scheme was to construct houses for the

GK (Ency.) | 127 poorest people of schedule caste/ schedule tribe communities and the freed-bonded labour. The houses under the scheme were provided to them free of cost. In 1989-90, after merging the RLEGP with Jawahar Rozgar Yojana, this plan was also made a part of Jawahar Rozgar Yojana (JRY). In 1996, it was again separated from JRY and was given an independent status. The financial assistance provided under IAY for construction of a new house has been revised from 35,000 per unit to 45,000 in the plain areas and from 38,000 in the hilly/difficult areas to 48,500 with effect from April 1, 2010.

RAJEEV AWAS YOJANA Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the first phase of a new scheme Rajeev Awas Yojana on June 2, 2011 for redeveloping the slums of the cities. Centre will provide financial aid to states interested in providing houses with asset rights to the poors living in slums of the cities. About 250 cities of the country have been planned to get covered under the scheme by the end of 12th plan (2012-17). 50 per cent share of the total expenditure will be funded by the centre government. RAY is to be implemented in two phases : Phase I will be for two years (2011–13) and Phase II will be for the ramaining period of 12th Plan (i.e. 2013–17). Centre government has also decided to constitute ‘Mortgage Risk Guarantee Fund’ with the initial capital of 1,000 crore, so as to provide institutional credit for house construction under this newly proposed scheme.

PRIME MINISTER’S EMPLOYMENT GENERATION PROGRAMME (PMEGP) The Central Government on August 14, 2008 announced a new employment generation scheme to create over 37 lakh jobs by merging the existing Prime Minister’s Rozgar Yojana (PMRY) and the Rural Employment Generation Programme (REGP). Government has targeted to Create 37 Lakh New Jobs through this New Credit linked Subsidy Scheme. The new credit-linked subsidy programme, called Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) was approved at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in the second week of August 2008.

The financial implication of the new scheme, to be implemented over a four year period, is estimated at 4,485 crore as reported by the then Union Finance Minister Mr. P. Chidambaram. The expected employment generation under the new scheme would be 37,37,500 as stated by the Finance Minister. Under the PMEGP which will be implemented through the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, the maximum cost of a project admissible under the manufacturing sector will be 25 lakh and in the business sector 10 lakh. There is to be no ceiling on the annual income of the beneficiary. The beneficiaries will, inter alia, be identified with the help of the Panchayats and at special awareness camps, and provided a mandatory Entrepreneurship Development Programme Training for two three weeks. In urban areas, the subsidy for the general category would be 15 per cent and 25 per cent for special categories such as the scheduled castes, the scheduled tribes, the other Backward classes, minorities, women, ex-servicemen, the physically handicapped, the north-east and hill and border areas. In rural areas, the subsidy would be 25 per cent for the general category and 35 per cent for the special categories. The owner’s contribution would be 10 per cent in the general category and five per cent in the special category.

EMPLOYMENT ASSURANCE SCHEME (EAS) The Employment Assurance Scheme was started from 2nd October, 1993 in 1,778 development blocks in the rural areas of 261 districts. During 1994-95, this scheme was also implemented in 697 development blocks of DroughtProne Area Programme (DPAP) and Desert Development Programme (DDP). In this way, by December 31, 1995, this programme had been extended to 2,475 development blocks of the country. On January 1, 1996 after merging the second stream o f Jawahar Rozgar Yojana (Intensified JRY) in Employment Assurance Scheme, it became operative in 3206 blocks of the country. During 1996-97, this plan had been extended to 1123 new blocks and at present it covers all 5448 rural blocks of the country. The main points of this scheme are as under—

128 | GK (Ency.) 1. The main objective of this scheme is to provide profitable employment of not less than 100 days to every desirous villager of ages between 18 years and 60 years during the lean agricultural season. The secondary objective of the scheme is to create economic infrastructure and community projects for creating sufficient employment and development activities. 2. This programme has been reorganised from April 1, 1999 to make it the single wage employment programme and implemented as a centrally sponsored scheme on a cost sharing ratio of 75 : 25. (Earlier this ratio was 80 : 20 for the centre and state governments). The Central assistance is provided directly to the District Rural Development Agency or to Zila Parishad. 3. EAS is a Demand Driven Programme. That is why, under it no physical target is prescribed. The Govt. has allocated Rs. 1600 crore for this scheme.

CAPART Council for Advancement of People’s Action and Rural Technology (CAPART) was formed on September 1, 1986. The head office of CAPART is at New Delhi. Its main objective is to encourage and assist the voluntary activities for implementing projects for rural prosperity. Some important features related to it are as under— 1. CAPART extends assistance to Jawahar Rojgar Yojana, Organisation of the Beneficiaries of Poverty Eradicating Programme, Integrated Rural Development Programme, Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas and other related organisations. 2. The Rural Development Department of the Indian Government provides the required funds to CAPART.

THE SANGAM YOJANA FOR THE HANDICAPPED The Sangam Yojana declared on 15 August, 1996 is one of the various plans related to Social Welfare. Under it, those handicapped who are living in the rural areas are organised in a group. Every organised group named ‘Sangam’ is given an assistance of 15,000 for performing their economic activities.

RURAL WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION The important points related to this programme are as under— 1. National Drinking Water Mission (NDWM) was established in 1986. 2. In 1991, the name of this Mission was changed to ‘Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission’ (RGNDWM). The objective of this Mission is to provide safe drinking water in sufficient quantity to the whole rural population in the coming years. 3. In August 1984, this programme was transferred from Urban Development Ministry to the Rural Development Department. 4. Under this programme, a provision has been made for spending 35% of the allocated fund for solving the problem of drinking water of the schedule caste/schedule tribe. 5. National Human Resource Development Programme (NHRDP) was introduced in 1994 with the aim of utilising human resources of that particular area to meet requirements of water supply and cleanliness in rural areas rural people. 6. NHRDP was introduced with a basic aim to train at least one beneficiary (generally a woman) of lower strata in each village. 7. Individual latrines for SC/ST and freed bonded labour living below the poverty line are constructed with average cost of 2,500. 20% of this cost is shared by local panchayat or the beneficiary and the remaining amount is shared by the Government as subsidy. In 2001-02 budget 2010 crore have been provided for this purpose.

NATIONAL SOCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME (NSAP) This programme has been implemented since August 15, 1995. The three main components of this programme are as under— 1. National Old Age Pension Scheme (NOAPS) 2. National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS) 3. National Maternity Benefit Scheme (NMBS) The main points related to the above mentioned schemes are as under— 1. Under National Old Age Pension Scheme there is a provision of giving pension of 75

GK (Ency.) | 129 per month to the applicant (female or male) who is above 65 years of age and is living below the poverty line. 2. Under the National Family Benefit Scheme, in the case of natural death of the income earning member of the family (male or female in the age group of 18 to 65 years), the suffering family will get a lump sum amount of 5,000 in the form of Survivor Benefit. In the case of accidental death, this assistance amount will be 10,000. 3. Under National Maternity Benefit Scheme, a financial assistance of 500 is given to women of poor families having age of 19 or above at the time of giving birth to first two children. This assistance is for benefiting women at pre and post maternity time.

KASTURBA GANDHI EDUCATION SCHEME Kasturba Gandhi Education Scheme was introduced in the country on August 15, 1997, on the occasion of 50 years of Independence. This scheme will specially cover districts having lower women literacy rate. A provision of 625 crore was made in 2009-10 budget for establishing such schools for girls’ education.

4. This programme is 100% centrally financed programme which is implemented by the local institutions like Panchayats/Municipalities. For this programe 925 crore were provided in 2007-08 & 1035 crore in 2008-09.

KUTIR JYOTI PROGRAMME The Indian Government started a ‘Kutir-Jyoti Programme’ in 1988-89 for improving the living standards of the scheduled caste and tribal families, including the rural families who live below the poverty line. Kutir Jyoti Programme has been subsumed under Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) which was launched in April 2005. Since then, 2027525 connections have been provided to BPL households as per norms of Kutir Jyoti Programmes.

SCHEME FOR INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT OF SMALL AND MEDIUM TOWNS (IDSMT) During the Sixth plan, this scheme (IDSMT) was started in the form of Union Government sponsored programme to stop the migration of the

population from the rural areas to the urban areas, to create employment opportunities in small and medium towns, and to provide adequate infrastructural facilities in these towns. This scheme was carried on in the Seventh and the Eighth plan also. In the Eighth plan, an amount of 155 crore was allocated for this programme. In the financial year 1998-99, an expenditure of 35 crore was made on this scheme. By March 1998, 920 towns were included under this scheme. Under this programme, financial assistance is provided for transport, development of markets and wholesale markets, tourism facilities, park and playgrounds, construction of slaughter houses, lighting on the roads, construction of drains and other related activities. The maximum limit of the population of the towns that are to be included under this programme was increased from 1 lakh to 3 lakh on the basis of the census of 1991. The limit of the Central assistance amount has been increased from 50% to 6 0 % for this programme. During 10th Plan this programme was allocated an amount of 379 crore to cover 428 towns.

SCHEME OF INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT IN MEGA CITIES A centrally sponsored programme was started in 1993-94 in Mega cities for infrastructural development. This programme was started on the demand of the State Governments to solve the problems of the Mega cities which resulted due to migration of the people from other places. This programme which is administered by the Urban Development Ministry is being implemented in Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. Under this programme, 25% of expenditure is provided by the central government, 25% by the concerned state and the remaining 50% is financed either by the institutional finance or by the capital market. The financial institutions provide projectwise financial assistance for water supply, seewages, drains, urban transport, land development and for improving the dirty suburbs, but no financial assistance is provided for health, education and electricity. 103 crores were allocated in 2007-08 to develop this scheme.

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RURAL HOUSING PROGRAMME The Ministry of Rural Development has announced ‘Rural Housing Programme’ under Pradhan Mantri’s Gramodaya Yojana (PMGY) for providing houses to poor people below the poverty line in rural areas. Under this programme an assistance of 20000 in plain areas and 22000 in hills and remote areas will be provided. The beneficiaries of this programme will be selected by Gram Sabha. 60% beneficiaries will belong to SC/ST and freed bonded labours. House will be allocated either in the name of female member of the house or in the joint name of husband and wife.

MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT LOCAL AREA DEVELOPMENT SCHEME (MPLADS) Every Parliament member of both the houses has been given an authority to recommend various development projects for his/her Parliament Constituency to the concerned District Magistrate. Under this scheme, a ceiling of 10 lakh has been fixed for one such project. A total annual ceiling of 1 crore was fixed for each MP when the scheme was introduced in Dec. 1993, but on Dec. 23, 1998 it was increased to 2 crore. The District Magistrate has to investigate at least 10% of the total work done every year under this scheme. This scheme was introduced by the Government to enable the Members of Parliament to actively participate in the development programmes relating to their respective areas. Since the other ongoing schemes like IRDP, JRY etc. are tagged with specific rules and regulations and thus, leave no favour to Members of Parliament for initiating any development programme independently in the area. Realising this very practical difficulty the then Prime Minister Mr. P. V. Narsimha Rao introduced this scheme on 23rd December, 1993. In the beginning, this scheme was implemented by Rural Development Ministry but since October 1994, the implementation of this scheme was transferred to the Department of Programme Implementation.

PRIME MINISTER’S ROZGAR YOJANA Prime Minister’s Rozgar Scheme for educated unemployed youth was introduced on 2nd October, 1993. It was proposed to establish 7 lakh tiny

units in Industry, Service and Trade areas and to create about 10 lakh employment opportunities during the Eighth plan period. During 9th plan period the scheme was confined in the revised form by the government. Under this scheme every selected educated unemployed youth in the age group of 18–40 years and having family income below 40,000 is provided a loan of upto 1 lakh for opening his own enterprise and 2 lakhs for other activities. Projects involving two or more than two partners may be given a loan upto 10 lakhs. Under this scheme, 15% of the total project cost (maximum 15000) is given to the beneficiary as subsidy. 5% of equity is to be invested by the beneficiary himself and the remaining cost of the project is financed by the concerned bank. The entrepreneurs of these tiny units are provided adequate training and also given assistance of raw material and marketing, if required. Micro-enterprises from commercial sector should not comprise more than 30 per cent. During 1993-94, it was targeted to set up 40,000 units but only 31,797 units could be established. Between 1994-95 to 1996-97 this scheme again had a target of establishing 2·2 lakh units per annum. During the 8th plan, loan in 7·70 lakh cases were sanctioned and 5·76 lakh cases disbursed. This scheme is being administered by Union Industry Ministry. SC/ST and other backward classes have been given reservation of 22·5% and 27% respectively. During 1993-94, this scheme was implemented only in urban areas but since April 1994 it is being implemented both in urban and rural areas. Since April 1994 SEEUY scheme was merged with this scheme. Since the inception of the scheme upto the programme year 1997-98, over 7·52 lakh cases have been disbursed. During 1998-99, 57,527 cases have been sanctioned loans and 27,533 cases disbursed by the end of October 1998. A sum of 110 crore was provided in 1998-99. During 2008-09, banks sanctioned loans amounting to 3063·25 crore in 8·32 lakh accounts while disbursements amounted to 193·25 crore in 2·39 lakh accounts.

MAHILA SAMRIDHI YOJANA With the objective of providing economic security to the rural women and to encourage the saving habit among them, the Mahila Samridhi Yojana was started on 2 October, 1993. Under this plan, the rural women of 18 years or above age

GK (Ency.) | 131 can open their savings account in the rural post office of their own area with a minimum Rs. 4 or its multiplier. On the amount not withdrawn for 1 year, 25% of the deposited amount is given to the depositor by the government in the form of encouragement amount. Such accounts opened under the scheme are provided 25% bonus with a maximum of 300 every year. The Department of women and Child Development, the nodal agency for MSY, decided in April 1997 that no new MSY accounts should be opened from 1 April, 1997 onwards but the existing accounts could be maintained.

TWENTY POINT PROGRAMME (TPP) Under the slogan of ‘Garibi Hatao’ Twenty Point Programme was started in 1975. This programme was reconstituted twice in the years 1982 and 1986. The reconstituted Twenty Point Programme 1986 is in operation since April 1, 1987. The twenty points of this programme are as follows— 01. Attack on Rural Poverty.0 02. Strategy for Agriculture dependent on Rains. 03. Better Utilisation of Irrigation Water. 04. Bigger Harvests. 05. Enforcement of Land Reforms. 06. Special Programmes for Rural Labour 07. Clean Drinking Water. 08. Health for all. 09. Two-Child Norm. 10. Expansion of Education 11. Justice for Schedule castes and Schedule tribes. 12. Equality for Women 13. New Opportunities for the Youth. 14. Residential houses for People. 15. Improvement of the Urban Slums. 16. New Strategy for Forestry. 17. Protection of Environment. 18. Concern for the Consumer. 19. Energy for the Villages. 20. A Responsive Administration.

Panchayat. For poor people 25% of the premium amount is given by the Centre and the same amount is given by the concerned State Government. The beneficiary has to give only the remaining 50% amount.

INDIRA GANDHI MATRITVA SAHYOG YOJANA (IGMSY) The ministry of women and child development has launched a new scheme in April, 2011. The objective of the IGMSY scheme is to improve the health and nutrition status of Pregnant and Lactating (P & L) women and their young infants by promoting apropriate practices, care and services utilization during pregnancy, safe delivery and location. Also encouraging women to follow (optimal) Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices including early and exclusive breast feeding for the first six months. Contributing to better enabling environment by providing cash incentives for improved health and nutrition to pregnant and lactating women.

BALWADI NUTRITION PROGRAMME The Balwadi Nutrition Programme was started in the year 1970-71 with an objective to provide full nutrition, entertainment facilities and informal school for providing early education to the children of 3-5 years age. There are 5,053 Balwadis in the village/tribal and urban slums of the country, in which 2·25 lakh children are getting benefit. This programme is being implemented by five voluntary organisations of the National level, to whom the Government provides financial assistance.

MID-DAY MEAL SCHEME FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN

few State Governments in the country GROUP LIFE INSURANCE SCHEME haveAimplemented Mid-Day Meal Scheme for With the objective of providing economic security to the people of rural areas, a Group Life Insurance Scheme was started in the financial year 1995-96. Under this Scheme since 15th August, 1995, 5000 insurance security is being provided to any interested person of 20–50 years age group in rural areas on annual premium of 60–70 only. LIC operates this scheme with the help of Gram

Children. Since August 15, 1995, the Central Government also decided to implement this scheme to promote the primary education in the country, Under this scheme, children studying in schools run by local bodies and Government aided private primary schools are provided mid-day meal free of cost. If school does not possess the cooking facility, every eligible student is given three Kgs of foodgrains per month. Only those

132 | GK (Ency.) students are eligible for the benefit who attend at least 80% of the total school days. The total expenditure of the scheme has been estimated to be 2080·9 crore. In the very first year of the Mid-Day Meal Scheme 3·4 crore children were provided meal assistance. The aim of the scheme is to provide incentive to 11 crore children of 1–4 classes for attending school regularly for 3 years and also to provide nutritious food to them.

KHADI AND VILLAGE INDUSTRIES DEVELOPMENT SCHEME The Khadi and Village Industries provide important opportunities of non-farming employment to the rural people. In the budget for 1995-96, a proposal was made for beginning a new scheme under which the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) was to be provided 1000 crore on a consortium basis through banking system. KVIC grants loans to Khadi and Gramodyog units directly or through state level khadi and village level boards (KVIB). Centre and the State Governments provide guarantees on loans given by commercial banks to Khadi and Village Industries Board.

ANNAPURNA YOJANA Annapurna Yojana was proposed in 1999-2000 budget proposals. This scheme was inaugurated by Prime Minister on 19th March, 1999 in Sikhera village of Ghaziabad district. Initially this scheme provided 10 kg foodgrains to senior citizens who were eligible for old age pension but could not get it due to one reason or the other. Later on this scheme was extended to cover those people also who got old age pensions. This extension came into force w.e.f. January 14, 2001.

and the States. The three urban schemes already in operation are being merged with this new scheme. These are— (i) Nehru Rozgar Yojana (NRY) (ii) Urban Basic Service for Poor (UBSP) (iii) Prime Minister’s Integrated Urban Poverty Eradication Programme (PMIUPEP) Under the new scheme financial assistance will be given to urban poor for opening selfemployment activity and productive assets will also be constructed for ensuring wage employment to these poor. This scheme includes following three components— (i) First Component related with creation of self-employment. (ii) Second Component related with creation of wage employment. (iii) Third Component related with women development (DWCUA will be introduced).

NATIONAL RURAL LIVELIHOOD MISSION Union government has launched ‘National Rural Livelihood Mission’ with the aim to eliminate poverty in rural areas. Mrs. Sonia Gandhi on June 3, 2011 launched this Mission from Banswada District of Rajasthan. Under this mission, Self-help Groups (SHGs) at the village level will be constituted in the form of federation and these SHGs will provide beneficial self-employment opportunities to the rural people for ensuring better and stable livelihood. The new mission will give focus on women, scheduled caste/scheduled tribes, minorities and disabled people. The mission proposes to include atleast one woman member of the identified poor family in Self-help Group.

SWARNA JAYANTI SHAHARI ROZGAR YOJANA (SJSRY)

SWARNAJAYANTI GRAM SWAROJGAR YOJANA (SGSY)

In the Golden Jubilee year of Independence a new scheme named Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY) was introduced which became operational since December 1, 1997. SJSRY provides gainful employment to the urban unemployed and under-employed poor through encouraging the setting up of self-employment ventures or provisions of wage employment. It shall be funded on a 75 : 25 basis by the Centre

Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP) and allied programmes such as Training of Rural youth for self employment (TRYSEM), DWCRA, Million Wells Scheme (MSW), SITRA, and Ganga Kalyan Yojana have been restructured into a self-imployment programme called the Swarnajayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana (SGSY) from April 1, 1999 with the following objectives :

GK (Ency.) | 133 (i) focussed approach to poverty alleviation; (ii) capitalising advantages of group lending; and (iii) overcoming the problems associated with multiplicity of programmes. The SGSY is conceived as a holistic programme of micro enterprises covering all aspects of self-employment which includes organising rural poor into SelfHelp Groups (SHGs). It integrates various agencies—District Rural Development Agencies, banks, line departments, Panchayati Raj Institutions, non-governmental organisations and other semi-government organisations. The objective of SGSY is to bring the existing poor families above the poverty line by providing them income generating assets through a mix of bank credit and government subsidy and to ensure that an assisted family has a monthly net income of at least 2000. Subsidy under SGSY is uniform at 30 per cent of the project cost subject to a maximum of 7500. In respect of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, it is 50 per cent subject to a maximum of 10,000. For groups, the subsidy is 50 per cent subject to a ceiling of 1·25 lakh. There is no monetary limit on subsidy for irrigation projects. SGSY is funded by the centre and states in the ratio of 75 : 25. PRADHAN MANTRI GRAMODAYA YOJANA (PMGY) In Union Budget 2000-2001, Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana (PMGY) was announced to meet the five basic requirements of the people–primary education, health, drinking water, housing and rural roads. Centre government will provide assistance to state govt. for implementing special projects in identified areas under this scheme. Ministry of Rural Development has recently announced Rural Housing Programme under the banner of PMGY.

ANTYODAYA ANNA YOJANA Antyodaya Anna Yojana was launched on December 25, 2000. The scheme aims at providing food security to poor families. The scheme contemplates identification of 10 million poor families and providing them with 25 kgs of foodgrains per family per month at a low price of 2 per kg. for wheat and 3 per kg. for rice. The estimated annual allocation of foodgrains for Antyodaya families would be 30 lakh tonnes involving a subsidy of 2315 crore.

Below the poverty line families in rural areas constitute the target group of the SGSY. Within

the target group special safeguards have been provided to vulnerable sections, by way of reserving 50% benefits for SC/ST, 40% for women and 3% for disabled persons.

JAN SHREE BIMA YOJANA On August 10, 2000, the government launched a new scheme for the people living below the poverty line. This scheme is named Jan Shree Bima Yojana. This scheme was proposed in budget proposals of 2000-2001 by Finance Minister. This scheme will cover the people of 18 to 60 years both from rural and urban sector. Under this scheme beneficiaries will have life security of 20000 (in cases of natural death) and 50000 (in case of accidental death) by paying an annual premium of 200 only. Beneficiaries living below the poverty line will have to pay only 100 as premium and the remaining amount of 100 will be paid from the Social Security Fund of LIC.

BHARAT NIRMAN YOJANA The Union Government launched a new comprehensive scheme, named ‘Bharat Nirman Yojana’ on December 16, 2005. This scheme aims at developing rural infrastructure. The duration of implementing this scheme has been fixed for four years with an expected expenditure of 174000 crore. The major six sectors and their targets for next four years are : ● Irrigation—To ensure irrigation for additional

one crore hectare of land by 2009. ● Roads—To link all villages of 1000 population

● ● ●

●

with main roads and also to link all ST and hilly villages upto a population of 500 each with roads. Housing—Construction of 60 lakh additional houses for the poor. Water supply—To ensure drinking water to all remaining 74000 villages. Electrification—To supply electricity to all remaining 1,25,000 villages and to provide electricity connections to 2·3 crore houses. Rural Communication—To provide telephone facility to all remaining 66,822 villages.

134 | GK (Ency.)

NATIONAL RURAL EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE ACT, 2005

exception of districts that have a hundred per cent Urban Population.

The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) was notified on Sepember 7, 2005. The Act was notified in 200 districts in the first phase with effect from February 2, 2006 and then extended to additional 130 districts in the financial year 2007-08 (113 districts were notified with effect from April 1, 2007 and 17 districts in Uttar Pradesh were notified with effect from May 15, 2007). The remaining districts were notified under NREGA with effect from April 1, 2008. The NREGA covers the entire country with the

JAN DHAN YOJANA A scheme for financial inclusion launched by Prime Minister of India on 28 August, 2014. Run by department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance. On inauguration day 1·5 crore bank accouns were opened.

SWACHH BHARAT MISSION A scheme for biggest ever cleanliness launched by PM Narendra Modi on 2 Oct., 2014.

VARIOUS DEVELOPMENT AND EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMMES IN INDIA : AT A GLANCE S. N.

Programme / Plan / Institution

1. Community Development Programme (CDP) 2. Intensive Agriculture Development Programme (IADP) 3. Intensive Agriculture Area Programme (IAAP) 4. Credit Authorisation Scheme(CAS) 5. High Yielding Variety Programme (HYVP) 6. Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) 7. Green Revolution 8. Nationalisation of 14 Banks 9. Rural Electrification Corporation 10. Housing and Urban Development Corporation

Year of beginning 1952

Objective / Description

1960-61

Over-all development of rural areas with people's participation. To provide loan, seeds, fertilizer tools to the farmers

1964-65

To develop the Special harvests

November A scheme of Qualitative Credit Control of Reserve 1965 Bank 1966-67 To increase productivity of foodgrains by adopting latest varieties of inputs for crops October To arrange for the construction of Hotels and Guest 1966 houses at various places of the country 1966-67 To increase the foodgrains, specially wheat production July 1969 To provide loans for agriculture, rural development and other priority sectors. July 1969 Electrification in rural areas April 1970 Loans for the development of housing and provision of resources for technical assistance

11. Scheme of Discriminatory Interest Rate April 1972 To provide loan to the weaker sections of the society at a concessional interest rate of 4% 12. Employment Guarantee Scheme of 1972-73 To assist the economically weaker sections of the Maharashtra rural society 13. Accelerated Rural Water Supply 1972-73 For providing drinking water in the villages Programme (ARWSP) 14. Drought-Prone Area Programme 1973 To try an expedient for protection from drought by (DPAP) achieving environmental balance and by developing the ground water 15. Crash Scheme for Rural Employment 1972-73 For rural employment (CSRE) 16. Marginal Farmer and Agriculture 1973-74 For technical and financial assistance to marginal and Labour Agency (MFALA) small farmers and agricultural labour

GK (Ency.) | 135 17. Small Farmer Development Agency (SFDA)

1974-75

For technical and financial assistance to small farmers

18. Command Area Development Programme (CADP)

1974-75

To ensure better and rapid utilisation of irrigation capacities of medium and large projects

19. Twenty Point Programme (TPP)

1975

Poverty eradication and raising the standard of living

20. National Institution of Rural Development

1977

Training, investigation and advisory organisation for rural development

21. Desert Development Programme (DDP)

1977-78

For controlling the desert expansion and maintaining environmental balance

22. Food for Work Programme

1977-78

Providing foodgrains to labour for the works of development

23. Antyodaya Yojana

1977-78

To make the poorest families of the village economically independent (only in Rajasthan State)

24. Training Rural Youth for SelfEmployment (TRYSEM)

August 15, Programme of training rural youth for self-employ1979 ment

25. Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP)

October 2, All-round development of the rural poor through a 1980 programme of asset endowment for self-employment

26. National Rural Employment Programme (NREP) 27. Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas (DWCRA)

1980

To provide profitable employment opportunities to the rural poor

September To provide suitable opportunities of self-employment 1982 to the women belonging to the rural families who are living below the poverty line

28. Rural Landless Employment Guarantee August 15, For providing employment to landless farmers and Programme (RLEGP) 1983 labourers 29. Self-Employment to the Educated Unemployed Youth (SEEUY)

1983-84

To provide financial and technical assistance for selfemployment

30. Farmer Agriculture Service Centre’s (FASC’s)

1983-84

To popularise the use of improved agricultural instruments and tool kits

31. National Fund for Rural Development (NFRD)

February 1984

To grant 100% tax rebate to donors and also to provide financial assistance for rural development projects

32. Industrial Reconstruction Bank of India March 1985 To provide financial assistance to sick and closed industrial units for their reconstruction 33. Comprehensive Crop Insurance Scheme

April 1, 1985

For insurance of agricultural crops

34. Council for Advancement of People’s Action and Rural Technology (CAPART)

September To provide assistance for rural prosperity 1, 1986

35. Self-Employment Programme for the Urban Poor (SEPUP)

September To provide self-employment to urban poor through 1986 provision of subsidy and bank credit

36. Service Area Account (SAA) 37. Formation of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)

February 1988

A new credit policy for rural areas

April 1988 To safeguard the interest of investors in capital market and to regulate share market

136 | GK (Ency.) 38. Tourism Finance Corporation of India (TFCI) 39. Jawahar Rozgar Yojana 40. Nehru Rozgar Yojana

1989

To arrange the finance for the schemes related to tourism

April 1989 For providing employment to rural unemployed October 1989

For providing employment to urban unemployed

41. Agriculture and Rural Debt Relief Scheme (ARDRS)

1990

To exempt bank loans upto Rs. 10,000 of rural artisans and weavers

42. Scheme of Urban Micro Enterprises (SUME)

1990

To assist the urban poor people for small enter-prise

43. Scheme of Urban Wage Employment (SUWE)

1990

To provide wages employment after arranging the basic facilities for poor people in the urban areas where population is less than one lakh.

44. Scheme of Housing and Shelter Upgradation (SHASU)

1990

To provide employment by means of shelter upgradation in the urban areas where population is between 1 to 20 lakh

45. National Housing Bank Voluntary Deposit Scheme

1991

To utilise black money for constructing low cost housing for the poor

46. National Renewal Fund (NRF)

February 1992

To protect the interest of the employees of Public Sector

47. Supply of Improved Toolkits to Rural Artisans

July 1992 To supply modern toolkits to the rural craftsmen except the weavers, tailors, embroiders and tobacco labourers who are living below the poverty line.

48. Employment Assurance Scheme (EAS) October 2, To provide employment of at least 100 days in a year 1993 in villages 49. Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) 50. Scheme of Infrastructural Development in Mega Cities (SIDMC)

51. Scheme of Integrated Development of Small and Medium Towns 52. District Rural Development Agency (DRDA)

December To sanction Rs. 1 crore per year to every Member of 23, 1993 Parliament for various development works in their respective areas through DM of the district 1993-94

To provide capital through special institutions for water supply, sewage, drainage, urban transportation, land development and improvement of slum projects undertaken in Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad

Sixth Five To provide resources and create employment in small Year Plan and medium towns for prohibiting the migration of population from rural areas to big cities 1993

To provide financial assistance for rural development

53. Mahila Samridhi Yojana

2 October, To encourage the rural women to deposit in Post 1993 Office Savings Account

54. Child Labour Eradication Scheme

August 15, To shift child labour from hazardous industries to 1994 schools

55. Prime Minister’s Integrated Urban Poverty Eradication Programme (PMIUPEP)

November To attack urban poverty in an integrated manner in 18, 1995 345 towns having population between 50,000 to 1 lakh

56. Group Life Insurance Scheme in Rural Areas

1995-96

57. National Social Assistance Programme

1995

To provide insurance facilities to rural people on low premium To assist people living below the poverty line

GK (Ency.) | 137 58. Ganga Kalyan Yojana

1997-98

To provide financial assistance to farmers for exploring and developing ground and surface water resources.

59. Kasturba Gandhi Education Scheme

August 15, To establish girls schools in districts having low 1997 female literacy rate

60. Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY)

December, To provide gainful employment to urban unemployed 1997 and under employed poor through self-employment or wage employment

61. Bhagya Shree Bal Kalyan Policy

Oct. 19, 1998

To uplift the girls conditions

62. Rajrajeshwari Mahila Kalyan Yojana

Oct. 19, 1998

To provide insurance protection to women

63. Annapurna Yojana

March 1999 To provide 10 kg. foodgrains to senior citizens (who did not get pension).

64. Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana.

April 1999 For eliminating rural poverty and unemployment and promoting self-employment.

65. Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojana (JGSY) April 1999 Creation of demand driven community village infrastructure. 66. Jan Shree Bima Yojana 67. Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana 68. Antyodaya Anna Yojana 69. Ashraya Bima Yojana 70. Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)

Aug. 10, 2000 2000 Dec. 25, 2000

Providing Insurance Security to people living below poverty line. To fulfil basic requirements in rural areas. To provide food security to the poor.

June 2001 To provide compensation to labourers who have lost their employment. Dec. 25, 2000

To line all villages with Pacca Roads.

71. Khetihar Mazdoor Bima Yojana

2001-2002 Insurance of Landless Agricultural workers.

72. Shiksha Sahyog Yojana

2001-2002 Education of Children below Poverty Line.

73. Sampurna Gramin Rojgar Yojana 74. Jai Prakash Narain Rojgar Guarantee Yojana

Sept. 25, 2001

Providing employment and food security to rural people.

Proposed in Employment Guarantee in most poor distts. 2002-03 Budget

75. Swajaldhara Yojana

2002

Started in Dec. 2002, for ensuring drinking water supply to all villages by 2004.

76. Hariyali Pariyojana

2003

Inaugurated on January 27, 2003 by the Prime Minister. It aims at tackling the problems of irrigation and drinking water, along with boosting tree plantation, programme & fisheries developments in rural areas.

77. Food-For-Work Programme

78. Janani Suraksha Yojana

November Inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 14, 2004 November 14, 2004. This programme is to be implemented initially in 150 districts of the country. It aims at providing 100 days’ employment in a year to all able bodied unemployed rural folk. April 1, 2005

Takes the place of National Maternity Benefit Scheme. It will be a part of the National Rural Health Mission.

138 | GK (Ency.) 79. Bharat Nirman Programme

Dec. 16, 2005

80. National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme

81. Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Scheme

Development of Rural Infrastructure including six components : Irrigation, Water supply, Housing, Road, Telephone and Electricity.

Feb., 2006 The provisions are the same as for food for work programme. The scheme will be enforced in 200 districts of the country to begin with. It will be enforced throughout the country later. Aug. 14, 2008

The Central Government announced new employment generation scheme to create over 37 lacs jobs by merging PMRY.

82. Rajeev Awas Yojana

June 2, 2011

To provided houses to slums.

83. National Rural Livelihood Mission

June 3, 2011

To eliminate poverty in rural areas.

84. Roshni Skill development Scheme for tribals

June 7, 2013

Providing employment to Tribal Youth in 24 Naxal affected districts.

85. National Urban Livelihood Mission

2012-13

Restructured from Swarna Jyanti Sahari Swarojgar Yozna.

INDIA VISION–2020 (A document made by Planning Commission) IMPORTANT TARGETS (PROJECTIONS) S.N. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.

Indicator Populations Below Poverty Line (%) Unemployment Rate Adult Male Literacy Expenditure on Education (% in GDP) Life Expectancy (Years) Infant Mortality Rate (Per 1000 live births) Expenditure on Health (% in GDP) Telephone Availability (Per 1000 People) Computer Availability (Per 1000 People) Agriculture Share in GDP Industry Share in GDP Service Sector Share in GDP Foreign Capital Investment Share in Gross Capital Formation

Present Levels 26·1 7·3 68% 3·2% 64 71 0·8% 34 2·3 28% 26% 46% 2·1%

Projections for 2020 13·0 6·8 96% 4·9% 69 22·5 3·4% 203 3·3 6% 34% 60% 24·5%

14

International Organisations

INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND (IMF) IMF is an international monetary organisation. It was established on December 27, 1945 in Washington on the recommendations of Bretton Woods Conference. But it started its operations on March 1, 1947. At present, the number of member countries of the IMF is 188. In place of, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Christine Legarde has been made as new Managing Director of IMF in July 2011. OBJECTIVES OF IMF According to ‘Articles of Agreement’ of the IMF, its main objectives are as follows : 1. To promote international monetary co-operation. 2. To ensure balanced international trade. 3. To ensure exchange rate stability. 4. To eliminate or to minimize exchange restrictions by promoting the system of multilateral payments. 5. To grant economic assistance to member countries for eliminating the adverse imbalance in balance of payments. 6. To minimize imbalances in quantum and duration of international trade.

INTERNATIONAL BANK FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT (IBRD) IBRD and its associate institutions as a group are known as the World Bank. The Second World War damaged economies of most of the countries particularly of those who were directly involved in the war. In 1945, it was realised to concentrate on reconstructing these war affected economies.

Besides, it was also given a thought to develop under-developed economies in a planned way. IBRD was established in December 1945 with the IMF on the basis of the recommendation of the Bretton Wood Conference. That is the reason why IMF and IBRD are called ‘Bretton Wood Twins’. IBRD started functioning in June 1946. World Bank and IMF are complementary institutions. OBJECTIVES OF WORLD BANK According to the Clause I of the Agreement made at the time of establishment of World Bank, it was assigned the following objectives : 1. To provide long-run capital to member countries for economic reconstruction and development. World Bank provides capital mainly for following purposes— (i) To rehabilitate war ruined economies (this objective is fully achieved). (ii) To finance productive efforts according to peacetime requirements. (iii) To develop resources and production facilities in under-developed countries. 2. To induce long-run capital investment for assuring BOP equilibrium and balanced development of international trade. (This objective was adopted to increase the productivity of member countries and to improve economic conditions and standard of living among them). 3. To promote capital investment in member countries by following ways : (i) To provide guarantee on private loans or capital investment. (ii) If private capital is not available even after providing guarantee, then IBRD provides loans for productive activities on considerate conditions.

140 |

GK (Ency.)

4.

To provide guarantee for loans granted to small and large units and other projects of member countries. 5. To ensure the implementation of development projects so as to bring about a smooth transference from a war-time to peace economy. IMF VS WORLD BANK IMF and the World Bank are Bretton Woods Twins. Both the institutions were established to promote international economic co-operation but a basic difference is found in the nature of economic assistance given by these two institutions. World Bank provides long-term loans for promoting balanced economic development, while IMF provides short-term loans to member countries for eliminating BOP disequilibrium. Both these institutions are complementary to each other. The eminent World economist George Schultz had suggested in American Economic Association Conference in January 1995, for the merger of IMF and the World Bank.

GENERAL AGREEMENT ON TARIFFS AND TRADE (GATT) During great depression of 1930s the international trade was badly affected and various countries imposed import restrictions for safeguarding their economies. This resulted in a sharp decline in the world trade. In 1945, USA put forward many proposals for extending international trade and employment. On October 30, 1947, 23 countries at Geneva, signed an agreement related to tariffs imposed on trade. This agreement is known as General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). It came into force on January 1, 1948. Initially GATT was established in the form of a temporary arrangement but later on it took the shape of a permanent agreement. GATT’s headquarter was in Geneva. On December 12, 1995, GATT was abolished and replaced by World Trade Organisation (WTO) which came into existence on January 1, 1995.

WORLD TRADE ORGANISATION (WTO) The Uruguay round of GATT (1986–93) gave birth to World Trade Organisation. The members

of the GATT signed on an agreement of Uruguay round in April 1994 in Morocco for establishing a new organisation named WTO. It was officially constituted on January 1, 1995 which took the place of GATT as an effective formal organisation. GATT was an informal organisation which regulated world trade since 1948. Contrary to the temporary nature of GATT, WTO is a permanent organisation which has been established on the basis of an international treaty approved by participating countries. It achieved the international status like IMF and IBRD but it is not an agency of the UNO. ADMINISTRATION WTO has a General Council for its administration, which includes one permanent representative of each member nation. Generally, it has one meeting per month which is held at Geneva. The highest authority of policy making is WTO’s Ministerial Conference which is held after every 2 years. The Director General is the highest official of the Organisation to look after day to day working. General council of WTO elects The Director General for 4 years. The ex-trade minister of Italy Mr. Renatto Rugaro is its present Director General. Four Deputy Director Generals are also elected to assist the Director General. Like GATT, WTO’s headquarters is also at Geneva. Before the opening of the first Ministerial Conference in Singapore, the membership of WTO was 128. In November 2001, it had increased to 142. The 4th Ministerial summit of WTO was held in Doha (Qatar) in Nov. 2001. The fifth ministerial meeting of WTO was held in Cancun, Mexico in September, 2003. The sixth WTO ministerial conference was held in Hong Kong (China) between 13–18 December, 2005. The membership of the WTO has now risen to 159. There are a number of important committees for administration of WTO, out of which, 2 committees play the pivotal role in WTO. They are : 1. Dispute Settlement Body—DSB. 2. Trade Policy Review Body—TPRB.

GK (Ency.) | 141 DSB considers the complaints of member countries against violation of rules by any member country. This body appoints a group of experts to investigate into such complaints. This body meets twice a month for such cases. TPRB reviews the trade policy of member countries. The trade policy of all big trade powers of the World are reviewed after every 2 years. All the members of WTO are the members of TPRB. Other important bodies of WTO are : 1. Council for Trade in Goods. 2. Council for Trade in Services. 3. Council for Trade related aspects of Intellectual Property Rights. OBJECTIVES OF WTO 1. To improve standard of living of people in the member countries. 2. To ensure full employment and broad increase in effective demand. 3. To enlarge production and trade of goods. The above three objectives were also included in GATT, but WTO also included some other objectives which are : 4. To enlarge production and trade of services. 5. To ensure optimum utilisation of world resources. 6. To accept the concept of sustainable development. 7. To protect environment.

FUNCTIONS OF WTO 1. To provide facilities for implementation, administration and operation of multilateral and bilateral agreements of the world trade. 2. To provide a platform to member countries to decide future strategies related to trade and tariff. 3. To administer the rules and processes related to dispute settlement. 4. To implement rules and provisions related to trade policy review mechanism. 5. To assist IMF and IBRD for establishing coherence in universal economic policy determination. 6. To ensure the optimum use of world resources. Ministerial Conferences Date

Host

1.

9–13 December, 1996

Singapore

2.

18–20 May, 1998

Geneva (Switzerland)

3.

30 Nov.–3 Dec., 1999

Seattle (United States)

4.

9–14 November, 2001

Doha (Qatar)

5.

10–14 September, 2003 Cancun (Mexico)

6.

13–18 December, 2005

Hong Kong

7.

30 Nov.–2 Dec., 2009

Geneva (Switzerland)

8.

15–17 December, 2011

Geneva (Switzerland)

9.

3–6 December, 2013

Bali (Indonesia)

IMPORTANT INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS : A VIEW Organisation

Establishment Year

Headquarters

Membership No.

1. IMF and IBRD

1945

Washington D.C.

188

2. WTO 3. ADB 4. ASEAN

1995 1966 1967

Geneva Manila Jakarta

159 67 10

5. NAFTA 6. APEC

1992 1989

— —

3 21

Important Features IBRD, IFC, IDA, MIGA are associate institutions of World Bank. Initially IBRD was constituted in 1945. IFC and IDA were established in 1956 and 1960 respectively — — Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia. USA, Canada and Mexico APEC declared to convert Asia pacific region into free trade zone by 2020 A.D. which will be the largest free trade area of the world.

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7. European Changed form Union of EEC Established in 1958 8. Mercosur 1995

Brussels

28

—

5 11

9. OPEC

1960

10. SAARC

1985

Vienna (Austria) Kathmandu

11. G-15 12. OECD 13. ASEM

1989 1961 1996

Geneva Paris —

19 30 25

14. ACU

1975

Tehran

7

15. UNO

1945

New York

8

193

UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT (UNCTAD) UNO declared 1960–70 as Development Decade. In 1961 UNO attempted to increase the income of developing countries with a growth rate of 5% p.a. during that development decade. In July 1962, a conference of developing countries was held at Cairo which resolved to convene a World Conference for this purpose. Economic and Social Council of the UNO organised a World Trade and Development Conference from March 31, 1964 to June 16, 1964. A world-wide international trade policy was determined in this Conference. Various issues related to extension of international trade of developing countries were also discussed in that Conference. The Conference came to be known as UNCTAD-I. The details of various UNCTAD are as follows— UNCTAD-I UNCTAD-II UNCTAD-III UNCTAD-IV UNCTAD-V

Cairo

March 31–June 16, 1964 New Delhi February-March 1968 Santiago (Chile) April-May 1972 Nairobi (Africa) May 1976 Manila (Philippines) May 7-June 2, 1979

12 European Union members have accepted to circulate a common ‘EURO’ currency in cash transactions from January 1, 2002. Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Venezuela and Uruguay (Free trade zone of South American region) — India, Pakistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Afghanistan and Maldives. SAARC nations have started SAPTA since December 7, 1995. SAARC nations have started SAFTA since 2005. A group of 19 developing countries Changed name of OEEC established in 1948 15 countries of EU, 7 from ASEAN, Japan, South Korea and China India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Iran and Myanmar. — UNCTAD -VI Belgrade (Yugoslavia)

June 6-July 3, 1983

UNCTAD -VII Geneva (Switzerland)

1987

UNCTAD- VIII Cartegina DE Indias 1992 (Columbia) UNCTAD -IX Midrand (Africa)

April 27-May11, 1996

UNCTAD-X

Bangkok (Thiland) February 12–19, 2000

UNCTAD-XI

Sao Paulo (Brazil)

2004

UNCTAD-XII Accra (Ghana)

2008

UNCTAD-XIII Doha (Qatar)

2012

Presently, UNCTAD has become a permanent organisation for promoting international trade. Its headquarters is at Geneva (Switzerland), Generally, UNCTAD has its session after every 4 years. IMF has got the permanent representation in all its bodies. This is the reason why IMF includes all UNCTAD proposals in its policies. UNCTAD recommendations are only suggestions and no country can be compelled to accept them. OBJECTIVES OF UNCTAD 1. To promote international trade. 2. To determine policies and principles for international trade and economic development.

GK (Ency.) | 143 3. To propose the strategy for implementing pre-approved principles and policies. 4. To assist Economic and Social Council of the UNO. 5. To provide a suitable platform for trade dialogues. MEMBERSHIP OF UNCTAD Though UNCTAD is functioning as a permanent agency of the UNO, its membership is fully optional. Any country may join or quit the UNCTAD. The membership of the UNCTAD at present stands at 192. The functioning of UNCTAD is based on democratic principles. Every member has only one voting right. For general disputes, simple majority is required among present members but two-thirds majority is needed for important issues.

SOUTH ASIAN ASSOCIATION FOR REGIONAL CO-OPERATION (SAARC) India, Maldives, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Nepal constituted an organisation known as SAARC, on the recommendations of Dhaka Conference on December 7-8,

SAARC : IMPORTANT YEARS 1990

Year for Girls

1991

Year for House

1992

Year for Environment

1993

Year for Handicapped

1995

Year for Poverty Removal

1996

Year for Literacy

1997

Year of the Participatory Governance

1999

Year of the Biodiversity

2002-03

Year of Contribution of Youth to Environment

2004

Awareness year for TB and HIV/AIDS

2006

South Asia Tourism Year Decades Year

1991–2000 Decade for Girl-Child 2001-10

Decade of the Rights of the Child

1985. Its headquarters has been established at Kathmandu. A conference of heads of the countries is held every year but conferences were generally delayed for the one reason or the other. The mutual misunderstanding among member nations have created a big question mark in achieving its objectives. SEVENTEENTH SUMMIT The Seventeenth Summit was held from 1011 November, 2011 in Addu City, Maldives. The Meeting, which was held at the Equatorial Convention Centre, Addu City was opened by the outgoing Chair of SAARC, Prime Minister of the Royal Government of Bhutan, H.E.Lyonchhen Jigmi Yoezer Thinley. H.E. Mohamed Nasheed was elected as the Chairperson of the 17th SAARC Summit. In his inaugural address President Nasheed highlighted three areas of cooperation in which progress should be made; trade, transport and economic integration; security issues such piracy and climate change, and good governance. President also called on the Member States to establish a commission to address issues of gender inequalities in South Asia. The Head of States of all the SAARC Member States addressed the Meeting. The inaugural meeting was attended by Foreign/External Ministers of SAARC Member States, the Secretary General of SAARC, the Heads of Observer Delegation, Cabinet Ministers of the Maldives, Ministers in the visiting delegations and other state dignitaries. In her address Secretary General stated that the Summit being held under the theme of ‘Building Bridges’ provides further impetus and momentum to build the many bridges that needs to be built : from bridging the gaps created by uneven economic development and income distribution, the gaps in recognizing and respecting the equality of men and women, the closing of space between intent and implementation. In this Meeting, the Foreign Ministers of the respective Member States signed four agreements.

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SAARC Agreement on Rapid Response to Natural Disasters SAARC Agreement on Multilateral Arrangement on Recognition of Conformity Assessment SAARC Agreement on Implementation of Regional Standards SAARC Seed Bank Agreement in addition, the Addu Declaration of the Seventeenth SAARC Summit was also adopted. EIGHTEENTH SUMMIT The 18th SAARC Summit will be held at Kathmandu, Nepal in November 2014.

SAARC SUMMIT : WHEN & WHERE ? Summit

Year

Place

I

Dec. 7–8, 1985

Dhaka (Bangladesh)

II

Nov. 16–17, 1986

Bangalore (India)

III

Nov. 2– 4, 1987

Kathmandu (Nepal)

IV

Dec. 1988

Islamabad (Pakistan)

V

Nov. 1989

Male (Maldives)

VI

Dec. 1991

Colombo (Sri Lanka)

VII April 10–11, 1993

Dhaka (Bangladesh)

VIII May 2– 4, 1995

New Delhi (India)

IX

May 12–14, 1997

Male (Maldives)

X

July 29–31, 1998

Colombo (Sri Lanka)

XI

Jan. 3–5, 2002

Kathmandu (Nepal)

XII Jan. 2004

Islamabad (Pakistan)

XIII November 2005

Dhaka (Bangladesh)

XIV April 3-4, 2007

New Delhi (India))

XV

Colombo (Sri Lanka)

Aug. 1–3, 2008

XVI April 28–29, 2010

Thimpu (Bhutan)

XVII Nov. 2011

Maldives

XVIII Nov. 2014

Kathmandu (Nepal)

SOUTH ASIAN PREFERENTIAL TRADE ARRANGEMENT (SAPTA) Sri Lanka was the first country to propose SAPTA in Sixth SAARC Conference held in December 1991. This proposal was accepted and it was decided to start SAPTA by the end of 1997. SAPTA among SAARC countries became operative since December 7, 1995. It was the success of Eighth SAARC conference held in

New Delhi in 1995 where this new concessional trade system of SAPTA was approved. SAPTA will open all possibilities to establish SAFTA (South Asian Free Trade Area) in the coming years.

ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH-EAST ASIAN NATIONS (ASEAN) ASEAN is a union of South-East Asian Nations. Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand constituted this association on August 8, 1967. Brunei also joined this ASEAN in 1984. In July 1995, Vietnam was also given its membership. Laos and Myanmar got its membership in 1997. On April 30, 1999, Cambodia also became the member of ASEAN. At present, 10 countries are the members of ASEAN. The object of ASEAN is to promote economic cooperation in South-East Asia and also to ensure economic stability in the region. Its headquarters is in Jakarta but a Secretary of ASEAN lives in the capital of each member country. The post of General Secretary of ASEAN is rotated among each member country alphabetically, after every two years. On July 23, 1996, ASEAN gave advisory status to India. Besides India, China and Russia also got this status. USA got this status earlier. India cannot join the ASEAN as a member due to its geographical location. India is a part of southAsia while ASEAN is an organisation of SouthEast Asian Nations. It was planned to establish AFTA (ASEAN Free Trade Area) by 2003 A.D. In March 1996, ASEM (Asia Europe Meeting) was held in Bangkok between ASEAN Nations and 15 member countries of European union for strengthening the economic relationship with European nations. The sixth Summit of ARF (ASEAN Regional Forum) was held on July 26, 1999 in Singapore. Member nations did not extend their support to Pakistan on Kargil issue. Extended ASEAN (ASEAN + 3) consisted of 10 countries of ASEAN and three nations of East Asia (China, Japan and South Korea) organised its historic summit in Manila on Nov. 28, 1999 and the

GK (Ency.) | 145 second summit of ASEAN + 3 was held at Singapore on 25th & 26th November, 2000. The 34th annual two day meet of ASEAN Foreign Ministers ended in Hanoi on 24th July, 2001. The members pledged to make ‘concrete efforts’ to bridge the development gap among ASEAN nations through effective cooperation and mutual understanding. Another Summit of the ASEAN was held in November, 2001 at Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei). The discussions were dominated by international terrorism, following terrorist attacks on America on September 11, 2001. Another Summit of the 10 Nations’ ASEAN was held on November 4, 2002 in Phnom Penh, Combodia to jointly fight the evil of terrorism and to protect foreigners from explosions like those in Indonesia that killed nearly 200 people. The leaders also agreed with their counterparts from China, Japan and South Korea—who joined the two day conference that North Korea should scrap its recently revealed nuclear weapons programme. The latest Summit of this Organisation was held in Bali (Indonesia) in October 2003. The most important event of this summit was the signing of ASEAN CONCORD-2. It expresses its commitment for the establishment of ASEAN Community, ASEAN Security Community and ASEAN Social and Cultural Community on the lines of the European Union. On November 30, 2004 India’s P. M. Manmohan Singh signed a pact with the ASEAN known as ASEAN–India Partnership for Peace, Progress and Shared Prosperity. The 11th Summit of the ASEAN was held in Kualalumpur, Malaysia on December 12, 2005. A major development at this Summit was the decision on the holding of East Asia Summit. The East Asia Summit was thus held on Dec. 13-14, 2005, at Kualalumpur itself. This Summit was attended by 10 ASEAN nations and India, Japan, China, S. Korea, Australia and New Zealand. The 13th ASEAN summit was held from 18 to 22 November in Singapore. The 13th ASEAN summit theme was “One ASEAN at the Heart of Dynamic Asia.” The key theme of the discussion

was set to be on “Energy, Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development.” The 14th ASEAN Summit was held in Cha-am, Thailand on 26 February-1 March, 2009. The 15th ASEAN Summit was held in Cha-am Hua Hin, Thailand on 23–25 October, 2009.The 16th ASEAN summit was held in Hanoi (Vietnam) from 8 to 9 April, 2010. The 17th ASEAN summit was held on October 28, 2010 at Hanoi (Vietnam). The 21st Summit was held on November 17–20, 2012 at Phnom Penh (Cambodia).

ORGANISATION OF THE PETROLEUM EXPORTING COUNTRIES (OPEC) OPEC was constituted in Baghdad in 1960. Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela were its founder members. The objective of OPEC was to control production and price of petroleum so as to safeguard the interests of oil exporting countries. OPEC also attempts not only to stabilize oil prices but also to seek the maximum oil prices from the oil importing countries. Any country exporting crude oil may join OPEC. Equador was one of its member, but in 1992 it left its membership. In 1998, 11 countries were the members of OPEC—Algeria, Gaban, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lybia, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Venezuela. Its headquarters is in Vienna (Austria). OPEC nations produce about 75% of the total production of the world.

G–8 (Formerly G-7) G-7 was an organisation of seven nonsocialist countries which were highly industrialised in the world. G-7 included USA, Canada, Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Japan. After adopting free market policies in the economy, Russia was also made member of the organisation on June 21, 1997. The first G-7 summit was held at Rambonilet near Paris in November 1975. Initially only 5 industrialised countries— USA, UK, West Germany, France and Japan were its members. Later on, Canada and Italy also joined it in 1976.

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The 27th annual summit of G-8 was held in Genoa (Italy) on 20–22 July, 2001. Indebtedness of poor nations (Particularly poverty of Africa), Globalisation and WTO related issues were the main subjects of the summit. The 28th summit was held in Kananskis Canada in June 2002. International Terrorism dominated the discussions. Its 29th Summit was held at Evian (France) in June 2003 and the 30th Summit in Georgia (USA) in June 2004. The 31st Summit of G-8 was held at Gleneagles, Scotland in July 2005. The 32nd Summit of G-8 countries was held at St. Petersburg, Russia on July 16-17, 2006. The 33rd G-8 Summit took place in Heiligendamm from 6th June to 8th June, 2007. The 33rd G-8 summit’s moto was “Growth and Responsibility”, focusing on “Investigation, Innovation and Sustainability”. The 34th summit of G-8 countries was held at Toyoko, Japan on July 7–9, 2008. The 35th summit of G-8 countries was held at L’Aquila Italy on July 8–10, 2009. The 36th summit of G-8 countries was held at Huntsville, Canada on June 25-26, 2010. The 37th Summit of G-8 countries was held at Deauville France on May 26-27, 2011. The 38th Summit of G-8 countries was held at Camp David, USA on May 18-19, 2012. 39th G8 Summit held at Lough Erne in Northern Ireland from 17 May to 18 June, 2013 Russia is ousted from Group 8 by US and allies to punish President Putin for has annexation of Crimea. The 40th G8 Summit has held without Russia in Brussels Belgium on 24th March, 2014.

G-15 G-15 is an organisation of 18 non-alligned developing countries. It was established in September 1989 in Non-alligned Summit (NAM) at Belgrade, Yugoslavia. The member countries are : Mexico, Jamaica, Venezuela, Peru, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Senegal, Algeria, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Egypt, Iran, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Columbia. The Secretariat of G-15 is in Geneva. But its headquarters is rotated to the country belonging to the Chairman of the group.

G-15 : SOME HIGHLIGHTS • Established in 1989 in NAM Summit at Belgrade. • Members : Mexico, Jamaica, Columbia, Venezuela, Peru, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Senegal, Algeria, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Egypt, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Iran. • Summits : I (1990)—Kualalumpur ( Malaysia) II (1991)—Caracas (Venezuela) III (1992)—Dakar (Senegal) IV (1994)—New Delhi (India) V (1995)—Buenos Aires (Argentina) VI (1996)—Harare (Zimbabwe) VII (1997)—Kualalumpur (Malaysia) VIII (1998)—Cairo (Egypt) IX (1999)—Jamaica X (2000)—Cairo (Egypt) XI (2001)—Indonesia XII (2004)—Caracas (Venezuela) XIII (2006)—Havana (Cuba), Slovak Republic XIV (2010)—Tehran (Iran) XV (2012)—Colombo (Sri Lanka)

All the countries except Brazil and Mexico in G-15 organisation are non-alligned countries. Actually speaking, it is not a correspondingly opposite institution to G-7. It is mainly an attempt to make G-77 (group of 77 developing countries) more strong at international forum.

ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT (OECD) To rehabilitate the weak economies of Europe after Second World War, U. S. Foreign Minister Mr. Marshall, proposed a Plan in 1948 on the basis of which a Summit of European countries was called in Paris. Organisation of European Economic Co-operation (OEEC) was established in this Summit. On September 30, 1961 it was renamed as OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). The 30 member countries of OECD are Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxemberg, Netherlands,

GK (Ency.) | 147 New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Korea, Mexico, Poland, Turkey, UK, Slovak Republic, and USA. Its headquarter is in Paris (France). The aim of the OECD is to co-ordinate the welfare policies of the member countries and also to induce member countries for promoting welfare activities in their respective economies.

EUROPEAN FREE TRADE ASSOCIATION (EFTA) EFTA was established at Stockholm on May 3, 1960 by 7 countries. These countries were Britain, Austria, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Portugal. It was constituted on EEC pattern. These 7 countries were known as ‘Outer Seven’ which were different from 6 member countries of EEC at that time. The then 6 member countries of EEC were known as ‘Inner Six’. EFTA was established with a view to curtailing custom duties a n d other tariffs among member countries. Till December 31, 1996 all the tariffs among member countries were fully removed. The second objective of EFTA was to establish a market in West Europe, which was fulfilled in 1972 by an agreement with EEC. The third objective of EFTA is to promote World Trade. Its Headquarter is at Geneva.

EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY (EEC) Six European countries known as ‘Inner Six’ (France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemberg, W. Germany and Italy) constituted EEC on the basis of Rome Treaty (1957). The success of OECD played an important role in inducing these countries to establish EEC. The aim of EEC was to ensure complete free trade among member countries. On January 1, 1973, Britain, Denmark and Ireland got its membership. Greece, Spain and Portugal also became its members. Thus, the total membership of EEC went upto 15 on January 1, 1995 after the induction of Austria, Finland and Sweden to this Organisation. At present, it is the largest commercial community of the world. Its Headquarter is at Brussels (Belgium).

EUROPEAN UNIFICATION AND MAASTRICHT TREATY EEC was established in March 1957 as a result of Rome Treaty which was constituted for promoting economic co-operation among noncommunist countries of Europe. EEC started its functioning since January 1, 1958. EEC attempted to unite economic policies of all 15 members. On December 9-10, 1991, important decisions relating to political, monetary and economic unification of Europe were taken by Heads of States of then 12 member countries. This came to be known as Maastricht Treaty. This treaty was a major effort in the direction of European unification. Since, November 1, 1993 this treaty was implemented for political and economic unification of these countries. This treaty gave birth to a new organisation known as European Union. FIRST BUDGET OF EUROPEAN UNION IN EURO The first budget in Euro common currency was presented by European Union for 1999. The size of budget for 1999 was 85·7 billion Euro which was 2·8% more than the budget of previous year.

This treaty and documents of European Union, signed in February 1992, stated that all the countries of the union will make all efforts to implement a homogeneous, economic and monetary policy. Attempts were made to circulate a common currency among these member countries by January 1, 1999. Since then EURO has been in circulation. 12 out of the 15 member countries adopted Euro with effect from Jan. 1, 2002.

Expansion of the European Union The membership of the European Union has now risen to 25 with the signing of accession treaty on April 16, 2003 by 10 ex-communist nations Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Estonia and Latvia, plus Cyprus and Malta. Their formal joining the E.U. took place in May 2004. On October 29, 2004, the European Union membernations signed in Rome the historic Constitution of the European Union, thus formalising and cementing the bond among the member countries.

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Earlier a decision had been taken to create a defence force for the Union. On January 12, the European Parliament approved the first constitution of the European Union by an overwhelming majority. On Ist January, 2007 Bulgaria and Romania joined as a member of European Union. Now there are 28 members in European Union.

ASIA PACIFIC ECONOMIC CO- OPERATION (APEC) APEC was founded in November 1989 to devise programmes of co-operation between member nations, through the establishment of meetings of economic leaders trade and foreign ministers. It was institutionalised in June 1992 after a meeting in Bangkok, at which it was agreed to set up a secretariat in Singapore. APEC is a new commercial group appearing on World forum after EEC and NAFTA. APEC was constituted on the initiative of Australian Prime Minister Mr. Bob Hawk, who called APEC as ‘Voice for the Asia Pacific in World Affairs’. Member countries are making all efforts to develop APEC as free trade zone like EEC and NAFTA. The present membership of APEC is 21. Chile joined the APEC in 1994 in Bogor Summit as its 18th member. Russia, Vietnam & Peru also joined APEC in 1998. Members of APEC are Australia, America, Canada, Mexico, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Indonesia, Brunei, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Chile, Russia, Vietnam and Peru. 13th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting— The 13th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting (AELM) was held in Busan (South Korea) on November 18-19, 2005. The Busan Declaration, which was issued at the end of the meeting covers three areas—advancing Free Trade; Safe and Transparent Asia-Pacific Regions : Enhancing Human Security and APEC’s progress into the future. The next APEC meeting is scheduled to be held in Vietnam in 2006.

APEC SUMMITS 1989—Canberra (Australia) 1990—Singapore (Singapore) 1991—Seoul (Republic of Korea) 1992—Bangkok (Thailand) 1993—Seatal (USA) 1994—Bogor (Indonesia) 1995—Osaca (Japan) 1996—Subic Port (Philippines) 1997—Vancouver (Canada) 1998—Kualalumpur (Malaysia) 1999—Auckland (New Zealand) 2000—Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei) 2001—Shanghai (China) 2003—Bangkok (Thailand) 2004—Santiago (Chile) 2005—Busan (S. Korea) 2006—Hanoi (Vietnam) 2007—Sydney (Australia) 2008—Lima (Peru) 2009—Singapore (Singapore) 2010—Yokohama (Japan) 2011—Honolulu (USA) 2012—Vladivostok (Russia) 2013—Bali (Indonesia) 2014—China 2015—Philippines (Proposed)

ASIA EUROPE MEETING (ASEM) 25 nations of Asia and Europe, including 15 countries from European Union, 7 from ASEAN and Japan, South Korea and China, formed an international joint organisation known as ASEM. The first summit of ASEM was held at Bangkok (Thailand) in the first week of March 1996. 10 Asian countries and 13 European countries participated in this Summit. The second summit of ASEM was held at London on April 3-4, 1998. India could not become the member of ASEM even in the second summit. The financial crisis of Asian countries was the main focus of this summit. The European countries promised to open their markets for the products of Asian nations. They also agreed to establish a ‘Trust Fund’ for providing neces-

GK (Ency.) | 149 sary technical assistance to restructure the economies of Asian countries. The Trust Fund is to be managed by the World Bank. The member nations also agreed to set up Asia-Europe environmental Technology Centre at Thailand. With great efforts India and Pakistan could become members of this forum in the Helsinki meet. From Europe two more countries Bulgaria and Romania have joined this forum. The new members of the European Union have become the members of this organisation with effect from Jan. 1, 2007. The 7th summit of ASEM was held in Beijing in October 2008. The next 8th ‘ASEM’ summit was held in Brussels (Belgium) in October 2010. The theme of 8th ‘ASEM’ summit was to ‘improving the Quality of Life’.

ASIAN CLEARING UNION (ACU) ACU was established in 1975 with a view to providing the clearing facilities in current inter-

national transactions among Asian countries. In other words, it was constituted to eliminate the difficulty of payments for trade in local currencies so as to solve the scarcity problem of foreign exchange. Initially, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Iran were its members, but Burma also joined it in 1977. All the Governors of the Central Banks of member countries are the members of Board of Governors in ACU. RBI Governor was made ACU chairman for 1996. The 25th Board meeting of ACU was held in Bombay on May 24-25, 1996. The matters relating to the new system for mutual transactions of current accounts among member countries were widely discussed. This new system was accepted in 24th Board meeting held in Colombo which was implemented since January 1, 1996. The headquarter of ACU is in Tehran (Iran).

15

Space Research INDIAN SATELLITE : AT A GLANCE

Name of Satellite

Date of Launching

Wt. in Launching Station kg Aryabhatta 19 April, 1975 360 Russian Rocket Launching Station, Cosmodrome, Soviet Union. Bhaskara-1 7 June, 1979 442 Russian Rocket Launching Station, Cosmodrome, Soviet Union. Rohini R.S.-1 10 Aug., 1979 35 Rocket Launching Centre, Sriharikota Range, Andhra Pradesh, India. Rohini R.S.-2 18 July, 1980 35 Rocket Launching Centre, Sriharikota Range, Andhra Pradesh, India. Rohini 31 May, 1981 38 Rocket Launching Centre, Sriharikota Range, Andhra R.S.D.–1 Pradesh, India. Apple 19 June, 1981 670 European Rocket Launching Station, Kourou, French Guiana, South America. Bhaskara–2 20 Nov., 1981 436 Russian Rocket Launching Station, Cosmodrome, Soviet Union. INSAT-1A 10 April, 1982 1160 American Rocket Launching Station, Cape Canaveral, America. Rohini R.S.D.– 17 April, 1983 41·5 Rocket Launching Centre, 2 Sriharikota Range, Andhra Pradesh, India. INSAT-1B 30 Aug., 1983 1193 Kennedy Space Centre, Cape Canaveral, America. SROSS-A 24 March, 1987 150 Rocket Launching Centre, Sriharikota Range, Andhra Pradesh, India. IRS–1A 17 March, 1988 980 Russian Space Station, Baikanour, Soviet Union. SROSS-B 13 July, 1988 150 Rocket Launching Centre, Sriharikota Range, Andhra Pradesh, India. INSAT-1C 22 July, 1988 — European Rocket Launching Station, Kourou, French Guiana, South America INSAT-1D 12 June, 1990 650 Kennedy Space Centre, Cape Canaveral, America. IRS-1B 29 Aug., 1991 985 Russian Space Station, Baikanour, Soviet Union.

Rocket by which Projected Intercosmos Rocket

Purpose Scientific

Outcome Successful

Intercosmos Rocket

Earth Scanning Successful

SLV–3

Earth Scanning Unsuccessful

SLV–3

Earth Scanning Unsuccessful

SLV–3

Scientific

Ariane

Communication Successful

Unsuccessful

Inter-cosmos Earth Scanning SuccessRocket ful Delta Rocket Multipurpose

Successful

SLV-3

Scientific

Successful

Shuttle Challenger ASLV-D1

Multipurpose

Vostok

Remote Sensing Successful Remote Sensing Unsuccessful

ASLV-D2

Successful Remote Sensing Unsuccessful

Ariane

Multipurpose

Shuttle Challenger Vostok

Multi-purpose

Unsuccessful

Successful Remote Sensing Successful

GK (Ency.) | 151 SROSS C-1

20 May, 1992

106

INSAT-2A

10 July, 1992

1416

INSAT-2B

23 July, 1993

1906

IRS-P1

20 Sept., 1993

850

SROSS C-2

4 April, 1994

113

IRS-P2

15 Oct., 1994

870

INSAT-2C

7 Dec., 1995

2050

IRS-1C

28 Dec., 1995

1250

IRS-P3

21 March, 1996 930

INSAT-2D

4 July, 1997

2070

IRS-1D

29 Sept., 1997

1200

INSAT-2E

3 April, 1999

2550

IRS-P4

26 May, 1999

INSAT-3B

22 March, 2000 2070

GSAT-1

28 March, 2001 1540

GSAT-1

18 April, 2001

1540

TES

22 Oct., 2001

1109

INSAT-3C

24 Jan., 2002

—

METSAT*

12 Sept., 2002

1060

INSAT-3A

10 April, 2003

Ariane-5

GSAT–2

8 May, 2003

2958 Ariane Launching Space Centre, Kourou French Guiana 1800 Sriharikota

INSAT-3E

28 Sept., 2003

2795 Kouru

Ariane-5

RESOURCE- 17 Oct., 2003 SAT-I ROHINI-200 21 Nov., 2003

1360 Sriharikota

PSLV-C5

EDUSAT

1950 Sriharikota

20 Sept., 2004

CARTOSAT-1 5 May, 2005

—

Rocket Launching Centre, Sriharikota Range, Andhra Pradesh, India. European Rocket Launching Station, Kourou, French Guiana, South America. European Rocket Launching Station, Kourou,French Guiana, South America Rocket Launching Centre, Sriharikota Range, Andhra Pradesh, India. Rocket Launching Centre, Sriharikota Range, Andhra Pradesh, India. Rocket Launching Centre, Sriharikota Range, Andhra Pradesh, India European Rocket Launching Station, Kourou, French Guiana, South America. Baikanour Launching Station, Kazakhstan. Rocket Launching Centre, Sriharikota Range, Andhra Pradesh, India. European Rocket Launching Station, Kourou, French Guiana, South America. Rocket Launching Centre Sriharikota Range, Andhra Pradesh, India. European Rocket Launching Station Kourou, French Guiana, South America Rocket Launching Centre, Sriharikota. European Rocket Launching Station, Kourou Sriharikota High Altitude Range (SHAR), Andhra Pradesh Sriharikota High Altitude Range (SHAR), A.P. Sriharikota High Altitude Range (SHAR), A.P. European Rocket Launching Centre, Kourou Sriharikota

Trivendrum

ASLV-D3

Remote Sensing Successful

Ariane

Multipurpose

Successful

Ariane

Multipurpose

Successful

PSLV-D1

Remote Sensing Unsuccessful

ASLV-D4

Remote Sensing Successful

PSLV-D2

Remote Sensing Successful

Ariane

Multi-purpose

Molniya PSLV–D3

Remote Sensing Successful Remote Sensing Successful

Ariane- 4

Multi-purpose

PSLV-C1

Remote Sensing Successful

Ariane 42 P

Multi-purpose

PSLV-C2

Remote Sensing Successful — Successful Commercial UnsucCommunication cessful

Ariane GSLV-D1 GSLV-D1 PSLV-C3 Ariane-4 PSLV-C4

GSLV-2

— GSLV-F01

1560 Satish Dhawan Space Centre, PSLV-C6 Sriharikota

Commercial Communication Technology Experiments Communications Exclusively meteorological Communication meteorological and telecasting Communication

Successful

Successful

Successful

Successful Successful Successful Successful Successful

Successful Communication Successful Remote Sensing Successful Sounding SuccessRocket ful Education Successful Mapping Successsatellite ful

152 |

GK (Ency.)

HAMSAT

5 May, 2005

INSAT-4A

22 Dec., 2005

INSAT-4C

10 July, 2006

—

Satish Dhawan Space Centre, PSLV-C6 Sriharikota 3080 Kouru Ariane 2,168 Satish Dhawan Space Centre, GSLV-F02 Sriharikota — Satish Dhawan Space Centre PSLV–C7 at Sriharikota

CARTOSAT– 10 Jan., 2007 II with SRE, LAPAN– TUBSAT and PEHUENSAT INSAT-4B 12 March, 2007 3025 Kourou (French Guiana)

INSAT-4CR

2 Sept., 2007

CARTO-SAT- 28 April, 2007 2A CHANDRA- 22 Oct., 2008 YAAN-1 RISAT 20 April, 2009 ANUSAT

20 April, 2009

OCEAN-SAT- 23 Sept., 2009 2 CARTOSAT- 12 July, 2010 2B GSAT-SP 25 Dec., 2010

2130 Satish Dhawan Space Centre Sriharikota 690 Satish Dhawan Space Centre Sriharikota — Satish Dhawan Space Centre Sriharikota 300 Satish Dhawan Space Centre Sriharikota — Satish Dhawan Space Centre Sriharikota — Do 694

Satish Dhawan Space Research Centre, Sriharikota 2310 Satish Dhawan Space Research Centre, Sriharikota 1206 Satish Dhawan Space Research Centre, Sriharikota 3093 Kourou, French Guina

RESOURCE SAT-2 GSAT-8

20 April, 2011

GSAT-12

15 July, 2011

MeghaTropiques RISAT-1

12 Oct., 2011

IRNSS-1A

1 July, 2013

IRNSS-1B

4 April, 2014

SARAL

25 Feb., 2013

IRNSS

1 July, 2013

INSAT 3D

26 July, 2013

GSAT-7

30 Aug., 2013

—

Kouru, French Guiana

Mars Orbitor Mission (MOM) GSAT-14

5 Nov., 2013

—

Satish Dhawan Space Research Centre, Sriharikota

5 Jan., 2014

—

IRNSS-1B

4 April, 2014

—

IRNSS-1C

10 Nov., 2014

—

GSAT-16

7 Dec., 2014

—

Satish Dhawan Space Research Centre, Sriharikota Satish Dhawan Space Research Centre, Sriharikota Satish Dhawan Space Research Centre, Sriharikota Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana

21 May, 2011

26 April, 2012

1410 Satish Dhawan Space Research Centre, Sriharikota 1000 Satish Dhawan Space Research Centre, Sriharikota 1858 Satish Dhawan Space Research Centre, Sriharikota 1425 Satish Dhawan Space Research Centre, Sriharikota 1432 Satish Dhawan Space Research Centre, Sriharikota — Satish Dhawan Space Research Centre, Sriharikota — Satish Dhawan Space Research Centre, Sriharikota — Kouru, French Guiana

Radio communication Communications Communications Mapping

Successful Successful Unsuccessful Successful

Ariane-5

DTH TV servi- Successces of Augment ful the INSAT system GSLV-FO4 Communication Successful PSLV-C9 Cartographic Successapplication ful PSLV-CII Moon Successexploration ful PSLV-C12 Radar Imaging Successful PSLV-C12 Communication Successful PSLV-C14 Earth ObserSuccessvation Satellite ful PSLV-C15 Earth ObserSuccessvation Satellite ful GSLV-FO6 Communication UnsucSatellite cessful PSLV-C16 Earth ObserSuccessvation Satellite ful Ariane-5 Communication Successful PSLV-C17 Communication Successful PSLV-C18 Earth ObserSuccessvation Satellite ful PSLV-C 19 Earth ObserSuccessvation Satellite ful PSLVC-22 Navigation Successful SuccessPSLVC-24 Navigation ful PSLVC-25 Meteorological SuccessSatellite ful PSLV-XL Navigation SuccessC22 ful Ariane 5ECA Meteorological Successful Ariane 5 Communication Successful PSLV-C25 Mangalyan SuccessSpace Mission ful GSLV-D5 PSLVC-24 PSLV-C26 Arian-5

Communication Successful Navigation Successful Navigation Successful Communication Successful

*METSAT was renamed Kalpana-1 to commemorate the memory of Dr. Kalpana Chawla, the US astronaut of Indian origin, who was killed alongwith other six astronauts in the US space shuttle Columbia while on its way back from space on Feb. 1, 2003.

GK (Ency.) | 153

SPACE CENTRES AND UNITS IN INDIA NEW DELHI

DOS Branch Secretariat ISRO Branch Office Delhi Earth Station

UDAIPUR

Solar Observatory

DEHRADUN

JODHPUR

Indian Institute of Remote Sensing Northern RRSSC

Western RRSSC

AHMEDABAD

SHILLONG

Space Applications Centre Physical Research Laboratory Development and Educational Communication Unit

LUCKNOW

North Eastern-Space Applications Centre

ISTRAC Ground Station

MT. ABU

Infrared Observatory

NAGPUR

Central RRSSC

MUMBAI

KHARAGPUR

ISRO Liaison Office

Eastern RRSSC

BANGALORE

HYDERABAD

Space Commission Department of Space & ISRO Headquarters INSAT Programme Office NNRMS Secretariat Civil Engineering Division Antrix Corporation ISRO Satellite Centre ISTRAC Southern RRSSC Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre

HASSAN

INSAT master Control Facility

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre ISRO Inertial Systems Unit

National Remote Sensing Agency

TIRUPATI NMRF

SRIHARIKOTA SHAR Centre

PORT BLAIR ALUVA

Down Range Station

Ammonium Perchlorate Experimental plant

MAHENDRAGIRI Liquid Propulsion Test Facilities

154 |

GK (Ency.)

APOLLO-MISSIONS TO THE MOON (U.S.A.) U.S.A. sent its Apollo-11 with three astronauts on board. The space craft landed on the moon in July, 1969 and Neil Armstrong was the first spaceman to set foot on the surface of the moon on July 21, 1969. The name of the Command Module was Columbia, and that of the lunar module Eagle. The landing sight was christened as Sea of Tranquillity. In the Apollo series the U.S.A. sent to the moon 5 space crafts after Apollo-11 on different dates, all of which were successful in landing man on the moon except Apollo-13 which failed owing to some mechanical defect in the craft.

APOLLO-SOYUZ TEST PROJECT MISSION (ASTP) Historic and unprecedented development in space science and technology came to be evident when two manned space crafts—Apollo from the U.S.A. and Soyuz from the Soviet Union—were launched into space on July 15 for a historic meeting and link-up two days later on July 17.

MARS PROBE Mariner-9—It was launched by the U.S.A. on May 30‚1971. It orbited round Mars on 14th Nov., 1971. It took thousands of close-up pictures of Mars and sent back extensive scientific data which would help in determining other things about it. Mariner-10—It was another U.S. unmanned space-craft which was launched on November 3, 1973 on a five-months mission to explore Mercury and Venus. It was the first space craft aimed at Mercury, the smallest planet in the solar system. The space-craft made a third approach to Mercury on March 17, 1975. Beagle–2 : Mars Lander of Europe—Europe’s Mars Express Orbiter and its lander Beagle-2 were successfully launched from Kazakhastan on June 2, 2003 by a Russian-made Soyuz-Freget rocket.

JUPITER PROBE Pioneer-10—It was launched by the U.S.A. on March 3, 1972. The satellite aimed at the planet Jupiter and expected to take 693 days to reach the destination. It had a speed of 49‚889 kms. per hour. It crossed the orbit of the moon within 11 hours. It was being propelled by nuclear power and was fitted with instruments for sending back information about the interplanetary space. The space craft reached the point of closest approach to Jupiter on December 4, 1973 and sent valuable information about the planet which is eleven time larger than the earth. Pioneer II flies past Saturn—The 260 kg. U.S. Space craft Pioneer II successfully flew past the outer

edge of the rings of Saturn on September 1, 1979, to give man the first close-up view of the giant planet. Scientists announced on September 6 the discovery of a sixth ring round the planet Saturn. Pioneer II was launched on April 6, 1973. It provided the first view of Jupiter’s North Pole area.

INTELSAT-4 - A A new telecommunication satellite was launched into stationary orbit above the Indian Ocean on January 6, 1978, to provide services for 43 countries of Asia, Africa and Europe. The satellite, INTELSAT-4—A, was launched from Cape Canavarel, Florida. Columbia Shuttle—On the 12th day of April 1981 the United States of America launched its ‘Columbia Shuttle’. It is the beginning of applied space transport mission era. The shuttle weighted 27,484 kg and it covered its 36 successful rounds of earth within 54 hrs and 27 minutes, then returned on earth. Commander—John young, Asstt. Commander Robert Cripin. First Cargo delivery by Columbia—On November 11, 1982 Columbia commenced its service as the American ‘Space Truck’—carrying a four-man crew and two communication Satellites. The Shuttle rocketed flawlessly into orbit enroute to its first cargo delivery, 296 km above the earth. This was Columbia’s fifth trip in the space. Challenger—The second U.S. 1·2 billion dollar space shuttle which was launched on April 4, 1983 carrying four astronauts and 18 tonnes of cargo on a five day mission. The 5000 Ib satellite was put in orbit by ‘Challenger’ 10 hours after it was blasted off. The four astronauts in the ‘Challenger’ were mission commander Paul J. Weitz (50), pilot Karol J. Babko (45), mission specialists Story Musgrave (47) and Donald H. Peterson (49). Seventh Shuttle Flight—The U.S. space shuttle ‘Challenger’ carrying a pioneer American space woman and four male astronauts, blasted off on June 19, 1983 on a six day mission. It was U.S.A.’s seventh shuttle flight. The crew included Ms Sally Ride (32), the first American woman to fly into space and four male astronauts-Commander Robert Crippen, Pilot Federick Hauck, Dr. Norman Thagard and John Fabian. World’s First Orbital Repair Job—A new chapter in space operations was opened by the U.S. astronauts on a daring mission, when two astronauts George Nelson and James Van Hoften left the space shuttle challenger’s cargo bay and flew untethered powered by a jet-pack 100 metres to the satellite Solar max. Atlantis launches Galelio—On Oct. 19, 1989 U.S. space Shuttle Atlantis launched nuclear powered

GK (Ency.) | 155 satellite Galelio. It was a proble satellite and was exptected to travel in space for six years. U.S. Space Shuttle Docks with Space Lab—The U.S.A. successfully launched its space shuttle Discovery on May 27, 1999. It docked with the International Space Station on May 29, 1999. Atlas blasts off using Russian Propulsion System—An American space carrier rocket Atlas carrying a Eutelsat-4 commercial satellite blasted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida (USA) on May 25, 2000 for the first time using a Russian-made propulsion system. Eutelsat-4 is mainly used for relaying European television programmes to Western Russia. Mars Odyssey of U.S.A.—The mission which began from the earth in April 2001 completed its crucial stage when US spacecraft Mars Odyssey entered Mars’s orbit on Oct. 23, 2001.

U.S.S.R. IN THE FIELD OF SPACE RESEARCH The U.S.S.R. achieved equally outstanding success in the space probe. Its mission consists of Luna and Soyuz spacecraft series. In the Luna series Luna24 landed on the moon on August 18, 1974. It carried out scientific exploration of the moon and the lunar area. Among the Soyuz series Soyuz-18 was launched on May 24, 1975, with two cosmonauts on board with the aim to conduct further experiments with Salyut-4. The cosmonauts returned to earth from the Salyut-4 orbital station on July 26, 1975 with a record-breaking stay in space of 63 days. Soyuz–20 was launched in Nov., 1975. Soyuz-24 was launched on Feb. 2, 1977. They have also launched space laboratories in Salyut series. Manned Soyuz-27 was docked with Salyut-6 in January 1978. Later Soyuz-26 another manned spacecraft, was also docked with Salyut–6 to its other end. They undocked and came back safely. The Soviet Union launched Soyuz-28 spaceship on March 2, 1978 with two cosmonauts who were not Russians. This spaceship also docked with the orbiting Salyut-6. The crew returned to earth on March 10. The Soviet Union also launched Soyuz-29 and Soyuz-30 and Soyuz-31 and Soyuz-32. The Soyuz-33 mission failed and the cosmonauts were asked to return. The Soviet Union also launched Soyuz-34. All these spacecrafts have undertaken docking and undocking experiments with the orbiting space laboratory Salyut-6.

VENUS PROBE The Soviet Union launched Venus-7 and Venus8. Venus-8 reached the environs of the planet where it carried out scientific measurements and investigation. Soviet Union’s Venus-9 went into orbit round the Venus on Oct. 22, 1975 to become the first artificial

satellite of the planet. Its descent craft which softlanded on the planet sent signals from the surface of the Venus, which were received aboard the mothership Venus-9 orbiting the planet. It retransmitted them back to earth. The descent craft Venus-10, another Soviet spacecraft which was launched a few days later landed on the Venus on Oct. 25, 1976. Venus-11 and Venus12 were also launched by the Soviet Union. Both the spacecrafts softlandad on Venus. Venus-11 softlanded on December 25, 1978, while Venus-12 softlanded four days earlier i.e., on December 21, 1978. Venus 14—This was the second Soviet space module which landed on the planet Venus on March 5, 1982, and immediately began transmitting high resolution pictures of the morning star. The space module worked for nearly an hour before succumbing to the 465 degrees centigrade temperature of the planet. Russian Military Satellite Launched— A Russian Tsiklon-2 booster rocket carrying a military satellite blasted into orbit from the Baikanour cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Dec. 26, 1999. Note—Owing to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 Russia’s space programme has certainly suffered a set back.

SKYLAB Skylab was an 85-ton space research laboratory launched by the U.S.A. on May 14, 1973. It was intended to be a large floating workshop to test man’s capability of sustaining prolonged period of weightlessness in space. Three teams of astronauts were sent up in Apollo spacecraft to work in the laboratory on important experiments. The skylab dropped out of the orbit and fell like a flaming meteor into the Indian ocean near Australia on July 11, 1979.

VIKING PROJECT (U.S.A.) It is NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Project of the U.S.A. to gather facts about Mars. Viking–1 was blasted off from earth on August 20, 1975 on the first leg of a 500 million miles journey to look for life on Mars—the red planet. It softlanded on the Mars on July 20‚ 1976. Viking II—Spacecraft was launched on September 10, 1975 on a mission to join the sistership in exploration of signs of past or present life on Mars. It landed on the Mars on September 4, 1976. Voyager II—The U.S. unmanned spacecraft Voyager-II was launched on August 29, 1977 on a journey to explore the far reaches of the solar system and carry messages to any other forms of life that may exist in space.

156 |

GK (Ency.)

Voyager II passed closest to Jupiter on July 10‚ 1979 and Saturn on August 27, 1981. Voyager II capped a historic 12 year tour of the four outer planets on August 25, 1989 as it skimmed 4905 Km above Neptune’s blue cloud tops, its closest approach to any object in the solar system. Voyager I—It was launched later on Sept. 3, 1977 to make its closest approach to Jupiter on the heels of Voyager II and sent back photographs and other data of the huge planet. It made its closest approach to the giant planet (Jupiter) on March 5, 1979. Pioneer Venus I was the first of the two U.S. spacecrafts fired into space on May 20‚ 1978 to know the mystery of cloud-shrouded planet Venus. Breakthrough in China’s Space Programme— China achieved a breakthrough in its space programme when it launched its indigenously made experimental unmanned spacecraft, named Shenzhou into space on Nov. 20, 1999. The unmanned space vehicle was launched with a new model of the long march rocket from Jiuquan satellite launch centre in north-western province of Gansu in China. The spacecraft returned to earth touching down in inner Mongolia on Nov. 21, 1999. China’s Shenzhou-II Spacecraft Launched— Encouraged by the success of Shenzhou-I space shuttle China successfully launched its Shenzhou-II unmanned spacecraft into space on Jan. 10, 2001. China Plans Base on Moon b y 2010—China is training 12 astronauts to undertake the country’s first manned space flight to moon in 2005 and its first exploration of the planet by 2010. The country also plans to create its own laboratory in an orbiting space station, besides establishing a connection with International Space Station, currently under construction. International Space Station—The long delayed International Space Station (ISS) linked up smoothly on July 26, 2000 with the Russian made Zvezda control module. US space shuttle Atlantis rocketed away from the International Space Station on Sept. 18, 2000. The spacecraft separated some 390 km above Russia. Atlantis returns from space—The U.S. Space Shuttle Atlantis landed at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida (USA) on Sept. 20, 2000 ending a 12 day mission to stock the International Space Station with everything from oxygen to shampoo. Endeavour docks with ISS—U.S. Space Shuttle Endeavour carrying five astronauts and giant solar wings blasted off from Cape Canaveral Florida on Dec. 1, 2000 for the ISS. It docked with the ISS on Dec. 2, 2000 to enable astronauts to install two giant power generating solar panels. Atlantis Blasts off with Destiny—The U.S. Space Shuttle Atlantis carrying five member crew and Destiny Space lab to the International Space Station

(ISS) blasted off from Kennedy Space Centre on Feb. 7, 2001. With Destiny attached to Space Station the Space Station will be roughly the size of a three bedroom house. Russia launches U.S. satellite—A Russian Proton rocket successfully launched an American television satellite, GE-1A from Baikanour on Oct. 2, 2000. Soyuz TM-31 Blasts off with Russia—US crew—The Russian spaceship, Soyuz TM-31, carrying Russian cosmonauts Mr. Sergei Krikalev and Mr. Yuri Gidzenko and their American commander astronaut Mr. Bill Shepherd, blasted off from Baikanour cosmodrome in Kazakhistan on October 31, 2000. Soyuz docked with the Zvezda module on Nov. 2, 2000. U. S. Spacecraft lands on asteroid—The Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft of the U.S.A. touched down on Feb. 13, 2001, on the barrens, rocky surface of E R O S , successfully completing history’s first spacecraft landing on an asteroid. The EROS asteroid is about 196 million miles from earth. The landing completes a five year 2 billion mile mission for the robot spacecraft and boosts the technical experience in putting spacecraft on objects with extremely high gravity. The NEAR was a total success. It returned 10 times more data than expected. Mir Splashes down safely—Completing its ‘Triumphant mission’, Mir, the 15 years old Russian Space Station ended up in an unpopulated part of the Pacific Ocean known as ‘Graneyard’ situated between Australia and Chile, some 5800 km off the eastern coast of Australia. Russia Launches Supply Vessel to ISS— A Russian supply ship carrying more than a tonne of fuel, equipment to clean and control air quality and some other items including food stuff was launched on May 21, 2001 from Baikonur. Russia Launches Its Space Vessel—Underterred by the Columbia space shuttle disaster on February 1, 2003, the Russian space agency successfully blasted an unmanned resupply vessel, Progress M-47, from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan aboard a Soyuz launcher towards the International Space Station on February 2, 2003. USA’s Genesis Mission—The USA launched from NASA on August 8, 2001. Genesis spacecraft with the help of its rocket Delta. Genesis will be the first spacecraft to pick up some of the raw material of the solar system from beyond the moon and return it to the earth. It is a three year mission and the spacecraft will return to earth in Sept. 2004. USA’s Columbia Disaster—U.S.A. Space shuttle Columbia on a 16-day research mission met with disaster while on return journey on Feb. 1, 2003, killing

GK (Ency.) | 157 all the seven astronauts, including Kalpana Chawla of an astronaut Indian origin. China Launches Man into Space—On October 15, 2003 China successfully launched an astronaut into orbit around the earth. The astronaut Yang Liwei is a lieutenant Colonel in the People’s Liberation Army. USA’s Mars Exploration Rovers ‘Spirit’ and ‘Opportunity’ land on the Mars—The USA’s Mars Exploration Rover ‘Spirit’ landed safely on the surface of the planet Mars on January 3, 2004. The USA’s second Rover ‘Opportunity’ landed safely on the surface of the Mars on January 25, 2004. Both these rovers have sent images from the Mars. European Rosetta—A European rocket blasted off on March 2, 2004 on a pioneering 10-year journey to land a probe on a comet and search for clues to the solar system’s origin. The name of this lander is ‘Rosetta.’ Ariane-5 finally launched—Ariane-5 rocket carrying nearly six-tonne Anik 2F Satellite, the world’s largest telecommunication satellite, was finally launched at the Kourou site in French Guiana on July 18, 2004 after 3 postponements. USA’s MESSENGER Spacecraft—USA’s space agency NASA successfully launched its MESSENGER spacecraft to planet Mercury on August 3, 2004, its first in 30 years to head to the sun’s closest1 planet on an 8 billion km. journey to be completed in 62 years in 2011. If all goes well, MESSENGER will be the first spacecraft to orbit Mercury. NASA Launches Comet Crasher—A NASA spacecraft named Deep Impact lifted off on January 12, 2005 with a Delta 2 rocket on the first leg of a sixmonth long and 431 million-kilometre journey to blast a hole in Comet Tempel I on July 4, 2005 which will give the scientists a glimpse of the frozen primordial ingredients of the solar system. The Tempel I comet is at more than 82 million miles from earth. Embryonic Stars Nursery Discovered—Using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have uncovered, for the first time a population of embryonic stars embedded in the nebula NGC 346 (that are still forming from gravitationally collapsing gas clouds) in the Small Magellanic Cloud, a Companion galaxy of our Milky Way. Huygen’s Probe—Data sent back by European Space Agency’s Huygens space probe from the Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, shows a frozen, orange world shrouded in a methanerich haze with dark ice rocks dotting a river bed-like surface. In December 2004, the Saturn explorer Cassini dropped off Huygens for a three-week journey towards Titan. Discovery Blasts into Space—The US space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Space Shuttle Discovery blasted off on July 26, 2005 taking seven astronauts on the first US shuttle flight since the Columbia disaster of Feb. 1, 2003. Ms. Eileen Collius was the Commander of

Discovery Space Shuttle. The shuttle came back to the earth safely on August 9, 2005. Launch of Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter : MRO—The US space agency NASA launched into space on August 12, 2005 its Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter with the help of the launching rocket Atlas-V for its further journey to the Mars. It is expected to reach the planet by March 2006. NASA’s Stardust Brings Comet Dust Samples to Earth—The U.S. space agency, NASA’s Stardust spacecraft landed on earth in the Utah desert in the US on Jan. 15, 2006. The spacecraft carrying dust samples from the Comet Wild 2 landed on earth after a seven year journey since it was launched in 1999. NASA Launches Spacecraft to Pluto—The USA’s NASA launched a spacecraft named New Horizons from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida (USA) on Jan. 19, 2006. New Horizons is expected to reach Pluto in 2015. Europe’s First Probe to Venus—The European Space Agency (ESA) launched its first probe to Venus, the 1·3 tonne Venus Express, on November 9, 2005. The satellite took off from Baikonur (Kazakhstan) on board a Soyuz-Fregat. The rocket was built by Starsem, a European-Russian launcher Consortium. NASA Launches Space Shuttle Discovery—The US space agency NASA launched its space shuttle ‘Discovery’ with its seven member crew, into space from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on July 4, 2006 on a 12 day mission to deliver supplies to the international space station. The shuttle came back safely on the earth on July 17, 2006 after performing the task assigned to it. Sunita Williams, U.S. astronaut of Indian Origin begins Space Journey—Astronaut Sunita Williams became the second woman of Indian origin to go into space on Dec. 9, 2006 in the space shutle Discovery that lifted off from Cape Canaveral. It is NASA’s latest step to complete the international space station. The shuttle with its crew came back safely on Dec. 22, 2006 leaving Sunita Williams at the ISS to conduct experiments on board the orbiting outpost.

JAPAN’S DENT IN SPACE Japan launches H-2A Rocket—Japan successfully launched its first next generation H-2A rocket on August 29, 2001 by throwing a test satellite into orbit, according to the National Space Development Agency of Japan. The launch was widely seen to be holding the future of the country’s space programme due to the failure of two earlier attempts. Japan Launches ASTRO–F—Japan successfully launched the ASTRO-F infrared astronomical satellite from the Uchinoura Space Centre, Japan on February 21, 2006.

INDIA’S SPACE PROGRAMME India is working assiduously to win laurels in space research. The steps to build know-how for satellite technology were taken by late Dr. S. Vikram

158 |

GK (Ency.)

Sarabhai. He set up, in 1970, the Satellite Systems Division (SSD) as part of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Trivendrum with Prof. U.R. Rao as its head. On May 10, 1972 India signed an agreement with the Soviet Union under which India could build its satellite and the Soviet Union would launch it. The Department of Space and the Space Commission were established in June, 1972 with their headquarters at Bangalore, for the purpose of rapid development in space technology and its application. Dr. Satish Dhawan, Chairman of Space Commission was entrusted with the task of implementing Indian Scientific Satellite Project. The Indian Scientific Satellite Project was set up at Peenya near Bangalore under Prof. U.R. Rao. It was meant to design and fabricate satellites indigenously. India Unveils Space Plane–Avatar—Indian scientists have designed a reusable space plane–Avatar which can launch satellites at a minimal cost and take tourists on a ride to space. It was unveiled on July 11, 2001 in the U.S. by former Chairman of Bharat Dynamics Limited, retd. Air Commodore Raghavan Gopalaswami, the brain behind the low-key project funded by the Defence Research Development Organisation. Avatar’s design which can be launched 100 times and produces its own fuel in flight has been patented in India. EDUSAT launched—India’s full-fledged educational satellite, 1950 kg. EDUSAT was successfully placed in a geo-transfer orbit at a height of 180 km above earth by the 49 metre tall GSLV-F01 in its first operational flight on September 20, 2004 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.

Satellite named after Kalpana To honour the memory of Kalpana Chawla, Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee re-named METSAT, India’s first meteorological research satellite (launched by ISRO on September 22, 2002) as Kalpana-I. CARTOSAT-1 launched—India launched its first mapping satellite CARTOSAT-1 into space with the help of the launching vehicle PSLV-C6 on May 5, 2005. Another smaller satellite HAMSAT was also launched alongwith it. CARTOSAT-1 weighs 1560 kg while HAMSAT weighs 43·5 kg. INSAT-4A launched—India launched into space its INSAT series satellite INSAT-4A on December 22, 2005 from Kouru space centre in French Guyana with the help of Ariane rocket. The satellite weighs 3080 km the heaviest of the satellites launched so far. The launch of this satellite will give boost to Direct-to-Home (DTH) television services. INSAT–4C launched—ISRO launched INSAT– 4C a communication satellite on July 10, 2006 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota with the help of GSLV–F02. The launch was unsuccessful.

India’s Dream Launch of PSLV–C7—The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) added yet another achievement to its list by the successful launch of the PSLV–C7 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota on January 10, 2007. This is the PSLV’s with consecutive successful launch. Besides India’s satellite CARTOSAT–II and the Space Capsule Recovery experiment the launch vehicle carried two satellites from abroad, named LAPA–TUBSAT and PEHUENSAT–I. INSAT-4B—ISRO’s latest Satellite INSAT-4B successfully launched on March 12, 2007 by the European Arian-5 ECA launch vehicle from the Kourou island in French Guiana. The 3025 kg INSAT4B is the second Satellite in the INSAT-4 series. INSAT-4B will further augment the INSAT capacity for Direct-To-Home (DTH) television services and other communication and TV services. PSLV-C8—The Polar Satellite Launch VehicleC8 has been launched successfully on April 23, 2007 from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, SHAR, Sriharikota. PSLV-C8 is the eleventh flight of ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle and its first commercial launch as well. In this flight, PSLV launches the 352 kg Italian astronomical Satellite, AGILE, into a 550 km circular orbit inclined at an angle of 2·5 deg to the equator. Apart from the Italian Satellite, AGILE, PSLV would also carry an Advanced Avionics Module (AAM), weighing 185 kg, to test advanced launch vehicle Avionics system like mission computers, navigation and telemetry system. INSAT-4CR—India launched its largest rocket GSLV-FO4, carrying communication satellite INSAT4CR from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on Sept. 2, 2007. The INSAT-4CR at 2130 kg. is the heaviest satellite to be launched by the ISRO. PSLV-C9—India created history by launching ten satellites in one go with its Polar launch vehicle carrying the heaviest payload of 824 kg. The 230 tonne PSLV-C9 put into orbit an Indian Mini Satellite and eight foreign nano satellites besides the CARTOSAT2A remote sensing satellite. Chandrayaan 1 launched—The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C11, Successfully launched the 1380 kg Chandrayaan-1 Spacecraft into a transfer orbit with a perigee (nearest point to earth) of 255 km and an apogee (farthest point to Earth) of 22,860 km, inclined at an angle of 17·9 degree to the equator. Chandrayaan1 is India’s first spacecraft mission beyond Earth orbit. The primary objectives of Chandrayaan-1 are—1. To place an unmanned spacecraft in an orbit around the moon, 2. To conduct mineralogical and chemical mapping of the lunar surface, 3. To upgrade the technological base in the country.

GK (Ency.) | 159 RISAT-2 and ANUSAT—ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C12) successfully launches two satellites RISAT-2 and ANUSAT on April 20, 2009 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR (SDSC, SHAR), Sriharikota. RISAT-2 is a Radar Imaging Satellite with the capability to take image of the earth during day and light as well as cloudy conditions. At the time of launch RISAT-2 weighed about 300 kg and was realised by ISRO in association with Israel Aerospace Industries. This Satellite will enhance ISRO’s capability for earth observation, especially during floods, cyclones, landslides and in disaster management in a more effective way. ANUSAT is the first experimental Communication satellite built by an Indian University under the overall guidance of ISRO and will demonstrate the technologies related to message store and forward operations. OCEANSAT-2—India successfully launched its 16th Remote-sensing satellite Oceansat-2 and six nano European satellites with the help of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C-14) from Sriharikota on 23rd Sept., 2009. It carries three payloads— ● Ocean Colour Monitor. ● Ku-band Pencil Beam Scatterometer (SCAT) developed by ISRO. ● Radio Occultation sounder for Atmosphere (ROSA) developed by the Italian Space Agency. Oceansat-2 is Earth Observation Satellite. CARTOSAT-2B—India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C15) on July 12, 2010 successfully launched CARTOSAT-2B from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, SHAR, Sriharikota. PSLV-C15 in its flight, in addition to CARTOSAT-2B, carried four auxiliary satellites namely STUDSAT a pico-satellite weighing less than 1 kg, built jointly by students from a consortium of seven engineering colleges from Karnataka and

Andhra Pradesh, two nano satelliters NLS 6·1 and NLS 6·2 from University of Toronto, Canada and ALSAT2A, a micro satellite from Algerian Space Agency. PSLV-C16—India on April 20, 2011 successfully launched the advanced earth observation satellite Resourcesat-2 and two smaller satellites on the PSLVC16 rocket from its Satish Dhawan Space centre Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. With the launch of Resourcesat-2, now ISRO will have 10 remote sensing satellites in orbit-Resourcesat-1, TES, Cartosat-1, 2, 2A and 2B, IMS-1, RTSAT-2, Oceansat-2. It was carrying three pay loads weighing 1404 kg. in total and will put then in Polar Sun Synchronous Orbit, 822 km. above Earth on its 18th mission. PSLV-C17—India Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C17) successfully launched GSAT-12 communication satellite on July 15, 2011 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota. The launch of PSLV-C17 was the eighteenth successive successful flight of PSLV. PSLV-C18—India’s most trusted Satellite launch vehicle, the PSLV-C18 on October 12, 2012 successfully launched in to orbit four satellites, including the Indo-French tropical weather satellite Megha tropiques. PSLV-C20—India’s Polar Satellite launch vehicle in its twenty third flight (PSLV-(20) launches the IndoFrench Satellite SARAL. It was successfully launches from Shriharikota on February 25, 2013. GSLV-D5—GSLV-D5 was launched from the second launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space centre SHAR, Shriharikota on January 05, 2014. It is the Eighth flight of India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV). PSLV-C24—It is Successfully launches IRNSS1B from Shriharikota on April 04. 2014.

Awards, Honours and Prizes

16

(National and International) CIVILIAN AWARDS

1. BHARAT RATNA The award is given for exceptional service towards advancement of Art, Literature and Science and in recognition of Public Service of the highest order. 2. PADMA VIBHUSHAN This award is given for exceptional and distinguished service in any field including service rendered by the Govt. servants. 3. PADMA BHUSHAN The award is given for distinguished service of high order in any field including service rendered by the Government servants. 4. PADMA SHRI This award is given for distinguished service in any field including service rendered by the Government servants. In pursuance of the Supreme Court's Judgement, the Government had constituted a High level Review Committee chaired by the VicePresident of India, to go into the guidelines for the Padma Awards and certain other aspects. The review committee submitted report in November 1996 and the same has been accepted by the Government. The institution of these awards has been revived since 1997.

RECIPIENTS OF BHARAT RATNA S.N.

Name

Awarded in

1. Chakravarti Rajgopalachari (1878–1972) 2. Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888–1975) 3. Dr. Chandrasekhar Venkat Raman (1888–1970) 4. Dr. Bhagvan Das (1869–1958)

1954 1954 1954 1955

5. Dr. Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya (1861–1962) 6. Jawahar Lal Nehru (1889–1964) 7. Govind Ballabh Pant (1887–1961) 8. Dr. Dhondo Keshave Karve (1858–1962) 9. Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy (1882–1962) 10. Purushottam Das Tandon (1882–1962) 11. Dr. Rajendra Prasad (1884–1963) 12. Dr. Zakir Husain (1897–1969) 13. Dr. Pandurang Vaman Kane (1880–1972) 14. Lal Bahadur Shastri* (1904–1966) 15. Indira Gandhi (1917–1984) 16. Varahgiri Venkat Giri (1884–1980) 17. Kumarswami Kamraj* (1903–1975) 18. Mary Teresa Bojaxhhin (Mother Teresa) (1910–1997) 19. Acharya Vinoba Bhave* (1895–1982) 20. Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan (1890–1988) 21. Marudu Gopalan Ramachandran* (1917–1987) 22. Dr. Bhim Rao Ramji Ambedker* (1891–1956) 23. Dr. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (Birth 1918) 24. Rajiv Gandhi* (1944–1991) 25. Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel* (1875–1950) 26. Morarji Ramchandra Desai (1896–1995) 27. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad* (1888–1958) 28. Jahangir Ratanji Dadabhai Tata (1904–1933) 29. Satyajit Ray (1922–1992) 30. Aruna Asaf Ali* (1909–1996) 31. Gulzari Lal Nanda* (1898–1997) 32. Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (Birth 1931) 33. Madurai Shanmukha Vadini Subu-laxmi (Birth 1916) 34. Chidambaram Subramaniam (1910–2000) 35. Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan* (1902–1979) 36. Professor Amartya Sen (Birth 1933)

1955 1955 1957 1958 1961 1961 1962 1963 1963 1966 1971 1975 1976 1980 1983 1987 1988 1990 1990 1991 1991 1991 1992 1992 1992 1997 1997 1997 1998 1998 1999 1999

GK (Ency.) | 161 37. Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi* (1890–1950) 38. Pandit Ravishanker (Birth 1920) 39. Lata Mangeshkar 40. Bismillah Khan 41. Pandit Bhim Sen Joshi 42. Sachin Tendulkar 43. C.N.R. Rao 44. Atal Bihari Vajpayee 45. Madan Mohan Malaviya* * Posthumous

1999 1999 2001 2001 2009 2014 2014 2015 2015

PADMA AWARDS 2015 President Pranab Mukherjee approved the conferment of Padma Awards, one of the most prestigious civilian honours of the country to 104 persons on the eve of the Republic Day on January 25, 2015. Veteran BJP leader L. K. Advani,Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal and Bollywood actors Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan are among the nine Padma Vibhushan awardees, the second highest civilian award after Bharat Ratna o f India. Noted advocate K. K. Venugopal, nuclear scientist M. R. Srinivasan, social worker Veerendra Heggade are the other awardees of the Padma Vibhushan. The list of the Padma Awardees also includes 20 Padma Bhushan and 75 Padma Shri winners. The list also features 17 women as awardees and includes 17 persons from the category of foreigners, NRIs, PIOs and 4 posthumous awardees. THE LIST OF THE PADMA AWARDEES (2015) IS AS FOLLOWS :

PADAM VIBHUSHAN Public Affairs—Shri L. K. Advani, Shri Prakash Singh Badal, Shri Kottayan K. Venugopal Art—Shri Amitabh Bachchan, Shri Mohammad Yusuf Khan alias Dilip Kumar Science and Engineering—Prof. Malur Ramaswamy Srinivasan Social Work—Dr. D. Veerendra Heggade Trade and Industry—Shri Karim Al Hussaini Aga Khan-Foreigner Other—Shri Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Swami Rambhadracharya

PADMA BHUSHAN Art—Shri Jahnu Barua, Dr. (Pandit) Gokulotsavji Maharaj, Smt. Sudha Ragunathan. Literature and Education—Shri Swapan Dasgupta, Shri Rajat Sharma Public Affairs—Dr. Subhash C. Kashyap, Shri Harish Salve Science and Engineering—Dr. Vijay Bhatkar, Dr. Kharag Singh Valdiya, Prof. Manjul Bhargava— NRI/PIO Sports—Shri Satpal Civil Service—Shri N. Gopalaswami

Medicine—Dr. Ambrish Mithal, Dr. Ashok Seth Social Work—Shri Bill Gates—Foreigner, Ms. Melinda Gaters—Foreigner Other—Swami Satyamitranand Giri, Shri Shivakumara Swami, Shri David Frawley (Vamadeva)— Foreigner, Shri Saichiro Misumi—Foreigner

PADMA SHRI Art—Ms. Kanyakumari Avasarala, Shri Naresh Bedi, Shri Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Shri Rahul Jain, Shri Ravindra Jain, Shri Prasoon Joshi, Dr. Prafulla Kar, Shri Tarak Mehta, Shri Neil Herbert Nongkynrih , Shri Kota Srinivasa Rao, Shri Shekhar Sen, Shri Mahesh Raj Soni , Ms. Tripti Mukherjee—NRI/PIO, Late Shri Pran Kumar Sharma alias Pran (Posthumous) Social Work—Shri Ashok Bhagat, Dr. (Mrs.) Janak Palta McGilligan, Shri Veerendra Raj Mehta, Shri H. Thegtse Rinpoche, Late Shri Meetha Lal Mehta (Posthumous) Public Affairs—Dr. Ashok Gulati Science and Engineering—Shri S. Arunan, Dr. N. Prabhakar, Dr. Prahalada, Shri Vasant Shastri, Shri S. K. Shivkumar, Prof. Jacques Blamont—Foreigner, Trade and Industry—Shri T.V. Mohandas Pai, Dr. Nandarajan ‘Raj’ Chetty—NRI/PIO Medicine—Dr. Manjula Anagani, Prof. (Dr.) Yogesh Kumar Chawla, Smt. Jayakumari Chikkala, Dr. Sarungbam Bimola Kumari Devi, Dr. Randeep Guleria, Dr. K. P. Haridas, Dr. Rajesh Kotecha, Prof. Alka Kriplani, Dr. Harsh Kumar, Dr. Tejas Patel, Dr. Narendra Prasad, Prof. Yog Raj Sharma, Dr. Nikhil Tandon, Dr. Hargovind Laxmishanker Trivedi, Dr. Dattatreyudu Nori—NRI/PIO, Dr. Raghu Ram Pillarisetti— NRI/PIO, Dr. Saumitra Rawat—NRI/PIO Literature and Education—Dr. Bettina Sharada Baumer, Dr. Lakshmi Nandan Bora, Dr. Gyan Chaturvedi, Shri Bibek Debroy, Dr. Sunil Jogi, Smt. Ushakiran Khan, Shri Narayana Purushothama Mallaya, Shri Lambert Mascarenhas, Shri Ram Bahadur Rai, Prof. J. S. Rajput, Prof. Bimal Roy, Shri Gunvant Shah, Shri Brahmdev Sharma—Bhaiji, Shri Manu Sharma, Shri Jean Claude Carriere—Foreigner, Prof. Annette Schmiedchen—Foreigner Sports—Ms. Saba Anjum, Ms. Mithali Raj, Ms. P. V. Sindhu, Shri Sardara Singh, Ms. Arunima Sinha Civil Service—Shri P. V. Rajaraman, Late Shri R. Vasudevan (Posthumous) Others—Shri Chewang Norphel, Shri Jadav Molai Peyang, Smt. Bimla Poddar, Shri Huang Baosheng— Foreigner, Late Shri Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin (Posthumous), Shri George L. Hart—Foreigner, Jagat Guru Amrta Suryananda Maha Raja—NRI/PIO.

162 |

GK (Ency.) List of Sahitya Akademi Award Winners 2014 Award winner

Language

1. Adil Jussawalla 2. Utpal Kumar Basu 3. Urkhaw Gwra Brahma

English Bengali Bodo

4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Shad Ramzan Gopalkrushna Rath Gope Kamal Munawwar Rana Jaswinder Naorem Bidyasagar Singh

Kashmiri Odia Sindhi Urdu Punjabi Manipuri

G. H. Nayak (Late) Madhavi Sardesai (Late) Ashvin Mehta Poomani Shailender Singh Ramesh Chandra Shah Asha Mishra Subhash Chandran Arupa Patangia Kalita Nanda Hankhim Rampal Singh Rajpurohit Jayant Vishnu Naralikar Jamadar Kisku Rachapalem Chandrashekara Reddy

Kannada Konkani Gujarati Tamil Dogri Hindi Maithili Malayalam Assamese Nepali Rajasthani Marathi Santhali Telugu

10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23.

Book Trying to Say Goodbye Piya Mana Bhabe Udangnifrai Gidinfinnarei (Return from Freedom) Kore Kakud Pushrith Gome Bipula Diganta Sija Agyaan Buku Shahdaba Agarbatti Khung-gang Amasung Refugee (Village and Refugee) Uttaraardha Manthan Chhabi Bhitarani Angnaadi Hashiye Par Vinayak Uchat Manushyanu Oru Aamukham Mariam Astin Athaba Hira Barua Satta Grahan Sundar Nain Sudha Chaar Nagarantale Maaze Viswa Mala Mudam Mana Navalalu Mana Kathanikalu

BHARTIYA JNANPITH AWARD It’s prize of 11 lakh, instituted by literary organisation in India for outstanding contribution to Indian literature. 1969 Prof. Raghupati Sahai ‘Firaq’ Gorakhpuri for his book ‘Gul-e-Naghma’ 1970 Dr. Satyanarayan, a Telugu writer for his book ‘Sreemad Ramayan Kalpavrikham’ 1971 Vishnu Dey for his book ‘Smirti Satta Bhavishyat’ 1972 Ram Dhari Singh Dinkar for ‘Urvashi’ 1973 Shared by (i) Dr. Dattatreya Ramchandra Bendre, a Kannada poet and (ii) Gopinath Mohanty, an Oriya novelist for ‘Mati Matal’. 1974 Vishnu Sakharam Khandelkar 1975 Mr. P.V. Akilandam, the popular Tamil writer for his novel ‘Chittiraappavi’. 1976 Ashapoorna Devi Bengali ‘Prathama Pratishruti’. 1977 Dr. Shiv Ram Karanth (Kannada-MukajjiyaKanasugalu) 1978 H.S. Vatsayan ‘Ageya’ (Hindi collection of poems ‘Kitni Nawon Main Kitni Bar’)

1979

Genre Poetry Poetry Poetry Poetry Poetry Poetry Poetry Poetry Poetry Essays Essays Essays Novel Novel Novel Novel Novel Short Stories Short Stories Short Stories Autobiography Play Literary criticism

1980

Assamese Poet and Novelist Dr. Virendra Kumar Bhattacharya for his novel ‘Mirtunjaya’. Malyaly travelogue writer S.K. Pottevakat.

1981

Amrita Pritam, the romantic Punjabi writer.

1982 Hindi Poetess Mahadevi Verma for her political collection ‘Yama’ 1983

Kannada novelist Mr. Masti Venkatesh Iyengar for his novel ‘Chikaveera Rajendra’.

1984

Thakazhi Shiv Shanker Pillai (Malyalam writer).

1985

Pannalal Patel (Gujarati writer).

1986

Sachida Nand Routroy (Oriya writer).

1987

V.V. Shirwadkar.

1988

C. Narayan Reddy (Telugu writer).

1989

Ms. Qurratul Ain Hyder (Urdu writer).

1990

V.K. Gokak (Kannada).

1991

Subhash Mukhopadhyay (Bengali).

1992

Naresh Mehta (Hindi Literature).

1993

Dr. Sitakant Mahapatra (Oriya Poet)

1994

Prof. V.R. Anantmurti (Kannad)

GK (Ency.) | 163 1995

N.K. Vasudevan Nair

1996

Mahasweta Devi (Bengali writer)

1997

Ali Sardar Jafri (Urdu writer)

1998

Girish Karnad

1999

Nirmal Verma (Hindi fiction writer) and Gurdayal Singh (Punjabi novelist)

2000

Indira Goswami (Assamese writer)

2001

Rajendra Keshavlal Shah (Gujarati writer)

2002

D. Jayakanthan (Tamil writer)

2003

Vinda Karandikar (Marathi writer)

2004

Rehman Rahi (Kashmiri)

2005

Kunwar Narayan

2006 2007 2008

Ravindra Kelekar O. N. V. Kurup Akhlaq Mohammad Khan Shahryar

2009

Amarkant and Srilal Shukla (Hindi writer)

2010

Chandrashekhara Kambara (Kannada Poet)

2011

Pratibha Ray (Oriya)

2012

Ravuri Bharadhwaja (Telugu)

2013

Kedar Nath Singh (Hindi)

2015

Balchandra Namade

Tansen Samman (2014)—Renowned classical vocalist—Prabhakar Karekar. It is an award instituted by the Madhya Pradesh Government.

INDIRA GANDHI NATIONAL INTEGRATION AWARD M. S. Subulaxmi (1989), Rajiv Gandhi (1990), Param Dham Ashram, Pawnar (1991), Acharya Shri Tulsi (1992), Bishambhar Pandey (1993), Beant Singh and Natwar Thakkar (1994), Gandhi Institute of Public Affairs-Karnataka (1995), Vishwa Bharati Shantiniketan (1996), Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (1997), Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma (1998), Prof. Satish Dhawan (1999), H.Y. Sharada Prasad (2000), Ram Rahim Nagar Slum Dwellers Association and Aaman Pathik Peace Volunteer Group (2001), Acharya Mahapragyan (2002), Shyam Benegal (2003), Mahashweta Devi (2004), Javed Akhtar (2005), Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust (2006), Balraj Puri (2009), A.R. Rahman and Ram Krishna Mission (2010), Mohan Dharia (2011), Gulzar (2012), M. S. Swaminathan (2013).

21st Life OK Screen Awards The 21st Life OK Screen Awards, the prestigious Bollywood film annual awards were conferred in many categories to recognise outstanding work in Hindi films in 2014 in a glittering award ceremony on January 14, 2015 at the MMRDA grounds, Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai. Popular Woman-Centric Film of 2014 ‘Queen’ won the Life OK Screen Award for Best Film. ‘Queen’s director Vikas Bahl was also adjudged the winner of ‘Best Director award. Shahid Kapoor won the jury award for ‘Best Actor (male) for his stunning performance in ‘Haider’. Priyanka Chopra received the jury award for Best Actor (female) for her role in ‘Mary Kom’ a film based on the life of great female Indian boxer and world champion Mary Kom. Shah Rukh Khan won the Best Actor Popular (male) award for his role in the film ‘Happy New Year’. Deepika Padukone claimed the Life OK Screen honour for Best Female Actor (Popular) for her role in Happy New Year. Veteran Bollywood actress Hema Malini was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

21st LIFE OK SCREEN AWARDS : MAJOR AWARD WINNERS ☛ ☛ ☛ ☛ ☛ ☛ ☛ ☛ ☛ ☛ ☛ ☛ ☛ ☛ ☛ ☛

Best Actor (Male) : Shahid Kapoor—‘Haider’ Best Actor (Female) : Priyanka Chopra—‘Mary Kom’ Best Actor (Male)—Popular Choice : Shah Rukh Khan—‘Happy New Year’ Best Actor (Female)—Popular Choice : Deepika Padukone—‘Happy New Year’ Best Director : Vikas Bahl—‘Queen’ Best Film—‘Queen’ Best Jodi of the Year : Shahid Kapoor and Tabu—‘Haider’ Entertainer of the Year : Sajid Nadiadwala— ‘Kick’ Lifetime Achievement Award : Hema Malini Best Actor (Male/Female) in a Comic Role : Sharib Hashmi—‘Filmistaan’ Best Actor (Male) in a Negative Role : Tahir Raj Bhasin—‘Mardaani’ Best Actor (Female) in a Negative Role : Huma Qureshi—‘Dedh Ishqiya’ Best Actress in a Supporting Role : Tabu (Haider) and Seema Pahwa (Ankhon Dekhi) Best Actor in a Supporting Role : Inam Ul Haq (Filmistaan) Best Promising Newcomer (Male) : Tiger Shroff—‘Heropanti’ Best Promising Newcomer (Female) : Patralekhaa—‘Citylights’

164 | ☛ ☛ ☛ ☛ ☛ ☛ ☛ ☛ ☛

GK (Ency.)

Most Promising Debut Director : Nitin Kakkar— ‘Filmistaan’ Best Action : ‘Heropanti’ Best Story : Rajat Kapoor—‘Ankhon Dekhi’ Best Dialogue : Rajkumar Hirani, Abhijat Joshi— ‘PK’ Best Playback Singer (Female) : Jyoti and Sultana Nooran for ‘Patakha guddi’—‘Highway’ Best Playback Singer (Male) : Arijit Singh for ‘Muskuraane ki wajeh’—‘Citylights’ Best Music : Mithoon and Ankit Tiwari—‘Ek Villain’ Best Lyrics : Kausar Munir—‘Suno no sangmarmar’—‘Youngistaan’ Best Choreography—Ahmed Khan—‘Jumme Ki Raat’ (Kick)

NATIONAL SPORTS AWARDS 2014 (Presented in August 2014) Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Awards 2013 (Prize Money 7·5 Lakhs)—Ronjan Sodhi (Shooter) Recommended. 5 Arjuna Awards 2014 (Prize Money Lakhs)—Abhishek Verma (Archery), Tintu Luka (Athletics), H. N. Girisha (Para-Athletics), V. Diju (Badminton), Geetu Anna Jose (Basketball), Jai Bhagwan (Boxing), R. Ashwin* (Cricket), Anirban Lahiri (Golf), Mamta Pujari (Kabaddi), Saji Thomas (Rowing), Heena Sidhu (Shooting), Anaka Alankamony (Squash), Tom Joseph (Volleyball), Renu Bala Chanu (Weightlifting), Sunil Kumar Rana (Wrestling). * Not present on the occasion as he was in England with National Cricket Team. Dhyan Chand Awards 2014 (Prize Money 5 Lakhs)—Gurmail Singh (Hockey), K. P. Thakkar (Swimming (Diving), Zeeshan Ali (Tennis). Dronacharya Awards 2014 (Prize Money 5 Lakhs)—Mahabir Prasad (Wrestling), N. Lingappa (Athletics–Lifetime), G. Manoharan (Boxing–Lifetime), Gurcharan Singh Gogi (Judo–Lifetime), Jose Jacob (Rowing–Lifetime). Tenzing Norgay Adventure Awards 2013— Subedar Jagat Singh (Land Adventure), Passang Tenzing Sherpa (Land Adventure), MWO Surender Singh (Air Adventure), Wing Commander (Retd), Amit Chowdhury (Lifetime Achievement). Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy 2013-14—Punjab University, Patiala.

Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar 2014— S. No.

Category

1.

Employment of sportspersons and sports welfare measures Community Sports —identification and nurturing of budding/young talent Establishment and Management of sports academies of excellence Other forms of sports activities not covered in the four categories mentioned in the schemes

2.

3.

4.

Entity recommended for Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar, 2014 Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) Jindal Steel Works (JSW) Guru Hanuman Akhara, Delhi Magic Bus India Foundation

Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Awards (2014) Biological Sciences—Dr. Roop Mallick. Chemical Sciences—Dr. Kavirayani Rama Krishna Prasad, Dr. Souvik Maiti. Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary Sciences—Dr. Sachchida Nand Tripathi. Engineering Science—Dr. S. Venkata Mohan, Dr. Soumen Chakrabarti. Mathematical Sciences—Dr. Kaushal Kumar Verma. Medical Sciences—Dr. Anurag Agrawal. Physical Sciences—Dr. Pratap Raychaudhuri, Dr. Sadiq Ali Abbas Rangwala.

KISHORE KUMAR SAMMAN The Kishore Kumar Samman instituted by the Department of Culture, Government of Madhya Pradesh goes to the well known lyricist Sameer on Oct. 13, 2014 for the year 2012-13.

SARASWATI SAMMAN Amount— 10 lakh Instituted by—K. K. Birla Foundation Ist award was given to—Ismat Chughtai Field—Prose or Poetry of any Indian Language (Every year) PRESENT AWARDEES 2011—A. A. Manavalan for Irama Kathaiyum Iramayaklu 2012—Sugatha Kumari for Manalezhuthu 2013—Govind Mishra

GK (Ency.) | 165

VYAS SAMMAN Carrying cash award of 2·5 lakh, instituted by K.K. Birla Foundation-1992 for outstanding contribution to Hindi Literature. First award declared to Dr. Ram Vilas Sharma. 1992—Prof. Shiv Prasad Singh 1993—Girija Kumar Mathur 1994—Dharamvir Bharti 1995—Kunwar Narayan 1996—Prof. Ram Swaroop Chaturvedi 1997—Kedarnath Singh 1998—Govind Mishra 1999—Srilal Shukla 2000—Girraj Kishore 2001—Dr. Ramesh Chandra Shah 2002—Dr. Kailash Vajpayee 2003—Chitra Mudgal 2004—Mridula Garg 2005—Chandrakanta 2006—Parmanand Srivastava 2007—Krishna Sobti 2008—Mannu Bhandari 2009—Amar Kant 2010—Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari 2011—Ramdarash Mishra 2012—Narendra Kohli (Na Bhooto Na Bhavishyati) 2013—Vishwanath Tripathi. 2014—Kamal Kishor Goenka

Dada Sahib Phalke Award Amount— 10,00,000 + Swarn Kamal + Shawl Instituted by—Government of India Ist award was given to—Devika Rani Actress (1969) Field—Indian Cinema (Lifetime Achievement Award) PRESENT AWARDEES 2010—K. Balachandar (Tamil Filmmaker) 2011—Soumitra Chatterjee (Bengali Actor) 2012—Pran (Hindi Film Actor) 2013—Guljar (Poet, Lyricist and Script writer)

87th OSCAR AWARDS–2014 (Announced in February 2015) Best Picture—Birdman—Alejandro G. Inarritu, John Lesher and James W. Skotchdopole. Best Director—Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu— Birdman. Best Actor—Eddie Redmayne—The Theory of Everything. Best Actress—Julianne Moore—Still Alice. Best Supporting Actor—J. K. Simmons— Whiplash.

Best Supporting Actress—Patricia Arquette— Boyhood. Achievement in Costume Design—Milena Canonero—The Grand Budapest Hotel. Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling— Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier—The Grand Budapest Hotel. Best Foreign Language Film—Ida—Pawel Pawlikowaski. Best Live Action Short Film—The Phone Call— Matt Kirkby and James Lucas. Best Documentary Short Subject—Crisis Hotline : Veterans Press I—Ellen Goosenberg Kent and Dana Perry. Original Screenplay—Birdman—Alejandro G. Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. and Armando Bo. Achievement in Sound Mixing—Whiplash— Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins, Thomas Curley. Achievement in Sound Editing—American Sniper—Alan Robert Murray Bub Asman. Achievement in Visual Effects—Interstellar— Ian Hunter, Scott Fisher, Andrew Lockley and Paul Franklin. Best Animated Short—Feast—Patrick Osborne and Kristina Reed. Best Animated Movie—Big Hero Six—Don Hall, Chris Williams and Roy Conli. Achievement in Production Design—The Grand Budapest Hotel—Adam Stockhausen and Anna Pinnock. Achievement in Cinematography—Birdman— Emannuel Lubezki. Achievement in Film Editing—Whipalsh—Tom Cross. Best Documentary Feature—Citizen Four— Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy and Dirk Wilutzky. Best Original Song—Glory—John Stephens and Lonnie Lynn. Best Original Score—The Grand Budapest Hotel—Alexandre Desplat. Best Adapted Screenplay—The Imitation Game — Graham Moore.

61th National Film Awards (Announced on March 2014) The 61st National Film Awards for the year 2013 in the Feature Film category, Non-Feature Film category and Best Writing on Cinema were announced at a press conference held at the National Media Centre. The list of the successful films in various categories are as follows: FEATURE FILMS 1. Best Feature Film—Ship of Theseus (EnglishHindi). 2. Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director—Fandry (Marathi).

166 |

GK (Ency.)

3. Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment—Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (Hindi). 4. Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration—Thalaimuraigal (Tamil). 5. Best Film on Social Issues—Tuhya Dharma Koncha (Marathi). 6. Best Film on Environment Conservation/ Preservation—Perariyathavar (Malayalam). 7. Best Children’s Film—Kaphal (Hindi). 8. Best Direction—Shahid (Hind). 9. Best Actor—Shahid (Hindi) and Perariyathavar (Malayalam). 10. Best Actress—Liar’s Dice (Hindi). 11. Best Supporting Actor—Jolly LLB (Hindi). 12. Best Supporting Actress—Astu (Marathi) and Ship of Theseus (English-Hindi). 13. Best Child Artist—Fandry (Marathi) and Thanga Meengal (Tamil). 14. Best Male Playback Singer—Jaatishwar (Bengali). 15. Best Female Playback Singer—Tuhya Dharma Koncha (Marathi). 16. Best Cinematography—Liar’s Dice (Hindi). 17. Best Screenplay— (i) Screenplay Writer (Original) : December I (Kannada). (ii) Screenplay Writer (Adapted) : Prakruti (Kannada). (iii) Dialogues : Astu (Marathi). 18. Best Audiography— (i) Location Sound Recordist : Madras Cafe (Hindi). (ii) Sound Design : Madras Cafe (Hindi). (iii) Re-recordist of the final mixed track : Swapaanam (Malayalam). 19. Best Editing—Vallinam (Tamil). 20. 21. 22. 23.

Best Production Design—Miss Lovely (Hindi). Best Costume Designer—Jaatishwar (Bengali). Best Make-up Artist—Jaatishwar (Bengali). Best Music Direction— (i) Songs : Jaatishwar (Bengali). (ii) Background Score : Na Bangaaru Talli (Telugu). 24. Best Lyrics—Thanga Meengal (Tamil). 25. Special Jury Award—Yellow (Marathi) and Miss Lovely (Hindi).

26. Best Special Effects—Jal (Hindi).

27. Best Choreography—Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (Hindi). 28. Best Assamese Film—Ajeyo. 29. Best Bengali Film—Bakita Byaktigato. 30. Best Hindi Film—Jolly LLB. 31. Best Kannada Film—December 1. 32. Best Konkani Film—Baga Beach. 33. Best Malayalam Film—North 24 Kaadham. 34. Best Marathi Film—Aajcha Diwas Majha. 35. Best Tamil Film—Thanga Meengal. 36. Best Telugu Film—Na Bangaaru Talli. 37. Best English Film—The Coffin Maker. 38. Best Khasi Film—RI. 39. Best Sherdukpen Film—The Crossing Bridges. 40. Special Mention—Yellow (Marathi), Na Bangaaru Talli (Telugu) NON-FEATURE FILMS 1. Best Non-Feature Film—Rangbhoomi (Hindi). 2. Best Debut Film of a Director—Kanyaka (Malayalam). 3. Best Biographical/Historical Reconstruction— The last Adieu (English). 4. Best Arts/Cultural Film—Shared (a)

The Lost Behrupiya (Hindi).

(b)

O Friend, This Waiting ! (English, Telugu).

5. Best Science and Technology Film—The Pad Piper (English). 6. Best Promotional Film—Shared (a)

Chasing the Rainbow (English).

(b) Kush (Hindi). 7. Best Environment Film Including Agriculture—Foresting Life (Hindi, Assamese). 8. Best Film on Social Issues—Gulabi Gang (Hindi, Bundelkhandi). 9. Best Educational Film—The Quantum Indians (English). 10. Best Investigative Film—Katiyabaaz (Hindi, Urdu, English). 11. Special Jury Award—Shared (a) Ananthamurthy : Not A Biography … But A Hypothesis (English). (b) Tamaash (Kashmiri). 12. Best Short Fiction Film—Mandrake ! Mandrake (Hindi). 13. Best Film on Family Values—Heyro Party (Bengali).

GK (Ency.) | 167 14. Best Direction—Chidiya Udh (No Dialogue). 15. Best Cinematography—Mandrake ! Mandrake ! (Hindi) 16. Best Audiography—Chidiya Udh (No Dialogue). 17. Best Editing—Gulabi Gang (Hindi, Bundelkhandi) 18. Best Music Direction—Yugadrashta (Assamese) 19. Best Narration/Voice Over—Kankee O Saapo (Odia). 20. Special Mention— (a) Accsex (English, Hindi). (b) Candles In The Wind (Punjabi, Hindi). (c) Dharmam (Tamil). (d)

At the Cross Roads : Nondon Bagchi Life and Living (English, Bengali)

BEST WRITING ON CINEMA Title of the Book—Cinema Ga Cinema (Telugu). Author—Swarna Kamal and : Nandagopal.

75000 to the author

BEST FILM CRITIC Name of Critic—Swarna Kamal and the Critic : Alaka Sahani (English).

75000 to

Raman Magsaysay Awards (2014) Randy Halason, Hu Shuli, Wang Canfa, Saur Marlina, Manurang, Omana Khan, Masaudi, The Citizens Foundation.

Jamna Lal Bajaj Awards (November 2014) For outstanding contribution in the field of constructive work—Surendra Koulagi, For application of Science and Technology for Rural Development—Raman Kumar Singh, For Uplift and Welfare of Women and Children—Chennupati Vidya, International Award for Promoting Gandhian Values outside India—Sulak Sivaraksa (Thailand).

NOBEL PRIZES Dr. Alfred Nobel, A Swedish Scientist, the inventor of dynamite left a huge fortune to a trust for the establishment of five prizes to be awarded annually without any distinction of nationality, for achievements in (i) Medicine, (ii) Peace, (iii) Literature, (iv) Physics and (v) Chemistry. The 5 Awards were given in 1901 for the first time. A Sixth Nobel Prize in Economic

Science was introduced from the year 1969 for the first time.

Nobel Prizes for 2014 Peace—Kailash Satyarthi, Malala Yousafzai. Chemistry—William E. Moerner, Eric Betzig, Stefan W. Hell. Physics—Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano, Shuji Makamura. Literature—Patrick Modiano. Medicine—Edvard Moser, John O Keefe, May Britt Moser. Economics—Jean Tirole.

BOOKER PRIZE 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 The New York based Australian Novelist Mr. Peter Carey, won Booker Prize for 2001 for his book 'True History of the Kelly Gang'. This is the second time he has won this prize–the first was in 1988 for Oscar and Cucinds. Carey had also been shortlisted for the Prize in 1985 for his epic Hrycohacker. Booker Prize for the year 2002 has been given to Spanish born Canadian author Yann Martel for his book ‘Life of Pi.’ This prize for 2003 was conferred on Australian Litterateur DBC Pierrie for his work ‘Vernon God Little.’ The prize for 2004 was conferred on British writer Alan Hollinghurst for his work ‘The Line of Beauty.’ The Man Booker Prize for 2005 was conferred on the Irish writer John Banville for his novel ‘The Sea’. The Man Booker Prize for 2006 was conferred on the Indian writer Kiran Desai for her novel ‘The Inheritance of Loss’. The Man Booker Prize for 2007 was conferred on the Irish Writer Anne Enright for her novel ‘The Gathering’. The Man Booker Prize for 2008 was conferred on Indian writer Arvind Adiga for his book ‘The White Tiger’. Hilary Mantel won the Man Booker Prize for 2009 for her book ‘Wolf Hall’, Howard Jacobson won the 2010 Man Booker Prize for the Fiction for the ‘Finkler Question’. Julian Barnes won the 2011 Man Booker Prize for the Sense of an Ending. Hilary Mantel (U.K.) won the 2012 Man Booker Prize, Ellanar Catton won the 2013 Man Booker Prize, Australian author Richard Flanagan had won the 2014 Man Booker Prize for his book ‘The Narrow Road to the Deep North’.

168 |

GK (Ency.)

OTHER AWARDS Shrilal Shukla Sahitya IFFCO Award (2014)— Mithileshwar

Indira Gandhi Peace, Disarmament and Development Award 2014—ISRO. Miss Earth 2014—Jamie Herrell.

Jnanpith Award (2015)—Balchandra Namade.

World Food Prize 2014—Sanjaya Rajaram.

Vyas Samman (2014)—Kamal Kishore Goenka.

Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award 2014— Dr. Apathukatha Sivathanu Pillai.

Time Persons of the Year (2014)—Ebola Fighters. Krishi Karman Awards (2013-14)—Total foodgrains production— ● Category-I States (total foodgrains production exceeds 10 million tonnes) : Punjab. ● Category-II States (total foodgrains production is between 1 and 10 million tonnes) : Odisha. ● Category-III States (total foodgrains production less than 1 million tonnes) : Meghalaya. Each award winning state received a trophy, a citation and a cash award of 2 crore rupees. Individual Crops : ● Rice : Chhattisgarh. ● Wheat : Madhya Pradesh ● Pulses : Assam and Tamil Nadu ● Coarse Cereals : West Bengal ● Oil Seeds : Gujarat Yash Bharti Samman 2015—Vinod Mehta. 10th National Award for Excellent Work in MGNREGA—M.P. Government. Khuswant Singh Memorial Prize 2015— Arundhati Subramaniam Miss Universe 2014—Paulina Vega (Colombia). Miss World 2014—Rolene Strauss (South Africa). Giraffe Hero Award 2015—Subhash Chandra. Space Pioneer Award 2015—Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM). Governor of the Year Award 2015—Raghuram Rajan. Vikram Sarabhai Memorial Award 2015— M.Y.S. Prasad. Yash Chopra Memorial Award 2014—Amitabh Bachchan.

Gandhi International Peace Prize (2013)— Chandi Prasad Bhatt. M.P. Government’s Lata Mangeshkar Samman (2013)—Hariharan. Kishore Kumar Samman (2012-13)—Sameer Kalidas Samman (2012-13) Theatre—Dr. Musalgaonkar

Keshav Rao Sadashiv

Shastri

UN 21 Award—Mr. Ashbindu Singh of United Nations Environment Programme. Miss India International (2014)—Gail Nicole Da Silva Miss India Earth (2014)—Jhatalika Malhotra Miss India World (2014)—Koyal Rana. Miss Earth (2014)—Jamie Herrell. Indira Gandhi National Integration Award (2013)—M. S. Swaminathan. Gujarmal Modi Innovative Science & Technology Award (2013)—V. P. Sharma. Nobel Green Prize (2014)—Ramesh Agrawal National Communal Harmony Award for 2013—The Centre for Study of Society and Secularism, Mumbai. Sydney Peace Prize (2014)—Julian Burnside. Prem Bhatia Award for Journalism (2014)— Smita Gupta. Templeton Prize (2014)—Thomas Halik. Dada Sahib Phalke Award (2013)—Gulzar. DCS Prize 2014—Cyrus Mistry. Col. C. K. Nayudu Award (2014)—Dilip Vengsarkar. Kalashikhar Award (2014)—Birju Maharaj. 42nd Dhanvantari Award (2013)—Dr. S. K. Sarin.

17

States and Union Territories

ANDHRA PRADESH 1. Official Name—Andhra Pradesh 2. Capital—Hyderabad 3. Population (2011 Census)—4,93,86,799 Urban—1,46,10,410 Rural—3,47,76,389 4. Area (sq. km)—160,205

5. Number of Districts—13 6. Density (Per sq. km)—308 (2011 Census) 7. Sex Ratio (2011 Census)—993 (Females per 1000 males) 8. Literacy rate (2011 Census)—67·0% (Males 74·9%, Females 59·1%) 9. Legislature—Bicameral 10. Principal Languages—Telugu and Urdu 11. Judicature—High Court at Hyderabad 12. Important Crops—Jowar, Bajra, Maize, Ragi, Small Millets, Pulses, Castor, Tobacco, Cotton and Sugarcane 13. Location—Located in South India, Andhra Pradesh is bounded by Tamilnadu in the

south, Odisha in the north-east, Telangana and Chhattisgarh in the north eastern, Karnataka in the west and by the Bay of Bengal in the east. 14. Tourist Places—Buddha Stupa at Nagarjuna Konda, Sri Venkateshwara Temple at Tirumala Tirupathi, Sri Malikarjunaswamy Temple at Srisailam, Kanaka Durga temple at Vijaywada, Araku Valley, Horsleg Hills etc. 15. Railways—Railways route covering 5,085 km. Andhra Pradesh, 4,362 km is broad gauge and 686 km is metre gauge and 37 km narrow guage. 16. Aviation—Important airports in the state are located at Hyderabad, Tirupathi and Vishakhapatnam. International Flights are operated from Hyderabad. 17. Ports—Vishakhapatnam is a major port in the state. Minor ports are located at Kakinada, Machilipatnam, Bheemunipatnam, Krishnapatnam, Vadarevu and Kalingapatnam. 18. Roads—National Highways passing through Andhra Pradesh constitute 4,104 km. There are 60,453 km of State highways and 1,03,814 km of Panchayati Raj roads in the State as on March 2002. 19. Irrigation—Important irrigation schemes implemented in the state include Nagarjuna Sagar Project, Prakasam Barrage, Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage, Tungbhadra low level canal, Kurnool-Cuddapah canal, Kadam project, Rompam drainage project and Upper pennar project. 20. Industries—There were 3,111 large and medium scale industries in the state with a total investment of 43,317 crore.

170 | GK (Ency.) 21. Power—Important Power Projects in the state are—The Nagarjuna Sagar & Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy Sagar/Sri Sailam Hydel Project), Upper Stream, Lower Stream. Tungbhadra Hydel Projects and Nellore, Ramagundam, Kothagudam, Vijaywada and Muddanur thermal projects.

14. 15. 16.

ARUNACHAL PRADESH 1. Official Name—Arunachal Pradesh 2. Capital—Itanagar 3. Principal Languages—Monpa, Miji, Aka, Sherdukpen, Nyishi, Apatani, Tagin, Hellnusi Adi, Rigaru-mishmi, Idu-Mishmi, Khamti, Midu-Mishmi, Noite Tangsa Ei Warrcho 4. Population (2011 Census)—13,83,727 Urban—3,17,369 Rural—10,66,358 5. Area (Sq.Km)—83,743 Sq.Km

17.

the Idu Mishmis, Nyokum of the Nishings, Chalo loku of the Noctes etc., Animalsacrifice is a common ritual in most festivals. Roads—Arunachal Pradesh 330 km of National highway. Agriculture Method—Jhum Cultivation Industries and Minerals—For conservation and exploration of the vast minerals the Arunachal Pradesh Mineral Development and Trading Corporation Limited (APMDTCL) was set up in 1991. Namchick and Namphuk Coal fields are taken by APMDTCL. To provide training to craftsmen in different trades. There are two Industrial Training Institutes at Roing and Doporijo. Tourist Places—Places of tourist interest are—Tawang, Dirang, Bomdila, Tipi, Itanagar, Malinithan, Likabali, Pasighat, Along, Tezu, Miao, Roing, Daporijo, Namdapha, Bhismaknagar, Parashuram kund and Khonsa.

ASSAM* 1. Official Name—Asom 2. Capital—Dispur 3. Population (2011 Census)—3,12,05,576 Urban—43,98,542 Rural—2,68,07,034 4. Area (Sq.Km)—78,438 Sq. Km Asom

16. Density (Per Sq. Km)—17 (2011 census) 17. Sex Ratio (Females per 1000 males)—938 (2011 Provisional census) 18. Literacy rate (2011 census)—65·4% (Males 72·6%, Females 57·7%) 19. Legislature—Unicameral 10. Number of Districts—16 11. Location—Bounded by Bhutan to the West, China to the north and north east, Myanmar (Burma) to the east and the plains of Assam to the south. 12. Judicature—The state comes under the jurisdiction of Guwahati High Court. 13. Festivals—Mopin & Solung of the adis, Lossar of the Morpas and the Sherdukpens, Boorri-boot of the Hill Miris, Dree of the Apatanis, Sui–Donyi of the Tagins, Reh of

15. Principal Language—Assamese 16. Density (Per Sq.Km)—398 (2011 census) 17. Sex Ratio (Females per 1000 males)—958 (2011 census) 18. Literacy rate (2011 census)—72·2% (Males 77·8%, Females 66·3%) 19. Number of Districts—27 10. Legislature—Unicameral ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ *

It is proposed to be changed as Asom.

GK (Ency.) | 171 11. Location—Located in eastern India, Assam is almost separated from central India by Bangladesh. It is bounded west by West Bengal, north by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh, east by Nagaland, Manipur and Myanmar, south by Meghalaya, Bangladesh, Tripura and Mizoram. 12. Forests—Assam is known for her rich forest wealth which constitutes 26·22 per cent of the total forest area. Assam has a total 29,282 sq. km area of forest and tree cover which covers 37·337 of total geographical area of the state. 13. Wild Life—The state has five National Parks and 11 Wild Life and Bird Sanctuaries. The Kaziranga National Park and the Manas Tiger Project (National Park) etc. are internationally famous. 14. Roads—The total length of roads in Assam is 37,515 km which include 2,836 km of National Highway. 15. Railways—The length of railway track in Assam is 2,284·28 km comprising both metre gauge and broad gauge lines. 16. Aviation—1. Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi airport Guwahati. 2. Salonibari Airport Tezpur 3. Mohan buri Airport, Dibrugarh 4. Lilapari Airport, Lakhimpur 5. Kumbhirgram Airport, Silchar 6. Rawriah Airport, Jorhat 7. Silonibari, North Lakhimpur 17. Tourist places—Important places of tourism in and around Guwahati are Kamakhaya temple, Umananda (peacock island), Navagrah temple, Basistha Ashram, Dolgobinda, Gandhi Mandap, State zoo, State Museum, Sukreswar Temple, Gita Mandir, Madan Kamdar Temple.

BIHAR 1. Official Name—Bihar 2. Capital—Patna 3. Population (2011 census)—10,40,99,452 Urban—1,17,58,016 Rural—9,23,41,436

4. 5. 6. 7. 08. 09. 10. 11.

12.

13.

14.

Area (Sq. Km)—94,163 Principal Language—Hindi Density (Per Sq. Km)—1106 (2011 census) Sex Ratio (Females per 1000 males)—918 (2011 census) Literacy Rate (2011 census)—61·8% (Males 71·2%, Females 51·5%). Number of Districts—38 Legislature—Bicameral Aviation—There is an international airport at Patna besides landing grounds in all major districts of the state. Location—Located in north India, Bihar is bounded by Nepal in north, Jharkhand in south, West Bengal in east and Uttar Pradesh in west. Roads—The total road length in Bihar by September 2013 was 1,80,540·41 km including 4200·71 km of National Highways, 4483·19 km of State Highway 9,449·36 km major District roads and 1,62,407·15 km Rural Roads. Railways—In Bihar rail transport was started in 1860–62 when East India Company constructed main line from the coast of Ganga to Kolkata. This railway line was constructed from Rajmahal (Jharkhand), Bhagalpur, Munger, Patna, Ara and Buxar to Mughalsarai, thereafter a line from Kioul to Jhajha and Asansol was constructed. Total length of rail line in Bihar upto March 31, 2011 were 3612 km.

172 | GK (Ency.) 15. Irrigation—Bihar has an irrigation potential of 28·73 lakh hectare.

7. Legislature—Unicameral 8. Number of Districts—27 9. Literacy rate (2011 census)—70·3% (Males 80·3%, Females 60·2%)

16. Tourist places—Rajgir (Pilgrim place for Buddhists), Bodhgaya, Gaya, Nalanda, Vaishali, Pawapuri, Vikramshila, Patna, Sasaram and Madhubani.

10. Sex Ratio (Females per 1000 males)—991 (2011 census)

17. Agriculture—Bihar has a total geographical area of about 93·60 lakh hectare, out of which only 55·54 lakh hectare is the net cultivated area and gross cultivated area being about 72·95 lakh hectare.

11. Location— Chhattisgarh is bounded by southern Jharkhand and Odisha in the east, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra in the west, Uttar Pradesh and Western Jharkhand in the north and Andhra Pradesh in the south.

Principal foodgrains crops are Paddy, Wheat, Maize and Pulses. Main cash crops are Sugarcane, Potato, Tobacco, Oilseeds, Onion, Chillies, Jute and Mestas. 18. Rivers—Ganga, Sone, Poon Poon, Falgu, Kalmanasa, Durgawati, Baraker, Koal Kosi, Gandak, Ghaghara.

CHHATTISGARH 1. Official Name—Chhattisgarh (From 1 Nov. 2000) 2. Capital—Raipur 3. Area (Sq.Km)—135,133 4. Population (2011 census)—2,55,45,198 Urban—59,37,237 Rural—1,96,07,961 5. Density (Per Sq. Km)—189 (2011 census) 6. Principal Language—Hindi

12 Judicature—High Court at Bilaspur 13. Tourist Places—Ambikapur, Bilaspur, Durg, Jagdalpur, Raigarh, Raipur, Rajnadgaon, Bhilai, Korba, Jashpur, Jasgir-Champa, Mahasamund. 14. Forests Cover—41·14% 15. Roads—35,404·54 km roads 16. Universities—04 Universities, Guru Ghasidas University–Bilaspur, Ravishankar University–Raipur, Indira Gandhi Agriculture University–Raipur, Indira Gandhi Sangeet Art University–Kheragarh. 17. Assembly seats—90 18. Rajya Sabha seats—3 19. Lok Sabha seats—11 20. First Chief Minister—Ajit Jogi 21. First Governor—Dinesh Nandan Sahay 22. First Chief Secretary—Arun Kumar 23. Rivers—Mahanadi, Indravati, Shivnath, Peri, Kharun Khasarda, Erva, Shankh, Lelagar, Arpa, Maniyari, Surhi, Amner, Sabri, Gudla, Nibra, Kautri. 24. Crops—Rice, Sugarcane, Mesta, Wheats.

GOA 1. 2. 3. 4.

Official Name—Goa Capital—Panji Area (Sq.Km)—3702 Population (2011 census)—1,458,545 Urban—9,06,814 Rural—5,51,731

GK (Ency.) | 173

5. Density (Per Sq.Km)—394 (2011 census) 6. Principal Languages—Marathi & Konkani 7. Literacy rate (2011 census)—88·7% (Males 92·6%, Females 84·7%) 8. Sex Ratio (Females per 1000 males)—967 (2011 census) 9. Number of Districts—2 10. Legislature—Unicameral 11. Location—Goa is bounded on the north by Maharashtra & on the east and south by Karnataka and has a coastline of 105 km, opening into Arabian Sea in the west. 12. Judicature—The state comes under the jurisdiction of Mumbai High Court. 13. Rivers—Mandovi, Zuari, Tiracol, Chapora, Betul. 14. Agriculture—Rice is the main food crop. Pulses, Ragi and other food crops are also grains. Main cash crops are Coconut, Cashewnut, Arecanut, Sugarcane and fruits like Pineapple, Mango and Banana. 15. Industries—The state has 5765 small scale industrial units with a total investment of Rs. 219·09 crore. 16. Irrigation—Total irrigation potential is 43,000 hectares.

17. Roads—Motorable roads, national highway constitutes 264 km, state highways 279·4 km and district roads 4501·18 km. 18. Railways—Goa is linked with Mumbai, Manglore and Thiruvananthpuram through the Konkan railway, Vasco-da-Gama is connected with Bangalore & Belgaum through the south-central railway. 19. Aviation—Mumbai, Delhi, Thiruvanantpuram, Cochin, Chennai, Agati and Banglore are linked with Dabolin through regular airlines services. 20. Tourist places—Important tourist centres are Colva Calangute, Vagator, Baga, Harmal Anjuna, Miramar beaches, Basilica or Bom Jesus and St. Cathedral Churche’s at old Goa, Karlem Mardol, Mangulshi, Bandora temples. Aguda Terikhol, Chapra and Cabo de Rama Forts, Dudhsagar and Hil Varun Waterfalls and Mayem lake Resort.

GUJARAT 1. Official Name—Gujarat 2. Capital—Gandhi Nagar 3. Population (2011 census)—6,04,39,692 Urban—2,57,45,083 Rural—3,46,94,609 4. Area (Sq.Km)—1,96,024

5. Density (Per Sq. Km)—308 (2011 census) 6. Sex Ratio (Females per 1000 males)—919 (2011 census) 07. Literacy rate (2011 census)—78·0% (Males 85·8%, Females 69·7%)

174 | GK (Ency.) 08. 09. 10. 11.

12. 13.

14.

15.

16.

17. 18.

19.

Legislature—Unicameral Number of Districts—26 Principal Language—Gujarati Location—Located in western India, Gujarat is bounded north by Pakistan and Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh in the east, Maharashtra in the south-east and Arabian Sea in the west. Judicature—High Court at Ahmedabad. Agriculture—Gujarat is the main producer of Tobacco, Cotton and Groundnut in the country. Industries—The number of registered working factories in the state were 27,750 at the end of 2012 with the average daily employment to 8·68 lakh. Irrigation—The total irrigation potential through surface water as well as groundwater has been assessed at 64·88 lakh hectares including 17·92 lakh hectares through Sardar Sarovar (Narmada Project). Roads—The total length of roads was 77,690 km by the end of 2011-12. The length of surfaced road was 71,455·4 km. Ports—Gujarat has 41 ports of which Kandla is a major one. Aviation—The main airport of Gujarat at Ahmedabad is connected with Mumbai, Delhi and other cities by daily services. Tourist Places—Religious places like Dwarka, Somnath, Palitana, Shamlaji, Taranga and Girnar, Porbandar.

HARYANA 01. 02. 03. 04. 05.

Official Name—Haryana Capital—Chandigarh Principal Language—Hindi Area (Sq.Km)—44,212 Population (2011 census)—2,53,51,462 Urban—8842103 Rural—1,65,09,359 06. Density (Per Sq.Km)—573 (2011 census) 07. Sex Ratio (Females per 1000 males)—879 (2011 census) 08. Number of Districts—21

09. Literacy rate (2011 census)—75·6% (Males 84·1%, Females 65·9%) 10. Legislature—Unicameral 11. Judicature—Punjab and Haryana High Court. 12. Location—The state is bound by Uttar Pradesh in the east, Punjab in the west, Himachal Pradesh in the north and Rajasthan in the south. National Capital territory Delhi just into Haryana.

13. Roads—The length of roads in the state is 35,303 km. From merely 5100 km in 1966. Four linking of National Highway no. 1 from Murthal (Delhi Border) to Shahibabad has been completed. 14. Aviation—There are five civil aerodromes in the state viz., Pinjore, Karnal, Hissar, Bhiwani and Narnaul. 15. Railways—Rail routes from Delhi to Agra, Ajmer Ferozepur, Amritsar, Jammu and Chandigarh cross through the state. Ambala, Panipat and Jakhal are important railway stations. 16. Tourist Places—Haryana has a network of 46 tourist complexes in the state and caters to about 67 lakh tourists every year. Some of the important complexes are—Blue Jay (Samlakha), Skylark (Panipat), Chakravarty lake and Oasis (Uchana), Parakeet (Pipli), King Fisher (Ambala), Magpie (Faridabad), Dabchick (Hodel), Shama (Gurgaon), Jungle Babbler (Dharuhera).

GK (Ency.) | 175 17. Power—Haryana became the first state in the country to achieve 100 per cent rural electrification in 1970. The installed capacity on 31 March, 2012 is 580·82 MW. 18. Irrigation—Haryana is a beneficiary of the multi-purpose project in Sutlej and Beas, sharing benefits with Punjab and Rajasthan. Major irrigation projects are western Yamuna Canal, Bhakhra Canal System and Gurgaon Canal. Haryana has raised water from lower levels to higher and drier slopes. 19. Agriculture—Rice, Wheat, Jowar, Bajra, Maize, Barley and Pulses, Sugarcane, Cotton, Oilseeds and Potato are the major crops of the state.

HIMACHAL PRADESH 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Official Name—Himachal Pradesh Capital—Shimla Principal Languages—Hindi and Pahari Area (Sq.Km)—55,673 Population (2011 census)—68,64,602 Urban—6,88,552 Rural—61,76,050

11. Judicature—High Court at Shimla. 12. Location—The state is bordered by Jammu and Kashmir on north, Punjab in West and southwest, Haryana on south, Uttar Pradesh on south east and by Tibet on the east 13. Roads—Himachal Pradesh has 14 national highways. The length of National Highways in Himachal Pradesh as on March 31, 2014 was 1,752·830 kms. 14. Railways—The state has two narrow/meter gauge railway lines connecting Pathankot with Joginder Nagar and Kalka with Shimla. Broad gauge railway line from Nangal dam to Una. 15. Aviation—The state has three airports at Bhuntar (Kullu Valley), Jubbarhatti (Shimla) and Gaggal (Kangra). In addition 35 helipads are available for operation in the state. 16. Tourist Places—Main tourist complexes are Shimla, Palanpur, Dharamshala, KulluManali, Chamba-Dalhousie, Temples at Bhimakali, Sarahan, Hatkoti, Jwalajee Chamunda Devi, Chinta Purni, Renuka and Rewalsar, Deotha Siddh and Naina Devi are major attraction for pilgrims. 17. Irrigation and Water Supply—Villages have been provided with the facility of drinking water. Over 15,000 hand-pumps have been installed in the state so far. For better reform in water supply and irrigation sector. The state Government has taken up a project with the total cost of 339 crore for irrigation as well as drinking water supply. 18. Industries—It now has 349 large and medium scale industries and about 33284 small scale industries with an investment of 4822·54 crore.

JAMMU & KASHMIR

6. Sex Ratio (Females per 1000 males)—972 (2011 census) 7. Number of Districts—12 8. Density (Per Sq.Km)—123 (2011 census) 9. Legislature—Unicameral 10. Literacy rate (2011 census)—82·2% (Males 89·5%, Females 75·9%)

1. Official Name—Jammu & Kashmir 2. Capital —Srinagar (Summer), Jammu (Winter) 3. Principal Languages—Urdu, Kashmiri, Dogri, Pahari, Balti, Laddakhi, Punjabi, Gujri and Dadri 4. Area (Sq. Km)—2,22,236 5. Population (2011 census)—1,25,41,302 Urban—34,33,242 Rural—91,08,060 6. Sex Ratio (Females per 1000 males)—889 (2011 census)

176 | GK (Ency.) of the net area is irrigated through canals, while tasks, tubewells and other means of also used. 18. Agriculture—Paddy, Wheat, Maize are the major crops. Barley, Bajra, Jowar are cultivated in some parts.

JHARKHAND 01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 7. Density (Per Sq. Km)—124 (2011 census) 8. Number of Districts—22 Jammu and Kashmir Govt. has created eight new districts : Kishtwar, Samba, Reasi and Ramba in Jammu division and Bandipore, Kulgam, Ganderbal and Shopian in the Kashmir Valley. 9. Literacy rate—67·2% (Males 76·8%, Females 56·4%) 10. Legislature—Bicameral 11. Judicature—High Court at Srinagar and Jammu. 12. Location—Located in the extreme north, the state is bounded north by China, east by Tibet, south by Himachal Pradesh and Punjab and west by Pakistan 13. Roads—The road length in the state was 27,778 km in March 2012. 14. Aviation—Srinagar, Jammu and Leh are major airports connecting Jammu & Kashmir with other parts of the country. 15. Railways—At present rail system extends only upto Jammu. Work on JammuUdhampur railwayline is in progress. In July 2014 Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the first Katra-Udhampur train in the state. 16. Tourist Places—Kashmir valley, Chasma Sahi Springs, Shalimar Bagh, Dal Lake etc. in Srinagar. Gulmarg, Pahalgam, etc. in the valley; Vaishno-Devi temple and Patnitop near Jammu are important tourist centres. 17. Irrigation—The mode of irrigating the crops mainly used is the canals. About 89 per cent

07. 08. 09. 10. 11.

12.

Official Name—Jharkhand Capital—Ranchi Principal Language—Hindi Came into being—15 Nov., 2000 Area (Sq.Km)—79,714 Population (2011 census)—3,29,88,134 Urban—79,33,061 Rural—2,50,55,073 Sex ratio (Females per 1000 males)—949 (2011) Density (Per Sq. Km)—414 (2011 census) Literacy rate (2011 census)—66·4% (Male 76·8%, Females 55·4%) Legislature—Bicameral Location—Jharkhand is bounded by West Bengal in the east, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in the west, Bihar in the north and Odisha in the south. Judicature—High Court at Ranchi

ODISHA

13. Tourist Places—Bokaro, Jamshedpur, Chaibasa, Deoghar, Dumka, Belta, Girodih, Godda, Gumla are the important tourist places. 14. First Chief Minister—Babu Lal Marandi 15. First Governor—Parbhat Kumar 16. First Chief Secretary—B.S. Dubey 17. Lok Sabha Seats—14

GK (Ency.) | 177 8,366 km of the municiple road and 1,484·12 Rajya Sabha Seats—06 km of the others road as on September 2013. Legislative Assembly Seats—82 Number of Districts—24 Rivers—Northern Koel, Western Koel, Balakar, Panchane, Damodar, Swarna Rekha are important rivers in Jharkhand 22. Crops—Maize, Ragi, Bajra, Millets, Potato, Mustard and Tisi 23. Aviation—Ranchi is major airport and Jamshedpur, Hazaribagh are other airports in Jharkhand. 24. Universities—(1) Ranchi University—Ranchi (2) Birla Agriculture University (3) Sidhu-Kanhu University, Dumka (4) Binoba Bhave University–Hazaribagh (5) Birsa Institute or Technology (Deemed University) 15. Aviation—Bengaluru, Belgaum, Mangalore (6) Indian School of Mines–Dhanbad are the major airports. Direct flight facilities (7) Nilamber Pitamber University–Palamau. to major cities of India are available from Bengaluru. KARNATAKA 16. Railways—Rail network in Karnataka is 1. Official Name—Karnataka 5,319 km as on 2012. 17. Tourist Places—Badami, Bengaluru, 2. Capital—Bengaluru Bellarry, Aihole, Gulbarga, Raichur, Udupi, 3. Principal Language—Kannada Hampi, Dharmasthala, Mangalore, Karwar, 14. Number of Districts—30 Bidar and Bijapur are the tourist places. 15. Area (Sq. Km)—191,791 18. Industries—Karnataka contributes four per 16. Density (Per Sq.Km)—319 cent of the national production in the industrial sector and 20 per cent to the state 17. Population (2011 census)—6,10,95,297 income. Urban—2,36,25,962 19. Irrigation—Karnataka has the basins of the Rural—3,74,69,335 Krishna, Cauvery, Godavari, north Pennar, 18. Sex Ratio (Females per 1000 males)—967 south Pennar, Palar and west flowing rivers (2011 census) basins with a drainage area of 2600 sq. km. 19. Literacy rate (2011 census)—75·4% (Males KERALA 82·5%, Females 68·1%) 10. Decadal growth rate (2001–11)—15·67% 01. Official Name—Kerala 11 Legislature—Bicameral 02. Capital—Thiruvanantpuram 03. Sex Ratio (Females per 1000 males)—1084 12. Judicature—High Court at Bengaluru 13. Location—Karnataka lies to the south of Goa 04. Principal Language—Malayalam and Maharashtra, to the west of Andhra 05. Population (2011 census)—3,34,06,061 Pradesh, to the west of Tamil Nadu and to the Urban—1,59,34,926 north of Kerala. Rural—1,74,71,135 14. Roads—Karnataka had 2,31,997 km of 06. Number of Districts—14 Motorable roads including 4,688 km of the National Highways, 20,572 km of the state 07. Legislature—Unicameral highway, 49,959 km of the major district road, 08. Density (Per Sq.Km)—860 (2011 census) 18. 19. 20. 21.

178 | GK (Ency.)

09. Literacy rate (2011 census)—94·0% (Males 96·1%, Females 92·1%) 10. Location—Located in south India, Kerala is bounded north by Karnataka, east and south east by Tamil Nadu, south-west by the Indian ocean and the Arabian Sea in the west. 11. Judicature—High Court at Ernakulam 12. Roads—In Kerala Public works department has a total road length of 3,18,116 kms of state roads and 1,542 kms of National highways. The state roads include 4,341·65 kms of major district roads. 13. Railways—The state has a total railway route length of 3228 km and covers 13 railway routes by the end of 2012-13. 14. Aviation—There are three airports, viz., Thiruvananthpuram, Kochi, Kozhikode; of which the first two are international airports. 15. Irrigation—Major irrigation projects are Malampuzha, Chalakkudy, Peechi, Pamba, Periyar, Chittoorpuzha, Kuttiyedi, Neyyar and Chimmini. The medium projects are Pothundy, Gayathri, Valayar, Vazhani, Manglam & Cheela kuzhi. 16. Power—Hydel energy is the most reliable and dependable source in Kerala. Of the total installed capacity of 2881 MW during 201213, hydel power contributed the major share of 2053 MW (71%), while 793 MW was contributed by thermal projects including NTPC at Kayamkulam and Kanjkode wind farm, Palakkad has contributed 2 MW. Wind energy from IPP is 33 MW. Additional capacity generated during 2012-13 was only 8 MW (0·28%) that is 2881 MW in 2012-13 against 2873 MW in 2011-12. 17. Industries—In Kerala the manufacturing sector registered a growth rate of 12·4 per cent at

current prices during 2012-13 compared to the growth rate of 15·4 per cent in the previous year. The contribution of income from manufacturing sector to GSDP at constant and current prices during 2012-13 was 7·7 per cent and 7·6 per cent respectively. State Public Sector Enterprises are one of the largest employers in the organised sector in the state. There are 44 PSUs under the Industries Department, of which 37 are in the manufacturing sector and 7 in the non-manufacturing sector. The total number of joint stock companies in Kerala as on March 2013, is 21990 of which 93% are private limited and 7% public limited. During 2012-13, 2729 companies were newly registered (2680 private and 49 public) and 262 companies were wound up. Seven public companies were converted to private companies and 13 companies were converted from private to public. 18. Tourist Places—Thiruvananthpuram, Kovalam, Kalady, Munnar, Thrissul district, Guruvayar, Kasaragode, Veli Lagoon neyyar dam, Peermade are important tourist places.

MADHYA PRADESH 01. 02. 03. 04.

Official Name—Madhya Pradesh Capital—Bhopal Principal Language—Hindi Area (Sq. Km)—308,313

05. Population (2011 census)—7,26,26,809 Urban—2,00,69,405 Rural—5,25,57,404 06. Number of Districts—50

GK (Ency.) | 179 07. Location—Madhya Pradesh is bounded by Chhattisgarh in the east, Rajasthan and Gujarat in the west, Uttar Pradesh in the north and Maharashtra in the south. 08. Legislature—Unicameral 09. Density (Per Sq. Km)—236 (2011 census) 10. Judicature—High Court at Jabalpur (with benches at Gwalior and Indore) 11. Sex Ratio (Females per 1000 males)—931 (2011 census) 12. Literacy rate (2011 census)—69·3% (Males 78·7%, Females 59·2%) 13. Roads—Total length of roads in the state is 58,423 km. The length of national highway in the state is 4,709 km while state highway extends to 10,501 km. 14. Aviation—There are airports at Bhopal, Gwalior, Indore, Khajuraho and Raipur with regular scheduled air services to Mumbai and Delhi, Varanasi and Nagpur, Raipur and Bhuvneshwar. 15. Railways—The main rail route linking northern India with southern India passes through Madhya Pradesh. Main junctions in the state are Bhopal, Gwalior, Indore, Itarasi, Jabalpur, Katni, Ratlam and Ujjain. The total length of rail routes in the state is 1,050 km. The divisional railways headquarters are at Bhopal, Ratlam and Jabalpur. 16. Irrigation—The ultimate irrigation capacity of Madhya Pradesh is estimated to be of the tune of 112·90 lakh hectares. The said number comprises of 60·90 lakh hectares from surface water and 52 lakh hectares from ground water. 17. Power—During the FY 11, energy input in the state was increased by 9%. It further increased by 11% in FY 12. However, it has been planned to increase input further by 20% during FY 13 and by 23% in FY 14. This increase has been planned considering the impact of feeder separation scheme. During FY 13 & FY 14, capacity addition plan for the state is 1719 MW and 3133 MW, respectively. Presently, Madhya Pradesh Power Generating Company has 3724·7 MW of power generating capacity comprising 2807·50 MW of thermal and 917·20 MW of hydel power. 18. Crops—Wheat, Rice, Jowar, Sugarcane, Cotton, Tuar, Mustard are the other principal crops grown in the state. Madhya Pradesh is the leading producer of oilseeds in the

country, Pulses, Soyabean, Linseed are produced.

Gram

and

MAHARASHTRA 01. 02. 03. 4. 5.

6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.

14.

15.

Official Name—Maharashtra Capital—Mumbai Principal Language—Marathi Area (Sq. Km)—307,713 Population (2011 census)—11,23,74,333 Urban—5,08,18,259 Rural—6,15,56,074

Density (Per sq. km)—365 (2011 census) Decadal growth rate (2001–2011)—16·15% Legislature—Bicameral Judicature—High Court at Mumbai (having benches at Nagpur, Panji and Aurangabad). Sex Ratio (Females per 1000 males)—929 (2011 census) Number of Districts—35 Literacy rate (2011 census)—82·3% (Males 88·4%, Females 75·9%) Location—Located in central India, Maharashtra is bounded north by Madhya Pradesh, east by Chhattisgarh, south by Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Goa, west by the Arabian Sea and north-west by Daman and Gujarat. Roads—Total length of roads in the state in March 2013 was 2·43 lakh km consisting of 4376 km of national highways, 34,157 km of state highways, 50,256 km of major district roads 46,817 km of other district roads and 1,06,601 km of village roads. Railways—Maharashtra has 5983 km of railway routes which is 9·2 per cent of the total railway route in the country.

180 | GK (Ency.) 16. Aviation—There are 3 international and 5 domestic airports in the state. To reduce the congestion in Mumbai international airport an additional airport has been proposed at Navi Mumbai. 17. Ports—Mumbai is the major port. There are 48 minor ports in the state. 18. Agriculture—By the end of June 2012, the total irrigation potential created was 49·26 lakh hectare of which 27·19 lakh hectare was from major irrigation projects, 8·67 lakh hectare was from medium irrigation projects and remaining 13·40 lakh hectare was from minor irrigation project. Principal crops grown in the state are Rice, Jowar, Bajra, Wheat, Tur, Mung, Urad, Gram and other Pulses. The state is a major producer of oilseeds. Groundnut, Sunflower, soyabean are major oilseed crops. Important cash crops are cotton, sugarcane, turmeric and vegetables. 19. Power—The total installed capacity as on March 31, 2013 in the state comprises of public sector 43·2 per cent, private sector 47·9 per cent and PPP 8·9 per cent. Total electricity generated in the state was 88,139 million units during 2012-13. 20. Tourist Places—Ajanta, Ellora, Elephanta, Kanheri and Karla Caves, Mahabaleshwar, Matheran and Panchgani, Jawhar, Malshejghat, Amboli, Chikaldara Panhala Hill stations and religious places at Pandherpur, Nashik, Shirdi, Nanded, Audhanagnath, Trimbakeshwar, Tuljapur, Ganpatipur, Bhimashankar, Hari Hareshwar and Shegaon are important tourist places of Maharashtra.

MANIPUR 1. Official Name—Manipur 2. Capital—Imphal

3. Principal Language—Manipuri 4. Area (Sq.Km)—22,327 05. Population (2011 census)—25,70,390 Urban—8,34,154 Rural—17,36,236 06. Density (Per Sq.Km)—115 (2011 census) 07. Number of Districts—09 08. Location—Located in north-east India, Manipur is bounded north by Nagaland, east by Myanmar (Burma), south by Myanmar and Mizoram and west by Assam. 09. Legislature—Unicameral 10. Sex ratio (Females per 1000 males)—992 (2011 census) 11. Literacy rate (2011 census)—79·2% (Males 86·1%, Females 72·4%) 12. Judicature—Manipur comes under the jurisdiction of Imphal High Court. 13. Roads—The state has 12,618 km of roads both metalled and unmetalled as on 31 March, 2013. 14. Aviation—Imphal is the only airport which is linked with other stations in the region. The Indian Airlines flights connect Imphal to Silcher, Aizawal, Guwahati, Kolkata and Delhi. The Jet Airways flights connect Imphal to Guwahati, Kolkata and Jorhat. 15. Railways—The state is included in the railway map of India with the opening of a rail head at Jiribam in May 1990. 16. Power—The installed capacity was 178·80 MW as on 31 July, 2014. 17. Industries—Manipur is making rapid strides towards industrialisation and has registered 9,247 small scale industrial units providing employment to 47,186 persons . 18. Tourist Places—Imphal, Shillong, Khongjom are important tourist places in Manipur.

MEGHALAYA 01. 02. 03. 04.

05. 06. 07. 08.

Official Name—Meghalaya Capital—Shillong Area (Sq. Km)—22,429 Population (2011 census)—29,66,889 Urban—5,95,450 Rural—23,71,439 Decadal growth rate (2001–11)—27·9% Density (Per Sq. Km)—132 (2011 census) Number of Districts—7 Sex ratio (Females per 1000 males)—989 (2011 census)

GK (Ency.) | 181

09. Literacy rate (2011 census)—74·4% (Males 76·0%, Females 72·9%) 10. Principal Languages—Khasi, Garo and English. 11. Judicature—Falls under the jurisdiction of Shillong High Court. 12. Legislature—Unicameral 13. Location—It is bound on the north and east by Assam and on the south and west by Bangladesh. 14. Aviation—The only airport in the state at Umroi, 35 km from Shillong. 15. Roads—Six National highways pass through Meghalaya covering 606 km. 16. Agriculture—Meghalaya is basically an agricultural state in which about 80% of its total population depend primarily on agriculture for their livelihood. The major food crops of Meghalaya are Rice and Maize, Meghalaya is renowned for its Oranges, Pineapple, Banana, Lach fruits, Temperate fruits like Plum, Pears and Peaches etc. 17. Tourist Places—Shillong, the capital city, has a number of beautiful spots. They are Ward’s lake, Lady Hydari Park, Pologround mini zoo, Elephant Falls and Shillong peak overlooking the city and the golf course which is one of the best in the country.

MIZORAM 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Official Name—Mizoram Capital—Aizawal Principal Languages—Mizo and English Area (sq.km)—21,087 Population (2011 census)—10,97,206 Urban—5,71,771 Rural—5,25,435 6. Decadal growth rate (2001–11)—23·5%

7. Number of Districts—8 8. Location—One of the eastern-most states, Mizoram lies between Bangladesh and Myanmar. Tripura, Assam and Manipur border is on the north. 9. Sex ratio (Females per 1000 males)—976 (2011 census) 10. Density (Per sq.km)—52 (2011 census) 11. Literacy rate (2011 census)—91·3% (Males 93·3%, Females 89·3%) 12. Judicature—Falls under the jurisdiction of Guwahati High Court. There is a bench at Aizawal. 13. Transport—Total road length in the state is 6,349·60 km. Rail link in the state has been established at Bairabi. There are 6 National highways passing through the length and breadth of Mizoram.

14. Festival—Mizos have three major festivals (Kut) called Chapchar Kut, Mim Kut and Pawl Kut. 15. Irrigation—Due to hilly nature of the state, all irrigation projects are confined to minor irrigation. 390 minor irrigation projects have been completed covering an area of 1559 hectares. 49 minor irrigation projects covering an area of 2639 hectare are scheduled for completion during the year 2012-13.

182 | GK (Ency.) 16. Tourist Places—Aizawal, Lunglei, Champhai, Thingdawl are the important places of tourist purpose.

NAGALAND 1. Official Name—Nagaland 2. Capital—Kohima 3. Principal Languages—Angami, Ao, Chang, Konyak Lotha, Sangtam, Sema and Chakhesang. 4. Population (2011 census)—19,78,502 Urban—5,70,966 Rural—14,07,536 5. Area (sq.km)—16,579 6. Number of Districts—11 7. Legislature—Unicameral 8. Density (Per sq.km)—119 (2011 census) 9. Literacy rate (2011 census)—79·6% (Males 82·8%, Females 76·1%) 10. Sex Ratio (Females per 1000 males)—931 (2011 census) 11. Decadal growth rate (2001–2011)— – 0·51% (2011 census)

16. Festivals—Some of the important festivals are Sekrenyi, Moatsu, Tuluni and Tokhu Emong. 17. Agriculture—Agriculture is the main occupation of 70 per cent of population in the state. Rice is the important foodgrain. It occupies about 70 per cent of the total area under cultivation and constitutes about 75 per cent of the total food production in the state. Total cultivable area 7,21,924 hectare. Area under Jhum cultivation and terraced cultivation is about 1,01,400 hectare. 18. Tourist Places—Phek, Kohima, Wokha are mostly known as tourist places.

ODISHA 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

08. 09. 10. 11. 12.

Official Name—Odisha Capital—Bhuvneswar Principal Language—Odiya Judicature—Falls under the jurisdiction of Orissa High Court. Area (sq.km)—155,707 Density (Per sq. km)—270 (2011 census) Population (2011 census)—4,19,74,218 Urban—70,03,656 Rural—3,49,70,562 Decadal growth rate (2001–11)—14·00% Number of Districts—30 Literacy rate (2011 census)—72·9% (Males 81·5%, Females 64·0%) Sex Ratio (Females per 1000 males)—979 (2011 census) Legislature—Unicameral Odisha

12. Location—Situated in the extreme north-east of the country, Nagaland is bounded by Arunachal Pradesh in the north, Assam in the west, Manipur in the south and Myanmar in the east. 13. Judicature—Falls under the jurisdiction of Guwahati High Court. There is a bench at Kohima. 14. Roads—Total length of roads in Nagaland is 23,466 km. 15. Railway’s/Aviation—Dimapur is the only place where rail and air services are available.

13. Location—Odisha is situated in the northeastern part of the Indian Peninsula. It is bound by the Bay of Bengal on the east, West

GK (Ency.) | 183

14.

15. 16.

17.

18.

19.

Bengal on the north-east, Jharkhand on the north, Chhattisgarh on the west and Andhra Pradesh on the south. Roads—The state has a total road length of 2,50,836 km by the end of 2012-13. The road network of the state consists of national highways, state highways, major district roads and village rural roads. Railways—The total railways route length in the state by the end of 2012-13 was 2507 km. Aviation—The expansion and modernisation of Bhuvneswar airport is in progress. Direct flight is available from Bhuvneswar to places like Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Nagpur and Hyderabad. There are 13 air strips and 16 helipads at different places of the state. Industries—The Industry Sector consists contributed about 25·16 per cent share of Odisha’s GSDP in real terms as per the estimates of 2012-13. The share of this sector is expected to rise to 25·40 per cent as per advance estimates for the year 2013-14. Most large-scale industries in Odisha are mineral-based. In steel production, Odisha has 10 per cent of the total capacity of the nation, while it has 25 per cent of total iron-ore reserves in the country. Odisha occupies the first place in the country in aluminium, both in terms of production capacity and actual output. Out of the four big plants producing aluminium in the country, two are in Odisha. These are NALCO and Vedanta Aluminum Limited (VAL). Power—The total installed capacity of power in the state sector during 2012-13 was 88·59 MW. The power available from all sources was 2,776 MW. Out of 47,529 villages in the state 88 per cent villages have been electrified by 31 March, 2013. Tourist Places—Konark, Nandan Kanan, Chilika Lake, Ratangir, Lalitgiri, Gopalpur Sea Beach are important tourist places in Orissa.

PUNJAB 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Official Name—Punjab Capital—Chandigarh Principal Language—Punjabi Area (sq. km)—50,362 Population (2011 census)—2,77,43,338 Urban—1,03,99,146 Rural—1,73,44,192

06. Sex Ratio (Females per 1000 males)—895 (2011 census) 07. Number of Districts—20 08. Legislature—Unicameral 09. Density (Per sq. km)—551 (2011 census) 10. Literacy rate (2011 census)—75·8% (Males 80·4%, Females 70·7%)

11. Location—Situated in north-western corner of the country, Punjab is bound on the west by Pakistan, on north by Jammu and Kashmir, on north-east, Himachal Pradesh and on south by Haryana and Rajasthan. 12. Roads—The total road network length is 69,848 kms, consisting of 1739 kms of national highways, 1479 km state highways 6960 km major and other district roads 58703 km of rural link roads. 13. Railways—The length of the rail routes passing through the state is around 2215 km. Rail communications with Pakistan also connects from Punjab (Amritsar). 14. Aviation—There are three civil aviation clubs at Bhatinda, Ludhiana and Patiala or Flying club at Jalandhar, one domestic airport at Chandigarh, International Airport at Rajasansi (Amritsar) and two aerodromes at Patiala and Sahnewal (Ludhiana). 15. Judicature—Falls under the jurisdiction of Punjab and Haryana High Court, Chandigarh. 16. Festivals—Besides festivals of Dussehra, Diwali, Holi other important festivals/fairs/ melas are Baisakhi, Hola-Mohalla, Basant, Maghi Mela etc. 17. Industries—There are 1·57 lakh small scale units in the state and 460 large and medium

184 | GK (Ency.) scale units in the state of Punjab as of March 2014. 18. Power—The installed plant capacity electric power generation in the state is 4939 MW in 2013-14. 19. Tourist Places—Amritsar, Takhat Keshgarh Sahib, Anandpur Sahib, Harike Pattan, Sangol, Jalandhar are the important tourist places.

RAJASTHAN 1. 2. 3. 4.

Official Name—Rajasthan Capital—Jaipur Principal Languages—Hindi & Rajasthani Area (sq. km)—3,42,239

16. 17.

18.

19.

km. meter guage and 86·76 km narrow guage) in the state on March 2012. Aviation—Regular air services connect Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur with Delhi and Mumbai. Agriculture—Estimated total sown area in the state was 260·40 lakh hectare and estimated foodgrain production is 206·46 lakh m. tonnes in 2013-14. Irrigation and Power—By the end of June 2014 irrigation potential of 38·12 lakh hectare was created in the state through various major, medium and minor irrigation projects. The installed power capacity in the state has become 14631·61 MW upto March 2014 of which 4457·35 MW is produced from state owned projects 947·95 MW from the collaboration projects, 2796·66 MW from the allocation from central power generating stations, 3637·65 MW from wind, solar and Biomass projects and 2792·00 MW from private sector projects. Tourist Places—Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Bikaner, Mount Abu, Sariska Tiger Sanctuary in Alwar, Keoladeo National Park at Bharatpur, Ajmer, Jaisalmer, Pali and Chittorgarh are important places of tourist interest in the state.

SIKKIM 15. Population (2011 census)—6,85,48,437 Urban—1,70,48,085 Rural—5,15,00,352 16. Decadal growth rate (2001–11)—21·38% 17. Number of Districts—33 18. Density (Per sq. km)—200 (2011 census) 19. Legislature—Unicameral 10. Literacy rate (2011 census)—66·0% (Males 79·2%, Females 52·1%) 11. Sex Ratio (Females per 1000 males)—928 12. Judicature—High Court at Jodhpur (also has a bench at Jaipur). 13. Location—The entire western flank of the state borders with Pakistan, while Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh bind Rajasthan in north, north-east and southeast and Gujarat in south-west. 14. Roads—The total length of roads was 1,95,850 km as on March 2014. 15. Railways—Total length of Railway line is 5822·28 km (4756·32 km broad guage 979·20

01. Official Name—Sikkim 02. Capital—Gangtok 3. Principal Languages—Lepcha, Bhutia, Nepali and Limbu. 4. Area (sq. km)—7096

GK (Ency.) | 185 5. Population (2011 census)—6,10,577 Urban—1,53,578 Rural—4,56,999 6. Number of Districts—4 7. Sex Ratio (Females per 1000 males)—890 (2011 census) 8. Density (Per sq. km)—86 (2011 census) 9. Legislature—Unicameral 10. Literacy rate (2011 census)—81·4% (Males 86·6%, Females 75·6%) 11. Judicature—High Court at Gangtok. 12. Decadal growth rate (2001–11)—12·97% 13. Location—Bounded by Bhutan in the east, Tibet in the north, Nepal in the west and the state of West Bengal in the south, Sikkim lies in the heart of the towering eastern Himalayas. 14. Roads—Gangtok is connected by roads with Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Siliguri also with all the district headquarters within Sikkim. Road length in the state is 3,672·32 km. 15. Railways—The two closest railway stations are Siliguri (114 km) and New Jalpaiguri (125 km) connecting Kolkata, Delhi, Guwahati, Lucknow and other important cities in India. 16. Aviation—There is no airport in Sikkim. Bagdogra airport in West Bengal which caters to the state is 124 km from Gangtok. Bagdogra has regular Indian Airlines and Jet Airways services from Kolkata, Delhi and the North-East. 17. Agriculture—The state’s economy is basically agrarian. Maize, Rice, Wheat, Potato, large Cardamom, Ginger and Orange are the principal crops. 18. Tourist Places—Some important tourist centres are Gangtok, Bakhim, Yamthang, Dubdi, Dzongri, Varsey, Rumtek, Tsomgo etc.

TAMIL NADU 01. 02. 03. 04. 05.

Official Name—Tamil Nadu Capital—Chennai Principal Language—Tamil Area (sq. km)—130,058 Population (2011 census)—7,21,47,030 Urban—3,49,17,440 Rural—3,72,29,590 06. Decadal growth rate (2001–11)—15·6% 07. Number of Districts—31 08. Literacy rate—80·33% (Males 86·81%, Females 73·86%)

09. Sex Ratio (Females per 1000 males)—996 (2011 census) 10. Density (Per sq. km)—555 (2011 census) 11. Legislature—Unicameral 12. Location—Tamil Nadu is bounded on north by Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka on west by Kerala, on east by the Bay of Bengal and on south by the Indian Ocean. 13. Roads—The length of roads network in Tamil Nadu is 62,017 km. 14. Railways—The total length of railways is 3,761 km. With 626 railway stations, the main junctions being Chennai, Madurai, Trichilapalli and Coimbatore. 15. Aviation—Chennai being the international airport in the southern region is the main centre of airline routes. Besides there are airports at Tiruchirapalli, Madurai, Coimbatore and Salem. 16. Ports—Major ports in the state are Chennai, Egmore and Thoothukudi. There are seven other minor ports including Cuddalore and Nagapattinam. 17. Power—The total installed capacity for electricity in the state is 11,884·44 MW as in March 2014. 18. Judicature—High Court of Chennai and Pondicherry. 19. Agriculture—Agriculture is the major occupation in Tamil Nadu. Total cultivated area in the state is 51·40 lakh hectares. The principal food crops include Paddy, Millets, Jowar, Bajra, Ragi, Maize and Pulses. 20. Tourist Places—Chennai, Mamallapuram, Poompuhar, Kanchipuram, Kumbakonam, Srirangam, Madurai are some of the places of tourist interest.

186 | GK (Ency.)

TELANGANA 01. Official Name—Telangana 02. Capital—Hyderabad

07. 08. 09. 10. 11. 12.

Sex Ratio (2011)—988 Literacy Rate (2011)—66·46 Legislature—Bicameral Principal Languages—Telugu and Urdu Judicature—High Court at Hyderabad Important Crops—Rice, Maize, Pulses, Oilseeds, Fruits, Groundnut, Cotton. 13. Location—It would border on Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. 14. MP—17 (Lok Sabha) 15. MLA—119

TRIPURA

03. Population—3,51,93,978 Urban—1,36,08,665 Rural—2,15,85,313 04. Area—1,14,840 sq. km. 05. Number of Districts—10 06. Density (Per sq. km)—307

01. Official Name—Tripura 02. Capital—Agartala 03. Principal Languages—Bengali and Kok Barak. 04. Area (sq. km)—10,486 5. Population (2011 census)—36,73,917 Urban—9,61,453 Rural—27,12,464 6. Density (Per sq. km)—350 7. Decadal growth rate (2001–11)—14·8% 8. Number of Districts—04

Know about India’s 29th State Telangana ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

President Pranab Mukherjee on March 01, 2014 gave his assent to the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill that paves way for the creation of Telangana as India’s 29th state. Land-locked Telangana, is spread over an area of over 1.14 lakh square kilometres, and boasts of considerable mineral wealth under its soil. Telangana’s population (including that of Hyderabad) is 3.5 crore. The state comprises the districts of Adilabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Medak, Warangal, Rangareddy, Khammam, Nalgonda and Mahabubnagar, apart from the metropolis of Hyderabad. It would border on Maharashtra, Karnataka and the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh (Seemandhra). The region was once a part of the princely state of Hyderabad, ruled by the Nizams, which also included some parts of the present-day Maharashtra and Karnataka. Hyderabad, during Nizam’s rule, was the only state where the language of administration was neither English, nor that of the locals’ people. The language of the courts, the administration and instruction in educational institutions was primarily Urdu, notes the Srikrishna Committee report. Telugu and Urdu are the main languages in the region, though Marathi and Kannada are also spoken in some areas. Telangana boasts of mineral wealth in the form of coal and iron ore. State-run Singareni Collieries, a joint venture of Central Government and Andhra Pradesh government, is a major employer in the region. But the new state is expected to fall short of power due to uncertainties on account of hydel power generation. Godavari with its tributaries and Krishna are the two major rivers. The region has numerous lakes too. It was once a hotbed of Naxal activity and a substantial number of the top leaders of CPI (Maoists) are known to hail from the region. The region has 17 Lok Sabha seats and 119 Assembly seats in the undivided Andhra Pradesh. There has been a demand to increase the number of Assembly seats to 153. The Telangana statehood issue hogged limelight in the last several years, though the demand for statehood is about 60 years old.

GK (Ency.) | 187 9. Sex Ratio (Females per 1000 males)—960 (2011 census) 10. Literacy rate (2011 census)—87·2% (Males 91·5%, Females 82·7%)

04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10. 11. 12. 13.

14.

11. Legislature—Unicameral 12. Location—Tripura is strategically situated between the river valleys of Myanmar and Bangladesh. Encircled almost on three sides by Bangladesh, it is linked with Assam and Mizoram in the north-east. 13. Roads—Out of total road length of 19,697 km in 2012-13, there were 7,707 km of black topped road 4810 km brick soled road and remaining 7,180 km roads were earthen. 14. Railways—Total length of railway lines within the state is 153 km. It has been extended up to Kamalghat in north district. 15. Aviation—The main airport Agartala is connected with Kolkata, Guwahati and Delhi. Airports at Kalisahar and Kamalpur are not functioning at present. 16. Irrigation—Total irrigated area in the state is 64,665 hectares. 17. Tourist Places—Ujjayanta palace, Jagannath temple, Laxmi Narayan Temple, Uma Maheswari Temple are important places of tourist interest. 18. Judicature—Agartala High Court.

Principal Languages—Hindi and Urdu Decadal growth rate (2001–11)—20·2% Density (Per sq. km)—829 (2011 census) Literacy rate (2011 census)—67·7% (Males 77·3%, Females 59·2%) Legislature—Bicameral Sex Ratio (Females per 1000 males)—912 (2011 census) Area (sq. km)—240,928 Number of Districts—75 Judicature—High Court at Allahabad. There is a bench at Lucknow also. Location—Uttar Pradesh is bounded by Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh and Nepal in north, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in south, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi in west and Bihar in the east. Roads—By the end of 2012-13 total road length in the state was 1,46,728 km. This includes 3,820 km of national highways, 8,391 km of state highways, 1,19,726 km of other district roads and 1,34,517 km of rural roads.

UTTARAKHAND

UTTAR PRADESH 01. Official Name—Uttar Pradesh 02. Capital—Lucknow 03. Population (2011 census)—19,98,12,341 Urban—4,44,95,063; Rural—15,53,17,278

15. Railways—Total length of railway route within the state is 8,832 km. Lucknow is the

188 | GK (Ency.)

16.

17. 18.

19.

main junction of the northern network. Other important railways junctions are Agra, Kanpur, Allahabad, Mughal Sarai, Jhansi, Moradabad, Varanasi, Tundla, Gorakhpur, Gonda, Faizabad, Bareilly, Mathura and Sitapur. Aviation—There are airports at Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Allahabad, Agra, Jhansi, Bareilly, Hindun (Ghaziabad), Gorakhpur, Sarasawa (Saharanpur) and Fursatganj (Raibareli). Power—The total installed capacity has now been raised upto 5077 MW. Agriculture—Agriculture is the main occupation of 66 per cent of the population of the state. The net cultivated area in the state is 164·17 lakh hectares. Tourist Places—Varanasi, Ayodhya, Chitrakoot, Prayag, Agra, Mathura, Vrindavan, Jhansi Lucknow, Kannauj, Mohaba are important places of tourist interest.

10. Density (Per sq. km)—189 (2011 census) 11. Location—Uttarakhand is bounded by Tibet (China) in the north and Uttar Pradesh in the south, Nepal in the east and Himachal Pradesh in the west. 12. Judicature—High Court at Dehradun. 13. Legislative Assembly seats—70 14. First Chief Minister—Nityanand Swami 15. First Governor—Surjeet Singh Barnala 16. First Chief Judge—A. Desai 17. Agriculture—Rice, Lemon, Tea, Oranges are important crops. 18. Universities—1. Roorki University, Roorki, 2. Govind Ballabh Pant Agriculture University, Pantnagar 3. Gurukul Kangri University, Haridwar 4. Kumanyun University, Nainital 5. Garhwal University, Paudigarhwal 19. Tourist Places—Dehradun, Mussoorie, Nainital, Rishikesh, Pant Nagar are important places of tourist interest.

UTTARAKHAND

WEST BENGAL

01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07.

01. 02. 03. 04. 05.

Official Name—West Bengal Capital—Kolkata Principal Language—Bengali Area (sq. km)—88,752 sq. km Population (2011 census)—9,12,76,115 Urban—2,90,93,002 Rural—6,21,83,113

06 07. 08. 09.

Decadal growth rate (2001–11)—13·8% Legislature—Unicameral Density (Per sq. km)—1,028 (2011 census) Sex Ratio (Females per 1000 males)—949 (2011 census)

Official Name—Uttarakhand Capital—Dehradun Principal Language—Hindi Area (sq. km)—53,483 Number of Districts—17 Legislature—Unicameral Population (2011 census)—1,00,86,292 Urban—30,49,338 Rural—70,36,954 08. Sex Ratio (Females per 1000 males)—963 (2011 census) 09. Literacy rate (2011 census)—78·8% (Males 87·4%, Females 70·0%)

GK (Ency.) | 189 10. Literacy rate (2011 census)—76·3% (Males 81·7%, Females 70·5%) 11. Judicature—Kolkata High Court of West Bengal and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. 12. Roads—The length of roads as on 31 March 2011 was 92023 km including 2578 km national highways. The length of roads under state highways is 2,393 km, under PWD. 13. Railways—The total length of railway route in the state was 4,037 km in 2013-14. Howrah, Asansol, Sealdah, Bandel, Bardhman, Kharagpur and New Jalpaiguri are the main junctions. 14. Ports—Kolkata is the most important port followed by Haldia. 15. Aviation—International airport Dum-Dum is located near Kolkata. Other airfields in the state are Balurghat, Coochbehar, Malda, Bagdogra, Panagarh, Behala, Barrackpore and Kalaikunda. 16. Tourist Places—Kolkata, Midnapur, Howrah, Purulia, Jaldapara, Vishnupur are important places of tourist interest.

ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS 1. 2. 3. 4.

Official Name—Andaman & Nicobar Islands Capital—Port Blair Area (sq. km)—8248 Population (2011 census)—3,80,581 Urban—1,43,488 Rural—2,37,093

8. Literacy rate (2011 census)—86·6% (Males 90·3%, Females (82·4%) 9. Number of Districts—02 10. Principal Languages—Hindi, Nicobarese Bengali, Malyalam, Tamil, Telugu 11. Judicature—Falls under the jurisdiction of Kolkata High Court. 12. Forests—Forests cover 7171 sq. km of the total area of the islands 13. Transport—The islands are accessible both by air and sea. Alliance Air is operating five flights a week between Kolkata and Port Blair and four flights a week between Chennai and Vishakhapatnam. The Directorate of shipping services maintains regular inter island, foreshore and harbour ferry services to cater to the need of Inter island commuters. The state transport has extended its service to 9 major islands of this Union Territory right from Diglipur in the north to Campbell Bay in the south. Andman Trunk road service has been introduced to connect the capital Port Blair with Rangat, Mayabunder and Diglipur with transshipment service by providing three ferry boats covering a distance of 272 km. 14. Tourist Places—The Emerald isles, Andman & Nicobar Islands are the places of historical importance.

CHANDIGARH 1. Official Name—Chandigarh 2. Capital—Chandigarh 3. Principal Languages—Hindi, Punjabi and English.

5. Density (Per sq. km)—46 (2011 census) 6. Decadal growth rate (2001–11)—6·83% 7. Sex Ratio (Females per 1000 males)—876 (2011 census)

190 | GK (Ency.) 4. Area (sq. km)—114 5. Population (2011 census)—10,55,450 Urban—10,26,459 Rural—28,991 6. Decadal growth rate (2001–11)—17·15% 7. Density (Per sq. km)—9,258 8. Literacy rate—86·0% (Males 90·0%, Females 81·2%) 9. Sex Ratio (Females per 1000 males)—818 10. Location—It is bounded on north and west by Punjab and on the east and south by Haryana. 11. Judicature—Punjab and Haryana High Court Chandigarh. 12. Transport—The length of national highways is 15·275 km. Chandigarh is well connected by rail, road and air. 13. Agriculture—Cultivable land is about 1,515 hectares in the Union Territory of Chandigarh and irrigated area about 1,450 hectares. Wheat, Maize, Vegetables and Fodder are the major crops. 14. Industries—There are 15 large and medium and about 3,026 small scale industrial units offering employment to about 29,400 persons. 15. Tourist Places—Important tourist places are Rock Garden, Zakir Rose Garden, Fragrance Garden, Shanti Kunj, Sukhna Lake, Museum and Art Gallery are known as tourist interest places.

DADRA & NAGAR HAVELI 1. 2. 3. 4.

Official Name—Dadra & Nagar Haveli Capital—Silvassa Principal Language—Gujarati and Hindi Area (sq. km)—491

5. Population (2011 census)—3,43,709 Urban—1,60,395 Rural—1,83,114 6. Density (Per sq. km)—700 (2011 census) 7 Decadal growth rate (2001–11)—55·91% 8. Sex Ratio (Females per 1000 males)—774 (2011 census) 9. Literacy rate (2011 census)—76·2% (Males 85·2%, Females 75·9%) 10. Judicature—Falls under the jurisdiction of the Mumbai High Court. 12. Location—The Union Territory is located between Gujarat and Maharashtra 13. Transport—The Union Territory does not have its own road transport system. It avails of Gujarat and Maharashtra states transport system. Total road length is about 635 km of which 570 km is surfaced. Almost all villages are connected with all weather roads. 14. Tourist Places—The prominent places of tourist interest are Tadkeswar Shiv Mandir, Bindrabin, Deer park Khanvel, Vanganga lake and island garden.

DAMAN & DIU 01. 02. 03. 04.

Official Name—Daman & Diu Capital—Daman Principal Language—Gujarati Area (sq. km)—112 sq.km

GK (Ency.) | 191 05. Population (2011 census)—2,43,247 Urban—1,82,851 Rural—60,396 06. Decadal growth rate (2001–11)—53·8% 07. Density (Per sq. km)—2,191 (2011 census) 08. Sex Ratio (Females per 1000 males)—618 (2011 census) 09. Literacy rate (2011 census)—87·1% (Males 91·50%, Females 79·59%) 10. Number of Districts—02 11. Judicature—Mumbai High Court. 12. Roads—The total length of roads in Daman and Diu are 191 km and 78 km respectively. 13. Railways—There is no railway link with Daman & Diu. The nearest railway station from Daman is Vapi on western railway on Mumbai-Delhi route. The nearest railway station from Diu is Delvada on metre gauge. 14. Aviation—There are airports both in Daman and Diu. Diu has been connected by air and there is regular air service from Mumbai to Diu. 15. Irrigation—Total area under irrigation is 393·93 hectare. 16. Industries—There are 2,930 small scale and medium scale industries in Daman and Diu. 17. Tourist Places—Important tourist places in Daman are Devka Beach, Jampore beach, Kachigam etc.

05. Population (2011 census)—1,67,87,941 Urban—1,63,68,899 Rural—4,19,042 06. Decadal growth rate (2001–11)—21·2% 07. Density (Per sq. km)—11,320 (2011 census) 08. Sex Ratio (Females per 1000 males)—868 (2011 census) 09. Literacy rate (2011 census)—86·2% (Males 91·9%, Females 80·8%) 10. Number of Districts—09 11. Legislature—Unicameral 12. Judicature—High Court at Delhi. 13. Transport—Delhi is well connected by roads, rail and air with all parts of India. It has three airports, Indira Gandhi International Airport for the international flights, Palam airport for national flights and Safdarjung airport for training purpose. It has three important railway stations, Delhi junction, New Delhi Railway Station and Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station. Delhi has three Interstate Bus terminal at Kashmiri Gate, Sarai Kalekhan and Anand Vihar. Metro rail also has been introduced in Delhi since Dec. 2002. 14. Tourist Places—Lal Qila, Jama Masjid, Qutub Minar, India Gate, Humanyun’s Tomb, Laxminarayan Mandir are important tourist places.

DELHI

LAKSHDWEEP

01. Official Name—Delhi 02. Capital—Delhi 03. Principal Languages—Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu. 04. Area (sq. km)—1,483

01. 02. 03. 04.

Official Name—Lakshdweep Capital—Kavaratti Principal Language—Malayalam Area—32 (sq. km)

192 | GK (Ency.) 05. Population (2011 census)—64,473 Urban—50,332 Rural—14,141 06. Decadal growth rate (2001–11)—6·3% 07. Literacy rate (2011 census)—91·8% (Males 95·6%, Females 87·9%) 08. Density (Per sq. km)—2,149 (2011 census) 09. Sex Ratio (Females per 1000 males)—947 (2011 census) 10. Judicature—Kerala High Court. 11. Transport—MV Tipu Sultan, MV Bharat Seema and MV Dweep Setu carry passengers to and from the islands to Cochin and Beypore ports. 12. Location and Situation—Lakshadweep a group of coral islands consists of 12 atolls, three reefs and submerged sand banks. Of the 36 islands, only 11 are inhabited. These lie scattered in the Arabian sea about 280 km to 480 km off Kerala coast between 8° to 12°3 north latitude and 71° and 74° east longitude. 13. Tourist Places—Bangaram is an international tourist resort.

PUDUCHERRY 01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06.

07. 08. 09.

Official Name—Puducherry Capital—Puducherry Number of Districts—4 Principal Languages—Tamil, Telugu, Malyalam, English and French. Area (sq. km)—480 Population (2011 census)—12,47,953 Urban—8,52,753 Rural—3,95,200 Decadal growth rate (2001–11)—28·15% Density (Per sq. km)—2,547 (2011 census) Literacy rate (2011 census)—85·8% (Males 91·3%, Females 80·7%)

PUDUCHERRY

(Puducherry)

(Puducherry)

Puducherry

(Puducherry)

10. Legislature—Unicameral 11. Sex Ratio (Females per 1000 males)—1,037 (2011 census) 12. Judicature—Falls under jurisdiction of Tamil Nadu High Court, Chennai. 13. Location—It is bounded on the east by the Bay of Bengal and on the other three sides by Tamil Nadu. 14. Roads—The total length of roads is 677·525 km. All villages of Puducherry are connected by motorable roads. 15. Railways—Puducherry is connected to Chennai by metre gauge and the nearest broad gauge link is Villupuram junction at a distance of 40 km. 16. Aviation—The nearest main airport Chennai is 160 km from Puducherry. 17. Tourist Places—Karaikal, Yanam, Mahe are important tourist places.